Russia was beautiful this time of year, the slight chill in the air, the people were walking about minding their own business, oh yeah, and let’s not forget the fiery inferno now descending upon Moscow.
The citizens all screamed in terror as a man, clad in red and white, his flames burning the same colors, walked through the city, proclaiming his displeasure with the country, and how he was here to make Russia great again, but that required that Mother Russia to be like the phoenix. Needing to be burned and rise from the ashes.
Of course the government thought that he was crazy and had already sent in troops to take down the rogue Firestorm. But as was always the case, normal means of fighting were ineffective against the power of a Firestorm Protocol.
Just as the Russian forces thought their time was nigh, two fiery comets streak through the skies above. One was a golden in color, and the other pink. The Russian Firestorm saw the new additions coming, looking upon them dubiously. The two streaks of fire stopped in midair and burst apart, revealing Sunset and Twilight, poised for battle.
The Russian Firestorm narrowed his gaze, pointed towards them, and started saying something in Russian.
“Uh, do you have any idea what it is he’s saying?” Sunset asked.
“He’s asking who we are and what we’re doing here,” said Twilight.
“Since when do you speak Russian, Sparky?”
“Um…well…one of the things the Organization drilled into our minds was learning multiple languages…”
Sunset smirked impressively at her new girlfriend. “Wow, how many?”
“I can speak Russian, Japanese, Hindi, French, Spanish, Swedish, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Latin, a few African dialects, Swahili, Cuban, Arabic and –”
“Okay, okay, okay, you’re a walking universal translator!”
The Russian Firestorm had a vein pop out, being ignored by the two new Firestorms was not something he liked. He then spouted something else in Russian, pointing at Sunset now. Twilight’s face turned red as her white eyes narrowed. She then brought her hands together, the atomic rings forming around them. Twilight then fired a beam of pure graviton energy right at the Russian Firestorm. The beam washed over him like a tidal wave as it slammed him an abandoned building below.
Sunset blinked, she didn’t know what the Russian Firestorm said, but whatever it was it made Twilight’s face redden with anger.
“Um, Sparky, you okay?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine!”
“Ooookaaaayy, so what did he say to get you pissy?” Sunset asked.
Twilight rubbed her right arm as she looked away embarrassed. “He…um…said he didn’t like being ignored and…”
“And…?” Sunset asked again, waving her hand to signal Twilight to continue.
“And he called you a w-w-wh, ahem, a prostitute…it didn’t translate well.”
Sunset had a feeling that “prostitute” was Twilight’s mild way of saying what he really said. “And you got angry because he called me that? The guy was just talking trash, not like I care.”
“Well I do care when he’s talking about m-my girlfriend! EEP!” Twilight covered her mouth, a fierce crimson blush overtaking her face.
Sunset’s own face reddened at how Twilight was defending her honor, not that she asked her to, but it was still nice. “T-Thanks…”
The abandoned building erupted into flames as the Russian Firestorm burst forth from the wreckage and zoomed straight towards them. He fired a massive blast of plasma flames at the two of them, to which the two were ready. Both girls had serious expressions upon their faces as they moved into position.
Sunset summoned her flames into both her hands, the atomic rings spun around her clenched fists, making the flames shoot upwards, forming into twin fire blades. She then brought both blades together, forming into a fire claymore sword.
Twilight worked her magic as her particle vision pierced the simplistic workings of the Russian Firestorm’s flames. They were basic, and primal. Unlike Sunset’s flames, which glowed and burned with such complexity that even Twilight couldn’t pinpoint how their atomic structure worked.
Twilight then thrust her hands forward, creating a force of energy that struck against the column of plasma fire. The impact surged through the flames and broke down the attack on an atomic level, extinguishing the flames of the Russian Firestorm. But that wasn’t the end of it, in his confused state, Sunset had charged straight for him. Her hair bellowed like a jet engine, propelling her at double the speed. Sunset cried out she raised her sword and slashed the Russian Firestorm diagonally across.
She reappeared behind him, taking advantage of his stunned state, the cut was powerful and blunt, but shallow, its objective only to momentarily stun the opponent. Sunset released the fire sword, her right hand glowed bright red and yellow as she hurled herself back towards the Russian Firestorm. Sunset performed a spear-hand thrust right to the middle of the man’s back, piercing through him as her arm disappeared into his core.
The Russian Firestorm gasped at the sudden impact, but then began feeling his power slip away. Sunset wrenched her hand back, removing the floating atomic fireball that was the Firestorm Protocol. Twilight quickly used her power to create a bubble of hard light, and used a steel girder that was sticking out to fashion a pair of handcuffs, restraining the now cursing Russian man.
When he was safely lowered down to some awaiting soldiers, the Firestorm Protocol rose from Sunset’s hand and split itself in half. One half went into Twilight’s sun emblem, and the other into Sunset’s, giving them a brief surge of power before it dissipated.
Sunset looked up at Twilight, smiling down on her as she held her hands behind her back. “Want to grab some lunch, Sunset?”
PARIS, ONE WEEK LATER…
The Eiffel Tower was a complete mess. Its monolithic structure now twisted into something that could only be described as some form of modern art. The people of Paris didn’t know whether to be horrified that their iconic tower had been changed by a single fiery person, or angry that it had no artistic merit whatsoever.
Above the structure, hands wrapped by atomic rings, was a female Firestorm, who looked all of twenty something. Her flames were a standard orange, but her outfit was off-white, with red sleeves and leggings. She gave a haughty huff at the people below, looking upon them through narrowed eyes.
“Cretins, how dare you mock my art! This is the form of my tortured soul!”
“Then you really need to see a shrink!”
The rogue Firestorm turned around just in time to get belted by Sunset’s fiery fist, sending her spiraling away from her. She didn’t spin out long as she used her power to stop herself, she then turned towards Sunset and shot her an indignant gaze.
“How dare you, you…you…oh my.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in the other Firestorm’s tone. “What is it?!”
She began floating towards Sunset, not threateningly, but at the same time it made Sunset worry. She was not but a foot away from Sunset, placing her hand to her chin as she looked Sunset up and down. She then circled around Sunset, taking in her curves and lean muscle tone.
“Magnificent, such a mixture of feminine and masculine beauty, and wielding such power as well,” The rogue Firestorm began to blush, she then quickly clasped her hands on Sunset shoulders as she looked into her eyes. “I must sculpt you my Sprite! You have ignited the fires of passion and inspiration within me!”
Sunset blanched at what was happening. She just punched this girl out earlier, and now she was asking her to model for her, and the way this girl said it. There was no deceit in her words, only the honest passion of an artist, and something else that made Sunset get hot and bothered.
“Um, uh, why, what?!”
“Of course,” The female Firestorm brought their bodies closer, pushing her impressive bust against Sunset’s and making the crimson Firestorm squeak, “I will require that at least one of the sculptures be of you nude.”
“N-N-Nude?!”
“But of course. Do not fret though, if you are willing, I can show you the same passion and care I will use to sculpt your likeness on you, Mon Cherie.”
The French Firestorm’s words dripped with lust and passion, she was not shy and had no shame whatsoever, and Sunset would be lying if she said she didn’t find her words to be a little arousing. Just then a great force of power developed between them, and within seconds, both Firestorms were ripped away from each other, putting them at least five yards apart from each other.
“What in the – GAK?!”
Suddenly the French Firestorm stiffened up, the air in front of her distorted for a few moments before it settled, revealing Twilight. Who currently now had half her forearm in the other girl’s chest. Twilight drew back her arm and removed the Firestorm Protocol, making the French girl change back to normal. A bubble of hard light appeared around her and whisked her down to the proper authorities.
“Nice work, Sparky.”
“Humph.” Twilight grunted.
“What’s up with you?” Sunset asked.
“Did you have to look so hot and bothered by what she was saying?” Twilight asked with an annoyed tone.
Sunset shook her head. “What, you mean all that crap she was talking back there?” Sunset was suddenly struck with realization as a cocky grin appeared. “Oh Sparky, were you jealous?”
Twilight blushed furiously. “N-N-No I wasn’t jealous! Why would I be jealous?!”
“‘Cause she was talking about sculpting me nude and then something about taking a more hands on approach.” Sunset made a point to wiggle her eyebrows to get the point across.
“I…I…I…”
“You jelly, Sparky?”
“I…UGH…I’m going to go fix the Eiffel Tower! Excuse me!”
Twilight flew past Sunset and began working on restoring the Eiffel Tower to its former glory. The whole time this was happening, Sunset couldn’t get over how funny it was getting Twilight riled up, and how adorably cute she was when she was jealous.
OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA, TWO WEEKS LATER…
A massive tidal wave was approaching an oilrig and at least three tankers. At the head of the wave was a young man, his flames burned a bright aquamarine as he rode the wave on a transmuted surfboard made of obsidian from the volcanic rock deep below the ocean.
“Whoo-hoo! You blokes ain’t goin’ to keep polluting the waters around here anymore! These waters were meant for everybody, and the planet and the sea creatures below don’t need any corporate greedy bastards killing the waves!”
Ahead of the wave appeared two flickering flames. Twilight slapped her hands together as the atomic rings formed, she then touched the water’s surface and willed the water to crest into a tsunami to match the incoming one. The giant walls of water roared as they headed on a collision course. The surfing Firestorm looked up at the wave with wide eyes.
“Outrageous…!”
The two waves then crashed against each other, sending a spray of ocean water blasting in every direction. The force and power of Twilight’s wave was equal to that of the opposing wave, allowing her to cancel the wave out and keep any damage to the oilrig, tankers, and sea life below to a minimum.
Sunset and Twilight scanned the area of the surfing Firestorm, but there was no trace of him. That is until they heard the sounds of excited yelling coming from above them. The aquamarine Firestorm was now surfing through the air, his obsidian board riding the flames on which he transmuted, keeping him aloft as he performed a number of stunts in the air. The aquamarine Firestorm finally settled and hovered a few feet away as he looked upon them with his arms crossed across his chest.
“S’up, the name’s Surge. Now what’s a couple of fine looking sheilas like yourselves doin’ out here? Ya killed my wave!”
“You were going to kill those people over on that rig and on those boats!” Sunset yelled out.
Surge blew a raspberry as he waved off the concern. “Hey, it ain’t my fault. They chose this line of work, and with all the muck ya get the yuck along with it! So, if they don’t care what they’re doin’ to the ocean, then I’ll just have to show ‘em what the ocean can do to them!”
Twilight flew ahead of Sunset a little as she gave Surge a scolding gaze. “Those people have family, wives, daughters, and sons! They take on dangerous work like this to feed them and keep a roof over their heads! Sure, does this kind of work create hazardous waste to the ocean and the sea life? Yes!”
“But they’re risking their lives doing this work as well, bad accidents can happen on these kinds of places that can end up with someone getting killed! I understand your concern, but there’s no need to bring death to people who are just trying to make a living!”
Surge was a little stunned by the heartfelt speech. The aquamarine Firestorm hovered closer to Twilight as he gave her a scrutinizing look. That look then softened into a roguish smile, flashing his pearly whites at Twilight.
“You know, you can melt a man’s resolve with that kind of talk girly. Alright, what say I leave these guys alone, and instead you and I go on a date back in Sydney? I know this great restaurant, best drinks and food in Australia.”
Twilight blushed as the offer as she fiddled with her flame hair. “Well, ahem, t-thank you for the offer. But, I-I’m currently in a relationship…”
“Oh really, so who’s the bloke I gotta one up to get ya to trade up?” Surge asked with a cocky grin.
“First off: that ‘bloke’ would be this sheila next you. Second…”
“Wha –?!”
Before Surge could get out another word, Sunset punched the man with a flaming fist, sending him flying off his obsidian board and bouncing on the water like a stone skipping in the pond. Sunset then created a fire lasso and threw it towards Surge, with great accuracy and looped around his left leg. Sunset drew back on the lasso, making Surge return to them like a yo-yo. The crimson Firestorm then held out her right hand as it glowed with atomic energy.
When Surge returned, Sunset buried her hand in his chest, making Surge release a grunting “oomph” sound upon impact. She then drew back her hand, extracting the Firestorm Protocol within him. Surge’s body shifted back to the form of a young man with tribal tattoos and necklace with a shark’s tooth on it.
Twilight quickly created a bubble of hard light around him as he fell into unconsciousness. The Protocol rose up, split apart, and then zoomed into both girls’ sun emblems. Twilight crossed her arms as she gave Sunset a knowing smile. Sunset looked away, her face blushing the whole time.
“So…Sunset, you jelly?”
“Shut up…”
TOKYO, THREE WEEKS LATER…
Sunset Shimmer stood in the middle of the busy street of Tokyo, Japan. It was nighttime, the only light was provided by the bright, full moon above, and the many electronic signs and building lights that surrounded them.
Across from them, about a yard away, stood another Firestorm, Twilight had translated his alter ego’s name as Kasai. This Firestorm was garbed in some modern day version of samurai armor. His flames were pale cherry blossom pink as they wafted back and forth.
Apparently, the man was a radicalist who threatened a summit meeting between Japan and South Korea. This man saw affiliation with foreigners of any kind as pollution upon the ancient ways of Japan and its people, and he was here to restore honor to their great nation.
Twilight and Sunset had appeared to stop Kasai, but to Twilight’s surprise, Sunset was the one who made the ultimatum with Kasai.
The wager was, if Sunset beat him in sword combat, that he would willingly surrender his Protocol and give up his vendetta. Of course, Kasai laughed at this, thinking the offer was absurd. But then she spoke aloud.
“Watashi wa seishiki ni anata ni chōsen, anata ga ukeiremasu ka?! (I formally challenge you, do you accept?!)” Sunset spoke aloud in Japanese.
Both Twilight and Kasai’s jaws dropped. Twilight didn’t know Sunset knew Japanese. Kasai regarded Sunset differently, and after a long bout of silence, Kasai agreed to fight Sunset, blade to blade. Luckily the citizens had long since cleared out of the downtown area, so it was only Sunset, Kasai, Twilight, and some of the local Tokyo PD and the SDF (Self Defense Force) watching cautiously on the outer edge of the city.
Twilight had used her transmutation abilities to forge Sunset a sword. She had no doubt that Sunset would channel her power through the sword itself, so she reworked its atomic structure to withstand prolonged exposure to her flames, as well as gave it a razor’s edge that not even a laser or the finest swordsmiths could make. With sword in hand, and a worried Twilight watching, Sunset strode out toward Kasai.
The samurai Firestorm was sitting on his knees in the seiza position, with his sword on the ground in front of him as he waited for his opponent. Sunset stopped a few meters away, giving her new sword a few practice swings to make sure the weight and balance were satisfactory. The crimson Firestorm glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Twilight.
It’s perfect Sparky, not that I expected any less, thought Sunset.
Kasai opened his white eyes as he looked upon Sunset, he then grabbed his sword with his left hand and rose to a standing position. He took hold of the hilt in his right and drew the blade from its sheath.
Once the blade was fully drawn, Kasai slammed the butt of the sheath into the asphalt, staking it there. He then gripped the sword with both hands and entered a ready stance. Sunset did the same, gripping her sword with both hands and taking her own stance.
The air was still, the streets eerily quiet as if the world was holding its breath. Something sparked between the two Firestorms and the two of them dashed for each other. Sunset’s blade ignited with golden flames, and Kasai’s with the cherry blossom pink flames. The two warriors raised their swords and brought them down.
The two flaming blades clashed, sending a concussive shockwave and a loud ringing sound. They broke their blade lock and began attacking again, a symphony of rings echoed out through the city, it was beautiful and terrifying at the same time, as if the swords were singing a song known only to those who have ever crossed blades with another.
Kasai slashed horizontally, making Sunset bend backwards at the knees. She watched with a spiking heart rate as the blade passed over her, nearly missing her chest plate and face by a mere couple of inches. It was at this time that Sunset was glad her bust size wasn’t any bigger, or else those two inches would’ve hurt.
Once the blade passed over her, Kasai quickly countered with an overhead strike, attempting to cut Sunset down the middle. Sunset quickly held out her sword, bringing the blade to a horizontal angle and holding it up with the flat of her palm against the blunt edge. The two blades made contact once again, but this time Sunset was struggling to keep herself from falling back as Kasai pushed down.
Sunset felt the muscles in her legs burn and scream out in protest at keeping up this position. With a primal grunt, Sunset willed her flaming mane to roar out like a jet engine. The golden-yellow flames shot downward, propelling Sunset forward.
The added momentum pushed Kasai back as Sunset whipped her sword to the right. Kasai skidded a few feet away before coming to a halt. His white eyes shined as they narrowed, finding out that this girl was not pretending to be a swordsman, she knew how wield a blade, and fairly well too.
“Watashi wa misu o okashimashita, (I made a mistake)” Kasai spoke, “Watashi wa senshi to shite anata o chiryō sa rete iru hitsuyō ga aru toki, watashi wa, josei to shite anata o atsukawa! Anata jishin o junbi! (I treated you as a woman, when I should have been treating you as a warrior! Prepare yourself!)”
Sunset smirked, entering her own personal fighting stance. Legs apart, sword held back in the right hand, left hand forward, and body tilted forward slightly. “Watashitachi wa atatakai appu o teishi shitai toki, watashi wa omotte imashita! (I was wondering when we’d stop the warm up!)”
The cherry blossom pink flames erupted from Kasai as he roared into the air, at the same time, Sunset’s golden-yellow flames swirled around her like a raging inferno as she too released a primal roar. Two streaks of fire zoomed towards each other at breakneck speed.
Sunset slashed at Kasai, who expertly blocked the blade and swung around for a slash of his own. The crimson Firestorm shot up, and over Kasai, landing behind him and dodging his attack. Sunset balanced on her left hand and twirled around for a roundhouse kick to Kasai’s head.
The kick connected against the side of Kasai’s helm as he was sent flying into a Manga Café. Shredded bits of paper flew up, turning into burning embers in Kasai’s flames. The samurai Firestorm burst forth from the destroyed cafe and slashed the air with his sword, sending out a crescent wave of cherry blossom pink flames sailing towards Sunset. The female Firestorm flipped to the right, dodging the attack. Kasai then unleashed a flurry of crescent waves at Sunset.
Sunset slashed at one crescent after the other, either deflecting the flame attack or outright dodging it. At that moment, Kasai appeared behind her, ready to slash her down the middle, but Sunset was aware of his position. She then reversed her grip on the sword and thrust backwards, stabbing Kasai in the chest.
But at the moment her blade ran Kasai through, his form vanished in the form of the same flames. The flames transformed into sakura petals made of fire, the ember petals danced around Sunset for a moment before another Kasai appeared.
Keeping the sword in its reverse grip position, Sunset sprinted forward, spinning about as she slashed Kasai across the chest. But just like before, Kasai’s body burst apart into ember petals. Suddenly a flaming whirlwind was kicked up, buffeting Sunset and putting her on guard. She looked up and saw that Kasai was combining his transmutation and plasma flames at the same time, the flames then transformed into more ember sakura petals that nearly covered the whole area.
“Surasshu! Ken no Ame! (Slash! Rain of Swords!)”
Some of the petals within the whirlwind took on the form of a sword, and pointed themselves straight at Sunset. The swords launched themselves from every direction possible, Sunset quickly dodged the first ten and deflected seven more, but even she was not able to defend herself in a three-hundred and sixty degree attack.
One of the blades slashed across Sunset’s left arm, causing her liquid-light ichor to flow out. The atomic rings formed around the damaged area and went to heal the damage, but then another one struck Sunset’s right thigh, making her yelp in pain.
Despite all this, she continued to fight on, dodging and deflecting even while injured. Kasai smirked beneath his helm, his respect for this girl’s skill and tenacity were growing as the battle raged on.
“Anata wa yoku yattaga, ima kore o shūryō suru jikandesu shite imasu! Anata no meiyode wa, watashi wa anata ni jinsokuna shi o ataemasu! (You have done well, but now is the time to end this! In your honor, I grant you a quick death!)”
The petals all became swords, each one aimed directly at Sunset as they continued to swirl about in a merry-go-round of death. Sunset wasn’t about to die here, she stole a glance towards Twilight, seeing the worried expression her face.
You won’t lose me, Sparky, I promise! Guess it’s time for that!
Sunset willed her flames to spiral around, creating a tornado of fire that continued to spin rapidly. Kasai gave the order to his swords to attack. A shower of blades rained down upon Sunset Shimmer, her spiral fire went against the spin direction of the blade storm, allowing the attack constructs to be deflected or blocked entirely, but Kasai knew she could not keep that up forever.
Suddenly, the flames grew bigger and bigger, pushing the swords back. With a mighty roar the spiraling flames exploded upwards, smothering the remaining blades and effectively destroying them. Kasai formed a barrier around himself to protect against the force wave, but gasped at what he saw.
Sunset was now holding a second sword in her left hand, the sword was unlike anything he had seen. It was outlined in plasma energy, given form and substance by the fire. Sunset stood at the epicenter, the sword in her right hand rested against her right shoulder, blazing with the same intense fire, while the other was kept at the ready.
The crimson Firestorm looked up at Kasai’s stunned expression and grinned gleefully. Sunset got into a ready stance and shot up into the sky.
Kasai reared back as Sunset shot past him, she then made a sharp turn and aimed directly for Kasai. The samurai Firestorm yelled as he flew out to meet her. Sunset brought down her fire sword first, striking Kasai’s blade with resounding force.
Kasai was caught off guard by how powerful the attack was and was pushed back because of it. Sunset jetted forward, bringing her right sword to slash across. Kasai dodged it, but quickly blocked another strike from the fire sword.
The two traded blows, with Kasai losing ground with each attack. Sunset moved in for the final attack, bellowing her battle cry as she blazed towards Kasai. She swung upwards with her fire sword, the blow hitting Kasai’s sword at an angle and causing it fling up and away from him.
Sunset brought up her right sword at an angle, slashing towards the sky as a flame trail streaked across Kasai’s right shoulder to his left side. Sunset’s second blow came down from the left with her fire sword, slashing him from the left shoulder to his right side.
Yelling at the top of her lungs, Sunset began slashing at Kasai with rapid succession, the blades streaked with such speed that they appeared like shooting stars. Kasai was helpless to against the barrage as he was forced down to the ground below, with Sunset striking him the entire way.
She then combined the two swords together, giving it new form and substance. The Great Blade was swung down, the blade roaring like a dragon as it slammed against Kasai. The samurai Firestorm tried in vain to counter attack, wasting his energy as he was sent hurdling to terra firma.
Kasai hit the ground, creating a large crater that the beam of fiery plasma light smashed him into. When it was over, Kasai was lying on the ground, his body was scuffed and cut up as liquid-light ichor flowed from his wounds. Atomic rings formed around the wounds, trying to heal the damage, but Kasai knew it was over when he opened his eyes.
Sunset hovered over him, her Great Sword pointed right at him. She panted hard from the battle, but the grin of victory never left her visage. The eyes of both Firestorms met for a moment, and it was decided. Sunset removed the power up from the original sword, returning it to its normal state. Kasai, with some difficulty, was able to maneuver himself into the seiza position.
“Anata wa rippana aite no tame ni, rippana kettō o kakutoku shite imasu. (You have won, an honorable duel for an honorable opponent.)” Kasai then bowed his head.
Sunset stuck the sword in the ground and bowed to Kasai. “Demo, kono seiki ni, furui yarikata o sonchō suru koto ga dekite iru hito ga arimasu. Ken wa, sore ga watashitachi no subete ni zokushite iru gijutsudearu, nani no kyōkai o shitte imasu. Kono Kasai o oboete oite kudasai. (Even in this century, there are those who are still able to respect the old ways. The sword knows no boundaries, it is an art that belongs to us all. Remember this Kasai.)”
“Hijō ni kenmeina kotoba wa, watashi ga kokoro ni sorera ga kakarimasu, (Very wise words, I will take them to heart,)” said Kasai.
Sunset looked over Kasai, seeing that the damage had been repaired. “Junbi wa dekimashita ka? (Are you ready?)”
“Hai.”
Sunset knelt down and placed her hand against his chest. Like a ghost, her hand phased through him as she grasped the Firestorm Protocol within. She then gently took it out and watched as Kasai morphed back into his original form, that of an old man. Sunset watched as the old swordsman fell unconscious and moved to grab him before he hit the unforgiving ground.
Twilight flew down to Sunset, having watched what transpired between her and Kasai. She then formed an energy bubble around him, and bent the light particles away from them so that they may become invisible. Sunset and Twilight took off out of the crater and dropped off Kasai at the closest hospital before heading back home.
“Sunset, how in the world did you know how to fight with a sword?! And for that matter, how did you know how to speak Japanese?!” Twilight asked.
“Oh…um…I had a tutor when I was younger. He taught me Japanese and the way of the sword, it was part of my curriculum to become a more rounded ma –” Sunset bit her tongue before she spilled too much.
“More rounded what?” Twilight asked, now curious.
“A…A…A more rounded person! Y-Yeah, that’s it!”
Twilight was skeptical about the whole thing, but decided to leave it at that for today.
CANTERLOT CITY, SOME TIME LATER…
Sunset plopped herself onto Twilight’s bed, letting out a long drawn out sigh as she laid there, tired from the battles they had been fighting lately. Twilight sat on the edge opposite Sunset, releasing the same worn out sigh that her girlfriend did.
“Russia, Australia, France, and Japan! And all within a few weeks of each other!” Sunset groaned indignantly. “It’s like they’re trying to piss us off! Or wear us out! ”
“They’re probably trying to drum up buyers for the Firestorm Protocols by selling them to these radicals or wealthy people, the more fear they induce into the citizenry, the more likely it will be that their respective governments will pay just as much or more to have Firestorm Protocols of their own. If not for domestic peace keeping, it’ll probably be for national defense.”
“Great, that always solves the problem, Mutually Assured Destruction, if I go down I’ll take the whole damn world with me!” Sunset rubbed her temples, trying to stave off a growing headache. Frustrating over the suicidal tendencies of humans brought them on sometimes. “At least they’ve seemed to stop, they’re appearing less and less.”
“Thanks to us. We’re pushing them into a corner with every rogue Firestorm we take down. If we keep up the pressure we can make it so that no one will want the Protocols so long as we’re around. Not much point in having a weapon if someone can just reach in and take it from them,” said Twilight.
Sunset agreed, eventually the Organization would realize the futility in selling the Firestorm Protocols and just shift their focus onto them. In a way that made Sunset worry, yes they wanted that to happen, in doing so would allow them to find out where they’re hiding, and more importantly, who was heading the Organization and how deep into worldwide governments this went. Sunset chuckled inwardly, finding it strange how things turned out in this world for her.
When she stepped through that mirror and stumbled into this world, she never imagined she’d be fighting an evil syndicate bent on worldwide domination, gaining superpowers, and…falling for a girl who at one point she considered to be her eternal rival and sworn enemy.
Just falling for someone at all was a huge deal to Sunset as a whole, she never thought about falling in love with someone, or dating anyone here. Heck, she figured, once she’d taken over both worlds, that her pickings of potential mates would be abundant. Why just settle for one, when you ruled two worlds, you can have as many lovers as you wanted, sire heirs with one and then another.
At least that’s how the Unicorn Kings of old did it, didn’t work out so well. But since Sunset’s plan had involved mind control and the possession of untold power, she doubted she’d meet a similar fate.
But now, all that ambition, all that pride, it was – well it wasn’t gone per se. Just tucked away, Sunset would always have her pride as a former Equestrian and top student, and that air of superiority wouldn’t leave her anytime soon. But it was tucked away, not as prominent as it used to be.
And it was mostly thanks to Twilight, this girl whom she was ready to go to desperate means to get payback, was the cause of this change, and feelings within her. Sunset shot up and threw her arms out at Twilight. She hooked around the violet haired girl’s neck and dragged her down to the bed with a surprised yelp.
Twilight found her head resting on Sunset’s chest, her arms locked around her and keeping her there. Her cheeks became flushed as she felt her heart race, both from the sudden pull and being this close to Sunset. She then felt the older girl’s hand gently stroke her hair, it soothed Twilight, making her nuzzle closer to the fiery haired girl.
Little moments of intimacy were welcome, mostly because it felt both strange and delightful to both. Sunset had never really been with anypony or anyone. Even while dating Flash for a little bit, she never really cuddled like this with him nor did she allow him to do anything of the sort. But with Twilight, it felt right, doing this, comforting and holding her, it was right.
For Twilight it was the same, she had only known the love and bond of siblings and parents. Shining would sometimes let her sleep in his bed whenever she had a nightmare of the Organization’s base or about what fate befell Professor Neigh.
She remembered curling up next to him, feeling safe next to his large frame. Whenever Shining Armor wasn’t around, Twilight would turn to her adopted parents, Night Light and Velvet. She had never known the love and caring of real parents, Professor Neigh was as close to a father as she’d ever had.
And while Night Light wasn’t exactly as genius level as Professor Neigh, he was still pretty smart, but also very caring and protective of his new daughter. Velvet was everything Twilight could ask for in a mother, understanding, compassionate, smart, and strong.
And Cadance, well, they may’ve not been sisters, but Twilight assumed Cadance was as close to a big sister as she was going to get. It was like she was surrounded by those who loved her, but she never experienced romantic love, Twilight even feared she’d wouldn’t be able to love someone in that way.
She was engineered, she was like a robot for most of her life until learning from Professor Neigh. So how would she know what romance was? It was something that haunted her sometimes, wondering if she had mistaken these strong feelings for Sunset as nothing more than a great admiration for her, or if she really did love her.
But it was moments like this, when Sunset brought her close that those thoughts would vanish. This felt real to her, there was nothing else other than to call this romantic love, that’s what her heart told her.
Even though the heart is an organ and doesn’t have anything to do with emotions or feelings of love, she thought.
Sunset then bopped Twilight on the head.
“Ow, what was that for?” Twilight whined.
“Because I can hear you thinking, and you said something bop worthy,” said Sunset.
“Meanie.”
“Dork.”
Both girls chuckled at the end of their little banter, settling back down and letting the silence overtake the room for a bit.
“Y’know, I’m surprised your mom and dad haven’t checked on us,” said Sunset.
“Why would they?”
“Well, we’re girlfriends now, and usually parents who know their teen kids are in relationships, and have said person in their kid’s room, usually they demand that the door be left open just in case, well you know.”
Twilight blushed, she may not be totally well versed in all aspects of romantic relationships, but she had seen enough teen movies to know what the significance of keeping the door open meant, and what Sunset was implying. Twilight suddenly curled up close to Sunset, making the older girl look at her curiously, it didn’t take long for Sunset to deduce why she was acting like that.
“You haven’t told them yet, have you?”
“…………No, I-I haven’t yet. I just…I just don’t know how to tell them, or how they’d react to the news. Are you mad that I haven’t told them?” Twilight asked with worry.
Sunset shook her head and shrugged. “Nah, not really. I haven’t even told Celestia, so I have no right to criticize or judge.”
“I do want to tell them, and my friends, at some point soon.”
Sunset wasn’t sure if she was ready for that, Twilight’s parents she was okay with telling, Celestia as well, but her friends, now there was the rub. They stayed apart at school, not wanting their friends to know about their relationship, which kind of soured some of the days at school, not being able to be near someone you love.
Sunset groaned inwardly, now realizing how those characters in those cheesy teen romance movies felt. But unfortunately, this wasn’t so simple as girl in love with boy, more like girl in love with another girl, who just so happened to be the queen bitch of the school and its terror.
She could already imagine the disapproving glares of those five, the incredulous look in their eyes at the fact that Twilight and Sunset were together. The mere thought of that made Sunset’s stomach knot in anger.
After missing her chance to take over both worlds, and being stuck in this world, when she finds the one thing, well that someone, who makes her happy, who were they to say she couldn’t be happy? Who were they to disapprove of her being with Twilight? Admittedly she did plan on getting back at her, but that was then, and this is now.
“I’ll leave it you, Sparky. Just make sure you give me a heads up when you decide we’re coming out of the closet.”
“I will, don’t worry, Sunny.”
“‘Sunny’?”
“You call me Sparky all the time! Why can’t I have a nickname for you, too?!”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want one, it was that when Twilight said it, it made her feel funny inside, good funny. “F-Fine, just don’t call me that when we’re around other people.”
“Well that’s not fair, you call me Sparky when we’re in public. What’s different with yours?” Twilight asked.
“Fine…just, maybe when we’re together, and not around people we know.”
Twilight smiled and hugged herself closer to Sunset. “It’s a deal, Sunny.”
“Don’t make me regret that deal, Sparky.”
THE NEXT DAY, MONDAY…
The two of them sat in the lunchroom, having beaten the rest of Twilight’s friends to the table, Sunset couldn’t help but feel nervous about this whole thing as she tapped her perfectly manicured nails against the table, the food on her tray showing signs of small bites here and there.
Twilight had made a valid point that when they announced that they were a couple, it was going to cause a bit of a ripple through her group of friends. Quite frankly Sunset couldn’t care less, but Twilight’s friends were important to her, and she respected that. Well, she did now, after finding out her true origins.
“Are you sure about this, Sparky?” Sunset asked.
“I am Sunny, this will serve two purposes. One: if my friends see that you’re positively turning over a new leaf, it might make a dent in their approval of our relationship,” said Twilight.
“And the other?”
“Expanding your circle of friends and possibly giving an apology to the others,” said Twilight.
Sunset sighed heavily. “Sparky, you know your friends hate my frickin’ guts! I was the one who broke them apart, remember? Set them against each other and practically ruined their friendships, don’t think they’re quite in the mood to sit and eat with me at the same table.”
“Trust me, you won’t know until you actually talk with them.”
“And, honestly, if they said they don’t approve of us being together, will that really make a difference in how we keep going?” Sunset asked, somewhat afraid of the answer.
“Of course it won’t! I want to be with you Sunny! I just would like it if there wasn’t so much hostility towards you all.” Twilight began to twiddle her thumbs as she blushed a little. “You know, in the future, I’d like to stay in touch with them, keep us all connected. And I’d really love it if they at least didn’t hate you or you them.”
Sunset sighed. “I don’t really ‘hate’ them, I guess. Hate had nothing to do with what I did. I am – was – probably still am – a horrible person when I first got here, dividing and conquering was a strategy that worked so well, what with all the differing cliques and social circles, it wasn’t that hard.
“Those five were like the prime of example of how five different kinds of people can be friends, despite their various differences and interests. So, naturally, I had to split them apart. ‘Cause if they could get along, then there was no reason others couldn’t as well.”
Twilight had to admit, as devious as that was, it was actually tactically brilliant. “So…if you didn’t hate them then, why can’t you try to like them now? If I can convince them to at least give you a chance, would you at least try?”
Sunset saw that pleading look in her eyes, that innocent, bookish, pouty look that made her crumble on the inside. In the end Sunset threw her arms into the air and surrendered to the inevitable.
“Fine, fine, I’ll stay and take my lumps! But I won’t like it.”
Just then Sunset and Twilight saw the familiar group of girls coming their way with trays of their selected foods. Their cheerful smiles morphed into various expressions upon getting closer to the table and spying who it was that was sitting across from Twilight.
Pinkie Pie still had her smile, a default expression Sunset figured, but the others were more telling. Applejack’s face was neutral, she had played the voice of reason more than once when it came to Rainbow Dash or someone starting something, Sunset figured she was getting into the mindset in case things went south.
Rarity was somewhat subtle, she held her air of sophistication, and her expression was of one deciphering a work of art, attempting to see the hidden meaning. The hidden meaning being why was Sunset Shimmer sitting at their table, and what she was up to. Fluttershy was, well, what everybody probably expected.
The timid girl’s head hidden behind her long hair the best she could, trying to make her presence as small as possible, even going so far as to duck behind Applejack. Sunset couldn’t really blame her, considering all the verbal abuse she had bestowed upon the pink haired girl, having your bully sitting at the same table was most likely making her a nervous wreck inside.
And then there was Rainbow Dash, her expression was exactly what Sunset expected from the multicolored teenager, one of indignation, anger, and incredulity. The sports girl strode up to the table and put her tray down at the front of it, she then smacked her right hand on the table and leaned down, getting close to Sunset as she narrowed her gaze.
“And what exactly is she doing here?” Rainbow asked with a tempered voice.
“It’s a free country and cafeteria, I can sit and eat wherever I want.” Sunset responded.
“Anywhere but here.”
“Rainbow,” Twilight spoke up, gently resting her right hand against Rainbow’s shoulder, “I asked Sunset to sit with us.”
Rainbow Dash looked to Twilight with shock. “What?! Why?!”
“Because Rainbow, she’s my friend, same as you. Sunset’s also promised to be on her best behavior,” Twilight then glanced at the girl in question, “isn’t that right, Sunset?”
You cheeky little…“Yes.”
There was a moment of silence as Sunset and Twilight awaited the others to come to a consensus.
“Alright,” said Applejack breaking the silence.
“‘Alright’?! That’s all?!” Rainbow asked with an incredulous tone.
“If’n Sunset’s willin’ to be cordial to us, it’s only fair we be cordial to her. Again, don’t start nothin’, won’t be nothin’. Right Rainbow Dash?” Applejack gave the sports girl a look that pretty made it clear that there was only one right answer to give.
“Fine,” grumbled Rainbow Dash.
The prismatic girl took her spot right next to Twilight, making Sunset flinch a little at how close she was. But then she reminded herself she was going to be nice for Twilight’s sake. Applejack took the seat next to Rainbow, just to make sure that the hothead of a girl didn’t do something stupid and make this go south.
While at the same time she had a good view of Sunset in case the fiery haired girl tried something herself. Pinkie Pie took a seat next to Sunset, her smile still as prominent as ever, even while next to her. Rarity took the seat next to AJ, and finally, Fluttershy sat next to Pinkie.
The group commenced with the eating of their food, waiting for them to have a good amount in before starting a conversation.
“So sorry about the Science Fair again, you two, it’s a shame you didn’t at least get a special commendation for powering the whole building while repairs were made,” said Rarity.
“It’s no big deal, we showed that it worked and that’s that. Not the crushing victory that I wanted, but…” Sunset’s eyes drifted to Twilight for just a brief moment before looking back at Rarity. “It wasn’t all that bad.”
“Soooooo, Sunset, I heard you were snapping naughty pictures of Dashie and Cady back at the Fair,” said Pinkie as she wiggled her eyebrow lecherously.
Rainbow Dash, who was drinking from her bottle of AJ’s family Apple Juice, spat out the contents and coughed as she tried to suck wind. “P-Pinkie Pie! Who in the hell told you that?!”
“Well, you did Dashie, just now. I was totally kidding, but after seeing that…just, wow!”
Fluttershy’s face went red as she hid behind her hair, Twilight groaned loudly as she shook her head, trying to dislodge that image from her memory, but having an Eidetic Memory meant that you couldn’t forget anything, which meant Twilight was doing all she could to keep said memory from reappearing. AJ and Rarity were just staring at Rainbow Dash with wide eyes, not knowing how to respond to that.
“So, how was it?! Was Cady gentle, or was she more like hardcore – right to the action – kind of gal? Did you two cuddle first or did you just get straight to it? ‘Cause personally speaking, I don’t mind a buildup, but sometimes it’s just fun to get right into the good stuff, y’know?”
“We most certainly do not know!” Rarity affirmed, blanching in embarrassment.
“Not trying to pry, Pinks, but are you speaking from personal experience or just what you’ve imagined and thought about?” Sunset asked with curiosity, if for nothing than to watch her girlfriend and Rainbow cringe.
Pinkie Pie blushed, but she still didn’t seem embarrassed at all about talking about it. “Well, some I’ve imagined, and others, that’s a bit of a secret.” Pinkie put extra emphasis on the “secret” part of that sentence, lowering her voice to a strained whisper.
Sunset smirked at this, she had heard rumors about some of Pinkie Pie’s parties sometimes becoming more…physically intimate, but she didn’t care. Now though, Sunset couldn’t help but smirk at the curly haired pink girl next to her. She then held up her fist and pointed it at Pinkie.
“Remind me to call you if I ever need a ‘playful’ party,” said Sunset, giving her a wink.
Pinkie Pie picked up on the meaning and bumped fists with Sunset. “Seriously, though, you did take pics right?”
“Want a couple? I can probably Photoshop them to look a little more,” Sunset looked towards Twilight and Rainbow, “risqué.”
“Okay, well then, I think we’ve been on this subject for too long, moving on!” Rarity said with finality.
Sunset and Pinkie sighed in defeat, but then Sunset whispered, “I’ll e-mail ‘em to you.”
Pinkie Pie winked and giggled like crazy.
“Speakin’ of Cadance, how she holdin’ up Twi?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, she’s alright. Cadance probably won’t be dating for a while after…you know. But, I think she’ll find someone to love again, if there’s anything I’m sure about with Cadance, it’s that she really believes in the healing power of love, so I know she’ll be alright.”
“That’s good to hear,” said Fluttershy.
“Anywho!” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “Didn’t know if you knew, but the Spring Fling is coming up soon, and of course, there’s going to be another running for the Princess title.”
“Rainbow,” said Applejack in a warning tone.
“And?” Sunset asked.
“And I was thinking Twilight should run again, seeing as how she won by a landslide last time.”
Sunset looked to Twilight who was doing her best to try and shrink in her seat. It was cute to see her embarrassed like that, but she wasn’t going to let her suffer long. “If she wants to that’s fine with me.”
“Ah-ha, I knew you – Wait what?”
“If she wants to that’s fine.”
“What??”
“Do you speak English?” Sunset asked.
Rainbow shook her head as she tried to grasp what Sunset had said. “What???”
“English, Rainbow Dash, do you speak it?!”
“What???!!!”
“Say it again! Say ‘what’ again one more time, I dare you – no – I double dare you! Say ‘what’ one more damn time!”
Applejack snapped her fingers in front of Rainbow Dash’s face, but she seemed to be unresponsive. “Ah don’t think she’s doin’ this on purpose, in fact, Ah think she’s broken.”
After a couple of moments Rainbow Dash was finally able to snap out of her stupor and catch up to what was happening. “Y-You’re seriously not going to run for Princess?!”
Sunset released a frustrated growl, “Yes, for the umpteenth time, I’m not running nor do I care about who runs for it! If Sparky here wants to do it again that’s fine with me!”
The older girl blushed, catching herself too late before she uttered Twilight’s pet/nickname. The girls all stared at Sunset, not really believing that they just heard Sunset say that.
“‘Sparky’?” Applejack asked.
“As in, Sparkle, Twilight’s last name?” Rarity asked as well.
“Aaaaaw, you have a pet name for her! That’s cute!” Pinkie squeaked.
Sunset’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as she looked to Twilight for help, but the lavender skinned girl just smirked as she left her girlfriend to stew in this muck for a bit.
“I…I…It’s not a pet name!” Sunset cried.
“Uh, yeah, it totally is~” Pinkie practically sang. “And it’s really cute too! ‘Sparky’, I like it! Shoot, wish I thought of it first!”
Rarity was starting to slip into that little niche where she began to enter interrogation mode, leaning on her elbows as she leaned forward. The look on her face reminded Sunset of a cat that had cornered its prey and was thinking of what kind of delightful ways she could play with her food before pouncing for the kill.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash stood up, “I’m done. Twi, I’ll see you in Chem. Class after lunch, later.”
Everybody looked at Rainbow Dash with confusion as she strode away without another word.
“I can’t believe she has the nerve to call her that while I’m sitting right there! UGH!” Rainbow punched her locker, growling from the pain of the impact and her anger. “Why haven’t they said anything yet?!”
“Why hasn’t who said anythin’ yet?”
Rainbow Dash turned around and saw Applejack leaning against hallway entrance to the cafeteria. The rainbow haired girl ignored the cowgirl as she went back to beating her locker.
“Rainbow, Ah’m talkin’ to you!”
“Well maybe I don’t want to talk right now! So why don’t you go back to dining with the enemy!” Rainbow Dash spat with venom.
Applejack shook her head in frustration. “Dash, c’mon now, Sunset ain’t hurtin’ no one, at the moment. She’s tryin’ to at least be friendly like, the least we can do is give her a chance.”
Rainbow Dash rounded on Applejack. “‘A chance’, ‘a chance’?! Did you guys forget that this is the same girl who tore us all apart?! Who ruined what we all had growing up together! Well I haven’t! I can’t believe you’re so willing to forgive and forget about what she’s done to us – to everybody in this school!”
Applejack furrowed her brow as she stood tall and firm. “Now hold on there, no one said we forgot what she did, but holdin’ onto a grudge don’t do nothin’ but waste energy and eat you up inside until there’s nothin’ left but the anger and hate! If anythin’, the five of us are the best example of that!”
“Excuse me?!”
“Think about it, Dash! We all stopped talkin’ to each other because we each thought that the other did somethin’ that they never did! We stopped talkin’ to each other, visitin’, we barely acknowledged each other in the hallway! Shoot, if Twilight hadn’t come along, we’d still be holdin’ onto that stupid grudge of ours all the way to graduation and then some.”
Rainbow ran a hand through her long hair as she tried to make Applejack see reason. “Okay, but that was different! None of us actually did anything wrong to each other, it was all Sunset Shimmer’s fault! She did that stuff, so we have a legitimate reason to not like her or want her around!”
Applejack crossed her arms and gave Rainbow a stern look. “Ah’m startin’ to think that it’s you who don’t want Sunset Shimmer with us, more specifically, around Twilight.”
The tomboy flinched as her mask of indignation cracked slightly. “I…It’s just…”
“Come to think of it, even after the Fall Formal, Sunset hasn’t done nothin’ more than just yell and give Twi the Evil Eye, she hasn’t ever physically hurt her.”
“Y-Yeah, well, she’s done other crappy stuff to everyone in the school! She verbally abused Fluttershy on a regular basis for god’s sake!” Rainbow argued.
“And Ah know you’re ate up about that, not bein’ able to protect her from all that. But Sugarcube, you can’t blame yourself for that either,” said Applejack in a consoling voice.
“I’ve been trying to make up for all of that, by protecting you guys from her! And now, we have her sitting at our table, and now she and Twilight are together!”
“‘Together’?”
Oh shit!
“What do ya mean, ‘together’?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow Dash began to panic. “I didn’t say ‘together’, I don’t know what I said!”
“Out with it Dash, you know somethin’, and it’s that somethin’ that’s really got yer panties in knot!” Applejack demanded.
“It’s nothing!”
“Rainbow!”
“I mean it!”
“Rainbow Dash!”
“Dammit all, they’re girlfriends! Alright, there, you happy now?! Twilight Sparkle and Sunset – freakin’ – Shimmer are girlfriends! And I don’t mean gal pals, or ‘girl’ and ‘friends’, I mean they’re swapping spit, cuddling, and whatever the hell else they do in private!”
Rainbow Dash didn’t fully realize what she had done, not until she saw Applejack’s stunned expression. Her eyes were wide as her mouth hung open a bit, the cowgirl stumbled until her back hit the lockers. The rainbow haired girl felt like dirt at that moment, she didn’t mean to out either of them like that, Sunset she could care less about, but Twilight.
It wasn’t her place to have said all that when neither of them haven’t said anything to anyone yet. Rainbow was trembling, she couldn’t play that off as a joke, not with how serious she sounded, and even now she could see the gears turning in AJ’s head.
“Ya know…that kinda explains a bit…why Sunset’s been less, well, less like herself recently. Ah mean, Ah just thought that it was Twi’s natural way of gettin’ ya to be nice, but…together, as girlfriends, that’s somethin’ Ah didn’t see comin’,” said Applejack in a daze.
“Applejack you can’t tell anyone! I wasn’t even supposed to know!” Rainbow pleaded.
“Well…w-were they always like this? Were they a thing before the whole Science Fair thing?”
Rainbow went silent as she clutched at her right arm. “I don’t think so. In fact, I don’t think either of them knew until after the Science Fair. I…I overheard them talking, mostly because I was keeping an eye on Shimmer, but then…I heard Twilight and Sunset talking about something, and how Twi was afraid to lose her. After that she confessed to Sunset, and Sunset confessed how she felt about Twi, it was stupid luck that I was there and heard all of it.”
Applejack took off her Stetson hat and ran a hand through her golden locks as she tried to process all this. “Ah see…”
“AJ, I don’t know where you stand about these kinds of things, but I don’t want you hating Twilight because she’s…she’s…”
“A lesbian?”
“Yeah! Look, she’s the same Twilight we care about! Our friend, and it’s not like she ever made a pass at you or nothing!” Rainbow defended.
Applejack held up her hands. “Whoa, put on the brakes Dashie. Ah don’t got nothin’ against that kind of thing.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide with shock. “Y-You don’t?!”
“Despite what ya may think or what people think, Ah don’t have any right to say what they have is or isn’t love. Let’s just say that, when it comes to unorthodox relationships, Ah’m the person who has no room to criticize or judge someone else. No, more like Ah don’t have the right to, and let’s just leave it at that for now.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t know why, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she nodded her head in affirmation. Applejack nodded back and placed her hat back on her head before standing on her feet again.
“Ah won’t say anythin’ about them, if they want to tell the rest of us, then that’s their business. But it might bring ‘em some relief to know that they have someone to talk to, just in case.” Applejack began walking back to the cafeteria, but paused as she glanced back at Rainbow Dash. “Tell me somethin’ Dash.”
“What?”
“You like Twi the same way she likes Sunset Shimmer, and vice versa, don’t you?”
Rainbow bit her lower lip as she gripped her right arm hard, unable to meet Applejack’s gaze. For the blonde, that was all the confirmation she needed, Rainbow Dash always had tells, and AJ knew them well.
“Ah know it hurts, Rainbow, but at least be happy for Twi, for her sake.”
With that, Applejack left Rainbow alone. That’s just it AJ…I want Twi to be happy…just not with her…