> Something About Sunset
>  by Krickis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

⠀

Something About Sunset

⠀

~ by Krickis ~


for thedarkprep, and for a moment now captured in time

⠀



⠀




⠀
There was something about Sunset. Twilight couldn’t quite place what it was. There was just something about her.

Standing on the stage, guitar in hand, playing one of the songs she helped write. Twilight could barely focus on singing, couldn’t keep her eyes on the crowd. There was something about Sunset. Somehow, she seemed to glow.

She was so talented, and in so many ways. It would have been enough if she was just intelligent. But no, that wasn’t enough, not for Sunset. No, she had to play the guitar, too. Practiced fingers moving along the neck of the guitar as if automatically, reaching across it to play chords, her hands effortlessly moving to positions Twilight couldn’t match if she tried.

She had to write songs. She wrote from the heart, but she wrote smart. Her lyrics were both intelligent and true to life. She could make words dance in the same way she made her fingers dance on the fretboard, rhymes that sounded effortless with metaphors that made Twilight question every emotion she had ever felt.

She had to be an artist. Sunset could paint amazing portraits, with a vibrant palette that felt more real than reality. Twilight had watched her paint once, amazed at how just like notes on her guitar or words in her songs, Sunset took the raw materials of color in globs of paint to make something that was so much more than the sum of its parts

She had to be a singer. With a voice that Twilight could listen to all day, and would if only she had the chance. Twilight sometimes found herself playing Rainboom songs that Sunset sang on for no other reason than to hear her voice.

There was something about Sunset, and it was all of these things, and it was none of these things.

Just like her songs, just like her paintings, Sunset was more than the sum of her parts. Twilight knew this, and yet she was a scientist. If she could distill what it was about Sunset, if she could understand it, then maybe she could stop thinking about her friend so much. Maybe she could focus on the crowd instead of on the guitarist. Maybe the daydreams, always so much sweeter than reality, could stop being about one girl in particular.

And just then, there was something about the way Sunset looked at Twilight. Suddenly, the crowd was gone. The rest of the band was gone. The instruments were gone. There was just Sunset, and there was just Twilight, and there was just the music in the air that came from Twilight’s heart.

Twilight was not a songwriter. She left that to Sunset and the others that did it better than her. And yet somehow, this song was hers. It came from her, and it was directed at Sunset. It was everything she never said but always wanted to. It was everything she didn’t even know she wanted to say.

And Sunset walked across the stage, and she held out her hand. Twilight took it, placing her trust in Sunset’s palm along with her own hand. It was hers, she could do as she wished with it.

And they danced. Twilight was not a dancer, no more than she was a songwriter, or a musician, or an artist. And yet, they danced. Sunset led, and Twilight followed. They moved as one, expertly making their way over the dancefloor. The spotlight was on them, but Twilight didn’t mind. Not when she was with Sunset. There was something about Sunset that made her feel safe, no matter what happened.

Sunset lifted Twilight into the air, and she reached out her hand as if to touch the sky. Sunset made her feel like that was something she could do. Sunset made her feel like it wouldn’t even be hard.

And back down, and spin, and bend. Each dance move demanded more grace than Twilight had ever had in her life, and yet with Sunset in command, Twilight’s body obeyed everything she asked of it.

Sunset leaned down as she dipped Twilight low. Their faces came close, closer than they had ever been before. Twilight closed her eyes, allowing Sunset to close what little distance remained between them.

Twilight felt softness on her lips, and for one brief moment, she felt bliss. But… it was wrong. She leaned forward, determined to enjoy this moment, already suspecting what was wrong. But it was too late, everything was fading.

And then it was gone. Twilight’s eyes opened up, and the only thing against her lips was her pillow. It had a wet spot on it from where she’d drooled on it in her sleep.

She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. Spike was sleeping peacefully at the foot of it, so she was careful to keep from waking him. She took a deep breath, then grabbed her glasses from a bedside table.

The world came into focus as she put them on, and the memories of the dream started to fade from her. She was playing with the Rainbooms, then she was dancing, then… did she kiss Sunset?

None of that was surprising. She collapsed back on the bed and covered her face with the pillow, ignoring the way it made her glasses dig into the bridge of her nose. Another dream of her. It was nice, but it was getting a little hard. Because the thing about dreams? You have to wake up in the end.

But… Twilight wouldn’t change it. Even if it was nothing but a little bit of fantasy, it was a fantasy in which Sunset and Twilight got to be together. Got to be more than friends. In which Sunset wanted that with her.

Not for the first time, Twilight wondered what was wrong with her. She had so much going for her, she didn’t need this crush. But try as she might, she couldn’t stop it.

There was just something about Sunset.
> 1 – Something New
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter One
Something New
⠀




⠀
Mornings were hard. Twilight was not made for mornings, she was made for late nights filled with lots of caffeine as she worked on whatever project was her current focus. Of course, she was used to waking up for school. She didn’t like it, but it was important. However it was spring break, it was time for sleeping in and staying up late, and yet here she was, rising with the sun.

Twilight got out of bed as carefully as possible, doing her best to avoid waking Spike. She looked back once she was up, seeing that he was still sleeping peacefully. That made her smile a little.

Looking for something else to smile about, Twilight retrieved her phone from her bedside table. She opened her text message app, going to the first name on the list and typing, ‘Just woke up. Hope you slept well.’

From there, Twilight left her room and walked down the hall to the bathroom. A quick shower would help her wake up. But as she closed the door, her text message tone went off.

As expected, it made her smile. It was from Fluttershy, who sent a selfie of herself on her bed. She looked every bit as beautiful as always, and it was the best way to start the day. There was also a message that read, ‘I slept pretty well, but I wish you had been here with me. I’ll head out to get you in a little bit.’

The idea of cuddling with Fluttershy through the night sent a rush of endorphins through Twilight. They’d had the chance at the occasional sleepover with the girls, enduring the teasing for the chance to sleep tangled up together. That was just a taste of what was to come, and today was the first step on the road to something more.

Of course, before they took that step, she’d need that shower. Twilight turned on the water, then sent a quick reply to Fluttershy as it heated up. ‘Sounds good, I’ll be ready! Love you!’

As she undressed, she got a ‘Love you too’ back from Fluttershy, then she got into the shower. It was a big day, but it would be a good one. That much was certain.

Twilight surprised herself by remaining that positive for the duration of her shower. Everything was changing. They only had a few more months until graduation, and things weren’t going to be easy. Even so, she was happy. Excited, even. She had Fluttershy beside her, and that made everything okay. It always did.

It was probably getting close to when Fluttershy would be picking her up by the time she left the bathroom. She checked her phone, and sure enough, there was a message saying that she had left.

Since Fluttershy was driving, Twilight decided not to reply. It was for the best; not only would she just be distracting her girlfriend, but she didn’t want to be too clingy. With a sigh, Twilight simply made her way to her bedroom. At least Spike was awake when she walked in. “Good morning, Twilight.”

“Morning, Spike,” Twilight said cheerfully, shoving down her concerns about relationships. “Ready to spend some time with Winona?”

“You bet!” Even though the magic that had given Spike the ability to speak had also made him considerably more intelligent, he was still a dog, and a puppy at that. The idea of spending the day playing with another dog got him almost as excited as Twilight was about this whole thing.

With that in mind, she changed quickly and then called him to follow her as she left her room. They made their way downstairs and sat on the living room couch. The house was quiet – Twilight’s dad worked overnight and wouldn’t be home yet, and while her mom was home, she would be sleeping the morning away. Theirs was not a morning household.

As if to emphasize this point, Twilight let out a yawn while they waited. It was just her luck that both Fluttershy and Applejack were early risers. They had a busy day ahead of them though, and besides, Fluttershy and Applejack were going to be busy in the afternoon, so she really couldn’t argue with the decision to leave in the morning.

She passed the time by talking with Spike, who was sitting on her lap as she stroked his ears. He was finishing up telling her about a dream he’d had. “And then Angel Bunny kicked me in the face…”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Aww, Angel isn’t that mean.”

“Maybe not to you…” Spike grumbled.

“I’m sure you two will get along once you get to know each other a little better.”

“Maybe…”

Twilight hoped that was true. It would mean a lot to Fluttershy if Spike got along with her pet rabbit. She continued to pet him gently while they waited. “I had a dream too. I was dancing with… someone.”

“You don’t remember?”

More like she shouldn’t have said anything. “No, I don’t.”

“Well, it must have been Fluttershy, right?”

“Maybe,” Twilight said with a twinge of guilt for lying. But she didn’t need Spike bringing this up at the wrong time today, so it was best to let him think that.

And anyway, she heard a car pull into the driveway. “Sounds like she’s here.”

Spike jumped off of Twilight and ran to the door. Although she thought Spike was intelligent enough to not need it, she still attached his leash, as she always did when they went outside. Then she opened the door and shielded her eyes as she stepped out into the sunlight.

Fluttershy popped her hand out from the window to wave at her, and Twilight waved back using the hand that held Spike’s leash. Well behaved as always, he stayed by her side without relying on the leash to keep him there at all.

Once the door was closed and locked, Twilight and Spike walked over to the car. She opened the back seat to let the dog in first, then took the front seat herself.

And of course, Fluttershy was waiting with a kiss for her girlfriend. She smiled as they pulled apart. “You still look sleepy.”

Twilight smiled as well, though not as effortlessly as Fluttershy did. “I am.”

“Applejack said she’d have coffee ready when we get there. And there’s a pair of sunglasses for you if you want them.”

“Thanks, you’re the best.” Twilight quickly put on the sunglasses, eager to filter out some of the intense light.

Fluttershy pulled out of the driveway and into the road. As they made their way to Applejack’s house, she talked brightly about how excited she was about everything, which mimicked how Twilight felt about the changes that were coming for them.

It lasted a few minutes, at least. “Uhm…” Fluttershy said, and Twilight knew what was coming.

“Something on your mind, Shy?” Twilight didn’t need to ask, but it was more polite than jumping straight into it.

“Well… it’s just a really big change…”

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” They pulled up to a red light, so Twilight took the chance to take Fluttershy’s hand in hers and give it a squeeze. “I know it’s a lot, but we’ll be together. And besides, living together has been our dream for the past year.”

“Yeah, I know.” Of course, Twilight knew Fluttershy knew. They’d talked about this extensively, starting shortly after they started dating. They clicked so well together, and they loved each other deeply. And with graduation around the corner, those plans were finally coming to a head.

“Fluttershy, I love you, and I’ll be there for you. And so will Applejack. You’re not doing this alone, you have us supporting you. It’ll be okay because we’ll make it okay.”

“I guess so…”

Twilight hesitated for a moment, during which, the light turned green. They started driving again. “Do you think maybe you should take your meds?”

Fluttershy shook her head slightly. “No, I’ll be okay.”

“You did bring them though, right?”

“Of course. If I get too anxious, I’ll take them.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright. Love you, Shy.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Love you too, Twily.”

Thankfully, Spike spared them from the difficult topic. “Do you think Applejack will have any of those dog treats for me today?”

Twilight giggled. “I’m sure she will, Spike.”

For the rest of the trip, they kept the conversation on lighter topics. It was obvious Fluttershy was still a bit anxious, though she held it together well. Still, Twilight looked forward to having Applejack with them. She always helped when Fluttershy was upset.

Internally, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived at Applejack’s house. She unbuckled as Fluttershy parked and cut off the engine, but as she went to open the door, she noticed Fluttershy hadn’t unbuckled. She was just sitting in her seat, staring at her hands in her lap.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy just shook her head.

“Come on, let’s go in and see Applejack.”

“Yeah…”

Twilight frowned. She wanted to help Fluttershy, but how could she when she couldn’t tell what was going on in her head? It wasn’t like Twilight didn’t have her fair share of anxiety issues. Out of all their friends, she was probably in the best position to understand what Fluttershy felt.

Or at least, that’s what she told herself. In truth, however, Fluttershy’s anxiety was vastly different from Twilight’s, and she was often at a loss for how to handle it. The things that worked for Twilight just didn’t seem to work for Fluttershy; while Twilight could be reassured and grounded, Fluttershy could spend days inside her head, thinking thoughts that neither Twilight nor anyone else could imagine coming from the sweet girl.

Slowly, Fluttershy moved. She unbuckled, but she didn’t leave the car immediately. Instead, she opened her purse and pulled out a prescription pill bottle. She twisted the top off and pulled out a single pill, which she popped in her mouth. She put the pill bottle back and took a bottle of water out of her purse, which she used to swallow the pill.

“We can wait inside until it kicks in,” Twilight suggested. “We should go let Applejack know we’re here, though.”

“I’d like that,” Fluttershy said, then opened her door.

Since Fluttershy was finally ready to leave the car, Twilight did likewise. She opened the door to the back seat as well once she was out, letting Spike out. Once they were around the front of the car, she held Spike’s leash in one hand and took Fluttershy’s hand in her other, and the three of them walked up to the house.

Since she was the one with a free hand, Fluttershy knocked on the door. After a moment, Applejack answered. “Howdy, y’all! And good morning to you, beautiful.”

Even with the anxiety attack, Fluttershy smiled a little. Then she gave her girlfriend a hug and a kiss, and for that second, it looked like nothing was wrong. Twilight stood off to the side and smiled, happy to see that Fluttershy was already starting to feel a little better.

Once they pulled apart, Applejack turned to Twilight and offered a hug. “Hey, Twi. Reckon you’d like some coffee to start the day?”

“That’d be great, thank you, Applejack,” Twilight said, returning the hug. She followed her girlfriend and her metamour into the house.

“Why don’t y’all get comfy and I’ll get us some coffee?” Applejack suggested as they passed through the living room.

“You’re not carrying three cups of coffee,” Fluttershy said. “I’ll help.”

“Suit yourself,” Applejack said, leading them into the kitchen.

While the others went to get the coffee, Twilight took a seat on the couch. She pulled out her phone to check the time. They had agreed to start apartment hunting bright and early, but they had a little time to wait for Fluttershy’s anxiety to come down.

While she had her phone out, Twilight opened her message app. It was still open to Fluttershy’s text, and she smiled again at the morning selfie. Then she backed out of it, noticing the name right below Fluttershy’s.

The second most recent text had been from Sunset. Although there were no new messages, Twilight opened it up anyway. They had been up too late talking, neither of them wanting to get off the phone despite Twilight’s early morning.

‘Shouldn’t you really get to bed Sparky?’

‘But you’re too fun to talk to…’

‘lol I’ll be here tomorrow, we can talk then’

‘Okay. Good night, Sunny <3’

‘Good night Sparky <3’

Twilight smiled at that, too. She sent another message, saying that they were at Applejack’s and would be heading out soon.

Then Fluttershy and Applejack returned with coffee, so Twilight set her phone on the table and turned her smile to them. “Mmm, that smells good.”

Applejack took a seat beside Twilight, handing her a cup of coffee. “This ought to wake ya up proper.”

Twilight took a small sip of it. It was still hot, but not too hot to drink. Meanwhile, Fluttershy just set hers down on the table to cool.

Even though there was no room for a third person on the couch, Fluttershy carefully sat between her two girlfriends. She leaned against Twilight while draping her legs over Applejack’s, so that she was lying on them more than she was on the couch.

Twilight used her free hand to stroke Fluttershy’s long pink hair, while Applejack rested her hands on Fluttershy’s legs and absent mindedly moved one hand back and forth on Fluttershy’s bare skin.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and smiled. The anxiety from earlier seemed to be passing, though Twilight knew better than to ignore it. “Shy’s been feeling pretty anxious about today.”

“Yeah, I kinda thought that she might be.”

“I took my meds when we got here,” Fluttershy said.

Applejack nodded. “Good. How are you feeling now?”

“A little better now that we’re all together.”

Twilight sipped her coffee. “We’ll just rest up here, and when you’re ready, we’ll head out. No need to rush.”

“Yeah…” Fluttershy looked off to the side.

She was greeted by Spike’s face popping up right in front of hers as he lifted himself with his front paws on the couch. “And you have me too, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy giggled and scratched his ears. “Thank you, Spike. I’m glad. But uhm, I don’t think you can come with us today.”

“I know, Twilight says I’m staying here to play with Winona.”

“I think she’ll be happy about that,” Applejack said.

Twilight’s message tone went off on her phone, but she couldn’t reach it from underneath Fluttershy. “Can you get that, Shy? It’s probably Sunset.”

“Sure.” Fluttershy grabbed the phone, which had lit up with the message notification. Fluttershy’s mouth opened slightly when she saw it, then she pursed her lips. “It’s Moon Dancer.”

“Oh.” Twilight hadn’t expected Moon Dancer to message her. If she had, she never would have asked Fluttershy to get the phone. She pointedly kept stroking Fluttershy’s hair as she took the phone, but Fluttershy shifted position away from Twilight’s hand.

Turning her focus to her phone for the moment, Twilight read Moon Dancer’s message. It wasn’t anything too serious, just a simple ‘Hey, been a while. How are you?’ message.

Twilight weighed her options. Did she say that was all it was? Or should she ignore it and hope that Fluttershy did the same? Did she want Fluttershy to ignore it? She’d been hoping Moon Dancer was something the two of them could talk about, but that look Fluttershy gave wasn’t very promising…

“So how is she?” Fluttershy asked, her voice cold.

Well, that answered that dilemma. “I don’t know, she was just asking how I am.”

“I see.”

Twilight didn’t send a reply. She could always talk to Moon Dancer later, during Fluttershy and Applejack’s afternoon date. Texting Moon Dancer back and forth while she was spending the day with Fluttershy apartment hunting would only raise her girlfriend’s anxiety.

‘Of course, I wouldn’t care if it were the other way around…’

“Might wanna sit up so you can drink your coffee,” Applejack said, clearly taking a stance of avoiding getting involved in the couple’s issues. It was, in a way, easy for her. Applejack didn’t mind sharing Fluttershy with Twilight, but she had no interest in being with anyone aside from her one girlfriend.

Twilight, though? Well, when they had agreed to a non-monogamous relationship, Twilight had expected that would work both ways…

Still, she didn’t say anything. Not now, it wasn’t the right time. Of course, it was never the right time, but that was beside the point…

In any event, Fluttershy sat up a little, which made it easier for both Twilight and herself to drink their coffee. They were still squished tightly in the two-person couch, which felt a lot less comfortable all of a sudden.

In her place, Spike climbed onto the couch and sat on Twilight’s lap. He gave her something else to focus on as she absentmindedly stroked his fur while the three girls sat silently and drank their coffee.

The silence grew to be too much, so Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “So how are you feeling? Still anxious?”

“A little,” Fluttershy said, although she still sounded irritated. “I think the meds are kicking in.”

Twilight smiled, choosing to focus on Fluttershy’s words more than her tone. “Good. Think you’ll be ready to go by the time we finish the coffee?”

“I think so, yeah.”

Content with that answer, Twilight continued drinking her coffee.

Before too long, Applejack stood up. “Well, how about we get you and Winona set up out back, Spike?”

“Okay!” Spike stood up and wagged his tail excitedly. “Can I have a treat too?”

Applejack laughed. “I dunno, have you been good?”

“You bet I have!”

Twilight laughed and helped Spike off the couch. “He has been.”

“Well, alright then.” Applejack walked into the kitchen, and Spike followed. Twilight heard the sound of Applejack pulling the jar of dog treats from the top of the fridge, and she could imagine Spike’s excited face as he ate it up. Then she heard the sound of the back door opening and closing.

She heard all of this because she and Fluttershy didn’t say anything. They sat in silence, no doubt both of them still dwelling on Moon Dancer’s unfortunately timed message. Of course, Twilight could try talking about something, but what? The day ahead of them caused Fluttershy to have an anxiety attack in the car, so that wasn’t something to discuss.

Eventually it was Fluttershy who broke the silence. “Spike sure does like it here.”

There, that was a good conversation. “Yeah, he does. Probably because Applejack spoils him so much.”

Fluttershy nudged Twilight. “Oh, like you don’t? He’s put on a few pounds, and I think someone has been feeding him people food again.”

Twilight laughed. “Well, it’s hard not to when he can talk. His begging has gotten a lot harder to ignore.”

“Hmm, like you weren’t always a softee with him.”

“And you’re not?”

“Not as bad as you.”

“I guess that’s fair.”

Fluttershy placed an arm around Twilight, and the worries slowly started going away. They always did when Twilight was with Fluttershy. “Love you, Shy.”

“Love you too, Twily.”

Twilight placed her hand on Fluttershy’s head to pull it closer, then kissed her pretty pink hair. She leaned her forehead against Fluttershy’s head, and things felt okay again.

“Hey, Shy?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you sing for me?”

Fluttershy pulled away from Twilight and blushed. “Right now? With Applejack’s family around?”

“They’ve heard you sing before,” Twilight pointed out.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not just by myself though. Maybe later?”

“Yeah, okay.” Twilight grinned. “How about a kiss then?”

“Hmm, I can manage that.” Fluttershy leaned in and kissed Twilight. Then she put her arms around Twilight’s neck, and she kissed her again.

As preoccupied as she was, Twilight didn’t even hear Applejack walk in. She only found out her metamour was there when she pulled away from Fluttershy and saw Applejack standing in the kitchen doorway.

The country girl grinned at the two girlfriends. “Y’all ready to head out, or you need a minute?”

Fluttershy blushed, but she laughed too. “We’re ready.”

Twilight quickly finished the last of her coffee, then Fluttershy took their mugs into the kitchen. Applejack walked with her, so Twilight was alone for a moment. She pulled up her message to Moon Dancer and sent a quick reply. ‘Busy day today, can you talk this afternoon? I should be free then.’

Before she got an answer, Fluttershy and Applejack returned. Twilight led the way out, with Applejack bringing up the rear. As they left the house, Twilight’s message tone went off, and she resolved to wait until it was safe to check it.

Instead, she got into the front passenger seat of Fluttershy’s car, buckling up once she was in. She checked the message as Applejack got in the back and Fluttershy got into the driver’s seat. ‘Sure, just message me when you’re free.’

Twilight was content with that answer. As much as the two friends enjoyed talking – and Twilight suspected Moon Dancer enjoyed Twilight’s company just as much as Twilight enjoyed hers – Moon Dancer was always understanding of Twilight’s busy schedule. It was part of what made Twilight think that the two of them could make a relationship work, even in spite of the fact that Moon Dancer lived so far away.

Of course, that was a landmine of a situation… Twilight looked towards Fluttershy as she started the engine, then back out the window while they pulled away. She couldn’t address that now, so she just put it from her mind.

“So first stop is that new apartment complex downtown, right?” Applejack asked.

Twilight put away her phone as she answered. “Yeah, I heard they’re offering good deals to new tenants because they’re new. A lot of empty apartments to fill.”

“Makes sense.” Applejack turned her attention to their girlfriend.  “How ya feeling, Fluttershy?”

There was never any telling how Fluttershy would feel about their plans at any given moment, but this time, she smiled. “I’m excited. It’ll be so nice to have our own place, just the three of us. It feels so surreal that this is really happening.”

It was great to hear Fluttershy wasn’t letting her anxiety get to her. Twilight put her hand in between them, and Fluttershy took hold of it, keeping her other hand on the steering wheel. “Summer can’t come soon enough,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy giggled. “It’ll be like a permanent sleepover with my two favorite girls. Love you both.”

“Love you too,” Twilight and Applejack answered at the same time, which caused Fluttershy to giggle again. She always did respond well to having both of her girlfriends around.

“Bet Pinkie will be excited,” Applejack said. Twilight glanced at her in the rearview mirror and saw she was smirking. “She’ll get to throw us a housewarming party.”

Twilight turned to actually see her face to face. “Remember, our budget isn’t very big, so our apartment will probably be on the smaller side. I don’t know how much of a party we’ll be able to throw.”

“I know, I know. But try telling that to Pinkie.”

“She has a point, Twily.” Fluttershy cast Twilight a quick glance. “You know there’s no reasoning with Pinkie when there’s a party on the line.”

That was true… “I guess if it’s just our close friends, that should be okay…”

They kept talking about stuff like that. Parties with friends, staying up late together, having fun and being silly, just the three of them. Twilight suspected they all knew living on their own would mean a lot of work too, but it was nice to focus on the positive aspects.

The conversation lasted long enough for them to get them to the apartment complex. As always, trying to find a place to park downtown was tough – tenants got assigned parking spots in a special parking lot, but they didn’t have many spaces left for non-residents.

In the end, they parked about a block away. It wasn’t too much of a walk, but it was something to keep in mind. Twilight brought it up once they were all out of the car. “This is what the girls will have to do when they visit us.”

“Yeah, that’s a shame,” Applejack said. “Wonder how many parking spaces we’ll get with our apartment?”

“I’m sure they’ll give us at least two,” Fluttershy said as they started walking towards the building.

Applejack nodded. “That’ll do us alright unless Twi gets a car.”

“We’ll just have to put that in for consideration too.” Twilight took hold of Fluttershy’s hand as they walked. Fluttershy turned to face her, and they both smiled at each other.

Not to be outdone, Applejack took Fluttershy’s other hand. As always, Fluttershy’s happiness to have both of them spread to Twilight. She had to wonder how long it would last when they all lived together and this was their normal. Sure, it was special now, but when they spent every day together?

Twilight glanced away so the other’s wouldn’t see her frown. Why couldn’t she just be happy? Was it so hard to just shut her brain up and enjoy this feeling while it lasted?

They stopped at a crosswalk and checked for traffic before crossing it. It gave Twilight an excuse to look at Fluttershy’s face, which got rid of her frown. That was a face she could never get tired of, even if she spent every day with it.

They walked hand in hand all the way to the apartment complex, only separating when they walked into the building. As they entered, they were greeted by a yellow woman with red poofy hair.

“Hello, there!” she said. “Welcome to Lotus Springs! My name is Strawberry Sunrise. How can we help you today?”

“We’re looking to rent an apartment,” Applejack said. As usual, she took point of the conversation, being the most outgoing of the three of them.

They went through some basic information – names, ages, income, co-signers – and eventually came to what apartments they qualified for. “It’ll be a little tight on your budget, but with your co-signers, you do qualify for some of our two-bedroom apartments.” Strawberry printed off a guide to what apartments they qualified for, which included amenities and prices.

Applejack looked it over, then looked up at Strawberry. “Two bedrooms would be nice, but we were thinking of saving money and getting a one bedroom for now.”

Strawberry blinked. “One bedroom for three of you?”

“As long as it can fit a king size bed,” Twilight pointed out. “That’s my parents’ housewarming gift to us, they’re buying us a bed that fits all three of us.”

“Wow, you three must be really good friends.”

Fluttershy blushed and looked down. Twilight glanced away as well, not really sure what to say about it. Applejack, at least, just laughed and said, “Yeah, you could say that.”

Thankfully, the Strawberry didn’t hound them for more information. “Alright, well if you look over here at our one bedroom rates, I think you’ll find them very agreeable.”

Before too long, they picked out the apartments they wanted to take a closer look at, then Strawberry stood up. “Come on, let’s go show you three what we have to offer.”

Applejack looked back and smiled at the others, then the three of them followed Strawberry to see what their potential new home was going to be.






“Hmm, bathroom’s kinda small,” Applejack pointed out.

“Yeah, the other place had a full size tub,” Fluttershy agreed. “I would hate to shave my legs in a standing only shower.”

“I agree,” Twilight said. “But this place is a hundred dollars cheaper. So we’ll have to weigh that into things.”

The three girls left the bathroom, returning to the man who was showing them around. This was their fourth apartment complex visit of the day, and their last. It had been a tiring day, and Twilight was sure hers wasn’t the only head spinning with all the options.

“I think we’ve seen everything we need to,” Applejack said.

“Great!” the guy said with a grin. “Then shall we start printing up some papers?”

Everyone looked at each other. Again, Applejack was the one to answer. “Er, we’re gonna talk it over amongst ourselves, but thank ya kindly for showing us around.”

“Of course, of course. Here, let me give you my card.”

Twilight internally sighed with relief, glad he was going to let them go. Although the price here was good, it did lack some of the things they liked about other apartments, and they had the budget to get something better. They’d have to talk it over, of course, but this wasn’t likely to be what Twilight voted for.

Applejack accepted his card, and then he led them out of the building. He walked with them as far as the front reception, then he stopped before going back to his desk. “Sure I can’t do anything else for you?”

“No, but you’ve been great.” Applejack tipped her hat. “We’ll be in touch.”

“Alright, I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!”

They waved him off, then left the building. At least this place had a spacious and easily accessible parking lot that would allow their friends to visit easily. It didn’t take them long to get to Fluttershy’s car.

“What do you think?” Fluttershy asked as she unlocked the doors.

Twilight got in the back – she and Applejack had been taking turns in the front. “I like the area, and the price is good. But… it’s pretty small.”

Applejack buckled up as she answered. “Yeah, even if we’re sharing a bedroom, there are three of us.”

Fluttershy buckled up as well, then started the engine. “I still like the first place. The on site laundry room was really convenient, and it’s the best price for what it offers.”

“Even with the parking?” Applejack asked. “They only give us two spots.”

Fluttershy sighed. “You’re right, that would be a pain…”

“The one with the lake was nice,” Twilight pointed out.

“I think that’s my favorite,” Applejack agreed. “A bit expensive, but it’s in our budget.”

Fluttershy pulled out of the parking spot, and Twilight prepared herself for a big discussion of pros and cons. She wished she had taken notes while they were out, but they had taken pictures, so she pulled out her phone.

Fluttershy noticed. “Texting Moon Dancer?”

Twilight frowned. It wasn’t that Fluttershy had sounded upset, but that was always a minefield. “No, I was just going to look over pictures of today.”

Fluttershy turned back around as she shifted from reverse into drive. “I, uhm… I think I’d like to talk about something else, if that’s okay.”

Twilight blinked. She had been the one to bring up Moon Dancer, and now she was saying she wanted to talk about something else.

Applejack seemed to understand better than Twilight, though. “Of course, today was a lot. We’ll weigh our options tomorrow.”

Oh, right, that was what Fluttershy didn’t want to talk about.

“You, uhm. You should probably let Moon Dancer know we’re done for the day. I’m sure she really wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, that can wait until I get home.” Twilight regretted the words as soon as she said them. Fluttershy and Applejack were going on a date, and Fluttershy didn’t need a reminder that while she was busy, Twilight would also be doing something with someone she cared about.

But surprisingly, Fluttershy giggled. “I remember when you were texting her all the time. I’m surprised you can wait that long.”

“Well, I mean…” Twilight couldn’t finish that thought. She wanted to make some sort of lighthearted joke to go with Fluttershy’s comment, but no words came to mind. She couldn’t very well point out that Fluttershy was part of why Twilight didn’t talk to Moon Dancer as much as she used to.

“I think you and I were just as bad,” Applejack said. She rarely intervened in this discussion, but maybe she thought it was safe because Fluttershy was in a good mood with it. “Before we started dating, we were on the phone every other day.”

“I remember.” Fluttershy was smiling contently, but it quickly faded. Only for a moment, however, then she was back to smiling. “So… when are you going to ask her out?”

Twilight blushed. “I… er, what?”

Although she kept the smile going, Twilight wondered if it was forced. “I mean, you want to, don’t you?”

“I… I don’t know, I mean, that is…”

“You’re scaring her, Shy,” Applejack said.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing,” Fluttershy said.

Was that all it was? Teasing? Fluttershy was just trying to get a reaction from Twilight?

Because if that’s all it was, then Twilight wished she would tease about a different topic. Any other topic.

Because Moon Dancer? She should already be Twilight’s girlfriend. Well, assuming she wanted to be, of course. But then when Twilight tried to talk to Fluttershy about her crush…

Fluttershy had always had anxiety issues, topped with low self esteem. She seemed to think Twilight would use her as a stepping stone to a better relationship, and that Moon Dancer might be the end of them. She saw how similar Moon Dancer and Twilight were, and worse, she saw how happy Moon Dancer made her.

She did not seem to see how happy Fluttershy herself made Twilight, on the other hand. She would get mad at herself for creating an unbalanced relationship by dating Applejack and not granting Twilight the same freedom, but that didn’t change the fact she clearly loathed the idea of Twilight dating another girl.

As always, Applejack was quick with another topic. She talked about their upcoming date, which was great, because it gave Twilight an excuse to not chime in at all. She was able to stay quiet for the rest of the ride to Applejack’s house.

“Think Spike tired himself out?” Applejack said as they pulled into the driveway.

“Doubt it.” Twilight forced a smile. “He’ll still have plenty of energy when we get home, trust me.”

“Yeah, he’s still a pup.” Applejack led them into the house, where Fluttershy and Twilight waited in the living room for Applejack to fetch Spike from the backyard.

While they waited, Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. “I’m just a little anxious from everything. But I’m okay. Thanks to you and Applejack.”

Twilight smiled. “I’m glad.”

Fluttershy smiled at her for a moment, then turned away. “You should, uhm, talk to Moon Dancer. If you want to.”

“Fluttershy?”

“I… didn’t mean to tease you. I was serious. If you want to.”

“Oh.” Twilight wasn’t sure what to say. This was what she wanted, but… “Are you sure? It doesn’t bother you?”

Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, then she smiled. “I’ll get over it.”

“I don’t want you to have to get over it.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Just… do it. I don’t want to hold you back.”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. This might be a breakthrough for them, but at the same time, she couldn’t act on it right away. What would happen the next time Fluttershy’s anxiety spiked? Maybe she meant it now, but things could change so quickly with her.

“Hey, Shy? I love you.”

Before Fluttershy could answer, Spike came running up to Twilight’s legs. “Twilight! How did it go?”

“It was good,” Twilight answered. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“I love you too, Twily,” Fluttershy said, though she bent down to scratch Spike’s ears.

“Well, we ready to head out then?” Applejack asked. “Dinner reservations and all that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Fluttershy stood up. “I’m ready.”

“Come on, Spike.” Twilight led them back to the car, with Spike falling in step beside her. She looked at Fluttershy, looking for some indication of what they had talked about, but it was already gone.

So Twilight put it from her mind as well. She was good at that. Good at not thinking about things that might be problems, focussing things away from them. Even if sometimes, away from a problem did not mean towards a solution.

Like now. She didn’t think ignoring this was the right thing to do, but it was the easy thing to do, so it’s what she did. She opened the back door of Fluttershy’s car, helped Spike get inside, then climbed in herself.

They all got into the car, buckled up, then pulled out onto the road. As they went, Twilight pulled out her phone. Fluttershy had asked to not talk about the apartment hunt, so she’d fill Spike in on it later.

Instead, she opened her texting app. Moon Dancer was at the top, but Twilight wasn’t ready to open that door yet. Instead, she went to someone else’s name. Someone who she really couldn’t stop from messaging these days.

‘Okay. Good night, Sunny <3’

‘Good night Sparky <3’

Twilight smiled reading over those words, and then she typed new ones. ‘Apartment hunting went well. Maybe after you’re off work we can talk about it. I’d like to go over the details if you don’t mind.’

Although she knew Sunset had to be getting ready for work, she got a message within moments. She tried to hide the smile at her excitement over talking with Sunset, lest Fluttershy pick up on it and get the wrong idea.

‘I’d love to, glad to hear it went well. I’ll call when I get off.’

‘That sounds nice. Thanks, Sunny!’

‘No problem Sparky’

Twilight knew she should let Sunset go so that she could get ready for work, but instead, she sent another text. ‘I hope it’s not too bad at the mall today.’

And even though she should be getting ready, Sunset still replied. ‘Spring break, so you know, it’ll be packed’

‘I’m sorry, I hope it’s not too bad.’

‘It’ll work out. I can talk to you on my lunch break right?’

‘Of course! I’ll look forward to it!’

Okay, now Twilight was going to let Sunset go. Or at least, she would, except Sunset seemed determined not to. ‘Kinda wanna drive to your house on lunch’

‘Sunny, you get half an hour. It takes ten minutes to get to my house, don’t waste it.’

‘Spending ten minutes with you can make my whole day though Sparky’

Twilight couldn’t hold in the grin anymore than she could hold in the blush. She glanced to the front to see that Applejack and Fluttershy were both preoccupied, then she returned to her phone. ‘You’re too sweet.’

‘Nah, just being truthful’

They exchanged texts until Sunset really had to go, which was right around when Fluttershy dropped Twilight off at her house. She hadn’t even noticed how quickly the time passed on the drive.

“I’ll let you know when I’m home,” Fluttershy said as Twilight got out of the car. “Have a good day, Twily.”

Twilight picked up Spike, deciding to just carry him inside. “You too. Love you, Shy.”

“Love you too.”

“Bye, Applejack!” Twilight waved, and Spike mimicked her.

“See you two later!” Applejack said with a wave.

Twilight turned and made her way inside. There was no one in the living room, and although she wanted to talk to her parents about the day, that could wait. For now, she made her way upstairs and into her bedroom.

All the way there, she thought of Sunset. There was something about Sunset, a short conversation over text could leave Twilight smiling for hours.

“It must’ve gone pretty well if you’re smiling that much,” Spike observed as Twilight walked into their room.

She set him on the ground, then collapsed in her bed. She opened her text message app, and clicked Sunset’s picture. It pulled up bigger, so she could see her friend as more than just a little icon.

“Yeah,” Twilight said, her mind still on Sunset and their conversation. “It was really nice.”
> 2 – Something to Think About
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Two
Something to Think About
⠀




⠀
Being alone was not new to Twilight. Nor was it usually a problem. If anything, Twilight liked being alone. She was someone who valued personal space, and the freedom to spend her time working on her various projects. She would always love spending time with her girlfriend and their friends, but she also always enjoyed her alone time.

Except for today. Fluttershy and Applejack were on a date, and that was fine. As much as she felt guilty for it, Twilight wasn’t sure she wanted to spend time with them anyway. They’d spent the day together already, and some time apart wasn’t a bad thing.

And, of course, there was that comment Fluttershy made. She’d told Twilight to ask out Moon Dancer. Something big and potentially life changing, and just as importantly, something Twilight wanted. How many times had she wished for Fluttershy to say those words?

And yet, now that she had, Twilight couldn’t bring herself to act on them. It had been two hours since she made it home, and she was no closer to texting Moon Dancer. She stared at her phone and the text message conversation from earlier.

‘Busy day today, can you talk this afternoon? I should be free then.’

‘Sure, just message me when you’re free.’

Well, Twilight was free now, for all the good it did her. How was she supposed to continue this conversation? What could she say? ‘Hey Moon Dancer, I got permission from my insecure girlfriend to date you, but for all I know she’ll just change her mind later and she’ll probably never actually like you’? That wouldn’t go over well.

Twilight collapsed back onto the bed, which she’d been alternating between lying on and pacing around. She distrubed Spike, who had been trying to sleep at the foot of the bed since they got home.

He yawned, then turned to her. “What’s up, Twilight?”

Twilight winced. She hadn’t meant to wake him. “Nothing, I just… have a lot going on.”

Spike scratched his ear with a hind leg. “You nervous about moving away from Mom and Dad?”

Well, there was that too… “Yeah, I am.”

“You’ll still have me though. And you’ll have Fluttershy and Applejack, right?”

Twilight smiled a little. “Yeah, I know. It’s just a big change. You’re not worried?”

Spike considered it for a moment, then walked over to Twilight and curled up beside her. “Not really, not as long as I have you.”

Twilight’s smile grew a little more genuine. “I’m lucky to have you, Spike.”

“Yeah, I am pretty –” Spike interrupted himself with a yawn “– great.”

Twilight kept one arm around Spike, and she used her other to open her notes app on her phone. If she couldn’t do anything with Moon Dancer, she could at least do something with the other big thing of the day – deciding on the right apartment.

It was best to get as much info down as she could while it was still fresh in her mind. She made a quick list of every apartment complex they visited, trying to remember the different options in each one. She again kicked herself for not taking notes while they were out.

Using the pictures they took as a reference point, Twilight copied her thoughts into the app. She listed pros and cons, and came up with quite the sizable list. Deciding it was getting to be too much of a hassle to do one handed on her phone, she gently pulled herself out from under Spike and made her way to her computer.

Since her notes app had cloud storage, Twilight was easily able to pull it up on the computer. From there, she went to the apartment complexes’ websites, finding the prices of all the different options they’d viewed so she could accurately compare them.

It kept her busy, which helped to keep her mind off her other issues. All in all it was going pretty well right up until she finished compiling her notes.

She frowned at her computer screen. She had expected that having the differences spelled out would make it easy to tell which was the best option. But there were just so many factors – cost, size, amenities, and location, just for a start. How was she supposed to make sense of it all?

Like this one. It was probably the nicest place they went to, it was in a good location, it had a pool, and there was plenty of space. But it was decidedly out of their budget. They could make the month to month payments, but what if sudden expenses came up? How much could they budget to make sure they were prepared for things like unexpected car repairs? The whole idea of budgeting a household was entirely new to all of them!

Twilight put her head in her hands. This was too much for her. She sighed and stood up, pacing around her room absentmindedly.

Of course, there was an obvious solution: She’d have to talk this over with Fluttershy and Applejack. And of course, she would. This was a big deal to all three of them and they needed to talk it through. But when she thought back at all the panic attacks Fluttershy had over the idea of moving out with her girlfriends, she knew it would be hard to bring it up with her.

And of course, there was Applejack. She would be more level headed about things, and definitely the one to talk to. But then… Applejack was great, she was Twilight’s friend and her metamour. But she wasn’t Twilight’s girlfriend. It felt… wrong to prioritize talking to her over talking with Fluttershy.

Which brought her back to telling Fluttershy, and that made her switch from worrying over which apartment was the right choice to worrying how to bring it up to her anxious girlfriend. She could just see it now…

“Hey, Shy, I was thinking of the apartment and I –”

“Oh, uhm, I’d actually rather not talk about that right now… It’s just… It’s really a lot…”

Twilight bit back a scream of frustration, wary of the sleeping dog on her bed. Sure, it hadn’t actually happened, but hadn’t it? Twilight and Fluttershy had gone through that song and dance so many times in the past year and a half.

No, this was up to Twilight to figure out. She would be the one who had to go through all the data. Of course it would be a group decision, but Twilight would have to take everything they knew about each place and turn it into something easier for them to approach. That was her responsibility, and no one else’s.

The room was starting to feel hot and small, so Twilight left it. She walked downstairs to the kitchen, more for something to do than because she wanted anything from there. She was stopped before she got there.

“Hi, Twilight,” Twilight Velvet said. She was sitting on the couch with a book.

“Hi, Mom,” Twilight said, then finished making her way to the kitchen. Once in there, she pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the fridge.

After taking a sip, she retraced her steps. As she passed through the living room she considered asking her mom’s opinion on what she should do, but she decided against it.

It didn’t matter anyway, because before she could make it out of the living room, her mom asked, “So did you figure out anything about those apartments?”

Twilight pursed her lips and turned around. “No, not yet. I just finished compiling my notes on them though, so I’m sure that’ll help us figure them out.”

“You know, your father and I are happy to go with you to take another look at them. I know this is new to you and Fluttershy.”

‘And Applejack,’ Twilight thought bitterly, thought she didn’t say as much. “We’ll be fine, Mom. We’ve just got to talk it out.”

“Of course, I’m sure you’re probably on the phone figuring it out now. I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Actually, Fluttershy and Applejack are on a date.”

Twilight Velvet put down her book and gave her daughter a sympathetic look. “Oh, you poor thing. And they left you all alone?”

Twilight gritted her teeth. She didn’t need this on top of everything else. “It’s fine, Mom. You do know they’re also dating. Of course they go on dates without me, just like Fluttershy and I go on dates without Applejack.”

“Oh, well, I know, of course…” Twilight Velvet looked off to the side, clearly aware she had made the same mistake again. “I just meant that after the day you had, you have to think about all this apartment stuff on your own.”

That was, obviously, not what her mom had meant at all. Time and again, she showed Twilight that she never understood her daughter’s decision to be in a polyamorous relationship. She did try to show her support, but at times like this it was hard to remember that. “I’m fine, Mom.”

Velvet smiled innocently, but she didn’t apologize for stumbling over her words. “Why don’t you show me your notes and we can talk about it?”

“I’m fine, Mom!” Twilight said again, louder this time. “Just… let me do this!”

“Well… okay, if that’s what you want…”

Twilight didn’t answer. Instead, she turned around and walked up the stairs. In part it was out of anger with her mom, but more importantly, it was out of anger with herself.

She didn’t stop until she reached her room. Once there, she realized she was still clenching her teeth and relaxed her jaw. The rest of her muscles only followed suit once she collapsed into her computer chair.

What had she been thinking? She had to have known what would happen if she brought up Fluttershy and Applejack’s date, but she had done it anyway. And then when her mom had tried to fix the conversation, Twilight had snapped at her.

Feeling like a terrible daughter, Twilight turned her attention to the computer. She sipped on her water as she skimmed her notes once more, trying to focus on that instead of her outburst.

It didn’t really help. All she saw were words and numbers rather than proper sentences and paragraphs. She read over the same pro about one of the apartments three times before it stuck, and she still forgot it halfway through reading the next one.

Everything felt wrong. Every decision in front of her, every apartment complex, every note. And more than that. The things she’d said throughout the day felt wrong, the things she hadn’t said, all of it, everything just felt wrong.

Twilight Sparkle was smart. She was one of the smartest people she knew. But god, she was an idiot sometimes. She wasn’t used to people, had never had friends growing up, and it still showed. She didn’t talk enough, and when she did, she was sure she messed everything up.

Twilight closed her eyes tight. She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes, she finished her glass of water. She looked back at the computer and set her mouth into a frown. Twilight was not good at a lot of things, but she was good at this. She could find the best option for the three of them. That was how Twilight could make up for the day.

“I compared all the notes, and I think I have the best choice for us. What do you think about ___?”

“Oh, I think that’s perfect! Thank you so much, Twily!”

Twilight smiled. She could do this. She would do this.

In the end, a process of elimination made the most sense. There was too much data to focus on which was best, but surely she could find which was worst. She’d just need to keep eliminating the worst options until she came out with the best one.

She compared the pros and cons again, looking more heavily at the cons. There were some things that they could deal with easily enough, but there were others that would be a constant source of frustration to them. Surely she could find something in one of them that would be easy enough to eliminate.

She did. She highlighted all of the text, then hovered over the delete key. There was a lot at fault in this place, but… She looked at the pros. It was one of the cheapest places, and they didn’t have to live there forever. Maybe it would be best to play it safe in case budgeting proved harder than they expected?

Twilight fell back in her chair and groaned. She was supposed to be good at this. She was supposed to be good for something. It was all on her to figure this out, but try as she might, she couldn’t manage to eliminate a single option.

Before Twilight could beat herself up too much, however, her text message tone went off. With a frown, Twilight grabbed her phone and checked who was messaging her. Her frown fell away when she saw it was from Sunset.

‘Heya Sparky, I’m on lunch’

Twilight grinned as she typed a response. ‘Hi, Sunny. How’s work going?’

‘It’s ok. Kinda slow’

‘Well, at least it’s an easy day then, right?’

‘Yeah it is. So how are you doing?’

Twilight glanced towards the computer, then stood up. ‘I’m doing well. Just been going over the options with the apartment.’

‘You’ve gotta tell me about them. Any obvious winner?’

‘Not yet, but I’ll figure it out.’

‘Of course you will, you kind of kick ass at this stuff’

Twilight sat down on her bed and lay back, holding her phone over her face as she texted. ‘Not as good as you, I bet.’

‘Well hey, after work we can work on it together if you want. I wanna talk to you and hear about your day, at least’

That sounded nice. Twilight always liked talking with Sunset. ‘Well, I’ll be around.’

‘Good’

Sunset only got half an hour for lunch, and of course she had to eat during that time. Still, she texted Twilight nonstop. Twilight always hoped she did actually eat on her lunch breaks, but she was afraid to ask because she didn’t want to find out she was keeping Sunset from eating since she’d have to put an end to their lunchtime discussions if that happened.

There was something on Twilight’s mind though. Something other than apartments. It was hard to talk about, but Twilight forced the words into her phone.

‘Hey Sunny?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Fluttershy said something today. About me having another girlfriend…’

‘Oh really? Is she coming around to the idea?’

‘I think she is.’

‘Sparky that’s amazing! I told you that you just had to give her time’

Twilight smiled. Sunset had said that. ‘I know, but it feels weird. Like… still wrong somehow.’

‘Hey, give your girlfriend more credit than that. If she said she’s ok with it, then I’m sure she is’

‘I guess you’re right. I need to trust in Fluttershy.’

‘Of course I’m right. I said it.’

That got a smile out of Twilight. There was something else she wanted to talk about, but Sunset was just about to go back to work, and that would be a big discussion.

‘Ugh, can you come and save me? I don’t want to go back’

Twilight giggled. ‘You’ll do great, Sunny. You’re amazing, you know?’

‘Yeah yeah. Well I should go, but I’ll call after work’

‘Sounds good! Bye, Sunny <3’

‘Bye Sparky <3’

Even when they were done texting, Twilight lay on her bed with a blissful smile on her face. There was something about Sunset, somehow she could always make Twilight smile.

And Twilight needed things to smile about today. She looked back towards her computer and couldn’t bring herself to go back to it. But since she also couldn’t bring herself to leave her bedroom and face her mom, her options were limited.

But she did have her phone. She backed out of her text conversation with Sunset and something else caught her eye.

‘Busy day today, can you talk this afternoon? I should be free then.’

‘Sure, just message me when you’re free.’

Her conversation with Moon Dancer from the morning was still on pause, and it was well after the time Twilight could have resumed it. She loved talking to Moon Dancer, and she’d been looking forward to it when they made the plans.

But then Fluttershy said what she said. She told Twilight to talk to Moon Dancer. She told Twilight to ask her out. What was she supposed to do with that information? Sure, a part of her wanted to do just what Fluttershy said. A large part, in fact.

But another part… 

Twilight took a deep breath. She could think about that, there was no rush. But she should let Moon Dancer know she was free. She started typing.

‘Hey, home now. You still around?’

Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t a reply right away. She was probably busy, so Twilight just swapped to a social media app. She saw Rarity posted pictures of the new outfit she was working on, so she left a like and a comment telling her how good it looked.

Before Twilight could scroll through her feed too much though, Moon Dancer replied. ‘Yeah, I was just catching up on some reading. How was your day?’

Of course, Twilight wasn’t getting into all of that. Instead she just typed, ‘It was pretty good. Went out looking at apartments with Fluttershy and Applejack.’

Now that they were messaging, it didn’t take long at all for Moon Dancer’s reply to come in. ‘That’s nice. Did you figure out the best one yet?’

‘Well, no… There’s just so many choices…’

‘Oh, well, you’ll figure it out.’

Twilight glanced at the computer and found she wasn’t so sure about that. ‘Yeah, I just need more time to think about it.’

‘Want me to let you focus on that?’

‘No, I could use a break. So what are you reading?’

‘More like studying, actually. I’m reading up on some biology papers to study for the SATs.’

Twilight smirked. ‘Sounds I should be the one letting you focus.’

‘I could use a break too. I’ll give you a call.’

‘Wait not right now, I’m –’ and that was as far as Twilight got before her phone rang. Cursing her luck, Twilight answered. “Hello?”

“Hi, Twi.”

“Hey. So… biology?” Twilight sat up, but she didn’t leave her bed.

“Yeah, just kinda going over some principles I already know, but making sure all the details stick.”

Although Moon Dancer obviously couldn’t see, Twilight nodded at that. “Sounds like a good idea. Anything you want a study buddy for?”

“No, I’m fine. Though it would be kind of fun to study together again.”

“Well, we can always try doing some online studying. It’s not the same as in person, but we could make it work.”

“Yeah, we could do that some time.”

Twilight smiled at the tentative plans, but it soon became apparent that neither she nor Moon Dancer had a plan for this conversation. The silence drifted on for a few too many moments, becoming awkward.

Twilight glanced around the room, looking for something to talk about. This was why she hadn’t wanted Moon Dancer to call. It wasn’t that she didn’t like talking to Moon Dancer on the phone, but she wasn’t ever entirely sure what to say.

Eventually Moon Dancer spoke up, although she sounded awkward. “So any plans for the rest of the day?”

“Not really,” Twilight said. “I told my friend Sunset that I’d talk to her when she got off of work, but that’s it.”

“Guess you deserve a break after going around apartment hunting.”

Twilight scratched at the back of her neck. “It really wasn’t that bad. I feel a little guilty that I can’t seem to decide which is the best one.”

Moon Dancer laughed a little. “Yeah, but you’ll figure it out. You’re pretty smart, you know.”

Twilight didn’t feel very smart at the moment. “I guess.”

The two of them stumbled into another awkward silence before Twilight thought to give Moon Dancer her question back. “What about you? Anything big going on today?”

“Just some studying.”

“Or yeah, right.” Twilight facepalmed. She had already known that was what Moon Dancer was doing. “Well… any other subjects?”

“Today is all science, yesterday I did math, tomorrow I’ll do literature and composition. Gotta stay well rounded.”

“Of course.” Twilight blushed a little. “I think it’s great that you take your studies so seriously. It makes me happy to know you’re doing well.”

Moon Dancer laughed a little again, and Twilight liked to imagine that she was blushing too. “Yeah, well… You too, you know? You work just as hard as I do, and you’re trying to find an apartment on top of it.”

“Is this going to turn into another compliment war?”

“Maybe.”

Both girls giggled, and Twilight decided to go out on a high note. “Hey, uhm… I tried to say before you called, but I actually have to go walk Spike.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry, I should have asked.

“No no, don’t be sorry! Just… I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go back to biology, I guess.”

“At least it’s an interesting subject,” Twilight offered.

“Yeah, it is. I’ll talk to you later, Twi.”

“Bye, Moon Dancer.”

“Bye.”

Twilight hung up the phone and frowned at it. She wished she could hang up her guilt as easily as the call. She liked talking to Moon Dancer, she really did. The other girl’s voice made her happy to hear, and they got along so well when they had something to talk about.

But when they didn’t? Well, neither of them was really a conversation starter…

Twilight set her phone down on the bed next to her and collapsed back into it. She turned onto her side and her fingers brushed against Spike, so she stroked his fur while she thought about what to do next.

She should plan what to do about Moon Dancer. She should work on figuring out what apartment was best. She should go apologize to her mom for snapping at her earlier.

There were many things she should be doing. Instead, she took off her glasses, set them next to her phone, and closed her eyes.






“We’ve come so far together, got memories to treasure. I look at you, stories –”

Twilight hit the mute button on her phone and groaned as she woke up. She squinted at the screen and saw Sunset’s face, blurry since she wasn’t wearing her glasses. She slid her finger across the screen to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hey, Sparky. Everything okay? You sound out of it.”

“I just woke up from a nap,” Twilight said as she let out a yawn.

“Uh oh, midday naps? Careful, Sparky, that’s study time wasted.”

“Yeah yeah.” Twilight smiled as she fumbled around the bed for her glasses. She noticed as she did that Spike had woken up and left the bed at some point. “So how was work?”

“It was pretty much more of the same. Slow day, but not terrible.”

“Well, I guess a slow day here and there isn’t so bad. Besides, you were worried it would be packed, right?”

“Yeah, I really shouldn’t complain. And anyway, I had something to keep me going.”

“Oh?”

“Well… I was looking forward to talking to this great girl all day.”

“Sunny…” Twilight grinned and blushed. 

“Yeah… But Pinkie didn’t answer, so I figured you would be a good second choice.”

Twilight’s grin only grew. “Oh really? And I suppose I should be honored to be your second choice, huh?”

“Well, I don’t want to tell you what to feel, but also yes.”

Twilight sighed, but it was more for show than anything. She also got out of bed and stretched. “So do you work tomorrow?”

“Nah, I have the day off.”

“Nice. Any plans?”

“No, nothing yet. Why, feel like doing something?”

That hadn’t been what Twilight was thinking at all, but now that she mentioned it… “I dunno, it might be nice.”

“I figured you’d be busy with Fluttershy and Applejack. You three have a big decision ahead of you.”

That got Twilight to lose some of her grin. “Yeah, you’re right. We probably will have to talk this over.”

“You sound disappointed.”

Twilight thought quickly; she didn’t want Sunset to know that she would choose to spend the day with her instead if she could. “It’s just that I’ve been trying to figure out what I think is the best apartment for us, but I haven’t come up with any answers.”

“That sounds frustrating.”

“A little. But don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.”

“Sure, but I can help. Tell me about them.”

“You really don’t have to…”

“Sparky, it’s me.” Sunset’s smirk was audible through the phone. “If anyone can solve this, you know I can.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but her grin remained in place. Sunset just had that effect on her. “Fine. Give me a moment to pull up my notes.”

Twilight walked over to her computer and pressed the spacebar to wake it up. She typed in her password, then her notes were already on the screen. She transcribed them for Sunset.

“I can see why you’re torn, there’s a lot of pros and cons here,” Sunset said when she finished.

“Yeah, it’s a lot to weigh.”

“So don’t come up with one answer, come up with three.”

Twilight shook her head. “A top three would be great, but I can’t even figure out a single one to eliminate.”

“No, not a top three. Three options that represent the best of a specific feature. Like a best budget option, a best location, and a best amenities. Then only focus on those three features, and figure out what’s the best for those specific things.”

That sounded a lot more doable. “I guess I could do that.”

“Then when you talk to Fluttershy and Applejack, you can decide which things you want to focus on.”

“Why are you so good at this?”

Sunset laughed. “Because I’m me? I kinda kick ass at everything.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she should feed Sunset’s ego, but she couldn’t help herself. “Yeah, you kind of do…”

“Hey, how about I head over and we can work on this list together?”

Twilight blinked. The idea of having Sunset over at her house was so wonderful, but she felt guilty. “You worked all day, and you’re home for the night. I don’t want to make you head out again.”

“Hmm? No, I’m still at the mall.”

“You’re what?” Twilight scrunched up her eyes. “You didn’t even go home?”

“No, I was too excited to talk to you.”

Twilight grinned. “Don’t you mean Pinkie?”

“Shush. So how about it?”

It sounded so nice. But… there were things Twilight wanted to talk about that she couldn’t in her home. “Could we go out somewhere instead? I…”

“Yeah, sure,” Sunset said, surprising Twilight by not needing any explanation. “I’ll be there in ten minutes, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll see you then.”

“Okay. Bye, Sparky.”

“Bye, Sunny.”

Twilight hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She hadn’t planned to spend the evening with Sunset, but as always when Sunset was involved, these things just sort of happened. Still, Twilight wasn’t worried. There was something about Sunset, everything felt so natural when she was involved.

Smiling to herself, Twilight made her way to the bathroom to check herself in the mirror. She was still dressed from the day, so she was more or less ready. All she had to do was re-tie her ponytail and she was good to go. It was almost unfortunate; she could have used something to distract her for the ten minutes.

‘It’s okay,’ Twilight reassured herself. ‘Fluttershy said it was okay for me to date someone else, and like Sunset said, I should trust her on that. And she likes Sunset! This could actually work, I just have to not blow it…’

She sighed. It was going to be a long ten minutes.
> 3 – Something
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Three
Something
⠀




⠀
It was a feeling that Twilight never thought she could get used to, and one that she never wanted to get used to. Even dressed for the ride, the wind cut through Twilight’s clothes, causing a chill that Twilight barely felt over the rush of endorphins.

No, it wasn’t the wind that held Twilight’s attention. It was the speed. The way the world flew past them, becoming a blur in front of her eyes. It was the sound. The roar of the motorcycle engine that drowned out the rest of the traffic around them.

And, most of all, it was Sunset. It was the way that for at least a little while, Twilight got to hold onto her tightly. It was the way their bodies pressed together as they sped down the city streets.

It was such a wonderful feeling, and even though it scared Twilight, it was something she revelled. Time and time again, she would gladly accept Sunset’s offer to ride on the motorcycle. She leaned her head against Sunset’s back, wishing she could do it without the helmet on.

Since the need for safety was more important than the awkwardness of Twilight’s closeness, she didn’t worry too much about it. That was made easier by the fact that Sunset didn’t react in any way. Or at least, not in any way to discourage it. Twilight swore that the tighter she held, the faster Sunset drove. Or maybe it was just that the world around them slowed down when Twilight was with Sunset, allowing them to speed through it.

Of course, the problem with speeding through things was that they reached their destination before long. Sunset pulled into the dirt parking lot of the nature park and turned off the engine. Twilight dismounted first, though she lingered close to Sunset, wishing to prolong the closeness just a little bit longer.

But then Sunset pulled off her helmet, her hair cascading down around her shoulders, and she smiled at Twilight. “Alright, Sparky?”

As she pulled off her own helmet, Twilight smiled as well. The bike ride was wonderful, even if she found she preferred the view once it was over. “Yeah, just a little unsteady.”

Sunset smirked and locked the bike. “Still not used to it?”

“No, but it’s fun.”

“Never would’ve thought you’d be the adrenaline junkie.”

“I am not an adrenaline junkie!”

Sunset laughed. “Yeah yeah, if you say so.”

Twilight pushed against Sunset, as much for the excuse to touch her as it was in response to the teasing. “Oh whatever, you’re the one who owns a motorcycle.”

Sunset shrugged. “Yeah, well, I never said I’m not an adrenaline junkie.”

They both laughed as they walked through the gap in the small wooden fence, ignoring the sign that said the park was closed. It was the type of thing Twilight would never do, not normally. But there was something about Sunset, something that made Twilight more okay with taking risks and bending rules.

There were few lights in the park, since it wasn’t meant to be open during the night. Like the bike ride, it was more than a little scary, although Twilight was well aware there was nothing dangerous in the park. Still, she walked close to Sunset, which made her feel a little more brave.

Again, Sunset didn’t react to the closeness. Twilight briefly wondered if she was also afraid and looking for comfort, then decided that wasn’t likely. She couldn’t imagine Sunset being afraid; more likely, she just knew Twilight was, and she was okay with sticking close to her.

Not that it mattered, of course. Twilight just enjoyed being so close to Sunset. She glanced between them, noticing Sunset’s hand dangling limply at her side. Not for the first time, Twilight wondered what would happen if she took hold of it.

But of course, she didn’t. Instead, she just walked along with Sunset as they talked about how work had gone for her. It was a normal, innocuous conversation, nothing special. But while Twilight always enjoyed any conversation with Sunset, this one took a backseat in her mind.

It seemed that she didn’t hide it as well as she thought she did, as Sunset soon asked, “So what’s got you so distracted?”

Twilight blushed. “Is it that obvious?”

Sunset just shrugged. “Well, you asked to come out here, so you had something on your mind. I’ve been keeping my eye out for any signs of what it might be.”

That was just like Sunset. Whatever Twilight did, Sunset could see right through her. “There is… something…”

Sunset nodded. “Right. And you brought me out here, so it’s something you want to talk about.”

“I… I guess so…”

Sunset stopped in her tracks and put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. It wasn’t like it meant anything, just a friendly gesture. Still, with the thoughts that were going through Twilight’s mind, the touch made her blush.

Either Sunset didn’t notice, or she chose not to comment. “Come on, Sparky. It’s just us here, you can tell me.”

Telling Sunset was the hardest thing to do. And the use of that nickname, Sparky, didn’t make it any easier. Sunset was the only one who ever called Twilight that, and hearing it always caused her heart to beat just a little bit faster.

Still, she had to answer. She reached her hand up towards Sunset’s, then changed her mind at the last moment. Instead, she pulled her ponytail from behind her head and played with her hair. It wasn’t a normal habit of hers, but she’d lost her nerve to touch Sunset and had to do something with her hand.

“I… I talked to Fluttershy earlier.”

Sunset nodded. “Is this about the apartment?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, but it was while we were out. She, uhm, she said… Well, it sounds like she wouldn’t mind if I… if I, you know…”

Sunset waited a moment, then smirked. “Uh, no, I don’t know. What’d she say?”

Twilight forced herself to swallow, then glanced down at the ground as she talked. “Well, I think she’s okay if I, uhm, tried dating someone else.”

Sunset put her other hand on Twilight’s other shoulder. Although Twilight couldn’t see her face, she could hear the grin in her voice. “Twilight, that’s fantastic! So you can finally ask out Moon Dancer!”

“Y-yeah…” Twilight frowned. That was what she was supposed to be happy about. She was supposed to ask out Moon Dancer, which was, after all, what Fluttershy had suggested. And it was what Twilight wanted! Or at least, it was something she wanted.

It wasn’t the only thing, though. She took a deep breath. “But… I was thinking…”

Sunset chuckled, then let go of Twilight’s shoulders to instead put an arm around them, pulling Twilight in closer. “Come on, Sparky, getting cold feet?”

“No. Er, at least, I don’t think so. I haven’t, uhm, talked to Moon Dancer about that yet. And –”

“Yeah, I see what you wanted to talk to me for. Don’t worry, I’ll help you figure out just what to say.”

“No. Sunny, please.”

Sunset finally seemed to catch on that there was more to say. “Do you not want to anymore?”

“I do. Or, I think I do. But… I don’t know, things are so confusing, and… and there’s… someone else…”

“Oh.”

It was amazing. One word, two letters. Oh. Just oh. That’s all Sunset said, but it was all she had to say. Somehow, in that moment, Twilight knew Sunset understood immediately.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, then Sunset let go of Twilight and started walking. For once, Twilight couldn’t help but feel like Sunset wasn’t walking with her, she was walking away from her.

Still, Twilight followed. Not as closely as she wanted to. But she followed.

“So…” Sunset said after a minute or so of silence. “We’re talking about this then?”

“I…” Twilight was going to say she didn’t know what Sunset meant, but that was a lie. There was something between them, something unspoken. It was a mutual agreement that as long as they never talked about it, it was all okay. And now Twilight was breaking that agreement. “I guess we are.”

“Right. Well.” Sunset turned to look at Twilight. “I’m sorry. I… I think I’ve kind of given you the wrong idea.”

“Sunny?”

“I… Well, you know I like you, Twilight.” Twilight, not Sparky. “You’re one of my best friends. I mean, you kind of are my best friend. Don’t get me wrong, all our friends mean the world to me, but you know you’re special.”

Twilight nodded slowly.

“But… I mean, I’m just not looking for anything. I want to keep being your friend, but that’s all I’m really looking for.”

This time Twilight stopped walking. “You… you don’t…”

Sunset stopped in turn. “You know, I don’t mean anything by it. You’re amazing, Twi. And Fluttershy is so lucky to have you. Moon Dancer will be too. And… and I would be too, if I wanted that. I just…”

“Don’t,” Twilight finished.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset offered.

Twilight shook her head. She was so stupid. She really thought this thing went both ways? Sunset was just a friend, and Twilight was the only one who…

‘No.’ Twilight clenched her teeth. “You’re lying, Sunny.”

“I’m not –”

“Friends don’t act the way you do.” Twilight wasn’t sure where this was coming from. It wasn’t like her. But there was something about Sunset, something that made Twilight feel like she could fight.

Sunset took a deep breath. “I’m not lying.”

Twilight just glared at her.

Sunset held her gaze for a moment, then she fidgeted under the pressure. “But I’m not telling the whole truth. Fine. You got me. I like you, Twilight, a lot. As more than a friend. And if things were different… I would absolutely want to date you. So yeah, if that makes it better, then there. I feel the same way.”

Twilight took a step closer. “We can make something work now! Fluttershy, she’s finally coming around to me being with someone else! And she likes you, she’ll be okay with it!”

Sunset shook her head. “This isn’t about Fluttershy.”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “Then what? You want to be with me, and I… I want that too, Sunny… And now, we can.”

“It’s not that simple.” Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “Look… Twilight, I’m sorry. I really am. But there’s reasons why I can’t date you. Or anyone, not just you. You just… you don’t know what you’re signing up for.”

Twilight stepped closer, closing most of the distance between them. She ignored the way her breath caught in her chest as she forced the words out. “I’m signing up for you. I know you, Sunny…”

‘Just reach out for me. I’m right here, just put your arms around me and let me be yours…’

Instead, Sunset turned and walked away. Twilight deflated and felt the tears welling up, but she forced them down. Because it was all she could do, Twilight followed behind Sunset, keeping her distance.

“You know I’m not from this world,” Sunset said. It wasn’t a question, as it was something Twilight knew very well.

“I know. That doesn’t bother me.”

Sunset nodded. Twilight wished she could see her face. She desperately wanted to know what was on Sunset’s mind, but the back of her head was expressionless.

Her voice was just as flat as she spoke. “Equestria… I never appreciated it when I was there, you know? It took a long time, but… I miss it.”

“You… you want to go back?”

Did Sunset tense up at that question, or did Twilight imagine that? Either way, she didn’t answer directly. “I never thought I could go back. Never thought Celestia would let me. But then I met her with the other Twilight during that whole memory stone incident, and… and she wasn’t upset. She allowed me to go back, at least for a little while, and…”

If Sunset wasn’t going to do it, Twilight was. She ran ahead and looped her arm around Sunset’s. It was something she might do even if they hadn’t confessed their feelings, so she told herself that it was okay. Still, her heart raced as she did, and she blushed when Sunset turned to look at her.

Sunset’s face was unreadable, but she didn’t try to stop Twilight’s show of affection. She turned back to face forward. “You never know what you’ve got til it’s gone, Sparky.”

The return of the nickname emboldened Twilight. “So what about everything you’ll leave behind here? What about me? And all our friends? Are you ready to say goodbye to us?”

“No.” Sunset took a deep breath. “I never will be. But we’re graduating, and who knows what happens after that? Rarity’s looking into studying abroad, Rainbow’s got that sports scholarship upstate, Pinkie’s been talking about travelling for a year…”

“Fluttershy, Applejack, and I will be here,” Twilight reminded her. “I know there’s a lot of change, but –”

“You’re settling for a local college because of Fluttershy.” Sunset turned to face her. “And she’s not even going to college. You know you could get into school anywhere in the country – probably anywhere out of country too. Fluttershy could go with you.”

Twilight frowned at the sudden change of subject. “You sound like my parents. And what about Applejack? She can’t just take Sweet Apple Acres with her. And Fluttershy’s family is here, and so is mine. You’re not thinking this through either!”

Sunset just stared ahead.

“Do… do you want me gone that much?”

For a moment, Sunset remained silent. When she spoke, her words were slow and quiet. “If you’re gone, then this whole thing is so much easier…”

Twilight stopped in place, pulling on Sunset’s arm so she did the same. “Sunny…”

The look Sunset gave Twilight was one of tiredness. This decision had weighed on her, but she had finally made up her mind.

Twilight looked at the ground. “Okay. It’s okay, Sunny. You can go back to Equestria. We can still make it work, though. We have the journal, and the portal is right at CHS. Sure, it might be a little awkward to use it when we’ve graduated, but we’ll work things out.” She looked up and smiled. “We can still work things out, Sunny.”

“No, we can’t.” Sunset looked off to the side. When Twilight followed her gaze, she saw a bench on the side of the path. Sunset jerked her head towards it, so they walked over to it, arm in arm.

As the two of them sat down, Twilight kept hold of Sunset’s arm. She waited patiently for Sunset to speak.

“Have you ever thought about how perfectly the portal syncs up the two worlds?”

Twilight cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Sunset shook her head. “Right, you wouldn’t know. See, in Equestria, Celestia and Luna are immortal rulers of Equestria, and the other Twilight and all her friends – Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity – they were chosen by the Elements of Harmony. And then in this world, almost everything syncs up perfectly with Equestria. What were the odds that Luna and Celestia would be in charge of the school at the exact time that the Elements of Harmony were all together?”

Twilight nodded. “They’re not immortal, so the timeline wouldn’t sync up between the worlds twenty years ago. There wouldn’t be a Celestia and Luna in charge to mirror Equestria’s.”

“Exactly. And… the portal wouldn’t have come here.” Sunset turned to face Twilight. “The portal doesn’t connect this world to Equestria. It connects Equestria to the closest parallel dimension.”

“And that was here, but now…”

“Now the Elements of Harmony are splitting up. Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie are all looking into out of town options. We’re all graduating, but Celestia and Luna are going to stay at CHS. I’ve talked to the other Twilight about this a lot, and we theorize that the mirror is going to pick a new parallel dimension.”

Twilight’s heart sunk. “So if you go to Equestria…”

“I’ll be gone for good.”

“And the journal?”

“Probably won’t work once the worlds are desynced.”

Neither of them said anything. Both girls just sat and stared out into the distance, which didn’t amount to much, since it was too dark to see ahead of them well.

A life without Sunset. That’s what Twilight was faced with. Not just a life where Sunset wouldn’t date her, Twilight could accept that. But a life where Sunset wasn’t there at all for her.

It was too much. Twilight threw her arms around Sunset, who put her own arms up in shock. “Then don’t go! Just stay with us, we… we all love you, Sunset, we don’t want you to disappear!”

Slowly, Sunset lowered her arms and put them around Twilight. “I know. Trust me, I know. And I don’t want to leave you girls behind either, but… If I don’t go, I lose this chance forever.”

“And if you go, you lose this chance forever.” Twilight gestured around her. “You lose all of this, all that we can give you.”

“I know. Believe me, I know. But… I don’t feel at home here, Sparky. I never did. I don’t know if I’ll be happy in Equestria, but I know I don’t belong here.”

Twilight righted herself so she could look at Sunset. There was something about the look in her eyes, something Twilight had never noticed before. There was a deep pain there, something she kept hidden from everyone.

And Twilight knew. She knew that nothing she could say would stop Sunset, and that furthermore, it was selfish of her to try. She leaned back on Sunset. Not holding her like she had been before, but just leaning against her with one arm around her shoulder. They were closer than she normally would with her friends. That felt right though, because she wasn’t convinced she and Sunset could ever be just friends again. She wasn’t sure what they were, but she was pretty sure they were something.

“Sunny?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget me.”

Sunset gave Twilight a squeeze. “Never. And you’ll remember me when I’m gone, right?”

“I’ll always remember you.”

Sunset gingerly bent down and kissed Twilight on the top of the head, then she leaned her head against Twilight’s. “Ask out Moon Dancer. She’ll make you happy, Sparky.”

Twilight didn’t say anything.

“This is a good day. You and Fluttershy are one step closer to living together, and you can finally confess to Moon Dancer how you feel.”

Twilight took a deep breath.

“And hey, I can still help you figure out what to say to her. Together we can –”

“Sunny?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we just… sit like this for a while?”

For a second, Sunset didn’t reply. Twilight could tell she was still trying to use words to fix what they never could.

But eventually, she took a deep breath and said, “Okay. Whatever you need, Sparky.”

Twilight closed her eyes. She imagined falling asleep holding onto Sunset, something she’d imagined doing time and time again, but she knew she wouldn’t. She wasn’t feeling nearly at peace enough to fall asleep, on top of the fact that she was outside on a park bench.

Still, she was trying. She was trying to feel the sense of peace Sunset was capable of bringing to her life. Instead, she just felt… something. Some feeling she couldn’t name at the thought of losing Sunset.

Twilight breathed in her scent, determined to let the moment stretch itself for as long as it could. She wanted it to last forever, even as she knew it never would. She had Sunset for now, but for how long? There was no telling.

But she had Sunset for now. And after all, that was something.