What Hurts More
Ch. 4
Normally if Twilight would have come through the portal, I would want to spend the rest of the day to talk with her. However, Sunset Shimmer had some explaining to do.
“Where is Sunset Shimmer?” I ask my world’s Twilight.
“She is getting Pinkie Pie. Said she needed her before… explaining things to you.”
The princess looked between Twilight and I, lost in translation. “Explain what?”
“To explain how wrong I am…” Despite my current frustration with her, I was glad to see Sunset Shimmer come to me and be the adult. Pinkie Pie stood beside her with a large bag of brownies. “Hey Twilight,” Sunset greeted with a friendly wave. “Glad you came.”
My arms folded and my ears waited for Sunset to “explain” herself. In my peripheral, Twilight Sparkle, the one who came to help, looked at everyone with curiosity.
“So what is going on?” the princess asked. “Everypo- umm, -body here looks so tense.” I guess Sunset Shimmer didn’t tell her everything and that is why she looks so concerned. My mouth opens, but Sunset Shimmer holds out a hand to stop me from speaking. I hold my tongue so I can hear her “explain.”
“You are here for many reasons,” Sunset Shimmer began. Pinkie Pie tapped her on the shoulder and handed the girl a brownie; probably a frownie considering the situation at hand. After taking the sweet, Sunset resumed, “First, I want to apologize to you Flash Sentry.”
“Is that-”
“Please, let me finish.” She shot me a bit of a glare to get me to stop. Something inside me wanted to argue, but for Twilight’s sake and for those around me, I held my breath.
“Why do you need to apologize? Especially in front of all of us?” The princess clearly wanted to help defuse what she didn’t know, and I could tell she was desperate to not let the issue ruin any friendships.
“Humility. To show everyone how wrong I have been,” Sunset answered as Pinkie Pie nodded after hearing the statement. “For the longest time, Flash here always came asking me and the others how you were and if you were around.”
Pink blush bled onto the otherworldly girl’s cheeks and she turned to look at me. My heart started to race as I was thrown under the spotlight. Neither of us spoke, but I could not deny the truth. I did come around quite often and ask for her. And when Sunset told Twilight I come around often, asking for her, I feel pathetic. And desperate.
“He does?” Twilight finally spoke, looking at me with shining eyes. Peering into her lavender eyes, I saw them sparkle like the twilight sky. A fitting name she has.
“Yeah,” Sunset resumed. “But I never told him he could contact you through the journal I have.” Reaching into her bag, Sunset Shimmer pulled out a large book with a massive sun on the cover. Age made the book look old and worn, but the image of a bright star on the front made it clear that the book before me had something more than paper. “I know that he cares about you and… I was too selfish to let him use it…”
The twinkling in Twilight’s eyes were now long gone and she stared with disbelief. “Why..?” Her voice was quiet, yet everyone heard the one word that was spoken.
“Because I was jealous… I was the one who told Flash to move on from you because of you being a princess in all. I tried to convince myself I was right with telling him that so… I could have a chance with him again...” There were no tears to be shed. Perhaps Sunset Shimmer cried all of her tears from earlier today. But she did have a look of guilt and that is something I wanted to see. Not because I wanted to see everyone get on her case, but because Sunset was doing the right thing.
Slowly, the yellow girl took a bite out of her frownie. Pinkie Pie touched her shoulder and looked at myself and both Twilights. “She is really, really sorry,” Pinkie Pie speaks, perhaps allowing Sunset Shimmer to be to herself now. “She told me she has been thinking about this all day and has realized she was not right at all.”
“I waff the one who couldn’t moof on,” Sunset mumbled as she still had bits of chocolate in her mouth. Her eyes met with mine with defeat in her vision. She swallowed and said, “I’m sorry Flash Sentry… I’m sorry Twilight.”
The princess looked at me with a frown, not wanting to believe what was being told to her. But the truth can be a bit hard to swallow, even to those who are listening. As much as I wanted to speak, my voice was not found. Despite the secret that was being held from me, I couldn’t help but feel bad for Sunset Shimmer. She placed her heart out for all of us to see. And for that, I commend Sunset.
“It must be hard for you to not be jealous,” Twilight commented. But it was my world’s Twilight who spoke. “I don’t know what heartache is like, though I could understand that it does hurt.” Twilight looked to me with a neutral stare. “It is up to you to forgive her.”
“Of course I do,” I respond instinctively. “But I want to ask you this Sunset Shimmer…” Her eyes met with mine, locked and unwilling to move. “Did you ask Twilight to come here for me or yourself?”
“Both actually.” The response caused everyone glance at one another, curious as to what she meant. “I did it for you because your happiness is important to me. If I care about you, than I should consider your emotions as well. As for myself, well… it is better to put you out of reach if I want to move on.”
“It must have been hard for you to say all this,” the princess finally spoke. “I should be upset with you…” A smile grew on Twilight Sparkle’s face. “...but I am glad for your honesty.” She walked toward Sunset Shimmer and gave her a hug. The two girls held each other for a short moment as Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and I looked at each other with smiles. Twilight then whispered something into Sunset’s ear before stepping away. What she said, I have no idea. Though I did notice Twilight was looking away from me for some reason.
“So with that out of the way, did we solve our friendship problem?” Twilight Sparkle asked with a smile.
“I think so,” Sunset Shimmer replies.
“Yeah,” I respond.
“Then what am I going to do with all of these frownies!?” Pinkie Pie whined out loud, gesturing to the large bag of brownies. The frustrated girl stabbed a finger at Sunset Shimmer. “You said there was a big friendship problem.”
“I guess the issue has been solved.” Sunset shrugs as she looks at me and I smile back. I guess there is no more issues. But in my peripheral, I see the princess by my side. She may not be an issue, but there are some things that need to be said to her.
“No no no! You know what Twilight, I have a special friendship problem for you. I made special frownies for us to eat so we can talk about our sadness. But now they are not going to go to waste!” Pinkie Pie folded her arms in frustration now that the conclusion of our problems were now concluded.
“Actually, there still is something wrong…” The not-so-otherworldly Twilight Sparkle took every eye including my own and we looked to her.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked her identical self.
“Flash and I were all having nightmares based on constant daily reminders.”
I gasp, remembering the root of the entire issue the two of us were having. “That is right.”
“I wasn’t having nightmares,” Sunset inputted. “But I did have a daily reminder that was causing a living nightmare.” I had to avoid eye contact with her to prevent myself on making an input.
“Yes!” Pinkie Pie wooted. The pink girl corrected herself and said, “I mean… oh no! A friendship problem! Good thing I have these frownies to help us get through this time of need!” Despite her sarcastic attitude, all five of us laughed at her statement.
“Perhaps there is still more to be discussed,” I say to the group. “Is there any place we can all go so we can hang out and talk about all this? I am sure we can all enjoy some frownies while we talk about these dreams and reminders.”
The princess was the first to respond, “How about we go to my world?”