The next day, at precisely 3:30 pm, they heard the doorbell. Oddly, only the first note sounded – as if someone had pressed the button as quickly and lightly as possible. Sunset made to start getting up, but Pinkie shooed her back down and made it across the living room and down into the entry way in three bounds. She opened the door with a huge smile.
No one appeared to be there. But Pinkie was undaunted. She giggled slightly and leaned out through the door, looking left and right. Suddenly she exclaimed, “Aha!” and reached around the doorframe to, gently but firmly, pull a very anxious looking Fluttershy into the house.
“HI there Fluttershy!” Pinkie nearly shouted.
“Oh, uh, hello, Pinkie,” Fluttershy nearly whispered. She had a large backpack with her, as well as a sleeping bag and a small suitcase.
“I almost didn’t see you there!” Pinkie continued, a bit pointedly but with a warm grin still on her face.
Fluttershy chuckled nervously and not at all convincingly.
“Anyhoo, come on in! Sunset’s just up in the living room.” Pinkie dragged Fluttershy up the short flight of stairs into said living room, where a thing happened that all three of them would occasionally joke about in later years.
For one thing, Fluttershy was feeling, well, shy. She was secretly worried that Sunset might have been regressing back toward her old personality, and wasn’t looking forward to an uncomfortable evening of trying to remonstrate with a potentially grumpy/irritated/bitter ex-bully.
On the other hand, Sunset was feeling shy, too. The last time she had been one-on-one with Fluttershy had been when Celestia had taken charge of the whole situation in Fluttershy’s basement, now almost a week ago. On that occasion she had sobbed extensively and bared her soul in a way that she had only approached with Applejack so far. Consequently, she was feeling vulnerable, embarrassed, and therefore quite shy.
The two girls blushed, failed to make eye contact, and said nothing.
“Wow, this is really something! I think we’re having a shy-off!” Pinkie teased.
The two girls blushed even more furiously.
Pinkie giggled again. She took Fluttershy’s hand and waved it at Sunset. “Hi, Sunset,” she said in a soft voice that was a fair imitation of Fluttershy’s. “It’s nice to see you today. I hope you’re doing well.” The corners of Flutterhsy’s lips began to curl up slightly.
Without waiting for Fluttershy to say these words to Sunset herself, Pinkie leaned down and grabbed Sunset’s hand, waving it at Fluttershy. “Hi Fluttershy,” she said, now trying to imitate Sunset’s more alto voice. “It’s nice to see you too. Welcome to my home.” Sunset was now fighting laughter. She and Fluttershy finally looked at each other and that set off the chuckling. Soon all three of them were laughing, which broke the tension and the ice.
Pinkie clapped her hands together. “Well, it looks like my work here is done! I’m not sure who won – you can sort that out yourselves.” She turned and picked up her backpack and other baggage, which was already packed. Hefting it all, she turned back to Sunset.
“Have a good evening, Sunset. I had a great time! I know you and Fluttershy will have fun tonight, too.” She gave Sunset a little wave, then turned to Fluttershy. “See ya later, Flutters!”
“Oh, um, goodbye, Pinkie,” Fluttershy waved to Pinkie, who then bounded out of the room, down the stairs, and out the door. With Pinkie gone, the shyness returned a bit, and there were a couple moments of silence.
More of Pinkie had already rubbed off on Sunset, however, than she realized. She picked up a random piece of paper, mock-scrutinized it, and then pretended to read from it slowly in a stilted, artificial tone, smiling all the while. “Ahem. Hi, Fluttershy. It’s nice to see you. Welcome to my home.”
Fluttershy caught on instantly. She cracked a smile of her own, picked up another of Sunset’s papers, and pretended to read back, again in a stilted way. “Oh, uh, hello, Sunset. Um, it’s nice to see you too. I hope you’re doing well today.” Both of them laughed again.
Once they had calmed down a bit, Fluttershy decided to ask a question. “Sunset, I’m always kind of shy. But you aren’t usually shy at all. I know you’re going through a lot, but will you tell me why you’re feeling shy around me right now?”
Sunset blushed again and looked away. “Well, Fluttershy, I guess it’s because the last time we were by ourselves, just the two of us, I was, well, kind of beside myself. I guess I’m a little…embarrassed.”
Fluttershy understood immediately. She put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that. Applejack’s told us a lot of what you revealed Tuesday afternoon, because she knew she had your permission to do that. But I’ve kept what happened between you and Celestia on Saturday to myself. I didn’t know if you were ok with me sharing that. And please don’t be afraid that I’m upset with you or look down on you. I think I understand you a lot better now, and I want to help you.”
Sunset looked back at Fluttershy with gratitude. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I mean it.” She paused for a moment. “Fluttershy, is it ok if I ask you something?”
Fluttershy smiled encouragingly and nodded.
“Are you…were you worried that I’m still going to be mean to you sometimes, when you came today?” Sunset asked with clear discomfort.
Fluttershy sighed. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried. This side of you is so new, and it’s so different from what you used to be like. I hate to admit it, Sunset, but…”
“But you’re wondering if it’s going to stick? If the change is permanent?” Sunset finished for her.
Fluttershy nodded a bit apologetically.
“I don’t blame you for that. It’s natural, I think,” Sunset said immediately. “Part of me wonders if the change is permanent myself – this all seems very strange to me. But Fluttershy, one thing I think I can promise you.” Sunset leaned toward her with a very earnest look. “I never, ever want to be mean to you again.”
Fluttershy smiled back warmly, even a bit fondly.
“I was the worst to you,” Sunset said quietly, looking down, “and I hate that.” She paused, then looked back up. “Fluttershy, there are some things about what happened to me that I can’t…that I’m going to ask you not to ask me about yet. But when I do tell you, eventually, I think you’ll understand – I think the change is permanent. I think I’d rather do anything than hurt you again.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened a bit.
Sunset was getting emotional. “You sang my fears away. You know that, right? I…you don’t need to worry about me anymore.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Sunset…” Fluttershy began.
“I’m going to apologize properly and thoroughly. Just give me some time to figure it all out. I want to do it right – you deserve it. All of you. Is that ok?”
“Of course, though you’ve already said you’re sorry at least twice.”
“When was that?”
Fluttershy looked a bit confused. “Well, when…when you were in the crater, for one.”
“Oh. Right,” Sunset said, looking back down and going a bit pale. “I guess…I’m trying not to think too much about that exact moment.”
“I think that’s understandable.” Fluttershy took Sunset’s hand. “Hey. I’m here to be a friend. A real friend. I want you to be happy, Sunset. No pressure, but I’m here to be an encouragement. To welcome you into a new world that will be so much better than your old one.”
Sunset couldn’t speak. She just nodded with grateful amazement.
Fluttershy pulled her into a hug. “And you’re not just some project. I bet that thought’s crossed your mind, so let’s just nip that in the bud.” She pulled back a bit so she could look Sunset in the eyes. “This is for real. For all of us.”
Sunset’s breath hitched, so Fluttershy pulled her back into the hug.
The two girls passed a quiet afternoon, working amiably on their homework. Sunset was able to help Fluttershy with a few things, though Fluttershy was able to figure most of it out herself.
Sunset regarded her as she worked on an English essay, tapping away on her laptop. Each of the girls had a different aura – a different atmosphere or presence they brought with them wherever they went. With Rarity it was elegant, confident, almost unfailing goodwill. Rainbow projected energy and adventurousness. And impatience! Sunset thought to herself with a chuckle. Applejack was calm (except when Rainbow was around), good-natured, and warm. Pinkie made everything seem more fun and more funny. And Fluttershy, Sunset was realizing, made you feel safe. Welcome. Restful. Even though she was the guest, Sunset inexplicably felt like Fluttershy was the host. She shook her head in wonder. Well, I suppose these girls are the counterparts of the Element Bearers, she thought to herself. I shouldn’t be surprised that they’re remarkable.
She turned her head as she heard keys in the deadbolt. The door swung open and Celestia came in, dropped her purse on a side table in the entryway, sighed heavily, and stumped up the stairs. Sunset’s heart fell a bit. She had a pretty good idea what might have made her mother’s day hard.
“Rough day?” she ventured meekly, even apologetically, from the couch.
Celestia leaned on the banister and looked at the two girls. “Hello girls,” she said, managing a wan smile. “Yes, Sunset,” she responded, turning to her daughter. “I have to admit it was a pretty tough one.”
Sunset’s head fell. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I bet a lot of it had to with me, right?”
Celestia didn’t answer at first. She seemed to be trying to find the right words. As she thought, Luna came down the stairs wordlessly and the two sisters nodded to each other with small smiles. Fluttershy looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Finally Celestia turned back to Sunset. “When you are ready, we will need to talk about the specific consequences you will face when you return to school. But it isn’t necessary for you to know all the details of the…damage control Luna and I have had to engage in.”
Sunset seemed to be about to say something, but Celestia continued.
“For one thing, many of them are quite tedious and uninteresting. Mainly, though, you have enough burdens to bear right now without having to share mine.”
Sunset seemed frustrated. “But I want to help. I want to try to make up for what I’ve done – at least as much as I can!”
“That is a healthy desire. But for now, the only things you can do – the only things I want you to do,” Celestia said with raised eyebrows and a hint of authority, “are to recover, and to keep changing.”
Sunset seemed to be about to say more, but Celestia cut her off again. “Sunset, I’m less interested in making you feel guilty than I am in helping you to see that you can do better.”
Sunset had nothing to say to that – she’d need to think about it.
“How are you feeling today?” Celestia asked, changing the subject.
“About the same,” Sunset responded quietly, looking down again. “Maybe a little less pain.”
“Well, that’s good at least,” Celestia observed.
“I’ll go start dinner,” Luna said. “I’m cooking tonight – you look like you could use a break.”
Celestia gave her sister a grateful smile, then turned swiftly to Fluttershy. “Are you doing well today, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy gave a little “eep.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Celestia exclaimed with concern. Against her will, Sunset found herself fighting a chuckle.
Fluttershy found her voice. “Oh, well, uh, it was just a little tense just now, and then…yes, Ms. Celestia, I am doing fine today.”
“Good.” There were a few moments of awkward silence.
Suddenly Fluttershy stood up. “I’m just going to powder my nose. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the bathroom.
Very deliberately, Celestia came all the way into the living room, walked around the coffee table, and sat down right next to Sunset. She pulled Sunset against her and kissed the side of her head. “It’s going to be okay,” she murmured into Sunset’s hair.
Sunset turned to look up at her. “It is?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes,” said Celestia firmly. “It is.”
Sunset sighed and looked down.
“And I’m not angry with you. I want to be very clear about that,” Celestia went on gently. “The time for anger is over, at least for my part.”
Sunset sank against her a little more, clearly relieved.
“And…I’m glad to see you.”
Sunset looked up at her, surprised.
“It’s pretty nice to come home to a new daughter who is already making my life so much more full than it used to be. Even if said daughter may have played some small role in creating the challenges of my day,” Celestia finished with a wink.
Sunset gave her a lopsided smile.
Celestia squeezed her a bit again, then got up. “All right. I’m going to go change. You two keep working on your schoolwork and then we’ll have dinner.”
That night Sunset took longer to fall asleep than usual. She figured it was because Fluttershy was restful and calm compared to the other four, and so she wasn’t quite as worn out as usual. She turned her head to look at the pink-haired girl sleeping peacefully on the cot next to her bed.
Ordinarily Sunset dreaded time alone with her thoughts, because guilt over her cruelty and failure haunted her almost relentlessly. But when Fluttershy was near, even sleeping, Sunset found that her thoughts were more balanced and free of condemnation. Thinking back to her perception of the aura, or unique atmosphere that each girl projected, she realized she’d have to add another aspect to Fluttershy’s: mercy. Fluttershy was kind even when she was stern or angry, and her mere presence seemed to drive darkness away. Sunset marveled at it. She had a suspicion she would have no nightmares that night.