A Ray of Sunlight

by BChunter426


What’s In Her Heart

Sunset woke up at four in the morning to her alarm.
    "Shut up!" She said groggily, slapping the snooze button.
    After two more rounds of this she made herself get out of bed so she could shower before the flight. As the hot water ran down her face and hair she tried to calm her nerves. Reminding herself that it was just her mother, and that the visit would be fine. After toweling off and blow drying her hair she picked out a cute outfit and warm jacket for the ride to the airport.
    She sat on the couch and waited for her uncle to knock on the door, glad that she had finished packing before going to Twilight's. Just as she was about to doze off again two quick raps on her door snapped her back to consciousness.
    "Coming." She said with a hoarse voice.
    She grabbed the scarf Twilight had given her on one of their outings before meeting her uncle in the hall.
    "You ready to go?" He asked.
    "As I can be at," she checked her phone. "Ugh five o'clock in the morning."
    Silver Dollar chuckled. "Don't worry, once we get outside you'll wake up. It's colder than Satan's tits at there."
    Her uncle's nonsensical phrases never failed to make her laugh. The journey to the airport was a blur to Sunset. She vaguely recalled making benign small talk with the Uber driver and checking her one piece of luggage. She was lazily playing a game on her phone when the unmistakable aroma of freshly brewed coffee convinced her she needed a pick-me-up.
    She followed the scent to a coffee shop a little ways away. She ordered a mocha latte with whipped cream and extra chocolate. Sunset enjoyed the warmth and energy coffee provided, but had yet to acquire a taste for its naturally bitter taste. So she had to add enough sweet flavor or sugar to the point that it was more dessert than coffee.
    She sipped her beverage and nibbled on the hot breakfast sandwich she ordered at the last minute. She decided to take a photo with the caption 'breakfast of champions' underneath it to send to Twilight. After it was sent it dawned on her how early it was and she hoped it wouldn't wake her.
    She was surprised when her phone buzzed a minute later. Twilight had also sent her a picture message of her laying on her side with the comforter wrapped around her head. Her smiling face was the only partially visible.
    "Jealous! That sounds really good right now. I won't get breakfast for a few hours."
    "Haha well aren't you the cutest little cocoon ;) I didn't wake you did I?" Sunset typed.
    "Cocoons are for moths, I'm a chrysalis. I will emerge a beautiful butterfly!"
    A second message arrived moments later.
    "I'm sorry I haven't slept at all, I may be a bit loopy."
    "Why haven't you slept?" Sunset asked.
    "If I tell you, you can't laugh at me."
    "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Now you know I'm serious about this."
    "Alright... I still get really excited for Christmas. To the point that I can't sleep at all on Christmas Eve. If I had my way we'd be opening presents already."
    Sunset smiled goofily at how cute Twilight was.
    "You're too cute for your own good sometimes, you know that? What time are you all getting up?"
    "Not until 7."
    Sunset heard the call for her flight to board over the PA system.
    "I'm sorry babe. Stay strong! They just called my flight so I gotta go. Tell everyone hi for me."
    "Will do! Be safe and let me know when you land okay?"
    "I will. Try to get some sleep."
    "No promises."
    Sunset chuckled before pocketing her phone and gathering her things. Even though the terminal and plane were warm she never removed the Scarf she received from Twilight. She always got pre-flight jitters and the faint aroma of Twilight's perfume helped to calm her nerves. She took her seat by the window and awaited takeoff.
    After the safety demonstration Sunset plugged in her headphones and loaded up one of her many podcasts. She let her head loll towards the window as the wheels left the ground. As the plane climbed higher, the lights from the ground became almost a mirror of the night sky. Sunset's eyes grew heavy as the plane continued toward its destination and she let sleep overcome her.


Twilight smiled at the haul she received. New books and CDs were stacked next to her on the floor. She looked up from the book she was currently reading at her brother leaned back on the couch, snoring softly. She checked her phone again for the umpteenth time.
    "I'm pretty sure she's still in the air." Cadence said, coming from the kitchen with a hot mug of coffee.
    She smiled sheepishly. "I know. I'm just getting anxious. My mind keeps creating these scenarios that are starting to get to me."
    "Like what?" She asked.
    "Mostly the plane going down in some way. I know it's silly, but the thought of never getting to see her again..." she trailed off.
    Cadence put a comforting hand on Twilight's knee.
    "She'll be fine. I think it's sweet that you're worried about that. I feel the same way about your brother."
    The two glanced over at Shining Armor whose head had lolled back. A line of drool was creeping from the corner of his mouth now.
    "He's so charming." Cadence joked.
      They laughed as silently as they could. The noise roused Twilight's brother from his slumber. He wiped the saliva away, blushing slightly.
    "What are you two gossiping about?" He yawned.
    "Just girl stuff." Cadence answered.
    "That's nice." He readjusted and was out once more.
    Cadence shook her head. "I'll never understand how he does that. Once I'm up, I'm up."
    "I don't know, I'm jealous though." Twilight said, before checking her phone again.
    Cadence smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "You really care about her don't you? Have you said the L-word yet?"
    Twilight's face flushed with color. "N-no, not yet."
    "What's holding you back?" She asked.
    "I've been waiting for the right time. I was about to tell her at the dance before that horrible video started. It was perfect, we were dancing to our song and we were standing so close..." Twilight looked at the ground.
    "I never knew you were such a  hopeless romantic." Cadence chuckled.
    "I didn't either. Maybe it's because this is my first relationship, but I want the first time I tell her I love her to be perfect."
    "Can I tell you something?" Cadence asked.
    "Of course."
    "You can wait for the perfect moment all you want, but if you put all your stock in finding it, it might never come. Sometimes you just have to say it when it feels right."
    "When did you two say it to each other?" Twilight asked
    "I was a lot like you. I wanted to have this big romantic moment happen just before I said it. But nothing ever felt big enough. Then one day I was sick with the flu. I told him to keep his distance because I didn't want to get him sick too. The next thing I know he's at my door with soup. He stayed by my side, rubbed my back when the nausea kicked in. He was so sweet and caring. I knew for sure in that moment that I loved him, but I still wanted my big romantic moment. We watched a movie later that night, the nausea had mostly passed. I was laying in his lap, he was stroking my hair. Then he leaned down and kissed my cheek."
    "And that's when she told me she loved me." Shining Armor said, moving to take a spot next to her. "I said it right back to her."
    "How long have you been awake?" Twilight asked.
    "Just a few minutes, I didn't want to interrupt." He admitted. "Cadence is right though, if you love Sunset tell her next time the feeling comes over you."
    Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her brother.
    "Alright, maybe I've been awake longer than a few minutes, but I stand by what I said."
    "It's not just the timing..." Twilight started. "What if she doesn't feel the same way and she breaks up with me?"
    "Then you and I will eat ice cream and sing break up songs, or whatever will make you feel better." Cadence rested a hand over Twilight's. "I don't think you have to worry about that though. You can tell by the way she looks at you and how she acts when you two are together that she feels the same way."
    Twilight smiled at that. Just then The intoxicating bouquet of breakfast wafted into the living room. While they were talking, Velvet had silently walked into the kitchen to start cooking. Not wanting to interrupt, she had kept quiet. Twilight and the others offered their help, which helped expedite the process.
    "Will one of you go wake up your father?" Velvet asked. "The poor man couldn't sleep last night. He was so excited for you all to open your presents."
    "Now I know where I get it!" Twilight said.
    The Sparkle family savored the meal and the opportunity they had to spend time together as a family. Twilight helped with the clean up while the others decided which of the many new games they all wanted to play. Twilight put the final dish away and was heading toward the living room.
    "Cadence is right you know." Velvet said.
    Twilight looked at her mom who gave her a knowing smile as she made her way to the other room. Twilight smiled and followed her.


Sunset awoke with a start. A combination of a small bout of turbulence and a dream conjured by the horror fiction podcast she was listening to roused her from her sleep. She steadied her breathing and looked to her uncle who had sunk into his travel pillow and was snoring softly. Sunset leaned back into her seat.
    I won't be doing that again. She thought as she switched over to her music.
    The overhead speakers announced the plane's descent soon after. Once they were in the terminal Sunset typed out a quick message to Twilight letting her know they had landed safely. A short time later, uncle and niece were greeted by Sunset's mom, Shimmering Dawn.
    Sunset took after her mom as far as looks go. They looked similar enough that they had on more than one occasion been mistaken for sisters, given how young Sunset's mother was. They shared the same hair color, though Dawn's was more yellow than red. Their complexions were nearly identical with a natural tan to them. The biggest way they differed was the one thing Sunset wished she had inherited from her. Dawn's ample chest bounced in time with her messy ponytail as she ran toward them.
    "There's my baby girl!" She cried.
    "Hey mo-." Her words were cut short as her face was crammed into her mother's chest.
    "Oh I've missed you so much!" She stroked her daughter's red and gold hair. "How have you been? How's school going? Omigod Silver! It's been way too long!"
    Dawn turned her attention to her brother, allowing Sunset to breathe properly. She couldn't help but smile at her eccentric mother. She had always had a big personality and had a tendency to let it show in public which normally embarrassed Sunset to no end. Right now she didn't care though, she was just happy to see her.
    After the quick reunion they piled into Dawn's car. She talked excitedly the whole way about what she had planned for them during their visit. The car pulled up in front of a decently sized apartment complex. The three of them helped each other take the bags to Dawn's apartment in one trip.
    Dawn lived in a two bedroom apartment with a fairly spacious kitchen. This was the selling point for her because she loved to cook. Dawn flitted about the apartment, fussing over her guests all the while. She wanted to make sure they were comfortable before starting their late breakfast.
    Sunset thought back to the last time she had seen her mom. She had been a tightly wound ball of stress and worry. She saw the path her daughter was going down with Adagio but didn't know how to approach the topic without having a blowout between the two of them and pushing her farther away. Sunset felt guilty for her part in their strained relationship, but since she had moved out they had become closer than before.
    "How does Eggs Benedict sound to everyone?" Dawn asked.
    The question called Sunset back to the present. 
     "Fantastic!" She cheered. Sunset thought for a moment. "Hey, can I give you a hand? Unfortunately I did not inherit your natural cooking skills and it would be nice to be able to make something other than 'cup-o-soup'." 
     Plus I could make it for Twilight some time. She thought to herself.
    "Of course! I'd be happy to teach you. You can take the sauce."
    Breakfast was delicious. The hollandaise sauce was a little runny, but still good. Once everyone was finished eating they began to catch up. Dawn told them about her sales job she landed and how they were willing to work her around her school schedule. She was doing pretty well for herself, which made Sunset happy to hear.
    "So what classes are you most excited for?" Sunset asked.
    "Oh that's easy. I took an intro to broadcasting, and I'm so excited!"
    "Broadcasting? I didn't know you were interested in that." Sunset said.
    "Oh sure, Dawn used to talk my ear off all the time about how she was going to be a famous news anchor." Silver said cheerfully.
    She playfully hit her brother's arm. "Oh I did not 'talk your ear off'. It's always been my dream to be an anchor."
    "I had no idea. I think you would make a great anchor!"
    "Thanks sweetheart. So how is school for you?"
    Sunset was dreading this question.
    "It's going fine." She said flatly.
    Dawn sensed some hesitation in her response. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?"
    "Well... I had a little trouble with Adagio." Sunset admitted.
    Dawn thought for a moment. "Adagio... Oh, your ex?"
    "The very same. Don't worry, it wasn't anything major, she's just been picking on me a bit." She decided to downplay the severity.
    "Why didn't you tell me?" Silver asked. "I could have done something to help."
    "It's fine, I can handle it." She saw the concern on both of their faces. "You guys, seriously, I'm fine."
    "Alright, but if it gets worse tell Silver and let him help you." Dawn told her.
    The conversation was much lighter after that. Dawn made them open their Christmas presents shortly thereafter. She bought Sunset a few new games for her console back home, the next book in the series she was reading, and a new hoodie. For Silver, she had a vintage poster of one of his favorite movies as well as the blu-ray of the same movie.
    "Thank you Dawn. You didn't have to do this." Silver hugged her.
    "Well if you don't want it, I can always hold onto it." She joked.
    "Don't you dare!" He held the poster defensively. "Sunset, do you want to do the honors?"
    Sunset pulled an envelope from her bag and presented it to her mother.
    "This is from both of us." She said as Dawn tore it open.
    Her eyes grew wide as she read what was inside. A cheer bubbled up from her throat.
    "Oh Silver, Sunnybuns! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She scooped them into a tight embrace.
    With a laugh Sunset continued. "We figured you'll need a nice relaxing spa day at some point during the semester."
    "You know me so well!" She cheered.
    They spent the next few hours playing games, cards and watching videos. Silver started to get drowsy after a while and retired to the guest room to take a nap. Dawn and Sunset played a few more rounds of Mario Kart before deciding to take a break. They talked a bit more while sipping mugs of hot chocolate. Sunset smiled at the message she just received.
    "How's Twilight?" Dawn asked, breaking the silence.
    "That obvious? She's good. I just met a bunch of her family last night actually. They seemed to like me. Mom, she's just so amazing, I'm so happy with her."
    Dawn saw a look cross her daughter's face as she talked about her girlfriend.
    "Ooh my baby's in love!"
    "What? What are you talking about?" Sunset protested, her face nearly as red as her hair.
    "Oh please, it's so obvious! How did she react when you told her?"
    "I haven't." She looked away.
    "Why not? Are you worried she won't feel the same way?"
    "It's not that. I'm sure she'd say it right back to me. I'm pretty sure she's almost said it on more than one occasion. The problem is me."
    "What do you mean sweetheart?" Dawn asked with concern.
    "Adagio, she... when we were dating I fell for her pretty hard. She was adventurous and dangerous. Well one day I decided I was going to tell her how I really felt. I mustered up what courage I could and said those three words." Her voice broke slightly. "Do you know what she said? She pinched my cheek, like I was some toddler. Then with a smirk she said 'that's cute'. That's what I got in return for putting myself out there. I think that's why I became who I was, I wanted to earn her love and thought that's how I thought I could do it."
    Dawn hugged the girl in front of her whose eyes were shiny with tears. She lightly rubbed her back.
    "Oh sweetie. That girl really did a number on you didn't she?"
    Sunset continued. "I want to tell Twilight I love her, I do, but I can't get over the fear that she'll do the same thing. Even though I know she would never do anything like that."
    Dawn stroked her daughter's hair until she was able to calm herself. Once the flow of tears was down to a trickle, she spoke.
    "I know it's scary to put yourself out there, and your experience was very negative. But you can't let that moment control you or your relationship. Don't let her win.”
    “Thanks mom.” She hugged her tightly. “I’ll remember that.”
    “Now that you’re no longer with her I feel I can tell you how I really felt about her.” She paused. “I never liked her, you were too good for her and she didn’t deserve you. I’m not just saying that because you’re my daughter either... though that is a major part of it. My girl deserves only the best.”
    This made Sunset smile broadly. She needed this visit, she didn’t realize just how much she missed her mother.