“Sunburn? Wow, great name. Did you come up with it during your daily trip to Hot Topic?” Midnight laughed.
Midnight!
What? It's a joke! She's a big girl, she can handle it.
That doesn't make it okay, she's still our friend.
And friends have exclusive rights to mock each other. I don't see your point.
Fine, but don't you think mocking the person who just found out what we had hoped to take to the grave with us might not be the best plan?
“You're right, not the best approach.” Midnight said stroking her chin. “Good for you, using that pretty little head of yours.”
All it took for Sunset to alert Midnight to her slip up was a light giggle.
“That accidentally talking out loud really is a problem. I assume that was Midnight, you didn't do the hand thing.” She ran her fingers through her red and yellow hair, the fingers on her left hand. “Also, you're one to talk, ‘I am evil. I am Darkness. I am Midnight’”
Her laugh was completely innocent, lacking any of the malice you would expect following a genuine insult
See, she’s tough.
Didn’t she and the girls come up with Midnight?
“Names aside, we have so much to talk about.” Sunset continued, picking up right after Sunburn. “How long has this been a thing? I mean, I know when Midnight first showed up, we were there, but when did she start talking to you? When did you realise you were… interested in her?”
Alright, Twiggles, you’re up. Some of those could be for me, but I feel like if we ask who she’s asking she’s going to say ‘yes’.
Twilight cleared her throat.
“Well, do you remember just after I transfered to Canterlot High school, and the other Twilight came through the portal?”
The six friends and still talking Spike were having a in the courtyard, when suddenly a frantic Princess Twilight Sparkle from Equestria burst out of the statue/portal.
The Twilight from this world froze, completely stunned by the sight. She watched in equal parts confusion and wonder as the splitting image of herself rambled something about a time loop.
Suddenly the doppelganger locked eyes with her, and the world grew silent, waiting as the two sized each other up.
The princess was the first to speak.
“Make that the second strangest.”
The mind of the human Twilight was working overdrive to process the situation.
What am I supposed to do? Do I just greet her like a new friend? How do I greet a new friend? The others said she was a princess, am I supposed to bow? I have so many questions! Would it be rude to ask?
But among her clustered thoughts, there was a voice that was definitely not her own. Similar, but not the same.
She is not wrong, this is really weird.
Sunset was floored, clearly expecting something different from the recount.
“But that was right after the friendship games! Why didn’t you have to wait so long?”
“You’re joking, right?” Midnight asked, scratching her head. “Those couple hours were killer.”
The response Midnight got was a laugh and a shake of the head. Sunset raised her left hand to indicate that Sunburn was speaking.
“It took me six weeks before it got to a stage where Sunset could differentiate my thoughts from her own.” She sighed and lowered her hand. “It was pretty rough, particularly since during those six weeks you wouldn't stop giving THE WORST advice for every situation.”
“Wha.. me?”
Sunset blinked.
“You? No! Sunburn.”
“That was misleading sentence structure and you know it.” Midnight said with a harrumph, forgetting to raise her hand. Opting to cross her arms instead.
“Only from Twilight’s mouth could that be so scathing.” Sunset, or possibly Sunburn, said while shaking their head. “In any case, when it comes to waiting for our little mental roommates to show up, we definitely drew the short straw. Or long straw, depending on how you look at it.”
“Fat load of use that did.” Came the distinct grumble of Midnight Sparkle. “I can’t go two sentences without saying something I shouldn’t. Meanwhile, everyone sees you as a confident, attractive, intelligent, completely sane human.”
Excuse me! Did you just call her attractive?
Twilight, we share a head, I know you see it too.
I- wha- no-... She possesses many traits that someone interested in pursuing a relationship with someone else may find attractive, her physical appearance included.
Wow, i just said that she was attractive. I didn't even mention her body. Is there something you want to tell me Twilight?
OH COME ON!
Oh. She's been talking all this time.
The pair tried to tune in to what their friend(s) were saying, they heard something about ‘more practice thinking’ and ‘less trust’, but just as they managed to focus in on what was being said, Sunset said something shocking.
“... the only time I, she, we ever slipped up was in front of Fleur and Fancy.”
“Wait, hold up.” Midnight said making the classic ‘ssh’ gesture “The perfect Sunset Shimmer made a mistake?”
That’s rude!
“She did it, not me!” Sunset replied. “And besides if I hadn’t, Fleur probably wouldn’t have driven me here.”
This caused ‘Twilight’ to leap up.
“WHAT DID YOU TELL HER!”
Sunset raised both hands defensively.
“Woah woah woah, relax. I told her as much as I knew before I left”
“AND THAT WAS?”
“That you might be dealing with the same ‘relationship issues’ I’ve been dealing with.”
Twilight paced back and forth, muttering to herself. The size of the room meant she could only go a few steps before hitting the wall and needing to turn around. Despite this, she did so without flinching, or breaking the conversation she was having with herself.
Sunset watched in amazement as her friend took the impacts with the wall in stride.
I suppose if she doesn’t like that, she probably won’t like that Fleur’s been spying on us the whole time.
Fleur promised she would stay in the car. She’s not spying on us.
This is FLEUR we’re talking about. Staying in the car just means she needs to be more creative. She could probably listen in using the Microwave if she wanted too.
She would’nt do that.
We could ask her.
I’m not asking her.
Do it.
No!
Doooooo it.
NO!
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Okay, fine!
Whipping out her phone, Sunset quickly found Fleur’s number, right between Flash and Fluttershy.
*Fleur, how much have you heard?*
It wasn't long before she got a reply, and despite the buzz of the phone Twilight remained oblivious.
*Ye of little faith! … Okay most of it. Can you tell Twilight to speak up? The muttering is difficult to hear.*
“Dammit Fleur!”
Twilight whirled around, awakened from her trance.
“What was that?” She asked.
The look on Sunset’s face probably gave away that she was hiding something, or at least it would have had Twilight been better at reading people.
“Oh, nothing! Just Fleur telling me she’s here to pick me up. Ha ha.” Sunset tried nervously. “It looks like I’ve got to go.”
There was a palpable silence as Twilight eyed her suspiciously. Sunset bit her lip, cursing herself for losing her previous talent for lying.
Man Fleur was right, we are out of practice.
SHUT. UP.
Twilight sighed.
“Okay, I still have so many questions, but i guess those will have to wait.” She said as she followed Sunset to the door. “I’ll see you at school, but please don’t tell anyone about this.”
Whew, still got it.
“My lips are sealed.” Sunset said followed by the accompanying mime.. As she stepped from the house into cold night, and saw Fleur de Lis waving from the front seat of the limousine, thought occurred to her.
“Hey Midnight.”
“Yeah?”
“It might be a good idea to practice raising your hand when you speak. Maybe if you do that you’ll get more control of when you do and don’t speak out loud. Just a thought.”
Twilight’s eyes fell to her left hand. She flexed it a bit, as if only just now realising it was attached to her body. Then, she raised it gently.
“Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Sunset laughed, and raised her own left hand as she walked to her transportation.
“Don’t you mean minds?”
This time it was Twilight’s turn to laugh.
“Very funny Sunburn.”
Sunset stepped into the limo’s passenger seat, and as the car drove off, she waved to her friend until they rounded a corner. Once they were out of eye shot, Sunset slapped Fleur over the back of the head.
“Ow, what was that for!”
Sunset hummed.
“Oh, gee. Why on this earth might I have done that?”
Fleur grimaced, and glanced at Sunset sheepishly.
“Was it the spying?”
“YES!”