“Wake up, Sweetie.”
The first thing Twilight noticed when consciousness returned to her was the delicious smell of coffee. She opened her bleary eyes to see Sunset beaming at her.
“I made you breakfast in bed!” the amber unicorn chirped happily, levitating a tray onto the bed.
Twilight yawned. “You’re up early,” she stated, sitting up and looking at the tray. Sunset had made toast and coffee.
“Yup,” Sunset replied. She climbed up onto the bed and took a piece of toast in her magic. “ I can’t remember the last time I slept so well.”
Twilight blinked, then threw her girlfriend a teasing smile. “Oh? I didn’t realize I was that good.”
Sunset snorted. “What can I say, you really get me going,” she winked. “In all seriousness though, I think talking to Princess Celestia has a lot to do with it. But I won’t let your contribution go unnoticed. You did certainly tire me out last night,” she added with a smirk, booping Twilight on the nose.
Twilight giggled with a blush. She picked out a piece of toast with jam on it and carefully levitated it towards herself.
“So,” Sunset said hesitantly. “How are feeling? Y’know, about last night.”
Twilight met her girlfriend’s eyes, her blush growing. “Pretty good. Mostly.”
“Mostly?” Sunset gave her a worried look. “What do you mean?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “No, I didn't mean that it was bad or anything. I mean, I liked it, loved it even, and want to do it again. Not right now, of course, I mean, just, you know. A-and you were definitely great, too, I didn’t mean-”
“Twilight,” Sunset interrupted sternly. “Remember to breathe.”
Twilight took in a deep breath she hadn’t realized she needed. “Sorry.” She took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking again. “I didn’t mean to imply that I didn’t enjoy last night… but it was pretty awkward for me. And honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about my first time being in this body.”
Sunset started. “Oh! Oh my Celestia, I didn’t even think about that,” she said, eyes wide with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Twilight, I should have realized.”
Twilight shook her head. “It’s okay. Like I said, it wasn't bad or anything, things just didn't go how I expected them to.” She returned her attention to the piece of toast in her magical aura. “You know, for breakfast in bed I would’ve expected something a little more fancy than toast.”
Sunset shrugged. “I’m not a great cook. It was either this or noodles. Spicy noodles, no less.”
Twilight scrunched up her face. “I guess you made the right choice, then.” She took a large bite out of the bread. “So, do we have any plans for today?”
Sunset shrugged. “We need to get back home this afternoon. Honestly, I kinda want to just stay in the castle today. Hang out with the princess some more and take things easy. Yesterday was exhausting. Emotionally, mentally and physically.”
Twilight chuckled. “Yeah. I’d really love a little more magic practice before we go. Especially if I’m gonna be coming back here with you in the future.”
“Okay,” Sunset nodded. “I don’t mind tutoring you a bit more.”
Once they finished eating, they joined Princess Twilight in the library. The two unicorns were lying on the soft carpet and Twilight was practicing her telekinesis while receiving direction and praise from Sunset.
The princess had settled herself into one of the armchairs with a book, though she seemed a doing a lot more napping than reading.
“Almost got it, Twi!” Sunset cheered as Twilight guided a small marble through a maze of books that the amber unicorn had set up for her.
Twilight stuck her tongue out as she squinted at the frustrating challenge. The idea was to guide the small object through the maze without it ever touching the books. It required a lot of practice and precision to get right. Just as she reached the last stretch, however, Twilight put a little too much pressure on one side, and the marble bumped into a book on the history of agriculture in Equestria.
Twilight huffed in frustration.
“You did really good, Sweetie,” Sunset consoled her. “You’ve already improved a lot.”
Twilight slumped down. “I guess,” she said.
“Do you want to try again?” Sunset asked, levitating the marble tantalizingly in front of Twilight’s face.
Twilight groaned, burying her muzzle in her hooves. “Not yet. I want to take a break.”
“Alright then,” Sunset said. She looked over to see the snoozing princess sprawled in her armchair. “Hey, Twilight!” she called, causing the alicorn to jolt her head up in surprise.
“Wha?!” she said, blinking at them.
“You look like you didn’t get much sleep,” Sunset asked. “What time did you get back last night?”
The princess coughed into her hoof, looking away. “Very late,” she ruffled her wings in frustration. “And why did you wake me up if you could tell I needed sleep?”
Sunset smirked. “It’s fun to bother you. Anyway, I’m curious what you and Princess Luna where up to.”
“Reading!” the princess replied a little too quickly, casting a brief glance at Twilight. “Just reading. She’s been away for the past thousand years, and I was introducing her to some of the books that she’d missed.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow at the blushing princess, but before she could question her further, Twilight excitedly nudged her in the ribs.
“We should do that sometime! I could introduce you to some of my favorite novels.”
Sunset smiled at her. “Yeah? I’d like that.” She took hold of Twilight’s hoof, giving her a soft squeeze before she turned her attention over to the clock above the door. “Hmm, actually, I think we should probably be heading back pretty soon,”
Twilight looked over her shoulder at the mirror portal sitting in the corner of the library. “Right. Mom and dad are probably starting to wonder when I’ll be home.”
“Yeah,” Sunset said, chuckling lightly. “I also have a mom who’ll be waiting for me,” she beamed. “That’s actually kinda new for me. It feels nice.”
“Sunset,” the princess said, closing her book and levitating it off to the side. “While I hate to bring up a difficult subject, I’m curious to know when you plan on talking to the girls.”
Sunset shuffled her hooves underneath her. “I was thinking I might just get it over with first thing when we get back. I want to get it out of the way.”
Twilight squeezed Sunset’s hoof in a comforting gesture. “Do you want me to be with you when you talk to them?”
Sunset smiled. “That’d be a huge comfort, actually. Thanks.” She sighed as she raised herself to her hooves. “C’mon. We should get going.”
The princess jumped down from her chair and approached the two unicorns. “Make sure to visit more often, Sunset.” She smiled, pulling the amber unicorn into a hug. “And you’re welcome to come, too, Twilight,” she added, turning to give her counterpart a hug as well.
“Thanks for letting me visit,” Twilight replied, before lowering her voice to a whisper. “And for the advice, too.”
The princess pulled away, beaming. “I’ll activate the portal for you two.”
Sunset and Twilight approached the faintly shimmering mirror as the alicorn lit her horn and flipped a couple of switches. The mirror started to thrum with magic.
“I’ll see you soon, Twilight,” Sunset said.
“It was nice meeting you, princess,” Twilight waved.
“Goodbye. And make sure to let me know how it goes with the girls,” she waved as the two unicorns passed through the portal.
Twilight stumbled a little before finding her footing. It was a rather odd sensation for her to have to get used to walking on two legs again.
The school grounds were luckily deserted. Though, given that it was a Sunday afternoon, that wasn’t too surprising.
As soon as Twilight had finished getting her bearings, she was joined by her girlfriend. Sunset came stumbling through the portal. She nearly tripped, but Twilight was there to catch her.
“Don’t worry, I gotcha,” she smiled.
Sunset chuckled. “Thanks, Sweetie.” She righted herself before looking around, taking in the empty school grounds. "Huh," she said, looking back at Twilight. "You're hair is still dyed." She took a lock of the dark blue hair, giving Twilight a view of the highlight-less strands.
"Oh," Twilight blinked. "My face isn't painted or anything, though, right?" she brought up her arms, checking for any trace of teal.
Sunset shook her head, smirking. "No, but I can't help but wonder if your butt is."
Twilight blushed. "I... don't think so?" she said uncertainly, wondering if she would even be able to feel the paint of her fake cutie mark if it was there.
Sunset laughed mirthfully, and Twilight joined her soon after.
"It feels good to be back," Twilight flexed her fingers. It felt strange to have them back after having hooves for a few days.
“Yeah? I take it you missed your fingers?” Sunset asked teasingly.
Twilight smiled and took one of Sunset’s hand in both of hers, weaving their fingers together. “Not as much as I missed yours.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow suggestively at her.
Twilight coughed awkwardly. “That sounded less innuendo-y in my head,” she added sheepishly. “So, are you gonna call the girls?” she said, hoping to change the subject.
“If I can get my hand back, yes,” Sunset flexed the hand currently in Twilight’s grip.
“Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Twilight replied with a smirk, tightening her grip on the arm. “This arm belongs to me now. You’ll just have to make do.”
Sunset rolled her eyes, despite the smile tugging at her lips. “Fine.” Using her free hand, she awkwardly dug through the pocket meant for her captured one.
Once she had the phone in her hand, Sunset wilted. “I’m not looking forward to this,” she said with a sigh.
Twilight idly played with Sunset’s thumb while the redhead navigated her contacts.
“Hey, Rarity. It’s Sunset,” she said with a reserved tone. Twilight could just about hear the voice on the other end, but couldn’t make out the words. “Can you and the girls meet me now? Just outside CHS… Okay, we’ll be waiting.”
As soon as she hung up, Twilight spoke up. “So, they're coming?”
“Yeah. She said they’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Twilight looked around. “Do you wanna sit while we wait?” she asked, nodding at the steps leading up to the school entrance.
Sunset shrugged. “Sure.”
They walked in tandem, Twilight making sure not to let go of her girlfriend’s hand along the way. Once they’d sat down on the steps, Twilight leaned her head on Sunset’s shoulder and pulled the amber arm into her own lap, examining its fingernails while they waited.
“Hey..." Twilight said softly. "Have you decided what you want to say to them?”
“Not really.” Sunset sighed. “Look, I know you want me to outright reject them and just cut them out of my life-”
“No,” Twilight interrupted softly, interlacing her fingers with Sunset’s. “I mean… sorta. The selfish part of me wants you to do that. But, logically, I know that there’s more to this whole mess than just them being mean and hurting you. If you think things will be different, and you decide to take them back, I’ll support that decision.”
Sunset smiled. “Thanks, Twi,” she said, brushing her free hand through Twilight’s hair. Twilight leaned into the loving touch, snuggling closer to her girlfriend. “Though, I have decided one thing, at least,” Sunset continued. “I won’t return to Canterlot High.”
“Really?” Twilight asked, trying to reign in her euphoric smile.
“Yeah. Even though I know mom and aunt Luna would be really happy if I did come back. The thing is, even if I clear things up with the girls, this place just has too many memories for me. And a lot of them are ones I’d much rather forget.”
Twilight nodded. “I get that. If it wasn’t for Cadance and Shining armor, I might feel that way about Crystal prep.”
Sunset chuckled. “Oh yeah, that’s another thing. If I did transfer back here, I wouldn’t get to see what Crystal Prep will look like under new management.”
“Oh my goodness, I almost forgot about that!” Twilight giggled jubilantly.
They lapsed into a companionable silence, and Twilight pulled out her phone to see if her parents had started to worry. She saw an interesting text waiting for her, and a plan started to form in her mind.
Twilight finished her examination of Sunset’s perfect fingernails, while she thought over her idea.
“Hey, Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any plans tonight?” Twilight asked, absentmindedly tracing circles on Sunset’s arm.
“Not really. Hadn’t thought that far, yet,” Sunset gave her a suspicious look. “You have something in mind?”
“Mhm,” Twilight hummed as she started to fidget with Sunset’s fingers. “My parents are holding a small dinner party tonight to celebrate Cadance’s promotion. She and Shining will both be there, and I was thinking that m-maybe you’d like to come over, too.”
“Sure,” Sunset answered a little hesitantly. “I do like your dad’s cooking. But…” she bit her lip. “Well, you know how I feel about being around them.
“I was actually hoping to fix that."
Sunset looked up at her hopefully. "You mean you're gonna tell them about us?"
Twilight nodded with a blush. "I’ve put it off way too long, so…” she trailed off with a shrug.
Sunset leaned into her. “ Yes, you have,” she teased. “I’m glad you’re finally gonna do it. “
Twilight nodded. “ A-and I was also thinking that, maybe, you’d want to s-stay the night afterwards?” She looked up at her girlfriend with a nervous smile.
Sunset took a hold of Twilight’s hand, stopping her fidgeting. “Are you implying what I think you are?” she whispered with a sultry smile.
Twilight nodded. She could tell she was blushing, and averted her eyes from the redhead.
Sunset kissed her on the cheek. “I’d love to.” She put a finger under Twilight’s, lifting her head up so their eyes met. “And, I know what you’re like, so I know saying this won't make that much of a difference for you. But you honestly don’t need to worry about telling your parents. I’ll be there with you the whole time, and I know they'll accept us. Especially you. And even if they don't, you know that Cadance will support us.” She cast her eyes down to the bespectacled girl's lap.
Twilight followed Sunset’s gaze to their hands and noticed that hers were shaking. “I know,” she sighed, wishing that her nervous habit could listen to reason, for once.
She sent a quick text to her mom, asking if Sunset could join them, and a few moments later, the arrangements were made.
She leaned into her girlfriend, enjoying the calming embrace while she returned her attention to Sunset’s arm. She started tracing out idle circles on her forearm as they again lapsed into a comfortable silence, a smile on her face.
The sound of distant voices caused both girls to look up. Around the corner came five figures. Twilight felt her brow crease in annoyance at seeing the girls who had tormented her girlfriend.
“Guess I should let you have your arm back, now,” Twilight said reluctantly.
Sunset chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to capture it again in the future.”
Twilight smiled, finally ending her little game. For now.
Sunset stood up, steeling herself with a deep breath. Twilight stood up next to her, and when her attention turned to the approaching girls, she didn’t bother to hide her unhappiness.
“Hi, Sunny! Hi, Twilight two!” came the jubilant voice of Pinkie Pie as she reached talking distance.
“Please don’t call me that,” Twilight replied coldly. The fluffy haired girl didn’t answer, though.
“Darling, we’re so glad you decided to meet us,” Rarity said.
“Yeah,” Rainbow added. “And next to CHS, too. That’s a pretty good sign if you ask me,” she elbowing Applejack in the side and wearing a confident smirk. The farmer, shot her a quick glare.
Sunset glanced at the school entrance, then back at the girls. “Actually, I only picked this place because I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. We only just came back through the portal a few minutes before I called you.” She pointed at the mascot statue behind the other girls.
“Well, regardless,” Applejack stepped forward. “We offered our apologies before, and didn’t get an answer. So, whaddya say, Sunset? Do you forgive us for what we did back in winter?”
Twilight glanced from the farmer to see the ghost of a smile on Sunset’s face. In that moment, she remembered something that the princess had told her back at the library.
I believe that they will want to change if they understand exactly how much they hurt Sunset.
“Wait,” Twilight said, before Sunset could answer. She stepped in front of her girlfriend, crossing her arms at the girls she’d come to dislike so. “Before you do anything else, I want you to know exactly what you’re apologizing for. Because I don’t think you understand how much you hurt Sunset.” She glanced behind herself at her girlfriend, who was watching her expectantly.
She turned back to huff at the five girls in front of her.
“Sunset told me what she used to be like. Although, I still have some trouble believing that she was ever actually like that,” she added quietly. “But the important thing is that she isn’t that anymore. Ever since I met her she’s been a wonderful, helpful and kind person.”
“Well, mostly, anyway,” Sunset added sheepishly from behind her.
“Hush, Sunset, I’m doing a thing,” Twilight stage whispered over her shoulder.
“Ever since the Princess did whatever it was she did to her, Sunset’s been trying to change. Trying to become a better person. And from what I heard, you five made that journey much harder on her than it needed to be. When she needed you the most, you neglected her. You even made fun of her!” she shouted, her temper flaring.
“What?!” Rainbow spoke up angrily. “We did not make fun of her!”
“Not on purpose, maybe. You just didn’t realize what you were doing to her because you couldn’t pull you’re heads out of your own butts!” Twilight shifted her frown into a saccharine smile. “No offense,” she hissed out waving her hand nonchalantly.
“None taken!” chirped Pinkie Pie, before being elbowed in the ribs by Rainbow.
“Now hold up one moment,” Applejack spoke up, striding up to Twilight and poking her firmly in the chest. “You weren’t here after the Fall Formal, so let me just explain to you that we absolutely did not neglect Sunset. We accepted her as our friend, and she became just as much a part of this group as any of us.” There was a chorus of agreement from the other girls.
Twilight glanced over her shoulder, seeing a pained look on Sunset’s face, then turned back to stare down the other girls. “Are you sure about that?” The girls glanced between themselves questioningly, before Twilight continued.
“Did you ever think to ask her to be in your band?”
Rainbow scratched the back of her neck nervously. “We kinda just assumed she didn’t play any instruments,” she muttered ashamedly.
Twilight took a step forward. “Did any of you ever decide to hang out with her outside of the group? Just two of you?”
Rarity coughed into her fist. “Well, I had been thinking about inviting her over for a fitting at some point,” she said defensively.
Twilight fumed, her voice rising with her temper. “When you were trying to contact Sunset after she left, why did none of you come to her house?”
That question was one Twilight had wondered about a couple of times before, and she had already guessed at what the answer might be. Even so, but she wanted to hear them to say it.
“We never asked her where she lived,” Applejack said, her shoulders sagging in shame.
Twilight crossed her arms, the fingers of one hand tapping angrily on the other arm. “And why didn’t you ever ask her mom?”
The girls all stared back in surprise.
“Sunset has a mom?” Rainbow blurted out, before being slapped over the back of her head by Rarity and Fluttershy simultaneously. “Ouch!”
“Look, we get it, okay,” Applejack said, holding her hands up placatingly in front of Twilight. “We could’ve done more to make Sunset feel welcome. We made some mistakes, but everyone does. Including the girl currently hiding behind you.”
Sunset gave an annoyed grunt. “That’s the problem right there!” she said angrily. Twilight stepped aside, smiling at the look of anger on Sunset’s face.
Sunset stepped forward. She pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. Twilight had never seen her look so exasperated before. “Look, I want to like you. You’re all honestly pretty cool, for the most part.”
Twilight cocked her head, wondering where Sunset was going with this.
“But, being around you all was really hard for me,” she continued. “I took it, because I knew that I deserved it, and because I didn’t know what else I could do. After the fall formal, I looked up to you to teach me how to be better.” She snarled at five girls.
“But every single time you brought up my past,” Sunset continued, her voice growing louder, angrier. “Every single time you so much as mentioned it… It hurt. Not because it made me angry at you, or frustrated, or sad. It… it hurt, because it made me hate myself!” her voice cracked, tears filling her eyes.
Twilight closed the distance to her girlfriend in a single large step, taking Sunset’s hand in both of hers. Sunset squeezed her hand in return, before turning her focus back on the five girls.
“It made me hate who I used to be,” she continued in a quiet voice. “And it made me hate every part of me that’s still like that.” The tears were now streaming down her face.
Rarity stepped forward, hesitantly. “Sunset… I think I speak for all of us when I say that we never intended to hurt you. And we truly apologize for what we put you through,” her voice cracked. “You should have told us.”
"Yeah," Pinkie spoke up in a sad voice. "I'm sorry, Sunset. I should've done a lot more to make you feel like a part of the group." Fluttershy stepped up next to her, nodding sincerely despite the tears in her eyes.
Applejack sighed, taking her stetson and holding it to her chest. "Shucks, Sunset. I never really thought about it like that. I'm truly sorry."
Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Geez, Sunset. I feel really bad about some of the stuff I said. I was just being an idiot," she wilted, looking away in shame.
“I know you didn’t mean to hurt me,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “I know you wanted to be my friends, and to help me. But the truth is, you girls, whether you intend to or not, are a chain to my past. I almost killed you for Celestia’s sake!”
Twilight’s eyes widened. Sunset hadn’t mentioned that part before. The redhead glanced at her, noticing the look of surprise, though she didn’t say anything.
“Yeah, but you were, like, a demon at the time,” Rainbow argued. “We know you would never do that to us normally.”
Sunset gave her a flat look. “Be that as it may, I can’t be around any of you without remembering the horrible person that I used to be. And the truth is, ever since I stopped hanging out with you all… I’ve felt a lot better.”
The five girls flinched in unison.
“Ouch, sugarcube. Ouch.”
Sunset sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. But there’s just too much baggage here for me to feel comfortable around you all the time.”
“So,” Rarity started, her face crestfallen. “You’re not coming back, then?”
“No.” Sunset crossed her arms. “But I do know that you had the right intentions, so I do forgive you all.”
Everyone fell into a short silence at hearing the verdict.
Twilight sighed in relief. They weren’t entirely done yet, but she could already feel some of the tension of the situation dissipate.
“I guess that’s better than nothing,” Rainbow said, guiltily.
Pinkie Pie took a large step forward. “Hold on, though. You said you couldn’t be around us all the time. Does that mean that your not completely one-hundred percent opposed to hanging out with us some of the time? I promise we'll all be on our best behavior. Even Dashie.”
Sunset chuckled tiredly. “I guess you might be able to convince me to join you girls for a get-together every now and then. Just not too often, okay?”
Pinkie nodded happily. “Only for the most super special occasions,” she agreed.
“Great,” Sunset looked around awkwardly. “I that case, I’ll unblock your numbers and just… see you guys around?”
“Wait…” Fluttershy spoke. She took a moment to wipe the tears from her face. “Could we at least have a group hug before you go?”
Sunset smiled. “Sure.” She turned her attention to Twilight. “You too, Sweetie.”
“Fine,” Twilight grumbled, though she couldn’t stop herself from smiling a little.
Sunset’s old friends surrounded the two of them in a tight group hug. After they separated, Twilight and Sunset’s attentions were drawn to Rarity, who gave a small cough.
“Did I hear you correctly just then? You called her ‘Sweetie’?”
Twilight was startled when Sunset suddenly wrapped her arm around her waist possessively.
“Well, yeah,” she said, her smirk obvious through her voice. “After all, it’s only normal to give pet names to your girlfriend, isn’t it?”
Twilight blushed at the looks of surprise and intrigue she received from the other girls. She smiled awkwardly in return, not knowing what to say, if anything.
“C’mon, Babe, let’s go.” Sunset said, her voice an octave lower than normal. With her arm still firmly around Twilight’s waist, she led her past the stunned girls, and away from the school grounds.
Once they were out of earshot, Twilight gave a small giggle. “Now you’re just showing off,” she accused her girlfriend with a smile.
“Whatever do you mean, Babe?” Sunset asked teasingly.
“You’ve literally never called me that before.”
Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. It just seemed like it’d be fun.”
“It was, Twilight giggled. She then paused for a moment, wondering whether she should bring up her other topic. “Hey, Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
“You said something back there that kinda worried me,” Twilight said softly.
Sunset tensed up. “It’s the part where I said I had almost killed those girls, isn’t it?”
Twilight nodded. “You never mentioned that part to me before. Is it something you want to talk about?”
Sunset gave her a nervous smile. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Twi. But I’d rather talk to Princess Twilight about that. It happened during the whole demon transformation and…” she trailed off.
Twilight leaned her head on Sunset’s shoulder, hoping to relax her. “I get it. She’s the expert on magic, friendship, redemption and all that stuff, right?”
Sunset nodded, smiling. “Yeah. Thanks for understanding.” She kissed Twilight on the forehead. “And… thanks for standing up for me like that. Although, I do think you went a little overboard,” she added quietly.
“I disagree,” Twilight smirked.
Sunset glanced curiously at her. “Where’d all that come from anyway? You’re not normally so aggressive.”
“Oh, didn’t you know?” Twilight asked with a teasing smile. “Twilight Sparkles are known for being very protective of the people they care about most.” She darted forward to kiss the corner of Sunset’s mouth.
Sunset chuckled. “Oh? Well, lucky me, then.” Sunset pulled Twilight closer causing her to giggle happily. “So, on an unrelated topic… when the girls inevitably invite me to a party, or sleepover, or whatever. Do you wanna come, too?”
Twilight groaned. “Not especially. But I probably should, shouldn’t I?”
“I think you should,” Sunset chirped. “And I also know that I’ll have more fun if you do come.”
Twilight pouted at her, before relenting. “Fine. I’ll come with you.”
Sunset hugged her closer. “Thanks, Sweetie.”