Distance Over Time

by Nonchalant

Free Fall

Sunset Shimmer did not have a cold. She was also pretty sure the temperature both inside and outside her apartment was actually a little warmer than she would like. On top of that, she knew that she’d gotten a good amount of sleep for the past several days. 

‘So why am I this out of it?’ 
A light buzzing interrupted her thoughts. Her phone, which she had left charging on the nightstand, was buzzing. The text on the screen read “3:00PM - Work Shift” momentarily before Sunset dismissed the notification. 

Dragging herself up again, the girl blearily brushed the hair out of her face. Immediately she realized just how  messy she looked. ‘Y’know what? Maybe I am sick after all…’ She groaned as she stretched the kinks out of her back and headed to her bathroom. ‘A quick brush ought to be enough. At least I showered this morning.’ She snorted, realizing that she was effectively congratulating herself on showering earlier that day. Quickly enough, she fixed herself up to the point where Sunset more or less felt human again. ‘As human as possible, under the circumstances, right?’ 

Given that she still had almost twenty minutes before she really had to leave for work, Sunset once more took out her phone. Almost before she realized it, she was looking at a familiar screen. 

> [12:42] ShimmeringSplendid: enjoy your time away :P should be enough time to get your head on straight and get to know some better people over there. You should be better off between them and the rest of the gang, eh?
> [14:28] FlutterButter: Sunset, please don’t think about yourself like that! I don’t know what I did to make you think I’m worse off for knowing you but I’m so sorry.
> [14:30] ShimmeringSplendid: hey, flutters. It isn’t your fault at all!
> [14:30] ShimmeringSplendid: i’m just being the same gloomy bastard I always am
> [14:31] ShimmeringSplendid: i just really don’t want you to feel like you have responsibilities towards me or anything.
> [14:31] ShimmeringSplendid: i just mean you kinda close yourself off sometimes??
> [14:31] ShimmeringSplendid: actually i just realized i’m really not one to talk
> [15:01] ShimmeringSplendid: i’ll stop bugging you about it then. Have a good night

‘Still been four days.’ 

Of course, Sunset had already known what the DragonFlare log would display. Checking the same page several times a day did that to a person. She sighed and refreshed it just a couple more times. Just to be sure. Nothing changed. Sunset collapsed the chat again and opened her email. Nothing important, of course, but the newest Sweet Shoppe mailing list deals had come in. ‘And Pinkie would kill me if I didn’t at least use one…’ 
Sunset’s phone, as though guided by some cruel, mechanical sense of humour, immediately lit up with a new notification from DragonFlare. Her heart beat faster and she scrambled to reopen the chats, but was simply rewarded with the same screen as before. Last active earlier this week.

A little more poking around revealed that the offending notification had come from another group, actually. 

> [14:12] PrettyInPink: Hey @everyone ! did you all see the new email from the Sweet Shoppe? 
> [14:12] TacticalRainboom: hard not to
> [14:13] TacticalRainboom: u set it to important in my notifs
> [14:13] TacticalRainboom: and changed the alert to a party cannon sound
> [14:13] Diamond_Sparkles: Pinkie, would you mind telling me why you felt the need to alert all of us again to your email? We agreed that the “everyone” alert would be for emergencies only.
> [14:13] PrettyInPink: Sorry guys!!! But i just wanted you guys to comment on the first message from the NEW SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR FOR THE SWEET SHOPPE
> [14:13] Diamond_Sparkles: Caps, darling.
> [14:13] PrettyInPink: Sorry!
> [14:13] ShimmeringSplendid: oh congrats pinkie!!! 
> [14:13] Diamond_Sparkles: I do believe congratulations are in order. 
> [14:14] PrettyInPink: i knowwww 
> [14:14] TacticalRainboom: nice
> [14:14] PrettyInPink: so how was it????
> [14:14] Diamond_Sparkles: Very professional and charmingly enthusiastic.
> [14:14] TacticalRainboom: ^
> [14:15] PrettyInPink: Sunny? What about you? 
> [14:15] ShimmeringSplendid: oh. Pretty cool actually. Can’t wait to see how you hype them up
> [14:15] ShimmeringSplendid: you know the school so well you probably are the best fit for social media manager.
> [14:15] PrettyInPink: Thanks! It really means a lot to hear you guys say all that!!! <3 <3 <3
> [14:18] PrettyInPink:  is everything alright sunny?
> [14:20] ShimmeringSplendid: of course it is
> [14:20] PrettyInPink: you sure? Your texting tone seems off
> [14:20] PrettyInPink: you still have a while before you leave for work. 
> [14:20] PrettyInPink: wanna talk about it??
> [14:21] ShimmeringSplendid: how do you…
> [14:21] ShimmeringSplendid: wait, of course you’d know
> [14:21] ShimmeringSplendid: but nah. All good. Thanks pinkie, but of course i’d come to you guys if i had an issue.
> [14:21] ShimmeringSplendid: assuming it wasn’t something i could handle on my own of course. Those do still exist
> [14:22] PrettyInPink: she still hasn’t messaged you huh
> [14:22] ShimmeringSplendid: what?? Hell are you talking about? 
> [14:22] ShimmeringSplendid: is this about fluttershy? We’re all good, thanks.
> [14:23] Diamond_Sparkles: Pinke! That was very inappropriate! Especially given that this is a group chatroom!
> [14:23] PrettyInPink: Oops! Sorry! I’ll delete those right away!

> [14:23] PrettyInPink: sorry…
> [14:23] PrettyInPink: but do you want to talk about it? 
> [14:24] ShimmeringSplendid: i… 
> [14:24] ShimmeringSplendid: honestly don’t know
> [14:24] ShimmeringSplendid: I gotta go to work now. Sorry, Pinkie. But thanks for the offer.
> [14:24] PrettyInPink: okie! Good luck at work!!

Sunset sighed. She got up and grabbed her small bag for work. Even though it would only be six or so hours of standing around at the mall’s food court and ringing customers up, she appreciated having a notebook close at hand. She left without a word, locking her door with one hand even as she put on her earbuds with the other. 

The steady noise of traffic was just as loud as always, and equally uninteresting, but for once Sunset felt a little bit odd about putting on her music. She quickly found a playlist that would more or less match the energy she wanted for her shift and started walking. She got to the bus stop rather quickly, and wasn’t waiting for long before she managed to get on her bus, once again thanking whatever power guided extradimensional equines that her school office had been more than willing to assist her in getting a student transit pass. On the bus itself she enjoyed relative solitude; the other three patrons were all enjoying a lively conversation in the back. 

Sunset sat down by the exit doors and once more grabbed her phone. She didn’t even have time to read any alerts before it was already unlocked and, as was now the norm, open to one specific DragonFlare chat. She went to close it reflexively, but…

‘What?’

She waited. There were no new messages from Fluttershy, and apparently the “typing” status was set to launch in nearly two months. 

‘It might be a bug. It’s probably a bug’

She closed the app. Quickly checked her mail and a couple of inane games. Five minutes passed.

‘It’s probably reset, right?’

Once again, the DragonFlare logo popped up and spun around a few times before revealing the exact same activity status as before.

Again, Sunset closed it. 

She opened the app again, immediately. Still online. She frowned and checked to see whether one of her other friends might have changed their usernames as a joke even as the rattling of the bus ground her clenched teeth into each other most uncomfortably.

She sighed, about to turn off her phone entirely.

> [14:48] FlutterButter: Hi, Sunset! I’m so sorry! I’ve been really tired. Moving stuff around is hard enough with my brother helping, so this was an absolute pain. Then we went sightseeing for a couple of days, so I’ve been getting back around 8pm every night! I’m adjusted to the jet lag at least. 
I wish you didn’t feel like you’re not good enough for me! I’m so lucky to have you… I’ll send a few pictures! There are so many cute animals here it’s amazing!! I can’t actually talk right now but I’ll be setting aside time every day for you afterwards, okay? It’s been nice to see some extended family I have here but I really do miss you. Be safe and have fun! I love you!
> [14:48] FlutterButter: image219340j3.jpg x
> [14:48] FlutterButter: image1837384.jpg x
> [14:48] FlutterButter: image2j993k2.jpg x
> [14:48] FlutterButter: image3hgg344.jpg x
> [14:48] FlutterButter: image827r464.jpg x

That was new. She read the message over and over again. It did make sense, she thought. Sunset knew already that Fluttershy got tired far quicker than her other friends, and she had definitely been excited about the trip beforehand. 

Scratching her nose, Sunset made a face. Her chest was feeling very tight all of a sudden. The weight that had settled there over the past weeks was suddenly noticeable again, and perhaps heavier. She opened her jacket, though she knew it wouldn’t change anything. She wanted nothing more than to ignore the messages for a while, but… 

Images flashed through her mind. A smile reflected in the black television across from the couch on which she lay with her girlfriend, the movie about to start. A bashful head of pink hair emerging from a changing room, reservedly looking at her for approval. Sunset sighed.

‘Hey, she’s still trying. As much of a pain as I am, she’s trying. I can’t expect her life to revolve around me, can I?’

Looking at the street beyond the window, she figured that there were a solid five more minutes before she had to get off. Maybe the energy she was trying to get wouldn’t work out, but there was really no excuse in her mind as to why she should leave the message from her girlfriend to linger. 

‘Best to get it over with now, huh?’

She stored her earbuds and began to write out her own reply.

‘Hey babe! Awesome to hear from you!! I know you’ve got better things to do with your time… My time’s been pretty uneventful I guess? Not particularly productive at the moment. So much for strong and independent! Anyways, you’ll never guess what Pinkie managed to land today…’