The first month of the semester had breezed by, and Sunset Shimmer absolutely adored her classes. That was, until, she had seen the results of their first practical test, and she had only scored a mesely 90%.
Chemistry had been her best subject. Was her best subject. It was what she excelled at. In all of her years in higher education she had strived to be the best at everything she did, and she had always managed to succeed. She didn’t need to be perfect; she allowed herself that much, and so 90% would have been good enough. It should have been good enough. In all her years, Sunset had never once been toppled.
That was, until now.
“Starlight Glimmer!” She growled as she barged her way through the front door of her dorm, crumpled test results in hand. She threw her backpack against the wall before she began her episode of pacing back and forth. “I cannot believe this. How could she have gotten a perfect score? She doesn’t even pay attention in class! All she does is stare out the window or check her nails! Last week, she didn’t even bother taking a pen out of her bag,” Sunset growled, throwing her hands up in frustration, “I bet she doesn’t even revise the course materials! I don’t even think she owns a textbook, Moondancer. And I swear, if she spends one more period staring at me, I’m going to lose it.”
“Sounds a little bit to me like you’re the one doing all the staring,” Moondancer replied, swinging her arm back to let her digital bowling ball make its way down the lane before she hit a spare. “Gotcha. Now, what did she do this time, hm?” She arched a curious brow and took a seat on the couch, entertained just watching Sunset continue her pacing.
Sunset ran a hand through her hair and grunted. “We got our results back today for that test last week. You know, the one I spent the entire week studying for?”
“It still confuses me why you had a test so early on in the semester but, yes, go on.”
“Well. Basically, Professor Zecora made our results public for everyone, so that failing students could ask one’s with higher marks to tutor them if they want help— which in my opinion has both negative and positive aspects to it, but that’s besides the point—” Sunset mumbled.
“And the point is?”
“The point is, is that I didn’t get the highest grade in the class, Moondancer!” Sunset knit her brows together and threw her hands up once again in exasperation, “I’ve never not gotten the highest result. In anything! But here comes little miss brainiac with her stupid, dumb binder and her stupid ponytail and her stupid perfect grades— god I hate her.”
The older girl rolled her eyes and undid the strap that was slung around her wrist before setting the Wii remote down on the coffee table in front of her, clasping her hands together. Elbows resting atop her thighs, she pursed her lips in thought, then brought her hands up to rest against her chin. “So, basically, you just hate this girl because she’s smarter than you?”
With another heavy sigh Sunset picked up her bag and set it on the arm chair across from Moondancer. “No. I hate her because she’s getting better grades than me without putting in as much effort. She has to be cheating.”
“Mh, think that’s kinda unfair to just assume, Shim. Have you, y’know, actually talked to her?”
There was a pause before Sunset averted her eyes downward and mumbled under her breath.
“What was that?”
“I said no!”
Moondancer narrowed her eyes and quirked a brow once more as she motioned for Sunset to continue.
“I tried to talk to her but— when I went over to her she kinda smiled at me and I just couldn’t really blow up at her in front of the entire class. I didn’t want to make myself look bad, and I got really nervous about it.” Sunset’s face fell into a frown and she played with the bumps of thread on the back of the old chair absentmindedly. “Like— my chest started getting really tight, and my palms got really sweaty. I could feel my face heating up and— god she just makes me feel so gross. I think I might be allergic.”
Moondancer’s mouth fell open in disbelief as she mirrored Sunset’s furrowed brows. “Sunset have you… Ever had like, an actual crush before?”
The redhead fixed her sister with a look and blinked, “Uh, yeah. Don’t you remember that guy from summer camp when we were, like, twelve?”
The other girl waved her hands in front of her as she rose to her feet. “No, no, no, that doesn’t count. We were kids. Getting butterflies because some kid named Timber Spruce,” she said in a mocking tone, “didn’t throw dirt in your face during camp activities, doesn’t exactly qualify as a crush, Shim.”
“I don’t really understand why you’re even asking me this,” Sunset rolled her eyes and walked over to the kitchen area of their small dorm to collect a glass from an overhead cabinet. Taking a carton of orange juice from the fridge, she took a sip once the glass was filled enough. “What has me never having a ‘proper crush’,” she punctuated with air quotes, “got to do with me hating Starlight.”
“Oh Sunset… Sunset, Sunset, Sunset.” Moondancer tutted, collecting her Wii remote from the table and lining up her bowling shot once more, “you stupid, stupid bastard.”
“Whatever.” Sunset rolled her eyes once more and made her way into the living room again to set her bag on the floor, before sitting down on the arm chair. “Did you even go to class today, or have you just been playing video games the whole time?”
“I don’t have class on Fridays, so, yeah. I’ve been trying to beat my high scores on all the Wii Sports games but— I hate to say it— I’m just too good.”
“You’re such a geek.”
“You have motivational chemistry posters in your room. Don’t think I didn’t see those.”
“Hey, uh, you wanna maybe, I don’t know… Shut up?”
Moondancer shot her a smirk before swinging her arm forward. Strike. “Bingo.” She sat back down and placed the remote on the table again, “So… I have this kid in my class who put in our group chat that he’s throwing a party tonight. I know you don’t really drink, but… Since your week has been so hard, I feel like it might be a good way for you to unwind?”
“Mh… I think I’ll pass.” Sunset’s mouth fell into a crooked frown before she took another gulp of her orange juice, “I wanna go over the materials from class again and University parties are probably going to be a lot more… Intense than High School parties.”
Her sister shrugged, “I doubt that. High School kids are immature and dumb. University is for mature adults, such as ourselves.”
Sunset snorted, brow raising quizzically, “This is coming from the girl who, not only brought an replica anime sword with her to University, but has it proudly displayed in her bedroom?”
“Ap, ap, ap-- enough. You’re coming. You deserve to have a little fun.”
“Absolutely not.”
Just how Moondancer had finally convinced her to come along to this, Sunset herself couldn’t find the answer. The way she managed to counteract all of her arguments, maybe? Moondancer did know all of her go-to excuses well enough to have her own counter arguments at the ready. She couldn’t stand it, honestly, but… she would just have to deal with it, she supposed.
In all actuality the proposition didn’t sound so bad; have some fun and relax; wind down after such a stressful week of classes and sitting across from… Her. The redhead’s newest mortal enemy. The purple haired know-it-all who always managed to, without even trying, find just the right way to grind Sunset’s gears and make her blood boil. The girl who was now the utter bane of Sunset Shimmer’s existence: Starlight Glimmer.
But, of course, Sunset knew no mercy when it came to the hands of cruel and ironic fate. No, instead of a classroom, the two were now sat across from each other at a frat party, the only obstacle that stood in Sunset’s way from completely murdering the other girl in cold blood being a spinning glass bottle between them.
“I can’t believe you dragged me along to this— no. I can’t believe I let you drag me along to this,” Sunset grumbled to Moondancer, who was sat beside her, casually sipping at her drink.
“Whatever. It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. Besides, it’s not like you had anything better to do; you’d just be sitting in your room sulking all night and you know it.”
Sunset rolled her eyes and hugged her knees closer to her chest, her gaze now resting in the centre of the circle the party had formed on the floor. She couldn’t recall whose idea it had been, only that it had been stupid, but somehow they’d found themselves in a game of “Seven Minutes in Heaven” and Sunset was absolutely dreading her turn.
She only knew two people at this party, and the last place Sunset should be allowed with either of them was a locked closet, alone. On top of that, Sunset was pretty sure she was most likely the only sober one here, and the idea of being in an enclosed space with any of these morons was enough to make her stomach churn. But, of course, her turn would come eventually.
“You knew she’d be here, didn’t you.”
“Come on, Shim,” Moondancer rolled her eyes with a huff, “how was I supposed to know Sunburst was friends with your girlfriend?”
Sunset sent a heated glare in her direction, “She is not my—”
A large collection of cheering and whoops cut her off as the bottle finally landed on one of the other girls in the circle, and she rose to her feet along with the boy who had been the spinner this time around.
Sunset grumbled under her breath.
“You know, she’s actually kinda cute,” Moondancer smirked as she took a sip of her drink, her eyes resting on the purple-haired girl across from them. “I might ask her out if you don’t.”
Sunset felt her cheeks warm in a blush and she punched her sister’s arm. “Shut up.”
“Awe, jealous?”
She straightened out her legs and sent another fist her way, “Absolutely not.”
Turquoise eyes flashed across the crowd to sneak a glance at Starlight, who was currently laughing at something the fiery-haired boy beside her had said. She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach and she tried her best to swallow down the thick lump that had stuck itself in her throat.
Was that her boyfriend? They weren’t even that far into the semester, how could she have a boyfriend already? Was she just that sociable? Another thing she was better than Sunset at.
No, wait. He couldn’t be her boyfriend. No, that’s right. This was the boy from Moondancer’s class. What was his name again? Starburst? No, that wasn’t it… Sunset pinched her lips, wrinkling her nose. Sun… beam. No. Sunburst. Sunburst! She blinked her eyes and nodded. From what Moondancer had told her about him, he wasn’t in any kind of committed relationship. Committed doesn’t mean they can’t fool around, Sunset frowned.
“Why don’t you at least have a drink? C'mon, let yourself go every once in a while.” Moondancer nudged her with her shoulder.
Sunset shook her head. “No, I…” Why was she even thinking about this? She grumbled inwardly; Moondancer had gotten inside her head. “I’m alright.”
The boy and girl from before came back to rejoin the circle and the group of teens cheered at the dishevelled mess that the two had found themselves in. Sunset frowned, as this meant that it was now her turn.
“Ew.”
“Don’t be an egghead, Sunset.”
With a roll of her eyes, Sunset shifted forward to reach for the bottle “Coming from the girl who bathes while reading Sylvia Plath?” She gave it a spin. She sat back again and crossed her legs into a basket. Like every other turn, the intoxicated crowd began cheering and hollering like idiots. How they had so much energy at this time of night, the red-haired girl wouldn’t ever understand. She let out a deep sigh and leaned back on her hands as she watched the bottle spin with mild amusement before it began slowing down in speed.
Now came the time for the crowd to do their makeshift “drum roll”, which basically just consisted of everyone rapidly tapping and obnoxiously banging any surface that was readily available to them. When the bottle eventually came to a stop, Sunset’s eyes lazily shifted to follow where the tip was pointing, and—
No.
Absolutely not.
Starlight sat awkwardly, fidgeting under the intense glare of the now enraged girl across from her. “U-uh- y’know, we don’t really-”she wasn’t able to finish her sentence, though, Moondancer cutting her off as she practically leapt across the room in order to tug the purple-haired girl to her feet. Despite her protests, Moondancer pulled her back over to where she had been sitting originally, and did the same to Sunset, who was all but screaming profanities at her best friend.
Ex-best friend.
Sunset hated this— hated her— and hated just how small this closet actually was. She hugged her knees to her chest just like she had before, and stared point blank at the wall across from her, completely refusing to even spare the other girl so much as a glance in her direction.
The tension between them was suffocating, and the fear of drowning kept Sunset from opening her mouth at all. Not that she wanted to, of course; but apparently Starlight was far more brave than she was.
“So… Sure is a nice... closet.”
Sunset remained silent and tensed up when she felt the other girl shift a bit.
“Ah— uhm. Sorry. It’s just kinda cramped.”
“It’s fine.” Sunset swallowed and fixed her posture so that she had her back pressed against the wall, to allow Starlight more room to move. “But… Yeah. Sure is a nice… closet.”
Starlight flashed her a smile. Sunset felt her chest tighten.
“So,” the other girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear sheepishly, “how do you know Sunburst?”
“I don’t, really. He’s in my sister’s class. She kinda dragged me along to this.”
“Your sister?” Her lips puckered a bit before she beamed. “Oh! Is that the girl you were sitting with? Your sister?”
“Yeah.”
Starlight nodded. “Right, right.”
Sunset drew her lips into a line and felt her brow crease as she did so. “So how do you know Sunburst?”
Starlight paused. “He’s a childhood friend. We both just ended up coming here,” she chuckled a bit, but it seemed… a little forced.
“I see.” A beat. “So are you guys like, together, or?”
Starlight snorted and pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a fit of laughter. “Oh, God no!” She chuckled, more genuinely, “for starters, we’re both gay.”
Sunset felt her face burn in a red blush. “O-oh!” She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and looked askance, “sorry for assuming—”
“Pfft, it’s okay. Don’t sweat it.” She let out another small giggle before rubbing her hands over her jeaned thighs. “Honestly I assumed you were dating your sister, so, we’re both guilty.”
It was Sunset’s turn to laugh. “Ew. No. Moondancer is an egghead.”
“You don’t like eggheads?” Starlight teased.
“I don’t like my sister,” She raised a brow.
The other girl’s face pinched. “Oh- uh. Yeah. That makes sense.” She paused for a few moments, rubbing the back of her neck, “So… you’re Sunset, right? You’re in my Chemical Sciences class with Doctor Zecora?”
“The one and only. You’re Starlight.”
“The hydrogen and… Uh,” she pursed her lips, cheeks burning, “Sorry, that was… dumb.”
“Were you… trying to make a chemistry pun?”
“Please don’t make this more than it has to be.”
Sunset snorted.
Starlight busied her hands for a bit, kneading her palm with a thumb as she contently watched Sunset try to stifle her laughter. “There’s uhm,” she cleared her throat, “something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually.”
Sunset tensed. She felt her stomach flip and her brain was foggy. Suddenly, she wished she could switch her major to language studies, because all words were failing her. “U-uhm,” she squeaked, “yes?”
“Can I just ask… do you, like... hate me or something?” there was a small pause before she fumbled to continue, “I mean— I don’t think I’ve done anything to you— but if I have I want to apologise. I didn’t mean to do... whatever it was that I have, and— I’m sorry…”
Sunset felt her brain crash and in her total system reboot, she could only blink in response. She felt her cheeks warm in a light blush, “I—” Sunset began, trying to find the right words to say. “I don’t hate you.” Sunset cursed to whatever God had forced her into this situation, to face her own words and feelings, “I barely know you, so, that would be kind of a bold statement to make.”
The purple-haired girl shrugged, although Sunset couldn’t see it, and frowned awkwardly. “I just always catch you glaring at me in lectures. At first I thought maybe we’d met before, or that you were trying to get my attention or something, but whenever I looked over at you, you just always seem really… angry, I guess.” She rubbed at the back of her neck and mirrored Sunset’s posture, shifting so that her own knees were pressed against her chest.
Sunset’s lips pulled into a tight line as she paused. “I guess you just… For lack of a better word... annoy me.”
Starlight flinched away from the other girl, curling in on herself a bit. “Oh.” She said, quietly. She knitted her brows, “I— annoy you? What did I—” She pursed her lips, “how’s that?”
A pang of guilt took hold of Sunset’s chest as her brows furrowed upward. Moondancer had been right. She only realised now, seeing the other girl wrap her arms around herself in a hug, just how unfair she had been, and she stammered for an excuse to try and de-escalate the situation. “I don’t… I don’t know, actually… you just—” she pursed her lips for a moment before she let out a frustrated huff, “you just make me feel weird.”
There was an awkward moment of silence, then, before the tension began to slowly subside. Starlight felt herself able to relax slightly as she waited for Sunset to continue; only, she never did. The purple-haired teen raised a brow in confusion, not that the other girl would see it now, her eyes cast downward. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean—” Sunset eyes flickered upward and Starlight felt her throat tighten. She looked like a puppy trying to own up to a mistake. Sunset shifted so that she was sitting with her legs in a basket once more, but stared at the floor again as soon as their eyes met. She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down. God, Starlight frustrated her so much. “You always make me feel so nervous. The only reason I glare at you in class is because I can always… feel you staring at me while I’m taking notes. It just… kinda makes me anxious.”
“Oh. Sorry about that—” Starlight awkwardly rubbed at the back of her neck, a faint blush of her own dusting her cheeks, “I don’t really mean to, it’s just… You’re really pretty. I can’t really help it.”
Sunset’s light blush intensified into a burning red and she let out an exasperated groan— however, it was more directed at herself rather than the girl in front of her. “It’s not just that, though. I’ve always been the top of the class— and sure that might seem super dumb and childish but— I’ve always had to prove that I can accomplish anything and you just come along and—” her fingers were practically buried in her hair the more she went on, her frustration building up as she tried her best to express what was on her mind, “you just— make it look so easy…”
Starlight stayed quiet, but slowly shifted towards Sunset, making sure to watch her body language in case it became clear she was overstepping her boundaries. Starlight could see just how difficult this was for the other girl, and it was clear just how upset Sunset was becoming with each word she spoke. Embarrassment; anger; or something else entirely, it didn’t matter. All Starlight wanted to do was comfort her. “I always study like crazy, but no matter what, I just can’t ever seem to keep up with you. I don’t mean to put words in your mouth, but it just never seems like you pay attention in class. At first it was just kinda frustrating— we’re here to study— but after getting our results back and seeing that ‘some airhead who always seems to be staring off into space’ got a higher mark than me? I just— I hate feeling like— like I’m doing something wrong… Like I’m not good enough...”
Starlight offered a sympathetic smile and leaned back against the wall, “I know how that feels. at least. Honestly? With Sunburst…” she let out a small sigh, “I just constantly feel like I’m living in his shadow.” Starlight straightened her legs out— as best she could, anyway— and rubbed at them through her jeans. “He’s always been the smarter one. He always gotten higher grades than I have; always had more friends than I do, and he’s never… been afraid to just be who he is, you know?” She pursed her lips. “So I understand. I just want to feel like I’m good enough, too. I didn’t mean to make you feel like that, Sunset. I’m sorry.”
The red-head let out a small, dry laugh and leaned her own back against the wall before running a hand through her hair once more, “You know, actually saying it out loud like this, to you, it just sounds so… Silly.”
“Hey… It’s not silly.” Starlight shifted awkwardly to sit beside the other girl and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t really know anything about you, but I can tell you’re really dedicated to your work. Honestly, I think I just got lucky with my scores on the last test.” She shrugged.
Sunset cast her eyes downward and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “Sorry for being kind of a dick. I’m not really… the best when it comes to social interaction.”
“That’s okay,” The other girl chuckled, “I’m not too good at that myself. Sunburst is honestly the only reason I’m even here.”
The red haired teen paused, finally finding the strength to look at the other girl’s face. Her bright smile made Sunset’s chest tighten, and she could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat.
The closet was filled only with silence— but the tension from before had completely melted away as the two girls stared into each other’s eyes. Even in the dark, Sunset could make out the delicate curve of Starlight’s smile and her breath hitched in her throat as the other girl started leaning in closer…
“Time’s up you two!” came a loud male voice from the doorway as the closet door swiftly opened, the next two players to enter grinning down at the two girls.
Sunset felt like the air itself had been torn from her lungs as her body sprung to life. She scrambled to her feet, Starlight too dazed by her own alerted confusion to even react as Sunset pushed— nay, clawed— past the three teenagers blocking her exit.
Starlight watched her back disappear into the rest of the party, staggered and embarrassed. She blinked and Sunset was gone, but the tight knotting in her chest wouldn’t fade.