In retrospect, high school was a cinch. Spend a few hours in class, a few working part time, and count the days until the weekend, or better yet the next holiday. Leaving countless days and hours to spend with friends, get sucked into hobbies, or fight rogue magic from a parallel universe.
Granted, the latter point was probably less common for most people. But it had been as much a part of Sunset's daily life as being a student. Until it also started to fade away with the rest of her school days.
Adult life didn't work like high school. Sure, she could count the days until her next free days, but working shifts was less consistent than the same weekly lesson plan, and responsibilities didn't stop when she made it home. And some weeks, she had to drag herself to work on Sunday, which felt like a particular act of cruelty.
Not to mention, with everyone having different schedules and career plans, meeting with all of her friends was now exceedingly rare. Even getting more than three of them together for more than a quick chat over lunch seemed downright hopeless. They still shared in each other's lives constantly with video calls and text messages, but the distance between them was felt a lot more these days.
Today was another cruel Sunday. Most people still had the day off, so the diner was crowded throughout the early afternoon. Between taking orders, serving meals, and restocking supplies, Sunset was on her feet from the start of her shift until ten minutes after the end, when her relief finally came in, apologising profusely for the delay. Sunset couldn't be mad at her. At her age, she had a lot going on as well.
It was the middle of the afternoon when she was finally walking home, but she was already tired. She stretched her arms over her head and groaned quietly as she felt her muscles ache. She put one of her earbuds in, playing one of the few songs the Rainbooms had actually recorded and mixed properly, back in the day, and quietly hummed along to her own vocals.
Her thoughts drifted, between a few ways she could spend the rest of her day, a couple of projects that had been left untouched for a few days, the letters on her coffee table still unopened. And somehow she always came back to Twilight. She could call her and see if she was busy tomorrow. She didn't quite remember if it was a day off for her. Maybe she would have some thoughts on the song she was trying to write. Though she would probably admonish her about the letters.
With some newfound energy, she hurried up the steps to her apartment door, fishing her keys from one jacket pocket while putting her earbuds away again in the other. Turning the key in the lock, she stepped inside and pushed the door closed behind her. She was already halfway out of her jacket when she noticed the other person in the room.
Twilight was sitting on the couch, her elbows resting on her knees. Her laptop was open on the coffee table, next to a notebook and a star-patterned pencil case. She had looked up at the sound of the door and was still, looking back at Sunset, the end of her pen between her lips.
"Hey," Sunset said after a moment, slipping her other arm out of the jacket, unable to help but smile.
"Hey," Twilight returned, standing up while Sunset put her boots next to her own sparkly high-tops. She smoothed out her short dress over the dark leggings and brushed her fingers over her hair, fussing with her appearance. Sunset had pointed it out to her at one point, how she always tended to tug and pinch at herself whenever they met up. It had been entirely subconscious, but even now she seemingly couldn't stop herself.
"I gave you the key for emergencies," Sunset said with a teasing smile as she crossed the room, pulling Twilight into a hug by her waist. She squeezed her gently as Twilight returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around her back. "Everything okay?" she added gently after spending a moment just soaking in the embrace.
"I was lonely," Twilight admitted, muttering into Sunset's shoulder.
Sunset hummed her understanding, running her fingers through the long ponytail. "Same emergency as last time, then." She let go of her and Twilight did the same, sinking back onto the couch as Sunset headed over to her dresser to get a fresh change of clothes. "I might not be thrilling company, though, I had a pretty long day."
"That's okay." Twilight picked up her pen again, tapping it against the paper. Another tell Sunset had learned to read; she was trying to refocus on her work. "You can take a nap if you want. I'm just glad you're here."
Sunset approached the back of the couch and leaned over Twilight, gently tilting her head back a bit, before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Me too."
A quick shower later, Sunset had changed into shorts and an old shirt, and removed what little makeup she wore for work. She had spent enough time - and especially nights - with Twilight to have banished the need to look her best around her. A far cry from how much she had agonised over her appearance for their first date. The first real date, when they were finally clear on what it was.
She joined her girlfriend on the couch, resting her head on two cushions next to her, her legs dangling over one of the armrests to make up for the space she was giving up to her. She watched for a while from her position, trying to gauge anything from the multiple windows of lists, notes, and charts open on Twilight's laptop. Eventually, her eyes closed almost on their own and she let herself drift off, accompanied by the clicking, soft tapping of keys, and scratching of pen on paper.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been napping when she was awoken by the feeling of Twilight's fingers in her hair, but when she opened her eyes, the sun was setting. She turned to look up at her girlfriend gazing down at her, both of them breaking into soft smiles at the sight of one another.
"Did you rest well?" Twilight asked quietly, her fingertips lightly caressing Sunset's cheek.
"Yeah." She raised her hand to take Twilight's, rubbing her thumb over her palm. "Did you finish your work?"
"Most of it. As much as I can focus on today." She sighed and stood up, starting to pack her laptop and notebook into her messenger bag. "I just couldn't focus at home. I thought your shift would be over sooner."
"Don't worry about it. You know I like it when you're here." Sunset pushed herself to sit up and tucked her legs in. For a moment, she just watched Twilight orderly put her things away and occasionally fix her hair, some strands having slipped free from the scrunchy. "You don't want to leave yet, do you?"
"No, I... no." Twilight set her bag down next to the couch and sat down again. She sunk against Sunset's shoulder and took off her glasses, resting them on the table. "I didn't bring a change of clothes, though."
Sunset chuckled and put her arms around her girlfriend's waist, nuzzling her hair and lightly brushing her lips against her forehead. "That's okay. You can take some of mine."
Twilight settled into her embrace and rested her eyes, breathing out slowly. After a few moments, she sighed a second time, adjusting herself and tucking her legs under her, turning more into Sunset's arms, clinging to her shirt with one hand while resting the other on her thighs.
"Something on your mind?"
Twilight opened her eyes again, frowning and looking past her. Sunset waited patiently until she had finished settling on her response. "I come here a lot," she said finally.
"Wow, you're right, I hadn't noticed," Sunset responded with barely concealed sarcasm, before squeezing her reassuringly. "So what? I love every day I spend with you."
"And you come to my place a lot, too," Twilight continued, undeterred. Sunset's arms slacked as she looked at her face more closely. Clearly she was working towards a point. Instinctively, Twilight's hand went to her nose, as if to adjust her glasses, before she redirected the gesture to her scrunchy, pulling it out of her hair to have something to fidget with. "We've been dating for more than six months now. And we're both trying to save money."
Sunset nodded and hummed her confirmation of the data points she had now laid out.
"Do you think we should... move in together?" Twilight muttered, looking down at the sparkly scrunchy in her hands, before looking up at Sunset, subconsciously squinting a little without her glasses.
Sunset looked down, taking her own time to think over the suggestion. She felt Twilight's back straighten as she tensed up waiting for her response. Hoping to reassure her, she slowly rubbed her back with one hand.
"That's honestly a good idea," she said finally, looking up to meet Twilight's eyes, before chuckling bashfully. "I think about you even when you're not here, so... I'd rather have you here. Or there. Or... wherever we'd be." She looked up into the room. It had been her home for almost her entire life in this world, but she'd known already it wouldn't hold her forever.
Twilight released her breath, sinking against her again. "Then we should plan that. The sooner the better."
As if it was passing from Twilight into her, Sunset felt a small tinge of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. "Right. Let's maybe not start today, though. You're starting to get pretty cuddly."
Twilight chuckled quietly and put her arms around Sunset's waist, getting more comfortable with her head on her girlfriend's chest. "Because you're so comfortable."
Sunset quietly held her, soaking up her warmth as she played with her hair and watched the sun disappear through the window. Twilight relaxed under her arms, the remaining tension seeming to leave her shoulders. After a short while, Sunset gently prodded Twilight's side but didn't get a reaction. Careful not to wake her, she moved one arm under her legs and stood up slowly, holding her steady as she carried her up the steps to the bed.
Twilight started awake, opening her eyes as far as she could, but saw nothing but darkness. She gasped, trying to breathe properly, shoving the blanket off of her. Her head spun as she sat up too quickly.
Oh no.
She couldn't see. Those shapes in the shadows weren't there. Quickly, she reached aside for her glasses, but her hand bumped into them, sending them clattering to the floor. Her pulse was thumping in her veins and her body trembled.
"Twilight?" a voice said from far away.
She backed against the wall, tightening her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering, and squeezing her eyes closed to block out the shapes in her vision.
"Twilight, hey."
She flinched slightly as she felt a hand on her cheek. When she opened her eyes again, her vision was still blurry, but a soft dim light surrounded her. She quickly leaned into Sunset and tightly held on to try and make the trembling stop, her breathing coming quick and laboured.
"It's okay, I'm right here," Sunset said gently, calmly caressing her hair. "You're safe and it won't take long."
Twilight focused on her voice, on her warmth, on the lingering scent of shampoo in her hair. Her chest ached as she tried to calm her breathing, but it felt like a small eternity until she could finally take a deep breath and release it through trembling lips. Her fingers were still trembling, then, too, but she could no longer feel her heart pounding.
"Are you okay?" Sunset asked quietly. Twilight pulled back a little and tightened her fingers around the edge of the blanket instead of Sunset's arm, answering with a short hum.
Sunset leaned over her, reaching towards the floor, and a moment later she put Twilight's glasses into her hands. She put them on after wiping the beginning of tears from her eyes. She looked down at the pattern on the blanket, at the fairy lights on the wall, and finally up at Sunset's encouraging smile, to ground herself in her immediate surroundings. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."
"That's okay." Sunset settled next to her, putting an arm around her more casually and her other hand on hers. "Do you want to talk for a while?"
Twilight quickly laced her still trembling fingers with hers and nodded, though she couldn't settle her mind on anything.
"Do you... want to talk about moving?" Sunset asked carefully. "Or is that too much right now?"
"No. I mean, yes. Let's do that." She took another shaky breath and focused on the subject. Moving in with Sunset. What was step one? "First, we should decide where we'll stay."
"I like this place," Sunset said simply, looking past her into the tall room. "But, it's probably easier for me to cancel my lease, too. And yours is close to campus."
Twilight nodded, leaning a little more on her again. "That... would be better. If it's okay with you. There's space for most of your things, too."
"Most, huh? Where would I leave the rest, then?"
Twilight's mind had already moved ahead, thinking about altering her lease, organising the move, grouping Sunset's things into boxes, helping her change her address. Between all those running thoughts, the answer to Sunset's question came to her almost passively. "You can always leave something with my parents."
"Are you sure? That might be an awkward first meeting."
She suddenly sat upright again. Everything on her list moved down a full rung in priority. "First meeting?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I never met your parents."
Twilight's fingers tightened around Sunset's hand and she felt her heartbeat pick up again. She quickly inhaled sharply and slowly released the breath past her lips. "That's right. That's right, you never met."
"Twilight?" Sunset rubbed her side gently. From the corner of her eyes, she could just about see her tilt her head, her wavy hair slipping off her shoulder.
"Okay, nevermind. Move everything back." She slipped her hand from Sunset's and reached over to the side table to look for her phone, getting up when she remembered where it was.
"I didn't move anything yet," Sunset chuckled as she also cast back the blanket to get up. A moment later, the string of lights along the steps lit up.
"We can't move in together if my parents don't know you yet!" She reached the floor and went to pick up her bag, retrieving her phone from it and opening her digital calendar.
Sunset appeared at the edge of the platform, leaning on the railing and looking down at her. "Um, okay. But they do know we're dating, right?"
Twilight silently looked down at her phone, letting her open hair fall like a protective curtain.
"Babe?" Sunset's voice rose a little. "Your family knows you have a girlfriend, right?"
Twilight slowly brushed her hair back over her shoulder, trying for her best sheepish smile as she looked up at her girlfriend, hiding behind the phone a little. "I'm sorry. It never felt like the right moment."
The tension in Sunset's shoulders sunk away with a heavy sigh. She sat on the elevated floor and dangled her legs from it. "They do know you're bi, though, right?"
"Yes. Yes, I just... you know..." She fidgeted with the edge of her skirt, suddenly realising she'd been sleeping in her dress. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. No big deal." The tone of Sunset's voice said otherwise, but she was playing it off well enough. "I'll just... swing by and introduce myself. Six months late."
"They know of you," Twilight quickly offered, hurrying back up the steps and kneeling down next to her. "You know, as my friend. So it shouldn't be too big a deal." She was lying. Knowing her mother, it definitely would be a big deal. "I'll just call them and let them know I'm bringing someone for dinner."
She backed out of her calendar and looked at the time. 3:23am
"You know... later."
"Twily. Good to hear from you, honey, but why are you calling so early?"
Twilight sat straight like a candle, her free hand fidgeting with her scrunchy. "Hey, mom. I just wanted to say something and it couldn't wait." She glanced at Sunset, who sat passively at the end of the couch, smiling encouragingly.
"You're not in trouble, are you?" her mother's voice asked from speakerphone.
"What? No, no, of course not. I just... wanted to share some... news?" She cringed a little at the word. It definitely wasn't actually news anymore.
"Mh-hm." There was soft clattering on the other end as her mother was evidently busy with something else.
"I, uh... so, you know Sunset Shimmer?"
"Oh, sure, honey, she's one of your friends, isn't she?"
"Yes. We... I mean, she..." Sunset took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm going out with her."
There was barely a pause. "Oh. That's nice, honey, good for you. Do you need advice? When are you going?"
"No, I mean... I am. Already. Present Continuous."
"Oh. Oh!" There was a longer pause in which both of them were silent before she continued. "That's wonderful! When do I get to meet her?"
Twilight quickly seized the opportunity, glad that she led so easily into her other talking point. "I'll bring her over for dinner. Um... tomorrow?"
"Marvellous. Tomorrow night, then. I'll let your brother know and we can have a big get-together!"
"O-oh. No, that's okay, you don't have to--" she tried to play down, but her mother wouldn't have it.
"I can't wait, this will be one for the album for sure." She let out an excited little squeal. "Oh, but I should finish Spike's breakfast. Until then, Twily, I love you."
The call ended abruptly and Twilight stared down at her phone for a moment before ending it on her end as well.
"Twily?" Sunset finally asked with a widening smile. "That is so adorable."
Twily groaned as her head sunk into her hand.