//------------------------------// // In the Middle Of The Night, You Don't Know What I'm Thinking... // Story: Temptation Waits // by ColdGoldLazarus //------------------------------// “Hey, that’s where Fluttershy and Rainbow work.” Sunset commented idly as they passed a pizza joint. It was locked up and dark at this early hour, though the large sign near the street was still lit, proudly displaying a generic trademarked logo to the impassive night sky and casting the sidewalk below in an orange glow. The two were passing by a small strip mall in the middle of what was otherwise a residential area, apartment buildings looming up behind the small, empty gas station on the corner. For her part, Twilight merely gave a bleary, disinterested gaze toward the franchise before resuming her mechanical shuffling. Her left arm was crusted with trails of since-dried blood from the earlier wound Aria had inflicted, and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible even as everything else was washed out by the sign’s overpowering illumination. Sunset winced at her friend’s poor state, conflicting thoughts warring within her head. “Listen, Fluttershy’s apartment is actually closer to us than mine is, and while I hate to bother her, I think you seriously need some rest. C’mon; it’s only another block and a half.” Sunset gently looped Twilight’s good arm over her shoulder to support her better, and the two limped onwards. I never thought I’d be here doing this. Not just willingly helping someone like this, but Twilight Sparkle of all ponies. In her state, Twilight probably wouldn’t have noticed if Sunset had screamed out her feelings, but the fiery-haired girl still did her best to keep an impassive face and avoid any more eye contact. She just hoped her rapid heartbeat didn’t give it away, though it would likely be misinterpreted. No, she needed to keep her mind off of the present situation, and so she turned her head to take in their surroundings as they limped onwards. The streets were sparsely lit, small pools of light collecting like rainwater beneath the occasional lamp, separated by long swatches of darkness. At this early hour, only a few windows were still lit, the golden rectangles peering down on the odd couple with a bleary disinterest. Many of the yards, meanwhile, were overgrown and littered with unidentifiable odds and ends that reflected the few nearby lights brightly; all else was hidden in shadow. Stirred by a rising wind, a plastic bag blew down the street, rustling softly all the while. There were other noises, too – the muffled voice of a late-night television anchor, the distant wailing of an ambulance, and of course, the uneven pattern of her own footsteps on the concrete sidewalk. As they passed by a flower garden, doubtless constructed in a futile attempt to lend some class to one of the city’s more grungy neighborhoods, a faint scent of lavender tickled Sunset’s nose even despite the crisp autumn air. She hurried their pace ever-so-slightly until they were past, hoping she wouldn’t burst out sneezing. With Twilight pressing up against her, arm draped across her shoulders, Sunset was beginning to feel overheated, sweat running down her back and staining into her sweatshirt. This would have been uncomfortable enough on its own, but what was worse were her hands – unprotected by gloves, the chill air nipped at them, cold enough to hurt but not enough to numb. Her magic reserves had been all but burnt up in the fight, and a gnawing hunger had taken up position within her gut; until she’d reabsorbed enough of this world’s sparse reserves of magic, she couldn’t generate heat to warm her hands. Furthermore, her feet ached after fleeing from the trainyard, having been pounded raw by the pavement during their escape. Then there was her decision to jump off the tanker train car; while Sonata had helped cushion the impact, Sunset’s knees still felt somewhat jarred, clicking uncomfortably at certain angles. She was distracted from assessing her maladies as they approached a street corner; they simply needed to turn right, and Fluttershy’s apartment was halfway down the block. Sunset glanced over at Twilight, to see the purple-haired girl was nodding off. Fueled by worry, Sunset picked up the pace, and only a minute or two later, they were at their destination. The apartment building itself was a relatively small one, a two-story cube made of a reddish brick. All the windows were dark, though one on an upper floor had been left open enough for rather… intimate… sounds to emanate forth. Sunset grimaced, trudging along the narrow drive toward the doorway in the back. She’d visited Fluttershy a few times prior, enough to know that the front door’s lock had broken and rendered that method of passage unusable until the landlord called for repairs. Being a cheapskate as they were, that was unlikely to occur for some time. The light over the back door burned an intense shade of yellowish-orange, searing into Sunset’s eyes as they rounded the corner. She lifted her free hand to shield against the sudden glare, but had to lower it again once they reached the actual door. The cold metal of the handle burned against her unprotected fingers, so she was quick to hurry inside, all but dragging Twilight in after her. They found themselves standing on a landing halfway between floors, the staircase on the left leading downwards and the right leading up. The walls were a faded sort of baby-blue, accentuated by the cold light of a fluorescent strip. Gently guiding Twilight’s shoulders, Sunset led her down, turning right immediately to come face-to-face with a door merely marked with a handle, a peephole, and the number 3 in yellowing plastic. Sunset pressed a small button beneath the handle, and waited. Since the apartment building was too small to have small entryways through which visitors could be buzzed in, they had instead opted to install them directly in the individual doors. Within moments, Fluttershy answered, opening the door with a faint creak of hinges and a gasp of breath as she took in their state. Sunset tried not to feel guilty about waking her friend at such an early hour, but despite the seriousness of the situation, one look at the tenant’s tired eyes and bedraggled pink hair made her eyes drop to the floor of their own accord. Upon seeing the bookworm, who was completely slumped across Sunset’s shoulder, Fluttershy sprung into action, taking the other side and helping navigate the two into the apartment before closing the door behind them. They guided Twilight to the couch, gently laying her down, and Fluttershy knelt at her side. For her part, Sunset remained standing, hovering nearby in case she was needed. “Could you please help me get off her sweater?” Once the heavy article of clothing had been removed, allowing for easier access to the injury, Sunset was directed to get Fluttershy’s first-aid kit from the bathroom. Sunset rushed to and fro as instructed, mind on the task, but she couldn’t help but idly note how telling it was that despite her unfortunate living conditions, Fluttershy spared no expense on medical supplies. The next quarter-hour passed by in a blur as the duo worked to clean up and bandage the wound, something made harder as it still leaked blood when pressed. It had only been one lash of Aria’s whip, as far as they could tell, but several curved and looping lines were scrawled across Twilight’s upper arm, many of them digging deep enough that Sunset wondered if they should take their friend to a hospital instead. Unfortunately, she quickly realized there was no way to get Twilight in without identification, and so dismissed the thought. For her part, Twilight was dazed enough from sheer exhaustion that their ministrations didn’t seem to bother her – not visibly, at least – and simply waited until they were done before nodding off. Finally, though the work was done. Twilight lay on the couch, sleep having overcome her, with a thick gauze bandage wrapped around her upper arm. “What do we do now?” Sunset asked. “She needs her rest, so we’ll let her.” Fluttershy responded quietly, repacking the First-Aid kit into the case she’d assembled. “May you please put this back?” Sunset didn’t bother turning on the bathroom light as she opened up the mirror-cabinet above the sink, carefully placing the kit among the various other hygene-related odds and ends. Now that the immediate crisis was over, exhaustion rushed over her like a tsunami, and she leaned forward until her head impacted the mirror with a dull thunk. The glass was cool on her feverish skin, and she closed her eyes without realizing it, almost ready to just begin sleeping right then and there. Opening her eyes again, Sunset looked her reflection right in the eye. Close as she was, she could only see her own eyes, their teal irises still vivid even in the near-darkness. Pulling back, she strained against the lack of light to examine the rest of her face, noting the dark circles under her eyes, the way her brow was still furrowed as if stuck in position, and the sickly flush to her nose and cheeks that the ineffective heating in the apartment had failed to erase. Sunset’s eyelids felt so heavy… Forcing herself to stand back up properly, she bumbled back out to the main room, where Fluttershy had turned off nearly all of the lights, with only a dim fluorescent over the kitchenette counter to provide any sort of illumination. An old-fashioned tea kettle was sitting on the stove, starting to boil a pot of water. “Would you like some tea?” Fluttershy asked as Sunset joined her at the tiny coffee table that passed for a dining room, indicating the microwave clock as she elaborated, “It’s three-thirty now; I think we’ll be better off staying up the rest of the night.” Sunset shrugged and nodded in response, unable to find fault with her friend’s logic despite her sagging eyelids. Tea or no tea, the rest of the day was going to be hell to get through. Once the kettle began whistling, Fluttershy stood up to add the teabags, and Sunset turned her gaze over to the figure still lying on the couch. Twilight looked peaceful, now, the bandage hiding her nasty scar, her chest rising and falling evenly. Her purple and pink hair was splayed across the armrest, reflecting the counter light with a sleek shininess that caught the eye. With her head pointed away from the kitchenette, her face was illuminated to highlight her angular, almost alien features. Sunset felt her heart begin to race again, her neutral expression becoming a frown as she beheld the sleeping princess. What is it like to be Twilight Sparkle? She wondered. No answer was easily forthcoming. Fluttershy sat back down at the table with two steaming mugs in hand, one of which she nudged over toward Sunset. Taking a sip, Sunset grimaced as she swallowed the still-burning liquid, pain running along her tastebuds and down her esophagus. For her part, Fluttershy was drinking it down as though it was water – this wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last, that the meek animal enthusiast did something that reminded Sunset that there were many hidden depths beneath that unassuming exterior. Either that, or she’d just been drinking it so long that all the nerves in her mouth had died; either one could work. “So, I guess it didn’t go well?” Fluttershy inquired. It was a testament to the caretaker’s kindness that not even a hint of I told you so entered her tone, despite how richly deserved it would have been. In response, Sunset just sighed and buried her face in her hands. Trixie silently inserted a bus pass into the machine by the bus driver’s seat, waiting as it clicked and whirred before spitting the card back out. Taking it, she trudged to the nearest seat and all but collapsed into it, weariness making her bones as heavy as lead. The bus was brightly lit by fluorescent strips along the edge of the ceiling, but the illumination was wasted; Trixie was the only one present aside from the driver, and her eyes were still weakened after the flare. Something smelled funny, too, corresponding with a discolored blotch on the floor nearby. She turned in her seat, pressing her nose up against the window and putting on her cape’s hood to block out as much light as she could. As the bus lurched forwards, engine going from a loud purr to a growl, the vague illumination of streetlamps (barely visible through the grime-coated glass) passed in and out of sight. Trixie raised a fist in solidarity as the two interlopers were finally forced to the gate; Adagio gestured for her friends to halt the attack; Sunset and Twilight slipped out through the gaps in the fence and took off running down the road without bothering to look back. Trixie smirked; it was rather satisfying to see the villains defeated so squarely. Within a few minutes, the trio had returned triumphantly to the former control room; Trixie made her way back through the maze of chairs to greet Adagio. However, the moment she opened her mouth, Adagio's blue-haired cohort made a sort of squeaking gasp and collapsed into a seat, clutching her side and trying to smile through the pain. The purple-haired girl immediately turned to minister to her, her hard features unexpectedly tender. “What were you thinking, doofus? Should have gotten out of the way when she jumped.” The ‘doofus’ raised her shirt to just below her chest, revealing that the nasty bruise forming on her right cheek extended down to her stomach, where the cream flesh was turning blotchy and blue. The twin-tailed girl placed a hand on the worst parts of the wound and began humming softly, some sort of lullaby. Where her hand and voice went, the bruises eased up. She eventually dropped her hands, head hanging limply, spent. There was still some swelling, and she hadn’t been able to help the bluenette’s cheek, but the worst areas were considerably more healthy-looking again. The bluenette stretched her arms over her head experimentally, and though her breath still hitched, she wasn’t doubled over in pain. She beamed up at her healer, chipper as ever despite the battle they’d just fought. “Ugh, why do you have to be so dumb all of the time? I can’t always be there for you.” The purple-haired girl admonished her partner, but there was no venom to her tone – more relief and concern. Her task done, she strode to the window overlooking the yard. Ignoring the multitude of chairs, she instead leaned against the desk consoles and pulled herself up onto it, then turning sideways with one leg propped up on some large dials.Reaching down with one hand to flick a particular lever, the girl activated a floodlight out in the yard - It wasn't strong enough to flood much of anything anymore, but it provided the same orange-ish, slanting illumination of a regular streetlamp, and it was in this light that Trixie examined her. She looked vaguely Hawaiian or indonesian - somewhere in the mid-pacific, at any rate, with lightly bronzed skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a button nose. Her hair, purple with streaks of teal, was pulled tightly back into the twin tails the magician had noticed earlier, held in place by barrettes decorated with massive silver five-point stars, but leaving the bangs free to frame her face like a large M. She’d been eying the blue-haired girl with ill-concealed lingering worry, but her gaze fell into a more natural looking suspicious glare as her attention shifted from her companion to settle on Trixie. “Right, you. So what’re you doing here?” The bus passed eastward from the neighborhood into an older part of town, brick buildings and antique shops interspersed with newer establishments taking the place of the suburban homes and litter-strewn lawns. Trixie prepared to pull the cord strung up along the tops of the windows; her stop was coming up soon. “Now now, Aria,” Adagio chuckled placatingly. “No need to treat our guest like that.” ‘Aria’ raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment further. Satisfied, Adagio turned her attention to her other bandmate. “Do you need me to take care of the last of that?” The bluenette just grinned happily. “Ari already got me taken care of.” She beamed over at the purple-haired girl, who made a point of looking out the window to avoid making eye contact. Adagio chuckled, though Trixie wasn’t sure why, and turned to the magician. “Now, I do suppose some further introductions are in order. This one,” She gestured at the irritable one, “Is Aria Blaze. She” she pointed at the injured girl, “Is Sonata Dusk.” “It’s nice to meet you, Aria, Sonata,” Trixie said, swallowing her nervousness behind formality, “I’m Trixie Lulamoon.” Aria simply grumbled. Sonata, on the other hand, leapt up and wrapped Trixie in a big, somewhat awkward hug. “It’s nice to meet you too, miss Lulumoon!” She cried out cheerfully. Trixie wasn’t sure if she should return the gesture or not, and so was thankful that her arms were pinned at her sides to render the debate irrelevant. “All together, we call ourselves the Dazzlings.” Adagio concluded, smiling widely. The bus approached the corner of Barr Lane and Germain Street, and Trixie pulled the cord. The LED readout near the front switched to display ‘Stop Requested,’ and the bus quickly pulled up to the curb. Muttering a vague “Thanks” over her shoulder, Trixie stepped out onto the sidewalk and watched as the bus pulled away. Checking her phone screen, Trixie saw that it was 2:47 AM. Ugh. The street and sidewalks were empty, only a few streetlights still on this time of night. The wind had picked up somewhat, dragging the clouds into ragged stripes overhead, between which the stars shone through with a frosty light. The teenager shivered in the cold, ineffectually drawing her cape about herself as she began walking down Barr Lane. It would be a few blocks southward to go, yet. “So, what happened just now? I mean, I know why now, but I’m not clear on…?” The magician fumbled her words. “Oh, that’s easy!” Sonata interjected cheerfully. “Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle showed up to ask me some questions like my favorite color, if tacos are really my favorite food, and what our long-term plans for the school were. I told them purple, yes, and I don’t know! Then Ari showed up…” “I showed up and found those spies getting on Sonata’s case, and we fought.” Aria interjected. “It was so sweet of you, too!” Sonata swooned, nearly toppling from her chair. Trixie couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light, but the twin-tailed Dazzling may have been blushing. “Shut up, Sonata. You’re the worst.” “No, you are!” Sonata immediately shot back. Adagio just facepalmed with a long-suffering sigh as she gestured for Trixie to follow her out to the stairwell. “My apologies. They can be idiots sometimes.” Adagio said once the door was safely shut. The two of them began tromping down the stairs, their heavy boots making each step echo up and down the space. “But they’re my idiots.” Trixie nodded mutely. There was an odd sense of familiarity to the whole thing, despite their dismal surroundings. “At least …Sonata, was it? She seems rather friendly.” “Indeed. Don’t worry; Aria will warm up to you in time.” Adagio responded. “She’s always been rather prickly.” They stepped out the door into the trainyard, and found themselves shivering at the cold wind. “Listen,” Trixie said hesitantly. “I am a mere stage magician; I didn’t know magic like what you all did just now was even possible. But… if you ever need help with something, anything… let me know, okay?” Adagio grinned warmly at her, and Trixie felt her heart fluttering in her chest. “I think right now, just your support is plenty. You’re actually rather nice to have around, Trixie Lulamoon.” Then they were at the gate. “We’re going to be searching for a more… permanent… residence soon, so don’t expect to find us here. Once we’ve settled in, I’ll let you know.” She finished with a wink. Trixie nodded, putting her cape back on, and exited the trainyard’s rusting gates to begin walking back to the bus stop. Across the street was a squat but wide tan-and-brown building, proudly marked as ‘Cant rlot Valley Ve rina y Hos ital’ by a faded and peeling sign on the street corner. On Trixie’s side was a long line of two-story brick buildings, spaced so closely they may as well have been one and the same. Trixie stopped at one near the middle, which bore a sign reading “The Lulamoon Magical Item Emporium” over the door. Home at last. Slipping inside as silently as possible, Trixie took one last glance at the half-concealed moon, a dull rusted orange disk on the horizon. All she wanted to do now was sleep. “Hey, Twilight. Wake up.” Twilight groaned slightly, eyes blearily blinking open and shut as she struggled to shake off the fog in her brain. Someone was leaning over her, gently shaking her arms as they whispered to her. “It’s not quite time to head to school, but we thought we should get you up now.” It was Sunset Shimmer, her red-and-gold hair illuminated from behind by the kitchenette’s lamp. “Twilight.” Twilight nodded and began to sit up, rubbing the crust from her eyes. She found that a blanket had been draped over her, and it fell away as she turned upright. Sunset immediately averted her gaze with a sheepish chuckle. “Here, let me get you your shirt.” Twilight glanced down at herself – she had one of those ‘bra’ things still on, and her right forearm was wrapped in a thick gauze, but otherwise her dark brown, almost black skin was bare. She honestly didn’t see the issue, but she’d learned on her previous visit that these humans got extremely touchy about covering up, and so accepted the black sweatshirt Sunset returned with. Their regular clothes had been left at Sunset’s apartment several blocks further north, so for the time being they looked like they were ready to rob someplace. Once she was fully dressed again, Twilight stood up and surveyed her surroundings, a small living room of some sort. On the floor was a rug decorated with a compass rose, which she could only assume was lined up to correspond to the proper directions. The north wall, opposite the couch she had just been lying on, had a television stand notably missing a television; there was instead a large wire cage housing a sleeping white rabbit, a small radio, and several books on veterinary practices wedged in between. The east wall had two doors, the left one marked with a flowery sign bearing Fluttershy’s name -though she hadn’t been to this particular locale before, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was- while the right one had a small mirror hanging up on it. The south wall was backed by the couch, of course, then to the left there was a narrow but tall table with long-legged stools. Past that was a kitchenette, the only source of illumination in the space, which was in a sort of alcove; the west wall wrapped back forward to a door with a peephole. It was fairly quiet, only the ticking of a clock, Angel’s faint rustlings, Sunset’s gentle footsteps, and soft electrical buzzing from the counter lights. There was a faint sort of mustiness from the rabbit cage, offset by the lavender scent of cheap air freshener, and the room was cold – without the blanket, Twilight came to appreciate her sweatshirt more. “Here, we got you some tea to wake you up. I don’t know if you’re more of a coffee person, but hopefully this will do.” Sunset led Twilight over to the table, where she saw that along with a cup of fresh tea, still steaming, there were several cards laid out – Twilight couldn’t tell if it was go fish or poker, but she supposed it made sense for Sunset and Fluttershy to have something to occupy themselves with all night. Speaking of which… “Where’s Fluttershy?” Twilight wondered aloud. “Oh, sorry. I was just in here.” Fluttershy poked her head out of the bedroom. “I needed to make sure everyone was fed, it’s part of my morning routine. Feel free to enjoy your tea while I finish up.” Twilight could see a squirrel jump onto the shy girl’s shoulder before she shut the door again. Twilight gave a bemused shrug and sat down, curiosity sated. The moment the tea touched her tongue, she spluttered and spat it back out. “This is hot!” She cried. “How does Fluttershy manage it?” She felt almost as bad as when the Equestrian Rainbow Dash had arbitrarily challenged everyone to a pepper-eating contest. Sunset just chuckled softly as she took her own seat across the table. “Your guess is as good as mine, but she has lots of hidden depths.” Twilight nodded, choosing not to point out that the bacon-haired girl was practically preaching to the choir on that. It was a good thing, too, for Sunset wasn’t done. Her eyes slid down to the table unconsciously, gripping her jacket as she muttered more to herself than anyone else. “And I’ve only really realized this recently. Three years, Twilight. Three years I made her life a living hell, and Applejack, and Rarity, and everyone else. Three years… against one month.” She lapsed off into silence, staring down at the table without seeing it. Twilight would have given anything to see into her thoughts in that moment. It took another fifteen minutes of awkward silence for Twilight’s tea to cool down to drinkable levels, at which point she found it was actually rather good, with a strong cinnamon flavor. She was gulping it down heartily when Fluttershy at last emerged, taking the last seat at the table and beginning to pick up the cards from her earlier game, shuffling them neatly and putting them away. “I’m afraid I don’t have much for breakfast besides cereal,” she said pulling down a trio of bowls from the cupboards, “but you’ll have time to stop by your apartment and get a different change of clothes.” Sunset nodded, and the three ate in silence. In fact, it wasn’t until they were outside and heading northward that Fluttershy finally voiced the concern that had been nagging at her for the past several hours. “What exactly happened, anyways?” The sky was getting brighter in the east, but the sun had yet to properly rise. Lights were flicking on in the apartments and homes they passed, people getting up to begin their morning routines, but the streets and sidewalks were still empty for now. The wind had cleared the clouds away by now, and sent cascades of grayscale autumn leaves down from the trees around them; Sunset shivered, unaccustomed to going without her usual jacket. “Well, we found Sonata outside,” Twilight began hesitantly, “and started talking to her. She did confirm that they were sirens, but that was all we got before… Aria, was it? Came out and saw us. It turned into a fight.” She winced, touching her bandaged arm. “That’s… pretty much it,” Sunset awkwardly concluded. “I mean, we saw some of what they can do, but we already know that they’re threats. Honestly, ‘Shy, you were right. I’m sorry we didn’t listen to you.” “I’m just glad you’re safe,” Fluttershy deflected, looking down at the ground, though she’d also meant what she said. “We still have time to fix this.” “I really hope so.” Twilight said in response. “That Adagio seems rather dangerous, like…” She trailed off. “Like some of the other, ah… antagonistic Equestrians I’ve encountered.” Sunset’s mouth was set in a thin line as she looked off to one side. A pensive silence fell, with only the moaning wind and rustling leaves to disturb them. “Listen, Sunset…” Twilight began, but seemed unable to follow through. Sunset didn’t even acknowledge that she had heard. Twilight gulped, fidgeted, and pressed on. “I don’t doubt in the slightest that you’ve been trying hard. That you’re here, helping us, is a big testament to that. But I’ve noticed ever since I got back here that you’ve just been acting odd around me specifically. And then the way you jumped on Sonata during the fight...” Fluttershy gave Sunset a wary look, and the other girl wasn’t sure whether to curse herself for not saying anything before, or to curse Twilight for mentioning it like this. “I thought she’d get out of the way.” She said gruffly. That much was at least partially true, but it conveniently overlooked the savage rush she’d gotten from the blue-haired Siren’s cry of pain. “Sunset,” Fluttershy spoke up now, tone laced with concern. Sunset hated it. “I’ve noticed it too. You’ve been acting on edge ever since Twilight arrived.” Oh, no, don’t do this. Stop right there, you stupid little weakli- Sunset stopped her own train of thought, flooded with shame for having thought such a thing of the pinkette. The pinkette who was about to shatter everything with a single word. “Why?” Sunset’s lips grew so thin that she could have outdone Vice-Principal Luna’s intimidating expressions, and she tried to pull her jacket closer about herself before remembering its absence; fortunately, a convenient distraction emerged in the form of the train tracks they were now crossing. The very atmosphere seemed to change as they passed from the south neighborhood into the north side, though at least part of that was likely due to the sunrise that was finally taking place to the east. The pavement was smoother and lacked as many potholes, the trees were fuller and greener, and the grass was somewhat taller and considerably less littered on. Twilight breathed in the air; while the acrid scent of gasoline and pavement was still present, it was mitigated by the rich scents of a natural autumn. While there were still several apartment blocks this close to the train tracks, they began to transition toward more normal suburban houses. It still wasn’t enough to distract Sunset, though it at least gave her time to find a response. “Twilight…” She sighed. This was not going to be easy at all, and could so very easily be taken the wrong way. She felt her cheeks flush and heart speed up as she thought, but it was too late – the floodgates had opened, and her true thoughts spilled out in a torrent. “I’m still angry. Twilight, all I’ve known of you is that you’ve replaced me and earned everything I thought I deserved; all I’ve experienced of you is you undermining my plans and leaving me broken on the ground, then having the gall to lecture me about the magic of friendship. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m immensely grateful to have gotten to know you, ‘Shy, and befriend you and the others. I’m glad I’ve at least started to change. I know what I did before was… unspeakable. But Twilight… I know I shouldn’t, but some part of me... still hates you. I resent you. I... I’m sorry.” Her tone was even and her gaze steady as she delivered the truth, trying to say it as matter-of-factly as possible. They had stopped somewhere along the way, the three of them, and Twilight was staring at Sunset with confusion. Not even hurt, just a vague sort of curiousity, still not processing the other girl’s words. Fluttershy stood between the two to one side, looking back and forth between them, not sure who to comfort. Sunset felt something lodge itself in her throat when the shy girl finally turned towards her. Before the dark hand could land on her shoulder, though, she turned brusquely away. “No, go get her. I don’t deserve your kindness.” She began walking again, trying not to look like she was fleeing, and could only hope they would wait to follow. “Three years, Sunset.” She muttered to herself. “Three years against one month. Of course you haven’t changed all that much after all.” She felt tears slide down her cheeks, hot, angry, tumultuous, and she echoed herself from only a few moments before. “What I did before was unspeakable.” The day had barely begun, and already an exhaustion had taken her, making her limbs feel leaden and her thoughts dulled. She just wanted to sleep.