Chapter 6: Sunset's question
“I...I can’t believe it. Eric likes me? When? How?”
In Twilight’s library, Sunset Shimmer was back in the chair she sat on when she was talking with Eric Reed. She just discovered how her friend truly felt about her and was in shock.
Even Sunset herself was surprised by her stunned state. She never considered herself “unlikable”, but Eric always seemed to think of her as a friend, and that was how she always thought of him. But, now Sunset knew that Eric liked her. How long did he have his crush on her? How did it happen? Was Starlight aware of how he felt?
And possibly the biggest question of all: did she feel anything towards Eric? The Unicorn was too shaken up to figure that out on her own and needed some advice.
“I need to go back and talk to the others, but I can’t just take off and risk Eric thinking he did something to upset me. Not with how he’s feeling now.”
Sunset pondered returning to Eric’s room to tell him that she needed to return to “her” world for a short time. But she was not ready to see Eric. Not until she had the chance to search and sort out her own storm of feelings.
“No, until I know if I like him, I can’t face Eric. Man, I wish someone -- er -- somepony else was in the castle so I could ask them to--”
As if granting Sunset’s wish unknowingly, Starlight Glimmer trotted through one of the green doors to the library. She had no knowledge about what Twilight and Eric were discussing, much less that Sunset learned about Eric’s crush. But Starlight thought that she could say something to improve the chances of Sunset agreeing to date Eric.
Before Starlight could say anything, Sunset looked to her and said, “Hey, Starlight, I’m glad you’re here. I need a favor.”
“A favor? Sure, what is it?”
“I need to go back through the portal for a while, but I don’t want Eric to think it's because of something he did. He’s in his room, so could you tell him I’m leaving, but will come back in an hour or two?”
“I can, but what’s wrong? You look like you’re shaken up about something.”
“N-No, I’m not shaken up about anything. I’m just, uh, thinking of a funny story Eric told me. Ha, ha, ha?”
“O...kay. And I’ll let him know you’ll be back in a while.”
“Thanks, Starlight.” With the portal in the library glowing pink, Sunset trotted to and through it. She was so rattled, she forgot to ask Starlight if she knew about Eric’s feelings.
Starlight was left struggling to comprehend what happened. Something was amiss, but Starlight had no idea what, though she thought it would be best to just do what Sunset requested of her.
At the Wondercolt statue, Sunset was thrown out of the portal on one of its sides, and landed on her stomach. Standing up, Sunset rubbed and shook her head. “Augh, I will never get used to that. But I gotta call the others and ask them to meet up at my place.”
A half-hour later, in Sunset’s home, Sunset’s friends answered her request for help and had just arrived. Sunset, with her head down, sat on the third step of the stairs in her room that led to her bed high up in her room. Three guitars hung on one of the walls. The others stood throughout the room, with Rainbow leaning against the room’s door.
Twilight said, “Sunset? We did what you asked and came as soon as we could.”
“Now can ya tell us what’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked.
“Is it another villain powered by Equestrian magic? Because I’m always ready to kick some--”
Sunset shook her head, but kept looking down. “No, it’s nothing like that, Rainbow.”
Rainbow gave a disappointed sigh. “Aw.”
“Then what is it, Sunset?” Rarity asked.
Sunset sighed and lifted her head to her friends. “Okay. Remember how Eric had something on his mind, but wouldn’t tell Princess Twilight what it was?”
“Oh yeah. Did he tell you what it is?” Spike asked.
“Well, he didn’t tell me, but I know what it is.”
“If he didn’t tell you, then how did you find out?” Fluttershy asked.
Sunset sighed again and tightened her hands into fists. She didn’t want to admit how she listened in on Twilight and Eric’s conversation in Eric’s room without their permission. “W-Well, I-I, uh…”
Pinkie Pie, who was uncharacteristically quiet, started hopping on one leg and quickly questioned, “Did he tell you that he would show you something, went to his room, you got worried and went to his room, saw the door closed but heard voices, became nosey and snuck to the door, then overheard Eric and Princess Twilight talking about how Eric has a big crush on you?” Pinkie stopped hopping, smiled and “squeed”.
Sunset’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She had never seen Pinkie’s random moments of omniscience. Neither had Twilight or Spike, but they were simply confounded, and their puzzled frowns showed it.
The others had seen it, but still thought Eric liking Sunset wasn’t what was wrong.
“Uh...I really don’t think that’s it, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said.
Recovered from her moment of shock, Sunset corrected, “No, she’s right.”
With the exception of Sunset and Pinkie, everyone shouted, “SHE’S WHAT?!”
Sunset nodded her head. "Yep. Eric Reed has a crush on me."
“No way!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“How?!” Rarity asked.
“When?!” Applejack chimed in.
“Augh, I have no idea! I’m asking myself that!” Sunset covered her head in her hands and groaned in frustration.
“Well, what did Eric say when you told him you know?” Spike asked.
“He doesn’t. When I heard, I came back here to talk to all of you about it.”
“Okay, but what is there to talk about? It sounds to me that the only question is, do ya like him?” Applejack concluded.
Yet for Sunset, this was the most complicated part of the problem. It forced another groan out of frustration in herself, though she did uncover her face. “But that’s just it! I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Fluttershy asked.
“No. I never once thought to think of him as anything but a friend, and I thought he felt the same way about me. But now that I know he likes me and for who knows how long...I don’t know what to think. He might have even formed his crush on Diane Heart from trying to get over me.”
Twilight suggested, “Well, maybe it would help if you thought about how you felt about Flash Sentry when you two were dating.”
“No, that won’t help.”
“Why? You two were dating, even if you were still a big jerk back then.” Rainbow realized her words and smiled sheepishly to Sunset, as she had done several times in the past. “Uh, no offense.”
Sunset groaned and facepalmed. “Really, Rainbow Dash? Will we ever get past that? I know I used to be beyond awful, but I’m trying my best to make up for it and become a better person.”
Hit with a wave of guilt, Rainbow frowned. “I’m sorry, Sunset, but it’s easy to let it slip. But I really do know you’re a waaaay better person now. In fact, you’re awesome!”
“I agree, but never mind that. Sunset, why won’t it help to think about how you used to feel about Flash?” Rarity asked.
“Well, sure, we were ‘dating’ but I was only using Flash and never truly liked him.”
Pinkie said, “Oh, yeah. Now that I think of it, you told us that before.”
“In fact, I’m not sure how feelings would even feel,” Sunset admitted. “I don’t think I ever felt them before, and learning about friendship was tough enough.”
“Well, this is going to be tougher than I thought, y’all,” Applejack admitted.
Well, first things first.” Twilight walked in front of and leaned down to Sunset, who still sat on the stairs. “Sunset, how do you feel about Eric? What do you think of him?”
Sunset raised her head and eyes up in thought. “Well, he’s sweet, funny, thoughtful, sensitive, and cute.”
Rainbow said, “Okay, that’s a good start. What else?”
“Hmm. He’s someone that’s trying his best to become a better person from who they used to be.”
“Wait, Eric wasn’t always so nice?” Spike asked.
“Well, I heard him tell Princess Twilight that, while he wasn’t the monster I used to be, he used to be more selfish. He even feels like he sometimes needs to prove to himself that he’s not that kind of person.”
“Really? He never told us that, but I guess that’s him trying to be unselfish: not telling us something that could make us worried about him,” Twilight remarked.
“In fact, Eric-berry wanting to be a better person while worrying how much they really changed...that kinda sounds like how you used to be, Sunset,” Pinkie pointed out.
Applejack turned to Pinkie with a puzzled frown. “Wait, did you say, ‘Eric-berry’?”
“Yeah? Why?”
Feeling like it might be for the best to not ask more about why Pinkie unexpectedly called Eric “Eric-berry” Applejack sighed deeply. “Never mind, Pinkie Pie.” Applejack turned to face Sunset. “What else do ya think or know about Eric, Sunset?”
“I know that he can’t get over being picked on as a kid despite trying his best to do it. This is even making him think that he doesn’t ‘deserve’ me, because he knows how I overcame my past.”
“What? He really thinks that?” Rarity asked.
“I guess he sometimes struggle with confidence." Fluttershy looked down and rubbed her fingers as she added, "I know that feeling.”
Sunset shook her head. “No, he doesn’t struggle with confidence, Fluttershy. It’s just about his appearance, but he’s confident in other things. Though, Princess Twilight told me that he used to be quick to ask her what to do when something went wrong, but now he tries to only do it if he really needs to.”
“Hmm. That also sounds like you, Sunset,” Pinkie again pointed out.
“Well, from what I’m hearing, you and Eric could make a good couple,” Rainbow said.
“You think so?” Sunset asked.
“Yep,” Rainbow answered confidently. “In fact, he might be able to understand you better than any guy we know. Even Flash Sentry.”
“In fact, maybe you girls should have begged him to ask out Sunset, not Princess Twilight,” Spike joked.
Twilight replied, “I guess so, Spike, but it doesn’t matter now. Sunset still needs to figure out if she likes Eric or not before we can do anything else. Sunset, do you feel anything to Eric that you don’t feel for any other guy?”
Sunset rested a hand on her chin and searched her heart. She learned a lot about friendship, but Sunset Shimmer had never experienced a true crush, but from her understanding of it, "feelings" would feel different.
Yet, while she liked and cared for Eric, how she felt about him did not seem any different from anything she had already felt. “I...I don’t think so. I like Eric and want to look out for him when I can, but I feel like this to you guys too.”
Applejack set a finger on her chin. “Hmm. Well, it sounds like ya like Eric, but don’t like him.”
Sunset sighed. She faced a new problem now. Since she had no feelings towards Eric, she would need to turn him down should he finally confess his true feelings to her.
But aware of his emotional struggles, Sunset worried about if his heart could withstand it. “Well, what do I do now? I don’t want Eric to think I have feelings for him if I don’t. But-- ” Sunset put her hands over her face ”-- I really don’t want to hurt him. I got his heart broke last week, and if I break it myself, he might never get over being picked on as a kid when he was healing from burns. Plus, I have hurt too many people already, and I can’t do it again.”
“All right, let us think. There just has to be a way for Sunset to tell Eric she doesn’t like him and not hurt him,” Rarity stated.
Sunset uncovered her face, and the eight friends turned their heads either up or down as they pondered Sunset’s best course of action. After ten seconds, Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, I know!”
“What?” Sunset asked.
“Last week, when Diane turned him down, he was fine with it and only took it hard once he learned that she thought he looked weird, right?”
Rainbow answered, “Yeah, but what does that--oh, I get you.”
Applejack said, “Me too. If Sunset can assure him that she don't think he looks weird, he’ll take her turnin’ him down better.”
Twilight asked, “But with how bad his paranoia is, do you think you can even do it, Sunset?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Uh...maybe I could look at him in the eyes when I say he doesn’t look weird.”
Pinkie hopped on one leg again and suggested, “Or you could give a ‘Pinkie Promise’.”
Sunset smiled at the idea. She knew how you never break Pinkie Promises or else, and knew that Eric understood it too. “Yeah, that should work. Thanks, Pinkie.”
“Well, since you know what to do, you want to go back to Equestria?" Rainbow asked.
“No, not yet. Even if he knows I don’t think he looks odd, I know about how it’s hard to hear someone you like tell you that they don’t like you back. I want to first think of the best way to do it.”
“Okay, and I think that’s a good idea,” Twilight agreed. “Guys, let’s go and let Sunset focus on what to tell Eric when she goes back to tell him how she feels.”
The friends walked out of the room, one by one, leaving Sunset by herself.
Now alone, Sunset stood up from the stairs and started pacing in her room. Sunset is often direct when she tells someone what she thinks, but understood that she needed to be careful when telling Eric she could not return his feelings.
“Okay. I could say ‘Eric, you’re a great guy and you’ll make a mare happy someday, but it just won’t be me’?”
But thinking about it, she shook her head at her idea. “No, I better not try that. If I don’t say it right, he could think that I just don’t want him and that would definitely break his heart. Maybe I could tell him ‘It’s not you but me’? No, that’s something someone might say if it is that person.”
Still pacing, Sunset lightly slapped her face, hoping it could help her think of a better idea. “Uh, okay, maybe I could say ‘I don’t feel that way about you, but I might someday’? No, that could make him ‘wait’ for me. Augh, I don’t know what to do!”
Sunset stopped pacing and returned to sitting down at the bottom of the stairs. “Come on, think, Sunset! There has to be a way to do this!”
Remembering how the others told Sunset that she and Eric were alike, Sunset thought that she could use that to her advantage. “Uh, wait, the others said he’s like me. Maybe I could think of what I would want to hear if I was him.”
Sunset tried to think of how someone could let her down easy. As she did, it sank in more and more how similar she and Eric were. She knew they shared some things in common, but she didn’t think they were as similar as they really are until she came to hang out with him earlier that day.
“Wow, he is a lot like me. And, when he brought up my past when we were together, he didn’t say what I did, and even said I deserved an ‘overdue’ reward. Not even Princess Twilight or my friends here have said anything like that to me. They still sometimes bring up how I used to be, then say ‘uh, no offense’. But Eric didn’t do that.”
Sunset thought more of the fun she had with Eric when playing Snake Hunter and when bowling. How he could match her competitive streak.
“And I had a lot of fun with him today. I don’t know a guy that can be as competitive as me in games. In fact...I’ve never had so much fun with a guy before.”
Now thoughts of Eric believing Sunset was ‘too good’ for him flooded her head.
“And not only does Eric like me, he thinks I’m so great, he wouldn’t deserve someone like me.” For a reason Sunset didn’t understand, knowing he believed that he wasn’t worthy of her made Sunset's blood boil, but her anger wasn't aimed at Eric. She gritted her teeth. “But that’s not true! I’ve never met a better guy than him, and if anything, I wouldn’t deserve him!”
Fully realizing she was becoming emotional, Sunset relaxed her teeth and asked herself, “Wait, where did that come from?”
Still more thoughts about Eric poured into Sunset’s head. How nice and thoughtful he is. His jokes. His smile and brown eyes. His light-brown hair that flowed down his neck to the middle part of his back, the individual strands of hair more visible because of his (in Sunset’s words) different appearance. The fun and laughs they shared that day. How he adapted to a world he wasn’t born in, just like her. How he didn’t remind her of past mistakes when they were talking, and even wished to reward her.
As the thoughts swirled in Sunset’s head, a unusually warm feeling filled her heart. It felt similar to when she was truly accepted by her friends after the battle against the Sirens, but something was different. She didn't feel butterflies in her stomach back then. Thinking about being near Eric made Sunset feel particularly happy and safe, as well as wanting to keep him safe. If anyone or anypony harmed Eric Reed, she would want to be first in line to do something about it. The feeling now felt different than how Sunset wanted to keep her other friends safe.
Finally, Sunset asked herself, “Do I like him?”
For another ten minutes, Sunset remained on the third step of the stairs in her room and thought about her new rush of feelings. She wanted to be sure that she wasn’t just tricking herself into feeling the way she did as an attempt to protect Eric’s feelings.
After the ten minutes passed, Sunset stood up. She now knew what to do.
Back in the library, I was standing by the portal. Starlight told me that Sunset had to leave, but would be back in an hour or two. I had no idea what was going on in her head, but I had to focus on something else.
I wasn’t going to bail or back down this time. I was going to suck it up, and tell Sunset Shimmer how I felt, if it was the last thing I did! I already gave myself a light slap to try to pump myself up.
However, to make sure Sunset wouldn’t feel pressured to say “yes” because of them, I had Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and the rest of the “Nosey Eight” stay outside one of the doors to the library. But I hoped knowing they were there would be enough to give me the strength to ask Sunset out. At first, I only asked big sis Twilight to stay nearby. But, since all my Equestrian siblings and friends were in the castle, I asked all of them to be nearby.
Thinking about how Sunset came flying out of the portal earlier, I placed a pile of pillows at where it appeared she would land when she flew into me earlier. I also made sure to stay out of Sunset’s “flight path”.
Pink lights and sparks suddenly ran down the portal’s “cords” and my heart rate sped up. The portal itself glowed with a pink light, and you-know-who came flying out end over end screaming.
I was a bit worried that I didn’t, but I guessed the spot correctly, and Sunset landed on the pillows I laid out on the floor, on her back.
“Welcome back.”
Sunset looked at the pillows, then around the room, which for some reason seemed to be particularly cute. “Huh? Where did these pillows come from?”
“I put them there. I thought you landing on pillows instead of me would be more comfortable for both of us.”
Sunset chuckled. “No complaints from me.” Sunset rolled off the pillows to get back to her hooves.
it was time. My own chuckling stopped, and the heartbeat of my pounding heart sped up even faster than before. “But, I’m glad you’re back, because, I…”
Come on, seriously, just tell her! It’s now or never! You can do this.
I gritted my teeth. “S-Sunset? I w-wanted to--”
Before I could finally force out the words my heart screamed, Sunset interrupted, “Wait, before you ask whatever it is you need to ask, can I ask you something first?”
Because I could use the time to further prepare myself, I didn’t mind Sunset going first. My heart calmed down and I said, “S-Sure. What is it?”
Sunset looked down and patted the floor lightly with a hoof. It felt odd seeing her look nervous.
After five seconds, since Sunset seemed like she was struggling to say whatever was on her mind, I started, “Uh, are you--”
Sunset blushed and blurted out, “D-Do you want to go out with me?”
“Well, uh, yeah we can--” Yeah, it took my ears a moment for me to register what came out of Sunset Shimmer’s mouth! “Wait, huh?”
“Do you want to go out?”
My mouth struggled to form words. When it could, I repeated, “Huh?”
Sunset chuckled at my little “Eric.exe wasn’t working” moment and asked, “I take it you weren’t expecting that question, were you, Eric?”
Instead of saying “huh” again, I shook my head. My mind was blown! And it exploded again.
“Well, I was thinking about how much fun we had earlier, and how much we have in common. And how cute you are.”
My brain exploded a third time. Sunset said I was cute.
“And, I think we could make a great couple. So, do you want to go out on a date? But, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
My mind reformed itself, but I still couldn’t say anything. I just couldn’t believe what was happening! Sunset, no, the Sunset Shimmer asked me out!
Almost like I was looking for the answer I had already, I looked to the door where Twilight and the others were hiding. I guess Twilight sensed it, because she peeked in the library on her own. Since Twi knew what Sunset said, or asked, she gave me an “answer” by nodding her head with a smile.
Now, there was only one thing left for me to do.
Like how a certain purple filly once did, I jumped in the air and shouted, “YES!!”
Sunset giggled, and I just knew I was blushing at how I gave my...answer. After I cleared my throat, I much more calmly repeated, “Uh, yes. I would like to go out with you.”
“Well, in that case, today’s Saturday, so would you like to have our date next Saturday?”
“Yeah. That sounds good to me.”
“Then it’s a date. But, I’m a bit tired so I’m going to go back, but I wanted to ask you that.”
“Sounds great, and I’m a little tired too. So, Sunset, till next Saturday?”
“Until next Saturday.”
Sunset went through the portal, and I stared motionless at it, even when its pink glow faded after Sunset was back on the other side.
As I was still staring at the portal, Twilight and the others walked into the library, and Twi walked up beside me. “Well, Buggie, looks like you have a date.”
With pure joy flowing through me, I turned to Twilight. I was in hoof-reaching range, so she wrapped her forelegs around me, thinking I was about to hug her. And I did.
But, this hug was different. First, before I wrapped my arms around Twi, I crouched down a bit; something I never did to hug her since we’re about the same height. This let me grip her in a way that I could actually pick that pony up! She wasn't that heavy; maybe that of an average human adult. With my head below Twilight’s neck, since her head was above mine with how I held her, while spinning us around, I yelled, “I got a date with Sunset! I got a date with Sunset! Can you believe it, big sis?! I got a date with Sunset Shimmer!”
“I-I’m h-happy for y-you, little bro. But, can y-you let me go? I’m getting dizzy!”
I was so much on cloud nine, I wasn’t fully aware of what I was doing, so once I was, I set Twilight back on her hooves, with a big embarrassed grin on my face. Her eyes were spinning from the spinning I did to her. The others let out some giggles.
“But, I just can’t believe I got a date with Sunset!”
Suddenly, the fact that I had a date with Sunset Shimmer sunk in my head again. “Wait, do you guys think I might get too nervous when our date comes? Because you know how I am when I get nervous! And oh man, maybe I could think about what to do to keep myself calm just in case! Uh, maybe we should start on a list of things that can help?”
Hearing what came out of my mouth, Twilight burst out in laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
After she calmed down Twilight answered, “You just brought up making a list. You’re my brother all right.”
You know, maybe I have spent too much time with Twilight Sparkle, even though she said to never think it. But, it looked like I would be spending a little less time with her anyway.
And more time with Sunset Shimmer.
Stats
Page generated in 0.021 seconds
Total duration
699 users online
803,395 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
YES! Eric gets a chance at achieving greater happiness in life!!! Woohoo!!!!
The only thing that could make this better is twilight fixing the portal so Eric can go through it.
9940079
9940436
She's not one to give up easy, so Twilight just might find a way to do it eventually.
9940493
I know foreshadowing when I see it!
I am sure their date will go perfectly . . .unless Tom likes Sunset too