A Moment in Autumn

by wishcometrue

1. Sunrise

Sunset groaned against the sunlight beginning to seep in through her too thin eyelids. She hesitantly opened her eyes and wanted to scream when she saw that the sun was barely even visible over the horizon, let alone the nearby buildings. Clenching her eyes shut, she grumbled internally about worlds without magic being intrinsic to all processes of life--including evolution--being stupid.

Refusing to face the world just yet, she pulled the warm body she was curled around even closer. She buried her face in that hair that, no matter how long it had been since she had done a show, always smelled like a mixture of gunpowder and flowers. She loved to tease Trixie about it, but sometimes she liked to tell her that it reminded her of simpler times: of festivals in Equestria and tea in the gardens with Princess Celestia.

Unfortunately, all of this movement caused Trixie to stir too. "Ungh, Sunset? Trixie demands to know what time it is."

Sunset stubbornly refused to look at the clock or acknowledge the world outside of her bed, and instead grumbled and pressed her face even deeper into Trixie’s tangled locks. "Who cares, let's just stay like this for a little longer."

"I would love to, but I have a show later that I need to prepare for, and you have to leave with your little band soon."

Sunset refused to concede defeat that easily. "Oh, come on, it can't be early enough for that." As if to prove her wrong, she heard a horn honked outside. "Yeah, okay, I should’ve seen that one coming."

Groaning, the two young women disentangled themselves. Sunset groaned and swayed as she sat up in bed a little too quickly. With legs hanging over the bed, one arm gripped the mattress for balance and the other rubbed at her eyes until the world was slightly less blurry. Finally confident that she wouldn't fall over immediately after standing up, she stretched her limbs and back before stumbling down her stairs to make some coffee.

"I still don't understand how you haven't broken your neck on those deathtraps you call stairs."

"Lots of practice." After watching a few dark drops fall into the glass pot, Sunset stumbled into the bathroom to start other parts of her morning rituals. She leaned over the sink, splashing cold water on her face in a process that was both refreshing and uncomfortable. She looked in the mirror and took stock of her appearance. There were some bags under her eyes, but with a blush and a glance at some red marks on her neck, she decided a little sleep deprivation was worth it.

She grimaced when she saw how tangled her hair was. Picking up her brush, she began the awful task of brushing out her bed head. As she tried to pull her brush free from a particularly stubborn tangle, she heard pounding on her apartment door that abruptly stopped with the sound of flesh hitting flesh and a muffled, "Hey!"

Groaning, she stomped to the door and swung it open, glaring at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "I am not stepping a foot outside of this apartment before I have some coffee, so calm down before you wake my neighbors up," she hissed.

“Ah tried to tell her to be more quiet.” She shrugged and sighed before glaring at Dash. “Key word is tried.”

Rainbow Dash shrunk in on herself under the glares of both Sunset and Applejack. As her eyes drifted up though, she went from looking cowed to snerking. "Digging the new look Sunset!"

Applejack spared a glance at Sunset and quickly sucked in her lips to hold back a chuckle. "C'mon Rainbow, let's get out of her hair." A chuckle slipped through. "She doesn't need anything else getting stuck in there."

Sunset just stared at them deadpan at this point. "Ha ha. Great, awesome, I'll be out in ten, okay?"

Not even waiting for a response, she closed the door as forcefully as she could while trying to be quiet. She sighed, dragging her hand across her face.

She slumped and stumbled back towards the coffee maker as a second wave of exhaustion began to set in. Trixie handed her a coffee mug that she greedily drank from. It was perfect, with the barest splash of milk and a sprinkle of sugar, just enough to balance the flavors. She kissed Trixie's cheek as thanks before sipping it more calmly.

Trixie smirked before glancing towards the door. "I’m still not sure how you can put up with them."

Sunset glared at her, but it had no heat behind it. Trixie had a habit of belittling her friends, but she figured it was a joke and never bothered complaining about it. Sunset could handle a few really annoying jokes as long as she got to be with Trixie.

"All I'm saying is that they can be… grating," she finished as diplomatically as she could--which is to say, not very.

Sunset rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Oh, yeah, like you never have been yourself."

Giggling a little at Trixie's grumbling, she quickly finished her coffee and gave Trixie a peck on her cheek.

“Thanks for the coffee, hon. You made it just the way I like it.”

“Hmph, was there ever any doubt?” Trixie attempted to smirk again, but Sunset knew a genuine smile when she saw one.

She began pulling her brush through her unruly hair again, watching as Trixie pulled out a purple notebook from her backpack and began detailing plans for upcoming shows. She would never tell her, but Sunset thought the stage magic stuff was kind of silly. She appreciated the dedication Trixie had for it, though.

Finally satisfied her hair wasn’t too bad, she grabbed a duffel bag and began throwing some clothes in. She then grabbed her backpack, already carrying her wallet and cell phone as well as the journal, and her guitar.

“Alright, I really shouldn’t keep them waiting much longer, so I’m gonna go now. Love you, Trix.”

“I love you too, Sunset.”

She gave Trixie one final kiss, and walked out the door.

Comments

[Shortmane]

This was sweetly domestic, a nice little glimpse of their day to day (more or less).
Was wondering what it'd be like to see from Sunset's perspective since she wasn't exactly charming in the first chapter. Looks like that might just be her characterization here... already feeling the buildup to the breakup, subtle though it is so far.

[Posh]

She buried her face in that hair that, no matter how long it had been since she had done a show, always smelled like a mixture of gunpowder and flowers.

Sunset tried changing the Rainbooms’ name to “Guns and Roses,” in honor of her girlfriend, and was upset to discover why she couldn’t.

[Prince Leviathan]

10089457
"What do you guys mean it's taken??"
"Yeah, since like, the 80's"
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. Like they're one of my favorite rock bands too"
"Damn it!"