Maybe Someday

by CousinBraeburn00

Chapter 3

The next morning found Twilight nearly late - or at least, late for her. In actuality, she had a good ten minutes before the first bell. She had been up late into the night texting Sunset. The nervous, giddy energy filling her chest kept her full of adrenaline.

As she approached the equine statue on the school lawn, she saw that all of her friends were already waiting for her. Despite the three of them just standing there, her stomach wanted to turn sour. What were they thinking? She couldn’t help but think that they knew exactly what she had been doing yesterday. Did Starlight and Fluttershy also know about Sunset Shimmer? Did they feel the same way as Rarity about her?

“Hi.” She offered lamely, fighting hard not to look guilty.

“Twilight!” Rarity hurriedly pulled her into their huddle by the elbow. “Where were you yesterday?”

The nerd had trouble meeting her friend’s eyes. She had a feeling that she was about to engage in an awful lot of lying.

“Oh, I wasn’t feeling too great yesterday and took the day off.”

The other three girls shared a look among themselves and Twilight didn’t miss it.

“You look pretty good now.” Starlight offered, eyeing her up and down in search of signs of illness.

Twilight shrugged. “It must have been a twenty-four hour bug or something.”

Rarity eyed her a little too closely for her liking, but smiled after a moment.

“Of course it was, darling. I think it’s been going around. Anyway, I’m glad to have you back today. I missed you in Chem.”

Twilight smiled back, though it felt tight and unnatural on her face. She sensed Fluttershy shuffling next to her, folding her hands in front of herself one way and then immediately switching - right on top of left, then left on top of right. Twilight felt cold sweat beginning to gather at the back of her neck.

They know. They know and they hate me.

Twilight’s mind was racing with questions. Like, how did they know she had been with Sunset Shimmer? Did they really know at all? Of course they did, they had to, why else would things be so horribly awkward right now?

Did they see me yesterday morning? Oh God, oh no… oh no!

There was always the possibility that they had heard about it from someone else. After all, a number of people had been watching her interaction with Sunset. Twilight wasn’t sure which possibility was more preferable. If her friends had seen it themselves, then they knew how close Sunset had gotten and it would be next to impossible to convince them that nothing was going on. On the other hand, if they only heard about it, someone could have easily exaggerated and made it much more than what it really was.

Why weren’t they confronting her about it? Could it be that her friends really didn’t know?

All this guilt you’re feeling is telling you that seeing Sunset is wrong, Twilight. Rarity told you she’s bad news! She pouted softly. Is she really? Sunset is so sincere….

The nerdy girl looked again at Rarity, who was now typing furiously on her phone in what Twilight hoped was just her regular morning blog post, and then over to Starlight, who had her arms folded across her chest and looking like she hadn’t slept well.

“And I missed you too. I got partnered with Rainbow Dash in gym.” Fluttershy brushed her long hair from her face and huffed a small sigh. “It was intense, I’ll just say that.”

Twilight patted the girl’s shoulder in apology. The awkward silence ensued again and Twilight could feel the walls closing in. Their mornings were usually filled with chatter; Rarity going back and forth quick as a whip between complaining and boasting about her work, Starlight comparing notes with Twilight about whichever project they were cooking up, Fluttershy not-so-loudly but still happily talking about being hired at the animal shelter instead of just volunteering. There was no way the slow conversation of this morning was just a coincidence. They know.

She had to get out of here before it all came rushing out.

“Um, well.” She started, prompting the others to look back at her. “Uh… I’m going to head to homeroom. I’ve got… something… I’ve got to finish - I mean, uh….”

No one said anything, but Starlight and Fluttershy peered at her curiously.

“See you in class.” She said, the words coming out in a pathetic squeak.

Rarity watched as her friend turned on her heel and all but ran across the lawn and through the front doors. She finally heaved a sigh as Starlight waved her hands through the air in frustration.

“Okay, Rare. Are you going to tell us what that was about?”

The fashionista frowned. “What do you mean?”

“How we more or less blew Twilight off. Are you seriously mad at her because she got sick?”

Rarity nodded to herself, still staring off in the direction Twilight had gone. Breaking the news fast and easy would be best.

“She wasn’t sick.”

Starlight scowled and shook her head to signal her confusion. Fluttershy stepped forward and quietly offered her own input.

“I kind of thought she was lying about that. But why?”

“She’s been with Sunset Shimmer.” Rarity said quickly.

Fluttershy gasped in realization but Starlight continued to look confused and even a bit put off. The girl stared off to the side as she wracked her brain for what this could mean.

“Sunset Shimmer…? Isn’t that….” Then it hit her like a train and she stared at Rarity in shock. “That’s…! Why though? Didn’t you tell her what that bitch did?”

“It’s not so simple.”

Starlight went to argue, because yes it was, but Rarity held up a perfectly-manicured hand. Fluttershy simply stared in horror between the two.

“Of course I told her what Sunset did. Not in detail, because it’s not my place to run my mouth about that and it’s not yours either, Star. But you didn’t see Twilight that night.” Rarity shook her head, worry overcoming everything else. “Sunset Shimmer knows what she’s doing. And we know Twilight. What do you think Sunset’s attention would do to her?”

Starlight chewed her tongue and sighed, because that question didn’t even need an answer. She knew exactly what Sunset’s attention would do. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows before pursing her lips. Fluttershy only grimaced as she understood the implications too.

“Exactly,” Rarity deadpanned. “Twilight doesn’t draw much attention, and to suddenly be noticed by someone like Sunset Shimmer? She’s already in so deep that Sunset was able to convince her to skip school. To skip school, Starlight.”

“Then I’ll tell her the story anyway! What are you going to do, sit back and watch as she gets toyed with?” Starlight spread her arms, angry now at Rarity’s reluctance to gossip. Truly, it wouldn’t even be gossip. Rarity already knew the details, and to pass them on to Twilight would only stop a bunch of inevitable heartbreak.

“Twilight is smart, but academically smart. She couldn’t see someone playing her from a mile away. We have to tell her.”

“So she can resent us?” Rarity argued, stepping closer to Starlight. “We can warn her all we want, but ultimately this is up to her. Yes, darling, I’m upset with her, of course I am. She’s smarter than this, but like I said, she’s never had this before and I’m not going to take it away from her, no matter that it’s going to end badly. So stop giving me your frowny eyebrows and let’s get to class.”

Starlight scoffed, not quite ready to let this go, but then her shoulders dropped in resignation. Fluttershy continued to stare between the two with comically large eyes.

“Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way. But you better apologize to her later for being weird. She definitely picked up on that. She looked like a deer in headlights.”

As the three began walking towards the school building, Starlight wrapped an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulders.

“No offense to you, Shy.”

~……~

The day passed fairly normally, much to Twilight’s surprise. Granted, she didn’t have any classes with her friends until after the lunch hour, so in retrospect, it shouldn’t have really been a surprise that the day had gone normally. Then again, perhaps “normally” wasn’t the right word. During history, the nerd caught sight of two students - two girls that she recognized as having seen her and Sunset yesterday - casting her furtive glances and giggling quietly. She ignored them with all of her might, but it didn’t stop her traitorous brain from once again filling her up with doom-laden thoughts. Rumors about her existed, and here was the proof.

Twilight grimaced and blinked several times, her eyes suddenly bleary and cheeks hot. She was starting to think about this way too hard, as she had been over and over again all morning.

Needless to say, she was now dreading the next meeting with her friends, which would be happening any minute. Usually she would be meeting the girls in the cafeteria, but on Wednesdays they went off-campus for lunch. So Twilight found herself standing near the east entrance of the parking lot, twiddling her thumbs and shuffling to and fro intermittently. Surely by now her friends knew she had lied. She would be facing the music soon.

“Twilight! Yo!”

Twilight discreetly let out a sigh through her teeth at that voice. She looked up from her feet to see Timber Spruce headed her way. He was a tolerable nuisance in the way that he constantly - but politely - vied for her attention. He was completely barking up the wrong tree, but only because Twilight was too much of a people pleaser to tell him she was by no means interested. And now he was cornering her once again when her friends weren’t around.

“Hey, Twilight!” He called again unnecessarily, waving way too enthusiastically for only being a few yards away.

“Erm, hi.” She didn’t wave back but it didn’t deter his bright grin.

“Hey, I didn’t see you yesterday. Were you out sick?”

“Yes.” An automatic answer.

Timber’s eyebrows dipped in sympathy but otherwise his expression didn’t change. Twilight breathed a quiet sigh of relief; at least she was safe from this person’s inquiries.

Regarding Sunset, at least. Timber will have a million other questions, I’m sure.

“Aww, that sucks. But you look amazing today,” He winked and Twilight tried not to cringe. “If you hadn’t told me, I would never have known.”

The nerd adjusted her glasses and tried to smile at his compliment, but like every other time she had smiled today, it felt unnaturally forced.

“So, uh,” He reached up and nervously brushed some dark green hair from his eyes. “I don’t know what you have planned for lunch today, but I was kinda wondering… or more like hoping, I guess, that maybe we could go out together?”

This time Twilight did cringe, but caught herself just in time to make it look like her nose simply itched, swiping a hand across her face in quite an unattractive way. Timber watched the motion, his lips still parted and quirked up in a smile, seemingly unbothered.

Figures he would be the type to think a girl wiping away snot is awesome.

Twilight hurriedly looked away, wracking her brain for a plausible excuse. Sure, she could just say that she was already meeting her friends, but she could see Timber attempting to tag along and Twilight being nice enough to let him. It would be a different story if her friends were already present. Rarity, or more likely Starlight, would tell the boy no way and that would be that.

“Uh, well….” She stammered as Timber continued to smile at her expectantly.

She exhaled, long and slow, attempting to control her breathing. Telling Timber no should not be as hard as she was making it. But he was intimidating, at least to her, with his overflow of self-confidence and lack of awareness of personal space. True, Sunset Shimmer possessed those same qualities, but Twilight was unabashedly attracted to her. She was not, and never would be, unabashedly attracted to Timber Spruce.

Just as she was about to tell him no, sorry, not today, even though she had yet to muster up the courage to do so, she caught a jarring sight from the corner of her eye and whipped her head around to do a double-take. She even reached up to rub at her eyes, to make sure she wasn’t just seeing things.

What was this? Every time she thought of the redhead, lo and behold, there she appeared.

Sunset stood at the other end of the parking lot, arms folded across her chest and leering in her direction. Her lips held a self-assured smile that set Twilight’s heart thumping.

“Twilight? Are you feeling okay?”

The nerd came back to herself at the touch of Timber’s hand on her shoulder. She sucked in a breath so sharply, she choked, which only made Timber come closer and run his hand across her back.

“Still sick? Should I take you home?” He asked, voice dripping with concern.

Twilight reached out blindly to push him away an acceptable distance, still coughing lightly.

“No!” She wheezed. “I’m fine!”

Her assurance didn’t do much. She could still sense the boy standing close, although he had stopped touching her. A soft chuckle sounded out, one that definitely didn’t come from Timber Spruce. Twilight looked up and wiped the tears that had collected at the corners of her eyes.

“Why do I keep catching you at your worst?” Sunset teased.

Oh, cheese and fries!

Sunset frowned, but it was obvious she was trying to hide a smirk.

“I just, uh, choked on my own saliva. Typical me.” She laughed a little too loudly, nervously running her hands along the pleats of her skirt.

Sunset reached up to gently push the girl’s glasses back in place where they had become skewed before tapping the end of her nose with a finger. Twilight giggled stupidly despite herself.

“So, you want to head out?”

Twilight processed that question a few seconds too long, giving Timber time to step forward and try to stake his claim.

“Uh, no? Twilight is going out with me for lunch today.”

Sunset’s eyes darkened over as she slowly blinked and turned to fully face him. Her face quickly dropped into an unimpressed scowl.

“Oh, is she?” A glance to Twilight. “Are you?”

The nerdy girl hunched her shoulders and opened her mouth to speak, looking between the two unsurely. She still wanted to say no, but couldn’t find her voice. Finally, she settled with a shake of her head, unable to meet Timber’s eyes.

“Huh, looks like you’re not going with her. Whoever you are.”

“Timber Spruce -“

Sunset held up a hand and shook her head. “I don’t actually care, dude.”

Timber’s mouth snapped shut and he silently seethed, the fury shining brightly in his eyes. Twilight wasn’t sure she liked the way this confrontation was going, but she had no idea how to step in. She was definitely not used to people fighting over her affections, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. She was a bit flattered, however.

“Why don’t you fuck off and find some other girl to bother? This one is taken.”

Twilight’s heart leaped gleefully at those words. It was a rush. Timber scowled, disbelieving. He glanced to Twilight for some kind of confirmation, but she only sidled closer to the redhead, trying to look apologetic and guiltless.

“Yeah, okay,” He mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Whatever.”

Sunset didn’t wait to watch him walk away, and turned back to Twilight, a lazy, carefree smirk already back on her face.

“Well, thank you for that. I mean, maybe you didn’t have to be so… blunt, but thank you anyway.”

“Sure. And yeah, I did have to. Guys like that, you have to put them in their place or they’ll just keep coming back. Something tells me he hassles you a lot.”

Twilight shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. But he’s not pushy.”

“Yet. Trust me, he’ll get there. And if he bothers you again, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

Truthfully, Twilight didn’t know what to make of that. She wasn’t sure what Sunset meant by taking care of it, but she had a few guesses and they weren’t exactly above board.

“Anyway, how about it? Want to get going?”

Twilight chewed her lip. Could she really do this again? Looking at Sunset’s alluring self, she had no doubts about leaving school again. She had to mentally smack herself to keep the Sunset Shimmer-shaped cloud of distraction from taking over her mind.

You’re not a delinquent, Sparkle! Don’t disappoint your friends!

Yes, her friends. Her friends who would be showing up any time now. They would catch her and chase Sunset away. Did she want that? A small yet incessant, nagging, sane part of her that sounded an awful lot like every authority figure she knew truly did want her friends to chase the redhead away and shield her from Sunset’s irresistable lure. She needed to get back on track before she was completely derailed and unable to make her way back at all.

But then Sunset’s hand was on her cheek, tan fingers lightly scratching at her hairline, and Twilight made the mistake of meeting the turquoise eyes before her. A mistake because she immediately got lost and subsequently lost her resolve. Sunset smiled at her gently.

“Well?”

“O-okay,” She nodded, quickly reaching up to snatch Sunset’s hand and thread their fingers. “But just for the lunch hour. I have to be back for class.”

“Whatever you say, princess.”

There it was. Twilight’s mouth went dry at the name and another ridiculous giggle bubbled forth. She was still reeling and allowed Sunset to lead her across the lot, where she expected to find Flash Sentry’s Camaro waiting. She stumbled to a halt when the redhead began approaching a motorcycle.

It was a small motorcyle, but a motorcyle nonetheless. Not that Twilight had never been on a motorcycle. Several years ago, when Shining Armor was her age, he had nearly given their parents a heart attack when he came home one day astride a hulking bike. Twilight, being only fourteen at the time, had been plenty excited to go for a ride with her brother. Their mother was very thankful when Shining decided to trade his motorcycle in for something more practical a few months later.

Sunset’s bike was a baby compared to Shining’s monstrosity, so Twilight didn’t know why she felt so alarmed. Perhaps because it was just another reason in the growing list of reasons that her subconscious was dutifully keeping for why she should not be hanging around with Sunset.

But damn, did she look good swinging a leg over that thing. Twilight couldn’t help but blush.

“Hop on.” Sunset prompted after Twilight had yet to move.

The nerd took one more lasting look at Sunset astride the bike - mostly to appreciate how freaking good she looked there - and her brows cinched when she found an important element missing.

“No helmets?” She asked, folding her hands to her chest.

Sunset shrugged, glancing back to the empty saddlebags. “I haven’t gotten around to it, I guess.”

Alarms blared in Twilight’s head, once more courtesy of her parents and her upbringing. Safety first in all things, especially when those things involved potentially injuring your head. She felt a small pang of envy that Sunset was so carefree that she couldn’t even be bothered by something like that. Twilight had to worry (too much) over everything.

“I’ll have one for you next time, I promise.”

A flash of that charming smile and Twilight thought she would believe anything that came out of the redhead’s mouth. With a small huff, she relented and hopped on behind Sunset, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

All thoughts of meeting her friends were gone by the time they left the parking lot.

~……~

“Did Twilight message you, too?”

Rarity looked up from her phone where she had been sending off a reply to Fluttershy’s text about running late. Starlight was circling aimlessly and glancing around the parking lot.

“No. Why?”

Starlight whipped back around to the fashionista and scoffed, spreading her arms to indicate the area around them.

“She’s not here. You know she’s punctual.”

Rarity stopped, letting that sink in. She heaved a very heavy sigh when she realized what Twilight not being here could imply. There were really only two options. One, Twilight was avoiding them. Or two, Twilight had already left, and more than likely she hadn’t left alone.

Rarity would bet everything she owned on the latter.

“If you’re looking for Twilight, she’s gone.”

The girls turned to see Timber Spruce slouching against the hood of his car. Rarity hadn’t noticed him before and fought down the flare of annoyance that his presence caused before his words registered.

“Did you see her?” She asked quickly.

“I’m guessing you guys didn’t know she had other plans.” He mumbled, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the sidewalk.

“Spit it out, Spruce. What happened?” Starlight asked, growing impatient.

“She left with that other girl.”

Rarity and Starlight shared a look, Starlight beginning to shake her head in annoyed disbelief.

“What other girl?” Rarity prompted, though asking was quite unnecessary. It could only be one person.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen her before. Red and gold hair, leggy, a knockout actually.” He pouted, folding his arms in a sulking manner.

Rarity rolled her eyes, she couldn’t believe Timber would be jealous right now. She knew he had no idea Twilight was not interested in boys - though if that was because he was too self-absorbed or simply ignorant remained to be seen - and continued to pine after her. Rarity almost felt embarrassed for him. If he hadn’t gotten the clue after today, he never would.

“There you have it. She’s gone off with Sunset again.” Starlight said, frowning.

“Yes,” Rarity agreed, cocking an eyebrow. “The least she could have done was sent a text.”

“So then that’s it. She’s trying to hide this from us.”

Rarity shook her head, signaling that she didn’t know. It wouldn’t be coincidence that Twilight had failed to mention Sunset twice, but then again, Rarity hadn’t either. Perhaps they would treat the issue as the elephant in the room until either side finally broke.

“We’ve already had this discussion. How this plays out is all up to her.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed, but nodded and raised her palms in acquiescence.

~……~

As she sat tucked away in a corner booth with Sunset, Twilight couldn’t stop the nagging worry at the back of her mind. Worry was an everpresent emotion for her, so ignoring it wasn’t very difficult. Deep down she knew being with Sunset was the root cause of this particular worrying, but at the same time, being in such close proximity to the redhead was helpful to ease the worry down.

Sugarcube Corner was a popular spot for a lot of CHS students, Twilight and her friends included. Thankfully today there weren’t many students that she recognized among the small crowd, so likely there was no one to spread more gossip. No one had looked twice at the two of them, huddled together as they were sharing a basket of fries. Sunset had one arm draped across the back of the booth and Twilight rested her head against it, close enough to smell the citrusy scent of the girl but far enough away to see all her features in a single glance. Twilight watched, nearly entranced, as Sunset absentmindedly tapped a fry against her lips, pondering the nerd’s question.

Slipping back into conversation with Sunset was just as easy as it had been yesterday, maybe even moreso.

“Yeah, Flash is definitely my best friend. We’ve known each other for years.”

“How did you meet?” Twilight asked quietly, grabbing a fry for herself.

“Okay, don’t laugh, because what I’m about to tell you is so on brand for the two of us that it’s not even funny.”

Sunset’s tongue darted out to swipe salt from her lips, a motion that Twilight didn’t miss. She smiled and nodded, urging Sunset to continue.

“Ten years ago our friend groups ran into each other out on a bike ride. Me and Flash butted heads immediately, and I couldn’t even tell you why.”

Twilight smirked, because she could picture such a thing perfectly.

“He got mad about something I said and challenged me to a game of chicken. But we were so headstrong neither of us bowed out and ended up crashing into each other pretty damn hard. He broke a wrist and I knocked out three of my top teeth.”

She laughed, and tapped a finger against said teeth as Twilight gasped.

“Thank God they were my baby teeth or I would have been super screwed. So Flash and I have been friends ever since, continuously getting up to stupid shit together.”

She laughed again, seemingly remembering all those stupid things. Twilight simply shook her head as she smiled fondly. Apparently the redhead had forgotten the rule about not laughing.

“Oh my God! Is that Sunset Shimmer? It is!”

Three girls approaching their spot caused Sunset’s laughter to slowly peter out into a groan. Twilight looked back and forth between Sunset and the girls, particularly the one who had spoken. The girl gave off such powerful leader energy that Twilight almost flinched. She was beautiful in a sharp kind of way, with wild orange hair and piercing eyes that Twilight didn’t have the confidence to meet. The other two hung back, one with hands on her hips and looking completely uninterested, the other threading her fingers through her ponytail and bouncing on her heels.

“Adagio. Hey.” Sunset drawled, drawing out the word sarcastically.

Adagio didn’t seem bothered, in fact her smile only grew at Sunset’s annoyance. With a flick of her wrist, Adagio directed her minions - that was the first word that popped into Twilight’s mind - to squeeze into the booth alongside Twilight, while she herself sidled up next to the redhead. An uncomfortable pang of jealousy shot through the nerdy girl’s chest as Adagio’s hands settled easily along Sunset’s arm.

I thought Sunset told you there were no other girls? She bit her lip hard, trying to banish that voice. Shut up!

“It’s been a long time, Sunny,” Adagio purred. “Why don’t you ever call me?”

Sunset attempted to pull her arm back, but the ginger’s grip was too tight. “Why would I?”

Adagio laughed, and Twilight startled as her minions laughed with her.

“Yeah, it’s not like you even have her number.” The girl with long blue hair said, smiling brightly. The last girl nudged her hard with her elbow, causing her to yelp.

“I don’t have any interest in calling you. Or seeing you, for that matter.” Sunset said, still trying to pry the girl’s fingers off of her.

“Who is this?” The last girl asked abruptly, a sneer on her face and a disgusted tone to her voice.

Twilight attempted to make herself as small as possible and shrink down into the seat when all three girls’ eyes landed on her.

“Aww, she’s shy!” The blue-haired one giggled. “I’m Sonata and this is Aria. Don’t let her mean mug scare you, she’s super nice, really.”

Aria eyed Sonata in a way that Twilight considered the furthest thing from “super nice.” Feeling eyes boring into her, she turned back to find Adagio glaring at her hard before a smile snapped into place a split second later.

“Yes, who is this?” She asked, and even Twilight picked up on the mock politeness to her voice.

“Oh, um, I’m Twilight Sparkle -“

A peal of snarky laughter cut her off and Adagio swatted a hand through the air.

“How adorable! Is this a date, Sunny? Are we interrupting a date?”

Sunset rolled her eyes at Adagio’s ear-piercing tone and finally succeeded in peeling off the deathgrip on her arm.

“No, we’re just hanging out. But you did interrupt.”

Twilight felt disappointed that Sunset didn’t think of this as a date. Or was she just saying that to keep from pissing off Adagio? The girl pouted apologetically and lightly tapped her fingers against Sunset’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” She whined, not sounding sorry at all. “I was just excited to see you again.”

Her eyes flashed towards Aria and Sonata, communicating something so quickly Twilight couldn’t pick up on it. Sunset sighed and drew her hand back from under the ginger’s touch.

“I’m hungry.” Aria said, folding her arms.

“Yes, we’re starving,” Adagio agreed. “Sunny, do you think you could order us something? Please? I’ll pay you back next time.”

Adagio leaned in, looking up at Sunset through her lashes with a pout on her full lips, and even Twilight felt her heart stutter at how appealing she looked. The nerdy girl thought she saw a ghost of a smile playing at Sunset’s lips as she met Adagio’s gaze.

“Yeah, sure, fine.” Sunset said, sounding annoyed.

She waited a beat, as Adagio had yet to slide out of the booth to make room for Sunset to exit.

“Let me out.” She said, even more annoyed.

Adagio grinned in a snarky way and shrugged. “I guess you’ll just have to climb over me.”

Twilight saw Sunset’s jaw clench and she figured the redhead was about to tell her off. But to her surprise, Sunset simply lifted herself to scoot across the ginger girl’s lap. Adagio placed her hands at Sunset’s hips to guide her along - though Twilight knew that was entirely unnecessary - and, as Sunset’s backside slid across her thighs, Adagio bit her lip and deliberately met Twilight’s eyes with a vicious glint in her own. Twilight wasn’t strong enough to hold that contact for very long.

Adagio and Sunset obviously had some sort of history, maybe even recently. Deep down, Twilight knew it was petty of her to be jealous. But Adagio was outrageously beautiful, and the girl obviously knew it. She had confidence to match Sunset’s, and she wasn’t afraid to initiate intimate contact (lewd contact). From the very beginning, Twilight constantly questioned what Sunset saw in her, as she was meek, and nerdy, and extremely self-conscious in everything. She knew Sunset could have anyone she wanted, and couldn’t comprehend why she would settle for Twilight.

“Well, what do you want?” Sunset asked after she had finally extracted herself from the booth - and Adagio’s possessive hands.

“Ooh, nachos!” Sonata piped up, practically bouncing in her seat.

Sunset nodded and threw a quick regretful glance at Twilight, a quirk of her lips and roll of her eyes. Twilight knew the other girls must have seen it, but she didn’t dare look at Adagio again. She was suddenly full of dread at being left alone with these three, trapped between them so she couldn’t easily escape.

“And get them with extra everything!” Sonata called again at Sunset’s retreating back.

Silence took over the booth then, except for Adagio’s fingers tapping against the tabletop. Twilight folded in on herself, hands tightly clenched in her lap and head down. Perhaps she could get lucky and the others would just talk amongst themselves.

“Where the hell did Sunset find you? The secondhand bookstore?”

Or perhaps not. Peeking from the corner of her eye, she saw Adagio glaring nastily at her.

“I didn’t realize they were having a sale on miserable skanks.”

It wasn’t really funny, but Adagio’s minions snickered. No, it wasn’t funny at all, but it still managed to hurt Twilight’s feelings. She was used to being giggled at in the hallways, or shot dirty looks, but never outright mocked and teased. CHS was good at keeping bullies at bay - a shock, actually - so the most Twilight had had to endure was mild compared to what she knew was coming from these three girls.

“She must have felt sorry for you,” Adagio continued, her tone light now. “I mean, look at you. Do you honestly think you’re Sunset’s type? Because believe me, sweetie, you aren’t.”

“Yeah, because Adagio is totally Sunset’s type!” Sonata giggled.

The smirk dropped from Adagio’s face quickly and her biting glare turned on Sonata. Aria jammed an elbow into the girl’s side again, effectively shutting her up.

“Honestly, you’re kind of pathetic. Didn’t you notice how Sunset didn’t even call this a date?” She laughed lowly and mock-pouted. “Poor thing.”

Twilight said nothing. She knew whatever she said would only serve to further provoke Adagio. Yet at the same time, what could she say? It wasn’t as if Adagio was lying.

“Tch, you can’t even stand up for yourself? Yes, you’re very pathetic.”

“I’m starting to feel sorry for you now.” Aria said, sharing a look with the ginger.

Adagio shoved Twilight in the shoulder, hard enough to knock her off balance. Sonata barked out a laugh as Twilight barely caught herself on the table.

“Listen,” Adagio started, her tone now dripping with venom. “You should fuck off and stay away from Sunset. You know, before you get hurt.”

Twilight swallowed. Adagio did not have to elaborate.

“Besides, she’ll grow bored of you soon enough. And when she does, she’ll fall back into my lap as easily as she did just a few minutes ago.”

Her minions giggled again, getting a good kick out of Adagio’s innuendo. The ginger leaned in close enough that Twilight could feel her breath in her hair.

“Sunset will forget your name when she’s screaming mine.”

Twilight couldn’t take anymore. She had to get out of this booth, out of this diner. Just as she was about to push her way out by any means necessary, even crawling beneath the table if she had to, a plate of loaded nachos thunked down in front of her and Sunset was looking between the four girls in confusion.

“Is everything okay over here?” She asked.

“Of course!” Adagio beamed and wrapped an arm around Twilight’s shoulders, pulling her close. “I would even say we’re besties now.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, showing that she doubted that, but didn’t inquire further. Twilight blinked rapidly to fight back the tears pricking the corners of her eyes, and she hoped Sunset didn’t notice.

“Here’s your nachos. Now let me back in, I’m not crawling over you again.”

Adagio flicked her wrist again, and her minions shuffled back out of the booth.

“Actually we have to get going.”

Sunset scowled and sighed as Adagio also slid from the booth. The ginger stepped into Sunset’s space and flashed a flirtatious smile.

“Thanks for everything, Sunny. Hopefully you’ll come see me soon, but if not,” She slid a hand up Sunset’s chest to her neck, and finally under her chin, where her fingers lingered. “At least I’ll see you in my dreams.”

With one last biting glance in Twilight’s direction, Adagio turned on her heel and sauntered away, Aria right behind her. Sonata smiled and swiped up the plate of nachos before hurrying to catch up. Sunset stood there a moment longer, chewing the skin of her cheek and looking irritated. Then she turned back to Twilight and leaned over, palms flat against the table.

“Were they rude to you?”

Twilight, who had yet to come out of her defensive curl, sat up straighter and attempted a smile.

“N-no, they were great.”

Sunset smiled sympathetically. “You don’t have to lie for them. They’re the perfect trio of bitches. Don’t let them get to you.”

Twilight nodded, wanting to say no more on this subject. Adagio’s words struck hard, but true. The nerd would have to say goodbye to Sunset today for good. Not simply because of Adagio’s threat, but because Twilight couldn’t continue to fool herself. It would be best to stop things now, before Sunset could grow bored of her.

You knew this all along. Why were you stupid enough to let yourself get in so deep?

Sunset tapped the table to get Twilight’s attention. She flashed a grin, seeming to have already forgotten Adagio and the others.

“Ready to go? You said you had to be back for class.”

Twilight nodded, still silent. But as she walked out of Sugarcube Corner arm in arm with Sunset, she realized something. She was going to say goodbye to Sunset today, but it didn’t have to be so soon. Couldn’t she at least have the rest of the day with her? Was that too much to ask?

“Actually….”

Sunset looked at her expectantly. She cocked her head. “What is it?”

“I was thinking that we could spend the day together again?” She asked quietly, her confidence melting away with each word.

What if Sunset didn’t want to spend the day with her? She was being selfish. Sunset probably had her own plans for the day, and she was about to reject her, because why would she waste another day with Twilight when she could -

“Hell yeah. I’d love that.” The redhead laughed, drawing Twilight in for a hug.

The nerdy girl found herself clinging to Sunset, pressing her face into the front of her shoulder to inhale her lovely scent. Sunset held her for several moments, smoothing one hand across her back and threading the other through her ponytail slowly.

“You alright?” She asked softy.

Twilight pulled away, embarrassed, and quickly swiped at her eyes where more tears had collected. She smiled in a sheepish manner, unable to meet Sunset’s eyes.

“I’m fine. I just… I wasn’t sure you would say yes.”

Fingers gently prodding under her chin prompted Twilight to lift her head, where she found Sunset watching her with another lazy smirk.

“Sure I would. I’ll always say yes to you.”

Twilight’s brain had trouble processing that. Sunset took the opportunity to swoop in and place a kiss against the girl’s forehead, mussing her bangs cutely.

“And you’ll always say yes to me, right?”

Twilight held her breath a moment as she and Sunset looked at one another, the redhead with that slight narrowing of her eyes that Twilight couldn’t quite decipher yet. She nodded her head adamantly.

“Of course. Always.”

~……~

They spent the majority of the day cruising through the city on Sunset’s bike, the redhead pointing out her favorite hangouts, promising to take Twilight there sometime. Twilight, meanwhile, struggled with her own mind, going back and forth between putting a stop to things with Sunset and throwing caution to the wind and continuing right along despite the consequences. Rarity’s words seemed to align with Adagio’s - Sunset Shimmer was stringing her along for personal reasons.

But that was ridiculous.

Wasn’t it?

Hours passed in a blur for Twilight, wrapped up in her own head as she was. Riding with Sunset, the girl’s back flush against her front, long hair whipping against her cheeks, it felt like a dream. She could barely recall what they talked about when they stopped to stretch their legs. She was simply going through the motions. So much for enjoying her last day with Sunset.

As six o’clock drew near and Twilight suddenly jolted back to awareness at the thought of her parents beginning to wonder where she was, the nerd reluctantly directed Sunset to drop her at home. She begged the redhead to park several houses down however, because she did not want her family to spot her on the back of a motorcycle and have to face the corresponding questions that came with it. Sunset happily obliged, and Twilight felt another pang of shame heat up her cheeks.

Sunset was sincere, and that was that. Any faults in this relationship (though Twilight hesitated to use that word) were entirely Twilight’s alone. She was the one second-guessing, she was the one afraid of every next step. Sunset was doing nothing bad and Rarity and Adagio were wrong. But still, it ate at her.

“Sunset?” She asked quietly once they had pulled up half a block from her house, Sunset killing the engine and dropping the kickstand.

“Yeah?”

“Why aren’t you with Adagio?”

The question was met with silence. Sunset stared over her shoulder at her in bewilderment, and Twilight raised a hand to nervously twirl a tendril of hair around her finger. Maybe she had been too forward.

“What? You mean, like, dating Adagio?”

Twilight nodded, chewing her lip. Sunset fell silent again, and Twilight took that as a need to elaborate.

“She’s very pretty, and she’s confident and sure of what she’s doing. I-I don’t know, it just seemed like you two have… a connection.”

Her words hung in the air, but she was too nervous to look at Sunset to see her reaction. Twilight clambered off the bike, ready to run for her house when Sunset inevitably agreed and kicked her to the curb. But amused laughter surprised her.

“Adagio?” Sunset asked again through her laughter.

Twilight nodded again, shifting her eyes to the side awkwardly. She was unsure what else she should say. How was Sunset not comprehending what she was saying?

“I’m… I’m nothing like her. She just seems more your type.”

Twilight cringed as she used the words Adagio had.

“Shut up,” Sunset said playfully. “You’re joking, right?”

Twilight snapped her eyes up to look at the redhead, who was smiling. It only served to confuse the nerd. She shook her head, not knowing if Sunset’s question was rhetorical.

“I don’t have a connection with her, no fucking way. What did she say to you?”

Sunset leaned over to grasp Twilight’s hands and tug her close again. Twilight now stood several inches taller, as Sunset had yet to stand up off of the bike, so she was unable to stare down at her feet to avoid the other girl’s eyes.

“N-nothing,” She shrugged. “I just thought you two had history together, the way you… interacted.”

That word is definitely a choice.

Sunset wrinkled her nose, not in disgust but in embarrassment. She scratched at the back of her neck.

“Okay, yeah, you got me there. We do, but not in the way that you’re thinking.”

Twilight lifted her head, curiosity beginning to overpower her self-consciousness. Sunset tugged her even closer, so that their legs bumped together.

“We were in a band together about a year ago. Adagio was into me, and I admit, I did lead her on a bit, but in the end I told her in exact words that I wasn’t interested. But she’s fucking stubborn. And maybe a little delusional, too.” She chuckled. “She still thinks she’s going to win me over. It’s not happening, ever.”

That did make Twilight feel a bit better. It didn’t change the fact that Adagio’s threat of Twilight getting hurt still stood, not that she would ever mention that to Sunset. She didn’t think she had any right to ask for her protection. Ending things with the redhead was her best option for self-preservation. As it was, she stood to lose too much no matter which way things went. She knew this, and yet she was reluctant to step away.

She looked back into Sunset’s eyes, not sure what she wanted to find there but searching anyway. She still wanted to kiss her, more than she ever had. Doing so would either make or break her next decision.

“What is it?” Sunset asked, noticing the internal struggle playing out on Twilight’s face.

“I….” She trailed off.

Do it, you coward.

“I really want to kiss you.” She muttered, her cheeks instantly flushing at the admission.

Sunset’s lips curled up in a smirk, and Twilight didn’t think she had ever seen anything sexier. Turquoise eyes trailed her face, lingering at the blush threatening to fog up her glasses, before dropping down to her mouth, and finally back up to her own eyes.

“What’s stopping you?”

That was the question, wasn’t it. Twilight could probably name a number of things stopping her, but in the moment, none of them seemed all that severe. Those earlier thoughts of self-preservation had disappeared into thin air when Sunset looked at her like that. Sucking in a shaky breath, nearly choking on her spit again, Twilight leaned closer to breathe one word.

“Nothing.”

With that, she closed the distance before the logical part of her brain could take over again. In her eagerness she nearly fell into Sunset, who caught her round the waist and pulled her in close. She was pleasantly surprised; that briefest of touches yesterday had nothing on the true touch of Sunset’s lips. She slipped her hands up the redhead’s cheeks, some newfound assertiveness allowing her to draw Sunset in deeper.

Is this heaven? Am I dead and this is what heaven is like? Because I’ll gladly stay here for all eternity.

Twilight was on cloud nine. Sure, she had kissed people before - if a nervous wreck of a kiss with Fluttershy during an out of control game of Truth or Dare sophomore year counted. She could still hear Rarity’s maniacal laughter. She worried that maybe Sunset thought her kissing technique wasn’t up to par, but when time had passed and the other girl hadn’t pulled away, Twilight relaxed a little.

But when Sunset’s tongue prodded against her lip, Twilight broke the kiss, far too nervous to even go down that road. She couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t accidentally bite her tongue off from nerves. She giggled smally, breathing harder than she probably should from such a short kiss.

“S-sorry. I just….”

“Ah, you want to take things slow?” Sunset questioned, an eyebrow cocked and a teasing tone to her words.

“Um, yeah,” Twilight blushed, nervously adjusting her glasses. “I mean, unless that’s not okay. Because a part of me really wants to go fast but then again I don’t know how you feel and I wouldn’t want to -“

“You’re rambling, Sparkle.”

“Oh. Right. I am.”

A beat of silence fell over them as they reveled in each other’s proximity. But then Twilight was surging forth again to all but crash their lips together, kissing Sunset more fiercely than she thought herself capable of. But Sunset didn’t complain, and Twilight could feel her lips curve up in a smile against the kiss. Then Twilight was pulling back again quickly; she was having quite a time fighting off her damn nerves.

Sunset watched her, clearly amused, but ready to receive however many kisses Twilight was willing to lay on her.

“You good?” She asked, laughter evident in her voice.

“Yes. Better than ever.”

Another moment of silence as Twilight swooned. With another jolt, she remembered what she was doing here, that she needed to get home. She reluctantly pulled Sunset’s arms from around her waist and backed up a step.

“I have to go. My parents are probably waiting for me.”

Another step back.

“But I’ll text you! Or you text me. Whatever works.”

Another step back. A hand reaching up to twirl her hair.

“Okay! Goodnight!”

A turn on her heel. A handful of steps away from Sunset. Then an overwhelming urge to turn around and race back into the redhead’s arms to place one last lingering kiss against her irresistable lips. Sunset snickered quietly and pulled back to tap Twilight’s nose.

“Goodnight, Twilight.” And though her voice was light and almost goading, Twilight heard the finality behind it.

Disentangling herself once more, she quickly made her way down the sidewalk to her house. Of course, she cast one last glance over her shoulder to find Sunset still watching her, arms folded and leaning against her bike in such a way that made Twilight’s stomach dance with butterflies. When Sunset swiped her tongue slowly over her lips, Twilight felt her cheeks heat up and her insides churn with more than just butterflies. To know that Sunset wanted to savor the taste of her was mortifying, but a major turn-on at the same time. She had to look away before she couldn’t stop herself from returning for more.

Saying goodbye to Sunset was now out of the question. She was in it for the long run, no matter what she stood to lose.

Author's Note:

Twi, you're being stupid. Even though I know how this story ends, you're still being dumb.

So yeah, this is mostly from Twilight's POV, but there will eventually be some scenes from Sunset's perspective.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[HelgaButtercup]

Godaaaaamnnnn i wonder where all of this is going