Expectations
Twilight sat in Pinkie's dimly lit kitchen with her notebook on the counter and a pen in her mouth. She made some strokes with the pen, then looked them over. Frustrated, she shook her head and spat out the pen.
"No, that's not going to work," she said as she rubbed her tired eyes. The counter-spell she was working on was really starting to get on her nerves, and the lack of sleep wasn't helping her very much, either.
"Hey Twilight," came the sound of a voice from the nearby doorway. "You're up late."
She looked up, surprised, to see Sunset Shimmer leaning against the door frame. She didn't think anyone else was awake. Sunset was loudly snoring when Twilight got out of bed, and with the other five snoring loud enough that someone could drop one of Pinkie's cymbals onto hard floor and nobody would notice, she doubted her miniature parkour around the sleeping bags would have woken her up.
"Just working on the counter spell," explained Twilight as she put an arm on the notebook to protect it, not wanting Sunset to see her failed attempts at the spell. "We only get one shot at this; it has to be perfect." She knew the consequences if this counter spell failed were higher than ever before, rivaled only by Sunset's own quest for world domination. If this spell failed, the Dazzlings would have all the power they needed to take over not one, but two universes.
"We really are lucky you're here," encouraged Sunset as she walked over to the Pinkie's refrigerator and opened it. Sunset didn't know what they would do if she had to write the counter spell to defeat the sirens herself, her being the only other "unicorn" at the school. Without Twilight, nobody here would even know what a siren was, let alone how to defeat one – no, three. Even with that knowledge, Sunset seriously doubted her ability to write such a crucial song under such pressure. She always had doubts about herself, especially when she was younger, always hiding them deep within herself where nobody – or nopony – could see it.
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," said Twilight. She couldn't help but feel the almost literal weight of this task set squarely on her shoulders. What if she actually failed? Everyone and everypony she knew might not be there anymore. She might not be there anymore. Everyone expected so much of her, and they didn't even think it possible for the "Great Princess Twilight" to fail. She was just a girl now. Even in her alicorn state, success was not guaranteed. None of her friends realized how much stress she was under.
"Who could possibly need this much whipped cream?" wondered Sunset aloud as she saw that Pinkie's fridge contained nothing but whipped cream. "It must be nice to have everyone looking to you for answers to their problems, instead of waiting for you to cause a problem."
As Sunset sprayed some of the whipped cream onto her finger, she realized she was a little jealous of all that Twilight had achieved; all that she could have had as well, if she hadn't run away from Equestria, and had listened to Princess Celestia's advice. Maybe her subconscious had told her to get out of bed at one in the morning because deep down, she wanted to help Twilight with the spell. She needed to feel like she had done something right for once.
"Just because everyone expects something of you, doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen," said Twilight, looking up from her notebook. She wished that were the case, but sadly it was not. Quite the opposite actually. The more people expected from her and thought that she could handle with ease, the harder it became to focus on the already difficult task at hand. The quickly approaching deadline didn't help any, either.
"But that doesn't stop them from expecting it," agreed Sunset, remembering painful events from her darker past that would never go away. She knew people would always remember the things she had done, no matter what she did to make amends. She had to face the facts; she had ruined her reputation in two universes. There would always be someone who expected her to turn around and stab them in the back.
"Which only makes things harder because the last thing you want to do is–"
"Let everybody down."
Sunset and Twilight looked at each other after finishing that sentence. They exchanged sheepish grins, both girls realizing that their problems were all too similar. Maybe they weren't as different as they thought. Sunset turned and closed the refrigerator door to find Maud Pie silently – and creepily – standing there with Boulder.
Sunset's eyes grew large and she shrank back with a yell — until she realized it was just Maud.
"Boulder was hungry," Maud said flatly, holding up her rock and not even blinking at Sunset's outburst.
Maud reached into a cabinet to her left and pulled out a box of square crackers. Maud began to dump the crackers on her "pet", while Sunset backed away meekly to where Twilight was at the counter. She wasn't expecting Maud to show up at this hour, and the fact that she was silent didn't make it any less creepy. Sunset wondered how much of their conversation Maud heard. Maud walked away still dispensing the crackers, leaving a trail of "crumbs" that Boulder missed.
"I still can't get over the fact that she's related to Pinkie Pie," whispered Sunset to Twilight after Maud had left.
"You and me both," Twilight agreed.
Both girls shared another smile, until Sunset yawned, putting her hand to her mouth.
"I'd better get some sleep. Good luck with that counter spell," encouraged Sunset as she exited Pinkie's kitchen. "Not that you'll need it. This must be nothing compared with the stuff you are expected to deal with as a princess in Equestria." Sunset inwardly cringed as she realized how that sounded out loud. Why didn't I just wish her good luck and leave it at that? She had meant that to sound more encouraging. Just another thing I have to work on.
Twilight looked down at the book again and started grinding her teeth. Should she tell Sunset she was having trouble with the counter spell? She was not worried if Sunset would betray her. No, she had complete trust in Sunset, even if she really hadn't gotten to know her all that well yet. She was worried that maybe Sunset would lose confidence in her, or stop looking up to her if she knew the truth.
"Sunset Shimmer?" called Twilight after Sunset.
Sunset turned around from the doorway, a look of hope on her face. Silently, Sunset hoped with all her heart that Twilight would let her help with the counter spell. She knew after this talk that she was clearly stressed, but she also knew that Twilight could figure it out. Nonetheless, she still wanted to help, even if nothing more than to encourage her and be there to help relieve her stress. Sunset needed to feel like she belonged. She was a part Twilight's group of friends, but she just felt like she was tagging along for the ride. She wanted to feel included. For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity while she anxiously waited for Twilight's to say something, it was silent.
Twilight decided to confide in Sunset and share her deepest fear with the girl who a couple months ago would have been the last person she shared this with. She hated to admit it, but she couldn't do this herself. She was very low on self confidence, and at this point, she didn't care if her friends thought a little less of her; she just wanted a working spell because she wouldn't have any friends if the Dazzlings succeeded. Twilight took a deep breath as she passed the point in of no return.
"I don't know if I can do this." She sighed, pressing her palms into her tired eyes.
"I know you can." said Sunset with a kind of assurance that was different than her normal confident tone."Maybe you just need a friend to help you."
"That would be a big help." Twilight gave a small smile as her cheeks turned bright red. At least that's out of the way, she thought. Sunset had come a long way from where she was, and Twilight knew that she genuinely wanted to be there for her. She needed to share her fears with someone, and Sunset seemed the most relatable, surprisingly. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course, Twilight." Sunset could tell this was something very deep for Twilight.
"Everypony has always told me that I am extraordinary," started Twilight slowly. "They always expect me to solve every problem that comes my way, and sometimes it really stresses me out. They all expect me to be perfect. The truth is, I'm not perfect. I'm just a normal unicorn. Well, I was just a normal unicorn, until I became an alicorn. But that just gave everyone even more reason to think I'm perfect. I know nobody likes letting people down, but it's my worst nightmare. This spell could be the one that lets everyone down."
"I thought you looked like you were having a little trouble with this. I know how you feel, believe me."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Back when I was Princess Celestia's student, everypony said I was the 'most talented filly they had ever met'. It was a lot of pressure, but I never let it show. I was determined to be the best, and I let others' praise get to my head. There was always a part of me, though, that was afraid to fail. Behind all of that unwavering confidence that I showed on the outside, I was really just a little filly who wasn't mentally ready for the responsibilities that everyone knew that I could physically handle."
"Is that why you decided to abandon your studies?"
"Yeah, I guess. When I was really young, I was bullied by a filly who told me I wasn't good at anything, and nopony liked me. After a while I started to believe her, so when I became Celestia's student, I wasn't used to being told I was a prodigy. I shut everyone out, focusing on only my studies, because I didn't know the value of friendship. I was afraid everyone would just bully me if I tried to make friends. I never accepted the guidance of a mentor that other foals had, and so I didn't really realize why I was not ready for certain things. So here I am, a full adult by pony standards, with the judgment of a filly. I've gotten a little better, but I really am just a filly that's made some bad mistakes that wouldn't have happened had I accepted all that I was being offered. And we both know where that got me."
"That's what the girls and I are here to help you with now." Twilight put a hand gently on Sunset's shoulder. "That just proves that the magic of friendship is one of the most important things out there."
"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset smiled, and it was probably the most genuine smile Twilight had ever seen. "Remember that you're never alone either. I can help with anything magic related, even if I can't do it myself anymore, and sometimes it just helps to have somebody there to share the stress with. It doesn't always have to be completely on you."
"Thanks, Sunset," Twilight said. "I'll remember that from now on."
"That's what friends are for, I guess. Now, what's wrong with the spell?"
"The problem is, nothing seems right. Usually there is something that clicks. I'm not getting that yet."
"Can I see?" asked Sunset. "I know you can figure this out, especially with a friend to help."
Twilight hesitated for a moment, unsure if she wanted Sunset to see her failed attempts at the spell.
"You know, I excelled at spell-writing when I was Princess Celestia's student. I know I was ambitious and my ego was bigger than Rainbow Dash's, but I did learn a lot in my time as a student. I'm probably a little rusty, but I'm sure I remember at least some of what I was taught."
Twilight pushed the book towards Sunset and she spun it around so it was facing her. Twilight could see Sunset's eyes scanning the page. Apparently Sunset found something interesting, because she picked up the book and pulled up a stool, while still reading the spell. Then Twilight realized she had a look in her eyes she knew all too well; the absorption of a good read. Twilight waited patiently while Sunset finished reading the spell. She could tell Sunset was really enjoying reading it after an absence from magic for so long. After Sunset finished reading, she came around the counter with her stool and sat next to Twilight, putting the notebook between them.
"Now, this is probably because I haven't seen a spell in almost five years, but there are a few things I don't get."
"Like what?"
"Well, first of all I don't see how this stanza here adheres to Star Swirl's Third Law of Magic Algorithm, if we need it to energize the quantum particles in proportion to the density of niobium in the four-dimensional vacuum of the time continuum, where we can refract the third magnetic pole to allow the abstract concretion of the plasma condensate."
Sunset and Twilight worked together on the spell for a while, bouncing ideas off each other and catching mistakes that the other missed. Sunset taught Twilight how to write with her hands a little better, and Twilight helped Sunset review her spell-writing skills.
Eventually, the sky began to lighten and both girls looked up from the table to see the first rays of sunlight shine through the window. They smiled at each other again as they felt content, and closer friends than before, as Sunset usually felt out of place around the humane five and was always kind of the outsider. She enjoyed it more than she would have expected.
They had made some progress with the spell, but it still didn't click. They both enjoyed the bonding time nonetheless.
"Thanks for your help, Sunset," yawned Twilight.
"No problem, Twilight," yawned Sunset back. "Just remember you're never alone. Don't be afraid to ask me or any of the others for help when you need it."
"I won't," Twilight promised. "Don't you forget that the girls and I are here for you as well."
"I won't forget either."
Just then, Pinkie bounced into the room followed by the other four girls, who followed a little more sleepily, with the exception of Fluttershy, who was wide-eyed and clutching a pillow.
"Wow! You two are early risers!" exclaimed Pinkie as she opened the refrigerator. "You guys must have been up since, like, the crack of dawn!"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," said Sunset as she and Twilight tried to quickly and quietly hide several emptied cans of whipped cream.
"Hey! Some of my whipped cream is missing!"
The other girls tried not to laugh at Pinkie's so called "whipped cream robbery", but she noticed.
"Hey! It's not funny! Somebody stole my whipped cream! I bet the entire fridge full it was Boulder, that sneaky little rock. I thought he was looking guilty this morning!"
Now the girls couldn't contain themselves. They all burst out laughing.
"Calm down, sugar cube," laughed Applejack. "You still got forty-somethin' left!"
"Come on, guys, I'm starving!" exasperated Rainbow Dash. "Let's get something else to eat!"
"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie bounced to the cupboards and started grabbing various breakfast items.
"Did you two hear that yell last night?" asked Fluttershy timidly.
Sunset turned red, but managed to turn away so nobody would notice.
"Oh, that was me," Twilight covered. "I dropped something heavy on my foot and it really surprised me. I'm still getting used to these hands again."
Sunset shot Twilight a grateful look.
"Ah told you it was nothing to worry about," said Applejack. "They weren't being kidnapped or anything."
"I was a little worried as well, to be honest, Applejack," pointed out Rarity. "How were we supposed to know. I didn't see them come back."
"I wasn't worried." Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to look cool.
"Well, I'm just glad they're both okay," said Fluttershy "Although I did see you hide under your blankets as well, Rainbow Dash."
A crunch was heard followed shortly after by a gasp.
"Boulder went this way!" the six girls heard Pinkie yell.
Apparently she had found Maud's cracker trail from the previous night. Before anyone could say anything she was off like a rocket down the hall.
"I seriously doubt it was Boulder, darling," called Rarity after Pinkie.
"Actually," interrupted Twilight, sharing a knowing look with Sunset. "It was, kind of."
The rest of the girls gave them a weird look, but Sunset and Twilight just smiled to each other and remembered the previous night where they had finally become good friends. Twilight had regained her confidence again, and Sunset was finally starting to feel like she belonged in the group.