What do you do when your best friend sexts you out of the blue? What do you do when they tell you it was meant for someone else?
When Sunset receives a particularly lascivious text message from Twilight, she's really not sure how to handle it. Of course when she finds out it was intended for someone else, she decides finding out who it was meant for is of the utmost importance! Why? She doesn't know, shut up, it's not like she likes Twilight or anything.
Written because I need more shippy horse high school garbage in my life.
Sunset sat huddled over her desk in the semi-darkness of her little apartment, chewing on the end of a pen as she stared at the text book in front of her. While she maintained near perfect grades with relative ease, even she needed to study on occasion, especially when it came to human history.
She was in the middle of a particularly dense paragraph on some ancient war or another, when her concentration was broken by a rhythmic buzzing noise. Figuring the only one who could be messaging her this late at night would be Princess Twilight, she pulled open a desk drawer, only to stop short as she saw the magical diary laying within sat completely motionless and inert.
"Huh." Sunset mused to herself, before hearing the buzzing noise again, drawing her attention to the cell phone lying on a small table behind her. "Who's messaging me at nearly 1am?"
She stood from her desk and walked the few paces to the table, scooping up the phone and turning on the display with the click of a button.
Twilight Sparkle(Human) 1 New Message
"Weird, Twi never stays up this late unless she's in the middle of a major project, and I thought she mentioned she'd just finished her latest one..." Sunset muttered to herself. "hope nothing's wrong." Trying to restrain herself from jumping to conclusions, Sunset keyed in her passcode and tapped the little speech bubble icon on the screen.
Ohhhhh yes! I love it when you do that! Next I'll take the whip cream and put just a little of it on my...
"Wh-what?" Sunset mumbled, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates as she scrolled through the increasingly fithy message. She swallowed heavily as she tried to figure out just what such a message could possibly mean, but her thought process came to a screeching halt as another message popped up beneath the first. This one was a picture message.
"AHHH!" Sunset screamed as she caught a glimpse of far too much purple skin and reflexively tossed her phone into the air, before remembering just how much the stupid gadget had cost her and scrambling to try and catch it before it hit the ground. She fumbled with it in the air for a bit before it slipped between her now sweaty fingers and thumped softly onto the carpet.
She blew a sigh of relief upon seeing that nothing on the phone was apparently broken, and was about to pick it up again when it went off a third time, causing all her muscles to seize up at once, her hand shaking slightly as it froze inches from the device. At this point, she was pretty terrified of what this latest message could be, but she had to admit she was also pretty curious, and there was some third feeling she couldn't quite identify egging her on as well.
Steeling her nerves, she grabbed the phone back up and navigated to the messaging app, studiously ignoring the two previous messages as she focused in on the third.
OMG Sunset I am so sorry! Those were meant for somebody else! I swear! This is so embarassing!
Sunset chuckled as she could practically hear Twilight's panicked voice as she read the message, though after a moment, she felt herself frown slightly. Strange. Shrugging it off, Sunset rapidly typed up a response, hoping to reassure the anxiety prone bookworm.
No problem Twi, we've all done it before, no big deal.
Sunset hit send, then a moment later grimaced as she realized what she had just said.
Er...we've all mis-texted that is, not...the other thing...sorry, I'm not helping am I? Look why don't we just forget this ever happened, sound good?
It was a few minutes before Twilight replied, not that it was much of a lengthy answer.
Thank you!
Sunset chuckled again, imagining Twilight slowly coming down from a frenzy of sheer embarassment. She felt pretty relieved herself, now that she wasn't reeling from trying to figure out the implications of her best friend sending her sexy texts. The sense of relief fizzled quickly however when Sunset realized that just because the messages weren't meant for her didn't mean they weren't sent intentionally.
What could Twilight Sparkle, of all people, be doing engaging in instant message based smut? And more importantly, with who!? Sunset clutched the side of her head as she tried to process the full picture of what was happening, but it didn't take long to realize she didn't have the slightest clue as to either answer, and even more annoyingly, why she so desperately needed to know.
"Whatever, why do I even care?" She muttered, sighing heavily as she tried to shelve the thought and return to her studies.
-------------------------
A few hours later found Sunset tossing and turning in her bed, covers thrown to the side and her pajamas turned into a rumpled mess. "Ugh, I just want to sleep!" She groaned into her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut and trying desperately to ignore the thoughts churning around in her head.
When this, unsurprisingly, failed to send her off to sleep, she sat up with a growl, giving the pillow a solid punch to vent her frustration. "FINE! I'll do just a little investigating, and then maybe I can finally sleep."
With the decision made, she rolled out of bed and trudged down the stairs from the lofted sleeping area, trying to smooth her pajamas some as she went. At the bottom of the stairs, she turned and headed straight for her desk, violently yanking open the drawer and pulling out her magic journal.
Settling into her chair, she spread the journal open in front of her and grabbed a pen, immediately chewing on it as she tried to figure out what exactly to write.
Hey Twilight, are you awake?
Sunset was pleasantly surprised when the book started to glow and vibrate almost immediately as a flowery scrawl of letters began to appear on the page under her own less formal writing.
Hey Sunset, it's nice to hear from you! I was just about to head to bed, but I'm in no hurry, though shouldn't you be asleep? I thought you still had school on Fridays?
Oh you know me, up studying and trying to find the answers to some nagging questions before I call it a night.
Sunset grimaced at the half-truth she had witten, but figured it was for the best, then pressed her pen back to the page.
Listen, can I ask you sort of a...weird question?
Of course Sunset, you can ask me anything.
Sunset smiled at that, feeling warm as she read the response. Then her cheeks started to heat up as she tried to figure out how to ask the next question in a way the Princess might understand.
Have you ever...engaged in erotically charged correspondence with somepony?
Sunset began to sweat as the seconds seemed to stretch into years, praying she hadn't offended her friend.
You mean like sexting?
Sunset raised a brow at that.
Well yes, but how do you know what sexting is?
Rainbow, the one on that side, explained it to me once...completely unsolicited.
This earned an eyeroll from Sunset. She paused for a moment, thinking how best to ask her next question, when Twilight continued to write back.
To answer your question, no I haven't, but...I'd be willing to tr...
Sunset blinked as the last words were suddenly scribbled out before she could read them. How odd, Twilight rarely made any spelling mistakes.
...why do you ask?
Sunset penned a brief summary of what had happened a few hours before, as well as the concerns that had been keeping her awake, then stared at the page while chewing on her pen again as she waited for a response.
Well it certainly seems a bit out of character, believe me, I would know, but it also doesn't seem like this is any of our business.
Sunset frowned at that.
But...something about this just feels wrong, I know it! What if she's in trouble!? I have to look into it.
Fine, I know better than to try and talk you out of it, just be careful, she may not take kindly to your 'investigation'. And...let me know if you need any help, I'd be more than willing to step over for you.
Thanks Twi, will do!
Sunset hastily scribbled down her response, barely reading Twilight's message, before she shut the book and placed it back inside her desk. That done, she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, a fox-like grin spreading across her face as she began to run schemes and scenarios through her brain in preparation for the next day.
Princess Twilight was just being paranoid, she was sure. There was no way Sunset's actions could possibly offend Twilight, I mean, what was a little total invasion of privacy between friends?
“Ahhhh!” Rarity screamed, nearly leaping into her open locker as she jumped in terror. She spun around, a reprimand ready on her lips, only to stop short as she caught sight of a rather manic looking Sunset Shimmer.
“Sunset? You nearly scared me half to death darling, what’s the matter?” she asked, concern ringing her blue eyes.
“Um, n-nothing, I just, uh, need your help with something.” Sunset babbled, her expression shifting from crazed to nervous.
“Of course dear, anything to help a friend,” Rarity responded automatically, “especially if it’ll help with whatever is clearly bothering you.” She added matter-of-factly.
“Ugh nothing is bother...well something is, but not in the after school special kind of way, I promise!” Sunset grumbled, miming shoving baked goods into her eye.
“Fine, fine,” Rarity sighed with a roll of her eyes. “What exactly do you need darling, as I said I’d be happy to help however I can.”
“Ok this is gonna sound ridiculous, buuuut...” Sunset awkwardly tapped her pointer fingers together, looking embarrassed. “You wouldn’t happen to have, say, a meticulously researched and recorded list of likely romantic partners for each of us, would you?”
Rarity gave Sunset an unamused glare, one hand on her hip.
Sunset cringed. “Right, that would be ridicu...”
“Of course I do, why you even needed to ask is frankly insulting.” Rarity interrupted.
Sunset gaped for a moment, before giving her head a quick shake to dispel her shock. “Um, y-yeah, sorry...I don’t suppose I could borrow a copy of what you have for Twilight, could I?” She pleaded, hoping her unbelievable streak of luck would hold out, and that Rarity wouldn’t ask too many questions.
Rarity gave her a calculating look, tapping a finger to her chin. “Hmmmm...Pony Twilight or our Twilight?”
“Y-you have one for both?” Sunset asked with a raised brow, before shaking her head again. “Never mind, our Twilight please.”
Rarity reached into her purse and extracted a tiny black notebook and a pen. “Hmm interesting, would have expected the other.” Rarity muttered quietly, keeping the pages out of Sunset’s view as she casually flipped through them.
“Uh, what was that?” Sunset chirped.
“Nothing darling, just talking to myself. Allow me to make a few quick edits and it’ll be all yours.” She said absently, before returning to a tone too quiet for Sunset to hear as she began marking the page in heavy ink. “Can’t make it too easy for her after all, my this should be fun.” After a moment she capped the pen and delicately tore a page from the book, holding it out towards Sunset.
Sunset could barely contain her grin as she took hold of the paper. She was practically salivating at the prospect of getting some answers. “Thanks Rarity, this’ll really help with my investigation.” She said absently as she folded the paper and shoved it into a pocket. “I’ll get it back to you as soon as I’m done.”
“No need, I keep every list in triplicate.” Rarity said with a proud grin.
Sunset blinked at that, suddenly curious about more than just Twilight’s list, more specifically what her own might say, but the bell for homeroom rang before she could enquire further.
“Ta-ta darling, do let me know how your investigation goes, won’t you?” Rarity said cheerily before closing her locker and strutting down the hall with a quick wave.
Sunset nodded dumbly, before shaking her head one more time and scurrying off to class.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunset slumped heavily into a desk at the back of the classroom, nervously checking the room to ensure nobody was paying any attention to her. It was the start of third period, and the list in her pocket had been occupying her mind all morning, but this was the first class she had away from the prying eyes of any of her friends. She wasn’t keeping her investigation a secret per se, at least not from anyone besides Twilight, but the nature of the list in her pocket made it a holy relic of the dark magic that is teen gossip.
Giving one more furtive look around the room, Sunset finally slipped the paper from her jeans and spread it out on the desk in front of her. “Alright Rarity, lets see what you’ve got.” She muttered.
The list was numbered top to bottom, though Sunset couldn’t quite discern what the ranking meant to Rarity’s romance addled mind. Luckily each entry was accompanied by a little note of color commentary from the curator. Annoyingly, the first entry seemed to have been scribbled out in heavy pen marks, far too darkly to be read through, and was followed by a note that could be described as cryptic at best, but the rest were mercifully straightforward.
1. ////////////// - If I were a betting girl, my money would be on the other one, but who knows? Either would be adorably perfect
2. Rainbow Dash - I don’t get it myself, but it’s too popular a pairing to disregard
3. Flash Sentry - Ew
4. Timber Spruce - Double ew
5. Rarity - Flattering certainly, maybe worth some experimentation when college rolls around, provided she’s not taken
Sunset had to hold in a snort of laughter at that particular entry, glancing around again to make sure nobody noticed she wasn’t paying attention to the lecture.
6. Applejack - Off the table until she gets over her fear of coming out to her Grandmother. Poor dear
7. Fluttershy - It'd be the cutest case of double death by heart attack in medical history
8. Principal Celestia - Certainly unconventional, but cute nonetheless
9. Adagio Dazzle - Let's hope not, for Twilight's sake...
10. Trixie - The term Tsundere comes to mind...I need to stop talking to Dash about those Japanese comics she likes so much
Finishing the list, Sunset chewed her lip in contemplation, reviewing the possibilites in the hopes of narrowing the list. She really wished she knew who was supposed to be at the top, but trying to get it out of Rarity at this point seemed like a lost cause, so she moved on.
She could immediately strike Flash from the likely suspects. He still got too frazzled to even approach Twilight, and word would have spread quickly if anything had happened between them. Same went for Timber since he was the object of a lot of her classmates' affections, and somebody getting their hooks in him would have hit the gossip network immediately, especially had it been Twilight.
She could also omit Rarity, by her own admission in the notes. She struck off AJ and Fluttershy for the same reasons. Hesitantly, she then crossed off Dash's name, as she had been spending an awful lot of time with Indigo Zap since the friendship games, and Sunset would bet good bits that there was more to the story there.
She was left with 3 remaining contenders, not counting the mystery number 1 candidate. Principal Celestia, Adagio Dazzle, and Trixie. Frankly Sunset wasn't convinced, but she hardly had much of a head for romance. Apparently people flirted with her all the time, and she had never once picked up on it, at least if Her friends were to be believed.
She folded the list back up and returned it to her pocket before attempting to pick back up on the lecture she had been ignoring, figuring she could start tracking down her new leads once lunch, and her following free period, rolled around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spying on your Principal would probably be very difficult at any other school, but that was not the case at Canterlot High. Principal Celestia had a known habit of taking lunch with her sister in the bleachers out by the soccer field. Sunset suspected this was to scare off the crowd of delinquent students that would otherwise use the space under the bleachers to sneak a lunch-time cigarette. Luckily, this left said space unoccupied, and Sunset could be very sneaky when the need arose.
Shuffling forward in a slow moving crouch, Sunset crept into a convenient pool of shadows in the bleacher crawlspace that was just within earshot of the two school administrators while they munched on matching salads. Carefully, Sunset lowered herself into a seated position to give her aching knees a break, and cupped a hand around one ear to listen in. She frankly didn’t really believe that Twilight might be romantically involved with the principal, but she planned to follow every lead she had for now.
The first ten minutes passed with very little of interest happening, and Sunset could feel her eyelids start to droop as the pair began wrapping up an extremely dull conversation about the budget for the next semester. She was about to give up and sneak away when things took a turn in her favor.
"So, any plans for the weekend?" Luna asked, tossing her plastic silverware into her empty takeout container and grabbing a napkin. "I have an extra ticket to that concert Macintosh and I are going to on Saturday, if you'd like to join us?"
Celestia gave her sister a good natured eye-roll. "No thank you, you know I don't like that weird 'Gothabilly Country' genre you two love so much, besides I'd feel like a third wheel."
"You wouldn't be a third wheel, it's not like it's a date!" Luna protested, looking a little nervous.
"At least not until you let him know that you want it to be." Celestia countered with a wink.
Luna crossed her arms, a noticeable blush darkening her face. "Sh-shut up!" she huffed, before noticeably deflating. "Y'know it'd be a lot easier if I had my sister there for support."
Celestia offered her a sympathetic smile. "You'll be fine, I believe in you. Besides I'm actually busy Saturday night anyways."
It was Luna's turn to offer a teasing eye-roll. "So you're seeing her again are you?"
Sunset perked up as she saw Principal Celestia's apprehensive expression. No way! she thought to herself.
"Y-yes, she asked me out again and I just couldn't say no, even if we could get in huge trouble if the school board ever found out..."
NowayNowayNoway!!!
Luna smirked. "Who cares? It's not like I'm about to tell them, and nobody would ever suspect a girl as shy as her to be pursuing older women."
Seriously! Twilight you dog!
Celestia gave her sister an incensed glare. "I am only three years older than her, thank you very much."
Wait, whu...?
Luna's cheshire grin nearly doubled in size. "You should know better than to try and lie about your age to your own sister Tia. I've checked her employee file and Cheerilee is only 33, so that would make the difference more like..."
"You shut your mouth right now, or I text Mac about your little crush!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Sunset used the ensuing arguement to make a quick escape and head back to the school building, mentally reviewing her findings. Alright so Principal Celestia is secretly dating Ms. Cheerilee, and Vice-Principal Luna has a secret crush on AJ's brother, who apparently hangs out with them both regularly. Certainly interesting, but not all that helpful. Sunset sighed as she pulled out the list and struck Principal Celestia's name from it. Alright, next up is Trixie...
Sunset bit her lip as a drop of sweat made it's way down her face with agonizing slowness. She had mere seconds before her window of opportunity would close on her, and she couldn't let that happen. With a deep breath she gave the dial one last turn and gasped in relief as the locker made a satisfying click. Giving a quick glance up and down the empty halls and confirming she was alone, she popped open Trixie's locker and began rummaging through a large pile of stage magician props.
After a few moments, she felt her fingers brush against the curled wire spine of a notebook, and grinned in triumph as she pulled her treasure free. Predictably, the cover read 'The Great and Powerful Day Planner!' in large, glitter adorned letters, which caused Sunset to shake her head with a chuckle, even as she admitted to herself that it was kinda cute.
Refocusing on the task at hand, Sunset opened the little book and thumbed her way to Today, scanning through Trixie's day and finding exactly what she was hoping for scheduled just after classes would be dismissed for the day.
3:00pm - Meet with 'you know who' in the empty science lab
Sunset grinned like a timberwolf that had just stumbled on a Hearth's Warming Dinner...wait, that didn't make much sense, maybe a regular wolf and a Crasmus Dinner...is that what they called it here...something like that...
Sunset's deliberation was jarringly interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing, and it took all her willpower not to scream and toss the planner in fright. Instead, she hastily shoved it back into the locker and slammed the door, before moving down the hallway while trying to look casual, hoping she could put some distance between herself and the scene of the crime before slipping into the crowd of students moving between classes. Luckily her classmates remained as inattentive as ever.
Alright Trixie, let's see what you're hiding, and if it's what I think it is, Princess Twi is gonna get a real kick out of who her doppelganger has been sneaking around with. It was another act of will that allowed Sunset to not slip back into her previous grin as she made her way towards her next class.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunset huffed and grunted as she tried to army crawl her way through the air duct that she had managed to sneak into. "Alright let's be honest here, I think this is officially going too far..." Sunset grumbled to herself, although at this point it'd be harder to give up then it would be to just follow through on her ridiculous stealth mission.
With a little bit of a struggle, she extracted her phone from her pocket and managed to pull it up in front of her, quickly navigating to the picture she had saved of an old blueprint of the school. "Ok, if I'm reading this right, it's a left turn and then just a few more feet to get to a vent that looks down into the science lab." she whispered, putting her phone back into a pocket and wriggling further down the duct.
In a matter of minutes, she had reached her target, and settled into a more comfortable position as she examined her new perch. Hmmm, I mean I can see down into the room, sure, but only like, a few square feet around the door. I'd even say I would have had more luck looking through the keyhole at the door...I've been watching too many spy movies.
It was at that moment she heard the sound of pacing footsteps, and realized somebody must already be in the room. The rhythm of it even sounded familiar, making Sunset think it really might be Twilight standing just out of view. As quietly as possible, she began trying to contort herself in a way that would allow her to peek through the vent towards the far corner of the room, but there was just no way to do it without making too much noise. Resisting the urge to groan in frustration, she looked at her watch, which she could just barely read in the semi-darkness, confirming that Trixie should be arriving any second, if she wasn't the one that was already here.
Right on cue, the door beneath her opened and she saw Trixie walk into the room...and then promptly out of her line of sight.
Ponyfeathers! Sunset mentally cursed, resolving to just listen, it shouldn't be too hard to recognize Twilight's voice after all.
"Hey you." Trixie cooed. "I've been looking forward to this all day..."
Sunset waited for the other person to speak, straining her ears, but had to restrain a yelp when instead of a verbal affirmation, she instead heard a series of wet, sucking noises.
Damn Twilight, I didn't peg you for the sloppy makeouts type, let's hope you're better at it than a certain someone I know. Sunset thought with a good natured eye roll, thinking of the only human she had kissed before.
After a few increasingly uncomfortable minutes, the noises finally stopped and Sunset resumed actively listening in.
"Hmmm that was nice." Trixie said breathily, before returning to a more normal tone. "As much as I enjoy these little meetings, I wish we could just tell everyone we're together."
Jackpot! Maybe I'll finally find out why she's been keeping this from us, it's not like we'd tease her for dating Trixie...too much...
"I know babe, I'm sorry." Came a voice Sunset instantly recognized, though it wasn't Twilight's.
FLASH!?
"It's just..." Flash Sentry continued, sounding a bit flustered, "...ever since the whole thing with Sunset, and then the weirdness with two Twilight's, I'm just kind of nervous that if we tell everyone, it'll all fall apart."
Sunset couldn't help but cringe a little. Really didn't need that indirect guilt trip right now, but I guess I kind of deserve it.
Trixie audibly scoffed, though Sunset could still hear the sappy smile in her voice. "That's a bit silly and naive of you, but I understand, take all the time you need."
Aww, well isn't that sweet, those two make a cuter couple than I would have expected.
"Now in the mean time, I know just how to make you feel better." Trixie continued, her voice suddenly growing husky.
Sunset heard the sound of a zipper.
BAIL, BAIL, SWEET CELESTIA, I GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!!!
It was at that moment that it dawned on Sunset that she didn't have enough room to turn around in the vent, and ahead of her was only a dead end. Her eyes shot wide with panic as she realized she only had one option.
"WAIT, WAIT, STOP! I'm stuck up here and I really, reaaaaaaally don't want to play witness to this." She whined down through the vent as the room below her went chillingly silent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bit of help through the vent, and then one extremely awkward conversation later, Sunset made her way down a hallway with a determined glint in her eye and Rarity trailing at her side.
She had decided that, given how spectacularly the stealth approach had blown up in her face, her best course of action was to just confront her next suspect directly. Unfortunately, given who it was, she was going to need some backup, and Rarity had been the natural choice, given her romantic inclinations and awareness of the investigation in general.
The pair reached a door at the end of the hallway, which was clearly marked with a sign reading 'Emergency Exit - Alarm Will Sound'. Not hesitating for even a moment, Sunset shoved the door open, and headed through, followed by Rarity and a distinct lack of alarms. It was common knowledge, at least among the students, that someone had taped over the alarm sensor for this particular door.
Stepping out into the fresh air of a well hidden internal courtyard, Sunset glanced to her right, finding her target sitting on an upturned milk crate with a half finished cigarette between her lips. "Hey Adagio."
Adagio Dazzle took a puff from the cigarette before her lips split into a sinister, smoking grin. "Sunny Bunny, Miss Priss." She purred, giving Sunset, then Rarity a nod.
The pair both resisted the urge to offer a very dramatic eye roll. They were familiar at this point with Adagio giving everyone a cute but condescending nickname.
"Come for a smoke?" Adagio asked, languidly offering a little paper box towards the two of them. "I didn't figure either of you as the naughty type, but I'm more than willing to share." she continued with the tone of someone who wasn't talking about cigarettes anymore.
Rarity seemed to fluster a bit, but Sunset was visibly unaffected. "Actually I came to ask you a question."
Adagio slowly stood from her seat, giving an exaggerated stretch that mostly just pressed her ample chest forward, then strolled towards Sunset, not stopping until they were maybe an inch apart. "Anything for you Sunny Bunny." she said in a sultry voice that had no place on school grounds.
Rarity's cheeks grew redder, while Sunset didn't even blink. "Cool, uh this might sound a bit weird but, you're not secretly dating and/or doing Twilight Sparkle are you?" Sunset asked, then quickly added, "the non-pony one that is...guess that's kinda obvious?"
Adagio's grin grew wider. "I can't say I've had the pleasure unfortunately."
Sunset gave her a questioning look. "I'm not saying I don't trust you, but you know I gotta ask, is that the truth?"
Adagio leaned forward and whispered directly into Sunset's ear. "I'd never lie to you Sunny Bunny." She finished the statement with a little growl, then she backed off and flashed both of them with her best bedroom eyes. "Though I will say I do have my eye on a few of you Rainbooms, now that we've cleared up all our bad blood...mostly. And dare I say a 'pony one' is right at the top of my list." She ended her sentence with a wink.
Rarity looked ready to faint, while Sunset just put a finger to her chin in contemplation. "Huh, well good luck with that, I'm not sure Princess Twi has quite forgiven you guys as much as we have."
Adagio's seductive demeanor finally dropped in favor of confusion. "Th-that's not really what I me..."
"Well anyways," Sunset interrupted, "That's all I really needed to know, thanks Adagio, catch you later!"
Both Rarity and Adagio watched Sunset leave the courtyard with matching looks of disbelief. "She...she really is completely oblivious isn't she? I had heard the rumors but I guess I didn't really believe it." Adagio mumbled, staring at the empty space Sunset had previously occupied while taking a fresh drag from her cigarette.
"Oh you have no idea." Rarity agreed, trying to discreetly fan herself now that it seemed Adagio had turned off the heat. Of course it wasn't to last.
"So what about you Miss Priss." Adagio purred, turning her full attention towards Rarity as she tossed away the cigarette butt. "I'd be lying if I said you weren't pretty cute yourself, and you seem infinitely better at flirting." she added, batting her long lashes.
"I-I-I..." Rarity stuttered, trying to summon the words to turn the Siren down as her face began to redden again. "I-I...oh who am I kidding. Let me give you my number." she groaned as she fished around in her purse, finally giving in to the girl's wicked charms. "This wasn't supposed to happen until college." She muttered, even as a girlish giggle made it's way through her complaints.
Twilight Sparkle stepped out of her front door, taking a deep breath of fresh air and smiling as she enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her skin. At least for a moment, until she noticed the sight of her brother waiting in a car in the driveway, a slightly impatient look on his face. Broken from her reverie, she hustled towards the passenger seat, and the pair quickly pulled out and set off down the street.
Neither noticed the motorcycle that pulled out from around a corner a few houses down and began following at a distance. Sunset grinned underneath her helmet. I have you now Sparky!
After spending most of Friday investigating, Saturday had found Sunset completely stuck. All her leads were exhausted, and Rarity suddenly seemed distracted by something, to the point that she was useless as a source of further clues. As a result, Sunset had spent her day off mostly trying not to storm over to Twilight's house and demand answers. Luckily, Sunday had presented her with the perfect opportunity to break the case wide open.
Pinkie had pulled all seven of them into a group call that morning to try and organize some kind of hangout, as she did most Sundays, and most Sundays, they all agreed. Today however, Twilight had immediately, and very nervously declined, saying she had a lot of studying to do. Most of the group took this at face value, figuring it wasn't unusual behavior for Twilight, but Sunset, who shared most of her classes with Twilight, was getting a sneaking suspicion Twilight might be up to something.
That or Sunset was forgetting about a test on Monday...
Ignoring her little spat of paranoia, Sunset had also declined at the last minute, claiming her magic book had just gone off and Princess Twilight needed her for something. After hanging up the phone, she had grabbed her jacket and helmet, and scrambled out to her motorcycle, making a beeline for Twilight's neighborhood.
Which is how she had ended up here, trailing cautiously behind Shining Armor's unmarked police car, trying to keep enough distance, and going easy enough on the throttle to not be noticed. So far it seemed to be working, though the car behind her was getting a little impatient.
After 10 minutes or so, she saw Shining's car slow and begin to pull towards a street side parking space, so she did the same, still a few car lengths behind. Where are we, why does everything feel so familiar? Sunset wondered to herself, taking a moment to glance away from her target to survey the area. Her heart immediately dropped as her gaze landed on the large building Shining had stopped in front of.
It was the Canterlot Public Library.
Sunset resisted the urge to slam her palm right into the face of her helmet. It seemed Twilight really was studying, rather than going out on some kind of secret date, as Sunset had hoped. "I think this whole thing is starting to drive me insane...maybe I should just lay off." Sunset admitted to herself with a sigh as she watched Twilight get out of the car and head to the front door, while Shining Armor pulled back into traffic.
Sunset sat for a moment on her idling motorcycle, before shrugging to herself and switching off the ignition. Might as well go ask her what I forgot to prepare for on Monday, and see if she wants a study buddy... she thought as she pulled off her helmet and made her way to the front door.
Moving at a light jog, she managed to make it into the familar lobby just in time to see Twilight disappear up the main staircase to the second floor. Following at a more leisurely pace now that she was indoors, Sunset figured it wouldn't be too hard to find her friend, deciding she must be headed towards one of the second floor study rooms.
Reaching the second floor herself, Sunset headed towards the row of small study rooms, but began scratching her head in confusion as she saw they all had their doors open and lights turned off, a sure sign that they were all unoccupied. It was at that moment that Sunset heard giggling, familiar giggling.
Just beyond the study rooms was a larger recreation room, set aside for quiet board games and similar group activities, and it seemed to be the source of the noise. Unsure why she suddenly felt so apprehensive, Sunset slowly crept up to the open doorway leading into the rec room, leaning over just enough to peak inside, and immediately she had to resist the urge to scream.
There in the middle of the room sat Twilight, in front of a chess board, and across the table from her was a girl Sunset had never seen before.
The girl had an almost spikey looking pixie cut hanging in front of her eyes, which were adorned with heavy eyeliner, and accented by the silver glint of multiple facial piercings. She was wearing a ratty denim vest covered in gruesome looking patches, a studded belt that hung off her hip at an angle, and pitch black skinny jeans. It was quite the look, a small part of Sunset's brain that wasn't paralyzed by shock admitted to itself.
Of course, just because Sunset had never seen the girl before didn't mean she didn't know who she was. Sunset in fact knew her quite well...probably. There were only so many people out there with that exact shade of yellow-orange skin, and fiery red hair with gold highlights.
Swinging herself back out of sight, Sunset held a hand to her rapidly beating heart as she attempted to sort through what she had just seen. Twilight is secretly dating ME! Wait I mean, Twilight is secretly dating Sunset Shimmer! Nope that doesn't make it any less weird! Hold on, hold on, maybe this is all one big coincidence, and they are just playing a game of chess! Yeah, that's it!
Resolving to be sure, Sunset peaked around the doorframe again, just in time to catch the pair leaning over the chessboard and pressing their lips together. "Aw ponyfeathers!" Sunset snarled, before her eyes widened and she slammed a hand over her mouth and ducked back behind the corner. Sweet Celestia, why did I say that out loud!?
"W-what was that?" She heard Twilight say a moment later. "What was what?" came the eerie sound of her own voice. "Um, just a minute, I need to check on something..." she heard Twilight again, and gulped at the sound of a chair being slid back.
Mystery solved, time to leave! she thought as she tried to slink away from the doorframe, resisting the urge to sprint and alert both Twilight and several Librarians.
Unfortunately, no speed would have carried her away in time. "Sunset Shimmer." she heard Twilight say through gritted teeth, right behind her. Naively she prayed that maybe Twilight was talking to the other Sunset and she could keep sneaking away. "...pony Sunset Shimmer."
Nope.
Letting her shoulders sag in defeat, Sunset stood up and turned, finding a rather cross looking Twilight standing there. "Uh...hey Twi! Fancy seeing you here?" Sunset babbled nervously.
"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked curtly.
"Heh, would you believe I thought you might want a study buddy." Sunset asked with a wavering smile.
"No, I don't think I would believe that." Twilight growled. "What are you doing here Sunset?"
Sunset grimaced, dancing in place while she scrambled for a believable excuse, but finally the truth came out all on it's own. "I followed you here because I thought you might be meeting your secret lover! I--I've been trying to figure out who it was ever since you accidentally sent me those texts. It...uh...sorta makes a lot more sense now how you sent them to me by mistake."
Twilight nodded, still looking rather angry. "Did it never occur to you that maybe I was being secretive about it for a reason? That maybe I wasn't ready to tell my friends, especially you, that I was seeing someone, much less the human Sunset? Much less ready to tell my new girlfriend that I'm best friends with her alternate horse dimension counterpart?" she ground out accusingly.
Sunset flinched as it began to dawn on her just how far she had crossed the line with her entire investigation. "I-I'm sorry Twi, I-I didn't think it through, I just had to know..."
"Why?" Twilight asked, cutting her off with a voice like steel. "Why did you just have to know so badly that you'd go around behind my back like this?"
Sunset gulped again, feeling her face redden. "I...I don't know...I just had to..."
"Why, Sunset?" Twilight demanded, her glare growing even harsher.
"Because it should have been me!" Sunset suddenly shouted, before hearing her own words and blinking a few times in confusion. "Wow...uh...not really sure where that came from..." she whispered, genuinely dumbfounded.
She wasn't sure what reaction she expected from Twilight, but it hadn't been raw fury. "You...you...if you weren't my best friend I'd slap you right now!" Twilight roared. "I've been flirting with you for MONTHS, and you never showed even the slightest bit of interest!"
"I'm sorry what now?" Sunset asked, growing more confused by the second.
Twilight looked ready to tear her hair out. "All the times I've touched your arm or knee, played with my hair while talking to you, I bought cloths from Rarity to try and impress you and you didn't even notice! We went to the movies once and you let me hold your hand!"
"Ok in my defense, I thought it was normal for friends to hold hands." Sunset interjected weakly.
"Not for 2 hours!" Twilight threw back, before throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "You are ridiculous! I love you to death, but I mean come on! The only reason I met Sunny was because she found me crying in a back alley over how thoroughly you ignored my latest attempt to get your attention."
"S-Sunny?" Sunset asked dumbly.
"Yeah," Twilight nodded. "it's kind of a pet name...but it also helps mentally differentiate my girlfriend from my best friend." she explained with a small blush.
Sunset nodded along, only half paying attention as she tried to sort through the weird mixture of confusion, jealousy, and guilt she was feeling. "Wait you met her in a back alley?" she asked, seizing onto the strange sentence as it pierced the fog in her mind.
"Uh...yeah..." Twilight nodded again, while blushing and looking a little guilty herself. "I uh...thought she was going to mug me at first...I mean you saw what she looks like I assume, and I may have jumped to conclusions based on how you've told me you used to be."
"Wh-what happened?" Sunset asked, getting a bit concerned herself.
"She just saw me crying and wanted to help, it was really sweet." Twilight explained, her cheeks growing even redder as she took on a dreamy expression. "We started talking, and it turns out we have a lot in common, go figure right? She goes to school in the city, she's president of the science club there."
"She uh, she sounds great." Sunset said with a grimace, rubbing the back of her neck. "Listen, Twi, i'm so sorry, clearly I've been being really really stupid. I guess I have to learn to pay better attention to this kind of thing, both from others and from myself. If I had, maybe this would have turned out differently."
Twilight let out a heavy sigh before placing a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "I forgive you, mostly because, and I hope this doesn't sound harsh but, I'm really glad it didn't turn out differently.”
Sunset resisted the urge to flinch away at that.
"Look, I really like Sunny, maybe even love her, and I'm pretty sure she feels the same way, and while I don't mean to rush your startlingly late bout of self-realization, I'm pretty sure it's not me that you want to be with anyways." Twilight chided, resisting the urge to giggle.
"Huh?" Sunset mumbled, not at all sure what she meant.
"...You'll figure it out." Twilight deadpanned, doing her best to not smack her friend upside the head.
"Sparky? You ok out here? I heard shouting, and I was really hoping I wouldn't have to beat anyone up today." Came a sarcastic voice from around the corner that made both of them immediately freeze up.
"Do we run?" Sunset whispered.
"I think it's too late for that." groaned Twilight.
The so called Sunny popped her head out of the doorway, and immediately froze in place, eyes wide. "Uhhh, hi there...me...rad jacket..." she croaked, looking like she was ready to pass out.
Sunset gave her doppelganger a small wave, her face covered in a nervous, plasticy smile while Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned.
"Babe, we need to talk..." Twilight grumbled, grabbing both Sunset's arms and dragging them back into the recreation room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It took her awhile to believe it wasn't all some huge, elaborate prank, but after that we just kind of sat around and talked. She's pretty cool honestly...yes I know that sounds narcissistic coming from me...I don't know Rarity, what else am I supposed to say?" Sunset said into her cellphone with a small laugh, rolling her eyes as she plopped down into her desk chair. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure Twilight's forgiven me now that everything is in the open, and she wants to introduce Sunny to you and the rest of the girls tomorrow after school, now that the cat's out of the bag...me?...yeah I'm fine, don't worry...ok, I'll see you tomorrow, night!"
Sunset hung up the phone and tossed it aside, taking a deep breath and leaning back. She felt more content than she had in days, now that the mystery was laid to rest, and it always felt good to make a new friend, but there was still the nagging feeling of her missed romantic opportunity. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to realize she had been developing feelings for Twilight just in time to find out she was in a committed relationship. The fact that it was with herself made her somehow feel both better and worse about it at the same time.
"Where did those feelings even come from?" She wondered to herself, closing her eyes to think. Immediately Twilight's words floated into the forefront of her mind.
I'm pretty sure it's not me that you want to be with anyways.
Sunset's eyes flew open, and she immediately stared at the magical journal on her desk like it was the most profound thing in the world. "...I'm dumb..." she muttered after a few more seconds of staring.
Shaking herself from her stupor, she sat up and pulled herself closer to the desk, snatching up the book and a pen, preparing to flip to the most recent page, but she stopped herself at the last second as an idea struck her. She stood up and walked over to her closet, shuffling around a bit as she went about her task before returning to the book.
Hey Twilight...what are you wearing?
Uh...hey Sunset, strange question, but as usual, I'm not wearing anything.
