> Cross the Rubicon: Choices
>  by Majadin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Arc I: Redemption ~ Prologue: Fallen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




When the crown had landed in her hands, after so many setbacks and wrenches in her carefully crafted plans, she had felt downright giddy with the heady mixture of excitement, vindication, and victory. Everything she had ever desired would be hers—the power in the Element of Magic would make it all possible, and everything that should have been hers from the beginning would be. She would make sure of it.
It was with those feelings that Sunset had eagerly placed the crown of Magic on her head, anticipating the familiar surge of energy like that in the body of her birth and for a single, barest breadth of a moment, that was what she perceived: Energy and power building in the gem set in brilliant gold, starting to funnel into her…and that's when it changed. This wasn’t the warm tingle of magic in her veins like it had been back in her homeland. This was agony, more power than the hairless, bipedal primate body had ever been meant to channel, and it was searing through her, looking for pathways to traverse that simply didn’t exist…so it made do with what it found and burned new ones where it had to. Her hands went back for the crown then, desperate to pull it off, to make the pain stop as tears welled in her startled eyes…but it wouldn’t come off. No matter how she pulled, the stolen Element would not budge.
In a handful of seconds that may as well have been millennia, she felt the power like a million tiny white hot hooks burrowing into her flesh and peeling her apart, digging through her body to her very soul, searching for something, leaving every part of her feeling raw and exposed and mangled, even as something rose like bile in her throat, a dark, choking lump of something that was being forced to the surface as she was blinded by a column of light and dark, her body borne into the air by the energies crackling around her. In that moment, all she could do was weep and a desperate whimpered thought echoed from the corner of her shredded psyche: This isn’t what I wanted…
Are you certain of that? Something commented in a dry tone, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
And while she would have given anything to disagree, even in her own thoughts, memories leapt to the fore in her mind, memories that at once filled her with anger and determination…but also guilt and shame.  Hurling the tome of forbidden knowledge at Princess Celestia’s face, demanding to be made a princess….the taunting faces of the foals of the Canterlot aristocracy turning to shock and dismay and more than a little fear when she didn’t just out perform them, but in doing so ruined their own projects…her rage at learning Celestia had replaced her with a book loving shut in….and that that same replacement had managed to find the Elements of Harmony….long hours spent planning her revenge….
It seems this is exactly what you wanted, Sunset Shimmer, the dry voice pointed out. 
And with each memory, that slimy feeling of something nasty grew, until she felt cocooned in it, suffocating and drowning in hate and fear and frustration and utter resentment. The tears on her face evaporated as fast as they fell, her body too hot and boiling until something within finally burst free, laughing wickedly…
…she was laughing…
Wings made of leathery skin and short furred hide flapped lazily, magic keeping her aloft, as the demon who was Sunset Shimmer adjusted to the sudden lack of suffering being sent to her pain receptors by every nerve in her body.  That screaming voice within was little more than a whimper now, eclipsed by the rush of victory and raw power thrumming in her veins, and the burning anger bubbling beneath it that so many had tried to inhibit her destiny. A breath, and she opened her eyes, taking in herself and cackling with glee at how powerful, how dangerous, how much better she felt like this, though one taloned hand paused when she reached to touch the crown that still rested on her skull amidst hair that was more living flame than organic fiber. 
She could…feel?…the minds around her. No…that wasn’t entirely right. Something about all those present brushed up against her awareness, registering as points of emotion and feeling. The strongest pull near her was twin points of envy and want, and sharp eyes were drawn downward, towards the two near brainless stooges who had served her willingly for the last few years. Magic, dark and warped, gathered in her palms. This was, after all, a desire that she could grant, and that part seemed to resonate within her, and she felt stronger as she let the magic fly, warping and altering their shapes until the two underlings stood as demons themselves, the envy and desire flickering to something else as they advanced on the girls who had defied her will.
Smug satisfaction tweaked at her lips, and she focused on the other feelings roiling around her…anger…determination…and so much fear it was nauseating. The heavy knot of fear behind her came from the terrified students huddled just beyond the glass and stone of the entrance, so powerful in so many bodies that it seemed to run together as one indistinct mass in her mind. Turning on them, she landed lightly, watching them recoil from her figure, their eyes looking upon her with terror and horror…and…disgust? 
Hateful anger surged, a sudden swell that would have surprised her ten minutes prior, but as she was now, only the tiny voice in the corner of her mind seemed taken aback. She just rode on the rush of the red fury, enraged and snarling at them with words that she would only vaguely remember later. It was a rant of the moment, an outpouring of frustration and upset that had been boiling for longer than even she knew. “I’ve had to jump through so many hoops tonight, JUST to get my hands on this crown…” And not just that night, but for years, decades even, to get what she had deserved. What she had worked so hard for. “…and it really should have been mine all along!”  After all, she had been Celestia’s protege first, the prodigy unicorn who was years ahead of her peers even before she’d earned her Cutie Mark. She was surpassing every test, breaking every record, before this upstart Twilight Sparkle was able to even levitate a crayon. A low, nasty growl escaped her, one that echoed through her own ears like an angry Timberwolf. 
In that moment, the fear disgusted her. It was sour and stale, an unpleasant sensation and taste to her senses, and she had no desire to continue feeling it. More than that, an idea she had pondered over once came back to her, and she knew how she would make her grand re-entrance to the world of her origins: as the ruler at the head of an army of monsters right out of ancient pony legends. That twisted smile came back to her face; it seems she would have a use for these savage, ugly, half grown, hairless, psychotic, bloodthirsty primates after all.  “But let’s let bygones be bygones…I am your Princess now!”  Power built in the Element again, flowing around her so she could harness it, and letting her reach out with the barest of thoughts and motion of one hand. Stone crunched, glass shattered, and rebar screamed as she crushed and tore away the front entrance, already moving to advance. “And you WILL be loyal to ME.” 
Flapping wings propelled her into the gaping wound at the front of the building, teenage humans scattering in every direction, buffeting her awareness with stark, animal terror. Swinging her head from side to side, she felt like a predator looking at prey, like she often had in her power games to control the school…but instead of picking a single target, she placed her claws on her temples and reached out for the scurrying points of fear rushing around her. It was a new sensation, forcibly taking control of minds like that, pushing down their active thoughts and personalities to replace it with pure obedience and a crippling desire to follow her every command. She watched them all go slack jawed and still, even as her power raced down the halls, chasing more distant minds. Each one was a different struggle, some easier than others, but in the end, they all succumbed. She turned and focused on her original servants, their minds still intact. “Round them up and bring them to the portal,” she ordered, before walking towards the outside once more.
Her exodus halted when she felt fury that was directed at her, fury that felt no fear, and…determination and defiance….and disappointment? Eyes focused on Princess Twilight Sparkle and her motley band of annoyances, and she felt the intense need to twist the proverbial knife over her victory. “Spoiler alert,” she sneered. “I was bluffing when I said that I was going to destroy the portal. I don’t want to ‘rule’ this pathetic little high school.” Malice colored her voice. “I want Equestria. And with my own little teenage army behind me…I’m going to get it!” 
Pain colored the presence of the Princess, but it was soon overridden by that stubborn defiance and determination. “No,” the alicorn, who could barely manage to walk in the body she currently owned, stated. It was a word that carried far more weight and power than it should have, given the circumstances, and Sunset felt…something…thrum from that corner of her mind that seemed at odds with the rest of her. “You’re not,” Twilight continued, her voice growing stronger.
Derision colored the demon’s response. “Oh please…” she snarked, hovering before the princess, more than twice her height and filled with more magic than she’d ever known. “What exactly do you think you’re going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have NONE!” Her own fury surged forward—why couldn’t this obnoxious excuse for a princess just admit defeat already?
Lightning lanced through her awareness as someone else answered for the Princess. “She has us!” declared the raspy voice, and Sunset resisted the urge to cringe as it raked across her very essence, as if the voice itself held magic of its own, magic that hurt, magic that somehow reminded her of every broken promise and every lonely night in two worlds. Hatred boiled in her breast and she responded with one of those animalistic growls, using the hurt and suffering brought up to fuel her anger and hate. 
“Gee,” she found herself mocking them with a laugh as five humans came to stand beside the princess in a line of defiance and challenge. “The gang really is all back together again.” It helped to mask the reason for the tear that managed to form, to drown out the renewed thrashing from the part of herself she was trying to ignore that had started to grow louder and more ill at ease with the events unfolding. The tear was flicked away in a show of sarcastic amusement, and she focused on Twilight Sparkle, the cause for all this…sudden camaraderie and defiance of her will. Hate and hurt and anger channeled into her palms. “Now step aside,” she snarled, feeling the heat crackling to life in the space between her hands, the energy twisting and turning back in on itself as it ignited the very air molecules and grew rapidly into a hellish ball of fire and heat and plasma the likes of which she had never before cast.  “Twilight has interfered with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!” Her hands reared back and moved to hurl the ball of fire towards her rival, her nemesis, intent on spreading her charred viscera across the pavement…
In that moment, several things happened. The ball of molten death streaked towards its target, who had frozen in shock. The five humans cried out in both horror and defiance, and in an act that was both seemingly alien for the race of murderous apes and yet was the core of one of their most treasured values, dove not away from their deaths but towards it, intent on shielding the Princess with their own bodies if need be. It was an act that came with a storm of emotions, many of which bombarded her senses like a battering ram.  But perhaps…most importantly, was the scream that echoed from the deepest depths of Sunset’s own soul, from that part of her so buried and broken that it had all but been destroyed.
NO! I don’t want to be a monster!
Time seemed to slow as that voice came back. And yet….you are a monster, it pointed out as she watched the ball of fire inch towards the girls huddled together on the concrete. A monster of your own making, and one you have been for far longer than these past few minutes.  
A whimper. No….no I’m not a monster! I’m better than they are!
Are you really? What makes you better than a monster who hurts others because they can? Every dark word, every twisted thought…every time you hurt someone on purpose, you took a step that led to what you are right now. You caused suffering and pain to those who had done nothing to you. You tormented the weak, instilled fear, and manipulated all around you into obeying your whims. Even what moments you had that were moments of virtue are cast in shadow by your other choices. Choices that were made without the influence of other beings. Without the shadow of your mother over you. You are what you have made yourself. You have been given exactly what you wanted, what you desired…and now you claim it isn’t what you truly wanted?
Hesitance, uncertainty, shame…they bloomed painfully in her and she fought it, tried to stamp it down and will time to move at normal speed once more, so that Twilight would be gone from existence and this annoying corner of her mind would stop whining!
Not like this! Not as a murderer! I just—!
It is too late to stop what has begun, the voice echoed again.
The ball of flame slammed into six bodies, and she could feel the magic surge as the light of the explosion blinded her, and that whining voice gave one last wordless sob before falling silent. She grinned again as she waited for the smoke and dust to clear so she could enjoy the fruits of her labor, the sight of mangled corpses that used to be her enemies making a pretty pattern on the ground, not unlike abstract art. Maybe she’d name it, call it ‘A Study of Defiance.’ She always did appreciate sarcasm. Laughter burst from her again—but then died with an intake of breath as she stared upon the impossible. Her heart lurched, and something like fear crawled up her spine, all the way from the tip of her tail and not stopping until it had caused her neck to prickle.
Instead of corpses, six figures huddled together, magic exuding from their very bodies in a thin yet powerful aura of purple-pink that shimmered with an undercurrent of all the colors of the rainbow. No longer could she feel them as individual points of emotion on her senses—the magic was emotion, and it rippled like an aurora of agony to her awareness.  The human-born teens seemed confused but relieved, pulling back to form a circle around the pony Princess, who finally snapped out of her cower to gaze around in momentary bewilderment before she burned with excitement and joy, turning on Sunset once more.
“The Magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it,” she declared, hand outstretched as if signaling the crown still resting on Sunset’s head. The demon reached clawed hands up for the crown, and felt her fingers burn at began to glow with a brilliant light, magenta power pouring from it at Twilight’s beckoning call, enveloping the girls and morphing as it touched each one, power even greater than what she had felt when she put the crown on barely seeming to affect the humans as it poured into them. Where she had burned and wept, they endured with beautific smiles, their own transformations so much less severe, and much more equine than her own, as ears lengthened and traveled up the sides of their heads, tousled human hair extending in such a way that evoked both the manes and tails of ponies, and wings shimmered into being on the backs of three of them.
“Honesty.” Applejack, pony ears splayed slightly to compensate for the hat that never left her head, staring at her with eyes that seemed to strip away all the lies and walls that concealed the deepest secrets of her soul.
“Kindness.” Fluttershy, the bleeding heart of a doormat, who never tried to defend herself, whose presence seemed like both the burn of pity and a soothing balm of compassion against the battered, flayed soul threatening to tear itself in two.
“Laughter.” Pinkie Pie who grinned broadly, a smile that wasn’t one of cruelty or schadenfreude, but of true joy, caused a flicker of something like hope in the part of her that had been screaming.
“Generosity.” Rarity, accepting the transformation with grace, already starting to build with a magic and power that was painful and blinding, as if she already knew what she was going to do next—and how calm and serene her expression was caused the demon to tremble in fear.
“Loyalty.” Rainbow Dash, whose grinning face and judging eyes sent lightning against her awareness again, reminding her of betrayals and loneliness so strong it made her want to be violently ill.
“Magic.” Twilight’s expression was knowing, as if great wisdom had been imparted to her and her alone, and power rippled under her skin, a demigoddess contained in a human shell never meant to house divinity. 
“Together with the crown, they create a power beyond anything you could imagine—but it is a power you don’t have the ability to control,” the Princess declared, and while the voice never raised in volume, it held the same power and authority Sunset remembered from the Goddess of the Sun. 
The burning was back as the crown on her head connected to the magic surrounding the Princess and her friends, and she could feel the shockwaves of it washing over her, stripping bits and pieces of her away, her rage and resentment and hate crumbling and helpless to this tide. She let out a shriek that never should have come from a human or even pony throat, thrashing in the air as the blinding white light shifted, becoming a rainbow pillar. 
“The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer,” the youthful demigoddess intoned as a declaration of fact more than a challenge, “but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful Magic of all.”
“The Magic of Friendship.” 
Power flared and she writhed as legends came to life before startled eyes, a Rainbow of Light arcing up and then twisting around itself to swirl around her in a vortex that carried her even higher into the air. “What…is…happening…” she rasped in agony as everything turned white.
> Chapter One: Shattered
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Sunset Shimmer came to awareness in a vast white void, her head lacking the muzzy fog normally present when she woke up. It took her a moment to process, and then the memories hit her like a truck—the crown, the transformation, the fireball, the Rainbow… She curled her body in on herself. “….Is this it?  Am I…dead then?” she whispered.
Not dead…but you do stand at a crossroads, Sunset Shimmer. Here…now…Your soul stands divided. You willingly fed the darkness, dined on anger and hatred and spite, and made the choices that led you to this moment. And yet, a part of you resisted. A sliver of light, that drew lines not to be crossed, held you to standards no one else would believe you had…a piece that cried out in fear not for itself, but for the fate of others in a moment of despair.
You are not yet lost to darkness, Sunset Shimmer, but so long have you thrived in it that you are no victim. The dry voice was blunt, not condemning but not excusing her either.
“I…” What could she say to that? She’d already seen what she’d become, what she’d been willing to do—and as much as some part of her was repulsed by it, there was still a part of her that felt….justified. Vindicated in all of her choices.  “…Then what are you going to do to me?” she asked, uncurling and holding her head high. If she was going to die, or be tortured, or whatever this voice had planned, she wouldn’t cower like a foal behind its mother’s hocks.
Do to you? Nothing. You must make your own choices, Sunset Shimmer. Your will is your own. 
Bitterness rose in her throat. “And what makes you think that I’ll do anything different? What makes you think I’ll just stop being the monster you’ve defined me as?” She pivoted on her foot, dimly observing that her form here was her human one, and not the pony she often saw herself as in her mind’s eye, only to freeze before a mirror she would never forget. Looking back at her was her own reflection, and what she saw was beyond horrific. Was….was that what she had become? This twisted creature of sunburned skin and flaming hair, not human or pony, stretched and twisted with proportions that mocked human standards of attraction and beauty.  Her eyes flicked downwards to her hands, seeing only unblemished amber skin, and confusion clouded her expression—and that of the demon in the mirror.
See yourself with eyes unclouded, Sunset Shimmer. Look upon what you have become…and see the choices that led you here. Know yourself.
The mirror flickered, her warped counterpart replaced by sights and sounds of her past, and from the first moment, her gut twisted in response.
There was the first time she’d lost her temper—with a scream of childish rage she’d exploded with fire and violence at the colts of several Canterlot aristocrats, searing their fur and leaving one with a broken foreleg that took three physicians almost two weeks to heal.
How she boiled in her pelt under Celestia’s disappointed face and lecture on responsibility and control, no matter what some entitled foal might say about her parentage, angry and miserable and hurting and frustrated, unable to see that her actions had been beyond defending herself.
Or the times she avoided another lecture by learning to sabotage those who crossed her in other ways, often by ruining their own spells or projects in ways that humiliated them.
The times she’d sneered and driven someone to tears with her words, using her intellect and observational skills to hit them where it hurt and cut them far worse than she could’ve with magic or hooves.
All those times when Celestia urged her to step out of her studies and engage with others her age, and she’d scoffed at the idea.
Every single arrogant claim and prideful remark.
Each moment in her life where her temper got the better of her, where her arrogance and pride blinded her, where her own frustrations, hurts, and fears made her lash out.
That final argument with the only mother she’d ever known, where she’d hurled the book at the alicorn’s face, screaming at her to be made a princess.
Her terrifying first days in the human world, hiding in a shed, stealing food from dumpsters and untended counters, even as she tried to understand the place she was condemned to stay until the portal opened again.
Lying, cheating, manipulating, stealing from others until she had her own safety net set up.
Savage satisfaction in using her newly gained self defense skill to break the nose of some thug near her apartment.
Two years of outright bullying, and more than that of blackmail and lies to gain control over a population of students in middle and high school.
So many mornings and afternoons she’d driven people like Fluttershy to tears, or intimidated them into their own lockers or out of their lunch money.
Sleepless nights planning her revenge after she’d returned the first time through the portal, only to find that Celestia had replaced her.
Smear campaigns and malicious videos and photos of rivals and challengers, or simply people she didn’t like.
The crown coming to rest upon her head, and the transformation into the red-skinned she-demon. Twisting the minds and will of her peers into slaves. Fire and magic meant to murder those who defied her.
No moment was left out, and for the first time in years, Sunset Shimmer wept. She was a monster…and she’d done it to herself. Clawed hands clutched at her head, knocking loose the Crown of Magic as she hovered once more in the air, the white expanse melting into a dizzying rainbow.
You stand at a crossroad, the voice intoned again as it began to fade away. Choose wisely, Sunset Shimmer: every choice has far reaching consequences, for good or ill.   Then it paused, before adding as an afterthought, its tone colored by compassion.  Twilight Sparkle did not steal your destiny—her fate was always hers alone. You were always meant for a different path.
Time seemed to resume, and Sunset found her self hurtling towards the ground from the impressive height the Rainbow of Light had carried her to. Leathery wings flapped in animal terror, trying futilely to slow her descent—she knew, without a doubt, that the force and distance would kill her, shattering every bone in her body into fragments and leaving her little more than a red, greasy stain on the front walk of the school. What was the point of a crossroads, she snarled angrily, if the Elements were just going to slaughter her anyway? The rage burned, and she could feel it like fire along the wings and tail that had come with her transformation…before the fire seemed to retreat within her, taking her only hope of survival with it as her wings dissolved like smoke. She screamed, in terror and regret, as her innards boiled once more, leaving her human body behind and a strange heat in her bones, and then she smashed into the pavement with a concussive explosion.
How long she was out, she could not say, but awareness came back to her as the wind carried black, sooty smoke away from her body, and with dim shock and disoriented disbelief, Sunset realized she was still alive; more than that…it seemed the Elements had chosen to leave her body in good health…if battered and bruised in a way that told her she would feel it in the morning. Shakily, she pushed herself up on hands and knees, her limbs feeling somewhat like putty.
A shadow fell across the broken ground before her, and she raised her head as a voice buzzed in her ears. It was then she discovered herself at the bottom of a crater, with figures gathering above her on the rim.  Princess Twilight Sparkle still spoke in that voice of command, chastising her. “You will never rule in Equestria. Any power you may have had in this world is gone. Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart.”
A monster. She was a monster, and everyone had seen it. Her eyes traversed the faces of those looking down, and saw fear, anger, and disgust shining in their eyes. Tears poured down her cheeks again, guilt and despair and anger at herself stabbing in her chest. “I…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way.” She felt raw, exposed in a way she’d never felt before, and it terrified her; she cowered away from the stares at the bottom of the hole shivering and weeping and feeling like she wanted to throw up everything she’d ever eaten. She could feel them, hundreds of eyes boring into her, feel the disgust and condemnation like steel wool against her skin.
In desperation, she began crawling up the side of the crater, wanting nothing more than to escape the eyes.
The Princess continued her speech, having turned away from the hole in the ground to look at her friends. “The Magic of Friendship doesn't just exist in Equestria. It's everywhere.”  Her attention and form focused back on Sunset, and the girl who had been a demon could hear the echo of that dry voice under her words, whispering about a crossroads. “You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours.”
I’m a monster, she reminded herself, as she stared at Twilight Sparkle with despair in her eyes and tears soaking the earth. “But... But all I've ever done since being here is drive everyone apart. I don't know the first thing about friendship.” She flinched away from her own declaration, eyes squeezing shut as she realized how hopeless she felt.
Warm digits curled around hers and she jerked her head up, startled, even as the Princess of Friendship helped her out of the hole in the earth and to her feet, smiling at her gently in a way that soothed her fears and caused hope to flicker to life again. Maybe…maybe she didn’t have to stay a monster? Maybe she could be better? She’d taken the other road, seen where it led…she wanted so dearly to choose a different path this time.
“I bet they could teach you.” A lavender hand motioned to indicate the five human girls who had helped her defeat the demon, who had been willing to give their own lives for someone they’d only known for a few days.
Sunset stared between the girls and the alicorn-turned-human in a mix of uncertainty and disbelief, realizing that Twilight Sparkle was serious—and that it wasn’t a request or even a suggestion. Something in the tone—Sunset trembled slightly. She’d grown up in the palace, spent her earliest days playing at the hooves of the Princess of the Sun, and she caught the nuances of a royal decision being spoken in a way that made it seem like a suggestion…but nopony would ever mistake it for anything but a decision. Her head bowed, she did not fight against the edict—for there was an unspoken edict in it. If the humans were to teach her, then she was to remain here, in this world. In exile.
The word and the knowledge of it whispered against her psyche, and the former unicorn retreated into herself for the moment, pulling back as the crowd of students surged forward to address their savior and hero. She found herself against a wall, trying to process her punishment. Exile, in this world, hornless and hoofless and magicless…possibly for the rest of her life. The implications tumbled around in her head as she watched the Principal approach the Princess, extending to her the Crown of Magic. It plagued her as the students returned to the dance, though the Princess spoke to the pair of administrators alone for some time before she slipped in for the end of the night with her new friends.  Sunset shook in a way that did not have anything to do with the cool fall night as the Vice-Principal approached her, realizing that she had, somewhat subtly, been branded enough of a traitor and threat to Equestria, that exile was to be her fate…but that was what they did to monsters, wasn’t it? Reformation, exile, or Tartarus. She shook herself—exile with potential for reformation was preferable to Tartarus, at least, but only just.
“Sunset Shimmer, are you listening to me?”
The redhead jolted from her thoughts to meet the gaze of Vice-Principal Luna. “…I…I was lost in thought. Sorry…”
“I see. Come with me. My sister and I need to have words with you.” There was a firm authority in the dark woman’s voice, and Sunset followed her without complaint, shrinking in on herself as they entered the office and she was directed to a chair before the two women. “Sit.”
She sat, trembling. She knew it was coming. More punishment—and all of it deserved. She was a terrible person, a worse pony, and she would reap what she had sown without complaint. The sisters exchanged a long look with one another, and it was Celestia who spoke first, her voice causing pain and regret to form a lump in Sunset’s throat.
“Before we get to what happens next, Sunset…I have some questions to ask you. Princess Twilight was…most informative about your situation, but I want to hear the truth from you. No more lies, no excuses about what your records say or don’t say. Just the truth.”
What little fight was left went out of her. “…What did she tell you?”
“That she is from another world, and so are you. That you committed an act of theft and treason, brought an artifact of incredible power here, and that she followed you to retrieve it. That what we just saw was magic, apparently of the highest order, and that she is entrusting your…rehabilitation in the hands of the girls who helped stop you…and us.” The principal spoke with just a bit less serenity than her alicorn counterpart, but with no less the neutral tone.
“….Its..true. All of it. I’m from the world on the other side of the portal, and I ran away here when I felt like my…teacher…wasn’t giving me the recognition I deserved.” 
“I see.” The woman folded her hands on the desk.  “Tell me then…where did you get the legal paper work that you used to enroll here? It all passed inspection and registers as an actual identity in the system. Did you steal someone else’s identity?”
That part she could answer without shame or regret. “…I paid for it. About eight months after I came through, I managed to make a deal with some people using valuables I brought with me from Equestria. Its as legal as an ‘illegal alien’ like myself could make it be. I had no choice but to do it to survive. Human children with no families are handled by authorities, and your government doesn’t seem to much like undocumented individuals.” She grimaced, a shudder going through her. “I…heard plenty of stories about the kinds of things that happen ‘in the system,’ or for human children who run away from it. I…didn’t want that to happen to me.”
Celestia nodded, not in understanding but in acknowledgment of her words. “What about the rest of the information on file? Your address, for example. You do have a legitimate place to live? You aren’t…squatting in some abandoned building are you?”
Again, Sunset answered without guilt, though she was confused by this line of questioning. “…No…that stuff’s correct. I had my…contact…set up the paperwork last year to register me finally as an ‘emancipated minor’ with an ‘inheritance’ managed by a financial guy that handles my bills and provides me a monthly stipend for incidentals. Its not a five star hotel, but its clean, warm and close enough to school that I can walk or ride my motorcycle—and yes, that license is real too. Took the test and everything.” She tried for a tired smile, hoping to mask her fears. “…I’m…not squatting anywhere.”
Another nod, and Celestia sat back in her chair. “And you intend to stay here, in the world?”
Shoulders slumped, and Sunset looked at the floor. “…I have no choice—I don’t have anywhere else to go. My sentence is exile, and even if it wasn’t…I…I don’t think anyone back there wants me to come back. I messed up too much.  At least here…maybe I can not be a monster anymore.” The last part was little more than a hoarse whisper.
Once more the sisters exchanged glances, and this time it was Luna who spoke. “Since you have been forthcoming with your answers, Sunset Shimmer, I suppose this is where we discuss what happens next. By all rights, you should be expelled—acts of terrorism and massive damage to school property fall under ‘immediate expulsion’ and carry the likelihood of jail time for felony charges…however…Your somewhat extenuating circumstances and the request for leniency from a sovereign of the land of your birth means we are going to be handling this somewhat differently.”
Sunset stared at her, brain coming to a sharp halt. “…what?” she asked in disbelief. “But I….all the stuff I did…All the people I….I’m a terrible person….”
“I did not say there would not be consequences. I said we will not be expelling you. Yet.” Stern eyes met hers. “Do not get me wrong, Sunset Shimmer. This is the only chance you will get.  My instructions will be followed, to the absolute letter and you will make the effort to be a model citizen, or you will find our patience and compassion exhausted. Do I make myself absolutely clear?” Luna asked.
“…Yes, Vice-Principal.” What else could she say? 
“Good. Then let me detail it out for you. To start, you will be serving two weeks In-School-Suspension under my watchful eye. You will be here, bright and early each day starting on Monday—pack a lunch because you will not be leaving the ISS room other than monitored bathroom breaks.  You will also have detention every day after school until Winter Break begins, so I do hope you enjoy cleaning.” She steepled her fingers. “You will be, as I stated, a model citizen and student, and we will be watching you. That means no bullying. No fighting. No blackmail. No manipulations. No using other students to do any of those things for you. If I even catch a whiff of social media posts or any other loophole, you will be in my office so fast I will make your head spin.”
A pause to breathe and she continued. “You are at the top of your class, academically, so this part is unusual, but I feel it's necessary. Academic probation. You are expected to maintain or improve your GPA, and to not miss, skip, or fail classes or there will be further consequences. You are also suspended and on probation from all extra-curricular school activities until further notice. This means all clubs, sports teams, committees and councils. You may not hold any official school office or position—student council, elections at dances and functions, or any organizer position for school functions, or even positions of power within school based clubs for the rest of the year at the least—we will review this come summer depending on your…progress. This is all non-negotiable. Do you understand?”
She was being shown a great deal more leniency than she had ever expected from anyone, especially humans, even if one of them was Princess Celestia’s counterpart. “…That…that’s it?” the former unicorn asked in confusion. 
Luna arched one eyebrow. “You were expecting more?” When Sunset jerked her head in a nod, the Vice-Principal frowned slightly. “…You are receiving consequences for your actions, Miss Shimmer, consequences that I feel fit crimes that are within my realm to mete out judgment for. I am not going to have you ‘tarred and feathered’ for being a high school bully. That is a bit excessive. Now…do you understand what is expected of you in the coming months?”
Sunset hunched a little in her seat, but nodded. “…you’re being…more fair than I deserve…”  
“Good. Monday morning. ISS Room. Its next to my office. Now go home, Sunset Shimmer. You look like hell.” 
Startled by the remarkably candid remark and the break in the professionalism so often seen out of the school disciplinarian, Sunset got stiffly to her feet and shuffled out the door, trying to process everything that had happened; she was still feeling exposed and overwhelmed with the rapid revelations and growing list of punishments. She skirted areas that still had students mingling, finding her way to the wound on the front of the school where she could see the Princess conversing with her friends.  Cringing, Sunset made herself as small as possible and watched from the broken wall, the wind carrying bits of their conversation to her.



“…You’ll look out for her, won’t you?” The Princess glanced in Sunset’s direction, making her flinch and cower against the wall.
The night was silent for a long minute, the five girls considering the battered figure Twilight Sparkle was asking them to take in hand. Applejack considered it the shortest amount of time, wheels already turning as she flicked her eyes towards Rarity’s, their gazes meeting in silent communication. An understanding passed between them, and the farmer gave the barest of nods in assent. The designer smiled at Twilight. “Of course we will…Although I do expect some sort of apology for last spring’s debacle.” The last was a calculated addition; by adding what could’ve doubled as a complaint or jab at their own problems with Sunset’s actions, it would keep the more vocally dissenting among them (Rainbow) from throwing a fit, and when blue eyes met green again, there was quiet approval. The situation would be well in hand after Twilight left.
As the pair of visitors made their final goodbyes and walked towards the portal, Rarity took several steps off to the side, followed closely by the tall girl in the stetson. They spoke in barely audible tones to each other, watching their new friend head for the marble plinth that served as a magical gate to her home. “We all need time to process, darling,” Rarity murmured, her fingertips brushing the back of the other girl’s hand.
Applejack nodded. “…An’ ta plan how ta approach it. Without Dash gettin’ all hot under the collar.” Her own grip turned around to grasp the white skinned hand as the magic faded and their transformation melted away. “Not tonight then. Ah’m thinkin’ a week? Next Saturday, the Cakes’ bakery?”
Rarity’s hand squeezed briefly before letting go—they were in public after all. 		“That should give us time then.” Another smile passed between the pair, and they moved to join their companions—just as Pinkie slammed face first into marble and sprawled on the ground.
“Aww….Bummer…”
Laughing the group moved to help her stand.



The magic dispersed and the portal closed. Sunset could still sense that much, the sudden lack of Equestrian energies against the dull, near void that was magic in the human world, and she sighed. The Vice-Principal had already reiterated her command for Sunset to go home, threatening to make her clean up debris like she had set Snips and Snails to do until their parents picked the two freshman up.  The redhead had lingered until the portal closed, a form of self-flagellation as she watched her fate as an exile become reality.
It was done…so all she had left now was to go home. She sighed again and began to trudge down the sidewalk, carefully moving around the crater. Some sort of official story would likely be concocted—if the Principal didn’t already have one prepared, that is, but for now, Sunset Shimmer wasn’t going to think about it. Her boots thudded on the concrete as she turned towards home, hands shoved in her jacket pockets for warmth. The nights were growing cool as the season moved into autumn.
Her progress was halted as five figures stepped in front of her. “Sunset Shimmer, wait a sec.” She froze, half anticipating another dressing down…or given the personalities of at least two of these girls, maybe a physical scuffle. Rather than provoking anything, she just…stared at them, trying to fight the growing numbness in her own mind.
Applejack stood at the head of the group, Rarity at her shoulder. Any other day, and Sunset might’ve laughed at how obvious they were when a person was observant—tonight she just met Applejack’s eyes and waited.
The farmer made a face. “Look. Twilight asked us ta look after ya, an’ Ah intend ta keep mah word, but we all need time. Ta process, an’ think, and kinda…figure out where ta go from here. An’ that’s not just us. It's you too.  Once we’ve all had that…We’ll need ta talk. All of us.” She adjusted her hat. “So…Next Saturday. Noon. The Sugarcube Corner Bakery. Iffin yer serious, be there. We’ll talk. Fair?” Rainbow Dash looked like she was going to protest, and a sound escaped her before Applejack held up a hand and cut her off.
Sunset breathed, looking between the five girls, before back to Applejack and nodded her head in acknowledgment. A long look from green eyes, and the blonde stepped aside, letting Sunset pass the group and continue her trek home.   As the former unicorn passed under the next street light, she could hear Rainbow Dash turning on her friends.
“What the hell, Applejack! After everything, you can’t possibly be serious!”
“Ah am. Go home, Dash. Get some rest, an’ do some thinkin’. Ya wanna yell at me, come by the farm tomorrow afternoon—ya kin yell while muckin’ out the barn. Rares, c’mon. Promised ya Ah’d see ya home an’ Ah wanna do that before Ah’m sleepin’ on mah feet.”
Their voices faded as Sunset’s feet carried her away.
> Interlude I: Between Moments
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





With the late hour and quiet of the midnight streets, two teenage girls let their fingers lace together in a show of affection. In a setting still so public, it was all they would allow themselves.  
“Do you really think Rainbow Dash will show up tomorrow at your property just to complain, darling?” Rarity inquired as she and Applejack headed towards her home.
“Dash? Naw. She knows Ah’ll make good on mah threat of makin’ her muck cow pies outta the barn—we ain’t talked in almost two years, but the Dash Ah remember hates work.” Green eyes glanced around the deserted neighborhood streets, before she brought the hand in hers up to her lips, kissing the knuckles. “So Ah don’t hafta be home til tomorrow afternoon.” The gesture of affection was over almost before Rarity could register it had occurred, but it still caused a fluttery sensation in her stomach.
“Well…Mother and Father are still away on their vacation until the end of the month, and your brother took Sweetie and your sister and Scootaloo back to your house for their sleepover,” the designer practically purred, voice hushed against the silence of the night. “Which means we have the house to ourselves…”  There was hope and promise in her tone, a question asked without words in a subtle song and dance between the pair.
Applejack chuckled, releasing her companion’s hand to curl the arm around her shoulders, something Rarity was more than willing to lean into. She was tired—not sleepy, but worn out in a way that she had never been before, even in her most frenzied creative outburst or the worst deadline crunches—and having the firm body next to her taking even a few moments to support her helped. “Then Ah guess Ah’m all yers til mornin’, Rares.” Her voice dropped to little more than a whisper, laced with emotion, “Didn’ get much chance ta tell ya how beautiful ya looked tonight, an’ how much Ah enjoyed havin’ ya as mah date, even if we didn’ get the chance ta dance, what with magic’n’she-demons an’ all.”
Blue eyes glittered under the light of the street lamp, and forgoing appearances, Rarity leaned even more into the farmer’s embrace, exhaling a happy sound that couldn’t fairly be called a sigh. “As if I would entertain attending with anyone other than the lady knight who carries my favor,” she murmured with affection and playfulness.
“Ain’t no one else’s ‘favor’ Ah’d rather have.”  They climbed the stairs to the well lit front porch, the door opening easily with the jingle of keys. 
Rarity had barely locked the door behind them before she found herself in a tight embrace, lips crushing against hers in a way that felt like desperation. She was used to the occasional displays of passion, displays that were like Applejack herself: strong, firm, and earnest, with her emotions plainly written on her face and intentions communicated through everywhere their bodies touched.  This moment was different than the multitudes they’d shared before, with Applejack holding her almost painfully tight, her body tense and unyielding as she sought something from her partner. The keys fell to the floor so Rarity’s own arms could find purchase on well defined shoulders and in thick blonde hair when her knees went weak.  When they parted, both were panting, and she could see painful knowledge and old fear in her lover’s eyes, a specter she thought she’d helped the farmer banish long ago.  “Applejack…?” She questioned, slim fingers gently brushing the freckled cheek. 
“Almost lost ya tonight,” was the response, lips tracing along her throat in featherlight kisses. “We almost died. Shoulda died, jumpin’ in the way like that. Ah’ve heard yer life flashes afore yer eyes, but Rares…all Ah could think was that Ah’d missed one last chance ta tell ya how much Ah love ya.” Applejack met her gaze, leaning in for another kiss, this one sweeter, more emotional, but no less needy.
“You wouldn’t have lost me, anymore than I would have lost you, my love,” she pointed out a minute later. “We both jumped in to protect Twilight.  Had it gone badly, we would have traversed the unknown together. Which…is the way I prefer it—’Whither thou goest’ as it were.” Rarity moved as close to Applejack’s warmth as she could get, pressing them tightly together, her own feelings seeping into her voice, the perfectly cultivated accent wavering. “I cannot bear to think of my life without you—I love you beyond measure, and a world without you in it would be gray and lifeless.”
“However…we are alive and unharmed.” She brushed blonde bangs back tenderly. “I’m right here, Applejack.” She took one of the farmer’s work calloused hands, moving back just enough to place the palm against her skin so her lover could feel the racing beat of her heart. “See?”
“Yeah…M’sorry, Rares. I just don’ wanna lose ya. Yer too damned important ta me…”  Applejack tightened her grip, just holding them together for a few minutes.
“Darling,” The designer tried gently after some time.  “Why don’t we take this upstairs? We can get out of these clothes and into bed—” She squeaked in surprise as she was scooped up, bridal style, Applejack carrying her up the stairs as if she weighed nothing at all.
“Yer wish is mah command,” came the teasing response.
In truth, Rarity was grateful for the assistance—the weariness that had settled in her bones was making her long for a long soak in her tub or perhaps a full day of pampering herself at the spa. She wasn’t even sure why it was she was so worn—she had felt fine during and even after the dance. She hadn’t started to feel this way until after the five girls had split up to go their separate ways.
Applejack set her down gently on the bed, hands that had been holding her now starting to help her out of her dress. When her hands rose to help, her lover pushed them down gently. “Let me, Rares. Couldn’ touch ya all evenin’ an’ this helps…” Green eyes glinted with the hint of uncharacteristic moisture, and Rarity relented without her usual protest because of that more than anything else. It didn’t stop her from returning the favor a few minutes later, or from tugging the blonde down onto the mattress with her, overcome with the need to feel skin against skin, an affirmation without words that they were both still truly, gloriously, amazingly alive.




Much later, when the sun was peeking over the horizon and the two lovers had napped away the afterglow, they found their usual pillow talk replaced by conversation of a much more serious note.
“Ah reckon school’s gonna be a right mess fer a time. Magic bein’ real, a fight with a demon, pony princesses from another dimension…not somethin’ ya kin just…get over.” Lazy fingers traced idle patterns on alabaster skin.
“That’s not the part that concerns me, darling.” When Applejack raised an eyebrow in silent urging for her to continue, Rarity did so with a sigh. “My concern is what happens if and when authorities come asking questions…Questions that we do not want them to have the real answers to, questions that could make things uncomfortable for the two of us, for the other girls, and most certainly for Sunset Shimmer—while I still am hesitant to trust her ‘change of heart’ fully, I have no desire for her to be taken away by nebulous organizations filled with men in black suits. Even though many of our classmates were…ensorcelled by her mind-control, a large number witnessed her transformation and then saw all of us as magical pony-eared girls. We…may need to do some form of damage control on Monday.”
Blonde brows furrowed, their owner mulling over the matter for a time before she spoke. “…Ah’d not thought ‘bout that, but yer right, Rares. Might need ta call an emergency meetin’ with us an’ the girls. Ah’ve got an idea, but we’d need all of us ta do it. Ah’m thinkin’ we use a bit of that reawakened Wondercolt pride an’ teenage rebellion against authority ta our advantage.”
Blue eyes lit up with understanding. “Ooooh. I see where you’re going with this…and with our status, and Twilight’s status after last night…Very clever, darling.” She kissed her lover’s cheek. “Then that just leaves the matter of Sunset Shimmer and what to do about her. If this this ‘change’ is nothing but an act, I’m inclined to let her twist in the wind…” There was a long pause, as Rarity changed her position to a more comfortable one. “…but Twilight seemed to think she was sincere in her remorse, and delivered her into our hands. I don’t know if she would have just left like that if she didn’t believe we would follow through with her request.”
“Or left Sunset Shimmer here.”  Applejack was still frowning, clearly deep in thought, and it was Rarity’s turn to arch an eyebrow at her. “See, Ah been thinkin’ ‘bout it. How did Sunset Shimmer know ‘bout the portal an’ the pony world an’ the magic crown in the first place? But then Ah remembered Sunset didn’ show up at school til we were in seventh grade, an’ Ah can’t remember ever seein’ her folks. More’n that, some’a the things she an’ Twilight said last night…”
It clicked, all at once. “…You think she’s a native of the same world as Twilight Sparkle.” So many incongruities started jumping out of Rarity’s memory, things about Sunset that didn’t add up. “…my heavens…that would explain a great deal. But to leave her here, instead of taking her back to the other world…?”
“Ah’m thinkin’ mebbe strandin’ her here mighta been the better option. Ya heard Twi—that crown was hers, property of a Princess an’ a major defense of her world.  If someone here had stolen somethin’ like that, it’d be jail time fer sure. Mebbe worse—lotsa places execute fer treason. An’ thats not even considerin’ she tried ta murder a Princess.”  Applejack rubbed her face. “…Ah dunno what they do fer legal systems over there in Magic Pony Land, but Twilight seemed ta wanna help her. She wanted us ta help her. Ah know she was a right bitch, but…up until this week, all she was was a high school mean girl, Rares, an’ iffin Ah’m honest, not even the worst of them in the world. She did bad stuff, but Ah wouldn’ say she deserves life in a cell or gettin’ strung up fer it.”
Rarity nodded, sighing deeply. “She also showed up in middle school. If your suggestion is correct, that means she may well have been the magical pony equivalent of a pre-teen runaway that learned how to be human in what is possibly the most emotionally corrosive environment in human society. Even if she wasn’t that nice to begin with, I’m certain that it didn’t help.” She stared at her wall for a minute. “But if she doesn’t want to change, Applejack, we cant make her change.”
A thoughtful sound vibrated Applejack’s chest. “Eyup.”
“…You have a plan, don’t you?”
“Eeeeyup.”
“’Whither thou goest,’ then….”
> Chapter Two: Vulnerable
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset Shimmer felt a little better as she took the shortcut through the park a few blocks from her apartment. Her body still felt sore and bruised and she was still covered in grime, but the strange burning heat in her bones had faded to a dull throb and with no one around she didn’t feel quite as vulnerable and on display. Guilt continued to gnaw at her, and she could feel the familiar pulse of anger in her chest growing again, although this time it was directed at herself, but she would deal with that on her own time. One hand scrubbed wearily at her face, trying to get rid of the stiff, tacky feeling of dirt mixed with dried tears, and she absently noted that her jacket was going to need repairs…or to be replaced.  
“…I liked this jacket too,” she mused to herself, before glancing up through the trees at the cloudless night sky. She could make out a fair smattering of stars against the void of space—the bare sliver of the moon didn’t outshine them for once. For a few moments, she just enjoyed the night, the silence and solitude, letting it wash over her like a balm over a burn; tension started to leak out of her shoulders as her mind stilled, thoughts winking out one by one as she simply took a moment to just…be.
That peace was shattered by a scream, and Sunset’s head snapped around towards the noise: a female voice crying out for help in a breathless tone that did not bode well for the situation. It was growing closer to her location, and she could hear footfalls now—a lighter set followed by several heavier ones. There was the sound of impact and a scuffle, and the laughter of several males reached her ears.
“Now now, girly…no need to scream.”
“Yeah…We’re just gonna have a little fun…Ain’t we, boys?” 
“Oooo…She’s feisty!” 
The laughter was dark and promised unpleasantness, especially when coupled with the sound of someone begging and crying for them to stop. Sunset’s expression twisted into a frown, and her feet carried her towards the scuffle. There was no way the redhead was going to ignore what she heard—no matter how horrible she had been, there were some lines that were never to be crossed, and this was one of them.  Upon learning about it when she had arrived in this world, Sunset had taken careful pains to avoid being victim to such a situation, but she’d seen the end result in more than a few girls both on the street and in school. It was a trauma she wouldn’t have wished on even Princess Twilight, and she had hated the purple unicorn who’d replaced her more than she thought herself capable of hating someone.
“Hold still, and maybe it won’t hurt so much! Maybe you’ll even like it.”  Sunset’s frown became a primal snarl that would’ve terrified the ponies in Equestria.  She recognized that voice from a number of previous encounters, all of them bad and most of them ending in violence against one or more of the group to whom its owner belonged.  Her anger and self-loathing transformed into a fury that had found a target other than herself.  Or rather, several new targets.
Stepping out of the brush, Sunset counted three bulky male figures all standing over someone on the ground, with a fourth crouched, hands fighting with their victim’s shirt. The redhead barked out, “Hey! Back off!” Her mind, cleared and focused from her brief meditative stint under the stars began analyzing what she knew were going to be her opponents, taking in their body language, posture, builds, clothing and potential weapons. “Now.”
The youths all turned towards her, startled, and that was all the time she gave them before she lunged, soreness buried beneath adrenaline brought on by both rage and fear, as she fell into familiar patterns of movement, sending the closest teen sprawling away from their victim and face first into a tree. He let out a squeal of pain, blood flowing from a smashed nose and split lip, but she was already meeting her second target with a cheap one-two punch to the diaphragm that sent the wind out of him and made him curl forward. Her hands caught his hair, and with extreme prejudice brought his face into a sudden and violent meeting with her knee, before pushing his bulk into stereotypical unwashed teenage thug number three, unbalancing them both. The fourth, whose voice she had recognized, pulled a knife from his coat as he stood, swiping at her with it. 
Sunset would’ve taken the time to roll her eyes at it, if she could’ve. His grip was terrible, and the knife was such a shoddy piece, she probably could’ve snapped it with her bare hands. Instead, she sidestepped his lunge, pivoted on her foot, and redirected all his force and energy right into the body of his first friend with the broken nose. Another sound of pain, and Broken-Nose collapsed, a bloody tear in his shirt along his side—it would bleed badly, but it shouldn’t be life threatening, she noted with somewhat disappointed detachment, her foot snapping out in a vicious stomp to the back of Knife-Boy’s knee. She heard the somewhat sickening pop of bone and ligament, and he let out a cry of agony. That was two down, and the knife was lost in the brush somewhere. Two left, one trying to recover the ability to breathe around a bloody bitten tongue, fat lip and a few loose teeth. She adjusted her stance as the one uninjured boy threw a punch, catching it along her arm, and sliding in with an attempt to end it quick.
What she wasn’t expecting was it to be a feint, drawing her in close enough for his other fist to slam into her ribs. The impact vibrated through her torso, and by all rights should have hurt like getting bucked by a yak, but all she felt was angry and annoyed. She had just wanted to go home, but noooo….these filthy, stupid, disgusting primates decided to try and rape someone in front of her. With a rasping scream of pure hate that would have impressed even a Saddle Arabian stallion, Sunset slammed her fist into his throat as hard as she could, and felt her lips curl into a smirk as he dropped, gagging and choking. Another swift kick rendered him out of the fight, and she turned on the last boy who’d finally caught his breath. He was staring at her in horror. She met his gaze, one monster to another. “Leave, and maybe I won’t break your legs,” she hissed, something primal that burned like lava rising in her as she locked eyes with him.
With a terrified yelp, he bolted like a rabbit, and Sunset moved around the moaning, broken, or unconscious forms to the girl huddled on the ground, suddenly unsure of how to proceed. “Hey…c’mon. Can you stand?” First things first, she needed to get the girl up and get them out of here. This dim, off the path part of the park was too exposed, too dangerous, and isolated, considering it was after midnight. The runner could come back with friends—this wasn’t the entire gang of ne’er-do-wells from the neighborhood. There were at least five more, and she knew those weren’t good odds, even if she had been fresh, especially while trying to keep them away from someone who didn’t seem to know how to fight back.
Her thoughts were broken as the girl bolted up from the ground and wrapped herself around Sunset, hyperventilating and sobbing, too twisted up in panic and hysterics to be able to speak. “Alright. I don’t know where you live, but we need to go somewhere safe. My place is near here.”  She tried to keep her voice calm and level, to prevent from agitating her further. From the girl’s height and overall shape, Sunset pegged her as a fellow high-schooler, but it was too dark to tell much else. Especially with her half clinging to Sunset, face buried in Sunset’s filthy, battered jacket. She guided them along the path towards her apartment and the edge of the park, pausing to scoop up what she assumed to be the girl’s bag.  “This is yours, right?” she asked, shouldering it on the side the girl wasn’t hugging.
No answer other than a sobbing half breath. “Right. Let’s go.” She had no idea what she was doing, but the anger had fizzled out into something else, something she couldn’t quite place. She needed to make sure this girl was safe and okay, and it overpowered just about anything else right now, even the guilt that was returning and her mind shouting self-recriminations for the fight she’d just won.
They managed to stumble out of the park onto a street with better lighting, and Sunset got a better look at the slim form clutching her like the only rock in a raging river. Dark hair was in a frazzled ponytail, marred by a magenta streak, and complimenting the lavender skin. Guilt vanished before incredulity as she tipped the girl’s face away from the collar of her jacket to get a look at her face—and Twilight Sparkle looked back at her with reddened eyes behind thick glasses. 
“Ponyfeathers.” The universe either loved irony, or it hated Sunset Shimmer. Or both. She was willing to put her money on both right now. Either way, it was too late for her to back out of this situation, and not the time to fall into hysterical laughter.  And Twilight Sparkle—who had to be the human world’s Twilight—was looking at her still, her breathing slowly returning to a normal rhythm. She clung to her rescuer, exhibiting all the signs of shock and emotional shutdown—understandable trauma given the circumstances. Sunset exhaled deeply, and turned them towards her building. “We’re almost there. Another few blocks.”
It was slow going and awkward, trying to walk with another body practically crawling inside her skin, but they made it to her front door, the narrow building sitting dark and unassuming but for the flickering porch light. “This is us.” She frowned, realizing her keys were in the pocket on the “Twilight side” of her body, because the girl had freaked anytime she felt Sunset move like she would pull away.  “Look. My coat pocket has my keys. Can you hand them to me?” She struggled to keep her tone level.
A shaking hand snaked into her coat, and she could feel it fishing around for her keys, before withdrawing and presenting them to her.  Smiling as best she could, she opened the door, urging them both in, before shutting it and locking it. “Okay. We’re inside. We’re safe now.” Her fingers found the light switch, and the darkness melted away to reveal the small loft she called home. She walked her charge over to the battered sofa. “Sit down for a minute. Relax and breathe.”  
With a little encouragement, she got Twilight to sit on the couch, allowing Sunset to shed her jacket and figure out what to do next. Taking in Twilight’s muddy, grass stained clothes and tangled ponytail, her eyes flicked towards her bathroom and an idea bloomed. She moved to her dresser in the loft, pulling out a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt, as well as a clean towel from her laundry. Those she brought to the bathroom, setting them on the sink, before fiddling with the shower, turning on the nice hot spray. 
She returned to the main room. “Found you some clean clothes, and the shower is on. Go clean up. I promise, you’ll feel better if you wash the feel of those animals off you.” They hadn’t gotten any further than grabbing Twilight through her clothes and tearing a few buttons off her shirt, but that wouldn’t make any difference. Sunset could very well remember the few times she’d been grabbed by a creep at school and how, after decking said pervert into the lockers, all she’d wanted to do was shower and scrub until she stopped feeling the unwanted fingers pressing into her flesh. She made sure to keep her tone firm but neutral—for whatever reason, this Twilight wasn’t responding well to anything that wasn’t a direction.  “There’s shampoo and body wash. Feel free to use it if you want,” she added, still feeling way out of her depth.
The dark haired teen rose and mechanically headed for the bathroom, the door shutting firmly behind her. Sunset let out an explosive sigh and collapsed on the couch. “Horseapples,” she uttered, head falling back with a thump against the cushions. “What am I doing?”
It was a question with no real answer. She had the human version of Twilight Sparkle in her shower, and she’d just beaten the stuffing out of four teenage boys who were planning on raping the other girl in the park. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing; the last twenty minutes had been absolutely by the seat of her pants. “I’ll…just…try and get her to calm down. Give her something to drink, offer to take her home. Then I’ll never have to see her again. Simple.” 
That decided, Sunset hauled her body of the couch to go change into something that didn’t have half the dirt from the crater outside CHS in its seams and wait for her guest to get out of the shower.




More than an hour later the bathroom door creaked open, and a timid form slipped out, looking much improved from how she’d gone in. Sunset looked up from her makeshift kitchen counter—a long narrow table she’d purchased used online that held a microwave, a toaster and a stack of clean dishes—and offered out a steaming mug in a tentative hand. “Wasn’t really sure what you drink, but I thought some hot tea might feel good? I like it when I’m upset…so…” she shrugged. 
Purple eyes looked at her and the tea was almost knocked from her grip as she found herself in a hug that was almost painfully tight. She let out a startled sounding snort, hurriedly putting the tea mug down. “Uh…”
“Thank you,” Twilight whispered. “You saved me from them…from…” A shudder traveled over her, the words failing to come from her throat, and the fear was practically palpable. Sunset brought her arms awkwardly around the smaller girl to complete the hug, and felt the body relax against her. “Thank you so much.”
With no real way to respond, Sunset just patted her back lightly like she remembered Celestia doing when she woke up from a nightmare as a filly.  Just as it was getting awkward enough that she was starting to grow uncomfortable, Twilight let go of her. “I…Sorry. I just wanted to thank you.” Then she seemed to remember something, and had the grace to look embarrassed. “…I’m Twilight Sparkle.”
The former unicorn bit back the immediate and testily sarcastic ‘I know,’ that wanted to fall from her lips. It wouldn’t help do anything other than upset Twilight more, and she’d just calmed down. Instead, she settled for an awkward, “Sunset. Sunset Shimmer,” as she retrieved the tea and pressed it into the dark haired girl’s grip. “Here. Drink. It’ll help settle your nerves.”  Her brows furrowed a moment later. “Do you have someone you need to call? I can give you a ride home, but its late so…”
Twilight found a seat again on the couch, curling up in a defensive position, both hands gripping the mug tightly and shaking slightly, as if she were chilled.  “…I would, normally…but I had the house to myself tonight. My parents are out of town for a function and my brother got called into work.” She looked up and out the big window at the night. “…Can…can I stay here tonight?” she asked quietly. “I…I don’t want to be home alone right now…” She sipped her tea nervously.
Stay here? Sunset stared, her brain starting and stopping several times. Finally, she answered the only way her guilt ridden psyche would let her. “…It would be better if you went home, Twilight. I’m…I’m not the kind of person you should spend time with, even just for a night. I’m a monster, and I hurt people.” Sunset winced, the echo of flesh deforming under her hands with the sound of crunching bone and popping ligaments ghosting through her mind.  She could practically hear Princess Celestia scolding her over her disproportionate response, just as much as she could hear the laughing of her demon self, waiting for the fireball to kill six teens in front of hundreds of others.  She moved to sit on the floor near her TV, so Twilight didn’t have to look over the couch’s back at her.  “Its safer for you to get away from me as soon as possible.”
Brows furrowed behind damp bangs and thick glasses. “What do you mean you’re a monster? You…you saved me. You brought me here and helped me through a panic attack.”
“Yeah, but I hurt them badly and….I’m not much better than they are.  You don’t know me…not really. You don’t know what kind of awful, terrible person I’ve been…a truly horrible person. I’ve made a lot of people suffer because I was a selfish brat.” She curled up, bringing her knees to her chest, feeling raw and exposed again, the memory of wings and claws and reddened skin burning in her mind. “I don’t know the first thing about being a good person.”
Twilight studied her, head tilted slightly. “I don’t think that's true.” At Sunset’s protest, she shook her head. “Not about your past. If you say you did bad things, I believe you. But….listen to yourself. You’re worried about hurting me. You’re sorry you hurt people in the past. You’re upset and calling yourself a bad person. Someone who was really evil and terrible…they wouldn’t care….Like those boys…” She glanced down, her trembling becoming more noticeable.  “I bet the only thing they cared about was getting caught. They didn’t have any second thoughts or considerations about the prospect of…” Twilight halted, trying to get her breathing under control. 
After a minute of some weird breathing exercise with her fist in front of her chest, she turned back to Sunset.  “You care. You didn’t have to save me. You did, and risked yourself to do it. You didn’t have to bring me here—you could have left me in the park, but you didn’t. You brought me here, loaned me clean clothes, and you made me a drink, all to make me feel better. You just offered me a ride home, and were concerned that I would have someone worried about my whereabouts.”
“Maybe you don’t know a lot about being a good person, but maybe you know more than you think.”
Sunset stared at her, eyes wide and startled. She still felt like her soul was on display, vulnerable and without her barriers, but it no longer felt so much like a gaping wound that was being prodded and jabbed. She’d put it all out before this girl, and instead of condemnation or fear, she saw trust and warmth. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had looked at her like that, not even Princess Celestia. Something tore loose in her chest, and she broke into bitter, painful sobs that wracked her entire body, all of the shame and hurts she held inside her for years pouring out of her amidst hot tears.
Shifting fabric dimly told her that Twilight had abandoned the sofa, and then arms were around her again, the other girl just holding on to her as her emotions finally overwhelmed her.  Sunset fought it at first, trying to regain control, but the feeling of the warm embrace being offered freely with no judgment made that slip through her grip like grains of sand, and the loneliness she’d buried for years under anger and hate rose up, drowning her. She fell apart, collapsing into the hug and for the first time in her life, surrendered.
Time passed without her knowing—for all she knew, she’d spent an eternity weeping like a foal into Twilight’s shoulder, soaking the fabric with pain and tears, fingers clutching at her back. She could feel more than hear the soft, tuneless humming against her hair, and a hand rubbed gentle circles on her shoulder, giving her time to work through it at her own pace.  Eventually sobbing petered out into sniffles, and she pulled away, scrubbing at her face. Twilight withdrew her arms slowly, watching her for a long moment. “Better?” she asked carefully.
Sunset nodded, not half as embarrassed as she should have been, and she exhaled. “…I…I’m sorry. It's…I guess it's been a rough night for both of us.” 
A lavender hand brushed her arm. “Do you want to talk about it? I’m not always…the best at talking, but I can listen.”
The redhead’s face twisted into an expression that was half grimace, yet the truth poured from her mouth anyway. “…It's like I said. I’ve been a terrible person for years, and I did a lot of bad stuff. I used my school like my own personal kingdom and plaything, and tormented people there. Tonight was…a new girl came to the school this week, undid all the damage I’d caused…and then stood up to me in front of the entire school at a dance. She took everything from me that mattered to me…and in the process…”  Blue-green eyes dropped to stare at her hands, seeing the claws and red skin flash across her vision. “…In the process…she made me see myself for what I am. A monster who has nothing at all, who doesn’t know how to do anything other than hurt people and tear them apart. And everyone else saw it too.”
Twilight nodded. “…It sounds like you don’t want to be like that anymore,” she observed. 
“…No…I…I never wanted to be a monster. I was just…I was so angry. I thought I was being denied something I deserved, something I wanted more than anything…I did a lot of things…hurt po—people that didn’t do anything wrong, and didn’t listen to advice from those trying to help me. I was awful, for a long time…so long that I don’t remember if I ever knew how to be any other way.” She grabbed some napkins from the coffee table, leftover from the last time she’d gotten take out and used them to blow her nose.
Purple eyes remained on her. “…I think you do. Nothing you’ve done for me was monstrous. So maybe you have a lot to learn, but you know more than you want to believe about being a nice person.”
“Guess we’ll just…have to disagree then,” Sunset responded tiredly.
Twilight Sparkle gave her a bright smile. “For now. I’ll just have to work at getting you to change your mind.”
Brows furrowed, Sunset peered at her. “What?”
Instead of clarifying, the other girl was studying her intently. “…have you never had a friend before?” she asked.
Sunset flinched from the question, Princess Twilight’s declaration about friendship echoing in her memory. “…No. I…didn’t have time for them at first…then I didn’t see the point—other people were either useful or a waste of space…and now…” Her head dropped into her hand. “…Now that everyone knows me for what I am, I’m fairly certain no one will want to even try.”
“I would.”
For the second time that night, Sunset’s head jerked up in a snort of surprise, and she stared at Twilight. “….I…you…what? Are you…did you hit your head?” Sarcasm. She could do sarcasm. That wasn’t totally mean, was it?
“No, I didn’t hit my head, and yes, I would.” Twilight’s expression was nervous but not because of Sunset. “Truthfully I don’t know a whole lot about social interactions, but I have had a few friends in my life.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose. “And…I would like to be your friend. You say you’ve been awful, and I believe you did the things you say you did…but that's not the person I’ve seen—and as a scientist, I prefer to deal in concrete facts and readily observable data. What I’ve observed is that while you may have previously acted in a negative manner to others, you have expressed desire to change that. If nothing else, I need more data before I reach any kind of conclusion.” Her smile never faltered. “…although I already have a hypothesis, if you want to hear it.”
Blinking, Sunset was not sure how to respond. “…Sure…?”
“I hypothesize that I will not regret being your friend, because I believe that you will turn out to be a very good friend if given a fair chance.”  Then her face fell. “I mean…if…if you don’t think being friends with me would…be unpleasant or boring.”
“…I’m more worried that I’m going to mess this up, Twilight. I don’t know the first thing about friendship. I…like I said. Not a good person.”
The smile was back. “I promise you I will keep that knowledge in mind.”
Definitely the universe loving irony and hating Sunset Shimmer. Why else would she be in this situation where the first and likely only person willing to make friends with her was the human counterpart of the pony Princess she’d hated with a burning passion up until about three hours ago? A laugh borne more from exasperation than any humor at the other girl’s words escaped from her. “…Alright.  I can see you’re going to be persistent about this.” She pushed herself up, pulling Twilight with her. “C’mon. Let’s get the couch set up for you. If you’re going to stay the night, you should be comfortable.”
The joy in her new friend’s smile stirred something in Sunset’s chest, a warmth and satisfaction that surprised her even as it soothed some of the painful edges of her soul.
> Chapter Three: New Beginnings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Morning came, sun shining into Sunset’s eyes, and she groaned, squirming away from the shafts of light and shoving her head under her pillow with a noise that was more snorting grunt than anything. That bought her a few minutes respite as the fog slowly cleared from her brain…most of it, anyway. Sleep had been…elusive at best. Between her own nightmares and those of her guest, the both of them had been up and down all night, each waking the other from thrashing, screaming terrors. It’d gotten bad enough that sometime around what her phone had told her was five AM, she’d just made the human girl climb back up the stairs with her and take the other side of the bed so neither one of them had to run up and down the steps again. 
The bed’s other occupant shifted, mumbling something in her sleep, and Sunset finally lifted the edge of her pillow to peer blearily out at the waking world. It was far too bright and cheerful a morning for her tastes, and far too early to even consider being alive, especially with how awful her body felt.
Even without rising, she could feel the stiffness in every muscle and joint—she felt like one giant bruise and idly wondered if her skin was more purple than Twilight’s right now. In particular, her shoulders, hips, and back ached so badly it made her bones feel hot, and she tried to remember if she still had painkillers left in her bathroom cabinet.
Fighting back a groan, she slithered out from under her covers on all fours, shuffled her way to the stairs, and was at the bottom wondering why the knob was so far away before she remembered that her current body was a biped with fingers. Standing upright was an experience of its own, and she swallowed four ibuprofen dry before hobbling to the plastic tub she kept food in, with all the grace and mobility of an 80-year-old mule. 
A bowl of cereal and an apple later, and she was sprawled on the sofa, crunching mindlessly away at her breakfast, eyes not really seeing whatever random selection had been pulled from her list on Netflix. It was this scene that Twilight joined, hair sticking up in all directions and dark circles under her eyes. Sunset looked over. “Soda and milk in the fridge, cereal in the plastic tub. Bowls on the counter. Help yourself. There's not much else—I need to go grocery shopping this week.”
There was a zombie-like groan that might’ve been words, but it was hard to tell. A few minutes later, and the dark haired girl plopped next to Sunset, blindly chewing on her own cereal.
Once some of the caffeine and sugar had penetrated enough to reboot her system, Twilight spoke, “You didn’t strike me as the kind of person to watch documentaries.”
Sunset looked up from her cereal, taking a minute to process the question around the wool stuffing her brain. “…I do a lot of things people wouldn’t expect from someone like me,” she admitted. “Having intellectual interests is probably the top of the list, but its not the only thing on there.” She made a sound of amusement—she wasn’t about to tell her guest that she watched documentaries to either study humans or to advance her knowledge of various subjects in which humanity differed or was more advanced than pony-kind. “I was always surprised that no one tried to use any of those things against me, but I mostly assumed they were too stupid to pay attention.” 
“Things like documentaries?”
“…No…that's just something I do at home. Stuff like…” Sunset thought for a moment, trying to shake her head clear. “Like the fact that I’m in all the advanced classes except for history and I think I’m in the top five for GPA in the school. I’d be number one, but I’m abysmal at history, so I took a hit. Or what I do and don’t eat, especially with how much they go after other kids who have similar habits.” At the puzzled look, Sunset clarified. “…As much as it doesn’t fit with the bully image, I don’t eat most meat.” Her face twisted into a nauseous expression. “The thought of eating beef makes me queasy, the only pork I can ever manage is the occasional bit of bacon if it’s part of a recipe, I’ll eat poultry if it's a situation where there’s no alternative…” She felt like she was probably looking a little green. “…and I’m not ashamed to admit that when I learned some people eat horse meat, I did throw up.  Ugh.”  She shook herself violently. “I do enjoy seafood—was always a guilty pleasure when I was little, since it was only ever served at big, special events, but other than that, I just…don’t.  I can’t.”
“Though I have encountered a number of unpleasant individuals with non-mainstream dietary habits, I can see where that might seem…unusual for a bully persona,” Twilight ventured slowly. “But it doesn’t seem like an unreasonable trait for Sunset Shimmer to have.”  She held up her empty bowl. “Where do you want me to put this?”
“Oh. Bathroom sink. I’ll wash them later.” Sunset looked at the time. “…I’ll get you something you can wear home so you’re not out and about in pajamas.”  It took the redhead a few tries to get up off the sofa. “…Though I may have to walk you home. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep the bike upright with how my hips feel right now.” She limped to her wardrobe and rummaged through it.
“You’re in pain? What happened? Was it…it wasn’t from the fight was it?” Twilight twisted her hands together somewhat anxiously.  
“No. Earlier in the night. Part of my public humiliation included a bit of a fall. Nothing broken but I’m feeling it today.” And the award for understatement of the year goes to one Sunset Shimmer, her mind whispered to her.
“Did the other girl push you?”
“…No. I did it to myself. I did something incredibly stupid that I thought would get me what I wanted…and it all went horribly wrong. It’s sheer luck that no one was hurt badly or worse, because of me. Including myself.”  Her stomach gave a lurch, the previous night and her nightmares all jumping back into the forefront of her mind. She shook her head and sought a way to change the topic. She produced a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants that she’d been meaning to get rid of because they were too small on her. “Here. These should fit you okay. I…figured you might not want to put last night’s clothes back on, so you can have these. They don’t fit anymore, so I don’t care if I don’t get them back.” Passing those to Twilight, she found clean clothes for herself in a pair of jeans and another hoodie. “If it’s alright, I’m going to go take a shower before I take you home. Didn’t get one last night, and I need one.”
The other girl nodded, and Sunset made her way slowly to the bathroom to drown herself under the hot spray, in desperate hope to alleviate the pain.
She made the water as hot as she could stand, stripping out of pajamas that reeked of sweat and stale fear, dropping them in the clothes basket in the corner. Standing under the water felt good, the steady pounding of the water pressure doing a great deal to scour the dirt from her skin and strip the grime and accumulated oils from her hair.
Her thoughts chased each other in circles as she worked shampoo into her mane and scrubbed her body far more roughly than normal. She felt filthy in ways that had nothing to do with mud or earth and everything to do with the corruption that had overtaken her the night before and the sad, blackened state of her soul.
She scrubbed until she resembled her namesake, the nightmares hanging over her. If she closed her eyes, Sunset could hear the clattering of blackened bones, smell the reek of seared flesh, singed fur, and charred bone....see the blood and violation...
It was too much, and the former unicorn rested her palms against the wall to try and lose herself in the white noise of running water. She didn’t want to see it anymore, to see the hellish mockery of either world, or hear the voice of her demonic self taunting her...
“You’ll never be able to escape this hell because Hell is part of you now...”
Sunset let the water wash over her, the scalding hot spray rinsing her shampoo from her hair and down the drain. The nightmare had repeated so many times, horrible variants, sometimes with the human world, sometimes in Equestria, images of destruction and death, pain, suffering and agony inflicted on the inhabitants..but always her fault. Always at her hands. And that constant reminder, that she would never be free, it whispered and gnawed at her…
Perhaps not to the degree the dream implied, but Sunset wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to make up for what she had done, who she had been, the pain and misery she had inflicted on others. Her eyes burned and stung, tears joining the water from the shower. 




A full forty five minutes under a blisteringly hot shower head later, and Sunset emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, feeling much more together and less like a crippled old nag. She’d shoved her damp hair back into a quick ponytail at the base of her neck, rather than deal with it right now. She’d have to trim some singed edges that evening, but that could wait. She wanted to make sure Twilight got home safely—that itching compulsion she couldn’t quite explain had returned with a vengeance the moment she’d mentioned taking her home, along with a spike of rage at the thought of Twilight bumping in to any of the guys from last night while unguarded.
Blue-green eyes scanned the room. The blankets and pillows on the couch had been neatly folded, trash had been thrown away, and Twilight was finishing repacking the bag that Sunset had grabbed assuming it belonged to the glasses wearing girl. “…you didn’t have to pick up, you know. I would’ve gotten around to it later.”
“I wanted to. I would’ve done more, but…I didn’t know where things went.” The girl smiled at her. “I didn’t realize you grabbed my bag last night. Thank you for that too. My parents would be upset if they had to replace some of this.” She shouldered the heavy pack, slipping her shoes on. The hoodie was a bit large and baggy for her, but the sweats seemed just about the right size.
Sunset found her other pair of boots, shoving her feet into them and tightening up the laces. “Wasn’t sure if it was yours or not, but I figured if it wasn’t, oh well. Those creeps probably didn’t deserve to have it.” Standing and tapping the toe against the floor to make sure it was snug, she grabbed her keys. “So how far are we walking to your place? I’m guessing it's not in this neighborhood.”
Twilight stepped down the front steps, shaking her head. “Its about a mile from the park.” She looked around, trying to get her bearings. “Off Fifth Street, about four blocks from the library.” She found the street sign. “I can get us there.”
Once the front door was locked, Sunset joined her. “Lead on then. You can tell me on the way why you were a mile out of your way, after midnight, alone, in the park, and with a bag that looks like it weighs a ton.”
Twilight set off in the right direction as she answered, her voice starting fairly normal, but becoming more excited and manic as she explained.  “Well, my parents are gone for the weekend at a function for my father’s job, and my older brother was staying to ‘keep an eye on things’, but he got called in to work yesterday evening. So it was just me and my dog—but there was supposed to be an interesting celestial conjunction this weekend, and with the moon almost new, there wouldn’t be a lot of light from it polluting any observations…but my house is much closer to the lights of the city, so I couldn’t see very much. I packed up my telescope and a few monitoring tools and went to the park. The light pollution is so much less, despite the fact that its only a mile or so further from the city than I am.”
“The mile walk was worth it too—I found a great spot for stargazing and took all kinds of notes on the conjunction with my telescope. And I witnessed some sort of strange aurora phenomenon too, I think. I’ll have to look and see if anyone else caught a better view, but some sort of energy discharge triggered a rather colorful dispersion across the atmosphere. My electronics went crazy from the discharge, and I’d love to see if it caused some sort of reading on a seismograph too—the trees shook when it happened, but it didn’t seem to be caused by any kind of falling object. My thought was that perhaps it was the result of…”
Sunset bit her lip, not interrupting the increasingly nerdy tirade. Twilight had witnessed the magic she’d unleashed…and let slip a very important and worrying piece of information: Magic energy could be picked up by human technological devices. That was something to keep in mind if humans with questions came sniffing around—stay away from scanning devices. She had heard what human policy was on things like her. Capture and intense scientific study, and even with all she had done, she had no desire to end up on a dissection table.
Twilight’s long winded science based theorizing slowed and she flushed slightly. “…I’m sorry. I’m probably boring you with my rambling.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “…No? I mean, I’m not clear on what some of the terms meant, but I could infer the general meaning from what you were talking about.” She frowned. “…Do people get angry at you for talking?”
Purple eyes found the sidewalk interesting as they turned a corner. “…Sometimes. Mostly at school…or they did. I don’t talk to most of them anymore. I do my own thing and try to stay out of their way.”
Heat pooled in Sunset’s ribcage. Was this what people looked and sounded like when they talked about her actions at school? Her innards squirmed uncomfortably, the agitation she felt warring against self loathing and guilt.  Her voice was tight when she replied to Twilight. “…I’m not going to do that—tell you to stop talking, I mean. Not like that. I…I’ve liked talking with you.” The last part was a quiet admission, but it made the dark haired teen break into one of those beaming smiles, which in turn cooled the boiling in Sunset’s blood.
“We…could keep talking? That's what friends do. If you give me your phone number, I can text you, and then we can chat sometimes, or maybe meet up and do stuff.” There was hope in the tone. “…I know a really good place for milkshakes not too far from Crystal Prep—my school—and we could get some one afternoon.”
The former unicorn glanced at the shorter form walking at her side. “…You still sure about this? I’m really not trying to lie about just how bad I was…I’m fairly certain I’ve spent years making people like you cry and hide in their lockers. I was pretty much…a rampaging, raging, selfish demon…” Admitting it aloud hurt, and she suffered through the shame and twisting in her guts the same way she had watched the portal close the night before—a form of punishment and a reminder of her mistakes that was to be endured, not avoided. “I’m really not the kind of person you should be friends with.”
They stopped to let a light turn, and Twilight grabbed her arm. “Sunset, look at me.” When blue-green eyes met hers, she held the gaze steadily. “You’re exactly the kind of person I should be friends with. I’ve heard what you’ve said, and I acknowledge the veracity of your statements. I also appreciate the honesty. I’m not making this offer blind. I want us to be friends, and despite all you’ve said to try and scare me off…” Her eyes blinked away sudden moisture. “Despite it all…I trust you. I know you’ll be a good friend. Someone just needs to give you a chance.”
Her throat constricted, and Sunset had to wipe her eyes in a hurry. “…I…sun and stars, you’re a sap, Sparkle,” she groused to cover how choked up she was. “Alright. What’s your number?”
That netted her another hug as they crossed into Twilight’s neighborhood, and a new contact to add to the extremely sparse contact list in her phone. A quick text had the other teen’s phone chirping, and Sunset tossed her head, feeling the cool wind in her face as she regained her somewhat shaky composure. “So. Milkshakes? I’ve got detention for forever after the stuff that came out at the dance last night, but if you don’t mind it being like a five o’clock milkshake, we can do that sometime. I like milkshakes.”
Twilight led her up to one of the houses. “Text me then, when you figure out which day you’re free.” She gave Sunset another hug. “And thank you, so much. You saved my life last night.” Sunset found sliding her arms around Twilight’s back to be easier every time she did it. The dark haired girl’s voice was muffled into the shoulder of her hoodie, but she could make it out. “…no matter what anyone else thinks of you, you’re a good person to me.”
More warmth bloomed in Sunset’s stomach, and a sense of pleasant satisfaction filled her when Twilight let go to retreat inside the house, waving as she shut the door. She’d escorted the nerdy girl home safely, with no further encounters by scummy jerks. Her expression turned serious as she started the trek back, trying to puzzle out why it mattered so much to her, why she’d felt so compelled to make sure the human Twilight Sparkle had no more problems.  Why was knowing she was home safe because of her actions making her feel so…happy? It was such a strange and alien feeling to her, nothing like the pleasure of learning something new or having a plan fall into place, but it mattered more than anything besides her revenge had mattered in a long time. She wanted to hold on to this.
It was why, despite the self-loathing, the guilt, the shame, and against her better judgment, she wanted to feel it again. It was why, on the way home, she sent a message to the new number in her phone, an overture laden with more shy hesitance and hope than most would ever have attributed to Sunset Shimmer, Queen Bitch of Canterlot High. It was why, when she thought about the other students at her school and what they would say, she was filled with fear. Fear that they’d take this away from her, make Twilight see she was as awful as she claimed, and that she’d lose this feeling before she ever even understood it.  It was why, when that fear gnawed at her enough to make her want to bolt, she actively decided to keep her interactions with the human Twilight Sparkle as far away from any members of CHS as possible—especially from the five girls who’d help stop her. She wasn’t going to let anyone take this from her, not if she could help it—she’d do whatever else she could to change, to be less of a monster, but the fear bubbled into anger as she promised herself that she’d rather be a demon again before she’d let them take this without a fight.
The vow made her let out a low growl as she passed the glass display window of a butcher shop, and at least one passerby started in surprise at the hazy, flickering impression of wings and glowing eyes reflected in the glass.
> Interlude II: Damage Control
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Monday dawned with clear skies and sunshine.  Applejack lounged outside the school, on the far side of the Wondercolt statue, away from the construction going on. Rarity joined her first with a warm hug, and both of them took the few extra seconds of contact to enjoy the feel of the embrace.  The farm girl offered over a steaming cup and a paper sack. “Got yer favorites. Granny bakes ‘em special, ya know.”
“Granny Smith has been trying to fatten me up for years, darling. Still, who am I to refuse one of her breakfast pastries?” She accepted both items, sipping from the drink first and sighing in contentment. “You are far too good to me, Applejack.”
Her lover winked at her. “Only the best for ya, Rares.”  She glanced around. “The others should be here soon. Ya ready fer this?”
A soft laugh tickled her ears. “You mean, ‘Can I put on a convincing show to lessen Rainbow Dash’s inevitable protests?’” Blue eyes locked on green. “My love,” she murmured in a breathy whisper. “You should know by now that I am very good at what I do. Just do be prepared to catch me if it comes to that?”
The eye roll and half smile carried years of shared secrets behind it. “Ah’d never let ya fall, Rarity.” One hand moved to pat her pocket, where the barest hint of pale blue fabric could be seen. “Ah promised ya that when ya gave me this.”
Rarity’s eyes softened, and it took most of her control to not kiss the blonde; what was left went into schooling her features to not give too much away to anyone besides her green eyed lover. “You still carry it with you? Applejack…its been almost six years…”
“Everyday, everywhere.” A thumb stroked the soft fabric before the farmer moved the hand to Rarity’s forearm, squeezing gently. “…Means a bit o’ ya is with me where ever Ah go, an’ that makes me happy. Bein’ with ya always has, even before Ah knew Ah loved ya.”
The fashion designer blinked back tears, trying not to ruin her makeup, the other girl watching her with a knowing expression. “…We will continue this discussion later, Applejack. Somewhere where I won't be left in a state, when we aren’t waiting for our friends to arrive.” 
“Speakin’ of friends, ya might wanna put yer game face on. There’s Dash.” Applejack moved her hand back to her own personal space bubble, pulling a warm pastry from the paper sack on her far side and nibbling on it. Rarity took a breath, sorting her emotions and letting her expression fall into one of puzzled detachment, enjoying her beverage as the athlete came thundering up. 
“Applejack!” Rainbow Dash gave them brief smiles before her face fell back to a somewhat tired irritability. “Why the hell did I have to show up to school this early? No one else is here, and I could have slept in for another half hour! What’s the emergency?”
“Sit down, Dash, an’ have a fritter an’ some cider. Gotta wait on the other girls.”
It wasn’t a long wait, but that didn’t keep their colorful friend from vocalizing her displeasure in between bites of food. By the time the last two members of the group arrived, Rarity’s mask of detachment was hiding her annoyance for Rainbow Dash instead of her love for Applejack.
“Okay, we’re all here, so spill it, AJ!”
“Hold yer horses, Dash.” A heavy sigh, and Applejack adjusted her hat. “It's about what happened at the dance. We were all there…but so was more’n half the school. Sure, most of ‘em spent the fight as brainwashed zombies, but they all saw Sunset Shimmer turn inta a demon, an’ they saw us after, as magical pony girls with ears an’ sometimes wings.”
“Yeah?” Dash crowed, looking pleased. “And we were awesome! We’re heroes—everyone saw us punch Shimmer with a rainbow laser!”
Rarity wrinkled her nose. “….While I don’t agree with Rainbow Dash’s particular vernacular, she is right, darling. We were responsible for stopping Sunset’s reign of terror in the school. Unless you’re concerned we’re going to be mobbed like celebrities?”
Fluttershy let out a distressed noise, clutching her bunny tighter to her chest. The small creature, to his credit, nuzzled her affectionately. “…I don’t want to get mobbed…” she said softly.
The farmer shook her head. “That’s not what Ah’m worried about. Ah’m more worried about folks talkin’ about what happened. Like ta cops an’ stuff.”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oooooooh! You’re afraid that people will talk about all the magic and she-demons and zombie kids and some super secret government agency is going to hear about it and sent agents to come investigate and they’ll learn about the magic and the pony land and Princess Twilight and Sunset and us and then drag us all in for questioning or freaky experimentation!” Her brows furrowed and she wilted slightly. “…That wouldn’t be any fun at all.”
Her words had made Fluttershy curl even further in on herself, her whole body trembling. That seemed to cut through Rainbow’s impending rant, and she scooted closer to the animal lover, resting a hand against her upper back. “It’s okay, Fluttershy.  I’m sure that’s not going to happen.  We won't let it. Pinkie’s just…jumping to conclusions…right, Applejack?”
“…Not this time, Rainbow. Ah’m afraid that Pinkie got part an’ parcel o’ the idea. We don’ want folks talkin’…”
Rarity observed the defensive posturing from the normally emotionally stunted athlete, filing the knowledge away for later….perhaps when she invited Fluttershy to the spa with her? She had so enjoyed talking with the pink haired girl in their freshman year on their spa trips; it really got the girl to come out of her shell.  Giving an internal head shake, she pulled a frown. “And just what do you suggest we do about it, Applejack? Sunset Shimmer didn’t exactly endear herself to a lot of people—I can imagine a lot of them would be excited for any way to get back at her. Blabbing about her turning into a monster and getting her taken away would certainly sit highly at the top of revenge schemes if it were me. Even I find something like that to be a form of poetic justice, and I absolutely abhor the thought of acting like a bloodthirsty savage.”
“Yeah! Shimmer’s the freaky she-demon! Princess Twilight went home, so what could anyone lose by telling people? It’d serve her right if she had to sit in a cage and got treated like a freak!”
Fluttershy shivered, and tugged on Rainbow’s sleeve. “…What about us, Rainbow? We used magic too, just as much as Sunset. If they come after her, they’ll come after us too. Take us away and ask questions…”
Blue eyes continued to observe.  Fluttershy had been an unexpected boon here—Rarity had fully expected having to make a bit of a spectacle to distract Rainbow Dash from digging her heels in like a stubborn mule, but Fluttershy’s reaction was taking the blue skinned girl’s attention instead. She looked at Applejack, and nodded, dropping her mask away. “…Then we have to do some form of damage control, and I suspect I know where you’re going with this, darling.”
“Damage control?” Rainbow looked back at them, squinting. 
“Eyup. We gotta talk ta folks an’ convince them ta keep magic a secret, ta go along with whatever the Principals made up fer that there hole. Figured we got three things goin’ fer us. One: We’re the heroes here, like ya said, Dash. Princess Twilight brought everyone back together, against Sunset, an’ we were right there with her. We were the ones who stopped her. An’ people protect their heroes.”  She raised her two fingers. “Two: This whole thing reawakened Wondercolt pride and solidarity… ‘Wondercolts stick together,’ and ‘Once a Wondercolt, always a Wondercolt’ are part of the school…” A third finger came up.  “Three: Teenagers hate authority and bein’ bossed around an’ controlled, especially by adults.”
Rainbow Dash was nodding now, starting to piece together the plan. “And each of us has different groups in the school who talk to us. We can start heading people off, spreading the idea, get everyone on board. I can talk to all the teams easy—morning meeting before class anyway to talk fall tryout schedules and game schedules.”  She nudged Fluttershy. “See? It's going to be fine. We’ve got this. We’re awesome!” She punched a fist in the air.
It was a complete reversal from her earlier stance, as if she’d been in agreement with her companions all along, something that baffled Rarity. However, the designer was not about to question the good fortune of Rainbow Dash agreeing to the decision, since it meant less time and energy wasted on convincing her it was a wise idea—energy and time that would be better served enacting their plans, and coordinating with the administration.
“Then I propose we get started…I’ll also make a point to stop by Principal Celestia’s office and find out the official story about the dance and the damages. I’ll text it to you girls as soon as I know. We have a great deal of work to do.” Rarity stood up, dusting off her skirt and shouldering her bag. “I’ll see you at lunch, darlings! Phone is on, do keep us all in the loop!” 
Her purposeful trip away from the statue didn’t stop her from sending a single heartfelt text message. Applejack’s phone buzzed a minute later, two sentences illuminated on screen. -I love you, too. From always to forever.-
> Chapter Four: Penance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Monday morning. Already the bane of any adolescent for being both the start to a week and a morning, Sunset was even less inclined to look favorably upon it. Her bones ached, feeling hot and cold at the same time, and her short stint the previous evening to the nearest grocery store to restock on food and necessities hadn’t done her any favors. What sleep she’d gotten was once more wracked with nightmares, revisiting her own cruelties and heinous acts, seeing her demonic self succeeding in killing someone, or just chasing her down endlessly twisting corridors, whispering horrid promises just out of sight.  As she lurched her way onto school grounds feeling slightly more alive than a necromancer’s leavings, the hand clutching a cup of coffee trembled with exhaustion. 
Caution tape had been set up around the crater and front entrance, a sign directing students through a side door by the gym. Workmen were already on the task, several down in the crater finishing repairs on the ruptured pipes while a dump truck filled with dirt waited nearby. Sunset shivered, getting her first real look at the hole her body and the magic had made in the earth. She should have been dead thrice over, and she swallowed the rising gorge in her throat to whisper a hasty thanks that the Elements had decided to be merciful to her. 
Entering the door, she determined that she was far earlier than normal and there were no other students present. That was good; she wasn’t sure she was ready to face any of them yet, and a walk of shame to her locker would’ve been too much before she was even fully awake. A quick stop for everything she’d need for the day—something told her that Luna wouldn’t let her make a trip to her locker if she forgot something—and she found herself in the tiny, windowless room that served as a place for ISS. The redhead took the seat in the back corner, farthest from the door and least visible to anyone outside, taking the opportunity to nurse her coffee and nibble on the bagel that was her breakfast.
By the time the Vice Principal stepped into the room, Sunset had finished her food and discarded the containers in the trashcan, her attention on the thin notebook in front of her that was rapidly filling up with Equestrian glyphs. Luna cleared her throat, catching the former unicorn’s attention, and she closed the book carefully. “I am extremely pleased to see you were prompt, Miss Shimmer. I hope this trend continues.” She hefted a three ring binder. “I took the liberty of having your teachers compile this week’s assignments here. You are to work on them until they are finished. Due dates are noted for each one. Should you require more work, I am certain I will be able to come up with something for you to do…perhaps more work in your history class?” Sunset cringed at that.  “I thought as much. I will be checking off each assignment at the end of the day. You brought a lunch, I presume?” As one hand indicated the paper bag under her chair, Luna nodded again. “Good. As I mentioned the other night, you will not be leaving this room for any reason other than supervised restroom trips, and any and all electronic devices are to remain off—I will confiscate them if I hear so much as a text message. Any questions?”
“…No, Vice-Principal Luna,” she replied, doing a fairly decent job of masking how exhausted she was. She fished her phone out of her jacket pocket, going to turn it off. She paused when she saw a new message, checking it swiftly. It was a cheerful good morning from Twilight, causing her lips to quirk at the edges as she replied quickly before shutting the device down.
“You may get to work then. The bell will be ringing shortly.” 
The binder was presented to her, and Sunset flipped it open, skimming the assignments before diving into the mindless task of schoolwork. The math was predominantly equations and calculations she’d mastered years ago as part of the extensive prerequisite to learning magic such as transmutation and teleportation, English was always a mix of boring papers and the same comprehension busywork that had been placed in front of her since the first year she’d joined the human education system. Science fascinated her—humans and ponies had developed in different ways with science because of the difference between the two worlds, and so in some areas of science she was playing catch up, but in others she was ahead with formulas and knowledge humans didn’t have, and in still others it was a mishmash, where some of her advanced knowledge wouldn’t work without magic to back it up. The one that gave her trouble, as she’d noted to Twilight and as Luna had mentioned, was history and government. The subject was hard for her to wrap her brain around, with the massive focus on inane dates for war after war, violent conflicts that never seemed to actually end. Humans, she’d learned, were often more terrifying than any Equestrian myth had made them out to be, and they seemed to be in love with any excuse to murder each other en-masse, or at the least designate other humans who were sufficiently different from them as worthy of being treated with ridicule, punishments, harassment, and other twisted acts of malice. Air gusted from her nostrils in a snort of disgust; even the worst tribalists and xenophobes in Canterlot had never even come close to what humans did.
Even with her struggles, she systematically worked through the list of assignments, barely aware of the silent lunch break; she absently read through several chapters in the book assigned for English class while eating. By the time school was over, she had quite a stack of work to show to the Vice-Principal before she was handed detention punishment for the day. She suffered through the menial labor of cleaning tables and books in the school library under the sharp eye of the librarian—it was mind-numbing, gross work, but she attacked it with the same attitude she had when she watched the portal to Equestria close, accepting the misery as part of her punishment—before making the exhausted trek to her locker to put her books away and head home. 
Dinner was takeout—she was too drained and stiff to cook even instant noodles, and an order of her favorites left her feeling far less hollow and burned out as she turned her phone back on. She’d gotten a few messages from Twilight, which she read eagerly, despite none of them being of anything of real importance.  She thought for a moment, then tapped out a response, not realizing how her lips had shifted into a smile. The brief text conversation that ensued left her feeling lighter, and when she collapsed a few hours later into her bed, the smile remained on her face until the first nightmare woke her up, sending her bolting down the stairs to her bathroom. She spent a portion of the night revisiting that takeout in the most unpleasant of ways, images of blood and death dancing across her mind’s eye.
Tuesday passed much like Monday, long, boring hours of busywork and assignments, three tests administered by the Vice-Principal, followed by backbreaking labor in detention that didn’t help lessen the deep aches she felt or the exhaustion from the nightmares that refused to let her sleep. She found herself starting to become jumpy, jolting up violently when a door slammed somewhere nearby during her lunch break; she’d ended up tossing her salad so high into the air with her reaction that she’d needed to stand on a desk to pick lettuce off one of the ceiling tiles. By the time she got home that night, she was so worn out that she face-planted into her mattress after responding to a few texts from Twilight, managing a whole four and a half hours sleep before a nightmare sent her wide awake and screaming.
Wednesday felt like a repeat of Tuesday, except that Sunset was more exhausted than ever. The afternoon also yielded an unpleasant surprise when she was handed a rag and cleaning solution to clean the doors of the lockers in one of the halls, and found her own locker had undergone some “redecorating” since that morning.  It was covered from top to bottom in slurs and suggestions, and more than a few caricatures of her as a demon. 
Sunset really shouldn’t have been overly shocked, but each word, each picture, tore into her, painful reminders of her crimes and follies. Her nightmares flashed before her eyes and the sadistic, angry voice of the demon whispered in her memory. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pushed the sounds and images away; she deserved this and more, and she’d made the decision to endure the punishments doled out. This was just one more form of penance, delivered by her peers instead of authority figures; she made herself read each message before she wiped it clean.
Thursday saw her shuffling to school in the rain, slogging through the mud and puddles like a human war veteran, eyes staring ahead but seeing only the endless replay of a fireball spreading charred, mangled bodies across the concrete. She barely registered arriving at school, she had skipped breakfast, and halfway through lunch she’d had to beg Vice-Principal Luna for an emergency bathroom trip because what she ate didn’t want to stay down. 
It was bad enough that the administrator had expressed concern for her well being, commenting on how tired and sickly she seemed. Her concern was great enough that she made a decision to send Sunset home without detention, ordering her to “get some food and real sleep” instead. It was something she sought to do—after cleaning off her locker once more, since it had been written on again that day. She ate in numb silence at home, responding to the messages sent to her phone with only the vaguest recollection of doing it, and crawled into bed early. All told, she got maybe two or three hours, existing as short intervals between night terrors about fires and burning alive, or of Princess Celestia’s wide, glassy eyes, the compassion drained out of them with her life’s essence.
Sunset’s week ended in a day that felt never ending. Her body ached everywhere, and her brain was so drained that it felt like she was moving through molasses instead of air.  The graffiti returned Friday too—she suspected this was going to be a new normal for her—at the hands of different artists and authors, and she repeated the process of cleaning it off, though with a touch more speed than the other days.  She had somewhere to be after detention and she didn’t want to be late. The thought put a touch of a spring into her step when she hurried out of the school at almost five towards where she’d parked her motorcycle several blocks away. 
-On my way.- she’d messaged right before she peeled away from the curb, losing herself in the thrum of the engine and the wind pressing against her as she leaned forward on the sleek red vehicle. It was the closest she could get to galloping on her own hooves, and the sense of freedom it evoked was addicting. She weaved through traffic with skill, leaning with the bike like she was part of the machine instead of its rider.  Fifteen minutes later found her in the heart of the city, outside an ice-cream parlor, far away from where any of her schoolmates normally traveled. Teens out here either went to Crystal Prep, the private school, or to one of the two public high schools that made up this part of the local area.
A bell chimed pleasantly as she ducked inside, eyes scanning the room. From the back, a hand wave eagerly at her, its bespectacled owner smiling at her. Sunset offered a shy wave back, stopping by the counter to order the biggest, most decadent chocolate milkshake they had. Treat in hand a minute later, she flopped into the seat across from Twilight. “Hey.”
Purple eyes regarded her. “….you look…unwell. Bad day?”
Sunset took a long pull on her milkshake straw. “….That obvious?”
“Bruise like circles under your eyes, tense shoulders, and…” the lavender skinned girl made a face. “…something in your eyes…I’ve seen that in the mirror before, on bad days.” 
A heavy sigh escaped her. “…more nightmares,” she admitted quietly.  “Every night. I see everything in my head again.” 
Twilight reached across the table and squeezed the back of Sunset’s hand. “Me too. I wake up in the middle of the night, and I can’t breathe. I keep dreaming about….them…about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up. I know it’s a normal response to traumatic events, but…”
“It’s exhausting?” Sunset leaned back in her seat, getting a good look at the teen across from her. She hadn’t noticed at first, but now she could see the same exhausted, haunted look in purple eyes that she’d been seeing in her own reflection all week.  “…I know I don’t deserve any peace of mind, not after what I tried to do, but…I’m so tired, I can’t focus on much else. I read the same page of a history test three times today and I’m not sure I understood any of it.”
Understanding met her statement. “At some point, you just get so tired, all you can think about is sleep?”
“Yes.”
Both girls fell silent for a time, deep in thought as they enjoyed their treats. 	Twilight finally broke the silence, chewing her lip thoughtfully. 
“Do you have plans for tomorrow?”
The former unicorn blinked. “Just…a thing at noon. Why?”
“I was thinking…maybe you could come over to my house tonight. Eat dinner with us, sleepover? Maybe we can help each other with our nightmares?”
Maybe it was the weird emotions churning in her gut. Maybe it was the desperate need for sleep. Maybe it was just the prospect of a free meal. Maybe it was the hope that spending more time with Twilight would bring back the feeling from the weekend before. Whatever the cause, Sunset found herself agreeing readily. “Why not? If nothing else, it means someone to share in the misery of sleep deprivation.”
Twilight threw a wadded up napkin at her. “The point is to help each other sleep better,” she pointed out, before looking at her phone. “Mom says dinner is in forty five minutes.” She typed out a message. “I told her I was bringing a friend.”
Sunset nodded, still working on her milkshake. “Do you have a ride back to your place? You can ride with me if you want.”
“I wouldn’t mind riding with you—you mentioned you have a motorcycle?” It might have been Sunset’s imagination, but Twilight seemed excited.
The redhead pointed out the window towards her bike. “That’s it, there.”
Stars lit purple eyes as she took in the sleek, blood red vehicle with the eyes of someone familiar with machines. “…oh yes,” she managed, her voice filled with a dazed sort of joy. “…yes, I would very much like to get a ride home on your bike.” 
It was all Sunset could do not to laugh at the obvious want in the dark-haired girl’s tone. “…You know,” she offered teasingly, “If we leave in the next few minutes, we can swing by my place so I can dump my school stuff and get something to sleep in…and then we can take the long way back to your house. If…you know…you were up for that…?”
No one in the history of Canterlot City had ever finished a milkshake as quickly as Twilight Sparkle did in that moment. Sunset held back laughter as she finished hers while the other teen moaned and suffered through a brain freeze, before standing up to toss her empty cup. 
“C’mon, Sparkle.” Fingers reached out to tug on the ponytail and get Twilight’s attention. 
The pair exited the shop, and Twilight adjusted her glasses, circling the bike slowly, crouching down to get a good look at the mechanical components she could see, while the former unicorn popped open the storage space to retrieve her helmet. “Here. Put this on. Don’t want to risk your nerd brain.”
Twilight took it, looking at the other girl. “What about you?”
A shrug. “I’ve only got one right now. I’d rather make sure you’re protected.” The words fell from her lips before her brain could catch up, and Sunset froze for a few heartbeats, realizing what she’d said…and that it had accompanied that same undefinable feeling from before. Shaking her head, she motioned to Twilight again. “Helmet, or no ride.”
Once the headgear was secured on the other girl—there was a bit of fumbling around her glasses—Sunset swung onto the bike, scooting forward to give her passenger a place to sit. “Get on, and sit as close as you can. Put your arms around me and hold tight—the closer you are, the easier it will be for me to keep us balanced. When I lean, let your body come with mine the same way.” The shorter teen hopped on, following the instructions she was given, her arms snaking around Sunset’s middle beneath the battered leather coat, just at the bottom of her ribcage. The warmth from those arms and their owner pressed against Sunset’s back seeped into her, soothing the burning ache in her bones that had persisted all week; tension she didn’t realize she’d been carrying melted out of her. One hand patted Twilight’s as she made a curious sound from inside the helmet, and then Sunset started the bike, enjoying the thrumming, thunderous vibration under her and the way the arms tightened briefly. “Ready?” she called over the idling engine, feeling the helmet nod against her shoulder. “Alright, here we go!”
She pulled into traffic, heading back through the city’s evening streets towards her apartment, taking a longer route than normal  to please her passenger. Without the helmet, her hair whipped freely behind her, and it was so nostalgic that she could almost feel grass under her hooves, the sound of staccato hoof beats in her ears. Almost. The body pressed to her grounded her in the reality of the human world, but at the present, that was a much less disheartening thought. After all, it was hard to be depressed when there was someone screaming excitedly in her ears, most of the meaning carried away by the wind. It didn’t take much to figure it out though—Twilight Sparkle was enjoying the ride.
> Chapter Five: Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Thirty minutes later, Sunset pulled into the driveway of Twilight’s house, parking off to the side so she wouldn’t be in the way of anyone’s car. When the engine cut out, she nudged the girl behind her. “So. Did you enjoy yourself?”
Releasing the redhead, Twilight pulled the helmet off, beaming. “I did. I’ve always wanted to try riding on one, but I never had an opportunity.” She slid off the bike and adjusted her backpack. “Come inside. Dinner should be ready, and I’ll introduce you to my mom.” There was a pause, and she leaned closer.  “I…didn’t tell them about the guys the other night. I didn’t want to worry them. They think we met while I was stargazing.”
That made Sunset frown, but she nodded, retrieving her small bag of overnight things from the bike’s storage, before following the shorter teen to the front door.
Excited panting and a few barks met her boots as she stepped into the warm house, a purple and green puppy trying to size her up and make clear it was his house. Lavender hands scooped up the dog. “Spike! Be nice to Sunset! She's a friend!”
The dog stared at Sunset, fur bristling in warning. Something about the redhead in the leather jacket was agitating him, and Sunset considered the situation for a minute. Could the puppy sense what she had become? Did it somehow know she had threatened its counterpart? It wasn’t that far-fetched an idea—even in Equestria, dogs were known to be sensitive to dark magic energies—and she felt another wave of shame wash over her. “It's okay, Twilight,” she murmured. “Your dog has better sense than you.”
Twilight gave her a long look. “He just doesn’t see what I see,” she answered firmly. “Take your shoes off and make yourself at home. I’m going to let him out and feed him.” She disappeared into another room down the hall, and Sunset could hear a murmur of voices. 
She took the chance to shed her boots and tuck them with the other shoes lined up out of the way near the front door, her eyes studying the home. She was in a front entrance hall, stairs to her right leading up to the second floor, and several open exits to other rooms. Pictures adorned the walls every where she looked, photos of what were likely family and friends. Twilight was pictured in many of them, in ages from an adorable toddler to some that looked like they were taken in the last few months. The floors in the home were a mix of dark woods and soft looking carpets, the walls painted with colors that helped a person relax. It was…warm, in the same way Twilight was, and extremely welcoming. Under the smells of cooking food, her nose caught the odor of old paper that permeated libraries every where, and briefly, pain rose with the memory of someplace that had felt and smelled like this, a lifetime ago; of aged hardwood floors, a crackling fireplace, of dinner and dessert amidst stories told from ancient tomes. Shaking herself, the former unicorn managed to regain her composure by the time Twilight returned to lead her to the kitchen.
“Mom? This is my friend, Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is my mom, Twilight Velvet.” Parents. Adults. Okay, Sunset, you can put on a good face and fool adults.
The older woman didn't even hesitate. It was like Sunset’s entire countenance didn't matter at all—she ignored the battered leather jacket, the wind tossed mane of hair, even somewhat frayed bottoms of her jeans, enveloping the startled girl in a warm hug. “It's wonderful to meet you Sunset! I hope you're hungry—there’s plenty of food and I wont see anyone at my table go away with less than a full stomach.” Velvet pulled away after a minute. “Twily mentioned you're mostly pescatarian, so I made a small separate lasagna without the meat.” 
“I…uh…thank you…” she stammered, surprised and shocked at how much this woman was willing to welcome and accommodate a stranger. “I…I wasn’t expecting…” She paused, then tried again. “You’re being so nice to me…why?”
Velvet gave her shoulder a brief squeeze with one hand. “You’re Twilight’s friend, Sunset. We want you to feel at home here.” Her next words held no judgments, but it made her wonder what exactly Twilight had told her parents. “Especially if that isn’t always the case in other places in your life.” The woman let that sink in for a moment. “Go wash up, girls. Dinner is ready and Night should be home any minute.”
Dinner was nothing like what Sunset expected. Her own memories of private dinners with the Princess were dulled by time, and they had proven to be rare occurrences once she was old enough to be by herself—the Princess of the Sun had a country to run and her free time had been a commodity in short supply.  Most of the ones she could recall had often focused around her studies, be they academic or thaumaturgical, or, in later years, with Princess Celestia encouraging her to make friends instead of burying herself in magical learning.  Twilight Velvet and Night Light, on the other hand, sought to get to know her, inquiring after her interests and hobbies, even engaging in the subjects to the best of their abilities—it turned out she and Velvet shared an interest in several literary series, and she got into a three way conversation with both Twilight Sparkle and Night Light about the mathematics behind the theories of spatial manipulation for the instant transmission of objects across a distance.  Once the ice was broken, both adults treated her like she’d been coming over for years to join them for dinner.  At the same time, they didn’t ask awkward questions, they didn’t make her feel strange for her dietary choices…they talked about their days, and when she seemed unforthcoming on a particular subject, they let it go without prying into why it was off-limits.  
By the time she and Twilight were done helping with clean up, that strange happiness and warmth she felt with the dark haired girl had extended to the house and included both Twilight Velvet and Night Light, and she knew more than ever that she wanted to keep this new part of her life away from the rest of it. Away from the five girls she was supposed to meet tomorrow, away from the principals watching her every move, and definitely away from the student body who was enjoying a daily defacing of her locker. This house and the people in it were quickly becoming important to her, and the thought of losing any of it made her nauseous.
The two girls retreated upstairs, swapping day clothes for comfortable pajamas, and Sunset got her first look at Twilight’s room. It was a large space, with a good size bed along the center of one wall, the rest of the wall space packed with standard furniture plus a desk and then filled with bookshelves. There was a doggy basket on the floor for Spike, which the puppy claimed with a long look at Sunset. The desk held a computer, papers, but also bits of electronic equipment in various stages of disassembly. A telescope leaned against a bookshelf, collapsed for transport, and the books were stacked two deep on the shelves.
She dropped her bag next to the nightstand. “Nice room. Glad I’m not the only one to economize space in a bookcase like that.”
Twilight made a face. “It’s the only way to make them all fit. There’s no room for anymore bookcases and my parents said that if they don’t fit on the shelves I have to…weed my collection.” The expression on her face was one of abject horror. 
A snicker escaped the former unicorn. “You’re such a nerd.”
“I am not! I’m a serious bibliophile, thank you very much. Getting rid of a perfectly good book is akin to sacrilege.” Twilight sprawled on her bed, leaning back against the pillows on one side. One hand patted the other pillows, an invitation for Sunset to relax with her.
She sank into the soft mattress and rested her head on the pillows with a sigh of contentment. “Oh, stars…this bed is ten times better than mine. I need a new mattress.” She stretched herself, hearing several joints pop as they realigned themselves.
“Maybe the mattress is part of the reason you’re not sleeping well?” Twilight suggested hopefully.
Mention of her sleeping difficulties made Sunset frown. “No…it’s nightmares. Full color, horrific, terrible nightmares.”  One hand ran through her hair. 
Twilight scooted so she was sitting up, leaning against her pillows and the headboard. “What happens in them? Is it the same nightmare, or different ones?”
Sunset chewed her lip, wondering how much she could get away with telling her. After a minute, she decided to be a little more open—dream logic didn't always mesh with reality, and it was reasonable to believe Twilight would take her descriptions as more metaphorical than they really were. So with a shaking breath and trembling body, she told her as much of the truth as she could. About the hellish versions of the familiar landscapes, of fire and blood, about the dreams making her relive her worst moments with perfect clarity—she didn’t spare details, only removed any references to magic or to Equestria. She told Twilight about her crimes: about all the times she drove Fluttershy into a weeping ball on the floor of the hall, about the blackmail, about the smear campaigns, about what she’d done to Rarity and other girls like her before the big dances, about sabotaging other students academically and socially, about dividing the school into manageable cliques and using manipulative tactics to keep it that way, about the few but memorable fights she’d been in, about turning a group of friends into veritable strangers, sparing herself nothing. She even touched on the arguments with the Princess, though she hedged those as “arguments with her legal guardian that culminated in her running away.”  She talked about seeing the memories in the mirror, and of herself as a twisted, rage filled she-demon in the silvered glass between visions. Of the voice that repeated over and over how she was a monster of her own making, that she would never be free from what she had done.  Nothing was left out, and by the end of it, she was a sniveling, crying mess, waiting for Twilight to recoil from her, locking blue-green eyes on the other girl. 
“I’m a monster and it's all my fault and it hurts and I hate it, hate myself...but there’s a part of me that liked being that way! I loved the power and the rush, the way no one could get to me! I was invincible, untouchable, the best, and I felt like I deserved it…now I realize I don’t deserve anything good.”
Twilight Sparkle was frowning, and Sunset cringed, self loathing and her shredded mess of a soul believing that she’d succeeded in driving the other teen off. After several minutes of increasingly tense silence, Twilight spoke a question that caught the pony-turned-person by surprise.
“What made you start doing all of that in the first place?”
It was a question she’d never really thought about before, and it stumped her for a while, until she remembered that first fight, her first year at Celestia’s School. “I…I guess…it started when I started school. I was really smart and excelled in my studies, largely because my…legal guardian…had been teaching me and encouraging my education from the moment I could talk. Some of the boys at the school—it was a private school not dissimilar from yours, with a mix of those talented enough to get in and the offspring of the wealthy and privileged—some of the children there were teasing me. Telling me I was just a charity case that the school felt bad for, because not even my own parents wanted me.” The old pain tore into her heart. “I got so angry; I’d worked hard to prove I was good enough to go, and I was doing everything I could to be the best I could be. I was at the top of my class and more advanced than some students much older…but to them all that mattered was that I wasn’t born to parents with affluence and influence. I wasn’t ‘Sunset Shimmer, brilliant student….’ No. I was ‘Sunset Shimmer, the orphan no one ever wanted.’” Tears of a different kind made tracks down her cheeks now, and Twilight pressed a box of tissues into her hands. “I had no family, and it was funny to them!” She blew her nose loudly, anger rising in her voice. “I got so upset and mad that I…snapped. I can’t tell you how the fight went because I just remember that in that moment, I hated them more than anything, and I wanted them to pay for what they said. I bloodied all of them up badly—broke the ringleader’s arm in six places with a decorative statue.”
“When it was all over? I got lectured and in a huge amount of trouble. They didn’t get punished at all by their parents. At that point I just…I guess I didn’t see the point in being nice, in associating with others. I focused on my studying and started finding other ways to get even with anyone who messed with me.  Ways that couldn’t be traced to me, things I couldn’t get in trouble for.”
She found an arm being wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her to lean into a warm body. “That's a bad situation anyway you look at it, I think. Those boys were bullying you, and you lashed out. Maybe you went too far, but it wasn’t all on you.” 
“…maybe not, but I still did it. I kept doing it, and I got worse and worse.”
“From everything you’ve told me, you did…but Sunset? Have you thought that maybe it's not so bad?” When the redhead stared at her, Twilight continued, “You claim you’re a monster and you made yourself that way…but if it was done by your own hands, then don’t you also have the ability to change yourself? Remake yourself into what you want to be, now that you’re more self aware? You claim to be a monster, you believe you are one…but you don’t have to stay that way.”
“I…I don’t want to stay a monster, I really don’t…but…what’s to keep me from messing it all up? From making the same mistakes? Like last week, when I attacked those guys…I enjoyed it! I hurt them but…even now I don’t feel bad about it, not like i probably should…”
The other girl was quiet for a minute or two, thinking. “I don’t think that makes you a bad person,” she said at last. “I think it makes you very human. As for messing up…people make mistakes, Sunset, but you have to be willing to keep trying. And when you have friends, you trust them to help you.”
Sunset grabbed another tissue, trying to clean up her face. “…I…It's been a long time since I trusted anyone. Only thing I ever seemed to get from it was hurt…” 
Twilight Sparkle reached over with the hand not around Sunset’s shoulders, palm up. “…would you be willing to try and trust me?”
Blue-green eyes watched her, haunted and lined with exhaustion, pain, and very real fear, before she accepted the offered hand with her own trembling grasp. “…I…think I’d like to try.”


	

Sunset sat nervously on Twilight’s bed, still trying to make herself look less a mess. The small bedside trashcan has a mass of used tissues in it, a testament to the emotional conversation that had taken place. She ran a hand through her hair, waiting for the other girl to return from ‘getting something that would help.’  She was still exhausted from a week of poor sleep, her eyes feeling gritty and irritated, but the mass of guilt and self-hate that had taken up residence in her chest had shrunk.
The door opened to admit the dark haired teen. Twilight was carrying a carton of ice cream and a pair of spoons, giving Sunset a sheepish grin. “It’s tradition,” she explained. “When I was little, I had a lot of night terrors, and my babysitter would get the ice cream and sit with me. We’d eat it right out of the carton and I’d talk about what was scaring me awake. So…we can’t have a heart to heart about nightmares without the traditional ice-cream binge somewhere in there.”
Accepting the spoon, Sunset laughed. “And tradition is important,” she agreed sagely. “Especially good traditions, like this one.” The two girls pried the lid off the frozen treat, digging in in silence for a few minutes. Licking the spoon clean, the former unicorn sighed. “…I…appreciate this. You didn’t have to listen to all of this from me…but…you did, and…I think I feel a bit better. Tomorrow still has me feeling like my insides are tying themselves up, but…I might be able to sleep tonight, because of you. I…guess…I’m trying to say…thank you.” The words felt strange on her tongue, and her ears darkened in embarrassment.
“You’re welcome—and remember…that’s part of what friends are for. Helping each other. So what’s going on tomorrow that has you so worried?”
Another sigh. “…So I told you how that new girl got the whole school behind her to knock me off my throne? She didn’t do it entirely alone. The first people she rallied were that group of girls I told you about—the ones I deliberately fractured freshman year because it made the school easier to divide and conquer?  Those girls were instrumental in everything that happened at the dance, and they have every reason to treat me worse than anyone.”
Purple eyes narrowed behind thick glasses. “They aren’t bullying you now, are they?”
Sunset shook her head. “…no…no, I don’t think so. But…they want to talk to me, tomorrow, and I don’t know what they want. Maybe they just want to yell at me, or demand apologies. Maybe they want to make sure I’m not planning to take back my spot as Queen Bitch of CHS. Or it could be something else entirely. I don’t know…and that’s making me really worried.”
“Did you want me to go with you?” The offer was immediate and made without hesitation. 
“…No. I…as stupid as this sounds…it’s something I need to do alone? And I don’t want you getting caught in the middle if it gets ugly.” She rubbed her neck. “I was horrible to them.”
“I understand…” Twilight smiled at her. “…you can text me if you need me then? To talk or to meet up after if you need it?”
Scooping out another spoon of ice cream, Sunset nodded. “I will.” A pleased hum escaped her. “Okay, your old sitter had a great idea with the ice cream.”
“Cady was the best babysitter—it’s like having an older sister and I always have fun talking to her when she comes over.” At the puzzled head tilt, she clarified. “She’s been dating my brother for a long time, and she’s pretty much another member of the family—that's her room, down the hall.”
Shaking her head, Sunset pointed the spoon at Twilight. “Then let's take some advice from her. You've been having nightmares too. So talk.”
Twilight flinched, staring at her toes. “I…I just keep thinking about…about what would've happened if you hadn't been there.” A tremor passed through her, and tears filled her eyes. “They…they almost—and it's only because you were there that they didn't. I couldn't stop them. When I close my eyes, it’s like I can feel their hands on me again, holding me down and grabbing no matter how much I beg them to stop...in the nightmares, there’s no Sunset Shimmer that saves me... I wake up, still feeling them on me, and it’s all I can do not to scream.” Spoon forgotten in the carton, she hugged herself.  
The redheaded girl frowned, suddenly wishing she’d hit the thugs even harder the week before. The anger rising in her transmuted abruptly into that strange compulsion when Twilight leaned against her, sniffling. Her arm curled around the slim form, pulling her closer, and her friend rested her head against Sunset’s collarbone.  “I…I’m…happy I was there to stop them,” she told Twilight honestly. She wanted to ease her fears, and she knew in her gut that if she was around, she’d jump to defend her from things like that in the future—but that required her to be present, and unless she glued herself to Twilight every moment of every day like a weird form of stalker, she couldn't guarantee being there when the bespectacled girl needed help. 
Twilight needed something to make her feel safe and confident, Sunset realized, and she had a solution. “I have an idea,” she said. “You said you felt helpless—would you like me to teach you how to defend yourself? To fight back, at least enough to get away? Because…I might not always be there to help you, and this way you can help yourself if I’m not.”
There was a long silence only broken by the occasional sniffle, before Twilight nodded against Sunset. The pair then sat in that position for a while longer, drawing strength from the simple fact that they weren't alone while confronting the darkness haunting them. Finally, Sunset squeezed her companion’s shoulders. “We’ll make plans then on weekends for me to teach you some self defense. It’s good to know for anyone, but the kind I learned was specifically meant for females to be able to deal with male opponents. Lots of physics and redirection rather than strength and force.” She nudged her, offering the ice cream back to Twilight. 
“Thank you, Sunset.”
The pair relaxed on the bed for a while longer, sharing ice cream and talking quietly. The spoons eventually scraped the bottom and the empty carton was set on the nightstand. Sunset lay back, fiddling with her phone, making sure she had an alarm set for the next morning, fighting a monster yawn. A glance next to her showed that Twilight had already dozed off, and she reached over to tug a blanket over the sleeping girl. Hopefully, they'd both be nightmare free.  Some part of her realized she should probably make herself comfortable on the floor, but the bed was warm and she was relaxed. Eyes slipped shut and sleep claimed the former tyrant queen of Canterlot High.




Twilight Velvet eased her daughter’s door open when she saw the light still on well after midnight, intending on chastising the sleepover pair and encouraging them to turn the lights out and get some sleep. What she saw made her smile instead. Both girls were passed out on Twilight’s bed, covers tangled. She moved forward to straighten the blanket over both of them, and Sunset rolled closer to her friend, fingers finding Twilight’s shirt and gripping it tight with a sleepy murmur. Velvet pulled the covers up, kissing her daughter’s head, and stroking her fingers over Sunset’s hair.  “Sleep good, girls,” she whispered, slipping out of the room. 
Her husband looked up as she slid into their bed. “Did you tell the party animals to get some rest?”
“They were already out. I like Sunset—I haven't seen or heard Twily this animated about a friend since middle school. And she seems like she really needs a friend herself—the poor thing couldn’t seem to understand why I was being nice to her when Twilight introduced us…and I found them passed out on the bed next to an empty carton of ice cream sporting two spoons. You know what that means.”
Night Light’s brows pinched together. “Cadence’s Nightmare Remedy. I was wondering why she seemed so skittish…has our daughter said why? Is Sunset having problems at home?”
“I don’t know, but I was thinking we ought to encourage her to have Sunset over more often. I know tonight was a last minute plan—I was under the impression she was getting a milkshake with a friend after school, and then all of a sudden she texted me to ask if Sunset could come for dinner and a sleepover. That’s so unlike our daughter that I said yes…and now I’m glad I did.” Her mind trailed back to when she’d covered them up, how Sunset’s brow had smoothed and tension melted from her when she’d gripped the back of Twilight’s shirt. “I don't know her story, but there’s something about Sunset…something that makes my heart ache as a mother.”
He made a thoughtful sound. “Then we make Sunset feel welcome here, encourage Twilight to bring her over as often as she can…and if it's something about her home environment, we call it in.  She’s bright and well mannered, and I think you’re right, Twilight’s not been this excited about a friendship in a long time—maybe they’ll be good for each other. I worry about how bad Twilight’s anxiety has been getting.”  Night turned concerned eyes towards his wife as they settled in for the night. “…I still wonder if sending her to the private school was the best idea, no matter how much she wanted the ‘college placement opportunities’ and ‘intense academic curriculum.’ Just because it didn’t have a long term negative impact in Shining or Cadence doesn’t mean it’s a healthy environment for Twilight.”
Velvet sighed as she turned out the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. “I agree with you, dear, but it was Twilight’s choice that we put to her to make. If she comes to us about troubles at school, we’ll handle it, maybe suggest a transfer. In the meantime, we’ll just make sure we are kept up to date by her therapist and hope that encouraging her friendship with Sunset will help.”
“Hope you’re right…” he murmured drowsily as sleep came for them both.
> Chapter Six: And Dreamscapes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset was feeling good…she was in her old body again, properly on four hooves and with her horn and magic again, instead of the awkward, noodley monkey body with permanently over-sized teats in the wrong spot. She was also warm and more comfortable than she’d been since she was a filly.
She was back in her room in the castle, laying in bed…but she was not alone, and that sent a thrill through her, all the way down her tail. Curled up against her, back pressing to her barrel, was a slim but attractive unicorn mare, sleeping soundly. Blue-green eyes roamed over the mare, and Sunset felt a pleased nicker burble in her throat—this mare was no model, but she interested Sunset in all the right ways.
Shifting, Sunset moved closer, draping her foreleg around the other body, resting her neck and muzzle against the mare’s, inhaling and drinking in her scent, even as she let her gaze wander again, realizing that many of the details were hard to make out on her companion. As she nuzzled into the soft, dark mane, the mare let out a sleepy, contented sigh.
For a time she struggled to discern more detail, but eventually the amber colored unicorn stopped trying, contenting herself with just enjoying the moment for as long as it lasted. After spending so much time in the human world, after years of shunning close contact and after being exiled from her homeland possibly for the rest of her life, the likelihood of her ever finding a mare who would spend time with her was slim to none. 
She sighed again, inhaling the slightest scent of honeysuckle from the body tucked up to her, when her bedmate decided to change positions. The other mare rolled over until she was facing Sunset, shifting herself even closer.
Sunset closed her eyes again, bringing her head forward to brush her cheek against the mare’s in a nuzzle of affection.  She was rewarded by the sensation of fingers dragging through her mane, nails lightly scritching along her scalp and neck. It made her coat ripple with pleasure, the feeling as delightful as it was alien; even when she’d put on the show of dating Flash, she’d never allowed any form of intimate touch like this. A soft murmur escaped her lips and Sunset moved a little, relenting as that touch tugged her head down to rest on her companion’s chest, the flesh warm and communicating the slow and steady beating of the other’s heart.
It was nice, Sunset realized, being held this way, relaxing against the warmth and being surrounded by the light, floral scent. It soothed something in her, something she couldn’t quite define, her muzzle sinking slightly into soft breasts that rose and fell with every breath their owner took.  Her forelimb tightened around the other female’s waist; in response, long legs tangled with her hind limbs, knobby knees are pressing against her hocks.
She could feel the tug of the waking world all too soon, not wanting this to end, desperately longing to stay in this embrace and be happy. With a whine, she turned away from the sunlight tapping on her eyelids, choosing to hide her face in the body holding her. 
It didn’t work, as awareness of her surroundings made the dream dissolve, Canterlot castle being replaced by the sounds of the human world, of a car driving by outside, of the sound of a TV elsewhere in the building, of the jangling of a dog collar nearby.  Sunset whined again, waiting for the arms holding her to disappear…
Except they didn’t, and after several minutes of waiting, Sunset forced her eyes to open and found her face pressed into t-shirt material. Eyes slowly traced a path upwards, falling on Twilight’s sleeping face, and the logic that the dream had been lacking suddenly came into sharp relief as her mind cleared away the fog.
Oh horseapples.  Sunset Shimmer had woken up with her face buried in Twilight Sparkle’s breasts, and worse yet, her still sleeping friend had tangled fingers in her hair and was hugging Sunset to her like a child did a plush toy. Trying to extricate herself and save them both embarrassment would likely wake Twilight up.  I don’t want to do that. She looks like shes actually getting some good sleep. Besides, this is kind of nice.
A cold spike stabbed through her—what was wrong with her? Finding herself in a compromising position with the first and only person to want to be her friend, and she felt it was nice?!  Okay Shimmer, you need to wake up, because that dream seriously messed with your head. The mare was cute and it was nice for a fantasy, but letting it get out of hand is going to screw things up! No matter how soft and warm— Sunset mentally slapped herself.  She couldn’t be thinking that way—not about one of the only people in her life who didn’t look at her like she would turn on them at any moment.
Sunset frowned, her face still nestled comfortably against Twilight. This wasn't right at all—despite their current forms, they weren’t the same species. Sunset did not find humans appealing, and she was pretty certain that Twilight would feel the same about ponies. This was all clearly the dream affecting her subconscious, nothing more. It couldn’t be more than that.
—Who are you trying to convince?— a small part of her whispered. —Because for all of that, you’re still perfectly happy right like this.—
Her mind rebelled from the thoughts, intent on shoving them down and away. She wasn’t moving because she didn’t know if she could without waking the dark haired girl, not because she was developing some form of attraction to hairless primates.
—You’re going to be pretty lonely if you keep that attitude,— the traitor voice pointed out. —Besides, even for a human, Sparky is cute.—
Nope.  That train of thought could stop right at the station. 
—If you really wanted to stop this line of thinking, you could. You’re quite literally arguing with yourself.—
Stupid, traitorous little voice.  What did it know? This whole thing was ridiculous and stupid.  A heavy sigh escaped the trapped redhead as she squelched the voice viciously. 
Time seemed to crawl, giving Sunset ample chance to be acutely aware of everything about her predicament. Painfully, acutely, intensely aware of every tiny detail: the soft texture of the hair tickling her forehead from Twilight’s ponytail, the scent of honeysuckle flowers that reminded her of early summer picnics with the princess, the warmth of the blankets draped over them, the legs tangled with hers that occasionally moved, the feeling of fingers pressing to her scalp through her thick mane of hair, even the slight tingling of pins and needles in the arm trapped under both of them.
The clock she could barely see told her it had been a good twenty minutes—it had felt like hours she’d been laying there, hearing Twilight’s slow and steady heartbeat, feeling her shift with every breath—before the other girl began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and, finding her vision filled with red and gold hair, glanced down. Her expression was puzzled as Sunset grunted out, “Morning.”
Then her brain seemed to catch up and she hurriedly let go, looking absolutely mortified. “Sunset, oh my god! I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize—I was asleep, and I swear, I didn’t mean to—”
Rolling onto her back to put a few more inches between them, Sunset stretched like a cat, her back popping. “It’s fine,” she assured with a loose hand wave. “We were asleep. Don’t worry about it.”
“But I was holding onto you, and putting you in an uncomfortable position.” Purple eyes were a little vague, and Twilight’s breathing was picking up as panic and anxiety built up. “It was totally inappropriate and I’m so sorry, and I don’t know why you didn’t wake me and please don’t—”
“Twilight!” Sunset hissed firmly, rolling back to her side and propping herself up on one elbow. “Look at me.”  She caught Twilight’s eyes with her own, and when she was sure the dark haired teen wouldn’t look away, she took several slow, deep, and deliberate breaths. To her surprise, Twilight copied her breathing; she filed that away for later in case it was ever needed. Her voice softened to the same firm but gentle tone she’d used when she’d led Twilight to her apartment the first night. “I’m not upset. I’m not mad. We were both asleep. For all we know, I could’ve latched onto you first.  It’s okay, Sparky.” She tried smiling, an unsure but genuine thing that sat lopsided on her lips.
The lavender skinned girl nodded slowly, reaching up to fix the glasses that she’d fallen asleep wearing. Her breathing continued to even out, and after a minute or two, she nodded again. “…Okay…”  Then her face scrunched up. “…Sparky?”
Sunset flushed, realizing she’d unintentionally used the name that the stupid little voice had used earlier. “Oh…Uh…nickname? I…if you don’t like it, I won’t use it.”
Twilight thought about it. “No one’s ever called me that before, is all. My family calls me Twily, and so does my oldest friend, but most everyone else calls me Twilight. Or ‘Miss Sparkle’ but that one is mostly teachers.” The last of the mortification from the awkward wake-up drained away when she gave one of those beaming smiles to Sunset. “I like it.”
Laughing, the former unicorn reached out and mussed Twilight’s hair further. “Sparky it is, then.” Then she sat up, running that same hand through her wild bed head, glancing at the empty container on the nightstand. “…Seems your nightmare remedy worked. I had some…odd dreams, but no nightmares. That was the best sleep I’ve gotten since before the dance…Thanks.” 
“Talking about them helped me too…” The girls exchanged shy smiles. “…So you said weekly lessons in self defense? What supplies will I need?”
Sliding out of the bed, Sunset stretched again, her joints popping pleasantly. The burning in her bones was finally gone, and she could do some easy stretching to shake the last, lingering stiffness from her body. “Comfortable clothing that you can move in, but nothing too loose.  I recommend pants unless you want me to become intimately acquainted with the details of your underwear,” Sunset quipped. Twilight’s eyes went wide, her entire face flushing, and the sight made Sunset burst into laughter.  
“Sunset!” Twilight proceeded to beat her with a pillow, scolding her in a slightly strained voice.
When the pillow fight ended, Sunset looked up from where she was sprawled on the ground. “Can I borrow your shower? I still have that meeting in a few hours and I don’t want to look like I got dragged behind my own bike through a chicken coop.” Fingers pulled a feather from her locks. “Also, your pillow has a hole in it.”
> Chapter Seven: What You Need
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset parked her bike outside Sugarcube Corner Bakery, taking off her helmet with shaking hands. The light breakfast she’d eaten at Twilight’s sat like a rock in her gut, and her nerves were frayed. For comfort, she retrieved her phone, opening it to the text Twilight had sent her before she’d even left the driveway.  The encouraging words slowed her pounding heart, the simple knowledge that if this was a disaster, she had somewhere to retreat to in order to lick her newest wounds doing more to settle her than any meditation exercise the princess had ever taught her. 
Stowing the helmet, she lingered a minute, spotting the group she was meeting through the window.  This was it, the moment of truth, when she faced her wardens and learned what her exile was going to truly be like.  Her body shuddered as she inhaled, and she repeated the words from Twilight’s message to herself. “I can do this.”  
Before she could lose the nerve she gathered, she moved to the door and opened it, feeling warm air rush passed her into the cool outside. She tugged her jacket closer, before stuffing her hands in the pockets, feeling all eyes in the store focus on her. It was a popular hangout for students, and all the ones present knew exactly who she was and how far she’d fallen. Whispers murmured at the edges of her hearing, the tone implying none of it was at all pleasant, and she closed her eyes briefly, centering herself. She deserved this, she reminded herself. Penance had to be paid, and she wouldn’t run from it, not anymore. 
The sounds all seemed to stop as she stood before the table where the five heroes of Canterlot High sat, feeling like a beggar before a council of nobles. Each of them watched her with a different expression, and from most she could almost taste the emotions behind them.
Rainbow Dash, with her scowling frown, like she expected Sunset to turn back into a demon and try and fry them at any moment.
Fluttershy, half hiding in her own hair, looking like she wasn’t sure if she should run screaming now or if that would attract her attention all the more.
Pinkie Pie, whose hair seemed less wild and poofy, watching her with uncharacteristic seriousness, seeming to study her intently.
Applejack, whose poker face was surprisingly good for someone who was as brutally honest as she was, gave nothing away, but that didn’t mean that green eyes didn’t watch her every move.
And lastly, Rarity, seated beside Applejack with all the poise and grace of a Canterlot noble, eyes sharp and discerning over her cup.
It was Rarity who spoke, one perfectly manicured hand gesturing to the empty seat remaining. “Why don’t you have a seat, Sunset? We have some things to discuss, and I certainly do not fancy having to crane my neck to look at you the entire time.”
Woodenly, the former unicorn sat, folding shaking legs and sitting stiffly in the chair, trying to let nothing show on her face, the wounds in her soul tearing open again. The curt, firm tone did not bode well for this talk in her mind, and she braced herself for the inevitable.
So it was somewhat surprising when Rarity yielded the floor to Applejack.  The farm girl leaned forward, and Sunset found herself shaking as they locked eyes. “Now…Ah’m gonna be honest with ya, Sunset. Ah promised Twilight that we’d keep an eye on ya, look after ya. An’ Ah know ya seemed mighty sorry when ya crawled outta that hole at the school…but Ah also know how good ya are at puttin’ on a show, tellin’ folks what they wanna hear.”  She motioned towards the redhead. “Iffin this is all an act? Just one more chance ta play yer games? In that case, Ah consider mah words ta Twi fulfilled, cuz ya kin lead a horse ta water, but ya can’t make it drink.”  The human adage made Sunset uncomfortable, given her origins, but Applejack continued her spiel. “…On the other hand, if yer really serious…if ya wanna change, ta be a better person, ta make up fer all the shit ya done in the last three years? Then Ah’m willin’ ta work with ya, ta help ya along, ta do what Ah promised Twi. So Ah want ya ta look me in the eyes an’ answer mah question. Ah don’t want fancy words ‘r excuses. Just the truth. Are ya legit? D’ya really wanna change? Ta build folks up instead o’ tearin’ ‘em down?”
Sunset shrank in on herself under the intense stare, and it took a minute for her to be able to form words around the lump in her throat. “…yes. I want to change—I’ve been an awful, terrible person, done so many horrible things, but I don’t want to be that person anymore,” she admitted quietly, her voice thick with suppressed emotion. “…I just…don’t know if I ever knew how to be anything other than what I’ve been…”  Whatever else she wanted to say got stuck in her throat, making the lump bigger, and she curled her arms defensively around her body.
Applejack said nothing for a long time, just watching her, before nodding. “Alright then.”  She leaned back, exchanging a glance with Rarity, head inclining the barest fraction in a subtle, nonverbal communication.
The designer turned her attention back to Sunset, and the trembling teen found herself on the receiving end of another stare. Instead of watching her, Rarity was looking through her, discerning blue eyes feeling like they were penetrating Sunset’s being, peeling apart the layers of her tattered soul, scrutinizing each one, taking notes, and setting it aside to look at the next. It lasted for a painful eternity before Rarity spoke. “Sunset…You’ve been going down the wrong path for so long, you don’t even know where to go from here…but…your intentions seem genuine, so I’d like to offer you my assistance.”  The voice sharpened. “However, Miss Shimmer, if you decide to go back down this path there will be no more second chances.”
Sunset hung her head, a few tears trailing down her cheeks. “…thank you...I…I don’t really deserve a second chance…”
“No, darling, you don’t.” The firm tone softened as the redhead looked back up in surprise.  For the briefest of moments, Sunset thought she sensed magic in the air again, the same bright energies that had engulfed her demonic self. It was weak, a flicker that didn’t last more than ten or twenty seconds, but it made her breath freeze in her lungs and almost made her miss Rarity’s next words. “But sometimes, Sunset, the greatest thing we can give to someone isn’t about what they want or even deserve…it's about giving them what they need the most.” The barest hint of an enigmatic smile graced her face, as the fashion designer settled comfortably in her chair and took another sip of her drink.
The might-have-been-magic faded, but Sunset still felt unable to breathe, the words punching right through her emotional defenses like a cheap shot to the gut. She didn’t quite sob, but tears flowed steadily down her cheeks, and she curled forward, arms still hugging herself tightly, so that her hair would conceal the droplets falling to soak into her jeans. It took her time to compose herself, and when she looked up again, it was to come nose to nose with Pinkie Pie, who had somehow managed to stretch herself across two friends and the table. Pink hands grabbed her face, mashing their foreheads together—an act that made Sunset flush with discomfort and embarrassment, even though the gesture didn’t mean to humans anywhere near what it meant to a unicorn like her.  Several thoughtful sounds escaped the girl who smelled like a candy store, before she abruptly released Sunset and plopped back in her seat, hair once more looking like cotton candy and her face split by the world’s largest grin. “Yup!” she said cheerily, and was suddenly offering Sunset a cupcake from….well, actually, Sunset wasn’t entirely sure where the cupcake had come from. “We’re going to have so much fun, Sunset Shimmer!”
Sunset found herself blinking rapidly in absolute confusion, but when she looked to Pinkie’s friends for some sort of explanation, they were all staring at the pink teen with just as much befuddlement as she was. Rainbow finally spoke, her voice slow, like she was afraid of the answer. “…What…was that all about, Pinkie Pie?”
The question was ignored as Pinkie’s brain seemed to light on something else, and she skipped over to the counter to talk to Mrs. Cake. Sunset stared down at the perfect cupcake on a napkin before her, before taking a hesitant bite. That bite turned into several more, and the delicious treat didn’t last long—the last time she’d had something so delicious had been her last Summer Sun Celebration, and those baked goods had been made by the palace chefs.
Rainbow scowled at her across the table, even more irritated because Pinkie had not answered her. “…Whatever. I still don’t trust you, Shimmer. You’ve been a bitch for years, and you drove friends apart for shits and giggles. Getting all weepy and teary eyed for a few days isn’t going to change my mind. I don’t like you, and I don’t really want to be around you, but I trust you around my friends even less, so we’ll be seeing more of each other.  Cause any trouble, and I’ll make you wish the other rainbow had put you six feet under.”
Fingers clenched the edges of her jacket. “…I understand,” Sunset said quietly, before waiting to see if anyone else had anything to add.  Fluttershy had yet to speak at all, and guilt ate at her over it. She had terrorized the soft spoken girl more than just about anyone else, years of abuse that had seen Fluttershy quaking in fear behind the curtain of pink hair every morning. It was unlikely that would change anytime soon, and Sunset resolved to do the one thing she felt she could do at present to make up for it—minimizing contact with the shy girl so she didn’t have to deal with her former abuser trying to be all chummy.
Decision made, she stood slowly, giving them ample chance to stop her. “…I think I’m going to go home…unless there was more that you wanted to say to me?” She kept her tone carefully neutral, trying to keep any emotion that could be misinterpreted from it.  
Applejack adjusted her stetson. “…Ah think we covered what we needed ta. Ya got another week in ISS, right?”
“…yes. And detention for the foreseeable future…among other punishments.”
“Fair’nuff. We’ll see ya at school then.”
Sunset shuffled out of the bakery, the whispers and more than one sticky napkin ball following her out. She held it together all the way home, parking her bike and covering and securing the vehicle before heading inside. She shed coat and boots by the couch, dropped her bag on the floor, and slunk up the stairs to collapse in her bed, face first. Only then did she come apart, sighing into her pillow and retrieving her phone from one pocket.
-I survived.- she sent. 
-How’d it go?- came the near immediate reply.
-Better than I feared. Most of them want to give me a chance. Only one threatened me.- She squirmed out of her jeans and under the covers. -Now I’m just exhausted. Think I might nap, catch up on sleep.-
-Okay. We’re still on for tomorrow, right?-
-Wouldn’t miss it, Sparky.-
Yawning, Sunset curled into her blankets and fell asleep, the phone still in her hand.
> Chapter Eight: Roller Coaster Ride Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Her bag settled on the floor next to her chair with a thump and Sunset sank into her seat, nibbling on a breakfast burrito. It was still a Monday, and way too early to be alive, but she was more alert and feeling more put together than she had felt for a while.  Even the nausea in her gut was less than it should have been, considering this was her first day back in regular classes with all of the peers who hated her. At least she’d remained caught up on all her work, finishing even the paper that was due during her last week in suspension. 
Sighing, she let her mind wander back over the past week and the roller coaster of emotional ups and downs. ISS hadn’t been so terrible, all in all. Boring as watching grass grow in real time, but not awful. Vice Principal Luna had been mostly quiet, going over her own paperwork or performing administrative duties with the aid of her laptop, only stepping out to deal with disciplinary matters. Though...there had been a conversation with Luna on Friday that left Sunset wondering about the disciplinarian’s own history, and how much of it paralleled the life of the alicorn Princess who had become Nightmare Moon and then back to being a Princess.



“Here’s the last of it, Vice-Principal.” Sunset set the stack of papers on the desk in front of the woman, waiting patiently for her to sort through it and then assign her the day’s detention chore. At the moment, all she wanted to do was finish up so she could head to Twilight’s house—her weekend was full of plans with her friend, and they’d stayed up way too late more than one night during the week talking about them. 
Luna perused the assignments, checking them off one at a time. “Congratulations, Miss Shimmer. You have successfully survived your two weeks of In-School Suspension without getting into further trouble, and you completed every assignment left for you.” Stern eyes regarded her. “I must admit that is a first in my career—usually students who get to this point no longer care about their schooling or their behavior. I do sincerely hope this represents a true turning point for your life, and not another of your games.”
Sunset slumped with a sigh. “I’m trying,” she replied tiredly. “I know everyone is just waiting for a return of Sunset Shimmer, Tyrannical Bitch, but I…I’m done with that. I don’t want to be that way anymore—I lost everything, everything that mattered to me because of it. Look at me—I’m an exile from my home, probably damned to spend the rest of my life like this: trapped in this stupid body without my magic, with everyone around me constantly questioning if I’m going to turn on them at any moment! I even question myself half the time!” She sat, dejected, on the nearest desk. “…I’m just trying to move forward, find some way to not hate the rest of my life here, because if I hate the next sixty or eighty years of my existence, then what was the point of the Elements giving me a second chance instead of just killing me?”
Luna observed her with a measure of concern visible in her eyes. “Miss Shimmer…believe me when I say that I understand where you are right now. It is not easy, living everyday with eyes on you from every angle, expecting you to slip up, waiting for you to falter, and then affecting a self righteous attitude when you make a mistake, like they knew all along you could not change. It is the hardest thing you will likely ever face—not the fall from a great height, but dragging yourself out of the hole.”  She straightened a stack of papers. “However, I want you to also believe me when I say that it will get better, given time and distance. This is high school, and you are young yet. In a few years, you will have the opportunity to be away from people who know these halls and what transpired here, what shadows haunt you. Do not give up hope—have faith that ‘this too, shall pass.’” She paused, before adding, “And should you need a friendly ear, someone you can speak freely to, given your…unique situation, my door is always open.”
Blue-green eyes stared at the administrator in shock and her voice trembled with gratitude. “…I…thank you.”
The older woman’s lips quirked into a somewhat enigmatic smile. “Thank you, Miss Shimmer. In fact, I do not need you for detention today. Go home, and enjoy your weekend. I suspect Monday will be somewhat trying for you.”





Judging by the immediate frosty glares she received from other students filtering into the classroom, and the handful of paper balls that had already struck the back of her head in the halls, Luna’s prediction about the day was going to be spot on. It seemed like the high points of her life were now her weekends—the last two of which had solely centered around Twilight Sparkle. At least the nerdy girl was a quick study when it came to learning self-defense, even if her stamina was abysmal…and the two of them had ended up finding more common interests and hobbies in the process.





The doorbell rang just as Sunset was finishing bagging up the trash in her trashcan. Opening the door revealed a chipper looking Twilight Sparkle, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. “Come on in, Sparky. I was just going to take out the trash.” She hefted the bag and started walking towards the back of the loft as the other girl closed the front door behind her. “We’re going up to my attic to practice, anyway.”
Twilight blinked. “You have an attic?” She looked around the loft, looking for any indication that the building had access to another floor.
“Yeah. I’m not sure who designed this place, but they put things in weird places. The attic is supposed to be for storage, I guess, but I don’t own enough things to really need it.” Sunset shrugged sheepishly. “So I converted it into a space to do all kinds of things that there’s not room for down here.” Opening the door on the back wall that looked like it led to a closet revealed a dimly lit area with a set of steep stairs and another door of much more sturdy make. That door opened to reveal the back alley where a dumpster sat; Sunset tossed her trash into it and re-secured the back door, sliding the deadbolt shut. “It’s up the stairs.”
Her friend studied the stairwell and the back door for a moment, before starting up the steps after the former unicorn. “You know, its placement isn’t necessarily strange if this place was used for illegal activities at one point. At several points in Canterlot’s history, there were problems with organized crime, smuggling, and illegal substances. Your home may have once operated as a smuggler’s den or bootlegging operation. A back door in a narrow space, easily disguised to all but very spatially aware people in the main living area, stairs to an attic that the building doesn’t look like it should possess…It makes me wonder if it has any other hidden spaces.”
The redhead opened a door at the top of the stairs. “…There’s the weird attic crawlspace,” she offered. “I never could figure out why it's only accessible from up here, but I just figured this place was built by a crazy person, and that's why it was cheap.” She stepped into the attic, a large open space the length and width of the building with one tiny window facing the street. She’d already turned on the lights when she’d cleaned up earlier, and the bulbs revealed a space that had been divided into several smaller areas for various activities.
There was a drop cloth with a few easels and a drawing table in the far corner near the window, along with a whole bunch of different sized canvases in various stages of completion. Some of the art was barely discernible as more than abstract paintings or child’s drawings, but newer pieces held a higher quality. More than one had renditions of Equestrian ponies or creatures that Sunset had done from memory. It was a hobby she hadn’t indulged much in for a while—originally, it had been something to help her practice using her hands.
On the opposite corner was a simple setup for her to play music—the attic had better acoustics, and like the art, learning guitar had improved her manual dexterity by a vast margin. At present, her instruments were all on the wall downstairs, but the music stand still held open sheet music from the last song she’d learned to play.
The part of the space she had cleaned up though was closest to the stairs, a large foam gymnastics mat set up on the floor, not far away from some small sized hand weights and a battered punching bag. She’d spent more time than she wanted to admit using the mat for exercises and basic gymnastics in order to learn how her new body had worked and exactly what she could do with it. The punching bag had likewise seen use when practicing her self defense or just on days where she needed to take out her aggression somehow.
Twilight looked around, eyes taking in the space. “I see what you mean…this is amazing.” She looked at the paintings. “You did all those?”
Sunset felt her face flush in embarrassment. “…I used to. I stopped a while ago, never really got back to it.”
“You must like fantasy novels a lot. And unicorns.” Purple eyes focused in on one of the paintings. “That one is beautiful…”  She pointed and Sunset winced. That particular canvas was one that she had always loved and hated, but could never quite bring herself to destroy.
The piece showed herself, much younger than she was now, showing off her magic before the Princess of the Sun. The smile on the Solar ruler’s face was filled with maternal love and pride, her horn lowered to touch the much stubbier forehead appendage of the little filly with the amber coat. It always evoked the strongest emotions in Sunset, because it was everything she’d ever dreamed of and wanted when she was small, and it was everything she’d ever been denied. “Yeah…” she managed, trying to hide how strained her voice was. It was beautiful all right—a beautiful lie. Celestia had never seen her as anything more than a bright student.  “You can look at my crappy art later, Sparky. Time for you to learn to fight.”
Two arms came around her from behind in a silent hug, and Sunset found herself relaxing into it.  Twilight didn’t comment, just held on for a long time, until the redhead patted her hands to signal she was alright. The shorter girl let go and smiled when Sunset turned towards her. “So what do I have to do first?”
“First? First we have to get you loosened up and stretched out. You won't always get that in a real fight, but you’ll regret it if you don’t do it while learning. I certainly did…”





Startled out of her memories by someone actually addressing her, she looked up from her desk to find Rarity. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, darling. I was just wishing you a good morning. I trust you’re doing well?”  The designer offered a pleasant smile; it was nothing like the open, sunlight-breaking-apart-the-clouds smiles that Twilight sent her way, but it was still friendly. Rarity was trying to be social with her, and at least polite. She could do that much back. 
“I’m…not looking forward much to today. I think people were hoping that I’d been expelled. Or arrested.” She tried a smile of her own, but it felt stiff and awkward on her face. “How are you?” People made small talk still, right? It was polite to respond with inquiries about one’s own state of being with a return interest…she thought. Talking to Twilight is so much easier!
“Oh it was dreadfully busy! I had half a dozen orders to deal with, and my parents are still on vacation for several weeks, which means I was also in charge of Sweetie—trying to make her do her homework before she and her friends go cause a disaster is near impossible! Still, I feel quite accomplished. What did you do this weekend?”
Her mind trailed back to Saturday afternoon, trying to decide how to answer the question.





Sunset opened her fridge, studying the contents. “I can’t make anything fancy, since I don’t have a real kitchen, but I can make a kick ass vegetable stir-fry, if that sounds appealing?”
An exhausted and sore Twilight spoke from the sofa, trying to recover from hours of stretching, bending, and falling. “My everything hurts… Also, how can you make stir-fry without a stove-top?”
The redhead laughed, and pulled something out of a container under the table. “With an appropriated Bunsen burner from CHS that I jury-rigged into a makeshift cook-top two years ago.”
That made the girl abandon the sofa for the area Sunset had fashioned into a ‘kitchen.’ “You dabble in engineering and inventing?” she asked excitedly.
Amber fingers picked up a knife to begin slicing the various vegetables. “I had to learn. The heat in this place goes out every winter at least once, and I got my bike in pieces from scrap yards, parts places, and the junkyard. I can’t afford to call a repairman every time something goes wrong. I did that the first time the heat went out—never again. I could repair it a dozen times over for the price that creep charged. Not to mention, he kept giving me weird looks and asking ‘where my mommy and daddy were.’” She sneered briefly, anger flaring at the memory, before forcing herself back to the subject at hand. “After that, I started doing my own little things for improvements and repairs. I’ve rewired probably half the lights here, fixed both the heater and the AC more than a few times, and I put together a few things I use for cooking. Mostly the burner and a water-boiler out of an old rice cooker. They aren’t pretty, but they function.”
Twilight grinned. “Show me? I want to see exactly what you did—maybe we can even improve on the designs!” When Sunset turned towards her, she motioned. “I love taking things apart to see how they work, and then coming up with ways to make them into other things or improve on the design. When I was seven, I took apart our microwave; Mom and Dad caught me before I could really start working out improvements, and made me promise to ask before I attacked major appliances with a screwdriver again.” She rubbed her neck sheepishly. “…That didn’t stop me from pulling apart and reassembling my brother’s phone though. He gets free data now, and I used the knowledge to build several devices that tap into cell towers to piggy back off the signal they emit.”
Blue-green eyes stared at her for a long moment, before Sunset laughed and shook her head. “…You know, it's probably a good thing I didn’t meet you until after I got knocked off my throne. I’d’ve used you for evil.” Setting a pan over her makeshift burner, Sunset started explaining what she’d done to put it together, much to the delight of the girl standing shoulder to shoulder with her.





“Oh, nothing much. Hung out at home, made dinner. Made sure that I was caught up for class.” It wasn’t a lie. She and Twilight had had a sleepover at her apartment, watched a bunch of things on Netflix that Sunset had never bothered with that Twilight recommended, and had another training session in the attic. Twilight had spent most of that being tossed repeatedly to the mat in demonstrations of techniques, but also to teach her how to fall. And she had spent Sunday evening reading ahead for several courses, so there was that—in between a barrage of messages from a glasses wearing nerd.
“Sounds terribly boring, darling. You ought to get out more. Maybe you can join us for an outing one weekend.”
“Maybe…” Sunset wasn’t sure that would be a good idea. “I’ve…been using the time to think and figure stuff out…”
Whatever else Rarity had intended to say was interrupted by the teacher and the bell. Sunset flipped through her binder until she found the set of questions and answers that’d been the weekend’s homework, setting them to the side for the inevitable hand-in. The teacher gave her a long look, before addressing the class about the day. 
For her part, Sunset took absentminded notes and tried to look like she was paying more attention than she really was. The literature might've been new to her, different than Equestrian classics in theme and tone, but the concept of comprehension and vocabulary was easy. Human writing was a mixed bag to her, with some of it being incredibly fun and interesting and some of it being horrific and weird in ways that drove home the worst of the cultural differences.  The hardest thing for her had been learning the different written alphabet the humans used, but she had managed that years ago.
Sunset waited for most of the people to file out at the end of class before shouldering her own bag and heading to her next class. She kept to the wall in the hallways, trying not to draw attention to herself. She made it to math with several minutes to spare, taking time once she settled into her chair to check her phone, smiling at the message waiting for her. It wasn't elaborate, but the smiley face and goofy good morning made her feel better. At least until a folded note hit her desk. Frowning, she tucked her phone away to look at the note.
-You shouldn't have come back, she-demon!-
She cringed, crumpling the paper and tossing it in a nearby trash can. Now the notes were finding her in class, and not just decorating her locker….





Once the locker door was clean—for the day—Sunset spun the combination in with quick fingers, and opened it swap out things in her bag for things she’d need for homework. As the door came open, several scraps of paper drifted down. Picking one up, she unfolded it to find a message had been left on it for her. 
-Demon bitch!-
Her fist crumpled the note, that knot of shame, guilt, and anger in her chest giving a painful pulse through her limbs and making it harder to breathe. Apparently the graffiti on her locker wasn’t enough punishment to some; picking up and reading the half dozen other bits of paper showed many of the same sentiments.
-Stuck-up whore!-
-How’s it feel, being a worthless bitch everyone hates?-
-Why are you even still here? No one wants you.-
-I hate you.-
Her head bowed, she did just as she had been doing with the locker door: forced herself to read each one before she threw them away. It made her insides ache like her bones were on fire again, and she could practically feel the talons lurking under her fingertips, the leathery wings on her back. They were right about her, right to hate her, right to punish her. She deserved every ounce of ire being tossed her way, and she would endure it all. 
It didn’t change the fact that in that moment, she wished desperately she was at Twilight’s house so she could hide in one of her hugs.





She sighed, now distracted and unable to pay much attention at all. All she could focus on was the note and the truth of its words; no one wanted her here. In fact, she was pretty certain the only person who really wanted her around was Twilight, and she spent her days across town at her school. 
Another piece of paper bounced off her head when the teacher had her back turned, and Sunset rested her head on her arms. Luna had been right. Today sucked, and it was only second period.
> Chapter Nine: Roller Coaster Ride Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Tuesday.  Another day, another detention to serve. This time, her task was in the gym, hefting boxes of sports equipment to the storage room after she’d filled them. It was backbreaking, grueling work, and fifteen minutes in already had her sweating and worn. Sunset paused for a minute to wipe the dampness off her forehead and to search through her bag to find a hair tie to get her mane out of her face.
“Afternoon, Sunset,” drawled a voice behind her.
It drew a noise of surprise from her, a not quite human sound that accompanied her head shooting up to look around wildly, one arm coming up in a defensive move. Seeing the tall blonde in the stetson watching her with a raised eyebrow brought her heart-rate back down to a more normal pace. “…oh…um…Applejack. Am I…in your way?” she looked around for a reason why the farmer was here but could find none.
“Nooope.” She bent down and picked up one of the boxes, carrying it on one shoulder like it weighed nothing. “Ah’m here ta help out.”
Confused, Sunset grabbed a net bag filled with basketballs. “…You have detention too?”
“Nooope. But you do, an’ Ah figgered it’d go faster with help. Chores always do.” 
The two of them brought their cargo to the storage room, Sunset still unsure of what was happening. “Why are you helping me?” she asked warily.
Applejack gave her a long look. “Cuz that’s what friends do, Sunset. Said Ah’d help ya out, an’ that's what Ah’m doin’. ‘Sides, thought maybe we could talk while we work. Get ta know each other a bit.”
The former unicorn set the bag down with the echoing sound of hollow rubber on a hard floor, and tried to wrap her brain around what was happening. “…why would you want to know me? You already know all about me—you watched everything I’ve done to this school for years, been on the receiving end of it. That should give you a pretty good idea of who I am.” Her shoulders slumped, her guilt weighing on her as she spoke.
Veridian eyes scrutinized her. “Now, Ah don’ necessarily agree with that there statement. See all that means is Ah know what ya done. Not who ya are. Not really. Maybe Ah wanna get ta know the real Sunset Shimmer under the dog’n’pony show ya put on fer the masses.”
Damned humans and their tendency for animal based adages—Sunset felt her eye twitch and before she could stop herself, she blurted, “Can you please stop with the horse jokes—I can’t tell if I’m being insulted or not when you humans do that!” Her eyes widened and hands clapped over her mouth as if that would stop anything else from coming out without her permission.
Instead of being angry, Applejack kicked her box under the nearby shelf. “…So Ah was right. Yer from Magic Pony Land too, just like Twilight.” She took her hat off her head for a moment. “Ah apologize. T’weren’t tryin’ ta be insultin’, Sunset. Humans just gotta lot o’ sayin’s about horses. Ah’ll try ta avoid ‘em as much as Ah can.” The hat found its way back onto her head. “Though, Ah admit ta bein’ a might curious ‘bout a place where horses talk.”
Sunset, sort of numb with disbelief at the turn the conversation had taken, found herself following Applejack back out into the gym to get more boxes. “…Ponies. We’re ponies. Horses only really live in Saddle Arabia,” she found herself correcting the tall girl. “And we…don’t really look like this world’s equines—though I think our ancient ancestors might have.”
“Izzat so? So what do ponies look like then?” She started filling another box.
“Smaller. It's hard to have much a comparison, since there aren’t a lot of standard size objects between the two worlds, but if I had to guess, based on things like grass and insects, we average about…here at the withers.” Sunset found herself answering the questions thrown her way without even thinking of resisting or refusing. In a way, it was a relief to be able to talk about her home and her kind and all the things she missed. She held up a hand somewhere about three and a half feet off the ground to denote withers height of an Equestrian pony. “I’m guessing I’d stand somewhat shorter as a unicorn than I do as a human.”
A hand came up. “Wait, wait. Yer not just a ponies, but unicorns? A world filled with magical talkin’ unicorns.”
“Uh…Well, there’s more than one type. I am—was, I suppose, a unicorn. There’s also pegasi—ponies with wings—and earth ponies. And alicorns—winged unicorns—like the Princesses, but they’re a special case.” That admission stuck in her throat painfully. Ascension was earned, and Princess Twilight Sparkle had obtained it where Sunset had failed. 
“Huh. Learn somethin’ new e’eryday. So what else makes ya different from horses here, besides bein’ super short.”
The redhead snorted, to Applejack’s amusement. “We’re a lot more attractive. Your equines are big, ugly, bony brutes on long spindly stick legs, and their heads are ridiculous. We’re smaller, with legs that can actually hold us up, and smoother conformation lines. Our muzzles don’t stick out quite so far, and our eyes are set more towards the center for binocular vision. Comparing the two would be like me comparing Rarity to a male gorilla at the zoo.”
Laughing, Applejack made a calming motion. “Ah get it. No more comparisons ta the horses at the farm…elsewise Ah’m gonna be made ta think o’ a Silverback in one o’ Rarity’s frou-frou dresses.” She picked up the next pair of boxes and slid one towards Sunset with a foot. “Ah gotta better question. What do ponies like ta eat? Can’t imagine the cheeseburger is popular ta them.”
Sunset shuddered at the thought. “…Considering that cows in Equestria talk and often barter their milk for other goods and services, I can assure you that we do not eat cheeseburgers. The human propensity for meat was a very large culture shock.” She bent down and hefted the box tiredly. “…We eat a surprising number of similar foods to humans—other than meat—but with a heavier stress on fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other bits of vegetation that earth ponies are good at cultivating. Chickens are not intelligent, so we use and eat eggs.  Pegasi tend to include fish in their diets—its an easy source for the oils that help waterproof their feathers, and considering most of them live in the clouds and work on weather-teams in some fashion, necessary, since soaked feathers don’t fly well.”
“So….Should Ah be askin’ iffin ya want a bale of hay from the farm?”  Applejack was grinning at her, suggesting that the question was more a joke than anything.
The former unicorn shook her head, sighing sadly. “As much as I miss a plate of delicious hayfries and a hayburger, it makes this body sick if I try to eat it.”
The farmer stopped, almost dropping the box as she tried to parse what Sunset had just said. “…Uhhh…Sunset...Are ya tellin’ me that ya already tried ta eat hay?”
She looked at the blonde, head tilted in confusion as she slid the box on the shelf. “…I mean, not recently?  I learned my lesson about it years ago when I first came here. I hadn’t really found a place to live, and I didn’t have money, or know anything really about humans yet, so I didn’t know this body couldn’t eat it.  And there was just…so much growing near the roadside that no one seemed to care about…” She shrugged. “…I ate a whole bunch, only to be sick all night long. Learned my lesson….Besides, it didn’t taste like it should. Human taste buds are weird.” 
The farmer was quiet for a long few minutes as they moved equipment, her expression pulled into a frown. Sunset fidgeted in worry. “…Did…did I say something wrong?” she asked carefully, afraid she’d somehow offended Applejack.
Applejack shook her head vehemently. “No, ya didn’…” She took off her hat, running a hand through her bangs. “…Ya…are gettin’ enough ta eat now, right? Yer not…fishin’ fer scraps in the trash, or havin’ ta steal from the markets, or worse, just ta avoid starvin’, are ya?” 
Sunset was starting to feel like she was developing mental whiplash from the rapid changes in conversation. “…No? I have food at my place, and money to buy things I need.”
The stetson was plopped back on the blonde head. “…Alrighty then. Ah ain’ gonna let ya starve. Apples always got plenty ta offer friends an’ family iffin they need it. Ya ever need anythin’, Sunset, food or a place ta stay, or anythin’ like that, all ya gotta do is say.”  Then she perked up, making a thoughtful face. “…Ah gotta ask. What does hay taste like ta a pony?”





Blue-green eyes stared at her gym teacher in something akin to abject horror and gut-wrenching dread. Dodgeball. They were going to play dodgeball, all because Wednesday had dawned with black thunderclouds overhead and cold fall rain coming down in buckets. It was already a ‘sport’ Sunset detested, but as she stared out at a class full of people who had plenty of justifiable reasons to want to hit her with a projectile, she could feel her stomach twist in on itself.  
The nausea doubled when Gilda Griffen was selected as one of the team captains, and she turned towards Sunset with a predatory grin that would have done an actual citizen of Griffonstone proud.  She knew then that this was going to hurt and that she’d be lucky to escape gym without a black eye.
“Ooo! Ooo! Sunset Shimmer! You can be on my team!”  Pinkie Pie was waving at her from a spot next to Applejack. 
She paced over to join them, wondering if it was too late to claim lunch wasn’t sitting well so she could escape to the nurse. 
—You could try throwing up on Coach Will’s shoes. That’s sure to get you a pass.— 
Oh look. The stupid voice from her subconscious was back to make the torture worse. Good idea. Too bad she was not one of those ponies who could vomit on command. 
In rapid succession, the mass of students was divided up between the two teams, and they retreated to their separate sides of the gym floor. Sunset flinched under the expressions being sent her way from the other side of the line, making a decision to devote her time in the game to dodging the balls that were about to be hurled violently at her face.  She chose a spot near the back, placing herself in a position where she would have plenty of time to see the danger coming.
True to her predictions, she was the preferred target of the other team, once they had eliminated the ‘easy marks.’ It took everything she had to duck, dodge, weave, and twist out of the way of the balls that came her way. She didn’t bother trying to catch the balls or throw them back—anyone she hit might use it as a reason to cry foul, and she wanted no reason for the Vice Principal to come down on her head.
And then she mistimed her jump, and found herself right in the path of a ball that might as well have been a heat seeking missile courtesy of Gilda. There was no way to dodge, so she brought her arms up in an attempt to protect her face...
Except the impact never happened. Pinkie Pie, laughing and giggling, bounced right in the way, catching the ball. “Thanks, Giiiiilllldaaaa!” she called, flinging the ball back at the other team. Sunset boggled for a moment before she twisted out of the way of yet another ball.
This became a bit of a theme in the game, with Pinkie defying gravity, logic, and even the laws of physics to catch dodgeball before they smashed into Sunset or some of their other teammates. The redhead watched with more than a little shock as she caught them with her hands, legs, even her hair, laughing and bounding around with seemingly endless enthusiasm. 
Trying to understand Pinkie might’ve given her a headache, but Sunset wasn’t going to complain when the party planner’s antics meant that she was able to leave the gym on that Wednesday without any injuries.





Traversing the hallways after lunch ended was quickly becoming something akin to an obstacle course. There was the now familiar feeling of resentful and nasty stares setting her hackles up, but she was learning that she had to look down frequently for a more important reason than not wanting to see people glaring at her: feet and other things put in her path to try and trip her up or send her face first into a variety of surfaces.  Sometimes those attempts to trip her were coupled with hard shoves or shoulders that checked her roughly into the lockers or wall.  
It wasn’t everyone, but even those not actively doing anything to her didn’t seem to be in a hurry to try and interfere with the greater population of the school getting little bits of punishment in where they could.  With a few notable exceptions, at the least—the first time she’d been knocked to the ground in the hall, she’d been helped up by the gray skinned blonde girl with crossed eyes she’d only ever heard addressed as ‘Derpy.’ The girl had given her a cheerful smile, asked if she was alright, and told her to have a good afternoon as she wandered into the crowd.  Another time, Sunset had been sent pitching forward, only to be steadied by Vinyl Scratch. The silent DJ had tipped her shades down, given her a long and steady look followed by a wink and a thumbs up before sending her on her way.
Today was proving no different, as she tried to keep herself to the wall and away from the thick press of students. When she paused to let a group of people exit a classroom, someone checked her hard enough from behind to send her into the wall with a considerable amount of force, her head bouncing off the white-painted cinderblock painfully. The blow disoriented her for a few seconds, long enough for the perpetrator to melt away into the mass of students. Sunset rubbed the sore spot, before adjusting her bag and continuing on. Just one more day after this, and then she had the weekend and Twilight to look forward to.





Her locker opened to a flood of paper scraps, and Sunset had to kneel down to pick them up. Every day there were more and more of the tiny pieces of paper, each with a different and creative way of saying “I hate Sunset Shimmer.” She read through each and every one, the pain having slowly morphed from sharp and stabbing to an ache she was resigned to.  It was still less than she deserved, she knew, and if this was the price for her second chance, she would get through it—she had to, there was no other choice. Sunset Shimmer was a lot of things: monster, unicorn, human, sorceress, student, former she-demon, fallen tyrant, manipulative, black-hearted bitch…but she wasn’t a one to quit.
Sunset had just finished throwing them out and was focused on shuffling around what she was carrying home in her backpack when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning sharply, she found herself face to face with the Vice-Principal, who was holding a pair of slim volumes in one hand. “Vice-Principal Luna…Is something wrong? I didn’t forget something, did I?”
The woman shook her head. “No, Miss Shimmer, you did not. I actually wanted to catch you before you left for the day. I have been keeping an eye on you this week, and I am very pleased with how you have conducted yourself. I wanted to let you know that both I and Principal Celestia are quite impressed by the way you are determined to succeed at this.”
The former unicorn stared, more than a little surprised by the words. “…I…thank you, Vice-Principal Luna…”
Luna inclined her head, before holding out the books in her hand.  “On a more personal note, I have a couple of books I found quite helpful myself when I was younger. They contain some useful knowledge and techniques for someone who is trying to supplant bad habits with newer, better ones, and I had thought perhaps you might find some benefit in their pages, as I once did.”
Sunset took the offered books, completely floored.  “I….I don’t know what to say…but…I’ll be sure to read them…” 
“Keep them as long as you like, Miss Shimmer.” With that, Luna departed, leaving Sunset alone in the hall, trying to process the encounter. 
Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket and she retrieved it in a hurry. A new message from her favorite person greeted her eyes, bringing new life to them.
-Milkshakes? Its been a particularly trying day. Also, are we still on for a movie binge and sleepover tomorrow night?-
-Sparky,- she sent back, fingers dancing over the keys. -You have no idea how good that sounds right now. Am I picking you up or meeting you?-
The reply took bare seconds. -Come get me? I’m at home.-
Shaking her head, Sunset slammed the locker and spun the lock, restraining herself to a jog in the halls.
> Chapter Ten: Panic At The Bookstore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The bell attached to the door jingled when it opened, Twilight pulling Sunset by the hand into the small store crammed wall to wall with bookshelves, creating a maze of narrow aisles made up of books on both sides. The scent of aged paper and ink assaulted her nose, and had she not already been grinning from ear to ear because of her friend’s exuberance and childlike delight at showing her ‘the best bookstore in the city’, it would have made her smile. Twilight dropped her hand to spread her arms wide, presenting the store to Sunset. “Isn’t this place amazing?” the bookworm gushed happily, looking at her with eager hope.
Sunset let her eyes wander the store, shelf after shelf of texts new and old, hard and soft cover. “…Oh yeah,” she murmured. “I’m disappointed I didn’t know about it sooner…”  Blue-green eyes flicked back to Twilight. “…This was a great idea.”
The dark haired girl gave Sunset one of her brilliant, brighter-than-the-sunrise smiles, and grabbed her hand again to pull her down a particular aisle to show her some of the books there. The pair began browsing the selection of used books, pulling titles off to read the summaries or flip through the pages.  In very short order, Sunset found herself with a moderate stack of novels that had piqued her interest, and she realized that she needed to be careful, otherwise she would be inclined to spend far more than she should. At the same time, it had also been a long time since she’d splurged on anything for herself, so maybe spending a little bit extra on some books to fill her evenings during the week would be a nice change of pace.
Twilight’s arms were also loaded with a considerable stack of books, and she motioned with her head. “I’m going to check the next aisle,” she told the redhead. “I’ve got enough for a few more, I think.”  
Giving her a nod, Sunset picked up another novel, eyeing the cover and recognizing the title of the series. As Twilight ducked around to the next row of shelves, she wondered if it would be similar to the series of the same name in Equestria…though with a human protagonist instead of a pegasus mare.
She heard Twilight give a startled and pained yelp, followed by the sound of a body thumping into a bookshelf, and an apologetic male voice. “Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Sunset looked up when she didn’t hear Twilight immediately respond—instead, the sound of books falling to the floor and a whimper reached her ears.  
Almost before she realized she’d commanded her body to move, Sunset had rushed around the corner herself. “Twilight?” she questioned worriedly, her eyes falling on her friend. Twilight was pressed awkwardly back against the shelves, eyes wide and only half seeing the young man who had steadied her from falling by catching her arm. He was older than both of them by several years, likely a student from one of the local colleges, and the nametag pinned to his shirt implied he worked in the store. 
“Sparky?” Sunset tried again when Twilight let out another whimpering sound. That was enough for the dark haired girl to wrench herself free of the young man’s hand—not that he’d been holding on hard—and throw herself into Sunset. The former unicorn staggered, dropping her own books to the floor to catch her friend’s shaking body, hugging her carefully. 
Twilight still gave no verbal answer, but she clung tightly to Sunset, burying her face in her collar and trembling.  It was then that Sunset’s brain caught up with the situation, realizing that the other girl had clutched her like this once before: on the night they met. She looked to bookstore clerk who had backed off a few steps and was watching in obvious concern, then back at the smaller form in her arms. “…Hey,” she said softly, trying to keep her voice level. “I’ve got you, Sparky. You’re safe.”
The young man watching them held his hands up, in a non-threatening gesture. When he spoke he kept his voice low, and calm-sounding, "She do this often, do you know?"
The redheaded teen was rubbing slow circles on Twilight’s back, not doing anything to fight the death grip on her. “…sometimes, I think? This is…only the second or third time I’ve seen her get like this.” Shifting her stance, she added quietly, “She got harassed by some creeps in the park a few weeks ago, but I chased them off. It's…left her kind of on edge?”  Twilight’s breath stuttered, like she couldn’t manage a full inhale, making Sunset frown. “…Twilight,” she soothed, her attention on her friend again. “You’ve got to breathe. I promise, you’re safe. No one is going to hurt you…” 
The clerk, whose nametag read “Quill”, nodded.  "Definitely a panic attack; those can happen sometimes after something traumatic.  We ran into each other, and I kept her from falling. It's probable that the unexpected contact reminded her of her harassers for a moment, and now her mind is stuck on that.”  He observed them both for a minute.  “Just keep doing what you're doing—you’re the person she seems to need right now.  See if you can get her to match your breathing, it’ll give her something else to focus on other than what’s frightening her."
Sunset nodded. “…C’mon, Sparky,” she coaxed. “Look at me.” Purple eyes that were wet with tears looked up at her, still not entirely seeing her current surroundings. Sunset smiled encouragingly, before taking several slow, deep breaths of her own, ones she knew Twilight could feel as much as she could see.  After a half dozen or so deep breaths, she could feel the trembling form starting to lose a little of the tension as Twilight echoed her breathing. 
She focused on getting the smaller girl to breathe, continuing to offer quiet reassurances, trying to get Twilight to realize she was in no danger. “…We’re in the bookstore still, Twilight…we’ve made a bit of a mess though. There are books all over the floor, yours and mine…” Twilight’s shaking had almost stopped, and her eyes were less vague and distant as she watched Sunset’s face. “…Might take us a few minutes to sort out what belongs to who, but you’re good at that, so maybe it wont take so long…”
Quill had been quiet, letting Sunset work to calm down her companion; he spoke in the lull of conversation. “…Once she’s a little more put together, go ahead and bring her into the back room.” He pointed to a door by the back wall that read ‘Employees only’. “Mrs. Prose keeps tea bags, and a hot drink in hand can help, plus there’s a sofa that you can sit on.”
“Thanks.” Sunset gave him a nod, barely registering how curt her worry for Twilight made her sound as she turned her full attention back to the dark haired girl. “…You back with me yet, Sparky?”  There was a slow, tentative nod. “What do you think? Do you want to take our books and go back there to sit?” Twilight nodded her head again, still stuck to Sunset like a burr.  The parallels between this and their first meeting were striking enough that the former unicorn found herself adopting the same tone of voice and issuing instructions. They squatted down together to pick up the books, and Sunset kept an arm around Twilight the whole time, directing her to the backroom.
The backroom was a mixture of storage area and employee lounge, with a small kitchenette on one side and a few pieces of mismatched furniture amid boxes and crates of books on the other. Sunset guided Twilight to sit on a hideous couch—it was a mixture of creams, dark browns, burnt orange, and golds in some sort of fall foliage design that really served to make it a massive eyesore. “This is the ugliest sofa I’ve ever encountered,” she whispered as they sank into the cushions. “And that’s no small feat. I shop at thrift stores.” 
Twilight actually let out a soft laugh, despite still clinging to Sunset.  The redhead gave her another smile, squeezing her friend around the shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere. Deep breaths, take your time. We don’t have anywhere to be.”  For a handful of minutes, they sat there in silence, Twilight leaning into her side.
A pair of mugs were sent gently on the end table near Sunset’s other side. “Here. Hot tea to calm the nerves. I have to head back out to the shelves, but take as much time as you need. No one will bother you back here.” 
Sunset exhaled in a deep but relieved sigh. “...thank you...” she told the young man, not sure what else to say. He waved off any further words and exited back out to where there were customers browsing the books.
She passed Twilight one of the tea mugs. “Drink this. It helped before, it ought to help now, right?”  
Twilight gave a tiny nod, sipping the drink slowly. 
“…How do you feel?”
The other girl took off her glasses so she could wipe her eyes on her sleeve. “…better…” she mumbled. “I’m sorry...”
Blue-green eyes blinked in confusion. “Why are you sorry?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. 
Another sniffle, and she put her glasses back on, staring pensively into her tea. “...I ruined our trip here...I wanted to show you this place because I love it here and I wanted to share it with you...” Her hands shook slightly.  “Instead, I had a panic attack over what was essentially nothing...” 
Sunset frowned, before turning herself on the sofa so she was almost facing the dark haired girl. “Twilight, look at me,” she instructed firmly. Startled, worried purple eyes met hers. “You did not ruin this trip, not in the slightest bit—when we go back out there, I’m going to spend more money than I probably should on several dozen new books that I question how I’m going to find room for. We might have to hit the thrift store later so I can scrounge for a new bookshelf to put them on.” An amber skinned hand rested on Twilight’s shoulder. “As for reacting so strongly to ‘nothing’....” Sunset chewed on her lip, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say without it coming out all wrong. “...I’m not sure I’d handle what happened to you half as well as you are,” she finally settled on. “Having an adverse reaction to being grabbed, even if it wasn’t meant to hurt you...that seems pretty normal to me.  It happened, we got you through it, and we can still enjoy the rest of the day when we leave here.”
Twilight was quiet, absorbing the words and thinking on them. Her hands fiddled with the mug she was holding until Sunset laid one of her own on her friend’s wrist to keep her from upsetting its contents too badly.  For the moment, the redheaded teen was at a loss for what to do; she’d studied a lot of things in both worlds, but any psychology she’d read into had to do with making it easier for her to manipulate others, not on how to deal with what Twilight was going through.
—Face it,— that irritating little voice in the back of her mind whispered. —You barely have a handle on your own issues these days, even with Sparky’s help.—
As much as she hated to agree with the part of her that seemed to exist to mock her in the most inopportune moments, it was a valid point.  She was beyond ‘out of her depth’ in with this, something that she felt the need to rectify.  Sunset sighed, and leaned her head against the sofa. “If anything, I feel like I should be apologizing to you. I...I didn’t know what to do to help you.”
“Sunset...” Twilight gave her a wan, somewhat tired smile. “You were here for me, and I knew I was safe with you. That did more to help than you might realize.”
“It doesn’t feel like it was enough,” Sunset argued, hating how useless she had felt. “If it happens again, I want to know what I’m supposed to do to help you. How do I do that, Sparky? How do I help fix it?”
Purple eyes regarded her for a moment, before Twilight set her mug to the side in order to pull Sunset into a hug. “Sunny,” she murmured. “There’s no fixing me; I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, one I have had for years—it has nothing to do with what happened the night we met.  Anxiety and panic attacks are part of my life. It means so much to me that you want to help me, it really does, but the only help you can give me is helping me manage them when they occur.”
Sunset frowned, her brows furrowing deeply. “I...don’t understand,” she admitted, the feelings of shame and frustration mingling weirdly in her chest. “I thought this happened because of that night in the park...? What do you mean its something that you’ve had for years?”
Twilight pulled back from the hug a bit. “This particular panic attack was triggered because of the...park...” She took a few breaths to steady herself.  “But I have been having panic attacks since I was little—I see a therapist twice a month in regards to my mental health. Dr. Soft-Spoken diagnosed me with a severe anxiety disorder years ago.”
The former unicorn’s brain was trying to wrap itself around what she was being told. “I...had no idea that was a thing...” she said with a shake of her head. “...and there’s no way to stop it from happening? You just...have to live with it? What caused it in the first place?”
The other girl looked away—briefly, Sunset wondered if she’d pushed too hard in her need to understand—before she sighed. “...its complicated, but it’s not something that was caused by a specific event, Sunset. My own mind just...won’t stop thinking, and I get overwhelmed by not just what my senses are perceiving, but by all of the extrapolated simulations my mind sees fit to provide me with.”
Falling silent, Sunset considered the information she had been presented with. She had no frame of reference for any of this...sure, there were ponies in Equestria who were incredibly high strung and sometimes freaked out, but she had never interacted with any of them more than absolutely necessary. To learn that humans had devoted time and effort to areas of study that could identify and label such personality problems took some time to process...and learning that her new friend dealt with these horrible panic attacks for years was extremely upsetting.
“Sunny...?” Twilight’s timid, nervous voice disrupted her train of thought, and the redhead redirected her attention to the other girl. With a start, she realized that Twilight looked worried and on the verge of more tears. “...I’m sorry...I should have told you earlier...I understand if this is all too much for you...”
“Hey...” she was quick to pull Twilight back into the hug they’d only half parted from. “I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere.” She could feel the slight tremor go through her companion. “I told you I was going to mess up at some point. Consider this the ‘I told you so.’  I’m sorry if I said all the wrong things...but I really do want to know how to help if I’m with you when one of these panic attacks happens.”
She could feel the smaller body relax.  “You did everything right, Sunny. You were there, you didn’t push me away, and you talked me down. All of that was what I needed to know I was safe and to have something to focus on besides my stress and panic.”
“So, if..." 
Twilight interrupted her, "When. It's not if, it's when. It'll happen again, and no, it's not your fault, even if you do something that triggers one, okay? It's just something to do with how my brain works. So, when it happens again, just do exactly what you did now. Reassure me, tell me I'm safe, help me to get somewhere quiet if you can, and stay with me until it's over."
Sunset nodded, filing the instructions away for what sounded like ‘later use.’  “Okay. I can do that.” She squeezed Twilight tighter in the hug. “Are you ready to buy our books and enjoy the rest of the day? Or do you want to sit here longer?”
There was a nod against her collarbone. “I’m ready to go. Can we get take-out on the way back to your place?”
A chuckle escaped her.  “That sounds like a great idea—there’s a large veggie tossed sesame noodles and an order of kung pao tofu calling my name.” Her stomach growled grumpily at her. “...and maybe an order of their donuts.” As they disengaged from the hug, Sunset reached out to tweak Twilight’s nose—a playful gesture to try and restore a little levity and equilibrium to them both. “It’ll even be my treat.”
“I couldn’t ask you to pay for mine too,” Twilight protested. “Sunset, that’d be way too expensive!”
The redhead was neatly stacking their books up. “Sparky...let me have this? I can afford it, and I want to...” she fumbled around what she wanted to express.  “I...want to...do something nice? Something that will...help you feel better?” It came out more like a question than any kind of confident statement, and Sunset studied the really ugly human world version of a Purrsian rug under her feet like it held the secrets to the universe.
She could feel Twilight’s eyes on her, questioning, probing, and her ears reddened, her whole body shrinking in on itself. Had she done something wrong? Overstepped? Said the wrong thing? Frustration bubbled inside her again, this time directed at her own ignorance.
Fingers touched her hand. “Okay.”  Her head snapped up to find Twilight smiling at her.  “I won’t fight you on this...this time. But next time we get milkshakes, I’m buying.”
She felt her lips lift into a half smile of her own. “Deal.” She offered the dark haired girl her books. “I think these are yours.”
They exited the backroom after dumping their used cups in the sink there, and made their way to the front.  Quill grinned pleasantly at them. “I see you ladies had a great deal of luck today. Who’s first?”
As he rang her purchases up, Sunset blurted out, “Thanks...for helping me with what to do...”
“No need to thank me—you had it pretty well in hand already. I know how overwhelming it can be to see it the first few times. Having someone help out makes a world of difference...or at least, it did for me the first time I had to help my brother through one.” He handed her her change, waving cheerfully as they headed for the door. “You have a good rest of your day, both of you! Don’t forget to come back sometime, and you can always trade in books that you don’t want anymore for store credit.”
Sunset packed their purchases in her bike’s storage, then held out the helmet to Twilight. “Think you can handle a ride right now?”
Grabby lavender hands snatched the helmet. “Try and stop me,” Twilight grinned. “I can always ‘handle’ a ride on your bike!” The helmet went on quickly, and she ran one hand over the seat longingly. “Maybe someday you’ll let me try driving it?”
She laughed. “In your dreams, nerd. You should count yourself lucky—you’re the only other person I let ride my bike at all.”
Twilight’s mock pout broke apart as they both dissolved into giggles.
> Chapter Eleven: Thoughts and Memory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Her next week back in classes with the rest of the students wasn’t going to go much better than the previous if this second Monday was anything to judge by. She’d gotten body-checked no less than a dozen times in the hall today, and while she wasn't hurt, it was still frustrating and it had made her almost lose her temper by the last time. If someone wanted to get their licks in, fine, but they could come at her swinging instead of this. She just wanted them to get it over with, to “take their pound of flesh” as the human saying went and leave her be. The constant hostility was wearing her down more than she had thought it would, especially on top of her daily detention.
Now though, she was on her way to meet up with Applejack and receive her detention chores. Ever since the Tuesday before, the blonde had met her daily in the office and then done the detention along side her. It was something she’d actually started enjoying, much to her surprise. In spite of the thick accent, Applejack was actually fairly witty and sarcastic, and surprisingly good company. She was also quite interested in Equestria, and asked questions about it, not laughing or disbelieving the answers Sunset gave her. It felt good to talk about her homeland, about the flora and fauna and fantastic beings that lived there. In fact, detention with Applejack, along with Rarity’s morning greetings in their English class, had become the absolute highlight of her time in the halls of CHS.
“Howdy,” AJ greeted her with a tip of the battered brown hat. “Already talked ta Miss Luna. It's moppin’ the back hall today.”
Sunset made a face. “…ugh. Anything but that. Mop water gets everywhere and it always smells terrible.”
“Least it ain’t locker room clean up. Dash an’ Ah got that in freshman year after that fiasco with the barrels in the hall, an’ Ah’d’a liked ta die. It was worse than Big Mac’s socks after harvest season—an’ those socks practically walk themselves ta the wash.”
“….That’s the most disgusting sentence I’ve ever had to hear…and I used to associate with Snips and Snails.” Sunset shuddered, before trudging for the Janitor’s closet. The sour, mildew-and-funky-stale-human-fluids smell of the girl’s locker room was something she could barely tolerate on a good day, just going in there to change for gym class; the idea of having to clean the whole thing from top to bottom made her stomach want to turn itself inside out. Perhaps mopping the hall wasn’t the worse thing ever.





“…an’ that’s why Big Mac doesn’t go out on Halloween anymore.”
Sunset shook her head, trying not to laugh as she pushed the mop back and forth in the hall. “I have a hard time picturing him wearing all that. Or talking—I honestly thought he was mute for over a year.”
“Oh, he kin get ta chin waggin’ sometimes, but its rare. Prefers ta just let actions do the talkin’ instead.”  Applejack wrung water out of her mop. For a little while, the only sound was the wet swishing of the mops against the floor, but the tall girl eventually broke it. “Gotta question fer ya. Yer in regular classes, but ya disappear fer lunch. Why doncha join us in the lunchroom?”
Sunset shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. “Because…I don't think anyone wants me there. I’d ruin lunch for them—or they’ll dump it on me.  I eat in my personal retreat in school—the second floor of the library has some old, forgotten study rooms, and I appropriated a key for one of them years ago. It’s my own private home away from home in the school. It’s quiet, and I don’t have to worry about wearing someone’s fruit cup.”
A frown pulled at Applejack’s features. “That won’t do none. Meet me outside the lunchroom at lunch. Yer gonna sit with us, an’ iffin folks don’ like it, they can say somethin’ ta me.”
The former unicorn stared at her. “But…people hate me. If you do that, you might get backlash for it. Guilt by association. I…I don’t want that to happen.”
“Just let me worry about that. Ah’m serious. Tomorrow, outside the lunchroom, ya hear?”
The tone didn’t make it sound as much like a question as Applejack probably felt it did.  Instead, it sounded like an order, one that Sunset was expected to follow…not that she wouldn’t have minded spending more time getting to know Applejack or Rarity, or even Pinkie, who was confusing but friendly.  Her quiet, private lunches in her library retreat had become a respite from the constant unpleasantness at school. She could send a few messages to Twilight, eat her lunch in peace, and use the time to de-stress, especially if she retreated there early during her pre-lunch free period.  Stomach churning, Sunset nodded, unable to find a way to voice the reason for the rest of her nerves.  She didn’t think it would be that simple, but she didn’t have it in her to argue. She just knew it would be a disaster.





Applejack met her just outside the lunchroom, smiling pleasantly. Sunset tried to respond in kind, but what plastered across her face was more of a grimace. The farmer patted her shoulder. “It won't be so bad. Chin up, an’ follow me.”
Sunset adjusted the grip on the paper bag holding her lunch, her stomach already tying itself up in knots. Despite the assurances, the notes on and in her locker told her there would be backlash. Nevertheless, she followed her stetson wearing warden into the fray.
Eyes bored into her from all angles, the tension in the room rising exponentially at her entrance.  A large portion of the student body was in the room, and most of them had turned their attention on her—with a few notable exceptions.  Vinyl Scratch had her headphones turned up and was casually bobbing her head to the music in her ears, and at the table with the rest of his band (most of whom were happily giving Sunset the evil eye), Flash Sentry seemed to be doing everything in his power to avoid looking her way at all. Of all the people in school who had cause to hate her, he was probably the one with the most right to punish her for her previous behavior…and was, strangely, one of the few who hadn’t tried to do so. He seemed as content to avoid her as much as she sought to avoid him.  
That was definitely a minority reaction though, because most everyone else was projecting an air of thinly veiled hostility.  It pressed on her, to the point where she could practically taste the disgust and hatred, and she couldn’t block out the way the murmur of conversation changed. It made her shrink in on herself a little, shoulders hunching. This was why she’d been eating in her hideout in the library.
Applejack plopped down at a table, and motioned for Sunset to join her. “The others’ll be here in a minute. Line takes time.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice, and unpacked her lunch: a veggie wrap, a pear, and a cookie to go with a bottle of water. Eating at the moment was more mechanical than anything; it all tasted like ash and bitterness.
Rarity and Fluttershy joined them first, conversing about one of Rarity’s designs as they set trays down. Spotting Sunset, Fluttershy fell silent and offered a meek little wiggling of her fingers as a greeting, while Rarity gave a much more pleasant and vocal hello. Sunset shifted, pausing between bites to offer a barely audible, “Hi.”  She did notice Fluttershy glancing at her cookie several times with interest, and she quietly slid it down the table towards the timid girl with soft pink hair—the most direct contact she’d tried to have with her since her defeat. That netted the first positive reaction from Fluttershy in all the years she’d been in the human world: a small, shy smile and almost inaudible thanks as she accepted the cookie.
Pinkie’s arrival with a tray mostly made of desserts was preceded by confetti raining down on the former bully. “Oh my gosh! Sunset! You’re eating with us?! Someone should have told me! I would have made it a paaarty!”
“What?” Panic edged into Sunset’s tone. “No...no. No parties, please. Not for me…” she trailed off, casting a glance at the lunchroom before going back to resolutely staring only at her food. The quicker she ate, the sooner she’d be out of here.
She was working on her pear when the last member of the group arrived—vocally. “Hey guys, sorry I'm late! Coach caught me in the hallway and wanted to ask me somethi—Shimmer, what the hell do you think you’re doing here!?”  The athlete’s face twisted into an expression of disgust, like she’d just stepped in a pile of diamond dog droppings in bare feet.
There it was. The demand made the lunchroom fall eerily silent, everyone waiting to watch the drama play out. Sunset felt sick—the anger in the air seemed to have transformed into sick glee since she saw more than one nasty smile over Rainbows shoulder. Her mouth opened, but the words died in her throat before the hard stares.
“Ah invited her.” The response echoed through the room, Applejack’s tone one that dared anyone to argue with her. 
“You did what?! Why would you do that, AJ!?!”
Applejack frowned, pure obstinacy lacing her words now. “Because Ah wanted ta, an’ cuz Ah figgered it’d be nice ta include our new friend in lunch, since she’s busy after school fer a while.”
“Yeah, because she’s got detention for everything she’s done! Or did you forget what she’s spent years doing to people? To Fluttershy?!” Venom dripped from Rainbow Dash’s words, cutting and sharp—and the worst part about them is that they were all true.  There was nothing Sunset could do to deny any of it, and everyone in the room knew it.  A few even called out in agreement with the soccer star’s assessment, throwing out their two cents about the whole matter.  In the meantime, Fluttershy made a squeaky sound of dismay and hid in her hair as people looked her way. 
Sunset felt nauseous, guilt threatening to make her vomit.  She bolted to her feet, backing away from the table.  Attention turned to her now, and she couldn’t seem to breathe, seeing sadistic, gleeful smirks on more than one face as her composure cracked and her anguish became visible for anyone looking. “This was a mistake,” she choked out, before turning on her heels and fleeing the lunchroom like she was being chased, tears already clouding her vision.
She ran past some sort of adult at an all out sprint, vision too blurred to make out who, slamming into the nearest bathroom door, and barely making it to a toilet before everything she’d managed to ingest came right back up. 
Sunset wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, dry heaving into the porcelain bowl before she realized several things. First, she was crying, complete with tears and snot running down her face. Second was that someone was holding her hair back, humming softly in a voice that made memories surface with agonizing clarity.





Being sick was awful.  Nothing would stay down, other than the tea Celestia brought her. The Princess had barely left her side, going so far as to cancel court for the day so she could look after her. That part made Sunset feel warm and happy.
And right now, she sank into the mare’s golden magic that felt like sunshine as it cradled her body and held her mane back while her tummy emptied itself again. 
“Its okay, little sun, just let it out. I have you.” And then she started humming, a familiar lullaby that had soothed night terrors and other fears and worries of the four year old filly for as long as she could remember—and probably before.





The memory shattered into glass shards that raked along her heart, and she cried harder, flinching away from the gentle touch and soft voice. “’M sorry…Princess Celestia…I’m so sorry…” she babbled, memory and panic and guilt swirling into a mess in her mind. In that moment, she forgot where she was, what body she had, what had caused her retching, even what world she was in. All she knew was that she hurt all over and she couldn’t breathe, and Celestia was humming Sunset’s lullaby and how could she when all Sunset had done the last time she’d seen her was throw everything in her face, screaming names and obscenities, making demands and hurling priceless manuscripts. The unicorn-in-human-form tried to lurch away, to flee on all fours in a jumble of limbs that didn’t work the way her panicking hind brain told her they should. “…I didn’t mean it…’m sorry…” When she tripped on herself and landed in a tangle on the floor, she shrank away from the towering shadow, curling fisted hands over her head. “…’m a bad pony…please…’m sorry, don’t send me away again!” 
And somewhere, between hyperventilation and sheer panic, Sunset Shimmer fainted.





Principal Celestia had been doing a patrol of the halls during lunch when the doors to the cafeteria had slammed open and Sunset Shimmer ran by her like the hounds of Hell were on her heels. Shock built in her as she turned, barely making note of the angry voices in the cafeteria as the doors swung shut, following the teen girl’s flight down the hall.  Sunset barreled into the door of the girl’s restroom so hard that the door shrieked in protest before listing to the side, the top hinges broken, which made worry rise in the educator. There was very little chance that the redhead could hit the door like that without causing damage to herself, and Celestia jogged after her to make sure she was alright.
She heard the sounds of retching and gagging as she reached the open doorway, and found herself witnessing the former bully sobbing and throwing up into the bowl of the first toilet she’d been able to reach.  The sight was so pitiful and heart-wrenching that Celestia found herself moving to hold back the girl’s loose hair gently while she got whatever it was out of her system, and found herself humming the song her own mother had used when she or Luna had been sick as children.
The principal had seen a lot of things, but she wasn’t prepared for Sunset to react the way she had to her attempts at kindness, and she certainly had not been prepared for the teenager to be so utterly terrified of her that she was willing to scramble away on all fours, only to pass out shortly thereafter.  She found herself kneeling on the floor of the restroom, at a loss to explain the grief and terror clouding Sunset Shimmer’s eyes, or why the girl had called her ‘Princess.’
Celestia knew she couldn’t leave the unconscious girl on the floor, so she contacted Nurse Redheart over the walkie-talkie she kept on her belt. Gaining the Nurse’s assessment and signal that it should be okay to move the teen, she picked up Sunset—who was far lighter than she expected—and carried her to the nurse’s office, brow furrowed with worry the entire time.  She stood vigil over the unconscious girl—who was out far longer than a simple fainting spell could justify—until Luna found her and pulled her into her office, door shutting firmly behind them both.
“Tia, what happened?”
She found herself recounting what had happened to her sister, pacing her office in agitation. “…By the time I had started humming—you know, like Mom used to do for us?—I think she was having some sort of panic attack, and my voice made it worse.”  Celestia’s eyes were actually brimming with tears, and Luna pressed a tissue into her hands.  “She was terrified of me. She started trying to get away from me, kept apologizing to me, though she called me ‘Princess.’ It was heart-wrenching, Lulu. I’ve never heard anyone sound so broken—it was like her whole world was coming apart, and I don’t know what I did to cause it. She was so desperate to get away from me, she tried to run on all fours, and when she tripped, she put her hands over her head like she was afraid of being hit.” Celestia wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “…she was practically incoherent by the time she passed out, babbling about ponies and being sent away. I know she did terrible things here, Luna, but….she’s still a child, and I’m starting to really wonder what it was she ran away from in her world!”
"I’m not sure," Luna said thoughtfully, "but I find the implications troubling. We know nothing of this world she or Princess Twilight Sparkle came from and though Twilight Sparkle seemed compassionate, we also have to consider the fact that she didn't seem bothered by the idea that Sunset was essentially being abandoned here to fend for herself." 
Celestia considered that. "You think part of the issue with her previously was her simply behaving as a child of her world would?" 
Luna sighed with a grimace pasted on her face. "We don't have enough information, and since Miss Sparkle wasn't kind enough to leave us with a manual on 'How to raise a child from another world' it looks like we'll have to rely on our only other source of information. I’m going to talk with her when she wakes up.  Why don’t you take your lunch in office and then work on a repair form for the girl’s bathroom. I’m not sure this one is Sunset’s fault.” Luna squeezed her sister’s shoulder. “I’ll have Raven forward your calls to me for the afternoon.” With that, the Vice-Principal set out to get to the bottom of what happened.





Sunset groaned—she felt terrible, and she couldn’t remember her bed ever feeling this hard. She really needed a new mattress. Her mouth tasted sour, her head was pounding, feeling all cottony and sluggish. “…Ponyfeathers…I feel like half of Tartarus took a shit in my mouth, and the other half Is trying to break out through my skull.” She let out another pained noise, and brought a hand up to rub her face. “What did I do last night?”
“The more important question, Miss Shimmer, is what happened in the lunchroom. I am hearing all kinds of very mixed stories, many of them completely outlandish, and the only ones I am inclined to believe came from Miss Apple and Miss Belle.” The voice of the Vice Principal cut through the fabric encircling her brain, and Sunset sat up sharply, eyes wide. “Though I will address your colorful language choices in a minute, as well as the implications of underage drinking.”
The day came back to her in a rush: the lunchroom, the running, the bathroom, throwing up, the humming…and then it all got blurry. “…I shouldn’t have gone to the lunchroom. I should’ve gone to eat in the library. No one wanted me there. Rainbow Dash just said what everyone was thinking, and I had to get out. I couldn’t breathe and I felt sick.  I remember…throwing up in the bathroom, and…I thought I could hear humming…I don’t know what happened after that.” She went pale. “…What did I do? I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?”
Luna looked around. The nurse’s office was empty, but there was a chance a student could come in at any moment. “No, you did not hurt anyone. Can you walk? I think we need to continue this talk in my office.” At a shaky nod, the woman helped the redhead stand, and led her back to her dim, cool office. “Sit. There’s a bottle of water in the minifridge if you are thirsty.” Sunset retrieved the liquid with a murmur of thanks, and sat obediently in the chair. Taking a deep breath and going out on a limb with a guess that would’ve made her sound crazy with any other student, Luna asked, “Who is Princess Celestia, Sunset?”
There went her stomach again, bottoming out. Just when she was sure it couldn’t sink to a lower point, it found new depths to plummet to.  She rubbed her forehead where her horn once was, and kept her voice as level as she could. “…This world and mine are…parallels, of a sort. Locations, individuals, lives, personalities…there’s a lot of overlap. Its not perfect, clearly, given the difference between the natives and the vast difference in magic versus technology. That means that a lot of people have…counterparts…in the other world. Princess Celestia and Principal Celestia are…an example of this.”
“In my world, the sun and moon don’t move on their own, any more than the weather functions properly without hooves to plan and execute its schedule. Instead, long ago, the first alicorns ascended—Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun, and her sister, Princess Luna, called the Dreamwalker, Princess of the Moon. Immortal…humans might call them goddesses, or demi-gods, at least, but nopony worships them quite like that, though I’m sure a few have tried over the centuries. Princess Luna spent some time…locked away, and was recently freed and reinstated. It’s a complicated mess involving the moon, and a being of dark magic and eternal night. I…was here while most of that went on, so I’m not…quite sure on the details?”
The administrator quirked an eyebrow but motioned her to continue. 
“When I was there, it was just Princess Celestia. Goddess of the Celestial Spheres, Monarch of Equestria, and role model for everypony in the kingdom.”
“Everypony? Let me make sure I am not misinterpreting…Are you saying the native denizens of your world are sentient, sapient ponies?” Sunset nodded. “Hmm…That would explain the ears at the formal, and the name of the kingdom. Continue.”
The redhead rubbed her arm. “…She was also my teacher for as long as I can remember.”
“I cannot say I am surprised to find my sister dabbling in education in more than one potential reality in a multiverse, but that seems a bit strange for a Princess and a veritable goddess to personally tutor a youngster.”
Sunset slumped. “…it’s…complicated, but the long and short is, there wasn’t any other option for me.  Unicorn foals get occasional magic surges before they can be taught to control them, and parents usually apply a forbearance spell to inhibit the magic, but only it only works if the parents are as strong or stronger than the foal’s magic surges.  My magic surges were too strong for anyone other than somepony like the Princess to handle, especially at one of the state funded homes for orphaned foals—most of those are run by earth ponies, not unicorns and certainly not trained magi.” She rubbed the center of her forehead again. “I was the Princess’ ward out of safety and necessity, and her personal student because even the curriculum at CSGU wasn’t advanced enough for my magic.”  
The former unicorn paused, realization dawning, and she blushed as she fumbled over her words to elaborate. “…horseapples…that sounded arrogant, didn’t it? I’m not sure there’s a way to explain it that doesn’t. I guess you could say that I had so much innate magic and skill that CSGU’s standard pace and outline for teaching weren’t designed for a unicorn like me. I was bored there, and in many cases had more magic and aptitude for magic than a lot of the professors…I needed a teacher who was more advanced than I was, who had more power and knowledge and skill.  That’s where Princess Celestia came in.  She does that sometimes…takes on personal students of extremely high talent and potential; most of them go on to become famous in one field or another.”
“CSGU?” Luna frowned, puzzled by the acronym.
“Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Think…uh…Hogwarts? Except in Equestria.”
“I see. It does not explain what happened in the restroom.” When the girl looked at her in confusion, Luna clarified. “Sunset, according to my sister, you had a traumatic meltdown worthy of a victim of child abuse or a shell-shocked soldier. That’s not the reaction of a child encountering a disappointed teacher.” The dark haired woman came around the desk to kneel before Sunset. “I will refrain from telling my sister if you do not want me to, but I am asking you to tell me the whole truth. We are very worried about you.”
Twilight’s voice whispered in her mind, “…people make mistakes, Sunset, but you have to be willing to keep trying. And when you have friends, you trust them to help you.”  Her friend had consistently been right, and Luna had been…perhaps not friendly, but patient and empathetic…
The dam broke, and she looked into Luna’s eyes with tears streaming down her cheeks. “…She was my mom, in every way that mattered…except the one I wanted the most…”
> Interlude III: Eclipse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Luna sat at her desk, staring into the depths of her coffee. It was strong and black, like the depths of the night sky, yet it didn’t hold the answers she hoped for.  The blinds were shut in her office, the lights dimmed almost to non-existence, and the conversation played in her head on repeat. She didn’t even try to stop it—the entire thing had horrified her beyond measure, and it had taken every ounce of strength to not cry with the teen in her office as the story of her childhood came pouring out.





Blue-green eyes looked into hers, only half seeing her.  “…She was my mom, in every way that mattered…except the one I wanted the most…” There was so much hurt in that one sentence, Luna couldn’t help herself; she reached out and squeezed Sunset’s hands between her own.
“She’s the earliest pony I remember—my oldest memory is waking up under her wing, being so warm and safe there, and following her out onto the balcony to watch her raise the sun and lower the moon. It was a little ritual for us for years, at sunrise and sunset. When I was too young to be left alone—my magic surges were violent and sudden until I was six or so—I played next to her throne in the throne room, or slept on her back between her wings. We’d eat lunch in the gardens, having picnics for just us, and sometimes she’d manage to get out of duties at dinner time, and we’d eat in her private dining room.  I learned history at the same time I learned to read—in her study at night before bed, usually over dessert. She’d tell me stories from our history, and when I was older, she’d make me read the books aloud before she’d tell me what really happened."
“When I got sick, she made sure the palace doctors looked after me, that I got the best care. I remember this one time, I had…” she paused, then sniffled. “It doesn’t translate. Think the stomach flu and the chicken pox rolled into one—there’s no cure, you just have to ride it out and drink lots of fluids. I was so ill, I couldn’t keep anything down other than the tea she made me. Every time I had to throw up, she’d just…hold me in her magic, keep my mane back from my face. ‘Let it all out, little sun,’ she kept saying. I was…four? Maybe?  She’d sing me to sleep too, when I was sick or scared or just couldn’t sleep…a lullaby just for me and no one else.”
Sunset took the tissues Luna presented her with, and blew her nose. “She was the closest thing to a mother I had. I was going to tell her once, but when I was looking for her, somepony reminded me that she wasn’t my mom. She was the Princess, and I was her ward, her student, not her child. As a foundling, an orphan, I was property of the state until the age of majority—it was her duty to look after me."
“They were right—Princess Celestia is warm and caring to all her subjects, not just me. But I still wanted her to love me, to maybe someday want to be my mom. I knew she was happiest when I learned something, so I started throwing myself into my magic and my studies. I couldn’t learn fast enough…Everything she showed me, everything my teachers gave me to do, I attacked with everything I had…and for a while, it worked. She spent as much time as she could with me, just us, and she was so proud of me. ‘I knew you could do it, my little sun,’… ‘Excellent execution, little sun!’  …’I hear someone passed their exams today. I had the chefs make your favorite for dinner to celebrate!’  Even when she had to go away for royal duties and diplomatic missions, if she couldn’t take me with her, she made sure we had a way to communicate. I went to all the galas in the palace, all the banquets, all the public events and major holidays. I was at her side for every Summer Sun Celebration and every Hearth’s Warming, her talented and genius protege, who had magic stronger than any unicorn recorded since Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever.”
“I think I cried a little the day I got my cutie mark—” she pointed at the eight rayed sun on her shirt, “—because I thought it meant maybe we were supposed to be family after all. Even the Princess admitted that she’d not seen another mark so close to her own in appearance in centuries…but it didn’t change anything. I was still just her student.” 
“And then, the worst possible thing happened. Some obnoxious, cheerfully pink pegasus filly stumbled into Ascension and became an alicorn by accident. Accident!” Sunset clenched her fists. “And what did the Princess do? Adopted her as her niece! That…hurt…more than anything I can really compare it to. Not even the Rainbow and the Elements hurt that much.  It gave me incentive though—a solution to my problem. I thought if I could Ascend…”
“That she would adopt you too.”
Sunset wiped her nose again. “…Yeah. Along the way, I turned into a selfish, terrible pony.  Nothing mattered but Ascension, the power to change my fate. I didn’t want to be Sunset the Orphan anymore—I wanted to be Sunset Shimmer, Daughter of the Sun like I knew I was supposed to be.  We started fighting, and it got worse as time went on. Eventually we had a blow up, except it was in front of the guards and the archivist after she caught me in the restricted section of the library archives. I threw books at her head…demanded she make me a Princess, that I deserved to be her equal if not her better.” Her eyes squinched shut. “…by then, I think I’d forgotten why I wanted Ascension in the first place. I was so angry and hateful and just awful. She was right to dismiss me from her tutelage and kick me out of the palace.”





Luna felt cold inside. She’d had problems with Celestia, with their parents, even with her school as a teen, but her parents had never thrown her out. Her sister had never abandoned her, and she’d always known they loved her. Trying to wrap her head around what Sunset had told her was hard, especially because the mental image she’d formed in the first few minutes of the tale had been of her sister, but as a magical pony of some kind. It just…didn’t add up with what she knew of someone named Celestia, especially one as similar to her sister as Sunset had claimed.
But the evidence said otherwise—Sunset’s reaction to her sister during a panic attack, the description of Sunset’s early life, even the Princess’ pride in Sunset’s educational successes…with the teenager’s clearly emotionally exhausted and worn state, those things were real, and it left her not knowing what to think. She took a sip of coffee, and spat it back in the cup. It was as cold as her innards felt, and she hadn’t even explained things to Tia yet. This was going to break her sister’s heart. Maybe she should be smart…order take out for dinner, get lots of her sister’s favorites, get through this talk first.
She rose and collected her things. School had ended—she herself had let Sunset go home early, though she hadn’t fully wanted to. The girl had insisted, claiming she just wanted to process and de-stress in a place she could relax, and eventually Luna had relented, remembering her own rough days and the need for quiet downtime to recover equilibrium.  Sometimes in college, when it had gotten to her the worst, she could remember retreating to her dorm room and hiding in her bed playing video games until her roommate and best friend coaxed her out with ice cream and the promise of take out.  It had made her not only give her blessing for the girl to go home, but also to take the next day or two off if she needed it. 
Poking her head in her sister’s office, she retrieved the older woman. “Let’s go home, Tia. We’ll order take out, and I’ll tell you what I found out over a stiff drink. We’re both going to need them to get through this.”





“…and that’s the whole story I got from Sunset Shimmer today. She did ask me to apologize to you, and assure you that you haven’t done anything wrong.”
Celestia stared at her sister, before reaching for the bottle of rum and adding a much more generous splash to her mixed drink. Tears were flowing steadily down both their faces, and a pile of used tissues filled an empty takeout box serving as a mini trash can. “I…How could someone do that to a child? How could any version of myself, in any world, not see just how much suffering she was inflicting on a little girl? She couldn’t have been more than…eleven? Twelve? When she first appeared here…”
“That was before I transferred in, Tia, remember? I’d just finished my degree a few years before that, and was still working my way to the admin track.” The dark haired woman thought back, trying to remember the first time her sister had mentioned Sunset Shimmer, but failing that, she furrowed her brows and did the math. “That would have been the year you took over for the kook, wasn’t it?”
“Year after, I think…she enrolled as a seventh grader in the Junior High section.” She shook her head. “She couldn’t have possibly understood any of what was going on with any rationale, not at that age. What was wrong with that woman?!”
“Mare,” Luna corrected, trying to bring a little levity to the conversation that was spiraling out of control, and remind her sister that they were dealing with an alien world with life potentially much different than anything they knew. “…Grown female equines are called mares. Sunset said that her world is filled with talking equines.”
Celestia gave her a hard glare. “…I’m not interested in arguing the semantics of the appropriate terminology to refer to an adult putting unrealistic expectations on the emotional and mental understanding of a child, and of that same adult exhibiting a level of either ignorance or callousness in regards to being the guardian of said child! I don’t care if this other Celestia is a human, a magical horse, or some kind of talking dog!” One fist smashed down on the table for emphasis, a loud thump echoing through the kitchen as the older woman worked herself up into a temper. “How could she raise that girl and not realize that Sunset would attach to her as a mother, especially if she was the sole caregiver from what sounds like infancy onward?!” Celestia knocked back the drink and refilled it with far more rum than soda this time.  
“Easy, Tia. We still have work tomorrow. You know you’re a real bear when you have a hangover.” Luna took the bottle away from her and put it on the counter behind her. “As for the question, I don’t know…though I would caution you that we are only hearing Sunset Shimmer’s perspective on the events. It is possible that there is more we don’t know, things that perhaps she was too young to be told or to understand.” 
She took a long swallow from her own glass, taking a few breaths as the alcohol burned its way down.   “That’s the only way I can reconcile everything myself…by Sunset’s own stories and admission, you remind her very much of her mother-figure, and I know you, Tia. You would never do that to a child, not one you cared for the way this Princess seemed to care for Sunset. You took the same kinds of child psychology courses I did—everything in Sunset’s story makes it sound like her earliest years provided a very secure relationship, and that something changed later on.”
“It doesn’t make me any less angry! How much of this mess could have been avoided if she had just told Sunset she loved her!?” Her sister drained her glass once more and slammed it aggressively on the table with a hard sound; Luna briefly wondered how much more abuse the table or the glass could take before one of them cracked. Her money was quietly on the glass.  Celestia’s temper, though rarely seen, burned hot, and she was well and truly wound up by this conversation, far more than Luna had been expecting.  “Because at its heart, that seems to be what it’s about. This Princess, for all her immortal wisdom, didn’t know enough to realize that a little girl needed desperately to know she was loved!” Her grip had begun tightening on her glass as she ranted, knuckles going white as she applied more and more pressure to it.
Luna reached across the table to grip her sister’s wrist. “Tia. Stop. You’re going to break the glass and hurt yourself. I know you’re angry. I was angry and upset too. But a trip to the ER at eight at night isn’t going to help anyone.”  She let a bit of a smirk play across her lips. “Though, I have to admit one thing. If she was raised by another version of you, I can see where she gets some of her traits. Like her temper.”
Her sister pulled back sharply, chair scraping against the linoleum. “…Not funny, Luna,” she bit out tersely, surprising the younger woman. She moved towards the sink.  “How could my counterpart not see it?  Or did she just not care!?”
Thinking over some of what Sunset had said, and mindful of the volatility of her sister’s fury in that moment, Luna answered very carefully. “…I think she cared…I’m even willing to go so far as to say that this Princess Celestia loved Sunset. I can think of no other reason she would give her a diminutive nickname like parents so often ascribe to their children. Especially not one that seems like a very telling and personal endearment for what is essentially a Sun Goddess: ‘little sun’ seems a bit on the nose.”
Glass shattered into a million fragments across the floor, with Celestia frozen and rigid half a step from the sink. The younger sister immediately bolted out of her chair. “Tia?” she asked worriedly. “…Tia what’s wrong?”
Fresh tears filled her sister’s eyes as she half turned towards Luna. “…where did you hear that?” she asked, her voice low and thick with pain. 
“…I…In Sunset’s recount, she mentioned the Princess’ pride in her accomplishments, and quoted several examples at me. It…cropped up there.” Sunset’s situation was half forgotten amidst concern for her sister. Celestia never responded this way to anything, not that Luna had ever witnessed, and it was starting to scare her. “…It seemed like a personal nickname from the way Sunset used it. Why?”
Celestia shook her head sharply, unable to respond for a few minutes as she shook in place, trying to staunch the tears that had started up again. Luna took the time to clean up the shards of shattered glass, giving the elder sibling the chance to regain some of her composure. As she was throwing away the mess and returning the broom to its home, her sister took one long shuddering breath. “…I’m sorry, Lulu…I lost my head…and you’re right…a name like that wasn’t…there’s no way it was used without affection and love behind it…” She rubbed her face, and Luna realized that her sister was avoiding looking at her.  “…there has to be more to the story…”
“Sister?” she tried, reaching for a pale arm. 
Celestia flinched away. “…I don’t want to talk about it right now, Luna. Please. Just let it go. Let me have this.”
Her hand dropped away and her mind buzzed with questions, but she backed off from prying, even as her mind made one more notation for the validity of Sunset’s story—in that moment, her sister sounded as broken and hurt as Sunset had in her office, their voices and tones a mirror to one another. Celestia had put up with a lot from her over the years, and had always respected when Luna didn’t want to share, and it was for that reason that she acquiesced to her sister’s plea, redirecting the subject at hand slightly.
“I suppose the question is: where do we go from here? We can’t rescind her punishment, and I don’t think we should. She seems to be benefiting from the structure and consequences of her actions and choices. She was a model student in ISS, she’s been extremely polite to me, and she hasn’t tried to shirk her punishments in the slightest.  Other than today’s incident and a few times I’ve seen her brooding, she’s already come a considerable distance from the bully and troublemaker of the last few years. I even had a very positive conversation with her during her last day in ISS—she really does want to do better, and she’s trying to make a life in this world, since she seems to believe Princess Twilight has exiled her here for good.” 
Celestia rubbed her temples.  “…I don’t know, Luna. Any suggestion I might have, I find myself questioning now that I know her history.  The last thing I suspect she needs is another Celestia making a mess of things.” She sounded tired, defeated, hurt, and ashamed, all at once.  “…Part of me feels like I should remain strictly professional with her, establish firm boundaries and distance, but I’m not sure if that might not accidentally make things worse.”
Luna sat for a minute or two in silence, thinking. At last, she said, “…Be you, Tia. Don’t think about it, don’t second guess yourself, don’t try to be too familiar or too distant. Just be you, and respond how you normally would. Sunset made it clear she knows that Principal Celestia and Princess Celestia are two different people, and I believe her…particularly with how hard she stressed to tell you that she wasn’t upset with you or blaming you in any way for what happened. I think you just need to be aware that sometimes, she may respond oddly to you not because of you, but because of the memories you accidentally evoke.”
She smiled at Celestia.  “It’ll be alright, Tia. Sunset’s stronger than I think even she realizes. She’ll get through this, and we’ll be there to help her when she needs it.” A smirk spread across her face, a desperate attempt to make her sister feel at least a little better sparking her next words. “After all, you survived my adolescence and subsequent delinquency—between the two of us, I’m sure we can find a way to manage one traumatized refugee unicorn girl from a magical alternate universe where they utterly suck at childrearing.”
Luna wasn’t quite expecting her sister to burst into tears as well as laughter, but it was so much better than the pained voice from before that she wasn’t going to question it.
> Chapter Twelve: True to Yourself
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Her alarm went off again, and Sunset knew this was when she had to decide: get up and try to go in, or take another “sick day” from school. It was extremely tempting to stay home again, to hibernate the day away wrapped up in her blanket and watching some of the stuff backlogged on her Netflix…but she knew she couldn't hide forever. She had to go back—there were three tests in her schedule today, one of them a major history test for several chapters that was worth a huge chunk of her grade for the semester.  With her struggles in that class, she could not afford to miss that test.
Sunset let out a grumpy sound, and crawled out of bed on all fours before rising begrudgingly to two. In her mind, there was absolutely nothing about this day she was looking forward to dealing with.  It was almost a certainty that by now Luna had told Principal Celestia everything the former unicorn had shared with her, and she dreaded how they would look at her from now on.  Probably with pity, which she hated. She didn't want or need pity. Or sympathy. Or for them to do anything to acknowledge the story at all—it would be better for everyone if they just pretended they’d never heard it at all.
Slumping against the cold tile in her shower, Sunset turned on the water, setting the temperature to as hot as she could stand. There was a brief few seconds of frigid cold that did a lot to clear the cobwebs from her brain, before the water heated to a wonderful scalding hot temperature.  It felt good, the heat seeping into her, and she soaked it up for a long time before reaching for her shampoo.  
The pair of administrators had deserved an honest explanation for her meltdown, given how poorly she had reacted to her Principal’s genuine concern, and everything she’d told Luna had been the truth…but at the same time, she didn't want it to be seen as an excuse to all the things she had done, all the crimes she had committed. The Elements had been right: those choices were made of her own volition. “I still did it to myself. Tragic backstory doesn't justify any of it, Shimmer,” she told herself, a hint of bitterness in her voice.  After all, she’d done that song and dance for years, and it was what had put her where she was today. That thought repeated as she scrubbed away two days of misery and let it wash down the drain.
Thirty minutes later she was walking to school, hands in her pockets. She didn't feel like driving today, the chill air helping to clear the last bit of fog from her mind, and she ducked into the Sugarcube Bakery to pick up breakfast for herself. 
The bakery was decorated with fall colors, with pumpkins wearing spooky faces and the cutouts of black cats and bats stuck to the walls and windows. A string of black and orange letters proclaimed “Happy Halloween!” on the display case, making Sunset blink. She’d really lost track of days if the human version of Nightmare Night had snuck up on her like this. A glance at her phone confirmed the date, and she shook her head. She would just have to be extra on guard today, since teenagers seemed to view it as a day to engage in mischief as well as frightening the daylights out of anyone they could.
Blue-green eyes stared through the glass, trying to decide what she wanted for her breakfast—besides a very strong coffee with extra cream and sugar in it. Her eyes roved over the danishes and tarts, slices of cake and cheesecake, to the sweet pastries and donuts she enjoyed. What she saw hit her with a wave of bittersweet nostalgia, especially because she’d dredged up memories of her foalhood the other day.  
Displayed there were a selection of holiday themed goodies, cookies and donuts and other baked treats shaped and decorated to look like pumpkins, black cats, bats, spiders, witches, ghosts, and...bat-ponies. They came in all kinds and flavors, so there was something for everyone to enjoy.  In an instant, her mind was transported to another time and place.





“Happy Nightmare Night, Princess!” she cried gleefully, prancing happily in place, the mock guard armor over the tiny filly body bordering on comical to any adult eyes. Not that Sunset cared—at five, it was the best costume ever! “I’m your guard for Nightmare Night!”
Princess Celestia knelt down before her, a soft smile on her face. “A most fierce and powerful warrior, my little sun. I shall be more than protected from any danger when we go out to leave our offering.” One wing extended to tip Sunset’s chin up. “Of course, we both know there’s no court today, so we have plenty of time to prepare that offering. Is my noble guardspony prepared to help me bake this afternoon?”
This was her favorite part of the whole day! All the other foals went and collected candy to offer Nightmare Moon, but the Princess always baked with her, and they left cookies instead. The Princess told her she thought Nightmare Moon might like bat-pony cookies more, and if those cookies just happened to be cookies Sunset liked too? That just helped make this the best holiday EVER!
“Yes! Cookies for Nightmare Night! Can we make some shaped like a raven too? Raven helped me with my costume. Were you surprised Mm—Princess Celestia?”
Sunset found herself caught in a warm wing-hug that drew her close to the large white mare. “Oh, little sun, I love your costume. It was such a wonderful surprise....”





Sunset dashed the tears that had built in her eyes during her trip down memory lane, and in a moment of whimsy, decided to not just get her breakfast donuts, but some of the cookies as well. She stepped up to the line, already reaching for her wallet.
A few minutes later and she had resumed her trek to school, a large coffee and a bag with a few boxes of baked goods stacked inside in her hands. All but her breakfast and one of the boxes she tucked away in her study room retreat, locking the door on the way out. That last box and her breakfast was taken to her first class, where she took the time before her peers arrived to prepare herself for the day.
She was still finishing her last donut and nursing her coffee when Rarity slid into the seat next to her. “Good morning, darling. We missed you yesterday…are you…alright?” 
There it was. The questioning and concern, though it did feel nice that someone even put on the appearance of caring. “I’ll live. Rainbow Dash didn't say anything the rest of the school wasn't already thinking. I was a bitch for a long time, and it’s not a surprise that no one wants me around now.”
“That’s not the point, Sunset. You had done nothing wrong at the table—you were keeping to yourself and not bothering a soul. Rainbow Dash’s concerns may or may not have had merit, but her outburst was inappropriate and unfair.” She made a sound of annoyance, likely at Rainbow.  “I do hope you will give us another chance; We gave Rainbow quite the stern talking to about the matter.”
“Why?” Sunset demanded, her tone edging towards harsh.
“Why what, darling?” Rarity responded with patient, level calm.
“Why yell at Rainbow Dash? She wasn’t wrong—I tormented everyone for years, broke apart your friendships, terrorized, manipulated, humiliated, or blackmailed most of the school into submission, and that doesn't even touch on what I put Fluttershy through.” Bitterness and self-loathing made her hands shake, and she gripped the edge of her desk to hide it. “You were right, in the bakery. I don't deserve any kind of second chance from anyone in this school, and Rainbow shouldn't be yelled at for feeling that way.”
Rarity opened her mouth to answer, but Sunset pressed on. “Why am I given a chance I don’t deserve, but Rainbow Dash isn't allowed to voice her feelings about it? Doesn’t she deserve to be heard by her friends?”
“And what about Fluttershy?” The redhead’s heart ached with guilt. “Doesn’t she deserve to eat lunch in peace with her friends, not mere feet from someone who spent years making her cry and live in fear? And what about everyone else in the school?” Tears of shame burned in her eyes. “Don’t they deserve to eat lunch without looking at me?”
The pale skinned tailor sat in silence for a minute, studying Sunset with the same scrutinizing stare she had used in the bakery several weeks prior. “It might interest you to know that the first person to address Rainbow Dash’s inappropriate outburst, Sunset, was Fluttershy herself. She was quite adamant in her belief that Rainbow was out of line, that while she has a right to be upset, there are appropriate ways to go about voicing her displeasure.”
“She also wanted me to tell you that she is hoping you will give us another chance.”
Emotions warred within the former bully, and she didn't know how to respond. After several long heartbeats of silence, she mumbled a response, “I…I don’t know, Rarity. I think me being in the lunchroom at all is a mistake. I’ll…think about it.” Then, before she could back out, she shoved the box of cookies towards the other girl. “Here. Could you...these are for Fluttershy. I...wanted to...make up for ruining her lunch...but...”
Rarity peeked into the box, surprise written on her face at the cookies shaped like cats and bat-ponies. “These are Fluttershy’s favorite flavor. How did you—?”
“I know a lot more about people in this school than they know...I had to, to get where I was. Just, maybe don't tell anypon—anyone the cookies came from me. No reason to ruin the day.”  She fell silent staring into space, and the other girl left her alone, a frown on her face as she fiddled with her phone.
A brief glance at her own phone showed her daily morning exchange with Twilight, but nothing new, so she tucked it away in favor of doodling on a piece of notebook paper, sketching Equestrian glyphs amidst rough representations of magical creatures. It distracted her from thinking about lunch.





An hour and forty minutes to lunch, and she still hadn't made her decision. She was, instead, stuck on an essay question halfway through her history test, writing furiously in an attempt to answer a question she didn't fully understand. “Stupid murder monkeys and their weird values,” she griped under her breath.
A paper ball hit her in the back of the head as she turned the page, and she exhaled in irritation. She wasn’t even allowed to take a test in peace.





She weighed her choices as she stopped by her locker to grab her lunch, only to stare at the artwork adorning the door. It wasn't museum worthy by any means, but she could get its meaning easily enough. It was the cafeteria tables, with the center one holding a demonic caricature of herself tied to a post while stick figures threw things at her.  Words were scrawled below it:


WONDERCOLTS ONLY! NO DEMONS!


Sunset opened the door to grab her lunch, and then set off for the library.  She slipped up the stairs, to the dimly lit reference area that time forgot, and unlocked the door to her private sanctuary that had once been a study room.  Over the last few years she’d transformed it into her own little retreat, complete with a pile of beanbag chairs and overstuffed pillows. It was there that she collapsed, digging into the bag for her lunch.
It was there that Applejack found her, a few minutes later. The farmer stepped in to the room, and sat across from her. “Cozy. Little lonely though. Ya ain’t gonna come join us fer lunch?”
“Nobody really wants me there. Rainbow Dash was right.”
Applejack looked at her for a long time, silent and thoughtful. “It's not really about what they want, now is it? The important question: is what do ya want, Sunset? Is this, here, eatin’ alone in the dark what ya really want? Be honest now.”
Sunset looked around the dim room, before looking to Applejack. She had enjoyed their talks during detention, had slowly started to feel the comfortable camaraderie forming between them. Did she want to have more of that during the day? And what about her interactions with Rarity in the morning? Those too had become increasingly pleasant distractions from the nightmare that was the rest of her day. Her body sagged limply into the beanbag chair. “…It’s not. I…don’t want to be alone anymore.” She pressed her fingers to the center of her forehead against a sudden painful pressure there, the sense of faint magic building in the air. “…but it doesn’t matter what I want.  I learned my lesson about that, the hard way, and I’m trying to not be a selfish, horrible person anymore.”
“Horseshit.” When she gave the farmer an annoyed look, green eyes refused to look away. “…Ah mean it. That’s horseshit, an’ Ah’m gonna tell ya why.” She tipped her hat back. “There’s a huge difference between bein’ selfish an’ bein’ yerself. An’ at the end of the day, bein’ true ta yerself is the most important thing ya kin do. It’s not selfish ‘r wrong ta want ta be yerself if it ain’t hurtin’ nobody; the way Ah see it, what’s yer sittin’ with us at lunch got ta do with anyone but us? Ya were there fer ten whole minutes an’ nothin’ exploded, no one got hurt, an’ it was nice, right? Then, pardon me fer borrowin’ Dash’s language, but ‘fuck ‘em.’” 
Sunset blinked, nostrils flaring in a snort of surprise partially due to the crude bluntness, but also from magic she was sure she was sensing, magic far stronger than the human world should have. Applejack held up a hand to forestall comments and continued amidst the sensation of swelling magic that was putting painful pressure on Sunset’s head where her horn used to be.  “Ah’m serious. Don’ matter what they think’r’want. Ah’ve gotten ta know Sunset Shimmer in the last few weeks—ya kin learn lots about someone by workin’ with ‘em—an’ Ah wouldn’ have invited ya iffin Ah didn’ like ya. Fact is, Sunset, when yer not being a witch an’ tryin’ ta knock folks down, yer more’n alright. Yer fun and easy ta talk ta, yer pretty smart, an’ ya don’t dominate a conversation with yer ego and the need ta be the center of attention. That’s a damned sight better’n half the students in this school, an’ ya only been at this fer a month. ‘S far’s Ah’m concerned, yer my friend, just as much as Rainbow is, an’ she kin kindly sit down, shut the hell up, an’ color fer once in her life—Ah learned a lesson about bein’ pigheaded an’ not given someone a chance when Ah found out Ah spent a year and change mad at Dash fer no reason.”
“So Ah’m gonna ask again, Sunset. Whaddya really want? D’ya wanna eat lunch with us from now on? The seat’s yers if ya want it, but Ah ain’t gonna force ya. All Ah ask is that ya be honest—with yerself an’ with yer friends.”
The former unicorn straightened, shoulders back, and met Applejack’s gaze.  “…I…I would like that. A lot…”
“Then don’ worry about what other’s think. Just be the Sunset Shimmer ya are when yer tellin’ me about Magic Pony Land, or laughin’ at how many times Applebloom an’ her friends come back ta the house covered in treesap. People will like ya or not no matter what, but at least yer gonna like yerself.” 
She shook her head.  “I wish it was that simple, but it's not…I…I would like to sit with you and Rarity but...” A shudder rippled through her.  “...I’m afraid of what might happen...Rainbow Dash doesn’t want me there, the rest of the school doesn’t want me there.  They hate me, and they have good reason to.”
“Why’re ya afraid?” Applejack asked her, resting her hat on one knee. “Ah mean, sure...they’re givin’ ya dirty looks, but ain’t like they gonna lynch ya.”
Sunset sighed and set down her water. “Because I feel like I’m...trapped in a room full of hungry timberwolves and pony is on the menu.” 
The farmer considered, tapping her fingers on the leather of the hat, thinking. “Ah guess that makes sense...Ah got an idea though: a compromise.”
“What kind of compromise?”
“Mebbe we kin eat lunch with ya somewheres other than the lunchroom. Like...by the statue? Or Ah know places like the music room are empty during lunch.”
The former unicorn nodded slowly. “...I could do that...but...some days I...might just come here. Sometimes I need the chance to be by myself?” Sunset cringed, hoping that wouldn't upset Applejack.
“That’s fair nuff, Ah reckon. Still wanna see ya tomorrow fer lunch though, even if we go ta the statue fer lunch instead. Meet me outside the lunchroom tomorrow—no runnin’ again.”
Sunset gave her a shaky nod. “Right...I’ll be there...”
Applejack glanced at her watch. “Can’t make detention today—Mac needs mah help settin’ up the hay maze fer tonight’s Trick’r’Treaters. Pinkie wanted me ta ask iffin ya wanted ta join us fer the festivities. No pressure, o’course, but yer welcome ta join us.”
She frowned and shook her head. “I...think I’ll pass. It's...I’m still kind of...weird about human holidays.”
AJ put the hat back on her head. “Ah kin respect that. Ah should prolly get goin’ afore the bell rings, but Ah’ll see ya in gym later.”
The magic flared one final time and was gone without even a trace, leaving Sunset with no answers, a headache, and more questions than before, as the farmer slipped out with the lunch bell.
At the same time, the words echoed in her head, bouncing around inside her skull. Her eyes found the boxes of cookies she’d bought. 
“Be true to myself? To what I want and what I feel?” Sunset chewed her lip. An idea began to take root in her mind, one she pondered on for her last few classes of the day.
> Chapter Thirteen: Nightmare Night Treats
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset snuck carefully into the office, the box tucked under one arm. She knew she needed to act quickly, get in and out before the administrators came back from dismissal detail and caught her.  The redhead didn’t want anyone to know what she was about to do.  She padded close to the desk, stepping around it and moving the chair so she could position everything just right. It had to be arranged perfectly—she would settle for nothing less. 
A few minutes later, she stepped back to observe her handiwork, feeling extremely proud that she’d pulled it off. Now the only thing left to do was to sneak ou—
“Miss Shimmer. What do you think you are doing, skulking around in my office?”
Sunset snapped bolt upright blowing air out her nostrils in a loud sound of surprise, heart trying to hammer its way out of her chest. “Vice-Principal Luna!” she stammered. “I…I was just…you see…”
The school’s disciplinarian gave her a hard stare. “…Miss Shimmer. I was not born this morning, and I am not stupid. What are you doing, skulking around my office when no one is around? More than that, how did you get into my office when I locked the door behind me on my way out?”
“…I…” Sunset’s voice cracked a little. “…Miss Raven…let me in! I swear, I didn’t break in! I wasn’t doing anything bad!” She was starting to tremble in fear. 
“Then…why are you in my office?”
Swallowing, the former unicorn slid to the side, so that the Vice-Principal could see her desk. A spot amidst her paperwork had been cleared so a plate could be set down, something in dark tinted plastic wrap on it. “…You…you’ve tried to help me…I wanted to…” Suddenly, she felt foolish and stupid, that her idea was a dumb one and that it would probably offend the woman instead of flatter her.
“You wanted to what?” Luna’s tone softened, and she stepped closer to her desk to study what Sunset had spent so much time carefully placing. Her eyes widened at the selection of holiday cookies, arrayed on plastic wrap on top of a plate that had been painted with an alien moon, the dark, sooty image of a horse’s head marring one side of a silvery white surface. 
Sunset heard footsteps coming to the door as she found herself tripping over her words. “…I was going to lock it again on my way out, I promise! I just…after we talked…I’ve been thinking about…stuff…and with the human version of the holiday today…I saw these in the bakery and it was just like when I was a foal…” She sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. “…and it’s probably stupid, but Applejack said I should be true to myself and what I really want and feel…and I…wanted to do something…like I used to do back home…even if it was to pretend for a little bit. I’m sorry!”
Luna watched her for a minute. “…Breathe, Miss Shimmer…and perhaps explain to me what…this pertains to?” Her eyes drifted down to the array of cookies shaped like bat-winged ponies.  “You said something from your home? I was not expecting a world of ponies to have Halloween, given its origins.”
Sunset blinked back more tears. “…It’s not the same….We call it Nightmare Night, and according to legend, when Nightmare Moon was banished to the Moon… not all of her went…her shadow remained, and it creeps across the land, hungry for souls. On Nightmare Night, all foals dress as other things to fool the shadow, and collect sweets to leave as an offering.” She rubbed her eyes. “…Most foals collect candy to leave some behind, but…when I was a foal, Princess Celestia and I would…well, she told me she thought that Nightmare Moon might be tired of candy, and that she thought she’d like cookies better.”
Caught up in retelling the story of the holiday and her own past, she barely noticed the Principal join her sister, studying the cookies on the plate.  “…I realized later, when...when I was snooping through some of the older texts in the archives…that Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon…was Princess Celestia's sister…” Her eyes went to the plate. “…I saw the cookies in the bakery this morning, and I remembered baking with the Princess when I was little…so I bought some, and I’ve been thinking about Nightmare Night today…and I know it's not Equestria, but…I thought…if the cookies we left for Nightmare Moon were flavors that Princess Luna liked…then…”
“….that they might be flavors I would like?” the administrator finished for her. She looked down at the cookies again. “…you were not wrong. I do enjoy cookies, and you seem to have presented me with a number of my preferred flavors.” Her brows furrowed. “…but why the secrecy?”
Sunset bit her lip, feeling even more ridiculous about the truth now. “…Promise you won’t laugh at me?” she asked in a very small voice.
The sisters glanced at each other, before Luna answered in the same tone she’d used several days prior. “…Neither of us will laugh at you, Sunset. It is very apparent that while the holiday is a fun and entertaining but otherwise frivolous past time for most in our world—even if it is a particular favorite of mine—its analog in yours had a much more personal meaning for you. Laughing at that would be extremely inappropriate.”
The former unicorn felt her ears burn in embarrassment. “…We always snuck out in secret to leave our offering. It was the one night other than the Summer Sun Celebration where the Princess would let me stay up so late, because she insisted that it was only right that we do it alone, under the cover of darkness, at moon-high, when it was right overhead. There was a statue in the back corner of the gardens, near an old observatory tower, and she said it was of Nightmare Moon…I realize now it was…Kind of. It was Princess Luna, I think, and it was super old. Maybe thousands of years old. We’d leave our offerings there, and she always said it would be bad luck if we were caught.”
She gave a bit of a self deprecating laugh. “…I’m sure that sounds kind of stupid. I’m not a little filly anymore, this isn’t Equestria, and you’re not Nightmare Moon or Princess Luna. I don’t even know why it mattered to me.”
“Sunset…” Principal Celestia’s voice struck a chord in her, and she found herself looking obediently to the educator, even though she was a human woman and not the Sun Goddess of her foalhood.  “…It’s not stupid to want to remain connected to where you come from. I don’t know much about your home or its customs, but it seems like it was very different from ours. I know you’re trying to fit in here, in this world, to make it your home…” The woman smiled at her. “…but there’s no shame in wanting to remember where you come from, to hold on to traditions and holidays and little beliefs that meant a great deal to you.”
“…You…you think so?” It was something she hadn’t really given much thought to, if she was honest with herself. The last five years had been spent planning for a return home, so she’d mostly ignored the human holidays and any resemblance they had to those she knew, and after her defeat… most of the major Equestrian holidays had an emphasis on sharing them with friends and family….celebrating them alone would defeat the purpose of many of them.  This…gave her something to really think about.  “You don’t think it’d be weird to celebrate Equestria’s holidays here?” 
“If it meant that much to you,” Luna pointed out, “then there is no harm in doing things to celebrate those traditions that you cherish. Or sharing them with people you trust or care about.” She tapped a fingernail on the plate. “…I might not be Princess Luna…but on her behalf, consider this offering of cookies acceptable.” A smirk played across her lips. “…In fact, I would even go so far as to say you have more than earned your ‘soul’ for the evening, Miss Shimmer. You are free to go home and enjoy your holiday.”
Sunset stared, but found a smile creeping onto her face as she practically raced out the door.





She was half a block from home when her phone rang.  She answered it, worry creasing her brow. “Sparky? Everything okay?”
“Sunset! I’m okay—I just wanted to ask you something.”
The redhead smiled, adjusting her backpack. “…Well, I got to head home early, so I’m all ears. What’s up?”
“Are you doing anything for Halloween tonight?”
Sunset fished her keys out of her pocket. “…Sit at home, read that mystery novel I picked up at the bookstore…why?”
Her friend’s voice picked up cheerfully. “…I know we’re kind of old for trick-or-treating, but I told Mom I’d hand out candy this year—she and Dad got invited to go to a Rocky Horror experience thrown by an old friend of theirs…and I was kind of wondering if you wanted to join me to hand out the candy. Maybe eat some of whatever is left after.”
Feeling warmth spark in her, Sunset dropped her backpack on the couch. “That sounds like fun, Sparky. I’ll head over in a few. I need to bring anything?”
“Just you, unless you have a costume.”
Thirty minutes later she was knocking on Twilight’s door, the last box of cookies in hand.  The dark haired girl opened it and pulled her inside. “Happy Halloween, Sunny!”
Sunset stared for a long minute at Twilight, taking in the costume she was wearing: black dress that went to just above the knee, paired with striped tights and a pointy black hat.  
—She’s dressed as a witch,— the obnoxious voice in the back of her mind supplied. 
She had gathered that much, and didn’t need it pointed out. It had just surprised her. She figured the other girl would go for something sciencey. “Nice costume. Were they out of mad-scientist garb?”
Twilight laughed. “No, Sunny! I just didn’t plan on doing much this year, and Mom asked me last minute to hand out candy. This was in a trunk of old costume stuff in the attic!” Then she skipped forward and plunked something down on Sunset’s head. “I even found something for you!”
Sunset reached up with her free hand, fingers finding the soft texture of fake furry ears. “Uhhh…” she started, even as her friend handed her a belt with a long black fluffy tail attached. “…What?”
More laughter. “Its your costume! Every witch needs a cat!”
“I…but…” 
—Oh, just wear the costume. It’ll make her happy.—
There was something incredibly irritating about having a part of one’s own head be snide, she decided. It didn’t stop her from putting on the tail-belt, giving Twilight her best dead eyed expression and uttering “Meow,” in a complete and total deadpan.
The dark haired girl busted out laughing. “So accurate! Were you a cat in another life?” she teased, dumping bags of tiny candy bars into a big bowl.
Not thinking about future repercussions, Sunset’s mouth answered without input from her brain. “…No, I was a unicorn,” she responded sarcastically.
That only made Twilight laugh harder. “I’m sure you were the prettiest little unicorn ever!” she teased, giving Sunset a hug. “I just hope you don’t mind being a cat tonight though? I didn’t think any of the other costumes would fit right.”
“Sparky,” the redhead said with an eyeroll, trying not to dwell on the unintentional compliment to her actual form. “It’s fine.” Then she changed the subject, holding out the box. “I…brought cookies for us to have later?” she offered hesitantly, her confidence draining out of her a little. She couldn’t exactly explain what it meant for her to share cookies on Nightmare Night with someone to Twilight, and she worried that the whole thing might seem a little off to the other girl.
Twilight peeked in the box. “…Oooo! We’ll have to have these after we get done handing out candy! Maybe with some ice cold milk? They smell really good. Go set them in the kitchen. Mom left us money for pizza if we get hungry…Did you want to order it now, before it gets dark?”
Sunset set the cookies on the kitchen counter. “…I like pizza,” she called back. “Mushrooms on my half?”
“Consider it done!”





By the time the sun went down, the pizza was gone but for a few crumbs and part of a bit of crust Spike was gnawing on, both teens happy and content. Sunset glanced out the front window, seeing flashlights beginning to bob along the sidewalk. “Heads up, Sparky.”
When the bell rang, Twilight handed Sunset the candy bowl while she took a handful to drop into the waiting buckets and pillowcases of a group of children. When she leaned forward, Sunset’s stupid inner voice whistled.
—Sparky’s got some nice legs. You seeing this? She really is cute for a human.— 
The way she was leaning had made the dress lift a little in the back and pull tight against her backside. Sunset found herself with eyes that kept drifting down, despite how hard she tried to find somewhere else to park her vision. It didn’t help that that stupid voice kept giving her commentary.
—She’s no mare, but…you could do worse.— 
How many times she’d have to reiterate it, she didn’t know, but the voice needed to get the hint. She did not find humans attractive.
—Then why are you staring at her butt?—
She was not staring!  Sunset fought the urge to growl at herself, and jerked her head to look at one of the photos on the wall. Photos were safe. It didn’t stop the stupid traitor voice from laughing at her though.





It was almost midnight when Twilight Velvet and Night Light slipped inside, still dressed up from their holiday outing. When a call for their daughter got no response, the parents peeked into the living room, only to find a pair of passed out teenagers on the sofa, an empty box that once housed cookies on the coffee table, as well as the scattered and empty wrappers to a bunch of candy.  Twilight had fallen over at some point, and opted to use her friend’s thigh as a pillow. 
“….I think we’re the only parents on the block who can leave a teenager home alone, and come back not to a party, but to a sweets massacre,” Night Light commented.
“It's still nice to see Twily having someone over to the house again,” Velvet pointed out, setting aside a bag of props to cover the girls with blankets. “And if they demolish a bunch of sweets and a few pizzas in the process, I think we can afford to let it slide.”  Gentle fingers stroked over her daughter’s hair, then Sunset’s, in a motherly gesture. 
Sunset stirred slightly, not enough to wake, but enough for the arm that had been flung over the back of the sofa to to drop down, draping over Twilight’s shoulder. Velvet chuckled and ushered her husband upstairs—but not before she used her phone to snap a picture.
> Chapter Fourteen: Family Bonding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset pulled up short at Twilight’s house, bike braking more sharply than normal—there was simply no room in the driveway for her motorcycle. In addition to both Velvet and Night Light’s cars, there were two other vehicles parked there: a small, cheerful sky blue hybrid with its back end covered in bumper-stickers and band logos, and a hulking, dour police cruiser. The former unicorn’s stomach dropped to her toes at the sight of the cop car, because seeing one parked in a driveway where it didn’t belong was almost universally a sign of bad news.  Throwing down the kickstand, she shoved her helmet into the storage, before breaking into an all out sprint for the door. Her heart pounded in her ears as panic and fear sent ice into her veins as she rang the doorbell, desperately needing to find out if Twilight was okay.  Visions of what could have happened danced in her mind’s eye, each worse than the last, her whole body trembling during a wait that seemed to last for an eternity.
She could hear Spike barking, and the door swung open to reveal her happily smiling friend. Before Twilight could even get out a greeting, Sunset had lunged forward to envelop her in a bone-crushing hug, tucking her face into the shorter girl’s neck, reassuring her senses that everything was alright. “Sparky…” she breathed in relief. “You’re okay…”  For those few moments while her heart rate decreased to a more normal pace, nothing else mattered.
“Of course I am, Sunset.  What’s wrong?” Twilight rubbed her back soothingly, relaxing into the embrace, her smile becoming a concerned frown.
“There’s a cop parked in your driveway.  I thought something had happened.” In a barely audible whisper, the redhead added, “I was afraid…”
The information registered with Twilight and she squeezed Sunset tighter for a moment. “That’s Shining Armor’s car—my brother? I know I’ve mentioned him before. I’m sorry if I forgot to mention he’s a police officer—I didn’t mean for it to scare you…” 
Sunset let her face rest against Twilight’s neck a little longer, the position soothing her rattled nerves. “…Not used to associating police with things other than trouble and disaster, Sparky. I panicked a little.”
Her fingers gripped Sunset’s shoulders more firmly, as if to make sure the taller girl could register that she was really there and intact. “I promise I’m alright, Sunny. I’m here, I’m not hurt. Nothing bad has happened to me.”  As Sunset pulled back, arms loosening, Twilight gave her a smile.  “He and Cady are here for dinner and movies with us tonight.  Come meet them?” 
Releasing the dark haired girl, Sunset shed her boots and let herself be led into the living room by the wrist, her friend practically bouncing in her excitement. Night Light waved a greeting from his favorite overstuffed armchair, as if he hadn’t seen her the morning after Halloween, just a few days prior. “Sunset! I hope you like science fiction—that’s what’s on the list for tonight’s movies. We’ve got all the classics, and some of the new stuff as well.”
She gave a slight wave back, still getting used to the way Twilight’s parents treated her like a long standing friend of the family instead of just ‘their daughter’s new friend.’  “…I like it okay—as long as it’s not…horror science fiction.” A grimace crossed her face. “…someone tried to show me Alien once. It…made me sick, and I left early.”
He nodded in understanding. “Horror isn’t for everyone—I’m not much of a fan of the slasher side of the genre, but I do enjoy a good suspense film. We’ll try and save the horror films for when you can’t make it to movie night, how about that?”
The simple courtesy directed at her caught her by surprise, though she mused that it probably shouldn’t anymore. “…I…um…I’d appreciate that very much, sir…thank you…” 
A tug on her arm from Twilight turned her attention to the sofa and the two new people sitting there. The first was a pale skinned, blue haired young man with enough similarities in facial structure and features to the other members of the household that there was no denying he was related to them. Even seated, he carried a disciplined, discerning air, which compounded with the crisply pressed uniform—gun thankfully absent—brought Sunset the familiar sense of trepidation she always felt when she was too close to any cops.The second was a woman close to his age, her skin a happy pink that blended well with tricolored hair worn back in a low ponytail. She was dressed much more casually, but the former bully recognized someone who could manage to make grungy, stained clothing full of holes look like a Gala ballgown from charisma alone. Something about the woman was familiar, and it gnawed at her unpleasantly.
“Guys, this is Sunset Shimmer, my friend! Sunny, that’s my brother, Shining Armor, and this is Cadence—she’s the one I told you about—my brother’s girlfriend who used to be my babysitter.”
It took almost everything in her power to avoid showing the myriad of emotions going through her on her face, and what was left went to holding her body still. Shining Armor gave her a long, appraising stare, taking in her appearance: worn jeans with frayed edges on the legs and a hole in one knee she’d patched herself, an older shirt with her cutie mark on the front, and the battered leather jacket she loved so much and couldn’t bring herself to part with, despite it having seen significantly better days, even before she had turned into a monster and been punched in the face with a magical rainbow.  It was an appraisal she was familiar with, authority figures and law enforcement taking in her appearance and deciding if she was there to cause trouble or not, and Sunset rubbed her elbow nervously with one hand. “...um...hi?” she offered in a tiny voice, managing to keep her tone level.
The stern face gave way to a boyish grin, one that helped ease some of her paranoia. “So you’re my little sister’s new best friend? She talks about you all the time!” His eyes danced with humor. “Twily also says you have great taste in video games, which means we will have to compare notes sometime—especially with RPGs!”
Twilight giggled. “My brother is kind of a dork,” she stage whispered to Sunset. 
Shining rolled his eyes at his sister. “You are seriously not one to talk,” he retorted, which soon became good-natured bickering between the two.  
This left Sunset face to face with Cadence, the name sending a jarring jolt through her heart, one that still felt like an icy stab wound even after more than a decade.





“Sunset? Could you come here? I wanted you to meet someone,” Celestia called.
Sunset went trotting in the direction of the voice. It was only midafternoon, and if the Princess was here, that suggested that Day Court had been canceled. Maybe Celestia would have dinner with her tonight! “Yes, Princess Celestia?” she chirped cheerfully, smiling up at her teacher.
The alicorn mare nudged a form a little smaller than Sunset’s awkward adolescent body forward with one wing, and the unicorn got her first look at a pink filly who looked incredibly shy and nervous, her wings fidgeting restlessly, and her bangs falling down to cover her eyes despite the horn that parted her forelock.
Wait. Blue-green eyes widened as Sunset Shimmer realized she was looking at an alicorn filly, barely old enough to have earned the crystalline blue heart plastered on her flank. A million questions were born, grew old, and died on her muzzle, and she looked back to Celestia, ears akimbo in her confusion.
Celestia smiled warmly at her. “Little sun, I want you to meet Mi Amore Cadenza, though I understand she prefers Cadence?”  The pink filly nodded, seeming a bit overwhelmed by everything.  “Her Ascension was a bit of a surprise, and she’s going to be staying in the palace with us for a while. I thought maybe you could help me with teaching her how to use her magic, since she is new to having a horn.”
Confusion gave way to pride that Celestia thought she was good enough at magic to help a brand new alicorn learn to use unicorn magic. “I’d be happy to, Princess!” 





Old, bitter pain rose like bile in her throat, fighting against shame. Her short stint as Cadenza’s magic tutor had ended the first time the pink alicorn had referred to the Princess as 'Auntie' and Sunset had learned that she’d been adopted as family by Celestia. She had absolutely lost her temper, screaming hateful, ugly things in the face of the terrified younger filly, her magic surging in a hellish storm that might’ve started a dangerous fire in the palace and killed them both if Celestia hadn’t intervened.
She should have recognized the name before, realized that if Celestia and Twilight Sparkle had human counterparts, then it was equally likely that others did too. Especially someone as well loved as the Princess of Love, the pink pegasus who’d gotten everything Sunset ever wanted hoofed over on a gilded platter. She had spent years hating Cadenza with a passion that was almost blinding—something she hadn’t mentioned to Vice Principal Luna.  Even thinking about her made Sunset burn was inside, her guts filled with molten tar. Like Princess Twilight, Cadenza had been the target of her anger, hate, and frustration...and she hadn’t deserved it at all.
Shame won out over loathing when that tiny voice in the corner of her mind spoke up, for once not stupid or traitorous.
—This isn’t Cadenza. This woman is just a human who has never wronged you, and probably doesn’t even know Celestia.—
Sunset couldn’t breathe, and she cast a desperate, pained glance around the room before excusing herself to the bathroom in a rush, cutting introductions short.





Cadence wasn’t a fool; for all her public radio and Internet personality as the cheerful and bubbly 'Love Goddess,' she was astute when it came to reading people. So when Sunset had fled the room in what looked like the start of a panic attack, Twilight following after her only a few seconds later, she excused herself to the kitchen to talk to Twilight Velvet.
“I just met Sunset,” she said without preamble in a quiet voice.
Velvet glanced her way as she closed the oven. “And?”
“She’s in the bathroom now—she looked like she was about to have a heart attack when she saw us. I’ve not had someone have such an adverse reaction to talking to me in a long time.” She made a thoughtful sound, chewing on her lip.  “Before that, I could see Twily answer the door. Sunset came in looking about to faint, and latched onto her like she was afraid Twilight would vanish into smoke.”  Cadence frowned at Velvet. “I know you had told us Twily made a new friend, but you didn’t warn us about any of this...what is going on with her?”
Twilight Velvet exhaled, concern on her face. “Night and I aren’t sure, dear. Twilight hasn’t been overly forthcoming, but we think that Sunset doesn’t come from the best home. She doesn’t seem to know how to respond to kindness, and I’ve caught the implication that Twilight is her first and only friend. It’s one of the reasons why we’re encouraging Twily to have her over as much as possible.” She stirred a pot on the stove. “They seem to have bonded, and she’s all Twilight talks about these days—I keep having to remind her to go to bed at night because they get caught up in messaging each other, and just the other day she was working on some sort of blueprint to ‘show Sunset.’”  The older woman shook her head.  “As near as I can tell, the attachment is mutual—Sunset has been over here just about every weekend, and when she isn’t, she has Twilight over to her house, or they are out somewhere.  Whenever they’re together, she follows Twilight around like a duckling trailing its mother.”
That made her brows furrow. “That...sounds a little extreme—are you sure that’s entirely healthy?”
Velvet patted her hand. “I think it’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You know how anxious Twilight has been the last year or two? Ever since she started spending time with Sunset, her anxiety levels have dropped significantly. I talked with Dr. Soft-Spoken earlier this week, and she’s actually thrilled with Twilight’s improvement in such a short time. She recommended we continue to encourage their friendship. She thinks that Sunset’s own lack of social relationships puts Twily in a unique position of being the more socially aware in their friendship, something that’s never happened to her before. That it’s boosting her self confidence, and allowing her to exercise the social skills she’s learned.”
“I never thought about it that way—I just worry about my little Ladybug, even if she’s not so little anymore,” Cadence admitted. “She’s the only sister I’ve ever had.”   Then she tapped her chin with one finger in thought. “I’ll try to be gentle around Sunset, and I’ll make sure Shiny doesn’t scare her too badly. Kids from bad homes like you are suggesting don’t usually like anyone in a uniform. Is she spending the night?” 
Velvet nodded and handed her the basket of rolls to take to the table. “That's the plan, and then she and Twilight are heading to the museum tomorrow. Some sort of new space exhibit, I think.”
“Did they need a ride? Maybe I can offer to take them. I have to run errands downtown anyway.”
The older woman looked somewhat relieved. “Would you? I’m sure they were planning on riding that two wheeled deathtrap Sunset uses, but I really don’t want them riding in weekend traffic downtown. That’s a lot more dangerous than neighborhood streets, even for an experienced rider.”
Laughing, the young woman carried the rolls to the dining room. “I’ll see what I can do!”





Shining Armor watched his sister follow after her friend’s abrupt departure, as well as Cadence’s disappearance into the kitchen.  Once he was sure they were all out of earshot, he turned towards his father. “Alright, Dad. Spill. What’s going on?”
Night Light rubbed his face. “With Sunset? What do your instincts tell you, son?”
He narrowed his eyes sharply, sinking into ‘Investigative Cop Mode,’ and started ticking off his observations on his fingers. “Her clothes are pretty worn out, first of all, and its not the wear and tear of ‘what’s fashionable’ at the moment. It’s real distress, from clothing worn out because its been worn often for a long time. Her jacket needs to be replaced, badly—even from here I could see the repairs that have been done on it, and the level of repairs done suggest a sentimental attachment to the coat more than its ability to keep her warm in winter.  She showed up on a motorcycle—if that was her that pulled up outside the house—or she walked here, which means no one dropped her off.  She seems healthy and fed—she’s not overly thin or overly heavy, and I didn’t see any indicators of drug use: no track marks, no sunken cheeks or odd skin texture, no discoloration to her nails and hands, no odor of cigarettes or pot, and her eyes were clear.”  Shining took a breath. “That despite all the apparent signs that she’s a good kid who just happens to wear the ‘leather-clad badass’ look, she was legitimately afraid of me...and she was half expecting some sort negative judgment from me. What’s going on with her? I’ve seen hardened runaways on the street that were less wary of me.”
“We aren’t sure. Your sister hasn’t said, and we want Sunset to feel like she’s safe here. That way if something bad is going on, she’ll tell us.”  He rubbed his face again, taking off his glasses. “We haven’t seen any bruises or marks that suggest physical abuse, and I feel like Twilight wouldn’t conceal that from us if there were any.  I’m not really sure what is going on. Just watch her. Sometimes, Sunset seems extremely confident and self assured, but then other times she’s like a much younger girl, trying to wrap her brain around basic human kindness.”
Shining frowned in thought, and his father spoke again. “I know what you’re thinking, son, but for now, don’t go charging off like the noble hero. We don’t have enough data, only a few weekends of observation and a hypothesis, and nothing to actually confirm anything bad is happening.  It might also damage the sense of trust and safety we’re trying to build here if you go digging into her home life.”
His father was, sadly, right, and he leaned back. “I’ll leave it be for now, Dad, but the instant you guys learn something I can use, let me know. I hate when kids are being hurt, and with how much Twily talks about her, anything that hurts Sunset is going to upset my little sister.”
> Chapter Fifteen: Pandora's Box
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Trembling hands splashed water on her face. “Get it together, Shimmer,” she hissed at her pale reflection. “They’re going to think you’re crazy on top of everything else.” She had to compose herself—she wasn’t going to let anything jeopardize the warm feelings this place gave her, or the opportunities to spend time with Twilight…and that ‘anything’ included herself.
Deep breaths. She needed to breathe, to calm her racing heart and put Princess Cadenza out of her head, the same way she’d separated Princess Twilight and her Twilight. This Cadence was human, not a princess, not someone who’d lucked into being made family to Celestia.  This was a blank slate, someone she should get to know on her own, without the baggage of another world and another life having any weight.
There was a soft knock on the door. “Sunset?” Twilight called. “Are you okay?”
She reached over and opened the door to admit her friend. The other girl came in and shut the door behind her, before resting a hand on her arm. “What’s really wrong? You’ve been all kinds of out of sorts since you arrived. Was school that bad today?”
Sunset sighed. “It’s been a lot of little things, Sparky. I’m sorry I’m acting like such a lunatic.” She wilted a bit. “…I hope I haven’t messed things up with your family....I really like being here...”
Twilight hugged her, resting her cheek against Sunset’s shoulder. “It’s fine. No one is angry or offended…though…” her brows furrowed. “Why did Cadence and Shining upset you so badly? Bad experience with police?”
Arms found their way around the lavender skinned girl automatically—after several weeks, Sunset was growing to like the spontaneous hugs she got from Twilight. “I mean, I do try to avoid cops—most of them see ‘teen in leather’ and assume I’m doing something illegal—but that wasn’t it. Cadence…looks like someone I knew once, back before I was on my own.  Someone I hated for something that wasn't her fault. I just needed a minute to sort my head out, that’s all.” She winced. “Can you not mention any of that to your family?  I don't want to upset them.”
Purple eyes regarded her behind thick glasses. “I haven't yet, and I won’t unless you want me to.  I’m not stupid, Sunset; I know there’s a lot of stuff about your life that isn’t normal for teenagers.  I’m not going to pry, but when you're ready to talk about why you live by yourself and why you ran away from home, I’m willing to listen. I won’t judge you.” A hand came up to brush a few errant strands of hair back from her face.  “You’re my friend, Sunset Shimmer, and I care about you, no matter what your story is. Nothing is going to change that.”
“Thanks. I…I will tell you, eventually. I just don't think I'm ready yet.” She playfully tweaked Twilight’s nose to lighten the mood. “I can promise you I’m not doing anything illegal or immoral though.”
Wrinkling her nose, the shorter teen pulled away to open the door. “Come eat?  Dinner should be ready.”
Sunset sniffed the air in the hall. “That smells good—what is it?”
“Mom takes dietary restrictions seriously, so she made one of the salmon recipes for dinner, that way you wouldn't feel left out.”
Blue-green eyes lit up—the rich, fatty fish like salmon and tuna had been popular for dishes for griffin and other carnivorous dignitaries, and she used to hide under the banquet tables and gorge herself as a filly on them until she either fell asleep or got caught. She only managed to have them once in a while in the human world, and only at restaurants—something few and far between since she tried to manage her finances wisely. She grabbed Twilight’s hand and pulled her down the hall to the dining room before she realized what she was doing.
The rest of the family was already there as the two girls entered, one laughing as she pulled her hand back.  Velvet stepped around the table after setting down a pot filled with potatoes and gave Sunset a motherly hug which the former unicorn returned shyly.  “It’s good to see you again, Sunset! Salmon tonight—I hope that’s okay?”
The redhead nodded vigorously, eyeing the portions of fish on the serving tray like some people might eye a chest of gold coins. “Yes, ma’am. I haven't had salmon in so long, and it was always one of my favorites.”
Velvet ushered Sunset to her seat next to Twilight, and without much in the way of fanfare, the family began to fill their plates. None of them mentioned Sunset’s earlier freak-out, though she caught Cadence studying her or Twilight more than once.
For the most part Sunset was quiet and subdued, preferring to listen to the conversation unless she was addressed directly. Never before had she directly witnessed a full family dynamic in action, with parents and siblings and extended members (since it seemed like Shining and Cadence were just shy of being officially engaged) all seated in one place like this.  The whole scene was just…alien in every sense of the word to her—even when she’d ‘dated’ Flash, she’d avoided going to his house for dinner much. His family had led busy lives, so most of her experiences there had just been the two of them, with her relegated to eating a salad or a sandwich in a house of borderline carnivores.  Before that, before she’d fled beyond the mirror, any private dinners with Celestia had been completely different since it had just been the two of them, no paternal figure or ‘siblings’ in sight.  Seeing such a dynamic play out before her made Sunset’s soul weep, the old pain creeping up on her that made every breath burn and her throat feel like a brick was lodged in it.
Warm fingers rested on her forearm under the table, giving a squeeze, and Sunset glanced to her side. Twilight smiled at her and squeezed again, and the former unicorn felt the pain ebb as her friend drew her into the conversation, mostly centered on their museum trip and how they were getting there.





'Family Movie Night' was proving to be an experience all its own. With Cadence and Shining taking over the sofa, and the parents in the two armchairs, Sunset and Twilight were sprawled on pillows on the floor, a bowl of popcorn tucked between them. An epic musical score had begun, and Twilight leaned over, “I can’t believe you've never watched Star Wars! It’s a staple of science fiction.”
“Sparky, I can’t watch it now if you're distracting me,” she teased, trying to read the text scrolling vertically up the screen—though the statement wasn’t a lie. Honeysuckle tickled her nose, and Twilight was close enough that she could feel the warmth from her skin; it was enough to make that traitorous little voice start murmuring in the back of her mind again.
—You don't seem to mind the distraction all that much…— 
Clearly that corner of her brain hadn't gotten the memo: She liked mares, not humans.
—Who says you have to like all humans? Maybe it’s just this human. After all, you're not fantasizing about the brunette in the white dress with really obvious nipples, are you? And she’s on the screen.—
There was a human myth about a woman named Pandora opening a box and letting a bunch of bad things escape that couldn't be returned to confinement. Sunset was starting to feel like she’d opened a box of her own with this nagging voice. Twilight was important to her, the first friend she had—she was tentatively willing to call Applejack a friend after more than a week of the other girl joining her for detention—and the only one that lacked years of bad blood and baggage. The last thing she needed was to ruin it with stupid monkey hormones messing with her head, taking more from the friendship than was actually meant; in Sunset’s mind, that was the only possible way she could even be remotely attracted to a human…especially Twilight Sparkle.
—Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you’ll believe it someday.—
Sunset squished the voice back into a corner by trying to bring to mind images of some of the mares she’d found attractive on the other side of the mirror, never noticing that every one of them sported purple eyes and a beaming smile.





The credits were interrupted by a soft snorting snore, and Twilight looked down to realize Sunset had dozed off, face pressed into her shoulder. Without thinking, she reached out with her other hand and brushed back some of Sunset’s fiery hair. The other girl’s nose scrunched briefly, before her features smoothed once more. That made her lips turn up at the edges happily.
A barely restrained noise made her glance back and realize Cadence had seen the whole thing, her eyes wide and excited. Crap. The rest of the family was stretching, preparing to head up to bed. Her mother kissed the top of her head. “If you can’t wake her, sweetheart, just bunk down here in the living room.”
Cadence lingered, sending Shining Armor up on his parents’ heels, waiting for a few minutes before settling across from Twilight, her back against the TV table.  “Sunset asleep still?”
A tilt of her head down confirmed Sunset’s state of unconsciousness, the redhead arms having curled around Twilight’s waist in a fiercely tight grip.  Her face was surprisingly serene, and periodically she’d rub her nose into the fabric of Twilight’s shirtsleeve with a sleepy murmur.  Twilight stalled for time, taking longer to enjoy watching Sunset than was needed to determine her current state.  “Yes,” she finally answered, tearing her eyes away to look back at her old sitter.
“You two look cute together.” Cadence’s eyes gleamed in the dim light. 
Heat rushed to Twilight’s face. “Cady!” she hissed. “It's not like that! We’re just friends!”
“Just friends? You guys look like you're a lot more than friends to me. I never cuddled any of my ‘just friends’ like that.”
Twilight sighed, her face turning serious. “Cadence.” The stern tone made all the play drop from the woman’s face as she studied the girl she’d known since she was very small. Twilight adjusted Sunset’s hold so she could curl an arm around the redhead’s shoulders protectively—even if all she was guarding her from was Cadence’s matchmaking attempts. “It’s not like that. She’s been hurt badly and she hates herself for her past mistakes.”  
Her eyes dropped to look down at the other girl, her face melting into a half smile.  “I’m the first person to ever try to be her friend, the first person she feels she can really trust. I don’t want to risk hurting her more, just because I find her to be the most amazing and beautiful girl I’ve ever met, that somehow manages to keep surprising me in little ways that I never expected.”  She sighed heavily, her face falling as her eyes returned to Cadence.  “Besides, she probably isn't interested in other girls.”
Cadence absorbed the words, watching both of them intently, the wheels in her head clearly turning.  “Oh, Ladybug,” she said at last, reaching out to pat Twilight’s shin sympathetically. . “You’ve got it bad, don't you?”
A soft sniffle escaped and the dark haired girl nodded. “…she’s smart and well read, she dabbles in mechanics and engineering, enjoys science…when I talk I don't have to stop and define every term larger than eight letters, and she always seems to understand what I’m talking about. She asks questions about my interests or what I’m talking about instead of telling me to stop talking... She’s been there when I needed help but she doesn't treat me like I’m helpless…I feel..safe..with her.” Eyes trailed down again for a moment, and the blush returned. “It also doesn't hurt that she’s gorgeous, and looks drop dead sexy in leather.”
“She is quite the eye-catching young woman, isn't she? Pulls off the ‘bad girl’ look well.” Mi Amore Cadenza waited to let the giggles subside. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Ladybug, and bottling up your feelings is never healthy…nor are either of you doing that good a job of it.” Twilight felt her eyes widen in momentary panic, her anxiety surfacing despite the feeling of Sunset close to her.  Cadence seemed to catch the signs and hastened to reassure her.  “I don’t think anyone else has noticed but me, but I’m also not so certain the attraction is as one sided as you believe.”
Protests sputtered on her lips, and Cadence held up a hand to forestall them. “This isn’t just ‘Shipper-Cadence’ talking, Twilight. Hear me out.” She fell silent, letting the pink skinned woman continue.
“I’m not saying you have to make any declarations of eternal love…or implying that you two are soul-mates destined to be together. What I am saying is that you might want to consider being honest with her, before you over think things and tie yourself up in mental knots and have a ‘Grade A, Four-Alarm, Twilight Sparkle Freak-Out’ about it. Because if it is mutual, Twily, if she’s got as little frame of reference as you’re implying, she may not understand if your behavior around her changes because you’re trying to get rid of a crush.”
That was something Twilight had not considered, and now that it had been voiced, it tumbled around in her mind, unable to be put aside. It was something she needed time alone to think over, her brain already starting to use it in mental ‘what-ifs’ that varied wildly in outcome. Her chin lowered in thought, eyes straying once more to the sleeping Sunset Shimmer.  
Cadence rose and patted her shoulder. “If nothing else, if it is one sided you may end up with the best wing-woman ever. Think on it, Ladybug.” She left Twilight deep in thought with her sleeping friend completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.





Mi Amore Cadenza headed for the stairs, smiling to herself. The more she had observed during the night, the more she had come to agree with Velvet’s sentiments—but she had also picked up on things the adults had missed. The two teenagers had clearly formed a bond and a friendship, but there was something else there, and it wasn’t just Twilight Sparkle harboring a crush on her redheaded friend.  Twilight might’ve believed it to be a one-sided attraction, but from where Cadence was sitting, Twilight had nothing to worry about. When it seemed no one else was watching, Sunset Shimmer looked at Twilight Sparkle like she had hung the stars themselves.
> Chapter Sixteen: Arguing With Myself
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Flopping back on her pillows with a sigh, Sunset cuddled into her blankets to ward off the chill. The weather had definitely turned to cold with the passing of October into early November, and she needed to repair the heating unit again—something of a yearly necessity with the aged system. It wasn't warming her loft like it should, which was the first major warning sign that meant it was about to crap out again. 
Sparkling purple eyes and an eager voice asking about her forays into mechanics surfaced in her mind, making her idly muse on whether or not Twilight would like to help her come up with a solution, or even help her gut and rebuild the thing. The nerdy girl would jump at the opportunity, she decided, since it represented a moderate level of challenge and they could work on it together. Twilight had been looking for some sort of engineering or mechanical project they could do together.
Her mind conjured a daydream of the two of them in the guts of her heater, laughing and chatting as they replaced years of Sunset’s jury rigging and paperclip repair with real parts, sleek and modified by the two of them to save her money and heat better, possibly without some of the unpleasant odors that filled the loft on the days when it worked the hardest.  The scene warmed her better than the blankets and she found herself smiling. This, unfortunately, meant that stupid little voice had to add its two bits.
—A smile like that and you still don’t want to consider that you’re attracted to her, huh?—
Sunset groaned in her blanket nest, flipping the covers over her face in exasperation.  Apparently she wasn’t even allowed to enjoy thoughts of spending time with her friend without that annoying corner of her brain trying to make it out to be more than it was.
—You don’t daydream about anyone else that way, you know.—
The stupid voice ought to remember that she had didn’t exactly have a large circle of friends. Twilight and her family made up the largest part of it, with Applejack, and possibly now Rarity and Pinkie Pie being the rest. Everyone else hated her with a passion or was still petrified of her.
—Still not seeing you indulge in silly little fantasies about any of the others. Just Sparky. You don’t think there’s even a small reason for that?—
Clearly, that reason was because Twilight was the closest thing she had to a best friend, her first friend, and the only one she had that she didn’t have an uphill trek against her own past with.  The girls at school were well versed in Sunset Shimmer, Queen Bitch—the human Twilight Sparkle had only heard about it.  Not to mention, the nerdy bookworm was one of the few individuals on either side of the mirror that Sunset had met and could stand the company of for long stretches of time that could match and even exceed her in intelligence. There was an amazing feeling that came with not having to dumb herself down to the other party’s level in conversation.
—Still don’t want to see it, hmm? What about when you kept looking at her butt when you were handing out candy?—
That was something she fully and completely blamed the stupid little voice for, since it had been the one calling attention to the way the costume had hugged Twilight’s hindquarters when she leaned forward to distribute candy.
—Newsflash, genius. It was still a part of you looking.—
She’d been over this a dozen times already, but that irritating corner of her mind refused to leave her alone about it. She wasn’t a xenophile, she didn’t find the human body at all attractive, male or female, no matter how endearing and sweet Twilight could be. It just wasn’t a thing, it would never be a thing, and she wasn’t about to let her mind get all twisted up by the ebb and flow of adolescent monkey hormones courtesy of the body she was stuck in.
—Forget for a moment that she’s a hairless bipedal ape, would you? She’s got some really attractive qualities—the least of which is that she’s smart and capable! If this was Equestria and she was a mare, you’d be panting at the thought of planting your muzzle in that flank.—
Unfortunately, this wasn’t Equestria and Twilight wasn’t a mare. She was human, Sunset was still a unicorn at heart, and it just wasn’t going to happen. 
The stupid little voice made a sound not unlike an exasperated sigh. —Sun, moon, and stars, you’re being stubbornly dense about this, you know. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, it has nothing to do with species and xenophilia? Claiming her species is a reason you can’t be attracted to her is shallow, even for you at your worst.—
She snorted irritably, wondering what the point of this argument with herself even was.
—The point, horn-head, is that have you ever considered the notion that it has absolutely nothing to do with her body? That you could just…be attracted to her?  Personality is a thing, you know, and a much more healthy metric for wanting to be in someone’s company than the shape of their hindquarters. Though Sparky’s aren't bad, when she wears that one pair of tight jeans…—
The redhead’s brain ground to a halt, trying to process the thought, seeking some form of rebuttal. She could find none, and found that now the idea wouldn’t stop bouncing around in her skull. The way Twilight lit up when she saw Sunset, the long hours of conversation over science or technology or sometimes very little at all…The thrilling rides on the bike, Twilight hugging her for dear life and whooping in her ears in euphoria…The way the other girl’s hugs made her feel, warm and content and just happy... The way her heart had leapt to her throat when she saw the police cruiser in the driveway and thought something might’ve happened… Even her anger when ever she thought back to the night they met and how the thugs in the park had wanted to hurt her Twilight.
Blue-green eyes widened, their owner sitting up with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “…I’m such an idiot…” she moaned, rubbing her face. 
—Yeah. You are. Glad to see you came around to it eventually.— 
The voice was still stupid, though. Even if it had been right. She had, somehow, developed an attraction to the human Twilight Sparkle. 





“What do I do, Spike?” Twilight asked the puppy that was laying on her bed. “Cadence had a point, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
Spike lifted his head at his owner’s voice saying his name, ears perking up. Dangling from his mouth was one of Sunset’s socks, left behind from one of their sleepovers. Twilight sighed and took the sock from him. “Spike...you know better than to do that. You don’t chew on my socks so why do you insist on attacking what Sunset leaves here?”
Spike growled, snapping grumpily at the sock. 
“I don’t know why you don’t like Sunny, Spike. She’s never been mean to you.”
The dog looked at her, then huffed. Twilight could practically feel his opinion.
She frowned at her puppy. “You need to get over it, Spike. I like Sunset a whole lot—I don’t want to stop spending time with her, so as long as she wants to spend time with me, you’re going to see more of her.”
Her pet whined at her, moving next to her when she sat down. She ran her fingers through the soothing texture of his soft fur. “I really do, Spike. She everything I’ve ever wanted and more...but she’s also my friend...my best friend. I don't want to loose that just because of a stupid crush. Cady says I should tell her how I feel, so she understands whats going on.”
Spike whined again and crawled into her lap, trying to offer comfort to her rising anxieties the only way he knew how.  Twilight cuddled him close. “What should I do, Spike?” she found herself repeating. “Do I keep this to myself? Or do I tell Sunset and hope it doesn’t ruin everything?”
He cocked his head back and forth, before looking at her desk and barking. Twilight broke into a smile. “That’s a great idea, Spike! I should make a list!” She ruffled his ears affectionately. “What would I do without my favorite number one assistant?”
Hopping off the bed, she set the wriggly canine on the ground and moved to her desk. There she broke out a notebook and started on her lists. After a few minutes of frantic writing, she stopped, forcing herself to breathe. Looking at what she had scrawled down made her scowl, tear the page out, and crumple it up. She glanced to Spike who had leaned against her calf in concern. “I'm doing it again, aren’t I? Over complicating things, I mean.”  
Spike yipped, wagging his tail. “You’re right again, Spike. What would Dr. Soft-spoken tell me?” The pup hopped into her lap to curl up happily. “She’d say ‘You should try to keep things simple, Miss Sparkle,’” Twilight did her best imitation of the therapist’s voice. “...and she’s right. I need to keep it simple.”
This time she tried to restrain herself to a much simpler list of thoughts for each option.  She stared down at her own handwriting after, feeling that tightness in her chest start to come back. Out of habit, she hugged Spike for reassurance.  
“I still don’t know what to do Spike! This isn’t really helping me choose, because there's so many things that could go right, but so many things that could go wrong!”  She tapped the papers. “If I come out to her and tell her I like her...sure, there’s the chance she’ll be okay with it. Sunset might even be okay with my feelings...but there’s also a chance that it’ll mess things up, that shes not okay with that kind of sexuality... that it’ll upset her enough that she won't be my friend anymore!” Twilight sucked in air, trying to remember to breathe around the feeling of pressure on her chest.
Her dog tilted his head up, twisting in her lap to lick her cheek, letting out a puppy grumble, adding his own two cents to the conversation. Twilight hugged him more, spending some time trying to get herself under control, even as part of her wished it was Sunset there to hug her instead of Spike. That desire sent her mind back, to the bookstore, to that first night, to a dozen times that Sunset had unknowingly halted her anxiety before it wound her up too far. Her mind supplied images of blue-green eyes focused on her, and the sound of that firm voice reminding her to breathe. She followed the memory of the instructions, and slowly, her chest unknotted, the sensation draining slowly away.
Spike wagged his tail and barked happily at her, and a smile found its way onto her face. “You’re right, Spike. Even if she doesn’t like girls like I do, it's Sunny. She’s already stayed my friend through everything else, including some really severe panic attacks, maybe this won't matter either.” She leaned back in her chair, exhaling deeply. 
“If I tell her, I also won’t have to worry about trying to hide it from her...which means one less thing to panic about.” Spike tried to go for the sock she’d set down on the edge of the desk, teeth snapping at the piece of clothing. Twilight had to wrestle with the puppy in her lap for the sock, ultimately sighing at the stretched fabric. “Spike....” Sharp puppy fangs made another grab for the sock. “No!” Twilight chastised. “This is not a toy, Spike! You know better!”
His ears pinned back and he lowered his head, having not expected her sharp reaction. With a sad sounding whine, he tried to worm his head under her hand; she relented after a minute, fingers scratching gently. “You need to learn to like Sunset, Spike. She means a lot to me, and I really want my best friend and my number one assistant to get along. Please, Spike? Give Sunset a chance? For me?”
Spike looked at her for a long time, as if mulling over her question. It made her wonder, not for the first time, how much he really understood and how smart he actually was. At last, he gave a heavy sounding doggy sigh, and leaned against her. 
Twilight took the gesture as acquiescence to her request, and gave him another hug. “Thank you, Spike.” She rested her cheek against his head. “Now I just have to worry about what Sunset will say if I tell her I like her. She’s never mentioned having a boyfriend and she never talks about boys...but that doesn’t mean she likes girls either...or even if she does, that she’d be interested in being more than just my friend.”
A niggling thought wormed its way to the forefront of her consciousness. “....If I do tell tell her, I’m also worried that she might feel obligated to pretend to like me back...I don’t want her to think she has to do that to stay my friend.” Spike made a querulous noise, so Twilight elaborated. “I’m her first friend, and she might think I will only be her friend if she does what I want.” The dog growled softly. “I know, Spike. It's an awful thought...so I need to make sure that if I do tell her, I make sure she knows I’m still her friend even if she’s not interested in me that way.”
Twilight stared at her lists again, still torn on her decision. Spike looked between her and the papers several times, before he growled, and lunged, tearing the list out and hopping off her lap to shake the paper vigorously like he was trying his best to kill it. She blinked at the dog’s actions in mild surprise, but a slow smile came over her face. “You know what, Spike? You’re right.  I shouldn’t be worrying so much! Sunset is my best friend, and Cady thinks I should be open and honest with her. If she thinks it's a good idea to tell her, then maybe there is a reason. Cadence has always tried to help me—she’s not going to stop now.”
Spike barked happily at her, making a grand show of kicking the mangled list under the bed with his back paws. All in all, the puppy looked rather pleased with himself as Twilight crumpled up the other list and tossed it in her trash can. “…I just need to work up the courage to do it now…”





It wouldn’t let her go, the thoughts about Twilight. About the feelings that had taken root without her realizing it, about what it would be like to act on them. That last one was…particularly rough for her to imagine, since her knowledge of human dating, courtship, and romance consisted entirely of a completely faked relationship with Flash Sentry for the sake of reputation and appearances, a limited selection of human media, and what she observed first-hand in school. It had been one of the reasons for the lack of a lot of “intimacy” between her and Flash—though not the largest one—not that the relationship really had lasted that long anyway. 
Lacking information and experience didn’t stop her brain from trying—conjuring images of her and Twilight curled up together on her couch reading, or holding hands as they browsed the shelves of the used book store or visited the museums, or even of the two of them just talking, heads close together as they laughed over this story or that joke. The whole thing left Sunset feeling both warm and cold, a familiar ache taking up residence in her chest. She knew that aching hollowness that hungered to be filled, and it scared her, because it had been the driving force behind every bad choice she’d ever made.
Want.
She wanted that deeper connection with her Twilight more than she’d wanted just about anything….Even her desire for the Princess to acknowledge her as her daughter paled before the burning hunger in her veins now, and that terrified her. She had ruined everything in her life the last time she’d felt like this, blinded to everything but sating the hunger that left her hollow. Sunset didn’t want to go back to that…she didn’t want to ruin her new life, especially with how much the friendship between her and Twilight had come to mean.  It made the former unicorn think herself in circles, and surprisingly, it was the Stupid Little Voice who came to her rescue.
—You’re over thinking things. Stop and breathe for a minute. Then go find something for dinner, you’re starving and no one can think properly on an empty gut.—  Without realizing it, she obeyed, and was soon cooking a bubbling pot of soup, while the voice picked up the line of thought again. —First, you want. Great. Water’s wet, everyone wants stuff. It's about how you handle it. Right now, you’re handling it badly.  Instead of panicking about how it can all go bad, take it slow. Feel the situation out, observe. You’re a smart mare, or so you claim. Also, don’t add so much salt, it won’t be edible if you do.—
Great. Stupid Little Voice had graduated from relationship advice to culinary assistance.
—It would be stupid to waste all those ingredients to make glorified slug-melter. And add some more scallions and another of those little tomatoes. They add good flavor. Now, back to the other matter: Don’t get ahead of yourself, and if it doesn’t work out, step back instead of trying to make it work, horn-head.— 
…Maybe slow would be better. She didn’t know if Sparky would even be interested, and with her luck, it probably was as one sided as it could get. They were suppose to do movies this weekend at Sunset’s loft…that would be a good chance to try and figure out if there was a chance for this.
She could do this.
> Chapter Seventeen: Take A Chance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The chill in the loft meant that Sunset had brought one of the blankets down from her bed for them to share while watching movies, and that left the pair curled up under it on the sofa, shoulders touching. The heroes on screen were busy fighting monsters, but the redhead found her mind wandering.
She’d picked up Twilight from her house, their greeting a warm hug that both had lingered in for longer than should have been comfortable, and she’d savored the way it had felt, just as she’d done for the ride back to her place, with Twilight’s arms tight around her middle. The contact with the dark haired girl still sent warmth through her whole body, chasing away the stress and negative emotions from a long week at school, but with her recent revelations, she was hyper aware of the touch between them. The contours of Twilight’s arms and body, the way they had put firm pressure on her ribcage, the fluttery, tingling sensation that nearly made her breath catch on more than one occasion...all of that was brought into focus with sudden clarity.  The ride to her loft had never been so intensely distracting before.
They’d ordered pizza, then set up the room for an evening of movies and junk food. She’d watched her friend’s body language, stretching the absolute limits of her learned knowledge of human nonverbal communication, all while taking the risk of being more affectionate and touchy than normal: bumping shoulders, touching her arm, and of course, more hugs…and it hadn’t helped at all. Twilight was always very affectionate with Sunset, perhaps even more than she was with her own family.  That was something that she’d learned early—the lavender skinned girl was a bit of a hugger, especially if she felt Sunset needed it, and she seemed to take the increased contact as a sign that Sunset needed more hugs that day.  Every time they came into close proximity, Twilight’s arms came around her in some fashion for a brief embrace, sending pleasant tingles up Sunset’s spine.
That led to the current situation—sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch under the same blanket, the shorter girl actually leaning against Sunset’s side a little, completely relaxed.  Purple fingers rested lightly on her wrist, and she worried that the other girl could feel her racing pulse.  She had no idea what to do next, and she was even less sure of herself than she’d been three days ago.





Twilight was glad she’d already seen these movies—her mind wouldn’t shut up, and she could barely focus on what was happening on the screen. Sunset was warm, and had been far more touchy than usual, and it was killing her slowly.  She kept sneaking in more hugs, mostly because it doused some of the urge to kiss her amber-skinned friend, and the way Sunset melted into them, pressing her face into her shoulder was both wonderful and worrying. It was part of the reason why she was leaning into her now, looping their arms together so she could let her palm and fingers sit on the other girl’s wrist, letting her know that she was here, that she wasn’t going anywhere.  
Still, it did nothing to help the way her eyes kept flicking to Sunset’s lips of their own accord, and how her own mind was at war with itself. Twilight had spent most of the week trying to psych herself up to tell the other girl how she felt, but now that she was here, all her courage had dissolved like so much smoke.  She knew she was right in her initial analysis; Sunset was inexperienced in positive social interactions—the hints dropped in their conversations suggested that she’d run away from an emotionally ambivalent relationship with a foster parent and survived on her own by making herself the meanest, most aggressive ‘alpha bitch’ she could for a number of years, all while living entirely on her own with finances of unknown means.  Twilight’s kindness and affection was likely the first in her entire life that had come without a price tag attached, and she drank it up like desiccated ground absorbed water. Pushing her attraction on a girl who barely had knowledge of friendship had the serious potential to lead to disaster…
Cadence had had a point though. Bottling it up only led her to thinking herself in circles, and if she changed how she acted to try and get rid of her crush on the redhead, there was a chance that Sunset would not understand what was going on and take it the wrong way. In fact, given what she’d learned from the other girl, that was more than ‘a chance.’  It would likely be a certainty, and one would lead to Sunset engaging in more self-flagellation in regards to her own perceived lack of worth. That was something Twilight desperately wanted to avoid—Sunset and the friendship they shared was too important to her for her to want to risk hurting the redhead, even accidentally.
She let out a noise without realizing it, a small sound of frustration and stress, trying to quell the anxiety starting to bubble up in her. That got the attention of her companion, and Sunset glanced at her, brows furrowing. Her free hand hit the pause button on the remote. “Sparky?” she asked, the nickname wonderful in Twilight’s ears. “What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t take it anymore. Before she could halt her own actions, or consider the ramifications of going through with the thought that passed through her mind, she was moving, leaning up to press her lips against Sunset’s cheek, not more than half an inch away from the lips she wanted to taste so desperately.





Sunset’s brain misfired several times, unable to properly process what was going on. Twilight had kissed her cheek—what did that mean to humans again? She couldn’t remember if that was supposed to be a sign of encouragement of her affections or a rejection, and with that confusion in her eyes, she shifted so she could see the dark haired girl more easily. “…Sparky?” she asked, the single word communicating her uncertainty and need to understand.
Purple eyes met hers, and Twilight flushed. “…I…Look…I have to tell you something…and..can you just let me get through it?”  
She nodded slowly, more confused than ever.
Twilight took a deep breath. “…truth is…I like girls…” she admitted, the words seeming to stick in her throat, “…and…I really, really like you, Sunset…a lot. You don’t see it, but you’re amazing, everything about you. You’re smart and funny, you make me laugh, and I can just be myself around you, no need to dumb myself down or talk about things I don’t care about just to interest you. You’re there when I need you, but you don’t treat me like I’m helpless, and I don’t know if you realize just how sexy you are when you’re wearing your jacket and smiling at me. You’ve become my best friend…”  Her smile wobbled. “You’re special to me, Sunset, and I don’t want to mess that up, not for anything in the world. I don’t want to hurt you, to put things on you that you aren’t ready for or don’t want, but Cadence was right—bottling it up was making it all worse, and I needed to tell you the truth.” A sniffle escaped her. “So there it is. The truth.”
Sunset felt lightheaded and somewhat detached from reality for the time being, wide eyes searching Twilight’s face during the entire confession, feeling the hand that had been on her wrist moving to curl around her fingers instead. When her impassioned speech came to an end, the shorter girl tried to pull them away, but Sunset tightened her grip firmly. She wasn’t about to let her run away before the former unicorn could get her thoughts in order… Starting with the confusion over why Twilight seemed to treat attraction to women as a hard thing to admit...which was dispelled when she remembered that humans placed a lot more social stigma on a person’s preference in romantic partners than Equestria ever had. Then she rolled the rest of the words around in her mind, trying to get a handle on it all, on what it meant.
Sparky liked her, was attracted to her. Her. Sunset Shimmer. Even with knowing the vast majority of her crimes, she still wanted…  A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, a shy, lopsided thing. Part of her worried about the way this could all go wrong, at all the ways she could mess it all up, but for once, she shoved that to the back of her mind.  None of that mattered right now. What mattered was the way Twilight Sparkle was looking at her, the way it made her feel, and excitement she felt. She felt herself adjusting her posture, and she threw the last of her worries away and took a chance, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Twilight’s, a gesture that didn’t mean the same thing to the human girl as it did to her, the closest Sunset could get to the kiss of two horns interlocking their spirals at the base. Even without her horn, the gesture didn’t lose the intimacy it held, or the way it made her heart jump. “…I like you too,” she admitted softly. “There is no one in this entire world who is more important to me than you, Sparky, and I…I don’t want to mess that up either, but I…” her courage faltered for a moment, insecurity and shyness making themselves known. “…I don’t have any idea what I’m doing…and I’m afraid I’ll screw up…but…I want to try. I don’t want to stop feeling this, with you.” She chewed her lip nervously. “Can we? Can we try? Take it slow and see where it goes?”
Twilight was quiet for a time, but since she wasn’t trying to pull away Sunset kept them close together, giving her time to organize her thoughts.  “I…would like to, very much, but only if you’re sure it’s what you want, Sunset. Not because you think it’ll make me happy, but because you really want it too.” Her free hand came up, brushing some of Sunset’s hair back from where it had fallen against her cheek. “..you don’t have anything to prove to me—I’ll always be your friend no matter what you choose to do. Friendship isn’t based on conditions or a price. It's freely given or its not real.”
Fire burned in her blood and bones, but this wasn’t the painful ache or the screaming want—this fire was like the warmth of the sun, or heat of a shower after being out in frigid winter weather. It soaked into her every fiber of her body and soul, swirling in her lungs and coating the words that fell fervently from her lips. “…I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this, Sparky…” She swallowed, hard, admitting it to herself as much as to the other girl. “…as much as I want you…”  Sunset took a deep breath, one that made her body shudder from how it tried to catch in her throat.
Arms found their way around Sunset, and the giggle that escaped Twilight was one part relief, one part giddy happiness. “…Alright. Then…yes…yes…Let’s try.”
Something about the moment urged Sunset on, desire thrumming in her with the need to act. She gave in to the want this time, covering Twilight’s mouth with her own, the experience as much one of exploration as it was emotion. She had no real experience with kissing—she’d been too engrossed in her ambitions during her first stint with adolescence in Equestria, and as for kissing as a human?  There, she could count on her fingers the times she’d kissed Flash, and in her mind, they didn’t count for much.  At the time, every single one had been a calculated, deliberate tactic as part of her manipulation game, done in public areas in front of watching eyes as a way to boost her own social standing long term.  There had been no real interest or emotion on her part—she ultimately just mimicked what she saw on TV or in the halls at school—and for her, they’d been disgusting, lackluster things that were to be gotten through as quickly as possible. 
This was nothing like any of those kisses, not in any aspect of it.  The physical sensations alone nearly overloaded her mind: how Twilight’s hands fisted into her shirt at the small of her back, letting the dark haired girl lean into her, the soft, curious kneading motion of their lips, gentle and interested without either of them seeking to make more of the kiss than what it was, the eager little noise that escaped Twilight’s throat when Sunset’s fingers found their way to the back of her head, even the lingering taste of sugary soda that mingled with a taste that was uniquely that of the human girl, coupled with the scent she’d come to associate with Twilight Sparkle, all of it was a heady mix that bombarded her, and that wasn’t even accounting for the way the turn of events was making her feel.  The warmth that had filled her before had found its way to every extremity, leaving her skin tingling and her heart racing with exhilaration, even as the want that had terrified her the past week returned, the emotions and affection of the intimate moment filling the aching hole that had been in her for as long as she could remember.  Every touch, every soft sound and tremble of their bodies, even the heat generated by the close contact…all of that was new and different, and Sunset basked in it even when they parted for air, and when they came back together for more.
When they finally pulled apart, both wearing somewhat silly smiles, Sunset tugged Twilight fully into a warm hug, nuzzling her face into that lavender skinned neck.  “…Please tell me that this is really happening, Sparky…” she whispered fervently, wanting to stay in the happy bubble they’d created. 
Arms gripped around her back harder. “…It’s real…we’re trying this, seeing where it goes, just like you said.”
Sunset let out a soft sigh as the fears and worries she’d shoved to the side raised their heads again, nipping at her.. “…is it silly of me to want to keep you like this, all to myself for a little while? Does it make me selfish to just want to keep this between us, so that no one else tries to interfere with it…Not your family, but…like…anyone else?”
Silence met her ears for a long enough time that she pulled back to look into purple eyes with concern. “Sparky?”
Twilight chewed on her lip, managing to look embarrassed and ashamed all at once. “…My parents don’t know. I haven’t told them that I’m only interested in girls. The only other person who knows besides you is Cady.”
The former unicorn furrowed her brows, these subtle nuances of human-culture-social-stigmas still an area that she needed to learn more about. “…I…don’t really understand…” she finally responded, deciding to continue to be honest. “…Your parents are really nice and friendly. Would they be…upset? Mad?”
“…No…Mom and Dad love me, I know that. It’s…hard. I try to work up to telling them, but every time I try, I panic…I think of all the little things they could say and do, or what they might think of it, and if they’ll approve in who I want to date, and what the extended members of my family will say about it..just so many little things until I can’t breathe right and I end up having a panic attack.  Even thinking about it makes me feel anxious.” Twilight brushed their lips together again, the barest touch that calmed the shaking that had taken over the hands resting against the small of Sunset’s back.
Sunset nuzzled her before she remembered that it wasn’t a normal human gesture. “…It’s alright, Sparky. I’m more than okay with keeping this whole thing a secret from everyone for now. Breathe for me?”
The lavender skinned girl leaned into her, doing as she was bid, taking deep breaths in between one or both of them closing the distance for more of those sweet and affectionate kisses. At some point, Sunset realized that she felt strangely content, and an idea sprang to mind.  “…Hey. Come here.” With a little effort, and some adjustment of the blanket, she rearranged them on the couch so they were half laying together, propped up by the arm of the sofa and surrounded by the thick blanket, Twilight’s back to her front. Her arms found their way around the dark haired girl’s waist, and she kissed the top of her head. “…Hit play? I do want to see how the movie ends.” 
Twilight relaxed against her. “True. And we have several more to get through to get you caught up on the franchise. Besides, I’m pretty fond of the villain for this one.”
“Oh?” She glanced down, her grin teasing.
The other girl tilted her head back to meet Sunset in another kiss. “Mmhmm...He starts off as a villain, but he’s really not so bad.”  Then she hit play, and their attention fell back to the movie…though Sunset did enjoy how good it felt to have Twilight snug and secure in her arms like this.





Hours later, after several more movies, the girls had cleaned up the room, and Sunset was putting her jacket back on, when she felt arms go around her and a body press against her back. “Your apartment is freezing, Sunset.”
“Yeah. Heater is on the fritz again. Wanna spend next Saturday helping me fix it? Maybe upgrade it?” She turned in the embrace, nuzzling into Twilight’s neck half on instinct. “I can send you a picture of it tomorrow and we can brainstorm this week about it. That thing is probably older than I am, and really needs a good overhaul.”
Laughter and another kiss told her it had been a good suggestion. “I’ll bring my tools and we’ll call it a date,” Twilight giggled at her. 
“I wouldn’t say no. Now come on; I need to get you home before it’s too late. You can’t help me fix my heater if you’re grounded.”
It was a quick ride to Twilight’s house to drop her off, and the girls managed to sneak in one more soft kiss before they parted ways. Sunset headed home, managing to contain herself until she was safely back inside the loft before practically prancing in place with an elated squeal of utter joy, unaware that at that same time, in her own room in front of her dog, Twilight was doing the exact same thing.
> Chapter Eighteen: Hopeful Smiles
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The weekend had ended, and Sunset was tired from staying up late the night before, texting back and forth with Twilight until after midnight, but even exhaustion couldn’t make her stop smiling. It had just been such a good day the day before; when she closed her eyes she could almost feel the touch of lips on hers, could see the way Twilight looked at her. It suffused her soul with warmth and energy, perking her up enough to pull out her phone while she munched on breakfast at her desk.  
-Thinking of you, Sparky.-
A minute later the response popped up. -Thinking of you too. Yesterday happened, right? It wasn't a dream?-
-Definitely not a dream, unless we were both having the same one about kissing on my couch. And in the shadow of your garage.-
-Good. Looking forward to this weekend. Friday at my house, Saturday at yours? We have a heater to take apart—I’m already looking through potential, cost effective upgrades! I’ll send you a list later!-
-You’re such a nerd.- Sunset sent with a playful smiley.
-But I’m your nerd, Sunny.-
Something sharp, hot, and possessive spiked through her when she got that message, and she responded immediately. -Yes, you are, Sparky, and don't you forget it.- She savored the knowledge and simple declaration. Twilight was hers, and that thought, weird and unwanted as it had been a few weeks ago, made her feel good.
-I wont forget, Sunset.  Class soon. Hope your day goes well! Call when you get home?- 
-I will.-
She tucked her phone away just in time to see Rarity come in and wave her way. “Good morning, darling! My, my, you look like you had a good weekend! Had some fun for a change? We missed you at the mall yesterday, I do so wish you could have joined us.”
Sunset laughed. “It was a good weekend—the best I’ve had in a while.” Then she deflected the topic back to Rarity to avoid prying questions. “So what did I miss at the mall?”
The designer launched into a detailed account of the events, seemingly oblivious to the subtle manipulation of the conversation. Sunset gave an internal sigh of relief—she was starting to really enjoy the company of some of the girls, but Twilight was still something she wanted to keep to herself. Especially now, because while she was pretty sure Applejack and the still silent Fluttershy would leave it alone, Rarity would hound her for more details, Pinkie would probably throw a party that would make her Twilight extremely confused and require Sunset to explain more than she was ready to, and Rainbow Dash? At this point, with the simmering mistrust and hostility, Rainbow would probably try to break them apart out of some misguided need to ‘save Twilight from She-Demon Shimmer.’ 
No. It was still for the best that no one at Canterlot High learn about her relationship or the girl she spent most of her free time with.  Heat pooled in her gut, anger and defensiveness fighting for supremacy until she managed to get it under control.  She would protect herself and her budding relationship with her friend at any cost—it was a vow she’d made after they'd first met, and she reminded herself of it now.
Rarity trailed off, a shiver passing over her. “I swear…I know there’s a budget for the district, but you would think they could spare a little more to keeping this place warmer in the winter! It’s freezing in here!”
She frowned. It felt normal in the room to her. “Maybe you feel a draft? It seems okay in here to me. Not toasty, but it’s still warmer than outside.”
“Perhaps, darling. This building is a bit drafty. Anyway, where was I?”
The conversation continued while other students filed into the classroom, stopping only when the teacher gave them a long look right before the morning announcements came on. Sunset only paid them half a mind; most were just the normal boring information and reminders about rules, policies, and dismissals.   Towards the end, however, Luna yielded the floor to her sister, and Celestia’s cheerful voice rang through the room.
“Good morning, students! I have a very special announcement today—as a result of your interests and the efforts of your student council, CHS will be hosting a musical showcase as a fundraiser to make money for school activities such as clubs, dances, and other extracurricular events! So feel free to come to the office and sign up! Dates will be forthcoming but expect the event before winter break!”
There was a general low murmur from the room, and Sunset sighed, thinking of the guitars hanging in her apartment. She could sign up, play, but given the state of things, she’d probably lose money for the school. If she were even allowed to sign up—she wasn't sure exactly what fell under the ‘suspended from extra curricular school activities’ mandate that the Vice Principal had laid down, but she didn’t want to push her luck. Too bad too. It was one of the few hobbies she’d developed in this world that she’d really kept to after she’d mastered how to make hands work, and while she’d not yet played for an audience, she liked to think she was pretty good.





Sunset had come to dread opening her locker, especially close to lunch. A lot of people had a study period then, and she had to prepare herself for an avalanche of notes and torn paper scraps. Today proved no different, with the standard assortment of what she’d come to regard as ‘daily reminders,’ but near the bottom, she found a folded printout. 
Confused, she unfolded the pages, and any sense of good mood vanished. Her stomach plummeted like a rock to the bottom of a lake, and her face burned with shame and self loathing. 
In her hands was a collection of printouts from a webpage. More specifically, they were printouts from a social media group on MyStable, a social media site frequented by the local high-schoolers. The name of the group was self explanatory and fairly unoriginal, all in all—big, bold letters in the banner proclaimed the page “Shimmer Hate” coupled with one of her yearbook photos that had been photoshopped to add horns and demonic eyes.  All the names and user icon photos had been blacked out before it was printed, but the long list of comments had been left alone, a detailed laundry-list of unloaded vitriol all centering around one person: her.
Her eyes were immediately wet with unshed tears, and she fought to rein them in before anyone could catch her moment of weakness.  Shutting her locker door with more force than intended, she hurried to the nearest bathroom, locking herself in the far stall. She spent the rest of the study period in there, reading the stack of papers with dates that went back as far as the notes in her locker, tears streaming from her eyes and two knuckles jammed between her teeth to keep sound from escaping.
She remembered most of the incidents mentioned, but some of them she knew were an outright fabrication—she’d done horrible things, but she’d never physically assaulted anyone in school, she’d never threatened to out someone’s preference in romantic partners to their parents or the public, and she was more than positive she’d never used sexual favors to win votes for any of the Princess titles at the dances. It didn’t matter to this page and the people in it, though; they believed her capable of that and more. 
And that was just the tip of the iceberg—after dozens of people had vented their stories to each other, a number of them had started describing all the horrible things they wished would happen to her, ranging from mild and mundane to the increasingly bizarre and horrific.
Any brightness that she’d been harboring that day  was extinguished utterly, and all the unicorn-turned-teen-girl wanted to do was to go home, hide in her bed, and weep until she passed out. That looming test in her math class was the only real thing that made her pause—well, that, and the whisper of a voice that meant everything to her in her ears, giving her a lifeline when she needed it most. “No matter what anyone else thinks of you, you’re a good person to me.”
She dried her eyes, crumpled up the papers, and discarded them in the bathroom trash amidst paper towels, and left in a hurry to get to lunch. She never noticed the pair of eyes watching her go, or the hand that retrieved the papers from the trash.





Sunset dragged herself into the lunchroom, too drained to even care about the ugly glowers boring into her from all sides. After finding the printout in her locker, she was going through her day like an automaton, barely seeing or feeling anything. She practically collapsed into the seat that had become hers at the lunch table claimed by the girls, staring blankly at her lunch bag wondering if she even had it in her to eat.
Another body slammed into her from behind with a loud squeal. “Suuuuuuuuuuuuuunseeeeeeeeeeet!” Pinkie yelled enthusiastically, hugging the redhead with her usual exuberance. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you! See, I was in class, and my Pinkie Sense went off, and it told me that something was wrong and I needed to find you, so I skipped out and I’ve been looking for you ever since, but you weren’t in any of the usual spots, but then I realized it was almost lunchtime and you have a free period before lunch so you might’ve come here early, and it turns out I was right!!” A cupcake was placed with glee before Sunset’s nose—something that Pinkie had been doing since she started joining the girls for lunch, especially on the days Sunset was having a harder time than normal.
The redhead sighed. “Thanks, Pinkie.” She pasted a smile on her face that she didn’t really feel, trying to convince the pink girl that everything was normal.
For a moment, it seemed to work, as Pinkie sat down across from her…until the bubbly girl scrunched her brows. “Hmmm…” She stared hard at Sunset until the former unicorn started to squirm uncomfortably. Abruptly, Pinkie Pie hopped up and bounced around the table to grab her arm. “C’mon Sunset!” Without so much as an explanation, she started dragging her towards the doors. 
“Wait…Pinkie! Where are you taking me?” she yelped, stumbling to keep up.
Pinkie Pie whipped around in the hallway and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “You and me are skipping! We have somewhere to be! Now let’s goooooo!” 
Sunset found herself at the mercy of a teenage girl who had a grip a strongman would’ve been proud of. “Wait! Skip! Pinkie, I can’t! I’m already on thin ice with the Principals! Vice Principal Luna warned me not to—”
“Don’t you worry about that!” Pinkie grinned toothily. “I took care of that already!” They burst out of the doors, Pinkie waving cheerfully at a somewhat bemused looking Celestia. “See you for detention, Principal Celestia!” And then they were off.





Sunset, still completely at a loss for what was going on, found herself dragged hither and yon to a variety of nearby shops, starting with a party supply store.  Pinkie Pie had made a huge production out of selecting her purchases, staring intently at the various party hats and noise makers with the same level of scrutiny Sunset had once attributed to wine connoisseurs in the aristocracy back in Equestria. Each package was studied, turned this way and that, most of them returned to the shelf within seconds. Any that passed Pinkie’s careful scrutiny were presented to the redhead with great ceremony for her opinion on which was best. Which was how she found herself once more with her personal space extremely violated by one Pinkamena Diane Pie, summer sky blue eyes wide with something akin to despair and horror.
“What do you mean, you’ve never had a real party before?”
She barely restrained her urge to skitter backwards, keeping it to a single step. “It was just never a big deal for me. Most of the parties I went to were as Princess Celestia’s student, and were big, fancy things. Not the kind with party hats and noisemakers and games.”
The pink girl’s expression turned slightly manic with glee. “You are in for a real treat then, Sunset Shimmer! Now tell me which of these you like more!”  Once again, packages of supplies were thrust her way, prompting Sunset to pick the one with colors she liked more, since she had absolutely no other metric for how one was different than the other.
Pinkie finished loading their basket and whisked her to the counter, presenting the goodies to the shop owner working the register. There, Sunset was witness to a curious exchange that ended with Pinkie’s supplies being bagged and presented to her, free of charge. The first store it happened at, she said nothing…but when the same thing happened at the dollar store when Pinkie loaded up on a selection of small toys,  and then at the Sugarcube Corner Bakery, she finally had to say something to the other girl to sate her curiosity. 
“…Um…why are all these places just…giving you this stuff for free?”
“Because this is a special party, silly! Come on! We still have to go set up!”
By this time, Sunset had her arms loaded with shopping bags filled with all manner of random party supplies, toys, and games. Pinkie was carrying a stack of boxes filled with baked goods, including a large cake, and they had since turned the corner into the same section of town where Sunset lived. Her heart started to race with anxious worry that Pinkie had somehow learned where she lived and that this was a setup of some kind. The tension bled away some when they bypassed her street—she managed to refrain from sighing in relief, before staring at the back of Pinkie’s head of poofy hair. “Where are we going, Pinkie Pie? This isn’t the best place to be wandering around with our arms full.” Her eyes were scanning the area warily, keeping on the lookout for the same group of thugs that she’d saved Twilight from. 
“Going? We’re here, silly! TADA!”  Pinkie leaned forward to ring the bell on the building before them. Sunset blinked, looking up at it, and noticed the sign that proclaimed it “Starlight Foundation South Canterlot Foster Home For Girls.”  A middle aged woman with dark skin and purple hair opened the door. “Hiiiii!! We’re here to set up—I’ve got all the stuff and I brought my friend Sunset with me!” Pinkie exclaimed joyfully, grinning at the woman in a way that suggested that they knew each other.
Sunset followed, confused, worried, and without any idea of what she had been dragged into. The what, it turned out, was a birthday party for a little girl of about eight or nine, which Pinkie Pie made her help set up for. The home was older, like most of the buildings in that section of the town, and it was large—Sunset was fairly sure her own loft building could fit inside it several times over without struggle, and she wondered briefly what the building had originally been built for. They were setting up the party in a dining room that had three large tables pushed to the wall to put food on and a fourth for gifts and games. Pinkie chattered at her the whole time, setup aided by three adult women that were introduced to Sunset as sisters, though she did not see even the barest hint of family resemblance between any of them.
“I do this all the time, help throw birthday parties for the kids here! It's a lot of fun and we always eat so much cake and play lots of games and I really think you’ll be surprised when they get here, Sunset! I get special permission from Principal Celestia to come do this when it falls during the week, and I told her I was gonna bring you with me today! If anyone asks, she said it counts as ‘Community Service Project Hours.’” Pinkie giggled and handed her balloons to tie to one of the chairs.
They had just finished the last of the preparations when the door to the group home opened and a group of young girls came streaming in, a woman’s voice following them. “Girls, the party isn’t going anywhere. Don’t run in the halls!”
Giggling voices called back in unison, “Yes, Miss Gem!”
And then the room was full of a dozen girls, the youngest not more than five or six, and the oldest about eleven. They all greeted Pinkie with happy familiarity, receiving party hats and favors, and it was about that time that Sunset decided to make herself less obvious in the nearest corner.  It didn’t help. Inquisitive eyes of every color found her, and a ripple of something like shock and awe went through the room. Whispering girls glanced between her and each other, conferring in hushed voices.
“…is that…?”
“I think so. I saw her once, from across the street…Daisy pointed her out to me….”
“…did she come for the party?”
“…so cool…”
“…heard she saved a girl in the park…”
“I heard it was by the Stop’n’shop…”
Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t make it stop, until someone tugged on her jacket sleeve. She looked down into a set of big brown eyes. “…’Scuse me…Are you Sunset Shimmer?” the little girl asked.  Sunset nodded slowly, not sure if this was about to end in tears or not, and the child’s face broke into a big smile as she threw her arms around Sunset in a hug. “Thank you, Miss Sunset! You stopped the mean kids and made them leave us alone! You’re the best! And you came for my birthday! This is the best present ever! Come on! I want you to sit next to me!”
Her brain caught up to reality—she had never given thought to what other people thought about her actions against the local teens who styled themselves a gang. She ran them off and stopped them for her own reasons; the prospect of a lasting reputation for it had never occurred to her in the slightest, certainly not here. The only girl from this house who knew first hand had been….Oh. She didn’t resist as the birthday girl pulled her across the room, into a knot of children all clamoring for her attention. Hugs from that many innocent bodies at once was a new experience for her, but not an entirely unwelcome one, and before she knew what was going on, she was fully immersed in the party.
The birthday girl—who informed her quite seriously that her name was Sweet Lotus and that she was nine years old that day—put a party hat on Sunset. “You can’t play the games without a party hat!”  Only after the children had decided she was suitably attired as a party guest did they pull her into the games with them. There, the first hurdle came when she realized she had no understanding of any of the games presented. 
Sweet Lotus squeezed her hand when she looked at the children in confusion, and another girl gave her a curious head tilt. “…Didn’t your parents teach you?”
Shame burned her ears, and Sunset found herself staring at her boots. “…no. I…don’t remember my parents…” The words escaped in a pained whisper before she could halt her traitorous tongue for spilling that secret to a bunch of people who could spread the information to those who would happily use it against her.
Sunset Shimmer found herself in the middle of another collective hug from the group of girls. “It’s okay, Miss Sunset,” Sweet Lotus confided in her. “I never met my daddy, and my mama died when I was little. She was very sick. I didn’t know how to play either when I got here—Green Heart—one of my sisters here—had to teach me. We can teach you to play.”
A chorus of happy voices agreed, and Sunset found herself being put through a completely new experience: a childish birthday party, playing games and blowing on noisemakers, amidst a swirl of bright colors and balloons, before they gorged themselves to bursting on party food and a cake that would have made Princess Celestia drool, surrounded by laughter and acceptance of children who thought she was some sort of superhero. She found herself laughing freely until she couldn’t breathe, tears of mirth staining her cheeks. In a lot of ways, it was the most liberating experience she’d ever had, and it pushed back the despair that she had been feeling earlier in the day.
As she and Pinkie exited into the late afternoon, Pinkie nudged her. “I told you we were going to have great fun together! Wasn’t that great?”
“…Surprisingly…yes…but Pinkie…how did you…?” Words failed her—Sunset wasn’t even a hundred percent sure she knew what she was trying to ask. It didn’t matter, though, because Pinkie Pie had an answer.
A pink head tilted, and Pinkie Pie grew uncharacteristically serious for a moment. “That’s part of the best thing about having friends, Sunset,” she informed her. “…Everyone has days where everything seems dark, lonely, and hopeless..but when you’re at your saddest, your friends will be there. They’ll help you realize it’s not so bad and help you find a reason to smile again!"  An arm went around Sunset’s shoulders, and for a moment, she would’ve sworn she felt magic again, making her check around her for a source. She found none, but as the very faint magic passed through her, she felt the warm flicker of hope reignite deep in her core.
> Chapter Nineteen: Compassion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset dragged herself through the halls, exhausted. Ever since the “Shimmer Hate” pages had started appearing in her locker, her sleep had become wracked with nightmares once more, her subconscious tormenting her with a mixture of projected hatred and her own guilt, all twisted up together into an amalgamation of self loathing. Over and over she’d seen herself as the she-demon, enacting all of the horrific deeds that others believed her capable of, many of which made her wake up gagging and racing for her bathroom. She had spent more of the last few nights awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to remember how to breathe normally than she did resting.
It left her senses dull and somewhat numb, which meant she hadn’t been quite as alert as she should have been in the halls amidst her peers. She’d been tripped twice—which resulted in at least three people trampling her hands as she tried to gather her scattered books—shoved, body-checked into a wall four different times, and almost run face first into a locker door once. Now she was trying to hug the wall and get to the locker room so she could change for gym.
Just as she was passing the short hall with the busted overhead light—the same one where she had confronted Princess Twilight what seemed like a lifetime ago—laughter echoed in her ears from a male throat and she found herself being bodily slammed forward, arms flailing as she was caught by surprise. Her attacker carried her forward by the back of her coat, pushing her with force into an open, empty locker. Her nose hit the back wall of metal, and then the lights went out as the door was shut roughly on her. 
“Hope you like metal coffins, She-Demon!” came the voice of Garble, one of the creeps at school who would have fit right in with the group that lived near her loft.
Sunset struggled to control her breathing and not panic—there was no way in the manure caked pits of Tartarus that she would give a slime like Garble that satisfaction. The locker was too small in width and depth for her, steel trapping her arms by her sides and constricting painfully on her breasts, hips, shoulders, chest, and rear.  Every instinct in her hind-brain railed at her to balk in such close quarters, feeling trapped on all sides. The former unicorn forced herself to look upwards and close her eyes, alleviating the claustrophobic feeling digging into her senses, before trying to wriggle and shimmy her body around in the locker to try and hit the door latch from the inside. 
It felt like it took forever just to turn herself enough so that her arm could shift and contort, making her whimper in pain as it felt like her shoulder would come out of joint before she could get her fingers to the mechanism. Six tries and the door finally popped open, and Sunset could breathe properly again as she practically fell out of the locker. 
The bell had already rung while the redhead had been trying to free herself, and she raced down the hall towards the locker room.  She got there without being stopped by any teachers, but even changing into her gym clothes as fast as possible didn’t stop her from still being late. Late enough that the gym coach sentenced her to running laps the entire period as punishment. He even kept her running until well after the other girls had all gone into the locker room, finally releasing her from the torture with only a few minutes before the next bell. 
Sunset groaned, staggering into an empty locker room, heading for the showers in the back. It didn’t matter if it would make her late for her art class or not—her nose was sensitive enough to the sour, foul reek of human sweat that her own body made her feel gross, and she wanted to get the scent to go away. She turned the water on and set the temperature, before moving back to start stripping out of her uniform.
Sadistic laughter and running steps caught her attention, and she caught the briefest flash of two forms: one with dark clothes, bronzed skin, and stark white hair, and the other a minty sort of green complexion with golden hair, right before something that smelled even more foul than human sweat was upended right over her, container and all tamped down on her head as her assailants fled the scene with laughter. “A present from the Wondercolts to CHS’ own Carrie, Demon-Bitch!”
The metallic tang of blood and flesh assaulted her senses, not quite fresh, as warm liquid and squishy, solid bits cascaded over her body. Shuddering and trying to hold the contents of her stomach down, Sunset pushed the huge tub off her upper body and to the tiled ground with a clatter. In the lights of the shower area, she got a look at what had been dumped on her: blood and offal, which had soaked her current garb through and left stringy bits of organs and entrails in her hair and draped over her shoulders and chest. 
There was no stopping it. Sunset went weak in the knees and threw up everything she’d eaten that day, tears running down her face. She couldn’t tell what animal the offal had come from, but the size of some of the parts suggested it had been large. She just hoped beyond measure that it was bovine and not equine, before squelching that thought and quickly stripping as much of her clothing and the gore off and into the bucket—which had ‘Griffen Meats’ stenciled plainly on the side in black—it had come from. The blood had soaked her clothing beyond help, and all of it was used as rags to clean up the gore and reeking vomit. All she could think about was how she didn’t want to get into trouble for the mess, her brain wrapped in the cottony sensation of shock.   Just clean it up, Shimmer, she told herself. One hoo—hand after the other.
Once the bulk of the mess had been cleaned up off the tile, she retreated to the shower head, scrubbing herself raw until she was certain she was completely free of gore, going over every inch of skin and hair to make sure she’d gotten every bit. She dried off with a towel she kept in her locker for the rare occasions she showered after gym, and threw her jeans and shirt back on, cringing at her lack of undergarments and how weird it felt to be in a public place without them. The former unicorn didn’t have much choice but to do so, since they had been just as ruined as her gym clothes. She chose to zip her jacket up as much as possible, then hauled the bucket of filth out the back door of the locker room so she could toss it in the dumpster behind the school.
By the time Sunset had finished cleaning the showers and herself, the day was over and she had to head in for detention. Her brain was foggy and she felt half frozen as she accepted her daily chores from Luna and she and Applejack got to work pushing brooms and emptying trash cans. She was mostly silent the entire time, her responses carefully schooled to not give away just how bad off she felt—it was nice to know her acting skills hadn’t deserted her.  By the time she bid the blonde goodbye for the afternoon, she was ready to just collapse. She lowered the hand that had waved at Applejack, taking a moment to lean on the nearby wall, when someone spoke behind her.
“So now you’ve conned AJ into doing the bulk of your work in detention with your pathetic act. I can’t say I’m too surprised, Shimmer.” Rainbow Dash’s tone was scathing and accusatory.
The former unicorn whipped around, flinching at the sudden appearance of someone who radiated displeasure and mistrust the way Rainbow was. “…I…no. That’s not it at all. She just shows up. I didn’t ask her to the first time and I don’t ask her now,” she tried to defend herself, exhaustion making it hard to put her thoughts into words.
“We both know that’s a complete load of bullshit, Shimmer,” the athlete bit out sourly. “You’re just playing one of your long games to make us let our guard down again. When we do, BAM! You’ll close the trap on us—but I’m not stupid enough to fall for your shit anymore.”  Dash took several stalking steps towards her, aggression and intimidation more than making up for the fact that she was almost half a foot shorter than Sunset Shimmer. “I’ve learned your game, you scheming bitch,” she snarled, jabbing the redhead  in the chest pointedly with a finger. “And I’m going to protect my friends from you, no matter what, you got that?”
Nostrils flaring, Sunset cringed back until she was flat against the wall, her heart racing.  “…I’m not scheming anything,” she protested, eyes watering. “…I just…I just…I’m trying to be better, really…”  She felt like a foal caught by an Ursa, her pulse thundering so loud and fast in her ears that she felt light headed and black spots danced before her eyes.  
“Better at being a manipulative, psycho she-demon, maybe! You better watch your back, Shimmer. The instant I find out what you’re up to, your ass is grass!” One more pointed jab of the finger, and Rainbow stalked off down the hallway like a scalded cat.





Fluttershy wasn’t one for confrontations. She avoided them if at all possible, and when faced with them, she often capitulated easily to keep from ruffling feathers. She was shy around strangers, and even with friends she often just melted into the background.  At the end of the day, she was always more comfortable around animals than people. Animals she understood, animals she trusted.
In spending years volunteering at the shelter, she’d learned a lot about animals, and also a lot about the things humanity was capable of. She even had a bit of a reputation among the volunteers, vet staff, and even the behavioral experts: when an animal seemed beyond hope, unable to be helped because it was too damaged by its experiences with humans, it was Fluttershy’s turn. Wild or feral or domestic didn’t seem to matter—the soft spoken girl with the pink hair could get through to them when no one else could. She’d coaxed beaten dogs and feral cats to her lap, soothed and nursed a former dancing bear back into health after it had been seized from an illegal roadside ‘circus’, calmed sharp beaked raptors and cleaned more than a few wounds and infected cuts that would have required tranquilizers for anyone else to do the same. When anyone asked her secret, she would smile and try to explain it, that it was all about learning their language and letting them come to you, but she never could fully make her point.
Still, the experiences had taught her something about abuse and neglect and how it affected its victims, knowledge she never wanted but had found handy in the most unusual of places: school. She could see its hand in the various bullies that populated first her middle school and later high school. The ways they lashed out, bit first to prevent being bitten themselves, of old hurt and pains being nursed behind a veneer of arrogance and swagger. 
Which meant she’d recognized Sunset Shimmer’s motivations from their very first encounter as bully and victim. It was one of the biggest reasons she never fought back, tried to make herself as non-threatening as possible, and for the most part, it worked. Sure, the redhead had blustered, shouted, and threatened, but she’d never gone through with her threats. Fluttershy considered that a win—words were just words, no different than a dog barking to warn you off, and while sometimes they startled or upset her, it was still just words.
It was why she had remained quiet when they’d offered the former bully a second chance, why she’d watched in silence since Sunset had started joining them for lunch. It was why she didn't agree with Rainbow Dash and her outbursts, and why she had continued to take it all in, studying Sunset’s behavior the same way she did the animals at the shelter.
Sunset had given off much of the same confusion initially that she saw in dogs when they expected to get hit and didn't for the first few times. She’d also looked at Fluttershy with shame and guilt, and actively tried to avoid her as much as possible. Fluttershy had wanted to talk to her, but between school, Sunset’s detention, her work at the shelter, and both of them having separate weekend plans, she hadn't found time to get her alone without Rainbow looking over her shoulder.
That was why she’d stayed late today, hoping to catch Sunset after detention but before she went home for the weekend. The girl seemed to be having a particularly hard week, jumpier and more on edge than she’d ever seen her, and maybe a little kindness would do her good. 
As she turned into the hall where Sunset’s locker was, she could hear the faint sound of exhausted, frustrated sobbing coupled with the squeak of liquid and metal and vigorous scrubbing. She moved slower, moving carefully to avoid startling the person making the sound, and came to a halt, horrified by what she saw.
The former bully was struggling to scrub her locker door, the whole surface marred by black ink. From her unseen vantage point, Fluttershy could read some of the ugly slurs written on the metal. Her expression morphed into a frown, and she stepped back as silently as she had come, racing to the office as quickly as she could.





After everything else that had happened today, Sunset was well and truly beyond her breaking point.  So when she started the daily ritual of scrubbing her locker clean of graffiti, it didn’t take much to push her over the edge—in this case, the stubborn refusal of permanent marker to give way to the chemical cleaner she was using.  Coupled with her exhaustion, stress, the still lingering icy numbness in her limbs, and now, building anger, the task was proving to be near impossible.  The former bully had started crying from sheer frustration some time ago and banged her fist on the metal savagely, the throb of pain a welcome ripple in the sea of despair trying to swallow her up. 
“Sunset Shimmer? What is going on here?”
She whipped around, finding both the principal and vice principal, with Fluttershy a few paces behind them. She flinched back, looking wildly between the administrators and locker door, only a bare quarter of the graffiti wiped off. Her mind was sluggish and tired and she found herself tripping over her own words.
“…I…I’m sorry…. I'm trying to keep up with it, I really am,” she babbled, strength going out of her legs. “I’ve been cleaning it every day…but there's just so much lately…and I just…I’m sorry! Please…don’t be mad…I’ll pay for it if I need to…” Words failed her as the two woman frowned, exchanging looks with one another, and she was afraid that she had incurred their ire.
The tears fell faster, and she curled in on herself against her locker, crying tiredly into her hands. She was so worn and distressed that she almost missed the building pressure of her magical senses flickering. What she didn’t miss was Fluttershy, who had stepped from her place behind the administrators and dropped next to her, arms going around Sunset’s shoulders. The normally timid girl hugged her tightly, drawing her into a warm embrace and rocking her like a foal. 
“Shhh…” the soft voice whispered soothingly in her ear. “Its okay. You don't have to be afraid—you haven’t done anything wrong. They aren’t upset with you. Deep breaths. Let it all out, and just tell us what happened.”
Sunset hiccuped and wept, the story coming out in bits and pieces, how she’d started finding messages scrawled on her locker after the dance, simple and few at first, how she kept cleaning them up, each day, how they'd gotten more and more complex at the end of each day. When she admitted to seeing it as part of her punishment, Fluttershy’s grip tightened and she spoke with quiet, firm steel in her voice for the first time in the years Sunset had known her.
“Sunset Shimmer, I want you to look at me right now.”
She tilted her head to look at the girl she had bullied for years, and found herself trapped by the intensity in those eyes. 
“Now listen to me. No one deserves this—this isn’t punishment or penance. It’s meanness and spite, just to hurt someone. It doesn’t matter what you think you’ve done—this is hate.” Fluttershy produced a tissue from her pocket and wiped the redhead’s face. “All this? The people doing it are worse than you ever were.  It’s why I went and got Principal Celestia.”
“I…I don’t understand…I treated you worse than anyone in school! Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to help me?” She didn’t understand how Fluttershy could just…let everything go.
“I forgave you a long time ago, Sunset…and you needed me to care today. Everyone needs a little kindness sometimes, no matter how tough they appear.”
Warm magic passed through Sunset and vanished, but it took some of her hurt with it, and she hugged Fluttershy back. “I’m sorry for everything I did to you,” she confessed. 
“I know. That’s why you were avoiding me—but you don’t have to. You’re sorry and I’ve forgiven you. We can move on now, and we can try to be friends?” 
Sunset gave her a watery smile. “I…I’d like that.” 
Throat clearing turned their attention to Luna and Celestia. The Vice-Principal was inspecting the locker. “And this is happening daily, you say? Do you have any idea as to who?” Sunset shook her head. “Hmm. First things first, I am assigning you a new locker, one closer to the office and in view of the cameras. Second, you are not responsible for anyone else defacing school property. If it happens again, you are to report it to me. Understand? Fluttershy is correct—you deserve to suffer consequences for your past crimes, but this is not a justified punishment. It is nothing more than that petty revenge.”
Sunset nodded dumbly, her emotions too overloaded to do anything else. Right now, she just wanted to get out of the school, get on her bike, and drive to Twilight’s house. After the way the week had spiraled out of control, all she wanted was to hold Twilight in her arms in the safety of Twilight’s bedroom. 
Celestia looked at her with concern, while Luna studied the graffiti closer. “Are you going to be okay, Sunset?” she asked gently. The image of the human was overlaid for a brief moment by the mare she’d known.
“Yes ma’am,” she answered, feeling drained. “I just want to go home,” she added, and realized with a weird sense of fuzziness to her brain that Twilight’s house was becoming just as much home as her loft was. “Can I go home now?” The question came out in a small voice, making her sound more like a tentative foal than a near adult.
The sisters exchanged looks, and Celestia nodded. “Come by the office Monday morning for a new locker assignment. Go home, Sunset, and try to get some rest. You look tired. Fluttershy, will you make sure she gets to her vehicle?”
The pink haired girl scooped up Sunset’s messenger bag along with her own backpack and walked with her all the way to her bike. As Sunset moved to put her helmet on, she looked at the other girl. “….thank you, Fluttershy.”
> Interlude IV: Stand For, Stand Against
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Rainbow Dash was not having a good weekend.  It had started put okay, with plans in her head to enter the showcase, maybe roping Applejack and Rarity to join her on bass and a keyboard. They’d had some fun with that in middle school band and it would be neat to see if they could still jam with each other, especially if they could find someone to round them out on drums. She’d managed to get in a scrimmage with some of the guys and girls who were on the team last year too, and her team had totally kicked serious ass! And the cherry on top was being able to call out Sunset Shimmer on her games and make the tyrannical bully know that Rainbow was watching her; the others may have fallen for her act but Rainbow Dash knew that leopards didn’t change their spots.  Her Friday had been great! 
But then the text came, a message to not just her, but the other girls in her circle of reunited friends. Reading the words almost made her drop the phone, fear and anger lancing through her in equal parts. 
-Girls, I need you to come over if you can. It’s an emergency.-
The message had been sent by Fluttershy.





Rainbow thundered up the driveway at a dead sprint, ignoring the painful burn in her lungs and the agony gouging deep into her side like a chunk of broken glass. She leapt over Rarity’s car hood in a move she would have crowed about under better circumstances, landing inches from a collision with Applejack as she was getting out of the passenger side.
“Consarnit, Rainbow!” she growled.
The athlete didn’t waste time with words—she hurled herself up the three familiar steps and didn’t even stop to ring the bell—she shouldered the door open, past Fluttershy's startled parents, and raced up the stairs three at a time.
She vaguely heard Rarity scolding her or Applejack apologizing for her downstairs. Getting to her oldest friend was more important than anything. Her fist banged sharply on Fluttershy’s bedroom door, the pattern of two and then three from their earliest days done as habit.
The door swung inward, Pinkie Pie pulling her in as she all but collapsed, barely able to breathe. “…Shy…Got here…fast as i could…what…emergency? …who did it..? …’ll break their face…” 
Fluttershy frowned and handed her a half full water bottle. “Rainbow Dash, you didn’t run all the way here, did you? Oh dear.” 
Rainbow Dash took it, guzzling the cool fluids and internally sighed in relief as it soothed the ragged feeling of her throat. “…Emergency…You don’t…say that for…no reason…you called…I came…”
“I didn’t mean for you to nearly hurt yourself to get here. It’s just…something happened today and you all need to hear about it.”
Applejack plopped herself down on the floor near the bed, and Rarity took time to close the door behind her before sitting on Fluttershy’s other side—the one not occupied by Rainbow’s panting upper half. Pinkie was entertaining herself by slowly spinning in Fluttershy’s desk chair, though even the pink party planner seemed a little worried and subdued—the way she wasn’t bouncing off the walls or saying much at all suggested just how concerned she was.
“What happened, darling?” Rarity put a comforting arm around the soft spoken girl’s shoulders. “You’ve been crying. Please, talk to us.”
“It’s…Something terrible happened today with Sunset Shimmer,” she admitted tearfully, and Rainbow saw red.
“WHAT?!” She was on her feet, swaying woozily. “I knew that bitch was playing another one of her games! Shitty people don’t change! They don’t magically accept friendship and love and become better people! I’ll fucking bury her up to her neck and use her head for soccer practice!” 
“Rainbow…” 
She was dimly aware of shouting, of strong hands on her arms trying to pull her back to the floor. “I fucking warned her—if she messed with my friends, I’d make her sorry!” She tried to shove Applejack out of her way, but the farmer used it to finally get her in a firm hold and force her to the ground.  
“Rainbow…” the soft voice was louder this time.
“Let go of me, Applejack! I’m gonna finish what that first rainbow started with that ugly, she-demon bitch!”
“Rainbow Dash! Stop this right now!” 
The entire room went silent, four pairs of eyes staring at Fluttershy. The timid girl blushed, and continued in a quieter volume. “Sunset Shimmer didn’t do anything to me. It’s what’s being done to her that I wanted to talk to you about. Sunset is being bullied.”
“I…what?” Rainbow gawked, and felt AJ let go of her. Surely Fluttershy wasn’t talking about her confrontation with Shimmer after the former she-demon finished her detention. That wasn’t bullying—she was only making it clear that she didn’t trust Sunset Shimmer any further than she could toss her.
“Bullied? Good heavens, darling—how?”
“People have been using marker and writing horrible things on her locker for weeks, every day.” Fluttershy’s eyes teared up. “I stayed after because I wanted to talk to her—she’s been avoiding me, and I wanted to let her know I forgave her. I thought it might help.” She wiped her eyes on a tissue. “I found her crying in the hall, trying to clean her locker.”
“Ah had no idea…she never said anythin’, doesn’ give any hint of it when Ah help with her detention. Sure, some days she looked a mite tired, but Ah always figgered she had a job on nights an’ weekends ta pay bills, ya know?” Applejack took off her hat, resting battered leather in her lap. “Ah get tired like that sometimes mahself, especially durin’ harvest, an’ Ah never saw her locker. Always parted from detention so ah could get home an’ do mah own chores.”
“She is always in a good mood when I talk to her in the mornings,” Rarity admitted. “Like Monday, she was practically glowing, and told me that she’d had a wonderful weekend. Even this morning, as tired as she looked, she was smiling. Though I have noticed the erratic bouts of tiredness too. She mentioned poor sleep once.” She frowned. “But never has she mentioned being harassed.”
“Sometimes her smiles are fake,” Pinkie Pie said suddenly and with great conviction. She had a look of intense concentration on her face. “Not the Monday morning ones—those are good smiles, ones that mean she’s super happy. But sometimes, when she comes to lunch…those are fake smiles, the kind that hide things so people don’t worry about you. Its why I keep giving her cupcakes and hugs—it makes the fake smiles real, and she laughs and I know she knows she has friends now.” Her hair wilted from its cotton candy state into straighter strands. “I just thought it was because she was thinking about how she used to be a meanie, not because other people were being meanies to her…”
Fluttershy played with her hair. “It wasn’t just mean. I read some of it—these were horrible things…and the drawings were even worse.” With halting words and lots of blushing and apologies, the animal lover repeated some of what she had read, leaving Rarity aghast, Applejack angry, and Pinkie Pie even more like a wilted flower than before.  “Not only that, but…” Fluttershy’s tears started flowing again. “…Sunset had her jacket zipped up all the way, like she was trying to hide something…I’m worried maybe it’s more than just people saying and writing nasty things to her.”
For her part, Rainbow was quiet. She was having a hard time wrapping her brain around Sunset being bullied to the point of tears, that the former queen of the school wasn’t just playing a long game. That image and belief was starting to run into problems, and she scrambled, trying to explain it to herself.
“That’s not even the worst part,” Fluttershy went on, after they composed themselves a few minutes later. “She thought it was justified punishment—it’s why she’s kept it to herself. She’s been making herself read it all, every day, and then scrub her locker clean so they can do it all again the next day.”
“An’ none of us knew…” Applejack tipped her head back, eyes clenched shut. Rarity reached over, resting a hand on the blonde head for a long moment, blue eyes filled with tears.
“Twilight asked us to look after her, girls,” Fluttershy said. “To teach her friendship and how to be a good person, to help her get better.” She pressed her face into her palms. “We haven’t been doing a very good job.”
The statement hit them like a freight train, even Rainbow. It had been the one real promise Twilight Sparkle had asked of them before she went back to her home beyond the portal. “You’ll look out for her, wont you?” she had asked, almost as if she’d been unwilling to leave if she couldn’t find someone to entrust Sunset with. Guilt sat heavy in their hearts—the one promise they’d made, and they had failed spectacularly.





The weekend had gone downhill from there. Friday night had seen them leaving late from Fluttershy’s after several long hours of brainstorming on how to fix their mistakes. Rainbow Dash had remained silent and brooding through it all, guilt at war with her conviction that Shimmer hadn’t really changed and she needed to protect her friends. She’d shuffled in her front door at almost midnight and gotten an earful from her parents about not calling them to let them know where she was.  That meant grounding and chores Saturday and most of Sunday. She’d also dug her old guitar out of the attic and found that it was beyond hope of repair, so the money she’d been saving was going to have to go towards a new one if she wanted to start playing again.
That left her here, kicking a ball against a tree in the park repeatedly, trying to decide what to do. Could she trust Shimmer enough to give her a chance? Was it wrong not to? And the bullying—all else aside, whether she liked Shimmer or not…she loathed bullying. Was it really right to ignore it when it happened to a bully? She’d heard and seen some of it—name-calling, dirty looks, the occasional paper ball…even a few times when someone had bumped her none-too-gently in the hall…but she really felt a lot of it was Shimmer getting a taste of her own medicine. Now, though, she wondered…was that really justified, or was it just bullying turned in a different direction? …and more than that, what did it make her, if she’d been turning a blind eye to it?
“Rainbow Dash!” The call was one of desperate relief, and she caught the ball before turning to face Scootaloo. 
“Hey, kid. How’s it going?” She offered a grin, one that faltered when she got a good look at Scoots face. “Whoa. What’s wrong?”
The girl looked at her like she was carrying the weight of the world on her back, and Dash guided her to a seat on the grass. “Hey. Come on. We’re like sisters, you can tell me anything.”
“It's about Sunset Shimmer. I…don’t know what to do, Rainbow Dash. She’s not as bad as everyone thinks—she never was, and yeah, I get some people are mad, but it's just…they’ve gone too far, and I don’t know what to do!”
More about Shimmer? Great, just what her weekend needed. “Look, Scoots, if this is about the stuff on the locker, Fluttershy said the principals already took care of it.”
The younger teen shook her head. “Not on the locker, in it! And the MyStable page!”
MyStable page? What? Confused, she handed Scootaloo a soda from her bag. “Okay, kid. Start at the beginning. What stuff in the locker, what webpage? And what do you mean she’s never been as bad as we thought?”
“Sunset’s not always mean. She saved me once, from getting mugged. There’s these kids that hang around near Starlight House, and they steal from places and beat people up for their money and stuff. They used to be a real problem, trying to take stuff from kids at the home, beat them up, right? But when they cornered me a few years ago, Sunset stopped them. She beat them up and told them to leave the kids in the home alone! And whenever they try stuff, if she’s nearby, she makes them stop! I even heard she beat them up good here in the park for attacking a girl!” Scootaloo opened the soda and took a drink. “She knows how to fight, and she’s good at it, too…but she never hit anyone in school. And she made Snips and Snails stop picking on Applebloom about her parents—called them away to do something else. She did mean things, but she did nice things too. Miss Gem said maybe she was mean because she was scared and being mean kept people from hurting her.”
Her head spun from the information, and the picture she had of Sunset started to crack and crumble. “And the locker?”
Scootaloo scowled. “People have been leaving notes in her locker—I see her sometimes, before lunch, reading them and throwing them away. I pulled some out of the trash—it's awful, telling her how no one wants her and how they wish she’d go and never come back. Some even tell her they're sad she’s not dead! And then someone printed out pages from a MyStable page and put them there.” The girl looked guilty. “I followed her to the bathroom and she was crying, Rainbow Dash! Just reading and crying, and she threw them away afterward, and I took them and I read them and it’s just—it’s awful and I don't know what to do! All the names are blacked out so I can't even turn them in!”
Dash narrowed her eyes. “Do you have the pages?”
“Yes…”
“Give them here.” She held out a hand, and the younger girl passed her a stack of papers that had been folded many times. “I’ll take care of this, little buddy, don't worry. Just…don't tell anyone about it for now, okay?”
The head bobbed quickly in a nod. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash! I knew you’d know what to do!”
She got to her feet and offered Scootaloo a hand up. “Anytime…and Scoots? Thanks. You helped me today too.”





It was early Monday morning when she received he message that her account had been given access to the group, and she scrolled through it, carefully putting her plan into motion. It took a few hours time, but missing her first three classes was worth it.  This needed to end—and she would do what she should’ve done all along.
At eleven thirty Monday morning, Rainbow Dash strode into the school, her eyes hard with fierce conviction as she sent a group text of her own. 
-Principal’s office. Now. Emergency.-
> Chapter Twenty: Stand By You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset stared at the clock, desperately wishing the day was over. Moving lockers that morning had been a chore.  She’d had to haul all of her books and notebooks across the school in a cardboard box, and while the locker was in much better condition than her previous one—not to mention in full view of one of the school’s security cameras—all she could feel was a building sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. Would the graffiti and the notes follow her to her new locker? Were her possessions even safe there?  Gilda and someone she thought was probably Lightning Dust had already proven that they were willing to go to extreme lengths to punish her as they saw fit. How long before one of them filled her locker with something unpleasant?
She was still wrapping her head around the concept that she didn’t deserve what the other students were doing to her—after all she’d been and done, she still felt like she did. She had been the one to spend so long tormenting them, she had been the one that ruled the school like a mad queen, she had destroyed happiness and friendships for her own gain, and she’d violated their minds in the worst way imaginable. In the end, Sunset was responsible for the anger, hate, and animosity they felt for her, and didn’t they deserve the right to make her know how they felt, to express even a fraction of the suffering she had spent years putting them through?  Besides, as much as they hated her, it couldn’t hold a candle to how much she hated herself; even Twilight’s gentle touch and affectionate kisses couldn’t dispel her self-loathing, and the dark haired girl had certainly tried her best.
The redhead kept pulling her phone out to read the messages from her girlfriend, to let the warmth wash away some of the knot of negativity in her chest, or to drown out the way she could practically feel the hate radiating off her schoolmates to press in on her.  That morning had been particularly bad—at times, it had felt like she was being suffocated, her stomach churning and twisting in response to the feeling of being unable to properly breathe. Some dim part of her mind wondered if that’s what a panic attack felt like to Twilight.
Abruptly, the door to the classroom slammed open with a violent bang, making the whole study hall jump and Sunset almost come out of her own skin.  Every head in the room turned to see who had thrown the door open so forcefully, only to watch as a scowling Rainbow Dash marched into the room, expression thunderous.  The soccer star pushed past the teacher for the study hall none too gently to arrive at Sunset’s desk. Cringing back, the former unicorn stared as Rainbow reached down and grabbed Sunset’s bag and held it open to her. “Grab your shit, Shimmer. We’re going to the office.” The voice was sharp, commanding, and it left her feeling like the ground was falling out from under her.  When she tried to speak, the athlete gave a tight shake of her head. “I’m not asking. Let’s go.”
Terror bloomed in her, her hind-brain screaming at her to bolt with animal instincts still shaped by the world she’d been born to. Run, get away, flee… she swallowed them, and followed after Dash on shaking legs, oblivious to the teacher trying to stop them or the malicious, gleeful whispers from the students.  Sunset wracked her brain, trying to figure out what she could have possibly done to infuriate Rainbow Dash like this, or what someone could have possibly said to cause such a reaction. When the realization hit her, she had to swallow several times to keep her stomach and its contents in place.  There was only one thing she could think of that would make the athlete this mad without her knowing: she had been found out. Someone had to have seen her with Twilight and told Rainbow Dash about it.  Fear and fury waged war in her heart over the knowledge that her worries were right—they were going to try and take the one bright spot in her life away from her.
—Like Tartarus they will, horn-head! You’re not going to give up without a fight, are you?—
Sunset braced herself for the inevitable confrontation that she knew was coming—Stupid Little Voice was right. She’d told herself she’d do anything to protect her bond with the human world’s Twilight Sparkle, and while she didn’t want it to turn ugly, she would weather the coming storm, the yelling, the accusations, anything that would be thrown her way in order to keep that part of her life safe. Yet all she was encountering from Rainbow Dash was silence and the pressure building painfully in her skull that screamed magic was growing nearby. 
Their group of two became a group of six when she stepped with Rainbow into the office.  Raven Inkwell looked up from her phone call with an arched eyebrow, and the other four girls were looking to Rainbow with expressions of confusion and worry.  Sunset found her fear rising again—if they didn’t already know, there was no telling how Rainbow Dash would present the situation to them.  
Applejack stepped forward, taking in the raw fury on Dash’s face and the way Sunset had gone pale and shaken, opening her mouth to speak. “…Rainbow, what in tarnation is this all about?! Draggin’ us in here, tellin’ us it’s an emergency, an’ then showin’ up like this? Sunset looks ‘bout ready ta keel over!”  Rarity had already stepped over to the redhead, placing a comforting hand on her forearm, brow creased with what Sunset could now recognize as concern.
Rainbow Dash said nothing in response to her friend, instead stalking up to the doors of both Principal and Vice-Principal and banging loudly on them. The former unicorn felt all the blood leave her face, like water going right down a drain, and swayed dizzily. The pressure of magic on her mind increased, almost drowning out the feeling of the farmer and the designer holding her up by the arms and keeping her from kissing the floor painfully. Sunset was already on thin ice with the administrators, and she didn’t want to lose what little trust she’d managed to gain from them. Breath…why couldn’t she seem to get enough of it? She was choking and suffocating again, her chest feeling tight and compressed as pain built at the center of her forehead, phantom agony in a horn she didn’t have.
Fluttershy’s worried face filled her spotty vision, her soft voice breaking through the haze. “…Sunset…you need to breathe, please…We’re here with you. Whatever happened, you aren’t alone.”
“She’s right, darling,” Rarity agreed as the echoing bangs faded. “…I don’t know why Rainbow Dash is upset, but we are certainly not going to leave you to fend for yourself in whatever is going on.”
Almost as one, both doors opened, revealing both Luna and Celestia. The sisters looked put out at having been rudely interrupted, with Luna in particular turning a sour expression on Rainbow Dash. The athlete stared defiantly at both educators, before herding the group of girls into Celestia’s office without even asking for permission, hooking the older woman’s arm on the way and pulling her along firmly. “We need to talk. You too, VP. You’re gonna want to be here for this shit.”
Sunset shook as she heard the door shut firmly behind Luna, the low clack of wood against frame reverberating like a death knell to her. Like everyone else, she was staring at Rainbow, oscillating between almost blind panic and blazing anger, with just a tiny measure of bewilderment thrown in. Why such a production over her being with Twilight? The…ridiculousness of it all was starting to break through her veil of panic, and she searched the room for any indication that anyone else had any idea of what was happening.
“Miss Dash,” Luna began, a barely contained tempest in her tone, “what is this all about?”
Rainbow pulled a thick stack of papers from her backpack, only to start spreading them across the principal’s desk for everyone to see, each page carefully numbered. Sunset caught sight of the header for the “Shimmer Hate” group, her eyes going wide. How had Dash learned about it?   She looked away, not needing to look at the papers to see the words that where already seared into her mind. 
“Oh my heavens,” Rarity gasped, her hand shifting from the redhead’s arm to go around her back in a hug. Applejack, on Sunset’s other side, growled something that might have been agreement if it didn’t sound like it had been made by an angry bear. Warmth seeped into her from the arm on her back.
The sound of a palm slapping the papers interrupted.  “This is what this is about,” Dash rasped. “I got it all. Every single post, in order from when it started until today, the full member list, the admins of the group—I even printed copies of each user’s profile pages so they could be identified.” A second stack hit the desk’s surface with a heavy thud, and Sunset looked up again, her whole body trembling.  She could see a profile picture staring up at her.  Everyone else was leaning forward, reading what they could make out, faces painted with dismay.
“…This page is downrigh’ disgustin’,” Applejack snarled. “T’ain’t no way ta talk about someone, an’ ain’t the way ya air dirty laundry neither, especially iffin the person can’t even defend themselves from what’s bein’ said.” She, too, shifted her grip on Sunset, draping a muscular arm around her shoulders.
Pinkie’s eyes were sorrowful, her hair hanging perfectly straight and still down her back. “…they want Sunset to hurt herself, and they’re laughing about it…Laughter is supposed to be fun, to make people happy and bring them together…not tear them down and tear them apart…” Her lip trembled, and from one moment to the next she went from the desk to behind Sunset, arms going around her waist in a tight hug that for once didn’t make the former unicorn want to lash out with a kicking foot. Every bit of added contact with the girls she had started to see as friends sent a flicker of magic through her that leeched off some of the pain in her skull. 
Fluttershy said very little, her eyes reading over one of the printouts, face wet with tears. Wordlessly, she set the page back down so she could step close to Sunset and grab her hand to squeeze it, the touch sending soothing, warm tingles of magic up her arm, acting like a balm on hurts Sunset had just gotten used to ignoring. 
Rainbow’s eyes followed the movements of her oldest friend, and her previous expression of anger gave way to guilt.  “You were right, Fluttershy. We failed. I let my friends down, and in the worst way.” She turned to Sunset, who felt fear and panic giving way to stunned confusion. “I should’ve had your back—you needed it most of all, and I couldn’t see what was right in front of me because I was too busy living in the past. I was supposed to help you learn about being a good friend, and I screwed that up. I’m sorry, Sunset.” 
Rainbow Dash was sorry? She was apologizing? To her. Sunset Shimmer. This had to be some sort of weird dream—that was the only reasonable explanation she could think of for why this was happening. 
Sunset was ripped from her thoughts when the Principal made a sound of anger and disgust in her throat. “I have never been more appalled by anything in my entire life.  This page is atrocious,” she said, her voice deadly soft as she turned to her sister. “Luna, this needs to be dealt with now.” A shiver rippled through the former unicorn, the tone dredging up a hundred memories of the Princess commanding the guard or staring down at her when she’d done something wrong.
The assistant principal was scowling at the papers and what she saw, something dark in her eyes. “How exactly did you come across this social media group, Rainbow Dash?” she asked pointedly, pinning the athlete with a gaze that sucked heat right out of the air.
Dash seemed unconcerned, glowering at the pages. “Someone I know tipped me off this weekend, and I sent a request. I wanted to make things right, so I skipped this morning to print all this out.  I’ll take the detention for it—I’d take a week’s worth if I had to, because it was worth it.” Her expression was savage. “There is one more thing I need to do to make this right though.”
She joined the other girls crowding around Sunset, finding a space opposite Fluttershy and in front of Applejack where she could loop her arm through the stunned redhead’s, the other holding her phone out. “…Squish together a bit. I want Sunset in the middle.”  
The other girls crowded even closer, Pinkie already dancing in place as she stretched up on tip toes to peer over Sunset’s shoulder, and Fluttershy’s smile suggesting that at least one of them already knew what Rainbow Dash meant to do. Sunset could feel their arms and hands providing support and strength, more of that magical feeling warmth like what she felt at Twilight’s house filling her up and driving out some of the pain and fear that gripped icy fingers around her heart.  A hint of a smile broke out on her face, and Pinkie mushed their cheeks together. “That’s a real smile,” she stage whispered like it was some sort of grave secret.
The phone’s camera flashed, and Rainbow fiddled with it for a moment. It responded with a cheerful sounding chirp, and the savage grin on her face grew even fiercer. “There.” She turned the screen so that the girls could all see it. There was a brand new post at the top of the “Shimmer Hate Page”—a full sized, high resolution photo of the group of girls gathered around Sunset like a protective vanguard, the former bully in the middle with a crooked, somewhat hesitant smile forming on her face as if she almost didn’t believe what was going on, and a decisive caption beneath:
“Sunset’s one of us.”
The magic was ringing in her ears like the echo of a thunderclap, and Sunset sank into the arms still holding her up as the pressure on her head started to equalize, despite the magic still brushing her senses. “I…I thought you hated me…” she whispered to the soccer player, tears forming in her eyes and threatening to spill over. It was something she had become even more convinced of the Friday before and the confrontation after detention.  “So why…?” 
“Because it was the right thing to do. That page? That page was bullshit—even I could tell half that shit’s made up for the shock value.” Rainbow shook her head, ignoring the frowns sent her way by the two adults in the room. “I didn’t want to admit we were supposed to be your friends, that we were supposed to look out for you and help you. I fought it, got stuck in what you used to be like, in all the things you did to us before, and I couldn’t see how you’re not the same as you were before Twilight came. Like I said, you were the friend who needed me the most and I let you down. I didn’t have your back like I should have—I was just as bad as some of the people on that page. I yelled at you, called you names, threatened you, and you didn’t deserve any of that.” The soccer star hung her head in shame. “…I was supposed to help you learn how to be a good friend and all I did was be a total bitch to you and turn a blind eye to some of what I saw, because I wanted you to have a taste of your own medicine. I fucked up, Sunset, and I’m sorry it took something like that page for me to see it.”
Pinkie perked up, trying to find that silver lining in the situation.  “…At least it was a private group, and you haven’t had to see all the mean things they were writing, Sunset!”
There was a loud and derisive sound from the colorful athlete. “Try again, Pinkie Pie,” she told the party planner sourly. “…It wasn’t enough for them to talk behind Sunset’s back with all of this awful bitching. They’ve been printing this shit out and sticking in places for Sunset to find. It’s how I found out.” Dash frowned, looking at Sunset again. “I was reminded by someone that you helped that while you might’ve been Queen Bitch before, you never crossed lines like they are. Sure, you played games and used people against each other but you never suggested someone would be better off killing themselves, or went for things that would really hurt someone…”
Sunset stared, unsure of how to reply. She had been a horrible, terrible monster, yet now she was being told by the one person who had mistrusted her and despised her the most that she hadn’t been that bad? That what she was on the receiving end of was somehow a greater crime than she had committed? “…but…I did horrible things…I tried…I tried to kill you all. I took over everyone’s minds…How can you say all that?”
Luna’s voice interjected. “…Miss Shimmer, I must concur with Miss Dash. While your behavior prior to the Fall Formal was…unpleasant and ugly, it hardly possessed this level of cruelty and malice. As far as I am aware,” here the Vice-Principal lifted one of the pages off the desk, “you never told any one that you desired they ‘leap from the tallest building in Canterlot into rush hour traffic,’ or any other such extreme examples as are…somewhat readily apparent here among these printouts. I assure you, had you perpetrated any of this kind of destructive and dangerous bullying, you would have been expelled from this building long before you had the opportunity to make trouble at the dance.”
“But now they’ll know,” Sunset found herself saying to Dash, still stunned by this turn of events. “What if they decide to bother you now too because you’re all saying you’re my friends? What if they try to hurt you too?”
Dash punched her fist against her palm. “Let them give it their best shot. I don’t care what they say or think about me. I did the right thing.” She exhaled, moving to stand in front of Sunset, and placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Twilight called me Loyalty, right? Loyalty isn’t just about sticking by someone. Loyalty is also about remaining true to yourself and what you believe in, even if it costs you everything. After all, if you can’t be loyal to yourself…then how can you hope to be loyal to anyone else?” 
The others stared at Dash for a moment in disbelief, and she made a face. “What? I’m not an egghead, but I’m not stupid!”
Rarity cleared her throat, and from the movement Sunset could hear, she exchanged one of those long looks with Applejack. Both of them tightened their hugs at the same time.  “All other commentary aside, Sunset, darling, Rainbow Dash is right. Let them say or do what they will—we will stand by you regardless, and if they have an issue with that, we will handle it as it comes.”
“Eeeeyup,” drawled the farmer on her other side. “’Sides, Ah’d like ta seem ‘em try ta get physical with us. That’d be funnier’n Mac in one o’ Granny’s old dresses—t’ain’t noone in this school that’s stronger’n an Apple. Ah’d just sit on ‘em ‘til they cried uncle.” A pause, with another squeeze around the redhead’s shoulders. “That goes fer ya too, Sunset. They come at ya where Ah kin see, an’ they gonna hafta deal with me.” It wasn’t an empty threat either—the Apple siblings, especially the older two, had a bit of a reputation for being almost unnaturally strong when the need arose.
Sunset knew she wasn’t imagining it, the feeling of magic that shouldn’t have existed in the human world.  It was soaking the air around her, racing over her skin like a million tiny electrical sparks as it discharged into the air, but she was at a loss to explain why it was happening. Still, standing in the office, surrounded and held by the five girls who had once stood against her, Sunset couldn’t focus on anything other than how good she felt inside, the knot of self-hate shrinking under the warm hug and sense of belonging she was starting to feel.  The smile that had started to form on her face became a full grin and then a laughing one, happy tears pricking at the corner of her eyes as she reached out to hug them back.
> Chapter Twenty One: Tipping Point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





While the girls were basking in friendship and camaraderie, the two administrators continued to look over the evidence presented to them, murmuring in hushed voices and making notations on their own notepads. Luna had already started collecting the papers, and wiggled the stack of pages at her sister. “I am going to cross reference the timestamps with the calendar, and see which ones were likely posted using the school’s network—that, if nothing else, is something I can use as justification for suspension or detention—cyberbullying and making threats against a student is definitely a violation of the Use Agreement. I am also going to try and match profiles to students. If we can do that, that should give your assembly that much more punch.” She frowned. “This is not the whole school, Tia, but this site has over a hundred members. That is a measurable portion of our population. I feel like I am going to be calling a lot of parents.” The younger sister took the papers and headed for her office.
Once she was gone, Celestia cleared her throat. “Okay, ladies. I’m very proud of how you’re all handling this, but Rainbow Dash, Sunset, I need you both to stay behind for a little bit so I can get ask you some questions. The rest of you, I believe the lunch bell will be ringing soon, so why don’t you go get Raven to write you passes and you can go back to class.”
After the other girls had filed out, Celestia addressed the athlete first. “I applaud you bringing this evidence to us, Rainbow Dash—you have given us a great deal of material we can use to stop this at its source and actually mete out consequences to the guilty parties without the more clever among them having the opportunity to cover their tracks. That showed amazing forethought and planning on your part, though I am not happy that you skipped the first half of the school day to do so.”
Rainbow gave the Principal a defiant stare. “…I had to make it right, and it couldn’t wait. If that means punishment, I’m cool with that.”
“So you said. You said a few other things that concerned me as well, like the knowledge that someone else has been printing these pages out and ‘placing them for Sunset to find?’ How did you come by that knowledge?”
The athlete looked at Sunset, who was watching her intently. She was also curious how Dash had found out about it, and when.  “….Scoots told me. She saw Sunset find the pages in her locker, and followed her to the bathroom. She…” Her eyes looked away as Sunset felt her face flush with shame, knowing what was coming next now. “…She said she heard Sunset crying in the bathroom, and she threw the pages away on the way out. Scoots fished them out of the trashcan, and brought them to me this weekend because she didn’t know what else to do. She said it was only one of a bunch of nasty things being left in the locker that she’d seen Sunset throw away.”  Sunset put her face in her hands, her ears burning and her cheeks hot, and Rainbow Dash put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing firmly. 
Principal Celestia made a noise in her throat. “…I see. I’ll talk to Scootaloo later today then, for her version of the story.” Then her voice sharpened. “…I also want to know what you meant by having threatened Sunset yourself.”
Dash hung her head.  “I told her that I didn’t believe she was trying to change. That it was all another of her games, and that I was going to find out what the game was. I told her that when I did, I’d finish what the other rainbow started.”
The former unicorn looked up. “…you didn’t say anything everyone else wasn’t thinking,” she pointed out. “…I’m a monster who did terrible things to everyone. I…understood why you didn’t trust me, why you wanted to protect your friends.” Blue-green eyes sought Celestia’s. “…Don’t punish her for that, please…”
The older woman smiled gently, bringing to her mind the same smile on a mare’s face. “…No one is being punished, Sunset—but there are consequences for actions. Something I believe Rainbow Dash understands.” 
“Totally!  I made the right choice, though, and if that means I get in trouble, I get in trouble. I’m not going to back down.” She grinned at Sunset. “…There’s a reason we all love Principal Celestia—she doesn’t play favorites for anyone.  I fucked up, cornering you in the hall and then skipping school this morning because I wanted to put stuff right for you and with you. Now I own up to that, and get consequences, because she can't make an exception just because I'm your friend—it wouldn't be fair, but it also means that that happens with everyone, and it means they won’t  get away with bullying you.”
Bewildered, and feeling more lost in this world than she had since she arrived, Sunset looked between them. “…but Dash…you were doing something you guys are saying is good…Why are there ‘consequences’ for that?” Sometimes, it seemed the more she learned about humans, the more confused she became, the more differences she saw between this world and the one she’d been born in. “…why punish someone for doing something right?”
Celestia watched her for a moment, understanding flickering to life in her eyes. “Because that’s how a good teacher, parent, or guardian for young people in this world operates, Sunset.  Rainbow Dash did the right thing, but the way she went about doing it was not the best.  It’s my job to make sure she understands that in a tangible way, so that if a similar situation arises in the future, she will weigh how she wants to approach it, and perhaps make a better choice, or she may decide that the consequences of the choice are worth it.”
“Which they were. I needed to make things right with a friend.”
A bemused head shake, and the Principal addressed the soccer player. “…worth it or not, you have a week of detention, Rainbow Dash. One day for skipping your morning classes, and the others for harassing another student on the premises. Now get Raven to write you a pass, and go to lunch.” The athlete saluted cheekily and headed to the door. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash?” When the girl turned back towards the administrator, Celestia admonished her. “…Do try to curb your language next time in front of authority figures. I let it slide today because of the circumstances, but in the future it will mean more detention and a possible call to your parents.” Sheepishly, Rainbow nodded, before slipping out of the office.





Celestia waited for the sound of Rainbow and Raven speaking beyond the door to fade, leaving her alone and in silence with Sunset Shimmer for the first time since their somewhat emotional encounter during Sunset’s panic attack. The pale skinned woman took the time to study the teen, watching her face grow anxious again, blue-green eyes flicking between her and the door, as if she was weighing whether or not she could get away with bolting from the room.  Keeping her voice even and soft, Celestia offered what she hoped was a kind smile. “You are not in any trouble, Sunset. I did want to talk to you though, to get to the heart of what has been going on, so please, sit down. Do you want something to drink? I can have Raven get you something from the cafeteria.”
The girl obediently moved to the chair in front of the desk, and Celestia caught the slight tremor in her legs as she sank into the cushion. “I’m fine, Principal Celestia,” she responded in a voice barely more than a whisper.
“Sunset, before I ask you any questions, I want to apologize to you.”  A head jerked up to stare at her with wide, startled eyes as she spoke. “You should not have been subjected to the level of bullying that has apparently been inflicted upon you since the formal. I know my sister tried to impress this upon you on Friday, but in light of what your friends have brought forward, I want to make sure you understand: I don’t condone this kind of behavior, and had I even suspected it was going on, I would have worked to put a stop to it long before this.”
The older woman’s heart ached when genuine surprise flitted across the teenager’s face before she could mask it; its appearance suggested that Sunset still believed, on some level, that the torment she had endured was some kind of justified punishment.  It certainly made Celestia wonder just what kind of country her counterpart ruled over, where an adolescent believed that weeks and months of psychological torture was an appropriate peer response to a fellow student who had wronged them. Controlling her own emotions and clamping down on the flare of anger at the other her—if she truly was the other Celestia’s ‘little sun’, why hadn’t this lesson already been taught?—and kept her voice firm but not unkind as she continued to address Sunset Shimmer. “I’m extremely serious, Sunset. This kind of behavior from your fellow students, regardless of the actions you yourself took in the past, is inexcusable. The only people responsible for assigning consequences to your actions are adult authority figures—in this case, that would be Luna and myself as your principals—and if you recall, we have already assigned that to you. You served two weeks of In-School Suspension under Luna’s eye, and you continue to serve your detention daily after school, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The redhead’s voice held together, but only barely. Celestia’s trained ear could hear the strain in it of a student struggling to keep herself together.
“Added to that, your grades have remained top of your class, or so I have been made to understand, and all of the staff are reporting to me that you haven’t engaged in any negative behavior towards other students or broken any rules since the formal. As far as we are concerned, you are working through the consequences of your choices with due diligence.”  Celestia picked up her coffee cup, taking a sip and feeling relieved at finding the contents at least still warm. “It is not, nor has it ever been, the place of your fellow students to decide whether or not the assigned consequences are sufficient, or for them to take matters into their own hands, and I’m very upset that they have.”
“Especially given that everything I have observed with you suggests that you have benefited and learned from the consequences that were handed to you, and that the daily detention has provided you with some opportunities you might not have had otherwise, such as the opportunity to establish a rapport with Applejack. It’s also very obvious to me, at least, that the incident that occurred at the Fall Formal had an important and life changing impact on you, and while I am not aware of the details of what you experienced, nor am I certain whether this change is from you choosing to reinvent yourself or you simply letting us see the real person you have always been underneath, you are becoming someone I am proud to have as one of my Wondercolts.”
As she took another long sip of her coffee, eyes half closed, Celestia watched Sunset. The exile from another world was staring at her in what she gauged to be a mixture of shock and awe, eyes starting to water. The principal set her cup down, choosing to drive her original point home as firmly as possible. “One of the other things I see from that change is that you feel guilty for the wrongs you committed in your past, leaving with you this need to make up for or suffer for those things now.  That’s very normal for anyone to feel at some point, Sunset Shimmer, if maybe not to such a degree as you are showing, but that doesn’t mean you have to become a sacrificial lamb for other people’s anger.” She leaned forward in her chair, locking eyes with the redheaded girl. “The graffiti on your locker, this website and the notes being left in your locker? Those things were wrong—I’d even go so far as to call them criminal—and I need you to realize that when things like that happen, it’s not okay, it’s not something you should just suffer through. You should be reporting it to Luna or I—we want to help stop it, but we cannot help if we don’t know it’s happening. You are one of my students, Sunset, and I’m not sure how exactly that works where you come from, but all of the students under my care here deserve the same fair treatment and chance to thrive…” She paused to let that sink in, before adding, “…whether they come from a land of magical creatures or not. Do you understand? Be honest with me.”
Sunset was silent for a while, but tears made quiet tracks down her cheeks. For a heartbeat, Celestia wondered if she had said the wrong thing, somehow inadvertently reiterated something the other Celestia might’ve said.  
“...do you really mean that?” the girl managed eventually, wiping her eyes on a proffered tissue.  
The hopeful note in that trembling voice hit Celestia with the force of a bat to her skull, and she had a very powerful epiphany in that moment, one that made her realize that she was standing at a very important and pivotal crossroads with the magical-unicorn-turned-teen-girl from another world. The tears weren’t from a reminder of the pseudo-mother figure of her past doing the same as Principal Celestia—rather, it was because the principal was doing something an immortal princess had not…something that the child before her desperately needed, and had likely needed for years. It was a daunting thing to suddenly realize that her next set of responses could make or break Sunset’s growth and healing as a person; the wrong answer would send the girl retreating back into her sullen, angry shell that lashed out at others, but the right could lay the foundation of trust.  With a deep breath and trusting she was making the right choice, Celestia smiled gently. “Yes, Sunset, I do mean it.”
Blue green eyes watched her intently, the tiny spark of hope growing into a little flickering flame. “...and...if there was more....like something else people did...and I told you...you’d try to stop them?”
She’d chosen the right way—any doubts melted away with that question, and she put as much honesty and compassion into her next words as she could project.  “I would do anything in my power to identify and hand out consequences for the actions that I felt were appropriate, depending on the severity. What else is happening, Sunset?”
Haltingly at first, but soon gaining a sort of momentum on its own, the information tripped and stumbled its way out of Sunset Shimmer’s mouth: the aggressive, rough handling in the halls that was escalating to leaving marks, the way Garble had shoved her into a locker the week before, the extensive nature of the notes in her locker, and of course, Gilda Griffen’s fixation with enacting physically violent retribution on her. When she got to the incident in the locker room with the bucket of blood and offal, Celestia was shaking with barely contained rage, every ounce of her control going to keeping her face from betraying her fury.
“…I’m not sure if it was Gilda—I didn’t get a good look, but it sounded like her, and the bucket was from her family’s business….I don’t even know…” Sunset shook, her face pale and drawn, edging towards green. “…I’m just hoping it was from a cow and not a pony…I didn’t know any cows in Equestria personally…not that I knew many other ponies, but…the smell…and…” she broke off, swallowing forcibly, trying to bring herself back under control. “I know they’re just animals here…and that you humans eat them…but they’re people where I’m from, Principal Celestia….just like you, or the girls, or…” She broke off, hugging herself and shuddering.
The principal offered more tissues to Sunset, giving her a chance to blow her nose again and regain a measure of her composure. It gave Celestia herself a minute to rein in her own emotions—it would be disastrous if Sunset perceived any of her temper as being directed at the girl instead of the girl’s tormentors. Once both of them had had a few minutes, Celestia took up the thread of conversation. “I’m going to address each of these individually, so that I can be clear with you, Sunset Shimmer. In regards to the notes and graffiti, the first and primary step is what Luna has already taken—you lack the identities for those responsible, and we hope by putting you in a locker that is in full view of several cameras and closer to this office, we will be able to catch the perpetrators in the act if they continue to try to harass you in this manner.” She picked up her coffee mug again to take another sip. “…In regards to the actions of Miss Griffen, the violence targeting you and the incident in the locker room could be seen as assault if you wished to press charges with the police, and since it happened on school grounds, if you choose to go that route, I will make sure that the full force of punishment for that is enforced.”
Sunset’s eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly. “…I…there’s no need to get the police involved, Principal Celestia,” she interrupted in a rush. “…I...don't have any proof anyway. The dumpster is probably empty by now and there were no other witnesses or cameras.”
Unsurprised, Celestia nodded. “In that case, I will say that Gilda is…already looking at more layers of trouble on top of her actions in the locker room. Her name was among the profiles I saw turned in by Rainbow Dash, and this is where I feel the need to explain the situation much more thoroughly to you than I normally do with students. It's…not standard policy to detail punishment of one student to another, though we explain it to parents who raise concerns in the areas of bullying.  In this case, I am making an exception.” She let her lips turn down into a frown. “…That ‘social media’ page is a pile of garbage, but all of its posts are dated and timestamped, and with the identities of the profile users in hand, any posts we can prove that they made while in this building were made either with our computers or our network. At the beginning of the year, everyone signs a packet that details the school rules and code of conduct, agreeing to our ‘Acceptable Use’ policy. Starting penalties for cases like this are various forms of suspension at the bare minimum. In extreme cases, like actual violent threats or being those encouraging violence and bullying, we are talking about expulsion. Every single person who is a member of that page who we can identify and verify as to have posted while on school grounds will be facing at least suspension. If Gilda’s posts are in line with the rest of her behavior, expulsion is on the table.”
Sunset stared, like the Principal was speaking a foreign tongue. “All of that? For posting stuff about me on MyStable?” she asked in shock.
“All of that and an assembly today in your last period for me to address the root action. If people have a problem they can’t work out with another student amicably, then they need to come to me and Luna, not take matters into their hands. This goes for you and your friends, just as much as the other students, Sunset. If you get harassed again, you come talk to us, don’t hide it or try to handle it yourselves.  I do not condone bullying, but if any of you take any action against others, I am required to mete out a response against that as well.  Is that clear?”
The redhead from another world sat in shock for a long time before she nodded. “...I understand, Principal Celestia...”
The administrator smiled at her warmly. “Good. Go to lunch, Sunset, I’m sure your friends are waiting for you.”





Sunset had progressed through the rest of the day in a weird state of mind, having spent her lunch alone to try and recover from the conversation with Principal Celestia and the emotions and memories it had dragged to the surface.  It made her extremely grateful for the warning the Principal had given her about the assembly—she had enough time and forethought to bring her emotional defenses back up in anticipation of anger and negative emotions directed her way.  With how bad things had been, she didn’t feel like leaving herself vulnerable to more nastiness, even if the girls were there with her.
She’d barely entered the auditorium when Rainbow Dash appeared as a blur of color that latched onto her arm with a loud and defiant exclamation and pulled her to where the girls were sitting. “You’re with us, Sunset!” she declared, as if daring anyone in the school to argue with her, unceremoniously putting the former bully in the middle of the group of girls who closed ranks around her, leaning close for one of those group hugs that chased away the negativity pressing down on her from all around.  The feeling of belonging fluttered in her chest again, not as intense as the warmth she felt with her Twilight, but no less welcome a sensation.
It kept the hostile stares and frowns sent their way at bay, though Rainbow wasn’t shy about making rude gestures in the direction of a few people who looked particularly thunderous at Sunset’s inclusion into the group of girls, and Rarity sniffed in distaste. “Immature children,” she murmured to Sunset. “Ignore them, darling. You’re our friend whether they like it or not.”
“I’m trying…” she responded, resisting the urge to pull out her phone and text Twilight to calm her nerves. She couldn’t, not with the girls present—one or more of them would be insanely curious as to who she was messaging, something she wasn’t ready to share. Even if these girls wouldn’t try to drive them apart, she didn’t trust the rest of the student body to not find out and get involved. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the memory of her favorite person, the way she felt and sounded and smelled, sinking into the feelings it stirred in her chest.
The chatter around her died, and she looked up to find the Principal and Vice Principal standing on the stage, both of them looking incredibly unhappy. Not far away, a number of the teachers were lined up, and they didn’t look any happier about the present situation. Students started looking to one another in worry and confusion, only to snap back to the front when the principal spoke in a tone that none of them had ever heard her use. Sunset’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but tense at the way the human version of Celestia sounded.
“Students of Canterlot High…I am extremely disappointed in you. It has come to our attention that for some time now, an unknown but sizable number of members of this student body have decided to take matters into their own hands, meting out actions of vandalism, harassment, bullying, and hatred under the charade of ‘Justice,’ or ‘punishment for past wrongs.’” Celestia’s voice was tight and filled with hidden anger.  
“Let me disavow you all of that notion now. Tormenting another student is not, under any circumstance, justice. I don’t care what they may or may not have done in the past—such behavior is reprehensible and far beneath the standards I expect from members of this student body.” She scanned the crowd, making more than one student flinch under the fury visible in her eyes. “I had thought better of all of you, and I’m ashamed to have the entire lot of you as Canterlot Wondercolts—a sentiment shared not only by the rest of the faculty here, but one I am quite certain Twilight Sparkle would echo were she present.”
The entire student body recoiled at that, and Sunset sank deeper into her seat. She couldn’t vouch for Princess Twilight Sparkle’s opinion, but if there were any amounts of similarities between the pony and her girlfriend…
—If there are as many similarities between them as there are between the Celestia’s, it seems you’ll have to give up your crown for “Queen of Understatements” to Celestia.— Stupid Little Voice commented dryly.
She couldn’t argue that point; when she’d told the full story to her Twilight over the weekend, the bookworm had made use of her extensive vocabulary in her attempt to describe exactly how she felt about the situation and what was happening to Sunset. Several of the words Sunset was not ashamed to admit she had to look up later, and that was before the dark haired girl had started in on what she felt should be done to the perpetrators behind the worst of Sunset’s harassment—at that point, some of what she was saying had been completely lost on the former unicorn, having delved beyond the limits in the similarities between the human language and the one spoken in Equestria.
Focusing back on the present moment and pulling herself out of the memory of lavender skinned girl pacing her bedroom in her pajamas, she watched Celestia motion to Luna, who held up a stack of papers in one hand. 
“What you see Vice-Principal Luna holding are official suspension notices for almost a hundred students, for violating the Acceptable Use policy of our networks and computers to engage in systematic and malicious behavior against other students in the school through the use of social media on a site that, for the past four years we had chosen to allow the use of on school computers. Up until recently, there was no reason to not allow it—most of you used it to promote and organize school events and extra curricular activities.  That privilege is going away, along with any other social media sites not yet added to our list of blocked IPs. You can thank those among you who thought that the propagation of pure ugliness was an acceptable action to take, and keep that in mind when you wonder where so many members of your class are in the coming days or weeks.”
She exhaled, the anger in her tone tempered briefly. “I am going to reiterate this now, but this is the last time I will do so. If you have an issue with another student that cannot be resolved through peaceful conversation, then you are to bring it to a teacher, myself, or Vice-Principal Luna. I do not care what the circumstances are, the next student who engages in mob vengeance or some form of self-serving vigilantism will find themselves expelled from this institution right into the back of a waiting police car. And for those of you who have already escalated things to such a serious degree, that is where you will find yourselves very shortly. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Sunset found herself shivering in fear—she’d heard that voice before in that same echoing tone of barely restrained fury only four times in her life, and only once had that tone been directed at her. For everyone else in the room, it was the voice of an infuriated principal. For her…it was the barely contained rage of an angry Sun Goddess. There was not a single shred of doubt that Celestia’s statement was not a threat—it was a promise.
> Interlude V: Twilight Musings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was late, the bedside clock reading a short time after midnight, yet sleep eluded Twilight Sparkle. Instead she lay awake, tucked snugly against Sunset’s warm body, the redheaded girl sound asleep and snoring softy. Amber skinned arms held her firmly, refusing to let go even in sleep, her head resting close enough to Twilight’s that she could study the details of her face, even in the dimly lit room with her glasses resting on the nightstand by Sunset’s clock. She took in her features, the shape of Sunset’s nose, the line of her jaw, the way her eyelashes rested on her cheeks…  It was the only time she ever saw Sunset so relaxed, asleep at her side during their weekend sleepovers. The tension and stress melted away in slumber, leaving only a normal teenage girl behind, the lids shuttered on eyes that seemed too old for their owner, haunted by the past as well as the present. 
Twilight shifted slightly, kissing the corner of her girlfriend’s mouth lightly. Lips turned upwards at the touch, as if recognizing the affection and its source, before her face burrowed into a lavender neck. “….Sparky…” she sighed happily.
That brought forth a smile for the dark haired teen. These few weeks since the shy confessions on the sofa had been filled with dozens of these little moments with Sunset, their first few kisses having acted as some kind of catalyst for the other girl’s need to give and receive affection.  Before, Sunset had very rarely initiated their hugs—though she had never fought Twilight’s spontaneous displays of friendly affection. That first kiss had merely been the beginning of the change, with the redheaded girl constantly seeking physical contact of some form when they were alone. It manifested in a variety of displays: more of those warm, tingly kisses stolen in the privacy of the loft or in Twilight’s room, tight hugs that pressed them together in a way that left the dark haired teen giddy and half drunk (endorphins, the analytical part of her mind supplied), snuggling or cuddling together on the couch or under the covers during their sleepovers, and of course, in the form of sweet, little emotionally intimate gestures that seemed unique and deeply meaningful to Sunset Shimmer.  So rapid and intense was the shift that Twilight had begun to wonder just how long her girlfriend had been starved for simple, affectionate human contact—and earlier that evening, she had learned that the answer, in a story that had given her a much clearer picture of the girl who had somehow spent time as both a horrible bully and the caring, compassionate young woman that kissed her shyly and made butterflies dance in her stomach.





The two girls were stretched comfortably on the bed, reading. To most it would not have been the kind of activity worthy of being called a date, but for them, there was something enjoyable about the closeness and quiet broken only by the rustling of turning pages, soft giggles, or the sound of lips meeting in brief exchanges. Twilight had finished the novel she’d been working through, and was taking a few minutes to study the loft from her vantage point. Her eyes lingered on the guitars hanging from the wall, and she had to know.
“Sunny?” 
Blue-green eyes looked up as she lowered the book. “Yeah?”
“Do you play? Or are they…some form of collectible?” She gestured to the instruments. 
“I play. Took it up as a hobby when I first came here…helped me through some rough times.” She gave Twilight one of her lopsided smiles, her voice shy and nervous. “Would…you like to hear something?”
Twilight nodded. Even had she not actually been interested, she would have said yes anyway. Sunset was so hesitant to open up, and she was afraid that shutting down these attempts when they happened would break the trust between them. 
The redhead rolled off the bed and went to retrieve the acoustic guitar, fingers brushing along Twilight’s arm when she walked by. She brought it back to the bed and spent a few minutes tuning it until she was satisfied with the sound it produced. 
Sitting up fully, Twilight leaned against the headboard and took a sip from her bottle of water, watching her girlfriend with open curiosity. 
Sunset looked down at the guitar for a minute, then began to play the opening to a song that Twilight recognized from her parents collection of albums.  “It took me forever to learn this song,” she admitted, “but it was one of the first songs I remember hearing after I ran away. It stuck with me for a long time.” The chords were slow and melancholy, but the way her fingers danced over the strings was no less than impressive. And that was before she started to sing.
Twilight found herself lost in the song she’d heard a thousand times in a way she never had before. There was just so much emotion in Sunset’s voice, in the chords from the guitar, the pain and confusion and sense of loss coming through clearly. It cut into her, realizing that the hurt was coming from the deepest recesses of her companion’s soul.
When the song came to a close, Twilight was crawling across the bed to her girlfriend before she even registered what she was doing, arms finding their way around the other girl.  “Your playing is wonderful…but you sounded so hurt, so sad…and that song…” Purple eyes focused on blue-green. “Its because of the reasons you ran away, isn't it?”
The instrument was set aside so Sunset could pull Twilight into her lap. “….yeah…” she murmured, resting her chin on the smaller girl’s shoulder. “I promised I would tell you when I was ready…and…I think I’m ready, if you…still want to hear…”
Lavender fingers laced with amber ones, bringing them up so she could press them to her cheek. “I’m always here to listen, Sunset.”





The tale that had unfolded was heartbreaking. An orphaned child with no answers and no memories of the parents who gave her life. She could barely grasp how that must feel—her family loved her, and had for as long as her memories could tell her. Even if something took them from her, she would at least have that to comfort her. What was it like to not even have that, in the the darkest, loneliest moments in life? To only be left with questions that had no answers, never knowing who or how or why? It hurt, to think about, to know that it was a reality for Sunset, a wound so old that she barely felt it anymore.
Especially because the story didn’t get any happier, not when it was one of a little girl who wanted a family but got a caretaker. Twilight had studied human psychology, at least in brief, to better understand her own psyche and problems, and she was aware of what kind of effect that had on developing minds. She could picture it, a little Sunset growing up with all of her physical and mental needs met beyond expectation, but none of her emotional ones filled. No warm hugs or goodnight kisses. No ‘I love yous’, nothing to let Sunset know she mattered just by being alive. 
It was no wonder the relationship had degraded so badly, with Sunset lashing out in anger and frustration at everyone around her, especially the caretaker. Running away when her guardian had made the decision to send her away from her home to a boarding school was almost a foregone conclusion at that point for an emotionally neglected child who wasn’t able to understand why no one loved her.
She sighed, trying to imagine what kind of woman Sunset’s guardian had been to be so…so cruel and distant. If she didn’t want to be a parent, why take Sunset into her care at all?  She hadn’t been a relative, as far as Sunset had indicated, so familial obligation seemed out.  Why spend so much money and effort on her education? Private schools weren’t cheap, and the one Sunset had briefly described sounded like a particularly prestigious one, frequented by the children of the affluent, the sons and daughters of doctors, lawyers, diplomats and politicians.
Maybe that was the answer? Perhaps the woman had been some sort of public figure or member of high society?  It certainly wasn’t unheard of for someone of wealth and extremely high public social status to adopt  children from ‘less fortunate’ situations.  Taking in a ‘poor orphan’ would be the kind of thing to act as good PR, and sending her to a fancy school made sense.  So would the strict expectations of high grades and excellence in behavior and academics. It would also add a layer of separation from her charge, if she could afford staff to deal with the foundling child in most everyday situations, only needing to step in on the most important matters. 
Whatever the situation might’ve been, she found herself furious at the mystery guardian for doing this to Sunset—beautiful, caring, intelligent, affectionate Sunset, with her lopsided smile and blue-green eyes that glittered with wit and humor. For the other girl to weep the way she had, with tears streaming down her cheeks in an unceasing river, anguish etched into every line of her features as she spoke with that flat, deliberately emotionless tone as much as she could, the pain had to cut deeply in a way that had not even started to heal.  No one should have to feel that way, but the fact that it had been done to someone who had, in a very short amount of time, become so important to her was inexcusable and roused a simmering anger in Twilight that she was unaccustomed to experiencing.
Twilight frowned pensively in the dim room, dropping another soft kiss against Sunset’s skin, just at the top of her ear. “No matter what,” she whispered softly, “I won't do that to you, I promise.”  
The entire time the redhead had spoken of her past with her guardian, Twilight had held onto Sunset tightly, murmuring soft affection into her ear as she curled up in Sunset’s arms, providing comfort and support by simply being there. They’d spent the next few hours like that, with Twilight being held like a living comfort toy, happily trapped in the circle of deceptively strong arms and long, lean legs. Even after falling asleep, Sunset refused to let go, leading to their current arrangement.
She found herself stroking through fiery hair with her fingers, smiling softly. Some people might feel claustrophobic being held by a partner this way, but it was something Twilight had discovered she had started to crave. Somewhere, early in their friendship, Sunset Shimmer had become synonymous with safety in Twilight’s brain, and the feeling only cemented itself further the more their bond deepened.  Nothing could get to her when Sunny had her, not even her own anxieties, and even simple hugs could settle her like nothing else, quieting the constant storm of mental noise.  Even things that used to get under her skin from external forces could be banished now with even the thought of her best friend and girlfriend, like the bits of nastiness from the other students at Crystal Prep when they lashed out verbally because she had taken the top score in an important test, or the tight feeling in her chest of a potential panic attack. 
It didn’t hurt that Sunset liked it just as much as she did, more than happy to pull Twilight into her arms anytime she asked or any time they cuddled up together, especially if it gave her the chance to rest her forehead against Twilight’s or tuck her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck. As near as the dark haired teen could surmise, these gestures—which Sunset treated as intensely emotionally intimate—had some form of significance in the place in which the other girl had been raised. They were acts performed without conscious thought when Sunset was emotionally vulnerable and they seemed to assuage a need for tangible reassurance and physical contact, especially when she was agitated or upset—and with the way the situation at Sunset’s school sounded like it had been degrading steadily, it was something Twilight foresaw a lot of in the future. 
The anger returned, this time directed at the other students Sunset went to school with. Whatever the redhead had been in the past, what they had been doing to her was beyond cruel, a sadistic form of vengeance that kicked the former bully while she was trying to turn her life around.  There was no other way to describe the way Sunset had appeared on her doorstep the previous weekend, disheveled and exhausted, with dark bruise-like circles under red, puffy eyes and the remnants of tears drying on her cheeks, looking ready to collapse.





Twilight took one good, long look at her best-friend-turned-girlfriend and pulled her inside, supporting her with one arm. “Mom! Sunset and I are going up to my room for a bit! Call us for dinner!” she called over her shoulder before ushering the redhead up the stairs.
Sunset held herself back until they were in Twilight’s room, the door shut and locked before she pulled the other girl into her arms tightly, pressing her face into a lavender skinned neck and inhaling deeply through her nose. “Sparky…” she breathed like a prayer, a fraction of the tension leaking out of her frame.
“I’m here.”  Fingers found their way into Sunset’s hair, stroking through the fiery strands the way Cadence and her mother had for her when she was little and upset. “Sunny? What’s wrong? You seemed okay this morning in your messages.”
“Nightmares.  School.  People.”  Her voice was muffled but she didn't let go or lift her head to talk; instead, she continued to inhale deeply through her nose while it was pressed against Twilight’s skin. She let her, feeling more and more of the tightness go out of Sunset with every breath. Twilight spent those moments with one hand continuing to fingercomb through the wild mane, the other pressed to Sunset’s back, just rubbing gentle circles. 
“Haven’t slept right since Wednesday...today was awful. Needed you.”
Twilight’s heart jumped, the joy at Sunset’s last words conflicting with her worry over her distressed state.  Her mind raced, trying to figure out what to do next, and she settled on a simple request that might help.  “Lay down with me? It’ll be more comfortable for both of us.”
To her surprise, Sunset moved them both as they were, her arms adjusting so she didn’t have to stop hugging Twilight in order to walk to the bed. She just picked her up in the hug and shuffle-walked, turning so she could fall on her back on the mattress. The dark haired girl landed on top of her, and Sunset rolled them so she could have the warm body firmly in her embrace, curling around her like Twilight was a beloved teddy bear.  
Twilight giggled when Sunset nosed her cheek in an affectionate nuzzle, and she moved a little until she could press their lips together, letting the kiss linger for more than a few heartbeats. “I’m here. Talk to me, Sunny. What happened at school?”
The tension returned to Sunset’s body, her limbs trembling around Twilight’s smaller frame.  “...people hate me at school, Twilight...I was so awful to them for so long...and ever since the night of the dance...they’ve been writing on my locker, leaving notes inside it, making sure I know how they feel...they hate me so much, Sparky, and they’ve been getting worse. I could handle the shoving and the notes hurt but I deserved it...but today was worse. So much worse...”
Twilight pressed herself closer to Sunset, arms tightening.  “What did they do today, Sunny? What happened?”
“Got shoved in a locker...it made me late to gym. Coach kept me late running laps...I wanted a shower after—I could smell me and I hate it...and when I was going to shower...they had... had a bucket of.." her voice rose a little, panicky sounding, "...meat...not meat...the insides, all the blood and gooey, slimy parts..." She swallowed, a whining moan escaping as her breathing came more quickly, "All the inside stuff, and it smelled...and they dumped it on me and I was trapped inside that bucket, and...I couldn't breath, and it was in my eyes, and...it got all over me..." Tears spilled over and her breath hitched painfully as her arms tightened to an almost desperate grip on Twilight.  “I can still smell it, still feel it, Sparky, it's still there, even though I scrubbed and I scrubbed, and I threw away my clothes...”
The redhead gave up on trying to talk, and Twilight redoubled her efforts to provide comfort, pressing their bodies flush together and offering several soft kisses to Sunset’s forehead to let her know that she wasn’t alone as she struggled to breathe around her sobs. Once it sounded like her breath was no longer struggling, Twilight addressed her girlfriend more directly. “We can solve part of that, Sunny. You can use my bathroom, take a real shower, get cleaned up so you feel clean again.” With a little effort, she coaxed her off the bed and down the hall...





It had taken her most of the rest of that night and some help from her parents to restore some of Sunset’s normal equilibrium—her mother had given Sunset some warm, comfortable clothes to sleep in, as well as thoroughly cleaning her regular clothing to destroy any lingering scents (including Sunset’s beloved leather jacket) and her father had brought home a pint of Sunset’s favorite ice cream to help chase away inevitable nightmares that kept Twilight awake most of the night, clutched in shaking amber skinned arms as if she were Sunset’s only lifeline. The rest of the story hadn’t come out until well into afternoon the following day, about how another classmate had made threats, and how she’d broken down trying to clean the horrible graffiti off her locker.  The knowledge that her Sunny had been dealing with such an extreme level of bullying and harassment for weeks brought her to tears more than once during the weekend, and the only thing that kept her rapidly rising defensive fury at bay was learning that the administration at the school was just as appalled as she was.
More concerning to her was the severity of Sunset’s self-flagellation, and Twilight had done a little research in her free time the week after on self destructive habits, depression, and other related topics, in order to make sure she was better prepared and better aware; she focused on information like warning signs and the best methods to help discourage the destructive mindset and encourage more positive feelings.  She was going to do everything she could to help Sunset work through this, even if she had to do it alone…though from what Sunset had told her, there were at least a few girls at that school that were trying to help too, and the Principals had actively taken a stance to combat the bullying.  That part was better than her own school, at least. Her Principal only cared about test scores, sports victories, and successes that made the school look good. She was extremely glad Sunset didn't go to her school.
The whole thing had brought another matter to the fore between them: Sunset’s compartmentalization of her life. She had known that the redhead didn’t like to talk too much about her time at school or the people there—bits and pieces, like her worries about the girls who had helped unseat her as the school’s ‘tyrant queen’—as she had so eloquently phrased it—and how several of them had started to make friends with her, some on her classes and homework, a little on her punishment (months worth of detention)…but for the most part, she remained close mouthed about it. Twilight hadn’t worried overly much—she didn’t bring up her own school much beyond the academics, but in her case it was simply because there wasn’t much to mention. She didn’t talk to most of the other students, her small circle of friends having dwindled to a single remaining girl, and she ignored pretty much everything else. She had simply assumed it was a similar situation; to learn that her girlfriend had kept such severe harassment to herself…it made her worried enough to broach the subject.





“Sunset? Is there a specific reason you’re trying to keep such a severe degree of separation between different parts of your life? I can understand not wanting to share every moment of every day, but…the locker graffiti? The locker room?  Bullying and harassment so bad that you broke down in the hallway and then came to me looking ready to fall apart again—why didn’t you tell me?” Twilight kept her tone gentle and curious, making sure to keep accusation as far away as possible. 
It didn’t stop Sunset from curling up on Twilight’s bed, knees drawn up to her chest as she engaged Spike in a staring contest. The dog finally huffed, and deliberately turned around on the far end of the bed, putting his back to her—he was coming around to Sunset slowly.  “I…because I want to keep them away from you. Away from here,” she admitted eventually. 
Pushing her glasses up on her nose, she scooted closer until Sunset unknotted herself enough to drape an arm around her shoulders. “Can you explain to me why?” 
More silence, emotions and indecision flitting across her face too fast for Twilight to decipher.  Abruptly, Sunset turned her head and kissed her, a far cry from all the previous ones they’d shared. This kiss was intense, searing her with fire and heat that made her body tingle pleasantly. It was lips and teeth and tongue, plundering her mouth with forceful urgency, and for a single fleeting heartbeat she caught a glimpse of a creature of passion and hunger hidden beneath amber skin and blue-green eyes.  
Twilight was openly panting when Sunset released her, and one hand pressed to kiss swollen lips, cheeks flushed. The other girl rested their foreheads together her eyes filled with so many feelings, one of which was fear; it struck Twilight like a bolt of lightning, just how vulnerable Sunset really was in that moment, and she moved her fingers off her lips to rest the hand on Sunset’s neck. “It's okay…You can tell me. I’ll listen.”
“I don’t want them to take you away from me,” came the hoarse whisper. “I can’t lose you…and I’m afraid of what they would do if they knew about you. Look at what they were willing to do to just me, to punish me for the things I did to them. They hate me, Twilight, and some of them have said they wish I was dead.”   Blue-green eyes stared into purple. “…I don’t want them to attack you, attack your family, just to get to me. This place, you, your family…some days…some days you’re the only good thing in my life…If I lost that, lost you…” The thought went unfinished, but Twilight could hear the despair and hopelessness that crept into it, and it frightened her. 





A shiver ran through her at the memory of Sunset talking to her like that, the depth of the fear in her voice and the intensity of her gaze, the way she had reacted, the way Sunset had kissed her when her emotions were running high. It stirred up feelings Twilight wasn’t sure either of them was in the right place to deal with just yet, desires and wants that could overwhelm both of them of they weren’t careful. 
It was why she had soothed and reassured Sunset’s worries, making it clear that she was willing to wait to come out on Sunset’s terms, not her own—not that she was in a particular hurry to come out to her own family just yet, and she had absolutely no intention of telling anyone at Crystal Prep anyway, since most of them would use that knowledge as ammunition against her in their ridiculous competition for perceived status and academic standing.  The situation at Sunset’s own school had left Sunset too wound up and emotionally distressed to think clearly, and coupling that with teenage hormones would prove disastrous in the long run for the fledgling romance with her best friend. That was exactly the kind of thing Twilight wanted to avoid—Sunset’s inexperience with interpersonal relationships meant she likely didn’t see it, and so it fell to her to be the rational, cooler head that made sure they didn’t leap into things. Sunset was just too important to the dark haired teen to risk for a night or two of heat and passion, and were she thinking rationally, Twilight knew Sunset would feel the same.
A yawn escaped Twilight, and she moved to close the little distance between their bodies, sneaking a few feather light kisses along her girlfriend’s neck and jawline as she skirted the edge of unconsciousness.
Sunset shifted in her sleep again, her grip tightening as a noise escaped her. Twilight didn’t have any word really to describe the noise, and it had freaked her out the first time. It was not really a sigh, not a grunt or a groan or a snort, but just a throaty sound. In fact, it kinda reminded her of the time she’d fed a pony at a petting zoo when she was twelve. Ultimately, she’d filed it away as one of her girlfriend’s odd little gestures, just one more piece in the package that was Sunset Shimmer.
And that was a package she was extremely determined to hold onto.
> Chapter Twenty Two: Pony-Up!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Rainbow plopped herself down at the lunch table, her broad and excited grin falling away when she only found Applejack there.  She immediately started scanning the lunchroom, looking around in suspicion. “Hey. Where’s Sunset?”  Even though the Principals had been quick to punish people who were harassing the former bully, Rainbow was still on high alert, and the absence of their newest friend didn’t bode well.
Applejack exhaled in a way that made her sound like an enraged bull. “She’s takin’ some make-up tests fer her classes, cuz o’ the bullshit with the locker an’ that webpage...” Hard green eyes glared around the room at people who refused to look towards their table.
Rainbow’s expression darkened into a scowl, feeling a mix of fury and shame. “...I didn’t know she failed tests because of it...” Her fist clenched her tray tightly—Sunset wouldn’t have had to make up those tests if they’d done their jobs as her friends. The athlete stewed for a few minutes in silence before she shook her head and broached the subject she’d wanted to bring up.  “I wanted to ask you something AJ...You still have your bass from middle school? Because I was thinking, maybe you, me and Rarity could enter the showcase. Jam together like we used to—it could be super fun.  I’m sure we could borrow a keyboard or something for Rarity.”
Applejack turned away from the other students to look thoughtfully at Rainbow. “…That does sound like fun. Ah still got it, but it’s in the attic. Gotta go find it. Sign me up, Dash. See if we still got it. Got anything we could play?”
“Oh do I!” Dash rummaged through her backpack, pulling out some pages. “Take a look at these!”
“Take a look at what, darlings?” Rarity sat down with her tray. 





“Now that you’re in, I need to hit the music store this weekend to get a new guitar. You guys want to hang at the mall?” Rainbow Dash looked around the lunch table. “We could all go, then maybe get lunch or something.”
“I’d love to—there are some wonderful sales happening!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah’m in. Gotta pick up some things fer mah bass, anyhow. Ah’ll ask Pinkie in gym. Rares kin hit up Fluttershy in math.”
“What about Sunset? You think she’d wanna come?”
Rarity had taken a nail file to her nails. “You can ask her, Rainbow Dash, but she has always turned down weekend invitations. I think she must have some sort of weekend employment.”
“Eyup. That’s what I figgered too—bein’ from Magic Pony Land, she doesn’t exactly have family here ta stay with.”  Applejack finished her cider. “She said she’s got a place ta stay an’ money fer what she needs, but that means she’s gotta have a job, an’ since she’s in school, that means nights an’ weekends.”
“I’m still going to ask her if she wants to go with us!”





“Sunset!”
The redhead almost leapt out of her skin when Rainbow Dash yelled her name, whipping around to face the much shorter figure, one hand over her pounding heart. “Dash! What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I just wanted to catch you before you left for the weekend—see, I need a new guitar, since Rarity and AJ are going to play with me in the showcase, and AJ has to pick up some stuff for her bass too, and so we were going to make a mall trip tomorrow. They thought you might be busy but I wanted to invite you along in case you aren’t!” She grinned broadly at Sunset.
Blue-green eyes grew wide, and the former bully smiled crookedly at Rainbow. “You...you really do want me there?” she asked timidly.
Dash felt that flicker of guilt return, and she slugged Sunset’s arm lightly. “Yeah, yeah I do. You’re one of us, Sunset, and you belong with us when we hang. So...you wanna come with us tomorrow?”
Sunset chewed her lip, clearly warring with herself. “I would really like to, Dash, really...but I’ve already got a bunch of plans this weekend...” 
At first, Rainbow thought that maybe AJ had been right—Sunset worked some kind of job to make money—but the way she looked nervous hit the soccer player like a jolt, just like she got sometimes when she puzzled out part of the mystery in a Daring-Do novel. After glancing around and making sure they were alone, she lowered her voice. “You know, Sunset, it’s cool if you’ve got another friend you’ve made plans with.”
The taller girl stared at her like Rainbow had just hit her in the skull with a soccer ball. “I...what? I never said—“
“Again, not dumb,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, before grinning even more. “Relax, Sunset. I get it. With how fucking shit we’ve all been, I don’t blame you for keeping it a secret.”
Sunset’s eyes scanned the hallway just as Rainbow’s had, before she answered, her voice unsure and wary. “You’re…not mad at me, are you?” she asked, and the sports star couldn’t decipher whether she meant about the friend, the secret, or the fact that she had other plans.
Smiling sheepishly, Rainbow stretched up a bit to sling an arm around Sunset’s shoulders, silently grumping at the fact that the height difference made it a difficult maneuver. “No way, Sunset! Whoever this person is, it sounds like they’ve been a better friend to you than we were for a long while, even with our promise to Twilight. The way I see it, I don’t have to know them to like them for being there for you when I was being stupid…and to know they’ve got to be a pretty special person.”
Sunset ducked her head, ears darkening as she stared at her boots. “….Yeah…yeah they are. I’m just…glad you’re not mad.”
Dash slugged her again with the arm not draped over her shoulders awkwardly. “See? There you go. You enjoy your weekend. We’ll see you Monday…and if anyone asks, I’ll tell them you had to work. Cool?”
The nervous half smile morphed into a beaming one, and Sunset turned the awkward position into a full on hug that Applejack would’ve been proud of. “Thanks, Dash. You really are awesome.”





Sunday evening, five girls sat around a table, drinking bottles of cider. “This has been the weirdest weekend ever....” Fluttershy murmured.
“You mean the most awesome!! I had wings again! I could fly! We have magic powers!” Rainbow punched a fist into the air.
“Ah’m not sure pony ears, hair extensions, wings that make ya look like a turkey buzzard, and forehead spikes count as ‘magic powers.’” Applejack sighed.
Rainbow Dash snorted. “Says you,” she countered.
“While I’d love the chance to accessorize, Applejack has a point.  We really should discuss this with Sunset....I’m just very unhappy now that I realize none of us has her phone number.”
“Or knows where she lives! Ooo! Do you think she lives someplace neat! Like a house made of candy? I would totally live in a house made of candy if i ran away to another world!” Pinkie had stars in her eyes as she drifted into a daydream. “Oooo...if I ran away to a world that had candy houses, do you think the rain would be chocolate? Chocolate rain from cotton candy clouds....”
“Aaaand she’s gone...” Rainbow quipped. “Seriously though! Magic. Powers. How are you guys not excited?!”
“Magic transmutations that only last when we play musical instruments are not particularly practical or useful, Rainbow Dash. We could get the same effect with thirty minutes and cheap stage makeup.” 
“Maybe we can ask Sunset tomorrow morning? She gets there early, right? Can we get the music room for lunch? Ask her to join us there? If we do have magic powers maybe she knows how they would work?”
“We all have a free period before lunch, right? Ah say we have Sunset join us then. We kin show her whats goin’ on. Rares, ya share first period with her, kin ya let her know? Pinkie an’ Ah don’ see her til gym.”
“I shall do my best, darling.”
Unbeknownst to the group, a few miles away a series of instruments recorded increases and spikes in an unusual form of energy they were tracking. It was barely a blip on the long record it had been keeping for several months, and it would take its owner a while to notice, but events had been set in motion that could not be undone.





“Sunset, the other girls and I were wondering if you’d be willing to meet us in the music room during your study period. We discovered something this weekend that we need to show you.”
Rarity’s words had been making her nervous all morning, a lingering worry that they’d found out her secret or discovered something awful about her eating at her guts like a nasty worm. Sunset pushed herself through her classes and now found herself trudging to the music room...though she was unbothered in the halls now at least. 
Principal Celestia’s assembly had served its purpose, especially when coupled with a large swath of suspensions and at least two expulsions....not that anyone had been upset to see Gilda or Garble go.  Since the previous Monday afternoon, people were content to simply stare at Sunset with dislike and mistrust, something she found easier to cope with than the constant notes and messages. No matter what anyone else said, she had earned that much negativity and still had a long way to go in proving herself to them.
Sighing, she opened the door to the music room, finding the girls there with a full band worth of instruments. “Um...what’s going on?”
“You know how I told you that Applejack, Rarity, and I were going to take part in the showcase?” Sunset nodded slowly.  “Well, when we went to the mall Saturday, some stuff happened...”
“An’ yer the only one that might know what’s goin’ on an’ why its happenin’, since yer originally from Magic Pony Land..”
“Equestria,” she corrected automatically, before her brain backtracked. “Wait. Why would my being from Equestria help?”
“Because you’re the only one who studied about magic, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Magic? She stared at them. “Uh...this world doesn’t have a lot of magic, girls, and most of it seems...ambient. Humans aren’t really made to channel what little is here—believe me, I tried to find a way when I first got here.” Sunset reached up to touch where her horn should have been, feeling the phantom sensation of her mind remembering the way the slightly curved spiral had felt as part of her skull.
“Um...I don’t think this magic is from here, Sunset,” Fluttershy offered. “It looks like the kind we used at the formal...”
“Yeah, before we shot lasers at you.”
She winced—the reminder hurt, her psyche still left wounded and sensitive by the events in question.  “Are you saying you’ve found a source of Equestrian magic?”
They all exchanged a look, and Rarity adjusted her keytar. “It might be better if we just show you. Ladies?”
“Right! Just like we practiced, yesterday! Count us off, Pinkie!”
“One! Two! Three! Four!” The sound of instruments—not quite coordinated, with their users still finding the right rhythm and harmony with each other—filled her ears. The song was upbeat, in a ‘rock-pop’ kind of way, one that Sunset thought she could enjoy if the group got in more practice together. It made her own fingers itch to be holding her own electric guitar—she could hear the blank space where a rhythm guitarist would complete the music. 
Then she felt it, the same building pressure in her skull where her horn once was, though it registered as more uncomfortable than painful this time, her latent magical senses screaming to life. In the last few weeks, she’d thought she’d caught hints of magic, but this was undeniable. Her breath caught, as energy as familiar to her as her own mind, yet somehow infinitely and unmistakably alien, resonated from her friends, before the pressure bubble popped, and they changed before her eyes.
A tremor of fear made a shiver roll over her entire body, and she scuffed her foot as part of her screamed furiously for her to flee. Instead, she tossed her head, straightening her shoulders and refusing to look away as wings unfurled proudly from Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, flaring with all the bluster of a preening Wonderbolt before swooning fans, or when Applejack’s ears pushed her hat back when they took up residence on top of her skull, absently twitching.  She forced herself to watch, masking the pained envy in her eyes as a beautiful, perfectly symmetrical spiral of white came into being on Rarity’s forehead.
The same part of her screaming that she run away tensed up as the energy grew outward in a gentle wave, expecting more pain. None came; instead she felt...light, happy...it was like a tingling magical hug, one that filled her with energy and vigor. The remaining ache in her head vanished—she could still feel the magic, but it no longer felt like her head was being squeezed.
Sunset motioned for them to keep playing, moving cautiously closer as she reveled in her magic sense working right again. There were layers to the way this magic felt, and she inspected each of them critically, making hand gestures to request permission to touch the new and transformed parts, starting with Pinkie’s ears—AJ would have been easier, but she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t offend Rarity, so Pinkie was a better choice.  
The ears twitched under the pads of her fingers, their poofy haired owner giggling. “That tickles! Do it again!” The ears rotated and moved on their own, seeming fully capable of the full range of motion of any pony, though a human lacked the instinctive knowledge of pony body language to make much sense with them. In fact, Pinkie was sending her brain all manner of weird mixed signals with her ears, and she shook her head, backing off.
Next came Fluttershy’s wings—Rainbow was busy creating a new meaning for the phrase “air guitar” and was out of reach. “May I?” She asked with extreme politeness—with pegasi wings being almost as personal as a unicorn’s horn, the words of Princess Celestia that had been ingrained from a young age echoed in her mind and governed her actions. 
“It's important you don’t grab strangers' wings without permission, my little sun. You would be uncomfortable if they touched your horn without asking. Now apologize to General Thundercloud, please...”
Fluttershy gave her an uncertain smile, but carefully extended one of the wings folded close to her back, turning her head to admire the glossy feathers. Sunset did a quick feather-count, hearing Celestia’s voice naming and numbering them in her foalhood. They matched the shape, arrangement and count of pegasi feathers, and she could even tell which type of pegasi bloodline they came from (a fascinating and lingering effect from the three tribes era that could be found in all the tribes.)  She kept her touch gentle as she felt along the pinions and the wing bones, all the way to where they appeared to phase through the material of the shy girl’s shirt, speaking in the same gentle but firm tone she’d adopted for dealing with Twilight’s anxiety attacks, detailing her actions before she took them, giving Fluttershy the option to pull away. In the end, she held a single flight feather in her grip, showing it to the girl it belonged to. There was no mistaking it for a normal bird’s feather, being that it was easily twice the size of those of the largest birds on record in the human world, with a shape and texture that was far too soft for normal birds to use in flight.
Finally, as the song looped for the third time she approached Rarity, looking deliberately at both her and Applejack. “Rarity,” she began awkwardly, “under any other circumstance, I would not even consider asking this, but...may I? I want to assess how similar your horn is to a real unicorn’s...” she faltered, eyes going back and forth between the pair, feeling heat rise in her cheeks at how uncomfortable this was for her.
Rarity seemed puzzled for a long moment, taking in Sunset’s behavior. “Of course, darling. You are our resident magical expert, so I don’t consider this an invasion of space,” she began, then paused to look at her more searchingly. “Though I’m getting the impression that this has more...personal and cultural implications for you?” Her voice lowered so only Sunset could hear.
Hoping to get this embarrassment over quickly, she prodded the forehead area around the horn with her fingers. “Extremely. Unicorns don’t let just anypony touch our horns, even other unicorns, not with hooves or magic.” She focused on repeating it the way it was explained to foals.  “It’s not only incredibly invasive, it can be dangerous if it’s grabbed by another unicorn’s magic. Letting somepony else touch our horn is...it’s incredibly intimate and usually reserved for romantic partners—or parents with their young foals.” Her cheeks felt like they were permanently red now, as she inspected the perfectly symmetrical spiral (there was something unfair in a human getting such a perfect horn, when even the Princess owned a hornfile to smooth the occasional blemish.)  A fingernail tapped against the center of the horn, listening to the way the keratin sounded against it.
“Ah. I can understand why this discomforts you, but I assure you Sunset, I do not consider your actions a violation of my person, given you asked and I lack the cultural background to see this as taboo. Although...that does feel odd. Can unicorns feel with their horns? I would have assumed it more like fingernails or hair.”
Sunset put pressure on the end of the horn with two fingers, gauging Rarity’s reaction and trying not to drown in embarrassment. “To an extent. The outer layer is comprised of a material not unlike the keratin found in our hooves or your fingernails, though it’s a much better magical conductor. It's the core that is sensitive—it's an extension of our skull, and the center of the core is essentially a nexus for all of our internal magical pathways.” Talking arcanobiology steadied her nerves and she found herself more at ease as she noted the length and growth patterns of the horn, matching it to Rarity’s age and lifestyle as a human, and, like with Fluttershy’s wings, picking out markers consistent with certain unicorn lineages. “The outer layer grows a little each day, mostly symmetrical and even but a lot of us keep hornfiles to even out rough edges on the spiral. The core only grows until we reach adulthood, and there’s some speculation among both the aristocratic and academic circles about the correlation of horn core size and shape and its affect on magical power—or there was before I left. That bit of nonsense mostly came from from the the unicorns with their horns up their own plots about how great and wonderful it is that they can trace their lineage back to Princess Platinum or one of her court.”
Distracted by her brief rant on the classist ideals of Canterlot unicorn nobles, her fingers ran over the base of the spiral and Rarity jerked her head away with a squeak of surprise. Sunset immediately recoiled, cringing and apologizing.  “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t know if it would be as sensitive, I should have warned you!”
Rarity exhaled a shaky breath, smiling encouragingly. “It’s quite alright, Sunset. No harm done. I just wasn’t expecting...that…particular reaction...”
“...yeah...well now you know why we don’t go around messing with each other’s horns like that unless said unicorns are intimately involved...” she grumbled, her threshold for the situation far exceeded.
The music stopped, and within a handful of heartbeats, the transformations melted away and the magic faded into the aether. Sunset took the time to study the feather still remaining in her one hand. “Hm...not basic aura manifestation then, or any kind of illusion.” She offered the feather to Fluttershy, and the girl took it.
“So? Are these powers awesome or what?” Rainbow asked her with glee. “I think they’re totally badass!”  Applejack swatted her with her hat, before looking back to Sunset, who was chewing on her lip. 
“It's....not entirely Equestrian magic. Part of it is—your ears, horns, and wings are perfect matches for all three tribes, and it...feels like home, but it’s not the same. It’s those other parts that I don’t quite get...” she sat on the piano bench nearby. “And without my horn I can’t run complex diagnostic spells—all I have to go on is my inherent magical sense, and as good as it is, it’s a poor thaumometer under even the best circumstances.” She rubbed her thumb against the center of her forehead again. “I miss my horn...” she muttered.
“You can sense magic?” Fluttershy took a seat beside her on the bench.
Pinkie bounced over as well. “What does magic feel like? Like touch? Or a smell? Or a taste? Ooooo! Does a magical rainbow laser taste like Skittles??” She grinned. “Does everyone’s magic taste different? Does mine taste like candy? Or cupcakes?”
Sunset stared. “...ooookaaaay...” Sometimes the pink one was just too much for even her brain to handle. “It's not...like any other sense. It’s...it’s like a taste and a smell and a sound all at once, sort of fused together, and the different kinds of magic feel different.” She sighed. “It’s an ability found in unicorns, though most only have it in a rudimentary fashion. Those of us who studied magic extensively have to refine it, but even then we tend to rely on spells for more complex information and analysis.” She spread her hands helplessly. “I can’t tell you what is going on...though it doesn’t seem to be a danger to you. None of you feel any pain with your transformations, do you?” 
When five heads shook at her, Sunset tapped her chin thoughtfully with one finger.  “Then for now...I can observe? Maybe come up with some tests I can run? I might be able to design some kind of thaumometer...I also recommend keeping this to yourselves for now.” Her mind flitted back to Twilight mentioning her instruments picking up energy the night of the formal.
“Alright! That means we can still play for the showcase and come with cool special effects! The Rainbooms are in business!”
“The Rainbooms...?” Rarity asked archly.
“Yeah! Its the name if the band!”
“How come we didn’ get a vote, Dash?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “‘S our band too.”
“Cause it was totally my idea! And we used a rainbow that exploded to take out a demon!” Rainbow realized a moment too late what she had said, and she had the grace to look sheepish. “Uh...no offense, Sunset.”
It had felt like talons across her soul, and she looked away to hide the hurt. “None taken,” she responded. “You aren't wrong.” Fluttershy gave her an encouraging hug that took some of the sting away.
Applejack sighed. “There was one other thing, Sunset. We couldn’ get ahold o’ ya this weekend when everythin’ happened, even though we wanted ta. Realized a little too late that ain’t none of us got yer number. Ya willin’ ta share it with us? Then we kin get ahold of ya when we aint in school, an’ it means we kin invite ya along ta stuff when we decide ta do them all spur o’ the moment.”
The last of the hurt faded away, pushed aside by a pleased sort of happiness. “Oh! Sure!” She rattled off the phone number for them to save, and soon her phone was vibrating away in her pocket, giving her five new numbers to add to her contact list—more than doubling the number of the people she deemed important enough to have their numbers on hand.
> Chapter Twenty Three: Things We Have
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Thanksgiving...Sunset wasn’t entirely sure what she felt about the strange and uniquely human holiday. Many of the other major celebrations that humans marked on their yearly calendar were not-quite-right knock-offs of holidays she had grown up knowing in Equestria.  Thanksgiving, however, was not, even if it seemed to take little tidbits from a dozen different Equestrian holidays and mash them into a huge harvest feast day with emphasis on things that most ponies appreciated in their everyday lives.  The past four years, she’d simply spent the long weekend away from school either furthering her knowledge of the human world or working on her plans for revenge, so she had anticipated a quiet night at home with a few books or some television, or maybe even the new video game she’d picked up for herself. Twilight’s surprise invitation to spend the whole weekend at her house with her family had caught her off guard, and she had treated Sunset’s admission of ignorance over the traditions of the day with a tight hug and soft words in the former unicorn’s ear.
“…it’s about being with those you love, the people who matter to you, and we want you to be a part of it with us, Sunset. Come spend the holiday with us? Mom says you can stay all weekend if you want.”
Even now, the words her girlfriend had murmured left her feeling warm and filled with an emotion she couldn’t give a name to. At the time, it had prompted her to kiss Twilight until they were both desperate for air, before she’d agreed to come for the holiday weekend as requested.  She still wasn’t sure what to expect from it all—Velvet had asked her about foods and desserts she liked, and Twilight had told her when to come by, but with no further instructions or insights, she was still incredibly nervous.
The driveway was full when she got there, so she parked on the street, breath fogging the air as she stowed her helmet. Shouldering her overnight bag which was heavier than normal since she was staying several nights, she chewed on her lower lip as she retrieved a small basket wrapped and decorated with fall colors.  It had seemed like a good idea at the time she’d purchased the contents, still feeling warm and tingly from Twilight’s invitation, but now she that she was here with it, she found herself riddled with anxious uncertainty.  As often as she’d been over to the house and spent time here as “Twilight Sparkle’s Best Friend,” being invited officially to spend a major family holiday was different, and with no frame of reference for the holiday beyond a somewhat ridiculous story that took up about a third of a page in her history textbook, she had fallen back on one thing she did know: things Princess Celestia had taught her.   
It took Sunset some time to gather her courage, her mind drifting back to the human Nightmare Night and how the Principal and Vice-Principal had talked about it being okay to still embrace Equestrian traditions and beliefs even amidst human holidays. The former unicorn wondered if that applied to quirks and traditions that had been somewhat unique to her mentor and mother-figure, even as her feet carried her to the door, and her free hand knocked.
Cadence answered the door in short order, sending a wave of deliciously scented air wafting over Sunset. “Sunset!” she greeted, pulling the teen into a somewhat abrupt and tight hug. “You look better than the last time I saw you—are things doing better at school? Or do I need to have Shining scare someone straight?” The normally perky woman held her at arms length to look her over with uncharacteristic and serious intensity. “Because I will, Sunset, if you need me to, and Shining will jump at the chance.”
Shaking off the weird disorientation that still lingered with the human Cadence, Sunset pushed the rising worries in her head away. Twilight had made sure to clear with her exactly what information had been shared with the rest of the family to assuage their concerns about Sunset’s well-being—something that the redhead barely managed to wrap her brain around—but she hadn’t quite adjusted to them knowing about the treatment she’d been getting at school. “It’s fine, Cadence,” she assured the young woman. “…It’s back to dirty looks and the occasional snide remark in the hall, and I…I can deal with those.” 
“Alright, but if you change your mind or if you need help, you tell us.”
“…I will.”  Sunset adjusted her hold on the gift basket, weighing whether or not to ask for help on a different matter. “…um…Cadence? So…I…I’m not really sure about what…you do here for holiday traditions…but…my…” she paused, taking a deep breath and trying to push past the lump that had formed in her throat as the other waited patiently,  “…mom…always made sure to…bring a little something to offer the host as thanks…and…I…” Shaking hands held up the basket, which had been carefully arranged with a sample of exotic and tasty sounding coffees and teas in decorative tins--Celestia had been fond of giving out tea blends, given that the Princess’ taste for teas nearly rivaled her love of cakes and pastries, but Sunset had felt the humans might appreciate coffee more, so she split the difference. “…I didn’t know if it was…appropriate…but I brought this? To give to Mrs. Velvet…since they were nice enough to invite me to a family celebration…” As she spoke, her confidence slowly bled away until her voice was very small and worried.
“Oh!” Eyes dancing, Cadence took the basket from her to keep it from falling out of her hands. “It’s not inappropriate at all,” came the gentle reassurance. “It actually used to be really common, but the younger generations have mostly fallen out of it, except for those of us whose parents drilled the concept into our heads when we were young.” A pink skinned hand patted her shoulder. “…Don’t worry, Sunset. You’re in good company with this tradition.”
Tension drained out of her. “…I’m glad. I…this isn’t really a holiday I can remember celebrating, and I…I don’t know what I’m...supposed to be doing,” she admitted. “…Is…is there something I can help with? Something I’m supposed to do?”
Looking briefly over her shoulder towards the kitchen, Cadence chuckled.  “I think there’s enough hands in the kitchen at this point, Sunset. Why don’t you just head upstairs and keep Twilight company until dinner is ready? She’s in her room—something about a new flying robot she wants to build? If someone doesn’t go up and help keep her feet on the ground, she might not come back down to earth for dinner.”
Sunset glanced up the stairs as she took off her boots, a bemused smile crossing her face. “…That sounds like the most difficult job of all: keeping Twilight Sparkle out of ‘Nerdspace.’ That’s not easy.”
Cadence winked at her, her expression somewhat teasing. “Then I’d say it’s the perfect task for you, Sunset—if anyone can keep our Twily grounded, it’s you. Go on. We’ll call you girls down for dinner, and I’ll give this to Velvet for you.” 
She headed back for the kitchen, leaving Sunset to stare in confusion after her, barely noticing Spike giving her his customary wary sniff—better than the warning growls, but still standoffish. The redhead was not sure what to make of Cadence’s teasing: did she somehow know or was this more of the familial social interaction she was still learning about? The thought niggled at her as she headed up the stairs to find her girlfriend, but she put it aside when she rapped her knuckles on Twilight’s door. “Sparky?” she called.
The door opened in a rush. “Sunset!” Fingers tugged her inside, shutting the door, and Sunset took the chance to pull Twilight into her arms. 
“Hey,” she murmured, savoring the moment. The click of the door locking registered in her ears and she tilted her head down with a smirk. 
Twilight smiled back and leaned up to kiss her, the warm contact between their lips an intimate hello that she had come to enjoy as much as she did the hugs that pressed the shorter girl’s body to hers. It was something she still didn’t understand and never would have anticipated—she still found humans to be unappealing, with bodies that looked stretched, gangly, and oddly proportioned to the eyes of the Equestrian native. Yet, in only a few weeks, the look and feel of Twilight Sparkle had become like an addiction, the sensation of lips meeting hers, the smell and taste and touch that was unique to the purple eyed girl in her arms sating a hunger for contact she had never realized she possessed. 
Sunset slid one hand up her companion’s back to tangle in her ponytail and give her the leverage to deepen the kiss, giving a playful nibble on Twilight’s lower lip that earned a surprised sound from her. There was no attempt to pull back; instead, the arms around her moved to tighten the embrace, lavender fingers fisting in the leather of her jacket near her shoulder blades.  A shiver of desire went through the redhead’s body, drawing her mind up short even as her mouth was still engaged with her girlfriend’s.  How was it possible to feel a hunger like this, an ache deep in what seemed like her very soul, when she thought humans were so ugly?  What made her Twilight so different?  
The kiss broke into several smaller ones, pulling back enough to draw in air before they pressed together again, until it ended with the two girls inches from each other. Sunset found herself staring at Twilight, and the words fell from her mouth before her brain caught up with her. “Why are you so pretty?” she mumbled, asking aloud the question that was driving her insane.
Lavender cheeks darkened with a flush, Twilight’s lips curving up into a smile, before the way Sunset had asked it registered with her. “Sunny?”   
Sunset pulled back a fraction, mind racing to come up with an explanation, only for Twilight to reach up and  brush her cheek with light fingers.  The redhead took a deep breath, and forged ahead with as much of the truth as she could. “...I don’t find people attractive,” she confessed quietly. “Male, female, doesn’t matter—I just don’t see them that way...but...you’re different, Sparky. You’re special, and I don’t understand why. Why you’re so pretty to me and everyone else in this world is about as appealing as a rock.”  
Heated lightning lanced through her innards when Twilight moved closer to go back to resting their foreheads together, initiating the gesture for the first time. It was a moment she savored, even if the dark haired girl didn’t know how much it meant to her, though she tried to put some of that emotion into the kiss shared a moment later. 
This time, when they parted, Twilight’s smile remained, though it was one of the soft, open smiles that usually preceded something emotionally deep that Sunset needed to hear.  “Sunset...sometimes that just happens—and it’s okay if it does.” Arms hugged the former unicorn tighter. “What matters is that you are okay with this, with us, and that you are happy. Are you?”
There was the faintest quiver in the nerdy girl’s voice, and Sunset hurried to reassure her. “In all of my life, Sparky, I cannot remember a time where I felt happier than I do with you. I guess that’s why it’s all so confusing...” She looked away, feeling guilt gnaw at her. “I’m sorry...”
“It's okay, Sunny!” Twilight’s voice soothed her agitation and chased the guilt back to its hiding place.  “I like Sunset Shimmer, regardless of what that means—nothing you can say will change that. As far as I’m concerned, I like you, you like me, and we are happy with ‘us.” Nothing else should matter.”
—Sparky’s got a point, horn-head,— Stupid Little Voice chimed in. —Why does it matter if you find just her pretty, hot, and tempting? She’s the only one you want and she’s yours. Win-win, so why worry your tail bald about it?—
She didn't think Twilight was tem—okay, she did, but she could’ve gone without that irritating voice pointing it out. Still...it was a valid argument, and as long as she didn’t start developing an urge to get intimate with every hairless biped she encountered, maybe it really didn’t matter that much. Her lips quirked into a lopsided smile. “Yeah. I guess you’re right: nothing else matters...except...”
“Except what?”
Blue-green eyes flicked down to Twilight’s lips, then back to the purple eyes peering at her from behind thick lenses. “Except this,” she murmured, and kissed her girlfriend again, only stopping when they were both in need of air.
Twilight grinned at her, a giddy, dazed expression only Sunset ever got to see.  “Oh...that’s an acceptable exception...” she murmured.
Sunset chuckled. “...so I’ve been told that my job is to keep you company until the food is ready, and that it would be a while yet. Any thoughts on how we should spend however long we have?”
The shorter girl closed the gap between them again, light and affectionate contact. “I can think of a few things,” she teased.
‘A few things’ turned out to involve the two of them hunched over some blueprints on her desk while Twilight explained the details of her latest invention idea, asking for Sunset’s input. They were close enough that their sides touched, and the redhead slipped an arm around her girlfriend’s waist, letting her eyes rove over the scattered pages on the desk’s surface. As she listened to Twilight explain the details of her idea for a drone camera that operated on its own, she spotted a piece of paper with a long mathematical equation on it that seemed to be the source of a lot of crossed out sections, eraser marks and just frustrated scrawl. She plucked it up, squinting at the complex and unsolved sequence for a moment. “Trouble with your calculus homework, Sparky?” the redhead joked, waggling the paper.
“I wish,” Twilight grumbled a touch petulantly. “It's for an independent project, but I cant seem to figure out what I’m missing.”
“Hmmm....” Sunset stared at the equation again. “That’s because you’re missing a variable,” she commented, picking up a pen and grabbing a clean sheet of paper. Her hand flew over the page rapidly as she added what her mind knew was missing, all the while breaking down the steps for the girl tucked against her. “.....there you go! Solved.”
Twilight stared with wide eyes at the paper, then made a high pitched sound of glee and pulled Sunset into a hug that almost knocked the wind out of her. “I’ve been stuck on that equation for over a month! I don't know how you figured that out!”
“I think I’ve seen the equation before—it looked familiar.”  She nuzzled the top of a dark haired head. “Which project is it for?”
“Do you remember the weird atmospheric disturbance that resembled an aurora the night we met? It made some of my electronics go haywire, but I got some data from it. I’ve been trying to figure it out ever since because it defies all known phenomena.”
Horseapples. That’s where she’d seen the equation before—in her advanced spacial mathematics course at CSGU. It was an absolutely necessary equation for any unicorn to learn before they could master a number of advanced spells (including teleportation), and the missing variable was the one that accounted for the magical energy in leylines. Twilight was trying to study magic, and Sunset had just given her an important piece of the puzzle.
“Do you remember where you saw the equation before? If it was in a book or a paper somewhere, I might be able to track it down....” Twilight’s tone was still laden with excitement.
Sunset made a show of looking like she was trying to remember while she weighed how to respond...and how to gently dissuade the shorter teen from advertising her research. “...it was before I ran away...” she finally answered. “I found papers with high end research on them in her private study. She was angrier than I could ever remember when she caught me—there was lots of yelling, and it is why she sent me away...”
This time the hug was meant to be comforting, and Sunset felt the guilt return, bringing its friend shame along for the ride. She pulled Twilight as close as possible. “Look...Sparky...promise me you’ll be careful? If she got...that mad about me looking at the equations with no context...I’m afraid of what other people might do if they learn you’re researching this energy.”  It wasn’t entirely a lie, she told herself, trying to justify her decision. The former unicorn was terrified at what unscrupulous humans might do should they discover magic was real...and while she trusted Twilight not to fall into the category of amoral mad scientist, she still wasn’t ready to admit to her girlfriend that she was a unicorn from a parallel reality.
“I hadn't planned on going public with any of my findings until I identify what it is and how it works,” Twilight acknowledged. “As of right now, no one else seems to be looking into the events...” Purple eyes met hers. “...but if it will make you feel better, I’ll be careful and discrete in my research.”
It was something, at least. “Thanks, Sparky,” she murmured, before changing the subject back to the “selfie camera drone” that Twilight had sketched a rough schematic for. The pair ended up spending almost an hour batting ideas, suggestions, and thoughts back and forth, slowly refining the rough sketch into a prototype design.
Afterward, they sprawled on the bed, conversing in between moments of affection, a pillow fight, and one impromptu tickle war that ended when Sunset nearly spasmed off the bed, laughing until she couldn’t breathe. That had been a new experience for her—tickling was something that wasn’t easily accomplished by hooves, and ponies had thicker hide than humans did, so the sensation of fingers dancing across her stomach in a way that left her muscles twitching and her laughing uncontrollably was a thing she’d never had happen before…and she was looking forward to getting her revenge at a later date by returning the favor.
They had entirely lost track of time when Cadence knocked on the door sometime later, interrupting Sunset’s impending victory strike with a pillow. The pair straightened their clothes and went downstairs, joining the rest of the household in the dining room. Night Light was carrying a platter of turkey to the table, and he gave Sunset a mock glare. “I’m hurt, Sunset! You’ve been here for hours and you didn’t even come say hello!” The tone of his voice betrayed his amusement.
Sunset enjoyed the warmth in her chest, and gave him a cheeky smirk. “Couldn’t help it, sir! Cadence told me I had to choose between you and a pretty girl! The girl won.”
“Far be it for me to get between a teenage girl and her best friend,” he joked. “Glad you could make it all the same.”
“Sunset!” Twilight Velvet set a basket of rolls down and pulled the girl into what Sunset had come to think of as a ‘mom-hug’, a comforting embrace that made her feel like a little filly again. “Happy Thanksgiving, sweetie! I hope you’re hungry—I made sure to have things you said you liked!” She pulled her over to one side of the table and peeled the foil off one of the dishes to reveal a bunch of skewers with fat, fresh grilled shrimp and a few salmon steaks. 
The former unicorn’s eyes lit up with joy. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Velvet!” The feeling of being welcome and included when she was over at Twilight’s no longer brought tears to her eyes, but the way it made her feel hadn’t lessened in the slightest. The girls at school might have welcomed her into their circle of friends, but it was in the Sparkle residence where she felt at home.  She even had her own chair at the dinner table here, a seat right next to Twilight’s, and Velvet always made sure to include some sort of meal option for Sunset. The redhead was fairly certain she had eaten more seafood and hearty vegetarian dishes in the weekend meals than she had since she left Equestria; something that was starting to show, she admitted ruefully. Several of her tops didn’t fit right anymore, and neither did her favorite pair of jeans.
It didn’t stop her from taking her seat with the rest of the family, eagerly eyeing the shrimp that was calling her name. Twilight’s family didn’t seem to offer prayers to a human deity before their meals like she had seen some humans do (an odd practice to her as a pony, but something she’d observed in diplomatic dinners with certain species. Fox-folk were particularly picky about prayers to their progenitor goddess, she’d learned the hard way), but today was a holiday, and holiday traditions might be different. So she waited.
Night Light took it upon himself to start. “Sunset, we do have a family tradition for the holiday that we normally do about this time. As you’ve probably noticed, we’re not overly religious, but this is something my father and grandfather both did, and we continue to do because it reminds us to stop and look at the things in life that matter to us. We go around the table, and each of us talks about the things we are thankful for in our life, little or large. You don’t have to participate, but we would love it if you did.”
She flushed, feeling suddenly very shy. “I...I’d like to...” she managed, glancing around the table.
“Perfect! I’ll start...” 
Sunset found herself listening, as each member of the family spoke easily on the things they were thankful for: good health, loved ones, friends, a home, good coworkers, events and places and people, and found herself wondering what she was most grateful to have. As Cadence finished hers, Sunset found herself speaking, almost without her brain’s consent.
“A lot has happened in the last few months for me...and a lot has changed. But...honestly, what’s meant the most to me, what I’m most grateful for...are second chances, chance meetings, new friends...and...here. This place, and the people in it.” Her hand found Twilight’s under the table, lacing their fingers together and squeezing firmly, letting her girlfriend know just who it was that meant the most. “Thank you...” she whispered, blinking back tears.
She found herself in one of Twilight’s hugs. “I’m thankful for you too, Sunset,” Twilight told her with a beaming smile.  “You’re my very best friend, and I’m so glad we met when we did! You didn’t just change my night, you’ve made my life better by being in it.”  Purple eyes found hers and Sunset knew what Twilight was alluding to, protective anger lighting a fire in her when she thought of their first meeting.
And then Cadence and Shining Armor turned it into a group hug, sending the whole table into laughter.





The hour was late, and the whole family had spent the evening watching movies in the family room. The credits on the final film for the evening were playing, and Night Light chuckled when he flicked on the lamp. His wife looked over.  “What’s so funny?”
He shushed her with a finger to his lips and then pointed. Sprawled on the pillows on the floor, their youngest had fallen asleep on her best friend, contentedly using the other teen as a pillow. Spike was curled up behind the bend of the back of Twilight’s knees, his face buried amidst kernels in a tipped over popcorn bowl. Sunset was also asleep, hands half fisted in her slumber, one of them resting lightly on the small of Twilight’s back.
Velvet smiled softly. “Remember when she used to fall asleep on Shining like that when she was little? I thought that was adorable, but this is almost more so. I almost hate to wake them...”
“I’ll get it, Mom. I can usually wake Twily without startling her.” 
Shining leaned down to shake his sister’s shoulder when Sunset took a sudden sharp breath, her hand snapping out with lightning speed and stopping him cold with an iron tight grip to his wrist. Her eyes were half hooded and dark in the dim living room, and she sat up part of the way, staring at him until her brain caught up with the rest of her. Shining took a half step back, keeping his voice even and nonthreatening and making no attempt to break her hold—he knew from training and experience that the worst thing he could do was be forceful in any way. “Easy, Sunset. It's just me: Shining Armor. You know me. I’m not going to hurt you or Twily,” he soothed, the same way he talked to traumatized children at crime scenes.
Sunset blinked, recognition bringing her to more to wakefulness, and she let go of him, cringing slightly. “Shining? Ponyfeathers...I’m sorry. Are you alright?”
He rubbed his wrist. “I’m fine. Hell of a grip you’ve got and some amazing reflexes too. Self defense courses?” 
“Mmmhmm,” she responded quietly, though whether that was out of a desire to not wake his sister or because she didn’t want to talk about why she was on high alert even when sound asleep, the young man could not be certain. 
“Cool. We’ll have to compare styles sometime.” He looked down at his sister. 
“She’s out. I can get her, carry her up—”
“No!” Sunset’s tone was sharp, and her grip tightened on Twilight possessively.   As the family blinked at her outburst, she softened her tone. “No.. that might wake her. I’ve got her,” she mumbled, still looking half asleep herself.
Only partially aware of her actions, Sunset got up, carefully maneuvering the other girl in her grasp, until the slumbering Twilight was draped over her back and shoulders and Sunset’s hands under her thighs. “See? Got her.” Blue-green eyes looked around. “G’nite...”
Up the stairs she trudged, unaware of the bemused smiles following her up. Once they heard Twilight’s door open and close, Shining Armor scratched his head. “Soooo...do you think Twily knows Sunset’s in love with her?”
Cadence giggled at the question, but Velvet gave them stern looks. “Leave it alone, both of you. Sunset’s feelings are between her and Twilight, and if she hasn’t mentioned it, it's not our place to interfere.”
“You have to admit,” Night Light pointed out with an impish smirk, “It would be an easy way to make Sunset part of the family officially. Besides, it would save me from having to potentially murder a girl who broke Twilight’s heart....”
“And me from having to help cover up evidence...”
Twilight Velvet rolled her eyes as her husband and her son high-fived. “Leave the girls alone. You heard what Twily said about Sunset confiding in her—bothering them about it would do more harm than good. Let them sort it out, and in their own time.”





Sunset lowered her cargo to the bed, and Twilight whimpered in her sleep when Sunset’s warmth disappeared. “Shhh...it's okay, Sparky, I’m here. Just going to change into pajamas...” she soothed, knuckles brushing her girlfriend’s cheek before taking her glasses and setting them on the nightstand.  It was a quick change, something hot and possessive seeping into her chest when Twilight made another distressed sound, and she slid under the covers as fast as she could, pulling the smaller form to her. “I’ve got you, Sparky...you're safe,” she whispered into her ear. 
“...Sunny...” Twilight’s sleep eased, the potential of a nightmare banished for now, and Sunset nuzzled her, humming the beginnings of a song she’d been working on in her free time.  
Twilight was blissfully unaware of the night terrors that crept up on her on in the middle of the night sometimes, but it was something Sunset had learned she could chase away with her body and voice, and so she did. Every night they were together, she held her Twilight close, one monster keeping the rest at bay.
“You’ll always be safe with me, Sparky,” she promised in the darkness of the night, unaware of the unnatural glow in her eyes. “I’ll never hurt you or let anything hurt you while I’m with you...” She nuzzled her again, sleep reaching out to claim her. “...you’re mine...” was her final mumble as she fell into dreamland.
> Interlude VI: Bonds of Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






The restaurant wasn’t overly crowded, possibly because it was a Wednesday night, but more likely because rather than one of the larger, more modern places in the main business district of the city, it was an older, out of the way, family owned place not more than half a mile from the local university, and derived most of its income from hungry college kids who trickled in and out at all times of the day and night, lending it a steady flow of patrons rather than massive rushes at certain times. It had been their favorite place to eat when they had gone to the university, and even now, years later, Mi Amore Cadenza met her best friend here once or twice a month for dinner, drinks, and enjoying each other’s company.  
One pink finger idly tapped on the glass of sweet, fruit flavored tea while she waited at their usual table for the other woman’s arrival, musing over the fond memories associated with the lopsided, scratched wood tucked away in a private corner towards the back, of hours of studying, talking, eating, quiet confessions, shared secrets, and of course, the odd bit of entertaining gossip that they had indulged in.  Reminiscing brought a smile to her face; she was looking forward to spending time catching up with her best friend over dinner tonight—things had been so hectic the last few months that they’d had to reschedule their get-togethers several times, and Cadence had so much to share as a result.  
Like about her Ladybug’s new relationship, which was quickly becoming the most adorably sweet thing she’d encountered in years, and it was only becoming more so as the weeks went on.  The way Twilight had been getting that dreamy, far-off look when she thought no one was looking, or the unabashed and open devotion in Sunset’s eyes when she looked at Twilight told her everything she needed to know about what was going on even without her cornering her ‘little sister’ for updates.





If there was one thing Cadence had a nose for, it was relationships; she knew the very moment she’d walked in to the house that evening that Twilight had talked to Sunset, and without preamble she’d dragged the teenager to the bedroom that had been “hers” for over a decade. 
“Cady...?” Twilight asked, pushing her glasses up on her nose.
“You talked to Sunset, didn’t you? How’d it go?” She was so excited she was practically bouncing on the bed.
Lavender skin turned so dark a red that Cadence began to worry about Twilight’s brain, and the girl stammered and stuttered in response. “What? How did—what gave—it’s not—“ At the arched brow, Twilight caved. “...I kissed her...” she admitted shyly, fingers playing with her hair.
With a squeal of glee, she hugged Twilight. “And how’d it go, Ladybug?”  Taking in the blushing cheeks, the sudden shy embarrassment, and the fact that the teenage girl was trying to fight against the goofy grin that was slowly creeping on to her face, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Twilight’s conversation with her best friend had ended on a positive note.  “Good, I’m guessing or you wouldn’t have that expression on your face!”
Twilight ducked her head. “...we talked...you were right.  About it being a good idea, I mean. She…I kissed her, and she didn’t know how to take it, so I took a chance. I…told her that I like girls, and that I like her.”  Her eyes lit up, and she raised her head to meet Cadence’s gaze. “Sunset…she told me she likes me too…not just as a best friend…”
“Aaaaand...?”
“We’re trying. Dating, I mean—but slow, because we don’t want to mess it up, ruin our friendship. We agreed that being best friends is too important to risk, so we’re going to just…see where things go without trying to rush.”   Twilight gave up on trying to restrain her happy smile.
“Soooo...is she a good kisser?” Cadence teased playfully, expecting more blushing and stammering. What she got instead was surprising, but in a way that made her want to hug the younger girl again.
“...oh yeah...” Twilight murmured dreamily. “Kissing her is amazing...” She stared off into space for a minute, clearly seeing her own memories and not the wall. Then she jerked back to reality, and fumbled with her words. “I mean...I don’t really have any data for comparison, and I can only judge by my own reactions which are subjective and anecdotal at best...”
Cadence burst out laughing, and hugged her ‘little sister’ again. “You really do have it bad, Twily...I’m happy for you. I told you it wasn’t one sided.”
“Me too...” the silly grin came back, “Thanks for your advice...”
“Ladybug, you know you can always talk to me about anything.”
“I know, Cadence.  That means a lot to me.”





A giggle escaped her at the memory, before her thoughts took a much more sober turn.  Twilight was still unwilling to come out to the rest of her family; Cadence broaching the subject after learning that the two girls were making a foray into romance had almost triggered a panic attack as Twilight had babbled about her reservations and worries. She seemed completely unaware of Sunset’s inability to hide how she felt about Twilight in front of the rest of the family.  Every time the redhead came over to the house, the awestruck looks and the emotion radiating off her became less and less subtle, and the little display Thanksgiving evening had put Sunset Shimmer’s feelings on full display for all of them to see.
Under any other circumstances, there might’ve been cause for concern over it, but given the conversation Twilight had had first with Cadence and then her parents the week before the holiday, Sunset’s intense emotions and fierce attachment to her Ladybug were making more and more sense. With the troubles and traumas already heaped on her in life, it clearly had taken a lot of trust for the redheaded girl to open up to anyone, which in turn spoke volumes about how deep the bond between the pair went.
It also said something about how important Sunset’s trust was to Twilight with how she had tried very hard to find a way to balance that trust with the concerns of her family, finding a way to make both sides happy and not break any promises.  Cadence was rather proud of her for it—it was not a conversation that had been easy on Twilight, since she’d had to work the girl through at least two anxiety attacks beforehand and prevent one during the conversation as well.





“Mom? Dad?” Twilight was wringing her hands nervously, looking about three seconds away from hyperventilating as Cadence placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Can…Can I talk to you guys about something?”
Night Light set his book down, and Velvet smiled. “Of course, Twily. What’s going on? You look upset.”
Looking to Cadence for support, she took a deep breath. “…I…It’s about Sunset…She…She told me about her past, about what has happened in her life…” 
The girl hugged herself in an attempt to stop her body’s violent trembling, and Cadence put an arm around her shoulders to give her strength and encourage her to continue. “Ladybug,” she soothed, “it’s alright. Deep breaths, like we talked about.”  
Twilight brought her fist to her chest, doing the breathing exercise that her former sitter had taught her at a very young age. It took a few minutes, but she calmed herself enough to keep going.
“Sunset told me about her past, Mom, Dad…told me in confidence because she trusts me and I’m her best friend.  A lot of it is bad, real bad, but I can’t tell you everything she told me, because she asked me not to—she…doesn’t trust a lot of people, and I can’t break that. With everything, its so hard for her to trust anyone, and I won’t do that to her…”  As Twilight spoke, Cadence could feel the shaking stop entirely, could hear the quiet, defiant steel in her voice, and from the way Velvet briefly flicked her eyes towards Cadence, she knew the older woman heard it too.
Then Twilight straightened her shoulders, and met her parent’s eyes. “…However…I know you guys are worried about her, have been worried about her from the start, and we talked a bit about what she was okay with me telling you. You guys deserve to know that as bad as things used to be, she’s okay. Things are much better now for her than they were.”
The older adults watched their daughter for a long time, before exchanging a look with one another. Twilight Velvet took the lead. “Alright, Twily…can we talk about what parts you feel comfortable telling us that Sunset is okay with us knowing? You said that things are better for her now—we just want to know that she’s safe, that she isn’t living on the street or someplace where she’ s in danger of being hurt.”  
Twilight wiped her eyes, dashing the hints of tears that formed as she spoke of the redhead’s situation. “…She’s safe. She has an apartment, and it’s warm and dry and in an okay neighborhood. I’ve been there—it's over near the park.”  The teen took a deep breath, and forged onward. “Sunny’s a legally emancipated minor—her parents died a long time ago.”
Velvet covered her mouth. “Oh, the poor thing…No wonder she was so skittish. How does she pay for an apartment, Twilight? She’s not—”
Twilight’s eyes widened and her cheeks darkened with a blush before she could shake her head vehemently. “No! No. She’s…There was some money, I think, and she has a professional financial adviser that handles overseeing her bills? She…didn’t go into a lot of details, and you always taught me it was rude to inquire too deeply about someone else’s financial situation and spending habits if they don’t readily offer the details.” 
Night Light frowned, rubbing his chin. “Can you tell us why she’s on her own instead of with family? Or is that…one of those ‘confidence’ points?” He sounded more than a little worried.
“…There’s not much to tell. She…told me there isn’t any other family.”  She fidgeted, chewing on her lower lip as she considered something.  “…I also think it may be that there are some things she’s not legally allowed to talk about, but I have no proof, only things I’ve observed and things that she’s hinted at without telling. I…I think whoever her guardian was after her parents died was…rich and well known…and not from around here.”
More looks were exchanged between the three adults, and Cadence knew there would be a long conversation for the adults of the house once Twilight disappeared into her room for the night.  She didn’t need to be involved in the system to know the common stance it held on the subject of the emancipation of minors, and she was very aware that Night Light and Twilight Velvet knew it too.  For a teenage girl with no family to be emancipated with enough independent finances to afford a decent apartment that satisfied the system, there had to be some extremely extenuating circumstances.
Twilight Velvet focused back on her daughter. “…She is still in school, right?” There had been references to Sunset’s high school, but the direct question had never been asked of either girl. 
“Yes, Mom…”  The teenager frowned, anger creeping into her tone with quiet intensity that made Cadence’s eyes widen. “Sunset still goes to school every day, despite what’s been happening to her there. She’s been dealing with a lot of bullying since I’ve known her—bad bullying.  Its why she was so out of it last Friday. Some kids played a really horrible prank on her and she could’ve gotten seriously hurt!” This time, the tears that formed in Twilight’s eyes were angry ones and she didn’t try to hide them. “…I know she said she was a mean person and a bully herself for a long time, but she’s trying so hard to be a better person, to learn to be a good friend and do the right thing, and it’s not right that other students have been taking advantage of it to get revenge!”   The tears overflowed, streaming down her cheeks. “…It doesn’t matter what she did in the past, to be so horrible and mean to her that she came here after school and cried is taking it too far!”
Cadence turned the arm across her Ladybug’s shoulders into a real hug, drawing the girl into a tight embrace to let her get the tears and anger and hurt out. She hadn’t been present for any of that, but it did explain why Sunset resembled the walking dead when Cadence had come by for lunch on Saturday. “Deep breaths, Ladybug. Sunset has you, has us. She’s not alone and she’s shown she knows that. It’s why she came here when she was hurting.”  
It took some time, but Twilight seemed to regain her self control, stepping out of the hug and continuing, her voice still thick with emotion as she dried her eyes on her shirtsleeve. “…she told me yesterday that the Principal and Vice-Principal are taking care of it. There’s some girls at her school that are her friends too, and when they found out, apparently one of them got all kinds of evidence and turned the bullies in. A bunch of people got suspended, and Sunny says its getting better—the principals are on her side.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Night Light said, placing a warm hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “…We were really worried about her—she wasn’t herself this weekend at all. Make sure she knows that she has adults here to back her up too if she needs our support. Sunset’s a good kid, Twily, and we’re not about to let her twist in the wind if we can help.”
Nodding, Twilight sniffled. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll make sure she knows…but that’s…something I wanted to ask you guys about. Thanksgiving is coming up, and…I was wondering if I could invite her to stay here and have the holiday with us? So she’s not  spending the holiday alone again?”
“Oh absolutely!” Velvet was quick to jump on the idea. “And Christmas too, if she’s interested. I won’t see Sunset alone in an apartment for a holiday if I have anything to say about it. Your father is right, Twilight. She’s a wonderful young woman with so many good qualities, and we’re here for her—in little ways, just as much as big ones.”  Then she hugged her daughter tightly. “I’m proud of you, Twilight. You’re a good friend to Sunset, and I admire that you’re trying to not betray her trust. We won’t ask for the details unless she offers them, but I am glad you let us know what you could. You were right that we were very worried about her, and I know I feel much better now that I know she isn’t going home to abusive parents or to a house where her safety was in jeopardy.”
Cadence met Velvet’s eyes again, and knew the woman would be having her son look into Sunset anyway—but that was definitely a conversation for when Twilight wasn’t still in the room.





She was jolted back to reality when a hand landed on her shoulder. “You seem awfully deep in thought, Cady. Is Armor in the doghouse again? If you want to stay with me a few nights, you know my room is always open…”
Cadence rolled her eyes but jumped out of her chair to hug the dark haired woman that had snuck up on her while she was lost in thought.  “The way you keep going on about that every time I see you, I’m thinking you need something more than just having a friend crash on your floor for the night.” She grinned impishly, lowering her voice to something approximating a sultry purr. “If you’re that lonely, you can always come visit us. It’ll be just like when we were in college,” she teased, before dropping into a more conversational tone of voice. “Or we can meet at a bar and I can be your wingwoman again, Lu.”
Laughter, and the two women released each other, sliding into the old, worn seats. “I will keep that in mind if I ever want to spend three months unable to look Shining Armor in the eyes…again.” Luna winked at her across the table. “I’m sorry I’ve had to put off getting together with you so many times, Cadence. Work has just been hellish this semester, and it’s showing no signs of getting better any time soon.”
“You are the one who decided to work in a high school. I’m pretty sure thats the definition of Hell.”
Luna made a face after she turned back from telling the waitress her drink order. “You…have no idea how right you are with how this year has been going.” She ran a hand through her mane of night colored hair tiredly, before her sour expression became a slight smile. “But we’re here to get away from work…and you said you had things to share? How is the lunkhead? You two are doing okay, right?”
“Shining and I are fine, Luna. More than fine, actually. He’s up for a Detective slot that opened up—you remember that dour faced man with the horrible porn-stache and the green skin the color of a spoiled avocado? He’s retiring, finally.” 
Eyes widened.  “…Wait…you don’t mean the one…”
“That thought Shining was having an affair with you because of that Halloween party? Yes. The same one.”
“Good riddance then. I didn’t like that man.” Smirking, she raised the glass. “Best of luck to the lunkhead on the promotion. He deserves it with how much crap he puts up with from people.”  Then her eyes narrowed. “…You mentioned amazing news on the phone. Has he finally bought you that ring you two have been talking about since you were both in diapers?”
Cadence couldn’t keep the grin from her face. “Yes!” she managed in something just slightly quieter than a squeal, and showed off her hand. “…We didn’t really announce anything because…well…we’ve been engaged for what feels like forever, but…”
Making a show of studying the band with the stone set atop it, Luna whistled sharply. “…Consider me quite impressed—despite how long it took him, he did good picking out a ring.” 
“Yes. I wonder who helped him with that.” Cadence didn’t have to have a mind like Twilight Sparkle to know that Shining had gone to her best friend to get help on finding the ring.
She got an enigmatic smile in return. “…Your boy in uniform didn’t need as much help as he thought. I just provided moral support and the courage to trust his instincts about you. I don’t understand why he waited so long though.”
“Life happens, Luna, you know that.” She sipped her drink after the waitress refilled it.  “What about you?  Any new events taking up the time you aren’t terrifying teenagers with the wrath of ‘Nightmare_Moon’?”
“You mean besides a disastrous attempt at showboating that caused an explosion in front of the school at the fall dance, left us with a twenty five foot hole, took out the entire front entrance to Canterlot High, and could have killed several of our students? To add to that lovely mess—that was what kept me busy through October, by the way—because of some recent problems, I’ve served more detentions and suspensions in two months than I have in my entire career. What does it say about my life lately that the highlight of my job this month has been serving expulsion to two of the biggest troublemakers in the school?”  
Cadence shook her head. “That must’ve been some prank—was anyone hurt?”
“Thankfully, no—we were extremely lucky, because there were students close enough to the explosion that it could have been a much worse story for CHS.  I am seriously beginning to regret my life choices and wondering if I could make more money by being a professional gamer. I would still have to put up with profanity from upstart adolescents with daddy issues, but the hours are better, and I could go to work in my underwear.”
Laughter shook the pink-skinned woman’s frame. “…So just like back in college then?” That sent them both into a giggle fit that left them gasping for breath and halfway to tears of mirth as they joked about some of those ‘college antics.’ By the time they managed to get themselves under control, their food was being placed on the table, and the two women took some time in relative silence to eat.
The silence didn’t last for long though, since about halfway through the meal, a pair of young men—college students from the university, by the looks of them—stopped next to the table.  “Um…Miss Mi Amore Cadenza?” the one on the left asked in an accented, soft voice.
Cadence looked up from her fries. “That’s me. Can I help you?” It wouldn’t be the first time she was recognized around the city by random strangers, and it most assuredly wouldn’t be the last, but such was the other side of being a well known media personality in one’s city. 
Rubbing the back of his neck, the other youth smiled sheepishly. “We’re super sorry to interrupt your meal, ma’am…but Blitz and I recognized your voice, and…we wanted to thank you.”  At Cadence motioning for him to continue, he explained, “See, we follow you online and listen to you on the radio, and…we just want you to know how much it means to have you out there, telling people that love isn’t something to be ashamed of or vilified, and letting people know that they aren’t alone, and that they don’t have to look or act a certain way to be good people.”
She beamed at the two young men. “I’m just happy to make a difference, to help spread love and good feelings where I can, however I can…and I’m glad that my message does reach people who need to hear it.”
“It does, Miss Cadenza. Without you, I wouldn’t still be here,” the soft spoken young man said. “…you... answered a caller’s question one night when I was in a very bad place, and what you said to her was something I needed to hear in that moment. Thank you, so very much.”
This was something that always felt good to her—she wrote and talked a lot on both her radio air time and on social media platforms about a whole range of subjects that mattered to her, particularly ones about love and acceptance, and moments like this, when she met people whose lives had been made better in even the smallest way? For her, moments like this made all of the ugly comments and nasty remarks and the occasional rude call-in to the radio worth it, knowing that she’d spread love and positive change in someway further cemented that she had made the right choice in her life about her career. 
“There is no need to thank me—Blitz, was it?” At his nod, she reached out and touched his shoulder. “The best thanks you could ever give me is to pay that love forward to others who need it. Sometimes, it can make all the difference in the world. I’m glad I was able to be what you needed, even if I didn’t realize it.”
“I will. We both try to do so, Miss Cadenza. You have inspired us in so many ways.”
“Anyway, we’ll leave you alone—sorry again about interrupting your meal, ma’am…We just wanted to thank you.” The two melted away quickly, and Cadence heard Luna’s chuckle finally hit the air. She gave her friend a long look.
“Mi Amore Cadenza, Canterlot’s own Goddess of Love and Happiness, Patron Saint of Alternative Sexualities, Guru of Romance Advice, Queen of—Hey!” Luna’s laughing words broke off with an indignant sound as Cadence flicked a piece of ice at her.  “They do call you all of that. Well, except for ‘Queen of Coming-Out Conversations.’ That one should be added, given how often it seems to happen.”
Another eyeroll. “Lu, thats only happened four times. Five if you count yourself.”
“Which I do.  And it has been six times...Unless you don’t count Shining’s little sister?”
“….I do…who am I forgetting then?” She shook her head. “Never mind. Speaking of coming-out conversations and Twily, I’ve got to share this with someone before I explode!” Her voice pitched up to a near squeal at the end of the sentence.
“Juicy gossip that doesn’t involve something hateful? Who am I to say no? It certainly beats the crap I’ve been seeing lately.”
“Not exactly juicy gossip, but it’s so adorable and sweet! My little Ladybug finally has a girlfriend, and they are just so cute together!”
Luna’s eyes widened. “Lunkhead’s little sister—the shy little voice that used to call the dorm room for you sometimes, right? Had a bit of a stutter when she got nervous? That ‘little Ladybug?’”
“Yes! She made this friend a few months ago, and started bringing her over to the house.  The poor girl’s had a rough life from everything we’ve managed to piece together, and I guess Twily was the first person to want to be her friend. They bonded—for whatever reason, she just doesn’t trigger all of Twily’s social anxieties, and she’s super good at helping her when they do show up.  Watching them interact, it was so easy to tell there was something there, so I encouraged her to at least be honest…because even though Twily couldn’t see it, I could. They talked—it wasn’t the one sided crush my Ladybug thought, and now they’re this adorable little secret couple. Its like watching puppies, Luna! You just want to hug them!”
Luna smirked. “Matchmaker Cadenza, Goddess of Love, strikes again. Both of them still closeted?  I would have figured your ‘Ladybug’ would have told Shining and their parents by now—it's been years since she told you. Trying to stay in the closet is rough enough, but doing it while in a relationship…I do not wish that on anyone. It can be stressful.”
Cadence sighed. “I’ve tried to convince Twily that her parents and Shiny will still love her, but her anxieties wind her up before she can work up the courage to tell them. She really needs to though, because its not going to be something she can keep secret for too much longer.  Not with Sunset looking at her like she’s the bright center to her universe—if it gets too much worse, anyone with eyes will be able to tell.”
Luna choked on her drink. “…Sunset…you don’t mean Sunset Shimmer, do you?” she coughed, trying to get soda out of her windpipe.
“…yeeeeesss….” Cadence began, staring at her friend oddly. “How do you know Sunse—oh!” The answer bloomed in her mind as she remembered what Twilight had said about where Sunset lived. “She’s one of your students, isn’t she?”
“One of my students indeed, and at the center of pretty much the last few months worth of headache at my job….If I’m going to tell you this, I’m going to need something stronger to drink than coke.” Luna looked skeptically down at her glass. “A lot stronger.” The dark woman raised her hand to flag down their server and order a stiff drink, waiting until it arrived before she spoke again, much to Cadence’s dismay. 
“….Where to start? …Right. How much has Sunset told you all about herself?” 
“…less than she’s told Ladybug, but more than I knew before. I know she’s had a rough life, and that she’s had a history of being a less than pleasant individual.”
Luna took in that information, nodding slowly. “…I see. I can concur with that. Sunset Shimmer was, up until this fall, an absolute frustrating pain in my ass—not because she was that much of a troublemaker, but because she was smart enough in her actions to never do anything that could be proven to be her.” The woman sighed. “…All in all, she wasn’t any worse than any other snobbish, self centered popularity queen in a high school who uses manipulation to control the behavior of others.  In fact, she was pretty much a picture perfect mean girl, like she’d stepped right out of a tacky teen movie. She talked, walked, and acted tough and untouchable—but like you seem to already know, it was a front. A way to keep people at arm’s length and protect herself from further hurt.” Luna sipped her drink. “And, honestly? She might’ve stayed that way, but things went utterly to shit the night of our fall dance.”
“The prank that went south?” Cadence leaned forward, now invested in the details since it involved Sunset. “I know she’s still beating herself up about whatever happened to her—she never shares the details with us, but from the little hints here and there, she acts like she got someone badly hurt or something.”
“I suppose ‘prank’ is a poor word choice. Sunset had intended to make her entrance to her ‘kingdom’ amidst quite a fireworks display. Unfortunately, when she decided to test the effect early in the front of the school…it all went wrong. There was a gas leak, seeping up from a cracked pipe under the walk. One half-baked, homemade illegal explosive that she’d gotten from who knows where on the streets or the Internet…and boom. There went the front of the school, and half the sidewalk, blown to kingdom come. We’re still not sure how the hell Sunset Shimmer survived with nothing more than some scrapes and bruises—by all rights, being near the epicenter, she should be dead.” Luna leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling above her for a long minute, sipping her drink and letting that sink in for a minute.
Horror and dismay filled her, one hand covering her mouth. “…oh Sunset…” she breathed, thinking of the girl who had poured her heart out in gratitude at the dinner table for Thanksgiving, eyes shining as she’d looked at Twilight. 
Her friend sighed. “…It scared her, I think. Shocked her, made her really look at her life and her actions. Ever since then she’s been a completely different person—busting her ass to turn her life around.  I can understand that—a near death experience making you realize you’re being a childish brat and need to grow up.” One finger tapped her glass in thought. “…unfortunately, in a high school, any moment of weakness is blood in the water for the sharks, and in Sunset Shimmer’s case, it was well advertised.”
It was all starting to fall into place for Cadence. “…The bullying. We heard about that.” 
“I’m not sure how much Sunset told you all. We didn’t find out from her, but from some of the other students who have recognized her sincerity for what it is. That’s where all the disciplinary actions come in—in one go, I had to suspend one hundred and fifteen students, serve detention to at least three dozen more, and expel two of our worst offenders…Though after what the butcher’s daughter put Sunset through, on top of her long list of previous offenses, I enjoyed serving that one out. She had absolutely no cause to pull the dangerous and disgusting prank on Sunset that she did, regardless of her past actions.” Luna scowled and knocked back her drink the rest of the way.
Cadence furrowed her brows, Luna’s words dredging up a conversation she’d had with Shining recently, when she’d come home and found him pacing their living room, looking ready to burst. “….oh…Shining is going to have an absolute fit when he finds out…”





Shutting the door, Cadence closed the distance to her pacing fiance and stopped him with her hands on his cheeks. “Shining Armor? What’s wrong? What happened?” 
He looked at her, shaking his head to clear it. When he answered, it was in a tone dripping with barely restrained fury. “I found out from Spearhead why they sent him out to Griffen Meats yesterday—to slap them with a fine for improper disposal of biological waste and to try and scare that delinquent brat of theirs straight by pointing out that we could have her charged and sent to jail.”
“Jail? Why?” 
“Because the snotty little bitch decided to reenact the ending of Carrie with a bucket of waste from her daddy’s shop without a care in the world, all because she had a grudge against a classmate! Only whoever the victim was, they don’t want to press charges, so she’s getting off with a warning and her parents having to bear the brunt of the fine. I’d like to see that obnoxious wannabe thug thrown in the juvie lockup for a few weeks to wipe the smug smile off her face. Spearhead says she wasn’t even the slightest bit sorry!”
She pulled him into a hug, trying to soothe the rare bout of temper from her goodhearted partner. “I’m sure it will be okay…why did the other person not want to press charges?”
“Spearhead didn’t know—I asked that too. He said something about it being reported by the school, not the person though, so I’m not even sure if we have record of who it was. Poor kid is probably too scared to stand up and speak out for fear of further aggression.”
“…Oh…”





Luna looked at her oddly when a very angry and unhappy sound escaped Cadence. “Cady?”
“…The butcher’s daughter—Griffen Meats, right?”  When the other woman nodded, Cadence exhaled shakily. “…You’re telling me…that the prank with the meat waste was done…to Sunset Shimmer?”  Another nod from her best friend had her frowning, her own emotions churning with anger and disgust.  “…Now I know why Sunset was so upset! It’s no wonder she came over to the house to spend the weekend hiding in Twily’s room and wake up screaming in the middle of the night!” Her hands curled into fists. “…What kind of sick person deliberately dumps the rotting byproducts of butchery on a girl who doesn’t eat meat!?”
The dark haired woman went suddenly still. “…what?” 
Cadence glared, though her anger was not at Luna. “…Sunset’s a vegetarian. The only meat we ever see her eat is seafood. She doesn’t eat any other meats. So that…that…obnoxious little harpy…”  Her voice failed her, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“I’m now even more glad I handed out that expulsion and that Tia let the police know about it, even though Sunset didn’t want to press charges.” Luna’s expression shifted to icy as she stared into her empty glass, lost in thought for a long minute. Then her eyes flicked to Cadence’s face. “…She went to Shining’s parent’s house when we sent her home?”
“…From what Velvet said, yes. She showed up earlier than normal, and Twily took her right upstairs. She missed movie night, and we didn’t see the girls until almost noon on Saturday.” Cadence managed to keep her voice level, but it didn’t mean there wasn’t still anger beneath the surface.
Tension drained out of her best friend. “…I feel better knowing she didn’t go spend that weekend alone in her home. She…Tia and I were both very concerned for her, but we can only do so much without overstepping or risking the very tenuous trust we’ve managed to build with Sunset.”
Reaching across the table, Cadence squeezed Luna’s hand. “…You can both rest easy on that. She wasn’t alone—she went to the house and got suitably mothered and taken care of. Velvet made her favorites for lunch and dinner on Saturday, once she was up to eating, and Night picked up a big tub of the ice-cream she and Twily like to share, so it was on hand for when she had nightmares.” A fond smile twitched at her lips. “Sunset is a practically a fixture there now—she’s over every weekend, has her own place at the dinner table, and I half expect to come home one day to find they’ve turned the guest room next to Ladybug’s into Sunset’s bedroom, just like they did for me once upon a time.”
She found herself meeting her best friend’s eyes, the words coming from her without conscious thought.  “Honestly, I couldn't imagine weekends at home now without her there--none of us can. It’s like there was always this place meant for her to fill."
> Interlude VII: Dazzle Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





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Early October
Not far from Canterlot City
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It was late and a little chilly, with just enough of a breeze that anyone wandering the sidewalk would be eager to get indoors as quick as possible. For the time of night, not many businesses were still open, but a corner diner sat brightly lit and full of customers. From the street, one could easily hear the noise of conversation, of tired wait staff close to the end of their shift talking pleasantly with their customers, or the laughter of groups of college students from a nearby university, all with the background of clanking glasses and scrape of silverware on plates.
Conversation that was turning dark with anger and frustration, hostility fanning to life in mere moments. It started small: a spilled drink met with a shout of anger, or an offhand and playful remark that generated not laughter, but hostility, responses far disproportionate to the incidents that caused them. It degenerated rapidly, sparks fanned into flame.  Patrons were arguing with each other, almost screaming, waving hands and silverware and cups threateningly. None of them seemed aware of the soft, eerie, and sinister harmony being produced by three hoodie wearing figures in the far corner, slim hands resting against blood colored stones hanging from their necks.
Adagio inhaled deeply as their Song faded, drawing the tingling energy of hostility into her soul, her waning power brightening fractionally, easing the hollow feeling in her core.  It tasted so good that when she exhaled, it came out as a shuddering, borderline moan; the bitterness and frustration around her flavoring the anger in a way that was rich and delicious, even if it wasn't the most filling. A human might’ve likened it to potato chips, or greasy french fries—something one enjoyed and delighted in, something that tasted wonderful, especially to someone who was practically starving, but didn’t really fill the stomach or provide a good healthy diet. 
She missed the days when humans lurked in paranoia and fear, when the rules of society had a much shorter reach and they could incite much more filling responses in their prey…but that just wasn’t possible for them anymore.  Between the advent of modern weaponry and warfare and globalization with the affect of mass media, it was no longer safe for them to gorge on the more filling forms of conflict and strife—they’d learned that during the second World War the hard way.  That left them wandering from town to town, city to city, feeding off the minor trouble and arguments they could stir up with their drastically weakened powers. Living in the human world amidst a bunch of hairless, smelly, violent primates was a punishment worse than death—the ancient female missed Equestria, where the energy they fed on was touched by magic as well as emotions. If she ever found a way back, she would glut herself until she couldn't move, to Tartarus with the consequences. 
Her musing was broken by Aria pushing her hood back with a disgusted scoff. “Ugh,” the other female sneered. “That was barely worth the effort, Adagio. I'm tired of fast food. I need a meal.” Aria’s complaints dropped to a low mutter Adagio almost missed. “We could have pushed them into a proper riot, maybe had some of these stupid monkeys shank each other...Make them give us a meal instead of scraps."
Adagio sighed, this time in exasperation while she and Sonata both lowered their own hoods, before speaking like she might’ve to one of her own pups, not to someone who was more akin to a sister than anything. “The energy in this world isn't the same as in Equestria,” she repeated in a terse tone for what felt like the millionth time—she felt like one of those human parents trapped on a road trip that never ended with a human pup asking ‘Are we there yet?’ every five minutes—just like in those stupid movies Sonata was fond of watching.  “We can only gain so much power here.” 
Another sneer, and Aria sank back into the booth with her arms crossed petulantly. “Argh! I wish we’d never been banished to this awful place,” she complained. 
Aria Blaze. Thousands of years old, with all the maturity of an disenfranchised human adolescent with a chip on her shoulder the size of a barrier reef.  Sometimes, Adagio wondered what she had done to deserve getting saddled with these two as her permanent company and hunting partners. Human males were less obnoxious than this pair some days! She let sarcasm drip from her response—it sated the urge to reach across the table and strangle the female with her hair in purple pigtails.  “Really? I love it here!” She gave Aria a dirty look and an eyeroll to add to her point.
That was when their third member spoke up, and Adagio really did have to exert considerable willpower to not murder them both on the spot, counting to ten not just once but several times in multiple languages. “For realsies?” Sonata asked, eyes wide and trusting. “Because I think this place is the worst!”
“I think you’re the worst, Sonata,” Aria deadpanned.
“Oh yeah? Well I think you’re—”
The two degraded into petty insults and childish bickering, much to her annoyance, acting like the adolescent monkeys they resembled instead of the ancient magical beings they were.  Focus, Adagio, she told herself. You need them alive. You’re not strong enough to feed alone anymore. It really was like being stuck with two permanent pups, both of them brain-damaged by falling coral at birth. 
She put her head in her hand and growled nastily, cutting off both other females. As dumb as they were, they at least knew when their leader-sister had reached her threshold for their antics. “I’ll tell you one thing,” she told them through clenched teeth. “Being stuck here with you two isn't making this world any more bearable.” By the end of the sentence, she was practically chewing on the words, seriously considering going it on her own, or maybe just pushing the other two off the next cliff she found simply to find out if they would bounce when they hit the bottom.  Her eyes, pupils half slitted and narrow like a cat’s, pinned them in place, the rage touched by her magic radiating off of her enough to cow them entirely—being in the wrong body in the wrong world didn’t change instincts that screamed at them when the eldest among them was furious.
And then the world Changed.
For years, her senses had felt dull, packed in cotton and weak as magic that had once existed in this world ebbed away, and their food had become increasingly lean and unsatisfying, leaving them in a perpetual state of near starvation, almost all of their energy going to sustaining their lives and triggering enough negativity to have their next meal.  All at once, she felt power, power that felt like the home she had almost forgotten, pass through her, making Adagio Dazzle feel more alive than she had in centuries. Her head turned towards the window, staring at the dark night sky, at the narrow sliver of the moon peaking out behind dark clouds, and strained, trying to feel more. 
She was not disappointed, as far away, almost too far to see, light pierced the heavens, and the energy that rippled through the faint lines in the ground and air became overrun with pure and unadulterated hatred. The creature-turned-human was on her feet and rushing out the door at a run, drinking in the waves of distant power carried on natural currents that had been unused for decades. She could hear her sisters following her, and all three came to a stop outside the diner. Still she stared at that distant, unknown spot, feeling…tasting…subsequent waves of hatred, fear, anger, and frustration, each one hungrily devoured, filling the hungry pit in her core that never seemed to be sated. More distant brilliance against the night sky, and her eyes widened with legends come to life in the wrong world, for even her kind knew of the Rainbow of Light, the mythical magical force more powerful than any god or monster.
The waves of anger became a flood of sour despair, and then a nauseating mess of triumph and joy that made her guts churn unpleasantly, and she was blinded briefly by a flash of light and color as the Rainbow’s power rushed across the land, flooding long dormant leylines beneath her feet with magic more potent than she’d ever felt. The gem at her throat warmed, and she touched it with an intake of breath, almost stunned. “Did you feel that?” she managed, half disbelieving what she thought she’d seen and felt. “Do you know what that is?” she demanded of them as she turned, a dark smile starting to cross her face.
Both females shrugged at her, frowning. She grabbed Aria’s shirt front and pulled her up close. “It’s Equestrian magic!” she hissed, her limbs trembling from the mix of anger and excitement.
Aria scoffed. “But this world doesn’t have Equestrian magic,” she pointed out, like she was informing a simpleton that water was wet. “You keep telling me that.”
“It does now…” she purred, releasing her sister and turning to saunter towards the curb, the wheels in her head turning as she analyzed how her powers felt, how she felt. She was stronger than she’d been since before the Crusades, and that was with just a bare taste of the magic. What she could do if she had more…She had to have it. They had to find it. With all three of them and that much power…The malicious smile growing, she spoke her thoughts aloud for the other two to hear, her eyes gleaming with remembered power, and a wild, soul deep hunger. “Think about it, you two!  Equestrian magic, here....all that power and no one with the skills in it to stop us...we get this magic, and we can turn everyone in this world into our slaves...make every human in this pathetic world adore us....”
Aria’s eyes flickered with something other than general disdain and apathy when Adagio turned back to her and Sonata.  “With that kind of magic, we could make these stupid, slavering apes fight each other for the privilege of feeding us. We would be queens!”
> Chapter Twenty Four: Music Is Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





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Early December
Canterlot High School
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With the Musical Showcase Fundraiser happening on the coming Saturday, the whole school was overflowing with school spirit and the energy of participation. The pre-lunch free-period shared by most students was being used by many to head to the large open space of the gym to make up posters and flyers to hang up around both the school and nearby neighborhoods to advertise for the event in an effort to drum up hype.
Sunset crept around the gym, not seeing her friends yet, and hoping to find someone she could offer her assistance to in the meantime. She had been the reason the school needed this fundraiser, after all, and she felt like she should do something to help. Hope bubbled up as she spotted three students who might be more willing to give her the time of day than most, and she padded quickly and quietly to where they were making a big banner. She bent down to pick up a paint brush, took a deep breath, and plunged right into the deep end. “Want some help?” she asked with as much cheer in her voice as she could muster, trying to cover the trepidation that made her voice nearly crack.
Scootaloo looked up at her in surprise, but it was the other two that made the hope die in Sunset’s chest. Despite their sisters having embraced Sunset Shimmer as a friend, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at her with open wariness and mistrust. “Uh…No thanks. We’re good,” Applebloom said, her tone implying that she would have appreciated Sunset speaking to literally anyone else in the room, and Sweetie looked worried, as if she were afraid that the former queen of the school would get angry at them for the refusal. Scootaloo just looked back and forth between her two compatriots, not sure how to handle the situation.
Sunset looked away, fighting to keep her face from showing the hurt. “Oh…Okay…” she said, putting the paintbrush back.  All around she could feel eyes on her, and she felt the familiar sense of judgment and exposure that left her spirit aching and a pit in her stomach.
“SUNSET SHIMMER! Over heeeeeeere!” a voice echoed loudly through the room. 
Her head shot up in surprise, a short snort flaring her nostrils before she recognized Pinkie Pie’s eagerly waving form from across the gym. Scattered around a big poster near Pinkie were the other girls, all grinning her way. She felt a half smile creep onto her face, and she started carefully picking her way through the bodies scattered around towards them. The yell had drawn everyone’s attention to her, and as she moved, she could hear the whispering begin—still better than being tripped or harassed, but it killed the smile before she’d taken a dozen steps. She shrank into her jacket and wished she’d chosen to wear jeans that day instead of one of her skirts—maybe then she would feel less exposed than she did right now, with the illusion of something covering her legs to offset the way the pointed stares and frowns and lingering resentment dug into her flesh to get to her psyche. By the time she got close to her friends, her shoulders slumped and her head was tilted towards the floor to avoid meeting people’s eyes. “….I had no idea the whole school would be here,” she lamented with a heavy sigh, feeling Fluttershy put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She glanced up, trying to smile at the five girls around her, but the expression was as hollow as she felt.
Rarity exchanged looks with Pinkie, and the two of them picked up the poster, holding it up for Sunset to see. “Quite the eye-catching advertisement, if I do say so myself,” Rarity noted smugly, as she presented it with a flourish of her free hand.
“And it smells like cake!” Pinkie chirped gleefully.
Fluttershy took a step forward, amused and puzzled. “It does?” she asked, leaning forward to sniff the air, only to get a face full of poster as Pinkie brought it into contact with her excitedly. When the poster was pulled away, bits of glitter and something colorful and sticky was plastered to animal lover’s face.
“I used frosting instead of paste!” Pinkie proclaimed. 
The rest of the girls giggled, even Sunset—Pinkie’s antics could be counted on to make her smile when she felt rough these days, and she was grateful for it. Without this kind of support, she knew she’d be in far worse shape than she was. It was still a tough road, but things were slowly getting better. With a long weekend away from school for Thanksgiving—three wonderful days spent at Twilight’s house, eating delicious food, being treated like she was part of the family and having plenty of chances to cuddle up with her girlfriend in private, plus it being four and a half days away from school—coupled with the several weeks since Rainbow Dash’s defiant message and Principal Celestia’s thinly veiled threats at the assembly, Sunset’s days at school were no longer the hellish swamp of hostility, harassment, and malice that had been her reality for several months. People still despised her, but they did it quietly and without throwing things at her in the halls, so Sunset would count it as a small victory.
Applejack chuckled again, and pointed to her nose. “Uh, Fluttershy? Ya gotta little somethin’ uh…”
The girl wiped her cheek, knocking some of the glitter off her skin. “Did I get it?”
“Heh…not exactly,” was the response.
Sunset reached into her jacket’s internal pocket, retrieving a handkerchief she kept there for emergencies, before leaning over and cleaning the mess of sugary frosting and glitter off the other teen’s face, bemused. She was still trying to figure out where she fit in with them, but it did feel good to be useful and helpful, something she never would have felt when she was the old Sunset.
Footsteps sounded behind her as she wiped away the last of the glitter, followed by the ringing and pleasant voice of the Principal. Sunset turned towards her, listening.
“Good afternoon, students!” she called, despite the fact that it was still before lunch. Though if the Principal was anything like her counterpart, she was the absolute definition of a morning person, so for her, it was pretty much afternoon. Sunset shook away memories of being a very young filly, watching the sun be raised before hiding back under Celestia’s pillow, her rump in the air, trying to go back to sleep while the Solar Princess tried to coax her out of bed with the promise of happy pancakes. Surely if she’d been meant to be a morning pony, she would’ve been named ‘Sunrise.’
“I just wanted to tell you all how pleased I am that so many of you are going to participate in the first ever Canterlot High School Musical Showcase!” the Principal continued, causing the students to raise their voices in a hearty cheer. “This is a wonderful opportunity to raise money for all our after-school programs here at CHS. So keep working on those signs and posters. I think it's going to be one of the most exciting events we've had at CHS since the Fall Formal.”
It wasn’t meant to be a dig at her, Sunset knew, but the mention of the formal made her flinch back against the collapsed bleachers, especially as the cheer and positivity in the room gave way once more to thinly veiled anger directed at her. She groaned and slid into a sitting position, curling her knees to her chest, wishing again she was in pants (the floor was frigid), and begging the universe for enough magic to make herself invisible. She rested her head on her knees, doing everything she could to control her breathing and not show weakness in front of the bulk of the school’s population.
How long she sat there, she didn’t know, but it couldn’t have been long. Her friends crowded around her, easing her to her feet, and put her in the center of the group as they walked her to the music room so they could practice a little before lunch—and so they could get her away from the rest of the school’s judging stares.
“We got you, Shimmer. You’re with us, girl.” Rainbow nudged her into the room. “Ignore those losers.”
Sunset smiled wanly at them, hoisting herself up to sit on the piano. “I am never going to live that down,” she moaned, resting her chin in her hands, elbows on her knees. As fickle as teenagers usually were, the students at CHS were clinging especially hard to the Fall Formal.
“You were pretty bad at the Fall Formal,” Fluttershy noted, reaching up to retrieve a tambourine from the shelf. It was obvious she was trying to be truthful but also not hurt the redhead’s feelings any worse.
The former unicorn wasn’t going to sugarcoat it for herself or her friends. She was very much aware of her crimes. “A demon,” she corrected, crossing her arms over her chest. “I turned into a raging she-demon.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rainbow looking at her with obvious concern, and she closed her eyes to avoid seeing it any longer. It was the truth, and she wasn’t going to deny it—they’d been there, they’d lived through it, she’d almost killed them. She might not be as much of a monster as she’d been that night, but she still didn’t think she’d made up for her mistakes yet.
Pinkie Pie put on a show of lurching with her arms out in front of her stiffly. “Aaaaand tried to turn everyone here into teenage zombies for your own personal army!” she pointed out cheerily, doing her best impression of an extra from the Walking Dead.  Sunset cringed again, this time from the weird way the party planner arched her spine to look back at her, her face nearly upside down. She would never get used to the weird way humans could bend—although maybe that was just the insanity that was Pinkie. She wasn’t entirely sure.
“Oh, darling,” Rarity tutted at her. “You have us, and we’ve forgiven you for your…” she glanced away, clearing her throat. “…booboos.”
Applejack joined in the encouragement. “Ta be honest, Ah’d say the entire experience brought everyone at Canterlot High closer than ever before!” She fiddled with the strings on her bass, before flashing a thumbs up to the rest of the group that she was ready to play.
Pinkie bounded eagerly over to her drum kit, excitedly calling out, “One! Two! Three!”
Weeks of twice daily practice had transformed the “Rainbooms” from an awkward and accidental band into an actual competent set of performers, though it hadn’t been entirely intentional. However, after the magic manifestation and subsequent transformations, Sunset had encouraged them to practice often, especially when she could watch in an attempt to gather more data on the phenomenon. (It wasn’t going particularly well, as any attempts to jury rig human technology to measure magic ended with her being plastered to a wall, buried in magic apples, levitated to the ceiling, or absolutely covered in rainbow goo. She had given up on that angle and was hoping inspiration would strike in some other way.)  All the extra practice had brought them into harmony, at least, and they would sound great during the showcase…though she still heard the empty space in all their songs where a rhythm guitar would complete the sound, and at night in her apartment she would practice on her own electric guitar, playing the music that could fill that blank space as she replayed the songs in her mind.
She knew that she could have volunteered the knowledge that she played, and that the group of girls would have likely fought to include her, even if it meant defying Vice-Principal Luna’s mandate about her suspension from school based activities. Sunset didn’t want to do that to them though—her presence would cause them more trouble, and so she was content to sit on the sidelines for now, no matter how much she might’ve wanted to play with them. She was still trying to find her place with the group as it was—she was learning that it was one thing to be welcomed into the group, it was another to figure out what one’s role within the social dynamic was. Until she did, it was better if she didn’t rock the proverbial boat.
Magic swelled in the room, and Sunset couldn’t help but smile. The wonderful, amazing feeling of home, as layered as the Equestrian energy was with those other magics, felt good, and with the moods of the musicians being filled with joy and friendship and love—who Rarity and AJ thought they were fooling she didn’t know, but any doubts were erased in her mind when the magic flooded her soul—it buoyed her up, washing away the pain and doing something to fill the aching hole in her that nothing else besides her Twilight could manage to affect.
Ears relocated to the tops of their heads, hair extended down into ends that evoked the image of a pony’s tail, and impressive wings burst from Fluttershy and Rainbow’s shoulders at the same time that perfect unicorn horn formed on Rarity’s brow.  Sunset was still a little envious, every time it happened, but she resisted the urge to rub her forehead, lest someone pick up on the habit. Tension drained out of her as the two pegasi influenced humans turned their attention on her, the lyrics in that moment meant for her, letting her know that even if she wasn’t playing with them, she was still one of them.
It made her hop off the piano, head bobbing and foot tapping to the music, the rhythm guitar playing in her head with them, and she played off the unconscious raising of her hand into position on the imaginary frets by snapping her fingers a few times, before forcing the appendage to her side. When it happened a second time, she settled for clapping along with the beat, keeping her hands busy as she soaked up music, magic, and emotion. These sessions, long or short, always left all of them feeling invigorated, and she needed it today.
As the song ended, the magic faded away with their transformations, and Sunset applauded the performance heartily. Rarity laughed. “I still can't believe that happens when we play,” she gushed, having taken fairly well to the transformations once it became apparent they weren’t hurting any of them. She set her keytar down, before she jolted up. “Ooo!  I've got to look into some new accessories!” It was clear she was going into what Sunset was starting to mentally label as ‘Designer Mode.’  “Something that looks good in a longer ponytail. Ooh! Maybe some clip-on earrings for when I get those adorable pony ears.” 
Sunset chuckled, not wanting to point out that the ears were the last thing one looked at on an attractive mare for rating ‘adorableness.’ That would open up a conversation she still wasn’t ready to have with her companions. If she would ever be ready to have that conversation with them or any one else. Ever. At least…on this side of the mirror. And speaking of awkward conversations…
Applejack watched Rarity with an expression that seemed both annoyed and amused, but glimmering in green eyes was a deeper emotion that Sunset thought she caught a flicker of. They really weren’t that subtle, and she wondered sometimes if she should broach the subject with one or both of them. She wasn’t sure it was her place to say anything. The farmer sat up more. “Ah just wonder why it happens. Princess Twilight took her crown back to Equestria. Shouldn't that mean she took all the magic back with her?” She looked to Sunset for answers.
That was a question that had already been plaguing Sunset, though not for the same reasons. In her case, it wasn’t puzzling over why the magic hadn’t been taken back—she knew it wouldn’t have been, not all of it. However, the magic had been dispersed in a wave, so it should have traveled along in an increasingly weak outward trajectory until it was too diffused to be much of anything…what of it didn’t traverse through the pathetic examples of leylines that existed in this world where the lack of magic felt like an icy void. At best, the local area should have become more infused, bringing its ambient magic to a higher level for a time….but the ambient level hadn’t changed. Instead, it seemed like the magic was being generated inside the five girls themselves, something which, according to all theory and knowledge Sunset had on the subject of magical energies said should not be possible to the degree and frequency with which they were producing the energy. Not as humans with no inherent magic, anyway. The levels they were producing was on par with an average unicorn foal in Equestria…and it had been increasing little by little. 
Rainbow huffed. “Who cares why it happens? It makes my band totally awesome!” Sunset frowned at the arrogance dripping from the athlete’s voice. 
Rarity made a sound of indignation, whipping around with an offended expression. “Your band?” she demanded archly.
Rainbow grinned smugly. “Duh! It was my idea to start the Rainbooms so we could be in the showcase. Plus I'm the lead singer and guitarist.” 
The redhead rolled her eyes—she could practically taste Dash’s ego in those words, and she could feel the rising irritation from all the other girls in the room. She wasn't sure what had gotten into Rainbow lately, but ever since she’d roped the girls into the showcase, she’d been getting a bit of a swelled head. She opened her mouth to comment, but someone knocked loudly on the music room door, gaining their attention and halting an impending argument.
The door swung inward and Flash Sentry stepped into the room, his voice friendly but a little hesitant and awkward. “Uh…Heard you outside,” the blue haired boy began. “You guys are sounding really tight.” He offered a goofy smile that Sunset knew from past experience he thought was charming. Mostly she’d always thought it made him look like a Labrador puppy—over eager to please but pretty stupid. Even now that she was not quite the caustic bitch she used to be, she still couldn’t see what other females would find appealing about the expression. Still, she didn’t want to cause a scene—Flash hadn’t caused much in the way of problems for her after her fall, but he also hadn’t sought her out to make amends either. The former unicorn felt that in the meantime, avoiding her ex-trophy boyfriend was the best course of action…especially given his current crush.
She tried to make herself small and unobtrusive by the piano as he walked into the room, hands in his pockets. The rest of the girls felt the tension in the air, even Dash, and she tried to break it by responding directly to his compliment for the group. 
“Uh, we're getting there.”  She glanced around to further the statement, before adding hastily, “Rarity's still coming in a little late on the second verse, and Applejack's bass solo could use a little work. They'll get it together in time for the showcase.”
The two girls in question scowled at the back of Rainbow’s head, then exchanged a look that spoke volumes. Sunset resisted the urge to groan and tell the athlete to put the shovel down before she really dug her own grave.
Flash rubbed the back of his head bashfully, finally getting around to the real reason he’d bothered to try and talk to them. “Uh…I don’t suppose any of our friends from..uh…out of town…might come?” His cheeks darkened slightly as he tried to keep from stammering. “…it being a special…charity event and all?”
And there it was—the elephant in the room: Flash’s crush on Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Applejack had stood up and stepped forward to answer as truthfully but as gently as she could to the love-struck boy. “…Sorry, Flash. Ah don’ think Twilight’s gonna be back at Canterlot High anytime soon.”
The guitarist wilted, laughing to cover his embarrassment and disappointment.”Oh, yeah. Okay.”  He scuffed his feet, starting to walk backwards towards the exit. “I just, you know, thought I'd ask,” he tried, only managing to make the room more awkward as all six girls watched him go. Even Sunset felt a little bad for him.  “Uh, k-keep on rockin' it!” 
THUD!
Especially when he backed right into the wall instead of the door and had to slide sideways, cheeks flushed in shame as he hightailed it out of the room.
Once his footsteps had faded, Rarity laughed—not a mean laugh, but one that belied her amusement and was meant to get rid of the weird feeling that had come over the room. “Weeeell….Someone is quite the smitten kitten…” 
Sunset sagged against the piano, guilt and awkwardness creating an odd sensation in her innards, one that was at war with another urge: defensiveness. She knew that Flash’s feelings were towards the Equestrian Princess, not the human girl who shared her name and face, but by this point she’d spent far more time around the adorably dorky girl with glasses than she ever had the Princess, and so that was who she associated the name ‘Twilight Sparkle’ with…her Twilight Sparkle. Her Sparky. The girl that she held in her arms on the weekends and that snuck kisses with her on her sofa. As nice a guy as Flash may have been, it would be a frosty winter in the bowels of Tartarus before she let him transfer his crush onto Sparky and look at her girl with that stupid smile.
Rarity mistook her expression’s meaning and offered an apology. “Oh. Sorry. I always forget you and Flash used to be an item.”
Sunset hurriedly tried to reassure them all, rolling her eyes and waving her hand. “It's okay. Flash is a great guy and all…” That was very true at the least—Flash Sentry was genuine and kind, and it had been the whole reason she’d picked him for her machinations.  “…but I never really liked-him liked him. I was just using him to become more popular.”  Her voice and expression fell again as she found herself admitting it all out loud, and she made a disgusted sound, feeling more than a little sick.  She rested her face in her hand as the shame won out against all the other emotions.  “The old me really was just awful, wasn't she?”
Despite it being a mostly rhetorical question, the other girls murmured agreement, before Applejack broke in with something positive to try and perk her mood up, coming over to put an arm around her. “But the important thing is ya’ve turned yerself around.”
“Thanks, Applejack…but I’m not sure everyone else at CHS feels the same way…” She sighed, staring at the floor again and trying to search for some manner of positive.
The PA system let out its tinny sounding feedback as it crackled to life, and Vice-Principal Luna’s voice echoed through the halls.  “Sunset Shimmer, please report to the main foyer.”
She jolted. “Gotta run,” she explained. “I volunteered to show some new students around the school. Thought it'd be good for them to get to know the new me before they heard all the stuff about the old me.” 
As she trotted away, she could hear the chatter resume in the music room.
“We've still got a few minutes before lunch starts. What do you say we do ‘Awesome As I Wanna Be?’” Rainbow’s voice was eager, upbeat.
Fluttershy’s response was almost too quiet for her to hear. “Um, Rainbow Dash? I was wondering if we could maybe play the song I wrote?”
The athlete’s response was incredibly dismissive, and Sunset frowned as she started to turn the corner.. “We'll get to it.”
> Chapter Twenty Five: Bad Influence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The sound of the group’s music faded as Sunset headed down the stairs to the main floor, mentally going over her plan for the new student tour.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running steps and a voice calling her name urgently.  “Sunset! Wait up!”  
Pausing, the former unicorn half turned to study Scootaloo, the younger girl panting as she stumbled to a halt beside her.  “Everything…okay?” she asked hesitantly, gaze moving from the junior high student to scan the hall for trouble.
“…Yeah…I...just…wanted to talk…to you…” Scootaloo panted, puffing and wheezing after sprinting down the hall.  
Sunset bit her lip for a moment, watching her work to draw in enough air, before hesitantly reached out to rub her back like she’d seen Dash do in similar circumstances.  It made her feel good when, instead of cringing back, Scootaloo gave her a small, grateful smile.
It took her a minute or two to stop looking like she was about to fall over.  “I’m sorry for earlier!” She blurted once she had her breath back.
“...Earlier...?”
Scootaloo nodded vigorously. “I should’ve said something! I know you’re not still a bully...” she looked at her toes, scuffing one sneakered foot against the floor. “I should’ve stood up for you with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.”
Exhaling slowly, Sunset put a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “It’s fine. It wasn’t just your friends, and...they weren’t mean about it. People just...aren’t ready to let it go yet. I get it—I was awful to them, for a long time.”
Scootaloo shook her head. “But you weren’t awful to us!” came the defense. “You left us alone, and even made Snips and Snails stop teasing us...and now you’re friends with Applejack and Rarity and Rainbow Dash! I don’t know why they’re so angry and afraid of you and not wanting to give you a chance! It’s...it’s so stupid!”
The redhead was startled by the vehemence of Scootaloo’s response. It took her a moment to collect herself and respond as neutrally as possible. “It means a lot that you want to stand up for me,” she stated carefully, “but your friends are allowed to have their feelings too, and I don’t want to be the reason you get into a fight with them.”
A frown crossed the younger girl’s face. “I don’t want to fight with them,” she admitted, “but lately they’ve just been really grumpy about stuff.” 
“Maybe you could talk to them?” Sunset suggested. “Maybe something else is upsetting them.”
“That’s a great idea! And if we talk about what's bothering them, then I can talk to them about how I don’t like them being mean to you! It’s only fair!”  Impulsively, she hugged Sunset before darting off down the hall.  “Thanks, Sunset! You give great advice! You’re almost as awesome at it as Rainbow Dash!”
She watched Scootaloo go, shoulders slumping. “That’s not what I...”  The whole encounter left the older teen with mixed emotions, and she resumed her trek—with one detour: a stop by the office.





“Vice-Principal Luna?” Sunset poked her head into the woman’s office. 
“Miss Shimmer,” the dark haired woman greeted her, a hint of warmth under her professional tone. “Is everything alright? You have not changed your mind about being one of our ‘New Student Liaisons,’ have you?”
She shook her head, dimly aware she was shifting anxiously from foot to foot.  "No, no...I just wasn't quite sure... Do I show them round the different places, or take them to meet everyone?" The former unicorn took some deep breaths to calm her agitation, nostrils flaring as she did.  "I've only ever done something like this once, back in Equestria, and...”  Her eyes suddenly found her feet a fascinating subject to study. “...and I really messed that up badly with it.  I...don’t want that to  happen again, especially not since you and Principal Celestia are trusting me to be able to do this.”
“This is not some form of test, Miss Shimmer; it is an opportunity. My sister believes—and I agree—that this particular task is something you are well suited for, as you are familiar with how daunting a strange and unfamiliar school can be, and that you will be receptive to their worries, questions and concerns while maintaining a welcoming attitude.  More than that, I firmly believe that you will find yourself having fewer difficulties socially interacting with these three new students, as there is a lack of history between you—they know nothing of your reputation among the other students, nor do they have any knowledge of your previous unpleasant deeds, so you will be able to meet them on equal footing.” Luna smiled slightly at her—for the reserved woman, it might as well have been a beaming grin. “Perhaps you will find yourself in the company of those who would like to be your friends.”
The words helped lessen the tight feeling in her chest, and Sunset found herself nodding at the vice principal. “That...would be nice,” she confessed softly. “So I just...show them around? Point out the important places and answer their questions?”
“Yes, Miss Shimmer. You may also feel free to dispense whatever knowledge you have about after school activities, our teams, and any other extra-curriculars that CHS promotes. In my experience, students often find those more interesting than ‘the location of the chemistry lab.’” Luna’s small smile became a slight smirk.
The redhead found herself unable to suppress a chuckle.  “You’re probably right, Vice-Principal. I’ll try and touch on those, especially with the showcase coming up!”  Her eyes glanced at the clock and she realized how much time had passed since Luna had called for her. “Ponyfeathers! I need to go meet them before they think I’ve bailed!” Luna made a shooing motion with her hand, dismissing her. She jogged for the door, waving a quick farewell to Luna as well as the secretary.





Sunset put on a bright, cheery smile as she stepped up near the brand new front doors of the school, where three teenage girls she didn’t recognize stood.  “Hi! Are you the girls I’m supposed to show around?”
One of them stepped forward first, the other two flanking behind her like a pair of bodyguards…or underlings. The lead girl’s frizzy orange hair made her seem far more imposing than she really was, and she walked with a strut that swung her hips in a way that made Sunset blink. “We are,” she purred, voice sultry and dripping with promise.
A weird sensation crawled up her spine, every part of her soul screaming at her, telling her something was terribly wrong. The girls themselves weren’t that odd, though the former unicorn had opinions about their clothing, but for whatever reason she wanted to run away from them and chase them out of her school with violence in equal measure. Instead, she turned to make a sweeping gesture to encompass the rotunda. “Canterlot High is a great school. You’re really going to love it.” Positive attitude, Shimmer, she told herself. Keep a positive attitude. 
—Positive attitude only goes so far. You know that when you feel like that, its for a reason. You shouldn’t ignore your gut.— Stupid Little Voice sounded particularly testy today.
Stupid Little Voice also would do well to remember that sometimes her gut told her to eat an entire mushroom pizza in one sitting and that it made her miserable every time. Listening to one’s gastrointestinal tract wasn’t always an act of wisdom.
—Fine. Don’t believe it. You’ll regret it though…—
She started walking towards the halls, leading the trio along and ignoring the voice. The frizzy haired one commented, “Oh, yes, we really sense there's something... magical about this place.”
Okay…maybe that was a little creepy, the way she said it, almost like she knew more than she should…but that was probably just Sunset being paranoid.  The former unicorn shook herself and picked a hall, pointing out the different key locations in the school, noting the office, the various classrooms, the gym, even the lunchroom. The entire time, the hair on the back of her neck was standing on edge, and the air held that strange vibe that was starting to make her very teeth itch. It was a completely new feeling, like nothing she had ever encountered before, and it was being caused by the students keeping pace with her. Her core bubbled and seethed, and her bones began to ache, making it difficult to concentrate on her words. 
“That’s the science lab. Computer lab is in there.” Her eyes spotted one of the posters and she jogged over to it. “Oh! We’re having a big musical showcase this weekend!” Sunset put as much excitement and pep into her voice as she could. “The whole school is pretty much rallying around it!”
The trio of girls exchanged sly glances, before the leader gave a smile Sunset could only think of as ‘oily.’  “A…musical showcase?” she inquired.
“I’m sure since you’re new, Principal Celestia would let you sign up if you’re interested…” Her smile felt more and more strained with every word, but she soldiered onward. 
For the first time, one of the other girls spoke. “We have been known to sing from time to time,” she deadpanned, inspecting her fingernails as if life itself bored her. 
The one with the single ponytail grinned guilelessly.  “Hello? We sing, like, all the time!” she told the sarcastic girl, before looking at Sunset. “It’s how we get people to do what we want!”
Sunset’s smile faltered as the frizzy haired leader let out a frustrated growl, rounding irritably on her companion, making a motion with one hand across her throat. The unease in her grew, and she was beginning to think she shouldn’t have dismissed Stupid Little Voice so easily.
“What? What did I say?” Ponytail looked more than a little confused by the angry looks from the other two.
Frizzy hair corrected her with a scowl. “What you meant to say was that being in a musical showcase sounds like a great way to meet other students.”  This didn’t make Sunset feel better—she recognized that tone at once…after all, it used to come out of her mouth any time she talked to Snips and Snails. She stayed silent, observing with furrowed brows and one hand on her hip, watching the interchange intently.
“Oooho…yeeeeah.” Ponytail stuttered. “Th-What she said I meant to say…that’s what I meant. To say.”
Pigtails sneered. “And what you would have said if you weren’t the worst.”
That triggered a childish retort. “You are!”
The leader exhaled, like a tired parent dealing with children, and stepped to block Sunset’s view of her two followers. “You’ll have to excuse them,” she laughed, before her tone dropped into a sarcastic one. “They’re idiots.”
Awkward silence reigned, and the redhead looked around for some way to break the tension in the air. She noticed the pretty, large sized red gems all three sported on matching necklaces, something about them niggling at her. “Those are pretty,” she commented, moving her hand closer to point at the gem at the orange haired one’s throat. “Where did you—”
As her hand got close, an arm snapped out and caught her wrist in a vice grip, the other teen leaning away from her and looking momentarily furious. Rage surged in Sunset’s own chest, and it took all her restraint not to turn the hold on her wrist into a case of the new student kissing the nearest locker with her tonsils—Celestia’s warning about not resorting to physical violence rang in her ears and proved a good motivator to control that impulse.  With a sharp tug she jerked her hand back, rubbing her wrist; the bones in her arm burned with a throbbing pain.
Nervous, forced, and fake sounding laughter issued from Frizzy-Hair. “Sorry!” she apologized with all the sincerity of a scorpion. “These pendants mean an awful lot to us. We’d hate for anything to happen to them.” Then, without another word, she strutted off down the hallway, her flunkies falling into step behind her.
Sunset watched them go, choking down a growl that tried to escape her throat.  The further away they got, the better she started to feel, though the itchy, uneasy feeling remained, even as she headed for the lunchroom. Something about the whole thing had destroyed any appetite she had and all she wanted to do in that moment—besides curl up with her girlfriend—was to be around her friends.  She pulled out her phone on the way, sending a quick text to Twilight; Sparky probably wouldn’t answer until later, but the promise of that reassurance was enough to soothe her nerves and chase away the sensation of hot tar in her gut.
A few minutes later found her sliding into her chair beside Applejack, frowning and still no closer to understanding either her weird reaction or the trio’s odd behavior. She glanced over as the farmer spoke.
“So, how was the tour?”
She leaned her chin on her hand, trying to articulate how she felt. “…I…don’t know…I mean…” She twisted towards Applejack and the others, hands gesticulating as words failed her. “…these girls…they were…” She paused, seeking to collect herself to try again. “There was something…off…about them.” Perhaps just sticking to that might be better. She could analyze her knee-jerk reaction on her own time.
Pinkie leaned forward. “Like…off like this?!” She tugged her hair into a semblance of a fake beard and mustache. “Or…off like this?” The party planner dropped her face to her plate, coming back with carrots sticking out of her mouth like imitation fangs and lettuce leaves stuck to her eyebrows. “Or, oh, oh! Like—” 
Rainbow mercifully interrupted before Sunset’s already frazzled brain had a complete meltdown, something for which she was thankful. “Maybe we should just let her tell us?”
Sunset made a sound of frustration, leaning forward to prop her elbows on the table. “That’s just it! I can’t put my finger on it! They just acted sort of…strange…around me.” The redhead gripped her temples in frustration, before a thought occurred to her, and she sank lower in her seat, folding her arms on the table in preparation to sink her head into them. “Maybe someone already talked to them.  Told them about what I did.” She dropped her head onto her arms in despair. “So much for making a good first impression.”  Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let anyone see it, reining in her emotions forcefully. 
She vaguely heard Fluttershy offer a soft voiced opinion, but she was too buried in momentary misery to focus on it. 
—Someone telling them about your history doesn’t explain your reactions, you know.—
That…was a good point, actually. If it had been just someone getting to them and spilling the beans first, why did she feel like she was walking into a Timberwolf’s den wearing a dress made of bacon? Why did she want to get randomly and suddenly violent to complete strangers? It didn’t add up.  She started to raise her head, to comment, when she felt it.
Magic.
But not the warm, pleasant magic the girls manifested, and not the familiar flavor of home. This magic was…nauseating. Dark and sinuous, it was building near the lunchroom doors, seeping under the crack and oozing across the floor. Sunset went rigid, sitting up as the doors were opened with far more force than necessary, the resonating harmony of three voices drifting in over the chatter of all the students. The three new girls entered, hips swaying sensuously, every movement of their bodies meant to be enticing and appealing. The magic was emanating from them, and Sunset found herself frozen as she realized in an instant that there had been a very good reason for her reaction. 
Her bones were already burning again, and the molten tar boiled, threatening to make its way up her throat this time. The twisted energies scrabbled painfully at her soul’s still tattered edges, something that made her writhe inside—she hadn’t felt this kind of pain since her transformation at the fall formal, and for the briefest of moments, she would swear she felt the talons lurking just under her fingertips, threatening to burst free. The whole experience left her mute, unable to voice anything.
The rest of the girls had turned towards the spectacle that was beginning, ranging in expression from surprised (Rarity) to puzzled (Applejack) to thoroughly unimpressed (Fluttershy, of all people.) Slowly the chatter in the room died down as all of the students became aware of the haunting singing in their midst.  The other students seemed confused but taken by the voices, and even Sunset had to admit they were pretty good vocalists…or she would have if the magic in those voices didn’t make them feel like a thousand white hot needles digging into her nerve endings and her eardrums. She couldn’t even really hear the words to their song…but she could parse…something amidst the magic…
Obey…
Fight…
Mistrust…
Worship…
Hunger…
Want…
Hate…
The dark, eerie whispers were magic meant for the mind, she realized, as the song started riling up the students, the low background murmur of mostly indifference and quiet hostility (usually directed at her) surged to life and grew into a frenzy of potential violence and raw, antagonistic anger and hate. Students were screaming at each other, stamping their feet and chanting with the singers, demanding some sort of battle, enthralled by whatever enchantment these sorceresses were wielding. The emotion in the room was potent, almost tangible…
—Look again, horn-head.—
Her eyes narrowed and she let her gaze rove the room, opening her magical senses as much as she dared, despite the agony that made the edges of sight go dark and spotty…and strangely, she could see it; an eerie fog, seeping off every other student in the room besides herself and the girls, energy tainted by emotions crawling along the dark magic tendrils and being…absorbed? Devoured? Drawn in, perhaps? By the three singing females, even as the song came to a close.
The song ending did nothing to lower the noise volume, with students yelling and arguing, pointing fingers and bragging about their superior skills to each other. Pinkie had been leaning across the table to watch, and she spoke up, “Ooooooooh! They’re that kind of ‘off!’” 
Sunset drew in a ragged breath, the agony easing as the trio of enchantresses sauntered out of the lunchroom. She felt like she’d just run a marathon through a swamp—her skin left with a hot, dirty, sticky sensation all over—and all she really wanted to do in that moment was collapse face first into her mattress under a fan.  That would have to wait though. This was serious, and a problem. She hauled herself up, trying to hide the sway in her first steps. “We have to go talk to the Principals.”
“Darling, are you alright? You look a little…ill.”
“I…that didn’t feel very nice. I could…sense what they were doing, and it…” She grimaced. “My soul feels violated.” Applejack and Rainbow steadied her as they pushed through the screaming matches to the door. “….the magic in there was the kind that manipulates minds…Even in Equestria, that’s extremely rare, very powerful, and probably the most difficult field of magic to study. Even I never got that far—at least…not until I was powered up by the Crown.” She flinched. “I’m actually wondering if that’s why I’m having such a negative reaction…”
“What ever do you mean, darling?” Rarity frowned in concern.
The former unicorn hung her head. “I was consumed by dark magic at the formal. My own inner corruption tainted the energy from the Element of Magic, and that's why I turned into a demon. The Elements cleansed that with the whole…rainbow…friendship…laser…but the fact remains that I’ve been scarred by dark magic. There is..precedence for ponies having sensitivities to dark magic after high levels of exposure.”
Rainbow giggle-snorted. “I’m guessing ‘turning into a giant fiery demon’ counts?”
She couldn't really get upset over it this time—she brought it up. “…Pretty much as high on the dark magic food chain as it gets. Demons are not something anyone messes with lightly. Even Princess Celestia was cautious about them.” She shook off the supporting arms as they headed for the office, letting Rainbow jog on ahead a ways. “Those three are definitely in possession of some form of dark magic. How else do you explain what happened back there?”
The farmer still walking next to her gave her an encouraging nudge. “Don’ worry, y’all. We’ll let Principal Celestia know all about this an’ those girls’ll be kicked ta the curb in no time!” She made a gesture with one hand, eyes rolling. “Last thing she needs is another CHS event almost ruined by some power crazed lunatic.” Her brain seemed to catch up a moment later, and she winced, turning to Sunset. “Er…No offense.”
The punches just kept on coming today, and Sunset scowled briefly, a heavy and frustrated sigh escaping her. “None taken,” she said with more than a hint of bitterness. She hoped that they would get the hint, but she also knew she probably wouldn’t be that lucky. 
She just hoped that they’d have better luck explaining this to the Principals…





“Dark magic?” Celestia said skeptically, and Sunset’s heart sank. That was the tone of a Celestia who was waiting for someone to hang themselves. “I find that very hard to believe…” It was what came next that sent it and her stomach to be roommates in the bottom of her boots. “Those girls came into my office earlier and were absolutely delightful.”
Horseapples. Of course they came here first. 
Luna smirked, and while the expression was one that had sometimes found its way onto the school disciplinarian’s face, there was something…nasty about it this time.  “Perhaps Sunset Shimmer is just eager to make someone else out to be a bad element, so that her actions at the Fall Formal will become old news.” Her statement may have been directed at her elder sister, but her eyes flicked to Sunset as she twisted the knife.
It hurt more than she thought it would, and she shifted her weight to her other foot, leaning further away from the educators, trying to grapple with her emotions. Luna had proven to be a stern woman with an unyielding air of professionalism to most but in those moments where Sunset had opened up to her, she had seen empathy and compassion. To have that cast aside in favor of getting her digs in…
The former unicorn looked again, meeting Luna’s eyes for the barest of seconds. Something pained lurked there, almost apologetic, and her lips twitched before settling back into that nasty smirk, her gaze pulling away to rake over the rest of the girls.
“I could see why you might think that—” Sunset stammered, not quite certain of what she had seen, her voice breaking.
Rainbow interrupted, and under other circumstances Sunset would have been annoyed. Here, though, it was welcome, since it gave her the chance to study the administrators more thoroughly.  “That’s not what’s happening!  We all saw this go down in the cafeteria too!”  She slapped her palms on the desk for emphasis.
Celestia leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, but isn't your band supposed to be part of the musical showcase?” she asked pointedly. 
Sunset could feel the trap swinging shut with those words, and so could Dash, her own conviction wavering as she answered, “Yes…”
“Perhaps you are all just worried that the Dazzlings will steal your spotlight,” Luna commented dismissively.
“The Dazzlings?” Applejack made a face that showed just what she thought of the name.
Sunset was frowning now, and she started focusing on her magical senses, searching the office. It was faint, but it was there, the lingering sense of the same dark magic touching the corners of the room, and the stomach still chilling in her boot started tying itself up in knots.  
“It's the name of their musical group. That's why they came by my office earlier – to sign up for the Showcase. Even sang a little song to Vice Principal Luna and I.” Horror turned her blood to ice, and her eyes raised to stare at the two women, forgoing caution to throw her magical senses wide open once more. When she did, she could see it, the vein-like network of dark power pulsing under their skin and in their eyes, a dark sickness with a nasty green tint, like the humans imagined something radioactive to look. 
“They did?” she heard Applejack ask with concern.
“Yes,” Celestia said, and Sunset felt the needles dragging against her eardrums again.  She found her eyes locked on the principal.  Just like with Luna, she saw some other emotion flit across the woman’s expression, before it was masked by an almost robotic apathy and callousness.  “And we think having a ‘Battle of the Bands’ is a marvelous idea.”
> Chapter Twenty Six: Friend or Stranger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“I can’t believe they got to Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna too…” Fluttershy commented sadly, all of them arranged around the Wondercolt statue outside. They weren’t even bothering to go to class—whatever the dark magic was that the “Dazzlings” had used in the lunchroom was hanging over the whole school as a haze, and the teachers were not even bothering to try and hold classes. Everyone was simply encouraged to prepare for the “Battle of the Bands” instead. It was chaos, and the six of them had retreated to the statue to be able to hear themselves think.
The soft words only served to bring to mind the way the administrators had looked at Sunset, fighting against the magic dominating their wills, locked inside their own bodies and minds, aware and powerless to stop what they were doing.  Knowing that hurt far worse than the nasty words the magic had made them hurl her way—especially because she had been guilty of doing the same thing to them only a few months prior.  She had to help the girls stop this, to free them from the ensorcellment holding them prisoner.
—Pretty ironic, don’t you think? You, of all ponies, being so concerned about others and how they feel. And about a bunch of small minded, nasty apes who hate you? What are you becoming, Sunset Shimmer?— Stupid Little Voice mocked her, but its question came off as more curious than anything.
Somepony better, she bit back at the dark corner of her mind, trying to push away the self-loathing nipping at her hocks.   Somepony that deserves the friends I have now.  The pony or person that Sparky sees me as.  The pony she had been was a terrible wretched thing, and she had no desire to go back. The voice knew that as well as she did.  That pony hadn’t cared who she hurt, because better to hurt someone else before they had a chance to hurt her—that attitude horrified her now, made her insides squirm uncomfortably.  Seeing how those same type of actions from another party twisted and hurt individuals that she respected and liked sparked something in her chest, a resolve to set things right, and to do anything she had to in order to stop what was happening.  
Not that that determination was doing much good at that moment.  Sunset was leaning against the side of the statue that held the closed gateway, taking some measure of comfort from the dim, dormant sense of the connection to her homeland, while wracking her brain for any sort of information she may have read from the archives that could have helped them understand what they were facing. Unfortunately, most of the detailed stuff on dark magic and even the texts on magic that fell within the spheres and schools that affected the mind, memory, or emotions were located in the Restricted Section, and she’d only snuck in there for a month or two before the Princess had caught her. It was hardly enough time to have researched anything useful, especially because her goal at the time had been Ascension, not mind powers. 
Even with her education as both CSGU’s top student and as Celestia’s protege, she could not remember any concrete historical account of a pony with strong skills in mind based magics, nor had she known anypony capable of those magics other than perhaps Princess Celestia herself and maybe Princess Cadenza….who supposedly had the ability to generate or encourage positive emotions in others.  Though how much of that was magic and how much was just the Cadenza’s personality, Sunset wondered. The human-born Cadence had no alicorn level magic at her disposal, and she was completely capable of spreading joy and positivity—she did it at the Sparkle house among friends and family just as much as she did it on the radio and on her social media.
An angry sigh escaped Sunset.  She hated feeling so useless—she was the magical genius, the prodigy protege of an immortal goddess, who had, in her time, been one of the most powerful unicorns in the world…and she was at a loss. Sunset had nothing helpful she could offer her friends to save their classmates, their school, from the twisted energies that had taken over and seemed to be growing stronger. Right now, it seemed like the six of them were the only ones unaffected by the mental manipulation.
As if reading her mind, Rainbow complained, “They’ve gotten to everybody…”
Pinkie hung off the edge of the plinth, her hair bouncing with every movement. “Noooot everybody!” she pointed out cheerfully.
Applejack frowned, rubbing her chin in thought. “Pinkie Pie’s right,” she mused. “We were there when the Dazzlin’s were singin’ an’ we weren’t affected. It's like we were protected somehow…”
Sunset opened her mouth to explain just how powerful the Elements of Harmony were. The humans didn’t have any kind of equivalent in their own histories or stories as far as she’d found, but she knew that the Elements were the most powerful artifacts ever discovered or used in all of Equestria’s history. Even gods like Discord had no chance against them. The fact that the girls had all channeled their power and still had some lingering traces in their systems put them head and shoulders above any magic their world could muster to throw against them. As powerful as these Dazzlings were, they were nothing compared to even a single Element from the Elements of Harmony, let alone a nearly complete set. It was like comparing a half dead flashlight to the majesty of the sun.
Rainbow Dash bounced a soccer ball on her head, interrupting the former bully before she could get a word out. “So let’s take them down!” Her expression grew cocky and savage. “It's not like we haven’t tangled with dark magic before and totally whooped its sorry butt!” She caught the ball at the same time she furrowed her brows and glanced Sunset’s way. “Uh…No offense.”
Irritation flared, and a bit of her old bitchiness crept into Sunset’s response, her expression twisting into a grimace. “None taken. Again.” It was really starting to get old, the constant potshots at her, even if they were accidental. She was starting to get tired of everyone other than her girlfriend rubbing her nose in her past like one might a puppy’s nose on a wet spot on the carpet.  She settled for glaring at the ground like it had personally wronged her.
Fluttershy spoke up, probably the loudest she’d been in a while. “But that was when Twilight was here,” she pointed out, and Sunset leaned around the statue to look at her, trying to ignore the way her hand itched to pull out her phone and see if the nerdy girl by the same name had responded to her earlier message.  Meanwhile, the animal lover looked at a ladybug crawling on her finger. “There may be some kind of magic inside us, but it only comes out when we play music.  I sure don’t know how to use it to…whoop anyone’s butt…” She watched the ladybug fly off.
Rarity frowned, carefully applying polish to one manicured fingernail. “If only we could get a message to Twilight. Maybe she could tell us how to break the spell the Dazzlings have cast on our friends…”
Rainbow scowled, bouncing her ball off the marble plinth above Rarity’s head, making the designer jolt and smear polish down her arm. “Well that’s not going to happen. The portal’s closed.”
One more sign that she was proving to be useless in the one area she should be able to help. Sunset winced, leaning back against the marble. The Princess probably would have been a better choice; if she was anything like Sparky, she probably had all kinds of obscure magical texts and facts memorized, and could name even the most inane factoids from the most ancient legends. The girls needed Princess Twilight Sparkle. What they had to work with was Sunset Shimmer.
Then Rainbow made a comment that gave her an idea.
“And I get the feeling they don’t exactly have cell phones where she’s from.”
She furrowed her brows, scratching at her cheek. That would have been a useful thing, interdimensional phones that could communicate regardless of the distance in space and time, or in this case, the difference in multi-spatial dimensions through the fabric of a potential multiverse with a serious case of time distortion on one end. Although, in Equestria, it probably wouldn’t have taken the form of a phone. Ponies sent messages long distance via quill and parchm—
Her eyes lit up as she suddenly smiled. “I may have an idea how we can get in touch with Princess Twilight!” she exclaimed, excitement in her tone. It was an idea so crazy, it just might work.





The group crowded around Sunset’s locker while she dug frantically through a box in the bottom of it. She knew she had brought it with her—of all her possessions, it had been one of the things that she’d cherished the most, even when she and the Princess had been fighting bitterly. There were so many memories tied up in its pages. Her fingers brushed the leather of the cover, and she pulled it free, feeling the familiar weight as she did. The smell of home reached her nostrils, of ink and old parchment and the lingering odors of events…the faint scent of hayfries from the time she’d dripped oil on the pages, the scent of herbs from her alchemical training, the lingering touch of her own shampoos and soaps.
She stood with the thick tome in hand, turning towards her friends. “When I was Princess Celestia’s student back in Equestria, she gave me this.” One amber skinned hand wiped the thick layer of dust from the soft, high quality leather cover, the inlaid metal impression of her cutie mark’s eight rayed sun warm to the touch. Sunset tried to keep the emotion from over taking her voice, fighting the bittersweet ache in her heart that cried out to talk to the only mother she’d ever known, to at least apologize.  “Even after I abandoned my studies, I held onto it…”  The former unicorn hugged the book as if it would serve as a substitute for the mother-figure she didn’t want to admit she still missed. “Deep down…I guess I always knew I was making a big mistake, and I still wanted to have a way to reach out to her...” She flipped it open, leafing through the pages until she came to the first blank page in the journal. “Maybe it still works.” The feeling of magic thrummed softly in the pages, filling her with hope as she laid her palm on the smooth parchment.
“That’s a book, darling,” Rarity’s voice broke into her thoughts, causing her to look up. The designer waved a hand. “What do you mean ‘maybe it still works?’”
It took her a second to realize that she would have to fully explain, since humans had no frame of reference. She smiled, still filled with the bittersweet joy in her heart. “It used to be that if I wrote something here, it would appear in the pages of a book back in Princess Celestia’s library.” Her eyes dropped to the pages again. “If I get a message to her, then she can get a message to Princess Twilight.” 
“So what’re you waiting for?” Rainbow cried, dangling a pen before her. “Get to writing!”
She stared at the pen for a long moment, suddenly more nervous than she’d been in a long time. What if Celestia had thrown away the book? What if she didn’t answer? What would she say to the mare who’d raised her, to whom her last words had been ones of hate and spite? Would Celestia even listen to what she had to say? Her fingers closed around the pen, and she looked down at the book, sighing heavily. She had to at least try, not for herself…but for her friends.  “….Been a long time since I’ve written these words…” Starting was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but once the pen touched paper, the words began to flow, almost of their own accord.



‘Dear Princess Celestia…’
‘I know I have no right to contact you at all, let alone ask you for anything. I was nothing more than an arrogant, power hungry student who thought I deserved far more than I ever earned, and in the end, I ruined everything and blamed others for it. I know better now, and I’m sorry for everything I said and did to you. You were right, all along, but I was too blind and foolish to see it.
‘But I’m not writing for myself. I don’t deserve mercy or kindness or any form of clemency and consideration from you. I’m writing on behalf of my friends…and they really are my friends, even after everything I did…I need to get in contact with Princess Twilight Sparkle for them, because something has shown up here, in this world, magic that shouldn’t be here, and I’ve tried, but I don’t know who or what these three girls are or how to stop them…and if we don’t find answers, they’re going to hurt my friends.’
‘I don’t care how angry you are at me, or what happens to me in the end…I deserve any punishment I get for everything I did before I left…but please, don’t punish my friends because of me. Pass my message onto Princess Twilight. Tell her that there are three females here, in possession of powerful dark magic that can warp the minds and emotions of others using their voices in song, and that they seem to draw off energy from those they affect. It's powerful enough that it's affected the whole school other than myself and the girls, and it’s getting stronger. I’ve never encountered this kind of magic before…but…it’s dark, very dark, and it doesn’t seem to have an upward limit on how many they can effect at once. It’s not a type of magic I know, but there is something about it that reminds me of Equestria, I just can’t place what. Without a horn, I have no way to use anything other than innate senses, and human materials cannot be used to build any decent kind of thaumometer to help either.’
‘Sunset Shimmer.’



When she lifted the pen, she looked at the others, her eyes damp. “We…we have to wait, now. I don’t know if it’ll work, but in theory…” She wiped her eyes. “In theory, the magic is still active in the book, and even closed the connection between the two worlds still exists where the portal should be. I can sense that much when I’m near the statue.”
Warm hands touched her shoulders, arms, and back, solidarity and support from the five girls. She gave them a half smile, sniffling. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I didn’t part with her on the best terms.  It was…difficult to write that letter.”  
“Darling, we understand…” Rarity reached over and tipped her chin up so blue eyes could meet hers. “…and we thank you. You did this for us.” 
Wiping the last of the moisture from her eyes, she tucked the book into her bag. “I need to go check something…I’ll meet you girls out front in just a bit?”  She needed to breathe and get away, plus there was something important she needed to do that she couldn’t with all of them present.
“O’course, Sunset. We’ll be out by the statue when yer done. C’mon, y’all.” With a tip of her hat, Applejack rounded the others up and urged them towards the exit.
Fifteen minutes and a trip to the restroom later, and Sunset locked the door to her secret study room in the library. It was the only place on the whole grounds where she was sure she wouldn’t be overheard, and she was going to take advantage of it. One hand retrieved her phone from her jacket pocket, and she scrolled to the most important contact in her list. The girls might be desperate to hear from the Princess, but there was only one Twilight she wanted to hear from right now. A glance at the clock told her that her girlfriend should be firmly ensconced in her own private lab at her school, working during a free period on her ‘independent projects.’
It rang three times before there was a click and that wonderful voice reached her ears. “Sunny? You never call me this early.  Are you okay?”
“Sparky…” she exhaled, letting the voice wash over her. “…I’m fine…well…not fine fine, but I’m not hurt. Nothing’s happened to me.” She rubbed her face. “It’s…hard to explain.”
The rustling of papers came through in the background, along with the creak of a chair. “I’m listening…” 
“It's…something’s come up. It's something I can’t really talk about right now, but it’s an emergency, and I need to be here.  The girls and I...we’re all…kind of banding together on this because it’s not something that can or should be handled alone.  After how they’ve…stood up for me, been my friends despite everything awful I did to them in the past, I feel like I need to be here to do everything I can to help them. I'm not sure how quickly it can be resolved either, so it means I might have to miss our weekend plans…”  She felt terrible for the pseudo-lie and the prospect of being denied Friday night dinner and the warmth of the smaller form tucked to hers in bed was just one more layer of misery heaped on her head. 
“Oh wow. I’m sorry to hear that something bad has happened…but Sunset? I’m proud of you. You’re being a good friend by being there with them. That’s what real friends do…” Twilight’s beaming smile was evident in her voice. “…remember that when you doubt yourself, okay?”
Twilight was proud of her—those words filled her with happiness and warmth like nothing else could, and if the girl had been in the room with her instead of across town, Sunset would have kissed her until her knees gave out.  “…I…I will, Sparky…Thank you…for understanding…and for being you. It…means more than you know, to hear you tell me that.” She sank shakily to a beanbag. “And I’m sorry if I have to miss out Friday. Tell your family that, please?”
“Of course I will, and…if it's appropriate, give your friends hugs for me too? Something that sounds as serious as you’re making it out to be is something that tells me they’re going to need all the hugs and support and friends they can get.” There was a pause, like Twilight thought about saying something else, but she continued after with, “If you need me, to recharge, or talk or clear your head, call me, okay? I won’t leave my best-friend-slash-girlfriend without support of her own.”
Sunset blinked back sudden tears. “You are so much more than I deserve, Sparky.”
“I still disagree. You deserve far more than you realize, Sunset Shimmer, and I won’t let you talk badly about yourself where I can hear you. You’re doing everything right, and you’ve come a long way from who you used to be, in such a short time. You should be proud of yourself too.”
“I wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” she rasped around the lump forming in her throat. “I wouldn’t know how to even be a friend at all if you hadn’t shown me what one was.”
Laughter, happy and bright, filled her ears. “I told you that I’d show you. Next time maybe you’ll believe me?”
“Don’t get a big head about it, nerd,” she snarked back, using the sarcasm to get her emotions under control. “I know where you’re ticklish.” Then she sighed. “I’ve got to go. They’re waiting for me, but I snuck off to call you. I…needed to hear your voice. With everything, it's been a rough day, worse than normal.”
“Okay, Sunny. Remember what I said? I can text it to you as a reminder if you need it.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you soon, Sparky.”
“Bye!”
She lowered the phone, slumping in a form of relief and allowing that to sink in for several minutes before she got up, collected her things, and went to rejoin the girls by the statue.





They’d been sitting by the statue for hours, waiting, thinking, and talking. Rarity was now taking the chance to do Fluttershy’s nails, applying polish after some deft use of a nail file, while Applejack sat atop the plinth with Pinkie, engaged in a rather intense round of poker. Rainbow had been practicing her soccer, but even she had given up on that after a while, and sat with her back to the marble not far from Sunset.
As for the redhead, she’d been drawn into idly flipping back through the book, reading over the old correspondence between herself and the Princess, of the hours and hours of conversations on her lessons, as well as her personal life. It brought back a lot of memories, and with her anger and hate washed away, Sunset could look back on them and remember the good parts…could remember why she’d wanted so badly to be the Daughter of the Sun, how much she’d loved Princess Celestia, and how, in the best times, she had truly believed that the Princess might just love her back.  It filled her heart with a bittersweet ache and nostalgic longing, a desire to feel those glorious white wings around her in a soft, pillowy hug just once more, just like when she was small and confronted with something beyond her ken.
Rainbow Dash let out a sound of frustration. “I’m starting to think she’s not coming…”
The correction—that they were waiting for her to contact them, that a visit was likely too much to hope for—died on Sunset’s tongue before she could speak. The portal within the marble sang against her senses, open and alive and letting Equestrian energy fill the immediate vicinity. She jolted to her feet as something burst through the barrier and landed hard a short distance away, moving towards it with the other girls.
Purple skin and dark hair met her gaze, and instinct and subconscious association filled her heart with warmth and joy, enough that she found her own voice crying out in stereo with the other girls, though she was the only one whose heart meant a different person. “Twilight!” Her body moved without conscious direction, carrying her to the side of the form that was recovering on hands and knees, her face breaking into a full smile when the figure spoke.
“Oof….I’m back…” Twilight told them sheepishly, before she noticed the amber-skinned hand being held out to her.
Sunset smiled down at her, hand held out in offering, her brain still not entirely caught up to the reality of the situation. Familiar purple eyes met hers, eyes that she knew better than any others, narrowing in wary mistrust, hand hesitating to take hers. The bubble broke, and it took everything Sunset had not to flinch, to not show how much it had stung to have that face look at her like that, even as her brain reminded her that this was Princess Twilight, not Sparky. The affection and excitement in her died away, and her smile dropped away to a hurt frown before she could even try to school it into a neutral mask.
The princess looked back and forth between Sunset’s face, her hand, and the other girls several times, like she wasn’t entirely sure if it was safe, and was looking to them for some sort of cue. It brought Sunset’s old friends guilt and shame back to the surface, and she struggled to hold on to the words Sparky had uttered in her ear mere hours before. Eventually, a lavender hand took hers, allowing her the opportunity to help the alicorn-girl to her feet, trying to offer her a hesitant smile and dispel her worries. 
Dusting herself off, Princess Twilight looked Sunset Shimmer over, eyes studying her intently, searching her face for something the redhead couldn’t identify. She seemed to be satisfied with whatever she saw, the edges of her lips quirking upwards. Sunset found herself rubbing the back of her head, not sure how to break the ice with someone wearing her girlfriend’s face…especially since the last time she’d been around her, she’d been doing her level best to murder the princess.
It ended up being a moot point, as five other bodies came hurtling forward to practically tackle the new arrival in a massive hug. Sunset took two steps back to avoid at least one flying leg and three flailing arms, and in that moment, looking upon the group of six, she felt extremely awkward and more unsure of her place than ever. The girls had told her she was one of them, but was there really a place for her, or was she just filling the Princess’ spot when Princess Twilight couldn’t be there?  In the privacy of her own thoughts, riddled by guilt and anxiousness, she freely admitted that the princess knew as much or more about magic than she did, and she’d been their friend first—and it was very clear that this Twilight Sparkle didn’t trust her very much. Sunset wanted desperately to help…but what could she do that a demigoddess couldn’t?
> Chapter Twenty Seven: Gettin' Down to Business
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“….I’ve got some bad news about those new girls…” the princess told the group, her expression deadly serious. Sunset’s ears perked up as the group began walking towards the bakery, hanging back on the edges of the group as she fiddled with her phone.
-Hey, Sparky…I know I laughed, but…I could really use that reminder text right about now.- she sent, listening to the princess explain what she had discovered.
“Those girls reminded me a lot of an old legend, about a trio of hippocampi songstresses called ‘the Sirens.’”
Rainbow Dash interrupted loudly, snickering. “…A hippo-what now?” 
Applejack slugged her shoulder irritably. “Even Ah know that one, Dash. Horse-Fish things. Some folk call’em Kelpies. Basically mer-ponies.” When everyone looked at the farmer in surprise, she shrugged. “Mah cousin an’ his ma own a horse ranch. Mac’n’me go out some summers ta help ‘em stu—” Green eyes went wide and she cleared her throat, changing her words. “Anywho, his ma loves ta tell stories about magical beasties an’ monsters…especially horse-monsters.”
Princess Twilight exhaled, then picked up her lecture again.  “Yes. Half pony, half sea creature.  According to the story, they were incredibly powerful and beautiful, with voices that could affect the feelings of others, but they used them to stir up and feed on negative emotions, particularly strife and suffering. They would feed on those emotions, using them to increase their magic and power—the more they fed, the stronger they would get, allowing them to generate even more negative emotions in a perpetually larger and larger cycle.”
“Oooo! Oooo!” Pinkie bounced near the princess. “We have monsters like that! Sort of! Except they were three beautiful fish ladies who sang to sailors and lured the ships onto rocks! But they’re just stories and now they are real? Oooooo…I wonder what other stories are real? Werewolves! Vampires! Fairies! Leprechauns—those have to be real!  I have to redesign my leprechaun traps now…”
The phone vibrated in her hand, and she stole a look at it. -Of course, Sunny!- was quickly followed by a picture of a bulleted list in her girlfriend’s handwriting. -Already had it prepared, just in case!- The fact that she’d made a list out of moral support made Sunset fight the urge to laugh, and she focused back on the conversation ahead of her.
“It got to the point where something had to be done, and the great wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, led a group to combat them. The group did their best, but couldn’t win, so Starswirl used his magic to banish them to another world. He was under the impression that the other world would render their magic harmless.  I’m worried that the world he picked was this one.”
Sunset’s fingers danced over the keys. -Nerd.-
-Your nerd, Sunset.-
-Definitely mine. Thanks, Sparky. That’s what I needed.-
Then she looked up at the group, tucking her phone into her pocket again.  “I don’t really remember that story…” she mused. “Which book was it in?”
Princess Twilight looked somewhat startled for a moment to hear someone ask about the text itself, then beamed with a smile that made Sunset’s heart stutter awkwardly. “Oh! It’s in one of the older Starswirl biographies—it’s not a popular publication because it has a pretty negative stance on his personality, but I like to be thorough in my research.” 
She found herself falling into a familiar groove of conversation—she’d spent hours talking books with another Twilight, after all.  “Ah…I remember that one. Wasn’t that interested in it, because it mostly rehashed the same stories as other books on him, and it didn’t contain as many of his theorems as I was looking for. That was back when I was still studying advanced teleportation—I really didn’t like the idea of ending up halfway through the wall.” A shudder went through her. “On my list of ‘preferred deaths,' that one was firmly at the bottom.”
The other girls stared at her. “What? Imagine suddenly having twelve inches of solid stone sharing a space with all your major internal organs, turning them into jello. Teleportation is no joke. Why do you think I sleep through advanced calculus?”  That netted a variety of expressions from disgust to horror to something akin to creeped out awe. Then she looked back at the princess, who was watching her intently. “It's interesting though—Starswirl dumping the Sirens in another world. He’s the same pony who created the mirror that connects to CHS, and Celestia mentioned that there were others he made, to other worlds….she refused to tell me more at the time. Makes me wonder about those other mirrors and where they lead.”
Princess Twilight frowned. “I…don’t know. I’ll ask her about them the next time I talk to her. If there are other potential portals to this world, we should probably keep track of where they are, when they open, and what goes through them.”
“That…would be nice. I’m not sure I like this world being some kind of dumping ground for Equestrian garbage, even if it was the Great and Powerful Starswirl who was using it like a trash can. This world and those in it shouldn’t be subjected to being treated like repository for Equestria’s unsolvable problems.  That’s what we have Tartarus for.”
More frowning, while the rest of the group watched the conversation like it was a tennis match, the alicorn’s tone testy and sour, possibly because the sarcastic mocking of Starswirl—Sunset had detected the familiar sound of girlish glee when the princess had spoken of the ancient wizard. “…Tartarus is a prison, Sunset,” she corrected tersely.
“I’m well aware, and that's where ponykind sends the worst of the worst that cannot be reformed, destroyed, or safely exiled without having to constantly look over our shoulders. We dump them there and use Cerberus to keep them in.” She shrugged. “My point stands. This world isn’t the place for all of Equestria’s mistakes.” There was no need to let them know she considered herself one of those mistakes.
The princess opened her mouth to say something, but closed it a moment later, thinking. Sunset took the opportunity to address something else that had occurred to her, one hand rubbing the back of her neck. “…also, is it just me, or do the Sirens sound extremely similar to Windigos?”
Purple eyes lit up. “You’re right! I didn’t notice that! And they aren’t the only examples of mentally manipulative emotiphages in Equestria, now that I think about it. Windigos, Sirens, Changelings…I wonder if there are more.” Despite the concerning topic of conversation, she was practically vibrating with excitement as they approached the bakery. “I’m going to have to do a research paper when I get home!”  
Sunset shook her head fondly. In certain ways, a Twilight Sparkle was a Twilight Sparkle, it seemed, pony princess or glasses wearing nerd. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, voiced a much different opinion. “A research paper? When you don’t have to do one for a class? Ugh. Booooring.” She pushed open the door, and headed for the counter. “When you’re done being nerds, let me know. I’m getting a snack.”
Blue-green eyes narrowed at the casual dismissal of the intellectual conversation—she knew Dash wasn’t particularly fond of scholarly subjects, but she had thought that even she would understand the importance of figuring out more of what they were fighting against before they confronted the Sirens.  
—What do you expect, horn-head? Your friends are still children—adolescents, yes, but still children, unlike you or the princess.  The fact that they’re willing to fight at all is impressive, but you know you can’t hold them to the same standards as a fully grown adult of any species.—
The group broke apart, with some of them heading to sit down and the others going to get drinks or snacks, and as they did, she realized that the voice had a point. Her friends, as amazing as they were, were still teenagers at heart, and as a result, they weren’t feeling the same worry and stress over the situation that she did.  It wasn’t really her place to draw attention to it, no matter how frustrating it might be, but she also figured that she could keep that in mind for the future to avoid getting mad at them unnecessarily.  
Sunset wound up perched on the arm of a couch near Rarity and the princess, and she took a moment to get her bearings. Trying to keep the two Twilights separate was proving more difficult than she’d anticipated, but at the same time, little differences kept jumping out at her.  Her Twilight was several inches shorter than her Equestrian doppelganger, and the princess didn’t seem to need glasses. The redhead was also becoming increasingly aware of a difference in their voices, in tone, pitch, and even delivery of their words.  Despite having dealt with the constant presence of a Celestia in her life in both worlds, this blend of almost identical mixed with vastly different was stressing her out in ways she had never experienced.
There were also disconcerting differences in body language that were starting to make Sunset’s head spin. Was this how she sometimes looked to the others, pony gestures and posturing as a bipedal hairless monkey? Her brain was actually starting to hurt trying to translate the mashed up subconscious, non-verbal cues being given off, trying to parse which gestures were meant the Equestrian way, and which ones were meant in the human fashion. Being caught between two worlds sucked, she realized, rubbing her forehead as Rarity set her coffee down on the table and spoke to their visitor.
“Oh, I do hate that you had to return at a time of crisis! There’s so much catching up to do!” 
Applejack, sitting backwards on a chair, half watching Rarity’s antics, got in on the conversation with a smirk. “Fer starters,” she drawled teasingly, “a certain blue-haired guitar player was just askin’ about ya.”
Princess Twilight went wide eyed, attention drawn from the chocolate milkshake Pinkie had brought her as she leaned forward excitedly, finger twirling a bit of her hair. “Flash Sentry was asking about me?” she practically demanded, and Sunset’s heart twinged.  “Sunny!” she heard in her mind, in almost the same tone, with the exact same hand gesture, “I’m so glad to see you!” It was a voice she heard right before one of her girlfriend’s tight hugs, a voice that made her find the lips it came from so she could kiss them.  The former unicorn exhaled slowly through her nose to suppress the longing that welled up in her.
Then the princess coughed, ducking her head in embarrassment as the other girls grinned knowingly at her, even Sunset unable to stop the bemused smirk that crossed her face at the way she blushed and cleared her throat, trying to regain some sense of dignity, “Isn’t that nice.” She busied herself with her milkshake to avoid letting her mouth run away with her.
Rarity changed the subject smoothly, sipping her drink. “Perhaps you would give us just the slightest bit of gossip from your world?” she asked hopefully, her eyes flicking to Sunset before she turned her attention back to their visiting royal. Gratitude filled Sunset. She wanted to know more about what was happening back in Equestria, but talking to Princess Twilight was proving to be something else entirely. The smirk became a real smile, and she adjusted her sitting position to listen intently.
It wasn’t Twilight who answered, but the Equestrian Spike—it was disconcerting to have the dog that normally treated her with disdain being pleasant. The talking she didn’t notice as much as that.  “She’s got an official title now,” he proclaimed from Fluttershy’s lap. There was pride and affection in his voice as he raised a milk-bone in imitation fanfare. “The Princess of Friendship!”
Sunset kept her mask on, hating herself for the sharp stab of envy and hurt that dug into her. “Wow,” she said, somehow managing to keep her voice even. “That’s really impressive.” She gripped her jacket sleeve with her other hand, eyes darting away. “Guess you really were Princess Celestia’s prize pupil,” she forced herself to admit, the statement tearing her heart in to tiny pieces and lighting those pieces on fire.  The exiled unicorn refused to let the mask falter, refused to let them see how much agony those words had caused in her. She had done this to herself, made the choices that led to this moment, and she couldn’t go back and change them. She had to move forward…to move on…to work through the pain and let go of that which could never be.
“You’re special to me, Sunset.” 
“I’m proud of you.”
“You’re my best friend…”
“You’re Twilight’s friend, Sunset. We want you to feel at home here…”
“Hey, kiddo. Keeping my sister out of trouble?”
“You’re coming to family movie night next weekend, right?”
Over and over she replayed the words that meant the most to her, from Twilight, from Velvet, from Night Light and Shining Armor, even from Cadence. She’d earned those words, those relationships, on her own. They weren’t connected to the princess, to her lost home, to the mother she wanted but could never have, to a destiny never fully achieved. They were hers and hers alone, and if the price to pay to have them was everything that came before, with all the pain tearing at her right now? Then so be it. She used the words like a bandage on her soul, protecting the worst of her inner hurts. She was still trying to find her way, but she wasn’t alone.
“She’s even got her own castle!” the dog…dragon…pet…assistant…thing...added with a grin, his eyes flicking to her deliberately. It seemed he was still sore about being snatched and used as bait for his owner? Friend? Sunset realized she wasn’t actually sure what the relationship there was. Either way, he was getting a few digs in where he could, and she couldn’t blame him.
Rarity grabbed onto the princess’ collar, her voice cracking and the cultured accent faltering. “A castle?! You have your own castle?!” Applejack rolled her eyes, and offered a throat clearing sound to snap Rarity out of whatever dramatic fit had been brewing. The designer calmed, releasing the other girl and looking around as she cleared her throat. “Ooh..uh, lovely.” 
The dark-haired figure looked a little uncomfortable, and quickly turned the conversation around. “What’s new here? I mean, besides your school becoming the target for dangerous magical creatures from Equestria?”
The girls all exchanged nervous expressions, then flitted their attention to Sunset, as if asking her permission. She smiled wryly, and gave a subtle ‘Go ahead’ motion with one hand. Maybe the princess would have answers for that bit of magic too. Or perhaps give her a better jumping point than what she’d already figured out.
Rainbow Dash turned her phone around. “Yeah, so…that isn’t the only thing that’s happened since you left.” On the screen, a clip played that showed Dash going through her transformation while playing a riff on her guitar. The princess grew increasingly wide eyed, hand going to her mouth in shocked disbelief. “Pretty sweet, huh?” Rainbow asked her. “It happens to all of us when we play.”
The alicorn-turned human frowned, and Sunset could practically see the wheels turning in her head. “Hmm…My Crown was returned to Equestria, but some of its magic must’ve remained here at Canterlot High.” 
Well, at least she and the pony princess were on the same page there. 
“Now that we’re all back together, we can use that magic on the Sirens!” 
—Easy, princess Sparkle-butt. Let’s not get cocky and ahead of ourselves.— Apparently Stupid Little Voice had its own two bits to add. 
The tone became even more excited. “Just like we were able to use it on Sunset Shimmer when she turned into that horrifyingly awful winged monster!”
And the award for ‘Running Gags That Were Wearing Themselves Thin’ went to the she-demon jokes. Apparently everyone else had noticed her increasingly grumpy attitude about the matter, because all noise among the other five girls halted as they went awkwardly still and silent, eyes slowly turning in her direction. The princess noticed, and the realization of what she had said seemed to dawn on her. “Uh…no offense…” she offered weakly.
Sunset curled forward, arms crossed over her chest with her elbows on her knees. A frustrated sigh puffed past her lips, trying not to let on just how much hearing those words from that voice twisted her up inside. “…none taken.” She forced a sardonic chuckle out, rolling her eyes. “I’m used to it.”
Rainbow tried to bring the conversation back around. “They’ll never know what hit ‘em!” She began executing a showy series of kicks and punches into the air that made Sunset groan inwardly. With the way Rainbow was telegraphing her every move, the former unicorn could have had her on the ground, winded, in about three and a half seconds. Where ever she had learned those moves, it wasn’t actually meant for fighting. 
This was even more obvious when her flying fist was caught casually by Applejack, her own grasping hand never even moving, despite the force of the fist slapping into her palm. The farmer slowly lowered Dash’s arm away from her face. “We got nuthin’ ta worry ‘bout now that Twilight’s back.”
Fluttershy spoke in her normal soft tones. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I could find something to worry about…but it won’t be the Sirens!” she ended cheerfully, smiling at the group.
Princess Twilight’s expression grew firm. “…The sooner we do this, the better.” Her gaze roved over the group. “Any idea where the Dazzlings might be?”
Pinkie bolted upright, waving her hand vigorously. When everyone turned their attention to her, she quickly sucked down the rest of her milkshake. “There’s a big party tonight for all the bands who signed up to be in the showcase! That would include the Dazzlings.”  
Sunset shook her head. Trust Pinkie Pie to know about a party.
The visiting princess smirked. “Looks like we’ve got a party to crash…” 
A noise like air escaping from a pool toy issued from Pinkie, her grin ready to split her face.
> Chapter Twenty Eight: I Love a Scandal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The gym was crowded and filled with the low murmur of thinly veiled hostility as people stayed in small groups, clumped up with their musical partners for the upcoming “Battle of the Bands,” glowering and making rude gestures and comments towards anyone else that caught their eyes.  The seven girls not influenced by the Siren’s dark energies looked around the room, horrified by the toxic environment the school had become.  Even when Sunset had been the school’s tyrant queen, ruling everything with an iron fist and plenty of blackmail, things hadn’t been this bad. 
The dark energy that coated everyone in the room was thick and slimy to Sunset’s inherent magical senses, a noxious, choking residue that dug tendrils deep into the minds of students and staff alike, from the youngest junior high student all the way to the normally cantankerous and elderly Mr. Doodle.  The miasma made the redhead reel with nausea, the ache in her bones making her feel hot and itchy in ways that couldn’t be properly scratched. Phantom sensations in her hands and feet and back were driving her to distraction, like wings and talons were a heartbeat away from ripping free of her flesh again. Sunset wanted nothing more than to curl up in a corner whimpering until the agony went away and she could breathe again, but she couldn’t. Even if she couldn’t help with the magic, she wasn’t going to abandon the girls…not after everything.
She’d broached the subject of her volatile reaction to the Princess on the way, and the other Equestrian had been just as puzzled. “Some of that sounds like the symptoms of sensitivity to dark magic due to overexposure at a previous date—the nausea, the discomfort, even the pain during their songs. But the rest are unusual symptoms that don’t coincide with anything I’ve ever read,” Princess Twilight had noted. “It could be that a human body develops different symptoms to a pony one, or this could be because of how you were affected by dark magic. It may even be simply your magic fighting off theirs—you were powerful back home, and we both know that magical energy cant just be destroyed, only converted or used. That means you still have your magical reservoir in some fashion.” She’d offered an apologetic frown. “At this juncture, we don’t have enough data to make a valid theory out of it.”
All in all, the alicorn’s response was not very helpful—a part of her felt hurt over the somewhat detached and dismissive reaction, though another part had argued that they had more important matters to focus on, like stopping the source of the dark magic that made her feel so violated and ill.  However, it had also been good to see that the princess had reached similar conclusions to what she herself had surmised even with Princess Twilight’s superior knowledge of the magical arts and that they were both stuck at the same point—it meant she hadn’t been completely off base in her thoughts and that she wasn’t forgetting some important or obscure piece of knowledge. That information didn’t help the colicky feeling that was growing with every passing second, or the way her temper kept flaring at the slightest provocation. She could practically hear the grinding of her teeth when the Princess bumped into Flash—quite literally, with her falling on her rear on the ground—and evidently, so could Rarity.  She pulled Sunset further away, turning her so she couldn’t glare daggers into Flash’s skull while he and Twilight Sparkle blushed and flirted awkwardly.  
“Darling, I know you said you didn’t care about Flash, but if looks could kill, we would likely be down one princess. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She knew her behavior was irrational—the Princess could flirt with whoever she wanted, and it was none of her business if anyone had a crush on her. The doppelganger from her homeworld wasn’t the Twilight that mattered to her…but seeing someone who looked like her being fawned over still caused untold amounts of upset and fury in her innards. Sunset, in that moment, wanted nothing more than to punch Flash in his stupid, goofily grinning face. She blew air out her nose in an irritated snort, scuffing her foot on the floor. “It's…complicated, Rarity. I don’t have feelings for Flash—that was the truth. I never liked him like that, and I never will. He’s really not my type, and I used him back when I was…you know.”  One hand rubbed her neck. “…it’s just…the magic in here is making me feel like I’m going to throw up, and even though I don’t think the magic has affected me, some part of me just wants to hurt someone. I’m angry, and I’m not sure why….”
Rarity rubbed her back soothingly. “Sunset, it's okay. This magic business is upsetting and stressful, and if what you said is true, you may be having something akin to an allergic reaction to it. That would make anyone cranky. Though I do think it might be good for you and Flash to bury the hatchet, as it were, sometime. Carrying that around isn’t healthy, no matter what emotions they are.”
Her face twisted into a guilty expression. “I…do kinda owe him an apology for how I used him. I was pretty awful to him in particular, and he didn’t deserve what I did.”
She got a side hug from the designer. “Tut tut, darling. That’s the past, and I really do wish you’d stop dwelling so hard on it. You cannot move forward if you are dragging your sins around with you like Marley and his chains. Make amends if you can, apologize if you cannot, learn from it, and move on.”
Sunset looked over at Rarity, eyebrow raised. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”
A hint of a smile flashed her way. “Everyone makes mistakes, even me. I’ve made them a lot, and…owning up to them can be hard. Apologizing directly even moreso.” Blue eyes watched Applejack bickering good naturedly with Rainbow Dash.  “You have to know I fight with Applejack more than anyone else in my life, and she is my oldest, dearest friend. If we hadn’t learned to make amends and move on, we never would have lasted long enough for Princess Twilight to meet us.” The designer rolled her eyes, bemused tolerance in them. “I don’t always mean to fight with her, but sometimes she can just be so very aggravating and pig-headed, and we have such different tastes in certain areas that she doesn’t always see my creative urges as anything other than a ‘prissy waste of time.’” 
The cultured accent gave way to a fair imitation of Applejack’s drawl that left Sunset’s mouth hanging open. Rarity smirked at Sunset, reaching over to gently close her mouth, before leaning close, all trace of her normal speech replaced with something far more rural. “Sunset, I was raised here too—didn’t honestly think I sounded like that naturally, did you?” Then it was back as if had never left. “Though I suppose I should take it as a compliment that you had no idea.” She sighed theatrically. “The point is, darling, that we all make mistakes, and we all have to decide what to do about them. For example, I do want to apologize for the inadvertent…ribbing…you have been getting over your…unpleasant history. It isn’t fair of them to constantly bring it up, and I know that adding ‘no offense’ to the end doesn’t make something any less hurtful. I just hope you understand that they don’t mean it out of malice…” Her eyes narrowed at the stetson wearing blonde and the colorful soccer star. “It’s just that sometimes, their mouths open and words come out without their brains ever being involved.”
Surprised laughter escaped before Sunset could stop it, her hand quickly coming up to cover her mouth. “Rarity!” she chuckled. 
“What? It’s true, darling, and we both know it.” 
Rarity was also fighting a laugh, and before long, they both gave up on trying to stop it.  The pleasant feeling of the two girls laughing together eased the nauseous sensation in her stomach, allowing Sunset the chance to really look around the room. So far, the only real progress made here had been learning the names of the Sirens: Adagio, the frizzy haired leader, Aria, the sour one with pigtails, and Sonata, the ditzy one with the ponytail. Pretty names for a pack of emotion-eating monsters stirring up trouble. Sunset was actually looking forward to them eating a rainbow with a form of savage glee that should have frightened her, but she couldn’t manage to make herself feel bad about.
Speaking of the devilish monsters…She spotted them across the way, the urge to slap the smug smile off Adagio’s face growing. The trio of Equestrian natives seemed to be reveling in the strife, and as her magical senses screamed, she opened them to watch the flow of energy around the room. With time to watch and the singing not stabbing in her ears, she had plenty of opportunity to get a good long look at what was going on, to actually watch an emotiphage’s magic at work. It was then she realized it wasn’t just emotion they were siphoning off…almost every person in the room had lingering energy in them, power left behind from an Equestrian source…
Blue-green eyes went wide as the realization hit her like a freight train. Starswirl had sent them here to stop them feeding on Equestrian ponies, all of whom had natural magic. Humans had almost none…until she had come here, used the Crown, and exerted magic on the student body. Magic used on someone left traces behind—it was basic Magic 101 at CSGU, learning how to feel magical signatures. That had to be how creatures who had been undetected for centuries, with no major impact on human society as a whole, suddenly had the power to exert active influence over the student body.
—Especially since they were already stirred up and feeling pissed off, horn-head. There was already anger, strife, and suffering when they walked in.—
Great. She’d basically created a perfect feeding ground by accident. This was her doing.
Now that she’d realized it, she could feel the lingering touch of Equestrian magic in the other students that had been at the Formal, residue from when she’d violated their minds and turned them into an army of fighting slaves. It wasn’t the same kind of powerful, prismatic spectrum of light that came from the six who had used the Elements on her, but it was still there, open to the Sirens like an ‘all you can eat’ buffet.
And they were, gorging themselves on the energy that roiled across the ground and air everywhere but by the princess and her friends. Comparatively, the six of them were a null zone, dark magic shrinking away and fizzling out as it got close, before closing around a short distance behind them as they moved to confront the Sirens.
Sunset braced herself for the brilliant display of power…
And nothing happened.
Well. Something happened alright, but it wasn’t the rainbow produced by the Elements of Harmony. Instead, it was the Dazzlings seizing upon the failure and riling the students up, turning them on the girls, the yelling in the gym growing to a fevered pitch. What’s more, Sunset realized, seeing the victorious gleam in Adagio’s eyes, was that the girls had overplayed their hand, and the enemy was onto them. 
“Ponyfeathers…” she groaned, as the girls slunk towards her and the exit, proverbial tails between their legs. Now what would they do?





They were all seated on the front steps—except for the princess—watching a sight that Sunset had grown used to dealing with on a semi-regular basis: a Twilight Sparkle Freakout…though this seemed to be a first for the others, judging by the looks on their faces. She leaned back on her elbows on the steps, brain already working out how to curb the anxiety attack and solve the problem at the same time as she listened to the familiar voice growing increasingly pitchy and scratchy.
“It doesn’t make any sense!” Princess Twilight lamented, pacing back and forth, the count and beat of her steps remarkably consistent a pattern—Sunset found she could not only count the steps, but time them, and they were exactly the same every single time.  She found herself observing the whole thing with a measure more detachment than she did with Sparky’s, and once again, the differences amidst similarities jumped out. It was almost disappointing to observe the princess winding herself up more and more, far beyond the point where her own Twilight would have started trying to do things to mitigate the impending panic. “I should have been able to create the spark that would help us break their spell! That’s how it worked before!” The voice took on a frantic, whiny tone that sounded close to tears, making the former unicorn sit forward slightly with a frown.  Princess Twilight was doing everything except wringing her hands, and Sunset somehow knew she’d start doing that next—pony or not, it was still a Twilight. Time for her to interject before this turned into a full blown panic attack.
She crossed her arms over her chest, pointing out the obvious, even as she knew she was opening herself up to more unintentional teasing. “…but to defeat me, you drew magic from the Crown I was wearing,” she said, trying to not see the fireball heading towards her friends and the princess in her mind’s eye, focusing on a thought that had been niggling at her. One finger rubbed her chin. “The Sirens’ magic comes from their music…”
A memory came to her mind, Celestia’s face and voice at the forefront. “It takes practice and knowledge of the magic being used against me, my little sun. Even powerful magic can be countered by taking advantage of its type and resonance. Certain magics are canceled by applying their opposites with equivalent force…but others can be overridden and turned to your advantage if you use a similar, sympathetic energy that is more powerful….”
“Like ice against a fireball?” a very small Sunset asked eagerly. 
“Indeed, or using ice against a water globe to make more ice…”
“That’s so cool, M-Princess!”
Her eyes grew wider as she came back to the present, her voice growing excited with her epiphany. “So maybe you have to use the same kind of magic to defeat them!”  Princess Twilight went deadly still as she spoke, and Sunset worried that she overstepped. She backpedaled in a hurry. “Or…maybe not…”
The visiting pony wearing her girlfriend’s face whipped around, pointing eagerly at her. “No…I think you’re on to something.” She was clearly following a mental trail now, the expression sliding into one Sunset interpreted easily, and the smile of encouragement on her face was so much like Princess Celestia’s that Sunset couldn’t help herself.
“Really!?” she blurted out, trying to fight the sense of pleasure coming from the suggestion of praise.
Princess Twilight nodded, then dragged that finger to point at the rest of the group. “Its when you play music that you transform now, right?”
“Eyup,” Applejack confirmed, hands emphasizing her words with rapid gestures. “Ears, tails, the whole shebang.”
Bringing her fist down on her palm, the alicorn continued the thread of her idea. “So maybe the way to use that magic to defeat the Sirens is by playing a musical counterspell!”
Fluttershy peeked out from the curtain of her hair. “You mean like a song?” For all her apparent timidity, there was no denying that Fluttershy loved music and singing.
Sunset watched the princess nod, rubbing her wrist against her chin. The gesture was so odd that she was taken aback momentarily, and she actively studied the other Pony-Turned-Person’s body language. Her hands had curled into awkward fists, almost like she had forgotten what fingers were…The redhead bit back a laugh, remembering those days, early on in her stay here. Having those five wiggly worm-snake-paws instead of proper hooves had been a learning experience, and even now, she knew when she was emotionally agitated she tended to fist her hands the same way. It was nice knowing it wasn’t just her.
“Uh-huh…and in order to free everyone who has been exposed to the Sirens’ spell, we’ll need them all to hear it.” Her one fisted hand hung in the air like a forehoof ready to stamp the ground, and the one former unicorn in the group wondered how ridiculous she looked to the group that didn’t recognize it as a gesture of assertion and aggression.
No one brought it up though They all frowned at her words, thinking hard, before Rarity let out a gasp and jumped up. “The band competition!” she exclaimed. “That’s the next time we can be certain everyone will be in the same place at the same time!”
Joining Rarity in standing, Applejack slapped a hand on Dash’s shoulder. “Guess the Rainbooms are the band ta beat.” The athlete grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
The designer continued, “And I believe you, Twilight, just became the Rainbooms newest member.”
She knew it was a necessity: Without the princess, they’d be down the most crucial and critical Element of Harmony, the one that made all the others actually work right. It didn’t stop it from stinging though, considering how much she secretly desired to play with them.
—You’ve been watching them play for weeks, you know. Why haven’t you bothered to bring up the fact that you can match Rainbow on the electric? Or that you have a halfway decent singing voice? You know they’d take bring you in in a heartbeat. If you asked right now, they would bring you in faster than Celestia could banish someone to the Moon.—
Stupid Little Voice knew perfectly well why she hadn’t asked yet, and if she did it now, it would just look like she was trying to show up the princess. No. She would be there to support them, just like she’d told Sparky she was going to do—she’d be their manager, their gofer, their cheerleader, whatever they needed. If they kept up playing after the competition, maybe she’d ask then, but not before. Sunset worked to put her mask back together, knowing it had faltered as the rest of the group crowded around their royal friend. Rarity had already asked enough probing questions. She pushed off the steps to rejoin them, as Pinkie was excitedly trying to figure out what instrument to saddle Princess Twilight with….and going through some very odd choices in the meantime.
Looking more than a little frazzled, Princess Twilight offered weakly, “I…might take a little too long to learn how to play something with these.” She hung her half fisted hands before them to point out the issue. Sunset bit back a snort and a snarky response. She wasn’t wrong; Sunset had spent the better part of three years practicing before she considered herself even passably decent on the acoustic, and learning the electric guitar had been a whole separate experience. “I’ll just sing.” That would probably work out much better—from the few times she and Sparky had had music going while they messed with this invention or that machine (like the day they’d gutted and upgraded her heater), Twilight Sparkle didn’t have too bad of a singing voice. Could have just been her though, seeing as she might have a bit of a bias.
Rainbow leaned an arm on the alicorn’s shoulder. “Like, as in lead singer?” she demanded warily. “Cuz that’s usually my gig. This being my band and all.” Sunset didnt think it was possible to roll her eyes so hard it hurt—it turned out, it was very possible—and it did hurt—when Rainbow Dash’s infamous ego was involved.
Apparently Applejack felt the same way, since she stepped up to Dash, temper flaring.”It’s our band,” she corrected tersely, before turning to Princess Twilight with a much kinder tone. “An’ of course as lead singer. She’s the one with the magical know-how ta help us pull this thing off.”
Blue skinned hands came up in a placating gesture. “Okay, yeah…That’s cool.” 
—Way to sound insincere, featherbrain…— 
“I’ll just use this as a chance to hone my already insanely good lead guitar skills.” She wiggled her fingers and moved like she was playing the “air guitar.”  Sunset found herself biting her tongue as the petulant response turned right back into baseless boasting.
—Insanely good? Her A string is consistently off, and she struggles with some of the chords because her hands are kind of small. You really should help check that ego of hers before everyone else chokes on it.—
Princess Twilight sought to placate dissent, spreading her hands. “Its only temporary,” she assured them. “And we don’t have to win the Battle of the Bands. We just have to perform during the first round of the competition.”
Never one to stay down long, Rainbow pumped a fist in the air. “Let’s get to learning that musical counterspell!”
Sunset heard the next statement before the princess even spoke. She knew it the instant her face fell, eyes looking everywhere but at her friends. “That’s just it…” she sighed. “I don’t know any.” Of course not…Sunset thought back through all the different kinds of spells, counterspells, unique magical applications…even the most esoteric branches of modern unicorn magic didn’t use music.  The closest thing that Equestria had to musical magic, besides spells meant to enhance music, was the way passive magic tended to respond positively to impromptu vocal numbers during things like Winter Wrap-Up, and most of that involved Earth ponies and Pegasi…who didn’t use active magic. The applications seemed useless in this case. Horseapples.
“But…I’m sure I could figure out how to write one?” the princess offered, trying to put a positive spin on things. 
It could work, she supposed. The magic in the girls did feel like Harmony magic, and that was something the Princess of Friendship had experience in, given her status as the Bearer of the Element of Magic….Still, writing a spell from scratch was hard. She’d done it in the past, manipulating basic magical theories to create a combination effect that did what she wanted. Mostly, she’d used it to get even with the snobby students at CSGU who talked down to her. It was even harder if the spell in question had a vocal component. She did not envy the princess this time, that was for sure….
At least until the dragon-dog spoke up, patting one purple socked leg with his forepaw. “Totally! Twilight can write a spell like its nobody’s business! That’s pretty much how she got to be a Princess in Equestria!”
What?
Sunset’s mind ground to a halt, practically tripping over itself. She earned Ascension how??
“Technically, I helped finish a spell…”
Of all the moon-banished, yak brained, half-baked, diamond-dog rutted piles of minotaur shit she’d ever heard in her life, this one was piled up nice and high like one of Princess Celestia’s favorite cakes and served on a platter made of gold. Ascension. Because she…finished a spell.  Anger burned…her bones felt like they were ready to combust at any moment; for the first time it drowned out the association with her adorable nerd, and she hated Twilight Sparkle more than anything in the world.
—Damn her to Tartarus and Tirek take her for a horn cap!—
“….and there was a lot more to it than that, Spike” Princess Twilight finished, admonishing the dog-dragon like a parent would a child, her expression becoming a stern frown as she looked down at him. 
He scoffed. “Yeah, whatever.”
Princess Twilight shook her head before taking a deep breath, psyching herself up. “I’ve got this.” She picked up Spike. “C’mon.”
Air. Sunset needed air, to get away and calm down before she lost her temper. She kept a firm hold on her happy mask, still smiling at Princess Twilight, hate and rage fighting against her. She watched the princess head up the steps towards the school, and slowly began moving away from the group to make her escape.
“Where ya goin’?” Applejack asked, and for a second, Sunset thought it was directed her way. Then she realized everyone was watching the princess.
“Well, last time we were here, Spike and I spent the night in the library.” She pointed towards the school.
Pinkie Pie was suddenly at Princess Twilight’s side, beaming. “Are you crazy??! We’re besties now!” She wrapped her arms around the purple skinned form, picking her up in what looked like a bone-crushing bear hug. “SLUMBER PARTY AT MY HOUSE!”
> Chapter Twenty Nine: Everybody Wears a Mask Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Faking enthusiasm she certainly didn’t feel, Sunset planned how to get away, at least for a little while. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, like there was a boulder that had been dropped onto her chest. As the others made plans to meet at Pinkie’s for a group sleepover, she started retreating towards where she had left her bike.  
She was just putting her helmet on when a voice spoke behind her. “Goin’ somewheres?”
Shoulders slumped, she turned to face the farmer. “…I need…air. This has been…a lot of my past is coming back to kick me today, and I need time to get myself together. I don’t want to say something I’ll regret later…I don’t want to hurt you girls…or Twilight.” Which Twilight she was referring to, AJ didn’t need to know about.
“Ah kin understand that. Bein’ face ta face with Twi can’t be the easiest thing fer ya.  An’ Ah’m sorry fer bringin’ up the formal. T’weren’t tryin’ ta be ugly…it's just the only other time we’ve dealt with magic, ya know?” She pulled off her hat, scratching her scalp. “…an’ Dash is just an idjit sometimes.”
Sunset chuckled at that. “Not going to argue with you. Some days I can taste her ego.” Then she sobered. “…and I understand, Applejack, really. Rarity and I already talked about it.” She exhaled. “Seeing Princess Twilight is just…hard. I have so many mixed feelings there.”
“Ah get it. Yer gonna come ta Pinkie’s still, right? Yer one o’ us, an’ t’wouldn’t be right iffin ya weren’t there with us, princess’r not.”
“I promised to support you guys and to help how I can. I’ll be there. I just…I need to go for a drive, clear my head. And stop by my place for some changes of clothes, my toothbrush, and some other things.” 
Applejack gave her a hug. “Alright. Go get yer air, an’ iffin ya need ta talk, ya got folks who’ll listen.”
Sunset swung onto her bike, revving the engine. “Have Pinkie text me the address?” Once Applejack nodded, Sunset gunned the machine and took off towards home.
She took the long way, circling the block a few times to enjoy the speed and freedom, trying to let it carry away some of the seething anger. It helped a little, but not enough. She stomped into her loft, slamming the door with more force than necessary, tossing her backpack to the floor and letting out a harsh, rasping scream of sheer frustration as she flopped on her couch.  Damn Princess Twilight Sparkle to Tartarus and back! In what world was any of this right or fair?! Hundreds of hours, years of study, weeks at a time of solitude trying to earn Ascension, and this purple, anxiety-ridden, obsessive-compulsive bookhorse got it by ‘finishing a spell?!’
It was like being bucked in the jaw by an Earth pony athlete. She’d written tons of spells in her time at CSGU, some privately, but far more publicly—she’d used several on her exams over the years, and been praised for it every time. If finishing a spell was the only thing needed to Ascend, then she’d earned it dozens of times over! So what made Princess Twilight Sparkle that much more special than her? 
Even as the thought crossed her mind, a darker, nastier thought took root from the darkest corners of her psyche. What if it wasn’t Princess Twilight? What if it was her? Pain throbbed in her chest, causing angry tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. What if it was Sunset Shimmer who just didn’t deserve Ascension, just like Celestia had told her the night she’d run away? 





Cyan magic flung the heavy tome right at the mare’s face, with all the force of a battering ram. “I’ve done everything you ever asked of me, learned every lesson, memorized and mastered every spell! I’ve set records at the school every year, I’m at the top of my class! What do I have to do to prove that I’ve earned this?! All you tell me any more is to stop studying and go socialize with ponies who don’t like me anyway!” Tears burned down her cheeks. “I’ve earned this! Why won’t you make me a princess!?”
Golden power, hot like the sun the goddess before her commanded, flared into being as a barrier, the ancient book bouncing violently off of it and sliding across the floor, the cover battered and part of the spine broken.  “The fact that you stand before me, Sunset Shimmer, demanding Ascension as if it were a prize to be won, treating it like some form of right, proves just how little you deserve anything of the sort,” Celestia replied, her eyes narrowing. The guards by the door and the library archivist shuffled uncomfortably at being present for the argument.
Rocking back, weight shifting to her hind hooves so she could stamp a forehoof on the stone floor, Sunset tossed her head, embracing the burning anger in her chest to avoid the way those words cut into her very soul. “If that’s true,” she bit back, wanting to launch all of that pain back at the white alicorn, “then why did you even bother to take me as your student? Why keep me here at all, when you could have somepony so much more deserving than me? There are hundreds of unicorns at your school, so much more deserving of your efforts than one little useless orphan--why didn’t you pick any of them?”  
Something flickered in the Solar ruler’s eyes, and her coat rippled. “Frankly, at this point, I find myself asking the same question, Sunset Shimmer,” she responded tersely, nostrils flaring with agitation, ears dropping back in warning for the young mare to back off.
Sunset flinched internally as another stab of hurt went through her, reflexively dropping into the bitter, sarcastic sneer she used on the other students in the school when they tried to get under her skin with their needling and nasty remarks, pointing her horn right at Celestia in a deliberate gesture of defiance. The words fell from her mouth before she even totally realized what she was saying, “Then why did you even bother with me at all, Princess?” Every ounce of hurt and anger and loathing was heaped upon that single word, turning the alicorn’s title, the title she refused Sunset but had given to that sickening pink pegasus with nary a thought, into a vitriolic insult of the highest caliber. “Why don’t you just enlighten us useless, lowborn trash with your infinite and immortal wisdom?”
The words were met by a shocked, horrified intake of breath, and Sunset remembered they weren’t alone in Celestia’s study like they had been for all their previous arguments. Still, it was too late to take it back, and she wasn’t going to show that kind of weakness in front of others. She held her ground, glaring with everything she had at the mare opposite her.
The princess of the sun was silent for a moment that lasted an eternity, both of them seeming frozen, and the angry young mare knew she’d managed to get under the monarch’s armor—she could see it in those ancient eyes for just a heartbeat before Princess Celestia’s entire demeanor changed, all of her muscles going tight and tense, her ears pinning back against her skull.  The air went absolutely frigid, as if all the heat in it had been sucked out by the goddess in preparation for an explosion of divine wrath. The young unicorn shook internally, half anticipating her own demise from the power and fury barely contained in the form before her. Even the guards stepped back in fear, their fur standing on end from the energy crackling in the room.
Yet the explosion never came. Instead, Celestia’s voice was so cold it burned worse than the hottest flames, echoing unnaturally as magic wove into it. “If that is how you truly feel, Sunset Shimmer, then it seems I have nothing left to offer you. For all you pride yourself on learning the mechanics of magic, and your lessons, you have failed in learning the most important and fundamental lessons I tried to impart upon you—and I see no further point in trying. They are lessons you will have to learn elsewhere.”
The fire in her went out, snuffed by the implications. “…what..?” she managed to whisper.
“…I am saying I have nothing left to teach you, Sunset Shimmer.  Consider your position as my personal student rescinded and all hitherto attached privileges removed. You may continue your studies at the School for Gifted Unicorns should you so desire, but your free reign of the palace is over—the staff will move your things to a dormitory in the morning.” Without raising her voice, she addressed the cowering guardsponies. “Guards, escort Sunset Shimmer to her rooms for the night.”
The guards had to prod the young mare to get her moving, her soul frozen over and her mind numb, but the anger inside melted that quickly, and she cast one last enraged glower over her shoulder at the impassive Celestia, refusing to let the monarch have the last word, or to let her know just how badly the dismissal crushed her inside.  “You might wish you’d never had me as a student,” she hissed, hurt turning the words to hate, “but I wish you’d never found me!”





Angry tears burned tracks down her face as she ripped herself from the memory. Had Celestia seen it in her then? The monster she was becoming? Was that why she had been denied at every turn—was that why Celestia had kept her as a student in the first place—to keep an eye on her and keep others safe?
—You know that’s not why.—
No. She knew what she’d longed for the reason to be, the reason she’d done everything, given up everything she might have had in Equestria, trying to be the best, to impress Celestia, to gain the thing she wanted so badly, the thing that was never meant to be…
It wasn’t fair.  First Twilight Sparkle had replaced her in Equestria, being the perfect student, the one that Celestia should have been teaching all along, saving Princess Luna, defeating great evils, and Ascending as an alicorn…
…and now, here, where she was trying to find her place in this world to which she’d been exiled, where she struggled to move on from her own ugliness, just as things were looking up, where she’d learned how wonderful it was to be cared about and to have friends to care about, Princess Twilight Sparkle came back, and in an afternoon made it clear just by existing how little Sunset really had that was truly hers…
She screamed again, wanting to kick something, smash something, hurt something, and without her realizing it, her arm punched the back of the sofa, causing something to slide down, and land half on her face, covering her world in darkness…and the faint scent of honeysuckle.
Everything stopped for a heartbeat…then two…then three…as she breathed in, the unique blend of delicious summer flowers, old books, electronics, and the undercurrent of something female and wonderful that was Twilight herself reaching her amid the emotional tempest. The fight went out of her, and she pulled the sweater fully into her possession, curling around it and burying her face fully in the soft, many-times-through-the-wash texture, inhaling and exhaling through her nose; she was glad now that Twilight had left the sweater behind the other day, the extra layer discarded when Sunset’s heater proved that the upgrades had worked beyond expectations.  It wasn’t the same as having the girl in her arms, but for now…for now it would do. In and out, falling into an almost meditative state, drawing in good memories, affection, joy, and pleasure with every breath drawn in, while letting the fury bleed out on every exhale. 
—Wow. You’ve got it bad, doncha, horn-head?—
Stupid Little Voice needed to just let her have this. It had been a long, frustrating, and emotionally exhausting day, and this little slice of happiness and heaven was all she was going to get. Just. Let. Her. Have. This. In a little while she would have to leave to go spend the evening putting up with the doppelganger of her girlfriend giving her those wary looks while having fun with her friends, and with the dragon dog being an obnoxious little braggart that kept rubbing in the Princess’ status and accomplishments every time he got an opportunity. 
The voice fell silent, and she gave an inward cheer of victory, before snuggling her cheek more against the sweater, part of her aching to have her Twilight wearing it at that moment, so she could be snuggling into the other girl instead. That would have been nice…but that wasn’t something she could do, given the time crunch and the circumstances. 
…Or was it?
The temptation was there, staring her in the face, borne from the same place as her darker thoughts. She could, right now, hop on her bike and drive to Sparky’s. She could easily lose herself for a few hours with her girlfriend tucked into her arms, and she half believed that regardless of what Applejack had said, the girls probably wouldn’t miss her much anyway, not with the princess on hand.  Anything they might’ve needed to ask her normally about magic, the other pony could answer, and she was the one they needed for the counterspell anyway, not Sunset. She was superfluous, an extra with no place or purpose. She wasn’t one of those channeling one of the Elements of Harmony, she wasn’t working on the spell, and she had no magic here that she could use.
—Are you really willing to run away again, the moment it gets tough? What about your resolve earlier with Sparky, telling her you wanted to support the girls no matter what? What about your decision to free this world’s Celestia and Luna from the control violating their minds and wounding them so deeply?—
That stopped the redhead cold, her thoughts grinding to a sudden halt as the administrators’ faces flitted across her mind’s eye, the hurt and shock in Luna’s eyes as cutting malice fell from her lips, or the desperate plea in Principal Celestia’s expression right before the magic consumed her again, turning her into an apathetic puppet, such sharp contrasts to the concern and encouragement that both had been showing her for the last few months as they worked with her on the road she was walking…
Once again, Stupid Little Voice was right. Maybe she should consider changing its name…
—Leave it. The sarcasm is amusing, horn-head.—
…Either way, that corner of her mind was right—she had to do this. She needed to do this, even if she was just a placeholder or an extra body. She had to make sure things turned out okay.  It might not be easy, but…the Vice-Principal had pointed that out to her once before, during one of their brief conversations after the locker situation had been dealt with. 
“…In life, Miss Shimmer, you will find that there are many times we are presented with choices. Equally as often, you will learn that its often not a crossroads between right and wrong, but one between what is right and what is easy. Since the dance, you have consistently tried your best to choose to do what is right, and I, for one, applaud you for that.”
The former unicorn took a deep breath, filling her lungs and nostrils with that wonderful scent, before letting it out slowly.  "You were right, Miss Luna. …Right or easy…I choose right. I can handle obnoxious dragon-dogs who  take every possible chance to rub my nose in everything they assume I ever wanted from my life in Equestria. I can handle my friends hanging off the princess’ every word and deed—and I can handle a doppelganger of my Sparky, who keeps looking at me like something unpleasant stuck in her hooves…"
—Found your spark again, hmm? What changed your mind?—
"Because I can see how much it hurts them, Miss Luna and Principal Celestia, being controlled like that…because if I can do something to help, no matter how small, even if no one notices or ever knows I did it, that ends up seeing them free…then I have to try. Because they saw something in me worth giving a second chance when they had every reason to call the authorities and have me out of their hair forever."
Sunset remained curled up with the sweater for more than half an hour, before stretching herself out, and going to pack some things in her extra backpack. It had seen use over the last few months with her nights at Twilight’s, but this would be the first time it was used somewhere else. Her brows furrowed, thinking; this was actually her first ‘sleepover’ with the girls...her first actual real 'slumber party experience' at all, technically.
—Might want to grab your sleeping bag. With six other girls, most of you will have to sleep on the floor.—
Pajamas, clothes for the next day, her slippers in case it was cold…She ducked into the bathroom, grabbing her ‘travel toiletries’ that, like the backpack, had been created because of her weekends with her girlfriend. Adding the sleeping bag and her pillow, she looked at the sweater thoughtfully. With a small smile, she pulled the pillow out of its case, stuffed it in the sweater, then put the whole thing, sweater and all, back in the pillowcase. Bringing it to her face and inhaling, she could make out the underlying scent from the sweater. Perfect. Now she could get through the night.
—Starting to get a little codependent there…—
It wasn’t codependency in a time of severe stress, and the Stupid Little Voice knew that very well. If there came a day where she needed reassurance to put on her pants, then the voice could give her shit. Sunset shouldered her bags and headed for her bike, cramming what she could into the storage containers, and settling the backpack on her back. Time to head to the Pie residence…
> Chapter Thirty: Everybody Wears a Mask Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset slid off the bike, pulling off her helmet and shaking out her hair. Driving had felt good, and had helped to get rid of the last vestiges of her anger. Retrieving her pillow and sleeping bag, she was dumping the helmet in the storage compartment when Rainbow’s voice came from behind her. 
“Holy shit, Shimmer…you didn’t tell us you rode a bike…or had such a badass ride.” Rainbow had stepped out of Pinkie’s house and was now practically drooling over her motorcycle, eyes gleaming with excitement.
“…It's nothing too special,” she responded. “…it's mostly cobbled together from parts I got at the junkyard or from auto parts places.”
There was a long pause where Rainbow stared at her. “Are you saying you built it? From junk?”
Nervous laughter bubbled from her. “Um…kinda? I mean, I didn’t really do anything big, like welding the parts or anything, I just put the pieces together the way the diagrams and tutorials showed. I did pay for the paint job, but that was way beyond me.”
“Cool…cool…So. When we head out to AJ’s farm in the morning for practice, can I ride double with you? That’ll mean everyone else can fit in Rarity’s car. Speaking of which, VP posted the schedule, we’re not on until one. Morning rehearsal in the barn since we can set up there.”
The redhead rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dash, you can ride on the bike with me. Only got the one helmet though, so don’t expect me to go too crazy.”
“We can stop by my house and get mine.” At the arched eyebrow, she shrugged. “I do motocross sometimes. I like the speed. It's not something you’re really allowed to do on the streets though.”
“Fine. Now…can we go inside? I’m about to freeze off parts of me I really don't want frozen.”





Seven girls and a dragon-turned-dog sprawled in various areas of Pinkie’s bedroom. Applejack and Rainbow were competing loudly in a video game, while Pinkie lay on the floor, clicking away at her laptop.  Princess Twilight, in borrowed PJs, sat on the bed scribbling away at a notebook. Fluttershy was sitting with Spike, while Rarity and Sunset were nearby, talking while Rarity fiddled with her phone’s camera so she could take pictures of the party for herself. All the girls had already swapped over to pajamas, and a small feast in pizza was on its way to the house.
“Status update,” Pinkie chirped cheerfully to no one as she typed. “Okie-dokie-loki.”
Rarity brought Sunset and Fluttershy in close to snap a picture of the three of them, only to scowl and give Spike a glower when she realized he’d photobombed them while holding a milkbone. The creature in the canine body just laughed at them. The sound of a thump, followed by Applejack’s indignation came from the two gaming buddies. 
“Hey! Ah was about ta beat ya!”
The athlete scoffed. “I doubt it.” She looked over her shoulder. “So, Twilight, how's that counter-spell coming?”
That caught Sunset’s attention and she flicked her gaze towards the princess. Said princess was making a very anxious face at the notebook, and jolted in surprise at the question directed her way. That…didn’t bode well in Sunset’s mind. Especially when she started flipping pages quickly away from the one she’d been staring at. “…oh, uh…good? Great.” Her eyes turned, finding an opportune distraction in Fluttershy—another warning bell for Sunset in the list of ‘impending Twilight Freakout signs’.  “Thanks for letting me use your notebook, Fluttershy.”  The princess gave her a smile. “I really like the song you wrote for the Rainbooms.”  
Fluttershy hugged Pinkie’s alligator plush. “Thanks.” When Princess Twilight’s attention returned to the book, the animal lover let out a sigh and muttered, “Hopefully one day we’ll get a chance to play it,” her eyes giving an accusatory stare at the back of Rainbow’s head as she played a childish game of keep-away with the console controller. Sunset frowned, and wondered if maybe she should pull Rainbow aside and mention the way she kept walking all over Fluttershy’s desire to play one of her songs…but was it really her place? She was still learning here, trying to understand interpersonal dynamics that had been around in this world for a lot longer than she had. It was one thing to figure out how people ticked to manipulate them for her own gain…trying to navigate the minefield when you cared about the other person’s response was a lot harder.
Rarity flounced onto the bed and put her arm around Princess Twilight’s shoulders. “Twilight, I think I speak for all of us when I say I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t come back to help us.” The rest of the girls murmured enthusiastic agreements, and while Sunset found herself nodding along, the only thing she could think about was the sweater inside her pillowcase and the girl it belonged to.
I couldn’t do this without your help, Sparky, she thought fervently.
Then the doorbell rang, and her stomach encouraged her to race for the food with everyone else, even though she knew there was no rush. The veggie pizza was just for the two Equestrians—there had been a brief debate where they’d suggested a variety of toppings to the royal, but Sunset, remembering her own surprise interactions with meat and the human proclivity for it on several occasions, had explained the situation firmly to all of them, including their royal guest. Princess Twilight had turned particularly green at the concept and eagerly allowed Sunset Shimmer to choose the toppings for their pizza.





The pressure of another body sliding into the sleeping bag made Sunset snap her eyes open, the scent of honeysuckle teasing her nose. Blinking blearily at the form wriggling into her bedding, she recognized it even in the dim light of the moon streaming through the window. At first, her confused brain wondered why the princess was joining her, but a snore and glance to the bed made her realize that the princess was in her own sleeping arrangement. That meant…
“Sparky?” she mumbled in a breathy whisper.
Lips brushed hers in a hello. “Of course it's me, silly…who else would it be?” Arms slid around her waist as Twilight got comfortable. 
Sunset nuzzled the other girl. “What are you doing here? How did you even find me?” The questions didn’t stop her from pulling her girlfriend into the familiar position they both enjoyed, burying her face in that lavender skinned neck, kissing and nipping at the flesh she found there with affectionate little love nibbles.
Twilight let out a happy sigh, fingers finding their way into Sunset’s mane. “…you wanted me here, so I came.” 
The redhead smiled against Twilight’s skin. “…mmm…I did need this…” She kissed her way back up her girlfriend’s neck, leaving a trail along her jawline to get to her lips, claiming them far more roughly than she usually did. Twilight let out a surprised squeak, before responding eagerly, lips parting invitingly.
The invitation was answered gladly, and Sunset found herself twisting in the sleeping bag so that she could pin the dark haired girl under her own body, making a sound as close to a nicker as a human throat could manage while she enjoyed the searing kiss that was making her body feel light and tingly. She’d kissed Sparky like this once before, when she was struggling to put her feelings, her fears into words, and it had been just as wonderful then. Desire…hunger….it arc’ed between them like lightning up a jacob’s ladder, back and forth, growing in strength as it passed from one girl to the other and then back again. 
“Sunny….” Twilight mewled, panting as the former unicorn kissed the hollow of her throat, hands pushing the pajama shirt up to expose more of that lavender skin to the wandering touch. Fire burned under her skin everywhere they touched, and she could feel it…an aching, primal need rising in them both.
Shirts ended up somewhere—she didn’t really pay too much attention, too eager to press kisses to newly exposed flesh. “….mine…” she heard herself whisper in the dark, the lambent glow from her eyes  casting eerie shadows on Twilight’s face as she looked up at the girl she adored. “…you’re mine, Sparky…”
Purple eyes stared at her, the gaze feeling like a bolt of magic to her core. “…all yours, Sunset,” Twilight breathed, the tone of her voice triggering a stronger response than the former unicorn could have ever imagined. She let out a sound that was closer to a growl this time, mouth latching onto her partner’s flesh, teeth and tongue and lips leaving behind more of those love bites, satisfied when the other form writhed under the onslaught. 
It was almost too much, feeling and sensation and emotion and hunger blurring into an inferno inside her, demanding release, and she dragged her body against her Twilight’s, wiggling and reaching in the confines of the sleeping bag. There was progress made and she felt pleasantly cooler fingers run over the curve of her hip, causing a shudder to pass over sweaty amber skin. “Sparky….” Sunset panted, begging and telling and demanding all at once…Nothing in her life had ever made her feel like this…She wanted more…She wanted those fingers to move…She wanted…
She wasn’t even sure what it was she wanted…but she still wanted it…
Then the fingers obeyed the plea she never realized had fallen from her lips…and her eyes went wide and she would swear she saw stars…
….Only to be jolted awake by the sound of a door closing.
Sunset sat halfway up in her sleeping bag, heart racing, the blurry remnants of the dream still in the forefront of her mind. Her entire face felt hot, and she knew she was blushing badly. Her skin tingled and her mouth felt dry, and her emotions were in utter chaos, fear and discomfort jarring against the foreign desires left behind by her sleeping mind. She slid out of the bag, hoping that she hadn’t talked in her sleep, and stumbled to her feet. 
Bathroom first, to cool her burning face and try and get the lingering mental sensation of lavender fingers from her mind, trying not to wonder what her Twilight was dreaming about right at that moment. Then maybe to the kitchen for a drink and a snack….





There was a light on in the kitchen, Sunset realized a short time later as she wandered that way, intent on getting at least a glass of water. Curiosity got the better of her and she tiptoed on silent feet, hearing a frustrated sounding voice mumbling from within. Recognizing it, she leaned on the door frame a minute, not sure how exactly to start this conversation. This was the first time she’d been left alone with the alicorn princess. 
…How would she have spoken to Sparky, once upon a time? 
—Not sure that’s a helpful thought. This one isn’t Sparky. Watching her today has made that abundantly clear in so many ways.  Face it, horn-head, using Sparky as a metric is not that effective here. Princess Sparkle-Butt might as well be a stranger for all you know about her.—
A total stranger who didn’t seem to like her that much. How was she supposed to go about this then? She barely had a handle on serious conversations with the few people she considered friends, and very little experience getting to know total strangers—and in this case, Stupid Little Voice was right. All day long, she’d been relying heavily on her knowledge of the human girl named Twilight Sparkle to understand and gauge the pony version’s behavior, and time and again, it had proved to be more disorienting than anything, as this Twilight’s reactions and responses to things were so very different. She didn’t know Princess Twilight Sparkle at all; instead, she’d fallen back on old habits and assumed she knew. 
“Hey, Twilight. You’re up late.” 
—Oh yeah, original and obvious. Your conversational skills are a credit to your species, you know that?—
Sunset resisted the urge to snort aloud.   At least it was safe and neutral?
Her presence had been unnoticed until she spoke, that much was obvious from the way Princess Twilight jolted in surprise and snapped the notebook shut, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment at being caught.  “Just…looking over the counterspell…” She picked up the notebook and stared at it, exhaustion and worry written on her face. “We only get one shot at this. It has to be perfect.”
Sunset padded into the kitchen. There was a stressor she could understand—the drive for perfection in her work. She’d held herself to those kinds of standards years ago at CSGU. Nothing but the best had been good enough for her, especially from herself.  She offered an attempt at a friendly and natural smile, still feeling like it failed as she absently opened the refrigerator. “We really are lucky you’re here,” she found herself saying, squelching the negative emotions that had been eating at her all day so it didn’t leak into her voice. She wasn’t entirely sure who she was saying it for: herself or the princess, or what she was trying to convince either of them to believe.
—Wonderful, horn-head. Really wonderful. What are you going to tell her next? That its a privilege to be allowed to breathe the same air as her? Self-effacement doesn’t suit you.—
She heard the tired sigh behind her as she turned to look in the fridge, her eyes being met with what appeared to be several dozen cans of Reddi-whip. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me,” Princess Twilight murmured, and she didn’t sound happy about it.
“…Who could possibly need this much whipped cream?” she asked rhetorically, before answering the other pony’s statement. “…must be nice to have everyone always looking to you for answers,” she noted, losing the battle with some of the negativity, more than a hint of bitterness in her words.  The redhead grabbed a can of whipped cream and turned around, tilting it to spray some of the sugary product on her thumb. “…Instead of waiting for you to cause a problem…”  And wasn’t that the root of most of her problems in the last few months, the source of the emotional roller-coaster she’d been trapped on? Everyone outside of a select few—mostly Sparky and her family—had been holding their breath for the last few months, waiting for Sunset the Tyrant Bitch to make her reappearance. Even Sunset struggled with it, wondering how long it would be before she ruined everything for herself and others. It was one of the reasons she didn’t ask to be in the band, it was why she didn’t fight back against the constant insults, barbs, and hurtful comments, and it's why she was here right now, instead of where her heart desired to be. The Equestrian exile wanted so badly to be better than the monster she had become, but some days it didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere. Today had been one of those days, and all that was keeping her plodding forward with her head down was her promise to the enthralled administrators to free them from their magical enslavement.
Princess Twilight looked down at the pages, shoulders sagging. “Just because everyone expects something from you doesn’t mean it's going to happen.” Purple eyes met hers, and she could see just how battered the other pony was. It was a surprise…she didn’t realize an alicorn could look so…weary. It made her wonder just what was really going on back in Equestria. The words sank in, and she found the answer falling from her lips, the truth helping to relieve some of the boulder that had remained sitting on her chest.
“Well, that doesn’t stop them from expecting it…” she sighed, and was aware of the princess continuing the thought. 
“Which only makes things harder because the last thing you want to do is…”
“Let everybody down…” Sunset had intended to pick up where the princess had started to trail off, only to realize that they’d both uttered it at the same time. Startled purple eyes sought out blue-green, the two Equestrian natives staring at each other in surprise—one, the failed student, the runaway, the exile, who’d fallen hard and had been climbing back up against all the stones being cast down upon her head, the other, the prized protege, who had ascended to new heights most could only dream of, with more potential and capability than just about any other pony born in three hundred years…and in that instant…Sunset saw not the weird doppelganger of her adorable nerd, but herself, through the looking glass.
The revelation rocked her reality, shattering her entire perception of the other pony, every assumption, every preconceived notion, every judgmental belief about the mare who had succeeded her as the personal pupil under the Princess of the Sun… Princess Twilight wasn’t this perfect little princess, not the replacement she’d imagined, this powerful goddess like she’d always viewed Celestia, or even some warped reflection of the human girl that Sunset had bonded so deeply with. She was someone completely different than the wayward unicorn had envisioned, her mind constructing this being that was ‘everything-that-Sunset-was-but-better-in-every-possible-way’, the student that Princess Celestia ‘deserved’ instead of one angry little orphan who challenged her at every turn…
The lavender alicorn was, in truth, no different than Sunset was, a pony with expectations and demands heaped upon her, unwilling to give up or admit it was too much, whether from fear or pride, even if it broke her…  It was something that Sunset had lived with her whole life, from the time she was old enough to understand that the Princess was not her mother but her guardian and teacher, but in her own twisted up mind, she’d never stopped to consider that it was not a situation entirely unique to her. The strongest unicorn of a generation—or in several generations—powerful enough to earn personal attention from an immortal goddess, always expected to excel, always expected to be the prodigy, always expected to be as calm and contained and knowledgeable as the Princess of the Sun herself, as if spending time with the Solar ruler would make them into something higher than the average mortal pony… 
What made it worse was that it was an expectation they even demanded of themselves, despite knowing just how impossible that was to achieve. It also made her wonder if coming here was almost like a vacation of sorts for Princess Twilight, allowing her to get away from so many of the things others demanded.
—You think that’s why she acts like a teenager when she’s here, instead of a grown mare? Or is it just rampaging monkey hormones addling her brain? You know they wrecked you until you got used to them.— 
It would explain a great deal of the princess’ behavior, if this was the only place where she wasn’t under constant scrutiny and impossible demands, even with the crisis they were facing. The humans appreciated her, looked up to her…but like with Sunset, it never seemed to occur to them that Princess Twilight was anything other than a teenager just like them—Sunset wasn’t even entirely sure that the Princess herself was aware of the portal’s tendency to shave a number of years off a pony’s age when they crossed over, or that her human friends were all still technically children. Though to be fair, it was something she was still dealing with herself, and she’d been living in the human world for years. 
—It also doesn’t help that you spend most of your free time with Sparky. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Sparky was the grown adult, and the princess the awkward adolescent, just by talking to them.—
Sunset didn’t even have to consider whether or not to concede that point. Talking with her girlfriend always felt more like speaking with someone her own age and maturity level, someone who just…got everything she was trying to say, who seemed capable of interpreting her emotions from something as simple as a single word or a change in expression. 
She really is nothing like my Twilight, even if they look like twins.  
Blue-green eyes studied the princess before her again, her thoughts taking a bemused turn as the realization grew in her mind that she could easily separate the two Twilights in her own thoughts. Princess Twilight Sparkle may have shared certain personality traits and features with the glasses wearing human girl that took Sunset’s breath away, but that was as far as it really went. She was a completely different individual, in so many ways large and small, that even the weird doppelganger-attraction that had been niggling at Sunset all day dissolved away. The more the redhead looked, the more the princess looked just like every other human did to her—all gangly and ugly with flat features and freaky limbs, and even the knowledge of what the alicorn looked like as a pony didn’t provide any kind of appeal.
—It’s not like you have some sort of lust for purple-skinned bipedal apes, you know. Just because she is similar to Sparky doesn’t mean you’re automatically required to want to stick your tongue down her throat.—
Aaaand that was a picture she never wanted in her head. Stupid little voice…
She moved to close the fridge door, trying to scrub that unpleasant mental image away with thoughts of literally anything else possible.  When something moved in the darkness, she reared back in instinctive surprise, letting out a startled yell.
Maud Pie, Pinkie’s older sister, stared at her apathetically from the dark, before holding up a rock. “Boulder was hungry.” She reached into a cupboard for some crackers, and wandered off, emotionless and silent as she had appeared, all in less time than it took for Sunset to calm her racing heart. 
She backed up against the bar, more than a little jittery, grimacing, before half turning and whispering to Princess Twilight, “I still can’t get over the fact that she’s related to Pinkie Pie.”
“You and me both,” the royal said with a giggle, which Sunset found herself joining with a laugh of her own. 
She yawned, exhaustion finally catching up with her—that, and whatever 'moment' that had sparked between them had been lost with the intrusion, and Sunset needed some time to process her epiphany. “I better get some sleep.” She offered what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “Good luck with the counterspell,” she told her, hoping to bolster her spirits. “Not that you’ll need it—this must be nothing compared with the stuff you’re expected to deal with as a princess in Equestria.”  She moved towards the doorway, her night now having taken a turn for the better.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
She froze, hand on the door frame. That was a tone she recognized, and had it come from her Twilight instead of this one, it would have triggered the urge to find out what was wrong so she could help in any way possible. As it was, even with her newfound distinction between the two Twilights, it still brought her a sense of worry. That was a Twilight Sparkle who was reaching for help, who needed an ear. It was with that knowledge that she turned around, her own concern clearly written on her face, studying the other and waiting for what she had to say.
Princess Twilight opened her mouth, words on the tip of her tongue, before her expression fell, and she looked away. “Never mind. It's not important.”
Sunset blinked. It was clearly important…but it still wasn’t fully her place to tell the other mare that. They were just starting to be friendly, and she knew that there were still lines she couldn’t cross, things she couldn't—shouldn't—press. She turned to leave again, but offered one more friendly smile as she did, walking slowly on the way out in case Princess Twilight changed her mind. Silence followed her down the hall.
> Chapter Thirty One: I've Got My Eye on You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It sounded worse than a collection of yowling alley-cats….even after the Rainbooms (plus Princess Twilight) had run through the counterspell song dozens of times in the last few hours. Sunset, sitting with Spike and operating the sound equipment for them, had to fight to keep from cringing. Even Granny Smith could tell it was bad, and Sunset was fairly sure she hadn’t bothered with her hearing aids that day. 
On the positive end, it seemed the princess must’ve given her four legged companion some kind of talking to, as he’d been surprisingly polite and non-confrontational with Sunset all morning. That was pretty much the extent of the good news.
Spike uncovered his ears, gave the redhead an uncertain look as the caterwauling came to an end, and offered hesitantly, “…that sounded…way better than the last…five times you’ve played it…” He laughed nervously.
Big Macintosh walked by the barn window, overhearing the canine. “…Nnnnope,” he drawled. 
Spike let out a whine, and Sunset looked over at the girls, frowning. All of them looked uncomfortable, tired, and frustrated—they’d been at this since bright and early that morning, and had yet to undergo their equine transformations at all. Even Rainbow Dash hadn’t managed to manifest hers, and she was usually the first one to start “Ponying-Up,” as the girls had dubbed it. The combination of factors was starting to cause some friction, and that worried Sunset. 
“I think its pretty obvious what’s going wrong with this counterspell,” Rainbow complained, half rolling her eyes as she nodded her head slightly at the rest of the group. The cocky, arrogant tone of her voice made it obvious where she felt the problem was.
Applejack and Rarity both glared at the brightly colored athlete. “Yer turnin’ what should be the chorus inta a five minute guitar solo?” the blonde bit out accusingly.
Dash gave them both an affronted look. “I have to pick up the slack somehow. Are you guys even trying?”
Fluttershy leaned forward, her voice as passive as ever, but with an undercurrent of bitter frustration. “I’m trying,” she offered unhelpfully. Rainbow Dash turned an annoyed face in her direction.
Sunset’s brows furrowed. The stress seemed to be getting to all of them, causing the normally relaxed group of girls to snipe at each other; it was only a matter of time before it escalated into a full blown argument between two or more of her friends.  “It’s fine,” a nervous voice managed, and she turned her head in puzzlement. Princess Twilight looked like she was on the verge of another panic attack, hunching in on herself, a wild look in her eyes.  “It’ll be fine…One more time from the top!” she asserted, only to get no response from the group.
Rarity took a breath, stepping forward. “Or…” she suggested, smiling for the first time in at least an hour. “Perhaps we could take a short break? Try on some of the wardrobe choices I’ve put together?” She retrieved a rack with a bunch of outfit bags on hangers, and looked through them before holding up one in front of herself. “I’m particularly fond of this one.” She frowned, studying it for a moment. “Of course, we could go with something a bit more modern.”
An exasperated expression formed on Applejack’s face, and she spoke with barely restrained annoyance. “We’re tryin’ ta save our school here,” she pointed out, waving a hand towards Rarity. “Enough with the costumes!”
Rarity had put on a curious, digitized helmet to test out its affects, and her voice came out with a robotic, tinny undertone that still managed to pack all of her offended sensibilities and annoyance into a single scoffing noise. “You can never have enough costumes!”
Pinkie Pie joined in with Rarity’s rising argument with Applejack. “Yeah! She just wants to make things fun! Isn’t that what being in a band is supposed to be?” She flicked a drumstick against her kit to give her pouted words their own sitcom sound effect.
Sunset’s worry rose as she looked around the barn at her friends. Discord’s teeth, this was getting bad!  
—Deep breaths, horn-head, like you’re always telling Sparky to take.— With an internal groan, the redhead took a minute to do exactly that. —Have you considered stepping up and taking charge? They’re really in it, near up to their necks, and their glorious leader looks like she’s about half a second away from being catatonic in a corner—they need an adult mind that’s holding it together, and let’s face it, not a one of them knows how to be a good leader.— 
She stopped herself from shaking her head in a negative, but only just. Her being leader was a terrible idea, and she didn’t want anything to do with that kind of power anyways, not anymore. On the other hand, she could step in with a support role to help manage the little things, so they could focus on the real problem.  A glance at her phone’s clock, and she moved more into the center of the area, getting their attention.  “You don’t have time for any of this!” she reminded them, agitation in her voice. “You’re supposed to check in at the Battle of the Bands in fifteen minutes!” Granted, they had a few more than fifteen minutes, but with the way they were acting, she needed to light a fire under them to get them moving in time to actually get to the school. 
The girls let out a collective squawk of dismay, and began immediately breaking down their instruments to put in the Apple family Truck. The princess, however, looked about ready to scream.  “What? But it's not ready!” Her voice rose in volume and pitch. “If we play our counterspell in the first round and it doesn’t work, then the Sirens will know what we’re up to and make sure we don’t get the chance to play it again!”
Everyone froze for a moment, then looked around at each other, trying to come up with a solution. Applejack finally voiced the solution, trying to sound more confident than she looked like she felt. “Then we’ll hafta buy ourselves some time so ya kin keep workin’ on it.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Rarity asked in confusion.
It was Rainbow who answered. “By competing in the Battle of the Bands for real! I take over lead vocals again, and we stay alive until the finals!” That savage, cocky grin was back on her face. “We unleash the counterspell then!” Then she tilted her head at Princess Twilight. “You’ll have it figured out by the finals, right?”
Sunset watched the emotions play over her face, but before she could offer an answer, it was Spike who spoke up.  “Of course she will! Twilight Sparkle’s never met a problem she couldn’t solve!” He grinned up at his companion. “Right, Twilight?”
“….R-right…” came the strained response.
“Then let’s go win us a Battle of the Bands!”





They made it with minutes to spare before their sign in deadline, gaining a long and unimpressed look from Miss Harshwhinny. “Cutting it close, aren’t you, girls?” she commented dryly. “Try not to be late for your time-slot. It will not be extended—we have a lot of groups to go through and a limited window to do it.” She sniffed, then turned to the next student, dismissing them.
“…It’ll be nice to see everyone back to normal after this,” the princess noted. 
“….That was normal for Harshwhinny. I had her last year….she has all the personality of a dead tree,” Sunset commented. 
Rainbow Dash added, “Plus, I think she’s allergic to fun.”
Nobody laughed—there was too much tension in the air as they entered the gym. Sunset could already feel the gut churning sensation of dark magic, forcing her to swallow repeatedly to avoid gagging and throwing up. Nasty looks were cast their way, open hostility like steel wool on her very being. She gripped her other arm to steady herself…but that only lasted a short time before she snuck a peek at her phone to send a text for a pick-me-up from Sparky.
The girls made their way to the line up on the other side of the gym, and were forced to listen to Snips and Snails perform a freestyle ‘Rap Battle’ that Sunset thought might’ve actually been more painful than the Sirens’ singing….especially when they made a show of throwing down the microphones at the end, creating agonizing feedback.
The admins at the judge’s table flinched from the sound, and for a few seconds, Celestia’s eyes met Sunset’s, clear and her own for the first time since before the Sirens had showed up. Her mouth opened to say something, but Adagio’s head snapped towards her sharply, and the hazy, glassy eyed look returned. The principal turned her attention to Snips and Snails robotically. “Please. Do not drop the microphones,” she deadpanned.
Sunset’s former lackeys giggle-snorted their way off the stage, throwing mocking comments their way as they left. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Least we know one group that won’t stand in our way o’ gettin’ ta the finals.”
“Let’s get ready to rock!” Dash cried.
Pinkie Pie looked around. “Wait!” she called. “Where’s Rarity?”
Sunset was taken aback. Rarity had been here just a minute ago. Blue-green eyes began to rove the darkened gym, searching for the designer. She spotted her, heading their way, huffing and slightly out of breath…and wearing one of her myriad of costumes, this one with some form of weird metallic fringe that jingled like wind chimes.
“Oh! Here! I’m here!” she halted before them, panting and chiming.  She saw their displeased expressions. “We will be performing before an audience,” she pointed out primly. “I’m not going to wear something fabulous?” It was a clearly rhetorical query, and Applejack scowled, letting out a frustrated sigh.
The group headed up to the stage, setting up quickly, and getting ready to play. The students in the gym were self absorbed, ignoring or jeering at any group not their own, and it looked like the Rainbooms would be no different from anyone else in their eyes. Sunset lingered on the sidelines with the cases for their equipment and Spike, cheering them on in silence and doing her best to avoid the way the magic was making her feel. The song started out well—it was one of the ones the girls had been practicing over the last few weeks, so they had the timing and the coordination down—but things quickly began to spiral out of control. Sunset caught movement up in the catwalk of the stage, and watched in disgust as several girls used some large magnets on wire to jerk Rarity around like a puppet, dragging her away from her mic and into Applejack, who pushed her partner away angrily so she didn’t drop out of the song herself. They were already down Rarity’s keytar, and with only the bass and the drums accompanying a single guitar, the music was sounding pretty lacking. 
This was compounded when confetti courtesy of Pinkie’s…hidden…drum cannon? almost choked the princess, and when Snips and Snails, also in the catwalk, chased Fluttershy around stage with a spotlight, triggering the girl’s stage fright.  Sunset cringed, and she could see Princess Twilight starting to waver, her hands curling up in front of her chest, fisted hands bent like mock hooves, as if she wanted nothing more than to rear in fright and then gallop off.  The song finished with a horrific tearing sound from Rarity’s top, which ended with her on her knees, crying and the detached sleeves dangling from the two magnets. Applejack gave the designer a hard stare as if she couldn’t quite believe the melodrama over…sleeves. Over an outfit.
Sunset picked up Spike to keep him from being trampled as Rarity sobbed her way off the stage, moaning, “Ruined! Absolutely ruined!” 
Applejack stormed after her, setting the bass down so she could light into her partner. “Rarity! Were ya tryin’ ta make us lose out there?!” she demanded, trembling with barely restrained anger.
There was offended fire in blue eyes that turned on the farmer. “Wh—OH! This was not my fault!” she yelled back. “This was an act of sabotage!” She raised a fist, getting right into the blonde’s personal space bubble like she had every right to be there. 
“Yeah, well,” Applejack countered, “whoever did this couldn’ have done it if you didn’ insist on dressin’ like…” Words failed her. “…like…this!” she finally indicated the pale skinned girl’s entire ensemble like another person might a pile of dog droppings on the kitchen floor. The two of them were almost nose to nose now. “We need ta sound good! Is there some reason that concept seems ta escape you!?” The two of them were practically screaming at each other now.
Then Rainbow Dash decided to get in on the complaining. “And what was with the confetti, Pinkie Pie? How am I supposed to shred if there’s paper stuck in my frets?”
Sunset looked at Spike, and they both grimaced. This was getting ugly fast.  
Fluttershy coughed and spoke up timidly. “It…was pretty distracting…”
Pinkie whipped around towards her. “Says the girl who was running from a light the whole time!  A light!”
—Oh for—Shimmer! You need to stop balking like a terrified foal seeing snow for the first time and take charge of this fiasco, or this whole thing is headed straight to the darkest part of Tartarus faster than a Zebra would blend in with prison stripes. Give them something to follow, and get them away from those obnoxious shrieking sea-demons!— 
The former unicorn stepped forward to deescalate the situation before it got worse—things felt like they were starting to fall apart, and she would do anything in her power to hold it together for the group. She had to. “You still sounded much better than most of the other bands. I’m sure you’ll make it to the next round,” she encouraged them, before looking to the princess, her tone becoming firm. “But it won’t matter if you don’t have that counterspell ready. You all find a place to practice where the Sirens can’t hear you.  I’ll keep an eye on things around here.”
It took some more encouragement, but the six girls left the gym to do as she suggested, leaving Sunset to watch the parade of increasingly awful ‘bands’ perform on the stage, the magic driving people to compete who never would have even considered it otherwise.  Most of them had little to no talent, skill, training, or experience with the instruments they were attempting to play, some of them clearly couldn’t read music, and more than a small number of the ones attempting to sing were utterly tone-deaf, their voices wailing and warbling like fighting alley-cats.
That would have been bad enough, but unlike the humans in the room subjected to the noise, the former unicorn was fully aware of the magic there, feeling it bombard her senses worse than before now that her friends and their ability to negate the dark, warped energy were no longer providing a buffer for her. Sunset could feel it, see the energy as it rubbed against her, leaving behind a raw sensation as if it was stripping away layers of her very being, starting with her skin. Her bones burned so badly it was like they were melting, and her body shook because somewhere along the line the feeling of being on fire had transitioned into icy numbness. Her stomach roiled with every breath—it didn’t matter if she breathed through mouth or nose, the nasty magic tried to find a way to get to her, and she could taste it, this sickening, cloying scent-taste that clung to her throat and tongue, one that conjured up memories of Gilda’s offal prank, and had Sunset swallowing more than once to keep the contents of her stomach inside her body, gripping her own elbows as she trembled and hugged herself against the bleachers in a dark shadow. Her nails dug into the leather of her coat, and the whole thing had her so agitated that she almost thought she could feel the claws from her demonic transformation ripping through the skin of her fingertips again.
At last, she found herself fleeing the room as the sense of bile rising in her throat overwhelmed her ability to hold back. The redhead burst into the closest bathroom as she lost the battle with her innards, and she heaved violently into a trashcan, unable to even make it all the way to a stall.  Over and over her body shook with the retching spasms, long after her stomach had emptied itself of its contents, leaving her abdomen one giant cramp deep inside, as if she’d bruised something. Even after it stopped, she braced herself on the plastic trashcan, feeling like she wanted to die, her legs like overdone noodles.
Shuddering, Sunset dragged herself over to the sink to wash the taste out of her mouth, only to recoil in stark terror with a scream from the mirror and what it contained: her reflection, whose glowing blue-green irises cast light on her cheeks from within a pitch black sclera darker than the deepest void of space on a moonless night, the skin around the orbs reddened as if she was sunburned. Over her reflection’s shoulders, half translucent bat wings flared, making the figure loom larger than life.  The teen staggered back from the horrific visage until she hit the stall behind her, her eyes clenching shut as she gripped the sides of her own head and sank to her knees.  She wasn’t that monster anymore! She didn’t want to be that thing again—she’d worked so hard to change!
—Clearly you’re not that way anymore, because that version of you would’ve already solved this mess instead of cowering on the floor of a filthy public restroom like a terrified filly. Get up and stop acting like this!— that inner voice barked at her in anger. —This is your school, your world, your friends, and you’re so hung up on trying to avoid doing anything that you would have done before that you’re unwilling to actually fix the issue, even though you have the power to stop this! You’re better than this, why won’t you fight back!?— 
Her head snapped up, eyes glaring at the air before her, even as she still huddled on the bathroom floor. “Because,” she hissed, stinging from the words her own psyche was using against her and trying to reaffirm her reality with herself. “I’m trying to be better than that, better than a savage who uses threats and violence to solve problems!”
—There’s a difference between being like those creeps that attacked Sparky and being willing to stand up for what is right!— the voice argued. —Are you going to hold to this stupid fear of yours until it costs you the world? Costs you Sparky? Because if your friends fail, that’s what’s going to happen! You’re going to lose everything, and that includes that cute little nerd that you’re so attached to!—
Sunset was on her feet, fists clenched tight, before she even realized it, anger rising in her at the thought of her girlfriend with the same vacant eyed stare as Celestia and Luna.   The fury gave her strength to overcome the swaying and trembling in her limbs as she argued with that little voice, "I am standing up for what is right!” she snarled.  “You know how hard it’s been for me to do this, with all the constant she-demon jokes and the princess acting like I’m going to turn on them at any minute…and let’s not start on the fact that I’m now arguing with myself in a bathroom, terrified that all this dark magic in the air is turning me back into the same raging she-demon that almost killed my friends!”  
She advanced on the mirror and her reflection—which, while reflecting her anger, seemed completely normal again, though she only half noticed. Right now, it served as a focal point to rail against the darker parts of her own mind.  “And I get it! Sometimes it feels like I’m failing! I feel like I’m barely holding on, but it’s only failure if I give up—I’m not giving up, not now, not ever! I don’t care if I’m just here to carry instruments and hand out water so the girls and the princess can fight them, I will do my part, and we will beat these smarmy, arrogant, sadistic, magic sucking, changeling rutting, swamp nags!”  
The redhead was shaking now with raw, searing hot rage instead of distress,  hands clutching the edge of the sink. “More than that, I will do this in a way that lets me live with myself afterward! Your way, sure, I’d save the school, save the girls, the principals, everyone…but at what cost?” Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, harsh voice dropping to a whisper. “I would just be destroying everything I’ve worked so hard to do—I would be destroying everything that Sparky is proud of me for, everything that made Principal Celestia and Miss Luna look at me with respect…I’d be throwing away everything I’ve worked so hard to learn…I’d be ignoring everything the girls have taught me about friendship…I’d be letting everyone down in the worst way, and that includes myself.” 
Stupid Little Voice fell quiet as she vented, and remained so for a minute or two after she stopped—for an instant, Sunset thought she might’ve gotten rid of the obnoxious voice that her subconscious seemed to have adopted.  —Fine,— it replied at last, still seething. —You say you are fighting, horn-head, then stand up to them! Stop letting them walk all over you, cringing whenever they look your way! Do something instead! So far, all you’ve done is hide in the shadows while your friends stand up to them!—
“I am not hiding—the girls need me to be where I am, supporting them, doing the things they don’t have time to do because they need to be working on that spell!” Sunset shook her head, turning towards the door. “Not only that,” she offered as a reminder, “but I’m still restricted in what I’m allowed to do because of the formal, and while the principals are not enforcing anything right now, I still know, and it matters to me.” She offered one last parting grumble as she pushed open the bathroom door. “I can’t stand here all afternoon arguing with myself. I have to get back and keep an eye on things for the girls and the princess.”
Her feet carried her back towards the magic she could still feel scraping painfully along her senses, trying to fight against both the anger still throbbing in her chest and the renewed churning in her guts.  One hand was inches from pushing the door to the auditorium open when she heard nasty laughter coming up behind her.  
“Did you see their faces? So much pain and agony, and not a thing they could do to stop it.” Adagio inhaled loudly, a smug, self-satisfied sound. “That power is as good as ours already…”
“I have to admit,” came the voice of Aria, as flat and sarcastic as ever. “I missed being able to control these stupid apes like this…I’d forgotten how good the impotent rage and frustration made a meal taste.” There was a pause, before she added begrudgingly, “…this was a good plan, Adagio.”
“Of course it was!” the frizzy haired leader snapped. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to me when I say we need to take our time! You two idiots almost blew it when we first arrived! Once we have the magic we need to spread our influence, I don’t care how many of these mouth-breathing primates you make maim each other, but keep your urges in check until then! We don’t want a repeat of what happened fifteen years ago!”
The third Siren piped up in a chipper voice, “…Dagi’s right…I don’t want that to happen again—you almost died, and even if you’re the worst, no one gets to kill you but me!”
A scoff, even as Sunset grimaced at the casual threat between people who were supposed to be…allies? Sisters? Friends?  “You? Kill me? Not even on your best day. You’re barely any better than these monkeys.”  She cackled nastily. “…Wanna see if we can make the one with the tacky, pastel hair burst a blood vessel trying to fight our orders? She’s got a temper.”
“Oooo!” squealed Sonata. “…I like that one—anger like that tastes just like spicy tacos…and we missed Taco Tuesday…”
Something in Sunset snapped as they rounded the corner, her nerves already frayed and thin, and the accusations of the stupid voice in the back of her head whispering repeatedly to her when she was exhausted. She could feel the old mask slipping back into place, the one of cold judgment and superiority that had served her for years to conceal her real feelings from observers. Her arms folded across her chest as she leaned against the wall in the shadows, glaring at the three invaders to her school, and she put as much challenge and confidence into her voice as she could muster.  “You’re never going to get away with this,” she told them icily.
“Why?” Adagio smirked at her, her pupils decidedly reptilian as she met the redhead’s challenging glare with her easy, unconcerned gaze. “Because you didn’t?” The saccharine tone was laden with knowing, as if the Siren found it a delicious secret she had discovered. “Because your attempt blew up in your face in such a spectacular fashion that Equestria paddled your flank with the Rainbow of Light before shutting the door behind you?”
The mask slipped—how could it not, with a revelation like that, one that only raised a million questions, starting with how the Sirens knew so much when they’d only appeared the other day, especially when so few people knew the full story of what had happened at the dance. Sunset wracked her brain trying to find an answer.
Adagio sauntered forward, shark-grin widening as she closed in on the former unicorn. “Oh, we know all about you, Sunset Shimmer,” she mocked in a condescending tone.  “You’ve got quite the reputation at Canterlot High…everyone’s been talking about you for months now…they have so much to say about the former tyrant-queen of the school who lost so spectacularly that she is led around like a dog on a leash by the same apes who decimated her plans…” One brow arched, as she looked Sunset over, lingering on parts of her in a way that made her feel exposed and more than a little violated. “…Such a shame, too…”
Sunset did her best to repair her mask, but she could feel it falling apart as the words punched home and confusion rose.  There was no way that they could know all of that, unless…
—Unless they’ve been here for a lot longer than a few days, horn-head! They planned this! This isn’t an accident, or an attack of opportunity! They’ve been watching!—  Stupid Little Voice let out a furious hiss, her limbs and skull flooded with pounding fury again. —Let’s see if her fancy mind magic will hold up to getting her arm broken in three places or her nose smeared across that piss colored face of hers!—
“I’ve changed!” she bit back, hands curling into fists out of instinct from both her pony nature and her human hind-brain. “Those girls are my friends, and they mean the world to me—because of them, I’m in a much better place than I’ve ever been!” Sunset was now fighting a war on multiple fronts, trying to keep up a strong face to the Sirens before her and the darkest parts of her own mind which was now throwing up savage and violent ideas on how to physically hurt the enchantresses before her…all on top of the sickening sensation of the magic on the other side of the door at her back.
Aria snorted. “So much better, clearly. Now, instead of getting your face crushed into the dirt, you’re waiting in the wings while your friends have all the fun, do all the work? Oh yeah, you’ve changed alright,” she pointed out with a mocking sneer.  “Do they keep a halter on you too, or do you just follow like well trained, good little pony?” She followed Adagio into Sunset’s space bubble, Sonata close on her heels, and the trio circled her like hungry sharks who had found blood in the water.
Adagio picked up the train of thought, eyes glowing in the dark, cold and alien and reflecting of the slightest suggestion of iridescent scales on her cheeks. “Oh, yes, you girls are soooo tight, you lot just do everything together…they’ve risked every bit of reputation and good faith the school has in them to protect their new pet pony…and yet…even after everything, they didn’t ask you to be in the band…”
“Probably afraid no one would want to see them play if she was in the group,” Aria added in that cutting deadpan. “After all, everyone here hates Sunset Shimmer, since she’s the worst.”
Sunset curled in on herself a fraction, trying to tune out the words, the truth in them that cut her to the bone, even if it wasn’t the girls who’d had that reasoning but Sunset herself. She knew that with how things stood it was true—no one would ever want to hear her play, especially not at CHS, and she wasn’t going to ruin her friends’ fun by proving it beyond a shadow of a doubt. She struggled, reaching for the words that gave her confidence, strength…
She found it in the memory of sitting on her bed with her girlfriend, playing something on her acoustic for the first time for her. The other girl had watched, fascinated, the entire time, and whispered praise and approval when the music had ended.  “Your playing is wonderful…” Sparky smiled in her mind’s eye, easing the pain.
“Too bad! So sad!” Sonata taunted.
Adagio brushed past her, hip checking her savagely. The touch between them burned, as if she had come into contact with white hot metal and not another being of flesh and bone.  “If it’s any consolation,” she told Sunset, voice dripping with insincerity, “no one is going to remember you at all, by the time we’re done…” Cackling, the Sirens entered the gym and left her standing in the hall, feeling like she’d just been summarily beaten. The feeling, coupled with the painful burning, made her half expect to see bruises or blistered welts on her skin, despite how irrational such a thing would be.
Arguments over rationality fled her mind a minute later as pain exploded across her senses, carried by an eerie melody floating from the gym. Sunset collapsed on the floor, writhing in agony as the magic assaulted her soul, ice cold talons tearing and shredding through the very essence of her being while she wept, sobbed, and thrashed on the filthy linoleum floor of the school. It felt like dying by inches, and not even the stupid voice in the back of her mind was exempt from the pain, wailing and gnashing proverbial fangs as her existence was nothing but suffering for what felt like an eternity. 
When it finally ended, she huddled in the corner, shaking violently and gripping the sides of her head so hard that her fingers cramped up, the former unicorn desperately trying to get herself under some semblance of control before her friends came back. Sunset clenched her jaw so hard it hurt, drawing in ragged breaths through her nose. She had to make it through the next few days—she would be there to support her friends, to help them see this through to the end. She wasn’t about to let Starswirl’s garbage get the best of her or the girls, even if it meant putting up with the wailing until her ears bled. 
She wasn’t going to fail her friends. It had taken too much to gain them in the first place.
> Chapter Thirty Two: Beat This!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Three days.
Three days that had felt like an eternity, three days of elimination rounds with the Battle of the Bands, where the competition had been whittled down slowly in a emotional hellstorm anger and frustration and hostility and upset, as the bulk of the school’s population went at each other with savage ferocity more appropriate in a warzone than in a high school. Three days where the bickering and arguing between her friends was getting worse, as prolonged contact with no breaks or downtime saw them getting under each other’s skin, until it was amazing any of them were still speaking at all, let alone still working together to beat the Sirens. Three days watching Princess Twilight work herself up into a tizzy until she seemed ready to fall apart as she committed to pretending everything was fine, despite everyone else being dimly aware that things were as far from ‘fine’ as they could get. Three days of feeling like her very essence was being picked at by the magic the Sirens wielded—more than once she’d almost collapsed, and only the actions of one of the girls had kept her from kissing a wall or the floor with her skull.  
Three days of watching the Equestrian monsters inflict pain on the humans under their control, particularly the staff and administration of the school—Sunset could see it in the principals’ eyes when she was around, the lucid recognition of what was going on and the agonizing despair and raging fury creeping into their gazes.  The sadistic emotiphages took particular delight in the sick game, smiling those sharp toothed, slimy smiles as they allowed the control to slip just enough for whichever one was looking Sunset’s way to regain some sense of self and freedom to act…only to be halted a scant handful of heartbeats later by a wave of nauseating, sickening magic that made the unicorn-turned-teen-girl choke and gag around the want to void her stomach of its contents.   All the while, the smug, snake eyed stare of Adagio watched her with triumph dancing in her slit-pupiled orbs, lording her victory over Sunset Shimmer with malicious glee.
By Friday evening—the evening she should have been ensconced firmly in her chair at the Sparkle dining room table, sneaking finger touches and a bit of sideways footsie under the table with her girlfriend—she was ragged. Nothing she’d eaten had stayed down once she came to the school, and her sleep had been plagued with alternating rounds of nightmares where her demonic half tore her friends apart before her eyes and steamy, passionate dreams of intimacy and realized lust with her Twilight. Sometimes, in a double whammy, the two overlapped, leaving her choking and sobbing and throwing up in the bathroom of whoever’s house they were staying in for the night’s sleep over.
In a bit of irony, the only one aware of her plight was Spike, and the fact that he was the one who sat with her while she was making offerings to the porcelain bowl would have been awful…if it hadn’t been a situation that actually brought the two to a measure of understanding. The young drake, dog body or not, managed to find ways to help her out, bringing her water, mouthwash, even medicine he got from one cabinet or another. Somewhere in the middle he’d admitted that his Twilight got sick like this sometimes when she overworked herself or had a massive anxiety attack, and that as “her number one assistant” it was his job to help out when she did.  Their talks led to a series of sobering revelations and subsequent apologies on both ends, and at the very least, a truce between them in lieu of a bigger problem.
The end of the road was in sight now though. The Rainbooms had managed to survive to the very last round, themselves against Trixie Lulamoon and her friends…calling themselves ‘Trixie and the Illusions.” Winner of this round would go on to face the Dazzlings in the big finale the next day.
“This is it!” Sunset found herself saying, trying to pump up her friends’ morale. Even Pinkie’s spirits had started to flag under the stress, but Sunset was determined to pick up the slack—that was what friends did.  “Last round and you’re in the finals!” She turned towards the Princess, looking hopeful. “Unless you think the counterspell is ready to be played now?”
Princess Twilight made a face, looking at her feet. It spoke louder than any words how she felt. Applejack was quick to reassure her.  “Don’ worry, Twilight. Finals aren’ ‘til tomorrow.” The farmer pumped her fist in the air. “We’ll get in a little more practice afore we’re supposed ta hit the stage. We won’t let ya down.”  That seemed to bolster the girls even more, and they all grinned and threw in their own words of agreement. 
Sunset watched the princess hug the notebook, eyes on the floor. “…you won't let me down…” she whispered, sounding broken.
Before she could do anything to help, Fluttershy’s timid query caught her attention. “…um…I was just wondering…We haven’t played any of my songs yet, and…”
Rainbow cut her off, giving her a playful shoulder punch. “It's the semifinals,” she grinned. “We gotta do ‘Awesome As I Wanna Be.’” She seemed oblivious to the way the animal lover wilted, her hopeful smile turning into an angry frown.
“…don’t know why I even asked…” she muttered.
The Rainbooms made their way to the stage as Trixie and her friends exited, and the mediocre stage magician had to stop and brag. “Hmph. You’re never gonna top that performance, Raingoons.”  She looked them over, condescension oozing from every pore. “You shouldn’t be allowed to when you have such a big advantage over the rest of us.”
Rainbow flashed a cocky smirk. “My superior guitar playing and off the charts awesome singing voice?” she crowed. Sunset fought the urge to facepalm…or to throw up on Dash’s shoes. Her arrogance was getting out of control, and they were about to go on with the song that basically was Rainbow’s ego personified.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Trixie corrected snidely. “I mean her.” She pointed to Princess Twilight Sparkle, who ducked and hid behind the notebook she was holding.  “If you were really all that, Rainbow Dash, you wouldn’t have needed to bring in some magical ringer to have half a chance.” She buffed her nails on her dress. “Everyone’s talking about it.”
Dash laughed. “Puh-lease! I could win this thing as a solo act and everybody knows it!” 
Sunset was so tired of hearing Rainbow Dash’s constant boasting—it was worse than a unicorn stallion just into his majority with a pedigree as long as Princess Celestia’s foreleg and half a cask of wine in him. At this point she almost wished something would happen just to shut the athlete up!
—See, this is why you should have shown her up much earlier. You’re a better player than her and you know it, and at least when you sing it doesn't sound like a twelve year old boy who gargled razor blades.—
Trixie scoffed again. “Sure you could.” Then she hurled down one of her smoke pellets, leaving everyone coughing. When they could breathe and the smoke cleared, Trixie was nowhere to be seen. 
Pinkie gasped. “She’s gone!” Then she squinted. “Oh, wait. There she is.” They could see Trixie slinking away from behind Pinkie’s drums.
The principal announced the band and the girls trotted for the stage. Spike called after them, “Knock ‘em dead, Rainbooms!”
Sunset waved at them as they went. “I’ll be here!” she called, before her shoulders sagged. “…just…watching…” Deep down, she wished more than anything that she could be up there with them.
The song was…well, it was definitely written by Rainbow about her favorite subject: herself. She was pretty much the only one with any real lines, and the rest of the musical instruments really just provided a back-beat for her guitar. Even the spotlights soon abandoned the rest of the band to focus in on Rainbow, and the rest of the girls looked like they’d rather be…anywhere else. Sunset grimaced the whole time…
And then her magic senses went off, not with the negative dark magic she’d been trying not to feel eating away at her…but the bright, warm feeling of electricity on her skin. Panic filled her—Rainbow had gotten so into the music, she’d forgotten the concept of restraint and a blue glow was starting to surround her, her ears already showing signs of moving up to reform as pony ones. 
“Horseapples!” she swore under her breath, looking around for a way to signal them. She could find nothing, and her exhausted, frazzled mind goaded her into acting. She bolted for the stage at a run, leaping to slam into the athlete in a full on, full body tackle. The song ended with a horrific sound as Rainbow and Sunset crashed into the other girls, sending them staggering and Applejack’s bass flying to land neck down in one of Pinkie’s drums. All the lights came on, and Fluttershy ran off with a panicked sound. Sunset looked up at Dash, to find her friend glaring at her as the magic faded away.
Sunset picked herself up, first to all fours, then back to two feet, embarrassed at her own sense of panic. Blue-green eyes turned towards the crowd, falling first on the admins who were serving as ‘judges’ for this fiasco.  Both of them scowled at her, awkward, stilted expressions that looked out of place, particularly on Principal Celestia. The entire time, the older woman was writing with sharp, uncomfortable, jerky motions, a clear sign that she was fighting the control with everything she had at that moment.  Unable to see the woman’s suffering in her defiance any longer, Sunset let her gaze turn towards the crowd of students, unsure of what she’d find.
Flash Sentry jumped to his feet with a victorious cry. “Now that’s the bad girl we all love to hate!” he yelled, pointing at her.  It stung more than she expected, even knowing that it was the Siren’s mental manipulation in full effect and not necessarily the opinions of the person she knew him to be.
Octavia, the school cellist, usually a very reserved young woman, joined in. “I knew she was still trouble!”
“Aw yeah!” laughed another voice. “The real Sunset Shimmer is back!”
The whole room broke into enthusiastic cheering and jeering—it seemed like even under the Sirens’ spell, they could manage to unite. It just required enough concentrated hatred for her.
Her world was spinning, with even her friends casting accusatory looks her way as they trudged off stage. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Blood heated her face, and she babbled what thoughts came to her head. “No, no…It isn’t like that!” She tried desperately to hold on to something, anything that could anchor her in that moment…
She found nothing.
Not even Sparky’s voice came to her mind.
All she could hear was laughter, the loudest of which came from the Sirens themselves, mocking and arrogant, saying without words "We know how to break you, Sunset Shimmer…"
She slunk off the stage, hunched forward and curled around herself, fighting back the tears building at the corners of her eyes. When she reached her friends, she could feel the harsh glares boring into her, anger and accusations roiling around them without even words. 
“What was that?!” Rainbow demanded.
She winced, trying desperately to explain. “You…you were showing them your magic,” she said softly. “I…I didn’t know what else to do.”
Rarity scowled. “Close the curtains? Unplug her amp? Give us a chance to deal with the situation?”
She felt crushed. “I’m sorry…I just wanted to help…” Her voice cracked, and the first few tears trailed down her cheeks. She felt hollow, and just wanted to curl up and cry.
“Yeah? Well, you didn’t!” Rainbow bit out nastily.
Applejack jumped in, turning the athlete away from Sunset and towards her. “None o’ this woulda happened if ya weren’ tryin’ ta show off—as usual!”
Trixie sauntered up to them, looking smug. “Good show, Rainbrooms.”  She put an arm around Sunset’s shoulders like they were best friends, and drew her in close as she began to paint a mental picture with her words. “I especially liked the part where Sunset Shimmer, in a fit of jealous rage, knocked out Rainbow Dash mid-guitar solo!” Gleeful malice filled the air.
It proved to be the last straw in a very long list of abuses that the redheaded teen had been suffering through from her schoolmates, not just that week, but over the last few months, and something inside Sunset Shimmer broke, some last, final thread of control on her temper falling away as fire and rage and hate boiled up from the darkest recesses of her still healing soul.  She jerked away from Trixie’s unwelcome touch, her vision clouded with a red haze as she turned burning eyes on the pompous, egotistical stage magician, baring her teeth like a feral animal in warning with a strangled, savage sound clawing its way up out of her throat.  Both hands clenched into white knuckled fists, barely resisting the urge to hurl Trixie into the nearest wall as hard as she could just to hear something break. “It wasn’t a fit of jealous rage!” she snarled, drawing herself to her full height and taking a half step towards Trixie, looming over her threateningly. The girl cowered away from whatever she saw in Sunset’s eyes at that moment, blind terror etched into her features for those brief seconds.
It was that fear that gaze Sunset pause, and she backed off, immediately focusing on her friends.  They all looked startled and more than a little worried by the display of temper, something that she hadn’t shown in front of any of them since the infamous night of the Fall Formal…right before she’d initiated that final grab for the Crown and turned into a rampaging demon that almost killed them.  Guilt slammed into her like a high speed train, her stomach falling through the floor as she sagged in on herself, heart thundering in her ears and body shaking from the surge of adrenaline that her fury had sent through her system.  Her pounding, hammering pulse drowned out Trixie’s response, and any other words thrown her way, and she almost had to sit with her head between her knees or risk vomiting again—something she really didn’t want to do in front of the girls.  Dimly, she watched the administrators come onto the stage to announce the finalists, and behind them, the Sirens seemed to materialize out of the crowd, voices already rising in a painful melody.
Needles stabbed into her brain, overstimulated and battered nerve endings finally having had enough. Sunset’s entire world was pain, causing her to sway a fraction, holding herself upright through sheer willpower and defiance, refusing to be brought down now, not after she’d hung on this long through repeated assaults by this same dark magic. With how it felt this time though, she began to wonder if her eardrums had actually ruptured, given how her perception of sound disintegrated into white noise.  Her head swam dizzyingly, and she watched through a fog as the principals continued their announcement that would seal their fates, but she could hear nothing at all except the strange ringing, buzzing in her ears as the magic’s torture ended, not the announcement, not her friends arguing, not Trixie Lulamoon’s boasting to cover up her previous moment of fear.  Squinting at Principal Celestia, she struggled to read the human woman’s lips and when she coupled the few syllables she could make out with Trixie’s unadulterated rage as she stormed off the stage in a huff, it told her what she was missing with her ears.
Somehow, impossibly, despite all the setbacks and misfortunes and sabotage, the Rainbooms had…won? Was that what the Sirens were doing? Why? It made no sense.
The girls ended up slinking out of the gym to a boo’ing crowd, Sunset tailing them and feeling worse than ever.  Before, she could at least count on her friends to provide a bright spot in the midst of the madness, but now, with their spirits so low, they barely had enough to keep their own heads up.  In that moment, more than anything in the world, Sunset wanted….needed to hear Sparky, to feel the other girl’s arms around her in one of those wonderful hugs that made everything better…because right now, it couldn’t possibly get much worse…
> Chapter Thirty Three: Time Is Runnin' Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Saturday mid-morning found Sunset and the Rainbooms at the local outdoor amphitheater, a space used by the city and its suburbs for concerts, charity events, and gatherings.   They were setting up their equipment with enough time to do a few practice runs, all of them subdued; arguing bitterly had been discarded in favor of depressive introspection. They were all pretty much at the end of their ropes, dragging themselves through the motions with an air of despair over them, soldiering forward despite it all. Fluttershy had barely spoken two words since they’d left the gym, Pinkie’s hair seemed to have lost its normal wild bounce, and even Rainbow couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to project her ego. As for Rarity and Applejack, they spent more time giving each other venomous looks in between long stretches of pointedly ignoring each other than anything else…and in the middle of it all, Princess Twilight Sparkle continued to exist a hair’s breadth from a total meltdown.
Sunset felt beyond drained, her body having gone well past tired into a state only accessible after pushing herself beyond all emotional, physical, and mental reserves, where only sheer stubbornness kept her moving forward, the single minded drive to stand with the girls through this whole disaster keeping her from collapsing into a heap and sleeping into the next year.  She found respite from the palpable negative atmosphere in a voice-mail left on her phone from her girlfriend’s entire family, words of encouragement and well wishes sent her way from people who told her how much they missed her that Friday night…followed up by a much more private message from the nerdy girl she cared so much about—every chance she got, she slipped away to listen, drawing what strength she could before facing the dismal cloud hanging over the other girls.
“Check, one, two…” Rainbow leaned towards a microphone. “Testing, testing…”
Sunset was on the sound equipment, and she fiddled with the dials. This caused a horrible screech of feed back and she hurriedly changed the settings.
Fluttershy finally spoke, voicing what had been plaguing all of them all night. “This doesn’t make any sense. We were awful!” Sunset wandered over to her, frowning. “Doesn’t anybody else think it's strange that we’re the ones that made it to the finals?”
“Very strange,” Trixie Lulamoon sneered from behind the group. They all turned to face her, confused. Except for Rainbow Dash…whose ego still hadn’t deflated.
“What are you doing here, Trixie?” she mocked, jerking her thumb towards where the audience would be. “Pretty sure the losers are supposed to be up there in the cheap seats.”
The bumbling magician struck a pose. “The Great and Powerful Trrrrrixie is the most talented girl at Canterlot High,” she proclaimed, rolling the ‘r’ in her own name. “It is I who deserves to be in the finals…” Her fingers snapped imperiously. “And I will not be denied!”  
One of the ‘Illusions’ reached for a lever nearby and pulled it. The Rainbooms—and Sunset—had just long enough to wonder what it was supposed to do, before the floor fell out from under them, and they fell into darkness.
They landed in a stunned heap, instruments and all, on a hard floor below the stage. Sunset yelped at the impact, but found herself relatively unharmed. Trixie leaned over the open trap door to look down on them. “See you never!” she called as it shut, plunging them into total darkness.
Or what should’ve been total darkness. Sunset shook her head, realizing that she could make out the shapes and details of her friends—none of the colors, but everything else was surprisingly clear and sharp. She got to her feet, rubbing the small of her back and her rear where she had impacted concrete, and began hunting around for some form of light-switch.
“….’S darker than the inside o’ a coal miner’s lunchbox…” Applejack groused.
“I’m looking for a light, hang on.” The redhead started scanning the walls.
Rainbow huffed from her left, biting out in a scathing tone, “How the fuck can you ‘look’ for anything, Sunset? Can horses see in the dark or some shit?” 
She paused in her inspection of the walls. “Pony, not horse…and honestly, I have no idea, Dash—I couldn’t even see this well in the dark as a unicorn. It’s…kind of freaking me out…” Shaking her head with a sharp snort, Sunset muttered, “…worry about the freaky night vision later, Shimmer.  Find a light and a way out of here now…”  Her eyes located the unmistakable distortion of a switch. “Got it!” She flicked it on, and found herself right next to a door. She tried said door, only to discover it was locked. “…Grogar take it…” she spat. “We’re locked in.”
“Least we kin see now,” the farmer pointed out. “Better’n bein’ in the dark.”



 

It had been several hours since they’d been shut into the storage room, trying every conceivable thing they could do to get free. Sunset had even gone so far as to try texting her girlfriend out of sheer desperation, but the signal in the room was non-existent.  No amount of force seemed to make the sturdy metal door budge, and there wasn’t enough in the room with them to let them climb up to the trap door. They were well and truly stuck unless someone outside let them out.
Rainbow Dash rammed into the door again, shoulder first. Sunset wondered if she’d bruised the bone yet, with how hard and frequently she was trying to muscle the door down. Applejack looked over eventually. “Give it up, Rainbow Dash. Ya been tryin’ at this fer hours. It ain’t gonna open.”
Silence reigned for a few minutes before Princess Twilight hung her head in shame. “Maybe it doesn’t even matter that we’re trapped down here,” she told them. “I don’t think the counterspell would have worked anyway…” Sunset frowned; she’d known it was bad, but she hadn’t thought it was quite that bad…why hadn’t Princess Twilight said anythi—
—Because she was afraid of letting everyone down, remember? Just like you.—
Ponyfeathers. She should have interfered, said something.
“O’course it woulda worked, Twilight,” Applejack countered. “Assumin’ a certain band member didn’ try ta hog the spotlight the whole time we were tryin’ ta play it!” She gave Dash a pointed look, making it very obvious who she was talking about.
“Hey!” Rainbow said, the point completely sailing over her head and through the closed door behind her. “If you wanna tell Twilight she’s getting a little too caught up in trying to be the new leader for this band, you don’t have to be all cryptic about it.”
Rarity stalked up, hands on her hips. “She was talking about you, Rainbow Dash!” 
“Me!? I’m just trying to make sure my band rocks as hard as it needs to!”
Four other voices thundered furiously at her. “OUR band!”
Princess Twilight had collapsed to the floor, her back to the wall, curling up in a near fetal position. “But why wasn’t it working?” she whimpered, head in her hands. “I should know what to do.” Panic was rising in her voice. “How could I not know what to do? How could I have failed like this?” Sunset felt everything coming apart. The princess was in the middle of a panic attack, Rainbow’s ego had gotten so out of control that everyone was furious at her, and the group of friends was starting to splinter apart worse than when she had divided them almost two years ago…
“It may have been yer idea ta start a band, but it’s not just yer band, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack punctuated her words by poking Rainbow with her index finger.
“I’m the one that writes all the songs!” she countered, flinging her arms wide.
Fluttershy, meek, kind, compassionate Fluttershy, stomped out from behind Rarity, practically yelling at her oldest friend. “I write songs! You just never let us play any of them!”
The designer got in on the discussion. “I had the most perfect outfits for us to wear!”
Applejack snorted like an angry bull yak, causing Sunset to involuntarily take several steps back. The blonde threw her hands up, snarling, “Again with the costumes!” she snarled at her partner. “No one cares what we’re wearin’!” The last came out as a bellowing yell.
Rarity screamed right back, the two of them falling into the argument like an eerily coordinated dance, moving closer to each other as they exchanged harsh words and aggressive gestures. “I care, Applejack! So sorry if I enjoy trying to make a creative contribution to the band!” It was like watching a married couple argue, the way they stepped into each other’s space, their hand gestures coming within a hair’s breadth of one another but never making contact, their words delivered with cutting sharpness to dig savagely into the other’s buttons while never quite cutting to deep, too personal. They seemed to know all of each other’s hair triggers, to know just how far to push without going too far…Under any other circumstance, Sunset might’ve found it as fascinating as she did terrifying.
“Hey!” Pinkie Pie screeched. “Anybody here remember fun?! I’ll give you a hint: It’s the exact opposite of being in the Rainbooms!”
Dash smacked her forehead. “I wish I’d never asked any of you to be in my band!”
Rarity didn’t even turn from her argument with Applejack as she roared back, “I wish I’d never agreed to it!”
The scene dissolved into pure and utter chaos, all of the girls screaming and yelling and arguing with each other while the alicorn-turned-teenager huddled in the corner, rocking herself and mumbling in a full blown freakout—Sunset was actually concerned she’d completely snapped.
—Horn-head!— the Stupid Little Voice barked, getting her attention. —Look! The magic!—
Sunset threw her senses all the way open almost against her own will, and the world changed around her from one instant to the next, throwing her into the middle of a horrifying vision.  Black, tainted energy had crept in from the crack in the trapdoor and now hung from the ceiling and crept down walls and across the floor, bloated and fetid to her awareness. It squirmed and stroked tiny tendrils across whatever parts of her friends it could reach, sticky grasping feelers sinking into their flesh like leeches and leaving the faint impression of black, sickly veins beneath that pulsed in time with some grotesque heartbeat. It had dug into all of the others, including the princess, and as the amber skinned teen watched, she could see it drawing that misty, smokey haze of emotional energy…only this energy was steeped in the essence of not-quite-Equestrian-power that the girls had been emanating for weeks (plus the blazing power of a single alicorn.) 
“Sweet Mother of Discord…”
—Its doubtful the draconequus has anything to do with it, him or his nightmarish Mother.—
Blue-green eyes sought her own limbs in fear of what filthy, tainted power she would find attached to her own body, only to find that she alone seemed untouched. As she observed, one of the tendrils came close, brushing against her skin with a jolt of searing pain that rocked through her…and then the black power shriveled and burned away, like dry grass that hit a flashpoint, leaving her flesh unmarked.
What was happening?  Why were the Sirens affecting them now?  Was it the difference in their power? It shouldn’t be…not only were the Elements of Harmony some of the strongest objects in Equestria, but it didn’t explain why she was unaffected—she didn’t have an Element of Harmony protecting her.   Even Discord, the embodiment of Chaos, couldn’t stand up to them—she knew that very well, considering she’d seen his statue in the palace gardens! There was no way three over sized, ugly-as-the-backside-of-a-diamond-dog sea-ponies with magic voices were strong enough to overpower the Elements…or even the traces of their energy that lingered in the human girls. So why was it working? Why had the energy—energy that Sunset could still sense in them, though it was shuttered and dim—stopped protecting them?
The former unicorn wracked her brain. She’d read up on the elements from one of the few books she’d snagged in her first return trip to Equestria, when she’d found out about the pony Twilight Sparkle had replaced her as Celestia’s student and been seeking ways to get revenge. They bonded with a pony—or person, in this case—who exemplified the ideal they represented. Even without the Princess having identified the girls with their corresponding Elements at the Fall Formal, it didn’t take much consideration on Sunset’s part to pair each of the humans that had become special to her with one of the Elements of Harmony.
Applejack. Honesty. “All Ah ask is that ya be honest—with yerself an’ with yer friends.”
Fluttershy. Kindness. “Everyone needs a little kindness sometimes, no matter how tough they appear.”
Pinkie Pie. Laughter. “…Everyone has days where everything seems dark, lonely, and hopeless..but when you’re at your saddest, your friends will be there. They’ll help you realize it’s not so bad and help you find a reason to smile again!"
Rarity. Generosity.  “…sometimes, Sunset, the greatest thing we can give to someone isn’t about what they want or even deserve…it's about giving them what they need the most.”
Rainbow Dash. Loyalty. “Loyalty isn’t just about sticking by someone. Loyalty also is about remaining true to yourself and your beliefs, even if it costs you everything. After all, if you cant be loyal to yourself…then how can you hope to be loyal to anyone else?”
She looked to each of them, then her eyes turned towards Princess Twilight Sparkle, the sixth Element of Harmony, the Bearer of Magic…but it wasn’t her that Sunset saw and heard in her memory. Instead, a softly smiling girl with glasses filled her vision, purple eyes shining. “...you don’t have anything to prove to me—I’ll always be your friend no matter what you choose to do. Friendship isn’t based on conditions or a price. It's freely given or it's not real.”
Her eyes went wide as she remembered what the Princess of Friendship had said that fateful night. “The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful Magic of all: The Magic of Friendship.” 
As she stared at the screaming match before her, Sunset suddenly understood. The answer had been there all along, why the power wasn’t working, why they were being influenced and drained now by the Sirens. And she grew angry, angrier than she had felt since that night she’d put on the Crown, rage and indignation and righteous fury growing in her breast until her bones felt like they should be melting. How. Dare. They? Those three fish market bargain-bin rejects had no right to come in and do this to her friends, her school…and she wasn’t going to let them have it without a fight.  
Her head ached, the place where her horn used to be feeling like someone was driving a spike through it, and she flung her arms out as she lunged forward into the middle of the group. “Stop!” she yelled. “You have to stop!” She could hear the music above them, feel the immense and growing power of the Sirens…but the magic buffeting her met resistance in…something. Without thinking, unicorn instincts and magical training reacted and her mind pushed outward, sending whatever inside her was fighting back against their enemies outward in a wave of metaphysical force that felt both alien and as familiar as her own hooves. The dark energy in the room writhed to her sight, before burning up and retreating away from her and her friends, just as it had against her earlier but on a much broader scale.  With everyone’s attention on her now, she frantically tried to make them see. “This is what they’ve been after all along! They’re feeding off the magic inside you!”
Applejack blinked almost like she was surfacing groggily from an angry nap, confusion coloring her voice. “How kin they be usin’ our magic? It's the magic of friendship.”
Sunset glanced towards Princess Twilight, who had been snapped out of her mumbling to stare at the redhead. Then she turned back to her friends, taking a deep breath and remembering what she’d learned. “Ever since you started this band you’ve been letting little things get to you.” She ducked her head. “I never said anything because I didn’t feel like it was my place…Not when I was so new to this…friendship thing…” She closed her eyes, trying to breathe and focus on the matter at hand and not the way her bones felt like they were vibrating. “I still have a lot to learn…but I do know that if you don’t work through the smallest problem, right at the start, the magic of friendship can be turned into something else.” 
Five guilty faces stared at her, realization dawning and their own actions replaying in their own minds. Seeing themselves…and how they acted. She heard movement behind her. “I can’t believe all this tension was happening right under my nose and I didn’t even realize it..” Princess Twilight hung her head, rubbing her own arm in shame. “I’m supposed to be the one with all the answers, but all I’ve done since I got here was let you down.”
It wasn’t her Twilight, but Sunset knew what to say. She hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand on the princess’ shoulder and smiled warmly. “I don’t think any one pony—person—is supposed to have all the answers. That’s the whole point here, not just with the band, but the magic too: each of us brings our own part, and it’s only when we put it all together, when we work together as friends that we can find the answer we were looking for all along…”  
The fire inside her was no longer burning her up from the inside out. It had become a good warmth, like the heat of a fireplace on a cold winter day, and she reveled in it after days of agony and suffering.  Her eyes tracked over the faces of her friends and she saw her own exhaustion reflected in them, and the need to help bubbled up in her again. Once more her mind pushed, this time to fill the room with that warm feeling that was emanating from the deepest recesses of her spirit, trying to share the sensations she was reveling in, smiling even more as the girls seemed to perk up, their eyes bright and alert once more.  
The alicorn turned human looked at her, then at the group, before turning back to Sunset with a proud smile so like Princess Celestia that it made her heart ache. “I think you already found the answer,” she told the redhead. Then she pointed. “C’mon. We need to get out of here!”
They tried to ram the door again, only to land in a heap as it resisted them. A moment later, footsteps from outside could be heard, and the door opened inward to reveal a small four legged figure with a wagging tail. Princess Twilight dove for him, scooping him into her arms. “Spike!” she cried, hugging him tightly and nuzzling his cheek with hers.
“Sorry I took so long,” he apologized. “I had to find somebody who wasn’t under the Sirens’ spell to help me get you out.” He pointed, and another figure waved through the door: Vinyl Scratch, the school’s resident DJ.
Princess Twilight blinked in confusion. “…why isn’t she under their spell?”
Spike laughed. “Never takes off her headphones.” Vinyl tapped her earpiece and gave a thumbs up.
Applejack turned towards the group. “C’mon, y’all! Time ta prove we still got the magic o’ friendship inside us!”
“And there’s only one way to do it,” the princess affirmed, raising her fist high.
Pinkie jumped up and down like an excited puppy. “We’re getting the band back together?!” she squealed with joy.
Rainbow smirked. “We’re getting our band back together,” she corrected. Pinkie let out an even higher pitched sound of joy, one that Sunset wanted to echo. She could feel the magic again, growing stronger in her friends, tickling her senses and driving the writhing tendrils of darkness even further away from the group.
Rarity made a happy noise. “Ooo! Which version of the counterspell are we going to play?” she wanted to know, her eyes dancing.
“I don’t think it matters what song we play,” Princess Twilight responded, “as long as we play it together—as friends.”
Dash grinned smugly. “I know just the song.” Sunset frowned worriedly, hoping that Dash wasn’t about to go on another ego bender…but she was pleasantly surprised with what came next—and so was Fluttershy. Rainbow walked over to her. “Fluttershy’s written a really great one,” she informed them. The sound of joy that escaped the girl with pale pink hair was so adorable it would have impacted even the most bitter, blackened heart.
Green eyes flicked across the room to meet blue ones, a gaze that Sunset actually felt embarrassed to be witnessing. Something in the brief, silent exchange held a level of intimacy and intensity that made her feel as though she were a peeping tom looking in someone’s bedroom window. Then Applejack smiled. “We’re about ta save the world here. Personally, Ah think we should do it in style. Rares?” 
The designer grabbed a nearby rack with hangers and pulled it into full view. “I thought you’d never ask!” she gushed, handing off the garment bags to each girl. Her hand brushed Applejack’s when she gave her hers last, the farmer ducking down to murmur something in a white-skinned ear.  Blue eyes went wide and Rarity froze for a half second, before her free hand came up to ghost across one freckled cheek. Applejack took the digits in hand, brushing her lips to the knuckles in a perfect courtly kiss, both of them unaware that everyone else in the room was pretending not to see while they changed into costumes. 
Sunset found herself leaning close to Rainbow Dash, whispering to her. “…Do they realize that everyone knows they’re dating and are basically the school’s married couple? That there’s literally no point in hiding it because everyone already knows?”
Dash shrugged. “…It’s just one of those things, Sunset. Sun comes up in the east, water’s wet, men and women will never understand each other, and Applejack and Rarity are the greatest love story never told. Universal constants. Just let them have it. It’ll be funny when we get to point it out when we toast them at their wedding.”
Shaking her head, the former unicorn moved to help out with things like hard to reach zippers, doing what everyone else was doing at that moment—pointedly ignoring the lovers in the corner and gathering their equipment to go stop the powerful monsters from taking over the world.
> Chapter Thirty Four: Let the Music Play
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





They stood atop the hill behind the amphitheater, looking down as the Sirens, gorged on the Equestrian magic they’d stolen from the school and the girls, wove a song of enchantment that had everyone swaying hypnotically in their seats.
“How are we supposed to play over them from up here?” Rainbow asked the rest of them.
She was answered by a car’s horn. Vinyl Scratch drove up in the strangest looking vehicle Sunset had seen to date, and put it in park. One hand lifted a remote and pressed a button, and the redhead watched the car make a weird noise as it reconfigured itself into a complex sound system—a strangely detached portion of her awareness mused over whether or not she should be making mental notes, because if the moment ever came that she mentioned the transforming car-synthesizer to Sparky, her girlfriend would start grilling her for details…mostly so she could pull Sunset out to her lab and start trying to draw up plans for her own variant.  The girls gave excited cries and began to work with the DJ to hook their instruments up to the car.
—Horn-head, we’re about to have a much bigger problem than Sparky building a transforming car robot!—
Sunset turned as painfully powerful dark magic arc’ed across the area, buffeting her. The singing Sirens were glowing with an unearthly red light, hovering in the air as a transformation took them, leaving them with equine ears and gossamer fins on their backs like wings. Ponyfeathers! You should have anticipated this, Shimmer! “You girls need to hurry up! This is not looking good! Their magic is reaching further away! If you don’t stop them now, you may not get another chance!” she called to her friends, trying to stamp down on the agitation rising in her.
“Then let’s do this!” Pinkie counted off the beat, and the girls began to play, voices and instruments bolstered by the sound system to wash over the crowd. Sunset saw the Sirens flinch, their eerie voices halting as they looked to the source of new sound. Her friends took that moment to launch into their first verse, and she could see the ripples of their own magic rising from them to clash and begin to overpower the dark energy where the two touched. It was working!
Sunset relished the sensation of the girls’ building magic, the comforting energy rolling over her and pushing back the nastiness she’d been drowning in for the better part of a week, its familiar Equestria-but-not-quite-Equestria feel tickling her awareness pleasantly. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as their power rose to match the level of energy in their last real practice…and kept climbing, surpassing even the power they’d wielded against her demon-self the night of the Fall Formal. Something was different—something had changed since the last time she’d felt them ‘Pony-up,’ and that change had every ounce of her focus. Blue-green eyes stared intently as the transformations overtook her friends, the scientist and scholar in her looking for incongruities to her previous observations.  On the surface, everything seemed much the same—the acquisition of equine traits in the form of pony ears, extended ‘ponytails’, wings for those whose Equestrian doubles were pegasi, and a horn for the unicorn—(and the alicorn, in the case of Princess Twilight)—so there didn’t seem to be any further physical alterations to her friends. 
Metaphysically, however, something was most definitely different, in a way that not only could she perceive with her senses, but in a fashion that resonated against her soul, as if some part of her yearned to be immersed directly in that magical field until it was hard to tell where it began and she ended. It wasn’t quite an ache or a hunger, two feelings she was familiar with…this felt more like the former unicorn had forgotten something important and muscle memory was guiding her through the forgotten thing without her conscious input.  The feeling only intensified as each of the five human teens became a blazing well of color-light-emotion that the Princess Twilight’s own energy shifted to match.
Down below, Adagio called out, her voice amplified by magic. “So the Rainbooms want to turn this into a real battle of the bands? Then let's battle!” She and her sister Sirens raised their voices in harmony, their power racing back and forth in a deliberate and controlled amplification loop that concentrated in the blood colored gems at their throats, before surging heavenward as a trio of equinoid magical constructs…
“That must be their true forms…” Sunset breathed. 
The entities that had formed overhead were horrible and terrifying in equal measure, at least to the unicorn-turned-teen-girl—though a quick glance towards Princess Twilight Sparkle showed that she too was startled by the creatures more at home in foalhood bogeyman stories than floating before their eyes. Giant, towering hippocampi covered in glittering iridescent scales, their long, equine muzzles filled from one side to the other with shark fangs.  Cold reptilian eyes with slitted pupils brimmed with pure and unfiltered hatred as the magical avatars snarled and gnashed their teeth before diving at their opponents. Sunset shook in her boots, struggling with the urge to flee on galloping hooves as fast as possible away from something large enough to snap up a full grown Saddle Arabian in less than three bites—if they had been white, and a little less fish-scaled, they would have matched every drawing and depiction she’d ever seen of Windigos, making her wonder once more if there was a connection between them.
The six girls drew into a defensive circle, the three of them with wings flaring them wide in a gestures they didn’t realize they were doing. Princess Twilight scuffed her foot, tilting her head a fraction to point the imposing, sharp horn on her forehead at them in an instinctive gesture of challenge. Pinkie slammed into her drums with the sticks, and energy exploded in rainbow arcs, scattering the monstrous avatars apart. Rarity joined her in the assault, fingers dancing across the keys on her keytar, sending a hailstorm of shimmering magical diamond constructs to pepper them, leaving painful holes in the avatars that took time to close. Fluttershy directed a swarm of magical butterflies, the shimmering, constantly moving mass disorienting one of the monsters as It roared and shrieked in confusion. 
Princess Twilight flung out her hand, eyes glowing with her own magic, flinging a thousand magical stars like bolts forward as she carried a note. The Siren avatars countered with a wailing, warbling note of their own, channeling all the dark and negative feelings they’d been feeding off of all week to overpower the assault. It pushed the Rainbooms back, and Sunset watched in horror as waves of anger, strife, frustration, and misery channeled into power and smashed her friends to the ground, leaving them groaning in pain. It couldn’t be over, could it?
The microphone had flown from the hand of the princess and rolled to a stop at her feet. She picked it up, numb horror fighting against the righteous anger still swirling in her core. Her eyes looked towards the group, watching the princess who was on hands and knees, ears flattened to her head and wings half furled. Princess Twilight looked her way, and her eyes grew wide with some kind of epiphany.
“Sunset Shimmer!” she cried, starting to haul herself back to a bipedal stance. One hand reached out. “We need you!”
Panic filled her. What? What was that supposed to mean? She wasn’t one of the elements, and she couldn’t truly access her magic here. Not without an amplifier like the Crown of Magic had been.
—She’s right, horn-head. They need you, and without you, they fail. They fail, this world falls into the hands of those things….and so does everyone in it. Not just the school, everyone. Including Sparky. It won’t matter if your friends there survive and are immune. No one else is.—
Trepidation filled her. She feared what would happen. She’d had power before, channeled Harmony magic…or tried to, and it had turned her into a demon.  She never wanted to be that thing again…
—You won’t!— There was a surety to Stupid Little Voice that Sunset envied in that moment, since she could find no trace of it in her own heart and wished that the voice of her subconscious would share some of its courage.  —Think, horn-head! Last time, you were filled with hate, with a lust for something that wasn’t yours to have, and so we became those things! Do you hate now? Does your soul hunger so badly it bleeds?— 
Time seemed to stop, for just a brief moment as the words slammed into Sunset, making her think. Did she hate? No…she was filled with rage, certainly, a righteous fire that screamed to protect her friends, their schoolmates and teachers and town and the world from the monsters staring her down.  Her eyes flicked towards the toes of her boots, pondering the second question. She…did want things, desire things…some small, some not so small…but nothing with the same all consuming, madness inducing drive that she had once sought Ascension with. She wanted a place where she fit, a place with her friends, with her girlfriend, somewhere she belonged…and it was that place, this place that she wanted to defend and drive the Sirens away from.
—Then get up there and take a stand! We’re stronger than this sniveling coward you’ve let them see us as—it’s time to show them the true measure of Sunset Shimmer, protege of the Princess of the Sun, one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria in three centuries! You’ve been going on and on about friendship and being there when your friends need you! What was it Rainbow said? True loyalty is about being loyal to yourself and your beliefs, no matter the cost? Your friends need you now, so get off your sun-marked plot and prove that you’ve been listening to what they’ve been trying to teach you!—
Stupid Little Voice…Once again it proved to be the part of her mind that she needed to listen to more often.  Her expression hardened and she took a deep breath, feeling the fire inside her flare up as she reached for it, her footsteps carrying her defiantly in front of her friends, staring intently at Adagio. The lead Siren stared back through the eyes of her floating avatar, widening briefly at whatever she saw in Sunset. Good. That bitch needed to be afraid. They’d messed with Sunset’s friends. 
She was warm. Too warm, and she shrugged off her jacket, tossing it away despite the cold temperatures, the kiss of chilly air wonderful against skin that seemed to burn from the energy contained within. The words hadn’t been part of the original song…instead, it was a new verse she’d composed herself while listening to the girls practice in the past few weeks, staring at Fluttershy’s composition and feeling like it was missing something. She could feel the beat as her voice rang out, clear and confident, even as she reached down to offer Princess Twilight a hand up. This time the other pony took it without pause, rising to stand beside her. Sunset could feel the brush of wings as they opened once more, challenging the Sirens with pure stubbornness. Around them, the other girls were also rising, instruments in hand, to rejoin the song…
Adagio’s avatar grew furious and more than a little frightened, lunging forward in an all out attack, her sisters on her tail. Sunset felt the warmth of the magic around her, the emotions swirling within the power of the Elements of Harmony, of love and friendship, loyalty and devotion, compassion and joy…those feelings didn’t just flow over her, they were within her, filling the emptiness she had been feeling for days with pure light. Without even thinking, she raised her hand in time with the princess, bringing them together before them and then out again in a broad, sweeping arc, unicorn instincts and magic training once more pushing the power she felt outward, just as she had in the room under the stage a short time ago. A flash of brilliance and a rainbow exploded from them in a shockwave, rushing across the grass and the earth, through the air…Dark power shattered against it, dissolving before the magic of myth and legend it could never have hoped to stand against, freeing the minds chained by it en-masse. In the amphitheater, students blinked, shaking the fog from their heads, and looked around, realizing that they had front row seats to a climactic magical battle of epic proportions that made the Fall Formal look like a cheap knockoff fight scene for a backyard movie project.
Down below, the sirens’ power dimmed, the hellish light fading from their eyes, and they looked up with ears flat against their skulls in slowly mounting fear. Sunset smiled, her whole body toasty from the magic passing through her veins, joy screaming in her because by Celestia’s golden horseshoes, she’d missed this feeling, the rush of her own magic, the power that had been hers since birth mingling with the power of Harmony. She felt light, like she was floating…and some part of her dimly realized she was, her feet lifted off the ground by the energies around them. 
It tingled, she realized, the way it was passing through her extremities,from the tips of her toes all the way to her ears. Actually, that part tickled, and she flicked one ear away from the sensation in annoyance, only to realize….
….that she had flicked one ear in annoyance. Sunset opened her eyes, her gaze trailing upwards as she felt the grin nearly split her face. Her ears pricked forward, and she could hear again, finally, the sounds and subtle noises filling the ears she had been born with instead of the pathetic human ones she’d lived with for half a decade. The sensation traveled down her body, and she could feel the added weight on her hair suggesting the transformation had added a good foot and a half to her locks. 
But it was her horn, her wonderful, beautiful, spiraled horn that nearly made her weep with joy. She could feel it, right where it belonged, rising from the center of her forehead, and in that second nothing else mattered. Not the Sirens or the fact that they were locked in a titanic fight to save the world, not the fact that she was still in a human body, not the way the others were watching her in awe, not the way the bass was almost painful to equine ears. The only thing that mattered was that she had her horn back. She could feel it, like she always could in Equestria,  the presence of an extra limb with its own host of senses, the very slight upward curve that offered some hints about where at least one of her unknown ancestors may have come from, the way it tapered at the tip, all of the little things that made it hers…
She lifted her head high, pointing that amber spiral right at the avatar beasts, even as the magic raised her friends into the air beside her. Like when Princess Twilight had done it, it was a challenge, not unlike a human unsheathing a sword to point it at an enemy. Sunset felt the magic building again, and this time, as the column of rainbow colors rose heavenward, the unicorn-turned-girl tossed her head with a proud smile and focused every ounce of magic and power she could feel inside of her into her horn, dumping it into the Rainbow of Light.
The Rainbow grew brighter and brighter as it pierced the cloud cover in the sky, becoming a swirling white orb from which something began to emerge. Everyone watching looked on in awe, even Sunset, as an alicorn made of the light of a million million stars, the rainbow they’d fashioned as its flowing mane, blew the clouds apart and leveled it spiraled horn at the Sirens. The creatures thrown in the human world by Starswirl looked on in terror—even when they had lived in their native world, the power above them had been a legend for eons. And now, it was being directed at them. 
The alicorn avatar let loose a crystalline whinny, looking down on them in judgment, and light shot from its horn, disintegrating their own ethereal avatars and shattering the stones in their pendants into innumerable shards. The light was blinding, and when the spots faded from their eyes, the alicorn was gone, the afternoon sky placid and calm.
The girls headed down for the fallen sirens on the stage as the trio tried to gather up the shards of their gems, looking at them in horror. They opened their mouths to sing, but all that came out was a horrid, off key warbling. The audience let out angry jeers, tossing food and other things at them, running them off stage. As they fled past Sunset, she caught Adagio looking at her with a moment of true fear. It made her frown as she stepped up to inspect the fragments they’d left behind. The stones were dead now, inert, and the last bits of enchantment from them was fading fast.  “Guess that explains why these were so special to them,” she commented.
Princess Twilight nodded her agreement. “Without those pendants and the magic you brought her from Equestria, they’re just three harmless teenage girls.”
Suddenly a voice called out, “Rainbooms rule!” before a blur of blue and black practically tackled the visiting princess in a hug. Flash Sentry, sporting that goofy smile he thought of as charming (Sunset still disagreed there), pulled back to look the princess in the eyes. “That was amazing.” It made the alicorn-turned-human blush, and Sunset actually joined her friends in giggling. She’d spent enough time with her own Twilight to recognize what she was seeing. The pair shuffled a little awkwardly, realizing how it looked and that the girls were giggling at them, but they didn’t seem any hurry to stop that hug….At least until Trixie popped up just behind them.
“You may have vanquished the Dazzlings,” she boasted, “but you will never have the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trrrixie!” She threw down another one of her smoke bombs, and when it cleared, she was no longer on the stage.
Pinkie, predictably, gasped out, “She’s gone!” before her eyes spotted something near the back of the amphitheater. “Oh wait! There she is!” Trixie was making her escape, only to fall off the back of the wall to the ground behind it. They heard her call out something about being unharmed.
Rainbow dismissed Trixie a moment later, looking at Sunset. “You know…” she began. “Twilight is going back to Equestria soon…The Rainbooms could really use someone to help Fluttershy on backup vocals…” 
The tone was teasing and playful, but the offer was genuine, and Sunset’s heart soared. She gave Rainbow a lopsided smile and glanced around, spotting the electric guitar Trixie had forgotten. She trotted over to it, picked it up with easy familiarity, and proceeded to play a complex, fast paced riff from one of her favorite rock songs, flinging her head back as she got into the music momentarily. The guitar still hanging off her from its strap, she shyly put her hands behind her back, offering out in a voice filled with timid hope, “…I also play guitar…”
Every jaw on stage hung slack, her friends—and even Spike—staring at her in shock and awe. The other girls all glanced towards Rainbow to see how she would take the display of skill. The athlete not only looked shocked, but more than a little embarrassed, the sudden realization that every time she’d bragged about her skill, Sunset had been right there.  She recovered to give the redhead a grin. “We’ll see,” she said, but the grin on her face told Sunset that the rhythm guitarist spot she’d been daydreaming about was all hers.
Sunset was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, and when all six of the girls—princess included—came and wrapped her up in a group hug, she felt better than she ever had. These were her friends, and she’d had her place among them all along.
With the epic battle over, the crowd of teenagers and school staff began to disperse, no longer interested in wasting their Saturday. Many of them waved or cheered or called out positive things to the Rainbooms, and Sunset was shocked to have a number of them wave at her as well. In fact, as she looked around, meeting the eyes of many of her classmates, she found very few looking back at her with anger or hostility. Many were moderately indifferent, and a few still looked sour, but a good portion at least offered a friendly wave.
The redhead leaned against the wall, trying to collect herself. It was almost too much to take in, the sudden positivity, and she felt more than a little overwhelmed. She reached up to rub her fingertips where her horn had been, already missing the smoothly curled spire.
“Sunset?” 
Blue-green eyes sought the source of the exhausted voice filled with shame and guilt. Her Vice-Principal stood a short distance away, dark circles prominent under haunted eyes, and Sunset thought she picked up on a slight tremor in the woman’s limbs—after the way the week had gone, she could relate to all of that, considering she was halfway convinced the wall she was leaning against was holding her own body up more than anything. “Miss Luna?” she asked quietly, frowning in concern—something about the woman’s entire bearing worried her, gave off the sense of self-destructive pain-guilt-grief-hurt-shame that the former bully knew all too well.
Luna ran a shaking hand through her midnight hair, barely able to meet her student’s eyes. “I wanted to apologize to you for how I acted in the office and the things I implied about you…Enchantment or not, you did not deserve the ugliness directed at you, and it pains me to have been one of the perpetrators.”
Sunset gave the woman a tired smile, feeling her own mental and emotional exhaustion hovering just out of sight, holding herself up at this point with more determination than anything.  “Miss Luna, it’s okay. You had no control over the situation—you were being controlled by ancient evil monsters with mind warping powers from my homeworld. Even there, only a select few would have been immune to their enchantments.”
The administrator nodded slowly, face still twisted into a frown. “I still feel I could have done more to fight off their ensorcellment…there were times I felt I could almost break free, but…” She looked away. “..I lacked the mental fortitude…”
The amber-skinned teen pushed off the wall to step closer and place a hand on the woman’s arm. “It wasn’t you, Miss Luna, you need to understand that. You were not weak—the fact that you could resist them at all is huge, especially for a human with no magical ability or training whatsoever. Those girls weren’t just teens with magic powers, they were thousands and thousands of years old, so powerful and evil and twisted that one of the greatest unicorn sorcerers in ten thousand years couldn’t beat them in Equestria.  Please…don’t beat yourself up for something that was not your fault—I saw you fighting, you and Principal Celestia. I knew it wasn’t you, that the people I knew were fighting as hard as possible.” Chewing her lip, she offered quite seriously, “It gave me strength to keep fighting too, when it got really bad…I could have chosen what was easy…but…” A shrug and a worn sounding chuckle escaped her. “I didn’t. I needed to do what was right, even if it sucked.”
Luna watched her for a minute, studying her intently as guilt fell back and was replaced by puzzlement. “…I still feel I owe you an apology, Miss Shimmer, as I feel we failed in our duty to you as educators.”
“Mind-controlling emotion-eating hippocampi bent on taking over the world were making you do those things.  I’m fairly certain that gives you a pass on ‘Saying a few mean things’ to us. We figured out pretty quickly what was going on—the Sirens weren’t exactly subtle spellcasters. It’s alright, Miss Luna—there’s nothing to forgive you for.” 
The Vice-Principal nodded along to her words, before changing directions with her thoughts.  “That also raises the point that we owe you a great deal of thanks for that as well...you worked to save people who had done you ill, and you risked your lives to do so, you and your friends.” A faint smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “It is not much, and it does not make up for your distress this past week, Miss Shimmer, but... consider your ‘debt to society’ paid. Your afternoons are your own again, a few weeks earlier than planned.”
Her mouth worked but no sound came out. She was free from detention? “I...dont know what to say...”
“You need say nothing, Miss Shimmer…we may very well owe you our lives, if not our sanity. Recognizing your personal growth as well as your acts of selflessness and courage is a small thing to offer you from where I stand, but it is what is within my power to give.”  Luna glanced over. “I…do not wish to keep you much longer, as it seems your friends are coming to collect you…but…” She took a deep breath, as if to brace herself. “…My sister…wants to speak to you as well…but I am afraid she is in no state of mind right now to have that conversation. She needs time, I believe, to process some very personal troubles that those ‘Dazzlings’ dragged forcefully to the surface—trying to speak to you now, given everything, would not go well for either of you.”
Brows furrowing, Sunset tried not to let the sudden stab of worry show on her face. “…I…of course, Miss Luna. I’m willing to talk to her when she’s ready…but…please, is she okay? They didn’t hurt her, did they?”
Dark eyes were shadowed. “…My sister is unharmed…physically, at least.” She patted Sunset’s shoulder. “I will pass along your concern. For now, let me handle my sister—her troubles are not your burden to carry, Sunset Shimmer.”
The former unicorn mulled over the response, deep in thought. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure if she was in the right state of mind to face the human Celestia right now, given how her mounting exhaustion and emotionally charged state were weighing her down, and only sheer stubbornness was keeping her plodding along at this point. Having the vague, stomach churning thoughts floating up from the back of her mind about what the Sirens might’ve done when she and the girls weren’t there to be the focus of the hostility was more than she could handle, especially because she kept thinking about their resemblance to Windigos. Despite the pleasant, watered down version of the Hearth’s Warming Tale told on the holiday in Equestria, the first-hoof accounts left from the actual warring tribes era painted a much bloodier, horrific tale; her mind was more than capable of drawing parallels and offering grim suggestions.
Flicking her eyes back to Luna’s with that in mind, she nodded. “…Not my burden, no, but…I do have some understanding of what they were and what they could do to someone under the right circumstances.” For a moment, she considered how Princess Celestia would have reacted to being held under mind-control while her ponies were controlled and tormented, and she shuddered before continuing. “When she’s ready…or…if you need me, I’m available.”
The admin sighed softly, then made an exhausted movement that could have been a nod or perhaps a shrug—it was hard to tell with how slumped and worn she seemed. "I will keep that in mind, Miss Shimmer."
Impulsively, Sunset reached out and pulled the older woman into a brief hug, "I mean it—I know magic and I know what dark magic can leave you feeling like, more than anyone else in this world.  Day or night, I’m here to help however I can if I’m needed." A part of her mind that sounded suspiciously like her girlfriend offered a suggestion, bringing a wan smile to Sunset’s face.  "I'll even bring the ice cream—someone important taught me that it’s part of a perfect remedy for nightmares and dark thoughts."
For whatever reason, that caused the dark haired woman to smile. “I believe I have heard something like that before, Miss Shimmer. Thank you.” She stepped back, preparing to leave. “If you will excuse me, I am going to get my sister home so we can both rest. I will see you at school next week, Miss Shimmer.”  With that, Luna slipped away, navigating her way through the slowly thinning crowd of teens.
> Chapter Thirty Five: Only The Beginning...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Wiping her forehead, Sunset tied off the trash bag and handed it over to the waiting hands. “I appreciate you taking this all to the dump in your truck, Sandalwood,” she told the boy who took the bag from her. “The girls don’t have space with all the instruments, and I didn’t want to leave the place a mess.”
“It’s cool, Sunset. Better to leave the place cleaner than we found it. Dump’s on my way home anyway. Is this the last of it?”
Scanning the amphitheater, Sunset noted where each group of the remaining few dozen teens was at in the clean up process. “Yeah, that looks like the last of the trash. I think you’re good to head out—we can get the rest here.”
Once he walked away, the redhead took a moment to lean tiredly against the stage. Most of her friends were scattered around the area, directing bits of the clean up at her behest. Off to one side, she could see the princess in conversation with Flash, the blue-haired young man sporting that ridiculous grin and flushed cheeks as they talked.  Without intending to, Sunset found herself observing them, pondering the alicorn-turned-human.  Princess Twilight had clearly discarded any reservations she’d had about Sunset, treating her with the same measure of warmth she offered everyone else after the battle had ended, even hugging her with the same enthusiasm the other girls had. 
It had felt nice, Sunset mused, to not have her girlfriend’s Equestrian counterpart staring at her like she was about to turn back into the she-demon, but at the same time, guilt was still poking her.  A tiny portion of her mind that sounded suspiciously like her Twilight drew her attention to the fact that despite her strides to improve herself and to help this whole week, Sunset had never actually apologized or cleared the air with the princess.
“…Maybe I should apologize…” she mumbled, chewing on her lip while she watched Flash ask Princess Twilight something with excitement in his eyes.  “…but how? Not sure anyone has any good advice on saying ‘Sorry I tried to kill you…’”
At this point, she fully expected Stupid Little Voice to pipe up with its opinion, but that corner of her mind was almost unnaturally quiet and had been since the battle ended. Sighing, she pushed off the stage to pick up a soda can she spotted near the edge of the seat row.  “…should I even say anything? Or is it better to just…let it go?” The former unicorn rubbed her forehead, wishing her girlfriend was there to offer advice.
Speaking of letting things go…Blue-green eyes watched with mild surprise as the princess shook her head sadly at a suddenly crestfallen Flash, her hands moving as she explained something. Was Princess Twilight actually turning him down?  It made sense if she was, the former unicorn realized when she considered it, though it caused a twinge of sympathy in her heart for Flash Sentry.  Humans and ponies alike had difficulties enough with long-distance relationships in a normal situation, and two different worlds across an interdimensional divide was far and beyond the norm, but it wasn’t the human boy’s fault that he developed feelings for a visiting princess from another world.
A visiting princess who would need to return to her home soon, Sunset realized as the pair hugged and separated with what looked like a final, sad goodbye, the alicorn watching the human teen leave with a distinct air of melancholy about her.  If she was going to talk to this Twilight, to apologize and set things right between them, she’d need to do it before she lost the chance, even if the thought of it made her stomach twist unpleasantly.
“Hey, Sunset!”
Her attention was pulled away from her observations and her deep thoughts to Scootaloo and her friends, all carrying push brooms, covered in a layer of grime. “What’s up?”
Applebloom gestured to the other two. “We finished sweepin’ off the stage an’ all the stairs an’ stuff. Where do we put these?”
A smile started to creep onto Sunset’s face.  The change in the attitude of Scootaloo’s friends was just one example of many among the students of Canterlot High after the spell was broken, as if in breaking the spell, the positive magics of the Elements of Harmony and the Rainbow they summoned had flushed the nastiness and negativity out of the students almost entirely. Most of them were treating her like a fellow classmate instead of a pariah, taking her requests and suggestions with smiles and chatter instead of sour glares and ugly remarks the moment her back was turned.
She found herself pointing to the room that she and the girls had been trapped in all afternoon. “In there, please—be careful, the door locks from the outside and there’s no release on the inside.”
“Thank you, Sunset!” Sweetie Belle chirped cheerfully as the three of them scurried over to follow her instructions.  
That problem out of the way, she turned back to the one at hand, smile dropping back into a contemplative frown as she sought the princess with her eyes again. The other pony was now in deep conversation with Spike, the dragon-dog pointing in Sunset’s direction with one paw, which in turn caused purple eyes to meet hers in an awkward stare.
“Yeah…this is…not going to be easy. Or fun. C’mon, Shimmer. You can do this.” Her legs refused to move at first, and she could see the princess starting in her direction. “…It’s the right thing to do, not the easy thing. That’s important.”  She forced herself to take a deep breath, exhaling it slowly through her nose to calm her churning stomach. 
Princess Twilight half tripped to an awkward halt in front of her, Spike on her heels, and Sunset took her chance.
“Can we talk?” Both ponies in human form had spoken at the same time, in a strange form of stereo, and the whole thing was so ridiculous and right out of a bad movie that Sunset couldn’t help herself. She began to laugh and Princess Twilight joined her, until both of them were holding their sides.
Sunset straightened up, wiping the tears of mirth (and exhaustion) from the corners of her eyes. A glance around showed that more than a few people were watching them, and she tossed her head in agitation. This conversation was going to be hard enough without an audience. “…Twilight?” she asked. “…I…want to talk to you, but…I think it’s a conversation better had in private?”
The princess followed Sunset’s gaze, seeing people look away a moment too late when her eyes fell on them. “…Right. That’s probably a good idea…” She looked down at the dragon-dog. “Spike? Do you mind finding the girls and asking them to meet us by the school in…an hour?” Purple eyes looked to Sunset for confirmation, and the redhead nodded. “An hour.”
“I’ve gotcha covered, Twilight. Number One Assistant on the task!” He trotted off to go find their friends, leaving the two Equestrian natives by themselves.
Sunset beckoned. “Follow me…There’s a coffee shop right across the street over there—it should be quiet.”  With the princess at her heels, she headed out of the amphitheater and to the little corner shop, mostly empty despite it being a Saturday afternoon.  Settling into a corner booth, the exiled unicorn looked at her hands, unsure of how to start this conversation for real now that she had the princess alone. 
“Um…Sunset Shimmer? If this is about Flash Sentry, you don’t have anything to worry about. I have too many responsibilities in Equestria to be able to come here all the time to see him. I told him it was better if we were just friends because of that.  I won’t be coming between the two of you.” 
Her head snapped up to stare at Princess Twilight, caught in a moment of utter disbelief and more than a little amusement at the sheer irony of it all.  Laughing, she shook her head. “No, no, Twilight—it’s not about Flash, I swear!” 
The princess frowned. “Oh. I thought maybe it was, since Rarity told me you used to date him? Did I get that wrong? Does that mean something else here?”
“No, you’re not wrong. It means what you think it does, and yes, I did date him for a while.”  Fingers rubbed her forehead as she sobered. “Truth is, I never cared about his crush on you…like I told the girls, I never had any feelings for him. I used him as a means to an end and nothing more, for reasons I don’t really have the emotional wherewithal to explain right now…and as it stands, I still wouldn’t develop feelings for him if I wanted to. I’m not particularly attracted to humans, and especially not male humans.” She fought the urge to laugh—a talk about how she was not attracted to Flash Sentry with the Equestrian counterpart of the girl she was dating was not the conversation she expected to be having.
The dark haired figure across from her absorbed her words. “I’m sorry I assumed then, Sunset.” She considered things for a minute. “I can see what you mean about how humans look though. They are kind of funny looking compared to a pony. I guess I’m just used to seeing other species, and with Spike around for so long, bipeds don’t seem all that strange to me.”
Sunset shrugged. “I mean, after five years here, I’m used to humans enough that they don’t look like horrifying monsters the way they did when I first arrived. Mostly. I’m just…not interested in them romantically…but I didn’t really bring you here to talk about my love life.” Definitely not that, she decided, as her thoughts drifted briefly to her Twilight before she jerked them back to the matter at hand. 
Princess Twilight tilted her head. “Alright, what did you want to talk about?”
Taking a deep breath, the amber skinned girl gripped her own elbows to steady herself. “…I…I’m sorry…for…well…for everything.  I was a horrible pony, and I…blamed you for things that had nothing to do with you. I hated you, hated everything about you and everything that you represented to me, and it…it consumed me. I spent the better part of two and a half years planning revenge for something that was all in my own head…”
“Sunset…”
“No…let me finish. Please. I have to do this.”  She took a shaky breath. “I messed up, and hard. I stole one of the Elements of Harmony, leaving Equestria without one of its most important artifacts, I planned to use it for my own gain, without care for what it would do to Equestria if I did…”  Swallowing hard, she forged onward. “…and I was so desperate to get it that I crossed so many lines I never should have, lines I didn’t care about because I was so twisted up by my own desire for attention and power.   I stripped the student body of free will and their very identities…  I was willing to kill you, Princess, without a second thought, you and anyone else who stood in my way.”  Shame burned anew. “…and while I didn’t know it at the time, I was willing to threaten the well being of a foal to his mother.”
She met the other’s eyes, not bothering to stop the tears. “…I was a monster as bad as the Sirens. You could have killed me—would have been in your right to destroy the demon I became. Even Princess Celestia wouldn’t have thought twice if you had. Nopony becomes a demon for something small—I was as far gone as you could get…and you gave me a chance to change.”
Her voice trembled slightly. “And…I have changed. I’ve spent months trying to be a different pony…person…to be better, to be someone worthy of the chance I didn’t deserve when it was granted. Part of that…is admitting to what I did…and trying to make things right.”  Sunset locked eyes with the Princess of Friendship, putting everything she felt into her words in that moment. “I really am sorry, Princess, for everything I’ve done…to you, to your family, to your friends, for what I almost did to Equestria.”
The alicorn-turned-human watched her for a long minute, quiet and thoughtful, before she rose from her seat and moved around the table to pull Sunset into a hug. “Sunset,” she began, “you were already forgiven for that—it’s why I left you with the girls. If you had truly been beyond hope, the Elements would have done a lot more than cleanse you of the dark magic.”  Princess Twilight pulled back, resting her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “And you have changed—you showed me just how much today. I’m glad I could give you a chance to learn how wonderful real friendship can be.” She gave Sunset a tired smile—it seemed that the week was catching up to her as well. “…Seeing you this week, with our friends, watching you today, how you brought everyone back together when I was blind to it all…I would be proud to call you my friend, if you’d let me.”
Sunset brought a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “…I…I think I’d like that…”
The princess gave her another hug before settling back into her own seat. “…I feel like there’s more I should say to you, would say to you,” she admitted. “Things I want to ask you, or talk about, but…”  She rubbed her face, pausing to try and collect her thoughts.
“But you’re as drained as I am? Yeah. I get it. I probably overextended myself, but it felt so good to be able to use magic again, and they just made me so angry…” Sunset tilted her head back. “I’ll probably sleep for most of tomorrow morning.”  
Princess Twilight scuffed a foot along the floor. “More than just tired…We almost lost today. If it weren’t for you, they would have won, and this world would have been at their mercy. All because Starswirl the Bearded sent them here instead of finding a way to fight them in Equestria.” Her shoulders slumped. “…Starswirl was supposed to be the greatest sorcerer ever. He did so many amazing things, created spells and magical artifacts and is responsible for so much we know about magic…to think that this world almost got taken over by Equestrian monsters because of him…”
The redhead sighed. “…It wasn’t just his fault, Twilight. He sent them here, but they’ve been here for thousands of years without being able to take over. It wasn’t until I stole your crown and used it that they could do anything. They were feeding off the magic left behind at CHS. Magic that is growing, magic that makes the girls ‘Pony-Up’ when they play music, magic that I keep sensing. Magic that I brought here.”
“It’s still Equestrian magic, and ponies brought it here, one way or another, whether it was Starswirl by sending creatures like the Sirens through a portal, or you with my Crown, or any other number of unknown incidents that could have happened in the thousands of years the mirror has been around, opening every thirty moons.” Purple eyes stared at the table. “That makes it our responsibility, Sunset.”  
She was right; Sunset knew that as surely as she knew her own name.  “…The thing is, the magic here isn’t exactly the same. I’ve been studying the girls’ powers since they showed up, and I can feel it. It’s like the magic in Equestria, but different somehow, and today? Today it was different still. Something is happening, and I feel like I need to study it, but I don’t have access to the tools or books I need. All I’ve got it what I can remember that I learned, and what I can feel.”
The other pony hunched over the table in thought, rubbing her chin with her wrist absentmindedly, forgetting she was in a body with hands. Then she jolted upright. “The journal!” she cried excitedly. “That’s it!”
“Uh…what’s it?”
“I have to go back to Equestria, but I have the journal from Princess Celestia—the one you used to send a message in? It’s how I got the portal to open outside of the thirty moon cycle, but it’s still back in my library,” the alicorn explained. “You have yours, and I have that one, we can work together on this! It’ll be like a research project!”
Leaning back in her seat, Sunset considered the suggestion. “…That…could work. I can look at things here, study the magic with hands on experimentation and observation…”
“While I look for information in places like the Canterlot archives or the Crystal Empire’s library to see if I can find anything on this world, magic from here, humans, or anything else that might’ve been sent here that could be a problem! Then, if you need anything, or if either of us learns anything, we can share it via the journal!” Princess Twilight was practically vibrating with her excitement, making Sunset have to resist the urge to laugh. This was one area where both Twilight Sparkles were the same.  Instead, she sat forward again to begin sharing some of the data she’d already gathered in her studies of the girls and their magic, so they could better hash out the details of this ‘research project’ in the time they had left before they needed to head to the school.





The group stood next to the statue at the school, bidding farewell to Princess Twilight and Spike. “Sure wish ya could stay longer,” Applejack told them.
“Me too.” The princess glanced around, then at the statue. “But I have responsibilities in Equestria that I have to get back to. Its citizens need me.”  She looked to the girls again, allowing Pinkie the opportunity to stick her face through the portal briefly. The pink party planner pulled back, looking a little frazzled.  “But now I can go through the portal whenever I need to. This isn’t goodbye…” Her voice grew softer. “Its just goodbye ‘til next time.”
Her eyes glanced down at Spike. “Ready?”
“Ready!” he replied, already making his way to the portal and passing through.
The Princess of Friendship looked around at all of them one more time, meeting Sunset’s gaze. She gave her the barest hint of a nod, and another of those smiles she had to have learned from Princess Celestia. Then she was gone, the ripple passing over the marble before settling, leaving no sign that anyone else had been there.
The magic of the portal faded away again, leaving Sunset with only the dimmest sense of its potential, deep in the marble plinth. It didn’t bother her quite like it had last time—last time, she’d been broken and alone, exiled to this world with no magic, no horn, and no one to rely on but herself. Now? Now she had people she could count on, and that thought made her feel good inside.
It didn’t stop her from feeling bone-weary and exhausted, however. She felt like she could go home and sleep for a week, and as much as she cared for her friends, she’d spent the last four and a half days in their company with no break.  She needed time to breathe, to process…so when Pinkie suggested they go out for dinner, Sunset begged off.
“I’m sorry, girls…I know you want to celebrate, but we almost lost everything today. The Sirens almost won—the world would have been at their mercy, we would likely be dead, and there would have been no one left to stop them…  The truth is, we made it by sheer, absolute dumb luck, with magic I still don’t understand, that’s behaving in ways I can’t explain with what I was taught.”
Silence reigned for a long minute as Sunset’s words sunk in, troubled expressions crossing the other girls’ faces. As mature as they were, they were still teens, and for them, the whole week had been an adventure that got them out of that math test more than it had been a deadly fight to save the world from magical slavery at the hands of immortal monsters. The actual stakes had been very far from their minds, and having it pointed out clashed with their initial perception of the events.
“Isn’t that all the more reason to celebrate though?” Rainbow asked, scratching her head. “Even if it was a close call, we still won! We’re basically superheroes—we beat the bad guys in the last few minutes of the movie against all odds, just when it looked like we were done for! That makes us awesome!”
Sunset sagged, pushed almost beyond her endurance. “…Not for me, Dash.” She felt Rarity and Fluttershy’s hands grasp her arms to steady her when she swayed. “…I can’t do it right now. I don’t have anything left in me.  I’m sorry…”
“Darling,” Rarity murmured in concern, pale fingers tipping Sunset’s face to look at her. “…When was the last time you ate? You look dreadful, and now that I get a good look at you, I think you’ve lost weight. And that doesn’t even start on the bags under your eyes—I could fit a spring wardrobe in them they’re so large!”
The former unicorn sighed. “It wasn’t a question of eating—it was a question of what I was eating staying in my stomach long enough to do me any good,” she confessed. “…I haven’t been able to keep anything down since the pizza on Tuesday night.”
“Why didn’ ya say nuthin’, Sunset? Ah’m surprised yer still standin’, an’ not sicker’n a dog!” Applejack crossed her arms over her chest, giving Sunset the look she had perfected on her sister. 
“…because you needed to focus on beating the Sirens, not on my negative reaction to the dark magic.  …I didn’t want to distract you when that was more important…”
“More important? Sunset, darling, I should dare say I speak for all of us when I say you pushing yourself to what looks like the point of collapse is a fair bit more than a ‘distraction’ and far more important than one of our practice sessions that were more argument than practice.” Rarity’s tone was stern, but the tailor patted her shoulder as if to reassure her that it was out of concern, not anger. “…Please, do not do this again. Let us help you too…you don’t have to take everything on yourself like this.”
“She’s right, Sunset,” Fluttershy told her softly. “…We’re your friends, and we worry about you too. You’re just as important as any of us. I’m sorry we didn’t notice how bad it was for you this week…” She hugged the redhead very gently. 
“It’s okay, Fluttershy. I…was trying to hide it.” Sunset gave them all a thin, tired smile. “…but…I just don’t think I can keep going anymore without a break. With the way I was reacting to the magic, I’ve not been able to keep food down, and I haven’t been able to sleep right.  All of that, plus dealing with…everything that has happened, and the way this week has made me feel…I…I need some time to myself…to deal with all of it…” Words faltered, and she felt Fluttershy hug again.
“We understand, Sunset,” the soft-spoken teen replied. “It’s been a very long week for all of us and there’s nothing wrong with needing some time alone. I think we’re all tired, and that maybe we should put celebrating on hold until we’ve all had a chance to rest.  If you want to go home, we won’t hold it against you.  We’ll be here for you when you come back.”
“Indeed, darling,” Rarity chimed in, releasing Sunset as the redhead pulled herself fully upright again. “Go take the rest of the weekend and pamper yourself. Perhaps a nice hot shower and a few good meals.” She moved her arm and winced. “…In fact, I may do much the same…now that you’ve brought it up, I realize that I also feel quite…run down.” A curious look crossed her face, as if she recalled something. “Actually, that does raise a question you might be able to answer before you go, Sunset.”
One eyebrow arching, Sunset motioned for her to continue. 
“Ah, yes…thinking about how tired and drained I feel right now, I realize I felt much this same way after the formal. Is…is that something to be concerned with, or is feeling like one has worked for seventy two hours straight a normal side effect for using magic?” 
Once the words were out in the open, Sunset could see the startled realization and worry appear on the rest of her friends’ faces. Thankfully though that was a fairly easy answer, and she laughed lightly. “…It’s not normal for all magic, or for most magic users operating within their special skills and training,” she explained, “but the Elements of Harmony are not normal, everyday magic. That’s the strongest, most powerful magic in Equestria, and we threw everything we had into that fight—and only Twilight and I had any actual magical training that built up our ability to channel large amounts of power easily.  Feeling like you could sleep for days and hurting in places you didn’t know you had? Very normal for massive magical endeavors, especially if you’re not used to it.” 
Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “So how do we get used to it? Keep the band going, play more music? Or is there another way to learn to use these powers?”  When Sunset stared at her, Rainbow snorted. “C’mon, Sunset, I’ve told you I’m not stupid.  Twice in only a few months we’ve had giant magical battles, defending our home from crazy evil magic! If we’re going to be fighting super villains regularly, then we are gonna have to learn how our powers work, instead of just fumbling around. Superhero 101!”
“We ain’t superheroes, Dash,” Applejack pointed out, rolling her eyes.
“...I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Rainbow Dash on this one, darling.” Rarity’s fingertips brushed the farmer’s elbow, easily redirecting her attention. “She has a point. We have acquired unique abilities we have no real grasp on, and those abilities in and of themselves seem to be a magnet for like energies, some of which are in the hands of unpleasant individuals who would use them for nefarious endeavors. Learning how to at least protect ourselves might be a good idea.”
“Besiiiiides,” Pinkie chimed in, grinning broadly. “We all know we’re not superheroes! We’re magical girls! Superheroes fight super villains—magical girls fight crazy angry magic monsters with the power of love and friendship!” As they blinked at her, somewhat dumbfounded, she did this strangely choreographed set of hand and arm gestures that ended with her pointing at Sunset. 
“Riiiight...” The former unicorn had no idea what Pinkie was up to, but from the way the other girls burst into giggles, she suspected it was a popular culture reference she hadn’t been exposed to yet. “Honestly, I don’t know how to train you. Your magic isn’t the same as the magic in Equestria. Something about how it works here or works for humans is different enough that most of what i know is a guideline at best. That's why I want to study it—now that I have access to it too, I can run more complex tests, figure out how it works.” A rush of joy went through her at the thought of having her horn on a regular basis again.
“...but that’s for another day, Sunset. You said you wanted to go home. You should get going, before you risk wrecking that sweet ride. Stop talking and go home.” Rainbow gave her a hug that ended in a firm but gentle shove towards her bike. “We can deal until you don’t look like a zombie.”
Sunset exhaled, and knew there was only one place she wanted to be right then. “I’ll see you girls at school, okay?”
“G’nite, Sunset!” Five hands waved at her as she turned to walk away, a bemused smile on her face.
> Interlude VIII: Succor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Collapsing on her bed with a new book, desperately hoping it would give her the break from her life that she needed, Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure how much more she could take of the way her emotions were making her feel, especially because very little of it was rational or logical.  She had planned for a stressful week; with Winter Break coming, the end of the semester loomed large at Crystal Prep, with mandatory semester projects coming due and exams that had to be taken. This was always a terrible few weeks at the school for her, the atmosphere of competition and superiority turning outright hostile as anyone and everyone saw her position as the academic front-runner in the school with the highest marks across the board (everywhere but gym class, at least, though Sunset’s regular self defense training had started to help) as some form of threat, as if it were somehow her fault that they couldn’t get better grades in their own classes. 
For the past two years, the end of semester periods had come with ugly looks, snide remarks at the edge of her hearing, a bit of rough handling in the halls, and a general attitude of disdain and scorn from the other students, and while all of those things had been present, she felt different about it. It got to her in ways it never had before, irrational flares of temper and irritation that had left her shaking and seething in the quiet dimness of the small closet-turned-laboratory she used after lunch for her independent research projects. On Wednesday alone, she’d broken three pencils in half in a white knuckled grip, and on Thursday, she almost came around swinging when her one friend left at school had slipped up behind her without her realizing it—things like that just did not happen to Twilight Sparkle. Ever.
The bizarre and extremely vague phone call from Sunset on Tuesday hadn’t helped matters either, bringing with it a whole host of up-and-down emotions. Intellectually (and rationally), she knew that Sunset had friends at her school; these days, her girlfriend talked freely about the group of girls who had done their best to put aside their own negative pasts with Sunset Shimmer and get to know the real person the redhead was instead of the bully persona she had projected for so long.  They even seemed like fairly nice people, ones that Twilight thought she might enjoy getting to know someday when Sunset was ready to introduce her to them. So when Sunset had called, and explained that she was trying to be a good friend, to help them deal with a major problem that had come up, she was proud of her girlfriend, happy to see that she had found friends to bond with besides just her.  Sunset deserved it, no matter how much she might feel she didn’t.  Twilight had absolutely no reason to feel angry and jealous of Sunset’s other friends, and up until this week, had felt nothing of the sort.  
Until Sunset had started sending her little texts, seeking reassurance and comfort, texts with words she didn’t say outright, phrases and linguistic patterns that jumped out to Twilight, because they were things Sunset said when her moods were at their darkest. She could feel the strain, the tension, and the self-flagellation from the text alone, and found herself furious at Sunset’s other friends. Friends that became her Sunny’s friends well after Twilight herself had, friends who seemed unaware of just how much whatever was going on was affecting the amber-skinned girl, either because they didn’t notice or didn’t care, and all that Twilight could think was that if they couldn’t pay enough attention to Sunset to realize how bad her mood had gotten, they didn’t deserve her or her friendship.
It left behind a petulant, possessive want to have Sunset with her instead—maybe then they both could have felt better, and she could’ve gotten some sleep.  The mix of stressors had raised her anxiety levels enough that in less than four days, Twilight had had six full blown panic attacks on top of the other emotional reactions, plus a partial one that was halted by a frantic call to Cadence to bring her home early. Even the medication that her therapist had prescribed to assist her with her anxieties wasn’t enough to get her through the day, let alone combat the effect it was having on her ability to sleep.  She found herself staring for hours at her ceiling, mind racing to understand this creeping sense of impending doom that had no logical source, and when she did fall asleep, it was restless and agitated, her REM cycles a twisted mess of night terrors and intense, passion fueled dreams. 
The nightmares would send her bolting up in bed, sobbing as fragments lingered in her memory: flashes of fire and flame, sadistic laughter, icy, too long fingers so cold they burned the flesh of her arms where they grabbed her, pain and blazing agony along all of her nerve endings that made her feel like she was dying. The dark haired girl would hug Spike to her chest then, weeping into his fur and struggling to breathe properly against the feeling that the world was about to come crashing down around her ears, wishing that instead of the soft furred, wriggly puppy trying to lick her face, soft lips were there to kiss her tears away instead while she was tucked close to Sunset’s familiar warmth.
Yet, despite all of that, it was the dreams that enacted a much worse toll on Twilight’s psyche and state of mind than the nightmares. The nightmares were terrible, but they brought emotions she had struggled with her whole life: anxiety, fear, panic, distress, worry. Emotions she had learned coping skills for to help mitigate her reactions and the long term effects, emotions she’d been working through with her family, with Dr. Soft-Spoken, with Cadence, for as long as she could actively remember.  The dreams were another matter entirely—vivid, carnal things of heat and sensation and realized lust, all starring the beautiful girl with blue-green eyes and fiery hair that resembled her name, and those she woke from with Sunset’s name on her lips, panting and trembling and achingly unsated, and no matter what methods she tried, no conscious fantasy could manage to cool the fire her subconscious had started.  Nothing she had dealt with before had ever come close to the way her body was betraying her now, and it made her jittery, hyperaware of her surroundings and the people in it, leaving her vulnerable to sensory overload in a way she hadn’t had difficulties with in years.  
Everything compounded together had left her struggling to cope, her family picking up on her agitation pretty readily, even if they were unaware of the exact problems she was having.  Her mother had sat down to talk to her after finding her fixated on reorganizing her bookshelves for the third time, coaxing her into opening up about both the stress at school and Sunset’s strange emergency that would leave her absent from the house that Friday. Velvet had listened, before offering her daughter a comforting hug and parental words of wisdom that made her feel better, even if they didn’t dispel all of the frustrations and anxieties eating at her or help her sleep any better that night.





Twilight Velvet put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her in one of those warm, comforting sideways hugs that always left Twilight feeling safe. “You’re doing everything right, Twilight,” she confirmed gently. “You’re Sunset’s best friend, and the best thing you can do for her right now is be here and available if she needs you for support. I know you wish you could be helping her more actively, or at least knew more about what is going on, but Sunset will tell you when she’s ready to.  She trusts you, not just to listen and keep her confidence, but to be there when she needs you, in the way she needs you.”
She nodded against her mother’s shoulder, still wound up and tense. Her mind just couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen, and it took everything she had in that moment to keep her breathing steady and even. “…I know, Mom…I just wish I could do more than just…text her little messages to keep her spirits up. Something is wrong, something big, something bad—I know that doesn’t sound logical or rational, but nothing I try seems to dispel this sensation, and I feel like I should be doing more to make sure Sunset’s okay, to let her know she isn’t alone with whatever is going on.”
Her mother kissed the top of her head. “…I have an idea, if you’d like to hear it?” she offered. When Twilight gave another shuffling nod of her head, Velvet continued, “What do you think about the whole family calling and leaving her a phone message on Friday? She won’t be with us, but she’ll know then that we’re all thinking of her, and that her presence is missed. Do you think that will help lift her spirits?”
The dark haired teen perked up at her mother’s suggestion, mind racing as she considered it. “…That could work…” she mused, calculating how she could go about it and if she could manage to sneak in a more private message in on the tail end of the voicemail. “…It would show Sunset that she and her wellbeing are important, that someone is thinking about her, even when she’s busy helping other people.”
“Then we’ll do that, right after dinner on Friday. Hopefully it will make up for her being unable to come over that night.”  Velvet gave her another warm hug, and added, “In the meantime, I want you to give some serious consideration to calling Dr. Soft-Spoken. I know you get anxious around the end of every semester, Twily, but this isn’t the norm for you, and I know you’re smart enough to recognize that too. I know you might not want to tell me or your father everything that is going on in your life these days, but if it’s bad enough to upset you like this, perhaps you would benefit from telling her. She might be able to help you work through it.”
Twilight chewed on her lip nervously. “…I’ll think about it, Mom.”
“That’s all I ask, sweetheart.”





True to her word, she had considered her mother’s suggestion thoroughly. Her therapist was a warm, understanding, and accepting woman, and Twilight trusted her with a great deal. She was one of the few people the dark haired teen trusted enough to come out to, it was true, but in the end, Twilight decided that as much as she trusted her, there were some things she wasn’t prepared to share.  Intensely detailed and erotic dreams involving all of the myriad of things her subconscious wanted Sunset Shimmer to do to her—and with as well read as Twilight was, that was not a short list—was something way outside her comfort zone. She wasn’t even certain she’d be able to share those things with Sunset herself, at least not any time in the immediate future. Coupling that with the surges of anger and jealousy, Twilight was sure that her therapist would have a lot to say, but she wasn’t sure she was in the right place to hear it. This was something she had to work through on her own. Leaving her own private message after her family had finished the group call the night before had helped some, but she still got very little sleep Friday night, acutely aware of the body that wasn’t pressed up against her in bed like it should have been, of the eerie quiet that was normally broken by Sunset’s soft, odd sleeping sounds and whuffling snores.
Today, she’d forced herself to go through something of a routine to keep her mind distracted and to prevent her from reorganizing her books again. She’d run through her self defense exercises in the backyard several times, taken Spike for a long jog through the neighborhood, did all of her homework as well as studied for her finals, spent several hours pouring over a number of the in-progress inventions in her garage lab...and looked frequently at her phone. She was alone in the house now, with her parents out for a function from her father’s job at the university, and was trying to lose herself in a novel she’d been waiting six months for. Twilight’s head dropped back against her pillows in frustration—she couldn’t even get three pages into it before her mind started winding itself up again.

Her phone rang, and all thoughts of her book dissolved away. She didnt even have to look at the name to know who was calling her—the ringtone existed on her phone for one person only.  Lavender hands snatched the device off her nightstand, the book forgotten on the covers next to her. “Sunny?” she answered, trying to keep her voice level and non-frantic. “How are you doing? How’re your friends?” With the sparse contact all week, Twilight suspected that this call meant either something very bad or something very good—she hoped for good.
“Hey...” Twilight could hear how worn but happy her girlfriend sounded in the one word.  “My friends are fine. Everything is going to be okay...I’m so glad. I was really worried for a bit that it was all going to take a turn for the worse, end in the worst way....but it worked out and I’m happy I was there to help.”
Twilight felt relieved—whatever bad memories had been dredged up, it seemed like the positive outcome for her friends and the fact that she had been able to do something to help had actually taken some of the weight off of Sunset’s psyche. Perhaps this whole week had been a hidden boon, no matter how agitated it had left them both.
“Sparky...?” Sunset sighed into the phone, not even the affection in her tone hiding the undercurrent of exhaustion. Happy as she was, she sounded ragged and only half awake.
“Yes?” Twilight suspected she already knew the question.
“Look, I know its late, and you’re probably busy....” her breath hitched over the phone, causing the dark haired girl to sit up. “...I need you,” came the whispered plea, and her heart jumped, those three words sending her mind and pulse to racing. Her dreams taunted her, flashes of Sunset pressing her into the blankets and breathing words just like that into her ear, but Twilight shut them down, hard; she needed her head clear. Besides, Sunset’s tone didn’t quite match the idea that the words had been meant in regards to sexual intimacy.
Her decision came easily after that: Sunset needed her, and she wouldn’t turn her away.  “Come over,” she told her. “Mom and Dad won’t be home until late, but you’re the exception to the rule about not having people over when they’re out.”
“You’re sure you won’t get in trouble?”
“I highly doubt they will be upset at all, and as unlike me as it sounds, I don’t care if they are.  You sound...out of sorts, and you said you need me. I’m here for you.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose, a soft smile on her lips. “I would also be lying if I said I hadn’t missed you this weekend. Even a few hours is better than nothing. Come over.”
“Alright,” Sunset acknowledged. “I need to make a stop home, but I’ll be over in a few minutes.” The phone clicked off, and Twilight got up off her bed, heading downstairs.
She found a notepad and wrote out a note to her parents—from the sound of her girlfriend’s voice, she suspected they would be retreating to her room immediately. She was just finishing when she heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle.
She met Sunset at the door, eyes roving over the haggard redhead who was still managing to smile at her, and pulled her inside firmly.  Sunset looked like she had been through absolute hell.  Her eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles under them that looked almost like bruises, and her cheeks seemed pale and sunken. Her clothing was scuffed up, a layer of dust and grime coating it, and when she shed her coat, Twilight spotted a scabbed over scrape on her elbow. There was a faint tremor in her limbs and she moved like she was three steps from collapse.
“Oh my gosh! Sunset!” Twilight pulled her into the bathroom on the main floor, sitting her down to clean and cover the elbow wound. “What happened? Did you get in a fight? Who did this to you?”
Bemused, Sunset reached out to cup her cheek with one hand, pulling her down into a kiss. “Hey. It’s okay. I had a bit of a fall is all.” She sighed. “It’s been a rough week.”
“Sunset,” Twilight began as she cleaned the wounded arm with a damp cloth. “You look like you been up all night, shimmying your way through the crawlspace under someone’s house. Your clothing looks slept in, and...” she sniffed, wrinkling her nose. “You kind of need a shower.” She met blue green eyes with a stern gaze. “This is more than just a rough week.”
Wincing, her girlfriend rubbed a hand over her face. “It’s...complicated.” Bleary eyes looked back at her, causing Twilight to take a breath and collect herself. She had to; Sunset looked exhausted and was likely emotionally compromised. 
The dark haired girl finished making sure the injury was clean and free of anything overt that could cause infection, giving her much needed time to devise a plan and make a mental list. “Alright. First things first, you’re filthy, Sunset, and you...don’t exactly smell pleasant. You’re going to take a nice warm shower and...did you bring pajamas?”
Blue-green eyes looked at her, and then it clicked. “Ponyfeathers...” the redhead cursed—the odd swear always made Twilight giggle, her mind automatically conjuring the comical image of a horse wearing an oversized chicken suit. “I forgot to...”
“It’s okay, Sunny. My stuff is too small, but you can borrow one of Shining Armor’s shirts and a pair of Cadence’s pants. Come on. Let’s get you upstairs.”
Half carrying Sunset upstairs, Twilight set about getting the shower started—with how out of touch Sunset was with reality in that moment, she was a little concerned the other girl would either freeze or scald herself. “Okay. That should be optimal for not burning you or making you pass ou—“ the rest of her sentence ended abruptly in a strangled squeak.
Sunset had already started to strip down and blinked at Twilight’s flustered reaction, looking down at herself in confusion. “....what?”  
Twilight tried very hard not to stare, she really truly, most certainly did.  Her eyes fixed on her girlfriend’s face, desperate to not notice the curvaceous figure now only covered by underwear...very flattering, sexy underwear... She did her level best not to drink in the sight of amber skin and round breasts that she swore defied the laws of gravity (her mind started running the numbers to confirm it), the lean toned stomach...but it was probably the hardest thing she’d ever done, because she really wanted to look. “I...you...naked...” she floundered, her dreams once more dancing across her mind’s eye.
It seemed to register with Sunset and the redhead looked mortified. “Oh stars...I’m sorry Twilight! I wasn’t thinking!” She hid behind a towel, though that seemed more for Twilight’s benefit than any embarrassment over her own nudity.
“Its...its okay, I just...” Twilight turned an even darker shade. “Just warn me next time,” she squeaked, before saving them both further awkward suffering and fleeing the bathroom. She used the time it took to find something clean for Sunset to wear to rebuild her control and remind herself several times that she had to be the one willing to think rationally. Sunset needed her to be the cooler head, they both did.
It worked well enough—by the time she knocked on the bathroom door to hand over the pajamas, she’d managed to tuck the image of a nearly nude Sunset Shimmer away into the corner of her mind where it wouldn’t affect her brain so badly. She was fully aware that she’d indulge in it later, particularly if her dreams remained the intense variety that had been plaguing her, but for now, her mind was clear to focus on her distressed companion.
Sunset shuffled out of the bathroom and into Twilight’s room looking much cleaner and a little less out of it some time later. The dark haired girl pointed to her desk, where a bowl of hot vegetable soup gave off steam, a thick hunk of fresh bread next to it on a plate. “I hypothesized you haven’t eaten much either, so I took the liberty of making something light but nutritious.”
Her girlfriend flashed her one of those endearing lopsided smiles. “You’re not wrong...nothing seemed to want to stay down, especially with all the nightmares. Thanks, Sparky...” she dropped into the chair and focused on the food for a little bit, eating slowly and taking small bites. Unsurprising, if she had been eating minimally for a few days, and when she stopped after only two thirds of the bowl and half the bread, Twilight said nothing.
Pushing the chair back with a satisfied sigh, Sunset lurched out of it to flop onto Twilight’s bed, rolling onto her side. She raised one arm, eyes hopeful. “C’mere? I...I need to hold you.”
Twilight lifted herself off the bed. “Under the covers first, that way if you fall asleep, we wont be cold.” The other girl grumbled but did as she was bid, before holding her arm up again. Smiling, she set her glasses on the nightstand and joined Sunset under the blankets. Hands pulled her close, their owner unwilling to wait for her to get there on her own time, and while the motion surprised her, she found she had no complaints about being rearranged to suit Sunset’s choice in positions for cuddling.
Kisses were left on her neck, her ear, the hollow of her throat, before Sunset pressed her face into Twilight’s collar with a shaking breath. Lavender fingers moved up to tuck some of that soft red-gold hair behind an ear. “Did you want to talk about it?”
The head shuffled a little in a nod, but Sunset said nothing. 
Twilight tried another question. “Is it something you can talk about?” She knew she was on target when the arms gripping her tightened fractionally, even before Sunset shook her head no.  Twilight pressed her whole body closer, trying not to think too much about the things she could feel where they touched or how many of her recent dreams it brought to mind. “That’s okay,” she soothed, making a distant mental note to thank Cady later for teaching her this conversational trick with an upset person, albeit unintentionally. “You don’t have to talk about it if you aren’t ready.”
Sunset was quiet for several minutes, her breathing shaky and uneven as she gathered her thoughts. “You remember the Musical Showcase my school was doing today? The one that the girls have been working to perform in for weeks?”
Fingers continued to stroke through fiery hair, Twilight nodding despite her internal impatience to know what had happened to leave her girlfriend in such a state. “I do. You were going to help them and cheer them on because you said you weren’t allowed to participate directly.”
“Right.” Lips moved against the skin of her neck as Sunset spoke, sending a pleasant tingle through her.  “...something happened on Tuesday. There were these girls...recent transfers from somewhere else. At first, they seemed nice, but it was all an act. They...” The arms tightened again, and Twilight could feel the way the taller girl began to tremble.  “They were like I used to be, only worse...they didn’t care who got hurt, or how...using stuff against people even I would never have. I...can’t prove it, but I think they were behind the website and the locker, except they didn’t get caught.”
Anger flared in Twilight, and she pulled back enough to search Sunset’s face. “Oh, Sunny...” she whispered, before pecking her lips. “Are you okay? Did they try to hurt you?”
Smiling crookedly, the redheaded girl nuzzled her. “I...they didn’t try to hurt me directly, no. I was...a diversion. A distraction that amused them.” She sobered as she continued. “But on Tuesday, they...they slipped up. The girls and I found out about what they’ve been doing...and what they planned to do today.” 
Shame colored Sunset’s tone, shame and guilt. “At the Fall Formal, I did something really stupid and really dangerous. I could have gotten other students hurt or even killed...and that includes me. I could have—“ she broke off, pressing her face back into Twilight’s neck, where the dark haired girl could feel tears drip onto her skin. “I should have died that night, Sparky,” she admitted. “I still don’t know how or why I walked away from it.”
Twilight’s heart lurched. Sunset had alluded to doing something foolish, something dangerous, the night they  met, but to think that the other girl could have been killed...that left Twilight with a feeling of disquiet. “Sunny...what did you do?”
“Blew up the front walk of Canterlot High when I tried to prove my control and superiority against my competition.” There was an awkward pause. “I was practically at the center of that explosion...” She gave a humorless laugh. “Seeing my life flash before my eyes and how ugly I was...I was given a second chance I didn’t deserve that night...a chance I didn’t want to waste.”
Amber skinned hands pressed against the small of Twilight’s back, holding her flush to Sunset’s front. The familiar position, with their legs tangled together, helped the tension start to bleed out of both teens. “...and you haven’t, Sunset,” she pointed out softly. “Look at how much you’ve changed, how far you’ve come. You aren’t the same person you were before that night.”  She considered the situation. It was possible Sunset was just rambling, but Twilight felt she wouldn’t have brought it up without a reason. “...but reassurance is not why you’re telling me this, is it?”
Sunset exhaled. “These girls...we found out they planned to do what I did at the formal, except bigger and ‘better’—but we had no proof. No way of verifying to the principals that what we were saying was anything more than rumor or hearsay. We had no way to stop them...but if they did what they were planning, a lot more people would get hurt or killed than just them.” Her voice shook. “We spent...most of the week...trying to stop them...to get what we needed to stop people from being hurt...they realized pretty early what we were doing and...we became their targets.”
“Targets how?”
“However they could get to us without touching us physically. Everything in their power they could come up with to weaken us, drive us apart, discredit us to everyone around us...” Sunset trailed off, lost in thought as she nuzzled into the crook of Twilight’s neck. Twilight continued to run fingers through her hair, lightly scratching her nails against her scalp in a soothing gesture.
“Nothing was too far, too much for them, if it suited their end goals,” Sunset told her, voice catching. “They were tearing the girls apart, worse than I ever did, and...I could see it. See what they were doing and why it was working...but I don’t know much about being friends. I didn’t want to overstep, to stick my nose where it didn’t belong, not when I was still trying to figure out how I fit with them and how it all works...” She sniffled. “But it got so bad, Sparky, worse than I’ve ever seen before, and I had to do something. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try, not after everything!”
Twilight could hear the growing emotion in the redhead’s voice, passion and intensity lending her words strength. “...and...I made them see what was happening, how they’d been turned against each other to stop them from stopping those girls. I fixed it, and we got what we needed to stop them before anyone got hurt.”  She could feel Sunset start to smile against her neck. “...I helped make things better instead of ruining them...and...”
“It was like there was this empty place inside me,” she admitted, pulling back to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Like a hole that had been torn open and left there...And it’s gone now...filled with good things, with my friends and you and your family...” Her lopsided smile became a full one, and the words she spoke were filled with an emotion that Twilight couldn’t quite define. “...I don’t hate myself anymore...” she breathed.
More tears came, but there was a difference in them. Before, when Sunset wept, it had been out of suffering or pain. Now the tears were cleansing, a good cry that shed a burden. She could feel it in the way Sunset cried, with little sound, just tears flowing in silence to dampen her shirt, to drip into her hair. There were no hitching sobs, no snorting or snuffling of a mucus blocked nose, just the steady stream of relieved tears.  Twilight held onto her the entire time, hands in constant motion: one rubbing up and down Sunset’s back, the other stroking through her hair, constant touch to let Sunset know she was there. Eventually, the redhead cried herself out, and she rested her forehead to Twilight’s with a yawn. 
“...Sparky...” she murmured. “...thanks. I feel a bit better.”

“I’m glad,” the dark haired girl responded, kissing her lips lightly. 
The one kiss became two, became more, emotions shared without words, affection happily traded back and forth. The exchanges towed the line between innocence and passion, but for now they both were still on the same page, neither quite ready to push the boundary.  Sunset still held her tightly, but eventually shifted to tuck her face back into the crook of Twilight’s neck—that seemed to be her favorite way to doze off when they were together, the bookworm had noticed.
“Sleep, Sunny...I’ll be here when you wake up,” she told her, though the soft whuffling noise told her that Sunset Shimmer couldn’t hear her. She was already asleep.





Twilight had managed, after Sunset’s sleep had deepened enough that she didn’t fear waking her, to adjust them so she could sit up a little and go back to reading her book. Sunset now rested with her head using Twilight’s chest and stomach as a pillow, arms curled around her waist. One lavender skinned arm was around the redheaded girl’s back, keeping her close, while the other had made use of her kindle to simply read a digital copy instead of the hardback.  

Spike had joined them sometime a few hours ago, and lay in the depression between her legs and Sunset’s—it seemed her dog had finally gotten over his mistrust of Sunset enough to use her as bedding. That made Twilight happy—it had bothered her that the normally sweet and friendly puppy had treated Sunset like a threat from the get go, and watching him warm up to her, if slowly, had eased some of her anxieties.
It was this scene that her mother opened the door to not long after midnight, and Twilight realized the awkward domesticity of it when her mother stared for a long moment, saying nothing. Panic was her first instinct, until Sunset let out a content sigh and hugged her tighter, causing that emotion to drain away. She went for the truth instead, seeing the paper in her mother’s hand.
“I’m sorry for breaking the rules, Mom,” she confessed, “but you should have heard her when she first showed up...she was so stressed and tired...she needed me.”
Velvet shook her head.  “Twily, you don’t have to apologize—you aren’t in trouble. The rule about friends over without permission when we are out doesn’t apply to Sunset. She is welcome here any time, day or night.” Her mother stepped into the room, looking down at the sleeping girl with a measure of motherly concern. “Is she alright? She looks extremely rundown, far more than I would have expected.”
Twilight exhaled. “You should have seen her when she arrived. I don’t think she’d changed clothes in several days, and she hasn’t been sleeping well...or eating properly.” She frowned. “I’m afraid she might get sick. I got her to eat a little soup and some bread...”
Her mother perched gently on the edge of the bed so as not to disturb the sleeping girl, reaching out to stroke Sunset’s hair. “Poor thing. Do you know what happened?”
Twilight found herself recounting the week’s events as Sunset had told her, eyes watching her girlfriend’s face. “I think she spent all week mentally punishing herself because of the similarities between these three girls and her previous identity as a bully, especially because they were inspired by her previous actions to attempt something dangerous.  I suspect it’s also why she pushed herself to the brink of collapse when it was her friends being attacked.”
The older woman tucked a few errant strands of hair behind Sunset’s ear. “Trying to give back to those who stood up for her, to atone for her own past...”  Velvet glanced at her daughter.  “Carrying all that guilt around isn’t healthy.”
Purple eyes met her mother’s gaze. “I...think it is going to be alright, Mom. As hard as this week was for her...”  She paused, searching for how to word what she knew without being told. “...I believe it was actually exactly what she needed.  We talked a little before she fell asleep—she cried, Mom, and told me she doesn’t hate herself anymore.”
Velvet smiled, but her eyes still held motherly concern.  "She shouldn't have felt that way about herself in the first place." She shook her head, "Whoever that guardian was that took her in after her parents passed, I'm starting to feel like I'd like a little time alone with them, preferably without any witnesses."
Twilight couldn’t entirely fight the chuckle that escaped her. “Moooom...”  Then she sobered.  “She shouldn’t, but she did, no matter what I did. Ive done everything I can to help, but sometimes doesn’t seem like enough.”
“Twily, sweetheart, you’re doing everything right. I’m proud of you.” Velvet hugged her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.  “You were here for her when she needed you.  And...this is just a suggestion, but if she’s still extremely out of sorts and distressed in a few weeks, perhaps consider suggesting Dr. Soft-spoken to her? She might benefit from an opportunity to talk to a professional and not just her best friend.”  Releasing her, her mother smiled and stood up. “Try and get some sleep yourself, okay? I don’t want you up all night reading. You’re still a growing girl, even if you are smarter than most people twice your age.”
“I will. I was just going to finish this chapter.”
“Alright. Your father has already headed to bed and I’m going to join him.”
True to her word, Twilight soon placed her reader down on the nightstand, glasses on top, and cut the light. She wriggled into a comfortable position against her companion, taking the opportunity to trace her fingers over Sunset’s jawline before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She could hear the redhead’s voice in her mind, see the look in her eyes as she admitted “I don’t hate myself anymore...”  Her own eyes filled with tears, tears of relief, because seeing that weight come off Sunset’s shoulders had taken a weight off of her own. Settling more comfortably in Sunset’s arms, she let sleep claim her, able to rest at last now that she was where she belonged.
> Intermission: Winter Break ~ Chapter Thirty Six: Respite
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset hovered in that weird, groggy space between sleep and awake, curled amid warm blankets that smelled like Twilight. She sighed, stretching slowly as the fog started to clear, her hand reaching out to pull her girlfriend closer to her—there was something pleasant about cuddling with the dark haired girl as she was waking up.  Instead of soft warmth, her digits only encountered more blankets, causing Sunset to blink open her eyes, muzzily trying to discern where Twilight had ended up.  Sitting up, she realized she was alone in the room, and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes to clear them. 
The former unicorn ached all over, muscles sore and tight, with a burning, bone deep weariness in every fiber of her being—even her hair felt tired.  Part of that was likely from the physical exertions, but the bulk of it was the familiar exhaustion that came from overextending her magical capabilities and using up more of her magical reserves than was strictly advisable by any Equestrian doctor worth their medical certifications.  Had she still been in Equestria, she would have been put on bed rest with a forced diet of foods rich in thaumic energies until she was no longer in danger of damaging her magical pathways or using her very life-force just to lift a spoon.  That was, she mused, a benefit in being in a human body: it lacked the fundamental requirement of a minimum magical reservoir in order to perform basic life processes.  
Sunset stretched carefully, trying to work out the soreness in her upper body, chastising herself. “You know better, Shimmer.  Five years and you’ve completely forgotten how to recognize your limits—in all that enthusiasm for having actual magic again, you ignored everything you were ever taught about spellcaster safety.” The heaviness in her body, the sluggishness that persisted, like every cell was moving through molasses, was a clear indicator that she’d not only burned her own powerful reserves, but that she’d poured some of her own life’s energy into the Rainbow of Light.  This would take a lot of rest, time, and copious amounts of food to recover from; a hollow ache in her gut told Sunset that her stomach agreed with the assessment, and that she should go find that food. Or Twilight. 
Decision made, she got out of the bed and spotted a piece of paper on the nightstand with her name on it. She picked it up and unfolded it to realize it was a note from her girlfriend. 
“Sunny,
You were really deeply asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I’m going to be working on some projects in my lab. Mom’s doing work downstairs in the living room, if you need anything when you get up.”
The note was signed with a heart next to Twilight’s name, and it brought a smile to her lips. “Sentimental nerd,” she grumbled good naturedly. It didn’t stop her from tucking the note in the pocket of her borrowed pants with her phone, before she staggered out of the bedroom.  Leaden legs refused to respond right, the learned bipedalism hard to enforce with a fuzzy brain over the instinct that told her she had no business not being properly on four hooves. “…miss my hooves…” she muttered as she leaned on a wall to steady herself on the way to a much needed stop at the bathroom. “…must look like a salt-soused minotaur runt…”
 By the time she navigated her way down the stairs some minutes later, she felt like she just wanted to go back to sleep.  What energy she had woken with was almost gone, and the world lurched with every step as she shuffled into the kitchen.  There she found Twilight Velvet, cooking. “Morning, Mrs. Velvet…” she mumbled around a yawn.
The woman turned, a worried expression on her face. “Sunset, sweetie, it’s almost six in the evening. You’ve been asleep all day.” She set the spoon down on a paper towel and bustled over, placing a hand on Sunset’s forehead to check her temperature, wincing at what she found.  The redhead couldn’t help but let out a noise of relief at how cool Velvet’s hand felt against her skin. “…you look like you’re getting sick and I’m fairly certain you have a fever…How do you feel?”
“Awful,” she admitted. “…I’m sorry…I didn’t realize I would sleep so long. Twilight’s not in trouble for me coming over last night, is she? I didn’t want to cause any trouble…” As exhausted as she was, she just didn’t have the energy to conceal the anxious note in her voice, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot, well aware that if she had still had a tail, it would be twitching in agitation.
Velvet’s warm, motherly hug silenced her. “Now you listen to me, Sunset Shimmer. You are welcome here at any time of the day or night. I would very much rather you be here with us when you need it, than have you be alone in your apartment and terribly ill.” She firmly escorted Sunset out to the living room and pushed her to the sofa. “Now you lay down and I’ll make you something to eat. Twily said you mentioned you haven’t eaten much all week. Is this true?” 
The redhead gaped like a fish. “…uh…I…yes, ma’am…” she managed.  “…I…with everything happening…I either didn’t have time to eat or it wouldn’t stay down…”
Velvet patted her shoulder and draped a blanket over her from the sofa’s back. “It’s alright, sweetie,” she assured her gently.  “I’ll make you something light, so you don’t make yourself even more ill. Do you think you can handle some rice? Maybe made with some vegetable broth?”  When Sunset nodded meekly, she smiled. “Okay.  You stay here. I’ll let Twily know you’re awake.”
What else could she do? She was groggy, hungry, in borrowed pajamas with no idea where her clothes had ended up, and she hadn’t gotten to kiss her girlfriend yet today, so she wasn’t in a condition to leave.  She remained on the sofa where Twilight Velvet had put her, quiet and bemusedly obedient, her drowsy mind finding Velvet’s actions as warm and comforting as the soft blanket wrapped around her shoulders.  To kill time—and stay awake—she retrieved her phone from her pocket, browsing through it and noticing with dismay that it was near dead.
“You’re awake! I was worried you’d sleep through to tomorrow.”
Her eyes snapped up to Twilight, dressed in a lab-coat over old clothing, her hair up in a messy bun. There were smudges of grease on one cheek, a pair of goggles perched on her head, and the bundles of wires and tools poking out of her various pockets completed the ‘Mad Twientist’ look.  Sunset couldn’t resist the urge to giggle at her own mental joke, and under the show of leaning down to hug her, Twilight pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. “I’m glad you’re in better spirits. Sleep well?”
She met purple eyes while they were still intimately close. “…with you? Always,” the former unicorn murmured, audible only to the other girl, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the way Twilight blushed.
The budding scientist perched on the coffee table. “I was worried about you,” she admitted. “I still am. You look tired and sick, Sunset.” Her face morphed into a frown. “I know you were being a good friend, but you shouldn’t cause harm to yourself in the process.”
“Hey…” Sunset reached out and squeezed her girlfriend’s hand. “I’m okay, Sparky. I promise. And I’ll try to do better in the future…I promise that too.” 
Twilight squeezed back, before letting go as Velvet came into the room with a large soup mug. Sunset took the mug gratefully, finding a thick, starchy “soup” of vegetable broth and rice. The first sip hit her tongue and she made a low groan in her throat. “…I don’t know if it’s my empty stomach talking or not…but this tastes amazing.”
Velvet patted her shoulder. “Just be careful not to eat too fast, Sunset. I don’t want you to overdo it.” Then she looked at her daughter. “I made baked potato soup for the rest of us… Go dish up if you’re hungry…and if you promise to be neater than your brother, you can eat in here with Sunset.”
It took quite a bit of willpower on Sunset’s part to sip her dinner slowly, taking breaks to let her abused and neglected stomach adjust to the introduction of something heavier than water for the first time in more than twenty-four hours.  The broth was wonderful and delicious, filled with the flavors of real vegetables and spices, just like she would’ve gotten from the palace kitchens in Canterlot, rather than the overly salty, pale imitation humans marketed as broth in the grocery stores. It soothed the ache in her gut, and the rice mixed in with it was just enough to make her feel contentedly full without stressing her system.
Twilight had curled up next to her with her own meal, content to cuddle close while they had the living room to themselves. She finished much faster than Sunset, and distracted them both by starting to run her fingers through fiery locks, carefully working out the worst of the tangles with a dismayed noise.  “Stay here and finish your soup,” she encouraged, rising and pressing a kiss to Sunset’s temple. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
Grunting an affirmative around a mouthful of food, the former unicorn wondered where her girlfriend was going.  She was gone only a few minutes, reentering the room with a hairbrush in one hand, smiling shyly. “…Thought you might like some help so your hair doesn’t end up all matted.”
Sunset chuckled as she placed her empty mug on the coffee table and twisted her body slightly to give Twilight better access to her hair. “…I wouldn’t say no—I don’t have the energy required to fight with my hair right now. My hair would win in less than thirty seconds.”
The smaller girl sat intimately close to her back, deft fingers and soft brush setting to work on detangling the wild mane with incredible patience and care.  Sunset let her head loll forward, half dozing as she let out several soft sounds of enjoyment.  The feeling of fingers and fine bristles tugging through her hair and lightly scritching along her scalp sent signals of pleasure to her brain, dredging up memories of being very small, perched between Celestia’s forelegs while the solar princess brushed her mane and tail after a thorough currying of her short, fluffy baby coat.  Every once in a while, Twilight would lean forward and place a kiss on Sunset’s neck affectionately.
She probably would have fallen asleep sitting up if it hadn’t been for Night Light entering the room, settling into his favorite armchair with a book in one hand. “Good evening, girls.  Thought you were going to sleep through to tomorrow, Sunset. Glad to see you decided to join us for a little bit,” he teased lightly. 
Blue-green eyes peeled open and peered blearily at him. “I’m here for the food,” she quipped back. “Mrs. Velvet makes some mean veggie broth.” 
He laughed in response. “First, a pretty girl and now food. I’m beginning to think you’re never here for our company.  Teenagers, I swear.”
Her response was cut off when lavender fingers brushed her throat, gentle pressure making her turn her head at Twilight’s desire so she could reach the last part of Sunset’s hair.  She swallowed a sound that would have given away that this was not just one friend brushing the other’s hair out, but instead a way to steal some moments of intimacy without suspicion.
Some time later, after the strokes of the brush were more just soothing repetition and not serving to rid her of tangles, Sunset checked the clock on her phone. “…I really need to get home,” she mumbled regretfully.  “I’ve got school in the morning, and I have laundry to do at home so I have clean things to wear next week.” She started to get up, only for Night Light’s voice to stop her in her tracks.
“You’re not in any condition to drive yourself home, and we would be irresponsible to send you home still looking like you’re three steps from collapse. You should stay here at least another night, get some more food in you, get some more sleep.” The man never looked up from his book, but his tone was firm.
She floundered, not used to this type of situation. “…I didn’t…I’ve got homework to do…and I don’t have any other clothes here. I didn’t grab them…I can’t go to school tomorrow in someone else’s pajamas.”
What she didn’t expect was her adorably traitorous girlfriend to chime in.  Traitor.  It was a good thing Sparky was cute. “…I could get your stuff for you? If we make a list, it shouldn’t be hard to do. I’d just need your keys.”
“That’s true,” Twilight Velvet called from the kitchen. “And I agree with Night, Sunset. You should at least stay here another night. If it’s needed, I’m more than happy to call your school tomorrow and tell them you’re staying home for the day. You look like you’re coming down with something, and I’m worried about you running a fever.”
The redhead looked around, from Twilight’s hopeful face peering over her shoulder to Night Light’s stern—but not unkind—one, to where she could see Velvet watching from the kitchen, weighing her options. She was clearly outnumbered…and this sofa was super warm and comfy too. There was also the added benefit of another night with Twilight in her arms, which she had to admit was more appealing than being alone in her bed at home.  A part of her dared to wonder, just for a moment before she shut it down, if this was what it was like to have a family…but she did have school, homework, and laundry to do, none of that had been untrue, and the words and notes to the song she’d been noodling with for weeks had hit her last night. She wanted to get it on paper before she forgot it. 
So there she sat, chewing her lip and weighing it all in her mind for the better part of ten minutes, her girlfriend and the two adults waiting patiently and not pushing her further than their initial logic.  She weighed the options, took stock of her aches, pains, and exhaustion, before coming to what even Exhausted Sunset knew was the smartest decision. “Alright…I’ll stay…” She twisted around and tweaked Twilight’s nose. “Go get my jacket, nerd.”  The shorter teen hopped up happily and retrieved the item as she’d been bidden.  Sunset fished around in the inner pocket, retrieving her keys.
Those were pressed into Twilight’s hand. “Just grab me the jeans and shirt on the railing and the rest from the two top drawers in my dresser, okay? My phone charger, plugged in on my nightstand…that, my backpack—the one with my cu—my sun symbol on it? And there’s a red notebook under my acoustic on my bed.”
Twilight nodded, then stared at the key ring in her palm, eyes growing large and eager, shining in a way that worried Sunset. “…Right…Does this mean I can take your bike?” she asked hopefully. Sunset snorted—there was something amusing and cute about her fascination with the motorcycle.
Before she could answer, Night Light put his book down. “Absolutely not, Twilight Sparkle. You know very well that you don’t have a license, especially not for a motorcycle. It’s also after dark.  I’ll drive you in the car.”
Sunset covered her mouth to stifle the laugh as her girlfriend wilted. “…Hey…chin up, Sparky…I was going to talk to you about those upgrades for it…if you’re still interested in taking a shot at it?” It was funny, but the disappointment on Twilight’s face was something she wanted to dispel as quickly as possible.
It worked, and she found herself on the receiving end of a hug, one that brought a smile to her face like nothing else in her life could. “Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!” Twilight was practically squealing in her ear. 
She laughed, and pushed her back—playfully, of course. “Go get my stuff, nerd. When you get back we can talk about bike upgrades. It’s been making a weird sound when it changes gears anyway.”  Blue-green eyes remained glued to Twilight as she skipped off, her mood somewhere in the stratosphere.





Steam escaped around her as Sunset stepped out of the bathroom, toweling her hair dry. It felt good to be clean, warm, and somewhere way better than half-dead from exhaustion and stress. The food had done her wonders—Velvet had made her a second helping while Twilight had been gone retrieving her things—and the hot shower had helped chase a lot of the cobwebs from her mind and minor aches from her body, even if she was still shuffling around like a drunken minotaur with a palsy courtesy of the magical over-expenditure.  The redhead slipped into Twilight’s room, shutting the door softly behind her, eyes immediately lighting on her girlfriend. The other girl was where she had been before Sunset had gone to shower—hunched over her desk, mumbling to herself as she looked over printouts and notes spread across a thick textbook.  Twilight was so focused on what she was doing that she barely even seemed to notice Sunset’s return.
Draping the towel over the footboard, Sunset sprawled out on the bed, snuggling into the pillows on the side that she had started to think of as hers. “Still studying? I thought you would’ve been done by now.”
Twilight jolted when she spoke, before turning her chair more towards the bed. “Oh! I…haven’t been able to study as much as I would have liked last week, and I’m out of time—exams start tomorrow morning.” Purple eyes flew over the page, a frantic gleam in their depths. “I need to make sure I’ve reread everything that might be on the test.”
Sunset propped herself up on her elbows, brows furrowing in concern. “…It’s not like you to procrastinate...especially with studying. Did something happen last week?”
The dark haired girl shook her head, still fixed on her notes. “Nothing…happened…exactly. It…just wasn’t a good week for me either.”
That made the former unicorn look her companion over with careful scrutiny. Twilight’s hair was still in the hasty bun from earlier that day, but now that Sunset looked closer, she could see the hint of shadows under the other teen’s eyes that weren’t from her glasses, and the slight tremble in her hand as she turned the page in her textbook. Sitting back upright, she reached out to touch a lavender skinned arm. “…Sparky…you look about like I feel. What made it a bad week?”
Twilight sighed, turning her chair fully to face Sunset.  “Exams are always a very...stressful few weeks for me,” she confided. “Crystal Prep has a very competitive and fast paced curriculum, and everyone wants to be on top.”  
Sunset shifted her hand to intertwine their fingers. “Lemme guess...you’re on top, and they don’t like that you show them up simply by existing.” That was something she could relate to—CSGU had been like that at times.
Lips twitched into an expression that was less a smile and more a grimace. “It doesn’t even make sense!” the other girl blurted. “They don’t have anyone but themselves to blame—most of the ones who are the most antagonistic are too focused on their social lives or sports to put the time in to study and work towards better grades! If they actually took time to focus on school, they would do better!” Her voice pitched up as her emotions spiked. “Instead they act like its somehow my fault, and do everything they can get away with to sabotage me!”
Sunset frowned, and squeezed the hand she was holding. “Sabotage you?” Fury twisted in her core. “What did they do? They didn’t touch you, did they?”
“Nothing like that,” Twilight said with a head shake, her voice clipped and quick. “They just...get really hostile and...it’s little things. Bumping into my desk, kicking my bookbag across the floor...spilling things on my work so i have to start over... Its all so childish and immature—they could use that time to actually study, but they do all of that instead! Or they whisper to each other about me, pretending I can’t hear them...” She slumped in her chair.
Knowing that the other students weren’t outright getting physical with Twilight didn’t chase away the frown. Sunset leaned forward, pulling the shorter girl into a tight hug. “Studying wouldn’t do them any good,” she replied with a sigh, “and they know it. You’re brilliant, Sparky, and you don’t have to try to be a genius. You just are. It’s not about winning or beating them for you, it’s about something you love doing: learning.  For po—people like that, their lives are about image and prestige, and they know that they won’t ever be smarter than you. The only way they could ever hope to do better than you is to make you fail.”  After all, that was what so many at Celestia’s school had tried to do with her, and was part of what had fed into her darker side there, driving her to get to some of her classmates before they could get to her.
Twilight tensed up, biting out bitter words filled with pure frustration that Sunset could practically feel. “I’ve heard that sentiment before, Sunset. From my therapist. It doesn’t make me feel any better, it doesn’t make them stop, and it certainly hasn’t done anything to dispel the urge to use what you’ve taught me in a violent attempt to force them to leave me alone! I don’t even know why I’m so angry!  I don’t get angry like this, or feel like I want to hit people!”
The smaller body trembled in her arms, and she could hear the way Twilight’s breath caught weirdly in her lungs.  “Hey...breathe for me, Sparky. Slow and even,” she coaxed.
“...I just want them to leave me alone...” 
The earlier fury in her shifted to a different emotion, one just as heated and fierce, causing the redhead to tug Twilight firmly towards the bed. “Come here.”
Tears born of stress, anxiety, and frustration started making tracks down lavender cheeks as Twilight tried to resist. “No, Sunset...I need to get back to studying.  I can’t right now...I—”
“Twilight,” Sunset interrupted firmly. “Stop.” She took a breath. “You are not in any state to study right now. You won’t retain anything you read.”  Twilight had gone silent and strangely still, and Sunset pulled back just enough to meet purple eyes. “I’m here, Sparky, and I want to help. Will you let me?”
A dark haired head gave a jerky nod. “...Okay...”
“Alright. Then come here.”  This time, when she pulled, her girlfriend came willingly. In short order, they were reclining back against the pillows together, Twilight curled up in Sunset’s arms, face pressed into her shirt.  The former unicorn could feel the tears soaking into her top, feel the quiet sobs that shook the girl in her arms, and she hugged her tight, face pressed against Twilight’s hair. She murmured, “I’ve got you,” in between kisses that brushed the curve of one lavender ear.  “Let it all out, Sparky. You’ll feel better after. Trust me.”  With all the crying and sobbing Sunset herself had done herself since the night of the Formal, she’d stumbled on that lesson accidentally. 
After a while, she could feel Twilight’s breathing even out, no longer hitching with her crying. She adjusted their positions so she could rest their foreheads together. “Hey,” she murmured softly. “Feel any better?”
“Yes,” came the quiet admission. “...I’m sorry, Sunset...My anger wasn’t at you.” Purple skinned fingers gripped the pajama top tighter. “I just couldn’t stop myself from reacting—it’s not like me to get angry over things like this...”
“So Twilight Sparkle has a temper. Sparky, you do realize who you’re talking to, right? I get it. I really do. You have no idea how many times this week I wanted to just...punch Adagio’s smug face to wipe that smirk off.” The former unicorn briefly entertained the memory of the angry and fearful look on the lead Siren’s face when she had joined the fray. That look had been worth restraining her more rage-filled impulses all week.  With a soft smile, she pressed her lips to Twilight’s, wanting to communicate affection and reassurance. “I know you weren’t mad at me, and it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” Twilight countered, her tone more anxious than argumentative. “Sunset, this isn’t normal for me. I don’t get angry like that. Stressed, yes, and frustrated...but those things make me feel anxiety, not anger and a desire to lash out with violence. Exams always trigger panic attacks for me, and I’ve had those too, but even those were accompanied by anger.”
Rubbing her girlfriend’s back, Sunset considered the scenario, pushing aside her fatigue in the face of Twilight's distress. "Hmm…” she murmured, thoughtfully. “Okay…it sounds to me like it's the change that's upsetting you, almost more than getting angry?"
Twilight thought for a moment, then nodded urgently, her fingers twisting around each other, "Yes! That's it, yes. Something's changed and I don't know what, and... and I don't like it!" Her words ran together and tumbled over each other as she spoke, and Sunset could feel the way her body was starting to react negatively to the agitation.
"Deep breaths, Sparky, slow and even,” she coaxed, interrupting the impending spiral of anxiety and emotion. “We’ll figure this out, but I need you to breathe."  The redhead could feel the way her girlfriend went forcibly still before starting to inhale and exhale in slow, steady mimicry of Sunset’s own breathing. She took the opportunity while Twilight was focused on that to start wracking her brain for a way to calm the dark haired teen, a traitorous part of her mind sometimes wishing she could use magic to inhibit some of the anxiety that plagued Twilight regularly. A calm-down-and-think-rational-spell would be great right now…
Hmm…That…might actually work, if you can get her to relax long enough to propose the idea, Shimmer…  “Hey, Sparky?” Sunset started, getting Twilight’s attention.  "I had a thought.  If it's a change, then...there has to be a variable causing that change, right?" C’mon, Twilight, it’s science! Use that adorably nerdy brain of yours! "Think of this as, oh... a science problem. You're observing a situation, a situation you’ve observed numerous times before that’s always given you the same data as a result, only this time, you’re getting a completely different result. First thing you do after ruling out some form of error is look for the variable in the experiment, right? The thing that is different that led to a distinct change in the end result?”
Purple eyes lit up at her words. “And if we can figure out the variable, I can understand why I’m responding like I am! Why didn’t I think of that?”  Her face drew into a pensive frown. “…I think we can rule out school itself. The material isn’t really any more challenging than it ever was before, and the environment there is fairly unchanged from previous years. I…do have fewer friends there than before, but I didn’t exactly have many, and I haven’t noticed the lack of them since I met you.” 
The redhead felt her cheeks heat up with pleased embarrassment, but she settled for an affectionate nuzzle instead of kissing Twilight until they both forgot what they were discussing. “…I think you’re giving me too much credit, but…I guess we can rule out school—and probably your family too, unless they’ve gone through major recent change?” When the dark haired girl shook her head, she pressed forward. “What does that leave us with? What else has changed?”
Twilight adjusted her position so she could rest her head against Sunset. “…There’s you. You’re the biggest change in my life. I’ve…never had anyone in my life like you, not as a friend and certainly not as more than that.”
Warmth bubbled pleasantly in her chest and she smiled crookedly. “…it’s mutual, you know?” There was a comfortable pause as they both let the affectionate declarations sink in, before Sunset continued.  “…though I certainly hope I’m not that much of a bad influence on you—especially because I’m trying very hard to not be the kind of angry, aggressive bully that would push you to do violence on others. I’m trying to be better than that. It’s why I didn’t give in and hit anyone last week—you said you were proud of me, and...I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
Blue-green eyes met purple, and Twilight gave her one of those sunshine-bright smiles despite the emotions still lingering in the air because of the conversation. “Sunny,” she murmured, fingers pulling away from Sunset’s sleeve to brush along the redhead’s cheek. “You’re trying so hard, and you’ve come so far from who you say you used to be…even if you made a mistake, even if you did something you weren’t proud of, I wouldn’t be disappointed with you.  I would still be here, still be your best friend, your girlfriend. I’d help you through it. Just like I know you’d help me…like you’re helping now.”
Helping…It couldn’t really be that simple, could it?  Sunset furrowed her brows. “…Weird thought, Sparky. What if it is because I’ve been helping you?” At the puzzled expression, she wrinkled her nose. “Go with me on this. Always before, you get confronted with hostile people, you…ignore or avoid them, right? Except…for a while now, I’ve been teaching you different. I’ve been teaching you to fight back, to not be helpless in a confrontation.”
“You’re suggesting that my newfound frustration and aggressive impulses are a result of learning self defense techniques from you?” The hand on her cheek moved to rest lightly on her shoulder. “…Why are you proposing that?”
Sunset floundered for a moment, trying to articulate her thoughts. “…because I’ve been teaching you to change your natural impulses from fear to aggression against hostile threats for several months now…except you’re running into a situation where the hostility isn’t the kind you can react to with that aggression.”
Twilight bit her lip, absorbing the idea with the deeply thoughtful expression that told Sunset her brain was fully invested in dissecting and analyzing.  “…It is entirely possible, I suppose.  That would be enough to cause frustration in most people, and leave them with anger that they can’t express properly. Anger does tend to build up unpleasantly without an outlet to express it.  I can’t really test this hypothesis until I’m actually at school, but I have somewhere to start.”
The former unicorn watched the anxious tension bleed out of the girl in her arms, muscles relaxing until she was snuggled somewhat bonelessly against Sunset. Satisfaction coupled with affection put a smile on her face as she shifted to press a kiss to Twilight’s forehead. “Does that help?”
There was a murmured affirmative, the dark haired girl’s face taking on a dazed, dreamy look. Sunset raised an eyebrow as her girlfriend nuzzled more into the redhead’s chest and shoulder. “Comfortable?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Mm...its even better than I dreamed...” came the drowsy response.
Blue-green eyes widened; that had been the last thing Sunset expected to hear from Twilight, and it sent a pleasant shiver through her that left her feeling warm all over. “...Dreams, huh?”
Realization dawned in Twilight’s eyes, and her gaze flicked to Sunset’s as her cheeks darkened with a flush of embarrassment. “...I...um—that is...nothing! Nothing happened! I didn’t say anything about dreams. I certainly haven’t been dreaming about you or your bre—aaaand I’m still talking. Why am I still talking? I should really stop before—” 
The more she fumbled with her words, the more flustered she became, until Sunset—while trying not to think about the implications of Twilight’s words—took pity on her and shut her up in the simplest way she knew: kissing her.
There was a squeak of surprise, but that melted away into a pleased hum as the dark haired girl kissed her back. Fingers left Sunset’s shoulder to tangle in her mane of still damp hair, Twilight’s body pushing as close against hers as possible. It set off sensations that no longer made her head spin, because it was only her Twilight who made her feel that tingly spike of heat and electricity go straight to her insides, or the drunken sort of giddiness that made it hard to stop smiling, or that flicker of hungering want that gnawed at the edges of her soul.  
Amber skinned arms curled around Twilight, a small exertion of effort changing their positions slightly so that the shorter teen lay sprawled on top of Sunset’s reclining body. It made it easier for Sunset to lose herself more into the sensation of lips on hers, easier to take a page from one of her own dreams, soon exploring Twilight’s mouth, the way she tasted and smelled and felt. Kissing her girlfriend like this was like a drug, heady and addictive, making something in her body and soul crave more, more...
They broke apart, breathless and panting and giggling, foreheads resting together in a way that would never cease to bring the unicorn-turned-human comfort. A playful note entered her voice as she finally caught her breath. “So...what do you say to forgoing studying stuff we both know you already memorized, cutting the lights, and cuddling up under the covers?”
Indecision warred across Twilight’s face briefly, purple eyes darting from her desk to Sunset’s lips repeatedly. The redhead’s grin grew even more mischievous.  “What if I promised to kiss you like that some more?”
Eyes widened and Twilight’s breath stuttered in her lungs, before she half lunged off the bed to shut the lamp on her desk off. Sunset laughed as she had to hold on to prevent Twilight from face-planting on the floor, pulling the dark haired girl back into the bed in the room’s sudden darkness so she could make good on her promise—many times over—before sleep claimed them both.
> Chapter Thirty Seven: Maternal Wisdom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





What was that obnoxious buzzing in her ear? Sunset snorted irritably, tightening her arms around Twilight and nuzzling deeper into her neck. She just wanted to sleep, cuddled up with the warm body in her arms that felt so good and right when they were tucked together in the cocoon of blankets.  The parasprites or whatever it was making that noise could go somewhere else…they were interrupting something more important.
“Sunny…”
“Whuh?” she mumbled into dark hair. “…lemme sleep…”
A giggle. “I need to get up for school.”
Sunset tightened her arms once more. “…no school…snuggle time…” she countered with a childish whine in her voice, still mostly asleep.
“Sunset...I have an exam today. I can’t miss school.” Twilight pressed their lips together. “Let me up, and then you can go back to sleep. Mom said she’d call your school for you if you want.  As much as I can’t stand the idea of missing school, you still look like you are on the verge of coming down with an illness.”
“...why’re you such a morning pony?” Sunset slurred.
“Some people are just morning people. I take after my father.” Twilight kissed her again and wriggled free of the embrace despite Sunset making grabby hands for her.
The redhead pried her eyes open to watch her girlfriend get her things together for school, half pouting in disappointment that she couldn’t convince Twilight to stay longer. Once Twilight left the room—Sunset got one last lingering kiss out of that, at least—she grabbed her phone off the nightstand and sent a message to the girls. 
-Overtaxed my magic Saturday, still not 100%. taking today off for recovery. Just glad I’m in a human body, because I’d be in need of more than sleep and food otherwise.  Be in tomorrow for exams. Let VP know?-
Then she grumbled and rolled herself back into the blankets. If she couldn’t hold onto Twilight, she could at least surround herself with Twilight’s scent.





Twilight Velvet poked her head into her daughter’s room not long after her husband had left with their youngest to drop her at school on his way to work. A messy shock of fiery hair stood out amidst the cooler colors of the bedding, her daughter’s best friend curled up and snoring around a pillow with a contented smile on her face. The older woman tiptoed forward, reaching down to straighten the blankets and cover the teen back up. She paused for a moment, hand outstretched towards the blanket that was half off the bed and took the time to study the lonely girl who had crept into the family’s hearts over the past few months.  
Sunset looked more relaxed and unguarded than Velvet had ever seen, her hands loosely fisted around the pillow she was snuggling into, the tension and ever present ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’ anxiousness having given way to a much happier, carefree expression. Given love, acceptance, and half a chance, Sunset Shimmer was an intelligent, good-hearted, and sensitive girl—so how anyone could neglect or abuse and then toss her away like an old pair of socks was mind-boggling. Especially since she had retained those traits after having been orphaned and then forced to survive on her own with no adult guidance or care, even after having supposedly acted out like many lost children did, bullying and blustering to prevent others from getting too close.
She pulled the blanket back up to cover the girl, smiling softly when the redheaded teen cuddled into the added warmth with a sigh. Whatever the past had been, the Sunset that Velvet and her family had grown to care about was a wonderful young woman who had seen and done far too much for one so young, things that left her shadowed and haunted at an age when her only concerns should have been pop quizzes and prom dates, and both Velvet and her husband had spoken at length on it, coming to the same conclusion. Their house was clearly the girl’s refuge from the outside world, and they would do everything they could to make sure that when she was there all she had to be was a teenage girl—albeit one utterly smitten with their daughter. 
Velvet leaned forward, dropping a motherly kiss to the top of Sunset’s head, adjusting the blankets once more before slipping out of the room to go track down her cell phone. She intended to let her sleep as long as possible to help her body recover from the abuse Sunset had put herself through the week before, and that meant someone had to call Sunset’s school and let them know she would be absent for the day.
It took her a few minutes to find the number for the right school, and Velvet sipped her coffee as she listened to it ring on the other end. Just when she was about to give up, someone picked up and a harried sounding woman spoke. 
“Canterlot High School, Vice-Principal Luna speaking. My sincerest apologies for the delay—how may I assist you this morning?”
It was a bit surprising to get the administration’s upper echelon answering the office phone, but Velvet chalked it up to exam season. “Yes...I wanted to call in a student absent from school today, and your site didn't list a specific number for attendance.”
“This number is fine for that. Student’s name?” The Vice-Principal sounded fairly exhausted, even over the phone.
“Sunset Shimmer.”
Silence reigned, long enough for Velvet to wonder if the call had dropped. At last, the woman on the other end spoke, and her tone was sharp and worried. “Who is this, and how is it you know Miss Shimmer?”
It was nice to know that other adults in Sunset’s life were looking out for her well-being, Velvet decided, before hastening to calm the educator. “I’m actually the mother of one of her friends—she’s stayed over the last two nights. My name is Twilight Velvet—”
“Wait. Velvet? Shining’s mother?” The Vice-Principal sounded both hopeful and relieved.
“....Yesss...” Velvet trailed off, unsure how to react to this sudden recognition by someone she’d never spoken to before.  “Shining Armor is my eldest.”
There was a tired sounding chuckle on the other end, and the stiff, formal tone eased into something much more relaxed. “I’m sorry—we’ve never spoken directly before! I was Cady’s roommate back in college...you sent me that beautiful quilt for my birthday one year?”
That was when it clicked, and she found herself joining in on the laughter. “Oh! That’s why your name seemed familiar!  You’re that ‘Lu!’  The one who had a soft spot for my homemade stew!” 
“That was definitely me—that stew was exactly what I needed during winter exam week,” Luna replied.
Velvet found a smirk playing across her lips.  “You’re also the one who got Shiny over his nerves enough to finally propose to Cadence! You have no idea how much we all appreciate that—I thought he was going to pace a hole in the carpet!”
“The lunkhead just needed some motivation is all. I lit the right kind of fire under him.” Luna's mood sobered, the concern back in an instant. “Sunset is at your house? Is she alright?”
Stirring a bit more sugar into her coffee, Velvet considered how to answer. “She’s...exhausted. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, and I’m concerned she might get sick because of it. We’ve been trying to make her rest and recover.”
A heavy sigh came through the phone. “I cannot stress how much of a debt this school, its students, and its staff owe Sunset Shimmer for last week—though I very much wish she had not been put into such a position at all. I’m glad to know she is safe and alright.  I’ll take care of the matter of her attendance here...just...please, Velvet, make sure she is doing alright? The troublemakers responsible for the fiasco last week targeted her in a particularly vicious manner, and my—the principal and I are worried about her mental health.”
Velvet stared into the swirling coffee in her mug as she listened to Luna talk. That the woman was concerned bled through clearly, and with the knowledge that this was the same woman that had been close friends with her son and Cadence for a decade, Twilight Velvet felt much better about Sunset’s well-being when she was off at school. “You...aren’t the only ones who have been concerned. Sunset has been struggling over the last few months a great deal with things no child her age should ever have to put up with. I’m just glad she has principals who care about her as much as we do.”
Luna gave a hum of agreement. “I...concur. I am still quite sour with the behavior of some of my students, and had I been able to offer a greater punishment than I did to some, I would have.” There was another long moment of silence, before she spoke again. “Ma’am, I do not mean to impose, but could I ask a favor of you, about Sunset Shimmer?”
“Ask—the worst I can tell you is ‘no.’”
“Indeed,” the younger woman replied with wry humor. “It is...I am certain you have noticed Sunset’s tendency to take upon herself a burden of blame for things that are neither her fault nor responsibility. I...am concerned that she might do so with the actions of the troublemakers and their antics from last week. I intend to make sure she knows otherwise once she returns to school, but in the meantime, if she does so in your presence, would you please do your best to discourage that line of thinking? She is in no way responsible for the actions of those three wretched, horrid individuals with no sense of remorse, and both the principal and i are incredibly proud of her actions this past week.”
“That is something you didn’t even need to ask—my daughter brought Sunset’s mentally self destructive tendencies to my attention, and if we see her doing so we try our best to turn the negative behaviors into more healthy and positive ones.” Velvet frowned, though she was relieved to know that the admins knew about Sunset’s proclivity towards guilt and self recriminations. “She’s in good hands here, I assure you.”
“That...does a great deal to put my mind at ease. Thank you.”  
There was something in Luna’s voice that made her sound as exhausted as Sunset had looked the day before, and Twilight Velvet found herself inquiring, “Are you alright, Luna? You sound utterly exhausted.”
The administrator exhaled a tired sounding sigh. “Just still dealing with the fallout from last week’s fiasco—it’s...not been an easy year here at CHS, and I foresee it being just as trying in the months to come.”
Tapping her coffee cup with a finger, Velvet frowned. “You know, I happen to have some leftover stew frozen in our freezer. I’ll send Shining by after he gets off shift with a care package. A hot, homemade meal will do you some good.”
“I—you—That is really not necessary, Velvet,” came the protest. 
“No, I insist. You need it, dear—I can hear it in your voice. Hot food, some time to relax, and a good night’s rest, to keep you from getting sick.”
Another laugh, but this one the exhausted, desperate sound of someone who had reached the end of their rope and knew it. “I...thank you, ma’am.  That does sound like exactly what I need right now, but I’ll settle for the first one.” There was a pause, during which Velvet could hear murmured voices in the background.  “I need to get going, as I have duties to attend, but...thank you for letting us know about Sunset staying home for the day. We would have worried greatly if you hadn’t.”
“Of course, Luna. You have a good day, and rest assured we have Sunset well in hand here.” Velvet hung up the phone and returned to her coffee, thoughts dwelling on the girl still fast asleep in her daughter’s bed.





Brightness leaked under her eyelids, making Sunset seek to bury her face under the pillow. “...do you have to raise the sun so early?” she grumbled drowsily. Softness, warmth, and a familiar scent tickled her nose, making her want to relax her way back into dreamland, but there was no way that would happen without turning off the sun first. 
Bleary eyes creaked open, squinting against the glare, as reality filtered into Sunset’s brain. She was still at Twilight’s house, but sans her adorable nerd, a vague recollection of trying to get the other girl to stay in bed and snuggle teasing through her mind, followed by the memory of her successful attempts at snuggling the night before. 
Stretching and yawning, Sunset flexed and twisted until she felt her various joints realign themselves now that her body didn’t feel tightly wound and battered. It was amazing how a few good nights of rest had improved her state of being, she mused while running a brush through a mane of frizzy bedhead and finding her slippers in her bag. The position of the sun and Twilight’s alarm clock both agreed that it was almost noon, and her stomach voiced its displeasure at going so long unfed.
Wandering out of the room and downstairs after a stop in the bathroom, Sunset rubbed her face and found Velvet working on her laptop at the kitchen table. The older woman gave her a warm smile. “Good morning, Sunset. How are you feeling? You look better today.”
One hand gripped her elbow, and she hung her head sheepishly. “I...feel better now that I’ve caught up on sleep, but...” Her stomach snarled angrily again. “...but I’m really hungry...” she finished, cheeks darkening with embarrassment.
Laughing, Velvet rose from the chair. “I’ll say! It sounds like you’re keeping a bobcat in there! What can I make you to eat? Breakfast? A sandwich? I was going to do roasted vegetables and potatoes tonight for dinner to go with chicken for the rest of us, and I thought if you were up to it, I’d sear up one of your salmon steaks for you...but it's only lunchtime and it sounds like your stomach won’t last that long!”
“You don’t have to cook for me, Mrs. Velvet,” Sunset countered worriedly. “I don’t want to bother you while you’re working—I was just gonna have some cereal or something.”
In no time at all, she found herself wrapped up in one of the warm, soft hugs that she associated with Twilight Velvet—the hug had the same feel as when she was a tiny foal and Princess Celestia had swept her up in her wings to hold her close. “Sunset, sweetie, you are never a bother to us. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to do it, and it’s not anything I haven’t done for Twily or her brother or Cadence. Okay?”
Face pressed into Velvet’s shoulder, the redhead fought against the sharp prickle of tears and a lump in her throat, nodding when she realized speech would take too long. The emotions and memories the hug and Velvet’s words triggered were just too much for her process right then, fresh out of bed and still raw from the ups and downs of the previous week, and she fought back a sob, hands digging into Velvet’s shoulders.
A hand smoothed her hair, the touch gentle and motherly. “Sunset...” Velvet soothed. “...you aren’t just Twilight’s friend here. We care about you. No matter what anyone says, you are a wonderful young woman with an incredible strength of character, and we want you to know you are always welcome and wanted here. No expectations, no judgments.”
The words were like a soft, warm quilt wrapping around the former unicorn’s soul, assuaging old wounds Sunset had long since stopped paying attention to.  A second sob managed to fight past her control, and the tears broke free to soak into the older woman’s shoulder. She could feel something in her soul shift, something shattered and long broken beginning to mend.
“Thank you,” she rasped around the lump in her throat, unable to voice anything beyond her gratitude before she gave in to the tears. Sometimes it felt like she’d done more crying in three months than she’d done her whole life, something she once regarded as a horrible weakness, never to be done where anypony or anyone could see her. Yet, in that moment, being held in a hug that felt so much like the caring, motherly embrace from her oldest memories, all she felt was relief, not the burn of shame or the flare of anger that usually accompanied her tears.
Velvet murmured soft and soothing sounds, stroking her hair until Sunset managed to bring herself back under some measure of control. Stepping back from the hug, Sunset scrubbed furiously at her face with one hand. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Velvet...I...” She sank into a kitchen chair on wobbly legs. “I didn’t mean to...”
A warm hand patted her shoulder. “Sweetie, it's okay. You have nothing you need to apologize for, I promise. You're allowed to cry if you need to. Now—what do you want to eat?”
“May...may I have a sandwich?” Sunset still felt weird asking, but her empty stomach growled and prompted her to speak up.
“Of course!” Velvet snagged the loaf of bread from its basket. “Hot sandwich? Cold? What do you want on it? We’ve got a bunch of deli cheeses, and I just bought fresh vegetables yesterday, or if you wanted a breakfast sandwich, there’s fresh eggs...and we also have peanut butter and jelly if you want that instead.”
Sunset chewed on her lip for a moment, a craving for a specific treat in mind now.  “I...like to make them at home sometimes with lettuce and tomato and cheese and an egg, and...it just sounds really good right now...” she put forth tentatively.
“I think I can do that,” Velvet assured her, reaching into the refrigerator for the eggs.
Blue-green eyes dropped to study the tabletop intently. “...thank you...” she said quietly. “...not just for the food...” She traced her finger along the grain of the wood. “...everywhere else...people remember the old me. My school, my other friends, the other students...and...” The former bully sighed heavily.  “It's like I can’t escape what I’ve done, who I used to be. I...wasn’t a good person, at all, and I hurt a lot of people. I’m trying to make up for it, to be better and make things right...but it’s still there, this shadow that everyone sees, like I’ll never be good enough to overcome what they think I should be. Even my other friends—they’re great, don’t get me wrong, and they mean so much to me—they remember and sometimes they mention things that I’ve done in the past, not out of malice, but it hurts still, and then they say ‘No offense,’ like that’ll make it not sting so bad...”
Velvet cracked an egg into the pan. “That doesn’t seem very nice of them. Have you told them that it hurts your feelings?”
She shook her head.  “I can’t—I was a horrible, terrible person for so long, and I did so many bad things to them and others...I ruined their friendships on purpose. I...I don’t have the right to complain.”
“Sunset.” Velvet turned towards her. “I want you to listen to me—no matter what mistakes you made in the past, that does not make it okay for them to do things that hurt you.  What they are doing and saying is insensitive and hurtful, and it bothers you, and you have every right to ask them to not do it.”
The redhead fidgeted in her seat under the serious gaze. “...it’s my own fault though,” she confessed. “I did this to myself—I chose to be a selfish, self centered, arrogant, manipulative po—person, and it...it took a lot to make me see the monster I had become.” Like literally becoming a she-demon, her mind added. “...and now that I am trying to change, to be better...I...” she paused, trying to find an appropriate metaphor. “It’s a cage of my own making,” she said at last. 
The older woman flipped the egg, then cut the burner off to let it finish cooking from residual heat. Then she crossed back across the kitchen to kneel next to Sunset’s chair.  “It shouldn’t be,” she pointed out gently, tucking some loose strands of hair behind one amber colored ear. “There's a very big difference between learning to be a better person and pretending to be someone you aren’t or lying about how you feel.  The same goes for making mistakes or not always being perfect. You aren’t going to be perfect, sweetie, no matter how smart you are. You’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to do things that sometimes hurt other's feelings, and sometimes, you’re going to absolutely make a wrong decision...but that’s life. Punishing yourself for things that are part of being a person, learning to fear your flaws isn’t going to help you be a better person—it’s just going to make you afraid of living your life in a way others might disapprove of—which means you’ll be denying yourself happiness.”
Sunset met Velvet’s eyes, feeling tears well up again. “If I don’t, how will I stop myself from being a monster again? I don’t want to go back to feeling that way, to hurting others!”
“You do what most of us do—you learn to curb your negative impulses, to work on overcoming your flaws, and learn how far is too far.” Twilight Velvet patted one of Sunset’s hands lightly. “And you rely on people you trust to help you learn and keep you on track. I know you trust Twily a great deal, and I want you to know you can always come talk to me or Night, and I’m certain Shining and Cadence would tell you the same thing. We will listen, and try to offer the best advice we can. You aren’t alone, Sunset, I promise you.”
Blinking the tears away, the unicorn-turned-girl hugged herself, fingers gripping her elbows tightly.  “...do you think...should I really tell the girls that it hurts? It’s...not something that they’re doing to be malicious, and...I...it doesn’t...make me want to run and cry or anything...it just—it brings up bad memories, things I’m trying to move beyond...things I keep wishing others would let stay in the past. I don’t want to seem like I’m pretending those things never happened, because I’m not, they did, and I really was so awful...and it’ s taken so much to be friends with them, I just don’t want to lose that.”
Velvet considered for a moment before answering. “I believe that if they really are your friends, they would be very upset to learn you’ve not said anything when they do something that hurts your feelings, accident or not. More than that...if they’re your friends for real, then they should like and accept you for who you really are, no matter what. This includes whatever lies in your past, and everything about who you are as a person.”
Something nudged Sunset’s mind, and the things she’d told the others when she’d snapped them free of the Sirens' magic echoed in her ears.  She found herself repeating them aloud, realizing that while she’d provided the advice to her friends, she had failed to apply it to herself.  “...if you don’t work through the smallest problem, right at the start, the magic of friendship can be turned into something else...”
Her girlfriend’s mother let out a soft laugh. “An unusual turn of phrase, but you aren’t wrong. If it bothers you, talk to them, let them know. You can be tactful but still speak up for yourself.”
Sunset felt her lips turn up in a slight smile. “...I can see where Twilight gets it,” she told Velvet as the woman stood and returned to fixing the former unicorn’s lunch.
“Believe it or not, she takes after her father a lot more than she takes after me...but I like to think she’s gotten a few things from me too.” She winked at Sunset.
“...Yeah...but even when I talk about what I’ve done, who I used to be...you’re still nice to me. You haven’t thrown me out on my hindquarters. None of you have. Twilight’s the same...I tried to discourage her the night we met, you know that? Told her how awful I was, that I was a terrible person who she shouldn’t be friends with because I’d make a regular mule of myself...” Sunset shook her head. “And she didn’t care. Told me that she thought I’d be a good friend and that she wanted to be my friend.” She met Velvet’s eyes as the woman set the sandwich on its plate in front of her. “You guys are the same—you make special food for me, you let me join in your holidays, you let me stay over all the time...and there’s no shadow hanging over me here. You know—I know Twilight told you about what I’ve done, and I’ve admitted it too...and it doesn’t matter to any of you. I’m not Sunset Shimmer, She-Demon of CHS, when I’m here, I’m just Sunset...I’m Sparky’s best friend, who drives that motorcycle I know you wish I didn’t let her ride on, who doesn't eat meat like a normal human, who —”
Velvet interjected, “—who is a caring, sensitive, sweet girl with a big heart who has been dealt some seriously rough cards for someone so young, and despite some stumbling, has managed to keep that heart despite the odds. You were never a monster, Sunset, not compared to the real monsters in this world. You made bad choices, you lashed out in anger and hurt, and you fell, hard—you're not the first child to do so, and you won't be the last. But you wised up. You realized what you were doing was wrong, and you wanted to change.”
She sat down in her chair again, still smiling warmly.  “You mentioned at Thanksgiving how you were grateful for second chances.  I was always taught that giving someone a chance should be without bias or reservations, because sometimes, all a person needs to be better than they were is a chance to prove it to themselves.”
Biting her lip, Sunset squeezed her elbow to help steady her emotions. “That...means...more to me than I can ever explain,” she responded in a small voice.  
“You don’t have to—there are ways to make a point without words, Sunset. Now eat before your sandwich gets soggy.”  With that, Velvet reopened her laptop and resumed typing, giving Sunset the opportunity to make short work of the sandwich...though she readily paused in her work to craft two more sandwiches.  And if someone had asked Sunset, she would have happily called those the most delicious sandwiches she’d ever eaten.
> Chapter Thirty Eight: Uneasy Lies the Head...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It felt good to park her bike in school’s parking lot again instead of down the block and around the corner, Sunset decided as she pulled her helmet off on Tuesday morning and shook out her hair.  Stowing the helmet, she retrieved the containers Velvet had pressed into her hands on her way out the door of the house that morning, one containing a lunch, and the other, breakfast.  That had been a novel experience, and she still wasn’t sure how to feel about it. When she was a filly, Celestia had often made breakfast—she had yet to find pancakes or waffles in the human world that could match those made by the Solar Princess—which had often been the only meal they shared, and she had always gone back to the palace for lunch when she was at CSGU, simply ordering something from the kitchens. As for her tenure in the human world, she had been living on her own all but the briefest period of time, and had to rely on herself to fix her meals and decide what to eat at school. Having Velvet see her off that morning with two meals and a hug made her feel...
Truth be told, she wasn’t sure how she felt. The emotions were too new, too different from anything she’d experienced before to accurately be able to pin them down. There was longing—that was something she was more than a little familiar with, but the rest of it was more complicated and foreign, and it made her throat tight and her eyes burn if she thought too much about it. 
Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts and put the confusing emotions on the back-burner, Sunset made a quick trip to her locker to leave what she didn’t need for her first class behind before ducking back outside to wait for the girls by the statue while she dug into the breakfast she’d been given: a few muffins, still warm from the oven, and tasting of oats and honey, with a rich, nutty undertone that had her having to force herself not to gobble them down, a homemade fruit salad with some of her favorite fruits, and a snack bag filled with almonds. The redhead couldn’t help but smile as she munched happily on her meal. Her girlfriend’s mother was extremely determined to make up for all the meals she’d missed the week before and then some, going so far as to make suggestions or experiment with a variety of foods Sunset never would have thought to try—or, in many cases, had never known about—in order to provide her with a much broader selection of meals and better nutrition...and that didn’t even begin to touch on the offer she’d made to Sunset the night before at dinner.



Sunset blinked at Velvet across the dinner table. “What?”
“I was asking if you’d consider staying over for the rest of the week, Sunset.  I know you said you’re feeling better with a few good nights’ sleep, but I would feel better knowing you’re getting some more filling meals in you.” Velvet offered her the serving spoon for the roasted potatoes and veggies. “I know you’re a capable young woman, and if you would rather go back home tomorrow, I won’t be angry or upset, but I wanted to at least put it to you as an offer to consider.”
Silence filled the air as the former unicorn struggled to process what she was hearing. “...I...I don’t want to impose...” she finally responded hesitantly, feeling Twilight’s hand squeeze her knee under the table. 
“It’s not an imposition if we invite you,” Night Light pointed out.
Sunset looked down at her plate, warring with herself.  She really wanted to stay, surrounded by the feelings that being there evoked—not to mention the benefit of spending more nights with Twilight in her arms—but that desire was countered by waves of guilt, anxiousness, fear, and more than a small dose of paranoia. She didn’t want to lose what she had there, and in her experience, just when she started to relax, that was when things always went pear-shaped for Sunset Shimmer.
“...Sunny...?” Twilight’s voice made her look towards the nerdy teen. “You okay?”
She gave a shaky nod, before looking back at Velvet and Night. “....you...really don’t mind? You...want me here? It’s not going to...I dunno...disrupt your week or anything?”
“You aren’t a disruption,” Night Light offered, grinning cheekily at the two teens. “In fact, I’ve considered trying to get you to come around more—ever since you started coming over, we’ve had less explosions in the garage. Somehow, Sunset, you've accomplished the impossible: you’ve reined in Twily’s dangerous levels of curiosity to a range that isn't so hard on the structural integrity of our house.” 
“Daaad!” Twilight protested. “That only happened four times!”
“Six, dear,” her mother corrected. 
Twilight pouted, making Sunset laugh and throw an arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders. “Alright...if it’ll keep this nerd from blowing up the house, I’ll stay a few more days.”



“Mornin’, Sunset! Yer lookin’ like ya feel heaps better!”
Jolted from the memory, Sunset’s head snapped up sharply, only for her to relax at seeing Applejack and Rarity standing nearby. “...yeah,” she replied. “I spent most of the last few days asleep. That really helped.”
Rarity moved forward and bent down to hug her. “Please tell me you ate something in the last two days as well, darling!”
Sunset held up the empty container after Rarity released her. “That’s pretty much all I’ve done besides sleeping, Rarity,” she admitted. “Just finished my breakfast.” She looked worriedly between the pair. “How about everyone else? How is everyone doing?”
“Iffin ya mean us, Ah think we’ve all been a might tired,” AJ admitted. “Rainbow skipped out on school yesterday too. The rest of us jus’ plowed on through.” Then she glanced at the designer next to her in one of those silent conversations they were prone to having.
Adjusting her bag, Rarity picked up the train of thought, “However, if you mean the rest of the school...that news is...less optimistic, shall we say?” Smoothing her skirt, she say next to Sunset on the marble. “Some people were absent, but most of our fellow students seem to be taking things in stride. A fair portion inquired about you yesterday, actually—quite the change from recent weeks.”
Sunset shrank in on herself a bit, remembering what Adagio had said. “....that might be because of the Sirens. I think they may have been hanging around the area for a lot longer than a week or two.”  When the pair looked at her, she elaborated, “When I confronted them in the halls...they knew about me. Things they couldn't have learned in so short a time, and the way they talked...it just feels like they planned last week with a lot more detail than a spur of the moment thing. It...kind of makes me wonder if they were responsible for some of the things people were doing to me, and it would explain how quickly they seemed to be able to muster the power to control the whole school.” 
Applejack frowned. “Whaddya mean ‘when ya confronted them?’ Ah don’t remember that.”
“What don’t you remember, Applejack?!” A blur of pink was suddenly hanging off the farmer’s shoulders cheerfully. “A birthday? An anniversary? A birth-iversary? Where you hid the last batch of cider?”
“Ah was sayin’ Ah don’t remember Sunset confrontin’ them sea-devils in the halls.” She crossed her arms over her chest, turning stern green gaze back on the seated girl. “Well, sugah, ya gonna share?”
Three sets of eyes were watching her intently, and Sunset could see Fluttershy and Rainbow approaching across the grass. She waited until they got close before answering. “It was when you were all practicing, during the elimination rounds. I...I got sick, in the bathroom. When I was headed back, I heard them talking about what they were doing, laughing about hurting people, and it...” Blue-green eyes dropped to the ground, unable to look at her friends. “I got so angry. I snapped and I...I confronted them when they got close. I couldn’t stop myself...I wanted to hurt them, to make them stop hurting everyone.”
She hunched forward, hanging her head and feeling shame creeping over her. “I came so close to doing it, I fell so easily back into the old Sunset Shimmer...I’m sorry...”
“Sorry? For wanting to punch the Sirens in the throats to shut them up? Pul-eeze, I think most of us wanted to do that!” Rainbow looked around the group. “Am I right?”
Fluttershy’s voice was almost too soft to hear. “I didn’t...”
There was a sniff from Rarity. “Rainbow Dash, a lady does not go around ‘punching throats’ to solve problems—that being said, anger and frustration are understandable emotions given the circumstances.”
“Ah did.” 
Sunset’s head snapped up. Applejack took her hat off, rubbing the back of her neck. “Ah thought ‘bout it. Didn’ think it’d work against magic, so Ah didn’ try. Don’t mean Ah didn’ want ta.”  She looked at Sunset, expression serious.  “Ain’t nothin’ ya need ta apologize fer, is what Ah’m gettin’ at.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie dropped down and hugged the former bully with one of her rib-crushing bear hugs. “Just because you got angry doesn’t mean you’re turning back into a super meanie mean pants!  My sister, Limestone, gets mad aaaaall the time, and she’s never turned bad from it!”
Once again, the differences between humans and ponies seemed to be smacking her in the face in ways she never expected as Sunset looked to each of her friends. “So...it’s...you’re not upset with how I confronted them?”
Rarity waved a hand. “Heavens, no, darling! While I don’t condone brawling like an unwashed ruffian, feeling angry and inclined towards violence is a completely understandable response given the circumstances, and I applaud your ability to restrain yourself.”  The tailor paused, studying Sunset closely. “Is there a reason you expected us to be upset at you, Sunset?”
Hugging herself, the redhead found the truth falling from her lips before she could think to deflect. “...because it’s not okay in Equestria.”
Blue eyes narrowed in concern. “Can you elaborate, darling? I suspect this is one of those cultural differences.”
One hand ran through her hair. “Yeah, sure...um...ponies...don’t get mad like I do. We get mad, sure, but the ‘mad enough to explode with violence’ thing? It...doesn’t really happen. Ponies argue, or get into disagreements, but most of the time it's solved with words, or some form of competition. Sure, we use violence when we have to, but even then...it’s a last resort and almost nopony is angry-angry. Even ponies who might seem like they want to fight are driven by other emotions, like bravado or ego or stubbornness.” 
Sunset shifted, looking down again.  “I’ve...always been different in that respect. I get angry in ways most ponies don’t—I’ll just get madder and madder until...” she snapped her fingers. “Just like that, something breaks inside me, and I lose control and I don’t care about anything but hurting the cause of those feelings. It doesn’t even require it to be anything big or super important to make me angry like that.”
“Like the night of the Formal,” came Fluttershy’s quiet tones as she sat on Sunset’s other side, sandwiching the former unicorn between her and Pinkie.  “You had given up, and when we started thanking Twilight, you got super angry.”
Her cheeks burned with shame. “Yeah. Just like that...I heard you all telling her how wonderful and special she was, how everyone thought she was everything I had ever wanted to be…and it just…I couldn’t take it. I wanted to make someone—anyone, at that point—see that I was just as good as she was, that she wasn’t as special as everyone thought…I lost it, and I didn’t care if I hurt anyone anymore. Anything to make her feel like I felt…You all saw how that turned out.” Sunset pressed her hands to her face. “That…wasn’t a first time thing. It’s been something I’ve had all my life…and whenever I got mad like that in Equestria...ponies got upset with me.” 
Rainbow Dash snorted derisively. “They got mad that you got angry? Sure, maybe you get angry more than some people, but so the fuck what?  Sounds like Equestria isn’t so great after all if something little like that gets them all pissy.”
Fluttershy hugged Sunset around the shoulders gently. “There’s no reason to be ashamed of getting angry, Sunset. Everyone gets really angry sometimes—even me. That’s normal and actually very healthy.  It’s how you handle your anger that’s more important.”
Hearing Fluttershy—sweet, soft spoken, shy Fluttershy—admit to being furious made Sunset’s brain grind to a shuddering halt. “What?” she whispered in disbelief, lowering her hands to stare at the girl in question. “You’ve been angry enough to want to hit someone?”
Another snort, this time in eerie surround sound as it emanated from Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow. “I take it you’ve never had the misfortune to cross paths with Shy’s brother,” Dash snarked.  “He’s an infuriating piece of shit...”
“He really is quite...problematic,” Fluttershy agreed.
Brain still trying to restart, Sunset’s mouth opened and shut a few times without anything coming out. Rarity cleared her throat. “Zephyr Breeze and his uncouth demeanor aside, Fluttershy is right, Sunset. We all get angry enough sometimes that even the most pacifistic soul considers lashing out in aggression and hurt.”  A frown pulled at her lips. “...and I’m not sure simply telling you that you were wrong to feel that way has been...particularly helpful...in your situation. Telling someone they are wrong for having feelings of one kind or another doesn’t do anything constructive.”
Sunset shook her head. “It just made me angrier...and sneakier. I learned ways to get around getting trouble by doing things they couldn’t pin on me.”
Applejack dropped down to a kneeling position before the redhead, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. “...since it seems like nobody has ever told ya anythin’ useful about yer temper, Ah’m gonna pass along a bit o’ Apple wisdom Ah learned from...from mah daddy. Ah want ya ta listen real good, cuz it’s important. Some folks, we’re just born with a temper, a nasty, ugly lil’ critter that lives in a cage inside us, always wantin’ out.  Nothing wrong with having a temper—t’ain’t no shame in bein’ born with that fire in yer belly, cuz when push comes ta shove, that fire kin see ya through a lot, give ya strength when most folks give up ‘r run away. But ya also have ta understand that yer stronger in a lotta ways than other people and those strengths give ya ways ta hurt folks, real bad. Mebbe not by breakin’ their arms like Ah can, but hurt is hurt, an’ Ah don’ think ya want that. It means ya gotta learn when it’s okay ta fight an’ when its better ta walk away. ‘Specially if all they’re throwing is talk—talk ain’t worth bloodyin’ yer knuckles over. Save that fer when yer protectin’ people ya love.”
“But...I’ve hurt ponies—people when I get angry! All I want to do is make them hurt...even now, as much as I’m trying to be different! It’s like there’s a monster inside me, and I don’t understand...why are you all okay with it!? You’re telling me this is normal? Wanting to hit someone until you feel bones break, until they go down screaming and don’t get back up is normal? As violent as humans can be, even your species doesn’t go around doing that, and I’m a unicorn! Ponies aren’t supposed to feel like this! It goes against everything we are!” It all came out in a rush, the shame and humiliation and self loathing, Sunset finding herself unable to stop the rant once it started.
“Look, Sunset,” Rainbow interjected. “Feelings are just feelings.  By themselves they aren’t good or bad.  And...I don’t know any ponies besides you and Twilight, but...fuck ‘em. They can’t be all that great if they make a kid feel bad for having feelings.  Even I know that it’s not what you feel—it’s what you do with those feelings that matters.  Did you fuck up when you hurt people? Was it wrong to hurt them? Yeah, it probably was. But...just because it doesn’t make what you did right, it doesn’t make your feelings wrong...and we get that. Humans are...kinda big on screwing up like that.” She leaned forward and punched Sunset’s shoulder lightly. “Besides, that’s what friends are for. If you’re being a total bitch, we’ll be the first to let you know.”
The knot of shame and embarrassment started to unravel in her chest, replaced by a relief so powerful it brought tears to her eyes. Sunset wiped them away, but the girls had already seen, and she found herself at the heart of one of their group hugs. “Thank you,” she breathed, not even entirely sure what she was thanking them for.
When the hug ended, Sunset exhaled. “I didn’t hit them, but I wanted to. Didn’t really matter in the end—they...they knew. They knew I’m from Equestria, they knew you girls beat me...they knew what I used to be, that they’d been watching for weeks, maybe even months. If they were watching that long...”
“You think that they influenced the students who were harassing you, darling?”
Sunset shrugged. “It’s the only explanation I have for how fast people changed their opinion about me—they were smiling and waving at me right after the Battle of the Bands.  If there wasn’t magic involved, then teenagers are more fickle than I ever realized…but if they were under the influence of the Sirens all along...then the magic on Saturday would have purged that.”
“It would certainly be nice if that was true,” Fluttershy murmured. “I like the way the students are acting now a lot more than when everyone was being mean and hurtful.” Then she frowned. “It’s just too bad our magic didn’t help the teachers like it did the students...”
The former unicorn frowned, eyes flitting between her friends. “What’s wrong with the teachers?”
“They ain’t handlin' the whole thing the best, truth be told,” AJ admitted. “Ah dunno what those Sirens did ta them, but a bunch have quit, and a bunch more are jumpier than a long-tailed cat in a room full o’ rockin’ chairs.”
Worry brought Sunset to her feet. “What’s Principal Celestia doing about it? Has she said anything? Or Vice Principal Luna? Are they absent too?”  Luna had looked as haggard as Sunset had felt, last time they talked, and she hadn't seen Celestia since before the big showdown. 
Rarity placed a hand on her arm.  “Calm down, darling. They were here yesterday, or at least the vice principal was. I caught a glimpse of Principal Celestia as well in the morning, but no one else saw her the rest of the day.”
A scoffing sound came from Rainbow Dash. “I’m sure they're fine,” the athlete stated with conviction. “Principal Celestia is one hell of a woman—a some evil magical monsters aren’t going to throw her off her game! I mean, sure, they were ugly freaks at the end, but it’s not like they did anything really bad to anyone—especially since we beat them!”
Brows furrowed, Sunset knew that something wasn’t adding up.  Celestia, hiding in her office? That didn’t mesh with what she knew about the woman or the mare. Memory tickled her consciousness...



“Why do we have to go, Princess?” The filly asked sleepily, her blankie draped over her and a well loved plush toy hugged tightly with one foreleg.  
The white coated alicorn scooped Sunset up in her warm, golden magic and brought her close. “Because it’s the right thing to do, my little sun. My ponies are hurting—you see, the rain made the local mountain too heavy, and a bunch of mud fell off it. Some ponies have been badly hurt and others have no homes anymore.”
“Didja know the ponies there? Are they your friends?” Sunset wrinkled her nose up in worried confusion. 
“No, Sunset. None of them are ponies I know, but they need me there all the same.” The Princess of the Sun hugged the filly to her chest and leapt easily into the large carriage.
“But why? It’s night time! I’m sleepy....”
“I know, and I’m sorry to have woken you up, little sun. But those ponies need to know that they aren’t alone right now, that their princess is with them while they start to heal. Just like how you need me to stay with you when you’re sick—that always helps you feel better faster, doesn’t it?”
Sunset nodded drowsily. It was always nice when the princess stayed close to her when she was sick. She felt warm and safe then.
“I’ll explain it more when you’re older, Sunset. Go back to sleep for now, and have sweet dreams...” After signaling to the guards, Celestia began humming Sunset’s lullaby, luring the tired filly back to sleep.



She shook off the echo of her past and brought herself back to the here and now. “No...Celestia wouldn’t just hide in her office if she was all right. She’d be out there, in the halls, making sure her people were okay.”
Sunset sighed. “Look, girls, I still have more I want to talk about, but I need to find the principals and talk to them. I’ll meet you in the music room during my free period, okay? We can eat lunch there and work out some details on magic training.”
Fluttershy gave her another hug. “Of course, Sunset. We’ll meet you in the music room—won’t we, girls?”
There was a collective nod from the group, and AJ tipped her hat back. “Ah’ll head in an’ reserve it fer us,” she told them. “Just fer today, Sunset, ‘r d’ya want it fer the rest of the week too?”
Breaking from the group, the former unicorn glanced back. “All week, if it’s possible, Applejack...I have a feeling we are going to need it.” Then her feet carried her inside, on a mission to track down the school’s administrators.
> Chapter Thirty Nine: ...That Wears a Crown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset adjusted her backpack as she slipped out of her math class. The more she saw of the atmosphere in the school, the more agitated she was becoming.  Her math teacher—who had, even in her worst bullying days, treated her amicably—practically cowered away from her, refusing to meet her eyes and studiously ignored her during the entire lesson, and she’d seen one of the chemistry teachers jump in fright when someone banged loudly on a locker in the halls. Even her earlier attempt to find out how Principal Celestia was doing had proved fruitless and frustrating.



Raven shook her head again at the student. “I’m sorry, Sunset, but the principals are busy in a meeting. I’ll be happy to let them know you stopped by.”
She bit her lip, thinking, even as her ears picked up the rise and fall of voices on the other side of Celestia’s office door. She couldn’t make out what was being said, but it sounded like an argument. “...and you’re sure they won’t be finished any time soon?” Sunset asked the secretary.
“Not with any free time, I’m sorry to say,” the bespectacled older woman admitted. “Things are...a bit hectic right now. A lot of bureaucratic red tape and forms to process.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Because of the Sirens and the magic. I’m sorry.”
Raven arched one eyebrow. “You are not responsible for the choices of others, especially adults.”
The redhead looked at Raven, comparing the serious woman to the mare she had known in her youth. “...so what I heard is true then. A bunch of teachers have quit because of what happened last week, haven’t they?”
Brown eyes met hers with a sort of grim seriousness. “I am...not at liberty to discuss the finer details with a student, but it is likely that there will be some schedule shuffling required for the next semester. Unfortunately, not everyone handles unpleasant events in life as well as they should.”  
Sunset warred with herself about the words that were on the tip of her tongue, before deciding to take the chance.  “Principal Celestia is one of the ones not handling what happened so well, isn’t she?” the former unicorn asked in a soft voice.
The secretary’s expression remained the same, but Sunset saw confirmation in her eyes, heard it in what she didn’t say. “Principal Celestia has an extremely full plate, which carries its own weight and challenges.”
“That isn’t a no, Miss Raven. Please...I just want the truth. If you can tell me she is handling it just the same as she would any other school-wide crisis, I’ll leave it alone.  But I don’t think that’s the case this time.  The Celestia I know would do everything she could to make sure those under her care and supervision saw her, knew she was trying to help them, not spend the days hiding in her office.” 
The silence stretched between them, before the secretary looked away. “I think we both know you already have the answer you are looking for. I’ll tell Luna you stopped in to check on things. You should get to class before you’re late.”



She shook her head, snorting irritably. She had yet to hear anything from the vice-principal either, and it was getting close to lunch. Sunset was already weighing whether or not she should try to catch either of the sisters after school, or if she should put it off until tomorrow morning. Since she’d agreed to stay the next few nights at Twilight’s house, she needed to do some laundry and snag some clean clothes to bring back with her.
“There she is! Just go ask her!” 
Sunset looked up, a gathering of junior high students blocking her path, all looking worried and inquisitive. At the back of the group were Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Um...what’s up?” she asked, shifting her weight to her back foot to give herself a little more space.
The group started looking to each other awkwardly, before Sweetie Belle sighed in exasperation. “They wanna know if the Dazzlings are gone for good.”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo piped up. “We tried to tell them that you guys blasted them good and broke the things they were using to make people do what they wanted, cuz that’s what Rainbow Dash told us!” Then she crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. “They just don’t believe us...”
“Is it true, Sunset Shimmer?” a pale skinned boy with messy brown hair asked. “Are they gone for good?” His lip quivered. “They hurt my favorite teacher, super bad and now she’s gone.”  There was a murmur of agreement, and the air was thick with anxious tension.
Sunset took a deep breath, trying to settle her own nerves and push back the sensation of fear prickling at her. Then she offered them what she hoped looked like a friendly smile and not the awkward grimace it felt like. “They can’t use magic like that to hurt anyone anymore,” she confirmed. “When the girls and I fought them, we broke their magic necklaces. Without those, they were no different than a normal kid. So even if you see them, they can’t affect you.”
Another one of the younger children, this one a girl with frizzy hair, reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Can I tell my English teacher that? She was crying yesterday when I got to class, and she looked so scared, like when my baby sister has a nightmare or thinks there’s a monster under her bed.” The girl looked ready to cry herself. “Please? Can I tell her? She’s so nice and fun, and I don’t want her to leave too...and if she hears that it's safe and they can't come back because you made sure to break their magic...maybe it will help?”
Sunset’s heart gave a painful twist, and without stopping to think, she placed a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “You can tell her. They can’t hurt anyone like that ever again. I promise.”  The vaguest sense of magic fluttered around her and the younger children, heavy but…liberating, in a strange way, as if her words had triggered a spell she wasn’t aware she was casting.
The former unicorn swore she could feel the tension seep out of the air like water going down a drain. The brown haired boy smiled up at her. “Thanks so much, Sunset Shimmer! I know I feel better now! I was afraid they’d come back!”
“Um...guys...” Sweetie started, only to be interrupted by the bell. 
“Crap! We’re late! If I get another tardy, I’m so grounded!” one of the boys yelped. The pack of junior high students scattered, leaving Sunset alone once more in the halls.
The exchange lingered in her thoughts as she climbed the stairs, lost in thought. So many of the teachers she’d seen today had been out of sorts in one fashion or another, with some jumping at shadows, while others had been short on patience and temper, snapping at the slightest provocation from the students, and still more looked at her—and her friends—like they were either the epitome of evil or much the way she had seen some humans look upon their religious icons. The severity of the difference in reaction between the students and the staff at the school left a bad taste in her mouth—but also a growing sense of determination. This couldn’t happen again…this was Equestria’s fault, and that made it her responsibility to fix what she, her kind, and her homeworld had done to this world and its denizens. 
Sunset paused with her hand on the music room door, looking in through the window to see her friends already gathered. They looked relaxed, carefree, with Pinkie already well into devouring her lunch early and Rainbow having an arm wrestling match with Applejack.  It made her wonder how much of what she had pointed out to them had really sunk in, or if the magic and mayhem was still mostly a ‘great adventure’ in their minds. She couldn’t do this without them, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to let them continue to think of this all as some sort of game.
That in mind, the redhead pushed open the door. “Hey girls,” she said, interrupting their various activities. “Sorry for bailing on you earlier, but I wanted to see what was going on with the principals for myself.”
“Perfectly understandable, darling,” Rarity assured. “What did you manage to learn?”
Shaking her head, Sunset took a seat on the piano bench. “…Things are worse than I thought. The students are mostly okay—the ones that aren’t I suspect will be back to normal by the end of Winter Break, but…I don’t like the way this has affected the teachers. I…I think that the Sirens were a lot more cruel and sadistic with them, and…” she rubbed her neck. “I think it was like what I saw with the principals. It wasn’t the subtler emotional manipulation they used on the students. I think they used active mind-control…and…that they might’ve tortured them.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Whaddya mean, ‘tortured?’” Her hands clenched into tight fists, her shoulders tense and rigid. Rarity set her own lunch aside to reach out and curl pale digits around the blonde’s wrist, slowly getting that fist to relax so she could thread their fingers together and squeeze lightly.
Sunset rubbed her face. “I can’t say for certain exactly what they did—I was with you girls most of the time, and when I wasn’t, I was running interference for you. What I can go by is two things: the reactions of the adults here at the school after the fact, including Principal Celestia’s hiding in her office, and…something similar from Equestria’s history.” Sitting straighter, she took a breath and forged onward. “A long, long time ago…thousands and thousands of years, before even Princess Celestia, ponies were divided. Each tribe: unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, tended their own territories and looked out for themselves. There was, in the beginning, a sort of tenuous peace. Each tribe needed the others to survive, and they all knew it. Unicorns were responsible for raising and lowering the sun and moon, pegasi managed the weather, and without earth ponies to tend the land, there would not be enough food for everypony. It was a form of Harmony, but a forced one.”  This was the beginning of every foal’s first introduction to the Hearth’s Warming Tale, and Sunset could feel herself falling into the familiar cadence of the retelling that was older than she was.  “That peace did not last forever. The pegasi and unicorn nations demanded a portion of earth pony crops as payment for the rain and sun that helped those crops grow, and were not unwilling to threaten the other nations with the withholding of those vital parts of life if they didn’t get what they wanted.”
The girls were listening now, watching her with confused interest and trying to figure out where this story was headed that related back to the Sirens. The former unicorn rubbed her forehead and sighed. “Now, if this was just me relating to you the Tale of the first Hearth’s Warming Eve, that’s as horrific as the tale would get….but the fact is, most ponies don’t know the whole story. They never read the first-hoof accounts written from the Warring Tribes Era, because those documents are kept in the palace library--access to them by the general populace is obviously restricted, since not just anypony can wander around the bulk of Canterlot Palace.” 
A shudder rippled through Sunset, just the memories enough to make her stomach churn with nausea. “I have read those accounts, and I fully understand why Princess Celestia keeps them restricted to dedicated scholars and those with royal permission, instead of teaching the full truth to the ponies of Equestria.  Earlier…when I talked about how…ponies don’t get angry and violent like I do…that wasn’t an exaggeration or a misdirection. So take that into account when I say that the reality of those accounts of the Warring Tribes Era…is not unlike humanity’s ‘World Wars.’  Violence, hatred, torture, atrocity—it was an extremely dark and horrible time in pony history, and there are places in my world that still bear the scars of what ponykind’s ancestors did to each other in their hate and hubris.”
Fluttershy shivered. “What could make them do all that?” she asked.
“Creatures like the Sirens,” Sunset answered firmly. “Powerful, twisted monsters called Windigos, icy beings of air and cold that fed on anger and hate and brought eternal winter and ice in return.  Every depiction I’ve ever seen, including the ones from those horrible accounts, described them in ways that were almost identical to those flying hippocampi avatars the Sirens used against us, except less fish scales and they were white and gray and blue, like clouds and snow and ice. They almost destroyed Equestria and all of ponykind, and the lesson we learned there completely changed how our society worked.  It was only by accident that we stopped them. You see, the tribes fled the eternal winter and the death that came with it, and all three groups stumbled across the same beautiful, warm, green land…only for the winter to follow when the hatreds and old anger overtook them again. It was in their most desperate and final hour, when the ice had trapped the refugees in a cave, that those who were tired of the fighting came together to spend their last few hours not as enemies, but as friends, that—”
“Wait, wait…” Dash interrupted her. “I know Twilight spouted a lot of stuff about the ‘Magic of Friendship’ and that that’s the source of our superpowers, but…you can’t be serious, Sunset? Do ponies really believe that ‘hugging it out’ fixes everything?” 
“Rainbow!” AJ hissed. 
“No…it’s okay, Applejack. I can understand where Dash is coming from,” the redhead said, shaking her head in good humor. “I felt that way myself until recently, remember? I asked the same kind of thing from Princess Celestia when I first learned all this. The truth is, Rainbow, yes. A lot of pony response to problems is the friendlier, more diplomatic solutions first, on both big and small levels. Ponies prefer to talk out problems, come to compromises, or if the need arises, use competitions to settle disputes.  And a big part of that is because of the Windigos, because when those last ponies spent time as friends instead of enemies, laughing and talking and singing instead of trying to hurt each other or argue, it affected their magic, and that magic lit a fire in their hearts that drove the Windigos away, ending the eternal winter and beginning the era of a unified Equestria, where all three tribes came together to support each other instead of use each other.  Ponies commemorate it every year as a mid-winter celebration, to remind us why we ‘hug things out.’  The memory of the way we almost destroyed ourselves went a long way to reshaping our society forever, because even if nopony alive has ever seen a Windigo, in a world of magic and wild monsters, we all know they are extremely possible.  There’s an intrinsic link in Equestria between magic and emotion that is well documented, after all.” 
Sunset considered it, then elaborated on an earlier point. “In point of fact, the link is so strong that it's why there are still places in Equestria scarred from the Warring Tribes Era.  That kind of dark magic seeps into the very earth, poisoning it for hundreds of generations if it’s strong enough…”  She searched for a comparison, and muddled through the disasters and atrocities that had overwhelmed her more than once in history class.  “…I suppose an apt comparison would be nuclear materials and the radiation they leave behind if they exist in a high enough concentration…Like…um…the power plant that failed in…Russia? The one they went over in world history last year.” 
Applejack arched a brow. “Chernobyl?” she drawled.
Right. The one that sounded like something from an essay on the linguistics of obscure ancient yak dialects. “…I think so. Anyway. Point is, dark magic does more than cause immediate danger, and yes, pony culture encourages diplomacy and cooperation over aggression and hostility.” She shrugged. “As you can imagine, I didn’t understand or appreciate Hearth’s Warming before I left Equestria...”
“Okay. So…ponies hug out all their problems. Great. What does that have to do with the Sirens?” The rainbow haired athlete crossed her arms over her chest.
“Ah think she’s talkin’ about how them Windigos were responsible for ponies doin’ terrible, horrible things ta each other, Dash. If they were like those sea-devils, then they twisted their feelin’s up, too. Am Ah right, Sunset?” Applejack had stepped closer to Rarity, more worried now than angry.
“That’s it exactly, Applejack. Windigos at their most powerful could make ponies go against their very natures and torture or kill each other in terrible, horrific ways. The Sirens may have fed on misery and strife instead of hate, but the idea is the same. They fed on negative emotions, and their magic exacerbated and twisted those negative emotions…and they could very clearly control people once they had enough power—that’s what they were doing to the principals, and they made a warped game of it, using it while I was watching to try and hurt me.”
Rarity’s blue eyes were diamond hard as she put the pieces together. “You think they used that mind control on the teachers to make them hurt each other against their will, to make them feel more of those negative feelings that the Sirens dined on.”
Sunset nodded firmly. “That’s exactly what I think.”
“That’s barbaric!” the designer responded, her hand moving to grip Applejack’s arm for support. 
Silence fell over the room as the revelation sunk in. Even Rainbow Dash looked like she felt sick, sitting down heavily next to Fluttershy, whose brows were pinched with deep thoughts even as she rubbed Rainbow’s back soothingly. Pinkie’s hair had wilted until the strands were almost perfectly straight, her cupcake half eaten and forgotten on its napkin.  
In the end, it was Fluttershy who broke the silence. “…We can’t let this happen again, can we, Sunset? That’s why you’re telling us this—that the things that could come at us here, using magic, they’re horrible and dangerous, and they can hurt people badly if we don’t stop them.”
“But we will stop them!” Dash straightened and punched her fist against her other palm. “We’re going to learn how to use these powers we have, so we can kick the ass of anything that tries this stuff again!”
Running her fingers through her hair, Sunset stood up and faced them all, completely serious. “You aren’t wrong, Fluttershy. I…might be trained in magic, and I can recite hundreds of spells, draw magic diagrams, teach complex magical theory at a level on par with even the best professors at CSGU, and even fill a bestiary with every major magical creature in Equestria, but…I don’t know this magic here, and I can’t do this without you girls. For better or worse, the Elements of Harmony, and whatever magic I’ve managed to access here? They’re a package deal—all or none. We either all stand and defend this world from magical threats, or none of us do.” As Rainbow started to open her mouth, the redhead held up a hand to forestall her commentary. “Let me finish, please. I can’t do it without you girls, but…I don’t want you all going into this with a false sense of what it is we are doing, what we could be up against. This…isn’t a video game, or a movie, or some kind of story. This is real. It’s dangerous. People can get hurt, and if we lose, we could die.” It hurt to bring up, but she addressed it. “I almost killed you all at the Fall Formal. I honestly thought I had, until the smoke cleared. …I was trying to kill Princess Twilight with that fireball—that wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate, and I didn’t care about the collateral damage. That’s the kind of thing we could be facing, at any time.”
“And it won’t be just us in danger. Our friends, our families, the people and places and things you love will be just as at risk from magical threats, because evil like the Sirens? Evil like…like the demon I was at the formal? Those don’t care who gets hurt or how. There are no do-overs, no extra lives, no continues.  I need to know you all understand that before you decide whether you’re willing to do this…or if you want to walk away now.”
Five sets of eyes watched her as her speech ended, five girls who mattered to her, five teens with powers they had never asked for being asked to make a choice that the adults of their kind would never believe them ready to make. Sunset felt the tingling of magic building in her soul as she stood before her friends, waiting for the answers they would give.
It was Applejack who stepped forward first, extending a hand. “Yer honesty is appreciated, Sunset…but fact is, life’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Life’s hard work, sweat, blood, and tears, an’ ya get back what ya put in. More’n that, if we don’t fight ta protect our homes an’ our kinfolk, who will? Ain’t seen no one else comin’ down with a case o’ magical powers like us.”  She met Sunset’s eyes stubbornly. “Ah’m in. Come Hell ‘r high-water—Apples don’ run scared from what needs doin’.”
Rarity followed half a heartbeat behind her, resting a white skinned hand delicately atop AJ’s. “Applejack is right, darling. We have these abilities that mean we can do something that others cannot, and life isn’t always easy, any more than love or friendship is always easy. If we can give others peace of mind and a chance to live life free from monsters like the Sirens, then I say we have a responsibility to do our best, to fight for those who cannot.”
“More than that…” Fluttershy’s soft spoken tones broke the air. “…it may not always be about fighting. If some of those are like you used to be, Sunset, then…maybe all they need is someone to help them, to show them that there is always a better way... And if they aren’t able to be helped…” she sighed. “…if they are that far gone, and all they want to do is cause pain and suffering to everyone, then it’s kinder to stop them before they hurt more people.”
Rainbow strutted forward, extending a hand alongside the others. “You know I’m in if any of you are. I’m not going to leave my pals hanging…and it’s like I said before, Sunset—Loyalty is about standing up for what you believe in, even if it costs you everything. Live or die, I’m with you guys against whatever darkness that comes our way, and I’m willing to give everything I have to stop it.  That’s what heroes do.” Despite the cocky swagger, her face was serious, her eyes lacking the arrogance and bravado she normally projected. “Besides, we’re a team—if we’re going to be doing this, there’s no one I’d rather have with me to do it than you guys! And nothing will change that.”
With each one of her friends that stepped forward, Sunset could sense the magic in the room growing, and blue-green eyes sought out an uncharacteristically quiet and serious looking Pinkie Pie.  Bright summer-sky eyes fixed on Sunset in return. “Do you know what the most important thing is?”
The intensity in her voice was startling, and Sunset found herself shaking her head. “...No...?”
Abruptly, Pinkie was inside her personal space bubble—something she seemed wont to do at the weirdest times. “Smiles, Sunset Shimmer! Smiles are more important than anything. They make the world so much better—look at how seeing smiles makes others happy!  A baby’s laugh, the smiles when you throw someone a party, the happiness from a random act of kindness to a friend—they make the world brighter! It’s why I try to make others laugh and smile...”
The pink party girl bounced back so she was with the group again, still incredibly serious.  “How could I live with myself if I said no? If I didn’t help you girls, then...I’d be the reason there were fewer smiles in the world, the reason it would be darker, filled with a little less good feeling, a little less light. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.” She stretched out her hand, placing it atop her friends, her hair springing back to its normal frizzy state. “Besides...you girls are my super bestest friends in the whole wide world! No way are we not going to do something this big together!” 
Sunset found herself smiling, magic surging through her veins as she stepped forward to join the circle, joining her hand with the rest. When she did, there was light, an aurora of colors that shimmered in the air around them with blinding brightness before dimming to something tolerable. Her ears twitched back in surprise at the sudden display, and she couldn’t stop the snort that escaped her nostrils at the same time.  All around them, magic had manifested into the visible spectrum, putting the group of girls at the heart of an ever shifting rainbow and drifting motes of light.
“Whoooa...” Rainbow stared at the colorful display, unconsciously flaring her wings. “This...is new.” 
“It’s pretty though,” Fluttershy murmured, tracing her free hand through the light. 
“Pretty? It’s simply stunning.” Rarity was awestruck. “It’s also inspiring!”
Sunset studied the magic for a breath longer, before old instincts kicked in and she focused on the energy in her core, trying to channel it into her horn. There was part of her hoping she could use a diagnostic spell, but at this point, she’d settle for even a foal’s shaky levitation as proof of concept. It was hard—her magical reserves were still dangerously low, and on top of the worrying magical exhaustion, her head ached with the strain of trying to channel magic through an alien body, but she could feel it suffusing her horn, generating more light in the process.
“Sunset?” Applejack’s voice broke the silence. “Are ya alright? Ya look...like yer in pai—uh...is yer horn s’posed ta do that?”
She could feel five sets of eyes on her, but she didn’t dare break her focus to open her eyes yet. “I’m...trying to use my magic...it’s...this body doesn’t...have the pathways like a unicorn does...so it’s...harder...” Her pulse pounded in her ears. “I...don’t think I’ve got enough in me right now...to even levitate a pencil...but...what’s my horn doing?”
“Uh..it’s got this red glow around it?” Fluttershy offered timidly. 
Air moved close to her face, and Sunset jolted back, losing her concentration as her eyes snapped open, finding Pinkie’s hand inches from her face, reaching towards her forehead. The magic in her horn fizzled out, and she grimaced at the beginnings of a headache. Twisting further away from Pinkie’s inquisitive hand, ears flattening to her skull, she felt her face grow hot from embarrassment. “Pinkie...please don’t touch my horn...”
“Awww...but I just wanted to see what the glowy magic felt like...”
Rarity stepped in as the magic in the air faded away, leaving them all as ordinary teenagers again. “Pinkie, Sunset explained this before. Manhandling that part of her anatomy is inappropriate where she’s from and it makes her uncomfortable.”
Rainbow Dash snickered. “Are you seriously telling that unicorn horns are like a guy’s—”
“Rainbow!” Applejack chastised. 
It didn’t stop the athlete from howling with laughter until tears were streaming down her face. “Do...do unicorns compare horn sizes too?” she managed between giggles.
Sunset wanted to sink into the floor. “It’s...it’s not like that! It's complicated, and only a unicorn really understands it!” Her face was burning all the way to the tips of her ears—now human shaped once more—humiliation and mocking laughter echoing in her mind from long ago taunts. How could she explain that her horn had been just one more way for the other foals to measure and find her wanting, pointing to everything about it that made it hers as ‘one more sign’ that she wasn’t worthy of even being Celestia’s student, let alone anything else?  She couldn’t even think of an appropriate comparison that humans would really get—it wasn’t like teasing someone about their height or weight.  It was something that called into question a unicorn’s very identity as a unicorn, even if it was unfounded and based entirely on prejudice and arrogance, rather than any arcano-biological facts.
“Sunset?”  The soft tones interrupted her train of thought. “You...wanted to know what it looked like, right? Here. I...took a picture for you.” Fluttershy held out her phone to the redhead, and Sunset got her first real look at herself ‘Ponied-up.’
“It’s red. Why...my magic isn’t red—it’s never been red,” she realized with confusion. 
“Whatever do you mean, darling? Red seems like a very appropriate color for you if you ask me. It fits your fiery coloring and passionate personality.” A white skinned hand touched her arm in concern. “Does red magic mean something bad for you?”
The former unicorn shook her head.  “Color doesn’t really mean anything...but...every unicorn’s magic is its own color, and that doesn’t change. Mine was never red. It was always sort of a...turquoise? Somewhere between blue and green…very close to the color of my eyes, now that I think about it.” She rubbed her temples. “I should write to Princess Twilight...See what she can find on the subject...and tell her what I’ve learned.”
She settled onto the piano bench again. “It was hard, but I think with a little practice, I might be able to do some of the most basic spells: minor telekinesis, a light spell, maybe something as complex as a basic diagnostic spell.  Simple stuff, though probably with an extremely inhibited range—I’m not sure the human brain can handle pushing the power out that far…but that could just be the fact that I’m still recovering. Still, it does suggest that the physical manifestations of pony traits are more than just for show—we already know Dash and Fluttershy can fly with their wings. I’d like to find out what else carries over.”
“We also ponied up without music,” Applejack pointed out. “An’ Ah dunno ‘bout anyone else, but it felt different ta me this time.”
“It did? That’s...important. It might’ve been because you guys were lacking Princess Twilight... which...makes me wonder how you can pony up at all without her here. She is the Bearer of Magic, and you need Magic for the Elements...or whatever power they left in you guys...to work.”
“Maybe it’s you, Sunset!” Pinkie suggested. “Maybe you represent some super secret magic that means we can pony-up even without Twilight! You did wear her magic crown thingy for a while, even if that was when you were all ‘grrrrrr! Curse you Twilight Sparkle!’”
Wincing, Sunset sighed. “I doubt that, Pinkie. As far as I’ve ever heard, there were only ever six Elements of Harmony, and I’m not a bearer for any of them. I’m not even sure why I pony-up at all.”
“Who cares if you represent some magical element in pony land?!” Rainbow dropped next to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Obviously, the magic here in ‘human land’ thinks you belong with us, and that’s all I need. We’re a team, Sunset, all six of us! And we’re gonna figure out how to make this magic work!” Rainbow’s stomach chose that moment to add its two cents, making it the soccer star’s turn to blush. “Uh...after lunch, that is.”
Laughter filled the music room.
> Interlude IX: Sol Invictus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Coffee hadn’t helped. Not even the incredible concentrated (and ridiculously expensive) variants of the caffeine laden ambrosia could keep her awake forever.  Nothing could, Celestia knew that beyond any doubt, but she just wasn’t ready to sleep yet. Not with what awaited her every time she closed her eyes.  The administrator shuffled her way into the school on her sister’s heels, barely acknowledging the subdued and concerned greeting from their secretary before she headed into her office and shut the door firmly behind her. It was only Wednesday, and the week was shaping up to be almost as bad as the one before, even without mind controlling monster-girls.
Celestia set her bag down next to her desk, practically falling into her chair. Her eyes sought out her inbox, frowning at the small stack of letters sitting there waiting to be opened. More resignations, she suspected, if the trend from so far in the week continued.



“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, ma’am, but these were dropped off for you this morning.” Raven extended a stack of plain white envelopes all bearing her name. “Sands, Starflower, Pots, Dew, Grease, plus Wrench, Hauler, and two of the new gentlemen from maintenance all left me these with their…’regrets.’” The firm and orderly woman frowned, expressing how she felt about the supposed regrets. “Quite unprofessional, if you ask me, and I can’t imagine it will look good on employment records for most of them.”
Brows furrowed, Celestia took the stack and pulled out the first one, scanning the contents.  It was a letter of resignation from Elbow Grease, the pleasant, middle aged man who had been the school’s auto-shop teacher, citing ‘personal reasons’ for vacating his position, effective immediately. The next was a nearly identical letter from Terracotta Pots, the art teacher, and after that followed a much less subtle one from White Sands, a geography teacher from the junior high section of the school, who outright cited ‘hazardous working environs’ as his reason for leaving.  The rest of the letters were in a similar vein, excuses for a plethora of teachers and staff forcibly terminating their employment at her school.
The principal raised exhausted eyes towards her secretary and old friend. “Raven,” she asked quietly, “…I assume you’ve already gotten substitutes for most of these, so I’m not even going to ask that.  What…what’s the attitude of the faculty overall? I can’t protect the students here if enough people leave to warrant an investigation by the school board.”
Raven shook her head. “I think it’s too early to tell, Celestia, but it might be a good idea to organize a staff meeting to figure out how to handle this whole thing. This isn’t like the dance, where it was six or eight of us, and between Doodle and Harshwhinny, everything was kept under wraps because who would believe a story about a demon girl and a magic crown?  This was the whole school, janitors, teachers, lunch ladies, both high and junior high students, everyone. We all saw it. We were all there….and some people aren’t going to handle the trauma of it as well as others.”
“…And they’re going to be looking at me for the answers.” Sighing and running a hand through pastel colored hair, Celestia closed her eyes. “…I…need to weigh my options before I call a meeting. Take my calls, and could you get me some more coffee? I think I’m going to need it.” Barely waiting for Raven’s response, she entered her office and shut the door.



In the end, she couldn’t blame the members of staff who resigned for it—the previous week had been a nightmare unlike any other for the staff of the combined schools she oversaw.  Where the monsters wearing the shape of teenage girls had only nudged the students into an emotional frenzy, they’d actually had to outright take control of the adults, trapping her, her sister, and the rest of her staff inside their own minds, able to see and hear and smell and think, but unable to take charge of their bodies’ actions, or the words that fell from their mouths…and then, to add to the horror, they’d spent the week’s nights tormenting and torturing their captives emotionally and psychologically, as if it were some great game. 
Some of the things they’d done would leave scars on their victims that might never heal, and they had been very good at dredging up things better left buried. They’d also gone out of their way to pit the adults against each other, to stir up natural strife during the moments of reprieve from the magic puppeteering their bodies. Celestia was absolutely certain that some of the teachers would never forgive her for the choices she had been forced to make.



“What?” Celestia stared at Adagio in disbelief.
“You heard me perfectly clear. You get the chance to pick who we use as our meal tonight, from all these lovely members of your staff.” She waved a hand lazily at the people all sitting obediently in rows on the floor like a set up of children’s toys, her serpentine eyes glinting with malice.
The blood drained from her face, and the principal threw her arms wide. “Then I choose me. Leave them alone.”
“Mmm…Sorry,” Aria deadpanned, leaning casually against a nearby wall. “It doesn’t work that way. You have to pick someone else—and don’t waste your time with the geezer in the tacky toupee or the woman whose face can cut glass. They’re already dead inside and I want a real meal.”
Tacky…oh. Doodle. As she looked across the faces of her staff, she could see the cantankerous history teacher with his normal scowl breaking through the blank expression of their tormentors’ control. The other had to be Harshwhinny; in all the years she’d worked with that woman, she’d never seen her crack even a tiny smile.  She shook her head and glared at the Sirens in defiance. “I refuse. You can have me, or no one. I won’t do that to my staff, any more than I would do it to one of my students.”
“Ooo! The students! That’s a better idea, Dagi! We could go to one of their houses and feed on them instead!” Sonata clapped her hands happily, before her own expression twisted into one that would haunt more than a few people’s nightmares for weeks to come. “…imagine what we could do with a whole family at our disposal!”
“…That is an idea,” the lead Siren hissed with interest. 



Rubbing her face, Celestia took a sip of her coffee. She knew Coach Will understood—he’d clapped on the shoulder so hard on Monday it had almost knocked her off her feet, and acknowledged her actions with respect instead of anger—but she couldn’t say the same for Turner, Cheerilee, or any of the other teachers she’d been made to single out over the week to keep the children relatively unharmed. It had been a terrible position to be in, having to choose between the men and women who worked diligently for her to educate young minds and the very young people that were entrusted into their care on a daily basis.
Now she had to figure out how to address those subordinates about the whole matter in the staff meeting after school that very day, and she had no earthly clue what she was supposed to say. Raven had been right; the fall dance disaster with Sunset had been one thing, with only a bare handful of adults present as chaperones and even fewer who’d been conscious to witness the magic that had happened. If she hadn’t been looking out the front doors when Sunset’s transformation had occurred, she herself might not have believed real magic was involved. This had spared no one in either school, and with her position as senior administrator over the combined campus, she had to not only field questions, but have a game plan for the staff going forward. There was a strong possibility that this was not the last they would see of strange events and magical mayhem.  She needed more information. She needed advice. She needed more coffee. She needed—
“Tia?” Her door opened to admit Luna. 
“Luna,” she responded, trying to put her mask back on, to cover how worn she was, with only moderate success.  
Her sister gave her a long look. “You know, you’re usually the one that has to remind me that caffeine is no substitute for sleep.  Are you certain you don’t want to talk about it? I’m willing to listen.”
A scowl crossed Celestia’s face. “I’ll be fine, Luna,” she replied tightly. “I don’t want to go retreading old ground. I’ve already been there a dozen times and more, and its something I don’t feel like dragging out to show you.” The older sibling took another swallow from her mug, this time to avoid her sister’s gaze. “What did you need from me? I’m still trying to sort paperwork and today’s resignation letters.”
Luna arched a brow at her, before accepting the topic diversion to look through the letters. “…three more?”
“All maintenance staff this time, thankfully. If we lose any more teachers, the school board is going to be crawling all over us wanting to know what is going on.” Celestia’s stomach gave a nasty lurch in time with a stab of pain shooting through her temples, and she swallowed against the rising gorge in her throat.  Several deep breaths through her nose managed to bring the nausea down enough that she felt she could keep the contents of her stomach from ending up all over her desk.
Contents? What contents—you’ve not even tried eating since yesterday. Even that stew that Luna produced from goodness knows where didn’t stay down long enough for any of it to actually get in your system, she railed at herself, before she realized what she was doing. Great…and now I’m talking to myself. You’re losing it Celestia. Get a grip!
  She pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing her eyes up to meet Luna’s, half certain that she’d find condemnation and anger in her sister’s unwavering gaze. “I’m sorry, Lulu…I’m at my wits end—I can’t even figure out what I’m going to say at the meeting today. How do I even start? There’s nothing in any handbook that teaches us how to handle magical monsters invading the school, otherworldly visitors, or portals to another realm.”
Dark eyes regarded her. “…Have you spoken to Sunset Shimmer yet?” 
Pain, guilt, and shame flooded her, and Celestia shook her head sharply. “I have not. I can’t face her, Luna, not yet. Not after how badly we hurt her—those psychopaths targeted her on purpose and used us to do it! And…and it’s because of me. It’s my fault they did that…”



“What is it about Sunset Shimmer that makes her special to you?” Adagio purred, circling Celestia like a shark, sharp teeth bared in the mockery of a smile. 
“She’s one of my students, the same as any other. I value all the young people in my school.” Celestia kept her mask firmly in place, not wanting to give anything away.
The frizzy haired female stepped uncomfortably close, well inside the woman’s personal space bubble. “You’re lying,” she countered casually, so close that she could feel the heat of her breath on her cheek. Sharp nailed fingers gripped her chin hard enough to draw blood. “…I can feel your emotions, ape. Your anger…your pain…your suffering is so much more deliciously exquisite when she is in the room…It’s the flavor of some personal attachment, flavored by tragedy… Why is that, I wonder?”
Celestia spat in her face, making Adagio backhand her with a sneer. “You’re as delusional as you are obnoxious,” the principal bit out, spitting blood from her mouth.  Meanwhile, Luna let out a hissing snarl and series of guttural words from deep in her throat, trapped in a chair while Aria stood nearby. The pigtail wearing monster rolled her eyes at Luna. 
“Klingon? Really? All the languages you stupid monkeys already have, and you choose to invent nonsense ones to spew obscenities in…Pathetic. This is why your species is barely even useful as food.”
Adagio spared them a glance, then narrowed her eyes again at Celestia, those cold orbs glittering.”Oh yessss,” she murmured, a sibilant note to her words. “Fight me, pleassse…It makes the taste of your frustration and anger so much sweeter…so much anger…over one useless reject from Equestria… What? Are you one of those humans who entertains your filthy primate passions with your species’ juveniles?”
Revulsion twisted in her guts, and the rage coiling in her breast blew past white hot into something so cold it burned. She lunged as far forward as the magic holding her body still would let her, wanting nothing more than to strike this horrible monster in the guise of a teenager with every ounce of strength she had. Her voice came out as icy and chilling as Adagio’s had. “If you can even think something so disgusting, then you know nothing of me! Nothing!”
Adagio took a half step back out of her range, but came back just as quickly. “…Oooh…I seem to have hit a nerve…Your school’s pet pony means that much to you…it’s why you were so quick to try and defend her, even after all she did…” She gripped Celestia’s face again, slit pupiled eyes boring into her. “…but it’s more than the way I’ve seen you monkeys protect your fucktoys…no…there’s something else…something old and painful in you. I can feel it…” Her body shuddered from something that seemed akin to ecstasy, eyes darkening as they focused on her more intently. “Tell me…”
“Go to Hell,” Celestia told her.
The play had melted away into pure ugliness, and the monster before her twisted the proverbial knife sadistically. “…Tell me…or I’ll have one of the boys out there teach your sister just how I like my meals to taste…It’s been so long since I’ve eaten hate flavored by violation. It would be a feast!”
Horrified, she glanced towards her sister. Luna threw herself against the magic binding her, hands flexed into claws as she jerked and twisted, as if she were having some kind of seizure in the chair.  More obscenities flew from her lips, in every language she could say them in, directed at their torturers, telling them where they could take that idea and stick it.
Aria’s lips curled into a dark smile, the first expression of its kind to cross her features the entire week. “We could use that Garble character,” she pointed out. “We spent so much time winding him up, and these two kicked him out before he could take all that hate out on Shimmer. That way, all the time we put into him wouldn’t go to waste. Besides, I bet he’d like revenge on the woman who expelled him.” She dragged a sharp fingernail down Luna’s cheek, whispering, “You should hear some of the creative ideas on how he really wants to put female monkeys in their ‘proper place.’”
The sisters locked eyes for a moment, and though she tried to hide it, Celestia could see real fear in Luna.  She knew then what she had to do. She couldn’t let them hurt her younger sister like that.  Her shoulders tensed and she turned her gaze back towards Adagio. “Fine. It’s because—” 
Magic crackled in the air, and the air froze in her lungs as control was wrenched away by the creature before her. The sadistic smile grew, and she leaned closer, whispering for Celestia alone, “I win.” And then Celestia found herself answering the question against her own will, spilling her past before the two monsters in the room and her wide-eyed, shocked sister.



Luna placed a hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, Tia. If it hadn’t been Sunset Shimmer, it would have been someone else. You cannot keep blaming yourself for that. She doesn’t, and she’s worried about you. She came by the office already, asking about you, her and her friends. Miss Pie delivered a basket of cupcakes for the whole staff, and I saved you one for lunch, if you want it.”
She shook off the gentle touch. “You can have it. I’m not hungry, Luna.”
Her sister crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re full of shit, Celestia. You won’t eat, you aren’t sleeping, and you’re hiding in your office as much as possible to avoid facing anyone. You need to get your shit together and stop trying to crucify yourself for something we had no control over. This magic? The monsters and otherworldly invading the campus? That’s bigger than you, or me, or any one of us, and its not exactly something we’ve been trained to handle…but punishing yourself isn’t going to solve the problem any more than it will actually make you feel better.”
Her control snapped, and she found herself half out of her chair, yelling at her sister. “And what am I supposed to do, Luna!? Just go out there and apologize for how those monsters tortured all the people around me for fun? Apologize for how I failed to do my job and protect the students and my staff? Perhaps do a fundraiser to offer as reparations for pain and suffering? How about when it happens again, when the next batch of monsters shows up at our doors? I can’t just keep relying on a group of teenage girls to save this school every time something goes wrong!” She drew in a shaky breath. “So tell me, Luna, what am I supposed to do?”
Shaking her head, Luna stepped away from her and turned to leave. She looked over her shoulder, deadly serious. “Talk. To. Sunset.” The door shut behind her with a ringing note of finality.
Celestia sank back into her chair with trembling legs. She wasn’t ready to face Sunset, not yet, not after all that happened. The last thing that Sunset had needed was even more reminders of the mother-figure she had run away from, and she was certain that, with all that had been said and done the previous week, she had more than resembled her royal counterpart.
Turning her chair so she could stare out the window, she found her gaze drawn to the marble statue that had stood for decades as the centerpiece and guardian of the school’s front lawn—long before she’d even been born. How something so pretty and innocuous could hold such a secret as a portal to another world, she could barely understand.  Nothing about its polished, pale surface seemed unnatural or magical in any way, and the horse rearing in challenge at anyone approaching the campus seemed just like any equine that might be found on a farm…if a tad more regal than a plow-horse. Nothing about it called attention to the true nature of the stone. 
Yet…it was there. She’d witnessed it herself, watched Sunset Shimmer transfigured into a horrific, demonic creature, seen the shining rainbow twice, witnessed Twilight Sparkle step with her dog through solid stone as if it were water. She’d had to deal with the aftermath of the formal, the crater, the front entrance…she’d been subjected to it the past week, only to come back into control in time to watch a winged unicorn made of stardust blast monsters with light at the behest of seven teenage girls, one of them their otherworldly refugee.  
She could see her own faint reflection superimposed on the window glass while she looked out at the statue, and tried to imagine what her equine counterpart looked like. Her mind’s eye added a spiraled horn and pony ears like she’d seen on Sunset and her friends…and as an afterthought, one of those tacky Halloween crowns—Princesses wore crowns in that other world, or so it had been implied.  For the moment, she could almost imagine she was talking to the otherworld version of herself.
“…We have a lot more in common than I want to admit, Princess, not the least of which is that we both failed them, in our own ways. What would they say to us, I wonder?” Tears welled in her eyes, spilling quietly down her cheeks in response to the familiar ache in her heart, while her fingers stroked over the charm bracelet she wore on one wrist. “…But it seems that I am doubly damned,” she wept in the silent loneliness of her office, “because I have failed your little sun as well, Princess.”
“But you didn’t.” Sunset Shimmer’s voice rang through her office, clear and firm.
The principal jumped in her seat, whipping back around to find Sunset standing in her doorway. Despite her amber skin being a somewhat washed out shade compared to its normal vibrancy that contrasted with the bruise-like darkness under her eyes, the teenager stepped forward with a confidence and grace in her steps that the older woman had never seen from her, even when she was the cocky, arrogant girl who sat at the top of the school’s social hierarchy, and certainly something she hadn’t been exhibiting in recent months after the fall dance.  “Miss Luna sent for me, and Miss Raven let me in,” she offered with a faint smile, before her face became serious again. “You didn’t fail me, Principal Celestia. I knew it wasn’t you the whole time. I could see it, see you fighting them with everything you had, every step of the way, every moment they had control.”
Shutting the door gently behind her, Sunset moved across the room to join Celestia by the window, blue-green eyes a thousand miles away as she focused on the Wondercolt statue, staring as if she could see into both the world of her birth and her past. “…and she didn’t fail me either. I failed her, in ways impossible to count.”
Watching her, Celestia was struck by how much older than her years the girl appeared, and she found herself at a loss for how to respond. In that moment, she didn’t feel like a principal talking to one of her adolescent charges.  It caused her emotions to churn wildly, especially the guilt eating away at her, the sight of a child so world-weary and battered that she seemed older than a woman pushing forty.
Silence stretched between them for several long minutes, before Sunset asked a question, her focus still on the statue. “How did you know that was her name for me?” 
Celestia was going to answer her with the simple truth, that Luna had mentioned it, but the words dried up before they reached her throat. Instead, she found something far more personal falling from her lips, an admission that only one Celestia would know about another. “If she truly is my counterpart as you have explained…and if she was blessed with a child to guide and love…then there is nothing else she would have called you.”
Sunset did turn at that, a sharp movement accompanied by wide eyes filled with emotions too numerous to even begin to identify. The rest of her was perfectly still, from her booted feet on the cheap carpet to the amber skinned hand resting flat against the window pane and the other hanging in an awkward fist at her side. Those eyes stared at Celestia, but it was as if Sunset was not truly seeing her—something else reflected there, hidden behind the tears that refused to fall.  For an instant, the older woman thought she saw the faintest outline of a horn and equine ears pricked forward towards her, and it struck her for the first time, the truth of the girl before her: she wasn’t a girl at all, or a human, but something otherworldly that humans had ascribed to wild magic and supernatural forces for centuries, caught between two worlds and two lives.
The moment felt as though it lasted an eternity and ended far too soon, as Sunset brought her hand up to dash the tears from her eyes before they could overflow. Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke, but the hint of a smile quirked at her lips. “…Everything I have, everything I am, everything I grew up knowing…It all came from her. She taught me to walk, to talk, to read, to use my magic… Even my name comes from her—I have no idea what name, if any, my parents gave me when I was born. Sunset Shimmer was the name she gave me, and hers is the face in my earliest memory, lit by the rising sun.”
“She made me who I am, and trust me, a Sun Goddess casts a surprisingly long shadow. I know that better than anyone…” Sunset shook her head. “There was a time where I knew Princess Celestia better than just about anypony else alive in Equestria, could read her in a way most ponies could only dream of. That last night…when we fought…I hurt her. I know I did. I said the most awful, most hateful thing possible to her, all because I wanted to hurt her like I felt she was hurting me.” Taking a deep breath, she forged ahead. “I told her that I wished she’d never found me.”
Celestia brought a hand to her mouth, the words carrying a weight she wasn’t sure Sunset could understand. Before she could respond, the teen continued speaking. “…It hurt her. I know it did, even though I’d already turned my back on her.” She stepped closer to Celestia carefully. “I know what it looks like when she is hurting…and it's why I know you’re hurting now, Principal Celestia. Please…will you let me help you?”
> Chapter Forty: Prepare for Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The words hung in the air between them for a long moment, and Sunset was beginning to think the human Celestia would turn her away. 
“...does it always feel like this?” Celestia’s voice broke the heavy silence. “Magic, I mean?”
Sunset tilted her head a fraction, considering the question before answering. She could hear the myriad of things packed into the short query, all the things Celestia yearned to know yet could not bring herself to ask. Does magic always mean pain, was the real message, is it always a thing of suffering and cruelty? The former unicorn knew then that her hypothesis about the Sirens’ greater activities had been correct. “It depends on the magic and how it’s used. Dark magic though?” She sighed. “You feel slimy, gross...like you just swam through oily waters, and all of the dark thoughts are...just a little louder. You feel dirty and ashamed, guilty and weak and pathetic, and something inside you feels shredded and messed up...and you can’t help but feel like it’s all your fault.”
The older woman rubbed her face, and the redhead could see the cracks in her facade.  “All that and more...I feel...like it’s still there. Like they are still there, in my head...are you sure whatever they did is gone?”
“We destroyed the source of their magic—they’re no more magical than your average human now, where ever they’ve run off to.” She paused, before offering, “I can check to see if there’s still any magic on you, if that would help?”
The principal looked surprised.  “You can do that?”
“Sense magic? I learned how to do that a long time ago...” Sunset glanced out the window to the statue. “All the magic inside me didn’t just...disappear when I came through the portal.  The Law of the Conservation of Energy applies to magical energy just as much as it does to any other kind.  It’s just...humans aren’t meant to channel it—so it’s locked away most of the time, where I can’t access it. But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten anything I learned how to do, and sensing magic is...it’s an innate sense every unicorn has. I honed it during my studies, and because it requires almost no active magical use, its an ability I can still use freely.”
When she looked back, Principal Celestia was staring at her intently. “How does it work?” she asked, an almost desperate note in her voice. 
“Um...well...basically I use the magic inside me as a sort of...primitive thaumometer. It reacts to external magical sources of energy in minute but detectable ways—kind of like competing electromagnetic fields? I’ve studied the way my magic reacts to all kinds of other magic in different concentrations and forms, and based on that knowledge I can...get a basic feel for whats around me. It’s not as precise as a number of active diagnostic or aural spells I know, but given that I can’t cast those here, it’s what I’ve got to work with.” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m sorry, Principal Celestia. It’s hard to explain, especially because half the words I need don’t exist in any human language.”
“...so you have to have magic to sense magic?” The woman’s shoulders slumped.  “Damn it all.”
Hearing the normally composed educator swear set off alarm bells in Sunset’s psyche. “Principal Celestia...what’s wrong? This is about more than you dealing with lingering residue from dark magic.”  She opened her senses as she spoke, and while there were the barest hints in the office from the nasty energy the three emotiphages had wielded, Celestia herself was free of dark magic influence.  Still, the woman’s agitation, shame, anger, and fear were written so plainly in every line of her body that Sunset could practically feel them, and it felt like the universe had broken a fundamental physical law as a result. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me. Please? It feels all wrong, seeing you like this. Princess or Principal, the Celestia I know doesn’t act this way. Please don’t let the Sirens win this way, not after how hard you fought them.”
It was unnerving to see Celestia so still, so small and seemingly broken. Her spirit and presence was so much like the sun her alicorn counterpart commanded, warm, unwavering, and larger than life. “What if I didn’t fight?” she bit out hoarsely.  “Would your Princess have handed over those who trusted her...to things like that? Would she have just given up, let them do as they pleased? Watched as they tormented people who were her responsibility? Would she have been so damnably useless?!” Her voice cracked at the end, overloaded with pain and anger, and her eyes locked with Sunset’s, practically begging for the former unicorn to condemn her.
She could hear the echo of her own self recriminations, her own self loathing and anger at herself in Celestia’s words, and while it wasn’t the mare that raised her, it struck a painful chord in her soul. She stepped even closer, inside the principal’s personal space bubble and hugged her, the same way that the girls had hugged her earlier, the way Velvet had hugged her the other day. “You did what was necessary to protect as many as you could, just as she has done in the past. And whatever you might think, you didn’t give up—I saw you. Every time they tried to hurt me using you, you were fighting them, trying to let me know it wasn’t you saying and doing those things.”
“You weren’t useless—every ounce of energy and attention they had to use on controlling you was energy and attention away from the girls and Princess Twilight. It was energy they couldn’t use in the battle, energy they couldn’t use to bring more people under their thrall.” Magic tingled under Sunset’s skin, and without hesitation, she willed it to flow from her to the principal, wanting to replace the horrible sensation of the Siren’s magic with the way she thought of magic feeling: like heat and sunshine and fresh air and being gloriously alive.
Tension bled out of Celestia’s frame. “I still failed them,” she whispered. “I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t beat them.”
“None of us could, Tia. It was not just you.” 
Sunset turned her head towards the door, where Luna had slipped in, carrying a grocery bag. The vice principal held it up. “I took up your suggestion of ice cream, Miss Shimmer. I hope that ‘Double Fudge Brownie’ is an acceptable flavor.”  As she unpacked the carton, three bowls, and a some spoons, she continued speaking to her sister. “You were not the only one who could not succeed at shattering their mental shackles, sister. I suspect that most of our staff carries the same guilt—that they were incapable of breaking the hold on them from those three wretched monsters—I know I feel that same guilt.”
Releasing Celestia from the hug, Sunset faced both educators, expression serious. “I told you on Saturday, Miss Luna, and I meant it: the Sirens were an ancient and powerful enemy from Equestria. They’ve been alive for thousands of years—on both sides of the portal—and one of the most powerful unicorn sorcerers in all of recorded pony history could not beat them.  That’s how they ended up in this world to begin with.” 
“And yet, seven teenage girls did beat them,” Celestia pointed out bitterly. “Six of whom are my responsibility. Children who have no business being in danger, and yet twice now they have done what I failed at.”
The unicorn-turned-girl ran fingers through her fiery hair. “Okay. I...think I need to explain a few things.” She took a deep breath. “The girls aren’t just ordinary girls anymore, and Princess Twilight and I never were.  Princess Twilight is an alicorn, just like Princess Celestia...and before she earned her Ascension, she was one of the most powerful unicorns of a generation, just like I was before I ran away.” 
She exhaled, accepting a bowl of the ice cream from Luna but held off on eating until she finished explaining. “Not only that, but Twilight is the current Bearer of the Element of Magic, one of the six Elements of Harmony. In my world, the Elements of Harmony are among the most powerful, most ancient magical artifacts known, and the magic they create has the power to cleanse and heal even the greatest of evils.  It was the Element of Magic that was set in Princess Twilight’s Crown, the one I stole. That was the Crown that turned me into a demon, and it was the Element of Magic that empowered the girls—who I suspect are the human counterparts to the current Bearers of the Elements in Equestria. The magic from the formal? The Rainbow of Light that changed me back? That’s the Elements at work, and magic like that... it leaves some of itself behind. I can’t explain it any better, because I’m still trying to figure out how it works here, but the girls are touched by the Elements. They have a leg up against any magic from this world or Equestria.”
Luna whistled. “That...sounds most impressive...though it does not explain your immunity, Miss Shimmer.  Was your cleansing at the hands of your friends enough exposure to these Elements to protect you as well? Or does that come from being a unicorn?”
Blue-green eyes squeezed shut. “I don’t think so. I think...I think I was rendered immune because I turned into a demon...when it comes to dark magic...demons are the most dangerous of dark magic entities...especially ones like I became.  Even Princess Celestia would exercise caution against anypony who became so twisted by their emotions and powerful magic that it transfigured them into a demon.  The Elements may have cleansed me, but my reaction to the Sirens’ magic says I still carry the scars.” 
Shaking herself, Sunset redirected the conversation to the important points. “What matters is that it wasn’t seven teenagers that fought them. It was the Elements of Harmony and...whatever magic I’ve managed to access here...and we almost lost. The Sirens had more power than you think.”
“Then how do we stop this from happening again?” Celestia’s frustration was evident in her voice. “We cannot simply rely on you girls and a magical pony princess on the other side of a somewhat unreliable gateway to wage war against every supernatural force that shows up here with plans of domination or worse! There has to be some way to defend ourselves or at least gain enough warning to get people to safety!”
“Or a way to fight back,” Luna interjected firmly. “I for one am done being a doormat for magic and monsters. They want me, then they had best better be willing to lose limbs. I will not go quietly!”
Amber fingers tapped the spoon against the side of the bowl, Sunset’s thoughts turning inward as she considered what she could offer the administrators. All things considered, she felt as though the knowledge that she and her friends were going to train their magic would not be enough. It was, however, a good starting point.  “The girls and I are already making plans to learn and study how our magic works in this world, so that next time we aren’t left scrambling for a week while our enemy tramples over the people around us. I also spent some time talking to Princess Twilight before she went back to Equestria. She and I are going to be working on research together, and she’s promised me that she can send over books and other resources that I need.  In addition to material for my research, I could ask for some material on defensive methods...” A sudden idea sparked. “In fact, I think I even know the ones to ask for that could be easily translated for use by humans—there’s a fair bit of anatomical similarities between humans and minotaurs, and most minotaurs are...well...the exact opposite of magically inclined, so most of their defensive arts rely on mental and physical training instead.”
Luna grinned with a bit more savage satisfaction than Sunset expected from her vice-principal. “Do these minotaurs have mental techniques to keep one’s mind free of magical manipulations?” 
Brows furrowing, Sunset tried to remember what she had learned from the Solar Princess in the year that the minotaur delegation had come to renew their treaty with Equestria. “Very likely. Minotaurs value both physical and mental fortitude, particularly when applied to difficult tasks. I can have the princess look?”
“Please do so.  I cannot realize my teenage fantasy of being ‘Luna the Vampire Slayer’ if I become bedazzled by every low end piece of magic trash that comes to the school.” Celestia gave her sister a look, causing the dark haired woman to roll her eyes. “It was a joke, sister. Allow me my coping mechanisms.”
Celestia rubbed her face. “I’m sorry...I just feel like there has to be a way other than relying on you and your friends, Sunset. Some other answer.” She gave her sister another pointed look. “One that doesn’t turn my staff into weapon toting vigilantes, or put my students in harm’s way.”  She tapped her fingers on her desk, ignoring the bowl of ice cream Luna had set before her. “Some manner of detection or early warning system maybe? Or some kind of magic deterrent that keeps them from coming on campus in the first place?”
Sunset’s mind raced, considering ideas at a rapid pace. “I...can’t promise anything, but I have a few avenues of research I’d like to try exploring, and I would wager Princess Twilight has some ideas too. I can add some form of magic detection system to the list.” She took a deep breath. “That’s...where I wanted to...ask a favor.” She dropped her eyes to her ice cream, trying not to squirm under the scrutiny from the administrators.  
“We know the magic comes out when we play music, and all six of us have a free period before lunch. It would help if we have a permanent place where we can practice and store our instruments—I don’t want us to be taking the music room away from other students all the time, and it would give me a place to conduct research too.” 
Celestia steepled her fingers, agitation calming significantly, and Sunset realized she’d inadvertently stumbled on a solution to help combat the Principal’s frustration and feelings of uselessness. “That...that is something I know we can help with. Luna? The old A/V room on the second floor—we’re still using it for storage for all of that outdated technology from the library, correct?”
The dark haired woman snorted. “And then some. Please tell me you are presenting me the opportunity to finally dispose of all of those overhead projectors and microfiche machines? Not to mention that oversized paper weight that was outdated when you were a student, sister—I am fairly certain no one attending the school has ever even heard of a ‘ditto’ being anything other than a Pokémon.”
The sigh that escaped the principal was the same kind Sunset had heard come from Rarity when she described Sweetie Belle’s latest disaster. “Yes, Luna. It’s been long enough—go ahead and take all of them out of the system. Raven knows which forms you’ll need. Keep at least one projector and a single microfiche reader—they can go in the actual storeroom.”
Luna restrained herself—barely—to a fast walk, humming a tune under her breath, leaving Sunset alone with Celestia once more. The woman turned her attention back to the former unicorn. “You girls can make the old A/V room yours. It's right next to the music room, and like it, has significant sound proofing. There’s a desk in there, and a few empty book cases you can feel free to make use of, and the door has a key.” Tired eyes attempted to give Sunset a stern look, but there was no force behind it.  “You’ve done a great deal to show us a much better Sunset Shimmer, one who has all the makings of a great leader and formidable woman.  You understand what kind of trust I’m placing in you and your friends with this, don’t you?”
“Yes ma’am,” the redhead answered, intensely serious. “I promise you, I won’t let you down.”
“I trust you won’t, just as I trust that the six of you will not abuse the privileges that come with the rest of what I have to say.” Celestia continued to hold Sunset’s gaze.  “Within reason, I’m willing to make resources available to you in the pursuit of finding ways to protect the school and those within it—for example, as an educational facility, we can request library loans of books and research materials that are impossible for a teenage girl. This extends to other areas such as materials and supplies, that again, would be difficult for a teenager to have access to purchasing.  This does not mean it will be carte blanche on anything you suggest acquiring—I have to still discuss it with the teachers, but likely, any requests for materials you have will go through Luna or myself. Do you understand?”
“I do, Principal Celestia,” Sunset hastened to assure her. “As…for materials…I might need access to electronic components—there’s some preliminary implications that large bursts of magic interfere with electronic devices, but I’d have to experiment to learn how that works before I could even hope to come up with something that might work as a detector. In the interim, I was actually thinking about talking to Princess Twilight about some more common spellcrafting and arcanotech materials from Equestria. This world just does not have any good spell-quality gemstones, especially not ones large enough for any decent sized spell matrix.” 
The former student of Princess Celestia straightened her spine, standing tall, determination strengthening her resolve. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that if and when the next magical threat shows up, there won’t be a repeat of what happened last week.  We’ll be ready—all of us.”
> Correspondence I: Research Materials
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	




	Dear Princess Twilight,

The girls miss you already, even though it’s only been a few days here, and I have to admit, I wish you could have stayed longer, if for no other reason than to have somepony else who understands magic to see firsthoof what is going on with it here. 
Where to even start?  This is so strange for me—I’m sure you’re probably used to writing stuff like this, but even when I was writing to Princess Celestia in this book, they…were more correspondence and less reports and research collaboration. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it soon enough, but try to be patient with me until then—there’s a lot going on to talk about.
No sign of the Sirens around the school or the nearby areas of Canterlot after their defeat, but I’m sure if they turn up again, we’ll hear about it pretty quickly. The students weathered their spell fairly well, though it seems like some of them are concerned about the Sirens returning. I’m actually more concerned about the teachers of the school, especially after talking with both Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. I suspect the Sirens used the faculty much the way the Windigos used ponies back in the Warring Tribes Era (knowing you, you’ve probably read the accounts in the palace archive too, so I waste paper going into details—just trust me when I say I think it was bad.)  However, it’s made some things clear to the principals, which comes to the first request I have for you.  Principal Celestia has requested that we devise a method to protect the school that doesn’t rely heavily on magic, given the lack of it in this world, and Miss Luna was inquiring about non-magical self-defense against magic, domination magics in specific. I thought maybe some of the Minotaur works might be useful for both, and maybe Zebra works or theories for the first? Regardless, anything you can send over that I could use would be great.
I also was hoping you could do some research into the Elements; there’s no logical reason the girls’ powers should be manifesting without you here as the Bearer of Magic, because the Elements don’t work without it in Equestria, but for whatever reason, its working here.  More than that, SOMETHING has obviously affected my magic too, letting me tap into it and “Pony-Up” (their word for it, and I’ve not been able to come up with anything better, so that’s what we’re going with, I guess) like the others do. I sincerely doubt it’s magic from the Elements, even if I did make use of yours at the Formal. 
We ponied up the other day, and I ran a few quick tests while I had a horn. I CAN access my magic, and even direct it into my horn, but the human body is really not meant to do so—from the strain and discomfort, I don’t think this body has the right pathways to make it easy, and that the magic is piggybacking along the nervous system, since it’s already designed to carry bio-electrical signals. I don’t know if it was the lack of pathways, my low reserves (I used everything I had against the Sirens, and I’m going to be low on power for a few weeks, given the lack of ambient magic in this world), or just that it’s not going to be something I can do, even with a horn, but I couldn’t even manage to pull off basic levitation or any kind of real spell.  
I DID learn that my magic’s aura has changed color—Fluttershy took a picture of it to show me, and it’s not even remotely the same. It used to be a sort of…teal? Turquoise? Something like that, but now it’s red. I can’t recall anything other than magical artifacts that can change a unicorn’s magic to a completely different color, but I didn’t exactly dig into thesis level reading on the subject of arcanobiology, so I was wondering if you could dig me up some of the books on that too—I want to see if I can find any human comparisons on magical pathways in the body. Despite their world being low-magic, when I started looking for it after I first arrived, I remember reading that a bunch of different groups of humans have beliefs on magic of one kind or another, and maybe I can find something useful there…but it would be helpful to have actual researched material written by specialists in the field who weren’t tying it to some strange religion.  (Sweet sunfire, humans are so weird. I’ve been here for years and I barely understand just the ONE human culture I deal with regularly.)
…I feel bad asking for so much, but I feel it’s probably important to learn if Starswirl (or any OTHER Equestrian natives) sent any more dangerous magical threats “to another world.” There’s a lot of overlap in human mythology with Equestrian denizens and fauna that I’m beginning to think may have its origins in more of our problems being dumped here. Or anything to do with legends about humans, or the human world. There’s just so much we don’t know, about this world and its history with Equestria. 
Despite the looming threat of potential Equestrian monsters coming at us for the magic here, or the portal, things are looking up, I think. People at school are…actually treating me like a person instead of like diamond dog droppings they’ve trod on, and school is out here starting the end of the week for the human’s winter holidays. It’s…not the same as a Hearth’s Warming celebration, but the humans do have a tradition of gift giving to friends and family for the “Christmas season” (which seems to last anywhere from one to as many as six moons, depending on where you look).  I’m planning on giving the girls gifts…  Which brings me to the strangest request in this letter.  I’ve got some bits remaining from when I left (not many, but enough for what I’m going to ask for) and I was wondering if I could ask you to be the middle-mare in the purchase of two blank books. Humans don’t make good blank books—or good quality books at all, really, and the ideas I have require some real Equestrian tomes.
Once I’ve recovered and the holidays are over, I plan to start running experiments and tests with the magic. We need some sort of baseline readings, though my previous attempts were a about as useful as a pegasus with clipped wings is to a weather team. I’m hoping once I’ve recovered some magic, I can come up with some way to use a diagnostic spell in this body. Barring that, I might have to ask you to get me a thaumometer.
Talk to you soon, and tell Spike I said hi!

Your Friend,
Sunset Shimmer










Dear Sunset Shimmer,

Tell the girls I miss them too, and I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer—things are just a bit hectic here in Equestria right now. (That’s a very long story that involves Tirek, Discord, and this strange…map…table…thing that came with the castle, courtesy of  the Elements. I’ll have to tell you about it later, when we have time.)
I’m glad the Siren problem is thoroughly resolved, though I wish we could have talked to them before they ran off.  Without their magic or their gems, I wonder if they could be reasoned with…though if they are like the Windigos in the accounts—yes, I’ve read them too, and they gave me nightmares for a week—then perhaps there is not much we could do to bring them around. It would still be good to try if you do see them.
I’m more than happy to find you the books you mentioned, though I may have to send a request to Canterlot. I’m still…rebuilding Ponyville’s library after it was destroyed and most of its collection lost. I’m just glad I kept multiple copies of the catalog list so I know what was lost!  And I can do more than get Zebra writings if you would like. There’s a Zebra that lives near Ponyville, and she’s extremely well versed in their various practices to ward off dark magic and other threats.  It might take a while to get them all, but I should have no problem finding what you need.  That includes research on any other beings that might have been sent to the human world—Do they have a moniker for their planet, by the way? I forgot to ask before.
…Although, I’ve never heard of a unicorn’s magic aura changing color spontaneously like that. Not without a powerful magical object or amplifier involved—like the time Trixie Lulamoon got her hooves on the Alicorn Amulet.  It’s actually a fascinating puzzle, all things considered, and I’m curious to know what caused it. Was it your exposure to the magic in my Crown? Or was it from the Elements cleansing you? Or perhaps a side effect of being in the human world? Or is it that you’ve stumbled across a source of magic IN the human world that we’ve never seen before? So many possibilities—this research project is turning out to be more interesting and amazing than I could have imagined!  I’ll see what I can find on that front too!
I have to admit I’m intrigued at the thought of human culture—maybe you can get me some books on that? Their world is so strange and I’d love to see the history of a species that developed in a world without any real magic at all.  It makes me wonder, what raises and lowers their sun every day, or handles their weather? It all seemed pretty orderly when I was there. And their machines! So many advancements I barely got to look at! Maybe after we research the magic in the human world , I could get you to help me do a research project on humans? That would be amazing—no pony has ever actually studied humans before! We would be the first!
Happy Hearth’s Warming a little late—Or…is it “Happy Christmas?” since you’re celebrating with the humans? I’m curious as to the significance of their winter holiday—is there some manner of historical tale associated with it like we have with Hearth’s Warming?  I’d be happy to help you get the blank books, and I insist you keep your bits. I probably have some blank books here anyway that you can have, and if they’re gifts for our friends, it’s worth the bits they’d cost.  Which raises another question—are you well fixed for finances? I’m not sure how well bits convert to human currency, but considering you’re working with me on behalf of Equestria for a research—and diplomatic goodwill—project, I’m sure I could justify a stipend if you needed it.  (I could probably even take it from mine—I keep telling Princess Celestia that I really don’t need as much every moon as I get from the treasurer, but she just tells me to use it to help Ponyville’s economy—though if I’m purchasing things here that you need across the portal, I suppose I am doing just that, if in a rather roundabout way...) At least enough for you to be able to purchase the supplies for your experiments and documentation… 
I’ll see what I can get, and we can work out a time for me to pop through with what you’ve asked for. Spike says hello back, by the way.  
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle


> Interlude X: Cantankerous Convocation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavy footsteps thumped up the stairs, their owner grumbling irritably to himself. It had been a long day...made longer by a staff meeting that had lasted almost three hours and consisted mostly of bickering factions among the school’s educators on how to handle a subject not covered by the school board: magic.



“I just don’t understand why we haven’t contacted the authorities about this! This is a school, and we have a responsibility to report anything that puts the lives and well being of the children here at risk!” Abstract Colors repeated for about the fourth time since the meeting had begun.
Harshwhinny raised one narrow brow, the only change in the stone-faced expression carved on her face. “And just who, Ms. Colors, should we report it to and how? Need I remind you that there is not exactly a Magical Crimes Division of the CCPD.”
“Plus,” Dr. Turner pointed out, “most authorities would laugh us right into a delightfully padded room with some very distasteful white coats if we started telling them about the dangerous magic using monsters threatening a high school.” 
One of the math teachers sneered. “They’d believe us if we turned over Sunset Shimmer and the rest of her mutant freak squad.”  His tone dripped with disgust. “It's the least that obnoxious little bitch deserves.”
From one moment to the next, the temperature in the room seemed to drop far enough that the snow flurries drifting down outside were like a warm spring rain by comparison, all centered on the pale skinned woman at the head of the room.  Her eyes were hard, and menace cloaked her like a shroud, but her voice was quiet and even. “You will do nothing of the sort,” she told him, barely contained rage seething under the surface.  “Make one move against any of those girls, and I will spend every last dime I own, every bit of influence I have, tread on every last connection I have ever cultivated, and use every remaining breath of my life to ruin yours.”
Her dark haired sister spoke up pleasantly, “And I will help.  That ‘obnoxious little bitch and her mutant freak squad’ are the reason we are standing here, right now, free to argue. They stopped our captors, and in doing so, saved a hell of a lot more people than you ever have, you bigoted old goat, even with that ‘tour in ‘Nam’ you insist on blathering on about to anyone who will listen.”
Tenure almost made him bold, until a third voice added, “These young whippersnappers’ll just ruin yer life, ya know. But threaten mah girls again an’ Ah’ll make use o’ the hog trough on the farm. Pigs’ll eat anything, didja know that, Pythy?” Granny Smith was casually slicing an apple with a small knife, and she smiled him.  
“You’re all awfully quick to forget everything Sunset Shimmer has done for years,” Cheerilee pointed out. “She’s terrorized both halves of this school for years—a few months of good behavior doesn’t erase all that.”
Once again, it was Nagatha Harshwhinny who interjected with that same flat tone. “Miss Shimmer was a high school bully. While she manipulated the social ladder, I’d hardly call her activities criminal. Teenagers are often mean spirited and manipulative in the name of popularity.  Certainly not worth turning her over to nebulous ‘authorities,’ and most assuredly not worth doing the same to a group of girls who have always been model students.”
Doctor Turner steepled his fingers. “There’s also the small matter that Sunset Shimmer and her friends seem to be the only ones who have any knowledge on how to handle the strange events and the entities that precipitated it.  We’d gain more by learning from them.”
Principal Celestia cleared her throat. “I believe we are getting off topic here...” 



“Bah! Who am I kidding? It's been a long two weeks!” He dipped into their bedroom, shedding his jacket and the unassuming sweater that he wore. The smell of dinner simmering downstairs made him want to just change into something comfortable and join the love of his life in a relaxing evening, putting the whole mess with magic and monsters out of his mind for good. After decades of magic dragging him around the world by his nose, he had earned his retirement, blast it all! Plus he’d promised his wife that he wouldn't get mixed up in any more of the metaphysical nonsense, not after all the suffering it had caused them both.
He emptied his pockets onto his dresser, stopping and staring at the wallet that he placed there every night for the last six years.  It was a ridiculous thing, the last kind of wallet anyone would match to a dour old man:  there was leather underneath, sure, but it was dyed purple, and the entire surface was covered in tiny, brightly colored beads in an array of pastel colors, a bright pink shape on top of a rainbow. To him, it had always looked like a dog or a pig, but his wife had been quick to correct him, telling him it was likely a horse—little girls all wanted a pony at some point.  Either way, it was the silliest wallet in the world…but it had turned into one of the most important possessions he had, somewhere along the way.  All because it had been a gift from a little girl with eyes the color of an afternoon sky and pink hair that looked like cotton candy, for no other reason than she had wanted to make him smile.



Large eyes stared at him intently as he turned the object over in his hands. “Do ya like it?” the girl asked, and he could hear the childish hope in her voice. “I heard it was your birthday soon, but that you didn’t like parties—which is silly, because who wouldn’t like a party—and I thought maybe I’d make you a nice birthday gift while I was at summer camp! My sister Maud helped me with the beads! She liked that part cuz they’re like colorful little rocks, and rocks are Maud’s favorite thing!”
It was probably the strangest, weirdest, most unlike him wallet he’d ever owned…but looking into that hopeful face, the child’s loving and giving heart in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to crush that. She was too much like the daughter they would never have, the grandchildren they’d dreamed of that were denied them forever. So he simply took out his old wallet, worn from years of use, and began to place his things in this new, tacky, brightly colored craft project.
The child made a squeaky sound of utter joy, and his wife gave him a knowing look.  He grunted, still unable to drop the gruff attitude that put so many people off, but that the pair with him never even seemed to notice. “…Look. I just happened to need a new wallet, and Pinkie, you’ve saved me the trouble of having to go buy one. So…thanks, kid.”  He knew she could see the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Stars shined in bright blue eyes, and he found himself hugged so hard one of his ribs creaked.



Shaking himself from the memory, he traced a finger over the beading, a frown twisting his features. The wallet—and to an extent, the child who had given it to him—had become a sort of guiding light over the last few years, a reminder of his moral compass when a lifetime of pain and disappointment threatened to make him bitter and apathetic to the things around him.  And here he was, about to do just that…turn his back when he could help, when that very child who was so bright and hopeful and caring was one of the ones willingly throwing herself in harm's way, not once, but twice now, and clearly with the intent to do so again and again.
Indecision warred in him. He had given his wife his word, his vow, when they’d finally gotten married after all those decades apart, and the both of them just wanted to be away from magic and the trouble it caused….but this was magic that had come to the girl they loved as if she were their own, who always made a point to invite them to her family’s holiday celebrations, who never forgot their birthdays or anniversary, who always had a smile and a kind word and an offer to help if they ever needed anything…a girl whose love was greater than herself, who brightened the world by being in it.  It was the lady or the tiger, no matter which way he looked at it…
…but he couldn’t abandon her to the fickle winds of fate, no matter what oath he had given. He had to break that promise to the love of his life…for the only other person to ever get under his armor. Damn him, and his overly sentimental attachments!  But someone had to step in…someone had to make sure that six teen girls weren’t going to end up as lambs going to slaughter…and it wasn’t like there were many people qualified to help—certainly not the bulk of his coworkers.



“You want us to do what?”
Coach Will puffed out his muscular chest, slamming a ham sized gray fist on the table for emphasis. “Take the bull by the horns! This is our school, our students—Iron Will will be damned if he lets another magical monster harm his students without a fight!”
Celestia rubbed her temples. “Will...I was hoping to take defensive measures to protect the campus that don’t involve arming my teachers.” Her eyes flicked to the smirking Luna. “Or you, Luna. Your SCA weapons need to stay at home.”
There was a gleam in dark eyes that said Luna was already up to something.



Sure enough. They were up to something alright, and they’d approached him on the way out about it. Luna and Coach Iron Will represented a modest sized faction in and of themselves, mostly made up of younger, assertive types who didn’t handle being put in the proverbial corner very well.  They were planning on finding ways to fight, to hide weapons caches all over the school specifically designed with magic in mind, and they wanted to know if he wanted in on it.  It didn’t change that they hadn’t the slightest clue on how to fight magic—a baseball bat wouldn’t cut it.
He shoved boxes around, squinting at the labels in the dim overhead lighting. It had been over a decade since he’d packed everything to do with his old life up and shoved it up here to gather dust and be forgotten about. At the time, he had thought to throw it all away, but something had stayed his hand. That was going to prove a blessing in disguise.
At last he found them, a series of footlockers in the back corner of the attic, covered by an old sheet that was gray with grime. Fingers undid the combination lock with far more ease than he wanted to acknowledge, and the hinges creaked open to reveal a lifetime of knowledge.
Rapidly, he began sorting through the bundles of papers, old correspondence, ancient scraps of parchment, and copied notes, until he uncovered the false bottom and pulled it up. Hidden from sight were two carefully sealed books, one thicker than the other. He flipped through the slimmer one, memories flitting through his mind with each name and contact information. There were several he would need to reach out to for information and supplies.  
And at least one he needed to touch base with. That was a conversation he wasn’t keen on, since the last time he really talked to that foolish white haired wizard with that stupid grin had been in the late 80s, when he’d gotten caught up in some caper in Greece courtesy of the man, his sister, and his girlfriend, and two of the three had driven him nuts the entire time.  He didn’t know if time had mellowed the man, but if his boastful, ego-driven daughter complaining through his third period class was anything to go by, the wizard was probably still a showboating pain in the ass.
Still...better to make sure any potential allies were on the same page—for all so many of his coworkers were talking of “if” magical problems arose again, he knew in his bones it would be “when,” since magic always seemed to call to magic.  That was what had brought the “Dazzlings” to the school to begin with: Sunset Shimmer’s crazy stunt involving that damned magical crown and her demonic transformation. He still wasn’t sure how the girl had escaped from that fate, or why her personality had changed so drastically, but he suspected that she was aware of her fortunes, if Celestia’s implications were true and she was educated in the knowledge of the metaphysical...
“Ah, Hell,” he grumbled to himself. “For all I know, something else drew her to the school in the first place. Probably a damned miracle it took so long for shit like this to happen.”



The principal sighed, before standing up to address the faculty under her command. “While I understand some of you have reservations about Sunset Shimmer, Luna and I have been watching her very carefully since the disaster at the formal…a disaster which most of you have surmised had a lot less to do with a ‘leaky gas line’ and more to do with another magical catastrophe.  She has done her very best to become a model student, and it was, in fact, her knowledge of the arcane that led her to being able to lead her fellow students in freeing the rest of the school from the enchantments that bound us.”
Her words were halted by the loud response to that, the teachers for a moment acting more like their students than adults as that knowledge caused a reaction. Shock, betrayal, worry, fear, and more raced through them. Celestia cleared her throat, calling them back to order after a minute. “…Yes, Sunset Shimmer, as odd as it may seem, has an education in magical knowledge, and we’ve both spent time in a lengthy discussion with her on the subject.  She’s expressed interest in researching the subject at CHS further with her friends.”
More chatter, louder this time, and it took Luna slamming her hands down on the tabletop to silence them. “Enough! Miss Shimmer has done nothing since the formal to make us doubt the sincerity she is offering in this matter. She was more than willing to answer all of our questions as best she could, and has made the offer of assistance of her own volition. The fact is, we don’t have a lot of options—or do any of you happen to have a skilled sorceress in your back pocket? Perhaps one of you has Merlin on speed-dial?  A Grimorum Arcanorum in your attic? Relatives that attended Hogwarts?” She pinned each of the dissenters with a hard glare. “If you do, please, by all means, put the resources on the table, because if we can find a solution that doesn’t involve risking the lives of six high school juniors, then my sister and I would love to hear it. Otherwise, perhaps you should stop acting like children and reserve your judgment until you actually get insight into the situation.”
Harshwhinny waited for Luna to catch her breath, before asking, “And what, exactly, would Miss Shimmer’s research involve? This is a public school, and we do not have the funds of someplace like Crystal Prep to fund independent research projects on the school dime.”
“At present,” the vice principal replied levelly, “I’m working to clean out the former A/V room of outdated technological equipment, so that the room can become the base of operations for magical research and data collection. From what I understand, they are trying to document exactly what abilities they’ve come into possession of, and Sunset is contacting her former teachers for texts that will assist in the project.”  She looked down at a piece of paper in front of her. “Other than that, the girls requested a desk and a bookcase, and some basic supplies of which we have plenty in the actual supply closet: a computer and printer, pencils, pens, paper…a few pieces of monitoring equipment from the science department, and a storage cabinet.  It sounds like she can get the more expensive and unusual things she needs from her previous teachers on the subject.”
The stern-faced woman rubbed her chin. “None of that seems unreasonable—it’s a lot less than I would have expected to research something as nebulous as ‘magic.’  Certainly a lot fewer crystals and ancient tomes,” she mused, the slightest hint of what might have been a smirk quirking at the corners of her mouth.  
“I also suggested to her,” Celestia interjected, “that if there were books she needed access to that are in libraries and universities that will not loan them out to a student, we would be willing—within reason—to use our educational connections to acquire them on her behalf. In return, she’s prioritizing finding a way to set up either a defensive system or some form of early warning alarm around the campus for us.”  Taking a deep breath, the Principal straightened to her full height, the sense of her presence rolling over the room. “All of us have lived through a terrible shared experience, an experience we cannot explain to those outside this school.  None of us have escaped from it unchanged or still ignorant of a much larger world than we knew existed…but we have a choice now on how we act going forward.  It would be very easy to give into the fear and stress and worry, to blame everything on someone else, to lash out…but I believe that all of you are better than that, stronger than that.  We have the opportunity to get through this stronger, wiser, and more prepared than before, to learn how to protect ourselves and our charges, and to gain a stronger sense of community from it, if you give it a chance.  That’s what I’m asking you for here. A chance, and a little trust.”



“Even if she’s aware of magic, I’m not sure how much use low grade cantrips are going to be in this mess.”  Sunset Shimmer had been around the school for years, and while he always thought something was off about her, how much knowledge could she have? In all the time she’d lied and twisted and manipulated, he’d never seen her cast a single spell, not before the Fall Formal, and that had been more the artifact she’d worn than any innate ability. How good a sorceress could she possibly be? He doubted that it was enough to handle what could be coming their way.
He huffed, dragging the second, third, and fourth footlockers to the open space in the attic near the stairs, so that he could go through and inventory it over the holiday break, mostly to decide what he could get away with bringing into the school openly, and what he would have to smuggle in after devising a number of caches where they wouldn’t be discovered.  Celestia’s little speech had been inspirational, and had the effect of ending a lot of the dissension, but he was still not going to leave as much to chance as some were. 
Popping open the first footlocker, he found what he wanted right on top of the pile, and he picked it up, turning it over in his hand, hoping it still worked properly. It would be clunky to add a second pendant to his neck and under his shirt, but the edge that it would provide could one day mean the difference between life and death.  The rest could be sorted later, but he draped the chain over his neck so that the polished tigers-eye stared out at the world, its backside carved with ancient runes and sigils, the whole piece permanently warm to the touch as if it had been sitting out in the sun. 
“…Unless Haka was mistaken, guess that means it's still good. Best damned money I ever spent,” he groused to no one. “Those stupid shrieking nightmares never even sensed the other one on me. Idiots…all they saw was a sour old man…they certainly needed work in the mind-reading department.” He dropped the lid shut for the moment, his ears picking up his wife calling him for dinner.
He tromped down the stairs, still frowning and holding the books in his arm. Matilda was waiting for him at the bottom, concern on her face morphing to betrayal and hurt as she saw what he carried, what he was wearing around his neck. “…Doodle-bug…” she whispered, “…You promised me…”
Guilt and remorse hit him full force, and his shoulders slumped as he met her eyes. “…Matilda,” Cranky breathed, his voice softer than it had ever been. “…I don’t want to…but I have to help.”
“Why? What’s more important than the promise you made me?” she asked.
“…I wouldn’t even consider it, not in a thousand years…but Pinkamena is right in the thick of it.”
> Chapter Forty One: Temptation's Kiss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	

Twilight’s reading voice faltered as Sunset nibbled on her ear, the feeling of her girlfriend’s lips and teeth disrupting her ability to focus on the words printed on the page. “...Sunny...” she half whined, squirming.
Hot breath passed over her ear when the redhead chuckled softly, amber skinned fingers coming up to loosen Twilight’s ponytail so they could run through her hair more easily. “...Sparky...” Sunset teased back, before those lips traced down and along her jawline. 
The lavender skinned teen couldn’t help herself, angling her neck to give Sunset the access she wanted, the book they had been reading together forgotten in favor of the affectionate attention sending pleasant tingles along her nerve endings. Each kiss, each nip made her heart beat just a little faster, even as the feeling of fingers and nails stroking through her hair, barely scratching along her scalp and down her neck soothed and relaxed her. A soft, happy sound escaped Twilight when her girlfriend found the place where neck and shoulder met, teeth marking the sensitive spot with little love nibbles and heated kisses.
Sprawled on her stomach as she was, there was little Twilight could do to reciprocate. Instead, as Sunset shifted, pressing against her with just enough force to keep her where she was, the dark haired girl found herself able to bask in what she was feeling instead of focusing on thought or action. Sunset’s touch was fire, heat that wound through her veins to her core, making her heart race and her breath catch...and it put years of fantasizing to shame with what it was doing to her. Nothing she had read or daydreamed about had ever come close to the shivers that went through her every time the other girl’s mouth met her skin—the only thing that even remotely compared were the heated dreams that had left her ragged and wound up the week before.  Twilight’s ears registered a breathless moan; it took her several seconds to realize she had made the sound.
Some part of her realized dimly that she should probably stop this before it went too far, but for once she found herself wanting to let it go on longer, to not stop what felt amazingly good and right so quickly. Especially not with the beautiful girl that was pressing her into the mattress moving her hair out of the way to pepper kisses on every inch of her neck that the loose collar of her shirt left exposed, murmuring soft words that Twilight couldn’t quite make out, but that were so filled with warmth and affection that she could practically feel the emotions they were meant to convey.
Fabric shifted, and feather-light pressure traveled across her shoulder blade to her shoulder, then her arm, Sunset’s hand stroking its way down until her palm rested against the back of Twilight’s hand, lacing their fingers together.  A throaty sound, one of those uniquely Sunset Shimmer noises, vibrated the air, sending another shudder through her.  
She could feel Sunset moving again, feel the sensation of one of the other girl’s long legs sliding across her rear in a move that left the taller form straddling her. Sunset leaned more firmly against her as she did, seeking out Twilight’s other ear to nip playfully. The gesture was lost amidst the realization that Twilight could feel Sunset’s breasts pressing into her back, and she found herself committing every little detail to memory. Whimpering, the dark haired girl arched her body into her girlfriend, twisting and shifting until she was on her side under Sunset, pushing up to meet her in a heated kiss. 
Fiery hair fell around their faces in a curtain, blocking out sights and sounds, narrowing her world to Sunset’s blue-green eyes, flushed cheeks, and hungry mouth working against her own.  Fingers ghosted along her jawline before tangling in dark hair, pulling her even closer.  
When they parted briefly for air, foreheads touching, both were breathing heavily, and Sunset was trembling slightly. “...Sparky...” she murmured, voice husky with desire.
Twilight shuddered again as the sound of the familiar nickname escaped the other girl in a tone she had never heard before. It sent an electrical sensation crawling along her skin, leaving the air charged with emotions and anticipation. She brought their lips crashing together again, wanting more of Sunset’s touch.  Her body twisted yet again, hips rolling and arching out of instinct, her thigh pressing up between Sunset’s legs.
Sunset gasped sharply into her mouth, and ripped herself off Twilight with a startled cry. Brain fogged with desire, it took several seconds for the nerdy girl to register what was happening. She rolled, sitting up to find Sunset hugging herself, eyes wide and staring at nothing as she struggled to draw in a full breath. “Sunny?” she managed worriedly, her own anxiety spiking.  “Sunny, what did I do? What’s wrong?”
Blue-green eyes were filled with panic and fear, and Sunset shook her head, hunching even further in on herself. Twilight reached for her, only for her girlfriend to flinch away.  It hurt, having Sunset recoil from her like that, but her worry and the beginnings of panic edged that out quickly. In desperation, she cried out for the one person in the house who might be able help.
“Cady!”



It was shaping up to be a good day, all in all. Cadence had spent most of the morning working on an article for her blog, as part of a campaign against domestic violence she was supporting. Now, as early afternoon moved towards evening, she was sprawled on the bed in her room, a headset carrying Luna’s crowing voice to her while a stream of her latest competitive shooter game played on the screen.  At present, the house was empty except for her and the girls, and the pair had been holed up in Twilight’s room since lunchtime. When she’d checked on them, her Ladybug had been reading aloud to Sunset from some sciencey tome, oblivious to Cadence poking her head into the room. 
Velvet would be back soon, she mused, looking at the clock on the screen. The older woman had run to the store to pick up ingredients for the night’s dinner.  Cadence reached up to tug the headphones so one ear was uncovered—that way, she’d hear when Velvet got home.
“Eat hot lead, you whiny little prepubescent twit with mommy issues! Insult my sniper skills again, I dare you! I’ll spawn camp you until you cry for mercy!” Her best friend’s voice echoed in her ear immediately after the sharp bark of a digital weapon.
“Easy, Lu,” she teased. “It’s just a game...”
“A competitive game!” came the retort. “There’s no place in a competitive match for an obnoxious little snot nosed brat to be shooting his mouth off about how Hello Kitty would be more my speed just because I don’t come with a built-in joystick! I was crushing people in online games when he was still shitting his diapers!”
She giggled. “Someone is tense. Maybe you should come over and have drinks at the apartment with Shiny and I one night over your break.”
“I could really use a break like that. You guys going up to the family estate for New Years? Or are you avoiding the worst of Shining’s snooty relatives this year?”
Cadence rolled her eyes. “We’re staying home this time.  Lucky for us, he has to work—Great Aunt Aurora can’t get offended by the police force like she could if we just said we didn’t want to deal with the judgmental stares.”
Luna laughed amidst a hail of gunfire. “If they want to judge, you guys should bring me as your ‘plus one.’ Give them some reason to really judge you guys.”
“Oh Lu, I—”
“Cady!” Twilight’s panicked shout ripped through the upstairs. 
Whatever she’d been about to say died, and she jolted upright. “Gotta go, Luna. Something’s wrong.” The headset was tossed aside without even waiting for her best friend to respond, and Cadence rushed to the source of the cry for help.
The sight that greeted her in Twilight’s bedroom was one that she had no immediate explanation for. Both girls were flushed and disheveled, clothing askew and their hair tousled.  Twilight was kneeling on the bed, tears in her eyes and on the verge of a panic attack, her hands twitching as she started to reach for Sunset, only to jerk herself up short in a continuous cycle. That alone wouldn’t have caused her too much concern—Twilight’s anxiety was a well known adversary. What threw her was when she moved around the side of the bed and realized that Sunset was curled practically into a fetal position, back pressed against the footboard, hyperventilating and gripping the sides of her head tightly.
“Ladybug,” she spoke softly, deciding to bring Twilight's nerves back to a normal state first. She needed to know what had happened to try and calm the other half of the pair. “I need you to take a deep breath with me and come here. We need to give Sunset some breathing room, okay?”
Purple eyes tore themselves from the redhead to focus on Cadence. Slowly, shakily, she got up from the bed and joined the woman, trying to do the breathing exercise Cadence had taught her. Pink skinned arms pulled her into a comforting hug. “There we go, Ladybug. You’re safe and it’s going to be okay, but I need to know what happened so we can help Sunset. Do you think you can tell me?”
“I don’t know!” Twilight sniffled. “Everything was fine!  We were reading together, on the bed, and then we...got...distracted...” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“So you were making out,” Cadence clarified.
The younger girl nodded. “Y-yes,” she admitted in a tiny voice, still red in the face. “We...were making out...and it...it felt good. I was enjoying it, and I thought she was too, but all of a sudden, it wasn’t okay anymore, and I don’t know what I did wrong, Cadence!” Her voice pitched up an octave with mounting anxiety, which her former sitter soothed with another hug and some more breathing instructions.
Once she was calmed again, Cadence asked, “Alright. Now, I know you said you were enjoying it, but did you make sure she knew you were?”
Lavender fingers played with her hair. “It...wasn’t...I wasn’t trying to get away? I kissed her back, I didn’t say no or push her away or anything like that...”
Watching the girl still staring into space on the bed, Cadence thought about some of the conversations she’d had with Shining about Sunset. “And what about Sunset? Did she ever say or indicate she wasn’t okay with what you were doing?”
Twilight looked up at her, frowning. “She was the one who started it, Cady.  She was on top of me, and I was letting her set the pace. If she wasn’t wanting to go any further, wouldn’t she have stopped before?” Her brows furrowed further, and hurt flickered in her eyes.  “Besides, Sunset...she’s never been afraid of me touching her before, not even at the worst times.”
That was concerning, and Cadence studied the girl who was her sister in every way but blood. “Twily, sweetie...do you know if Sunset has ever been assaulted?” She hated to ask, to pry, but it was an obvious explanation for Sunset’s response.
Something flickered in Twilight’s eyes, and a shudder went through her body at the question.  “Not...not that she’s ever told me.” Her eyes drifted back to her girlfriend, whose breathing had started to even out.  “I think she...learned how to protect herself against stuff like that to keep it from happening.”
Mi Amore Cadenza knew in an instant that Twilight wasn’t telling her something, despite telling the truth. “Okay. I want you to go downstairs and make us some hot cocoa. Can you do that while I talk to Sunset, see if I can calm her down enough to talk to us?”
Indecision written on her face, Twilight stared at Sunset for a long time before sagging. “Alright.” She moved out of Cadence’s embrace and moved carefully towards the door, keeping her motions slow to avoid startling Sunset.  As she did, one amber skinned arm snapped out too fast for Cadence to follow, trembling digits wrapping around Twilight’s hand, stopping the teen in place. “Sunny?” she asked quietly, freezing her movements. “What is it?”
Cadence caught a glimpse of wild blue-green eyes amid the shadows cast by the girl’s hair and the way her head was tilted.  “...Sparky...” Sunset managed in a tight voice, the rest of what she had to say falling to a whisper too soft even for Cadence to hear. 
Purple fingers squeezed warmly back. “I’m okay, Sunny. I’m just going to make us some hot drinks, and then I’ll be back. I promise.” She gave Sunset’s hand another squeeze before letting go.
Once she had disappeared, Cadence pulled over  the desk chair and sat down. “Sunset?” she tried, remembering what Shining had discussed with her after Thanksgiving.



“How’s your wrist?” There was a note of teasing in her voice as the pair of them slid under the covers.
Shining Armor frowned pensively. “Bruised. There are guys on the force with less grip strength than Sunset Shimmer.”  He rubbed his wrist lightly. 
“Sounds like they ought to raise the recruiting standards then,” Cadence quipped with a smirk. “If a teenage girl is stronger than they are, how can they hope to fight criminals? Or are you worried she might wipe the floor with you if she takes you up on a spar sometime?”
Her lover shook his head. “It’s more than her strength that worries me, Cadence. What the hell has that poor kid been through to leave her like that?” At her questioning glance, he elaborated. “She wasn’t awake at all when she stopped me from touching Twily. Sure, she’s an orphan and on her own, but you don’t see that in every kid who has had a rough home life. You see that in people who lived in fear for life and limb, who learned to sleep with one eye open so they would actually wake up the next morning.  That’s something you get in war veterans and refugees from war-zones...not teenage girls. Especially since her reaction was aggression and not fear. Kids from abusive homes? We see those, more than i care to think about. They hide under things or in tight spaces: beds, closets, cabinets, desks, places where a bigger aggressor can’t reach them, and if you try, they cringe and cower and try to get away.” 
Cadence frowned. “Twilight hasn’t mentioned her doing anything like that, or anything like what happened downstairs. If she was that twitchy, wouldn’t she lash out at Twilight when she sleeps over?”
Shining sighed. “Not necessarily—she was instinctively protecting Twilight from me tonight. That says a lot.”
She cuddled close to him. “At least we know Twily is safe with her then. She cares enough about her that even asleep she wants to keep her safe.”
“We still need to be careful. If you ever see her like that again, you need to make sure you don’t touch her, not until you’ve gotten her to look at you and recognize who you are. I don’t want to see you or Mom or Dad hurt, especially because Sunset doesn’t actually want to hurt any of us. She can’t help her reactions like that.” 
A smile crept across her face when he kissed her forehead. “I promise I’ll keep that in mind, Shining.”



True to her word, she was careful to remain out of Sunset’s personal space bubble as she called her name again. “Sunset?”  The head came up slowly, those eyes training on Cadence now, recognition flickering in their depths.  She continued to speak in the same tone she used on Twilight. “Sunset, you’re safe here. No one is mad and no one is going to hurt you. Twily is really worried about you, and so am I. Do you understand?”
Sunset nodded slowly, jerkily. “‘M sorry...” she managed.  
“You don’t need to apologize, Sunset. You didn’t do anything wrong,” she soothed. “I sent Twilight to make some drinks so that you could both have a chance to calm down.  Do you think you can relax and take some deep breaths for me?”
The teen watched her with a hint of wariness, but she took several slow, deep breaths, her body slowly uncoiling from the tight ball into a cross legged pose. She was still reserved and defensive, yet she hadn’t shut down entirely. Cadence counted that as a victory. She considered her words carefully before she spoke again.   “Sunset, I know about you and Twilight, and I want you to understand that I’m not here to judge her or you for any reason.”
The redhead rubbed her arm. “Yeah....I...thought you knew. Twilight trusts you, said you were the one she talks to about stuff like that.”
“A lot of time, yes.” She offered Sunset a smile, before becoming serious again.  “I wanted to ask while Twilight is downstairs...I know something triggered your reaction, and I asked Twilight, but she didn’t seem to know. Did someone ever—”
Sunset was already shaking her head vehemently, hands clenched into fists. “No. No. I...Back in my days as Queen Bitch...there were a few creeps who...assumed things about me, and a few tried grabbing me in the halls, but I introduced all of them to why I wear boots. They got the message quick.” Her eyes burned for a moment with something dark, sending a shiver down Cadence’s spine. It made the air heavy, and it carried into her voice when she spoke. “Anyone who tries that on me or my friends will regret it.”
There were footsteps from the hall and Twilight reentered the room with three mugs carried carefully as she navigated around Spike, the dog ever hopeful that she might drop something tasty. Seeing Sunset’s much improved state, she handed Cadence her cocoa first, before stepping closer to the bed. “Sunset?” she asked in a quiet voice.
As Cadence watched, Sunset relaxed visibly, already reaching for Twilight. The shorter teen happily curled up against her side on the bed, Sunset’s arm draped over her shoulders. 
“I...I’m sorry...if I did something wrong, Sunny,” Twilight whispered, holding her cocoa mug in both hands tightly. There was a tremor in her voice as she shrank in on herself.
Clearing her throat, Cadence stopped the potential for another panic attack before it got started. “I don’t think it was anything you did, Ladybug.” Her eyes flicked to Sunset, watching how the redheaded girl’s expression became confused and then pensive, and how it was at odds with the way she leaned her head against Twilight’s in an affectionate nuzzling gesture.
“It...it wasn’t really you, Sparky,” she admitted, eyes unable to look at the other two people in the room. “It was...” Her voice faltered, and her hand shook as she took a sip of her drink in a stalling tactic.  “I don’t...know how to explain. I was with you and I was enjoying being with you...but then...I felt...”  
Cadence could hear the frustration, confusion, and tinge of fear in her voice.  “It’s alright, Sunset. Take a deep breath, and go slow. Don’t worry about how what you’re saying sounds, or if it makes sense to us.”
Sunset exhaled heavily, then started again, looking more at Twilight than Cadence. “...I...remember how I told you that...people look weird to me? That you’re the only one who I’ve ever felt this way about?”
Twilight tucked her face against her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I remember.” She hesitated, before asking, “Has...has that changed?”
“No!” Sunset’s reply was filled with intensity and emotion. “No—you’re special to me, so different and unique among every other human on this planet!” The arm around Twilight gripped her more firmly. “...you...you make me feel things...things that I’ve never felt, not like this. You’re in my head and under my skin and it’s like I’m burning up and made of ice at the same time...” Like a dam breaking, now that the words had started, they poured out freely. “I...I feel like I’m losing control, like things are happening and I can’t tell if what I’m feeling is right or wrong...I have no idea what I’m doing, Sparky...and I don’t want to hurt you!”
Some part of Cadence was squealing internally at the scene she was witnessing, the obvious love and passion worth a hundred trashy romance novels, particularly because it was happening for her little Ladybug.  She pushed the urge to hug them both to the back of her mind, chastising herself. This was a situation she was starting to understand, and in this case, Sunset needed an adult to help her make sense of it all. She gave them a minute to let the words settle and for Twilight to reassure the agitated girl before she interjected again.
“Sunset...” Cadence made sure to keep her voice the same non-confrontational, even tone she had been using. “Has anyone ever sat down with you to explain about sex and sexuality? More than just about the clinical, detached explanation of biological reproduction, I mean.”
Resembling her name more than ever with the blush staining her cheeks, Sunset looked at Cadence sheepishly. “I learned from books, mostly. I...didn’t really want to be in a classroom full of people talking about any of that. I looked up what I needed to know.” Her face twisted into a grimace. “Human bodies are disgusting,” she muttered, “and I just don’t get the fixation on sex.  Everything humans do seems to come back to it, and there’s so many rules and attitudes about it, most of which make no sense!”
“To be fair, most of the commonly held beliefs and attitudes about sexual behavior, sexuality, and gender stems from religious ideologies or long held cultural systems that themselves were often influenced by religious beliefs,” Twilight piped up, tilting her head up to nuzzle into Sunset’s neck briefly. “In fact, those are some of the main factors that continue to contribute to negative attitudes in regards to same-sex relationships in certain parts of the world.”
“...that part I don’t get...but it’s not just the stigma about what kind of person you want to be with...” Sunset fumbled, struggling with her thoughts. “It’s that everything seems to come back to sex! Whole genres of literature about sex, how in every TV show or movie there’s some form of romance or sex involved...nothing seems to escape it—even advertising makes use of ‘sexy’ clothing to sell anything and everything! It’s like the entire species has sex permanently on the brain!” She slumped. “And I didn’t.  I never thought much on it. I never cared before.”
The use of past tense was telling, Cadence decided, and probably at the core of the current issue. She opened her mouth to speak when Sunset lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “What’s wrong with me?!” she cried, every syllable laden with confusion and fear.
Cadence barely managed to grab the mug Twilight thrust at her, freeing up her hands to twist and wrap her girlfriend in a tight hug. “Oh Sunny...” the smaller teen whispered softly, fingers gripping the fabric of Sunset’s shirt.
Cocoa mugs were placed on the desk, and Cadence carefully moved to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching out to rescue Sunset’s mug as well. Once there was no more danger of wasting perfectly good chocolate, she reached out and patted the redheaded girl’s ankle in a gesture she had used on Twilight in the past to offer support. “Sunset,” she said gently. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Those feelings you are describing are completely normal and healthy, and it’s something most people experience as teenagers.”
“Normal?!” Since her arms were free, she tugged Twilight into her lap and hugged her as if she were a life sized teddy bear. “I feel like I’m coming apart inside my own hide, like I’m losing my mind and my control! How is any of that normal?!” She was starting to shake uncontrollably.  
“Sunny...” Twilight soothed, shifting in Sunset’s grasp until she could bring her companion’s head down to rest their foreheads together. She didn’t say anything else, but it didn’t seem she needed to. Mi Amore Cadenza suppressed another squeal at the gesture of comfort—it really wasn’t the time, but she would have to have girl-talk with Twilight sometime soon or she might burst.
“Can I ask what about it is causing you to be so upset?” The pink skinned woman decided to change tactics slightly, to try and hone in on specifically what was rattling Sunset’s nerves so badly. “Is it because you’re afraid of losing control? Or because feeling this kind of arousal is so new to you? Or is it something else?”
Blue-green eyes squeezed shut tightly, and she sounded ashamed. “Both. How...strong the feelings are...and...how they make me feel like I’m going to lose control...just like when I get angry. I don’t want to hurt Twilight!”
Her heart clenched painfully, and found herself wanting to hug Sunset herself. This was a conversation that should have been given years ago by a loving and supportive parent or family member, not her girlfriend’s sister-in-law. Taking a deep breath to steady her own nerves and the rising ire at the adults in Sunset’s history, she decided to approach it one issue at a time.  “Sunset, I know the passion of the moment can feel a lot like anger, but they are very different in practice. Both are hot, and intense, and they do cloud your mind and judgment, and there’s a cathartic feeling that comes from giving in...but fury is all about destruction, about causing hurt to someone else.  Arousal is about pleasure and when there are powerful positive emotions like love and friendship involved, sex can be a wonderful, beautiful thing that builds up and makes everyone involved feel good.” Her mind flitted to memories that never ceased to make her smile. “Your sexuality and desires are something you shouldn’t be afraid of, as long as everyone involved is a willing, consenting participant. Repressing those feelings or being afraid of them and how they make you feel will only make them stronger...and make you unhappy.”
Twilight snuggled more fully into Sunset’s embrace. “You’d never hurt me, Sunset. I know that, and I promise, I’m not afraid to tell you if I want to stop...and I’m okay with whatever you’re comfortable with. We aren’t in a hurry, remember? ‘Take it slow and see how it goes?’” Her fingers came up, tucking loose strands of hair behind Sunset’s ear. “You don’t have to be afraid of how you feel...we can always stop and talk about it, anytime you need.”
Oh yes, that sisterly girl-talk was going to happen, and the sooner the better. “As for the strength of the feelings, and that you’ve never had that happen before...some of that has to do with psychology—there are many different ways a person can develop physical attraction or sexual desire.  Some people are attracted to specific genders or specific body types, some people are attracted to personalities or certain qualities about a person and gender plays no part, some people don’t feel any kind of sexual desire at all regardless of circumstances or anything about another person, some people don’t feel physical attraction and desire until they develop a meaningful mental and emotional connection to someone—and that’s just touching the surface of sexuality and arousal. It doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you, either before or now. If it’s just Twilight you’re attracted to and feeling this way about, if this is how your mind and heart work, then that’s how they work. It’s still completely normal and healthy.”  She smiled. “You are normal.  This doesn’t make you strange or broken or a freak. It’s simply one more thing that makes you Sunset Shimmer. Okay?”
Eyes flitted back and forth between Cadence and Twilight, and Sunset slowly relaxed, tucking her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck.  The older woman raised an eyebrow at the dark haired girl, mouthing a question at her. Twilight nodded firmly, her own lips moving without sound: ‘Thank you.’
Cadence gave Sunset’s ankle another comforting pat. “I think I hear Velvet’s car. I’ll help her with the groceries—that should give you two about an hour to compose yourselves and talk before she calls you for dinner.” She rose and headed out of the room, shutting the door behind her to give them privacy—as much as she loved watching romance in action, some conversations were best had without an audience.
> Chapter Forty Two: Inner Fires
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





December meant her attic was freezing cold—every panted breath steamed in the air before her—but Sunset still felt like she was burning up from the inside.  Her emotions were a roiling storm within her, one that she was seeking to quiet in the one way that always seemed to work.  The sound of flesh impacting the punching bag echoed in the empty space, the redhead’s body a blur of constant motion as she attacked the bag with fists and feet. 
As the sound of an impact echoed in the air, she could see it all again...



Warmth suffused her as she lay cuddled up to Twilight on the bed, eyes drawn to the curve of her girlfriend’s neck while she read. Something about the position resonated with her, and before she could consider whether or not humans showed affection that way, she found Twilight’s ear with her teeth, kissing and nibbling, laughing when it made the smaller body squirm. That heat in her veins continued to build as she traveled down her neck, when she took the bookworm’s hair down from its ponytail, and she found she really enjoyed using her mouth on the human girl’s skin like she would have on another pony. Especially when Twilight made a cute little whimpering sound and leaned into the touch—Sunset found she wanted more...



It had felt wonderful...not holding back, not trying to play at being human, even if it was only for a short while. Twilight had liked the pony-style affection, and it had made the warmth inside Sunset transform into an inferno of heated, hungering want. That want had clouded her thinking, her judgment—it had felt good, pinning her companion under her, feeling her shudder and writhe, feeling her twist to beg for a kiss, and the former unicorn just couldn’t bear for it to end so soon, even though the feelings terrified her.
She brought her weight to one leg, striking out with a flurry of kicks against the bag, watching it lurch from the impact on the metal cable it hung from. The dull ache in her limbs did little to distract her from the recollection of heat in her middle.



If she’d been an inferno before, Sunset was approaching the heat of Celestia’s solar charge now, her core aching with every beat of her pounding heart. Even her cycle in Equestria had never felt like this, had never made her mind hazy with a need she couldn’t quite grasp, and nothing she’d ever done with this body had ever felt this way, and Twilight was managing to do it with just a kiss. They broke apart with ragged breaths, foreheads touching, and Sunset managed the two syllables of her girlfriend’s pet name, the only coherent thing she could throw together in that moment.
The burning was a pulsing tingle now, like magic gathering under her skin, as it traveled towards her horn.  It took her addled mind a moment to remember she didn’t have a horn in this body...and how could she be channeling her magic without the girls? She tried to gather her wits enough to force the power down, and then Twilight moved under her again, trying to roll over onto her back.
Time seemed to slow, the heated magic scalding hot in the place where her horn should be when Twilight’s thigh pressed inadvertently into the crux of Sunset’s legs. Her whole body throbbed in response, her nerves carrying a message of sharp pleasure so wonderful it almost hurt and a wave of carnal desire so strong she couldn’t breathe right. Her magic threatened to surge, and near blind terror ripped through her. If she lost control, had a surge here and now, her Sparky would be caught in it. She tore herself off the other girl so forcefully she hit the footboard of the bed...



Even now, she couldn’t understand why she had felt her magic trigger and threaten to surge, especially because it had felt...different. Her magic had always felt like power and warm energy, and its worst surges had always been born of fire, but this wasn’t quite this same heat, or the same rush of emotions lashing outward. It was hunger and need and a desperate compulsion to...do...something, though she wasn’t sure what.
It scared her, her magic and body acting without her control, without her consent, and the aching want reminded her of the monster she had been, of the demon she had become.  She could remember it with crystalline clarity, the way rage and desire and envy had braided together and transformed her, the way she had felt, consumed by those emotions until it was the entirety of her Self, the way she had sensed the wants, desires and fear of those around her...the smug satisfaction when she had transformed Snips and Snails the way they had wanted....
In turn, those feelings reminded her of her failings, the moments when she had lost control....



“...You don’t belong here—this school is only for unicorns who matter, whose lives will mean something.” Opalescent Sheen sneered at her, his lip curled in disgust.
“Yeah,” chimed in his friend, Polished Marble, tossing his two tone gray and white mane. “It has no place for unwashed fillies who are so disappointing that even their dirt grubbing, bit-less parents threw her out with the trash.”
“Somepony should put her back in the gutter she crawled out of.” A hoof pushed her towards the side of the path.  “I’m sure Princess Celestia would appreciate the favor. She can’t possibly want some ugly, stupid trash in the palace.  Tell me, trash pony, was one of your dirt pushing parents a grimy mud-pony? I bet it was your dad.”
Tears burned in Sunset’s eyes. She didn’t understand why these other ponies were so angry with her, or why they didn’t want her here. She’d worked hard to get in, and the Princess had been proud of her. Surely that mattered? 
“Now now, Marble...you should know better than to ask the trash about her family. We all know she doesn’t have any. She’s just trash the Princess hasn’t gotten around to throwing away yet. Probably sent her here to get a break from the smell.”
That wasn’t true, she found herself screaming at the colts before her. “I wanted to come here! I worked hard, Mo—Princess Celestia is proud of me!” One tiny hoof struck the stones for emphasis. “I deserve to be here just as much as anypony else!”
The biggest of the colts, aptly named Stonewall, body checked her, hard. The shorter, spindly legged filly staggered into a nearby statue, feeling pain along her barrel from the impact. “Isn’t that cute? She thinks the Princess is her mommy. She’s not even worth being half mud-pony.  I bet she’s actually part zebra. They’re ugly savages without the brains to build real houses.” He leaned close. “You don’t deserve anything!” he told her. “You aren’t worthy of licking the mud off our hooves, let alone being in the same room as Princess Celestia. She would never want to be your mother, because who could ever love something like you?”
Something in Sunset snapped like a dry twig, and magic roared through her tiny body as she gave a hellish scream of challenge no filly that small should have been able to produce. Everything was a red haze, and all she could taste was smoke and blood, her ears filled with mocking laughter and the sound of her own screaming...



A shudder rippled through her. She’d come back to herself when Princess Celestia had shown up and overridden her magic, taking the wild display of power away from the little amber body. The damage had already been done, with everything in a thirty foot radius looking like the epicenter of a bomb, burned and shattered—including the colts who had been harassing her. Stonewall had been barely recognizable, beaten bloody and broken with the tail of the statue he’d shoved her into, and Polished Marble had not had a single remaining unscorched hair on him. The colts had all spent time in the palace infirmary on the Crown’s coin, being tended to and treated by the healers there, and during the lecture the Princess had given her, she’d been sure to read off the list of injuries Sunset had caused to her peers.
She could remember that list, with clarity. All of Stonewall’s legs had been broken, his one foreleg in six different places along not just the cannon and the radius, but she’d bludgeoned his humerus into bone fragments for a third of its length. That wasn’t even counting the broken jaw and cracked maxilla, or the broken ribs, or the soft tissue injuries to muscles and tendons. Even with the palace healers, he’d walked with a limp for over a year, and avoided her like the plague. The other colts had fared better, with relatively minor burns and temporary fur loss, and a few broken bones…but it had still been a list of injuries delivered in that cutting, disappointed tone by the Princess.
The worst of it was, for all that Celestia had lectured her, and despite all that had happened in the interim, Sunset could still remember how good it had felt when the rage had overtaken her, the rush, the power, the satisfaction of making the colts hurt like she had. The rush had been addicting, that feeling of finally coming out on top against a world that seemed determined to grind her down, of being superior to others, having them skirt away from her on the path instead of mocking her for things beyond her control.  It had become her armor, the knowledge that she could destroy anyone who hurt her…and it had been one of the bigger steps that had led to her transformation.  More than that, the rush was still there, when the fire in her soul burned its brightest, and it seemed it was no longer limited to her rage.
The former unicorn screamed her fury, rearing back on one leg again and snapping her other leg out in as hard a kick as she could muster. The bag jolted away from her with a strange sound, and she watched, muscles burning with overuse and exhaustion, as it arc’ed away from her and to the floor, the heavy duty material finally rupturing where the cable had attached. It landed with a thump, spilling its innards across the wood floor and exercise mat.  Sunset lowered her leg, shaking and panting, one hand wiping the sweat off her face. “…ponyfeathers…”
Blue-green eyes searched the room for something else to channel her emotions into, catching on some forgotten sheet music. “…that might work…” she mused aloud, before staggering towards the stairs. She had to work through this…to sort herself out, figure out what she wanted and what she was going to do.  That meant getting her feelings to a point where she could actually think effectively.  She owed Twilight that much.



Sunset heard rather than saw the door shut behind Cadence as the woman left to help Twilight Velvet with dinner. For a long moment, she hugged the body against her tighter, pressing her face into a lavender neck firmly enough that she could feel the steady pulse of Twilight’s heart. Her girlfriend was snuggling into her, fingers tracing lightly through Sunset’s mane in a way that always felt comforting. 
“Sunset?” came the soft question after a few minutes of them just existing and breathing in each other’s presence. “…I know Cady explained a lot, but…I’d like to talk to you about us, if that’s alright?”  She lifted her head worriedly, finding Twilight’s eyes with her own.  The dark haired girl smiled at her, leaning to place a kiss on her lips. “Nothing bad, Sunny. You’re still my best friend, no matter what, and I still want to be your girlfriend as long as you still want to be mine.”
“I do!” the former unicorn blurted. “…More than anything, Sparky…this…us? It’s the best thing in my life and special to me in ways I can’t explain.”
“That’s why I want to talk about this. The most important part of any relationship—even friendships—is communication. Even if we don’t always succeed in what we want to say, we should at least try.”  Twilight’s fingers played with her hair. “I want to make sure we aren’t doing anything you’re not comfortable with.” A blush darkened her cheeks. “…I don’t want to push you into anything you aren’t ready to deal with, no matter what I might be ready for.”
The implications hit her hard, her innards twisting in an odd way that sent a shiver through her. She studied the girl in her lap and realized she could read the desires hidden in purple eyes, desires that she found herself wanting to fulfill.  Her heart gave a lurch, fear and want at war once more. “I…I’m not sure I can…answer that yet. I…don’t know…this is all so new and I need to think…”  
Sunset pressed their foreheads together, desperately needing the comfort it gave her. “…Can we…put that talk on hold for now?” she asked softly. “…I need time to sort through…everything that today brought up. Too many feelings, old and new…things I…want to be alone to think about. It’s…” she inhaled slowly, trying to keep her breathing level. “This…isn’t little for me. These feelings, the way I want you, the way you make me feel…this is…” she fumbled, trying to find the right words.
Twilight pressed closer, hugging Sunset tightly. “Its not a choice you want to make lightly,” she guessed.
“Yeah...” she took a breath. “It’s not…you’re...too important, Sparky. I have to sort my head out first…because I don’t want to mess this up. I’m sorry…” She couldn’t explain it all, not without explaining to the girl in her lap the truth of her origins…and Sunset still wasn’t ready to do that yet.  
A soft smile, and her companion kissed her again, this one soft and sweet with none of the recent fire that had been burning between them. She sank into the feelings, the cozy warmth it made her feel calming the tempest in her heart. When they separated, Twilight rested a palm against an amber skinned cheek. “You don’t have to be sorry. We’ll just enjoy tonight like we always have, and you take the time you need to think about it. No rush, no pressure. I care about you, Sunset, a lot, for who you are, not for something I want from you.” 
The redhead rubbed her nose against Twilight’s affectionately. “…Thanks, Sparky. I..care about you too…I’ll…try not to take too long.”



Sunset groaned as she hit the bottom step and reentered the main area of the loft. Her trusty punching bag was a goner, and she didn’t feel any less agitated and wound up than she had before she had beaten it to oblivion. She found herself with a desperate desire to talk to someone who could understand her problem and position.
The silence in her loft was matched by a similar internal silence, and she kicked at a ball of discarded notebook paper on the floor. “Really?” The redhead groused to the air. “Two weeks ago, I can’t get a moment’s peace from my own subconscious, in everything from cooking to my love-life, and now, when I actually want a Stupid Little Voice to tell me what to do, I get nothing?”
The corner of her mind remained quiet, the snarky, unfiltered inner voice unresponsive. She laughed, a bitter sound. “Way to go, Shimmer. You’ve finally lost your mind. You’re actually hoping to hear voices!” She dropped her face in her hands, emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed. 
The outside world chose that moment to intervene, jolting Sunset with the blaring sound of her phone ringing. She groaned, reaching for it and thoroughly expecting to find it to be some random sales call. Instead, Rarity’s name flashed on the display, and she answered hurriedly, fearing it might’ve been some sort of emergency.
“Rarity? Is everything alright?”
The designer sounded a tad surprised on the other end. “Everything’s quite alright, darling. I just find myself at loose ends this evening, and I needed to take a break from a design that isn’t turning out like I’d hoped.”
Sunset’s brows furrowed. “Oh?” she found herself asking, unsure of how else to respond.
“Yes...I’m just not happy with the way the colors look with the cut of the dress.  I decided to take a break and perhaps go get something sweet from Sugarcube Corner, and something told me you could also use a breath of fresh air.  Would you care to join me?”
Her mouth opened to refuse the offer, but the words fell away as she considered the invitation. “You know what? That sounds like a great idea—I need to get out of my own head for a bit...I’ll meet you there in ten?”
“Excellent, darling! I shall see you there!”
> Chapter Forty Three: Girl Talk, By Rarity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Slumping into the booth, Sunset gave Rarity her best attempt at a smile. “Hey. Sorry it took so long—I had to clean up.” She took a sip of the Cakes’ ‘Hot Fudge Sundae Milkshake With All the Fixings,’ the sweet, rich taste of chocolate and sugar exploding across her tongue. Her eyes practically crossed with joy at the simple pleasure of a sweet treat—and she hadn’t even started in on the double serving of chocolate and strawberry swirl cheesecake sitting on a paper plate before her.
Sharp, discerning blue eyes flicked from her to the plate then the milkshake and back, several times. “Indulging in a little bit of ‘therapy,’ I see.  Do you want to talk about it, darling?”
Sunset blinked. “Talk about what?” she asked, not sure exactly how much Rarity had picked up on. The tailor was remarkably astute at times.
“Sunset. Darling. No woman orders that much chocolate in one sitting unless something is truly bothering her.” She arched one manicured eyebrow. “…plus you mentioned a need to ‘get out of your head’ on the phone.”
Sighing, the former unicorn made a vague gesture with one hand. “Just have a lot on my mind.”
Rarity was undeterred, but waited until Mrs. Cake set down her own sundae and walked off before pointing the spoon at Sunset. “So....who is he?”
Ice cold milkshake burned in an unpleasant way as it threatened to come out of Sunset’s nose. She spluttered and choked, before wiping her face with a napkin. “What?! It’s nothing like that! Why would you even think that?!”
Blue eyes remained fixed on her, and Rarity elaborated, still studying Sunset intently.  “It has to be something important, darling, to cause this much stress to you...and if it were a magical problem,” the fashion designer held her hands up near her head and mimed pony ears, “then you’d be more forthcoming.”
“Rarity, I have way more important things to do than act like a brainless, stuttering mess around some teenage boy.” The redhead crossed her arms over her chest, barely biting back the urge to add how unpleasant she found male specimens here.
“Well, Sunset, it must be something...”
She resisted the urge to bring her palm into full contact with her own face. “And your brain automatically assumes that it’s some sort of issue with my love life?”
The pale skinned girl pointed again with her spoon, first at Sunset, then at the treats.  “It’s hard to argue with the evidence, Sunset Shimmer.  Moody teenage girl plus an overabundance of chocolate equals romantic troubles.” 
Sunset looked down at her snack, and it took all of her control for her emotions not to show on her face. Horseapples...she’s good at this.
Rarity leaned forward, a hand reaching out to pat Sunset’s arm. “You don’t have to be evasive, dear. We’re friends.”
There was a silence as the redhead wracked her brains on how to deflect Rarity from zeroing in on her relationship. Finally, she answered with as much truth as possible, schooling her features into the right mix of exasperated and dismissive. “I can promise you that it has nothing to do with me drooling over some new guy.”
A thoughtful expression crossed Rarity’s face. “Hmmm...if it’s not...well...the only person I’ve ever seen you with before is...Flash.  Have you...spoken with him yet, Sunset?”
Oh for the love little pink parasprites... Sunset was beginning to understand the human idiom about beating a dead horse—except she was the equine in question. “No, Rarity. I haven’t—I’m the last person he would want to talk to, and so far our mutual avoidance is working out just fine. Why mess with success?”
“Have you considered that maybe he wants to talk to you, but he is avoiding you because he thinks that’s what you want?” The tailor’s expression was serious. “You both need to sit down and clear the air between you.”
Her earlier frustration found an outlet now. “Why are you so fixated on me and Flash?”
“Because, Sunset, the two of you seemed so good together when you were dating. It’s the only time before the Fall Formal where you looked happy in a way that didn’t scream ‘I kick puppies.’” Rarity picked at her sundae.
That took the wind out of Sunset, and she winced as guilt joined in on the emotional mess she was dealing with. “It was an act,” she reiterated. “I used him, played the part that people expected. I never cared about him.” She grimaced. “I was a horrible person, and the relationship was mostly about image and reputation.”
“Come now, darling. There must have been some sort of affection between the two of you, some spark. Whenever I saw you together, you seemed so much more...” the designer paused, searching for a word, before finishing awkwardly, “...nice.”
Sunset put her head in her hands. “You saw what I wanted you to see.  It was fake.”
Again, Rarity’s eyebrow arched upward. “All of it? I find that hard to believe. I believe that the bulk of it may have been an act, but every possible moment you were in his company for almost half a year? As good an actress as you might be, Sunset, no one can be ‘on’ all the time. Surely some of your interaction was based in real emotion.”
The cheesecake in her mouth had turned sour from bitterness and guilt. “Not as much as you’re suggesting,” she confessed. “I...Flash was what I needed to boost my reputation, and he is a nice guy—not pushy about...physical things.” She kept her voice fairly level. “I suppose you could say that I respected that about him. I didn’t hate him, or find him unbearable or stupid, but that was as far as it went.  Kissing him was...” 
There were really no words that captured her feelings on it, especially now that she could compare it to kissing Twilight, but it must have shown plainly on her face because Rarity bit back a chuckle. “I’m sorry, Sunset,” she tittered behind one hand. “You just look like Sweetie Belle the time she tried caviar.”  Sunset found herself rolling her eyes.
Once the humor had passed, Rarity was serious again. “So all of it was an act then? Every smile, every laugh, every time you two held hands or you leaned against him? Even that time you fell asleep on his shoulder at the end of the year assembly?”
The former unicorn felt her face heat. “The assembly was an accident—I’d pulled an all nighter and it was so boring I couldn’t keep my eyes open!” Then she scowled. “And I’m not sure what hand holding has to do with romance. Humans grab each others hands all the time—it's just a basic social gesture....isn’t it?” 
White skinned fingers tapped the spoon against her bowl, those blue eyes scrutinizing her intently again.  “You really have been ‘faking it ‘til you make it,’ haven’t you, darling?”
It would have stung if it hadn’t been the truth...but it opened up an avenue to talk about some of her actual frustrations. Sunset found herself venting to one of the few people who could grasp the idea of her being from another world.  “I’ve tried to study humans as much as possible, but there’s so much that is different from how things are in Equestria. Do you have any idea how much work it takes to learn just the basic body language for another species? And I just can’t wrap my head around half of your weird cultural attitudes—so many of them are in direct conflict with each other, it’s insane!” She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face.  “You talked about how no one can be ‘on’ all the time as an actress—Rarity, I’ve been ‘on’ for years, every time I leave my house. I’m not human, and as much as I can pretend, I never will be. I’m a unicorn, no matter what body the portal put me in.” 
Rarity was quiet for a long time, and Sunset could see that she was turning the information over in her mind.  “Well...perhaps I can help you sort out the cultural differences? For example...can you explain to me what Equestrian courtship and romance are like?”
For perhaps the first time, Sunset actually found herself thankful for Rarity’s obsession with romance. “Sure. So...for starters, ponies care way less about what your special somepony is. Male, female, pony, griffin, kirin, it’s not typically an issue for anypony other than stuck up nobles and stuffy tribalists. The important part is that everypony involved is happy.” She took another sip of her milkshake before continuing. “We have dating, engagements, marriages, just like humans, but it’s...it’s a thing that happens. It’s not a major focus for a lot of ponies to require a partner to be happy—sure, there are some ponies who fixate on finding that special somepony and ‘living happily ever after’ but they are the exception, not the rule. Ponies tend to find happiness in their special talents, so relationships are about enrichment, not fulfillment.”
“When you talk about it like that, it all sounds so...prosaic,” Rarity commented with dismay. "Where’s the passion? The spark? Where’s the romance?  What about ‘Love at first sight,’or ‘True love's first kiss,’ or the grand gestures, Sunset?"
The redhead furrowed her brows, considering the question, looking back. “Honestly, there’s fairy tales and stories about love and its magic, and Equestria does have a Princess of Love...”  The last part came out with far more bitterness than Sunset would have liked, but even with knowing the human Cadence, she couldn’t quite shake the grudge against the pink alicorn.  “But...love at first sight? Ponies...don't really buy into that.”
"Maybe there isn't a scientific explanation for love at first sight. But I choose to believe in such a thing. I have at least 'some' experience with it."
“It’s...not even science. It’s—“ Sunset rubbed her eyes. “Magic and emotion are connected. The strongest emotions have more of an affect on magic. If love at first sight like you are talking about happened in Equestria, ponies would expect a magical reaction. There’s little evidence of it, even in the oldest pony tales and legends, with the exception of one or two artifacts. So it’s not really a thing in Equestria.”
Rarity smiled, with a bit of smugness creeping into her expression. “Well, it's a good thing we aren't in Equestria then, isn't it darling?"
That gave Sunset pause. “Why do you say that?” she asked, trying her best to sound neutral.
"So love at first sight can exist, of course. If it wasn't Flash, darling, maybe you will find someone who does strike your fancy." The tailor leaned forward, excitement in her tone.
Rolling her eyes, the former unicorn snorted derisively. “I’ve seen how romance works, Rarity,” she pointed out. “Girls at school ‘fall in love’ and out again in a week, and the boys will say anything they need to in order to get in a girl’s pants. If that’s what humans consider love and romance, count me out.”
Rarity arched one eyebrow, smirking now. "But, Sunset...I never said you had to bring a 'boy' home."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Sunset sighed. “If this is some weird attempt to set me up on a blind date, the answer is no.”
"Nothing like that, darling, I assure you. But the reality of your situation is that you are going to be living with us humans for the foreseeable future. There is nothing wrong with enjoying your time here with all of us. We are your friends, Sunset, but friendship and love are two different but equally important things."
“...all I’ve seen from humans is the stuff at school, Rarity, short, meaningless interactions meant for either social standing, or, more commonly, to facilitate sexual encounters that mean nothing in the long term. Even if I found hairless bipedal apes attractive, I wouldn’t be interested in something that’s actually more shallow than my fake relationship with Flash.” 
The pale skinned girl gave her a long and appraising stare, one of those that seemed to peer right into her soul.  "Sex is something pleasurable to have, Sunset...but a romantic partner isn't only about that, trust me. It's about spending time with someone and being with someone who you care about more than a friend. Someone who you can love more than anyone else in the whole world. That, Ms. Shimmer, is what love is."
Each word was like a barbed claw in her chest, and Sunset recoiled internally from the implications. It took everything she had to not let her turmoil show on her face or in her eyes.  “I barely have a handle on friendship, Rarity,” she pointed out softly, the words breaking free before she could stop them. “How am I supposed to recognize something like that? It’s not exactly like I’ve ever been loved before—here or in Equestria.”
Rarity softened considerably, taking another bite out of her sundae. "This wasn't meant as an attack. You are our friend, Sunset.  My friend. I want to see you happy. You say you ‘barely have a handle on friendship,’ but I think you are making great strides, and I don't think I'm the only one who would say that. One day, I expect you will find someone you feel different about. Not because you think they are attractive, but because you want to spend time and just be with them."
Silence reigned for a time, as Sunset wrestled with her emotions, slouching in her seat.  Rarity’s descriptions were hitting awfully close to home, and she needed time to think on that.  “I’m not sure I’m ready for something like that,” she confessed. “I’m not sure if I ever would be...and I don’t want to be at the mercy of this stupid body and its moon-banished hormones, trying to convince me that I am!”
"Trying to convince yourself you are ready would be a mistake. But when it hits you, you’ll know. That's what being in love is like—you will be drawn to them and they to you." Rarity smiled and sighed, then took another bite of her sundae.
Sunset’s thoughts twisted back on themselves, and she echoed the designer’s sigh with one of her own.  She had more to think on now than when she started, even if the conversation had helped her identify some of the differences between humans and ponies. “I’ll...keep that in mind, I guess...” Then she squinted at Rarity. “But this doesn’t mean I want you or anyone else trying to play matchmaker! I still find humans ugly and funny looking.”
Rarity smiled. "Well, that won't matter when you find the right person, Sunset. That's part of being in love too.  You’ll meet them, and everything will change!”
“My life is not one of your cheesy novels, you know,” she grumbled. “I’m not going to spill hot coffee on some person on the street and become instantly enamored with them.” She wrinkled her nose, stifling a sudden laugh. “Knowing me, I’m more likely to get angry at the waste of good coffee.”
The designer laughed brightly. “Oh, Sunset....you say that, but you sound like the female lead in one of those ‘cheesy romance novels.’  You'll complain about your spilled coffee, then just when you are about to look up to apologize...you’ll notice their deep eyes, like the ocean. Oh! You could swim in those eyes! They will be startled by your beauty... then apologize first! Offer to take you for coffee! You will find you have so much in common. Then you will want to spend all of your time together!" Rarity explained, deliberately overacting the story.
Sunset rolled her eyes again, flicking her straw wrapper at Rarity’s head. The whole scenario being painted was absolutely ridiculous, on so many levels.  “Never going to happen like that, Rarity, no matter how much you fantasize about me and some stranger. You can keep your coffee mishap romance to yourself.” Still, it didn’t stop her from laughing as Rarity ignored her to continue describing this imagined romance while the redhead polished off the rest of her snack.
> Chapter Forty Four: We Didn't Start the Fire...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





With extreme care and precision, Sunset carefully pressed the last gemstone in its simple setting to the enchanted leather cover of the book, her brow pinched in concentration. There was some humor in the fact that the three gems: two sizable, pale sapphires and one larger bluish diamond, were worth a fortune to the humans, and here she was, casually using thousands of dollars in what was a glorified arts and crafts project. She probably wouldn’t mention that part to Rarity when she presented her with the personalized journal as a Christmas gift, if for no other reason than her desire to retain her hearing.  It was among the last gifts she had to prepare for her friends, and she hoped that they would be happy with her choices. 
The blank book was for Rarity, a thick, expensive looking, well made Equestrian tome with creamy, blank pages that Sunset thought she could use either as a diary or, more likely, as a place to put her design ideas and inspirational sketches. A second, smaller ‘book’ of laminated pages held as many recipes for Equestrian desserts that were the palatable and non-toxic to humans as Sunset could come up with—Pinkie, she reasoned, would love the chance to experiment and try new sweets. For Rainbow, she’d tracked down the husk of a racing bike, with the intent to offer assistance in restoring it to prime condition, just as she had done with hers.  Applejack had been difficult to shop for, with her disdain for fancy and extravagant gifts.  In the end, in addition to an extremely practical present of well made, durable, top rated work boots that would replace the battered hand-me-down ones that had belonged to her brother, Sunset had a collection of labeled paper packets courtesy of Princess Twilight and the Apples of Equestria, containing seeds for half a dozen different varieties of Equestrian apple trees that she was fairly certain the human world lacked.  As for Fluttershy, her gift towards the girl she had been the most relentless towards during her years of being a bully was the least tangible. She intended to offer her time, money, and assistance towards a project of Fluttershy’s choice.
Finishing her friends’ gifts so rapidly had left her with plenty of time to put the finishing touches on the gifts for Twilight and her family.  Most of their presents had been finished and wrapped, except for the project she was working on for Cadence...though she mulled over her gifts to Twilight.  The items she had gotten for her girlfriend were safe enough to be opened in front of the rest of the family, the kind of thing she could give her best friend...
Sunset grimaced; that bothered her way more than it should. Some part of her wanted to give Twilight something special...and that in turn dredged up the twisted tangle of thoughts that had been plaguing her all weekend. “...Sparky,” she murmured, dropping her head into her hands. “What do I do?”
Her head was an absolute mess, filled with so many thoughts and so little in the way of how to handle them effectively. Talking with Cadence and Rarity had helped clear up some of her...misperceptions and confusion about human sexuality and relationships, but none of that really helped the unicorn-turned-girl come to any kind of decision about her relationship with Twilight.  It wasn’t even fully about sex, at least not directly, despite the impression she had given her girlfriend and Cadence. It was about what the possibility of that level of intimacy represented, of what going further meant to her and her future.
For months, she’d lived as an exile, banished by a Princess to the human world as a consequence of the many crimes she’d committed in taking the Crown of Magic. It was with the belief that her exile was to be a long sentence, possibly for the rest of her life, that she’d started to turn her life around, because as she’d told her Vice Principal, if she had to spend the next fifty years among humans, then she should at least strive not to be miserable. Yet...somewhere deep in her heart and soul, Sunset Shimmer had held out a desire and a hope that someday, before the end of her days, that she would see the world of her birth again, feel the crisp, clean air in her lungs and on her fur, be in the body that felt right instead of this awkward, ugly and ungainly form. She ached for the chance to use her magic freely again, such an intrinsic and fundamental part of her very soul, tied in a way she knew without being told to the blazing sun that belonged on her flank. No matter how much of a life she made in the human world, that hope meant it still wasn’t home.
Her feelings for Twilight threatened to change all of that, and it scared her.  If she was invested enough in her best friend and girlfriend to cross that line into the deepest levels of physical intimacy—and she did want to, more than she ever thought she’d ever want to with any being in existence—then this...thing...that had grown between them was more than just the shallow flings she had mocked to Rarity.  For her, it meant she was willing to be with Twilight for a long time...and choosing Twilight Sparkle, human girl, meant giving up on Equestria.
Her mind balked initially at the realization, scrambling for alternatives, but in the end, nothing she could come up with would have worked for her to have a serious relationship with Twilight and go home to Equestria.  She couldn’t take the human girl with her, since there was already a Twilight Sparkle in Equestria, and she wasn’t exactly a nopony. She was a princess, and a bearer of one of the Elements—her face and cutie mark had likely been plastered on newspapers, magazines, and broadsheets from one end of the kingdom to the other, so no matter where she went, someone would recognize the human-turned-mare for who she was. And that was even assuming Twilight was willing to give up her own world for Equestria.  
Sunset would have to make a choice, and it was one where no matter what she chose, she would lose something.  
The redhead leaned back in her desk chair, rubbing her face. She didn’t know if she was even willing to make this world her home, instead of just the place she had no choice but to live. Could she even be happy here, truly happy? Cut off from magic, in an alien body, forever damned to be a stranger in a strange land, would her relationship with Twilight, her growing friendships with the girls, and the little bits of intermittent magic be enough to sustain her, to make her feel complete and alive? Or would she find herself eaten alive again by that soul deep hunger for something beyond her grasp, the hunger that had driven her to madness and mayhem in the past, the consuming want that culminated in her transformation into the demon that still haunted her nightmares?  If she chose Twilight, would she come to resent her in a few years, even though the nerdy girl had no idea the weight of the choice Sunset was dealing with at this exact moment?
Which was the other sore point for all of this: the omission that hung heavy between them. Sunset was still not ready to come clean about her origins to Twilight.  She trusted her girlfriend more than she’d trusted anyone in a very long time, but she just wasn’t ready yet to risk everything—their friendship, their relationship, the connection she’d forged with the rest of the family—by informing Twilight that she was a magical talking unicorn from another world who’d been exiled after turning into a she-demon in her quest for power and control.
“Because that little nugget would send anyone running for the hills in this world,” she groused to herself, pushing away from her desk to go scrounge for food in her cupboards.  “She’s a scientist, logical and rational. In this world, magic is anything but...”
The words met only silence, the nagging internal voice she’d grown used to still absent.  Sunset scraped together a few veggies that had seen better days and some rice noodles into a passable stir-fry while her thoughts continued unabated.  It unnerved her, in a way, especially because she couldn’t manage to figure out what Stupid Little Voice would say to her—it was a part of her subconscious, after all, so her inability to actively fill its role made no sense. 
It didn’t stop her from filling the air with her own voice, in hopes of getting a snarky reply.  “Even if Twilight did believe me...would she even still want me when she finds out I’m not human?” Sunset’s chest ached at the thought of Twilight looking at her in disgust.  “It’s not like in Equestria—humans are the only sentient species here, and this world’s horses are animals.” She snorted. “Great job, Shimmer. Maybe you should’ve told her already, before it got this far.”
Twilight desired her—the former unicorn knew that much, not just from some slips in their recent conversations, but also from some sense she couldn’t define that existed as a hyper-awareness of everything “Sparky.” Even now, Sunset could see the way purple eyes had looked at her, pupils blown wide as they kissed the other night, feel the way the smaller body had arched into hers, the sounds that had escaped from the human girl’s throat when Sunset had—
The redheaded teen sucked in a sharp breath, nearly dropping her dinner. A sharp surge of want and desire originated at her center and went all the way to the top of her head and tips of her toes, leaving her flushed, hot, tingling, Twilight’s name halfway to her lips. Her body throbbed...ached...burned for the dark haired girl’s touch, her mind happy to supply graphic images of bare lavender skin beneath her while Sunset made her writhe in ecstasy. 
The bowl hit the coffee table hard as Sunset sank into the couch, unprepared for just how powerful and overwhelming the feelings were. It tingled like her magic did right before a surge, energy and fire under her skin that converged on her skull and concentrated in her nethers, and it left her panting and trembling, and worst of all? Sunset wanted more, this pleasure that set her nerves aflame, fixated on the only person (or pony) that had ever made her feel this way.  
Fingers dug into the throw pillow on the couch, gripping white-knuckle tight, her eyes squinted shut as she panted, trying to gain some control and push the thoughts and images away.  It was harder than she thought it would be, and she felt weak and nauseous afterward, sprawled bonelessly on her couch.  “Tartarus take me,” she managed, staring at her ceiling without really seeing it. Who would have thought that something was actually worse than human menses? If this was normal, no wonder humans were so focused on sex.
Sunset rubbed her face with a shaking hand. She had no desire to be a slave to adolescent human hormones, and she definitely didn’t want those hormones influencing her decision.  “You don’t exactly have the best record with temptation, Shimmer,” she mumbled, feeling her stomach lurch as she reached for her bowl of stir fry. “...and buck me if this isn’t the worst temptation in history...”
Eating was mechanical at that point—she barely tasted any of it, and she couldn’t even finish half of her meal before the nausea returned and she had to stop. “I can’t,” she argued with herself bitterly, trying in vain to drown out the whispers of desire that still ghosted through her mind. “How can I consider it if I’m not willing to tell her the truth about my life, about who and what I am? That’s not a little thing—it’s not an embarrassing foalhood story or bad haircut!”
Sunset knew she was deeply attached to her girlfriend, and that their relationship was the most important one in her life.  Rarity’s words about love and romance had described almost perfectly the way she felt about Twilight and just how much she meant to Sunset....and those emotions were what made making up her mind so difficult.  Ponies may not have had the “hang-ups” about who a pony was with that humans did, but they also weren’t as casual as humans were with sexual intimacy. As much as the redhead’s body was screaming for sex, her mind and heart balked—that kind of closeness was a sign of trust, affection, and deep emotional attachment on the part of those involved, and how could she say there was true trust between them with the lie of omission hanging over her head and the doubts in her chest eating away at her?  
Shaking herself, the former unicorn gave up on trying to eat and dragged herself towards the bathroom, in desperate need of a shower to warm up and to feel clean again. Stripping down and adding her clothes to the pile she needed to wash, she paused to observe her own figure in the mirror with a sort of detached curiosity. The amber-skinned biped who looked back at her she had long come to grips with being her reflection, but even now the figure was weird and ungainly to her perception, with curves and lines that stood out far more than any muscle. She was aware that by human standards, the body that the portal had granted her was attractive to other members of its species—very attractive, given the way the boys used to stare at her in the halls—but to Sunset, it looked as awkward as every other human she had ever encountered...save one.
Heat pooled in her core again as her thoughts returned to Twilight, unconsciously comparing her own frame to what she knew about the nerdy bookworm’s body under the school uniforms, pajamas, and weekend casual wear.  Fingers gripped the sink as she clamped down on the reaction swifter this time, trying to shove it away before she was left a panting mess once more. “How do humans deal with this?” Sunset questioned her reflection, taking in the flush on her skin and the way her eyes had dilated. Her own voice sounded strange to her ears, and she practically dove into the hot spray to distract her from how badly it unnerved her.
For a long time, Sunset just let the near scalding water cascade over her head and shoulders, the heat and steam and white noise drowning out all thought and numbing her to any sensation. It was a welcome respite from the chaos of her mind, and she went so far as to indulge in some of the deep, calming meditation exercises that Princess Celestia had taught her as a filly in an attempt to help her curb both her temper and her wild magic surges. As silly as she might have felt had anyone seen her sitting on the floor of her shower, it helped and she felt much more relaxed by the time the hot water started to run out.
The push-pull of conflicting feelings had been getting to her, and the former unicorn took the moment of clear-headedness to figure out her current position. The truth of it was that Sunset wasn’t ready to give a firm answer to whether or not she was willing to delve into sexual intimacy with Twilight, and she could say that now without a doubt.  “But...I don’t want to lose her...lose us,” she lamented, washing the last of the shampoo from her hair as the water turned cool. “I...Sun and stars...There has to be some sort of compromise I can live with!”
> Interlude XI: Velvet Glove
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Even though the door was shut, the squeal of childish glee from down the hall still roused Twilight Velvet. She laughed as she sat up in bed, hearing her eldest thunder down the hall to bang on his sister’s door. “Twily!” Shining Armor shouted with all the restraint of a four year old in front of a birthday cake. “It’s Christmas!! Wake up!!”
Throwing on her robe and tucking her feet into slippers, she padded out of her room as Shining reached it. “Merry Christmas, Mom!!” He pivoted, banging on his sister’s door again before ducking back into his own, trying to rouse his fiancee. 
Velvet shook her head, heading towards the stairs...only to stop at the sound of voices from Twilight’s room. Curiosity got the better of her, and she paused to listen.
Her daughter’s voice was unmistakable and much louder than her companion’s. “Sunny! Wake up! It’s Christmas morning!”
“Dun wanna...” came the reply, followed by some grumbling. It seemed like Sunset Shimmer was not a morning person even on holidays. “Stop squirming...can’t snuggle you when you move this much.”
“I don’t want to stay in bed! It’s Christmas! That means stockings and presents and breakfast, Christmas movies and music and just so much I want to share with you that we do!”
There was a groan. “Sparky...it’s...” The voice went quiet, then came back ten or twenty seconds later, flat and toneless. “Why is it six thirty AM, Twilight? Why is your brother banging on the door at six thirty in the morning on a holiday, and why are you trying to pull me out of bed this early?  The sunrise hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet!”
Velvet stifled a laugh behind her hand as her daughter answered, “Because it’s Christmas! We always get up super early and open stockings and have breakfast, then do presents. And I really really want to give you your presents!”
There was a long suffering sigh that was not nearly as pained as Sunset made it sound. “You are lucky I find you impossible to resist when you make that face, nerd. Alright. I’ll get up, but I demand coffee as recompense.”
Giggling from both girls ensued, and Velvet shook her head as she continued her way to the stairs. She may have had to pretend that nothing was going on between them, but it didn’t mean she didn’t find the budding romance between the girls to be sweet. Though she hoped that maybe Sunset would help Twilight find the courage to open up to them about the matter. It had been almost three years since she’d come out to Cadence and she still showed no signs of telling the rest of her family.





Cadence popped her head into the living room, spotting Velvet on the couch with her laptop. “Velvet? Do you have a minute?”
Seeing her look so serious, Twilight Velvet closed the computer. Editing the next chapter could wait. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” She asked the young woman who was practically another one of her children.
“Do you remember what Shining mentioned on Thanksgiving? About Sunset?” She bit her lip nervously.
“Yes. I also remember telling you all to leave the girls alone about it. What did you do, young lady? Please don’t tell me you tried to play matchmaker.” Velvet prayed that wasn’t the case. “Sunset is emotionally fragile.”
“I swear, I didn’t play matchmaker...but I thought you needed to know the truth. They’re dating, and have been for a while. Twily asked for my advice on what to do about her feelings for Sunset and I encouraged her to be honest.”
“So it was mutual?” She was surprised...but not overly so, not after numerous nights of poking her head into her daughters room and finding the pair snuggled up together in Twilight’s bed like a pair of sleeping kittens.
Cadence giggled. “…Twily has it so baaaad…” she told Velvet. “She’s getting better at hiding it, but she’s smitten.”
She shared a chuckle with her future daughter-in-law. “They both are, it seems. I am glad that Twily is still coming to you. It’s good that she has someone she is willing to share what’s going on with her....and thank you for keeping me in the loop about it.”
“I don’t want to overstep,” Cadence replied, “I feel honored that Twilight trusts me, and I do want to give her good advice, but I’m not her parent. It’s the other reason I wanted to talk to you....I know they’re going to get physical at some point, and I wanted to know what you wanted me to do if Twilight comes to me about it for advice or with questions.”
Velvet nodded. “I know, Cadence, and thank you. But really, if I’m honest, I trust your judgment—you know my daughter as well as I do, if not better in some ways, and you’ve been nothing but careful and sensitive with her feelings for a long time. We all want Twily to be responsible, to be healthy and safe, and to not jump into things without looking, so I know that’ll be part of whatever advice you offer her when the time comes.”  A wry smile crossed her face. “Besides, you know as well as I do that telling a teenager ‘No,’ is like hanging a sign on your neck that reads ‘Do it anyway and lie to me about it.’”
They shared another laugh. “The good news is they’re both girls so there’s no chance of a pregnancy scare,” Cadence joked. “That removes a whole subset of concerns, questions, and worries.  It never happened with Shining and I but I knew way too many girls in high school and even college who had them.” She leaned over to hug Velvet. “I’ll try to keep you up to date, Velvet...and I want you to know I’m still trying to encourage Twilight to tell you guys, but...”
“Her anxiety?”
“Isn’t it always?” Cadence sighed. “She seems more confident with Sunset, so maybe....”
“She will tell us when she’s ready, sweetheart. We can be patient, and offer her the love and reassurance she needs both before and after.  Her and Sunset both.”





Velvet stood before the coffee pot, waiting for the first drops of ambrosia to hit the hot glass. While the rest of her family were firmly morning people, she had more in common with her children’s partners. Mornings were evil, and should be outlawed from happening before ten AM. She heard a shuffling sound behind her, her hand pausing on its way to the cabinet. “Good morning, Sunset,” she offered. “And Merry Christmas.” She set out four mugs—no one wanted to find out what would happen if one was to give her children coffee this early when they were already so chipper. “Be a dear and get me the creamers from the fridge? And the chocolate syrup, if you would. I think the three of us who would rather still be abed will need the extra boost this morning.”
Sunset grunted something unintelligible, but obediently brought her the creamer and the bottle of chocolate syrup. Baleful blue-green eyes glowered at the pot as if she was trying to will the coffee to percolate faster. “They always this perky this early on Christmas?” she mumbled, watching Velvet prep the mugs with varying amounts of cream, sugar, and syrup for each person.
“Since they were little. Shining taught it to Twily early—when she was three, he tossed her on top of our bed at six on the dot and she recited, loudly, all of the reasons we had do be up right then or it would ‘ruin Christmas.’  I think he’d spent all week teaching her that. These days it’s hard to believe he’s a grown man in his twenties and that she is a junior in high school when the holidays come around. Christmas morning, they might as well both be five years old.”
Sunset managed a somewhat sleepy, amused smile. “It is pretty adorable,” she admitted without seeming to realize what she said, her head turning to where she could see Twilight excitedly looking over the various stockings.
The older woman could see the affection written on the teen girl’s face, and she smiled. “I hope you don’t find our holiday traditions too jarring compared to what you grew up with,” Velvet offered gently. She didn’t want to upset Sunset by bringing up her family, but she did want the girl to feel included and not just like a bystander. “Was there any tradition you had that you really liked? Maybe we can add it in.”
Sunset turned back towards her, rubbing her neck. “It...was always…kinda hectic when I was little around the holidays. Lots of fancy, official parties for adults that I only got dragged to because I needed a minder.”  The words were spoken quietly, with a flat delivery, and Twilight Velvet felt her heart twinge with sympathy for the girl.  “…I guess if there was anything that was a tradition, it was sharing a cup of cocoa in the evening and reading our favorite holiday stories aloud. My…” and there was the waver in her voice, so quick that Velvet almost missed it. “…mom…always liked doing character voices…” Sunset shook her head, then reached for the mug that was usually hers on weekends, pouring coffee into it. “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Velvet. I’m fine with your traditions.”
“I don’t know…I think cocoa and stories sounds like a wonderful idea.” 
That made the redheaded girl freeze up, coffee cup halfway to her lips. She didn’t say anything, but Velvet caught the shimmer of unshed tears. Blinking rapidly, Sunset moved to head into the living room, almost smacking into a disheveled and half asleep Cadence. The pink woman made a zombie-like groan that might’ve been a ‘Merry Christmas’ and Sunset pointed towards the coffee pot before continuing her trek out the door.
Velvet busied herself with sipping her coffee and finishing the final preparation for the two breakfast dishes she was about to stick in the oven: a larger one with bacon, eggs, and sausage poured over a bed of already crisped hashbrowns, and the smaller vegetarian variant of the recipe.
Cadence nursed her own drink, glowering like a moody teenager when Night Light patted her shoulder cheerfully when he came in to retrieve his. “Merry Christmas, ladies! I hope you're prepared for the annual Christmas shenanigans—Sunset is out there fending off the kids. I figure she’s got about two minutes before they overwhelm her defenses and get to the presents she’s protecting to try and figure out what’s in them.”
Setting the oven timer, Twilight Velvet sighed. “And you left her alone, Night? Do you want to still have two children when we go back in there?”
He snorted with laughter. “She’d never hurt Twily.”
His wife gazed at him coolly. “I doubt she has any such compunctions about your son.” Her point was proven when Shining Armor yelped in the other room. “See?” Topping off the mugs for her and Cadence, Velvet nudged them towards the living room. “Let’s go stop the Christmas bloodshed before it ruins the sofa.”
They reentered the living room to find a smirking, if tired, Sunset guarding a stack of presents, Twilight on the floor giggling like a maniac, and Shining Armor pouting and rubbing his chest through his shirt. 
“Merry Christmas,” Velvet told her daughter, one brow arched. “Sunset, sweetie, you can just put your gifts over by the tree with the others. We open those after breakfast, and these two know better than to go manhandling presents under the tree.” She gave her children a stern look.
Once Sunset had stuck her presents under the tree, Night Light started handing the stockings out to their recipients. Twilight explained to Sunset, “We always have a big breakfast, so we open stocking stuff while it cooks.”
Sunset stared at Night when he pulled out a hidden stocking and pressed it into her hands. The soft fabric was decorated with little holly wreaths, and the white band at the top had her name embroidered into it in fancy lettering that matched everyone else’s. “I...for me?” she stuttered, eyes roving the room to find everyone smiling at her. “...you...you didn’t have to...”
Twilight set her own stocking aside to hug her. “We wanted to,” she said gently. 
“We invited you to spend Christmas with us, Sunset,” Night Light pointed out. “We wouldn’t do that just to make you watch us have a holiday. This is your Christmas too.”
She hurriedly wiped her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, before trying to misdirect the attention. “Alright, nerd,” she asked, tweaking Twilight’s nose. “What’s the tradition on this?”
Velvet watched her youngest light up, pulling Sunset down to the cushions on the floor with her and explaining the very complex and traditional process of “guess the stocking stuffers”—basically shaking the package and guessing what fun, tasty, or practical items were wrapped up inside. It was a game her children had played since they were little, after realizing that nothing in the stockings was fragile; typically, stocking contents ran the spectrum from useful products like a new toothbrush or deodorant or a hairbrush to snacks like candy or cookies or nuts, to little fun things like gum or dollar toys or gift cards for music or books or games.  Their newest member to the holiday madness dove into the game with enthusiasm, laughing and giggling with Shining and Twilight like she’d always been there.
Velvet smiled, and Night leaned over to hand her the stocking he’d filled for her. “Merry Christmas, dear,” he murmured, before glancing at the kids—three giggling messes with a less grumpy Cadence surreptitiously taking pictures with her phone. “Think she’s going to like the gifts?”
“I know she will.”
He chuckled, his voice a whisper just for her, “Now if only she’d work up the courage to kiss our daughter as easily as she warmed up to this holiday...” he quipped.
Velvet swatted his arm. “Stop trying to play matchmaker, Night. I swear, sometimes you’re as bad as Cady. I know you’d prefer that to Twilight bringing home some random girl that you have to threaten, but let the girls sort themselves out.”
Night Light shook his head. “It’s not that. I trust Sunset—someone who looks at our little girl the way she does would die to keep her safe and happy, without so much as a second thought. I want the kids to be with people who not only make them happy, but will look out for them the way we do.”
She leaned up to kiss her husband. “I forget how insightful you can be when you bring your head back down from outer space. Still, leave the girls alone. They’ll figure it out and tell us in their own time.”
Laughing again, he settled into his chair with his own stocking and they enjoyed going through what they had gotten each other as fun little treats. Sunset had started a paper war with bits of wrapping paper, beaning Shining armor in the head. Unbeknownst to her, Shining was keeping her occupied while Twilight tried to see how many present bows she could stick to Sunset without notice. (The answer turned out to be a lot.) This prompted a chase around the living room, through the dining room, up the stairs and back that ultimately ended in Twilight being tickled until tears of mirth streamed from her eyes. 
Velvet eventually herded them all into the dining room for breakfast, shaking her head ruefully because some days it felt like trying to herd cats. Breakfast was a boisterous affair now that the coffee had kicked in, though she drew the line at a food fight when Shining Armor thought it would be a good idea to flick a hashbrown at his sister. A stern glare and the use of his middle name brought him to heel quickly enough.
With six sets of hands, the breakfast aftermath was easily cleared, and the family soon found themselves returning to the living room. Velvet handed her son and Sunset trashbags with firm instructions to pick up the paper they’d gotten everywhere in their war, while Cadence and Twilight began divvying up the presents by who they were for. Twilight slipped her mother a slim, oddly shaped package when Sunset wasn’t paying attention, and Velvet tucked it behind her in the chair. It had to be the final gift for a reason.





Velvet slid under the covers next to her husband after having checked to make sure the girls were asleep. They were, of course, tangled up together under the covers, unaware that she had stepped in and out of the room in silence, much to Velvet’s amusement.  
Night Light looked up from his book as she settled in beside him. “You’ve got that look in your eye. What’s on your mind?”
“Do remember what we talked about after Thanksgiving—about Sunset?” Velvet asked after a moment.
“I do,” he answered, tipping his glasses to look at her over the top of them. “You do realize Christmas is a week away and we have Sunset here until Saturday morning, correct?”
She nodded. “Do you think we can get it done in time for Christmas? Sunset and I...talked...today...and I want her to have some tangible reinforcement that she’s welcome here.”
Night grinned boyishly at her, the lively, mischievous smile she’d fallen in love with decades ago still warming her inside.  “With our daughter, queen of planning and lists, and Cady and Shining’s help? Without a doubt.”





Once some measure of order had been restored, the family went around the room, opening their gifts one at a time in a round-robin fashion that let each person show off their various acquisitions gleefully. Sometimes the gifts were practical, sometimes they were fun, with everyone getting something for everyone else. 
Just like with the stocking, Velvet watched Sunset marvel and tear up at the pile of gifts addressed to her. “You...you guys...this is too much, really...” she told them, trying to blink back the moisture. “I don’t deserve all this...” 
“It’s not about what you think you deserve, Sunset,” Night Light said firmly. “It’s about what you mean to the members of this family. You’re Twilight’s best friend and we love having you here with us. You’ve enriched our lives by being in them.”
Twilight pulled Sunset into another hug, mouthing a ‘Thank you,’ towards her father over the redhead’s shoulder. It was a hug that Shining and Cadence both joined in on soon enough, just like the emotional hug at Thanksgiving—though not before Cadence snapped a picture.
Gifts were opened, much to everyone’s delight and awe, but the ones Velvet enjoyed watching be opened the most were the ones involving her daughter’s best-friend-turned-girlfriend, Sunset’s eyes lighting up with every subsequent gift. There was one of those fancy brew-by-the-cup coffee makers from Cadence with a card that read “Welcome to a family of morning people from those of us who aren’t,” a small crockpot and a selection of vegetarian recipe books for it from Velvet, a nice telescope from Night since the girls had been up to the planetarium and the observatory more than once for fun, and a collection of graphic novels Shining thought she might enjoy reading—though his more sentimental present was in the card, where Velvet knew he’d written down his badge number and personal extension at the station, encouraging Sunset to ‘not be afraid to ask for me if you need help.’  Added to that, the family had thrown in a new winter coat with a nice warm scarf that had Sunset’s stylized red and gold sun on it, a pair of warmer winter boots and a decent pair of gloves, a personalized ceramic mug: “If I was meant to be a morning person, I’d be named after the sunrise,” a statement she’d grumbled on more than one Saturday morning while she struggled to wake up, a pair of warm winter pajamas and fuzzy slippers, and of course, the traditional tacky Christmas sweater that everyone should own. In Sunset’s case, it depicted a sleigh being pulled by a horse, something that made her laugh far harder than Velvet would have anticipated.  
Of course, Twilight’s gifts got more of a response, but Velvet smirked and chalked that one up to young love. The first gift she’d gotten Sunset was an actual musical composition book, filled with blank sheets for music—according to her daughter, Sunset was actually quite talented musically, and had been playing around with writing songs.  The second gift was much more sentimental, and Velvet watched Sunset’s face go awestruck as she pulled it out of the box. Twilight had put together a scrapbook and photo album, using pictures Cadence and her mother had been taking on the sly for months of the two girls as well as some of her own for the backbone of the book, but had printed out custom stickers, quotes, funny titles, and added in things like ticket stubs for their trips to the museums or movies, flyers and adverts from their favorite places, schematics and plans of things they’d built or upgraded together, all in an emotional and funny trip down memory lane. Sunset’s reaction was so intense that for a second, Velvet wondered if the girl would actually kiss her daughter in front of them. As it was, she expected the pair to retreat at some point during the day to express how they felt about their gifts from each other in private.
Equally interesting were the gifts from Sunset to everyone else. She had obviously taken time and effort to give things that each person would enjoy and appreciate.
For Shining Armor, she and Twilight had worked on the gift together: a custom made coffee thermos and lunchbox. Made of a mixture of metal and insulated materials, it was a sturdy construction designed with customizable dividers, meant to maintain the food temperatures. The outside was made to resemble technology from his favorite superhero movies, complete with LED lights, a docking port for his phone and a small solar cell to charge its lights and provide power to allow him to recharge his phone. It made him giddy with glee, and he hugged both girls tightly.
Cadence unwrapped a fairly heavy package to reveal an old fashioned looking leather-bound volume with a blue gemstone heart set in the center of the cover. Inside, its pages were filled with neat curling handwriting, handwritten with an old fashioned pen and ink, illustrated with whimsical, fanciful images of colorful equines. Slowly turning the pages, Cadence looked to Sunset curiously.  “It’s...a collection of stories and poems. I put them together in one volume for you and added pictures,” the redhead explained.
“You drew these?” Cadence ran her finger over the picture of a pink winged unicorn.
Sunset nodded. “Yeah. I’m not the best artist, but I thought you might like them.”
Velvet leaned over to look. “Was there a reason behind your choice in unicorns?”
The teenager turned bright red. “...I guess you could say that I’ve always had a sort of soft spot for unicorns and ponies.”
Cadence was reading through the opening story. “I love it,” she told Sunset. “This is a treasure, Sunset. Thank you.”
Twilight received several gifts from the other girl, the first of which was a motorcycle helmet that matched Sunset’s own, but in Twilight’s preferred color scheme with her favorite six pointed star on the side. “Gotta protect that nerd brain of yours, Sparky, but now you can’t get into me about not wearing one too.” The second present was a pair of tickets to an event at the Canterlot observatory during a rare meteor shower—Twilight squealed with joy and lunged at Sunset across the carpet, knocking her girlfriend flat on her back with a massive hug. Sunset laughed and patted the smaller girl on the back. “I take it you like it?” 
“Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! Thank you thank you thank you!”
Sunset carefully pushed herself back into a sitting position. “I’m glad you like it, Sparky.”
The last gift given out by Sunset was for Velvet and Night, a large, rectangular, fairly flat box. Inside was a simple frame, containing a painting. It was a stylized piece with all of the members of the family depicted, including Spike. It was clear that Sunset had tried to capture what she saw in each person, and Velvet felt genuinely touched by the gift.
“Sunset, sweetie, this is beautiful. You did this?” 
The teen looked flustered. “I did. Do you like it?” she asked shyly.
“I love it! You did such a good job!” 
Night leaned over. “It really is well done. I’m looking forward to hanging it up. There is one thing though...” he added, and Sunset looked suddenly worried, only for it to melt into confusion when he continued, “...it’s unfinished. You’re not in it.”
Sunset shook her head. “Why would I be in it?”
The anticipation in the air was palpable, as Velvet retrieved the last, hidden gift and offered it to Sunset. “We have one more present for you, Sunset.”
Twilight bounced eagerly on her toes as Sunset unwrapped the carved wooden plaque. Amber skinned fingers traced over the words “Sunset’s Room” and the carefully done rendition of her sun icon, before she looked up. “I...I don’t understand....”
Cadence started explaining as everyone got up and started guiding the girl towards the stairs. “I’ve never actually officially lived here, but when I was twelve, Velvet and Night gave me my own room. I spent so much time here, they thought I might like a space for myself, which came in handy when I started coming over to babysit Twilight.”
Velvet patted Sunset’s shoulder, and Twilight slid an arm around the redhead’s waist. “We gave Cadence her own room because we wanted her to know she was as much a part of the family as Shining or Twilight, and that no matter what, she would always have a home here.”
“And now,” Shining added as they stopped in front of what had been the spare room next to Twilight’s, “We wanted to do the same for you.”
Night Light pushed the door open with great ceremony, revealing the room. Gone were the sheets more appropriate for relatives to sleep on, replaced by colors and designs meant to appeal to the tastes of a teenage girl. The walls had posters tacked up on them, a number of Sunset’s favorite bands, movies, and video games represented (Twilight had been happy to supply that knowledge), and the bookshelf had been cleaned off, open to anything that Sunset might want to store there.  Most of the rest of the furniture was the same, but a guitar stand had been added along with small photo frames on the nightstand and desk that held pictures that didn’t make it into the scrapbook/photo album.
“This room is yours to use as you want—we spruced it up for you, and the dresser is empty, so if you want to keep a few changes of clothes or pj's here you can. We know you have your own place, but this is your space too.” Night Light smiled at her. “We consider you a part of this family.”
Sunset stared, her eyes overflowing with tears, looking from the room to the various people present. Twilight still gripping her around the waist, turned it into a hug. “Merry Christmas, Sunset.”
The redhead sniffled, “You guys...I...I don’t know what to say...this is...” She broke off, turning into Twilight’s embrace to cling to her, mumbling something that Velvet couldn’t make out but that her daughter seemed to understand.
“I know exactly what it means to you, Sunny, and we mean it...you have a family in us. No matter what.” Twilight rubbed Sunset’s back, providing an anchor for the other girl. 
Velvet stepped forward and drew both girls into a larger hug. “We care about you, Sunset. You’re a bright young woman with so much potential who has been handed some terrible circumstances for one so young. You are just as deserving of love and people who care about you as any other person, and I promise you, you have that here. We consider you a member of this family.”
Sunset let go of Twilight to collapse against Velvet, burying her face in the woman’s shoulder and sobbing.  The older woman’s heart ached—these weren’t tears of grief or distress...this was the broken weeping of a child so long lost and neglected that she’d completely become inured to the emotional suffering in her own heart until something brought it to the surface. She felt her own daughter disengage so Velvet could enfold the crying girl in her arms in their entirety, murmuring soft assurances.  Velvet knew that this had been a long time in coming, and that all she could do was be supportive while Sunset bled out the poison she’d kept in for so long.  
Twilight met her mother’s gaze, stepping closer again to rest a hand on Sunset’s back, communicating that she was still there.  The dark haired teen had talked in private with her mother a few days before about this very event coming to pass.





“Mom?” Twilight was twisting a pillowcase in her hands as she helped her mother make up the bed with brand new sheets.
“What is it, Twily?” Velvet responded as she tucked the sheet under the mattress.
Fidgeting, she sighed. “...I’m...worried...about how Sunny’s going to react.”
Stopping, she looked at her daughter over the top of her reading glasses. “What way do you think she is going to react?”
Twilight bit her lip. “...she...there’s a lot of bad feelings she doesn't like to talk about. When I first told her that I wanted to be her friend...she cried, Mom. Not little tears, like when you're happy, but...” Her brow furrowed. “Like...the time I broke my arm...or the way Dad did at Grandpa Fire Light’s funeral.  Like she couldn’t believe anyone would want her as a friend.”
Velvet could see where this was going. “You think the room will get a similar response?”
Her daughter nodded, starting to pace, the pillowcase practically twisted into knots in her hands. “I...I don't know if anyone has shown her love since her parents died, Mom. The supposed guardian she had before she came here certainly didn't!  I...” she blinked back tears.  “...I don't think Sunset believes she deserves to be loved, any more than she thought she deserved a friend.”
Sitting on the half made bed, Velvet drew her daughter into a hug. “Sweetheart, I know it's hard to think about how someone you care about has been abused or neglected, but it will be okay, I promise.  We are going to do everything to make sure Sunset doesn't ever feel like that again, by giving her a place with our family, and let her know that we love her.”



	

True to her word, Velvet ran her fingers through Sunset’s wild locks soothingly.  “It’s okay, sweetie, just let it all out. We’ve got you.”  
Cadence caught her eye and tilted her head towards Shining.  Twilight Velvet gave a subtle nod.  “We’re going to go make everyone some hot cocoa. Extra marshmallows all around?” Without waiting for an answer, she patted Sunset’s arm and then took Shining Armor by the hand to pull him along.  
Night Light stepped out for a minute as well, but only to retrieve a small tissue box and a cool, damp rag. He set them on the desk, before stepping closer and squeezing Sunset’s shoulder to let her know he was there as well, without crowding her.  It was a sentiment shared by the rest of the family when Shining and Cadence came back with mugs of cocoa, offering silent support by just being present.  The whole family stayed that way, until Sunset Shimmer finished crying out a lifetime of buried hurt, loneliness, and doubt.
> Chapter Forty Five: Heart to Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Amber fingers brushed against the picture frame on the nightstand, their owner still marveling at the most recent turn of events.  Sunset felt tears welling up again, making her eyes burn as she fought them off.  She hadn’t expected Twilight and her family to do any of the things they had done that day, particularly something like giving her a bedroom of her own. She stuffed two knuckles in her mouth to bite down on a sob—she hadn’t had her own room like this since the night she’d run away through the mirror, and this one had been freely given without any kind of forced obligation. They actually wanted her here, cared about her enough to welcome her in like this, to tell her how much they valued her...it was everything she’d ever secretly longed for as a foal, and there was something ironic about the fact that she’d had to come to another world to find it. 
The former unicorn exhaled a shuddering breath, eyes roving the room. There was a game poster for Rise of Tirek, one of the video games she enjoyed (partially for the hilarity of one of the greatest villains Equestria had ever known being just a pixelated boss-mob in an RPG), and on another wall several posters from some of her favorite bands—some of which were a tad obscure, unlikely to have been guessed at random. That and the guitar stand, with a little amp tucked next to it, plus the presence of her cutie mark on the handcrafted door plaque, all spoke to the fact that they really did put effort into this, into knowing her, caring about what was important to her. It made her feel warm and light, as if some of the wounds on her soul had truly begun to heal.
There was a soft knock at the door, causing Sunset to wipe her face hurriedly. “Come in,” she called, managing to keep her voice steady despite the lump in her throat.
Twilight poked her head in the door, before slipping fully into the room, shutting the door behind her. “Hey,” she said softly, “I wanted to come check on you. You’ve been in here since we cleaned up from dinner.” 
Purple eyes were filled with worry for Sunset, and the redhead beckoned her over to the bed. “I’ve just been...thinking, I guess. I...” she chewed on her lip as her girlfriend sat next to her and leaned against her shoulder. “...I didn’t expect any of this, Sparky. Not the presents, and certainly not...”  Sunset gestured to the room. “All of this.”
Lips brushed her cheek. “Is it too much? Mom and Dad just wanted to show you how much they like you and want you around...my family worries about you, Sunny, almost as much as I do. You’re important to all of us, not just me.”
Sunset draped an arm around Twilight’s shoulders, hugging the smaller frame against her side. “No, Sparky...it’s wonderful. No one has ever done anything like this for me. Not...not when they didn’t have to.” Blue-green eyes stared at the wall, her past playing out before her sight. How badly she’d wanted to be part of a family, even if that family had just been her and the princess, all of the times she’d hoped that this would be the day that she did something so amazing and great that Celestia would adopt her, all of the dark nights where she stared at the heavens, wondering why she didn’t deserve a family like every other pony...
For the second time, lips pressed against her skin, this time on her jawline, jolting her from the dark thoughts. Sunset found herself once more staring into purple eyes as Twilight turned the redhead’s face towards her. “Sunset...I know you don’t want to—or can’t—go into the details of what your guardian did...but you have always deserved to have someplace where you felt wanted and loved, a place with people who want you. I’m just sorry it took this long...”
Tears welled up again, and she gave the dark haired girl a watery smile. “How do you always seem to know just what I need to hear, Twilight?” It was uncanny, how often it was true. From the very beginning, the other girl had some sort of intuitive sense for Sunset’s thoughts and emotions.
Twilight thought about it for a minute. “I...don’t know. I’m not usually very good at reading people, but... you’ve always been different for me.”  
Sunset chuckled, “Well, however you do it...thanks.” She brought her hand up to brush her girlfriend’s cheek, before dipping her head down to capture her mouth in a kiss, the first they’d had since they’d left Twilight’s room that morning. The dark haired teen made a soft and eager sound, melting against Sunset’s side, fingers lightly dancing across her forearm.  The familiar tingling warmth seeped into her from where their lips met, thrumming through her veins with every heartbeat. Sunset welcomed it, basked in it, her fingers sliding through dark hair to hold the smaller girl as close as their positions allowed. Nostrils flared when she sucked in air through her nose so she could deepen the kiss, Twilight’s lips parting eagerly.
It was heady and addictive, and when they finally parted to take full, panting breaths, Sunset kept interrupting with little kisses, lightly brushing their lips together, and the instant they had caught their breath, she dove back in for more. Her eyes had long since fluttered shut, but her other senses brought her more than enough information to make up for it.  She was drowning in everything Twilight, in scent and sound and touch, and some part of her reveled in it.
When they broke apart again, Twilight shifted so she was half in Sunset’s lap and brought the former unicorn’s head down so their foreheads rested together.  “Sunny...” she murmured, “...you’re making it so hard to resist...but I don’t want to push it until we talk. I don’t want you to get upset again.”
Sunset took a deep but shaky breath. “You’re right,” she agreed after trying to regain some control. “I...I’m sorry it’s taking me so long, Sparky.”
She could feel purple eyes on her and it felt like they were peering right into the heart of her still stained and tattered soul.  “Sunset, I understand. It’s an important decision for you, and you aren’t sure if you’re ready yet.” Fingers carded through her hair, the nerdy girl’s nails dragging pleasantly along her scalp. “I don’t want to push you into more than you are comfortable with.”
Blue-green eyes closed for a minute. “It’s not that I don’t want to do more with you—I do!  I want it so bad it feels like it’s eating me alive.  The way you make me feel...” She exhaled, and closed the distance between them for a soft kiss, nibbling on Twilight’s lip.  “I mean it when I say that I’ve never felt like this about anyone in my life, the way I feel with you.  You’re special, Sparky, and I don’t want to mess this up by making a decision without really thinking it through.” 
She ran her hand down Twilight’s arm, savoring the feel of soft skin under her palm. “I barely understand what I’m feeling, and it’s so tied up in so many things from my past, in where I’m from and what I’ve done...”  The admission fell from her lips before Sunset could stop herself. “I’m scared, Twilight. Scared of hurting you, of hurting myself, of doing something I’ll regret later, of making the wrong choice...”
Twilight was quiet and thoughtful, even if she wasn’t passive. She kissed Sunset again, keeping the gesture affectionate and soft.  “Sunny...” she began, pausing to decide on the right words. “We aren’t in a hurry. I’m not in a hurry. Our bodies are primed for sexual activities and trying to encourage us because that is part of what happens during the process of puberty. Our brains and bodies are still trying to figure out a balance in hormones and how to best deal with them...but we don’t have to listen to them.”
“It’s really hard to ignore,” the redhead complained, idly lacing their fingers together.  “Really hard. All I seem to have to do is think the wrong thought about you and it sets off a chain reaction.”  She thought about how she’d had to struggle for control on the couch. 
Her girlfriend continued to give her those sweet kisses before answering. “You aren’t alone, Sunny. You’re beautiful, and sexy, and...”. Her cheeks darkened with a blush. “You affect me too.”  She snuggled against Sunset, one hand still finger combing through Sunset’s hair. “It also doesn’t have to be an all or nothing choice,” she offered after a minute of silence that managed to be both comfortable and filled with tension.
“What do you mean?” Puzzlement battled with intense interest for supremacy.
Twilight’s cheeks remained a dark red, but she explained despite her embarrassment.  “I mean...there are physical intimacies that we could engage in that you might be more comfortable with, and we could figure out what those are so we know more about where your limits are. It...doesn’t have to be a choice between no touching and full intercourse.”  She stopped before adding, “If you think that might help? I still don’t want to push you.”
Sunset blinked; in all her worrying about the matter, she had never even realized that had been an option.  A smile tugged at her lips—maybe this was the compromise she had been needing. “That...actually might help, Sparky...” she murmured.  Then reality tapped her on the shoulder, and her expression became rueful. “Except I have no idea where to start.”
Purple eyes danced behind thick lenses. “How about if I provide some starting examples and ask questions?” Twilight offered.  “Think of it as a sort of scientific study.” 
This time she laughed and kissed the tip of Twilight’s nose instead of tweaking it. “You are such a nerd! Good thing I think its cute.”
The smaller teen adjusted her glasses on her nose. “Just remember that I’m your nerd,” she retorted playfully.  
Possessive heat washed over Sunset, and her grip on the girl in her lap tightened. “Yeah. You’re mine, Sparky.” This time the kiss they shared was intense, something akin to a growl bubbling in the back of the former unicorn’s throat, pressing into Twilight’s mouth hungrily. 
When they broke apart, desperate for air and panting heavily, Twilight’s expression was happy and more than a little dazed, her lips half parted as if she wasn’t quite ready to stop. Her brain seemed to reboot, and her smile became more than a little goofy. “I...guess...it’s safe to assume...kissing is on the list of things you’re okay with, then?” 
Sunset chuckled again. “Yes, it definitely is.”
Shaking her head to clear it, the dark haired teen tried to recapture her train of thought. “We’ve established that kissing is okay,” she repeated. “And hugging?”
The redhead felt the sunshine-warmth in her heart spreading towards her toes. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I like your hugs. They feel good.  They make me feel...warm. In a good way.”
Slim arms found their way around her. “I’m glad,” Twilight said, squeezing slightly.  
The embrace lingered, Sunset dropping her face into the crook of her companion’s neck to savor the closeness, all too willing to spend hours surrounded by the scents that merged together in her brain as “Twilight,” and without much conscious direction, she began placing little kisses on lavender skin.  Twilight gripped her shoulder tighter, making one of those breathy sounds that told Sunset she liked the way it felt.
“...Sunny...” came the quiet whimper. “...you’re making it hard to focus...and...this is important...”
Sunset pulled back with reluctance.  “Sorry. This is what I’m talking about, though. Chain reaction, and I just don’t want to stop.”
Twilight smiled at her. “It’s okay, Sunset—I didn’t really want to stop either, but I want to make sure we know when we should stop. This kind of conversation is important—it’s what makes relationships stay healthy long term.” Her smile turned decidedly impish. “Of course, once the conversation is over, nothing says we cant go back to what we were doing...”
The former unicorn could feel her face heat, all the way to the tips of her ears. “R-right...um...I like...” Her face scrunched up as she ran smack into the far side of her limited knowledge of physical intimacy for humans. She didn’t think the pony terms would mean the same thing here.  “Does it still fall under just kissing if it’s your neck or shoulder area?”
“There are a couple of other terms that it could fall under, but they usually have other things included.  I think we should stick to simple and specific kinds of touch.”  Twilight adjusted the way she was sitting so she could trace her hand over Sunset’s shoulder and down her arm, all places Sunset herself had run her own hands over on her girlfriend. “To clarify: is touch like this is okay? Does it cause any discomfort or anxiety or anything?”
Blue-green eyes slipped shut and she took a moment to analyze how the touch made her feel. “It’s okay. Feels nice, like your hugs, or when we are going to bed and I’ve got you in my arms.” She opened her eyes and rubbed her nose sheepishly. “I really like cuddling with you.”
The other girl leaned close, her lips pressing briefly to Sunset’s neck, just below her ear.  The gesture sent a shiver through Sunset.  “I like when you hold me,” Twilight confessed. “I feel safe.” Another brush of those lips, a few inches further down. “What about when I kiss you like this?” she murmured, breath ghosting over amber skin. “Still okay?”
Sunset nodded, unable to form words as another shiver went down her spine. Warm hands were rubbing up and down her back now. “What about your back? Safe or stop?”
“Safe...” she managed, still hyper-focused on the lips so close to her throat.
Twilight giggled, leaning away again and letting Sunset get her bearings. Once she was in less of a fog, the girl in her lap asked more seriously, “Now, I want you to think about the places I just touched, but imagine me doing that under your shirt. How does that make you feel?”
Her brow furrowed. “Mixed,” she replied after a minute. “I...think it would feel nice...but I’m worried I might like it too much and get lost in everything again.”
A thoughtful sound escaped her girlfriend, and she could practically see the wheels turning in her head. “Alright.” The hand on Sunset’s back stilled, and it was Twilight’s other hand that pressed against her stomach through her shirt.  “How about this? Above your shirt? And then below it?” 
Her hand didn’t move, but the former unicorn could feel the heat of it sinking right into her center in a wonderful way. A low sound escaped her before she could try and stop it. “...by the stars...that feels...”  Sunset forced herself to breathe. “O-over the shirt is fine...but I think I might...lose it...if you were under it.”
Giggling again, Twilight kissed her lips sweetly. “I think it's safe to say we’ve figured out your current limits for physical intimacy, Sunny—and I’m perfectly okay with these limits.”  Fingers found their way to an amber-skinned neck, drawing light patterns on it.  “The important question is: how do you feel about it?”
Sunset furrowed her brows, the words coming slowly. “I feel...good...” She dropped her head to rest their foreheads together once more, letting the gesture soothe her.  “I...was so worked up about making a choice, I didn’t consider it didn’t have to be all or nothing. This...makes it easier, means we don’t have to stop doing the things that...that I really don’t want to stop doing because I...I really like how they make me feel. How you make me feel, Sparky.”
Twilight cupped her cheek with one hand.  “Then that’s all I need to be happy with where we are, Sunset. We will go at a pace you’re comfortable with, and I won’t do anything you haven’t given me permission to do.”
Something occurred to the redhead.  “What about what you’re comfortable with?” she asked.  “I...don’t want to push you into anything either, or...touch you in ways you don’t want.”
Twilight’s expression faltered when Sunset brought up the subject of unwanted touch, her muscles tensing briefly as her breath stuttered in her lungs. Sunset tightened her arms around the smaller girl, feeling guilt gnaw on her heart.  She opened her mouth to apologize, but Twilight cut in. 
“Don’t apologize, Sunny...it means more than you know that you are concerned.”  Twilight’s voice remained mostly level, but Sunset could feel how her body was practically vibrating from a mixture of tension and faint shivering that had nothing to do with temperature.  “My reactions are well within the average for what happened—approximately 67% of people who are assaulted by strangers experience some form of lasting distress after the fact, which can include avoidance behaviors or discomfort.  Given that it's only been a few months, I’m actually recovering quite well, with a drastic reduction in things like nightmares and avoidance behaviors. I have no issues letting Dad or Shiny hug me, for example, and …”
Sunset frowned, focusing less on the way Twilight had gone into one of her ‘lectures,’ regurgitating information like a recording device, and paid more attention to the girl in her lap.  In addition to the way her hands shook and her body continued to shiver while she rambled, there was a rigid defensiveness to her posture, coupled with the authoritative forcefulness in her words that the former unicorn recognized, an action that screamed to her that Twilight was hiding something, trying to prevent her from digging deeper into the matter.   Especially because Twilight wouldn’t look at her the entire time she was talking.
When the dark haired girl finally paused to take a breath, one that her body didn’t seem to want to take, Sunset touched Twilight’s chin, tilting her face so that purple eyes were actually focused on her. “…Twilight…” she murmured. “…Hiding behind statistics doesn’t work when I can feel you shaking.  You said we have to be honest with each other, right? That communication is important in friendships and in a relationship?  If you aren’t okay with this, I need to know. I don’t ever want to make you feel like they did.”
 She took a moment to focus on breathing, eyes falling shut, and Sunset realized after a moment that Twilight was copying her breaths.  “…going over the statistics helps me feel calmer,” she explained after a minute. “…Maybe it's silly, but focusing on the idea that what I’m feeling is a normal part of the healing process for…for what happened to me makes me feel…less anxious.”  Her face pressed into Sunset’s shoulder. “…Being rational and logical is reassuring for me, Sunny.”
Rubbing her hand up and down Twilight’s back lightly, Sunset kissed the top of her head. “…That’s fine, Twilight, and I’m glad it helps you…but quoting the statistics at me doesn’t answer what I need to know. It doesn’t tell me if you’re okay with me touching you.”
The smaller teen nodded against her shoulder, and Sunset could feel her trembling slowly subside.  For a few minutes, they stayed like that, cuddled close and just breathing quietly.  At last, she raised her head and focused her attention back on the redhead.  “Truthfully? If it was with anyone else, I don’t think I’d be able to get anywhere near this intimate with them without having a panic attack.  When it’s you? With you, I’m alright.  When I’m with you, when I feel you touching me, holding me, hugging me…I know I’m safe.”  
The redhead wanted to smile at the way those words made her feel.  “…are you sure?” she asked, still hesitant.  
The dark haired teen took another deep and deliberate breath, her thumb tracing Sunset’s lips.  “I could never be uncomfortable or afraid of you.  You saved me from...”  She paused, one last tremor passing through her that Sunset could easily feel. “…from what those boys were going to do to me...you took me somewhere safe, and you were everything I needed that night.  And since then, you have been the most wonderful, caring, sensitive, and understanding person I have ever known. You’re not just my girlfriend—you’re my best friend, Sunset Shimmer, and every part of me knows that you would never, ever do anything to hurt me. I trust you completely.”
Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, and there was a painful lump in her throat that made talking near impossible.  “Sparky...” she rasped, putting everything she had into the name. It was the only way she could hope to communicate what she felt, since there were no words that could do the powerful emotions justice, making her wish for the first time that she wasn’t human, because she desperately felt the need to have her horn, to feel one spiral form against another, because it was the only thing she knew that came close to the feelings rising up inside her.  In the end, she settled for what had become her substitute for it, pressing their foreheads together, feeling a tingly shiver go through her nerves and down her spine as she did. 
Sunset could feel a similar shiver pass through the smaller form in her arms as lavender fingers tightened their grip on her.  “…I mean it, Sunny…” came the breathy response, warm breath tickling her lips and ghosting over her skin.
The former bully knew she didn’t deserve the kind of trust that was being placed in her hands, the unwavering faith that Twilight had in her...as much as she had done to try and change, to be better than she once was, she hadn’t come so far that anyone should be willing to trust her unconditionally...and in matters so deeply personal.  Yet, it was a trust she was being given freely and she found herself adding a new vow to the ones she’d made over the last few months, a vow to do everything in her power to prove worthy of the trust of the human girl who meant so much to her.
It was also the first of those private vows that she sealed with a kiss, one that left both of them tingling and light headed...and unaware of the tiny embers of magic that had just been given fuel.
> Chapter Forty Six: Wardrobe Malfunction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Ponyfeathers!” Sunset cursed, fighting to button her jeans and failing miserably. “Of all the moon-banished, hydra sucking—“ Her words twisted into a sound of pure anger and frustration as she flopped back on the bed.   “Now what do I do? I can’t exactly go out with no pants on!”  The redhead had found herself at the unfortunate end of a problem she’d been ignoring for over a month: she was running out of clothes that fit properly. 
For most of the time she’d been here, even with the effects of human adolescence on the human body she wore, Sunset had remained fairly thin. It was a feature that she had appreciated to an extent—having breasts permanently prominent so close to her face had been hard enough to get used to, but she had always been thankful she didn’t suffer from quite as much some human women did.  The same went for her hips and rear—they had shape, but lacked the...added size humans had so many unflattering terms for.  She had realized at some point that she had her diet to thank in part, since she wasn’t prone to eating the greasy, fat rich meats and horrifically processed foods that most of the denizens of the human world seemed so fond of (except for the occasional pizza and soda binge, of course, and her love of desserts), and she preferred to walk places that were reasonable distances from her home instead of always taking her bike.
However, in the past few months, her diet had improved drastically, with Velvet catering to her tastes in seafood, dessert treats, and even breakfast items, often making “more than anyone here will eat, so here, take the rest home with you, sweetie...”  Her frame had filled out more, and she found herself not just with an even curvier figure that was starting to draw more unwanted attention from the male demographic, but with an ever shrinking wardrobe. First to go had been her favorite pair of dark jeans and most of her skirts, followed slowly by a bunch of her tops, and now her remaining jeans either wouldn’t fit over her hips or, when they did, she couldn’t button them. About the only things that still fit were a few baggy sleep shirts, one well worn hoodie, the sweatpants that doubled as winter sleepwear, and her various pairs of boots.  Even her beloved jacket couldn’t be zipped up over her chest anymore.
“Now what am I going to do...?” Sunset moaned aloud. “I’ve got to meet the girls in a few hours...”  The idea came to her as an epiphany, and she grabbed her phone, scrolling down her contacts and hitting the call button. “C’mon...c’mon...pick up...”  The former unicorn found herself pacing next to her bed.
“Sunset, darling, is everything alright?” Rarity’s voice on the other end was a relief.
She ran a hand through her hair. “No,” she admitted irritably. “I need your help, Rarity. None of my clothes fit, and I’m not showing up for our lunch and gift exchange in my underwear and a hoodie.”
There was dead silence on the phone for a few seconds before the designer responded.  “Nothing at all fits? Or just nothing that would be considered presentable attire for a trip to the mall?”
Sunset rolled her eyes.  “I suppose I could show up in a hole-filled Metallica t-shirt, a hoodie that started out black that is now a medium gray, pajama pants, and my boots, but if I don’t want to look like a hobo raided the lost and found of CHS after Spirit Week, then I need your help.”
“I see your point, darling,” Rarity replied, unruffled by Sunset’s sarcasm. “I’ll be right over.”  The designer paused again, before asking, “Where do you live?”
For a minute, Sunset froze, realizing that something she had been avoiding was happening. She had done her best to keep the girls away from the loft, partially to prevent them from showing up when she had Twilight over, but also because she hadn’t entirely trusted anyone with the location of her personal haven away from the world. Was she ready to take that step, that risk? 
Then her mind thought back to the battle against the Sirens, to the magic they had all conjured together, to the feeling of the Elements and the Rainbow, and she had her answer. 
“Okay, so you know where Old Main Street meets Snaffle Avenue...across from the park...?”



When Rarity arrived at the address Sunset had given her, she sat in her car for a moment with a slight frown on her face.  Intellectually, she and Applejack had realized that their friend from another world was surviving on her own, without family or guardians, and the two of them had conversed several times on just how the former bully could possibly make ends meet on the kinds of jobs available to a full time high-schooler, but to see the well worn building wedged between a dry cleaners and a shabby looking apartment building with a pizzeria on the ground floor was still something of a shock.  It wasn’t the worst neighborhood in the area, not by a long shot, for which she was very glad.  It would have been upsetting to find the newest member of their group living in a slum—or worse, squatting in some abandoned structure.  As her eyes took in the facade, she determined that it looked worse at first glance than it truly was.  The front door and the windows showed evidence that they were much newer than the building, and a dozen other little touches and spot repairs suggested that the whole thing was well maintained with the emphasis on functionality and not appearance.  
It dawned on her as she approached the front door that she was perhaps the first of their friends to come here, and that the others still had no idea where Sunset lived…well, except for maybe Pinkie Pie, who had the uncanny ability to know things about people she had never been told and had no possible way to have found out, something that Rarity had long since learned was best not thought about too deeply.  Instead of diving down the proverbial rabbit hole that was Pinkie Pie’s strange quirks, she readjusted the bag on her arm and knocked gingerly on the wooden door. "Sunset?" she called out, still a little unsure that she had that right address.
The door was pulled open a moment later by the frustrated redhead, her hair still damp from her morning shower. She was wearing the same pajama pants that she had used for the sleepovers during the Battle of the Bands week in lieu of the clothes that didn’t fit, and Rarity at once could see the problem now that she got a good look and wasn’t distracted by a visiting royal and world ending magical problems. Rarity kept her features carefully schooled into a friendly smile, but internally she grimaced at how dreadfully uncomfortable Sunset must be, wearing a top that looked like it was several sizes too small in the bust.
She beckoned Rarity into the loft quickly to avoid too much of the heat from escaping into the winter morning outside. “Hey. Sorry about the mess. I wasn’t exactly planning for company.”  
The inside of the loft was quite the change from the outside—while a lot of the furniture was probably second hand, it was clean and well kept, the whole room had a cozy feel. The fashion designer could hear the heater running, and the makeshift kitchenette was simple but functional, while the hardwood floor (likely replaced at the same time as the door and the windows) was covered with several area rugs. Everywhere she looked she could see things that proclaimed this Sunset Shimmer’s space, from the guitars—two hung up on the wall, with a third resting against an amp near the stairs, to the quirky string of lights that wrapped the railing of the raised sleeping platform, to the book bag and magical book on one end of the couch and the leather jacket draped over the other.  It looked lived in, Rarity mused, but it was nowhere near the pigsty that Rainbow Dash called a bedroom, or the constant disaster and origin of strange odors that was Sweetie Belle’s.
Rarity waved off the apology with one hand, before getting right to the heart of the current matter. "Now Sunset, tell me, what's happened?"
Sunset grimaced. “My clothes don’t fit,” she reiterated from their earlier phone call. “Ever since...” she hesitated for just a fraction, “...ever since the formal...I’ve put on weight. Not spending my nights plotting evil deeds or my lunch hour running the school means I’ve been eating more.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “Now I can’t button my jeans, and just about every top I own feels like it's going to rip if I breathe too hard—not to mention squishing...” One hand gestured awkwardly to her breasts.
"Well, I guess it's good to know that if I need to go on a diet I can just plot world domination," the tailor mused idly as she was rummaging in her bag, pulling out a length of measuring tape. "Now, let's get you measured, darling."
The former unicorn managed a laugh. “Yeah, nothing burns calories faster than megalomania,” she quipped, before shuffling her feet. “What do I need to do for this? The...last time I got measured for clothing, I had hooves—while I’m not exactly fashion aware, I do know that taking measurements for a mare has to be very different than taking them for a human.”
"I would rather imagine that the basic process is the same, so it shouldn’t be too different for you." She leaned back a little bit, resting her hip against the back of the sofa as she looked the fiery haired girl over. "I'm going to have to ask you to take off your pants and shirt, such as they are, so I can get accurate measurements.”  Her red work glasses were already perched on her nose, and the little notepad and pencil were at hand to take down the numbers—she would need them anyway for when she made things for Sunset like she did the rest of her friends, and it would make helping the other girl clothes shop a lot easier.
Sunset stripped as instructed, completely lacking any of the expected embarrassment or nervousness most people seemed to feel when standing around in their undergarments letting the pale skinned tailor into their space with her tape.  About the only response to anything was the slight shiver and the appearance of goosebumps on amber colored skin.  “I happen to like these. They’re comfortable for sleeping,” she retorted.
"There is nothing wrong with being comfortable sleeping, darling, but I am glad you made the proper decision to not venture outside in them. It would be terribly gauche." All business now, Rarity went to work, taking the measuring tape to Sunset’s form and jotting down numbers…though there was a brief moment or two of envy that coaxed a disgruntled sound from her as she took stock of the numbers that translated to a figure to die for…and the briefest pondering of whether or not it had something to do with the magic that reshaped the pony denizens of the other world.
One of Sunset’s eyebrows arched at her. “That was not a happy sound.”
Shaking her head, she finished jotting down the measurements on her notepad, with a few added notations of her own about colors and design elements that might look good on her friend.  "Nothing to worry about, Sunset, I assure you. My eyes just felt a little green for a moment." Pale fingers dipped into the bag again, sorting through the clothing items she’d brought to find the ones that would fit based on the measurements, laying out a few choices for Sunset’s perusal.  "Here we are. Now, I have three options for you that should fit.  There’s a pair of my jeans--they stretch a bit, usually I keep them for when I have that extra piece of pie.  A pair of Applejack's jeans—she’s a bit taller than both of us, so the legs might prove to be a bit too long, but the waist and seat of the pants should accommodate your new…somewhat ample hips, but the cut and style of the denim makes them a little stiffer and less flexible. And I have a dress, one of mine, which should fit fine and keep everything properly in place." The dress was one from her more casual collections, long enough to cover everything, and would stop mid calf, its fabric a dark, yet comforting shade of purple, highlighted with lighter colored accents. 
"....why in the world would you be envious of me putting on weight?" Sunset sounded extremely confused by that thought. “Everything I’ve seen and heard tells me that humans seek weight loss, not weight gain...”  It was moments like this that made Rarity wonder how the unicorn-in-human-form had managed to fool anyone at all, especially for so long, when she was misinformed or outright ignorant of a lot of the subtle nuances of society, culture, and human psychology. While Rarity considered just how Sunset had managed her reign of terror without tripping up horrifically, the redhead in question looked at her choices, before seeming to settle on the middle ground. "I'll try your pie-pants."
Rarity handed over her jeans, putting the other clothes back in the bag. "Sunset, it's not the weight, it's where it's distributed. There are quite a few girls who would kill to go up an extra cup size overnight."  
The former unicorn looked down at her chest, then back to her friend. "...It wasn't overnight," she corrected. "And I'm not 'a lot of girls.' I'm me, and frankly, having them this close to my face and always this big is weird. Human bodies are so strange. What even is the point of having them like this all the time? They get in the way, they bounce when I run, and they stretch out my shirts in weird places." Applejack had, over the years, expressed similar complaints to her, but this wasn’t the same as her lover’s grumbling and grouching and disdain for all things the farmer deemed ‘frou-frou.’  The other girl’s tone was bordering on whiny, something so unlike Sunset Shimmer that Rarity wondered if there was a greater issue at play than just a few extra pounds and a need for new attire.  
It galvanized her to help her friend as best she could, and perhaps offer the chance for Sunset to vent about whatever the deeper issue was, and she straightened with the force of her conviction.  "I can see there is another reason you contacted me; it sounds like you don't know how to shop for women's clothes. We are just going to have to go out and fix that, darling." She placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "A woman's fashion can be so varied, not just limited to…biker boots and leather jackets."
“What's wrong with my boots?" Sunset demanded as she shimmied into the borrowed jeans and pulled her shirt back on. "They're comfortable and warm. And I can shop...sort of. I shopped for all my old clothes by myself--I'm not completely ignorant." The way her eyes refused to look directly at the tailor revealed that she knew her words were weak even as she spoke.
Rarity leaned in closer, then lifted up Sunset's shirt without warning. "So you say, but what sort of bra is this, Sunset? It's positively tacky!" she complained, before tugging the shirt back down as best she could over the other girl’s overfilled and ill-fitting bra. "Come along, darling, we are getting you some proper clothes."
Jerking back from the designer’s hands, Sunset crossed her arms defensively over her chest. “No one is going to see it!” she protested. “And what about our lunch with the rest of the girls? We have to meet them in an hour!”
Pale fingers were already texting on her phone to her other half, explaining in shorthand that she knew her partner would understand the details of the situation. "Well, isn't it fortunate I just told Applejack there was the utmost emergency that I simply had to help you with. So now we have an extra hour to get you some proper clothing."
The redhead opened her mouth to offer some sort of protest, but Rarity saw it die before it began as she realized that the designer was right, that this was a bit of an emergency, and she did need Rarity’s help in navigating shopping.  Rarity had long suspected that Sunset’s “fashion sense” had been derived from someone else’s work, as several of the outfits she had Rarity was certain she’d seen in various teen magazines, but now knowing Sunset Shimmer more personally—including her otherworldly and non-human origins—she knew that it was more than suspicion. All in all Sunset wasn't bad at it when she was going off someone else's idea, but this was…it would likely be the first time in the human world that she bought clothing with the purpose of comfort and enjoyment and not a particular goal in mind. It was with that that Rarity promised herself to try and impart some fashion wisdom to her friend on this outing.
With the protest stifled by Rarity’s knowing look, Sunset instead dug out her wallet, checking for her card, and then fiddled with her phone for a long minute—checking her bank balance, Rarity surmised, particularly with her next comment. "Keep in mind I do have a bit of a monthly budget, Rarity, and I still need to eat, okay?" Stuffing her feet into her boots now that she had pants that fit better, Sunset grabbed the bag that had her gifts for her friends in it. "Mind if we carpool? I had room for the gifts on my bike, but there's no way I can fit a whole new wardrobe."
Rarity watched the whole exchange with a business woman's eyes, letting each even unfold before her without commentary—it wouldn’t do to inquire too deeply on Sunset’s finances or call her out on her fashion sense any more than she already had. "Of course, darling, I completely understand; I have to do much the same when Mother and Father go out of town.  Now, I will make you a deal: if you agree to trust me on at least some of my recommendations, then I will make sure you don't go over budget. Would that be acceptable?" she asked as she was grabbing her keys from her purse.
Blue-green eyes flickered with a bit of uncertainty, before Sunset nodded. "I'll do my best, Rarity, but please...nothing too flashy or 'sexy.' I don't want to draw too much attention to myself." A pause. "...and the leather jacket is not negotiable. I like my jacket." Her fingers gripped the battered leather that they both knew was in desperate need of being replaced, as if the thought of giving up the garment caused her something akin to physical pain.
A small half-smile found its way onto Rarity’s face, one  that came with the beginnings of realization. "I see no problem with keeping your jacket, Sunset. At this point it's become something iconic for you. I can hardly imagine you without it." She gently ran her fingers along the scuffed and tattered leather on one of Sunset’s shoulders. "As for…‘sexy’….that isn't something we will be trying for.  What you need is some functionality. Now, shall we?"
> Chapter Forty Seven: Wardrobe Upgrade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset was already half regretting this shopping trip as Rarity led her into the clothing store. The yawning, looming sensation of being way out of her depth was becoming worse with every step, and she knew she must look more than a little harried.  Rarity was leading Sunset by the wrist, probably half to make sure she didn't get separated and half to make sure Sunset didn't get nervous and run away…which she was seriously considering. "Now, let's worry about your outer attire, shall we? I’m thinking tops first?"
“Yeah...” She could feel the eyes on her, see several guys stop walking to take a long look. “I feel like a buffet item.”
Her friend had to stifle a laugh, but composed herself quickly. "Well, Sunset, they are kind of popping up to say ‘hello’ to everyone."
The former unicorn groaned and tried to pull her jacket more closed...with limited success. “Lead me to some shirts...please. This is the one kind of attention even old me didn’t want.”
Rarity quickly led her to the women's clothing section. There she picked out several tops that complimented Sunset's skin-tone and overall shape. They ranged in thickness, material, and cut as well, which she quietly explained would, in some cases, downplay the size of Sunset’s bust without ‘looking frumpy.’   Then she broached a subject that the former unicorn wasn’t expecting.  "I know this might not be what you want to hear, darling, but all of this..." she gestured to Sunset's physique. "This can be a powerful asset. You'd be surprised what a human male—and some women—would do for a person with a figure like yours."
Her stomach clenched, twisted—she knew humans used sex and sex appeal that way...but to hear her friend suggest it so casually was another. “That...terrifies me, Rarity,” she admitted, the image of her Twilight coming to mind, the want and interest in her gaze sending a shiver through Sunset. It felt...good...when it was Sparky, but anyone else looking at her like that? Just the thought made her feel dirty and queasy. She grimaced. “I’ve never been good with temptation...and look what I was able to do the last few years, without this ‘asset.’”
"I understand your reluctance, Sunset, but there is also the saying ‘All warfare is based on deception.’ Being a woman can mean warfare in more ways than one, and it helps to know all the potential weapons in your arsenal and all the options you can choose from—or as they sometimes says ‘There's more than one way to skin a cat.’ Despite the gruesomeness of the saying, it’s a valid point." She held up a top to Sunset, holding it against her torso, contemplated it for a moment, then put it back. "I think these will be enough to start with.  Come along, darling, you must try these on before you buy them."
She followed obediently, her eyes scanning for clothes that appealed to her. Rarity seemed to have a better eye than she did, many of her choices coming off as at least somewhat interesting. “I guess, but...people looking at me like that makes me uncomfortable...and guys doing it only invites trouble.”
"Not all men are terrible, you know, though I suspect you may be less inclined to believe that statement." When she arrived at the changing rooms, she waved at the attendant with a level of familiarity that was unsurprising. "Did you want me to wait out here, Sunset?
“Not all of them, no, but I’ve seen the statistics, Rarity, and I have no interest in becoming one.” She shrugged. “And it doesn’t matter if you come in or not, I’m just trying on shirts.”
Rarity opened the door to allow Sunset it with armful of tops, then followed in and locked the door. "I know the statistics, Sunset.  All of us do—it's not something we can avoid. But I also cannot live in fear of them." She took the armful of clothing from Sunset, allowing her to move more freely. "To be frank with you, darling, I don't have Applejack's strength, or Rainbow's agility, or even Pinkie's... Pinkieness. I am Rarity, and I have my abilities, which include wonderful fashion sense and eyelashes to die for."
Setting her jacket aside and stripping off her shirt, Sunset took a moment to take in what the tailor was saying, a frown crossing her features. “How can you not be afraid?” She needed to know, and that desire drove her to press the subject. “It’s like living on the edge of a nightmare—one wrong move, and...” Sunset made a vague gesture with one hand.
"Sunset," Rarity started, her voice softening considerably, "that concern is something that will always be in my mind, that such a thing might happen…but the fear of what might be cannot overcome the reality of what is.  I have all I need right here to make me strong: friends, family, and more. The fear of a worst case scenario, a possible event that can happen to anyone…I cannot let it consume me. If it did I would be giving the power I possess to attackers that might not ever exist." She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Because what you are afraid of isn't about what you think it's about, the reality is that it's about power, they want to overcome you with their power, so you feel weak, alone, and defeated. They want to make you less than them.  You can't give into that, not now, not ever."
Her knees felt like jello, and Sunset sank to the bench in the changing room, the epiphany ripping through her heart and soul violently. She could see it, in her mind’s eye, the distorted memories from the Fall Formal that seemed so long ago...of five human girls standing in defiance of a monster with the power to tear them limb from limb...their lack of fear, their willingness to leap into the line of fire rather than shy away from it... It was like something she’d been missing clicked into place, and as her memories danced before her eyes, she could feel the way the world shifted for her. “Grogar’s bells...” Blue-green eyes looked out from a somewhat ashen face. “I never stood a chance...Twilight Sparkle didn’t empower you girls...you empowered her.”
Rarity lumped the pile of tops to the side and tentatively put an arm around Sunset. "Sunset, I know that must have hit you hard, but what happened then isn't something we are holding over you like some dreadful sword, and it's something you should stop holding over yourself. You have made mistakes in the past and you are learning from them and grown because of that—but you aren’t alone in that. That's why I'm here, helping you try on outfits—because not only have you grown, we have all grown, together.” Rarity leaned her head onto Sunset's.
It felt good to lean into the hug, letting the closeness of a friend soothe the tremors that rippled across her skin. "...It's...hard," she confessed, and her conversation with Twilight Velvet several weeks prior gave her a nudge to open up about something else. "...harder with the she-demon jokes that have gone beyond accidental and into 'over-used running gag' territory." Sunset rubbed her eyes to try and banish the tears she could feel trying to build. "I'm trying so hard to be better...but things just keep happening to remind me of what I used to be, of the things I did...not to mention how my choices are the reason we're facing problems now. The Sirens were my fault--if I had never put on the Crown, then they would not have had Equestrian magic to feed on, and they wouldn't have been able to torture people, hurt people. The magic that is growing in this world is my doing, set in motion by my choices, my mistakes, my actions, and I can't undo it. And what's worse, I did it all for power. I really was a monster."
The designer leaned in closer to the sideways hug, one manicured hand offering up a handkerchief if Sunset needed it. "What happened has already happened—it’s over and done with, darling. You cannot change it, and rather than dwelling on it, you need to move forward, to understand that the choices you made may have been wrong, but in some ways they also brought about some good. Some of it is easy to see, like the events that led to you having friends, but some of it won't be seen until later, and some of it you may never actually live to see at all, though it will still matter in the long term." 
Rarity leaned her head against Sunset’s.  "You should also remember that no one is perfect—we have all done things we regret, made terrible awful choices we would take back if we could, things done out of fear, or anxiety, or anger, or simply because we lacked the wisdom to find another option." There was a moment of hesitance before she continued in a quieter voice.  "I will tell you something, something I did that I'm not proud of, because I also make mistakes that I still carry with me. Back in eighth grade, I used my amazing fashion sense and eyelashes to die for to turn a low ‘D’ in science into a high ‘B.’"
That derailed Sunset’s train of thought entirely. "What?" she asked, completely confused.
"Almost no one knows about this,” Rarity explained, cheeks flushed.  “But I was on the verge of failing science in the eighth grade—there was a lot going on at the time, and I couldn’t focus enough to study. Failing the class would have held me back for the year, and I couldn't go on with my friends. So I batted my eyelashes and said ‘Pretty please’ in just the right tone of voice and my science teacher was like clay in my hands." The sudden shame and reservation in Rarity’s tone made Sunset frown.
Eighth grade...she remembered eighth grade as the year she was finally getting into the groove of playing human, of the power games and struggles for popularity suddenly making sense to her, as if she suddenly had a playbook that described all the strategies and how they worked. And yet...for all her information gathering over the years to blackmail people with...this was something she'd never heard. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. "...I...have a hard time imagining you doing something that...manipulative and underhanded, Rarity," she admitted. Especially given the not-so-subtle devotion between the fashionista and the farmer, as well as the latter's penchant for honesty. "...I also can't imagine Applejack taking it well either..."
Rarity laughed softly as she readjusted herself on the bench, blue eyes dark with regret. "Applejack was more than a little upset—she fully intended to piledrive the teacher into the nearest hard surface, but I assured her there was no physical contact involved." Her tone grew firm. "There wasn't." Then just like that she was back to the soft voice she was using before. "I just…wore attire that accentuated my feminine assets, and periodically positioned myself in class in such a way that let him take little peeks, here and there. We both knew it was happening, without discussing it. I had the power over him—I admit, at the time it felt good, that power and control…but it also made me realize what I had, what power meant, and most importantly, that it such things are tools, not inherently good or evil on their own.  They take on meaning as good or evil depending on how and why they were used.  In that case, to my continued shame and regret, I used what I had for selfish gain." She sighed heavily, then straightened, as if realizing the depth of what she had just unloaded from her soul to her friend.
The revelation was incredibly sobering, yet Sunset could not find it in her to judge the other girl. Her own demons--somewhat literal in this case--meant that she had done far worse in her time, and there was a very appropriate human saying about people in glass houses throwing rocks. "...I guess you're right. We all have regrets that haunt us....but even in Equestria, there was never a way to really turn back time and change things, so...we live with it, right?" She found herself hugging Rarity back, before she stood up and looked over the shirts they’d brought into the changing room. "Maybe try and keep others from making our mistakes?"
"Hopefully we do more than simply living with it—we need to learn from it." Rarity looked up, as of she realized something. "You know, there is one good thing that came from the situation with my old science teacher. If I hadn't convinced him to up my grade, then I might have been held back a year.  If that happened we wouldn't have any classes together." She smiled very honestly, before handing Sunset one of the tops. "Now, you've been topless for so long someone might get suspicious, so let's see if we can find something that you like and that likes you."
"And doesn't put a giant flashing sign on me that says 'Please stare here?'" the redhead quipped, before accepting the offered shirt to try on. "...I'm glad we have English together. For a while there, it was one of the only highlights of my day at school...outside of detention with Applejack." Her eyes were far away for a moment. "...and...I know you were talking about moving on and learning from the past...but..." She took a deep breath. "...I want to apologize for what I did to you last spring. It was horrible, and wrong...and I should've apologized long before now. You deserved that crown way more than I did, because you're a stronger person than I've ever been."
Ignoring the fact that Sunset was half dressed and they were in a tiny, cramped changing room surrounded by forgotten hangers and a pile of colorful fabrics, Rarity stood up and hugged Sunset tightly. "That's all in the past, Sunset. Your friendship is proof of your apology, which I gladly accept."





Sunset came out of the changing room with a beaming smile and an air of excitement. The new top she’d swapped into after buying it fit her much better, and now the duo had moved onto having her try on pants. Rarity had tried to convince the redhead to try some new skirts as well, but she’d shaken her head and made an excuse, choosing to stick to jeans for the time being. It had proven to be a little exasperating, because she just knew there were some skirts that would look absolutely gorgeous on Sunset. 
None of that mattered at the moment though, because Sunset had just sauntered out of the changing room with all the air of a smug cat, wearing a pair of jeans that, while cut to hug her curves, had enough give and stretch to the denim to be comfortable. She stood before Rarity and did a slow spin, arms out, seemingly unaware of the affect she was having on most nearby observers, including the tailor. “They feel good—and they they don’t interact weirdly with my boots! Do they look okay?”
Rarity maintained her professional demeanor and bearing—barely, she admitted privately, and made a mental note to see if Applejack was free that evening. "Absolutely stunning, darling!” she exclaimed, proud of the fact that she even managed to maintain her usual tone of voice.  “I do believe you will be turning some heads. Do they fit comfortably in all the right spots? No pinching or bunching? If they aren’t quite right, but you like the style, we can buy the next size up and I’ll be happy to alter them for you to fix the fit."
Sunset took a moment to go through a series of stretches, followed by some simple, slow motion mock kicks and punches—all of which just further solidified Rarity’s resolve to get Applejack alone that night. “Yeah—the last pair I had that fit like this was my favorite! I was so bummed when I couldn’t get into them anymore.” She ran long amber fingers down the thighs to her knees before straightening. “I want to see if they have more like this—you think they’ll have a pair in black?”
"I'm sure they do, Sunset. We can go check—though I do hope you want to find pairs in colors other than black. You would look marvelous in a large variety of colors." Rarity smiled warmly at her friend, subtly trying to encourage her fashion sense.
Blue-green eyes dancing, Sunset made an offhand motion. "Black, blue, and you can pick a third color you think will look good and I'll try them on?" she offered, still clearly riding the high of finding a pair of jeans that fit so well.





Leaning against the door in the changing room, Sunset shivered, crossing her arms over her bare chest. "I really don't think it's going to make a difference, Rarity. Bras are a horrible torture device engineered by humans, all for an overdeveloped piece of anatomy that isn't even used half the time for its actual purpose! What was with your species evolving this way in the first place?"
Rarity’s voice was accompanied by the sound of shuffling fabric and the plasticky click of hangers. "Hush now, darling. Having breasts isn't as bad as you think it is..." Black fabric draped over the door above Sunset’s head, getting her attention. "Besides, they are only torture devices if you want them to be—like that horrid bra you started today wearing. It's like you just grabbed one off the rack and guessed!"
Reaching up to take the garment being offered over the top of the door, the former unicorn stared at it. "...Rarity...is this a joke? This looks like Rainbow's idea of a swimsuit top."
"Trust me, Sunset,” she replied through the door, still rifling through the nearby selection.  “There is nothing more comfortable on a lazy day at home than a sports bra.  Even I own a few for just such an occasion.”  There was a pause as something occurred to her. “The tag marks the back, in case you weren’t certain.”
Skeptically, Sunset wriggled her way into it, taking a minute to fidget and straighten the various parts of it. There was a long moment as she stood there, somewhat dumbfounded. "...why didn't I know about these sooner?" she asked after a minute. "...it's not pinching me, and I didn't have to twist myself up like Pinkie Pie chasing the last bite of cotton candy caught by a stiff breeze to get into it." There was a moment where she had to resist grinding her teeth. "If these exist, why the blazes do they even make the other kind?!"
The other girl’s voice belied her sense of shock. "...You didn't actually grab one off the rack and hope for the best, did you?" Rarity asked with considerably more worry and dramatic indignation than Sunset felt the situation called for. "Oh my—all bras have an occasion to be worn and a woman who prefers them.”  More fabric draped over the top of the door, the designer displaying them for her.  "This one is meant to be worn without straps." It was replaced by a different bra a moment later. "This one is meant to make you look bigger." Another switch.  "This one is meant to downplay them.  A bra is another type of tool, Sunset, with the right one benefiting a given set of circumstances."
Sunset sighed, tapping the toe of her boot on the tacky store carpet. "...I mean...I tried them on until I found one that fit? And then I bought several like it? When I outgrew them, I'd just go back and repeat the process. You have to understand, this is totally something we don't need in Equestria! I swear, when I first arrived, it took me several months to realize that all adult females had breasts--I thought the entire adult female population was pregnant!"
"Oh, you poor dears!" Rarity exclaimed, her words directed at Sunset’s breasts first, before going back to giving the redhead instructions.  "Come now, that sports bra won't be an acceptable for our get together with the girls, so try this one instead." The fabric that dropped onto Sunset’s head turned out to be a much simpler pattern and design than any bra Sunset had ever owned.. "This should do nicely, and shouldn't hurt to wear."
Amber fingers accepted the new garment with a good-natured eyeroll. "I'm fairly certain my breasts are incapable of appreciating your sympathy for them," she remarked dryly, changing from one kind of bra to the next. "....though if you can point me to some more that feel like this one and that sports bra, I will accept your sympathy on their behalf."  
"Well, then I have wonderful news for you; all your bras will feel like that now, since I sized you before and these are all made for someone of your proportions,” Rarity laughed. "After wearing a bra that's the right size, you should be able to tell the difference right away.  They don’t have to be torturous.”
"I look forward to the lack of suffering and the ability to take a full breath at school..." Sunset joked, joining in the laughter.





As she followed behind Rarity, arms full of shopping bags, Sunset wondered just where she was going to keep all these new clothes. She was going to have to rethink organization in the loft.  Maybe she could move some of the things she didn't use to the attic space? Pick up another dresser at the thrift store or perhaps order one online? Or maybe some of those “under the bed” containers? “I think I’ve gotten just about everything I could possibly need and then some, Rarity,” she told the tailor.
Rarity was walking along with her share of bags, the picture of contentment. She turned briefly and responded to a question that wasn't asked. "If you need extra storage space for all this, darling, I recommend talking to Big Mac—he is quite talented with carpentry and enjoys building things." The pale skinned tailor looked around them before taking an abrupt detour to another store.  "Looks like we need one last thing, Sunset. Not to worry, it shouldn't take long."
Sunset bit back a groan.  "What did we not get already? Pants, shirts, bras, I even picked up a package of thicker socks and I just recently got new gloves and a winter scarf.  What else could I possibly need? Or...is this something for you?"
"Nothing for me today; this trip was all about you." Rarity led the way towards the back of the store, where a huge selection of leather coats met their eyes.  "I think it might be time to replace your jacket. I know you are attached to it, Sunset, but it looks like it's about to fall apart.. and it doesn’t fit you properly anymore with your...new growth spurt."
Her heart gave a pained lurch--replace her jacket? Sunset found herself slowing, her expression shifting into a frown. She knew the coat was on its last legs, that it had been through too much with her, been subjected to too much wear and tear over the years...but to even think about giving it up bothered her more than she really wanted to admit. The jacket had been with her the entire time she'd been in this world, granted by the magic of the portal that had reshaped her body and made sure she didn't stumble into the human world naked. She had no idea where it came from beyond that, as the only thing she had been wearing when she bolted through the mirror had been a set of saddlebags stuffed to bursting with the possessions and valuables she couldn't bear to be parted from. 
It had been almost comically oversized then, with sleeves way too long for the child wearing them, and the bottom of it had reached her knees, the whole of her upper body disappearing into the warmth of the leather.  Sunset had ultimately grown into it, of course, and started to outgrow it when she'd had that last growth spurt that added height to her frame last year, but even then she couldn't stop wearing it.  She wasn't sure she could ever replace it...but Rarity was right. She could only patch it so much before it would be tattered beyond repair...
"...I..." she swallowed several times, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat, looking down at the sleeve where she could see a ragged tear that went through the leather entirely. "...Maybe you're right...I just...I don't want to throw it away. I've had it since I came through the portal."
Rarity started with a very soft tone. "Darling, no one is suggesting you throw your jacket away. I'm simply suggesting you retire it. That jacket obviously means the world to you, but if you keep wearing it you may not have a jacket left to retire." She offered an amused smile.  "Besides, I know how much you want to keep your look. It's almost like you want to fit the stereotype."
The former unicorn nodded. “I know you’re right...I probably should have replaced it last year.” She chewed on her lip, taking in the comfortingly familiar scent of warm leather that surrounded her, before setting her bags down on a nearby bench and shedding the coat, tucking it in a bag with her new clothes. “Let’s see if they have one that I like the feel of. I like the way I look in a leather coat.”
Then she stopped, the last part of Rarity’s words catching up to her. “Wait....what stereotype?”
"I know you come from a world of magic and fantasy, Sunset, and that your culture likely does not have the same associations, but here you fit the stereotype of a particular type of lesbian,” Rarity explained, grinning.
Sunset found herself staring somewhat blankly at Rarity.  What was it with humans and their need to obsessively categorize things? "...Well...that's better than looking like a bully, or the cops always assuming I'm up to no good...but...liking the way I look in a leather jacket makes me a stereotype?" she clarified, making sure she was interpreting things correctly.
Rarity held up a jacket and offered it to Sunset. "Oh, darling, it's not just the jacket. It's the jacket, and the boots, and the bike, and the attitude, all together.  Some might think you drive around on weekend nights looking for cute, innocent Catholic school girls to seduce." The smile became a devilish smirk.
Incoherent sputtering sounds were all that would seem to come out of her mouth, and she could feel her face burning so badly that she must have truly resembled her name. “I—what—that’s not—Rarity!”
The designer covered her giggles with the back of her hand. "Well, we don't have horns, or wings—usually. Here we often dress to show off what kind of person we are, even if it’s subconsciously. That's part of the reason fashion is so important, Sunset." 
“I wear the clothes I do because they’re comfortable, and the jacket and boots make nasty people think twice about messing with me!”  She crossed her arms defensively.  “...the bike reminds me of running on my own hooves,” she finished grumpily.  “Who decides all this stuff anyway? Seems kind of arbitrary.”
"Oh I assure you it is entirely arbitrary, however, it's been agreed as a sort of unspoken set of rules, for reasons I can only guess." She thought about what had been said for a moment. "So are you saying you have seduced a sweet and innocent girl?" Rarity hummed softly, staring mock accusingly at her friend.
It was a good thing Sunset’s face was already red, because blushing now would have given her relationship away. “What?! No!” she squawked, voice cracking. “Why are you back to talking about my love life!? Did you not get enough last week with your weird coffee romance fantasy?”
"Because, darling, it's just so much fun to talk about." The pale skinned girl smiled and handed over another jacket. "What do you think of this one?"
Sunset ran her fingers over the leather, fished her hands in the pockets, and tilted her head. “The leather feels really stiff. I think I want something a little softer, with more give to it.”  She hung it back up, thumbing through the jackets on the rack.  “It might be fun for you, but it's still a weird subject for me. Humans are not usually what a pony would consider attractive.”
Rarity took the jacket back, being careful to hang back up properly, before digging through the other jackets until she found another she was interested in having the redhead model. "It's not the concept of romance Sunset. It's how you react to it. In a way, it's very adorable, very innocent."  She said as she played with the sleeve of another jacket. "It's like seeing a different side of you, a sweeter side, one I like to see."
The former unicorn looked sidelong at her friend, before sliding her arms into the sleeves of the jacket and pulling it on.  "...I'm not entirely sure I follow," Sunset responded, twisting this way and that and looking into one of the numerous reflective surfaces scattered around the area. "...better...but do they have something that is a bit longer?"
Rarity was once again looking through the multitude of leather jackets available, pulling out a few of varying length. "Whenever I bring it up, you always act like a young girl trying to stammer out of talking about her first crush. In my mind at least, it pushes away any lingering darkness associated with you and replaces it with this well meaning—if a little overwhelmed—and sweet unicorn spending time with us. That unicorn is who I want to be friends with, Sunset. The real you, not the bully persona you created before." She offered up the few longer variants of the same jacket, smiling genuinely as she did.
Silence held court as Sunset digested Rarity's words, trying on a longer jacket in the process. When she did finally look up to meet blue eyes, she smiled crookedly. "...This world is a little overwhelming at times, even after all the years I've been here," she admitted.  "But the whole...romance thing...please...don't take this wrong...can we maybe drop that? You want an area that is completely out of my depth in either world, Rarity, it's relationships, especially romantic ones.  I..." she hesitated, then followed with a half truth, "...finding someone here, in this world, would mean giving up hope of going home to Equestria someday...and I’m not sure that's something I’ll ever be ready to do.”
Her friend stood up silently, moving on surprisingly quiet feet to hug Sunset from behind without warning. "You might be here with us now by someone else’s command, Sunset, but you do have true friends here, and I hope you don't feel alone." The hug ended almost too soon as Rarity returned to the racks to look for a few other jacket candidates. "We should get pretzels on the way out, my treat. I think I've had too much sugar recently." 
“I know, Rarity, and your friendship means more than you know. It helps...makes exile not so lonely. It's just...some part of me will always hope that someday I’ll be allowed to go home, to be in my own body, with my horn and my magic, to see the places and culture that's mine.” She laughed softly, the sound directed at herself.  “A slim hope that has all the chance of happening as Applejack enjoying wearing ruffles and lace, given everything I did....but it’s my foolish hope to have.”  
Her eye spotted a bit of black peeking out from behind a wall of brown, and she reached for it, curious. “I will take you up on that pretzel though...sounds delicious.”   She pulled the coat free and her breath caught. “Oh...”
What was in her hands was everything she wanted in a jacket and then some.  In a similar style to her old coat, but with the longer length she’d out grown in the first garment, the leather was thick and durable, but held a softness and flexibility that almost defied reason.  Its pockets were numerous and spacious, including one on the inside of the coat, and the silky textured inner lining felt good on her fingers.  It was even cut with extra room for her chest, meaning she would be able to zip it up if she desired.
"Well. It looks like we have found your jacket,” Rarity murmured as Sunset settled the leather properly on her shoulders.  She moved around Sunset, carefully examining all of the folds and seams of the jacket and how they played on the former unicorn's body. "Well, this is striking, darling, absolutely striking! You look quite good with this one! Are you happy with it?” 
Sunset could only nod as she took off the coat so she could purchase it, fingers running longingly over the supple new leather.  Rarity carefully took the jacket out of her hands briskly and walked it up to the counter to pay for it herself.
The redhead tailed after her, bags once more in hand. “...I can pay for the jacket,” she tried to tell Rarity.  “You don’t have to...”
"Too late, Sunset, it's already paid for,” the tailor told her whimsically as the attendant bagged the purchase. "Now all you have to do in return is accept this gift." She smiled as she was walking back to collect the other bags, before hooking Sunset’s arm to drag her over to the pretzel stand in the middle of the mall. On her way, she glanced in the unicorn's direction. "You know.." she started in a sly way. "If you do think it's impossible to go home...maybe you should say something a little more outlandish than ‘Applejack’ and ‘ruffles and lace.’" She smiled, looking for all the world like the Cheshire cat.
> Chapter Forty Eight: Friendly Exchange
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	

“So terribly sorry for the delay, girls. We just had to run some things out to the car,” Rarity explained as she and Sunset joined the rest of the group at the table in the food court of the mall. 
“S’alright, Rares. Just got here mahself a few minutes ago.” Applejack tipped her hat slightly. “The extra hour worked out in mah favor. Mac needed help with the barn door—that stubborn hinge finally gave up the ghost an’ he needed an extra set of arms ta rehang the darned thing.” One tanned hand swatted Rainbow’s fingers when the athlete tried to steal some of her fries. “Hey! Get yer own!”
Dash grinned unrepentantly, and Pinkie giggled. “But Applejack,” the party planner pointed out, “don’t you know that fries stolen from a friend’s plate taste the best?”
Sunset had to hold back a laugh, resting her bag on the ground next to her chair. Fluttershy glanced down at the bag, then back at Sunset. “I thought you took all your things to Rarity’s car,” she commented quietly while Applejack continued to fend off the assault on her fries—now from two fronts, since Pinkie had joined in.
“I did,” the redhead told her honestly, “but these aren’t my things. They’re my presents for you girls...for Christmas?”
The fry war stopped, Pinkie half bouncing over to Sunset’s side of the big table they were all gathered around.  “That works out great!” she cheered, “Cuz we got presents for you too, Sunset Shimmer!” She launched herself further towards Sunset in a tight and exuberant Pinkie Pie hug, which the former unicorn returned, feeling joy bubble up inside her and escaping as a heartfelt laugh.
After getting the pink ball of energy back to her seat, Sunset began handing out the gifts to each of her friends, trying to ignore the ball of nervous anxiety sitting in her gut. “I...wasn’t sure of exactly what the rules are for Christmas—it's not Hearth’s Warming, despite the similarities—so I...tried to get things I thought you guys might like.”
“I’m sure it will be fine, darling,” Rarity assured her. “There aren’t so many rules as you might think beyond ‘it's the thought that counts.’” She took the opportunity to hand out some slim packages of her own to her friends. 
“Yup!” Pinkie was still bouncing with excitement, but at least she was staying in her own chair, Sunset mused.  “It's all about giving gifts that will make the other person happy! Even if what makes them happy is a pair of boring old socks!” She winked conspiratorially as she pressed a heavy package into Sunset’s hands. “Psst! It's not socks!”
“That’s good,” Sunset joked. “Because I just bought socks.”
“Looks like you bought more than socks, Shimmer,” Rainbow countered, miming popping the collar on a jacket. “Badass upgrade—here. This should help you complete the look—the other one is just for fun.” She tossed two brightly wrapped packages at the redhead.
Curious, Sunset pulled the paper off the smaller present, revealing a pair of leather biker gloves. “Oh!” She pulled one on, flexing her fingers and watching the way the leather moved. “Thanks, Dash!  These will keep my hands warm without risking my grip!” Then she tore into the second package...and took in the black t-shirt’s image and words with confusion that turned to amusement, looking to her friend for explanation.
The athlete just grinned wickedly. “What? It’s a grumpy unicorn shirt for our unicorn!”
Rarity and Fluttershy leaned from either side to read the shirt, and both burst into giggles.  The front of the shirt had the image of a cute, somewhat cartoonish little unicorn (or what humans thought unicorns looked like) with words printed above and below its adorably scowling visage. Fluttershy peered up at Sunset. “Would you really do that with your horn?”
Snorting with amusement, she turned the shirt to show it to everyone else at the table. “Not usually,” she answered. “But in a pinch, yeah, there’s precedent for it. Horns are pretty solid and pointy. I could do damage with mine.”
There was another round of laughter, before the group of girls set to opening their assorted gifts, Sunset holding off on her own pile of packages to watch anxiously as her friends opened what she’d given them.
“Seriously?! No way, Sunset—how did you find one of these?” Rainbow waved the photo of the bike body Sunset had sitting in her loft.
“A guy I know from the junkyard—I asked him what kind of bikes they had that needed some serious TLC, and he dug that one up for me. The frame is still good, and the major components are fine, but it needs a major overhaul and a whole lot of cosmetic work done before you can hope to drive it.” The former unicorn rubbed an elbow sheepishly. “Thought maybe I could help you rebuild it.”
“That’s.  So.  AWESOME!” Rainbow punched a fist into the air, almost taking out Applejack’s soda in the process.
The farmer rolled her eyes and rescued her drink, before tipping her hat to Sunset. “These’re some mighty fine boots,” she acknowledged, before tapping a finger on the seed packets. “These...raise so many questions. That’s mah handwritin’, but Ah didn’ write this...that mean we’ve all got doubles in Magic Pony Land, like Principal Celestia?”
“Most people, yeah.  It's...a little weird because of some temporal variations, but there's a lot of overlap.” Sunset chewed her lip. 
“S’at mean there’s another Sunset Shimmer?”
The redhead looked up from the tabletop to see five pairs of eyes studying her intently.  “...if there is...I’ve never found her—and I did look, when I first got here and realized there were human versions of ponies I knew.  I’m not sure if she never existed or if she’s got another name, or if shes just...maybe in another country or something.” A shrugged. “I try not to think about it much, because otherwise it gets a little too deep into ‘existentialism’, if you know what I mean?”  Sunset changed the subject before they could go any further, running amber fingers over the quilt that had been in the package ‘from the Apples.’  “This is beautiful.”
“‘S from all of us, me, Mac, Bloom, an’ Granny. Thought mebbe ya could use a warm blanket fer the cold season.”
The quilt was warm and soft to the touch, and when she brought it close to her face, the faint odor of apples, cinnamon and other spices tickled her nose, a bit of the Apple family home lingering in the handmade gift. “It’s wonderful—and it smells like the pies Granny Smith bakes,” she murmured.  “I cant wait to put it on my bed.”
“There is something to be said about the ‘magic’ of an Apple-quilt, darling. I’ve had one for years and not only does it prove time and again to be the warmest blanket I own, but no matter how many times it's washed, it still smells like the Apple kitchen.” Rarity was running her fingers over the blank book’s cover, tracing the gems set in the cover. “This...this made like your magic journal, isn't it? Did you get this from Equestria too? Its gorgeous!”
Sunset felt the anxiety melt away as each gift was received with positive reactions. “Yeah. I thought you could use it as a design sketchbook or a fancy diary or something. It's spelled against dirt, liquids, and basic forms of damage or wear, so it should hold up.”
“It’s so light! I have paperbacks that weigh more than this! More enchantment?” The designer hefted the tome, flipping through the smooth textured pages. “And this color! Such a beautiful shade of ivory, Sunset, and without the rough grain of so many sketchpads!”
“Well...hooves aren't great for grip strength, and without opposable thumbs, heavy books are hard to manage if you aren't a unicorn, so most books are made with featherweight enchantments as part of the materials.” 
Pinkie chose that moment to peer over the book. “Yours might be blank, but mine has recipes!” she crowed.  “I can't wait to try some of these! Magical Pony desserts have to taste amazing and magical!”
Sunset found herself listening with half an ear to Pinkie Pie rambling about the recipes as she opened the gift from Rarity, finding a beautiful set of fancy fountain pens, one modeled to look like a quill, their holders modeled after inkwells. Blue-green eyes met the tailor’s, and Rarity winked, speaking in a whisper to her alone. “I thought you might appreciate these for when you write to Twilight or when you’re drawing those strange symbols in your notebook.” 
That drew another smile from the former unicorn—human writing utensils had nothing on the feel of a good quill, but these looked like the best of both worlds.  “They’re great,” she responded earnestly. “I cant wait to try them out.”
A soft sound came from her other elbow, and a green envelope entered her vision. “Um, Sunset?” Fluttershy began, ducking a flailing Pinkie hand. “Here. Merry Christmas.”
Extending an envelope of her own, Sunset took the card, opening it carefully. Inside was a cheerful Christmas card showing kittens dressed up in little Santa hats. Opening the card to read the message, Sunset found a folded piece of paper falling into her hands.  Her eyes read the words she found there, Fluttershy’s neat handwriting providing an offer to help her find a pet at the animal shelter and triggering the wisp of a half forgotten memory from long ago...





“Little sun, there you are! And covered in mud...Sunset, what have you been up to?” The concerned face of the princess came down to the filly’s level.  “I did ask you not to wander off...”
“But...Princess!” the mud caked foal protested. “I didn't! I was helping, like you!” Distress rose in her voice, and she could feel her tiny cargo stir weakly against her neck, shivering. “I could feel her crying, and she needed my help!  She’s so cold though, Princess Celestia, and it took me so long to dig her out...can you help her?”
Ageless eyes blinked in confusion as sticky hooves caked in mud and grime from the mudslide stricken town retrieved a tiny, filthy, weakly cheeping baby avian from her back, holding it up for inspection.  Instantly, golden magic encased both filly and hatchling, warmth seeping into muddy, chilled bodies. “Oh, Sunset...this is a phoenix hatchling—how did you find her?”
Worried blue-green eyes were fixed on the tiny creature whose pain and loneliness had reached out to her in a way she couldn't explain.  “She was cold,” she repeated, “hurt and trapped in a dark place with no light...and I could feel her. She was sad. I dug her out...dug them all out, Princess, but I wasn't fast enough for the others.” Tiny ears drooped, one hoof reaching out towards the hatchling whose shivers were slowing as the magic heated the air around them. “She’s all alone now, and no one should be alone like that...can she stay with us?”





Sunset found herself blinking back a few tears—she hadn't thought about Philomena in years, and she wondered now what had become of the phoenix who had been the closest thing to a friend she’d had in Equestria.  While the fiery avian didn't speak, she had always shared an understanding with Sunset, even if her temper led towards pranks and practical jokes instead of sabotage and revenge.  The number of things the phoenix had helped her get away with was too high for her to count, but even that bond had become strained in the months before her exodus through the portal.
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” she murmured, finding herself giving her soft-spoken friend a tight hug. “Maybe we can make plans for that for after the new year?”
“That sounds wonderful, Sunset. I just know you’ll find some kind of special animal friend at the shelter! There’s so much to choose from!” The pink haired girl was all smiles as she held up the ‘gift coupon’ Sunset had given her.  “And, if its not too much trouble, maybe you’d be able to help me organize a project for the local park to clean it up and put in feeders for local wildlife? There are so many wonderful creatures in the park in spring, and they bring such joy to everyone.”
Sunset’s mind was already mulling over the suggestion. “If that's the project you want me to help with, I’d be happy to, Fluttershy. I really like the park too, and I would love to see it cleaned up.  I’m sure a bunch of the people at school could be convinced to help too—a lot of students use the park.”
Her gaze trailed over the rest of their group, warm and content to bask in the feelings of camaraderie. The initial buzz over the exchanged gifts had fallen off, replaced by more normal conversation as the six teens let the afternoon creep by.
Rainbow tossed her empty soda cup at a nearby trashcan, pumping a fist in victory when it went in without hitting the sides. “So...what’s everybody doing for New Years?”
Applejack leaned back in her chair. “Actually wanted ta talk about that with y’all,” she replied lazily. “We always go out ta the back forty ta the firepit and do fireworks an’ such. Rares and her sister always come, an’ last few years we’ve had Scootaloo show up too...an’ Ah was thinkin’ if any of yall were int’rested, theres always room.”
The rainbow haired soccer star stared intently at the farmer. “I just have one very important question for you, AJ. Will there be cider?”
“Both kinds, but Granny’s rules apply—no gettin’ shit faced, an’ if ya drink the hard stuff, ya stay til mornin’.”
“Sign me up for New Year’s Eve at Sweet Apple Acres then! Oooh yeeeah! Cider!” Dash was practically doing a victory dance in her chair.
“Ooooo...” Five heads turned towards Pinkie, whose summer-sky blue eyes were bright with glee. “That’s a stupendous idea! We could have a big New Years Eve Sleepover Party!”
Applejack shrugged. “Ah’m game. Granny already expected most if ya ta show anyhow. Rarity was gonna bring Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo over that afternoon so they could hang out with Bloom an’ their new friend...uh...Gabby? Think thats her name.”
“A slumber party sounds like it could be fun,” Fluttershy agreed, before making a face so unlike her it made Sunset feel more than a little concerned. “It would get me away from Zephyr for a night too—he’s becoming exasperating.”
Pinkie leaned across the table. “What about you, Sunset?”
What about her? The redhead ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, I was just going to hang out at home, maybe read a book or play a game...”  That and message Sparky frequently to make up for the fact that her girlfriend was out of town for the rest of the week to spend New Years with extended family.  “...but a party with friends sounds like more fun, even if I’m still not well versed in sleepovers.”
“What? Are sleepovers just not popular in Equestria?” Rainbow asked derisively. “I would've thought magical ponies would know how to have fun.”
In that moment, the table’s stained surface became very interesting while Sunset fought the blush staining her cheeks. “No...I wasn't exactly popular in Equestria.  Or here.  My first experience with sleepovers was while we were fighting the Sirens.”
Silence held dominion over the table for a long time, and Sunset hesitantly raised her eyes to see her friends staring at her with a myriad of expressions. “What?” she asked when she could no longer stand the quiet.
Her vision was filled with pink right before reality seemed to be hit by an earthquake...or maybe it was just Pinkie Pie, holding her by the shoulders and shaking her so vigorously that her chair almost toppled over. “First no birthday parties, and now no slumber parties?! How come we’re just finding out now?!”
“Pinkie, dear, stop shaking Sunset, before you make her sick.”  Rarity frowned, brows furrowed as she looked at the redhead. “Though I am also curious why you never said anything.”
Now that her eyes weren’t rattling around in their sockets, Sunset sighed.  “I thought it would have been obvious,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.  “You were right there when I crawled out of the hole at the formal. I said as much...and it's not like I’ve hidden the fact that I’m super new to having friends at all.”
Applejack was quiet and contemplative, green eyes flicking to the others at the table before she spoke. “Guess we all just figured ya had friends back when in Equestria.  Like at yer magic school.”
“Not a one,” Sunset sighed again, unable to hide the bitterness. “Most of the students hated me, either because I was better than them, or because I didn’t have a family pedigree a long as my foreleg. At least at first...since I'm sure some of them hated me later because I was a horrible bitch. And you girls know what I was like once I got here—I didn’t exactly endear myself to anyone, what with all the blackmail and intimidation and manipulative games.”  She laughed, the sound filled with self-deprecation.  “Everything I’ve learned about friendship came after I took a rainbow to the face.”
The table was quiet again for a while, before Rainbow blurted, “That’s messed up.”  Heads turned towards the athlete, who looked rather put out. “Seriously! For a bunch of magical unicorns that apparently turn hugging out their problems into a magical weapon, they sure sound like a bunch of shitty, small minded hypocrites.”  Her fist slammed into the table. “What a bunch of assholes.”
“It sounds more to me like ponies are just as human as you or I, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity pointed out gently. “Some sound horrid, but others, like Princess Twilight are not, and Sunset is proof of the complexity and layers to their minds and personalities—that despite the differences in society, culture, and species, they make mistakes and show heroism just like we do.”  Dark blue eyes flitted to Sunset. “Still, darling, I wish you had clarified this all sooner...perhaps we might’ve handled things a bit differently.”
Dash scowled, mouth opening to retort with something that was likely unflattering, but Pinkie bounced put of her chair again. “We have to fix this! This New Years Sleepover is Sunset Shimmer’s first official real slumber party, and we have to make it the best ever! We’ll pull out all the stops: s’mores, party games, staying up all night, junk-food and sweets until we cant take any more, all of it!  Whaddya say ladies? Are you with me?!”
The former unicorn watched in a sort of bemused shock as her friends immediately joined in with Pinkie’s enthusiasm, their voices overlapping as they all put forth ideas and suggestions for the party—even the normally quiet Fluttershy raising her volume to an audible level.  It was chaos, chaos that was finally interrupted by Applejack putting two fingers in her mouth and letting put an ear piercing whistle.
“Alright, y’all...we can't make plans if no one kin hear each other. ‘Sides...might be more fun if each if we make the activities a surprise for Sunset...” The farmer grinned across the table at the redheaded teen.
“That’s a great idea, Applejack!” Pinkie’s eyes had an manic gleam to them. “Each of you can message me later with your suggestions and we can plan the party that way, and then I can call you, Sunset, with the things you need to bring! We’ll make this a super duper special surprise sleepover party!”
Looking around the table at each of her friends, Sunset began to wonder if she should be excited or afraid.
> Chapter Forty Nine: Flash of Reconciliation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset dumped the bags with her gifts from her friends into the trunk next to everything she'd bought and shut it with a firm pull. “I know I complained a lot, but thanks for helping me, Rarity...I really needed new clothes, but I don’t have an eye for...well anything that flatters human standards of beauty.”  She chuckled. “Ask me what looks good on a mare, I can manage to not embarrass myself, but even after so many years here...” 
“I can understand, darling. Completely different standards for beauty are not unknown to me. After all, fashion changes quickly, and every culture is different.” The white skinned girl slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition.
Only to be met with silence as the engine failed to turn over. She tried again, with the same results. Sunset frowned, already heading to the front of the vehicle. “Pop the hood?”
Rarity obliged, and Sunset leaned forward to take a look. She didn't know as much about cars as she did about motorcycles, but the basic principles of an engine were the same.  “Did you leave your lights on? Try turning the key again?”
“No...I turned them off.” Still nothing, and Sunset frowned. 
“I think it might—“ a vehicle pulling into the space next to them cut her off.
“Hey, Rarity. Something wrong with your car?” Flash Sentry hopped out of his own sleek black car.
“Oh! Flash! Yes, I’m afraid I’m having a bit of engine trouble. Sunset was taking a look at it...”
Sunset cringed from her hiding spot bent over the engine block. The last thing she really wanted was to be the awkward party in a conversation with her ex-boyfriend. It seemed her hopes were to be dashed, as he came around to join her looking under the hood. “Any idea?” he asked.
“I...think it's the battery. It might need a jump, or it might need a new battery.” She leaned around to mostly address Rarity, who, instead of answering her pleading look by actually helping her, got out of the car. 
“I’m going to just pop inside and get us all some hot  drinks. Thank you for helping Sunset give it a look, Flash.” Rarity turned to go, giving Sunset a pointed look.
For a long minute, there was only silence...the kind that grows more uncomfortable every second until someone has to say something to break it. Sunset resolved to say nothing, because it was a can of worms she wasn't sure she was ready to open.
Fate had other ideas: Flash cleared his throat as he fetched jumper cables from his trunk. “You know...I really did care about you. For a long time, I thought you were really a nice person under a rough outside. When we started dating, I thought it was even more true...that maybe you were just lonely. I fell pretty hard for you.  Breaking up with you after I saw you in action? It was the hardest thing I’d ever done...but you know what hurt worse?”
She flinched, but forced herself to meet his eyes. He deserved the right to say his piece, get his closure.  Flash continued once he had her focus. “The worst pain was your reaction. You weren’t hurt, or upset, or even angry that I was dumping you. You didn't care at all, like I was boring you. My heart, my feelings...they never mattered...and that...that made me feel like my heart had been ripped out.”
“That's why I ignored you, why I didn’t do anything to stop what people were doing to you. I didn’t have the heart to join in, but I never made to interfere.  And then...with the Battle of the Bands...I guess I figured you were playing the Rainbooms for fools like you did me...but I don’t know what came over me. I took it too far.”
Sunset felt each word like a punch to her gut, and the now familiar duo of guilt and shame burned her. “You...don’t have to apologize. The Battle of the Bands was magic, and no one other than my friends was really in their right mind. As for the rest...it’s not like I didn’t deserve far worse from you after everything I did to you.”
He shook his head. “Deserving or not, doing nothing was wrong, and I’m ashamed of myself for not doing the right thing and at least reporting to the principals what I knew. That one’s on me; a bad breakup shouldn't have mattered.”
Stupid smile or not, this was exactly the reason their paths had crossed the way they had, and she sighed. “I know it probably won't mean much, but you’re a really nice guy, Flash. You’re kind and caring, and you do the right thing...” she rubbed her neck, before taking the time to attach the jumper cables. “You are far too good a human for what I did to you—and it’s exactly why I picked you.”
It was hard to admit, because it reminded her just how awful she had been. “When I was...building my reputation...there were guys who saw the way I dressed and made assumptions about what I was willing to do. It’s...one of the reasons I started looking for someone I could use to boost my popularity...”
Flash cut her off. “Made assumpt—oh. Oh! Ugh. Yeah...I can see where a lot of guys would think that. There are always rumors, and they did ask me in the locker room, more than once.”
“Exactly.  It didn’t help that humans seem to tie popularity and power to a perceived romance as well, so I thought I’d deal with two problems at once...” She gripped one elbow.  “And you were perfect for the role I needed. You were popular and well liked, but you were someone I knew wouldn’t push for more than I was willing to offer. You were...safe to be around.” She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. “I used you, and you didn't deserve it.  I’m sorry.”
She could hear the sharp intake of breath, could practically feel the old pain being torn open, and it made her stomach twist unpleasantly. 
“Did...did you ever have any feelings for me at all? Or was every last bit of it really just...just a long term game in your plans?” The young man sounded so wounded, so truly hurt, that she could feel self hate starting to form inside her all over again.
“...I’m sorry, Flash...” she rasped around a lump in her throat. “There are so many reasons why I didn’t, why I couldn’t, but none of it had anything to do with you and everything to do with me.”
They fell into silence for a few minutes, working on getting the car started. It was only after the engine had roared to life from the jumpstart and sat there idling in the cold, that Sunset tried to offer something, anything to make it...perhaps not right, but better. “Maybe... maybe if I was human...if I wasn’t who and what I am, I could have. You’re a really great person, Flash, and someday, someone will be lucky to have you. It just was never going to be me.” 
This time she did look at him, only to find him staring at her intently, frowning. “What do you mean ‘if you were human?’” His eyes widened. “Don’t tell me that this is some sort of disguise and that...succubus thing you turned into at the formal is like...your real form or something?”
It was just such a ridiculous accusation that she couldn't help it. Sunset laughed, harder than she thought possible, soon wiping tears of mirth off her cheeks. When she sobered up, she shook her head. “Princess Twilight didn't tell you?”
He had looked a bit put out at her laughter, but the mention of the princess got his attention. “Tell me what?”
“About the world we’re from.” 
Flash shook his head. “I...I caught on that she was from another world, but...”
Sunset winced, trying to decide how to rip that bandaid off. She settled on simple and fairly quick. “It’s not just her. I came through the portal several years ago from Equestria. I was born a unicorn, Flash, and so was Princess Twilight. We’re human here because crossing worlds changes us into these bodies.”
“A...unicorn. We’re talking about the ‘horses with a horn glued to their skulls and decorating my little sister’s bedroom’ unicorns? You're trying to tell me that you're some kind of mythical creature and that so is Twilight?” Disbelief colored his tone.
“If you're imagining one of the ugly equines from this world, no, that's not what we look like,” she said with a sense of deja vu. “We’re smaller and cuter, with shorter muzzles and less stupid, wall-eyed faces. But...yeah, that's what I’m saying. If it’s any consolation, I can understand how you’re feeling.  In my world, humans are the myth: scary, towering bipeds who bring about change, who can be either the most benevolent entity in the universe, or worse than any demon ever conceived of by anypony, so imagine how I felt, falling into a world filled with furless, flat faced primates with a species predilection towards violence.”
He leaned against the car after disconnecting his cables and shutting the hood. “That’s ...just...wow.” Flash blinked at her. “A unicorn?”
She nodded. “A unicorn.  I just...I don’t see humans that way at all. I can...understand...in a sort of scientific or clinical way what humans view as ‘attractive features,’ but it’s not something I normally feel...even with adolescent monkey hormones in this body being what they are.” Somewhere inside she could practically hear Stupid Little Voice mocking her about her Twilight and how badly just thinking the lavender skinned girl had been driving her to the brink of madness lately. “Truth is, Flash, most humans scare me. Your species is like some kind of nightmare for a pony. I’ve learned to cope with it over the years, but I’m not sure you can really understand just how different the two worlds are.”
The young man offered her a genuine smile, one that didn’t look as stupid as the one he used for flirting. “If you want to try to explain, I’m...willing to listen.” He offered an awkward laugh.  “If nothing else, it might keep me from making an ass out of myself the next time Twilight comes to visit.”
The former unicorn sat down on the car hood, trying to figure out how best to explain it without being there for hours in the cold. “Alright...well, basic crash course. Three important things about Equestria and ponies I suspect influenced some important social differences. First...we have almost a three to one ratio gender split—mares outnumber stallions by a large margin. This, paired with a lack of noticeable difference in the abilities of both sexes means we didn't evolve in a gender striated culture dominated by aggressive males. Third, we didn't descend from predators and hunters the way humans did. Violence and that kind of anger...just isn’t a common trait for us. We fight to defend ourselves if we have to, but most ponies see it as a last resort after all other avenues have been exhausted.” She made a face. “I’m even a poor example because by pony standards, I’m incredibly violent.”
Shaking her head, she continued, “So imagine how it was for me to come here, surrounded by creatures from storybooks, who possess a higher murder rate in one month in one city than my world has had in a century.” 
Flash winced. “Oh man, I can see how that would look.”
“Yes. Now imagine how I felt when I learned what rape was.”
Silence reigned once more, and he stared at her with sudden comprehension. One hand rubbed his neck. “Shit. Yeah. I think I’m starting to get the picture.”
Sunset exhaled slowly, and put a hand on his arm. “It was one of the things even Bitch-me was terrified of, more than just about anything else. It’s why I took those courses in self defense, and... it was why I picked you for my plan. Of all the guys in school...I knew I could trust you to always respect me saying ‘No,’ without pushing, no matter what those monkey hormones and instincts were saying.  I knew I was safe being alone with you.”
Flash took in her words, mulling them over. “That makes...a lot of sense...and I guess I should take it as a compliment that you didnt lump me in with the rest of the ‘terrifying murder monkeys.’”
That made her chuckle. “Yeah...I’m finding that there are a handful of humans who aren’t...horrifying and disgusting. Consider yourself the first one ever to make the list...” she pushed her hair back from her face. “I do mean it though. You are a wonderful person, who will make someone very happy one day.”
He bumped her shoulder with a fist lightly. “It means a lot that you think that, Sunset. If I can impress a unicorn, eventually I’ll be able to impress someone enough to date me for real.” Then he winked at her. “And if you ever find any of us monkeys attractive, you’ll have to tell me.”
Her face went pale and then red, images of her girlfriend springing to mind. That was not a conversation she wanted to have. ‘Gee, Flash, thing is, I’m dating the human version of the pony you've been crushing on for months,’ was not the best ice breaker in what felt like the beginnings of a new friendship.
The reaction had already given her away, and he smirked. “It’s already happened, hasn't it? So tell me, what kind of crazy monkey is enough to catch the eye of Sunset Shimmer?”
Leaning back on her hands, she looked skyward, cursing inwardly. Still…the idea of getting a little of it off her chest, being able to mention her feelings aloud to someone else was really appealing, and just like she had known he wouldn’t push her physically, Sunset knew on an instinctive level that he would keep her secret. “It’s...complicated,” she confessed, “…and I’d appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone. The girls dont even know, and I’m not ready to tell them either.”
It was an olive branch, in a way, and she could tell he recognized it for what it was: a measure of trust extended to him and him alone. Flash raised two fingers skyward as if making a solemn oath. “I won’t tell anyone else, Sunset. It’s safe with me.”
She could see purple eyes in her mind, feel the soft lips against her own. “…there’s this girl…Meeting her was…it was an accident. It was after the formal. I was headed home, through the park, and…” Her brows scrunched. “I heard screaming and I found her on the ground, and with those slime-balls that hang around that part of town and make trouble...they were going to…”  she swallowed, hard, not wanting to say it out loud. It was an ugly thought and had been bad enough at the time, but now, now that the girl in question was her Sparky, her Twilight, the girl that meant so much to her, it was an agonizing thought that filled her with fury and grief. “…I couldn’t let them…I might’ve been a monster, but I wasn’t going to let them hurt someone like that…” 
Sunset was shaking, and Flash, in an echo of her earlier gesture, rested a hand on her arm. “I get it. I would’ve done the same thing if it had been me.”
It calmed her enough to keep on. “…I ran them off, but she was so upset…I couldn’t just…leave her like that. I ended up taking care of her that night…” Upset melted into wonder. “…we talked, and she told me she wanted to be my friend…just like that. Even when I told her what a bully I was, she didn’t care…and she’s just…she’s smart and funny, and she’s there when I need her…and just this adorable mix of shy and outgoing…even just thinking about her makes my day better, and when she smiles it's like watching the sun rise.” Sunset cut herself off, realizing she’d started to babble and was in danger of spilling more than she really wanted to. 
“She sounds pretty special.”
Blushing even more, Sunset glanced over. “…She is. It’s why I don’t want anyone else to know. I’m afraid they’d try to take her away from me…I can’t lose her, Flash. I can’t.” Even she was surprised by the level of vulnerability in her own voice.
Flash, slowly and carefully, as if he was concerned about her reaction, gripped her hand warmly. “Hey. I get it. I won’t say anything. And, for what it’s worth…you really have changed, Sunset.  I wasn’t sure I believed it, before, but you have…and I kinda like this new Sunset Shimmer a lot better than I liked the old one. She’s the kind of person I could see being friends with.” The stupid goofy smile was sent her way, but it didn’t bother her the way it always had. 
“…you mean that? You want to be friends, even after everything?”
“Yeah. I think I do. Whaddya say, pony-girl? Friends?”
Instead of words, she took a page from her girlfriend’s book, pulling her hand free to wrap her arms around him in a hug. 





Rarity returned from her trip inside a few minutes later, carrying a holder with three steaming cups from the mall’s coffee shop. “Here you are, darlings. My apologies. There was a line.” She handed out the hot beverages and discarded the tray in a nearby trash can. “Thank you so much, both of you for getting the car started, I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all, Rarity. I was happy to help give you a jump. Might want to have your parents get someone to check the battery though. If it's on its way out, it would be better to replace it now instead of getting stuck somewhere.” Flash accepted the drink, sipping slowly. 
“I will, Flash, thank you. I’m terribly sorry if we held you up.”
“No worries. I need to head home, but it was my pleasure. See you at school!” 
Once he was gone and the two of them had settled back into Rarity’s car, Sunset gave her a long look. “….A line, huh? You know I’m not dumb enough to believe that.”
“Sunset, you needed time to sort things out with him, and from all things, it looked like you did. If I needed to tell a bit of a fib to make that happen, then well, I’ll take that hit to my integrity. So?”
“…We talked. There were apologies. We’re starting fresh, as friends.”
“We really need to have a discussion someday on how you’re just as ruinous for my want of gossip as Applejack.”
Sunset couldn’t help but laugh at Rarity’s mock pout as they left the mall.
> Chapter Fifty: Lean on Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset gave the list Pinkie had texted her another long look as she dropped her pillow on the couch next to her sleeping bag. The list, besides the standard overnight necessities Sunset had expected, had a variety of added extras that made the redhead unsure as to whether she should feel excited or terrified. The girls had all been fairly secretive about what was going to happen during the New Year’s Eve sleepover, responding to any attempt she made to acquire information with “it's a surprise.”  Despite everything that had happened, the former unicorn could feel the small knot of anxious worry twisting and churning in her guts, growing more and more obvious the closer it got to the party.
Packing the last of the supplies into her backpack, the teen zipped it closed and flopped onto her couch with a sigh.  “Pull yourself together, Shimmer,” she grumbled. “Your friends aren’t going to spontaneously plan to do something awful and humiliating. You’re being ridiculous! There’s no reason to be feeling like this!”
She thumped her head back against the sofa, trying to push away the negative emotions that were starting to make her queasy.  Sunset knew the feelings were irrational, made up of leftover paranoia from her own past coupled with an innate dislike of walking into an unknown situation, not from anything her friends had actually said or done.  She also knew the feeling would likely evaporate once she got to Sweet Apple Acres, but she still had several hours to kill before she could head out.  
Blue-green eyes flicked to the book on the coffee table, then to the console controller next to it. She could spend the time reading or playing a game, but something about it didn't really catch her interest. Instead, she fished out her phone and started typing a message to her girlfriend, wondering just what Twilight was up to.



Twilight Sparkle closed the door to the guest room she was staying in as quietly as possible, locking it behind her.  Even just that much separation between her and her various cousins made it feel less like there was an elephant sitting on her chest, and with any luck, it would take them at least an hour to figure out where she was hiding.  The annual New Year’s bash thrown by her father’s side of the family had never been so stressful before, and she couldn't pin down why, but after three days of being at the estate, she was utterly exhausted. 
She cringed and curled up on the floor on the far side of the bed, wedging herself in the narrow space between the bedframe, the nightstand, and the wall that held two windows that overlooked the gardens below, her legs curled up to her chest.  In the past, she would find Cadence and the two of them would find places to hide out, but this year, Cadence and Shining had stayed in Canterlot, since her brother had drawn the short straw and had to work New Years Eve.  It left her with no one to really talk to her understood her, and she found herself desperate to hear a voice that didn't drone on about dating, celebrities, makeup, or social media, the way her various extended relatives in the “sixteen to twenty-four age bracket” all seemed to.
She needed intelligent conversation.  She needed someone who could relate to her. She needed to be around someone whose presence did not make her feel like she was drowning in a foreign world of unintelligible social cues and expectations.  She needed someone with whom she could be herself.
She needed Sunset.
Lavender fingers were scrolling through her contacts an instant later, pushing the call button and trying not to drop the phone as she put it to her ear.



Sunset couldn't help the smile that twitched at her lips as she finished the text to Twilight ans sent it on its way.  It had not done much to ease the boulder in her gut, but just focusing on the dark haired girl made it easier to ignore.
Almost before the message had finished sending, Sunset’s phone began ringing, Twilight’s name flashing at her from the screen.  The redhead answered it, half laughing as she did. “Hey, Sparky! I was just thinking about you!”
The pause from the other side was just a few heartbeats too long before Twilight’s voice came through. “Hey, Sunset,” she said, and something about the way the words felt made the former unicorn sit up fully, her own worries forgotten for the moment in favor of something more important.
“Twilight?” Sunset frowned.  “What’s wrong?”
A shaky breath echoed in her ear. “How is it you can tell from two words over a bad cell phone connection, but no one else can see it when they’re two feet from my face?” Twilight’s voice sounded somehow both relieved and frustrated to the point of tears.
She blinked, running fingers through her hair. “I...I’m not sure how I knew. Just...a feeling, I guess? Maybe something in your voice?  We spend a lot of time together, Sparky, so I’d like to think I can read you pretty well.”  The redheaded teen twisted to a more comfortable position on the couch, making use of her pillow. “Now...are you going to tell me what’s bothering you? Or should I start guessing?”  



Playing with her hair,  the dark haired girl forced herself to breathe.  “It’s...my family,” she began, before grimacing. “Not mom and dad, but...everyone else—I told you how New Years is when we get together with dad’s side of things, at the big estate?”  She paused just long enough to take a breath and hear an affirmative from the other girl, her thoughts starting to run away with her.   “Well, most of my extended cousins are either way older or way younger, and we don't have anything in common, but they don't seem to understand that I don't care about social media, or shopping...and everyone hounds me why I don't have a boyfriend and drags me into these conversations I don't want to be a part of! The best things about this place is the library and the garden, but whenever I go off to try and read, I don't get five minutes of peace before they find me, and I know they don't mean any harm but they don't seem to understand that I'm not like them and that I need time alone, and normally Cadence and Shining are here too and I can hide out with them but they aren't this year, and Great Uncle Rising Star died a few months ago, so mom and dad are a little busy in a discussion about his will and who gets that stupid silver tea set with the family crest etched into it, so they cant even tell people to give me space and—“ 
“Twilight.  Stop.”  Sunset’s firm command broke through the anxious rambling. “Stop and breathe, Sparky.” 
She found herself obeying the instructions almost without thought, words forgotten as she focused on drawing in air and releasing it in the slow, measured fashion that Cadence had taught her as a small child.  Her world narrowed until all that existed was her breathing and that wonderful voice on the other end of the phone.  
“There you go, Sparky. Deep, even breaths.”    
In and out. Slow, even, steady, a count of seven by four as her breathing was broken down into parts.  For the first time in days she could do it without the sense of weight crushing down on her chest, and her airways no longer felt strained, constricted.
“You’re safe, and you aren’t alone. I’m right here.  I’ve got you.”
The warmth that encased her felt like the summer sun, creating a bubble that pushed back the rising anxiety and panic.  She could relax, even if only a short while, and all the tension bled out of her in the form of a shuddering sigh.



Sunset could tell that Twilight had calmed when she heard the sigh, and it caused her own knot of tension in her guts to dissolve.  She smiled, the hundred miles between them vanishing in the warm aftermath of coaxing her girlfriend down from an impending panic attack. “Hey. Feel better?” the former unicorn asked gently.
“...I do,” was the soft reply. “Thanks, Sunny...”
Rolling over, Sunset stretched, feeling her spine straighten itself out. “You have that party tonight, right? You going to be okay, Twilight?” 
There was a frustrated sounding noise. “I don't have a choice—have to go. So I’ll just have to get through it like I do every year, and hope that Summer Breeze doesn't accost me with ‘advice on how best to snag a man before I’m, like, doomed to life as a lonely spinster with a dozen cats.’”
Whatever Sunset had planned on saying next was completely derailed by her girlfriend’s rather impressive impersonation of a shallow, somewhat brainless bimbo. “...um...what?” she finally settled on, trying to hold back laughter.
Twilight snorted. “I have a cousin who married a woman named Summer Breeze. Summer’s sole goal in life was finding a rich man to marry, and she seems to think it's every girl’s goal too. She keeps trying to give me advice on attracting a rich boy.” 
“What kind of advice?”
She could practically hear the sound of Twilight rolling her eyes. “Just today she told me I should get contacts and learn how to properly do my hair, because boys don't like girls who might be smarter than them.”
Sunset grunted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I like your glasses,” she countered. “You’d look weird to me without them.”  The last thing Sunset wanted was her girlfriend to look more like her princess counterpart, and the glasses helped prevent that.  “And I like that you're intelligent—I spent several years ordering around two idiotic buffoons that I’m convinced still eat their own boogers. Being stuck in the company of the unevolved and brainless is a slow torture.”
“You're also not a boy, Sunset.”
“Thank the stars for that!”  A shudder went through her.  “Sounds to me like her advice is more comical than anything, since absolutely none of it applies to you or me or us.  Maybe you could take notes and we can debunk all her advice later as useless to you.”
The sound of Twilight laughing made her feel good, especially knowing that she had been the one to put her into a good mood and banish a lot of the stress hanging over the other girl.  “Look, Sparky,” she said, wanting more than anything to do something to keep those spirits high, “I know we both have things we’re doing tonight, but...keep your phone on you. If you need me, text me. I’ll find a way to answer, even if i have to hide in the bathroom for a bit.”
“Are you sure, Sunset? You have a party with your friends tonight.”  Twilight hesitated, before continuing. “I don’t want to interrupt that because of my anxiety.  Your friends don’t deserve to have their fun with you halted because of me.”
Sunset chewed on her lip.  “I’m sure, Sparky. I want—need—to make sure you’re okay.  I...can't really explain it, it's just important.”  That much was true—Sunset was having trouble placing the feeling.  Rarity would have lit on a dozen cheesy romantic explanations for it had she ever uttered that near the tailor’s exceptional hearing, but Sunset wasn’t sure that “romance” factored into it. It felt...deeper, resonating with her soul in a way that almost reminded her of her cutie mark, a need and compulsion that she could no more ignore than she could choose to stop breathing. One hand absently rubbed her thigh, ghosting over where the mark should have sat proudly, pondering the subject.  “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to, Twilight.  Besides, its as much for you as it is for me; I’m a bit...worried about tonight and I could use the distraction.”



Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Twilight mulled over Sunset’s words.  “Why are you worried about going to a party with your friends? I thought you said it was a small gathering at one of their houses.”
Her girlfriend was quiet for a minute or so, before letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s...stupid.”
Stretching one of her legs out, Twilight waited to see if there was more. When it became obvious the other girl wasn't going to continue without prodding, the dark haired girl spoke again. “Sunset, it’s not stupid—if it’s bothering you, then it matters, even if its not rational or if the feelings are misplaced. Please...tell me what's wrong?”  More of that silence, until a new knot of anxiety began to form in her stomach and Twilight began to grow concerned. “Please, Sunny? I can practically feel how much this is bothering you, even through a telephone connection.”
Something gave way, and the words spilled through the phone’s speaker. “It’s so stupid, Sparky, even for me, but...I can’t seem to stop it.  This party...it was kind of last minute, but they found out it was a first for me and so they’ve spent the last few days planning it, because they want to make it special...and every time I asked what was going to happen tonight, they told me it was a surprise...” There was the sound of movement and Sunset taking a ragged breath. “...problem is, whenever other f—kids said that to me when I was younger, it was because they wanted to try and play an awful prank on me, and then I would get in trouble when I’d get angry, because they would claim I wasn't playing nice and was spurning their overtures of friendship and ruining everyone’s fun...”  
Another ragged, half breath, and Twilight’s heart hurt at the pained sound. The miles between them at that moment were a curse, because Sunset needed a hug and the reassurance of physical contact, something they were both denied at this moment. “Sunny...” she whispered, gripping the phone tighter.
“....I know! I know the girls aren't like that—they really are my friends, despite it all, and they would never do that to anyone...but I can’t seem to shake this feeling, and I’m afraid I’m going to mess this up!” The words had gone from a trickle to a flood, unstoppable, as all of the insecurities came out at once. “What if it was me all along? What if, all those times, I really was ruining things and turning away real friendship? I like having friends, and I don’t want my stupid, paranoid brain ruining some of the best things that have ever happened in my life just when things finally feel like they are good!”
Twilight frowned again, doing her best to choose her words carefully. “Sunny?” She interrupted the beginnings of another self deprecating rant. “It’s not stupid, I promise.”  She adjusted her glasses and leaned her head back against the nightstand.  “Especially not if those feelings are connected to a childhood trauma or troubles, which this seems to be.  Those other children were wrong to do stuff like that to you, and what they chose to do is not your fault—it's also not unique to you. I had problems with the same kind of thing when I was in third grade, and even Shining dealt with stuff like that in middle school. So...I understand, and it can be hard to let go of some of those feelings, but that doesn’t make them wrong or stupid.”  
She tried to remember the advice she’d been given on the same subject years before.  “It's also not you ‘ruining’ things—if you need an example, look at us. You’re my best friend, and you are the best friend I’ve ever had. You...you understand me in ways no one else ever has, and I feel more comfortable with you than anyone I’ve ever known, even my own family.  If you were somehow, even subconsciously, sabotaging your relationships with others, we wouldn’t be having this conversation...” A thought tickled her, and she lowered her voice, “and I certainly wouldn’t have spent the last few hours of Christmas finding new ways for you to kiss me.”
Twilight could hear the change in Sunset when her girlfriend laughed softly.  “...hard to argue with that, Sparky,” she responded, her voice sending a good shiver through Twilight.  It made her wish, not for the first time, that she could have somehow brought Sunset with her, just so they could have found places to hide on the estate for the purpose of kissing rather than avoiding her cousins, the secret of her orientation be damned.  She could picture it, her and Sunset, hiding amidst the shelves in the library, the redhead’s lips against her neck and throat, tracing a trail to her ear.  
Another shiver and the dark haired girl forced herself from her daydream to realize Sunset was talking again.  “...guess I’m just...scared. Scared because for the first time, I actually have something to lose.”
Swallowing, Twilight managed to recover enough to keep her voice from betraying where her thoughts had drifted. “It’s normal to be a little afraid, Sunset, but I think, in this case, you should trust your friends, because if they care about you like you care about them, then they are probably as afraid to lose you as you are to lose them, and that means they wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.”  
Sunset let out a breathy sigh, the kind of soft and affectionate noise that only escaped her around Twilight. "You always seem to know what I need to hear, Sparky. And even if I'm not quite sure I can trust myself, I know I can trust you. If you say it's going to be okay, then...I know it will be."
“I’m sure it will be, and you’ll have a great time tonight.” Twilight kept her tone light and encouraging, though she secretly wished she was going to Sunset’s party and not her family’s.  
Her answer was one of those odd Sunset sounds.  “I’ll do my best, but it doesn't mean I wont be thinking about you, Sparky.  I meant what I said before: keep your phone on you and if you need me, call or text me. No party is more important than my best friend.”
Twilight uncurled the rest of the way, stretched out comfortably now and filled with happiness and warmth. “I’ll definitely be thinking about you at midnight, Sunny,” she told her. “I—”
A firm knock at the bedroom door startled the teen.  “Twilight, sweetheart, are you in there?” her mother called.  “I wanted to check on you.”
Pulling away from the phone to haul herself onto the bed, she called back, “Yes, Mom. I’m here!”
The door unlocked and Twilight Velvet stuck her head in. “How are you holding up, dear? I know the last few days have pushed it for you.” she asked gently.  
“Better now. I called Sunset.”
From the phone came the distorted yell, “Hi, Mrs. Velvet!”
Her mother smiled. “Happy New Year, Sunset! You stay safe tonight, okay?” She turned her attention back to her youngest child. “If you want a shower before the party, now is probably the time. It’ll be a madhouse at the bathrooms in about half an hour.”
Twilight’s eyes widened—when had it gotten that late? “Alright, Mom, thanks.”
Once her mother had shut the door, she returned her focus to Sunset. “I’m going to have to go soon.  Sorry, Sunny.”
“Hey...it's okay. I need to finish getting ready myself. It was nice to hear your voice though, even if it was because we were both freaking out a little.” Sunset laughed. “You go shower before someone decides to ‘help you with makeup.’”
She groaned before she could stop herself. “I didn’t even think about that,” she complained. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, someone will try. Probably Glamour Shot. She’s obsessed with cosmetics. Thanks a lot, Sunset.”
More laughter tickled her ears, causing her to flush. “It’s not funny! She’ll try and video it for her internet fans! She’s done that twice now and never asked if I wanted to be in one of her videos!”
Despite her very vocal protests, however, Twilight Sparkle found herself smiling.
> Chapter Fifty One: This Could Be Heaven Or This Could Be Hell...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	

“Look out!”
Sunset had just finished parking her bike against a tree off the side of the Apple farm’s long driveway, and was in the process of stowing her helmet, sleeping bag and pillow crammed under one arm, when Sweetie Belle’s voice jerked her head up. Swearing viciously under her breath, she dove out of the way of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle in some sort of out of control contraption that looked like the ugly love child of a little red wagon, a dog sled, and a go-cart.  
“Sorry, Sunset!” Applebloom called as they missed running over her foot by inches.
“Keep that monstrosity away from my bike!” she yelled after them.  “I’m not sure my insurance covers ‘devastation by middle school maniacs,’” she grumbled to an apologetic looking Applejack.
“Yeah...sorry ‘bout that. AB an’ Sweetie’ve been at it since the sun came up—‘s drivin’ Rares all kinds o’ crazy...but now they're Granny and Mac’s problem.” The farmer adjusted her hat and offered a hand to take her sleeping bag. “We’re gonna bunk down in the den tonight, since there’s so many o’ us.”
The former unicorn tagged along behind her friend into the large farmhouse. “I’m not the first one here, am I?”
“Nnnnope,” the other girl drawled. “Rares has been here fer a while—her folks went on one o’ them fancy cruises again fer the holidays, so she’n Sweetie spent most o’ break here...an’ Pinkie’s around somewheres on the farm, ‘gettin’ things ready.’” She dumped the sleeping bag in a corner with pillows and other sleeping bags. “Rainbow is on her way—her folks was pickin’ up Scootaloo an’ their friend new friend Gabby.”
Setting the rest of her things down, Sunset chewed on her lip. “So...do I get to know yet what I’m in for tonight?”
Rarity’s voice sounded from the doorway. “Patience, darling!” she encouraged, sweeping in to give Sunset a hug. “Tonight is meant to be fun and special for you, and part of what will make it so is keeping our activities a surprise!”  Her face twisted into a quiet frown. “I’m hoping it more than makes up for those dreadful nights you suffered in silence during the Battle of the Bands...”
Sunset’s cheeks darkened. “I...you really don’t need to feel you have to ‘make it up to me,’” she mumbled. “That was a bad week for everyone, not a party.”
“Mebbe not, but we wanna make sure ya get a real idea of what a sleepover with yer friends is truly like, Sunset.  Now c’mon...with Mac chasin’ the girls, gonna need some extra hands carrying trays ta the dining room.” Applejack headed for the kitchen with them in tow.
Scents assaulted her nose as she got close to the kitchen, the sharp, crisp smells of fresh veggies mingling with the pervasive and ever present sweetness of fruit and the rich odors of cheeses, and the faint tang of meat that made her nose wrinkle.  AJ put a platter in her arms, and her stomach rumbled hungrily at her.
“Veggie tray, with dips. Decided ta do sandwich fixin’s and snack trays since we got so many different tastes here tonight. Dining room’s in there.”
Rarity had taken up a tray filled with fruit.  “We made sure that all the deli meats were on a single tray, darling, so you can easily avoid that...and so Rainbow Dash doesn’t accidentally end up with anything green in the monstrosity of calories she’s likely to construct.”
Sunset couldn't help but smile as a feeling suffused her soul, similar to the warmth she'd felt finding out Velvet had gone to the trouble of making a meal specifically tailored to her preferences. It was a little thing, but somehow, knowing the girls had gone to the extra effort, just filled her with a sense of belonging and acceptance, and it meant more to her than she could find the words to explain.  
She wasn’t sure why it touched such a deep chord within her. It wasn't like ponies placed any more emphasis on sharing meals than humans did, even if both species did treat eating as a social activity.  Maybe it was because of her early experiences in the human world, those months after she first arrived into a living nightmare, homeless and so hungry most days that she thought she was going to die, curled up and shivering in the shack in the woods she’d wintered in that first year.  Sunset had come out of that winter a bare shadow of what she’d been before, half feral from terror and horror over what she’d learned about humans and their world, gaunt and hollow enough to feel all her ribs and even the space between the bones in her arms. The first memory she had of human selflessness had been from that time, and had come from a most unusual source...





The tall woman with dark skin and piercing eyes slid a plastic container across the small table to the shrunken form huddled on the floor of the old warehouse. “Here, Red. Get some real food in you before you collapse on us.”
Awkward and stiff fingers tore open the top to reveal a rich salad mix of assorted vegetables, topped with cheese and nuts and with several packets of different dressings. Sunset sniffed it warily, checking for the sharp, tangy scent of meat that humans loved to ruin perfectly good food with, and found herself overwhelmed by the scent of the foods her body and mind desperately craved. She forgot about having hands, about being in the body of an ape, about her fears and worries and the paranoia that cried for her to flee before the human did something to her, diving her face into the meal like an ill-mannered earth pony. She practically wept at the flavors on her tongue—the familiar sweetness of a carrot, the crisp bite of a bell pepper, the juicy wonderfulness of tomato, and for the first time since she’d realized what kind of world she was trapped in, she didn’t feel like her very essence was frozen...





“Sunset? Darling, are you alright?”
Jolting out of the memory, the former unicorn tossed her head. “Sorry...I...got caught up in my thoughts. Thanks...for remembering about the meat. It's...” she fumbled, “really great—I always have to worry about that when I go places, but you girls just...did it.”
Rarity smiled, helping her arrange the veggie tray on the table between the fruit and another piled high with cheeses.  “Of course we remembered, Sunset!  It’s important to you, and that makes it important to us.”  She took a tray piled high with snacks from Applejack, their fingers making contact in the exchange that lingered just a breath longer than friends would allow.  “I’ll take that, darling, and you can put the last one in the other corner, as we discussed.”  
“Alrigh’. Think Ah heard a car pull up, so either Dash is here with the other two half-pints, ‘r Fluttershy got out early at the shelter.” 
The sound of the front door crashing violently open interrupted any response and answered the question, a thundering cacophony of feet and younger voices filled the air and made their way up the stairs. Rainbow’s familiar raspy tones reached them a moment later.  “Please tell me there’s cider, AJ? That was the longest five miles of my life!”
The farmer rolled green eyes. “Was five miles, Rainbow, not an eternity.” She tossed a bottle of the chilled cider at her friend.
“Sure felt like it. That Gabby kid talks more than Rarity, and both my parents were in the car too! It was enough to make anyone crazy!” Dash twisted the top off the bottle, ignoring Rarity’s protest as she downed the bubbly beverage.  “Who we still waiting on? I figured Pinkie Pie would be here early.”
“I’m right here, silly!” 
Dash sucked in half a swallow of cider as she yelped and jumped, ending in her coughing and sputtering to clear her airway, courtesy of Pinkie who had appeared right behind her in the doorway.  
“And look who I found!” Pinkie bounced into the room, cheerfully unconcerned about the figure she hopped over.
Fluttershy knelt down by the coughing soccer star, concern etched into her features. “Rainbow, are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine...” she wheezed, then turned towards Pinkie. “You got me that time, Pinkie. How do you do that?”
Summer-sky eyes turned away from a plate of cookies, large and innocent. “Drf rh?” was the response through a mouth full of sweets.
Sunset couldn't help it—the whole thing struck her as ridiculous and she burst into laughter, the feeling of happiness and joy bubbling up inside her  and dispelling what nervous anxiety lingered. These were her friends, the same mismatched group she saw nearly every day, not the foals of her younger years who tormented her.  Five sets of eyes turned towards her, confused at first, but soon the whole group was laughing until their sides hurt.
Pinkie bounced over to throw her arms around Sunset in a full fledged Pinkie Pie Partytime Bearhug (TM), complete with cookie crumbs.  “Alright! This party is off to a great start already!  We’ve got so much planned to keep that smile in your heart tonight, Sunset—you’ll remember this party for the rest of your life! Bring it in, ladies! Group hug for Sunset!”
The redhead found herself in the center of the press of bodies, and her heart soared. “Thanks, girls,” she said, hugging back as much as she could. “You really are some of the best friends, anyone could ask for.”
Rainbow Dash gave her a playful punch to the shoulder. “You're pretty awesome yourself, Sunset,” she quipped, her voice still a bit strained from inhaling the cider.  “Friendship goes both ways, you know.”  She paused, going half cross eyed. “And whose stomach was that? We need to feed them before they decide to eat the rest of us.”
Sheepish, Sunset managed to raise a hand. “I was too excited to eat lunch...but don’t worry, Dash. You’re safe. Those tomatoes and peppers, on the other hand? They are in imminent danger.” 
“Well, everyone’s here, and it's dinnertime! So what are we waiting for?! Dibs on the Cool Ranch Doritos!”
Six teenage girls broke apart in a mad scramble for the food.





Twilight Sparkle stared down at her plate, a faint twisting nausea in her stomach making the thought of actually trying to eat the food arranged artfully before her eyes an unpleasant one.  She wasn't sure which part of the annual New Years celebration she disliked more: several hours of small talk with relatives she only saw once a year if that while avoiding the even more foreign wealthy ‘friends’ they invited, or this, a dinner of fancy, high priced menu items on expensive china that Twilight was fairly certain no one actually enjoyed the taste of, wearing an outfit far too formal to be comfortable, and condemned to the table with the children and anyone under twenty-five who didn't bring a date.  
The dinner wouldn't be so bad, she acknowledged, if it weren't for how much noise there was at a table made mostly of kids and teens, all talking over each other. The volume of it dug into her nerve endings as much as it did her eardrums, making her skin crawl with this omnipresent sensation.  And the touching. Twilight loved hugs from her parents, from Cadence and Shining, and especially from Sunset...she could even do okay with her cousin Little Light poking her arm or tugging her sleeve...but the invasive way Glamour Shot kept initiating physical contact, or the way Nightlife kept kicking her under the table during his wildest stories...those things made her desperate to flee back to the safety of her room.
Twilight took a slow, deep breath, trying to get a handle on her rising anxieties. Her parents were all the way across the huge dining room, meaning she was on her own.  She had to get herself under control, closing her eyes and visualizing that it was Sunset touching her arm and not her overly pushy cousin.  “Deep breaths, Sparky,” her girlfriend murmured in her mind, blue-green eyes focused on Twilight with enough intensity to block out everything else in the room. She could drown in that gaze forever, she really could, even if Sunset’s personality reminded her more of fire than it ever would of water. 
Mental-Sunny hugged her, murmuring those soothing, firm instructions in her ears, and Twilight could feel her innards starting to unknot, feel her breath come easier—even if the memories of Sunset’s mouth on her neck ensured that her heart continued to race.  A sort of giddy happiness bloomed, her lips unconsciously twitching into a smile, racier thoughts settling into memories of hugs and bedtime cuddles, of warm arms around her and Sunset’s gorgeous body against her, around her, enveloping her with that sense of—
Her hand was accosted by the wrist and the daydream was blown away like dust, her senses abruptly and painfully jolted back to the real world, as Glamour was inspecting her nails critically. “Twi, your hands would just be perfect for a manicure!” There was an excited note to the older girl’s voice, and she pushed back a bit of inky dark hair out of her eyes as she leaned over Twilight’s hand. “They have just the most amazing shape and perfect structure, and your coloration would go so well with so many of the different shades of polish I have!”
She pulled her arm back, curling the appendage close to her to avoid more grabbing. “Um...No thanks,” she managed to respond, wringing her hands nervously. “I’m...good...”
Her cousin pouted at her—an expression that was ridiculous on someone several years her senior, Twilight decided.  “I could make them look so amazing though! And if you wanted, I could even do them shorter so they don't interfere with your hobbies!” She winked at Twilight, though why she did so was a mystery, and the dark haired teen felt her stomach twist itself back up.
Some of Twilight's confusion and stress must have shown in her face—either that or Glamour Shot had more to her than Twilight had credited her with, because Glamour abruptly changed tactics, almost as if she was clumsily trying to be helpful.  "Twi, it's okay, honest. I promise I'm not going to film you anymore, or you know... do stuff that makes you uncomfortable. I just thought, getting a manicure is really soothing, like, for me anyway, and, everyone else will leave you be while I'm doing that.  It's nice, and I'll make your nails look good, and give you a break from... you know." The girl shrugged awkwardly, but gave her a more sincere smile than Twilight was used to seeing from her.
The whole thing took her by surprise, and she found her brain blanked on any kind of response, too busy trying to understand why her cousin was acting so strangely all of a sudden, why she suddenly seemed to care.  All she could do was give a dumb sort of nod, unable to do anything else. Glamour winked again, whispering, “Good...then maybe we can both avoid Silver Dollar for a while at the party. Mother mentioned that he was invited again this year, and he’s such a jerk! I didn't know anyone could have that much ego!” 
Without meaning to, her arms curled even more defensively in front of her chest, heart stuttering painfully at the mention of Silver Dollar. She’d encountered him already, since his father had been invited to dinner as well, and the incident had been entirely unpleasant. There had been something in the way his eyes had looked her over, something weird in his voice when he’d commented about how ‘Little Twilight was growing up’ that had made her clutch her phone in a death grip, wishing dearly that Sunset was there with her.
Glamour’s eyes narrowed at her, and she shifted even closer. “He didn't?!” she hissed. “That slimy, greasy, sleazoid! Ugh!” Her hands fluttered in a series of awkward motions, like she was about to throw her arms around Twilight in a hug, but stopped herself at the last second. “Just do your best to avoid him tonight, and if you need a rescue, give me a high sign, Twi. He’s a first class creep!”
There were no words to describe how she felt in that moment, confusion, anxiety, and panic warring for supremacy amidst the projections her mind was producing for her in an attempt to understand what was going on around her.  Twilight shrank in on herself in her chair, needing Sunset’s warm presence more than ever...
> Chapter Fifty Two: Social Games
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





A groan escaped her as she leaned back in the armchair she had claimed after polishing off what Rainbow had called a “weeds on a bun,” a statement that had offended Rarity enough that she had explained in a rather snippy tone where she had purchased those ‘weeds.’  Sunset rubbed her stomach, sinking into the chair even more. “I have no idea what ‘artisanal stone-ground sourdough’ is exactly, or what ‘full-organic, pesticide free produce’ means, but I ate way too much,” she complained lightly. “If I move too fast, I might puke—but it was soooo good....”
Rarity smiled and retrieved a flyer from her purse, passing it Sunset’s way with a little help from Fluttershy.  “I grabbed a flyer for you, darling, since I thought you might appreciate the produce and fruits there.  It’s a farmer’s market that runs every other weekend.”
“Granny has us run a booth there sometimes, like durin’ cider season,” Applejack added.
“Is that where you got those tomatoes?  Those were delicious.  I haven’t had a tomato like that since Equestria.”   Blue green eyes studied the flyer, realizing that the location was actually only a few miles from the neighborhood where Twilight lived—easily within driving distance for her, and something she was seriously considering checking out.
“Not exactly—those were picked up at the market but not bought there.  They’re hothouse tomatoes, bred and grown special by mah cousin’s wife. Everyone swears she’s got a magic touch with ‘em.  We swap for some of the goods from the orchard.” Applejack grinned from her position on the loveseat, where Rarity leaned comfortably against her shoulder. “An’ ya aren’t alone, Sunset. Think most of us stuffed ourselves stupid.”
Dash raised one hand from where she was face down on some pillows on the floor. “I regret nothing!” Her voice was muffled, and a belch followed her declaration.
Pinkie, seemingly unaffected by her own dinner, grinned brightly. “Then the first surprise activity for Sunset’s Super Special New Years Slumber Party is Fluttershy’s idea—and I think it’s a great one!” She skipped over to a huge bag still bulging with supplies, starting to unload...arts and craft supplies?
Sunset blinked, then rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Nothing changed—Pinkie was stacking bags of glitter, cheap plastic gems, things of little fabric flowers, stickers of all kinds, what looked like a bag of rubber stamps and a few ink pads, different kinds of paper, art foil, markers, pens and even a selection of bright paints out, along with some good sized envelopes. “Um...what’s all of this for?” 
Fluttershy answered her. “It’s this thing that I did a long time ago at a day camp, and I thought it could be fun,” she offered timidly. “We each get an envelope and we put our names on it and decorate it to represent us. Then we hang them up on a cork board—” Which Pinkie had just retrieved from the bag that was way too small to have contained it, “—and we all write little notes and do little nice things for each other to put in them and let each other know how much we care about our friends.”
“What a delightful and innovative idea, Fluttershy,” Rarity gushed from the loveseat. “And a perfect one for when we are all letting our food settle!”   
The soft spoken girl beamed at the praise even as she hid slightly in her hair. “...I thought it would be a good thing after all the nastiness with the Sirens. We were so mean to each other that week, and I wanted you girls to know how much I really do care about all of you.”  Her eyes found Sunset’s and the redhead realized that she was being deliberately included in that statement—Fluttershy’s way of eliminating her self doubt.
“I think it’s a great idea too, Fluttershy,” she said, sending a smile to her friend in turn. She spotted a nearby TV table and snagged it with one arm, dragging it to herself. “I’ll take one of those envelopes.”
It didn't take long for them to all get set up, and Sunset found something super soothing about messing around with her mostly neglected art skills, sketching in some of her favorite flowers that were found only in Equestria around the border, and on a whim adding a rather decent likeness of Philomena around her cutie mark on the front.  Then she snagged a thing of markers and colored pencils to start coloring in everything but her cutie mark. The blazing, two toned sun she decided to do in the vibrant paint that Pinkie had brought.
“Oooo! That’s an awesome looking bird!” Speaking of the pink one—Pinkie was leaning over the chair, staring at the envelope. “What kind is it!? I've never ever seen a bird like that before—is it magic?”
“Her name’s Philomena. She’s...a phoenix. She was...kind of a pet when I was a filly.  And yes, phoenixes are technically magical—human legends got them mostly right, with the whole self-immolation-resurrection-from-the-ashes thing. It scared me the first time it happened, but it got to be really neat to watch.” She smiled fondly at the image, but it fell away after a moment. “I...haven’t thought of her in a long time. I was pretty awful to her the last year or two before I left Equestria, just like I was to Princess Celestia and everypony else.  She was probably glad to see me go.”
Fluttershy’s eyes were wide and awestruck. “You had a pet phoenix?” She had moved closer so she could peer at Sunset’s drawing. “Oh...she’s so pretty!”
The former unicorn felt her stomach twist painfully, coupled with a flare of anxiousness that she couldn't quite explain.  “Yeah...she was the most beautiful bird I’ve ever seen, and when we adopted her, she was so small she could fit in your hands.” She rubbed her nose, fighting the way her heart lurched.  “She almost didn’t make it.  She was so cold-sick from when I found her, and it took weeks for her to heal. I...don’t think I slept much that entire time.” Emotions gnawed at her, and her eyes flicked up from the artwork briefly. “I...I miss her.”
Fluttershy hugged her then, the embrace soft and filled with compassion.  “I’m sure Philomena misses you too,” she noted.  “It’s okay to miss people and things we love, Sunset. That’s part of caring.  Maybe someday you can go back and see Philomena again.”
The knowledge of her sentence reared its head, her thoughts practically chanting the word as a mantra, reminding her of her banishment from her homeworld.  Sunset bit down on her lip until it hurt, the sting of sharp primate teeth on her flesh creating a disorienting sensation strong enough to distract herself from the sudden lump in her throat. 
"Maybe,” she managed, keeping her tone neutral to avoid arousing suspicions.  She wasn’t sure she could explain it, or if she even wanted to, so hopefully the response would satisfy her friend and they could move on. 
It turned out to be a vain hope, as the shy girl’s arms tightened the hug from featherlight to gentle, making a soothing sound.  "Something's bothering you," Fluttershy acknowledged, a statement rather than a question.  “It doesn't feel like it's something you want to talk about right now, though...and that's okay, Sunset.   I just want you to know, whatever it is, we'll be here to talk about it when you are ready. That’s what friends do.”
The faintest touch of magic brushed her senses, draining the tension from Sunset’s frame, reminding her why the animal lover was a match for the Element of Kindness.  When she’d first heard about Fluttershy’s talent for soothing animals, even wild ones or those in pain, she’d mocked and dismissed it—because how could a cringing doormat have any kind of strength?  Now? Having been on the receiving end of her compassion and care, not only did she believe it, she wondered how she could have been so arrogant and foolish to have missed it, how her very presence spoke of trust and gentle understanding.
“Thanks, Fluttershy. It’s...just complicated...and I still need to sort out how I feel before I...will be ready to talk about it.” Sunset gave her a thin smile, grateful that the girls weren’t pushing the matter.





Her hands felt...weird. Twilight tried not to make a face, since Glamour’s “manicure” had gotten her the better part of an hour in a quieter side room, but it was hard.  She had to admit, though, that the time had actually helped her nerves.  Her normally loud and boisterous cousin had dimmed the lights, working with a lamp that cast a warm golden glow  instead of the big, bright overhead lights, and put on some soft instrumental music on her phone.  It had created a relaxing atmosphere, aided by the fact that instead of her normally endless stream of attempted conversation, Glamour had kept the chatter to a minimum, only speaking up really when it had to do with the task at hand, describing each step in detail to Twilight as opposed to her previous “grab and do” method.  
To top it all off, all of the foul smelling, obnoxiously colored cosmetic products she had once associated with her cousin were gone, replaced by things that didn’t turn her stomach or make her skin crawl.  
It had been surreal on so many levels, that Twilight was unsure what to make of it, and by extension, her cousin.  Glamour had seemed sincere all day, and when she’d asked if she could get the name of one of the lotions that her cousin had used on her hands because she liked the way it felt on cold, winter dry skin that saw a lot of punishment in her lab, she honestly thought the older girl was going to burst from happiness.  Twilight frowned, puzzling over the whole thing again before setting it aside to focus on her present concerns.
She was hiding out now to one side of the big ballroom, watching her various relatives mingle and drink, trying to avoid detection.  The lights in here were even brighter than the dining room, to the point where it was starting to give her a headache, making her wish she could escape more than ever.
Several of her older relatives had already made attempts to comment on various things about her in some confusing parody of ‘small talk’ while proving simultaneously that they didn't know the first thing about her.  Not one had mentioned school, for example, or any kind of academic endeavor.
Twilight sighed, feeling a sort of melancholy steal over her. Did any of them even see her as a person? Or was she just her parents’ weird and half broken kid they all felt needed to be fixed and molded into a socially acceptable someone?  Fingers slipped the carefully hidden lanyard free of her shirt so they could trace the contours of the simple silver colored house key that hung there, taking comfort in the bumps and ridges of the warm metal.  It was soothing, grounding her to a pleasant memory that brought a flush to her cheeks.  



At some point, the eager, intense kisses had given way to the familiar territory of Sunset curling around her to snuggle on the bed. Lips still wandered along the skin of her neck, but the kisses were less heated and more soft affection.  “I had another present for you, Sparky,” Sunset murmured in her ear.  “Something I wanted to give you in private.”
A shiver went down her spine, her mind conjuring up all kinds of suggestions as to what her companion could mean. Letting out a shaky exhale, she traced fingers over the redheaded girl’s arm. “You do? What is it?”
In answer, Sunset pressed a small box into her palms, the wrapping job neat and meticulous. “I...it’s nothing big or showy or expensive,” she admitted. “...but I wanted to give you something special, something that...” she broke off, unable to continue, as Twilight opened the gift.  
Inside the box was a house key, and purple eyes met blue-green for an explanation.  Her girlfriend fumbled over her words with surprising vulnerability in her voice.  “It’s...a key to my place...” Sunset hesitated, brows furrowing as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. “This room...what your family’s given me...it means more than you can ever understand, Sparky...and...I know it’s not really the same...but...it’s...my place has always been my escape. The place I can go where all the stuff in my life can’t follow me...a place where I can just...breathe.” She chewed her lip, before forging ahead with her thoughts, and Twilight could see the way they affected the other girl.  “...You’ve become part of that...you said you feel safe with me...truth is, I feel...right...with you, and I wanted you to know that—”
Gripping the key in her hand tightly, Twilight pressed her lips to Sunset’s, communicating without words that she understood the gift and its meaning.  The words, something told her, would come when Sunset was ready.




The key had quickly become a talisman in the days since she’d left home with her family, a source of comfort and a physical, tangible connection to one of the most important people in her life.  She ran her fingers over it again, drawing strength and courage from the knowledge that Sunset liked her for who she was, never asking her to change into someone she wasn't, and supported her when her own mind threatened to overwhelm her.  Even if her best friend wasn't here at her side right now, the feelings were, and that made Twilight feel like she could survive the evening.
A presence shook her out of her musings, and she hurriedly tucked the key away before her eyes lifted to find her father approaching with a pair of cups. “Dad,” she said with a tilt of her head, accepting the drink he handed her. 
Night Light winked at her. “I managed to find some of your favorite juice in the kitchen. Figured you’d like that better than the underage drinking they seem to be pushing here.”  
She refrained from snorting, but only just.  “Alcohol dulls the senses as well as inhibiting neurological function, and I much prefer my mental capabilities intact, especially given the socially complicated and overwhelming nature of the present environment.”
His eyes shifted from amusement to concern.  “How are you holding up, kiddo? I’m sorry Mom and I have to keep leaving you to your own devices.”
Twilight sighed, rubbing her eyes. “I hate this, Dad. The noise, the lights, the overabundance of perfumes and colognes...it’s too much, but I know I can't just leave, any more than you can. It’s not like it was when I was eight, or ten, or even twelve.”  Her eyes looked away. “I hate that there’s no one I can really talk to.”
Her father’s familiar arm draped around her shoulders and pulled her into a sideways hug. “I’m sorry, Twilight,” he responded earnestly. “I wish I could do more to help you...”
Giving her head a shake, she leaned into the embrace, the familiarity of someone she loved and trusted making her feel confident and much more self assured. “Dad, it’s okay. While I still don't understand the point of the social posturing and the need to pretend to enjoy the company of people whose generational socio-economic status has left them completely out of touch with the reality of the world and other social groupings, I do understand that you and Mom don’t have much choice in doing so to prevent alienating relations that would make your lives and careers more difficult if they were hostile instead of fairly indifferent.”
A chuckle escaped him.  “I came over to check on you, and you’re the one reassuring me.  When did you get so mature?” he teased.  
Twilight felt the smile creep onto her face. “Probably this afternoon, when I called Sunset out of sheer, panic induced desperation,” she admitted. “Just so I could talk to someone who wasn’t gushing about infatuated obsessions with famous individuals or the minutiae of cosmetic products to ‘enhance my good qualities.’  Sunset helped put it all into perspective.” Twilight paused, for effect. “She told me to take notes on what gets said to me tonight, so I can share it with her and we can laugh about it. Though…with the distinct lack of intellectual discourse happening, they will be very sparse notes.”
“Mmm. The collective intelligence score of all your cousins together does still seem a bit lower than Shining’s half-orc barbarian’s, doesn't it?” Night kept the straight face for a solid fifteen point seven seconds before he broke into uncontrollable laughter—laughter that Twilight echoed.  Some part of her realized they probably looked ridiculous, cackling like mad fools, but she didn’t care. Laughing felt…good—it dislodged a good portion of the anxiety that had been sitting in her chest, leaving behind the small bit of confidence and good cheer.  Maybe the evening wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.





The living room of the farmhouse had become a fluffy warzone, cushions and pillows and at least one futon mattress braced by furniture to create several soft, squishy safe havens where the girls hid in pairs, able to launch smaller pillows and cushions as ammunition at each other.
Sunset couldn’t believe how much sheer fun this was. She’d always disdained the mere concept of pillow fights back in Equestria, seeing cushions as something for lounging or sitting on, sometimes decorative and occasionally good for spell practice, and while she had had a few pillow-fights in the last few months with her girlfriend, it nothing like what was happening in the farmhouse had ever even occurred to her. The thought of creating some large scale ridiculous reenactment of barbaric human battle rituals was just not something she had considered...and yet...this particular six person battle reenactment was savagely satisfying, indulging her more aggressive tendencies in the same way that she had found in the video games she was most fond of.  
She grinned to herself at the memory of Applejack’s surprised face when she had managed, with a little bit of cheating from years of calculating how to manipulate objects with her telekinesis, to score a direct hit on her hat and send it flying.  And the follow-up, where the blonde had wailed and mourned the ‘death’ of her beloved hat, before giving a great speech about her vow of eternal revenge on ‘those who infringed on the dignity of noble hats with violence and cheap shots,’ had made her laugh so hard she couldn’t breathe. Especially when, mid-tirade, Rainbow had pegged her in the mouth with another fluffy missile...at which point War Was Declared.  Even now the absolute silliness of it all threatened to send her into a fit of giggles.  
Wary blue-green eyes peeked carefully over the edge of their fortress, trying to get a good sight on the enemy combatants.  A squeak escaped her as a frilly pillow came within inches of hitting her head and she dropped down. “We’re getting creamed, Pinkie!” she hissed to her teammate. “We have to do something to take out Rainbow while she’s distracted in her feud with Applejack! It’s the only way we can hope to overpower Rarity and Fluttershy to win this thing!”
Pinkie giggled. “We’re just lucky Fluttershy is a bad shot!” She snaked an arm out to retrieve the pillow that had almost smacked into Sunset’s nose.
“Except that Dash more than makes up for it. Also, where in the world did Rarity learn to throw like that!?”
Cultured laughter sounded from the other side of the room. “My father, darling! Professional quarterback for over a decade!”  
Sunset frowned—she thought that was a football term, but her few experiences at CHS’s football games had been, like much of her other social events, calculated attendances to increase her reputation and popularity.  The most memorable parts had been how…disturbing she found the cheerleaders, and how violent the sport was.  Regardless of the reason, Rarity’s aim was unerringly accurate, and needed to be taken into account with their strategy. Fluttershy wasn’t much of a threat, since her throws were soft and hesitant, and often went wide.  Applejack had power, and a decent throwing arm, but she was focused mainly on trying to nail Rainbow Dash in the face.
The pink-haired girl giggled again, this time sounding a tad unhinged, before grabbing a pillow in each fist. “Get ready, Sunset!”
“Ready for what?” was all the former unicorn got out before Pinkie leapt up with a war cry, vaulting over the pillow fort and charging through a sudden hail of fluffy missiles towards where Rainbow and Fluttershy were camped out. “Pinkie! Waaait! ….Discord’s teeth!” She dove into the fray herself, a pillow in one hand as she took advantage of her teammate’s sudden chaos to charge behind the lines at Rarity and AJ.  “Hyaaaaaa!”  She swung wildly, battering the couple with the pillow in hand, driving them back and away from their own ammunition, laughing and yelling until her throat was sore and her arms ached.  
Rarity screeched, and Applejack dove half on top of her in response to the onslaught, laughing and trying to bat away the pillow that once more sent her hat flying across the room. “Ah gotcha Rares!”
“You should be more concerned for yourself!” Sunset crowed in victory, kicking the last pillow out of their reach and giving the farmer one more good fluffy smack to the face…before collapsing into laughter next to them, overwhelmed with just how…good it felt to be so ridiculously silly and unfettered, to be able to be competitive and aggressive and not be judged for it.
On the other side of the room, she could hear Pinkie demanding Rainbow’s unconditional surrender, followed by still more laughter as the massive pillow fight devolved into six teenage girls sprawled amidst the carnage, laughing until they cried and their sides ached.
> Chapter Fifty Three: Chain Reactions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight had almost meandered her way around the oversized room’s edges enough to get to the doors that would let her escape for a few minutes to the balcony. If her calculations were correct—and they usually were, she could get away with at least twenty minutes by herself before someone noticed she was missing and came to ‘check in on little Twilight.’  That would be enough time for her to send a response to the sweet and supportive message Sunset had found time to text her way.  She just had to make it the last ten yards to the door...
“Twilight Sparkle!” 
With an undignified yelp, the glasses wearing teen almost jumped right out of her skin at the voice behind her. One fist curled in front of her chest, where she could feel her racing heart through her shirt. “A-aunt Filigree...” she stuttered, turning to face the woman with pale blue-grey skin and shimmering, silver hair. “I-is something the matter?”
Beckoning imperiously, Platinum Filigree commanded, “Come over here, and let’s have a look at you, young lady. It’s been a year, more than enough time for you to grow into being a proper young woman.”
Sighing, Twilight obeyed. Her aunt—it was more like ‘distant cousin by marriage,’ but she’d been informed years ago that no one here appreciated her attempts to be accurate with her forms of address to extended relatives—was married to Uncle High Bar, heir to the ‘family fortune’ whose aging father was technically the current family patriarch, and even an imagined snub would make things uncomfortable for her parents.  She joined the group of older females, feeling their eyes on her, dissecting her and mentally picking apart everything that was ‘wrong’ with her.
“Don’t make a face like that, young lady—it’ll put lines on your forehead before you turn thirty—and stand up properly! Shoulders back, chin up! No man worth his inheritance will want a young woman who scurries around like a member of the help.” Aunt Filigree made a sound of displeasure.
She could almost hear Sunset’s unladylike snort and snarky retort in her mind.  Twilight bit back the snicker that she wanted to reply with, instead settling on a neutral, submissive tone to avoid challenging the woman’s authority, straightening her posture as told. “I apologize, Aunt Filigree.”
“I swear,” Great-Aunt Delicate Alabaster huffed arrogantly, “just what kind of education are your parents paying for, Twilight Sparkle? Certainly not one to help you get ahead like a proper woman of good breeding should.”
“I go to Crystal Prep Academy, Great-Aunt Alabaster,” Twilight answered in the same tone. “The highest rated and most academically intensive private high school within a hundred miles of Canterlot City.”  Pride leaked into her voice.  “I currently hold the distinction of the highest GPA and greatest academic standing in my entire school.  If I keep that up through senior year next year, it’s practically a guarantee of a full scholarship to any university in the nation.”
“Academics?” A third woman that Twilight didn't recognize looked at her like she’d just presented them with a dead rat. “Sweet merciful heavens, child—they aren't sending you to a real school for young ladies? Are you at least taking lessons on how to present yourself in polite society?”
“This family has no need to raise ‘scholarship children,’” Great-Aunt Aurora added imperiously.  “We have more than enough money in the account to pay for a proper education without resorting to such low-brow tactics.”
Summer Breeze interjected with a smile, having found a spot to join in the conversation.  “Now, now...Crystal Prep is a perfectly fine environment—local for Twilight, but it is a boarding school too, and plenty of wealthy and affluent young men graduate from there, from all kinds of wonderful backgrounds.  Any one of them would be fantastic material for a relationship.”
Another one of the women—Twilight thought she might be married to ‘Uncle’ North Star—muttered to her neighbor in a way that Twilight was clearly meant to overhear, “Someone really needs to put their foot down with young Night.  Send her to a finishing school in Europe and be done with allowing this nonsense to continue. No girl of good breeding has any reason to be studying mathematics or the sciences!”
Twilight’s skin crawled unpleasantly. She really didn’t want to suffer through another conversation about how her love life should look.  As bad as the disparaging remarks about her interest in academia and her aspirations towards being a scientist of renown could be, when they started talking about the subject of dating—which, for them was more like a cattle auction than any kind of search for love—it made her feel sick. 
Especially the suggestion of her being romantically involved with anyone from her school; most of them, male and female alike, utterly despised her and treated her like something gross stuck to their shoes.  Closing her eyes briefly, she drew on the affection from her actual love life to get through this, and remembered Sunset’s earlier remarks.  None of this applied—she was quite happy in her current relationship, and that happiness had nothing to do with the number of zeroes in Sunset’s bank account.  “Crystal Prep doesn’t exactly encourage socialization, Summer,” Twilight offered quietly. “The focus is on excellence in the curriculum, and its very competitive.”
“All the more reason for you to go to something more geared for young women. Academia is not the place to hunt for a husband or to make the kinds of social connections that can make your life easier,” Great-Aunt Alabaster informed her.  “You’d be better off with some form of finishing school that would teach you how to dress better and talk correctly.  You look like a spinster and sound like a librarian.”
“It's not all that bad,” Summer offered encouragingly. “Swap out the glasses for some contacts, and maybe some lessons on makeup and hair, and you’d turn quite a few heads, Twilight.  You're a very pretty girl, and I’m sure you’d find someone who could make you very happy.”
Imagine that. She already had someone that made her happy, and she didn't have to fumble her way through a false pretense to get her either.  Sunset liked her as is, and dressing up like some sort of rich princess would probably only make the redhead laugh.  “I’ll keep that in mind, Summer Breeze,” she told the woman, in a vain effort to turn the conversation to something less stomach churning.  “Glamour was kind enough to give me some very good tips on cosmetics earlier, and is going to get me information on where she purchases hers.”  It wasn’t a lie, she told herself firmly.  Some of what Glamour had said was tucked away in her mind, in the event that she and Sunset ever had the chance to go on an actual date date, and she wanted to look extra nice for her girlfriend.
Aunt Filagree tapped her wineglass thoughtfully with a nail. “Crystal Prep...I’d be wary of seeking a potential match there. A great many of their alumni burn out in college...barring, of course, the ones who stand to inherit.”
The teen fought the urge to roll her eyes.  Her research had led to similar statistics, when she’d looked up the school a few years ago when she’d been constructing her argument for wanting to go there, but the numbers weren’t that much greater than the average.  It was more than likely, she reasoned now that she had two and a half years at the school under her belt, that those who ‘burned out’ were actually the same as the ones who focused their efforts into sabotaging others rather than improving their own grades.  A setting like college would mean endless fraternity parties and copious amounts of alcohol for people like that.
A frown quirked at Summer Breeze’s face. “Doesnt Crystal Prep have a nearby sister school? I think it's run by the heirs of the Solare family. I thought I’d heard about that somewhere...maybe a client?”
Twilight wasn't aware that her great aunt had the lung capacity to scoff that loudly. “That’s not a sister school—it’s a public high school that services the surrounding rural community. Those women are an utter disgrace to their family name—Stellare and Helios must be rolling over in their graves at the thought of such a...pedestrian career.”
“If you mean Canterlot High, it's also Crystal Prep’s closest rival. It’s not a private school, but it actually edges out a lot of schools in surrounding counties in terms of academic statistics.  In addition, their alumni have a much lower rate than average of ‘burning out’ in college, for the ones that go on to it.”  She paused, intending to stop there, but her mouth had other ideas that it failed to include her brain in. “My best friend goes there.”  The words were blurted out before she could even think to stop them. Twilight fought the urge to grimace as the attention was once again focused on her.
“Associating with someone who goes to a public school? Twilight, dear girl, youre so much better than that.” 
Her great aunt’s words were scathing and dismissive, and Twilight felt anger spark to life, overpowering the expression of passivity that she’d been using as a shield. Lips turned down in a scowl, and her eyes narrowed at the elderly woman, who was so fixated on this messy, confusing, and pointless concept of social status from a bygone era of classism, bigotry and sexism that she didn't even see Twilight as a person...that was something the nerdy girl was used to, but to have her dismiss Sunset as if she were nothing—likely the same attitude that was the reason that led to Sunset being alone in an apartment with no one to love her—it made something boil inside her. 
Fists clenched, she raised her head and leveled her not inconsiderable intellect at the old woman. “Sunset is ten times the person you could ever hope to be. She’s intelligent, driven, and incredible in every way, and she treats me like an actual person, with a care about my thoughts and feelings and interests. You treat me like some sort of dress up doll, with utter disregard for how your words and opinions make me feel, all in some twisted attempt to perpetuate an attitude and belief system of entitlement and sexist ideology that relegates women to the role of manipulative socialites whose greatest contribution to society is her reproductive system and the social standing she affords the male who owns her. I have no interest in obsolete advice from seven decades ago, or in hearing you spew drivel about someone you’ve never met based solely on where she seeks education, and not on any factual data or direct observations. Especially in regards to someone who has been there for me more in three months than anyone in this room besides my parents have in my entire life!”
She was shaking now, from the force of her emotions, and the anxious knot in her guts was ten times worse than it had been now that the sudden anger had burned itself out.  Twilight took a deep breath to stabilize herself, and turned on her heel to leave—she had to get out of there before she broke down into a panic attack. After her outburst, she was determined to not break down into a crying, catatonic mess in a room with so many people.  It didn’t stop her from casting a glance at the somewhat stunned socialites as she did.  The only one who didn't look offended was Summer Breeze, a small smile playing on her lips.





Pale fingers moved with skill and grace, pulling the brush through fiery hair in a motion that was sure and steady, despite the awkward position of sitting sideways on the old couch, one foot propped up on the coffee table as her toenail polish dried.  "Sunset, darling,” Rarity commented, “I simply love your hair. Tell me, what do you do to make it look so fabulous?"
Sunset opened her eyes, confusion interfering with the pleasant sensation of someone else brushing through her wild mane. “Do to it? Nothing? I mean...I wash it and brush it out, but...”
Rarity continued to brush her friend's hair. "There must be something, darling. Otherwise I would have to be jealous of a friend’s wonderfully gorgeous, natural hair."
“I swear to you, Rarity, I don't do anything special—I like my sleep and I don't feel like cutting into it to spend an hour or more on my hair.” Amber fingers gripped her other elbow. “I’m not sure what you have to be jealous of.”
"Maybe she doesn't want to say because she uses that shampoo for horses?" Rainbow Dash interjected, cackling at her own joke like it was the funniest she’d ever heard.
“They sell it for humans too,” Sunset mumbled, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I like the way it smells.”  The quiet admittance from Sunset caused Rainbow to burst into another fit of raucous laughter.
The tailor sighed loudly, expressing her annoyance. "Don't pay her any mind, Sunset. She's just bored because she can't do anything until we won't notice her sneaking some nail polish for herself." 
“Hey!” Rainbow protested, scowling at Rarity.
A smirk was sent the athlete’s way, before the designer softened her tone and continued taking her brush to the red and gold curls in front of her. "There isn't anything to be defensive of, you know. By human standards, you have lovely hair."
There was a long pause, as Sunset soaked in Rarity’s words. “It was...one of my better features in Equestria too,” she admitted hesitantly. “As ponies go, I’m pretty average.”
Rarity paid Dash’s continued spluttering in the background no mind as she worked her way down towards Sunset's neck and back. "I might not be the one you want to hear this from, darling, but you are quite attractive here."
That had the redhead rolling her eyes. “I’d clued in on that a while ago, since guys can't seem to keep their eyes to themselves.” If she sounded a tad huffy and annoyed, she hoped the tailor would chalk it up to Rainbow Dash’s joke.
Her friend either didn't notice, or chose not to acknowledge the huffiness of Sunset's response. Instead she placed the brush to the side and lightly gripped the back of her friend's neck. "Sunset, your neck feels like a rock. Is everything alright?"
Fingers on skin was a situation she hadn't been prepared for, and it showed in the way her muscles tightened up.  The skittish, instinctive part of her back brain balked at the contact, contact she would have melted into if it had been lavender fingers and not snow white ones.  “I’m fine,” she assured hurriedly, innards twisting.
This time, Rarity was not so deliberately ignorant to the redhead's tone. "Oh I doubt that very much, Sunset Shimmer. Your neck feels so tense it’s amazing you can even move it." Deft fingers attempted to massage Sunset's neck, but she gave up after a minute—the muscle knots were far too severe for her strength to counter. 
“I make it work,” Sunset commented sarcastically, fighting against the urge to jerk away from the hand on her neck.
"This calls for immediate physical therapy,” Rarity murmured. "Sunset, I'm going to ask you something I hope you will say yes to." She paused for a moment, hand moving to rest on Sunset’s shoulder, the question that followed spoken in a soft and gentle tone. "Do you trust me?"
If she’d been tense before, she was rigid now, thoughts and emotions kicked up into a tempest with one question alone. Did she trust her friends? Could she put that kind of blind faith in others still?  It had not always worked out well for her.  Celestia’s furious visage from their last argument floated before her mind’s eye, glowering at her, and it took everything she had to control the sick feeling rising in her stomach.  
Purple eyes and a softly smiling face dispelled the image of the angry mare.  “....when you have friends, you trust them to help you, Sunset.”  
The former unicorn expelled a ragged breath, slowly nodding her head. “Yeah...okay.”
Rarity leaned in and hugged Sunset briefly, before slipping off the couch, carefully hyperextending her toes to keep the drying polish from picking up carpet fuzz.  “Just stretch out on your stomach, Sunset, and try to relax. We’ll get your neck loosened up in no time.”  
Sunset watched in puzzlement as Rarity beckoned to the blonde farmer lounging in a recliner with one of Rarity’s ‘mud masks’ on her face.  “Applejack, dear, I believe Sunset could use your particular skills in this area.  Would you come work your magic?”   
AJ joined them on the couch. “Just yer neck? ‘R ya shoulders givin’ ya fits too?”
Still not sure where this was going, the former unicorn chewed on her lip. “My shoulders are fine...and my neck doesn't really hurt...it’s just sti—ack!” A surprised sound escaped her when Applejack swung a leg over her back to brace that knee on the sofa so calloused fingers could find a grip on the back of her neck.  Fear fluttered in her heart. “What are you doing?!”  
“Just gimme a second...wanna make sure I get the right spots.” Those fingers probed her neck, repositioning slightly.
Sunset fought the urge to buck Applejack away from her. “That still doesn't tell me what you are do—ooooo...” 
She almost went cross eyed when strong digits dug into the knotted, tight muscles of her neck, pressing firmly against points that caused a release of the tension in the tissue. She hadn't been lying when she said she didn't feel any real pain, but she hadn't realized how much tension and pressure was locked up in her neck. Sunset’s speech trailed off in a surprised sound of enjoyment and it was several moments before she could form a sentence again. “Sweet sunfire...that feels amaaaaazing...what are you doing?”
“Applejack is quite the talented masseuse when she wants to be. Do ponies not have the art of massage?”
Thoughts were hard to hold onto, but Sunset managed. “...not like this...hooves can't...ooooh..” her fingers gripped the couch cushion as a thumb pressed on a sensitive knot of flesh.  “...now I know why Abyssinian massage parlors are so expensive in Equestria...hands gooooood...” 
Sunset gave up on talking after that, when the sensation of a muscle uncramping in her neck triggered an incoherent sound of pleasure and utter relief to escape her throat. She was vaguely aware of Rainbow bursting into laughter and making some sort of ribald comment that made Fluttershy turn bright red and sent Pinkie into giggles, but she didn't care. It just felt too wonderful, and a part of her pondered the idea of doing this for her girlfriend, especially after a trying day or when her anxieties were high... Given how the other girl had reacted to Sunset’s lips on her neck, it could turn out to be something she would really enjoy...
The only part of the experience that continued to bother her was the feeling of being trapped, even if she knew consciously that Applejack wasn't going to hurt her.  Instincts leftover from her birth form mingled with the alien ones attached to her current body, generating a strange mixture of panic and anger that seemed to only increase as Applejack’s fingers moved down and out from her neck to the space between her neck and shoulders.
Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, the sensation of being hemmed in disappeared, and she realized Applejack had gotten up and the neck massage was over. She scrambled off the couch, trying to keep her breathing steady against the rapid pounding of her heart.  “Uh...thanks, Applejack,” she managed. “That...really helped...” Play it cool, Shimmer.  No need to be a bitch about something stupid.
“Happy ta help, Sunset. Ah don't like ta see a friend in pain.” Green eyes looked her over, concern in them. “Sure yer okay? Ya look a little pale.”
She nodded jerkily. “Yeah...I just got up too fast.” The anger had melted away, but the rising sense of fear in her insides hadn't eased off at all. “I’m just going to hit the bathroom and then maybe get a drink—cider’s in the fridge, right?”
“Eyup.” A tanned hand squeezed her shoulder. “Go take a breather, Sunset, we’ll be here when you get back.” 
Sunset managed to avoid fleeing outright, keeping her legs steady and her gait to a walk to avoid alarming them, but it was hard. She was nearly overcome with the urge to bolt for the nearest door and the wide open spaces beyond. What in Equestria was wrong with her?  There was no cause for the feelings that were leaving her short of breath and with a heart that was racing so bad it hurt.
She made it to the bathroom and locked herself in just as the phone in her pocket vibrated. The former unicorn pulled it out with shaking hands, setting it on the counter so she could actually read the screen.
-Help-
Unreasonable, sourceless panic found an anchor in the message she received. Four letters from Twilight that had her hurriedly punching a call through to the other girl’s number, one hand flicking on the bathroom fan so she wouldn't be overheard.
The call connected, but no voice came through. Instead, Sunset heard the sound of hyperventilating breaths trying to be sobs. “Sparky,” she called, taking the firm tone almost automatically. “I’m here. I’ve got you. Focus on me, and breathe with me.”  She made an effort to draw in deep, exaggerated breaths, slow and steady, like they'd done before. It had the added benefit of easing her own emotions and the effect it was having on her body, and by the time she’d gotten Twilight to the point where she didn't sound like she was choking, the unpleasant feelings had almost completely disappeared.
“You back with me, Sparky?” the redhead asked.
“...yes...I’m sorry, Sunset.” Twilight sniffled. “I tried not to interrupt your night.”
“You did exactly what I told you to do. Besides...I...needed to take a few minutes myself, so you caught me at the right time.” Sunset exhaled slowly. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
> Chapter Fifty Four: Dispelled Illusions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight slipped the phone back in her pocket, her hands no longer shaking.  Talking to Sunset—even if just for a few minutes—had helped her work through the worst of the negative emotions that had triggered her panic attack.  Purple eyes flicked to the door to the study she’d taken up refuge in, then to the balcony doors on the opposite side of the room.  She wasn’t sure she was ready to go back to the party just yet—she felt too raw, too exposed still to be able to handle her extended family.
She cracked the door to the hall, where Glamour Shot lingered like some form of guard after she’d followed Twilight out of the party. The young woman watched her with obvious concern. “Twilight? Do you want me to see if I can find your folks or something?”
After glancing up and down the hall to check for people she couldn’t deal with when her emotions were still so charged, she looked to her cousin. “...No...but...thank you.”
Glamour rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.  “Um...please don’t get upset...Tranquil Dancer saw what happened, and he came by on his way to get Great Uncle Stalwart—I got him to leave you alone, since it sounded like you were still upset, but I couldn’t stop him from going to tell him what the aunts did.”
That filled Twilight with mixed feelings. The current head of the family was a wizened old man in a wheelchair, but his mind was still razor sharp. She’d only ever heard good things about the firm voiced former Supreme Court Justice, but because of his age and failing physical body, her actual interaction with Stalwart Veracity had been extremely limited.  That made him a bit of an enigma, and whether he’d side with his daughter in law and sister over her outburst remained to be seen.  She just hoped that if it was a negative reaction that he wouldn’t make things too difficult for her parents.
Taking a deep breath and shoving aside the continuing oddness of Glamour’s change in behavior, Twilight got out what she needed to say.  “I...thank you for making sure I was left alone, Glamour. ...I’m...I’m okay now, but I don’t think I’m ready to go back yet. I’m going to step out on the balcony for some fresh air.  I wanted to let you know.”
Glamour’s hands twitched with more of those start-and-stop-midway motions as her cousin smiled at her. “Okay, Twi. You take as long as you need. I’m just glad you’re okay now...” She paused, before plucking up a pretty mug from a nearby table, its contents steaming in the air.  “Here. Dancer left this, said it was some kind of tea that would help settle your nerves. I made sure no one has touched it.”
Tea sounded wonderful right then. It wasn’t her first hot drink choice—that went to her mom’s hot cocoa, but right then, the tea was preferable.  Cocoa was a drink she preferred to share with Sunset or Cadence, and they were both back home, out of reach for the comfort that the act of enjoying the beverage with them brought.  “Oh...that’s...much better than the drink choices in the ballroom. Thank Tranquil Dancer for me when you see him?”
Her cousin bobbed her dark haired head, starting down the hall, only to stop a short distance away and turn back to her. “Don’t put too much stock in anything Mom or the aunts say.  They just don’t get it.”
Who was this and what had she done to her somewhat vapid, shallow cousin obsessed with cosmetics and social media? It was a question that stayed in her mind like an itch that she couldn’t quite reach, but she had no way to answer it.
Twilight gave a nod, then headed for the balcony doors. She needed that air—more importantly, she needed the time and space away from everyone else—and maybe the cold crispness of the night would help clear her head the rest of the way.
She found herself wandering the balcony for a bit, eventually finding a spot with an unobstructed view of the gardens and the night sky. The one nice thing about the family estate was its distance from any towns meant it was great for stargazing, and Twilight found herself picking out familiar winter constellations, naming each of the stars and mentally reciting facts about each of the points of light. There was Orion, the hunter, with the red supergiant Betelgeuse as his shoulder, sat opposite blue supergiant Rigel as his foot, facing off against Taurus the Bull with the ever loyal Canis Majoris at his heels, Sirius blazing brightly in the night sky.  There was the oft forgotten and overlooked Monoceros, and Gemini, and Canis Minor...all full of stars with names and well catalogued data that she had long since memorized, the clear science of it offset by the fanciful origin stories behind the pictures ancient peoples had drawn from the points of light in the heavens.  It made her wish for her telescope and camera as she stood there, sipping the hot tea with her eyes glued to the cosmos—the clarity of the night and the lack of light pollution meant she could have taken some stunning photos of nebulae and some of the dimmer stars that were invisible near Canterlot.
The stars had always relaxed her, quieted her mind and soothed her emotions. They were constant. Steady. Predictable, even in their variations, with any unknown ultimately explainable by dedicated logic and science.  Tension drained out of her, a sense of peace and calm starting to creep over her as she stared up at the infinite void studded with lights...the scope of it all reminding her just how small her worries really were.
“Beautiful night...too beautiful for you to be out here all alone.”
Peace that was abruptly broken by a presence and an unwelcome, oily male voice that conjured up memories of other similar voices, dripping with condescension and halfway to mocking, all wrapped up in pure egotism.  The kind of male voice that had always made her mildly uncomfortable, but now made her skin crawl and fear send an icy chill through her veins because she could hear the predatory undertones that signaled a danger that had become all too real to her.  For a brief moment, she could hear the faint echo of several similar voices in the back of her mind as they seemed to whisper crude commentary from all around her.  
Twilight bit back a gasp that was far too close to real panic, drawing on Sunset’s training when a foreign touch fell on her shoulder-blade to execute a slight jump that morphed into a twist that set her feet into a defensive stance and put her out of arm’s reach of the person violating her personal space. “Movement, Sparky,” Sunset had coached her early on.  “Don’t let them box you in—always move in the least expected direction, towards crowds of people if you can.  It keeps them off balance and gets you closer to help.”
The same muscle memory that had set her into the stance Sunset had drilled into her made her draw her arm back and hurl her mug with its remaining tea at the person before her brain had caught up to what was going on.  He ducked, the mug she had thought pretty whizzing by his ear and shattering into a thousand shards on the ground, never losing the cock-sure, smug smile on his lips. “…Feistier than I remember too,” he commented, straightening his tie, and she realized who it was.
“Silver Dollar,” she replied coldly, focusing on showing no outward sign of her fear—Sunset had been adamant about that too, in their lessons—as she watched him warily.  “I...needed some fresh air,” she conceded, “and this was the best place for that.”
His smile unnerved her, dredging up memories she wasn’t in the right place to deal with tonight on top of everything else.  Just like during her very brief encounter with him in the hall earlier, her heart rate increased and her skin prickled with goosebumps that had nothing to do with the ambient air temperature. “It certainly is a good place for some undisturbed quiet,” he agreed, ignoring her reaction and stepping in closer to her personal space—closer than even Twilight knew was socially acceptable.
She moved herself away again, trying to keep the distance between them, angling herself towards the doors to the ballroom filled with people, trying to remember Sunset’s advice while paying attention to the situation she found herself in…



  Sunset corrected her stance again, hands warm as where they curled around her arms. “Check your balance, Sparky,” the redhead reminded her. “Don’t lean so much, and don’t make yourself a bigger target.  Males are bigger and stronger than you.  You can’t beat them in a contest of strength, so don’t even waste time trying that. You’ll only put yourself as a disadvantage, not to mention letting them get a grip on you. You want to avoid letting them get a grip if possible.”
Twilight nodded as Sunset took up a similar stance opposite her. “Okay…then what’s the better option?”
“Avoidance. Try and grab me, I’ll show you.  Pretend you’re some big, hulking neanderthal or something.”  Sunset winked, making her laugh.
Twilight rushed Sunset, hands outstretched for her girlfriend…only for Sunset to pivot and twist away. No matter how Twilight tried, the other girl seemed forever one step ahead, her movements fluid and controlled as she sidestepped and backed away from each swipe. “Avoidance will do you better than attack most of the time…it’s about watching your enemy, and staying out of reach. It lets you have the time to either move yourself to safety, or give you a chance to get a decisive hit. It also lets them expend energy and wear themselves out.”  
One amber skinned hand darted out at her last mock attack, capturing her around the waist and pulling her up against Sunset. “Think smarter, not harder,” she teased, one finger tapping Twilight’s head. “Use your brains—they’re your strength, Twilight.”



Shaking her head to clear the memory, she realized that Silver Dollar had yet to take the hint that she wasn’t pleased to see him, as he was busy stepping back into her space. “So…what brings a pretty girl like you out here all alone and cold?” he asked, before taking a sip from a silver flask.  
Twilight struggled to keep her breath steady, to not let any feelings show on her face besides utter disinterest and maybe mild annoyance, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to get away as fast as she could, or from wishing Sunset was with her now.  Sunset would have already sent Silver Dollar running, and they could have enjoyed a laugh at the whole thing instead, just like they had on numerous outings.  Her girlfriend was the more physically appealing specimen, after all, and she had turned annoyed disinterest heavily laced with sarcasm into an art form that left most interested males with bruised egos and plenty of embarrassment.  She did her best to mimic that tone in her response.  “Observational astronomy is an avocation for me,” she noted, removing herself yet again from close quarters from him and the unpleasant odor of hard liquor.  There were a lot of people who lost interest when she started discussing hard science and stopped curbing her vocabulary to cater to their intellectual levels, giving Twilight a bit of hope that it would work here.
“Oh yeah?” Much to her dismay, those eyes took on an interested gleam, and he leaned against the rail, for once staying where he was. “I’ve studied a little myself.  Think if I give you my hand, you can tell me my future, cutie? Maybe you’ll be in it.”
Whatever thought had been going through her head derailed. “…What?” she asked, her voice going flat. Surely he really wasn’t confusing…  Twilight cringed mentally.  ”…I study the stars,” she corrected tersely. “Gathering observational data, cataloguing the stars…not some fanciful made up mythology from ancient times dressed up in the modern era as mystical pseudo-science.”
Silver Dollar gave her another one of those oily smiles. “Don’t be like that, cutie.  Don’t you know the starry sky is pretty romantic.  Haven’t you ever thought about snuggling up with someone special, maybe sharing a blanket, all nice and cozy, while under the stars?” the young man countered, his eyes roving up and down her unabashedly.  In that moment, the dark haired teen regretted the outfit she’d chosen to wear, even though it  looked good on her.  It was quite nice and while it didn’t show excessive skin, it was an outfit Sunset had helped her pick out, which meant it hugged her lean frame a little more than her normal clothing.  For most people it would have—and did—go unnoticed, but under the eyes of Silver Dollar, she felt like her body was somehow on display.
She squashed the sick feeling in her stomach, a cold sweat making her shiver as it chilled her skin, the retort coming out sharper than she had initially intended.  "I am not entirely certain what romanticism has to do with enormous spheres of hyper-dense, superheated plasma,” she lied, struggling to bring her voice back to sounding clinical and detached, “that are so far away that by the time the light actually reaches us, the star has moved on to an entirely different stage of its lifespan." A tight shrug gave her the chance to move another half step closer to the doors. The entire time she did her best to achieve a dry, instructive tone, drawing on the memories of the only teacher she’d ever had whose lectures could actually bore her to sleep.  “But I find romance to be of little interest or value.”
The young man straightened up, his stride carrying him well inside the bounds of any measure of social propriety, so close that she could smell the sour reek of his sweat, overlaid by excessive amounts of cologne and the stink of the liquor he’d been drinking. That was bad enough, but then Silver Dollar reached out, grey-skinned hand gripping her upper arm, all so he could bend down, whispering close to her ear in a way she only felt comfortable with Sunset doing. “…you haven’t truly lived then, Twily,” he purred, appropriating her family’s nickname for her.  “I can assure you, there’s nothing more romantic than finding love under the stars…” 
Nausea made her insides churn and twist back in on themselves, his touch an echo of another hand, this one a sickly yellow-green, one that ignored her cries and struggles, and hadn’t remained on her arm.  Twilight was hit with the memory of her back hitting the ground, of the feel and sound of her shirt and bra being torn open so that hand and its brother could grab at her breasts.  Fear and panic rose, sending her heart racing with the rush of adrenaline, right before instinct—and a little of Sunset’s teaching—kicked in full force.  “Don’t touch me!” she yelped, the words half snarl, half scream, right before she stomped her heel down as hard as she could on the top of his foot, right where the toes started.
It had the desired effect, his hand letting her go as he let out a cry of pain. She backed away from him, the panic fading now that he was out of her space.  Instead, the full weight of his suggestion hit her, and she felt something in her recoil in absolute disgust.  How dare he?  Stargazing was special. Stargazing was personal. It was something she shared with her father when she was small, her first science passion, a love for the cosmos and its ordered beauty that was part of her soul in a way she couldn’t explain….and more than that, it had become something she now shared with Sunset Shimmer.  She had plenty of memories from the past few months, of her and Sunset under the stars in the backyard, sharing her telescope while huddled under the same blanket for warmth, many of them accompanied by gentle touches and stolen kisses once the rest of the family had gone to bed.  These were cherished, treasured memories that she held close to her heart, full of emotional closeness, trust, and a growing intimacy that excited her as much as it frightened her.  The very suggestion of him in such intimate proximity to her in the same way felt like him attempting to encroach on a deeply private place that select few were invited to know. 
It made her upset…and more than that, it made her angry, angry that she couldn’t be sharing the beautiful view with her best friend right now, angry that instead of Sunset, she was being subjected to harassment by someone who couldn’t take a hint, in a place she hated, surrounded by people who either didn’t know her at all, or only saw that she wasn’t what they believed she should be, angry that instead of being treated like a person, they acted like she was some kind of broken doll, to be pitied or fixed because she wasn’t their definition of ‘normal,’ and above all, she was angry that the one person who never asked her to be anyone other than who she was, who saw her for her intellect and passions and quirks and accepted it all, would have been seen as less worthy of being there than this entitled, oversexed male who didn’t seem to understand that ‘No,’ was a complete sentence.
In that moment, Twilight was pushed well past her ability to cope.  She was tired, physically and emotionally, overwrought from being hurt and scared and angry and upset. She felt violated and dirty and wronged by the universe itself…and something deep inside her had had enough.  
Like a switch had been suddenly flipped, every bit of fear, confusion, and worry draining away, leaving in their place an icy, emotionless calm with a flicker of…something unfamiliar…at its core.  Purple eyes narrowed, holding a pitiless pragmatism as Twilight Sparkle caught Silver Dollar's gaze, her lips stretching in a thin movement that held little resemblance to a smile. When she spoke, the words were frosty and razor edged, each falling like ice into a winter pond.  "Are you quite finished demonstrating your sheer lack of intelligence and common decency?” she hissed, watching the way he seemed taken aback and reveling in it.  “Are you really so inadequate in your sense of masculinity that you feel the need to press your attentions on a teenage girl, in the hope she might be willing to overlook your lack of comprehension of how to carry out the simplest of interaction with the opposite gender?"
She stalked forward, each step as precise and measured as if she were dueling, an odd sensation in her skull as something within her took vicious pleasure in the confused look on Silver Dollar's face, the way his mouth opened and shut, the way he stumbled back from her. "Careful there, Silver,” she mocked, “someone might think you have... inappropriate intentions in mind. After all, I'm sure the unpleasant concoction in that flask of yours was next on your list of things to use to try and make me receptive to your attention…something many members of this family might have questions about..." A swirl of icy satisfaction made her shoulder blades tingle when he immediately fumbled to cap the flask and hide it in his jacket.
"I...I was... I wasn’t…" His voice faltered. "I didn't... " He swallowed, hands now moving in some kind of attempt at a placating gesture.
Twilight didn’t give him time to respond further. “Since you are incapable, or perhaps too inebriated to have a grasp on the concept of human social behavior that even I learned as a child, allow me to elucidate in words you can follow along with.” Her tone dripped with condescension. “I do not want you to touch me in any way. I do not want you to speak to me in any way. I don’t even want to be in the same building as you, let alone close enough to smell the stomach-turning mix of overpriced cologne and medical-grade disinfectant you call liquor. Leave. Me. Alone.”
The world itself hung in suspended animation, as if time had spun to a stop, only to be kick-started again when another voice interposed itself on the whole tableau. Everything restarted with an unpleasant jolt that brought Twilight back to herself, the emotional numbness replaced by shock and confusion.  Where did that come from? I was angry…then…why did I…I shouldn’t have…but…it…felt good.  Amusement bubbled up from somewhere inside her, making her want to laugh—inappropriate, given the circumstances—because he looked so stunned, almost like she’d hit him.  Yet, all she’d used were words—big words, granted, but words all the same.  Had that voice really been hers?  So icy, so precise and cutting, more so than even her principal had managed on occasion…
Twilight’s mind seized that thought, examining it intently for meaning and depth, all while everything around her moved in slow motion. Sound intruded into the strange head-space, vibrations in the air that resolved into words…bubbly words, but with an undercurrent of something else she couldn’t decipher the context of in that moment.  Color came next, her eyes blinking when her brain decided to start paying attention again to the information hitting her visual cortex.  At first it was a blur of deep, dark amethyst shot through with antique gold, swirling through her vision—hair, her mind supplied a breath later.  Clarity hit her, as if her mind had been underwater and she’d finally broached the surface, everything suddenly running at normal speed, and the mass of color and shape and sound resolving itself into Glamour Shot.
“Oh, Twi! There you are! I’ve been looking simply everywhere for you!” Glamour called, which Twilight knew made no sense. She had told her cousin exactly where she would be, didn’t she?  “You’ve got to come with me!”
The older girl bounced over to stand between her and Silver Dollar, the action more in line with the bubbly, somewhat air-headed cousin Twilight remembered from previous years, all cheer and positivity and happiness bound up in a mess of girlish squeals and chatter.  Though the attitude seemed at odds with her words, making Twilight look at her quizzically. “What’s going on?”
Movement from Silver Dollar finally appeared to register with her cousin, and she turned briefly to give him an empty-looking society smile that a blind man could have seen was fake. “Oh, Silvy! I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice you were here! Can’t talk now though, this is more important—so sorry! Maybe we’ll have another chance!” Dismissing him with a wave of one hand that came within a hair's breadth of flicking his nose with one of her long nails, she turned back to Twilight, bouncing again—an actual bounce, like she was on a trampoline and not stone. 
Twilight was now beyond perplexed by her cousin. None of this made any sense. “Glamour? What happened? What did you need me for?”
“Oh, Twi, I just heard the news! Your whole family must be so proud of Shining Armor for making detective!  Nightlife said he’s so terribly young to have already earned that rank, and then Malty was talking about how he’d heard from a friend that someone on that FBI task-force that’s been going after the creeps that are targeting high school girls might be heading to Canterlot and that Shining is their first choice for the police liaison! It's just so amazing!”  
The teen was at a complete loss for words, staring at her cousin and trying to figure out exactly what her game was. Shining made detective, that was true, but the rest was a total fabrication… Her brows furrowed. Was Glamour trying to scare off Silver Dollar for her?
Her guess gained more validity when Glamour turned back to Silver Dollar, all saccharine voice and insincere polite smiles. “It takes a real man to hunt down those perverts and make them face justice for what they’ve done to innocent girls…”  The sweetness dropped away, and her final words to him were as pointed as a knife. “Don’t you think so, Silvy?”
Whatever message was communicated over Twilight’s head in that last exchange was plain to Silver Dollar, as he again mimicked a fish out of water before fumbling out a transparent excuse about his father looking for him.  She was hard pressed to not roll her eyes, because that was so obvious even she knew it was a load of crap, so much so that she almost laughed at how pathetic it was.  Sunset’s voice flitted through her mind. “Now, now, Sparky. He’s doing the best he can—it’s not his fault he has goat farts for brains.”
Once his hindquarters—she pondered whether or not she should be concerned over how readily she was starting to pick up some of Sunset’s linguistic quirks and nonverbal gestures, before correcting the thought.  Once his backside cleared the door, Glamour dropped the whole bubbly, bouncy thing like it was a professional performance and she was between takes.  She turned back to her cousin, giving Twilight a worried look. "Are you okay Twi? I'm so sorry, he must have slipped past me,” she apologized earnestly.  “I was trying to keep him away from the balcony.”  Her hands twitched, having started to raise up to touch Twilight’s shoulder, only to halt mid-motion and lower again.
Twilight stared at her, the early unanswered conundrum of her cousin’s behavior coming back to the forefront of her thoughts. Everything she had done tonight was at odds with every other interaction in years past, and Twilight just could not figure out why.
She gave her head a shake, a tossing movement she'd picked up off Sunny that really did seem to help in chasing away errant thoughts on occasion. Her mouth opened to answer the question, but she found herself speaking her mind instead. "Why are you so different this year? You’ve never been like this before, and I don’t understand what variable is at work here! Why are you being nice? What do you want from me?” She knew how it sounded, knew that it called attention to everything that was wrong with her, but she just couldn’t take it anymore. She was drowning in a complex mess of social subtleties that she never seemed to understand, no matter how much she tried. It was like being trapped in a foreign country where you didn’t know the language but everyone expected you to just naturally be fluent and no one ever translated anything.
Glamour blinked a couple of times, a blush staining her cheeks, and she rubbed the back of her neck.  “Its...complicated, I guess, but...um...I got a huge wake up call this year about how I was acting...that I was turning into an awful, terrible horrible person, and I couldn’t see it.”  
Her eyes watered. “I know you don’t get it, not really…I was basically bullying you in those videos, and it was awful and mean…I can see that now, and I’m sorry, but that doesn’t change that it happened and I made you upset and I hurt you.  All I ever wanted to do was make people feel good, to help bring out the beautiful things about them by helping them with hair and makeup and stuff. For the longest time, I thought I that’s what I was doing for you and so many others...but, it turned out...instead of making people's lives better, making them happy, I was actually stomping all over them for the sake of my own ego." 
The older girl’s face was dark with embarrassment by that point but she kept talking, even as she blinked back tears.  "Someone I...um...know took the time to help me learn to be a better person. A lot of time, actually.  Part of that was to set things right with people I hurt in the past, whose feelings I ignored—like you. I deleted those videos I made with you in them and... my friend said, if I really meant it, then I would also make sure no one else treated you like that when we were here." Glamour’s gaze dropped away to stare at her toes.  “They also told me I needed to apologize, for treating you like someone without any feelings of your own. I am sorry, really truly sorry for doing that—I really never meant to hurt you or make you upset. I only ever meant to help...”
Twilight stared, taken by surprise. Of all the explanations she had expected out of Glamour Shot, this had not been among them.  She searched her cousin’s face, and something clicked in her brain, just like it did when she realized something about Sunset. “I forgive you,” she said quietly, reaching out to hug her.  
Arms hesitated before going around her back to return the hug, relief rolling off Glamour in waves, just like it did off of Sunset sometimes.  Twilight found herself smiling—this was something she knew how to respond to, something she could navigate. “I know how hard it can be to change like that.  Someone important to me used to do a lot of bad things—she hurt a lot of people and she’s been trying so hard to be better, to make up for it all...and...I know how much it hurts her when people throw it back in her face.”  She gave her cousin another squeeze. “Thank you for trying, for apologizing, and...for helping me tonight. It matters, and it makes a difference, Glamour.”
Glamour Shot let her go, carefully wiping the tears off her face.  “I just want to help, Twi, really. Thats all I’ve ever wanted, and I’m sorry I was doing it all wrong.”
The dark haired teen smiled again. “I know—I never thought you were doing it to be mean. You were...just like everyone else here, is all. You...didn’t get it, get me. Most people don’t.” There was a pause, and she rolled her eyes. “Summer Breeze and Great Aunt Alabaster sure don’t.”
Her cousin turned to lean on the balcony railing with her elbows. “Twi, Mom’s a first class gold-digger, and Alabaster is like ninety.  Neither of them married for love, and the idea that someone might want to is completely alien to them. All they see is social advantage and dollar signs.”  She made a face, her voice becoming as bitter as Twilight had ever heard it.  “Hell, Mom and Daddy are here, giving a simply wonderful display of socially acceptable ‘married bliss’ all while doing a little ‘social networking,’ purely in the hope that Uncle High Bar might increase their allowance from the family trust—never mind that Daddy just closed a multi-billion dollar contract last month, and Mom had one of her latest necklaces sell for a pretty fifteen million.  The moment they leave here though? It’s back to them arguing until Daddy goes on his next ‘business trip’ with that assistant of his who is barely older than I am, and Mom goes back to her yoga instructor…though with her record, she’ll probably trade him in for a newer model soon. The concept of love and a real relationship…they’d never understand what any of that is like.”  
Twilight joined her at the railing, seeing the echo of familiar feelings in the way her cousin was blinking back tears, heard it in the words that said so much and yet so little at the same time.  She tilted her face heavenwards,  staring at the stars for a moment before she took the plunge. “What’s her name?” she ventured, hoping she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself with a false assumption.
Startled eyes glanced at her, before a soft smile and a distant, fond look came over her face. “Wildsong,” she said answered, her tone filled with the same notes Twilight heard in the dark of night in her room.  “Yours?”
Glancing around reflexively and finding no one, she sighed.  “Sunset Shimmer.” There was a curious sense of relief in admitting it.
“She the one you got mad about earlier?”
It was Twilight’s turn to blush. “...yes.”
Glamour giggled. “I’ve never seen Great Aunt Alabaster speechless before. They werent expecting you to raise your voice.”
Mortification made her groan and put her head in her hands. “In front of everyone too...I’m sure I’ll get an earful next time they corner me. Somewhere just as public, knowing Great Aunt Alabaster.”
The older girl nudged her with a shoulder, the motion friendly but still gentle, as if worried about overstepping a boundary. “If it means anything, I think everyone under thirty is on your side, and don’t discount Great Uncle Stalwart just yet. He is still in charge, and if he has to, he can put Alabaster in her place.  Not everyone shares her views, or Filigree’s.  A lot of the younger generations have been on the receiving end of those kinds of lectures, and we all hate them.”  Her grin turned decidedly impish.  “I can’t wait to tell Wildsong about it...I would’ve brought her with me if I could have, but she is super open about it, so it wouldn’t be any secret that my ‘friend’ was a lesbian…and...well...you know how things are here, how a lot of our family seems to view that sort of thing…”
“‘Traditional values are under attack! Think of the children!’” Twilight responded dryly. “Right before the inevitable conversation about how homosexuals are horrible deviants looking to convert others to their choice in lifestyles, seeking to destroy everything they hold dear.  Usually right before they talk about helping to fund the latest political campaign in opposition to gay marriage rights?…I’m familiar with it.”
“Exactly.” Glamour made a face. “It just goes to show how ignorant they are about some of the members of this family, really.”
Tilting her head quizzically, Twilight bit her lip. “What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say, between a few of our other cousins, Dancer, me, and now you, it’s a good thing this mansion has a lot of closet space.”
It took a moment for the joke to register, and Twilight struggled to avoid laughing. “...Oh…oh I had no idea—I actually thought I was the only one…” She glanced back towards the party, and sighed. “I haven’t even told my parents. They love Sunset, but they think she’s just my best friend.”
That surprised Glamour. “But your parents are so relaxed and wonderful—I actually thought they knew! I wish my parents cared about me the way yours obviously care about you.” She blew a curl out of her eyes. “If I came out to Mom, she’d freak! I can't marry for money if I’m not looking at men, you know? And Daddy? He’d probably send me away or cut me off, and there's no way I can afford school on my own.”  She sighed. “We cant even go out together on real dates when I’m at school, or do anything where we might get caught. She’s out and proud of it, but I’m not, and I can't risk word getting back to the family, to my parents. I already got lectured tonight by Grandmother about spending time ‘fraternizing with those sexual deviants.’”
Twilight shivered, a prickle of fear going through her at the direction the conversation had turned. “And Cadence wonders why I don’t want to tell anyone else…I…I know that my parents would most likely be okay, but here? The family? School? I…I can’t. There’s already too much I have to deal with. I can’t have them attacking that part of me too.”
Glamour put a hand carefully on her shoulder, the motion hesitant and slow, giving Twilight time to pull away if she wanted. “Twi, it’s okay. I know how you feel.”  She smiled wistfully. “Song doesn’t quite get it—she’s got a few older relatives who came out a few decades ago, so her family just goes with it...and well, her family is from a...different social group than ours. One that has joined the twenty-first century and isn’t still stuck three centuries in the past, wearing hoop skirts and corsets while they stay near enough to the closest fainting couch if something objectionable breathes in their direction.  So I totally get what you mean by it. It's…terrifying. As much as I want to be able to go places and be with her on dates…the thought of all of the things that would happen if I did?  I feel like I can’t breathe when I think about it too much.”  Glamour Shot ran her fingers through her hair. “Sometimes ‘the closet’ feels more like a coffin.”  
The dark haired teen’s mind was focused on a single thought, the revelation of it wonderful but alien; someone else who understood how she felt, because they felt the same way was something she had never even considered as a remote possibility. Presented with it now, she was overwhelmed, but strangely thankful for it.  “…you’re the first person to understand how it feels,” she admitted aloud. “…It…feels good to know I’m not alone.”
“You were never alone, Twi. I just…wasn’t good at showing you that I wanted to be your friend and not just your ditzy, make-up obsessed cousin. I’m sorry for that.”
She could feel her own cheeks heating up with embarrassment. “You…heard that?”
There was a hint of sadness in Glamour’s half smile. “…I hear a lot of things, Twi. People just think I’m too much of a brainless bimbo to understand them. It’s okay. I was awful to you—you more than earned the right to complain to your mom a few times.”  Her cousin glanced her way, changing the subject. “What about Sunset? Is she out? Or still in the closet?”
Brows furrowed. “…I…I’m not sure I can answer that easily. Sunny has very different reasons from me for wanting to keep our relationship quiet, and hers don’t really have anything to do with sexuality, as far as I can tell…she’s the one I was talking about before, who did some pretty awful things to others and is still trying to make up for it. She doesn’t want to let people know yet because she’s afraid of people taking their anger out on me.  Her other friends and the kids at her school don’t even know I exist, let alone that she’s my best friend and my girlfriend.  I suspect that won’t change until she’s dealt with a lot of the things she’s struggling with inside her own head.  So we’re keeping it between us, mostly. Cadence knows, and now you, but…that’s really it.  We’ve talked about it, but I think it’s going to stay like this for a while.”
“I can understand her fears. It’s…never easy, looking back and realizing how badly you’ve messed up, then not really knowing how to fix it. It sounds like she’s lucky to have you.” Glamour grinned at her.
“I’m the one who’s lucky,” Twilight corrected. “Sunset’s amazing, and gorgeous, and she...she gets me. She just seems to know, and I don’t feel weird and broken when I’m with her.”
Glamour Shot chewed on her lip. “You’re not broken, Twilight, just because you’re different. Even before Song yelled at me, I never thought you were broken or weird. It’s why I tried so hard to get you to open up to me, and it’s why I wanted to help. Your differences make you who you are, and they make you beautiful in your own way. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like there was something wrong with you.”
Her vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes, and she had to swallow around a lump in her throat. “...thanks, Glamour...” She pulled off her glasses to scrub the tears away. 
The warm hand on her shoulder turned into a brief side hug. “I might not always get it right, Twi, but I’d like to be here if you need someone to talk to that gets at least one part of you. It sucks to be in love and not be able to tell anyone about how wonderful she makes you feel.”  She laughed slightly. “I mean, I know you have Cadence, and she probably knows more about relationships than any five of my friends put together…but…I guess I mean someone who gets that you can’t always be ‘out and proud’ and that talking about coming out isn’t the response you need when you want to talk about how much you love your girlfriend, how much it hurts to have to lie about it and pretend she’s nothing more than your friend or your roommate or whatever the excuse of the month is for why you spend all that time together… Someone who knows what it’s like to live with a mask up so your mere existence doesn’t offend someone’s sensibilities.”  She pulled back, grimacing. “Sorry. I’m probably just projecting some of my bitterness on you, and that’s not fair either.  I do mean it though. I’m here if you ever want to talk about stuff like that.” 
Twilight considered that for a moment, then gave her cousin a wry smile.  “I think I like it when I’m talking to the real you,” she observed, before fishing her phone out with chilled fingers.  “What’s your phone number?” 
Glamour rattled off the digits, and glanced at Twilight’s phone. “Is that her?” One finger pointed to the grinning picture of Sunset leaning on her bike, giving the camera a smirk and finger-guns. It had been a picture taken on a whim when they had been goofing around one Saturday, but Twilight couldn’t resist making it her background.
“Yeah...” She punched in a quick message to the new contact number.  “That’s Sunset.”
The other girl whistled. “Wow. She’s...you didn’t Photoshop that at all?”
“What? No! Sunset’s just...like that...and I don’t think she realizes how attractive she is.” There was a part of her that felt giddy at being able to talk about this part of Sunset with someone who could understand.   “She’s not just gorgeous either…she’s as smart as I am, and her voice…” Twilight’s cheeks grew hot. 
“She could read the minutes to a board meeting and you’d still want to jump her?” Her cousin grinned at her.
Ducking her head, Twilight mumbled something close to an affirmative, before adding, “And that’s not even talking about when she sings…”
“If I wasn’t so attached to Wildsong, I think I would be jealous of you, Twi!” Glamour’s phone chirped, and she retrieved it, fiddling with it for a moment, before turning it around to show Twilight a picture of Glamour with another girl her age.  The other girl was stocky and androgynous, but even in the photo, sheer force of personality came through and made her seem larger than life. Wild hair stuck up in all directions, the sharp clash of black stripes against a rainbow of colors making it the most unique hair style Twilight had ever seen, especially in counter to honey colored skin.  One arm was slung around Glamour’s shoulders, while her other pointed deliberately to the t-shirt she had on whose written message made Twilight blush even more than she already was. “That’s my Song,” Glamour Shot admitted with all the air of someone imparting a secret.
It made Twilight laugh, and as she and her cousin exchanged hushed stories on the balcony about their girlfriends and secret romances, she realized she didn’t feel isolated and alone anymore.
> Chapter Fifty Five: Somewhere I Belong...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Hand me that bag, would ya? It's got Pinkie’s s’mores stuff in it.”  Applejack leaned off the side of the hay filled trailer, holding out a tanned hand.
Sunset grabbed the bulging duffle bag, hefting it up high enough for the farmer to take it. “That’s...a lot of s’mores stuff.”
“It’s Pinkie. Are ya really that surprised? Grab those blankets an’ hop on in. Need an extra set of hands ta spread them out, so nobody gets hay stuck in their britches.” AJ shuffled several long hay bales around.
Old blankets in hand, Sunset climbed up into the trailer, surrounded by the familiar and nostalgic smell of fresh hay, her mouth watering as it called to mind her favorite loaded hay fries platter from the palace kitchens. She inhaled deeply through her nose, savoring an odor that she could only really enjoy at the Apple farm.  It was moments like this that made the sharp sense of homesickness worse, because it was a reminder of how far away home really was.
Applejack helped her unfold the blankets, and they began spreading them over the bales, creating a padded surface to sit on that wouldn’t itch, with extra blankets on hand to fight the winter chill. “Ya doin’ okay, Sunset? Ya looked a little spooked earlier. Hope we didn’t make ya uncomfortable.”
The redhead sighed. “I’m fine, Applejack. I just got a little...emotionally overwhelmed, and I needed a chance to work through it. I’m still getting used to friendship, and you girls are great, but it can be...a lot to handle sometimes. Especially for—”
“A recovering megalomaniacal wanna-be tyrant with trust issues?” Rainbow jumped into the trailer with ease, holding another duffle bag.  
“Rainbow!” Applejack barked, scowling disapprovingly.
“Relaaax, AJ. Sunset gets it.” The athlete turned her attention on the former unicorn.
It didn’t sting so much that time—maybe it was the playful, teasing affection she could detect in Dash’s tone, or the broad grin on her face, or the way that, despite her words, the hand that squeezed Sunset’s elbow communicated actual concern under the obnoxious attitude. “Yeah, I do. And...you’re not wrong. Trust isn’t...it isn’t always easy for me. I had to work through some unhealthy paranoia before I left home earlier.”
“Don’t sweat it,” the colorful teen told her, an arm draping awkwardly over her shoulders. “Everybody’s got hang ups, Shimmer. Not a single person in the world is flawless—even someone as awesome as me.”
“Like that ego ya keep tryin’ ta choke us with, Dash?” Applejack deadpanned, one brow arching.
“You’re just jealous,” came the retort, though it lacked heat.
“Sure Ah am.” The farmer hopped off the back of the trailer, and a moment later, they heard Rarity’s sound of surprise as Applejack scooped her up and lifted her up to where Sunset and Rainbow were. “Up ya go, Rares. Ah’m gonna go help Granny—her blanket’s already up there with her foldin’ chair.”
Blue eyes watched her partner head back inside,  lingering in ways that were more than a little obvious. Rainbow snickered, nudging Sunset and making exaggerated eyebrow wiggling motions. Without looking their way, Rarity said, “Rainbow Dash’s obnoxious bragging aside, she is right, Sunset. All of us have our own problems and things to work through, and we are not going to be upset if you have to take some time to compose yourself.” Turning away from the farmhouse, she settled easily onto a seat.  “Our friendships are made of much sterner stuff than that, and so are we.”
Sunset felt a smile quirking at her lips. “I’m learning that.”
“I feel I must ask though, are you having a good time tonight?” Rarity watched her intently for a long moment. “We all tried to think of activities you would enjoy, but given our want to surprise you, we couldn’t exactly...vet them with you.”
Sunset stared down at her hands for a long moment, sitting down on a bale.  “I’ve really had a great time tonight—you girls really have made me feel...included.  I truly feel like part of the group, and that’s...it means a lot to me, really.”  
Rainbow reached over and slugged her shoulder lightly. “Duh—you are part of the group, Sunset! You belong with us, and we’re gonna make sure you believe it!” She plopped down next to Sunset.
“Believe what?” The rapid thud of footsteps and sudden arrival of Scootaloo dropping to the seat between Rainbow and Sunset jolted the former unicorn, her back straightening as she took in her surroundings. Applebloom was reaching a hand down to help Sweetie Belle and Gabby up, and the three of them plopped down opposite Sunset with broad smiles.
Rainbow shrugged, her tone characteristically insouciant, "That Sunset is one of us now."
Scootaloo blinked, then matched her shrug perfectly, right down to a miniature copy of Rainbow’s expression, "Yeah, well, of course she is." As if announcing some fact that was so well known, it didn't need to be stated, the girl looked over at her friends, "Hey, did anyone remember the candy?"
“Sure did,” Applebloom affirmed, hefting a backpack. 
Pinkie bounced onto the trailer. “And I brought all the stuff for s’mores!” She giggled, hugging Sunset before sprawling comically on the seat next to Sweetie Belle.  “Enough for everyone to have as many as they waaaaant!”
The former unicorn found herself smiling as the rest of the group loaded up into the trailer, including Granny Smith, all of them laughing and talking.  The air was charged with excitement and good cheer, seeping into her and driving away the chill of the winter night, and she found herself settling back against the blanket covered hay, letting the feeling wash over her as Big Mac started the tractor.  The trailer jolted a little at first, but turned into a fairly smooth ride down the dirt paths that divided the various sections of orchard.
It was too dark to see—or it should have been, once they were away from the lights of the house and barn—but Sunset found that, just like when they were trapped under the stage, she could see almost as well as she could in daylight.  It had slipped her mind in the chaos of the Battle of the Bands—having to save the world from the Sirens was something she considered a higher priority at the time—and given the amount of twenty four hour illumination in the places she spent most of her time, she’d almost forgotten about it.  Here though, miles away from the bulk of the suburbs and the nearby city, traversing the back half of a large farm at night, Sunset couldn’t help but notice how sharp and clear everything was, even if the colors were washed out.  
It was a new development—for the entire time she’d been in her human body, she’d been as night-blind as any of them.  She wasn’t even sure when that had changed because she simply hadn’t noticed it until they’d been trapped in the dark by Trixie. Running her fingers through hair that had been left silky and bouncy from Rarity’s earlier brushing, Sunset considered potential sources for the change. Magic had to be the culprit, but how, and when?  
Only two real choices resolved themselves as potential answers. Either her new night vision was a result of the growing magic she’d harnessed, or it was a side effect of her demonic transformation and subsequent magical scarring from the Fall Formal.  Both were worrying in different ways, and Sunset resolved to do some tests and mention it to Princess Twilight when she wasn’t involved in a slumber party with her friends…
Mentally, she sighed, scolding herself for dwelling on it. Just relax and enjoy tonight, Shimmer.  Worry about potential side effects from magical overload and transfigurations tomorrow.   For a moment, she found herself missing the sarcastic voice in the back of her head, and found found herself trying to fill in for it with her own brand of sarcasm, telling herself to worry more about how she was going to survive Pinkie’s attempt to put them all into sugar shock with the sheer volume of candy and sweets that she was bringing with them…or the way Rainbow Dash had gotten a devious look on her face and what prank the athlete was considering next…but in the end, it fell short of the feeling of the snarky voice that had been silent for several weeks now.
As she watched, Rainbow surreptitiously lifted a wadded ball of hay, showing it to Scootaloo. The younger girl stifled a giggle as the soccer star tossed the hay up in the air, caught it, then with a flick of her wrist sent it sailing across the trailer to peg Applejack right in the nose.  The farmer, who had been murmuring softly to Rarity in a quiet, intimate way as the tailor was curled up against her side, leaning against her for warmth, jerked, whipping her head around to glare at Dash.  One fist curled around the ball of hay that had fallen into her lap, but the sound of Granny Smith clearing her throat stopped her from returning the gesture…or instigating a back and forth that would end in Rainbow being tossed out of the trailer.  Applejack made a rude gesture at the athlete before going back to resting her cheek against the top of Rarity’s head.
Tipping her head back, Sunset found herself gazing heavenwards at the stars, and her breath caught. The clear, cold night was free of clouds, and with the moon’s waning face not drowning out everything, she could see the night sky in a way she hadn’t observed with her own eyes since she’d left Equestria. Without the light pollution, the view was incredible, filled with points of light and a brilliant dusty band—the Milky Way (but not the candy bar)—Twilight had shown her pictures of.  Her heart twinged, and for a moment she ached to have the other girl tucked warmly against her side, marveling at the panorama above them. It would have been the perfect addition to the night, the two of them being able to stargaze in a place like this, stealing kisses in between Twilight showing her more of the human celestial sphere.
Sunset couldn’t help but ponder what her girlfriend would think of the stars studded heavens in Equestria, with completely alien constellations, foreign nebulae, of a blazing sky full of stars with no light pollution to drown out the majesty of the night.  What would she say to the magic that meant even a humble telescope owned by the average astronomy enthusiast compared to some of the lower end observatory telescopes in magnification and clarity? Or would her eyes light up the same way when it was Sunset regaling her with the stories behind the constellation—the Phoenix, with its tale of death and rebirth, the Manticore, forever chasing its prey, the Storm Serpent and the Fox, forever caught in their playful dance, or even the rare conjunctions and formations that only happened periodically on certain nights in a year or a decade or century.  The former unicorn swallowed hard, pushing down the sudden longing in her heart for something she couldn’t quite bring herself to hope for.
Her eyes lowered from the starry sky to gaze over the orchard spread out before her, winter bare trees with skeletal branches stretching in all directions, the sounds of night animals just at the edge of her hearing, the occasional bit of movement catching her attention. There was a strange, almost magical quality to it, something that reminded her of Equestria, of home, a peace and natural beauty Sunset had thought alien to the human world...one that all this time, had been within driving distance of the portal. She wasn’t quite stricken with homesickness, but that wistful longing and a sense of nostalgia continued to bubble up inside her.
The feeling persisted through the rest of the ride, it lingered while she helped her friends unload their snacks, drinks, and folding chairs, and it was still present once Applejack got the big fire going in the prepared fire pit.
Blue-green eyes studied the metal skewer Pinkie was holding out to her.  “Okay...explain to me how this works?”
Pinkie bounced in place. “You put some marshmallows on the end, and you use the fire to toast them—they get a little toasty crust on the outside but the inside gets all melty and gooey! And that’s when you make a little sandwich with the marshmallow and a piece of chocolate between two graham crackers! It’s delicious!”
Brows furrowing, Sunset impaled a marshmallow on the skewer. “Huh. I always thought ‘s’mores’ were something way more complicated.”
Fluttershy giggled behind one hand as Rainbow caught her marshmallows on fire. “The hard part is avoiding that,” she pointed out. “Sugar burns so easily.”  Her own treats were held carefully a good distance from the flames, but Sunset could see the faint hint of golden brown appearing on them from the heat.  The former unicorn attempted to mimic Fluttershy, making small adjustments until she had it in just the right spot. She had no interest in blackened, charred lumps like Dash had, but she wasn’t inclined to eat them out of the bag like Pinkie was.
Once she deemed hers dark enough, she attempted to put together her first s’more.  It was a messy but delicious disaster, one that left everyone around the fire giggling, including the younger girls. Sunset licked her fingers clean and went for another marshmallow. She’d get it right this time!
Three or four messy s’mores later, and she thought she might be getting the hang if it...but she was also coming up on her personal limit for the sickeningly sweet.  She set her skewer down, and blinked when Rarity offered her a package of wet-wipes. 
“Never hurts to be prepared, darling,” she said with a soft smile, leaning more against Applejack’s side on the broad wooden bench they were sharing.
Hands clean once more, Sunset sighed contentedly, enjoying the sounds of the night, the crackle and heat of the fire, and that soothing sensation of relaxed togetherness that hung over the group. “This...I’ve had a great time tonight girls,” she confessed. “I never imagined any of this whenever I heard people talk about slumber parties or saw them in movies...thanks for doing this for me.”
“Awesome! Score one for team human against magical talking ponies!” Rainbow Dash pumped her fist in the air.
Pinkie, meanwhile, leaned close to Sunset, grinning like a maniac. “Does this mean what I think it means? Regular Rainbooms Slumber Parties?!” With so much sugar and excitement running through her, the party planner was practically vibrating in place.
“Yes, Pinkie,” Sunset replied with an amused chuckle. “I’d be up for regular slumber parties with you girls.”  She paused as something occurred to her. “Just not on Friday nights—I have a commitment I can’t get out of on Fridays.”
“That’s okay! Saturday Slumber Parties are even better! Right girls?!”
“Sounds mighty fine ta me,” Applejack drawled, saluting with her bottle of cider. “Ah’d be up fer it, at least a couple times a month.”
The pale skinned tailor at her side made a delighted sound. “Oh! We could even switch off whose house it’s at so no one person is always hosting the sleepovers! Think of it, darlings! It would add a little variety!”
Fluttershy made a small sound of agreement, and Rainbow squinted. “Okay, but I reserve the right to kick Zephyr in the balls whenever we’re over at Shy’s.”
The animal lover sighed. “I don’t normally condone violence,” she muttered with more than a tinge of testiness, “and I love my little brother, I do...but he does not quite understand boundaries.”  She made a face at Rainbow. “Please try not to actually hurt him?”
“No promises,” Dash grumbled, crossing her arms. “Last time I spent the night he tried three times to ‘accidentally’ walk in on me in the bathroom. Good thing I was smart enough to lock the door.”
Sunset’s gaze flicked between the pair, before she turned to Applejack and Rarity for clarification. AJ rolled her eyes. “Zephyr Breeze has this huge thing fer Rainbow, an’ at fourteen he’s...feelin’ his oats, iffin ya get what Ah’m sayin’.”  
Wrinkling her nose in displeasure, the former bully made the connection. “Zephyr Breeze...he’s not the eighth grader last year who got caught multiple times trying to sneak into the girl’s locker room and almost got expelled for it, is he?”  Her eyes widened as everyone nodded, and she turned towards Fluttershy in disbelief. “That’s your brother?”
With a slight frown, Fluttershy answered without missing a beat, “There are days I wish he wasn’t.  I keep hoping I’ll find out he’s adopted.”
Sunset shook her head, not sure how to respond to a statement like that.  She settled for sipping on her own bottle of ice cold cider, watching the group for a long minute. The four younger girls had gotten their fill of snacks and were running around the open area some distance from the fire, laughing and having fun.  Granny Smith was seated next to Big Mac in a lawn chair, a warm blanket chasing off the night’s chill and a cup of something hot steaming in her hand.  It left her and her friends with time to themselves for the moment, conversation exchanged for comfortable, companionable silence.
The whole while, the matter of Zephyr Breeze bothered her—there was something unsettling about the way his persistent behavior was laughed off, even the fact that violence was Rainbow’s go to answer to him. It felt...wrong, in so many ways, dredging up memories of her own encounters with boys who didn’t respect boundaries, which in turn brought to the forefront Twilight’s panicked form practically crawling inside her skin the night they met.  The redhead found herself gripping her cider bottle in both hands to stop them from trembling. Was that how it had started for Sparky’s attackers? Childish antics ignored by adults because they felt it was ‘just how boys were?’ 
Sunset sucked in a deep breath, trying to stop her rising temper.  This wasn’t the time or the place to blow up about something she was still struggling to understand the intricacies of, and...as much as she trusted the girls...this was something she needed an adult human perspective on.  Perhaps Cadence, the next time she had a chance to get the woman alone, or barring that, maybe Miss Luna could offer some wisdom.
Another breath, and the former unicorn unclenched her fists, shaking them out. At the very least, she knew she wouldn’t sit idly by if Fluttershy’s brother harassed her friends—she’d drive home the understanding that they were off-limits if he didn’t want to have an unpleasant date with her favorite boots.
It was in this quiet that Fluttershy startled her by pressing a thickly stuffed envelope into Sunset’s free hand.  The redhead looked down to find herself holding the envelope she’d decorated with her cutie mark and Philomena earlier that evening, except it had a number of things tucked inside it.
“I brought these with me, so we could enjoy them,” Fluttershy said with one of her gentle smiles. “And so we could enter the New Year knowing how much we mean to each other.”  She handed out the rest of the envelopes before returning to her seat.
Sunset hoped her friends would like what she had done. They weren’t much: quick colorful sketches of her friends both as they were and a fair approximation of what they would look like as Equestrian ponies, along with a short note talking about what she’d learned from each of them and how they made her a stronger, better person. She hadn’t been able to come up with anything better, though not for lack of trying, and she had stashed the extra two drawings that she’d felt compelled to draw among her things.  She wasn’t ready to explain why her version of Twilight Sparkle was wearing glasses and flushed cheeks...and conspicuously missing a pony version, and she certainly didn’t want to hear the comments on her own pony self, or about the winged shadow that lurked behind her in the magic mirror she’d sketched from the memory of a night so long ago.
She began looking through what had been tucked in  her envelope, starting with a little shape of folded paper almost the same color as her skin, one that she realized after a minute was shaped like a unicorn, two short sentences written neatly on its belly. “Be yourself. Your friends love who you are.” The little paper unicorn was followed by a collection of other folded paper creations, each with its own message.  There was a tiny paper motorcycle, a curiously well made copy of her cutie mark, a little electric guitar, and half a dozen other shapes that evoked images of her friends...and at the bottom of the stack of folded paper shapes, one in harsh black and blood red paper that resembled her demonic transformation, the message written in gleaming white: “Without darkness, we cannot truly value light.”
Blue-green eyes flitted up to meet dark blue across the fire, and Rarity responded with one of her enigmatic smiles. Sunset swiped away a tear, carefully retrieving the rest of the envelope’s contents and tucking the little paper figures back inside it so she wouldn’t lose any of them.  Looking through the rest of what her friends had given her, she found a lengthy letter in Fluttershy’s handwriting, a goofy, colorful page made of colorful images, glitter, and words cut out of an old magazine from Pinkie (along with a recipe for her favorite flavor of cookie), a short, succinct note from Rainbow Dash covered in lightning bolt stickers, and...nothing from Applejack. 
Sunset turned her attention to the tall girl, hurt twisting in her heart, only to realize everyone but Rarity was staring at Applejack with similar hurt and confused expressions. Guilt flashed in AJ’s eyes as she sat up straight, pulling her hat off her head to twist its brim between her fingers.  “Look...it's not what y’all think. Ah just don’ work so good with fancy-schmancy words. Don’ mean I ain’t got somethin’ important ta say.”
She faltered, and Rarity pressed a hand to her knee.  “Go ahead, darling. We’re listening to you.” 
The air tingled with a breath of magic centered on the farmer, which made Sunset sit up even straighter. There was no pony-up, no visible effects, but there was no mistaking what she was sensing.  The magic was Applejack’s, a refreshing sense of strength and power contained within a comforting, familiar form, and Sunset found herself starting to relax.
“Look...Ah...We’ve been through a lot, good’n’bad, all o’ us.  Truth is, our friendships have been tested, broken, twisted, an’ repaired, an’ now we’re stronger together than we’ve ever been.” She took time to look at each person in turn. “That’s how Ah know it’s real, an’ it’s gonna last—cuz no matter how bad it’s gotten, we’re still here.” Tanned fingers dropped to grip Rarity’s hand, a silent conversation passing between them with a single glance, the love and trust and a million truths between them blazing hotter than the fire and registering with Sunset’s senses as part of the magic in the air.
Then forest green orbs were pinning her with that powerful gaze, and she could feel the soul being laid bare.  “Ah...wanted ta thank ya, Sunset, fer everything you’ve done, an’ that includes breakin’ apart our friendships.”
It was like being punched, all the wind coming out of her in a rush as sounds of indignation and disbelief echoed around the circle—except, once again, from Rarity—and the redhead found the question falling from her lips before she could stop it. “What?”
Applejack held up a hand to forestall further comments. “Hear me out.  Ah’m thankin’ ya, Sunset, because o’ what breakin’ us apart taught us.”
“Family means a lot ta the Apples. Not just who yer blood ta, but the people that matter in yer life. An’ sure, ‘fore ya came, we were friends. We laughed, we talked, we enjoyed spendin’ time together...but Ah’m not sure how long that woulda lasted. People grow an’ change, an’ they drift apart. We mighta found other friends an’ other interests in our own time, an’ come graduation time, whose ta say if we’d ever contact each other again. Happens with high school an’ childhood friendships: ya grow up an’ move on.” 
The farmer rubbed her neck. “But...then...Sunset Shimmer happened. Ya went outta yer way to break us apart, ta drive wedges in cracks we didn’t even know were there. Ya spun us up so bad we barely knew which way was up, let alone who to trust. We spent over a year mad at each other, filled with ugliness and hate and meanness...an’ thats on us. Sunset Shimmer may’ve started the whole mess, but we perpetuated it. We were the ones who didn’t value each other enough, who didn’t trust each other enough, an’ so we stayed apart. We weren’t really good friends ta each other then, cuz if we were, nothin’ ya coulda done, Sunset, woulda worked. After all, Rares an’ Ah were never on the outs, an’ we fight ten times worse than Ah’ve ever fought with the rest of y’all.”
Applejack paused for a moment to take a long drink of cider, and the ensuing moment of quiet was an introspective one, judging by the expressions on the girls’ faces.  Sunset herself wasn’t entirely sure where Applejack was going yet, so she stayed silent, waiting. 
Clearing her throat, AJ kept going. “It took a stranger from another world ta make us see what had happened, an’ it took magic, almost dyin’, an’ a fight against the Sirens fer us ta finally start fixin’ those cracks...but...Ah learned somethin’ Ah don’t think Ah ever woulda learned without it. It took losin’ mah friends an’ findin’ y’all again ta realize how much ya mean ta me.”  
Her voice had grown thick with emotion, and in the light of the flames, her eyes gleamed with wetness that refused to fall. “Yer mah family, all o’ ya, just as sure as Mac’n’Granny’n’Bloom, and Ah love y’all.  An’ that includes you, Sunset Shimmer, cuz just like ya talked about the things ya learned ‘bout friendship from us, ya taught me the most important lesson Ah’ve ever learned about it, even if ya didn’t know it.”
The Truth rang through the night like a bell, magic thrumming in Sunset’s bones.  Wetness dripped onto her hand, and she realized she had started crying at some point—and she wasn’t alone. None of her friends were dry eyed from Applejack’s heartfelt speech—even Rainbow was blinking back a few tears as much as she tried to hide it. Pinkie’s eyes were wide and the grin she wore took up more of her face than Sunset would have thought possible, Rarity simply slid an arm around Applejack to hug her, face pressed briefly into one broad shoulder, and Fluttershy’s tears flowed freely.
It was Rainbow Dash who spoke first, coughing to hide the way her voice broke on the first syllable. “Dammit, Applejack. I know you’re right, but do you have to make me have feelings in front of everyone?!”
Laughter rippled through the group, and before she could even comprehend her actions, Sunset found she was moving around the fire to hug Applejack. Amidst the giggles, she heard Pinkie exclaim, “Sunset’s got the right idea! Group hug!” Chairs scraped along the ground and more bodies pressed close to join in on the emotional embrace, surrounding Sunset with the sense of love and friendship and joy.
As the hug broke apart a few minutes later, Pinkie poked Applejack in the shoulder. “Does this mean all of our friends get to come to the family reunion next year?!” The delight in her eyes was almost terrifying to behold.
“If they wanna, then Ah’m invitin’ them. Family is family, an’ that means a place at the reunion, just like you get, Pinkie.”  At the somewhat blank stares, Applejack sighed. “Y’all did know the Pies an’ Apples’re kin by marriage, right?”
“Huh...” Rainbow went a little cross eyed. “Wow. Did not know that. That explains the reaction to the rumor about Marble having a crush on Big Mac back in middle school make way more sense now...”
Applejack hauled herself up. “Yeah. We get enough shit jokes cuz we have the farm an’ there's a lotta Apples from the sticks. An’ speakin’ of Mac, Ah think he needs a hand settin’ up the fireworks. Rares, kin ya help put the fire out while I do that?”
“Of course, darling,” Rarity responded affectionately,  pale fingers squeezing tanned ones before letting go.  “Rainbow Dash, be a dear and help dump that buck of dirt on the fire, would you?”
Sunset helped Fluttershy gather up the trash and return the remaining snack supplies—as well as most of the chairs—to the hay trailer, while Rainbow and Rarity smothered the embers of their fire with earth and water, and Pinkie took it upon herself to chatter happily with Granny Smith.  From what little Sunset overheard, she was trying to persuade the elderly woman about the merits of adding marshmallows and sprinkles to the hot drink in her hands.   In short order, they all met back up next to the elderly woman’s seat, drinks in hand as they waited for the midnight hour.
The heavens’ majesty beckoned for the former unicorn’s attention once more, and she found her eyes drawn upward again, her thoughts turned inward.  At first glance, the human world and Equestria were only superficially similar, a fact which Sunset had considered an immutable, hard fact for years. This world of technological marvels and humanity’s horrors were impossible to reconcile with the world of magic and mythic creatures she’d grown up in.
Yet...standing here, with Pinkie squashed against her on one side and Scootaloo beaming up at her on the other, the scent of fresh hay and wild places in her nostrils, and the panorama of the cosmos in all its glory, it felt more like Equestria than Equestria had felt in her last few years there. She felt more alive and energized than she had since she was a filly, and for the first time in her life, she had those who welcomed her with open arms, who called her family, who wanted her because she was Sunset and nothing more...
She had friends who accepted her without reservations. She had a girlfriend who she cared about more than she could put into words. She had family in an extended mix of individuals who cared because they wanted to.  She had the respect and trust of those who she respected and trusted in turn.  She was loved...and because of that, the human world felt more like home than Equestria ever had.
The first set of fireworks went off with an explosion of light and sound, even as the realization rocked her to her core. This world wasn’t the world she’d known, the world she’d longed to be able to return to...but it wasn’t the nightmarish hellscape she had felt it to be, just a few short months ago. 
Maybe, Sunset realized tentatively, if she tried, this world could be more than just the place she lived out her exile in. Maybe...maybe she didn’t need Equestria to be happy.  Maybe this world had room for Sunset Shimmer to make it her home.
> Correspondence II: On Loan From Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------








Dear Sunset Shimmer,

I’ve got some supplies to bring over to your side of the portal whenever you’re ready for them.  I also found several books on the subjects you asked about:

The Undivided Mind: A Treatise on the Mental Prowess of Minotaur Warriors
A Treatise on the Art of Combat, or Gray-Ash’s Guide To Fighting Like A Minotaur
Wards, Wisdom, Words of Power: Magical Protections
Zebra Shamanic Practices, A Primer
Crystals and Circles
How to Ward a Magical Laboratory, Advanced Studies Edition
Crystal Compendium: A Complete Guide to Minerals and Their Arcane Uses
Arcanobiology Deep-Dive: The Horn, Magic Pathways, Aura, and How Unicorn Magic Works
Healing 101: Treating Magical Injuries and Magical Exhaustion
Legends of Equestria: Volumes 1-4
The Elements of Harmony, A Reference Guide

Please take care of them—they are all recent additions to my new library in the castle, and it wouldn’t look good if something happened to them when they are brand new. I’ve listed them as being checked out on an indefinite basis to you for the project, so no need to rush getting them back quickly.
In my own reading, I have found very little mentioning humans so far, or their world. Most of what I managed to locate was in the Legends of Equestria, but much of that seems more like fanciful fiction rather than fact, given everything I’ve seen in the human world. You might be a better judge though, since you have had much more experience there than I have.  
At this juncture, I’ve exhausted most of the publicly available literature to be found in both Ponyville and Canterlot--Spike had to go there on an errand for Princess Luna, and he checked in the public libraries for me while he was there. Now I’m waiting to hear back from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about what might be located in the palace archives. As you know, there’s so much there that relates to ancient Equestrian History and a great deal of first hoof accounts of major events. If humans did ever come to Equestria in any fashion, there might be some record there. If that doesn’t work, I’ve also sent a message to Princess Cadence in the Crystal Empire. They have a library that was hidden away for more than a thousand years, and it's even bigger than the library in Canterlot! (I would love to take a trip there to go through the whole thing!)
In addition to the books, I’ll be bringing over a selection of spell-grade crystals and gems for you, as well as a crystal based thaumometer and a few other standard tools for a research project of this nature...and the stipend I mentioned, to make sure you can fund the materials you’ll need on your side of the portal.  Whatever’s left after expenses is yours to keep--standard procedure with Crown funded projects as I’m sure you well know. It's not much, but hopefully it will defray most of the financial burden of your research--I’m still not sure how human finances translate to Equestrian bits.  When I was there, Rarity paid for me and I didn’t get a good look at the system.
Let me know when a good time is to bring everything across. Maybe we can catch up on what you’ve learned when I do. I’d love to hear if you’ve discovered anything new about the human world’s magic.

Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle

PS- Hey Sunset! Spike here. Can you send some of those really tasty biscuit bones back with Twilight? Those were really good, and I wanna find out what they taste like with my favorite blue-raspberry and sapphire frosting on them.









Dear Princess Twilight,

Wow—I didn’t expect you to get the books together so quickly…though I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.  Those will be great to start with—some I’ve never read before, and others? It’s been YEARS.  I’m hoping they can give me some sort of starting point for some of the magic here. …I know it was limited to when we played music before, but I’ve had a couple of things happen in the last few weeks that make me think that’s going to change. I’ve sensed magic in the girls outside of music, but it's very faint or brief, and doesn't come with a pony-up…
But the more worrying case is what happened to me the week after the Battle of the Bands. I…got emotional over something and in the process…I THINK I almost had a magic surge.  It sure felt like the ones I used to get as a foal, and it even built up in the same place my horn would be.  I managed to stop it before I found out what happens when a surge happens without a horn, but I still have no idea WHY it happened in the first place. Despite my own inner magical reserves—which at the time were exhausted to dangerous levels—this body has no way to channel them properly, so the surge shouldn’t have happened.
I haven’t tested yet whether I still pony-up with the girls—we’re going back to school this week, and I intend to test it then. I’m interested to see if we can make the magic work without you there, or if you need to be here too. If it's the latter, that could pose a problem during an emergency.  
Why don't you pop through after school on Monday? We’re supposed to stay late for a Rainbooms practice anyway, and you can help me set up the equipment to see if it works in this world.  I also want to get a look at those spell gems, to see what I can do with them. I was never much of an artificer, but I’m not completely inept, and I’m wondering if I could combine them with some of the human technology. The hard part is worrying about the magic overwhelming electrical components, but I’m wondering if using spell grade gems will mitigate that by providing a conduit attuned to the frequency of Equestrian energies.
Let Spike know I bought him a big bag of dog biscuits for you to take back. I managed to get him one with six different flavors that a friend gives to her dog.

Your Friend,
Sunset Shimmer


> Arc II: Shadow Rising ~ Interlude XII: Detective Work
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Shining Armor wouldn’t normally have considered himself a coward—he had several commendations in his file at work and at least one reprimand that claimed the exact opposite—but he felt like one in that moment, sitting with his car parked in his parents driveway, trying to work up the courage to confront a teenage girl less than half his size. This was the last stop on an investigation that had been ongoing for weeks now, one that had revealed more than he anticipated and less than he’d hoped, a tangled mess of non-answers, vague hints, and unsettling implications that made him feel sick to his stomach just as much as he felt grateful.  
His eyes traveled upward until he was watching the second story window that was his sister’s, able to see the light on and the faint shadow moving within.  From what he could tell, it was a safe bet she was on the phone, a fact that brought a wry smile to his face. It gave him a reason to delay going inside, something other than admitting to himself that he was scared of confronting five feet three inches of skinny teenage girl—albeit one who’d developed one hell of a right hook lately if one accidentally snuck up on her in the hallway.  No. Clearly his delay was courtesy and respect, since he didn’t want to interrupt what was almost certainly a Very Important Phone Call to a particular motorcycle riding redhead.  Intruding on such a thing was something he wanted to avoid at all costs, since he could remember the early days of his own relationship and the need to connect as much as possible with the person that meant so much was a driving need that sometimes overrode rationality and good sense.  
Shining chuckled to himself—Sunset and his sister were adorable, moreso because of the attempt at maintaining the ‘just best friends’ facade. It was plain to him—and everyone who spent more than five minutes within a ten yard radius of them—that the two girls were so much more than just friends.  Sunset may have been good at keeping most of her secrets, but her feelings for Twilight Sparkle were not one of those secrets.  He’d seen her plenty of times, in unguarded moments, eyes following Twilight like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, more precious than any gem, more important than even breathing, always ready to jump in and do whatever she could to make Twilight happy, no matter how big or small, half the time without giving anyone else a chance to offer anything. And Twilight? She was more comfortable at Sunset’s side than she was in her own skin, which spoke volumes on its own, and she’d already proven to be deeply invested in Sunset’s interests and wellbeing to a degree she had never shown for another living soul, not even him.  The way she’d instructed them firmly what to buy for the room—right down to colors and styles of blankets—had come not from a list, but from Twilight’s memory, and there had been no hesitation in the delivery. She didn’t even have to stop and consider the questions their parents had asked.
That was half the reason for his trepidation, if he were to be completely honest to himself. Twilight very rarely pushed back against others, but the one way to make her dig in her heels and become defiant was if she saw something as a threat to those she was closest…like that day in their front yard a few years ago, when she’d whacked a bigger boy in their neighborhood with a piece of her disassembled bike, all because he threw a rock at Spike while she was working in the driveway on replacing the chain.  That had been a fiasco that came down to the word of a boy with a broken arm versus a little girl and her injured puppy who had needed four stitches at the vet.  His sister didn’t even remember the incident, but he remembered it clearly: the way she’d curled protectively around Spike until she could get him to her room after the vet visit, and how she’d spent the next several days in her room, only leaving for food and bathroom breaks for her and Spike, ready to fight anyone who tried to bring further hurt down on the injured dog. 
Shining had no desire to be on the receiving end of Twilight’s rare moments of anger, but he had to talk to her, he knew that. There were only a handful of people with the answers to his questions, and out of all of them, she was the one most likely to give him a real answer, but Shining was afraid of how she would react to those questions, especially if she perceived his inquiry as a threat to Sunset’s position as a member of their household, their family—even if it was really anything but. Rubbing a hand down his face, he groaned, torn between getting out of the car or just putting the whole thing off to a better day. This whole thing had started out so seemingly innocent too, with a discussion between him, Cadence, and his parents…



“Twily told you what?” Shining looked between his fiancee and his parents in disbelief.
His mother had her hands wrapped around a coffee mug, her brow pinched and tight with worry lines.  “Your sister said,” she elaborated, “that Sunset had confided some things to her that she felt we should know.  Among them that Sunset is living on her own, supposedly legally emancipated from whoever her guardian was after her parents died.”  Twilight Velvet glanced out the kitchen window to where she could see the girls in question in the backyard, sitting amidst some piece of disassembled equipment by the door of the former-garage-now-Twilight-Sparkle’s-lab. “She also mentioned that Sunset intimated her finances come from an inheritance of some kind…and that she wonders if there’s some kind of gag order that keeps Sunset from going into any details on her previous guardian and what went on with them before she was emancipated.”
The young man followed his mother’s gaze, studying the laughing girl with grease smudged on her cheek that was giving his sister a playful shove as she reached into a toolbox. “You want me to abuse my badge—and my new promotion—to make use of police resources to dig into the record of a teenage girl and to see if I can learn anything from social services, in order to verify and elaborate on the vague story said girl told Twilight in private confidence.” It wasn’t a question.  
His parents winced, and Cadence chewed on her lip, stepping to hug him. “Shiny…”
A smirk played across his lips. “I never said I wouldn’t,” he told her. “I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. She’s important to Twily, and I know I’ve worried about what her home life is like—that’s a kid who has been exposed to things no kid should, somewhere, somehow, and I want to get to the bottom of it. I’m in…and if something shady is going on, we’ll make sure Sunset is safe…though I’ll only be able to check public records and databases, since this is technically off the books and not a sanctioned investigation.”  Another glance outside, where the two teens were elbow deep in the guts of some machine, connecting wires and servos like they’d been working together on engineering projects for years.  “I…I’m also not comfortable doing this completely behind their backs—if I do this, we need to come clean to Sunset and Twilight, no matter what I find. Kids like Sunset don’t trust easy, and I don’t want to break the trust she’s got in us.”



He took a sip of the soda he’d bought earlier that day, mulling over the wild goose chase that had followed.  Looking up information on Sunset had proven…difficult at its best, and a frustrating mess of red tape and sealed records that he had no clearance or justification in getting opened, though not from lack of trying. Even his new partner had come up empty once she’d found out what he was doing, and the older detective was a very formidable woman with a lot of surprising connections.  



Ice blue eyes stared at the words blinking on the screen, denying him the information that would have completed the puzzle for him: Access Denied, Reason: Record Sealed.  
“Damn it all,” he growled, sitting back in the ancient, extremely uncomfortable desk chair and rubbing at tired eyes with one hand. This was the part of Sunset’s files that would give him knowledge about her current state of affairs, and it was the one part hidden behind a gate he lacked both the skill and the desire to breach.  He had been serious in the conversation with his parents—checking Sunset’s living situation to make sure it was safe, or ensuring she wasn’t involved with anything illegal or dangerous was one thing. That was justifiable, and even well within the purview of parental concern given how much time Twilight spent with her out of the house.  However, digging into anything that required a warrant or court order signed by a judge was crossing a line that didn’t need to be crossed, and he wouldn’t risk his job, or his own integrity to do so.  It seemed like he’d gone as far with this as he’d be able to.
A blonde head poked into the office, and his tanned skinned partner stepped in, surprised. “You’re still here, Armor? I thought you went home to your fiance already—didn’t you turn in your reports several hours ago?” The older woman raised one eyebrow at him.
He sighed. “I did, Dev, but Cady is having a girl’s night with her best friend—something I don’t want to interrupt—and I had something I wanted to look into anyway. It’s…proving to be a headache.”
Devil’s Advocate leaned forward to read his screen. “That’s a sealed court record.  Sunset Shimmer?  Is this for another case, or a private investigation?” 
“Private investigation. Sunset’s this girl my sister is extremely close with. Good kid, but…some of the things about her don’t exactly add up, and she’s given my sister this story about being an emancipated minor, but either she hasn’t given Twily the details or Twily wont share them with us. My parents and I are worried that Sunset might be in trouble, is all.”  He glowered at the screen. “But I can’t find out what I really need to know! I can find out the really basic information. Birth certificate, parents names, parents’ death certificates—car crash when she was eight—but her guardian after that? Sealed adoption file. Her emancipation? Here and recorded, but other than dates and a case number, the whole thing is sealed. Juvie record? Clean as a whistle. No arrests, no jail time…the only mark on her record was a speeding ticket earlier this year, which she paid on time. A search on our records does come up with her name being mentioned in a handful or incident reports, but as either a witness or a good samaritan.”
The other detective snagged a chair and nudged him out of the way, sifting through the information he’d located with a practiced eye.  “…Huh. This screams money, Armor. Somebody with the cash to burn made sure these records were sealed. High profile figure, celebrity, or old money, if I had to guess. Couldn’t have been a movie star or face from Hollywood, or the paparazzi would have been all over it—being the kid of someone famous is no picnic.”  She snorted, disdain and perhaps a little personal experience from her years in LA showing through.  “And I’ve seen it before—old money has a habit of using a little bit of cash and influence in the right circles to make ‘problems’ disappear.”  Dev turned his way briefly, expression thoughtful.  “Any chance the poor kid is gay or got herself pregnant at some point?  Average parents might just shove them out or ship them off to relatives, but the silver spoon lot tend to hand them a wad of cash and make them disappear legally before their behavior ‘taints the family name.’”
Shining grimaced, reminded of the loud, harsh words of Great Aunt Alabaster and Great Aunt Aurora over the years, the snide, thinly concealed distaste they held for Cadence and her advocacy, and the way they terrified his sister if they so much as glanced her way.   “More than a chance—she’s absolutely head over heels for my little sister…but she also isn’t very…outspoken…about her preferences, and according to Cadence, her feelings in the present seem to be a first for her, so it's hard to say if that had anything to do with it.”
His partner nodded, turning back to the screen. “Sometimes the parents can tell and they’ll punish a kid for something the kid isn’t even aware of.  It's not right, but when someone has the money to pay cash for a brand new private jet every year, you can often get away with making your own rules." A few clicks of the mouse. “She’s awfully far from where she was adopted out though. The records here have her born and adopted on the other side of the country…” 
She frowned thoughtfully. “What if…” Another window was opened, and her fingers flew over the keys. “Here! Passport, issued at age nine. No one gets a nine year old a passport unless they are taking them out of the country right then.  Probably a wealthy foreigner from Europe. Girl shows up across the country as a high schooler, has enough of a case to get legally emancipated, but the former guardian pays to cover it up…I can see why you think this reeks.”  Her features set into a stubborn frown, her infamous bulldog-like persistence making an appearance. “Let’s see what else we can dig up…If it stinks too bad, I’ve got a friend in LA with plenty of connections and a soft spot for kids who got kicked out of home because they stood up to a parent…He might be able to find out things we can’t.”



The mystery of it had caught the older detective’s interest, and she’d been all too happy to dive into the little side project with him—even going so far as to justify it as a good learning experience for any future cases that had someone trying to cover it up.  They’d spent over a week, staying hours after their shift, finding what scraps of information they could dig up, but in the end, all he’d been left with was a lot more suspicion than facts.  The whole thing had left Devil’s Advocate rather surly and disappointed, since she’d been hoping for at least a name to match to the former guardian so she could reach out to her contacts to look up more on them…with the implications of a potentially unpleasant chat in store for said lackluster guardian.  Shining Armor had shuddered at the look on the woman’s face, and quietly resolved to never get on her bad side.
Still, without probable cause, Shining had been unable to dig any deeper into that avenue, and with no warrant or actual case, he couldn’t start digging into any financial records either, so finding out about how a teenage girl paid rent, utilities, and food without apparent employment was limited to asking her.  It did relieve some of his worries when his brief check with Vice showed no record of her in their department, which meant she was not selling herself on street corners to make ends meet, and since he’d seen her streaming channel, he knew that she made a name for herself there by raging at video games and not by baring skin in underage cam-shows.
Then he’d turned to her schooling, which had only gone slightly better. What he could get out of her records was nothing he hadn’t already been told by his family or Sunset herself. She went to Canterlot High and had for the last several years. Her grades were top of her class, she very rarely missed days, and while she’d had some minor disciplinary occurrences, most were just that…barring the glaring two week suspension she had admitted to receiving in October for what Sunset acknowledged freely was ‘her own fault and completely deserved.’  His subsequent attempt to talk to Luna and learn more had almost turned into a fight between him and his long time friend.



Luna slid into the chair opposite him at the cafe, carrying a steaming cup of coffee and a slice of pie on a paper plate.  “Alright, lunkhead—what’s this about?” she asked without preamble, fixing him with a long, hard stare. “You never invite me out to meet alone like this unless you need my help with something.  Any other time, you just wait until I come over to see Cadence to bring something up, or you hit me up over Steam.”
He rubbed his neck sheepishly.  “I didn’t think I was that easy to read.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “I’ve known you for a decade, Shining Armor.  I spent four years LARPing with you  two weekends a month.  I’m your fiancee’s best friend, and you practically lived in our dorm room at college. And that’s not even getting onto the subject of the Brownie Incident.”  
“Alright! I get it, no need to talk about the Brownie Incident.”  His cheeks were hot and he took a long swallow of his own coffee to help block out those horrifying and embarrassing memories. “You’re right. I need your help with something.”  Shining exhaled. “…I wanted to talk to you about Sunset Shimmer.”
The change in Luna’s demeanor was instantaneous.  Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and her lips pulled down into a frown. “And just why,” she asked, her tone suddenly intensely formal and cold, “are you asking me about one of my students?”
The young man immediately raised both hands. “Whoa, Lu...no need to go all Empress of Eternal Night on me. Dial it back a bit?  Yikes,” he joked with a grin in hopes of easing her back down into friendliness.  When her face didn't even twitch, he sighed. “It's nothing bad, I swear....it's just...you remember my baby sister? She used to call the dorm a lot?”
“I am aware, Shining Armor, yes. I am also aware—though learning it was accidental—that your sister and Sunset are close. Now. Why are you asking for my help over one of my charges?”  She took a sip of her coffee, still fixing him with a dark glare.
“She’s...she’s let some stuff slip to Twily and to us, and I’m not stupid Lu. She spent time on the streets—she’s got all the same marks of the kids I send to your Dreamwalker folks: vague, infrequent references to her past, eyes too old for her face, wary mistrust of anyone in a uniform, hair trigger reflexes...Mom and Dad are worried about her. We want to know she’s not in any kind of trouble, that she’s safe.  She means too much to all of us to not make sure. I've done a little looking on my own, but there’s a lot of stuff in her records that are sealed, and I don’t have reason to go prying into that mess, so I’m checking things like school and where she lives.” He met her gaze, refusing to back down.  “If something happens to her and I could’ve stopped it...I couldn’t live with myself.”
Luna's face softened, and she sighed, giving him a wry smile, "Dammit, lunkhead, this is why people thought you were a paladin, no matter what you played.”  She savored a bite of her pie, composing her thoughts before she spoke.  "I refuse to spill any of Sunset’s secrets she has chosen to share with me—yes, I am aware that you weren’t going to ask me too, but I am establishing ground rules here.”
Pointing the fork at him, she continued, “What I can tell you is that she is not in any immediate danger in regards to her living situation, nor is she getting in further trouble at school. Her wake up call at the Fall Formal seems to have done its job thoroughly.  She is also sensible enough to seek help if she encounters a problem beyond her ability to solve.  In the last few months, shes not only become a model student, she has shown tremendous growth as a person. My sister and I are extremely proud of her.”
Letting that sink in, she picked at her pie, eventually looking back up at him.  “And I do hope you are planning on letting Miss Shimmer know about this little foray into her business—I can tell you that she is unlikely to be pleased when it gets back to her what you are doing.  Because it will get back to her.”
“I know,” he admitted to her.  “It was one of the strongest arguments against doing any of this, because I don't need to be told how hard it is for her to trust anyone. I can see it in her eyes.”  Shining ran his fingers through his hair to get it out of his eyes.  “...but...at the same time, Sunset’s part of my family, Lu. She’s become part of it in every way other than on legal paperwork and I’m fairly certain that my sister has plans to remedy that—well, if the law changes.”  He looked at his friend steadily. “She’s gonna be my sister one way or another, and I need to know she’s okay, because out of anyone in the family I know exactly what's out there that wants to prey on girls like her.”
Something flickered in Luna’s eyes—a sort of shadow followed by wry humor, as if she was in on a joke that Shining wasn’t.  “The truth, Shining, is that the last person you really have to worry about is Sunset Shimmer. She is far more capable than even you realize, but I wish you luck in your investigation—I sincerely hope it will put your mind at ease.”  With that, she left him alone at the table to ponder what to do next.



Luna’s cryptic, non-answer responses meant his next step was looking into Sunset’s actual residence next. The building was up to code—in fact, in the last three years, it had been renovated, refurbished, and repaired from a rather dilapidated, tired structure to being in better condition than it had in seventy years. It was also in the same neighborhood as the locations of all the incident reports Sunset had been mentioned in.  The alley at its back and the one beside it were both fairly clear and clean—no signs of old bottles or discarded needles, just some graffiti that was probably a few years old by the dumpster at the back of the building.  A scan of the nearby buildings had shown much the same—worn buildings of considerable age, but lacking a lot of the signs and symptoms of illicit activity or substance abuse.  
The pizzeria next door to her building was run by a kindly old man who waved at him and offered a free slice sample to “one of the city’s boys in blue,” and the dry cleaners on the other side was a surprising bustle of activity for so small a shop. Shining had gone into both studying owners and clientele closely before he said anything.  A few questions about his quarry had netted him a strange look from the dry cleaning attendant, and a stern lecture from the pizzeria owner.  
“Good girl, that one,” he had said, kneading a portion of dough on the counter.  “You leave her alone—she’s one of my best customers, and she’s not done anything wrong! I find out you been harassing her, I’ll call my cousin at city hall!” It was almost amusing to have the short, elderly man threatening him with dough covered fingers, but Shining had decided to avoid laughing at him. Some of the knives behind the counter looked fairly sharp. Instead, he peeled a couple of twenties out of his wallet and dropped them in the “pay it forward” donation jar that the shop owner kept on the front counter, the neatly printed sign in front of it declaring it used to pay for free meals for people who needed it.  That had made the old man grin and nod approvingly, with a remark about how “she puts something in there every time she comes in.  Such a nice girl—if she was my granddaughter, I would be proud of her.”
With very little from the place she lived, Shining had found himself traveling to the locations mentioned in the various incident reports, starting with a little local market several blocks from where Sunset lived…



“…Oh yes, I remember that day. Very lucky for my Yama and I that she was in the store, buying groceries,” the older woman said, her accented voice crisp and clear. “She’s a quiet one, yes, buys food once a week—lots of my produce. Not a lot of young people eat enough vegetables…but you should see her eyes light up every time I get new peppers in! And fruit too—decimates my apple display in the fall, and peaches in summer…now where was I? Yes, yes. That day. She was shopping, and was in the back—over there, by the freezers, you see there?  They came in the main doors and went right to me at the counter, and they didn't see her. Too busy threatening me with their bats, those boys. Three of them, all too young to be up to that kind of trouble, but making trouble all the same. Very demanding too: ‘Give us the money, old woman, or we break your face!’  So rude! But I am old, and Yama was not here—he was delivering groceries to Mr. Okami—so I go to open the register. It sticks sometimes, so they must wait while I make the key work, and that is when she struck. There was a shelf down on the end there, and Yama was going to fix it when he got back, but she picked up the big shelf piece…”  
There was pride in the woman’s voice. “No fear, that one. She took that shelf in her hands and swung. Hit all three boys in the back of their heads! The weakest boy fell and hit his head on my counter, so he did not get back up to fight.  One came close enough that I used this on his face!” She brandished a canister of pepper spray. “He screamed like a child who is being spanked for misbehaving—served him right. Waving a bat at an old lady.”
Shining cleared his throat. “And the third boy, ma’am?”
“Oh. That boy turned to fight her, yes he did, but she was very fast. Used that shelf again—I believe his ancestors felt that hit, you know.  Right in his male pride yes, and when he bent forward, she hit again to knock him out. Then we tied their hands with the plastic ties that Yama uses for bundling our cardboard and I called the police.”  The market owner huffed. “They took those boys away, not that it did any good. Still they made trouble, but not here, and not where she goes, no. They learned their lesson about making trouble where she can see. Has eyes like one of Inari’s foxes, that one, and tolerates no troublemakers in her presence.”  Her eyes gleamed, and she reached out to grip his hand in both of hers. “…I have heard that those boys finally got what was coming to them, yes. No one speaks of what happened in the park, but it has our little kitsune’s pawprints all over it. Good riddance to them. Now here. Have a mocchi, officer. You deserve something sweet for working so hard.” A paper wrapped treat was placed in his palms, and the old woman seemed to consider their conversation at an end, returning to stocking the goods behind the counter…



It had been the same in the next two businesses he’d checked in with. The mechanic at the auto parts place talked about how Sunset had chased the group of local delinquents away from his daughter the year before, and the manager at the hardware store had seen her rescue a middle schooler from a shake down that could’ve rightly been called a mugging. In all three incidents, Sunset happened to be in the vicinity, and for whatever reason, took particular offense to the gang of boys and interfered with their activities with extreme prejudice.  
He’d ended up taking a walk to the park not far away, mulling over what he had learned, and decided that he wanted to look into this group that Sunset seemed to clash with on the regular…if nothing else, he’d wanted to make sure that Twilight wasn’t going to get caught in the crossfire…



Sitting on the bench, Shining Armor stared pensively at the road in front of him.  The more he learned, the more confused and worried he was becoming about Sunset Shimmer and her life. He also had yet to answer any of the questions he’d started out with.
Footsteps approached him, and a somewhat stocky, wiry woman with sky blue hair sat next to him on the bench. “So you’re the one going around asking about Sunset Shimmer. Hm. From the way Mrs. Yuki was carrying on, I thought you’d be more imposing.”
His brows furrowed. “I’m getting the sense that I’ve worn out my welcome around here.”
“Nothing so ominous as all that, but maybe just a bit, officer. The fact that you aren’t too pushy about it is a point in your favor, and you’ve also not tried to intimidate anyone into keeping silent about it.  At the same time, you’re making a lot of people nervous with your interest in Sunset Shimmer.”  She extended a hand.  “Active Lifestyle,” she offered as an introduction.  “My sisters and I run the Starlight Home for Foster Girls.”
He shook it, finding her grip firmer than expected. “Detective Shining Armor. And I have nothing to hide, really—I have every intention of talking to Sunset at the end of this anyway.”
That made her raise an eyebrow and give him a long look.  “Alright, Detective, I’ll bite.  Wanna share why you’re sniffing around Sunset Shimmer?” Dark eyes bored into him intently, withholding judgment but clearly unafraid of him.
There was a long moment where Shining considered telling this woman it was none of her business, but as she held his gaze, he felt himself relenting. “She’s close with my sister,” he admitted at last.  “And my family has grown fond of her since she started coming around our house.  I wanted to make sure she was okay on her own, that she’s safe and not suspected in any kind of trouble.”
Active Lifestyle nodded, her expression serious. “Officially, my sisters and I are all in the system—Starlight House is the group foster home for girls started back in the eighties by our mother, Starlight Synergy. The oldest of us, Starlight Gem, is technically in charge, but we’re all trained, certified, and on the books.”  She produced a business card and proffered it to him.  “All the info on us is there if you need to vet it.  When Sunset moved into the building two streets over, the social worker that is our liaison with the system—Gentle Concern, by the way—made a stop at the house, letting us know about her. He asked us to keep an eye on her, look out for her, because he was worried about a young girl with no actual adult supervision.”  
Shining Armor blinked in surprise. “Maybe I should have come by your place first then.”
“Probably would have saved you a little time,” she agreed. “Because I can tell you that for the most part, she’s quiet and keeps to herself. Has for as long as she’s been in the neighborhood.  I doubt she even realizes that several of the older people here keep an eye on her well-being. She doesn't party, no one’s ever caught her drinking or doing drugs or breaking the law.  I know she had some behavioral issues at school, mostly because our girls talk, but it seems to have been confined to the school itself...and most of it wasn’t worth noticing anyway because it sounded like the kind of petty bullshit teenagers pull.” She paused again, running a hand through her hair. “Her only real conflict is with that pack of punks who like to think of themselves as a gang...but at this point the whole lot of them are terrified of her. And, honestly, after what happened in the park, we all expected to hear from the cops sooner.”
“You’re the second person to allude to something happening in the park with the local delinquents. You...wanna tell me what that’s about?”
The foster parent looked at him steadily. “Only that an ambulance came one night last fall and picked up some of the troublemakers near the park. No one has seen them since, and most of the rest of the group has gone to ground. I’d wager there was a police report on it.” She smile became a smirk. “It was good to meet you, Detective Armor. Now that I’ve done what I came to do, I’ve got a date with an oil change. See ya around.” 
He received a hearty and friendly thumping on the shoulder before the woman started off.  After thinking over the conversation for a minute or two, he sighed and headed for his car. It seemed he had more research to do at the station.



Shining rubbed his face again. Looking into the mysterious “park incident” had proved enlightening, but not in the way he’d expected. He’d anticipated some sort of arrests, not a report taken in the hospital with comments by medical professionals about three teenage boys in serious condition, one of them bad enough to be considered “critical.”  The police had initially been contacted because of the severity of the injuries that had seemingly been visited upon the boys by a physically superior attacker....



Reading the report, Shining shook his head. At first glance it seemed there was no way Sunset could have been involved.  She was a teenage girl, and the average teen girl lacked the musculature and training required to shatter someone’s entire knee beyond even surgical repair, or to nearly crush someone’s throat and crack two vertebrae.  Even he would have been hard pressed to do that kind of catastrophic damage to another human being...but he recalled the bruises she’d left on his wrist at Thanksgiving, the way she had, in her sleep, rendered him unable to move his arm. She had power, and the implications were that she had training...but it still sat oddly in his stomach. The report wasn’t telling the whole story.
A glance at the name on the report, and he found himself heading for Hard Bit’s desk.  The heavy set, older beat cop was just getting in for his shift. “Hey, Bit? You got a minute? Wanted to ask you about something.”
“Sure thing, kid. I’ve gotta wait for Sweet Spot to get done talking to Detective Fleece anyway.” He held out a box. “Donut? The wife sent them with me today.” 
Accepting a powdered sugar covered treat, Shining exhaled. “I was reading over a report you filed back at the beginning of October last year. Three teenage boys picked up at the park after a 911 call?”
“Ooof.” Hard Bit made a face. “That was a report alright. Could only really talk to two of them, and that was...well, I can’t say I felt too sorry for them.”  When Shining raised an eyebrow, the other cop looked around and lowered his voice. “Look, those three shitbags and their friends? Nothing but trouble. All of them had already done stints in juvie, and those three? I know defensive wounds done by a vic when I see ‘em.  Two of those boys had scratches on their arms from fingernails, the kind a girl gives when she’s trying to run away.  There were already two rapes that happened in the park in the months before that...and fact is, despite the beating they took, none of them would say who attacked them or why. Got real clammed up when we tried, especially the boy who made the 911 call.” 
He scratched his chin. “Can’t prove it, but my guess? They were going for rape number three, and someone stopped them. Brutally. If it were up to me, I’d’ve had the detective get DNA from all three to run against the rape kits for the other vics, see what came up.  Wish I knew who beat the tar out of them—that glorious bastard deserves a fucking medal.  They did everyone a favor, because it only would’ve escalated until someone ended up dead.”
Shining did not like the mental picture that he was slowly piecing together, not one bit.  “You know whatever happened to them?”
“Those sorry pieces of shit? Probably still adjusting to their new lives. The one that ate a tree and had some kinda stab wound? He’s probably going back to shoplifting by now, but not the other two. Heard the doc talking to the detective—they weren’t sure if they could save the leg on the one, and the other? No more talking for him, ever, and probably other crap from nearly getting his neck broke.” Hard Bit grimaced. “I was the one who found one of the earlier vics—the girl was seventeen years old, and practically catatonic. If they were behind it, they ended up getting off easy in my opinion.”
His stomach twisted uncomfortably, and he swallowed, trying to keep the donut he’d eaten down. “Thanks, Bit. I need to get home before I’m late for dinner and Cadence kills me.”  The young man had to use every ounce of willpower he had to keep his departure from being more than a slow walk.



That had been three days ago. It had taken him this long to put his thoughts in order and look at what facts he had, and then work up the courage to drive to his parents house for this conversation.  He needed to know the truth, and there were likely only two people with the answer that he could talk to. Especially because it wasn't even about Sunset anymore, or even what he’d learned.  It was about how he had realized just how badly he had failed one of the most important people in his life...
Because he checked the date, and that night...that night had been the night he had bailed on his baby sister and his plans to take her out stargazing for some rare event. Instead, he had cancelled last minute when he was called in to work, and had flippantly suggested she try the park instead of their original plans to go out near the farms  beyond the edge of the suburbs.
That was also the night she had met Sunset Shimmer, and in the weeks that followed, barely even mentioned the astronomical event in favor of talking about the new friend she had made.  He had also noticed it was the last time she had asked anyone but Sunset to go stargazing with her.
With a sigh, he finally exited his car and headed inside. It was time to face his fears and get it over with. Stalling was only making it worse.
His mother greeted him with a warm hug in the kitchen. “Shining! I didn’t know you were coming by tonight! Have you eaten dinner yet? I just put the leftovers away if you’re hungry.”
The mere mention of food made his stomach lurch and nausea tickle his throat.  In a voice he knew sounded odd, he gently turned the offer down.  “I’m good, Mom. Twily in her room? I wanted to talk to her about something.”
Velvet looked at him for a moment, but seemed to read something in his expression.  She pointed upwards. “She’s upstairs working on one of her projects, I think. Or on the phone with Sunset. Or both.”  His mother studied his face a bit longer, before patting his arm.  “Go talk to your sister, dear.  I’ll get some hot chocolate started.” 
Shining felt some of the tension leave his body.  “I’d appreciate that. Thanks, Mom. I need to talk to Twily first, but I’ll explain later...”  He jogged up the stairs, and knocked on his sister’s door, waiting for her call to enter. He slipped in and shut the door behind him. 
“Shining Armor!” Abandoning her desk, Twilight flew into his arms for a hug. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, BBBFF, but...what’s going on? You don’t usually come over this late during the week.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Shining moved to sit on the edge of her bed, noting in passing the permanent presence of two pillows instead of one. “Can we talk, Twily? It’s...I need to ask you a few things.”
Purple eyes scrutinized him as his baby sister returned to her desk chair. “What’s going on?” she asked, anxiety coloring her tone. One hand dropped to pet Spike.
Exhaling, Shining considered how to approach this. “Okay....first, don’t be mad. We were worried, and that’s why we did it.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Did...what, exactly?”
“After you told Mom and Dad about Sunset living on her own, we were worried about her, so I checked up on her.” 
“I see,” came the terse, clipped response. Twilight Sparkle was not happy.  “And then what did you do?”
“Just that, really. Checked up on her to make sure she was safe and not...you know...doing things to survive that she shouldn’t have to.”  He knew how it sounded when it came out of his mouth, but there was no taking it back—all he could do was wince.
“You mean that you thought she might be doing illegal things in order to survive, don’t you?  That she might be selling drugs, or stealing, or that she was selling herself to earn money, is that it?” Twilight accused him, her voice harsh in a way that was completely out of the norm for his sister, her face set in cold, hard lines as she stared him down.  “And you didn’t find any of that, did you? I told Mom and Dad that she wasn’t doing anything like that! She wouldn’t lie to me and I wouldn’t lie to Mom and Dad!”
This was exactly the reaction he’d been worried about, and he tried to placate her.  “We know that, Twily, please, calm down.”
“Calm down?” Twilight retorted, leaning forward to jab his chest with a finger.  “You didn’t trust me enough to believe me, to believe what I told Mom and Dad, to be smart enough to know if Sunset was in trouble!”  There was hurt behind the anger in the eyes glowering at him behind thick lenses, and she sat back, tense and shaking, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.  “More than that, you went snooping around Sunset’s life without her permission! That’s a huge breach of trust, Shining Armor!”
He sighed, head hanging. “I know, Twily, please, believe me—but it was never a matter of trust or mistrust.  What have Mom and Dad always taught us, from the get go, about anything anyone tells us?”
His sister fell quiet, thoughtful, and then she sighed. “Trust, but verify.”  Purple eyes bored into him. “So you’re saying that you trusted me, trusted Sunset and that you were just verifying it, is that it?”
Shining nodded, holding up his hand, uttering the childish oath that they’d developed when she was young. “I swear, on comic books, the stars, Smarty-pants, and Mom’s hot cocoa, I believed you, and I believed what Sunset told you.  I didn’t go digging into her secrets either—I only accessed basic information and simple conversation to make sure there weren't any dangers that you or Sunset might not be aware of, like gang activity in her neighborhood, or known predators living nearby.”
His sister nodded. “I would have told you guys if I thought she was in any danger, but she’s not.” Mollified slightly by his admission, her tone softened. “I wont tell her what you did...but you really should. It’d be better if she found out from you.”
“...I will...I’d always planned to, in the end...” Shining ran a hand through his hair. “...but that’s not really what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Twilight frowned again. “Alright...if that wasn’t it, what did you want to talk about?”
Once again, Shining mulled over how to broach the subject. “I...” He hesitated, then plunged ahead. “I wanted to know about how you met Sunset.”
“We met in the park, while I was stargazing. I thought you knew that,” she answered, her tone even.  
Still, Shining knew LSBFF better than anyone in the family except for Cadence, and he caught the way her breath had hitched at the question, the way her whole body tensed up.  In that moment, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was lying.  It made that sick feeling in his stomach rise up again.  “Twily,” he said gently. “Tell me the truth. How did you really meet Sunset?”
Twilight shook her head tightly, drawing Spike up into her arms almost by reflex, hugging the small dog tight. “Stargazing, in the park,” she repeated, trying to hide her trembling.  “It was a good night for it, and the celestial conjunction was enthralling for any amateur astronomer to experience, particularly with a full array of monitoring equipme—”
“Twilight,” he said, trying to get her to look at him. “I know that’s a lie. Why won’t you just tell me the truth?  I won't be mad or upset or anything like that, I promise you.”
She broke then, shaking like a leaf but wound up tighter than ever.  “I can’t,” she cried, her voice carrying a fierceness he’d never heard from her before. Tears threatened to overflow and spill down her cheeks. “Please don’t ask me that, Shining Armor.”
“Can you tell me why not, Twily?” 
“I can’t tell you,” she repeated, shaking her head vehemently. “I can’t. If I tell you, the wrong person will be punished. Please, Shining...ask me anything else, anything at all, but don’t ask me for that. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.”
Her reaction confirmed his suspicions just as much as a verbal affirmation would have, and he felt his guts twist.  Sunset had been responsible for the ‘park incident,’ and Twilight had been involved. It explained why the redheaded girl was so protective of his sister, and in a lot of ways, shed light on why Twilight felt so strongly about Sunset’s character from the very beginning.
Hunching in on herself, Twilight hugged Spike with everything she had, her breathing coming in irregular, strained pants, quaking so bad her teeth would have been chattering if her jaw wasn’t clenched so tight. Shining rubbed his forehead and rapidly ran through options to deescalate the situation. He really didn't want to push Twilight into a panic attack over this, and he had no intention of getting Sunset in any kind of trouble when all she’d done was clearly defend herself and Twilight from others.  
The answer came in the form of something he used to do when she was little, when she was still learning her coping skills and her anxiety was through the roof more often than not.  "Alright. I'm not asking,” he assured her, holding his hands out, palms up.  “But...if we were to talk hypothetically here for a minute...if there was someone who happened to engage in some targeted, interpersonal violence towards a group of individuals who...again, hypothetically...attacked an innocent person with the intent to cause harm...then that first person would not get in trouble.  In that situation, they would have been protecting and defending someone else, and it would be seen as a form of self defense.  And if the police were to learn about such a thing, they would likely call that person a hero.  Especially because groups of people who harm others like that aren’t usually first time offenders—they have a long list of offenses and victims.”
Twilight watched him, before nodding her head, still cuddling Spike in her arms. “Someone like that would be pretty heroic,” she acknowledged, her breathing easier now that he wasn’t pressing for details.  “A good person at heart.”
Shining smiled. “She very much would be,” he agreed, “and she’d be someone I would definitely trust with people I cared about.” 
There was a long silence between them.   At last Twilight set Spike down, moving to hug her brother. “Thanks, BBBFF,” she whispered into his shoulder.
“Hey, you’re my little sister. I love you, and I want you to know I’m always here for you, and I’ve always got your best interests at heart.  Okay?” He patted her back gently.
“Okay…” she exhaled slowly through her nose. “…I don’t suppose ‘not telling Mom and Dad about this hypothetical situation’ falls under ‘my best interests, does it?”  
Pulling back from the hug, he met her eyes with a serious expression of his own. “Twilight…You know I can’t do that.  I promised them I’d tell them what I’d found out about Sunset, and in this case, this is something I don’t feel right keeping from them.”  He canted his head slightly. “What I don’t entirely understand is why you didn’t tell them.”
Another firm shake of her head. “I told you why I won’t. Why I can’t. Why I didn’t. That won’t change, Shining. I can’t risk your hypothesis being wrong.”  Twilight took her glasses off, cleaning the lenses on the hem of her shirt before resettling them on her nose. “…I understand that you feel obligated to tell them…but I ask that you…and they respect my wishes—I cannot talk about this hypothetical scenario, for my own reasons.”
She was hiding behind logic, he realized, her vocabulary starting to forgo more conventional words in favor of the scientific ones she found comfort in.  “…Twily,” he started, “it’s not healthy to bottle things up, especially about something like this.”
Twilight played with a lock of hair, her eyes flicking from point to point on his face, a sure sign that she was nowhere near as calm and collected as she was trying to project.  “I…I have talked some…with Sunny…and if I need to, I still have my sessions with Dr. Soft-Spoken.”  Letting go of her hair, her hands moved restlessly, seeking something calming to do.  “Hypothetically…it might be why Sunset has been giving me lessons on the weekends.”
Shining found himself nodding, even as he cursed at himself internally for not taking more notice of why his sister was suddenly taking an interest in fitness and being shown how to combat an attacker by the motorcycle riding teen.  He’d been too quick to dismiss it as a result of their mutual infatuation driving them to join in on each other’s hobbies.  “She’s definitely had training—she stopped me cold on Thanksgiving.  You could do worse for a teacher.”  He tried to keep his voice light and reassuring, but guilt crept up on him. “…I’m sorry I never thought to offer you something like that before, Twily. I should have—I’ve not been the best BBBFF lately, have I?”
Twilight slamming into him for another tight, rib-creaking hug caught him by surprise. “Don’t say that,” she told him fiercely. “You’re the greatest Big Brother Best Friend Forever in the whole world. It wasn’t your fault. Don’t you dare think it was your fault.  You had no idea, and I was stupid and went alone instead of just going into the backyard.”
His chest felt like an elephant was using it as a chair, and his voice broke on the response. “…I should have been there though. We were supposed to go together—I was supposed to be watching over you. It was my job to protect you. I…”  Shining swallowed hard.  “I’m sorry, sis. I let you down.  When you needed me most, I wasn’t there.”  
When he tried to turn his head away in shame, she caught him, made him look down at her. “You didn’t,” she reiterated. “I’m fine, Shining…and…you have to understand…that was the night I met Sunny.”  A brilliant smile chased away the shadows in her eyes. “Having her in my life…that’s worth any…situation…hypothetical or actual.  I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world..in any world the multiverse could offer.”
A smile crept across his own face.  “If you say so, Twily…and hypothetically speaking…it just gives us more reasons to be thankful for Sunset.”
“Hypothetical reasons that I will not discuss,” the teen reminded him, stepping back from the hug.  
“As you wish,” he teased, using levity to chase away what darkness remained. “…and in a completely intentional and pointed change of topic, to avoid further awkwardness, Mom is making hot chocolate.  I’m pretty sure there’s a mug with your name on it.”  With an impish bit of glee, he poked her in the ticklish spot on her ribs, making her squeak and jump back. “Last one downstairs is a fishface!”
Twilight jumped back towards him in mock outrage. “You’re on, dogbreath!” 
“Hey! We agreed to never bring up the Couch Incident!”  
With that, both siblings were jockeying to get out the door of her room, playfully pushing and shoving, until Twilight pulled a sneak attack. “Don’t forget, Shiny! You’ve got to tell Sunset what you did—she’s going to be really pissed at you!”  
It was enough to throw him off balance for her final shove, and he ended up tumbling to the carpet, half in and half out of her room, while she sped down the hall with a cry of victory.  Shining Armor grunted as he faceplanted in the carpet, a muffled, “Shit…” escaping around a mouthful of carpet fibers, even as Spike nosed at him with a whine.
> Chapter Fifty Six: Writing on the Wall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight stared at the entrance to Crystal Prep, her stomach twisting itself into knots.  The teenager forced herself to take a calming breath, drawing on the shield of mathematical equations to steady her nerves and squash the irrational anxieties rising up in her psyche.  The rigid structure and predictability of numbers and angles was almost as relaxing as naming the stars, her thoughts happy to fall into the patterns and formulas she could use to calculate and measure doors, windows, and walls.  There was a simplistic sort of beauty to math, one that so many people didn’t appreciate, but it was comforting, like the hug of an old friend, or the warmth of a hot mug on a cold day.  
Except…that calm was escaping her today.  Purple eyes stared up at the structure she’d run the numbers on dozens of times, always with the same answers, and in some unsettling way, she knew that her measurements were somehow, impossibly wrong.  The windows, which had always been neat right angles at the corners, looked skewed and slanted the longer she focused on them, which made no sense. They had always been perfect before, so why did they look so warped now?  She pulled off her glasses, cleaning them on her vest, and rubbed her eyes. Perhaps she was simply more tired than she thought? There had to be a perfectly rational explanation for this feeling she couldn't name, in the way the building itself was not how her memories told her it should be, how her past mathematical calculations were telling her it was…because it wasn’t just the windows.  The front door was off—the lines and angles should not have been able to meet the way they did and still function as a door.  It had to be her eyesight, because buildings didn’t melt and warp like wax figures overnight—there was no logical reason that could justify that scenario.
Just like there was no reason for the unusual visual effect to feel ominous and foreboding.  A doorway could not look menacing, any more than a window could be cold and condescending.  Architecture was inanimate, geometry and shape and form, not some kind of living, breathing, chaotic entity. This was real life, not some kind of fantasy or science fiction novel!  She needed to get her head on straight and stop letting her anxiety get the better of her; she had way too much work to do this week to be able to afford a panic attack at school that would leave her off balance for the rest of the day.  Twilight closed her eyes against the sights that were upsetting her mental equilibrium and focused on her breathing instead, and on the academics she was at the school for.
Once her nerves were no longer so jittery, she quickly approached the doors, steeling herself against what she was about to endure in the halls.  As much as she loved the search for knowledge and learning in all its forms, she couldn’t fight the dread she felt about braving the gauntlet all the way to her lab, or about how she was going to react to her peers negative behaviors, not after how uncharacteristically angry she had gotten the month before. Tightening her grip on her backpack, she took a deep breath and hurried forward, weaving between other students as she scurried in the door. Purple eyes were kept firmly off those around her, and she wished she could make herself even smaller to better avoid being noticed.
She managed to make it all the way to the tiny room that was her independent study lab, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with a relieved sigh.  The dirty looks and the few instances of shoving in the halls seemed to have gone back down to normal levels, and the dark expressions on the faces of a lot of the boys in school no longer held a predatory edge that made her chest feel tight and her heart race with borderline panic.  What was left also had yet to trigger the overly aggressive urges that had driven her crazy during exams, which eased her mind.  The normal hostility was something she knew she could handle, mostly by minimizing social contact with everyone in school and avoiding extensive eye contact in class.  
That just left her with trying to decide her independent study project for the semester, since Twilight had to turn in a write-up to Principal Cinch no later than the end of next week.  There were a couple of ideas she was sure would be acceptable, but she hadn’t quite decided which one would look best on her college applications, and that was an important facet in her decision making process.  It was something she’d not really admitted to anyone, but in the privacy of her own mind, she was able to acknowledge her ambitions driving some of her actions.  For Twilight, it wasn’t enough to have a project that was just ‘good enough’ or even ‘excellent for a high schooler.’ She needed to pick things that made people take notice, that made them sit up and pay attention.  It needed to be something that made people question why she wasn’t already at some top ranked college, something that would make those same top ranked colleges seek her out before she could even apply.  The thought of some of the top schools in the world courting her for her attendance, fighting over who would have the honor of her receiving a degree from them was a fantasy that made her smile as she set her bag on the chair, lost in thought.
“Hey, Twilight.”
The quiet, fairly soft voice from the corner was so unexpected that she jumped with a small scream of surprise, whirling to face the source. “Wallflower! When did you get here?!”
Wallflower Blush raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been here for the last fifteen minutes.” She took a bite from a soggy, greasy smelling breakfast burrito that looked like it had been bought and heated in some kind of filthy gas station convenience store.  The smell of it was decidedly sour, and almost spoiled, making Twilight have to swallow hard to avoid gagging.  
“Oh...I didn’t see you when I came in.”  Twilight tried to sound at least moderately pleasant, but her skin itched at the unexpected intrusion of what she thought of as her space, one of the only places in school where she could have privacy.  Normally she had some expectation or warning that Wallflower would be joining her, which made the girl’s sudden appearance extremely jarring—worsened, of course, by the scent of her unpleasant breakfast.  Twilight had to squash the urge to ask her to throw it out…in the hallway somewhere.
Waving off her apology, Wallflower gave a shrug, answering in the usual cool, indifferent tone that was laced with something Twilight could never quite decipher. “I’m used to it. You always get lost inside your own head, and I’m not Moondancer or Lyra.  I just have to wait for you to surface on your own.” She offered a slight smile, one that seemed intended to take the sting out of her words.  “You usually wait a bit longer before zoning out. Something happen over break?”
Twilight thought back to the last few days at the estate, actually getting to know Glamour Shot instead of avoiding her at every turn, learning that under the vapid, shallow persona that her cousin projected, there was a young woman who meant well, who wanted to spend her life making people feel good about themselves, with more than a measure of business acumen.  That alone had been eye opening, and it was only one of the memorable events from her holiday break.  Christmas had been amazing, and she’d enjoyed every minute spent with Sunset.
Shaking herself out of her memories, she offered her friend a smile. “My break was really great, actually. Even New Years turned out alright—one of my cousins appears to have finally matured, and was more than tolerable company.”  There was a silence at the end that lasted just a little too long—long enough for the faint smile on Wallflower’s lips to twist just slightly—before Twilight registered what was missing. “How was your break?”
The green haired girl rolled her eyes. “Oh, it was a fantastic demonstration of familial love from my parents, as usual. They went to Fiji, forgot I existed, and gave the maid two weeks off. Oh, and they made sure to empty the fridge of most things before they left.”
Twilight frowned, but was at a loss for what to say, her mind racing furiously to come up with an answer.  What was the most socially appropriate response to such negative events? Should she offer an apology? A quip? Should she laugh at the sarcasm—since sarcasm was considered a type of humor—or would that be rude? Maybe just nod?  
Her mind flitted briefly to her girlfriend, trying to decide how she would react if it was Sunset.  That answer was easy: she’d hug the redheaded girl tightly to let her know she wasn’t alone or forgotten. Twilight chewed on her lip for a moment in indecision. She didn’t feel comfortable enough with Wallflower to just hug her, but maybe offering some sort of assurance that her friend cared would help without drawing too much attention to the situation with her parents.  “I wish I had known,” she offered, managing a brief touch to Wallflower’s forearm and a small smile.  “We could have gotten together and done something fun over break.”
The blank expression on the other girl’s face wavered, her eyes going from icy with bitterness to warm. “I...” she swallowed, then shrugged. “I figured you’d be with your family, Twilight. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Wallflower, you’re my friend. I would have been happy to spend a few afternoons with you during the holidays so you wouldn’t be alone the whole time.” Twilight made a mental note to check on her friend during spring break and summer—she’d known Wallflower’s relationship with her parents was distant and strained, but she hadn't realized that it was that bad.
A slight smile was sent her way.  “Thanks, Twilight.”  Wallflower relaxed in her seat for a minute. “Oh, you might want to avoid Suri today.  She looked like she was in more of a foul mood than normal. Wouldn’t put it past her to get physical today instead of her just being catty.”
Twilight sighed. Suri was one of the girls she avoided as much as possible—she was one of the ones who always seemed to have some sort of scheme going, some game or manipulation.  “I’ll do my best.  I have to work on my write up for my study project this semester anyway, so I’m going to spend most of my free time here today.”
Nodding, the other girl waved a green skinned hand at the desk, where two stacks of papers sat between Twilight’s large customized EMF detector and the seismograph she’d...borrowed...from the currently defunct geology department of the school.  “Speaking of your projects, that was all over the floor when I came in. I picked it up for you, but I don’t know if it’s all in the right order.”
Thoughts of avoiding the unpleasant students of Crystal Prep were scattered when Wallflower’s words and their implications registered. Twilight practically tripped over herself to get to the papers to look through them.  Her eyes widened and she was grinning so much her cheeks hurt. There, printed in black and white were full readings on another occurrence of the same anomalous energy that she’d detected that fall.  Her excitement grew as she flipped through the data, translating the readings into information. She had caught whatever it was from start to finish—her other devices! She had to check what they had recorded!
Her backpack was practically thrown to the floor as she took over the chair it had been resting on, already bringing up the lab’s computer to start going through the data. “This is amazing! I got everything!” Twilight exclaimed with glee.
“Everything for what?”
She never looked up from the information she was looking over.  “Several months ago, when I was doing some astronomical observations during a rare celestial conjunction, I detected an anomalous energy that caused serious interference with my equipment. Because it was accidental, I only got partial readings, but it was enough to realize I couldn’t match it with any known object, phenomenon, or device. So I set up all this to try and record it if it happened again.”  Twilight hands flew over the keyboard.  “All of this? This was set up to get me all kinds of data on the city and surrounding areas in the event of a repeat of the anomaly—and it worked! Not only did it pick up on another instance of the energy, but I have everything I need to rule out common events!”  
“O...kay...?” Wallflower sounded confused.
Twilight attempted to explain. “I’ve got not just readings for various sections of the electromagnetic spectrum, but I set up a seismograph, a system to monitor cosmic rays such as gamma and x-rays, just to rule out something silly like a CME or solar flare, a program to monitor other scientific institutions and their chatter, to see if anyone else picked up on the anomaly, and even a system for tracking the greater Canterlot area electrical grid and power usage during the anomaly—“
“So you hacked into the power company to see who left the lights on?” Wallflower asked sarcastically. “Doesn’t that seem like a bit much, Twilight?”
“I didn’t hack anything,” Twilight responded, frowning. “That would be illegal.  I simply used my own program to ask the system nicely for a copy of all data coming and going in regards to the matter, so I could use it for cross referencing. It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.”
There was some shuffling, but Twilight was too busy studying a particular part of the EMF reading to turn away.  “Reasonable? I’m not sure that’s the word I would use,” her friend commented with what sounded like amusement.  
Twilight didn’t respond. She was too busy studying a particular part of the energy’s unique waveform and mentally comparing it to ones she knew of.  It didn’t match any she could remember, so she scribbled a note to herself to cross reference it against the database.  “...I miss Moondancer,” she acknowledged abruptly. “This would go so much faster with her help—and I could get her to do cross referencing while I sorted and organized the data...”
Wallflower snorted in amusement. “Oh yeah, you two are the only people I’ve ever met who would find that to be an exciting afternoon activity.”  There was a pause. “Speaking of Moondancer...did you get a letter from her recently? She sent me one and said she hadn’t heard from you since before Thanksgiving, and she said she’d sent two letters since then.”
Blinking, Twilight turned away from the data, as something horrible dawned on her.  “I...forgot,” she whispered, feeling equal parts shock and guilt as the words coalesced in the air.  “I got her letters, and I meant to reply to them, but then there was so much going on with the holidays and family and projects and Sunny and then the trip to the estate and I completely forgot to write her back! I’m a terrible friend! She must think I don’t want to be friends anymore!”
“Twilight, relax!” A green skinned hand pressed down on her shoulder, pushing her back down into the seat she’d started to get up from when the need to pace welled up from the depths of her psyche. “She’s not mad and she doesn’t think that. There’s no need to get all panicked. The only thing she said to me was asking if you got her letters. She thought maybe the mail system lost them.”
Against the rising anxiety, she focused her thoughts on what Sunset would tell her right now.  “She’s right, Sparky,” the mental image of her girlfriend reassured her.  “Now take some deep breaths, and make a plan instead of freaking out.”
That was something she could do. Make a plan. Fix her mistake.  Letting out a breath slowly, she nodded to herself. “When I get home tonight, I’ll write back to her, and apologize for not writing to her sooner.  I didn’t mean to forget...I should explain that to her in my response.”  
Mental Sunset gave her a nod of approval before giving her another nudge. “Okay, nerd, now thank Wallflower, before she gets worried about you staring blankly at the wall and talking to yourself.”
Twilight shook her head to clear it. “Thank you, Wallflower, for reminding me about Moondancer’s letters. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to remember if you hadn’t, especially with all of this new data and a new semester starting.”  She smiled at her friend.
The other girl stared at her for a long time, expression going through several emotions before settling on what Twilight thought might best be described as ‘perplexed.’ “Um...sure. No problem, Twilight.”
Growing anxious again, Twilight bit her lip.  Being back in the school had her on edge as it was, and it was making her second guess herself.  Had she messed up, said the wrong thing?  She ran through her words again in her mind, but couldn't find any overt fault.  This was harder than interaction with Sunny, or even with Glamour... and wasn't that a strange thought?  The cousin she had often complained about being easier to interact with than one of her actual friends.  She gave her head a shake, and smiled again at Wallflower, a touch uncertain.  “Did I say something wrong?  You helped me, and I thanked you—that’s what friends are supposed to do, I thought.”  
Again, Wallflower’s face went through several expressions before giving Twilight a smile that felt friendly and warmer than normal. “You’re right, Twilight. That is what friends do.” She looked like she might’ve been about to say something else, but the shrill sound of the first bell rang, so she gathered up her backpack instead.  “I guess I’ll talk to you later. Are you eating lunch here?”
“Yes! I have so much data I have to sort through—I need to get as much of a head start as possible on it.”  She tilted her head as a thought came to her. “You are welcome to still join me here for lunch if you want.”
A shrug. “Maybe. I might go hide in the greenhouse today. I miss my plants, and even though a greenhouse isn’t the same, it’s something. And no one really goes out there this time of year.” Wallflower pushed open the door. “See you later, Twilight.”
Then she was gone, leaving Twilight to save her data and hurry to class so she wouldn’t be late.
> Chapter Fifty Seven: Back to the Grind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset placed her hand on the smooth marble base of the Wondercolt statue, feeling the faint pulse of Equestrian energy buried deep within. The former unicorn extended her senses, trying to ascertain why the school before her felt...different, somehow, than it had before Winter Break had started.  She could easily identify how the difference was affecting her mood and emotions: a lightness in her spirit mixing with a sense of the world being set back properly on its axis, as if all this time it had been...off-kilter, somehow.  Yet stretching her senses didn't give her any greater insight, leaving her to wonder if she was simply imagining a magical connection where there was none.
Movement caught her eye, and Sunset turned her head to see several people waving at her as they walked by. “Morning!” she called out before she could stop herself. It was a surreal experience, and it did make her wonder if maybe it was just her perceptions that had changed.  With her fellow students now being friendly to her, the atmosphere of hostility and thinly veiled threat had dissipated, and she no longer felt on the verge of flight or constant nausea.  Not having that kind of stress on her was already making her days at school much more enjoyable.
“Maybe it is something more mundane at work,” she mused, glancing up at the statue.  “Not everything is the work of magic, Shimmer.”  She frowned, not liking the implications—Sunset needed to keep her perspective open and be careful about her personal biases in order to study magic in the human world. It was clear it was not the exact same as magic in Equestria, and while she could use her knowledge as a starting point, she had to be open to it not working the way she might expect. If she was so desperate to see magic that she imagined it where there might be no magic at work, it could affect her research. She needed to get that under control and fast. 
A quick glance in the journal confirmed that the princess would be bringing the books and other supplies that afternoon after school.  Sunset glanced around to see if any of her friends had arrived yet. Finding none, she cast her gaze towards the faculty lot, searching for the vehicles belonging to the principals.  They were both parked, and she could actually see the vice-principal walking towards the school.  
Sunset abandoned the statue to meet Luna on the sidewalk, offering out a hand to carry the paper sack that smelled of breakfast.  “Morning, Miss Luna. Can I help you carry that? I wanted to talk to you before school about the research project and some good news I thought you might appreciate.”
Relinquishing control of the paper bag, Luna arched one eyebrow. “I could certainly use some good news this morning, Miss Shimmer. I spent most of yesterday in conversation with Crystal Prep’s Assistant Principal over the upcoming Friendship Games. It was not a...productive...meeting.”
Her nose wrinkled up. She could vaguely remember the last Friendship Games competition when she was still in the junior high grades, and it was an unpleasant experience, with arrogant teens who would have fit right in at CSGU, lording their victory over the other school.  “I can imagine,” she replied. “Especially if the staff is anything like most of the students.”
“A great many, yes, but that is neither here nor there.”  Luna pushed open the front door. “We will speak in my office.  Should I get my sister as well?”
The redhead shrugged. “You can just as easily pass on what I’m telling you.”  She kept pace with the woman on the way to the office. “I talked with Princess Twilight. She’ll be coming through the portal this afternoon with books and supplies that I requested—well, as many as she could find on short notice. She’s still waiting to hear back from the other Princesses about the archives in the palace.”  Sunset frowned, wondering if the princess had remembered to include the restricted section in her request.
“Are any of the supplies things I need to be concerned about, Miss Shimmer? In my admittedly limited experience, magic seems to be a tad explosive.”  Luna’s jibe held an undercurrent of humor that eased the spike of worry that had gone through Sunset.
“Um...not as such by themselves?” the former unicorn responded sheepishly. “Once I start mixing magic and science? That might be a bit of a different answer. I’m going to try sticking to diagnostics at first, until I get a better handle on the energy levels we’re looking at.”
The vice-principal’s face became serious as they entered her office. “Miss Shimmer,” Luna began, setting her things down and turning her full attention on Sunset. “While my sister and I would like answers on how to better protect the school, neither of us want you to put yourself in harm’s way, do you understand?”  Stormy green eyes were fixed on her, darkened by worry.  “As much as you may have been a royal pain before the Fall Formal, I was terrified that we would see a corpse at the bottom of the crater in the front walk. Neither Celestia nor I want a repeat of that scenario, especially now that we have had the pleasure of being able to know the real you. I feel that your friends—all of them—would share that sentiment.”
Sunset sucked in a shaky breath around the lump in her throat, her thoughts immediately going to the girls, and from there to her girlfriend.  “I...I promise I’ll do my best to be careful, Miss Luna.  I know better than anyone what uncontrolled magical surges are capable of.”  She offered the administrator what she hoped was a confident and reassuring smile. “In all honesty, I’m probably the best able to handle it out of anyone, given how bad my surges were when I was little. It also means I can recognize the signs of a surge in time to either shut it down or get out of the way.” 
Her mind wandered briefly to the way her magic had threatened to surge over the break, and hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. “Not to mention,” she added, “a lot of spell grade gems and basic equipment are designed to minimize collateral damage if they do overload. In Equestria, the real danger usually comes from thaumic backlash through a unicorn’s internal magic pathways. Since I’m in a human body, I’ll be handling them externally, not with my own power.”
It didn't seem to put Luna at ease. “I still would prefer if you exercised extra caution, Miss Shimmer. This is meant to help students and staff, not put them at risk, and until you graduate, you are one of those students.”  Sitting in her chair, she took a sip of her coffee. “And no situation is ever a hundred percent guaranteed.  I would like you to put together a contingency plan in the event that something does go wrong. Injuries on school grounds are bad enough, but I am not certain Canterlot General can handle injuries caused by magic.  A human may not know what to look for or what they are looking at, and Nurse Redheart, while an exceptional school nurse, should have at least a primer on first aid for magical injuries.”
The former unicorn found herself nodding in understanding. “I’ll ask Princess Twilight to add a unicorn first aid manual to the books. It won’t be perfect, but it might offer at least a few things that can be adapted for humans. I know there’s at least one arcanobiology text among the ones she’s bringing, which can help me compare and contrast my findings. Once I get some baseline readings, I’ll write down things to be worried about.”
Nodding, the dark haired woman took another long drink from her coffee, expression turning thoughtful. “That plan needs to include a way for us to contact Twilight Sparkle in the event of an emergency.”  One hand came up to stall the protests Sunset was about to voice. “I understand that by legal terms here, you are responsible for yourself as if you were a grown adult, Miss Shimmer, but if the worst happens and you are incapacitated, unable to speak for yourself, we still need to be able to get you the help you need, whether that help is from this world or your own.”
That was something Sunset hadn’t considered. “I’ll make sure that the journal is somewhere accessible anytime I’m working with magic. All you have to do is write a message in it and—” She stopped. “Oh ponyfeathers. I’ll have to teach you how to write a sentence for help. Equestrian glyphs and English letters are completely different.”
“In that case, Miss Shimmer, keeping it simple will be best. Perhaps something like ‘Send Help. Sunset is hurt.’ A sort of SOS that will get someone here quickly.  I would also like you to consider deciding on an emergency contact for your file for more mundane, human emergencies.” Luna reached into her filing cabinet and pulled out a file folder, setting it in front of Sunset on the desk.  She realized it had her name on it. “I have checked and the extra number here goes to a mechanized voice-mail that I suspect you have control over.”
Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “...yeah. That’s my landline. I use it exclusively for screening calls meant for ‘my parents.’” It was something she hadn't thought of for a while, since it almost never rang.  
“Then I would appreciate you finding someone to designate as your emergency contact—an adult, not one of your friends.  I know you are on passably good terms with at least some of their parents, considering one of them called you in sick after the incident with the band competition.”  Her vice-principal tapped the folder with one finger. “I recognize you are capable of taking care of yourself adequately, Miss Shimmer, but...there are circumstances where you shouldn't have to, and there are clearly people available to you that you can rely on.”
Luna’s words took a few moments to sink in.  “I...guess I’m just not used to it yet,” she admitted. “Being able to trust others, rely on them.  I’ve looked out for myself for so long it doesn't even cross my mind to ask that of others.”  Her thoughts turned briefly inward. “I’ll...give it some thought, Miss Luna.”
The dark haired woman gave a nod. “I had expected as much, but I would like someone put in your file in the next two weeks, if you would.” She smiled, and nudged the folder aside before producing a keyring to hold out to Sunset. “Now, the old A/V room is now officially the research lab for your magical studies, Miss Shimmer. The larger key locks the door, while the smaller keys are for the desk and filing cabinet respectively.   I will reiterate my sister’s statement about the trust we are showing you in regards to this—do not abuse it.”
Sunset reached over and took the keys. “I won’t let you down.”





The keys jingled as she attached them to her keyring, next to her bike and house keys, finishing the task right as she reached her homeroom. Sunset had spent long enough in Luna’s office that she only had a few minutes to get there before the bell rang, so giving her friends the good news would have to wait for their free period before lunch.  That part was a little disappointing—she was excited in a way she hadn’t been in years with the prospect of studying magic again, and she wanted to share that with the people who had come to mean so much to her.  
“Darling, there you are! We looked all over and couldn’t find you this morning—where on Earth did you get off to?”
The former unicorn sank into her seat, smiling at Rarity while being acutely aware that every set of ears in the room and most of the eyes were on the two of them. “I had to talk with Vice-Principal Luna this morning,” she explained, her grin returning.  “About our group ‘research project.’”
One manicured eyebrow arched. “I take it that your talk went well, judging by your smile?”
In response, Sunset held up the key for her to see. “We have a room to practice in now, and a cabinet to store our things in.”
Rarity smiled pleasantly. “Oh that will be absolutely wonderful! Keeping my keytar in my locker is cumbersome, you know.”  Then she paused, thoughtful. “I assume it’s quite the barren space right now—I’d be more than happy to provide things to make it a comfortable space. Perhaps some cushions to sit, a small refrigerator for drinks? Singing does tend to require water to avoid a sore throat later.”  She tapped a finger against her chin. “Perhaps a basket or two to keep snacks in as well, and some place for the inevitable sweets that will follow Pinkie Pie.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Rarity, we’ll be researching magic, not having a picnic.” 
The tailor waved a hand at her. “Sunset, darling, we will also be playing music and among our friends we have both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. As much as I understand the need to sometimes spend hours at a desk on a project, can you truly see the two of them being able to handle that part of your research if we don’t provide things that play to their interests and desires?”
What she had been about to say dried up as the redhead considered that. “....I never even considered that,” she admitted after a minute.  “I just want to take this seriously. Sorry for accusing you of not doing the same.”
A chuckle and her friend leaned across the aisle between them to hug her.  “Darling, it’s quite alright, and I assure you, we are taking this seriously, ever since your talk with us.”  Then Rarity’s gaze grew sharp.  “But serious doesn’t mean it has to be all spartan and severe—quite the opposite, since our magic is, as both you and Twilight called it, ‘the Magic of Friendship,’ and we’ve seen first hand that it doesn’t manifest properly when we are miserable or callous of each other’s feelings.”
Sunset blinked, mulling over Rarity’s words.  “Alright,” she agreed, “sprucing it up to be at least comfortable between sets or while we’re running individual tests is a good idea...but...try not to go overboard? It’s not a huge room, and I need the space to conduct my tests...”  She wrinkled her nose. “Tests that hopefully won’t leave me covered in rainbow colored goo or stuck to the wall this time.”
Rarity had the decency to try and mitigate her laughter, but a few giggles slipped out. “I’m sorry, Sunset, but you have to admit it was humorous in hindsight.  Though you’re working with Twilight to prevent that from happening again, I thought?”
“Yeah,” Sunset nodded. “That’s the plan. It’s part of the reason she’s coming through the portal this afternoon.”  She glanced towards the door, seeing the teacher enter, then murmured to Rarity, “Speaking of my research ending badly, remind me later to teach you girls how to write an emergency message in Equestrian glyphs in case we need Princess Twilight’s help and I’m out of commission.”
“We have every confidence in you, Sunset, but I’ll be happy to learn in the event of an emergency...”  Blue eyes shifted rapidly from concerned to excited.  “These glyphs...they aren’t by chance those very elegant, pretty things I see you doodling on your notes, are they?”  At Sunset’s confirmation of that, the designer went a little starry eyed. “Oh! For a language, those designs are so enchanting! I would love to learn them—Can you imagine some of them as subtle design accents on fabric?”
The former unicorn stared awkwardly at her friend—just when she thought she was understanding human idiosyncrasies, one of the girls did something that threw her for a complete loop.   As the teacher called the class to order, she found herself shaking her head in amusement.





Sunset sank down onto the cold marble, resting her head tiredly back against the stone. It felt good, the cold, crisp, refreshing winter air filling her lungs and nipping at her nose, as she enjoyed the brief respite while she waited for the Princess of Friendship to arrive.  The day had crossed into surreal and more than a little overwhelming very quickly, and she needed a few minutes to collect herself.  She breathed deeply, the magic in the air around the statue itself making it smell and feel fresher and cleaner than it really was, as if it somehow scrubbed away the scent of rubber and asphalt and exhaust so that all that lingered was damp, cold stone, and dry vegetation. Or maybe it was just Sunset’s mind playing tricks on her after the day she’d had.
It wasn’t that the day had been bad, or even unpleasant—quite the opposite, really, and that was more than half the problem. Most of the students had been outright friendly to her! Not indifferent, or just the sort of stiff friendliness that was the hallmark of being polite, but actually friendly, inquiring about her holidays, trying to get to know her, and asking enough questions about magic, the Sirens, and Princess Twilight to make her head spin. She had been ‘popular’ before, but that had been a tyrannical form of control, characterized by how much people hated and feared her in equal measure. This...this reminded her more of the way the school treated Princess Twilight and the rest of her friends.  And that didn't touch on the ones who were treating her the same way she’d seen ponies from some of the more remote settlements treat Princess Celestia—though at least now she could relate to the faint hint of discomfort the princess had sported in those instances.  
The whole thing unnerved the girl who had once been proud of her unofficial title as queen of CHS. She liked the way the positive attention made her feel, which in turn made her recoil from that feeling and the memories associated with it. Sunset did not want to be tempted back towards her old ways, and the exhilaration was far too close to them for her to be entirely happy about it.
Without thinking, Sunset found her phone in her hands, fingers already typing out a message for her Twilight, needing the way talking to the nerdy girl helped ground her and soothe her nerves, even if it was only in texts. It also reminded her to prepare herself, just in case, for another round of weird doppelgänger disorientation...though with how different the two Twilights were to her, she didn't think that would be a problem.  The response came after a few minutes, the affection in the message bringing a soft smile to her face, reinvigorating her a fraction.
Sunset stared at the clear afternoon sky, eyes taking in the endless blue expanse, feeling her body relax.  She was still tired, but taking the brief time to herself was helping put her thoughts and emotions more in a manageable order.  Her head turned towards the flat surface where she could feel the Equestrian energies welling up in the heart of the statue as the portal connection was establishing itself.   The Princess of Friendship was on her way.
> Interlude XIII: Observations of the Setting Sun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight shifted her front hooves as Spike helped secure the saddlebags to her back. “Are you sure we got everything, Spike? Maybe we should check the list again—I don’t want to forget anything!”
Her dragon placed his talons gently on her withers. “Twilight, relax. We checked your list four times. You have everything on it.  I even remembered the bag from Princess Celestia.”  
The touch became a hug as she hooked her foreleg around him, nuzzling her muzzle into his warm, smooth scales. “Thanks, Spike. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He snorted good-naturedly, hugging her back. “You’d drive yourself crazy, that's what,” he teased cheekily.  “Tell Sunset I said hello? And make sure she gives you those biscuits I like? I really want to try making a ruby and sapphire layered dessert with those crumbled up as the crust on the bottom.” The young drake licked his chops.
She released him with one last affectionate nuzzle.  “I will. You will keep the journal on you for when I need the portal opened back up? And—”
“And remember to check Owlowiscious’ water dish, clean the kitchen, and check the castle book return for the library. I remember.”  He gave her a shove towards the portal. “You left me a list, Twilight. I can handle it. Now go, before you’re late.”
The young alicorn’s eyes widened. “Late! Oh no! I need to go!” She levitated the journal into its housing and activated the device, prancing nervously as she waited for the portal to stabilize. She barely managed to let it open all the way before she cantered forward into the dimensional aperture.
Traveling through to the human world was not exactly pleasant. Twilight felt her whole body stretched and pulled and turned inside out in ways she couldn't quite manage to describe. It didn't hurt, but it made her bones and teeth feel like they itched, and the entire time all of her external senses were rendered nonfunctional. If she was ever asked, she knew she would voice strong opinions about her preference for unicorn teleportation magic—at least there she didn’t feel like she’d been sucked up through a drinking straw.
She braced herself to impact hard stone as the portal flung her out and her senses tried to reboot, only to be caught by an arm that steadied her. “That portal really needs to be recalibrated,” she heard Sunset comment as the white noise in her ears cleared. “I think the time dilation wasn’t properly accounted for, which would explain why it tosses you out hard on this end and doesn’t on the Equestria side of things.  You okay?”
Twilight straightened, rubbing her eyes to get them to focus. “It’s really not a great way to travel, but I’m hesitant to try and alter Starswirl’s spellwork without having some kind of reference guide.”  Vision clearing, she straightened up into the bipedal posture her human form preferred, and turned a smile on Sunset.  “I’m good now. Thanks for breaking my fall.”
The other pony waved her hand in a human gesture that Twilight took to indicate that Sunset was not worried about it. “Take it from me, kissing concrete with your face is extremely unpleasant.” She gave a wan smile in return.
Concern made Twilight frown.  “Are you alright, Sunset?  You look...unwell. Have you recovered from expending your magic properly? I know you said these bodies don't require magical energy as a fundamental part of their biology, but we don't know how thorough our transfigurations are. It’s entirely possible that you could be suffering from acute magical exhaustion, which can become life threatening and—”
“Twilight. Stop.”
Almost before her mind could register what was happening, Twilight’s mouth snapped shut mid-sentence, the runaway train of her thoughts derailing abruptly in a rather spectacular fashion. It left the alicorn blinking at Sunset Shimmer, bewildered and taken slightly aback at the way the commanding tone had overridden her actions.  
Sunset took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I’m fine. I’ve taken it easy for several weeks, and my reserves have recovered at a fairly normal rate—though not as fast as they would in Equestria.  I’m not at risk for a sudden collapse.  I’ve just had...a bit of a long day, and I’m still getting used to people here...being nice to me.”  She shifted from foot to foot, betraying her agitation, but plowed onward. “People weren’t...very forgiving after the Formal, Twilight, other than the girls. What you saw during the Battle of the Bands? That had been going on for me since you put me in the ground, that and worse. It’s only been since we beat the Sirens that they’ve been...nice.  I’m still...adjusting.”
Twilight’s concern shifted focus.  “But everypo—everyone here is so nice!  Why wouldn’t they give you a chance when you showed you wanted to change?” The few, sparse legends about humans had suggested a penchant for cruelty was possible, but she hadn’t seen much of that that wasn’t influenced by magic from Equestria.
Snorting, Sunset shook her head, fiery mane bouncing with the movement.  “I hate to break it to you, Twilight, but humans are a lot more wary and a lot slower to trust than ponies,” she explained.  “Especially to someone who caused them as much pain as I did.”  She cracked a slight, crooked grin. “That seems to have changed though, like I said.  Everyone has been super nice and friendly today, and...it’s just a lot more attention than I’m used to. It’s been a little overwhelming.”
Understanding bloomed—it sounded like Sunset was dealing with a reaction much similar to the one she was still dealing with when she went out anywhere other than Ponyville. “Oh!  …That I understand—it’s extremely disconcerting to have everyone suddenly focused and staring at you, like they expect you to suddenly fix everything or perform miraculous feats if they just…watch long enough…”  Her shoulders hunched up, and she shifted awkwardly on her hind legs, wishing she still had a tail to flick, because the memory alone was enough to make her skin feel like it was crawling. The worry ebbed though, and she gave Sunset a somewhat forced smile to hide just how unsettled the attention still made her.  “It…gets easier…I think.  Sort of,” she attempted to reassure the other pony, cringing internally at the way she was babbling.
Sunset reached over, patting her on the forelimb. Arm.  “Breathe, remember? Good for humans and ponies, Twilight.”  
The statement made her laugh and feel more at ease.  “I’m glad to hear you’re making more friends—you can never have too many of those, and...” she paused, trying to compose what she wanted to say correctly, looking Sunset over and seeing beyond the surface stress that was on her face. “...it’s hard to judge with a human body, but...you seem...different, in a good way.”  She bit her lip. “It reminds me of the changes in myself when I first moved to Ponyville.  I was healthier. Happier than I could remember being.”
Sunset smiled, truly smiled, for the first time since Twilight had known her, and Twilight found herself momentarily frozen, unable to even breathe.  Something in the way that Sunset stood before her, tall and proud, but with her head tilted just so, her wild mane caught in the slight breeze so that the untamed fiery curls seemed to move of their own volition...it was as if the smile on her face was more than just an upward turn of her lips.  A memory was called up from the depths of Twilight Sparkle’s experiences, one of many like it. It had been during one of her lessons with the Princess, the first time she had mastered teleportation without needing to be rescued from the roof or the top of the hedge in the palace gardens.  Princess Celestia had smiled at her then, just like this, and as irrational and cliché as it may have sounded, it had felt like the sun reappearing from behind cloud cover, an orb of blazing brilliance that dazzled the senses with light and warmth.  It was a smile that conveyed so much emotion that it became like that sunlight, traveling from the source to affect anything, anypony it touched, even if only for a brief time.  What did it say then about Sunset Shimmer, that she could do that too?
And when the moment ended, she couldn’t help herself, her own grin filled with joy, as she threw her arms around Sunset Shimmer in a hug, any doubts and worries she had harbored about the reformed unicorn’s well being in the human world melting away without even the need to hear Sunset’s words as she laughed and hugged Twilight back.
“I am different, Twilight. For the first time in a long time...I...I like who I am, and I feel happy.  I have friends and magic, and it wasn’t just given to me. I earned them, on my terms.”  The unicorn-turned-human released her, stepping back into her own space.  “Now if I could just get people here to stop assuming just because human belief says something is magic that it is, that would be great.”
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean? I thought this world didn’t have native magic?”
“As far as I’ve investigated, it doesn’t, not really. I’ve...occasionally sensed...well, at best it might be nascent magic, or even energies leaked through from Equestria over time.  Most of the time...I’m not sure I’m sensing anything at all, or if it’s me just wanting magic that badly. Because, believe me, when I was first trapped here? I looked. I looked into any potential source of magic to replace what I was missing—I know you know what I mean too, that sudden loss of your horn that feels like you’ve had part of your soul amputated.” Sunset blew air out her nostrils, even as she rubbed her arms with her hands as warding off a chill.
The young alicorn did know—she could recall the horror that had settled over her on her first trip here when the door didn’t open at her mental command, when Spike had pointed out so casually that her horn was missing in this body.  It had been enough that some part of her gibbered and begged for her to abandon her quest and flee back through that gateway to her home. “...so you looked,” she commented, deliberately avoiding either of them dwelling on that sensation. “...and you didn’t find anything?”
Another derisive snort, this time accompanied by an eye roll and a voice that dripped sarcasm.  “Nothing worth a mentioning. Lots of myths and stories of monsters and magic, usually tied to human religions, but nothing with real magic. I honestly think most of what humans ‘know’ about magic probably came from humans who made brief accidental trips to Equestria.”
Frowning, Twilight nodded her head. “And what does that have to do with the students assuming things are magic?”
Sunset grew exasperated, throwing her hands up in a human gesture that seemed to accent her emotions.  “Because they keep giving me garbage, Twilight! Human garbage!  It wouldn’t be so bad if it was books—if nothing else they could be used as reference material or even a place to find ideas for experiments. But most of it is pointless, worthless junk!”  She thrust a hand into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a clear bag.  “Like this! Do you know what these are!?”
Purple eyes narrowed as she studied the contents: a mixture of smooth and rough stones. Nothing phenomenal or even particularly eye catching except what she thought might’ve been a few pieces of amethyst.  She had only delved into geology at an amateur level, focusing most of her efforts in the field on gems and crystals that were useful in magic. “It looks to me like a geologic sample, possibly from near an old riverbed, given what seems like some stones shaped by water erosion as well as a large presence of what appears to be varieties of quartz.”
“It’s rocks, Twilight. Rocks! This ‘geologic sample?’ This is an example of what humans consider spell quality crystals and gemstones.” Sunset’s expression twisted with disgust, and for once, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t blame her.
“That!?” she asked, horrified at the mere thought. “Sunset, there’s no way you could use any of those for magic. Even from here, I can see they’re riddled with flaws and inclusions. Trying to charge any of them with even so much as a light spell would cause them to overload—if you were lucky, it would just explode in your face!”
Sunset curled her upper lip into a proper sneer, even if it looked out of place on a human. “I know,” she agreed, blowing air out her nostrils, one back foot stamping the ground, expressing just how frustrating and annoying she found the situation. “I was never much of an artificer, but even I know that much. But I can’t be mean, because they don’t know any better and they are trying to help. It’s just…frustrating, because it’s all garbage!”  She stuffed the bag of stones back in her pocket with a heavy sigh.
Then a call came from the direction of the school. “Sunset Shimmer! I wanted to talk to you before you left!”  A girl trotted up, holding something under one arm, blinking at the alicorn standing near Sunset before breaking into a smile.  “Hi, Twilight! Great to see you again!” Then she was focusing on Sunset again, holding out a very tattered, worn book to her shyly. “…Look, I don’t know if it’ll help or not, but this was my grandma’s and it’s supposed to be related to magic and spells and stuff. I thought you might like it to help with the Rainbooms and your studies…”
The redhead plastered on a fairly convincing smile, taking the book. “Thanks,” she responded, even managing to keep her voice light. “I’ll look through it.”  She kept up the act until the girl was gone from sight and sound, before the mask dropped and she stared at the book she held as if it had personally wronged her.
Twilight shifted awkwardly. “…at least this one’s a book?” she offered, trying to soothe the temper she could practically feel rising in her fellow Equestrian. 
Blue-green eyes shut so Sunset could take several slow, deep breaths.  “Yes,” she acknowledged. “Which might be useful except for two very key things.”  She turned the book to show Twilight the cover, which was covered in flowers, hearts, some very badly drawn renditions of a flask stoppered with a cork, and what might have been some kind of magical rune. There was a title, but Twilight had only barely started to learn the human writing system, so she couldn’t quite understand what it meant. The princess turned the questioning gaze back to Sunset, who continued. “One, the title. ‘Amor Magicae Iuvenes Veneficas’ which basically means ‘Love Spells for the Teenage Witch’…albeit translated very poorly into a defunct, dead language used almost exclusively by humans for scientific terms and sounding smarter than they are.”
“Love Spells for the…what?” Twilight responded weakly. Clearly her ears had stopped working, because more than half of that had made no sense.
“...Teenage Witch. In human terms, either a really tacky magic wielding crone who likes to transfigure people into toads or members of a small, fringe belief system that seems to prance around in the woods, pretending they can do magic by speaking to imaginary monsters and elemental beings.”  She grimaced. “Don’t get me started on human religion, please. It’s…It’s a very complicated mess, and I’m not qualified to explain it because I barely understand it. Especially because as far as I’ve seen, most of their gods seem to be either incorporeal or imaginary as a way to explain phenomena instead of studying it.”
Shaking her head, the alicorn forced herself away from dwelling on the concept of not studying. “…and the second thing?”
Sunset laughed humorlessly. “I’ve already gotten four other copies of this book today. Even if there was something useful in here, I've already got more copies than Ill ever need.”  
“Oh. Must be a popular book....though...why love spells?” Twilight canted her head to the side. “It’s such a random and unreliable field—yes, there are spells that can create fixation or even attraction, but love is a magic of its own and even Princess Cadence cannot create love where there is none.  No pony can, not real love, at least. Why would humans even try?”
The wild mane bounced around her shoulders as Sunset shook her head. “Trust me, Twilight, the less you know about that, the better you’ll sleep at night.” She jerked her thumb towards the school. “Now c’mon. The girls are already up in our new lab. Rarity wanted to ‘spruce it up.’”  She made a gesture with both hands, hooking her first two fingers downward in a slashing motion. “We should get up there before she decides to start sewing curtains for the windows.”
Following behind Sunset, having to jog slightly to keep up with the other pony’s brisk and easy two legged stride, she observed the students left in the halls as they greeted both her and Sunset fairly enthusiastically.  Her once-enemy waved back, smiling pleasantly, and Twilight could see the confidence that had exuded from every pore during their first encounter was back--though with her more amiable attitude, it was a pleasant sort of confidence rather than the sneering arrogance and superiority.   It was a self assurance that had been absent the month before, buried under shame and guilt and fear.   
Purple eyes took it all in, glued to Sunset’s back as they climbed the stairs, listening with half an ear as she considered a thought that intruded on her mind. She had wondered on several occasions, particularly in the weeks after she’d first followed Sunset into the human world after her Element, why Princess Celestia would ever have taken somepony like Sunset Shimmer as a personal student. Nothing about Sunset had seemed like the kind of pony that the Princess would want to see grow in power and influence, not with how toxic the nobility could already be in Canterlot. Sunset’s brand of manipulation and arrogance would have undermined the carefully balanced system and created a serious problem.  So why take her on?
It bothered her enough that she’d gone looking for information on Sunset...only to find almost nothing at all. Her name cropped up in official records at CSGU, and, but in several cases where her file had mentioned her setting records at the school, the official records never made mention of it, and her name was missing from any of the plaques or trophies where said records should have been commemorated. It was a discrepancy she’d reported to the administration, but they hadn’t gotten back to her.  Beyond the school, there was even less. It certainly answered why Twilight had never heard of her predecessor prior to the stolen crown, and she almost asked the Princess about the matter....
But something about Princess Celestia’s reaction when she’d mentioned Sunset’s name had stopped her.  The solar princess’ eyes had been filled with an emotion that Twilight couldn’t quantify, but it almost felt like she was standing in the middle of something private between the older alicorn and the former protégé.  Out of sheer discomfort at the sensation, she had grown anxious and lost her nerve to ask the questions she had spent hours forming, choosing instead to relay some of the friendly news that had come through the journal.
Now, seeing the individual before her, all those nasty, negative behaviors now transformed into strengths instead of expressions of selfish hubris, Twilight Sparkle wondered...
Was this Sunset Shimmer, with a charisma that shone like the sun and a fiery intensity to every act, every word...was this the filly that Celestia had once met and singled out as special out of an entire generation of hopefuls? Was this Sunset Shimmer as Celestia had seen her?  This young mare who wore an alien form with easy grace and passed amongst her peers with the same gentle compassion and warmth, who took the time to stop and listen to the students who ran up to her with useless and magically inert objects with the same smile and words of gratitude as Twilight had seen so often on the face of the white alicorn who had been her teacher…Was this Sunset Shimmer as the Princess of the Sun had known her?  
And if it was...then what had happened to her to transform her into the cruel, bitter mare that Twilight had seen first?
> Chapter Fifty Eight: Trials of a Teenage Unicorn Girl Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The princess walking behind her had been silent for the entire time they’d been in the building.  In Sunset’s experience, that was concerning—the few conversations she’d had with Princess Twilight about their research had been enough to make her feel confident that the pony version shared Sparky’s excited enthusiasm for the pursuit of knowledge. Extended silence instead of more chatter and a barrage of questions? Not a good sign.  A glance over her shoulder disguised as a head shake was enough to let her see that the Princess looked pensive, lips turned into a frown with her brows furrowed in thought.
The hallway was clear, so Sunset turned around, briefly walking backwards so she could address her visitor. “You...alright, Twilight? I’m sorry if I sounded short with you before—it’s just that human history and belief systems are complicated, and not really in a good way.”
Purple eyes that were the twin of those she was so fond of blinked owlishly at her. “What? Oh! No, Sunset, I’m not upset about that—it sounds like a subject much better read from source books, and it’s easy enough to give you some bits and a shopping list.” 
The princess smiled, but Sunset could still tell something was bothering her. “Then what’s wrong?”
Twilight’s eyes looked away from hers for a split second. “Nothing’s wrong, Sunset. I’m alright.”
All right, enough of this.  The redhead stopped walking, crossing her arms over her chest.  “Twilight, I can tell something is bothering you, and whatever it is, it wasn’t on your mind a few minutes ago.”  They were so different, the two Twilights, but it made the little similarities between them stand out all the more, and she couldn’t shake the nagging sensation that everything she was reading from the princess was saying something was eating at her.
Silence hung between them for a measurable moment, before the other pony sighed.  “I pointed it out earlier, but I was noticing how different you are,” she admitted. “Not just from when we first met—”
“Before I took a rainbow to the face.”
That got her a look that she recognized, and she found herself smirking. Princess Twilight continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted.  “I mean, yes, you are not the same mare who stole my Element, but...you’re also not the same as you were when I was here last.”  A slight smile lifted the corners of Twilight’s mouth. “I was just wondering to myself if who you are now is the pony you always were, deep down.”  
Of all the things she’d expected to hear, that was not it, and it caught her off guard.  Part of her wanted to be angry or hurt or upset, but she recognized that Twilight wasn’t trying to be hurtful.  Instead, she took a deep breath, steadying her emotions and letting a wry smirk cross her face.  Expecting it or not, Twilight had done as she’d asked and told the truth, so Sunset owed her at least an attempt at an answer.  Whether or not the answer she had to offer would be what Twilight thought she would hear was another matter entirely.  “I wouldn’t know, Twilight.  I was never the kind of pony that was liked, even when I was a foal—something that was made pretty clear to me before I was even old enough to understand what it meant.  Everything about me was unacceptable, an affront to decent ponies everywhere, and especially to upstanding, well-bred unicorns, and after a while, you just accept that.”  
She managed to keep her voice level, with a factual but gentle delivery of her words, avoiding the vitriol and accusatory tones her old self would have happily voiced.  The redhead was still getting accustomed to this Twilight Sparkle’s mannerisms, but realized there was a chance that she might share Sparky’s struggles in recognizing who the negative emotions were really directed at, and assume she had angered Sunset.  Giving that a moment to sink in, she watched several emotions play over the other pony’s face, before continuing.  “Honestly, Twi, I’m still figuring out who I am, and more than that, who I want to become.  I’ve had to do a lot of looking in a mirror, and for a long while I hated what I found.”  
The smirk became a crooked smile, her own emotions lifting.  “But...what I said outside is the truth. I feel happy, for the first time in a long, long time.  I have friends, people who accept me, people who care about me...and knowing that makes me feel good and make others feel good too...so maybe that’s the difference you see.”
Twilight took in her words quietly, before making a face.  “The Canterlot ‘Elite’ didn’t much like me either,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I don’t think they much like anyone, not even each other.  They certainly judge ponies by very illogical and arbitrary standards that have no bearing on the actual kind of pony they are.”  
The redhead’s eyebrow arched.  “Nice to see some things didn’t change.”  It was nicer than what she was thinking about the nobles in the capital.  “Let me guess, they didn’t like the cut of your mane?  Too common to be in the presence of the august Princess of the Sun?”
That garnered a giggle.  “If only,” the other told her. “Oh no. They couldn’t stand that I wasn’t one of them—my father is loosely related to a branch family of one of the noble houses, but that branch hasn’t been in the line of inheritance in over a dozen generations, which of course, means I’m common as any other Canterlot citizen.  And then there was Spike.”  Twilight stopped laughing, her expression darkening to a degree that was almost frightening. “They didn’t like that he was with me at the school—or rather, they felt he had no place breathing the same air as their darling colts and fillies.  There was a petition, once, to have him banned from the campus, for fear he might ‘cause harm to a foal in a fit of draconic rage.’” Purple eyes were hard. “He was three.”
Sunset exhaled, hearing the echoes of her own early days at CSGU in her mind, of the scolding the princess had given her after she’d gotten into that fight, and wondered if the aristocracy’s reaction to Spike had been influenced by her own explosive temper. “...that’s awful,” she finally responded.  “Poor Spike—he’s really sweet when you get to know him a little.”
“That’s because he is sweet—and the best assistant I could ask for. He’s been with me through everything over the years, and I couldn’t have done it without him.” Parental pride leaked into Twilight’s voice when she spoke of the young dragon, the kind of pride Sunset would have once given her horn to hear in Princess Celestia’s voice about her.  “They were wrong about him—and they were wrong about you, Sunset.”  She touched Sunset’s arm with her fingertips. “What I’m seeing in you now was inside you all along, I think, just...covered up.  You’ve only been working at learning friendship for a short time, but seeing you today, after talking to you in the journals?  I’m so glad we’re friends.”
That hit Sunset hard and she had to swallow around a sudden lump in her throat.  “I...I’m glad we’re friends too,” she confessed. “...the girls are great, but they...they just don’t get some things the way you do. Like how much I miss the smell of the palace gardens or the taste of a platter of super greasy, loaded hayfries...or the way casting a complex spell makes me feel completely alive like almost nothing else ever has, or just what it feels like when you follow what your cutie mark is telling you.”
She found herself enveloped in another hug.  “Every friendship is unique, Sunset,” the young alicorn murmured, “touching our hearts in a way that only that friendship can.  It’s not belittling your friendships with the girls to say another friendship has something special.  These past few weeks, I’ve found myself wishing you lived in Ponyville—I just can’t talk magic with many ponies, not like I’ve been able to with you. The closest I come to it in Equestria is an old schoolmate, Moondancer, but we’re involved in completely different areas. It’s not the same.”
The hug felt nice—familiar but different, and she found herself returning the embrace warmly.  “Not many ponies who get what it’s like to be Princess Celestia’s student either,” she joked, and the pair shared a laugh.
“Oooo! Laughs and hugs! Why wasn’t I invited!?” They found themselves suddenly attacked by pink, as Pinkie Pie pounced on them for a three person hug. “Hi, Twilight! We missed you—it was taking so long for Sunset to come back with you that we thought maybe you weren’t coming, so I volunteered to come see, but I guess we were wrong!” 
Sunset squirmed free, sucking in a lungful of air. Sometimes, being hugged by Pinkie was akin to being hugged by a starving boa constrictor, and today appeared to be one of those days.  “Sorry, Pinkie. We ended up talking a bit.”  She started walking again, the other two following, Pinkie bouncing along and Princess Twilight with a much more controlled gait. 
“It’s okay! I got snacks! I baked cookies last night because this is a super special afternoon with all seven of us in the same place again!”  Sunset could practically hear the way Pinkie was grinning like a maniac.  “They’re sparkly!”  She paused, then added, “And this way, you can use them to distract Rainbow Dash when she gets bored because you two start talking about magic and science, or when Rarity is talking about more band costumes.”
Blinking, the former unicorn stopped with her hand on the door.  “Huh...that’s pretty smart, Pinkie.  I wish I’d’ve thought of it.”
The party planner giggled. “Me and Applejack came up with it!”
Amused, Sunset shook her head, and pushed open the door. “Welcome to our lab, Twilight,” she chuckled, presenting the room—and the girls within—to the visiting pony with a theatrical flourish.  “Alright, first thing we should do—”
The squeals of “Twilight!” from the rest of the group, followed by the inevitable group hug interrupted her, the rest of her friends greeting their returning companion with enthusiasm. Sunset shook her head again, settling into the chair at the desk, watching with a fond smile.  As the hug broke up, the girls started chatting with the princess, catching her up on what had happened since they’d seen her last, as well as presenting her with small belated Christmas gifts, which Twilight took great delight in opening.
Her fingers found her phone when it vibrated in her pocket.  Checking it revealed a message from her Twilight. -Sunset, just letting you know I’m working on my independent study project today. Had a major breakthrough this morning!  If I don’t respond to messages, I’m sorry.-
-Don’t forget to eat, Sparky,- Sunset typed in response. -Your nerd brain needs more than pudding cups and coffee.-
-I have instant noodles too! And those brownies you left here.- 
Sunset rolled her eyes. -Try to eat a real meal in there too, not just chocolate,- she encouraged. 
The response had her fighting not to laugh aloud at the wall of text that read like it had been copied from a scientific paper.  -Studies have shown consuming chocolate increases cerebral blood flow, promotes synaptogenesis (the formation of synapses between our neurons) and accumulates in the hippocampus the part of the brain associated with memory.  All things beneficial to my research and ability to review my data.-
-Did you just try to scientifically and medically attempt to justify your chocolate addiction, Sparky?-  There was a delay and while she waited, Sunset left herself a reminder on her phone to pick up some sort of chocolate treat for her girlfriend on Friday.  
Finally, her phone buzzed again. -My need for chocolate is perfectly normal for a young woman, and is not classified as an addiction, Sunny.  It’s a healthy addition to a balanced diet.-
Suppressing a snort, Sunset sent one last message.  -Uh-huh, sure it is.  Feels like you’re trying to sell horseshoes to a blacksmith.  Just don’t eat all of my brownies without me, nerd. If you do, I’ll tickle you until you beg for mercy.- The phone was returned reluctantly to her jeans pocket, and she decided to interrupt the reunion.  “Okay, girls, I know we all want to catch up, but we need to get some work done.”
The princess separated herself from the girls, slinging the bag off her shoulders. “This is a bit of a test,” she commented to Sunset as she set it on the desk and unzipped it. “This was my set of enchanted saddlebags. I wanted to see if the enchantment for the enlarged internal volume held.  I thought it might, since your journal retained its magic.”  Reaching inside, she started removing books. “And it did! Granted, this particular bag was expensive—my sister-in-law bought it for me when Celestia made me her student—so it’s a high end bit of work, but the principle is sound and tested now.”
Sunset sorted through the tomes quickly and with a practiced eye as the rest of her friends crowded around her.  “Yeah—and I can back that data up; I had a similar set of saddlebags with me when I came through the first time.”  Most of the books went on the bookcase next to the desk, but she left the book on minotaur defense out, intending to take it home to translate the pertinent chapters for the Vice Principal. 
Rainbow picked it up and thumbed through it. “You know, Sunset, these books might actually be interesting if they weren’t written in horsey hieroglyphics. Pictures are cool though—check out the minotaur fighting a hydra!  It's like a scene out of a Daring-Do book!”  She grinned, before flipping though looking for more ‘cool pictures’
The redhead sighed. “I can teach you a little, Dash, if you want. I was going to anyways, for emergencies. Otherwise...Twilight, we might need to come up with a ‘translate and duplicate’ spell.  I wrote one years ago for archaic Gryphonic, but we’d have to rewrite the base matrix to account for a different language on both ends of the translation part.”
Twilight flicked open a thinner book, grabbing a pen off the desk and scribbling awkward notes with one hand.  “I’ll have Spike find my notes on the one I used when I was studying some stuff in old Ponish. I can throw something together, though the syntax might be off. I’m not very good with human writing yet. One night on the ‘web’ was not as helpful as you might think.”
Amber fingers reached over, correcting how she held the pen. “Try that. It gives you way more dexterity and fine motor control,” Sunset offered helpfully.  “Most of your fingers operate individually and fairly independently, which gives them the same kind of precision your horn has.”  She could see understanding light up Twilight’s face.  “Believe me, it took me forever to figure out hands.”
Somewhat quicker scribbling, and Twilight set aside her notes, handing Sunset a sheaf of parchment held together with twine.  “I did copy my notes on the Elements of Harmony and on friendship magic, so you could look through them....which includes the half done spell from Starswirl that caused a near disaster in Ponyville with the Elements and my friends’ cutie marks.” Twilight snorted. “I had to undo the whole mess and finish the spell, and honestly? I’m still not sure exactly what the purpose of the spell was.”
That got Sunset to stop skimming through the top page of notes and stare at Twilight. “Wait. Since when was Starswirl interested in cutie marks and just what did this spell do?” Unease crawled up her spine—her cutie mark was a part of her very identity and the mere thought of magic involving them was unsettling. One hand rubbed her thigh where her own mark should have sat proudly. “Everypony knows that using magic to affect cutie marks is dangerous.”
She could feel her friends watching them with confused interest, as Twilight sighed and tossed her head. “I didn’t know it either until the spell went off and scrambled my friends cutie marks around through some kind of sympathetic magical link with their Elements.  It was a very rough day for Ponyville.  I’m just not sure if swapping cutie marks around was the purpose of the spell or an accident...” She frowned.  “He was a great wizard, but his note-taking was abysmal.”
Giggling from her friends interrupted Sunset’s train of thought. She turned towards them, arching an eyebrow. “Let me guess,” she commented dryly. “Cutie marks?”  
While the princess looked on in confusion, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie laughed harder, and even Fluttershy smiled behind her hand. “No wonder you spent so much time trying to be a badass,” the sports star teased. “I would have too!”
Sunset rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smirk. “Get it out of your system now, Dash. Cutie marks are a hugely important part of pony magic.”  She considered how to explain it, to distill such a core part of her own existence down into a few words.  “Cutie marks are...I suppose you can liken them to an outward expression of a pony’s soul and self, representing the talents we have or the things that make us feel alive and complete in life.” A finger tapped the two toned sun that littered her belongings.  “This is mine.” 
“Uh huh...so what's it mean? I mean, it kinda makes sense—it's a sun, your name is Sunset, that sorta thing, but how does that say who you are?” Rainbow munched on one of Pinkie’s cookies.
Blue-green eyes looked away, ignoring the frown on Princess Twilight’s face.  Asking what somepony’s cutie mark meant wasn’t rude, per se... It was just one of those things considered a personal question, not something a stranger would ask another pony, but she reminded herself that these were humans, and her friends.  They don’t have cutie marks, Shimmer. They don’t really get it, and they're curious. They want to know more about you and where you come from.  Sunset sighed, trying to figure out how best to explain the mess that was her mark.  “That’s...complicated. It’s not really words...it’s a feeling, one that comes from deep within, and mine is...it’s not like it is for most ponies.” She rubbed her face.  “Originally, I thought it told me where I belonged...but it didn’t.  After that, because it was connected to my magic, I thought I’d be a powerful spellcaster...but I was never good enough to impress anyone.  Then I thought it meant I was meant for greatness...but that ended with me fleeing to this world.  When I was here, planning, ruling the school, I thought it meant that I was to be the new ruler in Equestria…which ended when I took a rainbow to the face.  Every time I think I know what it means, life proves me wrong. All I really get are these half formed feelings that what I’m doing sometimes is connected to my cutie mark, that I’m doing something that makes me feel...whole.”
The giggling died away, the atmosphere becoming serious for a long, tense moment as Sunset found herself scrutinized by everyone in the room.  It was, of all people, Fluttershy, who spoke first.  “It’s got a yin-yang bit in the center. Does...that mean anything in Equestria?” she asked, her expression thoughtful.  
Sunset glanced at the princess, guessing she might have spent more time reading on ancient symbols, but Twilight shook her head, looking decidedly uncomfortable now.   “We don’t use anything like that in Equestria. There might be something like that in one of the other cultures, but not ponies.”
“Well, here, this symbol belongs to certain cultures.  It represents the necessary dual nature of life, that you cannot have good without evil, day without night,” Fluttershy explained.  
Rarity cleared her throat. “It is also the cycles of life, of how things change, sometimes symbolized as the idea of birth, death, and rebirth...that every end is a beginning, rising from the remnants of the old, like a phoenix from the ashes.”  Then she smiled, knowingly. “Further, in terms of symbolism, especially in astrology, the sun itself is a powerful symbol: fire, leadership, power, strength, nobility, confidence...but also arrogance, ego, selfishness....”  Blue eyes pinned Sunset, and she was reminded very strongly that sometimes it felt like Rarity was capable of picking apart and weighing the measure of her soul.  “Rather like you, darling.”
 Princess Twilight had apparently reached the end of her tolerance for what was, to her, exceptionally rude and bordering on taboo. “Girls,” she interrupted sternly, her voice carrying that note of royal command that Sunset had heard the night of the Fall Formal. “…I understand this isn’t your culture, but what you’re doing right now is not just rude, it’s invasive. Cutie marks are deeply personal things, and it isn’t —”
The unicorn-turned-human raised a hand, forestalling the scolding and the inevitable apologies from her friends. “It’s alright, Twilight.”
“But—!”  There was a familiar defensive tone in the alicorn’s voice, one that was identical to Sparky’s ire when she was upset on Sunset’s behalf.
 “They didn’t know, and I didn’t stop them,” Sunset interrupted her again, meeting purple eyes. “Let it go…please.”  She took a deep breath, still holding Twilight’s gaze.   Eventually, the other pony faltered, shoulders slumping in defeat.   “Thank you,” she murmured, patting the princess’ shoulder.  She tried smiling at her friends, but the expression felt…forced.  Fake.  They could tell too, she realized. “It’s okay girls…I just…give me like ten minutes? I…need to clear my head.”
“Go,” Applejack said evenly. “We’ll hold down the fort, mebbe get the rest of that stuff unpacked.  Take yer time.”
On shaky legs, Sunset left the room, headed for her sanctuary in the library. It was too much, all at once, to process while handling her friends and the princess too. She needed the quiet, the privacy, to think and feel and react.  Locking the door behind her, she sank into the beanbag on the floor, staring at a blank spot on the wall without really seeing it. What did it mean that the one thing in her life that had been uniquely, completely, and undeniably hers had held a human symbol all along?  Did it mean she’d been fated to fail as Celestia’s student? Was that why she had seen her human form in the mirror the night the Princess of the Sun had let her look into it?  Was her fall, her transformation into a monster…were those things always going to happen?
Memory tickled at the back of her mind, from that night that felt like a lifetime ago. Of the voice, the white expanse, the mirror…of its parting words to her as the Crown of Magic had torn free of her.  Was that what it had meant about her being ‘meant for a different path?’ That she’d been marked all along to be exiled to this world? Was that why she’d never quite fit in in Equestria? Why she’d been so different? Or was she reading too much into it?  It was so hard to say, because she couldn’t even say for certain exactly when the fiery sun had appeared on her flank, only when it had been discovered…





They were on the third tub of steaming bathwater, and Sunset was still caked in mud from her barrel to her tail. It had taken the Princess forever to get the mud out of her mane alone, but she’d managed, and the fiery curls were plastered to her head and neck.  Little Philomena was finally clean, and had made a comfortable nest for herself in Sunset’s wet mane, occasionally letting out sleepy cheeping sounds and affectionately pecking at one of the filly’s ears. Familiar magic in sunshine gold held a washcloth lathered with soap, rubbing and scrubbing away mud and debris, making Sunset’s skin twitch whenever the soap stung the little scratches she’d acquired during her misadventure into the muck.  Princess Celestia was humming Sunset’s lullaby, the notes making her yawn. She wanted a nap. Oh well…at least the water was nice and warm.
“You certainly are quite a mess, my little sun.  I didn’t know one small filly could get this much mud stuck to her.”  The princess smiled at her, one of those happy, funny smiles that only Sunset got to see. “You are also very lucky, Sunset. You could have gotten hurt, and I wouldn’t have known how to find you.”
Her ears flattened to her head, disappearing in the mass of soggy hair. “I’m sorry, Princess…I didn’t mean to do anything bad…I just…wanted to save them. Even if I didn’t do so good at that either…” Tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them. 
A soft wingtip brushed her shoulders in a partial embrace, before wiping away the tear that made its way down her cheek.  “Shhh…You did a very noble and brave thing, little sun. I’m very proud of you for trying so hard to save a life—you have a big heart, Sunset.” 
The words made Sunset feel like she was ready to burst from happiness.  Beaming at the princess, she pawed at the water with a front hoof.  “I wanted to do like you,” she told the mare shyly. “You said that we should help others who are hurt and scared, even if we don’t know them.  That's why we went there even though it was late and I was already sleeping, right? Helping was more important than bedtime, or lessons, or pancakes.”  The filly paused, tiny brow furrowing. “And more important than not getting in trouble.”
Princess Celestia was silent, and Sunset shrank in on herself. Had she gotten it wrong? Was the princess not proud of her anymore? Carefully, that tiny hoof reached out to touch a white furred leg. “M—Princess Celestia?”
The strange, scary quiet disappeared, as did the way the princess’ eyes looked at her but not at her.  “...you did well, my little sun,” she murmured, brushing her hoof gently against Sunset’s cheek. For a second, Sunset thought Princess Celestia sounded sad, but that was gone as the alicorn smiled at her. “But it means now you’re a very muddy little filly who I have to get clean.”  
Sunset giggled, but submitted to the scrubbing, distracted by telling Philomena all about the best things in the palace. Like the cookies, which the kitchens always had plenty of.  She barely heard Princess Celestia ask her to stand, and doing as she was told didn’t even slow her talking.
But Princess Celestia’s sudden gasp did. She stopped talking about the best places to stargaze, her ears and the head turning towards the alicorn. “What’s wrong, Princess Celestia?”
The princess was focused on the patch of fur on Sunset’s flank, scrubbing much more gently now to get the layers of mud off. “Did you cut yourself, Sunset? Or Your fur is stained red here and—” Princess Celestia’s eyes widened. “Oh, Sunset,” she said in the softest voice Sunset had ever heard.  “When did this happen?”
“What? What is it? Lemme see!” She craned her head around, trying to see what the alicorn was looking at, but only ended up going in circles and catching a bit of red against the warm sunny color of her fur.  
This time it was hooves and wings that enfolded her in a nice warm hug, despite the mud and the wet. She leaned into the embrace, nuzzling happily into white fur.  The princess kissed the top of her head. “My precious little sun,” she responded, sounding happy and sad at the same time, “you truly are a special filly. You’ve earned your cutie mark.”
Shock and awe raced through her. “I did? I thought I was too little!  What is it?” She squirmed, wanting to get out of the hug to see her new mark.  “I thought you were supposed to know when you get it, Princess Celestia. I don’t feel any different, and I didn’t feel different today.” Finally getting free, Sunset tried to contort herself to view it, managing to get a glimpse of red and a darker gold on her fur. Her eyes squinted and she flicked on ear playfully against Philomena. “It's colored like you, Philomena! But I can’t see what it is? Is it a phoenix, Princess?”
“No, Sunset....it’s a sun...a very pretty, fiery, bold sun, perfect for a very pretty and bold filly.” A mirror floated into view in the princess’ magic, turning so Sunset could see her new cutie mark.  
Blue-green eyes went wide. “It looks like yours, Princess Celestia!”
The Princess of the Sun didn’t answer, but her eyes were shining.
> Interlude XIV: Painful Truths, Rising Hopes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The door shut behind Sunset Shimmer with a click, leaving six people in silence.  Applejack’s gaze sought Rarity’s, finding those dark blue eyes filled with remorse and guilt. She reached out, hooking their fingers together, squeezing as gently as she could. The corner of her partner’s mouth twitched, but that was enough for the farmer. 
Then she sighed, taking off her hat with a free hand and setting it on the nearby bookcase.  “Right. Since no one else wants ta come out’n say it, Ah will.  That there was a blue-ribbon shit-show, and we went headfirst inta the manure bin.”
Twilight watched them for a minute, still frowning. “You’re right, Applejack. That was bad...I guess I thought because just about everyone here seems to wear stuff with cutie marks on them, that it was the same....but it’s not, is it?” Her hand, curled into an awkward fist, rubbed over the six pointed star on her skirt, her whole body shifting uneasily.
Applejack thought about the picture Sunset had on many of her things, then looked around, picking out similar iconography on each of them. “If yer talkin’ about stuff like this,” she replied, tapping the apple belt buckle she never went anywhere without, “then yeah, it’s...similar but not the same. We pick these ourselves, and not everyone does it. It’s leftovers from days when most folk couldn’t read’r’write, so folks would come up with a picture so they could sign things. Nowadays, it’s just sorta a fun tradition, mebbe somethin’ special if ya got family t’do it with. And people can change ‘em too, like pick out a different one if they think they’ve changed enough that the first one don’t suit them no more...”
Twilight’s face lost a considerable amount of color at the explanation, as if it bothered her on some deep and fundamental level.  “Nopony would ever speak of cutie marks with such a…cavalier attitude.  We don’t choose them—we earn them, by discovering something deeply personal about ourselves, whether it’s a talent or special gift, or just something that makes us the pony we are, at a point in our lives where we are growing and learning who we are meant to be.  They aren’t just an identifier, they’re a representation of our true selves, our passions, the things that give us life and purpose…Cutie marks guide us, encourage us, nudge us, and sometimes a pony can spend their whole life discovering exactly what their mark entails.  Messing with a pony’s cutie mark isn’t just upsetting…it’s practically a violation of our souls, and it can make us lose a part of ourselves…”  She turned back to her friends. “That’s why it’s never okay to try and tell somepony else what their cutie mark means.”
Fluttershy had tears making tracks down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to be mean,” she whispered, voice almost too quiet to hear.  “I just thought it was interesting that ponies might use some of the same symbols as people.”
“And I confess I was trying to help her feel more positive about it, that maybe we could help her find the positive symbolism, even in the negatives of her past.  She focuses so much on the bad that I worry about her...” Rarity took a step closer to Applejack, far inside the farmer’s personal space.  The blonde let go of her hand to put an arm around her in a hug.
“We all do,” Rainbow pointed out. “No matter how many times we say we forgive her, Sunset keeps finding reasons to apologize.  She’s beating herself up worse than she ever did anyone else...and that’s bad.”
“It’s better than it was.  She’s confident again, and...I think this magic is helping.” Fluttershy played with her hair.  “She smiles a lot now, even when she thinks no one can see her. She didn’t do that before, and she even called me the other day to start coordinating on the park cleanup project.”
“Eyup...Ah noticed that too, today. She’s got that swagger back ta her walk.”  Applejack ran a hand through her hair when everyone gave her weird looks. “Dunno what else ta call it, but she’s got this...way...when she walks. Turns heads, gets attention. She used ta have somethin’ like it before, but she lost it...an’ now it's back an’ then some.” She shrugged, unable to explain it better.
Their visitor from Equestria nodded. “I noticed that myself earlier. She radiates this...charisma...”  She frowned. “She said she’s happy here, happier than she’s ever been...” Worried purple eyes looked to them.  “Is that true? Is she really happy here, do you think?”
Instinctively, AJ turned towards Rarity—they’d had this conversation themselves, several times over the last few months.  The tailor bit her lip, then gave a slight nod. Turning back toward Twilight, Applejack sighed. “If ya’d asked that right after the formal, Ah’d’ve said no. She was a miserable mess, cowerin’ like a terrified mouse at everything an’ everyone. Think the only times I saw her smile was when she was leavin’ fer the weekends.”
Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, well that was when people were messing with her locker and shit...” She scowled. “And I was pretty shitty to her too.”
Waving a hand, Applejack continued, “None o’ us are proud o’ how we handled things at first, Dash, even me....but we fixed that, and good.” Then she turned back to Twilight. “It was bad. She was hurtin’ inside, eat up with guilt fer all the wrong she did, turnin’ all that temper in on herself.  If ya’d come back ta visit then, Ah prolly woulda asked ya ta find a better solution. But now?”  She settled her hat back on her head. “Somethin’ changed, when we beat the Sirens. The last few weeks? It’s like we’re seein’ this whole other Sunset Shimmer, an’ damn of it ain’t a sight ta behold.  She cares, Twilight. About this school, an’ the folks in it, about figurin’ out the magic so things like the Sirens cant happen again.  It’s like...like she’s come alive, like she’s found her spark, her fire....So yer askin’ if she’s really happy, if she’s better off goin’ back ta Equestria rather than stayin’ here?” 
There was a slow nod, and AJ crossed her arms. “Everythin’ in mah gut is tellin’ me that she belongs here now, with us...an’ she always has. Equestria didn’t deserve her, an’ Equestria made her inta what came here to make trouble.”
Dash crushed a soda can with a loud and defiant twist of her wrists, dropping it into a trashcan. “Sunset might be a unicorn, but dammit, she’s our unicorn.” She smiled in a way that was more baring her teeth than a gesture of friendliness. “If the land of magical talking horses wants her back, they’ll have to go through us.”
Twilight’s fisted hands curled against her chest, a defensive gesture Applejack had seen Sunset use. The farmer stepped away from her partner to move between Rainbow Dash and Twilight, one hand going to Rainbow’s shoulder. “Whoa there....settle down. We’re all friends here, right?” She gave the soccer player a long, hard look, until the other girl relented with a tight nod.  “What Rainbow means is that Sunset is our family now, an’ we take care of our own. Everythin’ we’ve heard says that Sunset was unhappy in Equestria, an’ we don’t want ta see her made ta go back ta bein’ unhappy like that, especially if she don’t want ta.”
“....Alright...I...believe you,” Twilight said, relaxing.  “And I really am glad she has you girls—in any world, you five are the best friends anyone could ever ask for.”
Applejack exhaled, returning to her spot by Rarity’s side. “Wouldn’t go that far, Twi, but it's kind of ya ta say that.  Ah think we do need some help from you though.”
“I’d be happy to help if I can! What do you need?”
Her brows furrowed. “We need ta know what kinda things are off limits ta do or say.  Sunset tells us sometimes, but...most of the time she doesn’t seem ta think about it, or like just now, she just...brushes it off.”
Fluttershy spoke up, half hiding in her hair when everyone looked her way. “…Sometimes, it’s like she thinks it’s okay when people do something that hurts her or upsets her if it’s something that’s a unicorn thing. I don’t know if it’s because she’s pretended for so long that nothing gets to her, or if she’s just so used to acting human that she doesn’t consider that we don’t mind if she acts like herself, like a pony.”  Her eyes dropped to the floor. “…Maybe if we know, we won’t accidentally make it worse for her—being here and living with humans, I mean.”
A dark haired head nodded. “I can do that. I should probably clarify a bit about Cutie Marks too, since that’s complicated.  What has she already told you about ponies and pony culture?”
Adjusting her stetson, the farmer tried to remember the things Sunset had mentioned.  Luckily, Rarity stepped in.  “We’re aware of the dietary differences, and have tried to do our best to make sure we have meatless options available at get-togethers.  We also learned about some of the distinct social...discrepancies, such as how your culture handles someone with Sunset’s...ah...temperament.  She and I also had a very enlightening talk about how ponies view love and romance which I found to be particularly fascinating…” She trailed off a moment later, pale cheeks flushing as she cleared her throat and did her best to look less flustered than she was. “And we learned about the social impropriety of manhandling a unicorn horn...”  Blue eyes flitted to Applejack, who felt her own face warm, memories of some experimental evenings over break surfacing.  She ducked her head to hide the reaction while she wrangled her thoughts back to where they belonged.  
She looked back up a minute later to find Twilight looking embarrassed as well. “That’s actually the biggest one,” their friend admitted, “because it’s not just sensitive to contact, it’s...it’s dangerous if somepony doesn’t know what they are doing.” She chewed her lip pensively. “You might want to avoid criticism about her horn—some unicorns can be sensitive about that, if it’s got something they perceive as flawed about it.” She rubbed her knuckles against her forehead, right where her horn sat when she ponied up.  “Some unicorns are of the mistaken belief that the shape, length, and curvature of of the horn is an indicator of a unicorn’s lineage and magical prowess. It has no actual backing in any research ever done, but that doesn’t stop it from being something that some unicorns are bothered by, especially if they were teased as foals over it.”
“Cutie marks on the other hand, are complicated. It’s okay to ask a pony their cutie mark story, or what their special talents are...but asking directly about its meaning, like Rainbow Dash did earlier...it’s considered an extremely personal question, something close friends or family can ask or discuss, but not something to be asked by strangers, as it would be seen as invasive, nosy.” She sighed. “And you should never ever try to tell somepony what their cutie mark means...it’s like you’re telling them who they should be, as if they are not capable of understanding their own thoughts and feelings.  I know you girls meant well, but that was very inappropriate.” 
Twilight sat down in the desk chair.  “At the same time, we love talking about the things connected to our cutie marks. Those talents are usually also our passions—I love talking about magic for example, and my friends all love discussing things connected with their marks.  Just like you girls love talking about your passions and hobbies.”
“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, blue eyes lighting up with sudden realization. “Do you mean something akin to how I love talking about my clothing designs, or how it makes me feel when I design something beautiful for one of my friends to wear? It always fills me with an energy and joy to see that smile on someone’s face when I’ve made something uniquely suited to them!”
Rainbow chimed in excitedly as her brain made the connection. “Or like how I feel when we score that winning goal in the last minute of the game and I know that my team is the best there is, because all that practice and gameplay plans pay off! It’s like something is just under my skin, you know?”
Their friend nodded, a smile coming over her face. “Yes, cutie marks feel very much like that.  The things they’re connected to are such a huge part of who a pony is that we want to share that with our friends and family, because even if their cutie marks are about different things, we can share and enjoy each others passions and enthusiasm.”  Then she grew somber again, and when she met Applejack’s eyes, the farmer could see anxious worry etched onto her face.  “For some ponies, their cutie marks are easy to explain and correlate to a hobby or aspect of their personality—though in my studies I’ve learned that there is often a deeper element at play than just the obvious, even for the obvious cutie marks.  However, some ponies…we have marks that are a little more difficult to explain, to understand without either knowing the pony on a personal level or having them explain it to you.  Mine is like that, and it seems Sunset’s is too, and it can be a lot harder for even the pony themselves to quantify it in any particular manner.  It's…not uncommon among magically gifted unicorns whose focus is in magic and spellwork, actually.”
The princess paused, thinking for a long minute, then glanced again at Applejack. “What you said before, about her…that the things she’s doing lately make her seem more alive, happier? It’s very possible that those things somehow tie back to her cutie mark in some way, even if they don’t define it entirely.”  Her gaze dropped to the bag with the sun symbol embroidered into the leather, tracing a single finger around the curved rays of red and gold. “If it’s something that she’s never really found a satisfactory answer for…just…be gentle with her?  She might choose to talk about it, but it needs to be her choice. Cutie marks are so deeply a part of us, and to be as old as she is and still searching for that answer to what her mark means…”  Twilight trailed off, worried.
Rarity’s eyes found her partner’s, as troubled as Twilight’s, and Applejack gave her a slight nod, letting her know that she picked up on the hinted layers under what the visiting princess had said.  Rarity reached over and touched Twilight’s arm with her fingertips. “…Something that will prove more difficult given that this is not Equestria, and she is not living amongst a culture that will fully understand her drive? We…were not aware of that before, darling, but now we are.  And whether we truly grasp it is irrelevant. Sunset is our friend, and we will be there for her in whatever capacity she most needs, whilst doing our best to be sensitive to the cultural differences between our peoples.”
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed. “…we’ll take good care o’ Sunset Shimmer. She’s more’n just a friend. She’s family, an’ we look after our own here.”
“Damn right we do,” Rainbow said, eyes fierce. 
Fluttershy cleared her throat nervously. “Though it would help if you could tell us what other cultural taboos there might be to worry about…”
“Truth be told, girls, there’s not really a lot of taboos in our culture that aren’t fairly universal to most cultures…Much of what I can think on I’ve been made to understand that humans have similar feelings on.  In fact, between my conversations with Sunset and my experiences here, it seems that it’s actually the other way around.  I’ve come to understand that there are a number of things that ponies don’t even consider that humans are extremely focused on, like wearing clothing.” Twilight was smiling again.  “Does that help?”
Applejack looked around the room, finding three other sets of eyes and seeing her own emotions reflected.  “Yeah, that helps Twi. Thanks.”  Then she frowned and looked around the room again, doing a head count of her friends and checking all the odd corners and strange nooks.  “Hey—where did Pinkie Pie go?”





Pinkamena Diane Pie was on a special mission, one that was something only a Pinkie Pie could do.  And since she was the only Pinkie currently here, she had to do it...though she supposed she could have borrowed Sunset’s magic book to talk to pony Pinkie.  Oh well. It might not call for more than one Pinkie.
She knew Sunset Shimmer. Sunset had places in the school she felt safe in.  The music room when they practiced there, the new magic room, the library, the Wondercolt Statue, and the office.  And right now...
Her left ring finger itched as she sneezed three times, followed by a weird twitch in her right ear.  That meant Sunset was in the library. “To the library!” she declared to an empty hall, before humming the perfect spy theme as she moved all super stealthy like through the school.  Which meant she put on her super spying outfit, of course.  
The library was mostly empty, but that was good. Sunset didn’t need noisy students right now.  Pinkie found the closed door on the second floor, and she listened really close.  She needed to know if this was a cookie situation, a sparkly cupcake situation, or if it called for much more drastic measures.  Pinkie idly wondered if she could use her magic to bake a cake quick enough for this if it was bigger than a sparkly cupcake situation.
She heard no sounds, and since her foot wasn’t tap-tap-tapping like an excited Easter Bunny, it seemed this was a sparkly cupcake situation. Good. She had plenty of those.  
Testing the doorknob, she found it locked.  Frowning briefly, she squatted down and stared hard at the door. It had no cause to stay locked, especially in a Pinkie mission, when her friend was super sad like this.  Evidentially, the door agreed with her, because when she tapped it with one finger, it swung inward a few inches. It sure was nice to have such an accommodating school!  
Silent as a church mouse that had once sat with her through a Sunday service—Frederick Von Whiskerton had been much more interested than she had been, but in her defense, she was seven at the time, and was missing a super awesome party for one of her classmates—Pinkie slipped into the tiny room.
Curled up on a beanbag, in near darkness and staring at a wall, was Sunset.  Her chin was resting on her knees, and the wall must’ve had something super neat on it because she didn’t even look up when the door opened.  Or she was just that sad. Which was bad.
It was time to do what she came to do, and quick, because she hadn’t seen Sunset look this little and lost since she stopped being a meanie-pants.  Pinkie plopped down on the beanbag next to her, wrapping arms around her sad pony friend and squeezing tight.  Sunset jolted at the sudden contact, whole body tensing in the hug, before she recognized Pinkie. She smiled at Sunset, squeezing tighter and letting the other girl rest her head on Pinkie’s shoulder.  
Sunset burrowed into the hug for a super long time, but Pinkie stayed nice and quiet and still. Sometimes hugs needed to be long and quiet to make things better.  Marble needed a lot of quiet hugs, even after Mom had started home-schooling her, so Pinkie was well versed in quiet hugs like this.  She knew she was a good hugger—she was squishy, just like a cuddly stuffed animal, except she could hug back.  She’d like to see a teddy bear do that! That made her wonder what hugging a pony shaped pony would be like? The drawings Sunset had done at New Years made the magic ponies look cute and cuddly too, and she wondered of they were as soft as they looked. Maybe someday Twilight would let her come through the portal to find out?
It took a little while, but eventually Sunset pulled away to sit up straight and wipe her eyes with a tissue. “Thanks, Pinkie,” she said quietly.  
“Happy to help, Sunset,” she responded with a grin. “I know you are sad, but I wasn’t about to let one of my best friends be sad alone—that doesn’t make it better, it just makes you lonely too.  Sometimes quiet hugs are the right hugs to give.”  She retrieved the cupcake with its glittery frosting.  “Here,” she said, extending it to her friend.
Sunset took it, and Pinkie knew she was still not happy. “Rarity didn’t mean to be mean,” Pinkie offered. “I think she wanted to help you solve the riddle of what your sun means, cause she thought you’d be happy.”
“I know,” Sunset answered, and Pinkie could see that her eyes were still lost, even though she took a bite of the cupcake.  “I’m not upset about that, really. I’m just...”
Uh oh.  Pinkie’s whole body shivered, her eyebrow twitching and an itch hitting her knee. This was deep stuff. Time for serious friend Pinkie Pie, to stop the brain goblins from digging into Sunset’s mind.  She assumed an attentive, listening pose—Sunset wanted to talk about it, but she needed to know she was being heard... people always seemed to think she wasn’t listening if she didn’t do the listening pose.  Which was silly, really. Pinkie remembered everything she heard and saw. How else would she keep track of everything she needed to know about her friends to plan parties for them? Imagine if she didn’t, and then she threw a party for a friend, and had quesadillas for a snack, only that friend hated them! That would be a terrible party surprise! 
Waiting was definitely the right choice, because Sunset blew her nose and tried again. “I’ve had a human symbol on my flank since before I ever heard about humans, before I ever knew about the mirror that connects to the statue. What if this was my destiny? To come here, to stop being a pony, to end up in this body....what if it was my destiny to never be accepted in Equestria, to be such an arrogant , mean pony, to run away here, and turn into a monster? And if that was my destiny, why? More than that, is that why everything seems like it’s going right in my life? Do my choices even really matter, or is it all already mapped out for me?”
Ooo...this was a toughie. Sunset’s brain goblins were a lot worse than she thought.  Pinkie had to do this just right or she wouldn’t get them all.  “Of course they matter, Sunset!  If you like chocolate cake but hate coffee cake, and someone asks you which one you want at your party, even though you know you’re going to choose chocolate it still matters! Because you got to pick the flavor you like, which means you’ll be happier at the party, instead of grumpy because you hate your cake! And then you’ll have a better time and you being happy will make your friends happy, and you’ll make good memories that will make you smile for years to come! And maybe if you hadn’t picked your cake, and left it up to chance, none of those things would happen, and maybe something super special and important that could’ve happened at the party doesn’t, and then maybe because of that, something even bigger and more important doesn’t happen, and someone's life is totally different because of it!”  She paused to take a deep breath...and eat a cupcake, because talking like that was hungry work.  And the little candy butterfly shaped sprinkles were delicious!
Her friend was quiet for a long time, eyes wide and a little startled...that was good. It meant Pinkie had said things just right, and the tickle at her nose confirmed it.  She just needed to wait until Sunset realized that too.
Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “That was...surprisingly deep, Pinkie. Maybe...maybe you’re right. Destiny or not, I can still decide which path to take. I can choose who I am now, and if that’s part of of some grand fate, who cares. I’m doing what I feel I should be doing.” Her lips slowly curled back into a happy expression, and she gave Pinkie another hug—this one was one of those Apple-family-style-bear-hugs, the kind that made your back pop with a funny noise and hurt your ribs a little. She wondered if Sunset had been taking hug lessons from Applejack.  “I choose the chocolate cake, and I’m going to enjoy my party.”
Pinkie made a noise of pure joy, pulling Sunset to her feet and looping their arms together. “That’s the spirit, Sunset Shimmer! And don’t forget, you’ll always have your friends to help you eat that cake!”  She winked, sharing the not-so-secret-secret in a loud whisper, “I don’t know if you noticed, but we loooooove cake!”
Chuckling, Sunset bumped Pinkie with her shoulder. “I noticed,” she teased. “C’mon, we should get back before the girls send a search party.”
Mission accomplished, and it was a rousing success! It made Pinkie want to do some victory cartwheels in celebration, but she settled for tugging Sunset out of the room, their arms still looped together.  As they reached the library door, Pinkie stopped for a moment to stare at Sunset, an errant thought crossing her mind. “I wonder what it feels like to hug you as a pony shaped pony...”
Without waiting for an answer that time, because it really didn’t need one, Pinkie Pie dragged one very confused Sunset back to where the rest of their friends were waiting.
> Chapter Fifty Nine: Trials of a Teenage Unicorn Girl Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset felt moderately better after leaving the library.  Pinkie’s unexpected presence had turned out to be exactly what she needed, and the thrum of the party planner’s magic still had her nerves buzzing and her mental gears turning. There had been no actual pony-up, but the energy had been there, cocooning her like a soft blanket and raising her spirits, like Pinkie’s hugs had somehow extended to her soul.  And what was more, was that her friend seemed completely unaware that it had happened, not unlike Applejack at New Years.
It was something she couldn’t quite explain—unicorns, even young foals, could sense their surges, feel the magic power inside, and while she wasn’t well versed in the other tribes, she thought that they should be able to sense their own magic when it was that powerful, despite being fairly incapable of a lot of active magic. She wasn’t entirely certain if this was a human flaw, or if something else was at work, making them oblivious to the magic itself.  
As they approached the room, Sunset could sense more faint, lingering magic in the air. It quickened her pace, and she reentered the room looking for the source, startling her friends with her abrupt arrival.  She recognized some of the traces as Applejack’s magic, and the other...the way it left a static like prickle along her arms made her memories flit back to the first time she had felt something similar.  Her eyes found Rainbow Dash, who was watching her intently, a silent question in them, and the memory sharpened.
“What exactly do you think you’re going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have NONE!” Red heat, the color of violence and blood, tinted her vision and her guts churn, all directed at the half-baked, undeserving, wannabe princess, who just refused to admit defeat in some obnoxious display of misplaced courage.
Lightning lanced through her awareness as someone else answered for the Princess. “She has us!” declared the raspy voice, and Sunset resisted the urge to cringe as it raked across her very essence, as if the voice itself held magic of its own, magic that hurt, magic that somehow reminded her of every broken promise and every lonely night in two worlds...
That had been well before Twilight had tapped into the Crown Sunset had stolen, before the girls had channeled the Elements, the redhead realized.  Yet...this feeling dancing along her senses was identical to that first lightning charge.  Bringing her mind back to the present, Sunset saw that her expression was one laced with concern.  The redhead took a deep breath and smiled at Dash to let the athlete know she was okay.  
The former unicorn had barely started to frame the question she wanted to ask in her mind when four human bodies attached themselves to her in a tangle of arms, what felt like a leg or two, and a disorienting chorus of worried voices that filled her ears.  Squirming her arms free, she squeezed Rarity and Fluttershy around the shoulders to let them know she wasn’t angry with either of them.  “Girls, I promise, I’m okay,” she reassured.  “Really. I just needed to sort out my feelings, and you know how I get with that sometimes. It’s fine, really.”  
Still in the hug, she met the gaze of the princess some distance away.  The other pony looked worried, her hands curled into fists and tucked up against her chest—the absolute picture of an anxious Twilight Sparkle about ready to start pacing.  It wasn’t her Twilight, but she found herself wanting to soothe the alicorn’s anxiety all the same.  Sunset lifted her hand off Rarity’s shoulders to beckon Twilight over. “Come on, Princess. You and Pinkie might as well both get in here and make this a real group hug.”
That did the trick, tension draining from the alicorn as she joined in the tangle of arms and hugging bodies.   Sunset savored the feel of being surrounded by her friends, finding her own nerves soothed by the emotions and lingering magic filling her.  
Once the hug started to break up, Sunset asked casually, “So did anyone pony-up while I was gone?”  The moment she said it, Twilight’s expression turned serious, and Sunset knew it wasn’t just her. The princess had sensed it too.
“No...?” Rarity responded, one eyebrow arching. “But you asking means you’re sensing magic, doesn’t it?”
Sunset nodded her head. “And not for the first time. It happened when Pinkie and I were talking just a few minutes ago, and on New Year’s Eve too.  I was worried maybe I was wanting too much to see magic where there wasn’t any, or that whatever has been causing my own surges was scrambling my magic sense.”
“It’s not just you,” Twilight confirmed. “I sensed it too. I can see why you wanted me to bring a thaumometer.” She turned towards her bag, pulling random things out of it— several canvas bags that jingled with the familiar sound of gold bits, as well as a few that clicked with the unmistakable sound of large gems shifting against each other, a large satchel with the emblem of the royal palace on it, and several pieces of familiar looking arcanotech devices—before holding aloft what looked like a top of the line thaumometer, a mixture of carefully shaped metal, projection crystals, with an enchanted core made to activate with a press of a button.  Judging by the energy in the device, Sunset suspected it was one of the self charging models; that was confirmed when she spotted the Sunfire Crystal embedded in top.  
“You’ve had more than one near surge?” she asked, turning back around with the device in hand, already fiddling with the interface and staring at the equestrian symbols it was projecting in front of her face. “Same as you described in your note? Oh good, it looks like the thaumometer survived the trip...”
The other girls were staring at the device, listening to the two of them with obvious interest. Sunset nodded. “Yes. At least three or four ‘almost surges.’  I’m starting to get a handle on them, but I swear, it's like learning to levitate feathers all over again.”  She gave her companions a wry half-smile. “At least I haven’t blown anything up or started any fires this time.”
A concerned hand touched her arm, Rarity’s expression filled with worry. “Is that something we should be mindful of, darling?”
“I don’t know yet. That’s why we’re doing this.” She shrugged, not sure what else to offer, and not entirely sure she wanted to delve deeper into exactly what the concern was in regards to. “It’s entirely likely that what's happening to me is completely unique to me—I’ve always had a problem with surges when my emotions get the better of me.”
The designer’s brows furrowed. “That’s...not exactly comforting, Sunset.”
“Sorry, Rarity…I’m not going to lie to you girls about it, but the fact is that the risk of magic surges has always been a part of my life. I got better as I got older, but it’s only been living in this world where I didn’t have to worry so much about holding tight to my emotions…because up until recently, my magic couldn’t do anything but sit there, inert.  Now that it’s active, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised that I’m having to relearn some of my old emotional control.” She turned back towards the princess. “Got it calibrated?”
“Almost. It’s getting the ambient baseline of the local space first...you know that always takes forever.”  Twilight had moved away from the other tech on the desk, as well as from the girls and had the device pointed away from them.  “It’s almost finished. Now before coming here, I took a bunch of readings for comparison with this same device to help compare, starting with myself, as well as most of the objects I brought—this model has a memory crystal in it, by the way, that can record up to ten thousand subjects, and can create long term profiles on a particular being or object to show variations over time. I figured that can further help us establish a comparison.”  
The device let out a musical chime, an image of Equestrian glyphs projecting for Twilight to see. “Hmm...that’s interesting...” Purple eyes looked to Sunset. “The ambient baseline for the school is much higher than I thought it would be.  Though that could be a result of all the magic that’s been used here.”  
“How high is it?” 
Twilight scrunched her nose. “I would’ve expected something considerably less than the SET level of a normal place in Equestria, since there's not much magic native to this world...but this is giving me a baseline of 1.1003 SETs.”  She turned the device on herself, then checked the results. “Mine’s still the same, so it can’t be the device.  Sunset, do you remember your SET level?”
The former unicorn snorted. “Of course,” she responded without pause. “8.5264, six months before I came here. Annual check-up with the palace physician.”  A pause, her eyes glancing towards the group of humans wearing matching confused looks. “SET stands for Standard Equestrian Thaums. It measures the amount of magical energy in an object or area. It’s a logarithmic scale, rather like the way you guys measure earthquakes.”
Rainbow’s eyes had glazed over when decimal points started getting thrown around.  “And you can just...remember that?”
“Absolutely,” Sunset and Twilight chorused, before looking at each other and sharing a laugh.  Twilight took over, going into lecture mode. “Every unicorn memorizes their SET level—it’s vital for our health in a medical emergency, especially in cases of over-expenditure of magic.  It’s like a pegasus knowing their WPI—that’s Wing Power Index.”
“Not to mention, in certain circles, your SET level or WPI is a point of pride and bragging rights.” Sunset didn’t elaborate, but the eye roll from Twilight told her the other pony knew exactly which ‘circles’ she meant.  
Twilight continued, “As I was saying, it’s an important number for us. Mine was 8.4761 before I became an alicorn, and now it’s 9.3188. For comparison, earth ponies average a 2.75, pegasi 3.5, and most unicorns sit at about a 4.75, usually because of our internal magical reserves being much bigger to manifest levitation and active spells.  Baseline for acceptance into Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns is 5.5 SETs.  And of course, Princess Celestia is estimated to be at 10–though I managed to get a reading on all of the Equestrian Princesses, and of course the numbers are never so nice and even.”
Sunset could see vague understanding in their eyes, but also the slightly dazed expressions that meant they were starting to become overwhelmed by new information and excessive amounts of numbers.  She gently broke in when Twilight paused to breathe.  “The important point here is that this world has very little magic, almost to the point of being a magical void zone.  The fact that the thaumometer is measuring an amount of magic at all is something to look into.  We need to know if CHS is special or if everywhere is like this.”
The princess blinked, tugged out of lecture mode and back to reality, and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Er...yes.” 
Gesturing with one hand towards the desk, Sunset asked, “Is all of this stuff for us here? There’s a lot more than I was expecting you to bring through.”  That was an understatement. She’d been expecting a stack of books and some basic provisions for research, but this was  about three satchels too many for that.
“Yes, it should be, other than my personal research journal, which I intend to take back with me to Equestria.”  Twilight tilted her head. “Why don’t you go ahead and look through it all while I get some base readings from everyone else. That way, three sets of eyes have taken inventory of the equipment and supplies for the project.”
Sinking into the desk chair that was her personal purchase for this room—if she was going to spend the kind of after school hours in here that Sunset suspected, there was no way she was doing it in one of the painful, cheap chairs the school purchased in bulk—the former unicorn started inspecting the equipment first.  Much of it was fairly standard for any magical research lab or for low level artificing, and she organized them in the drawers of the desk, making use of the empty plastic baskets that had been left in there by whatever teacher had used it last. There were etching and engraving tools for spellgems and wardstones, lengths of different wire and chains, settings for gems, a small jeweler’s kit that would let her shape, fracture, and grind crystals as needed, a basic set of alchemical tools and supplies which she stuck on one of the near empty bookshelves beside some pilfered chemistry supplies, and a few other odds and ends that Sunset hadn’t thought of but might end up coming in handy.  
Then she moved onto the canvas bags, listening to the conversation going on behind her with half an ear, chuckling as she heard Rainbow checking the setup for their instruments and testing it with her guitar.  The first two bags she opened were filled with bits.  “This is a lot of bits, Twilight,” she commented over her shoulder, scooping out a handful of gold coins and letting them spill back into the bag with the distinctive sound only Equestrian currency made.  
“It’s actually not that much—it would have been higher, but I used the standard research budget for a project funded by the crown, and most of it is actually being spent on the materials you need from Equestria. That’s what remains after all the purchases and expenditures, and most of it is your stipend as the official head researcher on the project.”  Twilight scribbled down some notes in her book after running a scan on Rarity.  “Because of the temporal variance between the two worlds—I’m still working on pinning down the exact calculations for that—that’s actually a six month stipend, plus the rest of the liquidated finances for the your project budget.”
Sunset chewed her lip. She’d tried to tell Princess Twilight that she didn’t need the stipend here, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought this could work out.  The redhead knew she’d have to call her financial manager, and get the coins converted into human currency, but given the fact that Equestrian bits were nearly solid gold worked in her favor.  A minor stipend and project budget for a one-mare-and-five-monkey research team was a fortune here.  She didn’t need the cash flow herself, but maybe an anonymous donation directly to CHS would be a better option.  They had had to take a lot of money from other areas of the school to fix the damages done by her actions at the formal, and there were a lot of things on the campus that could use the money to be replaced or upgraded.  “It’s perfect, Twilight. Thanks.”  She resealed the bags of coins and stuck them in the empty gym bag she’d brought initially to help bring some of the books home, doing so before the girls could come over and start rummaging through them.  
Still sitting on the desk were the two large satchels with the palace emblem. The first she opened to confirm it was, as she thought, filled with gems. She’d seen its like before growing up: a standard spellgem kit, meant to be parceled out to researchers, surveyors, and other unicorns in the employ of the nation for official business. What she wasn’t expecting, as she scanned the glyphs stamped on the inside of the top flap, was for it to be a kit meant for a Master Arcanist—they didn’t hand those out on a whim. Celestia herself had to sign off on those, because even by Equestria’s standards, there was a fortune’s worth of flawless gems inside, all of them tested and graded for the highest quality as spell foci or components in magical undertakings. 
Her mind churned worriedly. She had to come up with a way to conceal, store, and secure these—Sunset  wondered if she could justify ordering and delivering a high end safe to the school.  Amber fingers reached into the first compartment in the bag, plucking out an emerald and holding it up to the light. As expected, it was flawless—no mean feat when it came to emeralds—remarkably clear, and also almost three inches long and nearly half an inch thick.
“What’s with the fancy carnival glass?” 
Applejack’s voice made Sunset jump in her seat, and the redhead let out a rather undignified yelp in the process, almost losing her grip on the emerald.  She turned her eyes towards the farmer, who was leaning over to look in the bag.  She sighed, knowing her friends were probably all listening now, and spared a quick glance to make sure the door was shut.  “It’s not glass,” she answered. “These are spell grade gemstones.” She handed the one in her hand over to Applejack. 
Eyes that matched the stone’s color widened.  “Sunset...are ya sayin’ that’s a portable jewelry store in that bag?”  Behind the farmer, Rarity was now focused like a hawk on the conversation.
“....yes. And...” she raised her voice enough to make sure they all heard her. “I need you girls to promise me that you will not mention this to anyone. I have to find a way to store these and I’d rather it didn’t get out just what we’re working with here.”
Rarity and Fluttershy had joined them at the desk. “Sunset,” Rarity breathed, hand shaking as she rested it on the former unicorn’s shoulder, “there are gems in royal treasuries and museums that aren’t that big.” 
Sunset dug through the bag with a sigh, and plucked out a diamond almost as big as her palm. “I know, Rarity. Gemstones don’t grow this big here.”  She offered it to her, knowing that her friend would realize quickly what she was being handed. “These are pricey in Equestria, but only because they are nearly flawless—they are meant for spellwork.  But gems in general? They’re so common that there are several species that eat them.”
The designer stared at the gem in her hand in disbelief, at a loss for words for more than a few heartbeats.  A sound, not unlike steam escaping from a teapot came from her as she clutched the gem to her chest. Then she seemed to regain her composure—albeit with a bit of a struggle, pressing the diamond back into Sunset’s hands with a measure of reluctance. “...I...do believe, Sunset, that these things are far too important to be passed around so casually.”  She exhaled, slowly stepping closer to Applejack and relaxing as a tanned skinned hand squeezed her still trembling digits.  “Your desire to keep them a secret is more than sensible.  Avarice is both powerful and dangerous.”
“Rares is right,” Applejack agreed, offering Sunset the emerald back. “Folks know about those, an’ they’ll be lookin’ ta swipe ‘em.  Ah think we kin all agree ta keep our traps shut.”
Relief washed over her, and Sunset went back to inspecting the array of gems in the satchel. There were all the standard types for basic spellwork, like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, as well as a selection of more powerful, inherently magical gems with particular affinities, such as Equestrian Moonstones, Sunfire Crystals, and Fire Rubies.  Her fingers rubbed over a Sunfire Crystal, the brilliant golden yellow stones bringing to the fore memories and a wistful nostalgia of days long gone.
It must’ve shown on her face, because Fluttershy’s arms found their way around her in a gentle hug.  “Are you okay?” she asked in a quiet whisper meant only for Sunset.
“Yeah,” the redhead answered in a similar volume. “Just...bittersweet memories, that’s all.”  She closed the satchel and secured it, turning to the last bag. In a way, she was expecting more gems, or maybe more artificing supplies, especially given the magical energy she could feel from it.  Flipping back the top revealed something far different: row upon row of neatly stacked squares of waxed paper, all sealed.  The paper had an abstract sun design on it and neatly stamped glyphs that read “Little Sun Bites.”
Brows furrowed in confusion, but the scent wafting from the bag was familiar and mouthwatering. Sunset plucked one of the squares out and unwrapped it, revealing its contents.
“What's with the cross between a granola bar and a Fig Newton?” Rainbow asked as she wandered over with her guitar.
Trembling fingers raised the treat to her mouth, pausing to take a long sniff. The scent of oats mixed with the distinctive smell of the honey produced by the beehives kept in the palace gardens, the rich scent of several types of nuts—including two varieties she knew didn’t grow in the human world—and of course, the sweet scent of a fruity filling made from a mix of strawberries, raspberries, and the all important, magical energy rich fizzleberries—so named because they made the tongue tingle when eaten raw. “Twilight?” she asked, proud of herself for keeping her voice level.  “Are these...what I think they are?”  Part of her was terrified of the answer.
Purple eyes blinked at her, their owner pulled away from her work by the query. They glanced at the object in her hand and she broke into a huge smile. “Oh! The nutrient dense energy bars? Yes, I suppose they are vastly different from what would have been available before you left.” She made a face. “I remember those things from when I went to magic kindergarten. They tasted terrible. These are so much more delicious, and I made sure that human bodies should be able to digest the ingredients!  When I discussed the project with the princesses, Princess Luna suggested we send you a supply, in case of emergencies.”
Sunset found her eyes drawn back to the wax packages, the little details jumping out at her...the stylized, abstract sun, with its eight wiggly lines for its rays, could have easily been mistaken as an artistic interpretation of Princess Celestia’s cutie mark—and that was probably what most ponies would assume—if it weren’t for the odd curved line in the center that ended in spirals facing opposite ways...and the name, a name that the solar alicorn had called her most of her life...
She had to know, and she bit into the treat savagely, tearing off a chunk with sharp primate teeth and chewing, not sure if she wanted to be right or wrong.  Flavor exploded on her tongue, bringing with it memories and silent tears, because she knew this recipe.  She should—she and the princess had invented it together, all because the amber colored filly had hated the awful, salty, dry taste of the original energy bars, the way they’d stuck in her throat like a mix of sawdust and glue.  It had been a necessary snack for any growing unicorn trying to grasp their magic properly, replenishing their energy levels during intense periods of study, but the amount of work that had been necessary for her to just learn to control her surges had meant a number of childish arguments with Princess Celestia. It had ended when the princess had decided they should make a new kind, one that had her favorite things in it.
They’d experimented for months with the recipe, the ingredients, trying to find the right mix...and it was Sunset’s love of the tangy berries that tickled her tongue that had been the key, discovered by accident when they’d mixed them with cloudflower honey in the pot to make the fruity filling, triggering an unusual infusion process that drew ambient magic from the air into the mixture while it cooked, creating a mana-rich filling that tasted way better than the special nuts and grains used in the old version.  They’d been Sunset’s favorite snack, even at CSGU, and Celestia always made sure there were plenty available for her—and only her.
What did it mean, then, that after she had gone that the recipe had replaced the old one? In packages stamped with an abstraction of her cutie mark and the foalhood nickname that had meant everything to her, the name that had given her hope in her most desperate, despair filled moments, right up until that final argument, that maybe, once, the princess had loved her, even just a little.  Was it guilt? Remorse? One final twist of the knife? Or had Celestia missed her?
She chewed and swallowed slowly, savoring the flavor and tingle on her tongue as her body grabbed eagerly onto the energy contained in the morsel, greedily adding it to her still diminished reserves.  Tears made tracks down her cheeks, dripping soundlessly onto her jeans, while her heart ached fiercely in her chest.
After she finished the energy bar that bore her name, she leaned on the desk, trying to bring her emotions under control, to stop the tears before the Princess of Friendship noticed—she had the same curiosity as the human Twilight Sparkle, and Sunset just didn’t feel close enough to her to be willing to share the reasons yet.  She felt Fluttershy hug her again, and then two more sets of arms as Rarity and Rainbow Dash joined in while Applejack and Pinkie held the Twilight’s attention on the other side of the room.  Their touch banished the darkness and pain that had been stealing over her, and gave her the strength to wipe her eyes; she had work to do, and sitting there crying over the past and her regrets wouldn’t get it done.
> Chapter Sixty: Touching Base
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Stretching her neck out with a pained grimace, Twilight Sparkle leaned back in her desk chair after closing her notebook. She had finished all the assignments she had been given for the next two weeks, and found herself itching to go back out to the lab in order to continue going over the data her machines had collected. Unfortunately, she could do nothing more until several programs finished sorting and searching, and there was little she could do to hurry along the process that she hadn’t already programmed into the algorithms when she’d designed them.  It left her at a loss for what to do, since it was too early for bed and she’d already eaten dinner.
Purple eyes roamed her desk, and she found herself straightening it up compulsively, restacking already neat papers, putting books back in their spots on her shelves, and sighing when she found one of Sunset’s socks wedged between the desk and the wall. Somehow.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to know how her girlfriend managed to get the article of clothing stuck back there.  As she went through a stack of old mail that had come addressed to her, her fingers touched an envelope addressed by a familiar hand.
“Oh!” she murmured to herself. “Moondancer’s letters—I almost forgot again!”  
The dark haired teen pulled the letter out of the envelope.  As always, Moondancer’s letters were written on old fashioned stationery paper—this particular set of pages were done with faint images of constellations in the margins—with an old style fountain pen.  Even the envelope it had come in was of a heavier weight paper, and had little designs carefully printed on it. Moondancer’s calligraphy was smooth and practiced, and was quite pleasant to look at as she reread its contents.



Twilight,
Just so you realize, I did not receive a letter after your one regarding your Halloween evening. I am assuming the mail system has lost your response, and thought you would appreciate knowing. (This is not any kind of accusation or criticism directed at you, Twilight, so please do not grow overly anxious about the matter. The mail system is, at its best, still somewhat unreliable through no fault of yours.)  
To hopefully further assuage your inevitable hand wringing and fears that I might be upset, I have included a few of my more recent sketches I thought you might find fascinating.  The first one is of the house I am staying in for the year—there is something very pleasing in the view from my bedroom window of the courtyard and the way the ivy grows on the wall across from it.  The second is of the mosaic in the bottom of a fountain in the town square, which I thought you might have more interest in, given its depiction of several constellation myths with stars present and clearly marked.
School here is proving to be very different than Crystal Prep. The work is definitely easier, but the students are a little more friendly. Reminds me of the way people were back in elementary school. The upside to the easier work is that I’m able to focus more on my own research—Italy has such history, and the fact that so many ancient sites are open to the public for tours has made this entire year as an exchange student worth every penny and every ounce of effort it took to get here.  I have already filled numerous notebooks with both sketches and information of just locales in the immediate vicinity of my current residence and the school.  I must admit that I am extremely grateful for the forbearance of my hosts, as well as the fact that my host-father is also a scholar of history himself. He and his daughter—Tessere, the one I mentioned in my other letters—have been quite willing to indulge my interests and take me to various locations on the weekends and expound greatly on the histories and legends associated with each site while I take photographs and reproduce likenesses with pencil.
One of my teachers is a Doctor of Archaeology and Anthropology, and he’s already put the word out that he’s looking for a few student volunteers to go on a dig this summer. I submitted an application for it the same day! It's apparently a nearly brand new site, somewhere in the mountains, and even if all I do is carry water and dirt, it’ll be worth the experience in the field.  I know I’d prefer to do most of my work in the climate controlled confines of a lab, but working with the site as the artifacts are unearthed has its own appeal.  If nothing else, I could use it as a chance to explore the area around the site, taking photographs for later references or get some sketches done. 
How are things going at CPA? Is Suri still targeting you or has she found some new freshman to go after? And how about this new friend you said you made? The one going through a rough patch? Are things looking up for her yet?  I know you mentioned that she had very few friends…perhaps when I return at the end of the summer, you might introduce us. It is always a pleasure to meet another intelligent mind, and from your descriptions of her, I would believe there to be enough intellectual common ground for us to form some type of friendship.
If I do not hear from you before the holidays, have a good Christmas, and good luck at the estate this year. Maybe they’ll give you breathing room for once.  

Moondancer



Of the few friends she had made, Moondancer had been the one she connected with the best, enough that before she had met Sunset, she would have referred to Moondancer as her best friend.  Both of them were advanced intellectuals, and that allowed them to interact more as equals, without having to think too much on whether or not the other would understand the large words and complex thoughts being brought up in conversation. At the same time though, Moondancer was emotionally distant and somewhat disconnected from other people in a way that even Twilight herself wasn’t. As much as they could bond over intellectual pursuits and shared interests, Twilight had always felt that they didn’t mesh in other areas or connect on much of an emotional level...but she did her best to be a good friend, even when it was hard to tell if Moondancer appreciated the effort or just found it annoying.
It didn’t stop her from feeling horribly guilty over the fact that she’d ignored her friend for the last few months, enough for Moondancer to not just notice but to comment on.  The dark haired girl had just been caught up in her research...and Sunset.  Mostly Sunset, if she was completely honest with herself. Twilight couldn’t help it—spending time with Sunset was the highlight of her week, and she looked forward to Fridays with the same eager giddiness that she felt about Christmas morning.  
She reached over on her desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, ready to respond to Moondancer, starting with an apology.  It wouldn’t make ignoring her friend right, but it was a start...and maybe it would be a good idea to start scheduling in time with Wallflower too, since they were the only two of their four person group of friends still currently at Crystal Prep.



Dear Moondancer,

I’m so sorry about not responding sooner—life got away from me over the holiday season!  Sunset joined us for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we wanted to make sure we included her, which meant a lot more planning than normal. Couple that with exams, and I completely forgot that I hadn’t responded. I didn’t mean to, really, and I hope you can forgive me for neglecting our friendship. 
I love the drawings—you’re getting so good at them, I actually felt like I should be able to touch the paper and feel the texture of the stone! The fountain mosaic was astounding too, and I’m curious if there are other fountains like that in the area? If you find any more, I’d love some photos! 
It’s good to hear you’re getting some real work done on some of your independent projects, and that you don’t have to put up with people like Suri and Sour Sweet all by yourself. And a potential spot on a brand new dig site? That would be amazing for you! I wonder if you would be able to get some form of credit for it towards the field? Maybe you should talk to the Professor about it and find out? Even if it's just something you can add as extra experience, that would be wonderful for you!  If you get picked to go—and I’m sure you will—you’ll have to take pictures to show us when you get home! I showed Sunset some of the photos you sent me with your last letter, and she thought the ones of the vineyard were really pretty—she said to tell you that she thinks you have a real talent for landscape photography.
Crystal Prep is still Crystal Prep, and the other students all still dislike me, and Suri is still looking for ways to make me miserable.  I spend as much time as I can in my lab so I don’t have to interact with them.  It's given me plenty of time to work on my latest project—that energy anomaly I've been trying to track finally happened again, and I've now got hundreds of pages worth of data! Makes me miss you even more, because I could realize use your abilities.  I’m going to try and use it as my semester project, so wish me luck getting Principal Cinch’s approval. 
As for Sunset, she’s doing so much better now. It got really awful for her for a little while, but things have finally been getting better for her.  She had such a great time with us over the holiday, and then her other friends threw this big sleepover for New Year’s Eve, and she had a great time there! She’s a wonderful friend, and I’m just hoping more people at her school will start to see that. I’d love to introduce the two of you when you get back this summer—it’d mean a lot to me to have you two be friends with each other too.
I hope you had an equally good Christmas, and I promise I’ll do better at trying to remember to write back right away when your letters show up, that way I don't forget again. I can't wait to hear how the rest of your year goes!

Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle



Pulling open her desk drawer, the dark haired girl found an envelope to stick the letter in, sealing and addressing it, before setting it where she would see it to remember to mail it. Then she returned to organizing her desk. She had about twenty minutes before the program would be done with her data, just enough time to finish cleaning up.  Twilight tossed an empty water bottle in the trash, before ducking down to pick up what looked like a piece of scrap paper. Spotting writing, she unfolded it to make sure it wasn’t important, only to be glad she looked as the words inside made her feel warm all the way to her toes.
Hey, nerd, it read. Not sure when you’ll find this, but I figured it might make your day a little better! Good luck with your exam!  The words and Sunset’s signature were surrounded by goofy little doodles, and had been stuck to the top of her study guide for her math class during exams, taped there by Sunset one of the nights she’d stayed over before Christmas.  Twilight tucked the little scrap into her nightstand drawer, fingers idly toying with the house-key her girlfriend had gifted her.  A goofy grin had taken over her face, thoughts about all of the little things Sunset said and did that made Twilight feel special coming to the forefront in her mind, and she spent several minutes sitting on her bed, thoughts distracting her.
She pulled herself out of her daze with a head shake, realizing that she still needed to finish her cleaning up. Then maybe after she did, she could call Sunset, just to hear her voice for a few minutes.  Humming to herself, she reshelved several books, taking time to reorganize them. The action was familiar, calming, and didn’t require a lot of focus, and so she found her thoughts wandering once more, back to her best friend.  Her hand reached up again to play with the key hanging from her neck, running over the ridged metal, the shape of it already memorized by body and mind.  It was such a little thing, but several times when she was at the estate over the holiday it had grounded her and helped her stave off her anxieties.
Twilight noticed that she had stopped cleaning and was staring into space again, thinking about Sunset.  She sighed, flopping back on her bed and giving up. Her hand stretched to the nightstand on her side of the bed to grab her phone, realizing somewhat belatedly that at some point she had unconsciously started considering one side of her bed as ‘Sunset’s side.’  It was probably silly, since her girlfriend only stayed over one night a week, but Twilight decided it was a harmless bit of silliness that made her feel good, especially when pressing her face to ‘Sunset’s pillow’ gave her a faint whiff of the redhead’s shampoo.
Swiping her thumb across the screen and tapping her contacts list, she couldn’t fight the giggle that escaped.  At some point before she’d gone out of town for New Years, Sunset had managed to get her hands on Twilight’s phone, and edited her own contact information.  Instead of a normal picture of Sunset’s face as the image staring back, it was a rather windblown, goofy looking Sunset Shimmer making a funny face at the camera—a random image snapped by Twilight during one of their trips to the museum. It made the dark haired teen shake her head, trying to fend off more giggles.  Between the image and the edited contact name, Twilight couldn’t help but laugh, and she hadn’t had the heart to change the creatively altered contact back yet.  Not when these little gestures from Sunset were a sign of how far she’d come from the angry, hurting girl that she had first met…and Sunset’s way of saying she cared. 
Sunset was not always the best at saying what she was feeling—she tried, Twilight knew, especially when they were alone, but it was a struggle even in the best moments.  It wasn’t terribly surprising, all things considered. Twilight had done some reading on the psychological effect that a situation like Sunset had gone through tended to have on people, and a long term issue with expressing or articulating emotions was on the list.  The redhead seemed much more comfortable with the doing than the saying, her attempts to speak about feelings often breaking down into halting sentences, strange pauses, tension in her shoulders and the spark of anxious fear in her eyes—Twilight sometimes wondered if it was fear of rejection, or fear of something else.
It should have been a huge problem for the two of them, given Twilight’s own struggles to read the social cues of others…but it with Sunset, it was almost as if she was openly telegraphing her every thought, every feeling she couldn’t get out there in words, and for once, Twilight could decipher what she was observing, could feel the emotions it sometimes felt like Sunset was projecting with all the force of a freight train.  She’d even managed to learn the little cues, little quirks about the redhead that most people missed, committing a dozen or more behaviors to memory over the last few months.  Like how Sunset tended to be more strongly affected by scents, particularly ones that triggered some sort of memory—she’d get this sort of pained and wistful look on her face sometimes, her eyes unfocused because her attention was turned inward.  Or how she was prone to nuzzling against Twilight’s cheek or neck like a kitten might to show affection, making soft little throaty noises of pleasure and satisfaction. Or the way she tended to cling to Twilight in sleep, curled up around her and snuggling close as if the smaller girl was a life sized comfort toy, her nose scrunching up and her lip turning turning into a pinched frown in distress if Twilight tried to pull away at all.
A soft sigh escaped the dark haired teen.  It felt good to be able to read Sunset that way, to know that her best friend turned girlfriend was someone she could understand, even when it was hard.  Of course, it also made her wish that they didn’t go to different schools, because the confidence and security she felt in Sunset’s presence would have been wonderful to have when she was dodging people and receiving dirty looks in the hallway…and with Sunset at her side, Suri and her cohorts would never try any of the pranks and mean-spirited nastiness that they inflicted on Twilight.  Well.  They wouldn’t try them more than once—one thing she’d observed over the last few months was that Sunset’s intense, fiery personality meant she was extremely vehement about defending people she cared about, and she was clever enough to figure out a way to turn the pranks back on the prankster, especially if Twilight helped her.  Someone like Suri, or Sour Sweet, or the other popular girls would stand little chance against Twilight and Sunset working together.
Her finger pressed the call button. For now, she would have to settle for the little moments: the calls, the texts, the not-dates disguised as outings between 'best friends,' and the Friday night sleepovers.  Like right now, with her thoughts caught up in everything Sunset Shimmer, she just wanted to hear that familiar voice.
Three rings in, she got her wish. “Hey, Sparky,” came the greeting with the warm tones that Sunset only ever used with her.  
“Hi, Sunny,” she responded, unable to help the way her lips curled upwards into a happy smile.
“What’s up? Everything go okay at school today?” 
Twilight sighed. “…It was okay.  I spent most of my free time in my lab, so that part was great, even though I’m really worried about the proposal for my semester independent study project…but I spent the rest of the day dodging some of the more popular girls who really have it out for me—like it’s somehow my fault they fail their exams.”
Sunset let a sound not unlike a growl. “…you shouldn’t have to do that, Twilight.”
“Sunny, it’s okay. I’ve gotten really good at avoiding them over the last year—it helps that none of them are very smart.”  Twilight toyed with her hair.  “Though it’s sweet of you to be worried about me.” 
That got a small laugh. “Of course I worry about you—you’re my nerd, remember? I’m supposed to have your back.”  She could hear the creak of the mattress when Sunset flopped on her bed. “So if school was okay, what’s up? You don’t usually call me this late—not since your mom got onto us about staying up until after midnight three days in a row.”
Twilight flushed.  “Well...I…” she bit her lip. 
“C’mon, Sparky, you can tell me. What, did you eat all my brownies?”
“…I missed you. Missed your voice,” she confessed. 
The girl on the other end of the phone laughed—not a sound of cruelty, but instead one of pure joy and mirth.  “So you called just to hear me talk to you, hmm? Couldn’t wait until Friday?”
Her face hot, Twilight mumbled, “…this is the longest we’ve been apart since we met. I’m allowed to miss my best friend. Girlfriend.”
There was a bit of silence on the other end, before Sunset responded, her voice soft. “…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you terribly too, Sparky.  I’ve been looking forward to Friday all week.”
Rolling onto her side, she curled up around her pillow.  “Two more days, Sunny.”
“I’m coming over as soon as I can...” Sunset got even quieter.  “…I…was hoping for some time with you before dinner…” 
Twilight could hear the longing note in her voice, and felt a similar emotion take up residence in her. “I think I’d like that. I’m supposed to have a meeting with my principal about my semester project that afternoon, and it always messes with me—even thinking about it makes me feel like I can’t breathe. Principal Cinch is extremely intimidating.” She ran a bit of her hair through her fingers, a nervous habit she’d never been able to control, trying to remember that she needed to breathe.  
“Hey…Sparky…I’m here.  Focus on me, alright?” Through the haze starting to steal over her, she could hear Sunset deliberately taking loud and steady breaths, and she worked to match it. The feeling eased, and the intrusive thoughts receded. “That’s it. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”  
The anxieties pushed down for the time being, the dark haired girl pressed her cheek into Sunset’s pillow and inhaled deeply through her nose. Once again the scent of her girlfriend’s shampoo—mingled with an even fainter scent that was just Sunset—tickled her nose and triggered a positive reaction in her synapses. “…Sorry, Sunny.”
Sunset sounded worried. “Are you sure you’re okay?  It’s not like you to get that agitated just mentioning talking to someone. Is your principal that bad?”
“Principal Cinch is…she’s just very strict and has very high standards, Sunset, and she expects me to live up to my own abilities.  She makes me compete with myself and my own successes, rather than measuring me against other student’s abilities.” Her fingers curled around the pillow. “…I just tend to overthink things, you know that.”
“If you’re sure,” her girlfriend responded slowly. “Just seems counter-intuitive to be so stern that your best students are petrified to talk to you.  Princ—” Twilight caught the hint of a stutter. “Principal Celestia can be intimidating, sure, if she’s angry at you, but she’s always so open with the students. Even my Vice Principal is nice unless you’re in trouble.”
She smiled slightly, even though Sunset couldn’t see her. It was sweet of the other girl to worry about her. “…It’s really okay, Sunny. I do this to myself. Principal Cinch really isn’t as bad as I’m making her sound. Sure, she’s strict, but she’s really a good educator and she’s doing us all a favor.  The real world is a lot harsher, especially to women trying to go into the sciences—that part of academia is a very male-dominated space, and in the end, I’m going to have to work twice as hard to prove myself. Coddling an over-sensitivity to criticism or intimidation only holds me back. It’s much better to overcome those things now, or I’ll only be wasting time later on.”
“Sparky, that is the biggest steaming pile of horseapples humans have ever spewed. Last I checked, humans do not keep neural tissue in the phallus, so this concept that having one automatically makes a person superior and better at a field of study is ridiculous and completely illogical.  You’re brilliant, and that should stand on its own, and more than that, bullying someone…it doesn’t make them tougher. It tears them down.  I should know—I was a bully for a long time.” 
Sunset’s voice belied her agitation, and Twilight moved to soothe her partner. “Sunset, I know that, and you’re right. It is illogical…but it is a reality for me that I’ve long accepted. I will have to work twice as hard to prove myself in the field I desire to pursue as a career and a passion…and that’s okay, because in the end, there will be no doubt in the eyes of the people whose opinions truly matter that I’ve earned my accolades.  Plus, I’ll have my best friend to remind me of the truth if their words ever start getting to me, right?”
“Always,” Sunset responded, her emotions turned from anger to an intensity that should have intimidated Twilight as bad as Cinch did, yet all she felt was that familiar sense of contentment and reassurance. 
Their conversation dropped into silence for a few minutes, letting feelings communicate unspoken, even through the phone line.  At last Twilight let out a soft laugh. “I was cleaning up my desk and I found the note you left me on my study guide before break.”
Sunset laughed brightly, dispelling whatever tension remained. “You kept that?” 
Another giggle escaped her. “Of course I did. It was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of you, and I wanted to be able to remember how that made me feel when I found it.”  
“Maybe I should send you a note before your meeting with your principal then. Might counteract some of your stress?” the other girl was grinning as she spoke—Twilight could tell by the way she sounded.  “I’m sure I can come up with something so that you aren’t focused on the whole thing.”  Her voice dropped in pitch and seemed almost like a purr against Twilight’s ears, sending a tingle up her spine.
Twilight’s breath caught, and she found herself wishing Sunset was with her right then instead of having to wait for Friday, because she really wanted to kiss her girlfriend.  She shivered, not trying to fight the giddy sound that escaped her. “…If you can do that, I’ll have to give you an award or a medal or something.  That’s a herculean task on its own, Sunny.”  
That voice murmured huskily in her ear, “…I’ve never backed down from a challenge in my life, Sparky.  You can offer me a title or something when I succeed.”
She shifted on the bed, feeling way too warm. “…Dame Sunset Shimmer, Slayer of Anxiety and Apprehension?”
“If that comes bestowed with a kiss, you’ve got yourself a deal, Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset quipped playfully.
The dark haired girl had intended for her reply to come out just as playful and teasing, and yet…somehow, the words warped as they left her mouth, taking on a weight she hadn’t planned for. “All my kisses are yours, Sunset.”  It was strange, out of place with how light and silly the conversation had been, even with Sunset’s affectionate tones, and so unlike her…but it felt right, in that way she couldn’t quite grasp and that she knew would keep her up, wondering…  
In the end though, she had no desire to take it back—and with the way her girlfriend sucked in a sharp breath, Sunset was okay with that.
> Chapter Sixty One: Shocking Surprises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset grimaced as she flipped through a stack of papers that had been at the bottom of her locker, tucked in the box that she had kept her journal in. It was nothing but pages and pages of old blackmail material and schemes that she’d mapped out. “Ugh,” she said aloud, even though she was alone in the hall. “I can’t believe I still have this stuff. I wonder if Miss Luna will let me use her paper shredder?”  It was her free period before lunch and here she was, cleaning her locker of the stuff she probably should have sorted through when she’d been forced to change lockers several months ago.  “Why didn’t I do that again?” the former asked herself grumpily. 
Heavy footsteps—likely male, her brain supplied—approached her from near where the stairwell was.  They stopped a few feet away.  “Probably because you were too distracted by a cute girl,” Flash’s voice teased.
Leaning back so she could see beyond the locker door, she deliberately rolled her eyes at him. “You must be confusing me with yourself—I’m not the one who walked into a door.  Twice.”
“Guilty as charged.”  He plopped down on the floor next to her. “Trying to locate lost homework, pony-girl?”
“No, that’s all accounted for. I just needed to clean it out because I need the room for other stuff.”  Sunset added the stack of schemes to the pile of things she needed to destroy or throw away, along with a bag containing stale almonds of questionable age.
Flash bobbed his head, before peering down at the top paper. “Huh,” he commented. “I did not know that about Amethyst Star.”  
The redhead groaned.  “Please don’t read that. It’s left over from before the formal, and I plan on shredding it.”
His eyes scanned further. “You always were, uh, pretty thorough, Sunset.”
“I was messed up, Flash,” she countered. “I can promise you there’s nothing good in those papers and if Vice Principal Luna won’t lend me her shredder, I’ll find a way to burn them.”
The blue haired young man leaned back against the neighboring locker. “If you need a place to burn them, I’ve still got that firepit in my backyard.  Probably safer than you doing it at your place.”
Sunset chuckled, pleased to find that the new friendship they’d struck up over the break retained the relaxed, comfortable feel that had come into being after their awkward and painful talk. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied, using the now empty cardboard box to house all the things that needed to be destroyed.  
Flash watched her, then scanned the hallway. Seeing no one, he nudged her with an elbow. “How are things with your girl?” he asked in a voice close to a whisper.  “You guys get to spend time together over the holidays?”
She could feel the blush warming her cheeks and the tips of her ears. “I spent Christmas with her and her family,” she admitted. “It was the best holiday I’ve had since I was a foal.”  Sunset knew there was a crooked smile on her face.  “And I go over to her house on Fridays. It’s...kinda become our thing? I go over, eat dinner with her family, we watch movies or play games, and then I spend the night.”
One eyebrow arched, but Flash was grinning at her—not one of his puppy smiles, but the same kind of expression he had around his bandmates.  “Wow. This girl has to definitely be something—I’ve never seen you like this.  Guess we monkeys aren’t entirely awful, are we?”
A snort escaped her before she could stop it.  “Some of you are tolerable.  She’s at the top of the list of ‘my favorite humans.’” 
“So if you include your friends, do I even hit the top ten?” 
This time it was her turn to slug him lightly in the shoulder, the way Rainbow Dash had sometimes done to her or Applejack.  “You should know the answer to that.”  Sunset brushed some of her hair out of her face. “You may not be my favorite human, but you were one of the first to make the list.”
He laughed, then gestured at the mess on the floor around them. “Want some help? It’ll go quicker with two people.”
Sunset thought about it for a minute. He’d already seen the worst of what was there, and there wasn’t much else that was incriminating. Mostly just her notebooks and old schoolwork. “Actually, that’d be great. I don’t want to miss lunch.”
The two of them got to work, Flash dumping things that were obvious trash in a nearby can Sunset had appropriated.  “Heard Twilight came by the other day.  Everything okay where you’re from?”
The redhead blinked at the sudden question. “What? Oh, yeah. Everything’s okay in Equestria. She was just helping me get things set up for the research on the magic that we have here.  There’s a lot of stuff that this world just doesn’t have and I’m not really that good at jury-rigging technology to do the work of the stuff that’s been used for millennia to analyze magic.” A thought occurred to her.  “Actually, at some point, can I borrow you for a minor scan? I need some baseline controls of humans not actively using magic.”
“Sure, I can do that. So you guys are actively looking into the whole magic thing?” Flash picked up a Ziploc with a few mouldering apple cores in it and gave her a look before he tossed it in the trash. 
Sunset rubbed her neck sheepishly. “They fell out of my bag, okay? I didn’t realize they were there,” she grumbled defensively. “And yes, we’re trying to figure out exactly what it is we’re doing and how it works, so that what happened with the Sirens can't happen again.”
“Cool, cool...” the blue haired youth bobbed his head in understanding.  “Does...that include how to fight magic monsters? Because...well...maybe the rest of us can’t grow wings or horns, but it’d be nice to be able to fight back.”
Biting her lip, the former unicorn hesitated a moment before responding. “...I...I’m not sure how much of it will be things everyone can do without magic, Flash,” she answered honestly, not wanting to lie to him.  “...but I can promise that if I learn of ways for you to defend yourself without magic, I’ll tell you.”
Another nod of understanding. “I can live with that.”
They fell into a comfortable sort of silence after that, only broken when Flash asked her to determine if something was trash or not.  With the extra help, Sunset found the task finished quite a bit quicker than she had expected, meaning she would actually be able to make it to lunch on time, if not a few minutes early.  After putting the things she was keeping back in her locker in a much more organized fashion—easy to do when more than half its contents were in the garbage or in the box of stuff she intended to shred that afternoon—she shut it with a satisfying clank and spun the lock to secure it. 
“Thanks for your help, Flash. I was worried I’d miss lunch.” An idea wormed its way into her brain. “You...want to join us?  It’s been fun talking to you...” she trailed off, not wanting to come off as pushy or strange.
Blue eyes lit up. “Sure! I’d like that!”  Flash hopped to his feet so he could walk with her to the cafeteria.  
Sunset shook her head.  They might have been friends now, but he was still so like an over excited puppy sometimes that she had to resist rolling her eyes.  “Maybe you being there will give Rainbow Dash someone else to compare skills with on the guitar.”
Flash raised an eyebrow at her. “I must be hearing things. Sunset Shimmer, backing away from competition? C’mon, Sunset...you know you enjoy a challenge.”
The former unicorn knew he was right. She hated losing, and challenges ignited something inside her, drove her to do more, to strive to win or ‘die trying,’ but this... “I do...but not this kind, Flash. Dash is my friend, and I hate that it feels like a near daily thing that I have to get into a test to prove which of us is better.  I know she’s competitive, she wouldn’t be Dash if she wasn't...”
“But it bothers you?”
She nodded. “Yes. She’s...she’s my friend. I don’t like the idea of seeing my friends as competition. It makes me feel...wrong. Nauseated. Like the old me is hovering, waiting for an opportunity.” One hand ran through her tangled mane.
Frowning, Flash put a hand on her shoulder. “Can I offer some advice?”  When she dipped her head in acceptance, he continued. “It’s okay for friends to have friendly competition, especially with someone like Rainbow. It’s...I guess maybe it’s more usually a guy thing, but she probably doesn’t mean anything bad by it. Think of it as her way of trying to include you and make you feel like you matter...and if it bothers you that much, talk to her.”
His words helped ease her mind a little, and she thought about trying to pull Dash aside to talk to her. “Yeah...okay...I’ll try that, next time I can get her alone.”
She got a pat on the shoulder as encouragement, which made her shake her head. Flash pulled the hand back, rubbing his neck. “Quick question, before we get to the cafeteria. Are you planning on ever telling your friends about your girl? I know you said you weren’t ready to tell them and that’s cool, but it’s kind of a big secret to be keeping...”
Sunset ran a hand through her hair.  “I’m not going to keep it a secret forever. I just...there’s some stuff I have to work out first, and telling the girls would...complicate everything way more than it is.”
Blue eyes regarded her thoughtfully. “I was just curious...and look, until then, I’m...uh...here to talk if you need it.”  There was his sheepish smile, the one he used when he was trying to make up for the awkwardness of a situation—Sunset used to find that one almost as annoying as his besotted one, but now it only evoked amusement...and gratitude. He was trying, and after all she’d put him through, it really drove home how much he hadn’t deserved what she’d done, and more than that, how little she deserved this second chance and his genuine friendship.
She found herself giving him a quick hug. “Thank you,” Sunset murmured, knowing it was for more than just his offer to listen when she needed to talk.
Flash hugged her back, before nudging her lightly. “C’mon. Let’s go—if I get there quick enough, I can get through the line before the bell.  Otherwise all the edible food will be gone, and I’ll be left with mystery meat roulette.”
Sunset smirked, holding up the plastic container from her locker. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the wonders of being vegetarian and bringing my own lunch.”
That netted a snort of laughter and a good natured eye-roll. “Yeah, well, not all of us enjoy eating grass, pony-girl, and today is cheesesteak day. I want to get mine while there’s still some to be had.”
He held the door open to the lunchroom for her and they split up—him to the line and her to the table that had long since been claimed by her friends.  She was the first to arrive, but seeing as how she was a few minutes early, that was no surprise.  It gave her time to eat a good portion of her lunch so it would free her up for conversation when the girls showed up.
Especially with the long awkward moment when Rainbow Dash showed up and found Flash sitting at the table, contentedly munching on his cheesesteak and talking to Sunset about an upcoming sequel to one of their favorite video games.
“Holy shit! Since when were the two of you friends?!  Don’t tell me you two are dating again?!”
An awkward moment started with a tactless question spoken loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear, of course.  Sunset put down her half eaten veggie wrap, all so she could groan and put her face in her hands.  She felt Fluttershy pat her shoulder in sympathy.  Swallowing the urge to scream and bang her head into the table, the redhead tried to ignore the stares she could feel from the rest of the room, of dozens of curious teenage eyes and ears interested in her response.  “No, Dash,” she managed. “We aren’t dating again.” And we never will, her mind added. 
Surprisingly, it was Flash who interjected, sounding more than marginally irritated.  “Seriously, Dash?  You, of all people, are going there, after all the stupid rumors you’ve had to deal with? You know better than anyone that a girl and guy can be just friends without feeling the need to add notches to a bedpost or parade the other around as some kind of relationship trophy.” His voice was loud enough to carry to the surrounding tables and the people focused intently on the conversation. As some of those people whispered among themselves, the young man rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Sunset.  He was definitely as annoyed by this as the former unicorn was.  "It’s pretty simple,” he continued, mostly for the benefit of the CHS rumor mill at this point.  “We were friends before, we tried dating, it didn't work out for reasons that are nobody's business but ours, and after a really long chat over break—that is still nobody else’s business—we're friends again. End of story."
Picking up her wrap again, Sunset felt no reason to argue the semantics of his statement, though privately she disagreed with the first part. She hadn’t been his friend then, that had simply been phase one of her plan. “Flash pretty much hit it on the nose,” she commented. “We got to talking while I was going through my locker, and I invited him to continue the conversation at lunch with us.  We were talking about Tirek III...now can you sit down and please stop making a scene?”
Applejack reached up with one arm and tugged Rainbow by the shirt collar into the seat next to her. “Siddown, Rainbow. Ain’t no reason ta stand there lookin’ like a catfish someone just pulled outta the pond.”
The soccer player gave her a weird look. “What the hell does that even mean?”
“It means you were standing there with your mouth hanging open, darling.” Rarity pointed at her with her fork. “Most unbecoming, and it was causing a scene.”
Huffing, Dash took a bite out of her sandwich and chewed savagely.  Sunset wrinkled her nose—ponies weren’t always the neatest eaters (and neither was Sparky when she was super hungry and half distracted by a project) but between Rainbow and Pinkie, they took the concept to a different level. Blue green eyes went back to her own meal deliberately, her mind wandering to the next step of her research to help tune out the smell of greasy, overcooked beef that permeated the room.
It meant she was startled when Pinkie half lunged across the table, shouting her name with glee. Her eyes went wide and she jolted back in her chair, nostrils flaring in surprise. “Pinkie!” she yelped, grabbing the table to keep from falling backwards onto the floor.  Flash and Fluttershy caught her elbows to steady her.  
“Oops! Sorry, Sunset!” Pinkie drew back to a more normal human distance. “I have something for you—Well, I don’t really since it’s not me who wanted to give it to you but whoever did want to give it to you left it in my locker with a note asking me to give it to you. It looks super important though, and I didn’t want to forget, so I Pinkie Promised that I would give it to you for them as soon as possible!  I never ever forget a Pinkie Promise, even when I’m super busy or when there’s cake involved. You don’t break a Pinkie Promise!”
Sunset took a minute to try and parse through the high speed Pinkie babble and turn it into a coherent narrative.  “So...what was it you have to give me?” she finally asked, worried about what it could be.  Considering the plethora of junk she was still being handed daily, she was almost afraid of what she was about to receive.
Pink hands plonked a slim, leather bound volume on the table in front of her. It wasn’t anything fancy—it looked and smelled like an old book, with that familiar, almost comforting scent of aged parchment, leather and ink, and it bore no cover title or markings to identify its nature.  She almost dismissed it as nothing at all, until her fingers brushed the cover to open it.
Power sparked, visible to the naked eye and alien in its flavor.  Her own magic pushed back against the force invading her arm, refusing to give ground against it, and her mind rapidly sought to analyze the magic as best she could.  Dimly, she could hear exclamations from her friends, could feel their worry for her.
“What in tarnation!?”
The magic didn’t feel like a curse—there was something lacking, a dark, festering feel that always left a pony feeling in need of a shower.
“Holy shit!”
Pinkie had carried it with no ill effects, so it seemed unlikely that it was a simple trap, unless it was specifically keyed to respond to a certain magic level.  On a book though? One passed along by what was likely another student? No. It wasn’t a trap.
“Uh oooh...those don’t look like good sparkles...”
The most logical answer was a defensive measure, one meant to protect the volume—suggesting that whatever was in its pages was valuable—and considering that this world wasn’t supposed to have its own magic, she was willing to take a bet that this was potentially the most valuable object she had acquired to date in the human world. But if it was a protection spell, how did she make it recognize her as a non-threat without breaking the enchantment?
“Are you alright, Sunset?”
Her brows furrowed in concentration, scanning the magic as much as she could for any clue. It was alien magic yes, but it was still a spell woven into an object, which means it had its limitations.
“Girls...give her a minute...she looks like she’s in the middle of something.”
Could it be...there were flavors there that were familiar, tidbits of spell encapsulating what felt like...emotions? Feelings? Her magic touched one and heat and anger tickled through her, easily turned aside.  Another made her nauseated, when the sense of malice and sadistic glee hit her.  A third made her think of Sparky, of her friends, warm and tingly and good. 
“Flash is right, girls. Give it a moment, but be ready to get her away from that book.”
“I’m okay, girls. I have an idea...” she murmured, before deciding to risk it.  She relented slowly, allowing the tendril of foreign magic to inspect her, focusing her own thoughts and emotions on her desire to help her friends and protect the school, to prevent monsters like the sirens from hurting people anymore.  It wormed its way into her awareness, not painfully so, but invasive enough that she could tell the magic was looking for something. 
From within, she could feel a response to the experience, the magic she’d used at the Battle of the Bands resurfacing.  Her ears twitched, and she could feel her horn, see the faint red energy painting an aura around her skin.  A heartbeat later, a pale blue hand landed on the book next to hers, and she chanced a glance up to see Rainbow Dash staring at her stubbornly, pony ears alert and her wings flared defiantly. “We’re in this together, Shimmer. I’m not leaving my friend to fight some creepy ass Necronomicon on her own.”
The words seemed to ripple through the group, and the other girls came to a consensus. Soon five hands rested over hers on the book, each one radiating a soothing aura that filled Sunset’s soul.
More importantly...it had an effect on the magic from the book. There was a faint ringing in her ears, like the chime of a distant bell, and the spell retreated, leaving the book inert but still filled with magic.  She relaxed, and felt her ears splay loosely in a more natural position.  “Thanks, girls.  That did it.  The book has...some kind of protection on it.”
Hands retreated at that, and the pony features melted away, though Sunset held onto the magic as long as she could, not wanting to give up her horn any sooner than she had to.
Flash spoke up from next to her. “So what’s so important in this book that it needed protection?” He sounded genuinely curious, but kept his tone hushed to not draw more attention to the table than the pony-ups already had.
“That’s what I’m about to find out.”  Sunset opened the book fully, and was greeted with thin, spidery handwriting on a yellowed page.  Her friends—Flash included—leaned close as she began to read in a soft voice.


“August 13th, 1906.
“I bought this journal as a means to keep track of my search. I refuse to believe my Mattie has been spirited away beyond my ability to find her, the way her grandmother claims. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I certainly would not have put much stock in the myths of fairies and sprites and other such fanciful nonsense meant to entertain children, yet I refuse to believe she is forever gone.  I will find her, and my hope is that my journey may yet aid others in rescuing lost loved ones from such a fate.
“The trail has pointed me to New York, and from there, to the old world of Europe. I leave on a boat on the morrow, and I pray that I will catch up to them swiftly.”


Blue-green eyes scanned pages as she leafed through them, a seemingly endless account from a mystery author, far more pages than the book should contain. Her quick look showed dozens of journal entries, but also drawings, notes, diagrams and numbers, some of which were of a decidedly mystical nature. She lifted her head to look at the group.  “It’s a journal...there's hundreds of pages here....and the whole thing is enchanted.”
Rarity dabbed at some tears at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, her other hand gripping Applejack’s on the table. “Oh how tragic,” she murmured.  
“So some guy over a hundred years ago was...what? Thinking his girlfriend got kidnapped by fairies?” Rainbow scratched his head.  “Wait...are there fairies in Equestria?”
“More’n that...how’d they get here?” AJ ran a thumb over the back of Rarity’s hand.
“Fairies...you mean like from when we read 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' in English?” Sunset frowned, running the various magical beings of Equestria through her head. “We...don’t have anything quite like that.  There are a few creatures who can shapeshift, but most of them don’t have godlike powers and a desire to kidnap ponies.” The former unicorn tilted her head. “Except maybe for Changelings, but from what I learned, they were sealed inside a volcano about four hundred years ago by Princess Celestia after a failed attempt to take over a city...I can never remember the name right, but it was a big mess. The whole city descended into chaos and anarchy and a lot of ponies and other creatures died.  The city fell to ruin after that.  Supposedly there was even an attempt on Princess Celestia’s life by Changelings disguised as the Royal Guard.”
“So what are they?” Rainbow’s eyes glittered. 
“Changelings? Um...I don’t know what they look like, but they have the power to change into anypony and pretend to be them. Like the Sirens and Windigos, they feed on emotions, and they’re led by a queen.  That’s...pretty much all I know.  Princess Celestia wasn't...exactly forthcoming about them....it was one of the few topics that made her upset.” She shrugged.  “I don’t think it matters though, because I...I’m not sure Equestria had anything to do with it.”  Sunset tapped the book. “The magic in this isn’t from Equestria.  I think...I think it’s human magic.”
The proclamation was met with six wide eyed stares.
> Research Log I: Preliminary Findings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Research Log: Project Aurora.  Log #26. Timestamp: Monday, 6 January, year 2014, 1:37PM. Location: Crystal Prep Laboratory.”
“I’ve been going over the data, and it’s absolutely extraordinary!  I managed to capture the entire event involving the strange energy, from start to finish—the whole phenomenon seems to have lasted approximately a week, with a long series of smaller spikes in a slightly different but similar frequency, before a massive electro-magnetic surge of unknown origins. I’ve checked both waveforms against known phenomena, from solar activity to man-made interference to cosmic events, and it matches none of them. The program is still sorting through the database, but I’m fairly confident that I’m looking at an undocumented electromagnetic signature.
“That reminds me—the first event in October came with aurora like distortions in the local celestial sphere.  Note to self: Check traffic cams and other forms of media for a matching distortion with the most recent event. Perhaps look to see if it interfered with any audio-visual broadcasts?
“I’ve already compared the waveform to several smaller manifestations of the phenomenon that have happened over the last few months, though without any of the visual effects.  The waveform is identical in most of those cases, though with much smaller output. As noted in Log #13, the most active cluster of those prior to the most recent event was a series of five overlapping events in November.”



“Research Log: Project Aurora. Log #27. Timestamp: Monday, 6 January, year 2014, 6:23PM.  Location: Home Laboratory.”
“Success! After copying the data to my removable drive, I’ve been looking at it here at home. Data from a number of traffic cams in the Canterlot area provide visual confirmation of the event.  The footage is mediocre at best, given the angles involved and low resolution  quality of the cameras themselves, but it appears to be a similar ‘rainbow colored’ aurora dispersing across the local area. I’m definitely ruling out an actual aurora borealis, simply because this phenomenon seems to occur below cloud cover. The interaction of charged particles with the Earth’s magnetic field lines happen above the clouds, not below.
“Addendum: Perhaps Sunset’s concerns about people covering this up are founded? In my attempts to narrow down the exact epicenter of the event, I’ve found several clusters of cameras whose data has been completely erased at the time frame in question. It might do to check the time of the original event as well, to compare. In the meantime, I’ll be tightening security for my systems, as a precautionary measure.”



“Research Log: Project Aurora. Log #32. Timestamp: Wednesday, 8 January, year 2014, 11:03AM. Location: Crystal Prep Laboratory.
“This is amazing. The amount of energy put out by this phenomenon was immense, and yet, it seems to have had only a mild affect on electrical devices. It also shows signs of having been absorbed into the surrounding terra firma, causing a reaction that was undetectable by human senses.  The size of the tremors are localized—the epicenter is somewhere in the greater Canterlot area, which is not that large comparatively—and given our proximity to a major and well known fault line, most seismologists will likely overlook them as anything more than nominal background tremors.  The only thing that makes them stand out enough to be connected is the timing and the similarity in waveforms…which should be impossible as seismic vibrations do not typically mimic electromagnetic waveforms—or vice versa. I should look into that. Note to self: get a search going on the interaction between seismic events and electromagnetic disturbances.”



“Research Log: Project Aurora. Log #34. Timestamp: Thursday, 9 January, year 2014, 3:54PM. Location: Crystal Prep Laboratory.”
“…I think I’ve got enough here to make a good case for using this as my semester project. Plenty of data and thorough checking has shown that whatever this event is, its an undocumented one, that has occurred numerous times over the last several months with varying degrees of intensity, at least two of which caused visible disturbances.  I could very easily make an entire semester’s worth of work out of both studying what I’ve already found and looking to further identify the source that is causing this phenomenon.  
“I’m preparing my notes for my presentation to Principal Cinch tomorrow. The appointment is at one o’clock.  For the first time I feel more excited than nervous to talk to her—she’s always so…intimidating, but I feel like this is something she’ll be interested in, and she understands the value of secrecy in a new discovery. 
“After she signs off on the project, the first order of business is building a much more precise set of monitoring devices, including a portable one, that focuses on this specific wavelength of frequencies rather than the whole electromagnetic spectrum.  It’ll take a little ingenuity and creativity, but I’m fairly certain I can take the existing science behind the devices and refine them.  In fact, maybe I can ask Sunny for a little help on that tomorrow night!  She’s particularly clever when it comes to engineering and thinking outside the box, and she’s the only other person I’ve ever met capable of working out the advanced mathematics practically in her head!
“Maybe I can even ask her what she can remember that she saw in her guardian’s office, in the event that she can recall something that might help my research!”
> Interlude XV: Shadowed Horizons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An icy wind blew in Canterlot City, frigid air currents coming down from the mountains, bringing with it the scent of harsh winter weather, of snow and ice and freezing winter rain, the kind of weather that saps heat and life from any living creature caught out in it.  It whistled and moaned as it raced down city streets, kicking up leaves and discarded trash, the herald of the ominous, dark, and heavy clouds that scraped the mountain peaks as they headed for the city.  A storm was coming, and the inhabitants of the city could feel it.
Canterlot was a modest city, with nowhere near the numbers to compare to the dense seas of humanity that were the populations of much larger, far more well known cities, with buildings old and new rising towards the heavens as immense spires of glass, steel, and stone, creating a monochrome display against a backdrop of earthy greens and browns and blue-grey mountains. Wedged between a protected forest, the mountains, and the sea, it was a city that had grown up more than out, whose growth had been fueled by generations of university students, local farms, corporate business headquarters, and a rapidly blooming technology industry. Its residents worked hard, lived well, and generally had little to complain about...but today, they grew agitated, sensing the storm on the horizon, and so hurried about their business, none of them desiring to be caught out when it arrived.  
At the edge of the city, where the man-made towers gave way to million dollar homes with professionally manicured lawns, sat one of the oldest, largest properties in the greater Canterlot area. Several acres of land surrounded by a high stone wall topped with several feet of decorative, blackened metal contained a half dozen buildings set back from the entrance.  Nearly two centuries old, renovated and rebuilt several times, the location had been many things over the years, from a site once sacred to long extinct native tribes, to a home for orphaned youth, to a church run facility for troubled teens, and, for the last eight decades, an expensive private school that catered to the children of the wealthy and affluent in the northern half of the state.  All of the buildings were a sight to behold, their facades a mixture of dark red brick, expensive granite and marble, and the abundant crystalline accents that gave the institution its current name: Crystal Preparatory Academy.
The school’s main building dwarfed the other structures around it, four stories tall with three wings branching off from the taller core of the structure, making it almost resemble the castles of old that could still be found on the other side of the world.  The granite pathway to its doors was long and wide, lined with professionally managed greenery and gorgeous statues, and even the parking lot was sculpted and shaped and maintained to place wealth and status on display to all who saw it.
And from a darkened, opulent office, pale eyes staring imperiously through the window at the city beyond, was the being who had held dominion over it all since its inception, under many names and many guises. Here, in the privacy of the office, its door locked against unwelcome intrusion, the glamour worn in the presence of mortals was unneeded, and lips set in a face of ethereal beauty that was too perfect to be real twisted into a haughty sneer at the sight of mortal chaff scurrying with the frenzied urgency of creatures whose lives lasted for but the blink of an eye to the perceptions of their betters.  They were little different from the smelly beasts they ate, too focused on baser urges to ever amount to anything in their short lives that was worth noticing.
“Pathetic.”  The sound fractured the silence in the room, the large crystalline columns and wood paneled walls distorting the voice and its echoes, until it seemed like mocking voices were hissing the word back at the speaker.  The being known currently as Abacus Cinch bit back a nasty, cutting retort, curling long, thin fingers against the sill, sharp nails making a sound against the richly stained wood.  
In response, a feeling of smug satisfaction drifted across Cinch’s awareness, dark and oily, as the Master took satisfaction in His little digs at His servant.  At the edges of the Principal’s vision the shadows undulated and moved in a subtle but disorienting manner outside of the small pool of harsh light provided by the single light source hanging over the desk. The tenebrous shapes clung to the crystals on the walls and oozed across the floor to cover expensive shoes with cool darkness. Turning back to stare out the window, Cinch ignored the hissing shades and the Master’s needling, preferring to spend energy taking in the kingdom—such as it was—that had been eked out over nearly two centuries.
It was a far cry from the ancient homeland, where at least the mortals spoke a civilized tongue and still feared the old magicks.  There, the very stones still stood as markers to the ancient gods of the land and the tales were still sung of the days when the human animals had known their place.  But the magic had faded from the land, and those who had relied upon it had walked sideways from the sun until only the strongest remained to be faced with a harsh choice: leave the land to chase the dwindling magic left in the world’s veins, or fade away as all their brethren had done.
The Master had bade them live, for He had been with them then, and those who belonged to Him obeyed.  This place had been chosen for its power, the energy flooding the rocks below, and they had powered its enchantments with the blood of those who had once worshiped here.  Those enchantments and wards still held, though greatly weakened by time; even the dark rituals that could still be done did not restore them to their early glory, for there simply was not enough magic to spare.  To Cinch’s gaze, the grounds seemed to hover half out of time, an anachronism amidst the modern skyline, with gnarled, aged trees that had been spared the axe scattering the grounds and a faint pervasive darkness that made the hallways forever dim with shadows gathering in the corners, no matter how many lights were turned on... but of course the mortals saw none of that, their primitive minds easily fooled, showing them what they expected to see instead.
One long, pointed ear twitched as the feeling of the Master’s amusement changed to annoyance, and grew tinged with boredom. “Itheadair...” His voice whispered in Cinch’s mind, the tone firm and commanding. “I hunger....bring Me a fressssh sssssoul.”
The response came nearly automatic, pointing out the same thing that came up every moon or so when He made this demand. “It has been too soon since the last one, my Lord.  The humans will notice if too many of their offspring die or disappear at one time.  We must wait, or risk exposure.”
Anger edged at the Principal’s awareness, coloring the frustration with black hate....but the Master could do little besides threaten right now. The same journey that had brought them here had cost Him His physical form and with the dwindling magic, there had been no way to bring Him back.  “I care not. Find Me a sssssoul.”
He did not seem to understand the delicacy of the situation in the modern world. Innocents didn’t just vanish in large numbers any more, not without involvement from authorities.  Authorities who scrutinized everything about that person’s life, and could easily put the pieces together and start looking deeper into the school.  “My Lord,” came the protest.  “The human authorities will—”
Air suddenly refused to move in Cinch’s lungs, as the shadows came alive, consuming every spec of light in the room, all but for a pair of baleful red eyes that cast a glow on the willowy figure. “I ssssaid I do not care, Itheadair! The concernssss of mortalsss are irrelevant before My Will!” the Master’s voice thundered, filling Cinch with utter terror like the ancient being had felt only a few times before in almost four millennia of life. “It seems you have worn a mortal dissssguise far too long, ssssidhe—one might think you have grown weak and ssssoft like one of them.”
What color existed on that ageless face drained away, and it was a struggle to get any words out at all. “I...assure you...Master, that is...not the case.”
“Why then, are you ssssso concerned with the affairssss of mortalsssss assss to defy Me?”  
Cinch forced the crushing weight of primal terror away, something in their mind uncomfortably aware, as always, that He was allowing this illusion of overpowering His will, and the fae being once again cursed the bargain and necessity that bound them to one another.  Despite what it cost to feign a confidence not truly felt, the lean form straightened, putting shoulders back and head high, pride not allowing anything less.  Controlling their voice with an iron will built over centuries allowed for a calm, level tone that almost bordered on disinterested.  "I care not for the humans, my Lord. I would slaughter this entire school on Your altar, were it my choice, and water the grounds with the tears of their elders. But You give me two competing orders, for You have always bid me that I must be mindful of Your future needs and work in secrecy and subtlety to inflame the fears and anguish of Your... meals. Despite the recent surge in magical activity, there is still little to work with while Your majesty and power remains....unavoidably... separate." 
Every word was carefully chosen, deliberate, for Cinch was unwilling to suffer another lash of terror by reminding Him of His imprisonment. Quickly continuing, lest He dwell too long on that thought, the Principal layered their next words with a honeyed subservience, "If, however, You will permit me a trifle of time, a mere day or two, I could provide You with... something substantial, even enjoyable. Perhaps a clutch of the drug-addled, a few young runaways to sharpen Your appetite on, before sating it? You have spoken before, of how the withdrawal of their chosen vice provides such fertile ground for twisting their minds and spilling their fears and terrors bare for Your pleasure, my Lord. If You will permit me the time, I can arrange for them to be at peak ripeness, so that You may feast at Your leisure."
There was only silence and the void for some time, but the sidhe was not new to long quiet as the Master made decisions.  To push back the strange shapes that flickered at the edges of their vision, Abacus Cinch sought an internal calm by imagining the torments they wished they could carry out on every one of the human cattle responsible for the abomination called 'technology'. They sneered inwardly—as if anything could ever compare to the grace, elegance, and power that was Magick—truly, it was disgusting, the way humans babbled over their 'advances' and their 'innovation.' Thin lips curved in an expression too other, too cruel to be called a smile, one that enticed even as it repelled, and sharp nails caressed an inlay of polished bone in the wooden sill, tracing the potent lines and savoring the long-ago pain still locked in the design. It had been a hobby, once upon a time, to craft such things from the remnants of victims, when power flowed more abundantly and Magick was theirs to master and own.
The expression twisted that ethereal face into something monstrous, reminded once again how cameras and recordings had forced all but a few of the beautiful works into hiding, where they could not be seen by prying eyes...how the human 'science' trapped those of their kind who remained more and more into pretending to be one of them, and constrained their choices even more than that long-ago bargain with the Master. If any of them had known then what price it would demand, perhaps they too would have chosen to fade into the Summerlands with the rest of their ilk.
The dark presence finally receded, allowing the faintest light to return to the room.  The burning red eyes watched Cinch still, unwavering. “Do ssssso then, Itheadair...but I warn you—have a care with your wordssss, or you may find you are not assss indisssspensible assss you thought.”
A final stab of induced fear threatened to overwhelm the already taxed body, but once again pride kept Cinch from giving any indication that it had had any effect at all.  Their voice remained even and steady, “Of course, my Lord. I apologize if in my zeal to uphold our agreement, I inadvertently gave offense." They offered a millimetrically perfect obeisance to the dark presence, "With your permission, shall I now return to my duties, so that I may sooner be able to fill your latest... request?"
A dangerous game, this exchange, and yet...it added a certain spice. To needle Him, without provoking Him truly to rage. To offer courtesies and flattering subservience... all the while making sure they extracted the maximum advantage from any situation.  It was far more satisfying than any such manipulations plied against mortal animals, and far more rewarding as well.
The Master called His shadows back, leaving the room as it had been before.  Cinch glanced at the clock, and with a deft flick of the wrist, drew the glamour up and about slim shoulders like a cloak.  In an instant, the androgynous inhuman figure of impossible beauty was gone, replaced by an imposing middle aged woman with stern, severe features and hard eyes, wearing a very no nonsense outfit with silvery streaked red-violet hair pulled back into a bun.  Only then did Cinch press a button on an intercom device on the desk. “Miss Mulberry, send my one o’clock in as soon as she arrives—I have an exceptionally busy afternoon.”
“She’s already here, Principal Cinch. Did you want me to go ahead and send her in now?” The secretary’s voice carried the slightest distortion of electronic feedback, the noise painful to sensitive ears. It was a hated contraption, a crude thing that barely served to replace the powerful communication spells none of them could afford to the spare magic to use any longer.
Features smoothed, schooled into a careful air of haughty superiority as the Principal settled into the high backed chair at the desk. “Send her in.” A wave of one hand made the lock click on the door, allowing the student entrance.
A moment later, the door creaked open ominously, and the shadows darkened in the corners of the room.  A dark haired head poked around the corner, before a nervous, anxious body followed, hands clutching a thin binder in a white knuckled grip. “G-good afternoon, Principal Cinch,” the girl began.
Ah. Twilight Sparkle.  Useful, as these mortals went, though lacking in any of the areas that would have made her truly valuable. She served more to increase Crystal Prep’s status in the world, allowing them to woo much richer individuals to siphon off their finances and get their hooks into youths who would one day run important areas of human influence...youths who often owed their success to Cinch and the school and could be leaned on at the right time for Cinch’s gain. That...and the anxiety and fear that rolled off her in waves was delectable for the Master’s shades to feed on. 
The Master, whose remnants of anger and frustration had dissolved away behind surprise and keen, sudden interest.  
A careful lid on any wayward emotions allowed Cinch to conceal the calculating thoughts from both showing on their face and from leaking to where the Master could sense it.  If something about the mortal girl had caught His attention, it behooved the sidhe to find out what...before He decided the lack of knowledge gave Him the opportunity to dole out mockery or punishment. Swiftly, Cinch reevaluated the plans for this meeting, discarding the initial intentions to wind up the child’s emotions, crafting and fine tuning several potential paths this encounter could take in the time it took the chit to make her way over to stand on the carpet. The Principal bestowed her with a gracious smile, noting with a sense of satisfaction the way her anxiety spiked rather than diminished.
Trembling hands extended the binder towards her as an offering. “H-here’s my proposed independent study project, Principal Cinch. Its...a study on a recent energy anomaly that has been occurring in the g-greater Canterlot area...” Once it was out of the girl’s hands, she began wringing them against her chest.
Instead of a swift and crushing dismissal of whatever fancy the child had come up with, Cinch took the time to open the binder, ostensibly to read through the proposal.  It gave the sidhe a chance to observe both the mortal and the Master, trying to determine what made the girl interesting to Him now, when she had been here for several years and never garnered a second glance.  A careful tendril of power probed the girl’s life-force to reveal if the interest was due to some sort of anguish that the Master reveled in...but despite that first thought, the girl was not suffering the effect of withdrawal from illicit substances or the horror of finding herself bred after an encounter with some randy classmate in a broom-closet.
The girl was still talking—mortals did not know when to shut their mouths sometimes—but even the chattering nonsense about energies and auroras and—
The Master began to laugh in the space between His prison and the back of Cinch’s mind. It was an awful sound, one that dragged red talons of pain across the fae’s very essence, filled with sadistic glee and cunning arrogance, as if the Master was watching a plan come to fruition at long last. 
Cinch focused on the proposal, mind frantically racing to work out what in the name of all that was unholy was making Him so gleeful. The girl was the same anxiety-ridden whelp she always was, albeit even more anxious and fearful than usual. But that could easily be attributed to the meeting. No... something had caught His interest, and the sidhe needed to know.
Much of it was little more than gibberish, mortal babble about science, but in conjunction with what little of the girl’s rambling Cinch had caught, it began to paint a picture. Somehow, the girl had found a way to detect the sudden magic that had reinvigorated the leylines that ran through the earth beneath the city....what was more, the girl had made plans to refine her detection and locate the source.
An avid hunger bordering on a primal need gripped the sidhe at the realization, and it took all the control that the ancient being could muster to not betray their thoughts to the Master’s ever watchful eyes.  This mortal wretch had no idea what she had stumbled over...and Cinch had no intention of wasting time or energy enlightening her. Using her, on the other hand? Oh yes...that really was the best kind of situation, where Cinch gained everything, until all that was left of the mortal was a broken shell that was no use to anyone but perhaps the Master’s weakest shades, weeping and confused as to how it had all gone so very wrong.
The girl had finished her stumbling speech, and now sat in painful silence, waiting for the administrator’s verdict. Small muscle tremors showed how unsettled she was, and the way she was wringing her hands had left reddened marks on her wrists. Every breath was little more than a shallow gasp, like the pathetic creature could barely breathe, and she reeked now of fear so thick that even Cinch found it unpleasant.
Disgust flitted across the fae being’s mind, and with the delicate touch of a master, used a tiny thread of power to override the nervous fear—it would do neither Cinch nor the Master any good if the mortal girl’s mind broke now. “Miss Sparkle,” the sidhe began, catching the girl’s eyes with their own, not unlike a serpent staring at prey. “Please do take a moment if you need, and compose yourself.”  A thin, bare hint of a smile crossed the glamoured face, a hint that Cinch was...pleased...with the creature.  It wasn’t a falsehood after all; they were pleased, though not for the reasons the girl would likely assume.  "Your proposal here is quite... interesting." Ancient eyes watched the girl, gauging her reaction.
Purple eyes regained a measure of vibrancy, and the anxiety returned to manageable, tolerable levels, and once more the words poured forth from the girl’s mouth like a raging river. “I thought it was fascinating, and I checked the energy’s wavelength on the electromagnetic spectrum against all known forms—it’s an unknown, and completely new energy.  Some dozen minor events plus a partial reading from the initial major event and a second major event has already yielded almost a full terabyte worth of data, and I’m hoping to use what Ive gathered already to create a customized tracking device for this wavelength.  With the amount of—”
The sidhe held up one hand, lacing the gesture with a little stronger compulsion to silence the rambling... It was a pity the child's tongue couldn't simply be removed these days—in the past it had been an effective way to eliminate the mindless prattle of irritating mortals, but modern society had such unfortunate rules about things of that nature. "I am entirely certain you have covered all this in your written proposal, Miss Sparkle. As I said, it is extremely interesting, and I find myself quite intrigued by this discovery of yours." Another thin smile, tinged with a hint of approval and a flattering cadence to the words, as if the sidhe were—perish the thought—conversing with a potential equal. "I would like the opportunity to study it in depth, when I am not beset by time sensitive matters during my office hours. I will have an answer for you by Monday—schedule an appointment with my secretary to come by, wont you?  We will discuss the decision then.”  
It was a dismissal, and the mortal knew it. “Y-yes, ma’am,” she stuttered out, before skittering out of the office, even more agitated than when she’d arrived. Several of the Master’s shades slithered into her shadow as she passed them, eager to attach themselves to her and suckle on her anxious fears.  
Cinch watched as the door shut, even as the red eyes reformed behind the sidhe, malice glittering in glowing, blood colored depths. “Tell me, Itheadair....Did you ssssense it?” came the sadistic purr in Cinch’s mind. “The power blooming in the girl? Or have your ssssenssssesss grown sssso dull that you can no longer pick up on nasssscent magic in your chargessss?”
It was bait that the principal refused to take, even if it did strike true—there had been nothing that had given away even the slightest hint to Cinch that the girl had magic power within...at least not enough to provoke the kind of interest the Master was exhibiting.  “Is there a point to this, my Lord?” 
“Alwaysssss...” the Master hissed. “Prepare the ritual. I want her; sssshe will make the perfect ssssacrifice...and that power will be mine.”
It wouldn’t do to let anything that could be perceived as weakness show, so the ancient fae kept a calm and seemingly disinterested tone.  “As You wish, my Lord.”  Pale eyes cast a slow look over the proposal, pondering the implications of that.  “Do You desire her to continue with this...‘research’...or is it of no consequence?”
“Let her continue her ssssearch—sssshe can do the work for ussss. The magic sssshe is hunting is enough to fuel the ritual like never before.”  The inky void oozed out of the crystals as far as it was able, with no regard for Cinch’s personal space.  “Once sssshe hassss led usss to it, everything will be where it needssss to be.”
Cinch shrugged one shoulder elegantly.  "As you wish, my Lord," was their repeated response.  Moving away from the icy touch that brought with it a sense of despair, as if the only purpose for the shift was to reach a particular desk drawer, a long fingered hand drew it open.  “I would assume then a ‘supervisory contract’ is in order—shall I use the standard or do you desire me to include custom clauses?” 
The darkness drew in on itself, considering, and in that moment the crimson orbs narrowed to mere slits. “The ‘special grant’ contract, Itheadair. The one with My name on it.   There issss no room for error in thissss—she must be tied to My Will, and quickly.”
Retrieving a vial of ink, the principal held it up to the view of the solitary light, observing how the fluid within shifted unnaturally, swallowing every speck of light that touched it just as the Master’s shades did.  "As you feel that strongly, perhaps I better prepare a fresh batch of ink. This one isn't quite at peak potency any more." A sharp smile of anticipation stretched thin lips, the effect of it enough to send lesser mortals fleeing in terror.  "I can harvest the necessary ingredients over the weekend, if you don't mind sharing one of the cattle?"
"Take what you need, but sssee to it quickly.  I have languissshed in thissss pathetic prisssson long enough.”  His voice filled the room without ever increasing volume, echoed from a thousand crystal facets that each reflected gleaming eyes and a fanged maw.  
Inclining their head to the exact degree of subservience that the Master expected was a skill perfected through a lot of trial and error, but Cinch was nothing if not precise and knew when to provoke the Master and when to relent.  At the same time, the sidhe refused to show any form of weakness.  “Then, with your permission, I shall be away until later. I'll bait a few traps, and see what kind of catch is available for our various needs.
The room fell silent, and for a long time, all the shadows stilled.  Then, slowly at first, the darkness moved like spilled fluid towards the crystals on the walls, filling the facets until only the barest hint of a head remained, horns rising high above the suggestion of a long mane of hair and those eyes still boring into her.  “Be quick,” He intoned, the distorted shape of fingers extending from the black mass, misshapen things that looked as if they had been cast during dusk, one pointing at her. “Do not disssappoint me.  Thisss mortal could be the final piece I need.”
The shadow disappeared, leaving Cinch alone to prepare.
> Chapter Sixty Two: Fall to Pieces
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It had been an exceptionally long day for Sunset, and she was more than ready to escape from school by the time the final bell rang.  All day she had been on edge, making her temper flare at the worst moments.  She’d been jumpy in the locker room before gym, short tempered at lunch to the point of snapping at her friends, and had been unable to focus on translating any of the books Twilight had loaned her.  
Even now, after having stopped at home to dump her school stuff and grab her stuff for staying over at Twilight’s, she was agitated, a knot of anger and frustration seething in the pit of her stomach as she sat, stuck in Friday afternoon traffic courtesy of road construction.  If it weren’t for the cop directing traffic at the intersection, she would have squeezed her way between the curb and the line of cars, but habit made her suffer through it instead, grinding her teeth, rather than risk being stopped.  It didn’t help that it was bitterly cold and starting to sleet, tiny pellets of ice pinging off her helmet and sticking to the folds of her jacket. Coupled with an icy wind, she was soon half soaked and shivering miserably. It made spending nearly half an hour driving three blocks an experience that dredged up memories of her first winter in the human world that she would have rather avoided.
Forty five minutes and a quick stop at the bakery later, the redheaded teen finally pulled into the driveway amidst weather that had turned to freezing rain. Sunset was grateful for her boots as they crushed the thin layer of ice that had formed on the ground, preventing her from falling on her rear, making her way up the front walkway to ring the doorbell.
She could hear Spike barking inside the house, the sound accompanied by the faint skittering of his nails on hardwood and the heavier steps of a human headed towards the door. A gust of wind sent more freezing rain against her back right as the door opened and she almost bowled Twilight over to get inside the warm house and away from the sensation of icy needles piercing into her calves. 
“It’s cooold,” she told the other girl, peeling off her gloves and blowing on her fingers to thaw them out.  Then she actually caught a glimpse of Twilight and the chill in her body was all but forgotten. “Sparky? What’s wrong?”
Twilight looked upset, her whole body radiating tension and stress, purple eyes lacking their normal bright gleam.  She was wringing her hands after she shut the door, her wrists bearing reddened marks where she’d started to rub the skin raw from it.  Instead of answering, she bit her lip, her breath hitching.
Sunset put her bag down carefully on the table in the front hall, before reaching out to pull the shorter teen into a tight hug. “Sparky, talk to me. What happened?”
Despite the fact that Sunset’s clothes were soaked and crusted with icy droplets, Twilight all but collapsed into the embrace with a whimper, fingers digging into the redhead’s shoulders through the leather of the jacket.  "C-can you just... hold me for a while, Sunny?" came the plea as she buried her face into Sunset’s chest, giving the former unicorn the sense that her girlfriend was barely hanging onto her composure with tooth and nail.  Each word carefully spaced, like she would break down if she spoke too fast, and her sentences were interspersed with short quick inhales as if she couldn’t quite draw a full breath. "T-talk later, just... hold me. Please."  Her voice cracked at the end, the heartbeat that Sunset could feel racing even faster than before.
The way Twilight sounded, the way she felt, it made Sunset’s innards twist back on themselves, her magic tingling faintly in her veins in response.  She reacted without thinking, scooping her companion up into her arms.  “Hey...hey...I’ve got you, Sparky,” she soothed, kissing her forehead. “I’ve got you and I’m not letting go.”  It was awkward, but she managed to kick off her boots and nudge them against the wall, before heading up the stairs carefully, seeking the sanctuary of Twilight’s bedroom.  Spike whined and chased after her, trying to nudge and herd her when he decided that she wasn’t moving fast enough with his owner, aware in that way dogs were known for that something was wrong.
The door was kicked shut once they were in the room, Sunset’s own agitation making her less than gentle. The loud banging sound made Twilight burrow closer, her grip making the leather of Sunset’s coat creak in the way only stressed leather can. “Hey...it was just me closing your door,” Sunset murmured into dark hair.  “Ease up on your grip so I can lay us down?”
It took some creative contortion of her limbs around her girlfriend to get them situated on the bed, the redhead finally just settling for leaning back on the pillows with Twilight still tucked against her chest, Sunset’s jacket tossed on the other side of the bed.  Spike barely waited for them to settle before he jumped up after them and made a spot amidst the tangle of their legs for himself, pressing his head to Twilight’s knee with a puppyish whine.    
“I know, Spike,” Sunset addressed him almost the same way she would have his Equestrian counterpart.  Her fingers started combing through Twilight’s hair, pulling it down from the frazzled, severe bun it had spent the school day in and letting her nails scratch lightly against her companion’s scalp.  “We’re right here, Sparky, and we’re not going anywhere.”  
Twilight rocked in her arms, the sounds escaping her hitting Sunset hard and dragging memory to the surface against her will.  They were sounds that reminded her of a frustrated, hurting filly who had hidden herself away more than once in her rooms in the palace when life became just a little too much for her to handle.  It made her cuddle Twilight closer, nuzzling into dark hair before she started to hum the soft lullaby that had always chased her own demons away and reminded her of endless sunny days with the only mother she remembered.  She could feel the way lavender fingers repetitively clenched and released her shirt, could feel nails digging into her skin through the fabric each time the grip tightened.
The hand not tangled in Twilight’s hair curled around her, rubbing up and down her back in slow circles, soft and intimate touch that left a warm tingling in her palm from the way the friction affected the nerves.   Her magic thrummed in response, not the burning rush of an impending surge, but akin to the way a hot drink warmed the body just by holding the mug.  Instinct, a growing familiarity, and something deeper, something that defied words because it came from a place inside that couldn’t be constrained by language coaxed her into letting the energy fill her.  The former unicorn kept part of her awareness trained on the magic that seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat, ready to exert her will over it if it tried to surge.
For now, though, the power seemed content to just be there, just beneath her skin, warming her chilled body better than any blanket.  Fleetingly, she wondered if it was warming Twilight too, with the way the other teen was pressing even further into her embrace.  Sunset kept humming, kept running fingers through dark hair and rubbing Twilight’s back, willing the affection and touch to break through the panic and anxiety surrounding her girlfriend.  It seemed to be making a difference, though at a painstakingly slow pace, with Twilight gradually uncurling from her near fetal position until she was more sprawled against Sunset’s front than huddled like a child in her lap.
The creak of the bedroom door made Sunset’s head snap up, only to meet the eyes of Twilight Velvet as the woman slipped in on silent feet, carrying a tray with two steaming mugs that the redhead’s nose told her was hot cocoa.  The woman set the tray on the nightstand, before leaning over to stroke her daughter’s dark hair and drop a motherly kiss on the top of Sunset’s head. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she murmured to Sunset.  “Take as much time as she needs...I can always bring dinner up for you.”
The former unicorn offered Velvet a smile, pressing her cheek to Twilight’s hair as she continued to hum softly.  Her grip on her companion tightened once her girlfriend’s mother left the room as quietly as she’d come—she had no plans on letting go any time soon, certainly not until she had chased away the darkness that had lingered in Twilight’s eyes.  
How long they laid there, Sunset wasn’t sure. She was too focused on the girl in her arms to pay much attention. It was long enough that the room had grown dark and she’d managed to hum her way through most of the Rainbooms repertoire, a half dozen songs from Equestria, and the various songs she could remember Princess Celestia humming or singing to her as a foal.  At some point, Twilight had finally relaxed against her, slipping into an exhausted doze, her face tucked up against Sunset’s collarbone and neck.
Sunset grimaced as her stomach grumbled at her—her irritation during the day meant she had bailed from lunch early and left most of her meal uneaten.  The sound caused Twilight to stir in her embrace, eyes blinking open blearily.  “...Sunny...?” 
She tried to speak but it ended in a raspy cough, prompting her to reach over and snag one of the mugs of lukewarm cocoa and take a long swallow, soothing her throat.  Sunset managed a smile after that, offering her girlfriend a rough sounding, “Hey, Sparky. How are you feeling?”
Whatever murmured reply Twilight gave was lost amid a much larger growl from Sunset’s middle, which in turn prompted sleepy giggles from the dark haired teen. Sunset wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. Skipped lunch today.”
Purple eyes blinked, looking around at the darkened room. “...and dinner too? How late is it? It got dark...” A shiver went through Twilight and she reached across Sunset to turn the nightstand lamp on before squirming closer to the taller girl’s body.   
Brows furrowed, and Sunset kissed her. “Hey...it’s okay—we can eat once I know you’re alright. What happened earlier? This isn’t like you, Sparky.”  She brushed a few strands of hair back behind one ear, brushing their lips together again in a feather-light touch.
She could feel Twilight take a deep, slow breath, her eyes shutting briefly, something she did when she was trying to collect her thoughts. The former unicorn waited patiently, giving her the time she needed, hugging her gently.  After a few heartbeats, Twilight exhaled that breath in a controlled manner and finally answered.  “I...am uncertain.”  Her voice had slipped into that faintly detached, clinical tone that she used when discussing uncomfortable personal topics. “It was an atypical reaction to a situation which I have faced on several occasions before, and have come through with only minor to moderate stress.  While it is true that Principal Cinch has not given me a definitive answer in regards to my proposed project, she seemed interested in it and promised an answer on Monday.  I expected some anxiety from that, but under normal circumstances I can manage it well enough to calm myself before it escalates to the point of a panic attack—usually through logical reasoning and deduction to quiet the more unlikely scenarios my brain chooses to conjure.”  
Twilight frowned, her fingers absently smoothing out the fabric of Sunset’s damp sweatshirt, lips sealed into a tight line for a minute or two while she considered her next words. “This time, however, all attempts to ease my distress served instead to heighten it, despite how ludicrous some of the fears were.”  Her gaze focused on what her hands were doing before meeting Sunset’s eyes again.  “Even my mother’s efforts seemed to only trigger a stronger response, which is extremely unusual.  Coupled with the mild hyperventilation that comes with an impending panic attack, the entire experience affected my spatial awareness and perceptions, making me feel as though the walls were closing in around me and that things where moving in ways and places I rationally know is completely impossible.”
Sunset nodded, and brought her hand up to rest over the hand that fiddled with her shirt, squeezing it lightly. “Do you feel better now? You sound better.”  
There was silence as Twilight’s thoughts turned inward, but eventually she gave a nod.  “...I do. For some reason, no matter how bad it gets, no matter what triggers it, you always make it better.” She leaned up to kiss Sunset’s cheek.  “Even today, when nothing else helped, you were exactly what I needed.”
The redhead’s lips twitched upwards into a crooked grin at that, warmth of a different kind filling her now.  With a sound in the back of her throat, she tugged Twilight up closer, capturing the shorter girl’s mouth as want made her veins start to burn.  Now Twilight was clinging to her for a different reason, greedily seeking to deepen the kiss and letting out a disappointed whine when Sunset broke it so they could breathe.  “I’m glad I was able to help,” she whispered, resting her forehead against Twilight’s.  The heat was echoed by her magic as purple eyes met hers, the shade of them darkened by desire and a need that went far deeper than the physical.  Words fell from her lips onto her companion’s as their breath mingled. “I’ll always be here for you, Twilight,” she promised, the seriousness of the moment making her forgo the nickname that danced on her tongue. “Always.”
The other girl quivered, something that Sunset couldn’t quite place in her eyes, but in that moment, the vibrant sparkle that she so often saw in them returned, driving her to seal her promise with another searing kiss, a hand tangling in loose dark hair to keep them together until a desperate need for air separated them.  Even then, she came back in again, little nibbles and soft kisses, each one a vow in its own way. 
When they finally settled back into just cuddling together, Sunset’s thoughts ghosted back over her day and she let out a soft, breathy chuckle.  “I needed you too—I’ve been on edge and bitchy all day long, with no real reason why....but now? Now that I’m here and with you, all of that is gone. I feel good.”
Before Twilight could respond, there was a soft knock at the door. “Ladybug? Sunset? Can I come in?” Cadence called through the door.  
Twilight fixed her glasses, shifting to rest back against Sunset’s shoulder instead of nose to nose.  “It’s open, Cady,” she answered, pushing hair out of her face.
Cadence slipped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. “Velvet said you were having a bad day. I picked up ice cream on my way over, and there’s chowder downstairs if either of you is hungry.”  She sat down in Twilight’s desk chair. “How are you feeling?”
A pair of growling stomachs spoke for both teens, causing all three of them to break out into laughter.  The bright smile on Twilight’s face made any remaining worry in Sunset dissolve, and she answered Cadence between giggles. “We were just going to go down and fond something to eat.”
The young woman chuckled and reached out to pat her shoulder. “Probably a good idea—before your stomach gets any louder! Didn’t you eat over the rest of the holidays?”
“I did,” Sunset responded, “but it might as well have been cardboard and paste compared to what I get to eat here.”  She stretched, feeling her back realign with a few loud pops.  “What kind of chowder is it?”
Cadence smirked. “It’s the one she makes with salmon and all those vegetables that you like so much. I think she intends to send some home with you tomorrow if the weather clears.”
Sunset was on her feet and tugging her girlfriend off the bed a moment later.  “In that case, part of me is actually hoping the roads are so bad I have to stay tomorrow and eat more of it.”  She grinned impishly at Twilight. “You think if I offered to do chores your mom’ll give me the recipe?” 
Twilight giggled. “I don’t know, Sunny...it is Great Grandma Twinkle’s recipe...I’m fairly certain that makes it a family secret...”  She took off her glasses to clean them. “Would you be willing to get us some and bring it back up here?” she asked Sunset somewhat timidly. “I...I’m not sure I’m up for socializing right now, even with Mom and Dad.”
The former unicorn leaned to kiss her lightly. “I’ll be right back, then. Normal sized bowl or big bowl?”
Lavender fingers brushed her arm as they parted. “Normal is fine. And...thank you, Sunny...”
She gave those fingers a squeeze. “I told you...always.  Even if it’s just to bring you dinner.” Then she made her way out, leaving Twilight in Cadence’s company while she headed for the kitchen.
Velvet and Night were in the kitchen—she was drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table while he was putting the last of the dishes away.  Both parents turned their attention to Sunset when she entered.  “The food is in the fridge, and there’s fresh bread on the counter, sweetie,” Velvet murmured.  
“How’s Twily feeling?” Night asked, closing the silverware drawer.
Sunset set the container of chowder in the microwave, busying herself with retrieving a tray and bowls while the food heated.  “She’s...tired...I think. I’m bringing the food to her—she said she wasn’t up to interacting with people tonight.” 
Night Light exchanged a long look with his wife that Sunset couldn't decipher.  “It was a bad one then.”  His brows pinched with obvious worry. “Did she tell you what triggered it?”
The redheaded teen frowned, thinking back to what her girlfriend had said.  “She had that meeting with her principal today—it...sounded like that may have had something to do with it.”
“She was already in a state when she got home this afternoon,” Velvet confirmed, tapping her finger against her mug.  “Nothing I tried seemed to help...which isn’t like her.”
Biting her lip, Sunset asked quietly, “Do you know if she tried her medication earlier? She said none of her normal methods of calming down were working...”
The older woman nodded.  “She did—I had her take it when I realized how upset she was after she got home. ”
Sunset sighed, grabbing two water bottles out of the fridge.  “It might turn out to be an ice cream night then,” she told the two adults seriously.  “I’ve never seen her this bad, and...” she paused, unsure if it was really her place to address what she was thinking, but something prodded her.  “This...isn’t the first time her principal has come up while she’s upset...and the way she talks about her...Maybe it’s not my place to say, but...I went to a school like hers once, filled with the same kind of students hers is, and even there, the principal and teachers didn’t leave me feeling like they do Twilight.  Are you sure that school is really a good idea?”
There was silence as she retrieved the now hot chowder and filled the two bowls on the tray with generous portions, scooping out extra hunks of salmon and her favorite veggies for her own serving.  Worry gnawed at her as the quiet stretched on, and she tensed when Night cleared his throat.  “We gave Twilight the option at the end of middle school, and she made the choice to go to Crystal Prep for academic reasons, but we’ve been keeping an eye on her, and...I would be lying if I said I haven’t had slight misgivings about it this whole school year.”
Twilight Velvet exhaled.  “As have I, and if it weren’t for your friendship with her, I think we would have already sought to put Twily in a different school for her own mental health, regardless of how much it might upset her.”
Amber fingers selected several slices of soft, fresh bread that smelled almost as wonderful as the rest of the meal, blue-green eyes unable to look at the adults.  “I...can’t have made that much of a difference,” she deflected.  “I don’t even go to her school.”
There was a light chuckle from Night Light.  “You’ve done more than you think, Sunset.  Despite things seeming to be worse with her at school, her emotional state is a far cry from what it was before you came into her life.  She’s been handling her stress much better, and breakdowns like this are much less common.”  He gave her a smile as she glanced up, winking playfully. “Whatever you’re doing, please, keep it up.”
The former unicorn felt her face heat with a blush that went all the way to the tips of her ears. “I’m...really not doing much,” she protested.  “I’m just...trying to be a good friend, the way Twilight has been for me.”
“Sweetheart,” Velvet told her warmly, “what you think of as ‘not much’ is wonderful, and has done more than I think you really understand. Twilight hasn’t been this happy since she was a little girl, and it’s because of you.”
Flustered and unsure how to respond to praise she wasn’t sure she had really earned, Sunset gathered the tray, prepared to make her escape.  “I...should probably get this upstairs before it gets cold...”
“We’ll see you girls in the morning, Sunset—and if the roads are too bad, I want you to know I’m making you stay here. You don’t need to be risking your neck on icy roads,” Velvet called after her sternly as she headed for the stairs.
The former unicorn mulled over what her girlfriend’s parents had said, wondering if she really had made that much of a difference in Twilight’s life.  It was a nice thought if nothing else, one that made her feel good, knowing that maybe she’d given back even just a fraction of what Twilight had given her since they’d met.
As she neared Twilight’s door, she could hear her talking to Cadence, her voice filled with excitement.  “....it’s this anomaly I started detecting months ago, with a unique energy signature. I’ve had equipment running on a broad spectrum scan ever since, hoping to catch the full anomaly in action!”
“I’m guessing you did?” Cadence sounded confused but attentive.
“That’s what I discovered this week! There was an entire event involving this anomaly just before break, and I caught it all on my equipment! I’ve got so much data on it, I’m certain I can find out what caused it and why it’s happening here.”
Dread started to make Sunset’s stomach twist unpleasantly, the realization of what the ‘anomaly’ Twilight was referring to must have been. 
Twilight’s rambling to Cadence continued, oblivious to the rising agitation in the unicorn-turned-girl that had stopped in the hall outside her door.  “It’s super interesting and such a unique puzzle, and I really suspect the energy in the anomaly has potential for so many applications. That’s why I wanted to use it as my semester project—it could change everything!”
Sunset’s heart dropped so fast it took her stomach along for the ride to land somewhere in the vicinity of her ankles.  Twilight’s unknowing research on magic had been given a massive jump...and it was all her fault.  Horseapples.
> Chapter Sixty Three: Symmetry and Shadows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







In the years she’d lived there, the loft had never seemed particularly foreboding or ominous. It had its quirks and charm and odd things about it, but they had grown familiar and were far from threatening to Sunset Shimmer.  Yet as she found herself opening her eyes, staring at the ceiling from her sofa, everything about the loft seemed wrong somehow, enough that her hide rippled and her ears pinned to her skull.
Shaking her mane out, Sunset rolled off the couch, realizing when her center of balance was wrong for a bipedal stance that she was a unicorn again, despite this being her very human living space.  The amber coated unicorn dropped to all fours, pawing a hoof at the thick area rug and snorting irritably, vaguely wondering what had happened.  Her eyes searched the walls and windows, watching eerie shadows crawl across the surfaces, making the space seem both smaller and off center, as if the angles of the walls were skewed.  At the same time, a faint breathy rushing sound existed at the edge of her hearing, as if a multitude of people were whispering just quiet enough that she couldn’t make out what any of them were saying.
She blew more air out her nostrils, fighting the instinct to rear as one of the shadows crept across the floor and almost touched her front hooves.  She backstepped, tail flicking and ears pinned even more forcefully, arching her neck to point her horn at the creepy darkness.  Sunset reached inside to summon magic to her horn, ready to blast anything that came at her with more substance than the darkness—except nothing happened. The magic she expected never came and panic stole her breath as she realized she couldn’t even feel the reservoir of power that should exist inside her.
The whispering noise grew louder, mocking, gleeful, even as the shadows closed in around her.  Sunset did rear then, lashing out with fore-hooves and horn, fear fighting with the much more familiar fury for supremacy. For the moment, fury won, and her primal scream of challenge made the shadows draw back around her.  “That’s right, you greasy leftovers from Grogar’s dung!  I’m not afraid of you! I’ll take you all to Tartarus with me!” 
The darkness retreated when she lunged, horn brandished like a spear, and she kicked her haunches into overdrive.  Charging the front window, she twisted at the last moment and shifted all her weight to her front legs, allowing the unicorn to lift her hindquarters up and buck the glass as hard as she could.  The sound of glass shattered reverberated with the same sense of wrongness, the sound far too soft and liquid.  Foul scented air, full of sulfur and rot and burning plastic, burned her nostrils and coated her tongue, but out there was away from the hungering void that wanted her, and so Sunset spun with a horn waving flourish to leap out the window.
Her hooves slammed into concrete and she bolted, leaping right into a canter that took her away from her loft. She needed to find her friends-the magic could fix this, she knew. The Power of the Elements, of the mythical Rainbow would push back the darkness and set things right. All around her the world was a twisted mockery of what it should be, with familiar buildings that rose from the ground like crooked tombstones, walls at angles that never should have let them stay standing. Street lights fought a pervasive gloom and an overcast sky and failed, the bright pools of light only serving to cast darker shadows.  Cars stood abandoned in the street, empty of human life, and Sunset had to jump over a fallen bicycle on the sidewalk.  The world around her felt devoid of any living thing besides herself.
Her gait slowed after a few blocks to a fast trot—she needed the time to navigate obstacles in her way without risking tripping herself up. Scattered on the sidewalk and half in the roadway were various objects, discarded abruptly when their owners were seemingly whisked away. She shook her mane out as she jigged sideways to avoid a familiar looking scooter that had its handlebars pretzeled up just outside the Starlight House, and gave a little hop over a broken cane that resembled the one Mister Asiago from the pizza parlor used when he walked his dog. To see such personal possessions abandoned like broken toys, liquid darkness oozing over them, added to the sense of disquiet and unease making her guts churn.
It felt like there was a spotlight on her as she turned down the road that would take her to CHS, the shadows pulling away from her as she moved forward, only to close in after she passed.  Sunset tossed her head again, feeling the anxious sweat that was dampening her neck, caused by the way the world was utterly silent but for the faint whispering and the strange sensation of damp, rough, cold concrete under her hooves.  The unicorn decided very quickly that human concrete was perhaps the most unpleasant surface she’d ever trod on, worse than fine scree or silty mud.  
Snorting, she grimaced and increased her pace as much as she dared, vaulting over an overturned shopping cart.  She had to get to the school. It was the meeting place for her and her friends—in an emergency like this, happening when they were all separated, that would be their first instinct too, she was sure of it. Once they were together they would fix this, all of them, together.
The amber unicorn could see the Wondercolt statue up ahead and threw caution to the wind.  In three strides she was galloping full out, a part of her rejoicing at the way it felt to have that brief moment where it felt like she was flying before her hooves came back down in a pounding, distinctive four-beat gait that echoed in her ears; it was a far cry from the awkward run of a human body, where even at a run her body was almost always in contact with the ground. The distance between her and the statue closed quickly, and hope began to rise that the nightmarish world around her would soon be set to rights—
A dozen feet from the statue, with that persistent sense of wrongness thrumming through her in time with her heart, Sunset’s leading hoof came down on something soft that slid away from the point of contact, sending her tumbling at an angle onto the grass and effectively halting her run.  The unicorn went down in a tangle of limbs and it took a minute to sort herself out and figure out which way was up.  
Turning her head towards what had tripped her, Sunset’s mouth went dry. There, torn now and half crushed from being stepped on by a pony, was AJ’s beloved hat. The hat she knew AJ was never without, that even Rainbow Dash didn’t ever try to swipe.  Everyone knew that touching the hat meant anger from the farmer.  Fear and nausea rose in the back of her throat, blue green eyes finding other items nearby she recognized.
Rarity’s purse draped against the statue’s base.
Rainbow’s soccer ball, sitting forlornly on the grass a ways away from her.
A broken plate of cupcakes that left frosting smeared across the front walk of the school.
And right next to her hoof, Fluttershy’s favorite butterfly barrette.
Stomach clenching and twisting into a knot, Sunset bowed her head, her horn brushing the grass. No magic and her friends were gone...
And what was more, the wrongness was stronger here, the shadows darker and more ominous, no longer afraid of her.  She could feel them begin to close in, feel the way her nerves froze and her blood turned to ice so cold it burned as the hungry void crept over the splayed limbs.
“Are you really that pathetic, Sunset Shimmer?” a mocking voice asked her.  “Surrendering the moment you encounter a hurdle you weren’t expecting?”
Her head snapped up, blue-green eyes focusing on the source of that voice, ears swiveling forward in response...yet her own voice failed her as horror constricted around her barrel like a vice.
Standing casually on the school’s front walkway was a monster she’d thought she’d finally freed herself from.  Gleaming blue-green irises set in pools of inky black gazed out from under a red skinned brow, one side of which had quirked upwards, and a fanged mouth was set in a smirk.  Where Sunset’s mane of hair tumbled down in untamed curls, the demonic shape in front of her had a mane of living fire that flickered and moved like the real thing. 
Unlike previous encounters, though, the demon from the formal was not wearing the Element of magic—instead, a mockery of Sunset’s horn rose from her forehead, curved upward and coming to a sharp point, and two ragged pony ears stuck up from the  fiery hair.  Gone was the barely there dress, replaced by one of Sunset’s own tops and a pair of tight, ragged jeans, the whole look capped off by the tattered leather jacket that now hung neatly in the back of a wardrobe.  
Red arms crossed under her ample chest, she tapped a black talon against an elbow. “What’s wrong? Abyssinian got your tongue? Don’t just lay there gaping like an idiot—get up!”
Rage boiled in her veins, so violent and sudden that it turned the edges of her vision red.  In an instant she lashed out at the creeping void, seeing it break apart into smoke where it touched her, sending what was left behind scuttling back from her once more.  Sunset surged to her hooves an instant later, rearing back as she did and coming down with her front hooves in a furious stomp.  “You?! You did this?” came the snarl from her, ears pinning back in warning. “Bring them back, all of them, right now! You have no right to do this!”
That smirk twisted into annoyance.  “You think I did this? I’m not sure if I’m flattered or insulted.”  Her demonic self paused, before meeting her eyes. “You know better,” the dark being chastised. 
“What?” The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
Her demon broke eye contact to stare out at the world around them for a long time, silent and rather pensive. When it spoke again, there was something in its tone that made Sunset lift her head and prick her ears forward to focus on the creature.  “Take a look around, and then look inside yourself.  You know very well this is none of my doing.”  A red fist clenched, flames licking along the fingers without burning.  
Dragging her gaze away from the hellspawn that had once been a reflection of the sorry state of her soul, Sunset did look around.  She saw the darkened skies, the eerie landscape, the shadows that clung to and sought to cover everything but the two of them.  She saw an empty landscape devoid of all life. Devoid of the very thing she had desired most when she’d been this twisted up inside: adoration.  “You’re right,” she acknowledged.  “This isn’t our style, isn’t what I wanted when I was you. So if it wasn’t you...then what did this?”
“Have you truly been stuck as a human so long that you can’t feel it?” the demon demanded in a biting tone. 
Annoyance made her temper flare again.  “Feel what?!” Sunset snapped at it, whipping her head back in its direction. As she did, her eyes fell on the marble base of the Wondercolt statue, and the rest of her breath stuck in her lungs.
How she had missed the epicenter of all that was skewed about the world, she did not know, but as she stared at the statue, she could see it. It was as if the very fabric of reality had warped back in on itself in a way that just trying to understand gave her a headache, until the very fiber of the universe threatened to rupture and tear. Space and time bulged obscenely in an erratic pulse that birthed fragments of shadows that wriggled and merged into the nauseating darkness that wanted to devour her. 
Sulfur made her gag and the sickly sweet smell of rot made her snort to clear her nostrils.  “What happened to the portal to Equestria?” Sunset demanded of her demon.
“You were warned before, Sunset Shimmer. We can never escape Hell...”
Tearing her eyes from the thing that had replaced the portal, she glowered at the demonic figure.  “That doesn’t tell me anything.”
“Then maybe you aren’t asking the right questions, horn-head.”  Darkened eyes locked with hers,   “Like, in all of this mess, where’s Sparky?”
Sunset went rigid, her head whipping back and forth wildly to scan the discarded objects, hunting for anything that might belong to her Twilight.  There was nothing.  “Where is she?” she bit out, once more wrestling for control over mixed emotions.  
“I don’t have that answer,” the creature once born from her inner darkness responded, for the first time sounding distressed. “…all I can tell you is what you already know—not here.” 
“I have to find her.”  Everything crystallized into a familiar sensation—Sunset needed to know her girlfriend was safe, was okay. She had to get to her now, and she found herself rearing up to whirl around in the direction of the Sparkle house, ignoring the monster standing nearby. Hooves launched her into a full blown gallop this time, kicking off the ground to leap past obstacles, the rapid beats of those hooves impacting concrete matching the racing of her heart.  
The houses she passed were little more than distorted blurs, and never in the months she’d known Twilight had the distance to her house seemed so far.  By the time she slowed her pace in the driveway, her flanks were lathered with sweat and she was blowing hard through her nostrils to get enough air into her lungs—not that it seemed to be helping, what with fear and agitation constricting her airways and making each breath torturous. Even still, she raised her voice as best she could to call out. “Twi…Twilight!”  
The house’s front door hung half open, and the shadows that so far had moved with the sinuous, slithery speed of a serpent seemed almost frenzied as they crawled along the walls of the house and in and out of the gaping windows.  Sunset forced the pain in her body and the light-headedness of being unable to breathe properly down, lunging up the front steps and body checking the door open.  “Sparky!” she panted desperately, swinging her head to and fro to try and find any hint of her girlfriend—or even members of the household.  She saw nothing—not the emptiness of the house, but nothing at all, as darkness had consumed everything but the small area around her. Operating by memory alone, she searched, finding nothing on the main floor, and picked her way to the stairs to check the upper floors.  Sunset kept calling, hearing the darkness echo her cries back at her with hissing mockery, as if the devouring blackness found some sick humor in her desperation.
Twilight’s bedroom door was shut, and the knob refused to turn, but her ears picked up a faint murmur in a familiar voice. “Sparky!” she yelled again, before twisting around and taking her powerful hindlegs to the wood, striking again and again until she could hear the frame and the door begin to splinter. Baring her teeth, Sunset let out another defiant scream at the shadows around her and threw everything she had into bucking the door, feeling wood give way and fall into pieces, ignoring the stinging pain of splinters lodge in the frog of one rear hoof.  
Resisting the urge to limp, the amber colored mare shouldered her way through the broken doorway, finally finding the object of her search.  Twilight stood at her window, looking into the black abyss that covered the panes, her back to Sunset.  “Sparky?” Sunset called, ears straining to make out what the dark haired teen was murmuring to no avail.  She picked her way closer, feeling her sweat dampened coat prickle with a sudden chill. “Twilight? C’mon…look at me.”
As she edged closer, her vision blurred…or Twilight did, and her voice whimpered out, “…S-sunny?”  She sounded terrified.
“Yeah, it’s me, Sparky. I’m here.” Sunset stepped over a book on the floor.
The only warning was that murmur growing into a sick, malicious sounding laugh, too throaty, too deep for her girlfriend, and Sunset collapsed with a cry of pain, fire and ice searing her with equal intensity, reality wavering and losing all meaning as the overload to her pain receptors made her senses shut down. She knew this feeling, had felt it before.  She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, could only suffer as her body felt like it was being peeled apart, layer by layer, turned inside out and restructured at the whim of an angry god.  Her bones ground painfully, her innards squelched, and every muscle and nerve felt scrubbed with sandpaper.  It hurt, and she knew that if she could hear, she would have been deafened by her own screaming.
She lay, sobbing, as her senses came back to her, her throat feeling raw and shredded, tears and snot on her face and the taste of bile and blood on her tongue. Only stubborn determination let her move, her arms and legs protesting as she pushed her body to hands and knees. Blinking back the blackness that edged at the corners of her vision, she saw that Twilight had turned around and was staring down at her, smirking.
…Except this was not a Twilight she knew.
Lavender skin had deepened to a darker purple hue, and the dark hair she enjoyed running her fingers through defied gravity, wispy and insubstantial and the color of the sky just before it edged into the black of night, shot through with pink and purple like false-color nebulae in the deepest regions of space. Her clothes had been replaced by clinging shadows that accentuated feminine curves that seemed disproportionately wrong on Twilight Sparkle, and coupling that with the way the inky darkness moved, it repelled Sunset in a way being around Twilight never had.  The familiar purple eyes were gone, replaced by the void of nothingness that nevertheless managed to radiate smug arrogance and disdain. Her glasses were missing, and from her forehead rose a cracked, twisted parody of a unicorn’s horn, glowing dimly with a sickly light.
She sauntered forward, in a way that told Sunset this was definitely not her Twilight, or any Twilight really, turning something over in her hands, studying it with casual disinterest before she squatted down to put taloned fingers under Sunset’s chin and tilt her head up to meet those horrifying eyes. “Disappointing,” she purred, her voice throaty and husky in a way that made the redhead’s skin crawl. Sunset tried to scramble away, but talons bit into her flesh, sending more ice into her veins and holding her still. “Ah-ah,” she tutted, waving the object in her hand like a chastising finger. “I didn’t say you could move yet.”
Sunset glared. “Where’s Twilight?” she hissed, jerking her head to try and escape the grasping hand. “What have you done to her?”
Not-Twilight threw back her head and laughed, the solitary horn on her forehead wavering a moment and seeming like two before Sunset’s vision cleared. “Done? What’s the matter, Sunny?” she taunted. “Don’t you recognize me?”
“You’re not my Twilight.  Let her go, or I’ll—”
“Or you’ll what?” The dark figure hauled her up to her knees by her throat, and Sunset dug her fingers into the arm cutting off her air.  “You’re weak and pathetic, and the girl belongs to me, now.” Bringing her face close to Sunset’s, she sneered. “…I was expecting more, but you’re borderline useless.”  
The arm casually shoved her away, and the former unicorn brought a hand up to rub her throat, coughing. Anger seethed in her, edging out the black spots before her eyes with the threat of an even more dangerous red haze.  She snarled something unintelligible, a noise that was more rage than any attempt at speech.
Her enemy flickered like a badly recorded video file, and she could see Twilight there again, her Twilight, purple eyes wide with terror. “Sunny…” she whimpered. “…help…”  Almost before the sound died in the air, there was another flicker and she was looking at the parody of her girlfriend again. 
Fury and violence exploded in her like a supernova, and she was on her feet in an instant, the shadows around her reeling back in seeming fear of their own. “Give. Her. BACK!” she demanded in a sharp yell, flinging herself at the shadow covered being, intending to tear the shadows apart with her bare hands if need be.  The weight of her body combined with the ferocity of her lunge staggered the figure for a moment, long enough for Sunset to feel a sense of hope, of victory.
Then agony seared her chest and she staggered back, her legs crumpling under her. She couldn’t breathe right, and she coughed, bloody froth hitting the floor and dribbling down her chin. As she sagged to the floor, she realized that the thing-that-was-not-Twilight had impaled her with the object she had been holding.  A shaking hand grasped it and pulled it free with another stab of pain, and as soon as she held it up, she recognized what she was holding: her own horn, its base a broken and jagged stump.
Once more talons dug into her chin, forcing her to look up into the void. “You can’t stop this.” Then they withdrew, the unnatural figure turning its back on her and returning to its place by the window. Sunset’s body slumped as the horn fell from nerveless fingers, and the shadows closed in on her, flooding her eyes and nose and mouth, filling her with darkness, pain, and despair, devouring her from the inside out…



Twilight opened her eyes to darkness, a shiver going through her. Her stomach felt like it was knotted up around a boulder, and she had an inexplicable sensation of being watched.  More than that, she felt...alone.  The warm body that should have been against hers, the arms that should have been holding her were strangely absent.
She sat up slowly, hugging herself as a chill made her arms prickle with goosebumps.  The streetlights outside gave just enough illumination that she could make out the shape of her girlfriend on the other side of the bed—Twilight knew instantly that something was wrong. Sunset slept sprawled on her side or stomach, but always stretched out, especially after they had started dating.  At the present moment, though, the amber skinned girl was curled up into a trembling ball in the most uncomfortable looking position imaginable, halfway between on her side and on her stomach. Her legs were bunched up, one half under her twisted torso,  and her arms were curled up tight against her, hands fisted.  A low whimpering moan escaped her, and one wrist twitched.
“Sunset?” she called, shifting on the mattress to get closer to the other girl.  Sunset made another sound, her whole body shuddering.  “Sunny?” Twilight tried again, this time reaching out to touch her shoulder, a tactic that had worked before when Sunset had nightmares early in their friendship.
It worked this time too...though not in the way Twilight had anticipated.  The redhead bolted upright by way of her arms and fisted hands, leaving her on knuckles and knees, her eyes wide and staring.  Her breathing was harsh as her legs crumpled, leaving her in a hunched sitting posture.  Her head snapped towards Twilight, then away, unseeing...
Just as Twilight reached out and touched her shoulder again with a soft whisper, Sunset jerked, bringing her arms up around her own body in an erratic, uncoordinated fashion...and started to scream, clawing at something and thrashing so violently that it nearly sent Twilight off the bed.  The dark haired girl flailed for purchase, sending the lamp on her nightstand crashing to the floor, shattering into a million pieces.
The heavy weight in her stomach transformed into the gut churning and twisting sensation of anxiety, quickly threatening to overwhelm her when even the noise of the lamp breaking didn't wake Sunset.  Instead, it only elicited another agonized whimper between screams as she curled forward, more tortured sounds filling the air, overflowing with anguish.  Twilight wavered, half paralyzed, caught between wanting to help Sunset and terror that she would somehow make it worse.  Her heart won out, and she sought to call Sunset back from whatever horrific nightmare had hooked its claws into her. “Sunny, please, wake up! It’s just a nightmare!”  Her fingers brushed the thrashing girl’s shoulder and almost got a fist to her nose for the trouble, making her fall back on her butt with a yelp. “Sunny!” she tried again--she had to keep trying.  “...Sunny! It’s just me, it’s Sparky, your Sparky....please, wake up!”
Sunset screamed again, and it stole the rest of Twilight’s breath away.  The other screams had been awful enough, but this one made fear constrict its claws around her throat and her vision swim with tears.  It wasn’t a cry of fear or hurt...it was barely even human, the agony of an animal in mortal pain, projecting its final moments of suffering in a keening wail.  
Twilight lost her battle, bursting into tears. She could hear Spike barking and howling, as if the dog was trying to show Sunset some form of solidarity, his little paws scrabbling ineffectively at the side of the bed, not quite able to jump up with all the wild thrashing.  It was too much, the noise and the fear and hurt, and she cried out herself, calling for those who instinct told her could fix this.  “....Mom...Dad...Cady...Shining...please....!”
> Interlude XVI: Take Back the Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was far too late for any sensible person not working a night shift to still be awake, but sleep eluded Twilight Velvet no matter how hard she tried.  It didn’t seem to matter that she was exhausted from a long day, with her eyes burning and feeling gritty; she was far too worried to be able to relax.  She rolled over, adjusting her pillow in what she knew was a futile attempt to get comfortable, her mind replaying the days events again.  





She knew something was wrong the second Twily came home from school.  The unnaturally long delay between the key turning in the front lock and the door opening, as if her daughter was having to think through each step separately, completely finishing one action before she could begin the next had tipped her off that it had been a bad day.  When it was followed by an agitated back and forth pacing in the front hall for several minutes before Twilight had even set down her backpack and started taking off her coat, Velvet frowned, saving her current chapter and rising to start making a cup of hot cocoa and a snack of some of her youngest’s favorite comfort foods.
The entire time her ears trained on the sounds in the front hall, hearing Twilight begin to fuss with getting her coat to hang just right, putting it on the coat rack and taking it off repeatedly, making little sounds of frustration, before the sound of everything on the rack being pulled off so that the teenager could start over with the task, organizing the coats, hats, and scarves in a fashion that satisfied her brain’s need for order and control.  She knew better than to offer to help or interfere just yet—these little rituals of Twily's were hers alone, and she never reacted well to someone's 'aid'. Instead she used it as a way to judge how severe the situation was, knowing that the more times Twilight repeated the reorganization task, the worse the upset.  
Spike had headed in to greet his mistress the instant she had arrived, and as she began to repeat the reorganization of the coat rack a second time, Velvet had heard the sound of him whining and circling Twilight.  The dog was someone she hadn’t thought she would come to appreciate having in their lives as much as she did.  With the training he’d undergone, and his sensitivity to Twilight’s emotions, he could often reach her first, starting the process of grounding her and soothing riled emotions.  
Today was clearly an exception to that.  After three rounds with the coats, Twilight finally came into the kitchen, hands twisting and rubbing her wrists unconsciously in her distress, her feet shuffling in a little tapping dance as she struggled against her want to pace.
And when she met Velvet’s eyes, the words that spilled out were a jumbled babble fixated on the one comfort her mother couldn’t provide.
"Sunset. Mom, Sunset's not here. She should be here. She's not here and she should be here by now. I calculated it. She was on her bike, and it takes nine  minutes and thirty six seconds to go between the loft and here if she goes the speed limit and hits all the red lights, and she wasn't doing anything after school that should have delayed her. I'm delayed. She should be here and she's not." 
It was little more than an unfiltered stream of consciousness, blurted because Twilight had needed to get them out more than from any kind of decision to speak.  Carefully, Velvet placed the snack plate in Twilight’s line of sight, before seeking to reassure her daughter.  “Sweetheart, she’s probably caught up in weather or traffic.  Its a lot harder to ride her bike safely in winter weather, and Sunset is a responsible driver.”  She reached into the corner cupboard in the kitchen that doubled as a medicine cabinet, finding the bottle with Twilight’s medication in it.  “If something was wrong, she would contact you.  Give her a little bit and if she’s still not here, text her.”
Her daughter’s hand wringing and foot movements increased, and she abruptly darted over to push the mug and plate away, "No. No. No. She should be here. It’s not right, Mom, it's not. Not without Sunny.  Where's Sunset's plate and mug, there should be one for her too. Mom, I need Sunset here. She needs to be here with me, not out there.”  There was a pause as she drew in a shaky, shallow breath, and then the words started up again.  “It's not safe out there, statistically three times as many bike accidents happen in bad weather, and icy conditions are ten times more likely to cause a bike to go out of control. She's not here, and something must have happened, something bad...”
Abruptly, Twilight started pacing, her steps carrying her from the kitchen to the front hall and back again.  “It has to be something bad. Sunset said she’d come over right after school...but she’s not here and she’s always here when I need her. She just knows, and I need her now, Mom.  If she’s not here, then something bad is keeping her away.  We should call the hospital, she could be in the hospital, I know she is. She had an accident, and she's in the hospital, because she wouldn’t just not be here, and we haven’t heard because they don’t know to call us.  Your number isn’t in her phone yet—why aren’t you in her phone? You should be in her phone.   This is her home and we’re her family, and you should be in her phone so they know to call, and they don't. And now she's—”
"Twily!" Velvet interrupted firmly, trying to get her to focus on something that wasn’t a negative spiral of increasingly unlikely events.  It didn’t help—Twilight was stuck in her own head, barely registering external stimulus enough to take the anxiety medication from her mother.  After swallowing the pill dry, the teenager was locked into a rhythm, her words matching the cadence of her steps—a repetition about how Sunset wasn’t there and that meant something bad had happened.  All her mother could do was let her pace, and pray quietly that the girl she was so focused on got there soon.





It had been like that until Sunset had arrived in the driveway, amid freezing rain and bitter wind, interrupting Twilight’s mental loop and pushing her over the edge emotionally into the meltdown that had been building all afternoon.  
Velvet always felt so torn in her feelings on her daughter’s episodes.  On one hand, it tore at her heart to see her child in a state of such distress, emotionally overloaded and falling apart, but there was relief there too, when it finally happened.  She could very much recall Twilight’s younger years, especially before her progress with her therapist, when these moments would go for days on end, and all she could do was watch her daughter exist in a state of agitation and anxiety, to the point where she would refuse to eat or sleep.  Those were days where Twilight would spend all her time pacing in a room or a hall, or obsessively rearranging the same area of the house over and over, until her body simply could not keep going and she collapsed from exhaustion and finally had the meltdown that had been building.  Only then could Velvet hold her while she cried herself to sleep, whispering soothing sounds and wishing she could do more to help.
Those times were far and few now, between years of work with Dr. Soft-Spoken and the efforts of the family who had learned Twilight’s nonverbal cues...and that wasn’t even counting the arrival of Sunset Shimmer in Twilight’s life, which had done more for her in a span of months than the rest of the family managed in a year.
Sunset was everything Velvet could have ever wanted in a friend—or partner—for her daughter. Unwaveringly loyal, and with a tremendous amount of empathy for a teenager, Sunset never hesitated when Twilight reached out to her for help.  Velvet had watched from the kitchen that day, as the girl had put aside everything the instant she had seen Twilight’s distress, pulling Twilight into her arms and being a rock in an emotional storm. More than that, she weathered the onslaught and brought Twilight out the other side in a way that no one else could match, something Velvet attributed to Sunset’s sensitivity to Twilight’s nonverbal signals.  Whether it was an innate trait or one learned through the circumstances dumped on her by life, the older woman didn’t know, but Sunset could pick up on subtle shifts in Twilight’s moods with an almost preternatural awareness.
If she could, Velvet would have thanked Sunset for how much she did for Twilight, but just like she seemed confused and wary of compassion when they’d met her, the redheaded teen was clearly discomforted by large amounts of praise and gratitude. Instead, she would make sure that several of Sunset’s favorite foods made an appearance over the weekend—perhaps a batch of those oatmeal raisin cookies the girl could inhale by the dozen? Whatever she made, she decided she would make enough to be able to send the leftovers home with Sunset.
Readjusting positions again, trying to ignore the prickling at the back of her neck, she frowned at the ceiling of her bedroom.  As much as it didn’t make logical sense, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Twilight’s episode from earlier wasn’t self contained, but rather a harbinger of something unpleasant on the horizon, an ill omen of trouble to come.  Her eyes fell on Night, snoring softly beside her, and she fought a brief stab of resentment at how easy it was for him to just switch off his worries and concerns, falling asleep with ease.  Velvet found herself jealous that she couldn’t do the same, but more than that, his lack of difficulties in falling asleep left her to brood and worry alone, no matter how desperate she was for the rest.  
There was also the fact that it felt like he had barely even acknowledged the worries—when she’d expressed the strange foreboding sensation, he’d chuckled and made a joke about how her words made her sound like his sister, with her obsession with New Age mysticism, tarot cards, and portents of doom, and her concerns about Twilight’s mental state had been met with the firm point that their youngest had wanted quiet space for the night, and there was nothing they could do about it until morning anyway, before he’d tried to encourage her to lay down and sleep.  As much as she argued that this particular meltdown of Twilight’s was different, he seemed blind to it being anything out of the ordinary, almost as if some form of misplaced ‘school pride’ from his own days at that school had rendered him unable to see that something about the environment was having a profoundly negative effect on their daughter.
Velvet rubbed at eyes gone gritty with tiredness and pinched the bridge of her nose. Maybe that was at the root of it all. She'd never liked the choice of Crystal Prep for any of their children, Cadence included. Even though both Shining and Cadence had seemed to...  Her brain halted, uncertain for a moment as she scoured her memories from her son’s high school experience, and she realized that nothing about it stuck out in any particular way from a vague, hazy blur of many days that all seemed the same.   That…was unusual for her; a writer with a mind for details, her memory was exceptional, and she could recall things from decades ago with sometimes painful clarity.   Twilight Velvet frowned pensively, trying to remember anything about their time there, other than a sense that they'd done well due to the guidance of Principal Cinch….even though she couldn’t actively remember the woman ever truly interacting with them. 
Even her own, albeit brief meeting with the much lauded principal to discuss Twilight’s particular accommodations being met at the beginning of freshman year was…indistinct at best, but now that she considered it, Velvet remembered that the stern faced woman with her rather severe dress had come off fairly cold and predatory…“Welcoming as a tank of hungry sharks,” as her father would have said.  Yet Night's family had praised the academic excellence of the school, and claimed the woman was personally invested in the success of her students in a way other schools weren't. Velvet snorted softly—maybe she was just not of the appropriate “social class” to see it, to truly understand the cachet of the Crystal Prep name.  She had seen the way it seemed to command a certain... not quite respect, or not respect alone, but... something, an undefinable power and control among a number of the elite in academia and beyond, the way it had opened doors for her husband in his career, the way some of the brightest minds in the state had nodded approvingly when they heard his credentials, or when it came up that their children had been enrolled there.  That attitude was what had left her personal objections feeling emotional and somewhat petty, especially when a twelve year old Twily had fixated on the school the way she had, taking the time to research the institution and its accolades, presenting her parents with a well written, fully formatted, dissertation in miniature, complete with formal citations as if she were presenting a proposal for a postgraduate study and not just an explanation of which high school she wanted to attend.  Next to that, a motherly ‘I’m not sure this is a good idea, because it feels wrong,’ could hardly bear any real weight.
Now though? Two and a half years in, and seeing the effect the school environment was having on Twilight’s mental health?  Maybe they should look at an alternative—Sunset seemed to be thriving at Canterlot High, and she was close to Twilight on an intellectual level.  Everything that Sunset mentioned about the school suggested that the faculty were invested in the health and wellbeing of the students, not just their test scores.  Her brief conversation over the phone with the Vice Principal supported that, a far cry from the disinterested secretary at Crystal Prep who simply told her “Principal Cinch is a very busy woman. You’ll have to schedule an appointment.”  Maybe she would call Canterlot High’s office on Monday, just to get information on the curriculum and advanced programs that Twilight could benefit from.
Velvet made a mental note, right next to the one about calling and conversing with Dr. Soft-Spoken.  The therapist knew more about her daughter’s mental health than anyone, and was a good source of advice whenever they encountered issues. Twilight was a smart girl, but sometimes she couldn’t see the forest for the trees, and when she fixated on something it was hard to get her to change her mind.  The doctor was one of the few people skilled at getting Twilight to let go of her tunnel vision and consider other options.  Velvet had a distinct feeling that such a skill was going to be needed if they tried to push the school transfer on Twilight, especially given her reaction the few times in the past that they’d suggested the option.
As if identifying a reason for her inability to relax had released something in her mind, Velvet finally felt her body grow heavy with sleep. Stretching into a mattress that seemed to have magically grown more comfortable in the last half-minute, she yawned and let herself drift off to plans of an extra-special batch of muffins for breakfast.
Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen next to the phone, in a cup that housed an eclectic collection of pens and pencils, something pulsed with dark power, sending tendrils into the minds of the house’s sleeping occupants…





Night couldn’t remember the last time he’d jumped out of bed so fast, but when the blood curdling screaming ripped through the house, his body had acted without his conscious thought.  He was on his feet, glad he slept in sweatpants during the winter, as he followed on his wife’s heels.  They weren’t alone in the hallway—the whole family was converging on Twilight’s bedroom, where a second voice could be heard sobbing for help.
His heart was in his throat as Shining led the way into the room, armed and ready, praying that his daughter and the girl he’d started thinking of as another daughter were alright.  The screaming chilled him to the bone—Twilight had had nightmares since she was little, but the screams from those had never sounded so...agonized.  He was terrified at what they would find.
Three steps into the room and Shining lowered his gun, taking in the scene before him.  Sunset was on her knees, hunched around her stomach like she was in pain, lashing out wildly, while Twilight was sprawled on her rear on top of the covers nearby, sobbing and begging the other girl to wake up.  Spike was barking and howling, unable to get on the bed with his mistress, but every time he lunged, it seemed to trigger another round of terrified flailing from Sunset.  
Shining Armor passed his gun to Cadence. “No one touch her!” he barked. “It’ll just make it worse and she could hurt you!”  He darted around the bed, grabbing Twilight up in his arms and carrying her away from her best friend.  
Twilight went from terrified to struggling. “No! Let me go! I have to help her!” She clawed violently at her brother’s arms, trying to break free, to get back to Sunset.
“Twily!” Shining pulled her further away from the bed, picking his way around a broken lamp. “You can’t touch her right now.”
Stubbornly, Twilight continued to fight, tears streaming down her face.  “She needs me! Let me go!”
“Twilight!”  This time Shining’s voice was an order, and he managed to break through the panicked haze she was in.  “I need you to listen to me.  You can still help Sunset, but you can’t be that close to her right now.  She’s caught in some kind of flashback—she has no idea who you are right now, and she could hurt you very badly. Sunset is a strong girl and knows how to fight.  In this state, she’s seeing everyone around her as part of whatever she’s reliving, and she won’t see you as her friend, only a threat.”   He hugged her tightly.  “If she did hurt you, she would feel terrible once she was in control again. You have to go about this rationally, for yourself and for her.”
Night Light watched his daughter’s frantic fight for freedom cease as she buried her face in her brother’s t-shirt and cried.  Shining hugged her, providing a steady presence while she brought herself under more control.  In the meantime, Night bent down and scooped Spike up, getting the puppy to stop barking and howling.
Shining waited until Twilight had calmed as much as she was able, his eyes watching Sunset, before talking again.  “We need to get her out of this state.  Mom, don’t get too close, but talk to her.  Tell her she’s safe, tell her where she is—describe the room, who is here, anything to ground her in the real world and get through to her.  Cady, go put my gun back in its holster, and get a glass of cold water and some Tylenol. Dad, keep Spike under control?”  
Despite the situation, Night couldn’t help but feel proud of his son, particularly when he started talking to Twilight again. “See, Twily? Look. She’s starting to come out of it, and she needs you calm in order to help her.”  On the bed, Sunset had stopped flailing against some invisible enemy, and her screaming had become heart wrenching whimpers instead. “I’m going to let you go, and you can stand here and talk to her too, like Mom is doing...but only if you promise me you will wait until Sunset recognizes you to try and hug her.”
Another tortured whine, and Sunset’s voice brokenly wept Twilight’s name.
Twilight mumbled a hasty promise to her brother before stumbling forward back to the bedside, gripping the edge of her pillowcase, and calling to Sunset when her mother stopped to breathe. “Sunny...c'mon...open your eyes. You’re safe, I’m safe, no one here is going to hurt you or me...please...I’m worried about you...I need you to open your eyes and look at me...”
Night held his breath when Sunset finally responded to the external stimuli, bloodshot eyes registering something other than a spectre of her past. “Twi-Twilight?”  The redheaded girl’s voice trembled with hesitation and fear, and it made Night’s heart feel heavy again. No teenager should ever sound like that, he felt. As grown up as they thought they were, they were still children who shouldn’t be put through some ordeal so hellish that it left them with screaming nightmares and a million mile stare from eyes that were so much older than the face they looked out from.
His daughter nodded.  “It’s me, Sunny. I’m right here.” She held out a hand carefully, leaving it close enough for Sunset to be able to reach out and touch, but still well outside the other girl’s personal space.
Sunset reached out with a shaking hand, fingers uncurling stiffly to stroke over Twilight’s palm, eyes watching the appendage briefly with unnerving intensity.  Then her head lifted so she could meet Twilight’s gaze. Whatever she found was what she needed, because she broke down into fresh sobs, hurling herself across the bed and pulling Twilight into a bear hug, clinging to her as if she were afraid the younger girl would vanish forever. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.  “I couldn’t stop it...I tried...and then you—” 
Her voice broke, and she pulled Twilight onto the bed with her, face pressed into Twilight’s neck while she cried.  Twilight hugged Sunset in return, arms around her and her cheek resting against tangled, fiery hair. “It’s okay, Sunny. I’m okay. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.” 
There was a moment where Twilight’s eyes flicked to the other members of the family, filled with the distress she didn’t let leak into her voice.  Velvet responded by settling on the other side of Sunset, reaching out carefully to rub circles between her shoulder blades.  “Sunset,” she encouraged gently, “you’re both safe, sweetheart.  We’re all here and we aren’t going to let anyone harm you or Twilight.  Whatever you saw was a nightmare. It didn’t happen and it won’t happen, if we have any say about it.  Everyone here loves you, loves Twily.  It’s going to be okay.”  With the gentle persistence of moms everywhere, she coaxed both girls into her embrace without trying to separate them, continuing the soft monologue of reassurance and love.
A look passed between Shining and his father as Cadence returned with a bottle of cold water and the bottle of Tylenol.  Both men took the chance to step back for the moment. They needed to speak without the teens overhearing.  “I’m going to let Spike out—with all this excitement, I don’t want him to have an accident inside,”  Night commented.  “If you need me, yell. I’ll be back up in a few minutes.”
Shining nodded. “I’ll come with you, Dad. I want to double check the doors and windows anyway. Make sure everything is still snug and secure.”  
Night could see his wife watching him, and knew without a doubt that she saw right through them both.  He also realized that neither his daughter nor her best friend had heard a word of it, half drowsing and lost in soft conversation and the very emotionally intimate bond that everyone in the house politely pretended not to notice.
They were both silent until after Night had let Spike out into the backyard and Shining had put on a pot of coffee.  The older man sagged into a chair, exhausted and drained well beyond his years as he looked at his son.  “I was expecting to get woken up by Twilight having a nightmare, especially after her episode today.  I wasn’t expecting...”
Shining Armor leaned back against the counter, arms crossing over his chest.  “None of us were.”
He massaged his temples, feeling the start of his own headache.  “You were right, son—I’m just glad it happened when you were here and we got to them fast enough to keep Twily from getting hurt.”
There was a thoughtful hum at the kitchen door, Cadence joining her fiancé at the counter. “And a good thing too. It would’ve destroyed Sunset to come to her senses and learn that she’d hurt Twily.”
Running a hand through his hair, Shining sighed. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long for something to trigger her.  As resilient as she is, PTSD isn’t something easily shrugged off.  I just wish I’d been able to find out what actually happened to her—there’s an entire four year period where she drops off the map other than some sealed school records at some fancy European boarding school—and another two and a half where she’s here in town before she was legally listed as emancipated.  I think her file has more in it that's redacted than what's left behind.”
They all fell into their own thoughts about the history of the girl who had stumbled into their lives.  Night found it to be an enigma, the kind of story that just seemed too out there to be real. Shining Armor seemed to have a much grimmer outlook though, if the sour frown was anything to go by. “What’re you thinking, son?”
Shining sighed again. “Worst case scenarios...none of which are pretty, or something I would wish on anyone.  It’s just...the kind of behaviors I’ve noticed...the kind of stress a psyche has to see to end up with those are not things that a girl between eight and eighteen would see outside of those worst case scenarios.” His eyes fell along with his shoulders.  “None of those things are anything I want to have happened to Sunset.”  
Night Light wanted his son to be wrong, his mind shying away from the dark thoughts brought to the fore by the suggestion of ‘worst case scenarios.’  He found himself hoping that Sunset’s history was simply that of an emotionally neglected runaway, and not something with far more sinister elements.  Clearing his throat to rid himself of the sudden lump in it, Night tried to keep his own emotions from leaking into his words. “That’s true for all of us, son. Sunset’s a good kid, and it’s terrible to think she’s gone through any kind of hell...but we can’t change her past, any more than we can our own.  What we can do is be here for her now, make sure she knows this place is safe for her, that we care about her and that she can trust us, just like we’ve already been doing.”  
He thought back to some of his own interactions with Sunset, and how over the months that she had been coming over, she’d occasionally given them glimpses of the sad, lonely little girl under the tough, bad girl leather and careful mannerisms.  “It’s already helping...and for what it’s worth, I think she wants to tell us...but she’s not ready yet....and we have to let her get to that point in her own time. She has to come to that place on her own, I think, because it’s going to mean she trusts us....and everything your sister has said suggests that trust from Sunset is hard won.”
> Chapter Sixty Four: Maybe It’s Just a Dream, Maybe It’s Inside of Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Everything hurt.  Everything.  And the exhaustion that had sunk its claws into her wasn’t helping.
Her head throbbed, pain pulsing through it in time with her heart, making thinking for too long or on anything complex a chore, and while her tears had dried up, her eyes still burned, sore and dry and gritty.  Sunset gave up on focusing, letting the information come to her in a slow trickle instead—it hurt less when she did that.
She knew the arms clutched around her, the soft form pressed to her front.  Only Twilight felt this way, smelled this way, the scent of honeysuckle from her body wash overlaying a mix of aged paper, faint chemicals, and ink, with that undertone of just Twilight. It was familiar, it belonged right where it was, and it helped to push back the spectre from her nightmare.  
Sunset’s mind shied painfully away from the remnants of the nightmare, too emotionally wrung out to handle it right then. Her face nuzzled more firmly against her girlfriend’s neck, a shuddering breath filling her lungs as her burning eyes tried and failed to produce more tears.  As a whimper escaped her, she felt the arms around her tighten, and the faint buzzing in her ears cleared slightly to let her hear Twilight murmuring reassurances close to her ear.  The redhead sank into the touch and feel and sound, letting Twilight’s voice soothe her.
It helped to take the edge off the pain, gave her something to focus on besides how her throat felt raw and shredded, how every breath made her chest protest, how her very bones ached and burned.  She hadn’t felt this awful in a long time, not since...
Since the formal.
Her eyes snapped open, her vision obscured by dark hair, and a tremor of fear went through her before she could stop it.  The demon had been in her nightmares then too, and Sunset found she couldn’t breathe right. Why? Why now? What did it mean? Black spots danced at the edges of her vision, and that damnable voice, hers but all wrong, breathed in her ears.
“You were warned....”
Muscles screamed in agony as the former unicorn tensed up, on the verge of bolting, anything to escape her own thoughts...
“Shhh...Sunset, sweetie, you’re safe, I promise.  Whatever you saw, it’s over now and you’re safe.” Warmth rubbed circles on her back as the gentle, motherly voice sliced through the haze, and she realized Velvet was there too, that it was the woman that she and Twilight were leaning against and not the pillows.  The pressure on her chest relaxed and she could breathe again, gasping for a full breath and wincing when her ribs twinged in response.  
The redhead winced when she lifted her head away from Twilight’s neck, the motion making her head swim and her stomach clench from both pain and dizziness.  She went still again, hoping that it would help, and found herself looking into worried purple eyes. “Sunny?” Twilight murmured, her hand moving to rest on Sunset’s shoulder.  
Her vision wavered—for a moment, she saw the deep void-like pits of emptiness overlaid on the familiar purple, could feel the echo of fingers digging into her throat. With a noise of terror, she jerked away from her girlfriend...only to realize a heartbeat later what a terrible idea that was. It felt like her head was about to split open, and her stomach gave a familiar lurch that made her push past the aches to dive half off the bed and grab for the trashcan by Twilight’s desk, just barely putting her face over it before her stomach turned itself inside out.  Retching and heaving sent stabbing pains through her, and by the time it had passed, the former unicorn was convinced she’d managed to bruise her ribs from the inside.  
Dimly, she felt a pressure around her torso that wasn’t from pain, realizing that Velvet’s arm had saved her from ending up face first on the floor, followed by a tug at her scalp that she identified as Twilight holding her hair back for her.  Eventually, her body decided she’d had enough of that particularly foul punishment, leaving her even more sweat-soaked, shaky, and clammy on top of the pounding in her skull and the aching in her body.  She spat, trying to get the taste of bile out of her mouth, groaning in disgust.
Velvet sat her back up slowly, before sliding off the bed herself.  “Do you feel better or do you think you’re going to need this again, sweetie?” she asked, tapping at the edge of the trashcan.
Sunset had to try several times to get even soft words out of her throat, which felt even more like a wild cat had used it for a scratching post. “‘M done,” she finally rasped in a loud whisper.
With a sympathetic smile, Velvet took the container out of her hands, her eyes flicking over Sunset’s shoulder. “Twily, sweetheart, while I go take care of this, why don’t you help Sunset get a shower started?”  The older woman tucked an errant lock of hair behind Sunset’s ear with her free hand.  “There’s some water and some medicine for your head, Sunset. Take it if your stomach feels like it’ll keep it down, and go take a nice warm shower. It’ll help you feel better.”
Unable to argue, Sunset let Twilight give her the medicine and help her to her feet, still dizzy and slightly disoriented.  The trek down the hall to the bathroom was a rough one, the trembling in her legs and the feeling of fire in her bones forcing her to stop every few steps to collect herself, leaning heavily in her girlfriend’s smaller form.  Shadowed movement in the mirror right before Twilight flicked the light on made Sunset look away hurriedly, afraid of what her reflection would show. She braced her hands on the counter, looking down, her heart racing.  If seeing flashes of the thing wearing Twilight’s face were bad, finding the demon looking back at her in the mirror would be a thousand times worse. 
Still...she needed to know. Fingers gripping the counter so hard her knuckles whitened, she slowly raised her head, ignoring the faint sounds of Twilight starting the shower. Her heart pounded in her ears, each beat accompanied by a stab of agony in her brain, but she gritted her teeth and persisted through the pain, eyes taking in the t-shirt she’d fallen asleep in, the bare skin of her arms, and finally her face. Relief swelled in her when she saw her eyes were reddened from crying, and not the awful blue-green on black of the demon she feared.
Distantly, Sunset realized she looked awful, her shirt sweat-soaked and clinging to her body, her hair tangled and wild.  Coupled with a reddened nose and eyes from crying, and how her skin was pale but for some odd patches on her neck...
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over Sunset as she took a closer look at her neck.  The patches, which she’d taken to be dirt or shadow, seemed to be an angry red instead.  Red...just like her skin had been after she’d put on the Crown of Magic.  She forgot how to breathe, a hand shakily coming up to brush her neck, wincing when it turned out the skin was just as tender as her throat felt. 
The rushing sound of the shower was nothing compared to the roaring in her ears, and between them, they drowned out everything else.  Sunset wavered, and the warm hand that wrapped around her back was all that kept her upright.  Her head jerked away from the mirror to meet Twilight’s eyes, managing to catch part of what she was saying.  “....re okay to shower?” 
Struggling a moment to reconstruct the rest of the question and failing, and with her throat still all sore and choked up, the former unicorn lifted one hand to offer a very deliberate thumbs up gesture.  As bad as she felt right now, it would be a sunny day in Tartarus before she would be so pathetic as needing bathing assistance like a foal. She would manage.
Twilight started to nod at the gesture only to stop and reach out. “Sunny, are you okay? Did you hit your arm on something earlier?”  Gentle fingers prodded at the flesh of Sunset’s elbow and forearm.  “Your arm’s all red, and it looks like part of the red is turning into a bruise!”
Sunset turned her attention to where Twilight was looking, realizing that more of the reddened skin was on her arm....but also that her girlfriend had been right—bruises were faintly visible amid the red.  She pulled her hand from her throat, and, now that she was looking for it, found the same thing there.  The redhead gave Twilight what she hoped was a convincing and reassuring smile, before risking the movement to kiss her cheek.
Still looking unconvinced, Twilight let Sunset step out of her one armed hug, playing with some loose strands of dark hair. “If you’re sure...I’ll go get you some clean pajamas—you can just drop what you’re wearing into the dirty clothes hamper with mine, since I have to do laundry tomorrow anyways.  I’ll put the clean ones on the counter for you, and I’ll be right outside the door in case you need me.”  The younger girl started to turn to leave only to stop and look back. “....I’m really glad you’re doing better now, Sunset. I was scared for you...and...if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”  Then she was gone, shutting the door firmly behind her.
Exhaling slowly with a long drawn out sigh, Sunset began stripping out of her clammy, soaked clothes, doing as suggested and just dumping them in the nearly full bucket of dirty clothes.  More red marks with faint bruising mottled her torso and hip, and she ran fingers over it worriedly. She hadn’t looked like that on Friday morning when she took a shower, and she didn’t remember the marks when she changed for gym.  Had her nightmare and the reaction been that violent? She knew she’d been badly disoriented and loud—waking up to the lights on and the whole household in Twilight’s room had told her that. It was a sobering thought—she had never hurt herself in the throes of a nightmare before, not even when she was a foal and still unable to control her magic surges.
Shivering, the former unicorn stepped into the shower, placing herself directly under the heavy, hot spray, slumping against the shower wall and letting her eyes close. It helped to ease the pressure in her skull and the heat made the burning in her bones feel more like discomfort rather than outright pain...not to mention the water washing away sweat and grime and the lingering scent of vomit and fear.
Once she felt less like she was going to faint, Sunset’s mind turned back to the nightmare...and the fears it had stirred in her.  Magic being in the human world—and in her, especially—meant that there was a chance that the demonic transformation that she’d undergone could happen again.  It had happened once, after all, and her own recovery was an unprecedented feat. Demons didn’t just...get better and stop being demons, not in any of the accounts or texts she remembered seeing in Equestria.  Of course, most of those texts didn’t mention that ponies or humans could turn into demons either. Only the ones in the restricted section of the palace archives mentioned such, and then only in the vaguest most limited sense.  And none of those accounts had involved the Elements of Harmony and the Rainbow of Light.  Sunset was in a unique position of having had her demonic nature cleansed...
And yet...as her mind drifted back to the formal, to the somewhat distorted memories from her time as a demon, to the strange white emptiness and the dry voice which were much clearer, to the shocking moment when she’d found herself falling from way too high up, something gnawed at her.  Something about the way she’d fallen, trying in vain to slow her descent...
Blue-green eyes snapped open.
When she’d fallen, she’d tried to use her wings to slow her fall.  She’d still been a demon after the Rainbow ended.  Granted, she’d transformed back after a few seconds, but...
Her stomach twisted.  The Elements had cleansed her, hadn’t they? She certainly didn’t feel the dark impulses governing her thoughts the way she had that fateful night.  Sunset Shimmer was still fully in control....wasn’t she?  A whimper escaped her, and her eyes ached with the want to cry again. She hugged herself with her arms, sinking to her knees and trembling as badly as if she’d been outside in the snow and not in a steam-filled shower.  Part of her wished desperately for someone...anyone, even Princess Celestia to appear...just someone who could explain, who knew the answers she needed and didn’t have, so she could feel safe again...or if the news was bad, make it so she knew what to expect.
Something between a laugh and a sob croaked its way out of her throat. Is this why you kept things from me, Princess? Did you know all along what it would do to me? Was this why you said I wasn’t ready?  Sunset stared into the steam curling around her body seeing the Solar Princess in her mind’s eye.  Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you keep me if you knew I was going to be a monster all along?
Another choked off sob escaped her, thankfully drowned out by the running water, provoked by memories of the Princess of the Sun looking at her with an expression somewhere between regret, frustration, and worry every time her encouragement to make friends ended with Sunset angry and still alone or when Sunset pushed for more knowledge than what she’d been given.  Or...was there a reason for my ignorance—did you think if I didn’t know, then maybe it wouldn’t happen?  That you could help change it? Or did it just hurt you too, every time you failed, every step I took down the path that led to the formal?  Is that why you sometimes looked at me with so much hurt?
A more painful thought edged in.  Is that why you never adopted me?
Sunset hugged herself tighter, curling up into a near fetal position, resting her back against the shower wall.  Her head fell forward to rest her forehead on her knees, wet hair falling around her face as she shook with rough, rasping sobs, her thoughts spiraling down a dark path.  Is that why I never had a family—why I was in the woods alone in the first place, why you kept me close? Were my parents scared of me too? Am I even really a unicorn?
Her fingers dug into her arms, her head aching and spinning from question after question, doubt after doubt, all of them coalescing into one fear: was she truly free of the demon, or were the demon’s words in her nightmares more than just an overstressed subconscious, imparting a truth she couldn’t escape from?
Distantly, she heard a brief knock and then the door creaked open. “Sunny?” her girlfriend’s voice was tentative. “I have some clean pajamas for you.  I’m going to put them on the counter.”
Croaking out something like a response, Sunset lifted her head off her knees to watch a dark blur through the distorted glass of the shower move around.  Instead of leaving right away though, Twilight stepped close enough to put a hand on the shower door. “Sunset? Are you sure you’re okay?” Her voice was surprisingly soft, but the notes of worry in it were palpable.  
Sunset opened her mouth to answer, but shut it again after a second or two, unable to give the real truth, but not wanting to lie to Twilight either. She reached up, still quiet, and placed her hand against the glass on the other side of Twilight’s, trying to communicate something she couldn’t figure out how to put into words.
After a minute without her responding, Twilight spoke again. “Sometimes, when I was little, before Doctor Soft-Spoken, I would get so anxious I couldn’t make words come out to tell people what was wrong. Too many things were happening in my brain and I couldn’t make it do words too.  When that happened, Cadence would ask me yes or no questions and I would tap on her hand...once for no, twice for yes.”  The other girl paused to let the information sink in, then asked, “Are you okay, Sunny?”
Slowly, Sunset curled her fingers and gave one very strong tap on the glass. 
Twilight made a thoughtful sound.  “Do you need physical help?”
Heat rushed to Sunset’s cheeks and she tapped the glass firmly again once.
“Oh good,” Twilight made a nervous sounding giggle. “I’m not sure I’d be ready to handle something like that without making a fool of myself—you already short circuit my brain when you kiss me the right way.”
Sunset snorted in response. It wasn’t a laugh, but there was amusement in it.  
“It’s not funny—well, actually, I suppose it is. Twilight Sparkle, top student of CPA, having her brain completely shut down by being in close proximity to a pretty girl who isn’t trying to make her life a nightmare.”  Twilight gave a small laugh.  “Anyway...” she cleared her throat. “Do you want me to leave you alone right now? I know this is probably weird and maybe overstepping boundaries, but I really am worried about you, Sunset. You scared me when I couldn’t wake you up and you were screaming like that.”
She knew she’d screamed, that it had taken way more than normal to shed the nightmare, but Sunset hadn’t quite realized how bad it had been for Twilight.  Suddenly, the clingy, anxious behavior made sense, and it took almost no thought to rap once on the glass. Twilight needed the reassurance...and so did she, she realized.
The sigh of relief on the other side of the shower door told her she’d made the right choice.  “Do you want me to stay here, just in the room with you, until you’re ready to get out and dressed?”
Amber fingers double tapped quickly. Having Twilight nearby quieted the whispers of her (potentially literal) inner demons, giving her exhausted mind a break.  
“I can do that...” Twilight perched herself nearby, keeping her hand on the glass. “And once you’re done, maybe we can go back to my room and eat ice cream and cuddle?”
Tap-tap.  Sunset uncurled her body and stood.  Curling up with Sparky under the blankets with a bowl of her favorite ice-cream sounded like the most amazing thing in the world, even knowing that it was Twilight’s way of inviting her to talk about her nightmare.  More than anything, the act of doing something familiar with Twilight would help to push back the horrible vision that lurked at the edges of her thoughts, of the sadistic not-Twilight with those empty eyes.
“It's an ice-cream date then,” the younger teen told her. “Did you want me to be quiet while you shower?”
Silence meant she could hear her own thoughts again. Maybe it was a coward's choice, but Sunset tapped the glass once, harder than she probably should have. Talk to me, Sparky, please. 
There was a long moment of quiet, almost too long, before her girlfriend spoke again. “I can understand. Sometimes silence can be deafening, especially if it isn’t quiet inside yourself.”  Sunset could imagine her biting her lip as she started washing her hair, and it gave her that squirmy sensation in her stomach when Twilight asked, “Does it matter what I talk about?”
Tap went sudsy fingers on the glass, the redhead scrunching her eyes shut to avoid getting soap in them.  Just Twilight’s voice was enough to keep everything at bay.
“Okay...when I’m trying to clear my head, I like to think about stars. Names, sizes, distance from us, what constellations they are part of...they have nice, neat patterns and even anomalies have scientific explanations.  It was one of my first fields of study because of my dad.”  Twilight fell into the informative “Teacher Twilight” mode in moments.  “I don’t know if you have a favorite constellation, but I do...”
Sunset let the words wash over her as she rinsed shampoo from her hair, listening in a sort of detached manner as Twilight talked about the stars.  She could feel the tension draining out of her, muscles unknotting with every fact or story that filled the air.  She scrubbed her body to an explanation about the myth of Orion and Scorpio, washed her face to the legend of Ursa Major—that had been an interesting story and given the presence of Ursas in Equestria, she wondered how much of it had connection to her homeworld—and rinsed away the last of the soap to a story about the constellation Pegasus (which was another oddity she would have to research in the future).  
She rested her hand on the glass again, tap-tap-tapping to interrupt Twilight’s latest constellation breakdown...but only after standing there, still dripping, with the water turned off, had started to make her shiver. Her girlfriend, broken out of the zone of lecturing about a favorite subject, halted oddly and was silent for a few seconds before her brain reengaged with reality. “Oh! You’re done!  I’m sorry, Sunny, I didn’t hear the water turn off. I’ll go get our ice cream while you get dressed. See you in a few minutes in my room?”
Sunset smiled softly and tapped twice on the glass. She probably could have spoken this time, as the steam in the shower had helped her throat feel less raw and sore, and her mind was quiet for now, but she didn’t want to break the moment they were having just yet. Speaking meant stepping out of the soft, warm, emotionally connected bubble they were in, and as selfish as it was, the former unicorn just wanted to feel this way a little longer.
Once Twilight had slipped out and shut the door behind her, Sunset exited the shower, eager to dry off and get dressed before she froze.  It may have been relatively warm in the house, but it was still winter, and far colder than she really wanted to be standing around in with a furless body.  Times like this seriously made her miss her winter coat, since she had always grown a particularly thick and fluffy one.
It wasn’t more than a few minutes later that she was creeping quietly back down the hall to Twilight’s room, though the faint, hushed sound of conversation from downstairs suggested the adults were all still awake.  Entering the bedroom, she realized someone—probably Velvet—had changed the sheets and sprayed some sort of lightly scented air freshener to eliminate the smell of sweat and sick, replacing those odors with a vaguely floral one.  Lavender, she thought, giving a second sniff.  Lavender and something else she wasn’t quite sure of.  She was alone for the moment, and she curled up on her side of the bed, snagging her girlfriend’s pillow and hugging it, pressing her face to the pillowcase to see if she could catch a hint of Twilight’s scent.
Sunset was still hugging the pillow when Twilight came back a few minutes later, holding two bowls.  The redhead set the pillow down and gave a small smile. “Hey...” she croaked, breaking her silence and wincing at how rough her voice sounded.
The other girl passed Sunset one of the bowls and joined her on the bed, scooting until she was pressed against Sunset’s side. “Is this okay?” 
Nodding, Sunset dug into her ice cream.  She figured that Twilight wouldn’t try to ask too much while they were indulging in the treat, and she wasn’t sure what to tell her about the nightmare yet....or if she was even ready to talk about it.  Savoring the sweet taste of her favorite chocolate laden ice cream, she snuggled closer to her girlfriend, feeling a pleasant, comforting warmth where their bodies touched.  
For a while, the only sound in the room was the scraping of spoons against the plastic bowls.  Twilight hadn’t yet prodded her to speak, and Sunset slowed her consumption of her ice cream, trying to put off talking.  She could feel purple eyes watching her as she finally set the bowl down on the nightstand, and the redheaded teen braced herself for the inevitable questions...
So it was to her great surprise when her girlfriend tugged her down under the covers instead, brushing their lips together in a gentle kiss. “Cuddle me?” Twilight asked, slipping arms around her in a tight hug. 
There was no need for her to ask twice.  Sunset adjusted how she was stretched out, before pulling the smaller form into her arms and nuzzling against a lavender neck, pressing the occasional kiss to the warm skin.  She could feel fingers running through her hair, scratching lightly against her scalp, could feel the way Twilight melted against her.
Lips tickled her ear.  “I needed this too,” was the whispered confession, spoken for Sunset’s hearing and no one else’s.  “Everything else can wait until morning, Sunny.  Principal Cinch, my project, your fears and nightmares...we’ll talk about them when the sun is up.  Right now, we need this.”  
Sunset made a noise in her throat, peppering the soft skin of Twilight’s neck with light kisses. Twilight was right: she did need this to make her world feel right again. The press and scent of the girl in her arms was soothing and familiar, and it made her relax, eyes growing heavy.  The last thing she registered as sleep crept over her again was the soft murmur of Twilight Sparkle whispering the secrets of the stars in her ear.
> Chapter Sixty Five: I'm With You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Something was tickling her.  That was the first thing that registered to Sunset’s groggy mind as she surfaced from a thankfully dreamless sleep, the sense of something light brushing along the skin of her collarbone.  The second was that she was warm, and her arms were wrapped around the source of the warmth, holding it close to her.  With the same muzzy-headed, half unconscious state that she greeted most mornings, Sunset pried her eyes open, wincing at how gummy and gross they felt this morning. She resolved to wash her face first thing when she got out of bed.
That plan was put on hold almost immediately at the sight that greeted her blurry vision. Twilight, snuggled up against her, head resting on Sunset’s chest, lavender fingers idly tracing patterns where Sunset’s shirt neck had slipped to expose her collarbone, a dreamy smile on her face as she sleepily murmured more star facts to herself.   Sunset relaxed back into the pillows, feeling her own smile creep onto her face, watching and listening quietly to her companion, not wanting to disturb her just yet.
One hand shifted slowly, and with gentle affection she began to scratch her nails lightly up and down Twilight’s back, watching as the dark haired head tilted to meet her eyes.  “Hey,” she breathed, kissing the end of Twilight’s nose.
Her girlfriend let out a contented sigh, wriggling a little under the touch on her back. “Morning, Sunny...you sound like you’re feeling better.” The hand on Sunset’s collar stilled, palm resting against the exposed skin.  “Did I wake you?”
“Not really—I was already waking up.”  She nuzzled her nose into dark hair, breathing deeply.  “It was a nice way to wake up...makes me wish I could wake up like this more than once a week.  It feels...good.”
Twilight made a soft noise of agreement, worming her arms around Sunset and hugging herself tightly to the redhead’s body.  “Saturday always feels like the best day of the week…waking up with you, with nothing on my schedule but spending time with you.”
Sunset fell silent, content to continue the light scratching movements of her fingers and occasionally pressing kisses to the top of Twilight’s head.  The nightmare that had addled her wits so badly the night before seemed far removed from the little pocket of happiness that existed under the warm blankets with the smaller body curled snug to hers.  “Well, lucky for us, my own schedule is completely empty today…though next Saturday night, I do have plans.”
Purple eyes tilted up quizzically at her. “You do?”
“Mm. The sleepover at New Years was a hit, so the girls want to try doing one or two a month. I told them I was free on Saturday nights, but that I had a commitment on Fridays.”  She brushed her knuckles against a lavender skinned cheek. “Fridays are here, with you, and I refuse to give that up, even for my friends.”  
Another of those soft smiles was directed at her, making Sunset’s heart beat just a little faster.  “I like our Friday nights just the way they are too—I can’t imagine anything that I could find to be more important than spending time with you,” Twilight agreed, her eyes bright.  “It’s a time set aside just for us, and I look forward to it every week.”  Her face twisted into a pout that Sunset couldn’t help but find both endearing and amusing. “…It was one of the worst things about being out of town—the whole thing disrupted our schedule and I didn’t get to see you when I should have.”
“I’m here now,” she pointed out, “and if you want, I could stay tonight too? Make up for the day we missed? Besides…you’re behind on your self defense, and I still haven’t heard about how the rest of your New Years went.  Or told you about mine.”
The younger girl’s smile brightened even further at the suggestion.  “I’d like that.  With…everything that happened yesterday, I feel like we got cheated out of the evening we were both looking forward to.”  The smile dropped off, her eyes darkening with worry and the reminder of how things had gone the night before for both of them.
“Sparky,” Sunset coaxed, tipping her chin up so she could make sure she had Twilight’s full attention. “…Things didn’t go the way we wanted yesterday, but we weren’t cheated. We were still here, together…and more than that…” she chewed on her lip, trying to find the words.  “…you needed me and I needed you in the exact ways we were there for each other yesterday.  Just like that first night, or when neither of us was sleeping well before.  If I’ve learned anything, it’s that that was important, just as important as any happy moments we’ve spent together.”
Twilight leaned the rest of the distance needed to close the gap between them, her lips finding Sunset’s and kissing her.  The redhead pressed back hungrily, one hand tangling up in the loose dark hair and holding them together until they ran out of air.   Even then, Twilight stayed close, resting her forehead to Sunset’s while they both caught their breath.  When she had, she pecked Sunset’s lips with a lighter, shorter kiss.  "Thank you for being there for me yesterday—I’m not sure I can fully articulate just how much I needed you...  And...thank you for letting me be there for you last night, Sunset." There was that soft expression again, her lips turning up into the hint of a shy smile. "It felt good to be able to help you, the way you've helped me so often."
The former unicorn could feel her own expression matching her girlfriend’s, unable to resist the feelings that made her lips tug upwards at the corners.  “…I…I trust you. More than I’ve trusted anyone in a long time. I…haven’t had any…one…I could trust like that since I was…very small.”  Faint memories of warm alabaster wings and soft fur tickled her memory, as did the notes of a lullaby that would never leave her unmoved, and she shook it off, taking a deep breath to get out what she needed to.  “…Besides…I needed to know you were safe and sound last night.”
Her girlfriend’s hands tightened on her, almost fiercely, and Sunset could feel the way tension seemed to instantly thrum in every muscle, "So did I." Her voice was quiet, almost too low for Sunset to hear, and Twilight tucked her face into her neck, while they clung together.  “You were late, and you were supposed to be early and...I was already having a panic attack, so my brain made it worse.  You were late and hadn’t called or texted, so I just knew something bad had happened. It was all I could hear or see, and even though I know now it was all in my head...it was so real.  I was convinced that you’d had an accident with your bike, that you were hurt somehow and that you must be in a hospital somewhere where they didn’t know to contact me or mom or dad.”  
Sunset’s heart clenched as Twilight rambled against her throat, and she hugged her tighter, pressing her cheek to the top of that dark haired head, already humming a few notes of Celestia’s lullaby to help sooth her.  “I ran into awful traffic, and I picked you up a surprise from the bakery,” she explained. “Your mom put it in the fridge so we can enjoy it later.”
“I know that now,” Twilight sighed.  “But I don’t always thing rationally when I’m in the state you saw yesterday. My brain decided that because you were late, something bad had kept you away and it went right to a worst case scenario, until I really believed you were hurt and alone and couldn’t tell anyone who to call for you.  It terrified me...and it still does...the thought of you needing me and me not being there.”
Twilight sounded so small, so worried and upset that Sunset felt compelled to do something, anything to make her feel better. For a minute she hummed lightly, gathering her thoughts, still holding the other girl in a tight embrace.  At last she cleared her throat. “I don’t like that either—I want to be here for you when you need me too.  What if we set up a system of some kind for emergencies?”  A brief memory intruded, of her vice principal’s request from the beginning of the week. “Actually, I needed to talk to your mom about a sort of ‘in case of emergencies’ thing. Do you think she’d be willing to be put down as my emergency contact at school—my vice principal put two and two together and realized the answering machine for my landline has no adults on the other end and asked me to find someone I trust to be listed on the file instead.”
The former unicorn found herself pushed into the mattress in a mildly uncomfortable way when Twilight used her as leverage to sit up, already taking her words and running with them. “Yes! I’m sure she would be totally okay with that—and we could give you the whole family’s phone numbers so they can be in your phone too in case of emergencies, and you’ll have plenty of people you can get ahold of, no matter what happens. And if we give everyone your number too, someone can always get a hold of you if we have an emergency too.” 
 A good natured chuckle escaped Sunset; Twilight was rambling again, but it was the good kind of rambling, where she was enjoying planning out the solution to a problem in the most logical and efficient way....and despite the way she had a knee digging into her stomach unpleasantly, it soothed her nerves to see Twilight start to relax.  If it made her girlfriend happy to plan the best way to exchange emergency contact information, then Sunset Shimmer would be more than happy to oblige. 
“...I think that would work best. We can go ask right now and—”
And that was her cue to intervene on the runaway Twilight Sparkle Thought Train.  “Sparky,” she interrupted firmly, reaching up to curl her fingers around hands that had started gesticulating wildly, bringing them to her lips to kiss the knuckles. “I’m happy to see you happy, and we can absolutely do this, but you need to breathe, and before we go pestering your parents, we should at least get up, get dressed, and get something to eat. It has to be after noon, and even if your knee wasn’t helping, I’m fairly certain my stomach is chewing on my backbone.”
Twilight halted mid-sentence, blinking down at Sunset in momentary confusion before her perception of reality reengaged. The redhead could tell the exact moment her girlfriend realized how she was half kneeling on Sunset: purple eyes went wide and her face darkened with a blush. “Oh!” She scrambled to move off Sunset, an uncoordinated rush that inadvertently caught the bottom of the oversized shirt Sunset had worn to bed, the movement tugging it up enough that the former unicorn felt cool air ghost over her stomach and breasts.  
A strangled squeak preceded Twilight almost falling off the bed after that, and if she’d been blushing before, her face was now so flushed that Sunset was afraid she was going to combust.  One amber skinned hand darted out to catch Twilight by the back of the shirt and keep her on the bed, the other tugging her own shirt back down, all while Sunset tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks. “Careful!” she managed, deciding to pretend nothing had happened before easing Twilight back to a steadier position. “No falling on your head, nerd. A concussion would definitely interfere with our plans today.”  
“I’m sorry, Sunset! I didn’t realize I was sitting on you like that and I never meant to pull your shirt up either. I wouldn’t do that to you—not unless you told me it was okay...not that I don’t want to see your body...I very much would enjoy it, because I find you to be incredibly attractive, and that’s with your clothes on...”
Sunset’s heart skipped, and the heat in her cheeks and ears crept down into her core. “Sparky...” she tried to interrupt.
“...I mean, I’d imagined you more than once because you don’t wear a bra to bed, but the numbers and equations don’t do any justice to the real thing, especially because it’s like they defy gravity, which by all the laws of physics should be impossible, but I’ve run the numbers a dozen times...”
Wait, what?  The former unicorn swallowed hard, trying to push down the feelings that Twilight’s rambling was stirring up, a hot, raw hunger that was starting to eclipse the one in her stomach.  “Twilight...” 
Still the other girl kept rambling, barely even seeming to register that Sunset was talking to her.  Her hands had joined in her never ending stream of consciousness, gesturing and making repetitive motions.  “...can’t help how I respond to you, and I’m so sorry if it makes you uncomfortable and I swear I am not trying to do anything you aren’t ready for or comfortable with—”
“Twilight,” she broke in with extreme firmness, finally breaking through and halting the words before one of them did something they would both regret later.  “It’s fine....but we have things we need to do.  We can talk about this later.”  She wasn’t sure if she could handle it later any better than now, but it was all she could think of to override Twilight’s babbling.  “Right now you need to go shower, nerd, or we’re going to be here all day.”  
She practically had to shove her girlfriend towards the door, repeating the instructions to shower several more times before Twilight finally left, closing the door behind her.  Rather than getting dressed right away, the former unicorn flopped back onto the pillows, a whimpering groan escaping before she could stop it.  Her magic fluttered defiantly against her iron willed grip, the impending surge prevented by sheer stubborn determination....but more than that her body ached, responding to the desire in purple eyes, the hints of longing in Twilight’s voice, to a thousand little signals and cues that, impossibly, both her native instincts and her human body understood on a primal level.
It wasn’t as much of a shock to her system as that afternoon a few weeks back had been, but it was still too much all at once, and she laid there, trying to rein in the very visceral, physical—sexual, she forced herself to admit in the privacy of her own mind—response to Twilight, wondering faintly if she’d survive her own body long enough to decide what she was going to do...





The thoughts wouldn’t stop.
Images, some memory, some supplied by her imagination, some recreated from half remembered dreams, flitted across the forefront of her mind, and nothing she tried was working to stop them.
Having already stripped out of her pajamas, Twilight Sparkle changed her shower settings after a moment of internal debate, forgoing her normal, soft patterned, comfortably-warm-but-not-too-hot-or-cold temperature in favor of leaving it ice cold and twisting the dial to make the water rain down on an aggressive massage setting.  She practically jumped into the spray, wincing as the needle-like stabs of icy water felt like daggers against her skin, rubbing her senses all wrong and making her feel like she was being assaulted with a wire brush.  Yet she stayed, the sound of the water digging into her ears painfully at a frequency that always felt as though her very teeth were itching, hoping that the sensory overload would help her get rid of the heat that coursed through her and made her legs tremble.  
Still the images plagued her, how she’d nearly torn Sunset’s shirt after kneeling on her like that, of the forbidden sight, once again, of round breasts and that toned, flat stomach.  It was enough to make her thoughts wander, wondering before she could stop herself how it would feel to have Sunset return the favor, to be the one sprawled on the bed with the beautiful redhead straddling her, those long fingered hands pinning hers over her head while she—
The sound of the involuntary moan echoing in the shower brought her out of the fantasy, and Twilight stuck her burning face into the painful spray of water, wincing when it rubbed her senses raw, trying to scour everything away.  She had to stop this...it was wrong and insensitive and so very inappropriate when her girlfriend had already established boundaries with her.
Twilight subjected herself to several more minutes of the water based torment, but the heat in her center only burned hotter, and the images became more and more elaborate, digging deeper into her fantasies and private desires to parade them before her mind’s eye.  With a resigned sigh, she switched the shower back to her preferred settings, intent on finishing washing up quickly instead so she wouldn’t be so tempted to do something about the ache she was feeling.  There was no point in torturing her nerve endings with cold water when her body had just proven the myth about cold showers to be just that.  
The actions were rote, mechanical. Body wash squeezed into the wet cloth, the exact same sized dollop as she used every day, then the cloth folded over on itself to work the soap into a lather. The scent of summer flowers,  the scrubbing motions as she ran it over her shoulders and neck.  All familiar, with all the comfort she took from routine and pattern.
But then the washcloth moved across one breast, catching her nipple with the edge of the soapy fabric, and the jolt of sensation that went through her was a live wire straight down to her core.  Another moan escaped her, swallowed up by the white noise of the shower, and unable to resist, she repeated the motion, trying to keep herself quiet.
Twilight was torn—her body begged for physical release, but doing this under current circumstances made her feel guilty and shamed.  She tried to push down the urge, telling herself it was being caused by teen hormones in flux, trying to focus her scattered thoughts on washing and not on Sunset Shimmer.
She failed, spectacularly, her mind supplying her with a vision of Sunset in the shower with her, completely nude and staring at her with hungry eyes.  
“Sparky...” the way Sunset would growl out her nickname, her voice husky the way it sometimes got when she was half asleep or when she had kissed Twilight breathless…it made her shiver, wanting to hear more...
Sunset’s confident steps towards her, hips moving in a gait that was like a predatory animal, graceful and dangerous and beautiful all at once, until Twilight was backed against the shower wall...
Her own hands, rubbing a soapy cloth over her torso, faded away, replaced by her girlfriend’s, ghosting over damp flesh teasingly, driving her mad until she reacted...only to then have those same wonderful hands holding her fast while she arched and writhed against the sexy, gorgeous body...
“...Sunny...” the name escaped her in a soft whine, a begging sound that somehow managed to encapsulate all of the things she was feeling...
The want for that toned thigh pressed against her where it would do the most good, while Sunny, her Sunny, kissed and bit and sucked on her neck, her ear, her shoulder...
Lost in daydream and fantasy, Twilight didn’t expect to be suddenly swept up in a burst of mind-numbing pleasure, the kind that left her disoriented and shaking.  Time lost meaning, as did everything else, only distantly registering the sound of her own voice crying out for Sunset and the way the hot water was suddenly colder than her skin.  
Panting, Twilight managed to catch herself on the shower wall before her legs could give out, rapidly blinking away water—and spots—from her eyes. It took a moment to register what had just happened, what she had just done, and she glanced anxiously towards the bathroom door, praying no one had heard her.  





Sunset groaned, pressing Twilight’s pillow over her face to muffle the sound—a good idea in theory, but a mistake in practice as her nostrils were flooded with Twilight’s scent.  Her magic pushed against her control again, desperate to get away from her, to react to her body’s reaction, to do something without her active consent, and the unicorn-turned-human fought to keep it under control.  It was like being a small foal all over again, she realized, with her magic eager to react to any large emotional stimulus....except for her, it had always happened with her negative emotions, like anger and fear, and never when she was happy.  Now it seemed to be the complete opposite—as upset as she had been the night before, or as angry as she seemed to feel some days, her magic barely reacted. Instead, it was if her own surges had somehow become bound by the principles behind “Friendship Magic” and the power of the Elements that the girls used, even though she herself wasn’t one of them.
Every nerve ending felt hyper-sensitive, and she could feel the very fibers of her shirt and pants rubbing against her skin with each movement, each breath.  Her magic coiled just under her skin, concentrating in the center of her forehead. It wanted a horn, needed a horn to channel outward, and even she knew she couldn’t bleed it off without the familiar spiral.  Sunset had to do something…her bones were burning again, aching as fiercely as her core, and she felt like she was about to burst if she didn’t get rid of the excess power.
In desperation and with sensations in her body towing a weird line between pleasure and agony, she started humming, giving what focus she had left to drawing on her feelings for the girls who were her friends, and on the girl down the hall who meant more to her than anyone in two worlds ever had.  At first, it seemed to do nothing, and the former unicorn felt ridiculous, but just as she was about to stop, the feeling of the magic changing her body hit her.  It was almost a relief, the way it drew on her inner reserves to happen, bringing that unbearable sensation of being an over-filled container ready to rupture down a few notches.
Tearing the pillow away from her face, Sunset tried to guide the magic through her horn, focusing on expelling it harmlessly into earth below her.  It fought her, ripping free of her and pulsing outward beyond her control, but the explosive reaction she was expecting never happened.  Just heat and light, and the feeling of being strangely spent when it was over, her transformation fading away.  
Sunset lay, staring up at her girlfriend’s ceiling for a time, trying to calm her racing heart and put herself back together.  Her bones still ached, and her body still tingled with desire, but compared to the feeling of her magic trying to rip free, those things could barely be considered more than minor discomfort.  She rubbed her face and blinked back the faint burn of tears wanting to form. There had to be a better way to deal with this...





Shaking fingers yanked her clothes on, fumbling to get a grip on the fabric, struggling against the lingering dampness on her skin.  Twilight tried to calm her racing mind, wanting nothing more than to dispel the lingering thoughts that she was sure were responsible for the feeling of a flush on her cheeks, guilt and shame feeding into her anxiety.  
What was wrong with her?  How could she have done that, after how awful the last twenty four hours had been?  Sunset needed her support to recover from an awful night, and here she was, having... 
Her mind twisted away from completing the thought, unable to articulate, even to herself, the depth of what she had done.  Even attempting to be hyper-rational was impossible, because it didn’t make her feel any less terrible about it, for all it might be ‘normal,’ and a ‘result of hormones.’  It still wasn’t right, not when Sunset was as stressed and upset as she had been, and right in the next room.  Not to mention just how badly she had been affected by such a short event—an accidental few seconds of seeing exposed skin, and Twilight had been unable to control herself!  How was she supposed to be able to respect her girlfriend’s wishes and boundaries if something so small turned her into little more than an animal?
The guilt increased tenfold as an errant question crossed her mind...one about consent.  Did it count in a situation like this as not having consent? Twilight bit her lip, hard, worrying at it with her teeth as she debated the question internally, thinking back to the conversations she had had with Cadence about the importance of consent in any kind of intimacy, but especially sexual intimacy.  Her sister-figure had always stressed the concept, how communication about it was a two way street....
“If it’s ever in doubt, Ladybug,” Cady had told her, “imagine how you might feel if the situation were reversed...”
The dark haired girl dried her hair briskly, going through her daily routine at the sink to help give her something to do that was at least familiar, even as her mind conjured thoughts of Sunset, in bed or on her couch, her hands wandering her own body to fantasies of Twilight, fingers—
She jerked herself out of those thoughts quickly when renewed want made her body tingle, and her cheeks burned.  That wasn’t going to work, she decided, not when her outrage was nonexistent in favor of much more powerful feelings.  She would never tell anyone out loud, but she could admit to herself that she would give Sunset permission without a second thought to indulge as much as she wanted in creating sensual fantasies where Twilight catered to every desire the other girl might have.
However, that didn’t make it okay in the other direction, she decided. It...felt wrong...like she was objectifying her best friend, using her without permission to satisfy baser urges.  Twilight felt awful, her eyes starting to burn and her throat feeling tight, ashamed at her own behavior.
She hurriedly blew her nose and splashed water on her face—the last thing the dark haired girl wanted was to go back to Sunset looking like she was upset.  Her girlfriend would want to know what had happened and she wasn’t sure she was ready to explain her shower episode to Sunset.  “I’ll ask Cadence for advice,” she whispered to herself, squashing the embarrassment that came with the words.  “I’ve told her worse, and I won’t have to go into detail. I can stick to facts, get her thoughts on how to handle this situation.” ...Not that she could think of anything worse at the moment—though the time she’d found the box of condoms that had fallen out of Shining’s bag when she was nine was pretty up there.  That had been pretty embarrassing all the way around, for everyone involved.  Especially because her inquisitive nine year old self had been caught reading the box out loud as she tried to decipher what the “weird balloons” were for.
Twilight shook her head to clear it. Focus, Twilight. Embarrassing memories could wait. She had to make herself presentable in order to not worry Sunset or make her uncomfortable, at least until the raging of teenage hormones settled back to their normal levels and she didnt have to worry about making the weekend worse than it had already been.
“I can do this,” she told her reflection, squaring her shoulders.
> Chapter Sixty-Six: Fallout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Wobbly legs carried Sunset down the stairs as quietly as possible. Her phone told her it was close to noon, but with how her episode the night before had dragged everyone out of bed, she didn’t want to wake anyone still sleeping.  Twilight was still in the shower, but the hollow space in her stomach was unwilling to wait any longer, so she was going to see about making them breakfast.
Or finding some, given the rich scent of eggs and what she thought might’ve been waffles coming from the kitchen.  Her ears picked up the sound of Velvet’s tired voice talking to Cadence, and she slowed, creeping closer to decide if walking in at that moment would be intruding.
“...hate that school,” Velvet’s voice took on an upset, angry note, though she still sounded exhausted.  Sunset felt a moment of guilt, but as the woman’s voice became more angry, she pushed it back, listening just beyond the kitchen doorway in the front hall.  “I hate that I do, but I cannot be silent anymore.  I know you all went there, and I know it's a family tradition for Night, but I hate that school. I was never comfortable with how it felt, and I despise Abacus Cinch and that...that...attitude!  I wish I had been more adamant about you kids going somewhere, anywhere different!”
Cadence’s voice remained level, calm, but there was worry in it that she couldn’t conceal. “Velvet...” A pause, then more insistent, “....Mom...”
“I know!” she snapped, before calming, “I know. Hatred does no one any good, but I can’t help it!  That’s the first meltdown Twilight has had in ages, and it was triggered by something that woman did—I know it, even if I can’t explain how I know.”
There was a soft laugh from the younger woman. “We all know the power of your Mom-Sense. If you say it, I believe you.”
“You didn’t see her when she came home yesterday,” Twilight Velvet whispered, though she might as well have been shouting in Sunset’s ears.  The way she sounded made her heart twist, because Sunset had heard that sound of distress and pain before, in her girlfriend.  “She wasn’t just anxious—she was terrified for no reason she could explain. It wasn’t like her, not at all, and I’m worried for her. She was unreachable until Sunset arrived, and even then...I was worried even Sunset wouldn’t be able to reach her.  I almost called Gently out of desperation.”
Sunset leaned against the wall, frowning as she eavesdropped. She should feel guilty for doing it, but her worry for Twilight overrode the feeling—especially after yesterday. 
She could hear shuffling and then the clinking sound of a mug being set down on the table.  “I....part of me wants to disagree, but I’m not sure I can.  Principal Cinch was always so stern and commanding, but I didn’t cross paths with her often, other than the occasional student council business.”  She sighed.  “I do understand why you’re upset, Mom, especially since I’ve seen and learned a lot more about how other schools are run, and the various forms that abuse from authority figures can take.”
Anger bubbled in her chest now, anger directed at this Principal Cinch where before only mistrust and worry had existed. 
Velvet exhaled, the sound a heavy sigh. “It was such a different experience when I called Sunset in absent that day; it really opened my eyes. Abacus Cinch or her Vice Principal would never be caught dead answering phone calls like a secretary, but not only was that not an issue, the biggest concern on her mind was that she had no idea who I was. She was worried about who was calling for one of her students. I want Twily to have that, at school. Not academic acceleration, but an environment where she can grow and learn and feel safe, just like she does at home.  Where people will give a damn if she’s not okay.”
That made the redhead blink—she hadn’t realized that Miss Luna or Principal Celestia had had an extensive call with Velvet...though it made the administrator’s statements make more sense.
“And maybe you’re right,” Cadence agreed. “Maybe our Ladybug would be better off with an environment like that...somewhere she might be able to make friends and enjoy herself while she’s inventing a way to change the world.” She laughed, as if something funny had occurred to her.  “And if it’s such a big deal to the rest of the family, just tell them you’re taking Alabaster’s advice and sending Twilight somewhere she’ll get more appropriate socialization and learn to network instead of becoming a...what was it you said she called it in her little fit of outrage after our Twily gave her a piece of her mind?”
“‘An anti-social recluse with no concept of how to behave like a proper lady, which is what we get for letting her associate with the dregs of society as a best friend.’  I’ve always despised that old bat, but after she said that, I have no use for her and had to work hard to keep my feelings to myself.” 
Sunset blinked.  She had gotten the sense that Twilight’s extended family was unbearable, but a statement like that was something right out of the mouths of Canterlot aristocracy. 
Cadence muttered something that might have been an unflattering description of the woman in question.  “There. Although I’m not sure how it would even be their business.”
“They make everything their business, dear. It’s how they are.  Family reputation and all.” The woman sighed again, and Sunset could hear the chair move as she stood up, moving around the kitchen. A sizzling suggested that she was making more waffles.  “I am just so sick of Twily being set off for no real reason by teachers, by her classmates, and above all by that horrible, pinch-faced, sour, self centered, egotistical...harridan!  It’s like they do it for the sole purpose of watching her suffer, while they stand by and do nothing! ...and that’s not acceptable. It’s not what she needs, and it’s a terrible way to run an educational facility.”  A distressed sound, like she was choking back tears, rent the air.  
“Mom?” Cadence sounded worried again.
“I think I’ve just had enough of sitting by and watching my baby struggle and hurt so needlessly.  She deserves better from a school, she deserves better from so-called educators...but mostly, she deserves better from us. We shouldn’t find ourselves relying on Sunset to make it better—she’s a child too, and Twilight is not her responsibility.  Not like this. Not like yesterday.”
The former unicorn’s ears burned, the guilt in her chest returning as she stared at the wall. Here she was, eavesdropping on a private conversation in a manner more befitting the pony...person...she used to be, only to hear genuine care and concern for her well being in Velvet’s voice.  Creeping around the corner, gripping her elbows awkwardly, she cleared her throat.  The sound that interrupted Cadence’s intended reply sounded more like a shamed whicker than any human noise, and Sunset hung her head.  “I...I’m sorry,” she started with, shoulders hunching as she spoke. “I...didn’t want to interrupt, because it sounded important...” 
It took everything she had for Sunset not to fidget uneasily, half expecting chastisement and disappointment from Velvet for her behavior. Princess Celestia had certainly chided her for it on several occasions, usually after a teacher had caught her eavesdropping on her classmates’ conversations.  Not that the Princess had ever known the real reason for most of those occurrences, with her learning the little bits of nastiness they had planned for her so she could turn their pranks back on them later.
Instead, a comforting and careful arm went around her shoulders, pulling her into one of Velvet’s soft ‘mom hugs.’ “Sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong—if it was truly a private talk, we would have gone to my study.” A hand stroked her hair gently.  “How are you feeling this morning?”
Sunset leaned into the embrace, taking solace in a brief few moments of comfort before she stepped back. “I’m okay—I’m sorry I worried everyone last night.”  
Velvet gave the waffle iron a quick glance, then turned her full attention on Sunset. “You have no cause to be sorry for that either, Sunset.  We can’t control our subconscious.”
She looked at the two women in the kitchen, taking in how disheveled and worn they both looked.  “I know...but...I feel...awful that I woke everyone up, over a bad dream.” The redhead sighed, sitting down in one of the empty chairs at the table. “I don’t normally have them when I’m here—and when I do, Twilight can usually wake me up before it gets too bad.”  
Her girlfriend’s mother studied her with concern, and Sunset hastened to reassure her. “It wasn’t because of what happened with Twilight yesterday, Mrs. Velvet, really.  I get nightmares like that sometimes...”  She blew air out of her nostrils in a mix between a sigh and a snort. “They aren’t usually that bad, but it’s just something that happens sometimes.”
Turning towards the coffee maker, Velvet took Sunset’s mug, the one she’d received for Christmas, and filled it with fresh coffee, automatically adding just the right amount of sugar and creamer.  “Do you have nightmares often?” 
Sunset shook her head.  “Sometimes.  It...comes and goes.”  She wasn’t sure how to explain all the things that haunted her.  “They were really bad after the Fall Formal, but...things have gotten a lot better since then.”  The woman didn’t need to know about the Battle of the Bands.
The warm mug was pressed into Sunset’s waiting grip as Velvet’s eyes met hers.  “I understand if you don’t want to share details, Sunset, but...if I asked you to rate your dreams on a scale of one to ten...where would last night have fallen?”
Blue-green eyes flicked away from the concerned expression to stare into the depths of her coffee.  She knew the answer, but she didn’t want to say, because she still wasn’t sure she could explain the horrors of her dream to them without explaining where she was from.  As the silence stretched on, Sunset knew she would have to give some kind of answer, but which one was preferable? 
To stall, she took a long drink, finally looking back up. Both Velvet and Cadence were watching her, waiting patiently for her response.  She had no choice but to answer. “Last night was...about as awful as it’s been for...a long time,” she confessed quietly, before returning to her previous point and trying to direct them away from the details.  “But it wasn’t because of what happened with Twilight.  That didn’t cause my nightmare—helping her is something I needed to do, and it didn’t hurt me, I swear!”
Fingers smoothed a lock of hair back from her forehead.  “I believe you, sweetheart, and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t help Twilight, or that I won’t let you.  That would be needlessly cruel to both of you girls, because it’s plain to see you both care deeply about each other and want to support each other...”  The older woman sat next to her, still smoothing down the wild mane that Sunset hadn’t bothered to brush yet.  “At the same time, I don’t want you to believe that Twilight and her mental and emotional well being are some form of obligation or in any way your responsibility.  They aren’t—as mature and self-sufficient as you are, you are still a teenage girl, and it would be inappropriate for Night and I, as Twilight’s parents, to foist such a thing off on you or make you feel like we have. Do you understand?”
The feeling of those fingers running through her hair and behind her ears was familiar and relaxing, a mirror to the way Sparky did it, and she couldn’t help but lean into it.  It was a soothing touch, one that conjured memories of sitting out on the balcony in the mornings as a small filly letting the Princess of the Sun curry her coat and comb out her mane and tail.  “I understand that, Mrs. Velvet, and I’m not trying to infringe on anything...but I can’t do nothing. I...” How could she explain it to this human woman, that her need to be there for Twilight, to be her support, her friend, her defender, was not just the whims of a friend, but a desire that came straight from the deepest parts of her soul, speaking to her in a way that mirrored her cutie mark’s vague but insistent nudges?
The former unicorn was pulled into another hug.  “I know, Sunset, and I understand. You don’t have to explain—there are some things that don’t need words.”  Sunset found herself looking at the older woman, meeting her eyes, only to find that the sincerity and warmth in them was something that she could practically feel.  “It’s something we have in common, Sweetheart.  We all want to be there to support Twilight when she needs us, because that’s what it means for us to be a family.  We support each other, help each other—and that includes you too, Sunset Shimmer.  Your mental and emotional health is just as important to me as any of my children, because you are part of this family as much as they are.  Just as you need to be there when Twilight needs you, I need to do the same for all of you.”
Sunset knew the intensity in those eyes, could feel the force behind it, and it startled her. She’d seen human stubbornness and determination before, but this was different.  This went beyond being intractable...it was the same level of conviction, of soul deep knowing as a cutie mark, a driving force and desperate desire that could not be denied or ignored all rolled into one.  It drew the former unicorn up short, and her need to argue dried up. She knew better than anyone in this world what that kind of driving need felt like, and how much it hurt to deny it or fight it.  
“...I understand,” she acquiesced, swallowing hard around a lump in her throat and trying to ignore the prickling feeling at the back of her eyes.  “...and I...”  She hesitated, feeling the weight to her words and a faint tingle of magic in her veins itching to respond.  “...I appreciate it,” she finished, mind gripping her magic firmly to prevent it from getting out of her control.   “...thank you...”
Cadence had been quietly watching the whole time, and gave Sunset a big smile as the redheaded teen leaned into Velvet’s hug more.  It made Sunset feel...good...and she savored the way the atmosphere in the room had shifted.  At least until she started smelling something burning, and Cadence yelped out, “The waffles!” before darting towards the waffle iron on the counter.  The contents of it were starting to smoke, and she clearly intended to stop it before it got worse—only to collide with another body that had just entered the room.
Both forms ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor on their rears, and Sunset stared in bewilderment at the sight of Cadence and Twilight Sparkle looking stunned and confused.  There was this long moment of silence, but something about the whole thing just hit her, and Sunset started to chuckle.  It wasn’t long before Velvet joined in, and once the shock wore off, the other two started to giggle as well.
It was to this that Shining poked his head into the kitchen. “I smelled something bur...ning...” His eyes raked the room, taking in the sight of four laughing women and a smoking waffle iron. “...you know what? Never mind. I’m going back to bed...”





It took some time, but between the four of them, breakfast had been made without any further risk of food catching fire.  Now, with a plate of waffles—topped with fruit—and some cheese-laden scrambled eggs in her stomach, Sunset felt more put together than before.  She finished her coffee, feeling the light touch of Twilight’s bare foot rubbing against her calf under the table, and sent a small smile towards her girlfriend.
Twilight bit her lip for a moment, eyes flicking away from Sunset towards her mother, and Sunset followed the glance with one of her own.  Velvet had worn a contented expression through most of breakfast, one Sunset suspected had to do with the same desire to take care of others that the redhead had seen in the older woman earlier.  Returning her eyes to her girlfriend’s, she tilted her head questioningly.
The other girl frowned, but cleared her throat.  “Mom, Sunny and I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Velvet set her coffee mug down slowly, exchanging a brief look with Cadence, before giving her daughter her full attention.  “What is it, Twily?”  Something flickered in her eyes, but Sunset couldn’t quite read what it was.
The dark haired girl toyed with a bit of her hair.  “We...talked a little about what happened yesterday, about how I got really agitated and upset because I was afraid that in an emergency no one would know to contact us...we were thinking about taking steps to prevent that in the future...”
Sunset picked up the train of thought when her girlfriend trailed off.  “My principals also figured out that the number on my file doesn’t go to anyone but me,” she added.  “I’ve been asked to find someone—an adult—that I trust to be listed as an emergency contact in case something happens.”  One hand ran through her fiery mane, pushing it back from her face.  “I...wanted to ask if I could put you down there as my emergency contact,” the former unicorn asked Velvet, feeling an uncomfortable mix of emotions that made her slightly queasy.
Several sets of eyes were watching her, and she felt Twilight squeeze her knee under the table.  Sunset took a moment to breathe, letting Twilight pick up the discussion again.  “That’s when I thought that we could make sure that Sunset has more than just my number, and that you guys have hers, in case of an emergency on either side.”
Silence reigned for a long minute as Velvet absorbed their words, looking back and forth between the two teens with a thoughtful expression.  Her fingers curled around her mug, tapping the ceramic lightly as she finally gave her response.  “I’m glad that the two of you talked through the problem,” she began, “and I believe that sounds like a good solution to help mitigate stress on all sides.  If you are willing to trust us with your number, Sunset, then I see no reason not to do so, in the event of an emergency or even complications...like Twilight’s phone meeting another unfortunate end at the hands of mad science.”
Twilight blushed. “That was an accident, Mom, and only because Spike bumped into me! I didn’t mean to drop it into the acid!”
“It still happened, dear.”  Velvet smiled at her youngest child, taking any sting out of the teasing jab.
“Don’t forget the incident with the electro-magnet,” Cadence added.  “Or the time—”
“Cadence!” Twilight complained. “They were accidents...” she told Sunset seriously.  “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Sunset chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders to give her a hug. “Don’t feel too bad, Sparky.  When I was nine, they had to replace the entire roof of the chemistry building because of one of my more infamous experiments, and don’t get me started about what got me banned from the greenhouse.” She couldn’t help but grin, remembering some of her more notable mishaps at CSGU or the pranks she and Philomena had pulled. “...and that’s not even touching anything I did at the pal—” The former unicorn realized what she was about to say and hastily corrected herself. “—to the staff at home.  Did you know that two dozen chickens and marble floors are a terrible combination?”
Twilight stared at her before breaking into uncontrollable laughter. “Chickens?! Do I even want to know where you got two dozen chickens?”
“Probably not. It’s a long and embarrassing story, involving a somewhat violated statue from the gardens, a bird of prey with a sense of humor, and a few fires.” Sunset made a face.  Princess Celestia had been rather unhappy with both of them after that, and she’d been barred from the gardens for a month.  “The point is, accidents happen, Sparky.  And this way, if another accident happens to your phone, we can still get in contact with each other.”
Across the table, Cadence muttered, “It’s tempting to see if it improves that awful marble ballroom at the estate for the next New Year’s party. Could you see Alabaster’s face? Because I can.”
Velvet rolled her eyes, and nudged the conversation back on track. “As for the other...Night and I would be honored to be listed as your ‘adult contact’ for your school, sweetheart, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page with what that entails, or at least, what you are comfortable with it meaning.”
Sunset considered that, her arm slipping off Twilight’s shoulders as she gave it thought. “I...hadn’t considered it meaning anything but you being the person to call if I like, slip and fall down the stairs or something.”
All three humans winced at her somewhat morbid statement—Twilight gripped her arm tight enough that Sunset began to regret her choice of words—before Velvet addressed her again.  “That’s perfectly reasonable, Sunset, and we would want to know if you got hurt.  I know we’d want to make sure you recovered as well if something were to happen.”  She smiled again. “But my question more involved other things they might contact an adult for, such as problems with a class, or even the opposite—academic accolades we might want to celebrate with you.”
The words hit her with all the force of a train, and she blinked, looking away to hide the way her eyes watered.  “...you...you’d ca—” Sunset swallowed and chose a different word, one that hurt less.  “You would want to know about things like that?” the redhead asked in a quiet voice that made Fluttershy seem boisterous by comparison.
Next to her, Twilight made an inarticulate sound of distress, the fingers already gripping Sunset’s arm tightening to the point where her knuckles whitened and in the back of her mind, Sunset wondered why it didn’t hurt.  It was enough that she saw Velvet’s hand reach across the table to tap her girlfriend’s wrist gently but firmly to make her loosen the hold.  The former unicorn bumped Twilight’s knee with her own, a silent signal to let her know it was okay, before finding Velvet’s gaze again.
The woman made sure she had Sunset’s attention before answering in a far more serious tone than she had expected. “I do, Sunset—we all do, and we would very much like to know. It matters to us that you are happy in school, that you are doing well, if you’ve achieved something you are proud of, or even if you needed help....just like all those things matter to us when it comes to Twilight being at school, and how it was important when it was Cadence and Shining in school.”  The hand that had tapped Twilight’s squeezed amber fingers briefly. “More than that, we would love to be able to celebrate with you about the good things in your life, or be there when the bad happens.”
Sunset couldn’t respond right away—the painful lump in her throat prevented that. She took several deep breaths to get her emotions back under control, to shove the errant thoughts and wishes back in a box in the far corner of her heart and soul, right where she kept most of the rest of the emotions about the mare who raised her.  When she finally was able to respond, her voice was still weak and rough, but at least it was level.  “...Okay.  That...would be okay....”
She twisted in the chair to fumble for a pen and a piece of paper from the little table tucked in the corner where the phone sat, using it to further get herself back under control.  The redheaded teen managed the paper, but when she grabbed the nearest pen, she felt something twist in her gut.  Her vision went hazy as the nasty laughter from her nightmare echoed in her ears...
And then the magic in her surged in response, a quick, violent riposte that drove the horrible sensation away.  Sunset was aware of the sharp sound of breaking plastic as her senses returned to normal, and she stared dumbfounded down at the remnants of the writing utensil in her palm, the mangled plastic bearing the Crystal Prep logo and colors.
What in the world was that?
> Chapter Sixty Seven: Words Don't Come Easy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight carefully cut two slices from the decadent chocolate dessert that Sunset had brought with her the night before, smiling brightly and humming to herself.  She was finally starting to feel more like herself, after an afternoon spent watching movies with her family, tucked up next to Sunset on the floor, their fingers secretly laced together and their shoulders touching.  Though to be fair, she hadn’t paid much attention to the last movie—she was too busy focusing on the way Sunset had been stroking fingers along her wrist and forearm, sending pleasant tingles along her nerve endings.
Footsteps alerted her to another presence in the kitchen, and familiarity with her various family members recognized the gait and weight of the steps as her mother’s.  The steps themselves were light and the movements brisk, consistent with the way her mother moved and carried herself when she was content and in a good mood. That suggested that the calm, easy day had eased more than her own stresses, and left her family in decent moods as well.  She set the knife down on the counter and turned around. “Hi, Mom...” she offered quietly, feeling a little guilt nip at her, in part for her contribution to the unpleasantness from the night before.
Her emotions must have shown on her face, because Velvet stepped closer, pulling her into a hug.  “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, Little Bug,” she murmured, kissing the top of Twilight’s head and letting the teenager sink into the comforting embrace.  The diminutive nickname was something her mother hadn’t called her in years, but it felt good to hear it again.
“Thanks, Mom,” Twilight answered, squeezing tighter. “...I’m sorry I pushed you away yesterday.  I know you were trying to help, but—”
“No buts, Twilight,” her mother asserted, “and no apologies either.  You didn’t do anything wrong to merit either of those things.”
“I pushed you away.  I hurt you when I do that, I know I do.”
Twilight Velvet was quiet for a moment, hand rubbing her back. “Sweetheart, do you know why it hurts me?” she asked at last.
Biting her lip, the dark haired teen blinked back tears. “...because I don’t want your help?” she ventured.
“No,” her mother answered gently.  “It hurts when I see you hurting and I can’t do anything to help...but that’s not your fault, and I have never blamed you for that.  It’s just part of how your brain works when you’re stressed, and it’s something you’ve always done.”  Fingers carded lightly through her ponytail.  “There have always been times where only a specific person could help you—don’t you remember all the times you had to call Cady at her dorm? Or the time you wouldn’t come out of your closet until Shining went in and talked to you?” Velvet kissed the top of her head again. “It’s just part of who you are, sweetheart, and I love all of who you are, not just parts.”
 “I love you too, Mom.” A deep sigh escaped her, carrying the guilt away with it, but the next inhale brought questions that she found herself blurting into her mother’s shoulder.  “Mom...how do you know all these things—what I’m feeling, what to say to make it better...?  And if it’s not something that’s difficult, why is it the woman who was Sunny’s guardian couldn’t do it too? It’s not fair!  She deserves better than what that woman put her through!”
Another one of those silences stretched on as Velvet considered the answer. Her words, when she spoke, were careful and deliberate. “I don’t know the exact reason, Twily.  I know for me, it’s just part of being a mom, because my children—all of them—are the most important people in my life.  Your grandmother was the same way when I was young, and I guess you could say I learned some of what I do from her, especially because she was such a big help when your brother was very young. I don’t know Sunset’s former caretaker or the details of their relationship, though I can infer.  In the end, there’s a lot of reasons why someone might not be very good at being a parent.” She paused, further collecting her thoughts.  “Perhaps she had no good reference in her own parents, or maybe she just didn’t know how to deal with Sunset’s personality and needs...or perhaps she was someone a lot like your Principal, someone who cared a lot about academics, appearances, and reputation, but sees emotion and such as weaknesses to be controlled or contained.”
On one hand, her mother’s explanation was a sound and logical one, something Twilight appreciated.  On the other, though, it just...felt wrong, in a way that was difficult to put a finger on.  Chewing on her lip, she pulled back from the hug, fighting the urge to start pacing while she thought. “...I...guess...but...”  She took a deep breath, collecting her somewhat scattered thoughts into a more coherent narrative.  “She ran away, Mom.  I can’t imagine, if her guardian was just... like that... that Sunset would find running away the better alternative.”
She could tell her mother was filing that information away, but it took a backseat to her own growing frustration.  “A strict parental figure or even an emotionally distant guardian doesn’t cause what happened last night,” she stated, finally figuring out what was eating at her.  “The way Shining talked about it, the way she was acting...” Twilight trembled as the words broke free.
Velvet gave her another hug. “I know, sweetheart, and it’s hard when someone we love suffered, especially unnecessarily....but don’t get too stuck on trying to dig up the hows and whys of Sunset’s past, alright? It’s more important that we focus on the fact that she has safe places now, and that we are here for her when she needs us...because if what we all suspect is true, Twily, she is going to need all of us—and especially you—as she starts to work through it. Just like last night.”
The teenager knew her mother was right, as much as she didn’t like to admit it. She had a track record of struggling when it came to understanding boundaries and comfort levels when discussing emotionally sensitive subjects with others. Her own internal ‘need to know’ that drove her to pick apart a topic so she could learn and understand all its component parts often made her more blind than normal to all the signs and social cues that a person would give off when she was pushing against a boundary. Often, nothing short of directly and firmly telling her to stop could get through to the buzzing in her brain that compelled her to keep pushing for ‘just one more answer.’
“I...was going to try and talk to her about the nightmare a little tonight,” Twilight admitted. “We mostly talked this morning about my panic attack and how it made me feel...though Sunny did like the idea of sharing contact information as part of an emergency system.” She turned back to preparing the two small plates of dessert, needing to do something with her hands before her thoughts made her twitchy again.
She could hear her mother moving around the kitchen, hear the clink of ceramic mugs, and smell more chocolate.  Her mom was making up a batch of her delicious hot cocoa, she realized. Velvet spoke as she worked.  “I think that was a wonderful idea, having us share our numbers with Sunset.  It’s something we probably should have offered sooner but...your father and I didn’t want to overstep.”
“I think it would have been okay. Sunset really does like you guys...she’s said as much to me.  Plus, you guys gave her a room. That’s...a little beyond just phone numbers.”
There was the sound of the stove turning on, and the scent of rich, creamy chocolate soon filled the air.  “I suppose you’re right on that—we just wanted her to know she has a place here if she wants it, and adults who care.” 
Velvet fell silent for a time, focused on the cocoa, long enough that Twilight was just about to assume the conversation was over and head up to see if Sunset was done with her shower yet.  “I am really glad you’ve found someone you connect with the way you do with Sunset,” she said, the sudden continuation of the conversation breaking into the comfortable bubble of quiet in a way that jolted Twilight’s senses, startling her out of her thoughts.  “I know you’ve had other friends in the past, and that they were good kids, but...not like what I see with you and Sunset.”
Twilight felt her stomach twinge with worry. Did her mother suspect? Could she tell her if she needed to?  No, she decided quickly. She wasn’t ready, and she hurried to give an answer that would work.  “Sunny...just gets me...and in a lot of ways, I get her.  She...it’s not like watching something completely alien when I try to understand what she’s thinking or feeling, and I don’t have to try so hard to just interact with her.  I...can just be me, and she’s happy with that.”   She finally met her mother’s gaze, from where she had turned away from the pot on the stove.  “She is the best friend I’ve ever had...and I trust her.”
“I know you do, Twily, and I’m glad you have someone you can confide in, who looks out for you as much as you look out for her.”  Her mother began pouring steaming cocoa into the mugs, before placing two of them on a tray.  “At the same time, I want you to know that if you ever want to talk to me about anything at all, I will always be available to listen, and no matter what you tell me, I will always love you.”  She paused in the act of topping the two mugs with whipped cream to meet Twilight’s eyes.  “Okay, Little Bug?”
Purple eyes stared at her mother, the mind behind them thrown into overdrive. Did her mother know she was hiding things, keeping secrets? Was now the right time to confess to some of it? Or was this about something else.  Maybe it was time to admit some of it—the longer she was with Sunset, the harder it was to hide her feelings.
She opened her mouth to answer, prepared to out herself in a sudden, impulsive moment. “Mom, I—”
And then her mind reengaged with a wrenching sensation that left her stomach twisting itself up in anxious knots.  Even if her parents were accepting, which even her brain at its most negative admitted they likely would be, what would happen if other people found out? Like...the rest of the family? Or people at school? What would it do to her life, to Sunset’s, if their relationship offended the wrong person?  She remembered the way Glamour had looked, talking with her the day after the party, about how she was worried about her parents finding out, of being disowned and having the funding for her education pulled, leaving her with no way to finish the degree she wanted to get. The way Platinum Filigree and Aunt Alabaster had looked at her for daring to ‘associate with someone lower on the social ladder.’  How Summer Breeze always harped about ‘snagging a man...’  What would they do if they found out about her sexuality? Her parents already had to deal with playing their social games to avoid offending them—money and influence could ruin their careers easily. Would they be blamed for ‘allowing’ their daughter to be interested in women, dating another girl?
And what about school? Her peers were ruthless, finding anything they could exploit about each other and her to try and get ahead?  Her teachers, if they knew? Would they approve? Or would they grade her that much harder than they already did, to prove she wasn’t good enough to them? ....and what about Principal Cinch? The woman was stern and had no time for drama—if Twilight caused it, what would happen then? Especially since, statistically, most high school relationships didn’t last that long...
She could feel letters of recommendation and glowing endorsements for her future academics and career drying up before her eyes.  It made the words stick in her throat, refusing to come out into the open air.  Twilight turned away from her mother once more, driven by the compulsion to do something with her hands to help curb her impending panic.  This time, she settled for washing the knife and returning the rest of the dessert to the fridge, and thankfully, her mother didn’t push the issue, giving her time to be able to speak.
“....I...thanks, Mom,” she finished lamely. “It means a lot to hear you say that.” Twilight wasn’t ready but that didn’t mean she couldn’t let her mother know how much good it did to have that declaration made to her.
Her mother had taken the opportunity to place the desserts on the same tray as the two cups of cocoa and added a few napkins.  When Twilight turned back around, she handed the tray over. “Thought you girls would enjoy a hot drink with your snack.”  Velvet met her gaze firmly.  “Just remember, sweetheart, that there is nothing in this world or even in any other hypothetical world your mind can conjure up, that could ever make me stop loving you—I promise. You will always be my Little Bug, Twily, even when you eventually have a Ph.D. or three under your belt.”  She leaned in and kissed her forehead, tapping her nose with a finger as she stepped back to let her go upstairs.  “Nothing and no one, not even if you were to repeat that little experiment with the permanent marker slime and my favorite sweater.”  She winked. “Now go on, before your drinks get cold. You girls enjoy the rest of your night.”
> Chapter Sixty Eight: Where We Stand
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






When Twilight entered her bedroom, she was treated to a sight that had her freezing just inside her doorway.  Sunset was sprawled on the bed on her stomach, wearing pajamas and her hair still damp from her shower. Twilight’s eyes were drawn to the curves of Sunset’s hips and rear, the way the pants she was wearing clung tight to her backside.  What neurons in her brain were still firing at that point made the realization that the shape of that part of Sunset’s anatomy was almost as impossible as her breasts, something that threatened to send Twilight’s thoughts right back to the same place they’d been in the shower that morning.
She must have made some kind of noise, because her girlfriend lowered her phone and twisted back to look at her.  “Hey, Sparky,” she greeted, before rolling over into a sitting position. “Dessert?”
Can you be dessert? Please? Twilight wondered in a half daze, before shaking herself. “Yes!” she squeaked, hurrying to the desk with the tray before she ended up dropping it.  “Mom made us cocoa too!”  Once the tray was safe, she turned back to shut the bedroom door, feeling her cheeks burning.
Sunset made a noise in her throat, snagging one of the plates and a mug.  “Your mom makes the best hot cocoa,” the redhead half moaned after taking a long sip.  
Twilight’s innards squirmed at the sound, but she retrieved her own treats and retreated to her side of the bed.  “So what exactly is this?” she queried, pointing at the dessert on her plate with the fork.
“That’s the Cakes’ patented triple fudge brownie and chocolate cheesecake layered dessert with drizzles of chocolate syrup in between the layers...” Sunset smiled crookedly at her.  “Thought this would make you feel better....since your week was kinda rough?”
There was uncertainty in the taller girl’s voice, enough that Twilight scooted closer and kissed her. “I have the world’s best girlfriend,” she murmured.  Then she tried a bite of the dessert, and she was drowning in chocolate heaven. “Scratch that. I have the best girlfriend in the entire universe,” she corrected after her brief experience with nirvana.  
Blue green eyes danced with delight.  “I can never remember the weird name they call it, but I don’t care because it’s sooooo decadent and delicious....”  Sunset lifted a bite to her own lips, savoring the morsel with obvious pleasure, seemingly unaware of the way Twilight was watching her lick the chocolate off her fork.  “It’s my go to these days when I’m having a bad day, or just hanging out with the girls. I thought you might enjoy it too.”
Twilight made an indefinable noise as she put another piece of the confection in her mouth.   "I'm not sure ‘enjoy’ properly captures my feelings about this creation,” she noted when she finished.  “It almost makes the last week worth it, just to taste this..."
“Maybe we should make this our go to remedy for a bad week then, the way ice cream is for nightmares,” the redhead suggested playfully.  When Twilight nodded vigorously, because the prospect of the aforementioned chocolate confection and her gorgeous girlfriend in her bed as a combination to help her recover from a bad week was like being served up heaven on a silver platter, Sunset laughed brightly, one of those full body laughs that made her whole face light up and made Twilight feel like the sun had just broken through dark clouds and illuminated the world with warm sunshine.  That made Twilight feel guilty at the thought of ending her girlfriend’s good mood by bringing up the nightmare right now.  It could wait a little while, she decided, before leaning against the other girl’s side.  Purple eyes roamed the room and she spotted the two tickets Sunset had gifted her for Christmas.  
“Sunny?” Twilight tilted her head to look up at her girlfriend, nuzzling her cheek into a warm shoulder.
The redhead met her gaze, still in a good mood.  Plate resting in her lap, she slipped an arm around Twilight.  “What’s up, Sparky?”
“Well...those tickets you got me for Christmas. They’re for the meteor shower in a couple weeks. Did...did you still want to go with me?” They hadn’t actually discussed it, but Sunset did get two tickets, and Twilight had assumed it meant that Sunset was intending to go with her.  
“That was why I got two tickets, nerd.”  Sunset’s playful tone grew a little more serious as she set her fork down a moment, allowing her to brush her knuckles along Twilight’s cheek. “Look...I’ve been thinking. I know that for various reasons on both sides, we can’t really be too open when we go out and do things together, which means all the things that normal couples do on dates—like kissing or cuddling—is kind of out of the question for us.  Which I understand, but...at the same time...are things like that really required to make something a date as opposed to an outing with a friend?”  
The words hit her harder than she expected, and she bit her lip a little harder than normal to keep her mind from the automatic spiral it wanted to head for.  “I...guess not,” Twilight admitted reluctantly.  “I just...I want to do those things with you—I...I almost told Mom, just a bit ago, when you were in the shower.” Anxiety made a tremor go through her hands and she lowered her plate to her own lap to avoid dropping it.  “She was talking to me and I almost told her everything.  I had the words ready...and then I couldn’t make them come out.”
Shoulders slumping, the dark haired girl looked away from those beautiful blue-green eyes, words continuing to tumble over themselves. “I feel guilty about it, because I should be able to tell her—my parents love me and they’re so accepting of everything else that’s wrong or different with me, so I know they’d be okay with my sexuality—even Glamour was surprised when she found out I haven’t told them, because she thinks my parents are great, not like hers...Summer Breeze goes on so much about ‘how to win a rich man,’ it’s bad enough hearing her once a year, I can’t imagine what it is like for Glamour, or how bad it was for her older sister.  But...I just couldn’t make the words come out, Sunny!  All I could think of is what the rest of the family would say, what they might do to my parents careers, or Shining’s, if they learned that I’m not straight!  And I hate it, because I want to go on real dates with you, where we can do all of those things and anything else we want to, because society is stupid and narrow-minded about things that really shouldn’t matter to them, because why should it be a big deal that I like girls, that I like one girl in particular—you—and I want to be able to acknowledge openly how wonderful being with you makes me feel...”  
Twilight would have kept going, but her lungs were screaming for air.  While she was panting for air, Sunset moved their plates out of the way and tugged Twilight into her lap, arms going around her in a tight hug.  “Hey...hey...Sparky...it's okay.  I wasn’t trying to make you upset.”  Warm lips pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I was going somewhere with my thoughts, not trying to sound like I was complaining...can I share the rest of my idea? I...think it might help.”
Lavender fingers fisted into Sunset’s shirt with a white knuckled grip, and Twilight could feel the anxiety digging its claws into her.  She forced herself to close her eyes and focus on her breathing, just like Dr. Soft-Spoken had taught her, and like Sunset was encouraging in soft words in her ears.  “I...I...want to hear you out,” she stuttered out around a throat that wanted to close up, “but...I...I...need to take my meds first.”  She forced herself to look up at Sunset again. “I-It’s not you...my brain...it j-just won’t stop, and I want to hear your idea and...and...”
The arms around her hugged her closer before Sunset leaned over towards the desk to grab for the pill bottle kept in plain sight and easy reach. She popped it open for Twilight, whose hands were shaking too badly to have done it herself.  “Hand,” she said, the soft command soothing in its own way, before shaking one of the pills into Twilight’s palm.
Twilight fumbled the pill into her mouth, managing to swallow it with a sip of hot cocoa held by a steady amber-skinned hand, and waited for it to take effect.  To fight off the pandemonium within, she did like she’d been taught and focused on the tangible senses: her ears, listening to the gentle litany of Sunset’s voice counting breaths with her and giving periodic instructions and reminders, the tickly feeling of her shirt against her skin where the pressure of Sunset’s hand on her back moved against the fabric, and the scent that was unique to her girlfriend, her Sunny.  Slowly, the clamour in the back of her head receded to the more normal background buzzing she could handle, and that made the constricting band around her chest ease until she could breathe properly again.
“Better?” Sunset murmured in her ear, still holding her close.
She nodded against Sunset’s chest, trying not to think too much about how soft and comfortable it was, choosing instead to focus on the steady heartbeat in her ear.  That tension that came with her panic attack was fading, allowing her to relax more fully in the embrace, even if she wasn’t ready to talk yet.
Her girlfriend was quiet for a few more minutes, before finally speaking again.  “I wasn’t going to suggest we stop being discreet,” she told Twilight quietly.  “We’ll tell people when we’re both ready to tell them, and it’ll be on our terms.”
Exhaling slowly, the sound a mixture of the last lingering bits of her anxious panic and sheer frustration, Twilight closed her eyes briefly, gathering her thoughts to try and explain herself, if for no other reason than that Sunset shouldn’t be blaming herself for something that had been a problem longer than she’d been in Twilight’s life.  “I know that, Sunny,” she murmured, hugging the other girl tight.  “You would never out me without my consent—it’s not who you are, and I know that. I...didn’t mean to make you think that I felt you were pushing me in any way like that.”  She shifted position slightly, rubbing her face in the soft fabric of Sunset’s shirt.  “My panic had nothing to do with you.  It’s...it’s one of those things that is absolutely one hundred percent in my head, where my brain can’t seem to stop from providing terrible scenarios that just get worse and worse.  It’s hard to stop it when it does that normally, but with the subject of coming out? It’s beyond irrational.”  
Sunset made a humming sound in her throat.  “What do you mean?” she asked curiously.
Twilight took a deep breath, knowing just how what she was about to say would sound.  “For reasons unknown to me, I simply cannot be rational when it comes to the idea of telling people about my sexuality, even when all evidence shows they will not react poorly—like my parents.  It’s like having an irrational phobia—even the thought of coming out triggers my anxiety to the point where it takes very little to send me into a full blown panic attack.”  Her voice wavered, a sound of frustration rising. “It’s beyond stupid, and in so many ways it’s completely unlike me, because there’s no logical reason for how bad it is, especially in situations where the entire fear is counter to logic and reasoning!  I take comfort in absolutes, in facts—you know this—and the presence of some kind of objective evidence means my brain incorporates that logic before projecting possible outcomes. It doesn’t run completely counter to it!”
Her final words hung in the air, lingering in the silence that fell after.  Sunset was quiet for quite some time, rubbing her hand up and down Twilight’s back, face nuzzling into her hair.  Finally she asked, “Are you sure it’s your own fear?  Or is it something that...” The redhead paused, as if unsure before addressing awkwardly.  “It’s like a big ‘society fear’ thing.  Shows up in TV shows, books, movies, and i hear it whispered about in the school halls, right? This ‘if you tell people you have a preference for a particular kind of person that doesn’t fit the societal standard, it will end in disaster’ fear...like...if it’s not rational, then maybe it’s only a fear because everyone says you should be afraid?”
Twilight’s brows furrowed for a moment, analyzing what Sunset was saying. “Like a form of learned behavior and trained response?  I had considered that a few times, but it’s not consistent.  For example, I told my cousin, Glamour Shot, over New Years—though that was more a mutual thing—”  The body under her tensed up a fraction.  “I’ll share that story later,” she assured Sunset.  “Glamour’s really changed and it was...nice...to get to know the new Glamour.”  Then she refocused on the subject at hand.  “I also told Cady several years ago, back in middle school...though that took the two of us having a ‘Sisters’ Day Out’ when she took me to this amazing limited time space exhibit at one of the big city museums a few hours away.”
Pulling an arm from around Sunset, Twilight rubbed her temples.  “Logically, I should feel safe enough to come out here, in my own home, with people I know who will love me no matter what...but it goes completely against that. I feel more panicked and anxious here than I do at the estate, and my excursions there involve being surrounded by bigoted, classist, judgmental relatives who take every opportunity to point all the things that are wrong with me!”
There was another throaty sound from the redheaded teen, this one more troubled, and Twilight could feel amber skinned arms tighten their hold protectively.  “I don’t like your relatives, Sparky,” she mumbled softly.
“Trust me, Sunset, I don’t much care for them either.  Which is one reason why none of this makes sense.”  She focused on breathing for a minute before continuing.  “It stands to reason, if it is some form of phobia, things like desensitization should eventually make it possible for me to tell my parents.  Like maybe being able to tell Glamour was an indication it’s lessening, or maybe being with you has just made me more comfortable about who I am, since I can just be me around you. I’m not sure.”
Twilight’s shoulders slumped.  “I’m sorry, Sunny.  Like the rest of my anxiety issues, this isn’t something that you can just...fix by saying the right thing or fighting it off or...waving a magic wand or using a magical macguffin on it.  Life isn’t a fairytale, and...”
Sunset gave a snort, followed by her trying to stifle her chuckles, before her hand came up to cup Twilight’s cheek, making her look up into intensely focused blue-green eyes.  “I know it’s not, Sparky,” she murmured, pressing their foreheads together.  “...but in any world where it was, you know I’d find a way to break the curse, right?” Twilight could hear the smile in her voice, even if she couldn’t see it, mesmerized by those eyes staring into hers.  “Though...since I seem to have left my magic wand in my other bag, I guess you’ll have to settle for me being here for you when you need to talk.”
Being close like this made Twilight feel warm all over, and the sensation of Sunset’s breath, her words, brushing across her lips like the faintest of breezes sent a tingle down her spine.  “Thank you, Sunset...”  A slight push forward brought their lips together in a sweet kiss that still managed to steal her breath.  “Not many people have the...patience...for my issues.”
“Hey,” came the response, followed by a second kiss. “You were my friend first, before anything else, and I want to be here for you...just like you’ve been here for me, are still here for me.  You matter to me, Sparky...more than anyone in this world, and I like who you are. So you aren’t some kind of perfect, untouchable princess—I couldn’t give less of a harpy’s tail feathers about that.  When I had no one and nothing, when I was at my worst, when I did my best to warn you off...you wanted to be my friend. You cared.  Is it so weird to know that it goes both ways?  You’re my best friend, my girlfriend, my Sparky, and I care...”
She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes on the heels of the emotions the words had brought, and it made her throat tight.  “Sunset...” she managed to get out before words became insufficient.  Fingers reached up to tangle in that wild, fiery mane, allowing her to pull her girlfriend into a heated kiss that said everything and more.
With a sound that was more a throaty growl than anything, Sunset responded, pressing hard into the kiss, her tongue quick to swipe across Twilight’s lower lip, seeking entrance.  The dark haired teen let her have it, whimpering at the shiver of delight it sent through her body.  Hands that had been offering a comforting embrace now rubbed up and down her back in a different way, intimate and...
The sudden departure of Sunset’s lips from hers with a wet sound made Twilight whine in protest, not ready to be done yet...a whine that changed in the middle when her girlfriend started kissing along her jawline.  Those kisses melded with careful nipping as they moved towards the spot under her ear, the faintest pressure of teeth against her skin leaving her needing more, her body trying to get even closer to the other girl.  On some level she realized she was begging in a breathless, hushed voice, craving the press and heat of Sunset’s body against her own.
Husky, sexy laughter brushed her ear, accompanied by a hot breath, and Sunset obliged her plea, rolling them on the bed to put Twilight on her back, their hands intertwined above her head.  The pillows cushioned her, and the way she was trapped under the taller form clouded her thoughts with desire and fleeting wisps of her fantasies from that morning.  
Sunset leaned close again, another searing kiss dropped on Twilight’s lips before she dipped her head down to explore Twilight’s neck, not shy about leaving little love bites on lavender skin.  Twilight twisted and squirmed under the onslaught, instinct making her try to arch her body against  Sunset’s. The redhead responded with a low noise and pushed her body back down with her own, fingers tightening around Twilight’s wrists at the same time to keep her in place.
The act only served to send more desire rushing through her veins, and with a soft groan Twilight could feel her body surrendering to what Sunset made her crave so badly.  She fought it briefly, trying to stay in some measure of control, but teeth nibbling on her throat sent her focus scattering.  At this point, she wasn’t sure she could manage to gather the willpower to try again, and even less sure if she even wanted to.  The way Sunset was bearing down on her, carefully pinning her to the bed, let her feel the strength her girlfriend’s body possessed, how much stronger her toned muscles made her compared to Twilight...but it also communicated how she tempered that strength, never pushing too hard, never doing anything that might hurt her.  It was filling something primal and wordless within Twilight, a need she had only dimly realized she’d had before...
Time lost all meaning under Sunset’s touch, and she could feel the ache building in her core, just like it had that morning in the shower.  That made Twilight lift her head from the pillows slightly, struggling to put her thoughts into a coherent enough pattern to engage in speech.  “Sunny...wait...” she panted.  
She was unable to stop the whimper that escaped when Sunset instantly stopped the assault on her neck, pulling back to meet Twilight’s eyes.  Blue-green irises were filled with a focused, hungry intensity, like a predatory animal staring down its prey—a shiver of the best kind went through Twilight, and she only barely managed to keep her mind where it needed to be. “This feels...so good, Sunny...but...”  Her face heated with a blush, and she desperately wanted to look away...but those eyes wouldn’t let her go. She forged onward, hoping to get the words out before she lost the ability through either lust or embarrassment. “...we need to stop...before we go further than you’re...ready to...and before I...” she managed, unable to finish the sentence.
There was a long moment, and Sunset blinked, the hunger dissolving away to be replaced by concern once their positions seemed to register. She sat back, pulling Twilight up with her, eyes scanning her face. “Are you okay, Sparky?”  One hand tugged Twilight’s own up and she placed light kisses on lavender skinned wrists as if in apology. “Did...did I hurt you?” she wanted to know, a hint of real fear in her voice.
Twilight’s eyes widened at the question—that was not the response she had anticipated—and she hastened to reassure the other girl. “No! You didn’t hurt me at all, Sunny, I promise!”  She squeezed the hands gripping hers.  “I felt completely okay, and I never felt like you were going to hurt me in any way... Truthfully? I...I liked what you were doing...a lot. It felt so good...”
Doubt remained on Sunset’s face. “Are you sure? I...I didn’t realize I was holding you down like that...” Red dusted her cheeks, caused by shame at her own actions.
“Absolutely,” she confirmed, tugging Sunset close to rest their foreheads together, hoping the gesture would work its magic and sooth Sunset like it always did. “I really did like it...so much that...that was why I asked you to stop.”
“I...wait...you liked it so you made me stop? Twilight...that...doesn’t really make much sense.”
Her blush returned with a vengeance, cheeks burning as she realized that she was going to have to admit to the truth a little more bluntly.  “I mean it felt so good it was affecting me...if you had kept going, I...”  This was officially her most awkward experience in a long time. Even that morning hadn’t been this bad, and it sure outpaced the next closest contender in her memories: that time at seven when she’d found one of Cadence’s informational books and dragged it to show her parents, asking them all sorts of inappropriately personal questions before they’d managed to make her understand the social line she’d crossed.  She’d been unable to look her father in the eye for a week after that explanation had finally registered.  
There was no way around it though, so she forced the words out, hoping she survived how embarrassed she was. “...I...might’ve...climaxed...if you’d kept going...that’s how much I liked what you were doing, Sunny.”
Silence reigned for a handful of heartbeats, before Sunset blew out a breath loudly. “Sweet sunfire...” she uttered, sounding just as flustered as Twilight felt. 
“...I mean...I wouldn’t have minded,” the dark haired teen admitted in a rush. “It felt amazing and I loved every second of it, but...I know your feelings about sex right now and I didn’t want to violate your boundaries, even accidentally. That’s why I asked you to stop...”
Sunset sucked in a sharp breath. “I...Thanks, Sparky...and I’m sorry I let it go that far...”
It was Twilight’s turn to pull her girlfriend into a hug, keeping her from retreating.  “There’s no fault to be had, Sunset.  When I asked you to stop, to wait, you did, right away.  That is exactly why we talked about boundaries, and exactly how we should be handling a situation like this, letting the other know when we need to stop, that it isn’t okay to keep going, no matter what the reason is.”  She brushed their lips together briefly to give weight to the declaration that there was no blame being heaped on Sunset, before pulling back so they could see each other’s faces clearly.  
“If we do end up going further, I want it to be because we both want it, with mutual consent that it’s the right thing for us, so that there are no regrets after to spoil what should be something very special.”  Twilight paused to further order her thoughts.  “As you are aware, my family isn’t particularly interested in religion, so the concept of sex only occurring within the confines of a marriage is not something I personally ascribe to...but...I...do consider it something to be treated as serious and special.  It’s something I would not be willing to engage in without there being a deep and strong emotional connection with the other person.”  Her eyes flitted to Sunset’s.  “Like what I have with you.”
Another of those sharply indrawn breaths, and she was being hugged tight again.  She could feel Sunset’s breath and a hint of dampness—tears, she suspected—on her neck when the other teen tucked her face into her shoulder. “Sparky...” she rasped, voice thick.  She fell silent for a time after that, but the slight trembling in her body gave away how what Twilight had said had affected her.  
When she finally collected herself, Sunset nuzzled into Twilight’s neck.  “I see no point in religion,” she stated, her voice momentarily bitter and scathing.  “I’ve had enough of gods to last me a lifetime.”  Then her tone softened, all the ugliness evaporating.  “But...I think we’re...on the same page here.  I...it’s wrapped up in a lot of emotion for me, emotion and trust...and I...I’ve never had anyone else I was close enough to to even want it...or consider it in any fashion...” Sunset sighed.  “All the same...I...I’m not there yet, Sparky, so...thank you...for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes.”
> Chapter Sixty Nine: Lifeline in a Sea of Doubt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Setting the empty plate on her nightstand, Twilight flopped back against the pillows.   “It’s official, Sunny...that is now my favorite dessert.  It even tops the nine layer triple chocolate caramel cake that got served at the last family reunion.”
Sunset chuckled, “That’s a fancy sounding cake more than a tasty one. After about four layers it gets to be too much for a functional mouthful.” 
“You have a point. It was a huge cake, wheeled out on a fancy serving cart by the chefs, and...well, Great Aunt Alabaster—she’s the one I yelled at—starts talking loudly, saying things about how some people ought to be careful with such a decadent dessert, citing this ridiculous adage about ‘a moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips,’ while giving these super nasty looks to some of the room...But then Great Uncle Stalwart, her brother, shut her up.”  Twilight giggled.
Blue-green eyes studied her giggling companion for a moment, particularly the bit of chocolate frosting smudging her lower lip.  “What’d he do?” the former unicorn asked curiously.  “She doesn’t seem to be the kind easily silenced.”
The grin on Twilight’s face grew wicked.  “He just looked over and said ‘Right...so none for you then.’”
The redhead laughed. “I’m sure that the old nag was just thrilled by that!”
Her girlfriend pulled a face that resembled Rainbow’s when Rarity talked about doing the athlete’s hair and nails.  “It was something like this, if I remember right,” Twilight explained. “And she spent the next hour fuming in her chair like a toddler in time out.”
“Really?” Sunset shook her head.  “Sun and stars, aristocrats really are the same no matter where you go.  It reminds me of this one time, when the Ambassador from Yaaa—”  She cut herself off abruptly, remembering where she was and who she was with. Horseapples, Shimmer! You can’t go talking about the time the Yakyakistani Ambassador offended Prince Highblood with the truth about his toupee! Think before you speak!  “I mean...uh...”
Purple eyes were watching her, and the former unicorn found herself scrambling mentally for a way to recover the conversation, to take back what she had said, all while her internal monologue scolded her.  She must have looked panicked, because Twilight finally took pity on her and slipped an arm around her in a hug.  “Sunset...it’s okay. I told you before I wouldn’t pry, that I’d wait until you were ready to share.  I know there’s things in your past that you either can’t tell me or aren’t ready to, and I accept that.”
The dark haired teen paused for a moment, considering something, before resting her head on Sunset’s shoulder.  “You didn’t let slip anything I hadn’t already figured out, anyway. I put together a while ago that your previous guardian is a wealthy woman with a considerable measure of social and likely political influence in another country, that you grew up in a background not that different from some of my family.”
Sunset couldn’t decide whether laughter or dumbfounded silence was a more appropriate reaction.  Laughter because Twilight was so close and yet so far from the truth...and the other...for much the same reason.  “...what...what gave it away?” she settled on, needing to know if she had to keep closer watch over her behavior.
“Little things,” Twilight responded.  “Things that you probably aren’t even aware you are doing.  Like table manners and little courtesies—you brought my mother that basket of teas and coffees for Thanksgiving, remember? Or how you pull out my chair for me at dinner when we’re the first ones in the dining room...how you carry yourself in public...” Lavender fingers twined with amber ones in her lap.  “It’s something that I’m familiar with because I was raised much the same way, learned the same kind of etiquette and proper manners that my extended family expects, on top of the ‘good social graces’ my parents encourage.  To me...and to you...they’re automatic, ingrained.”
Blinking, Sunset thought back and realized there was a comfortable familiarity in the mannerisms of Twilight’s family that wasn’t the same with the rest of her friends—except maybe Rarity—even if they were human and not ponies like her.  “I...never even noticed,” she admitted, her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment.  
“That was the other part that gave it away. You never noticed, never commented or teased me for any of it.”  A frown marred her features.  “You wouldn’t believe the number of times at school people have called me stuck up, or arrogant, or accused me of acting like I’m better than they are, all because of how I talk or behave—but to me, I’m just being polite. And that’s a school filled with people born into wealthy upper class households.”
It hit her then, the urge to share something, anything, even if it was small.  Sunset bit her lip, then said softly, “It was...a bit of a culture shock when I first got here.  I ended up spending a lot of time watching people, watching how they acted and dressed and behaved, to figure out how to fit in, how to blend in a way that didn’t have too many questions asked by authorities.” She squeezed Twilight’s hand, feeling her emotions churn with each word.  “...but even at my worst, when I was on the streets or ruling the school with an iron grip, I...I couldn’t escape who I used to be...before all of that: a spoiled brat who thought she was better than everyone around her and had the upbringing to back it up.”
The laugh that escaped her was humorless, bitter as her own words registered, and another thought crept to the fore. “I guess it’ll always be a part of me...which makes me wonder...have I really changed at all? Or is the monster I became still here, waiting to get out?”
A hand cupping her cheek brought her thoughts out of their spiral, turning her to look into purple eyes. “Sunny...you may have done bad things, but I don’t believe you were ever a truly evil person,” she murmured.  “Even the night it all went sour for you, you saved a complete stranger from something awful, at risk to yourself, without a second thought.  Someone who was rotten all the way through would not have done that.”
The red tinged memory of hurling a massive fiery sphere of death and magic at a figure wearing the same face that was looking at her with such trust, made her feel sick to her stomach.  “I wish I could believe that, Sparky...but...I know otherwise. A few hours before that, and I may very well have left you to your fate, or worse, laughed about it.”  All because the human girl shared a name and face with the brand new alicorn she had hated so deeply.
It almost made it worse when the trust in those eyes didn’t waver.  “Do you know why that is, Sunset?” Twilight searched her face.  “Do I...remind you of someone who hurt you...before?”
Sunset flinched, unable to keep looking at the other girl. Words stuck in her throat, and died, and all she could manage was a distressed whine.  
Twilight drew her into another hug, tucking Sunset’s face in the crook of her neck. “It’s fine, Sunny. You don’t have to answer...and more than that, what you might have done but didn’t isn’t important. What matters is what you chose to do, what you did do. You chose to help me...and you chose to change, to do better, to not do the kinds of things you did before...and you’ve kept to that, even when things were awful for you.”
The former bully wrapped her arms around the smaller form hugging her, pressing her face more firmly into that spot on Twilight’s neck where she could smell her scent, where the whole rest of the world was blocked out by lavender skin and dark hair and she could just exist for a few minutes.  Her ears keyed in on the soft voice talking to her, the way it made the skin under her lips and nose vibrate slightly, using it to steady herself.  “I...I just don’t want to go back to that, Twilight. Not now. Not after knowing what it’s like to have friends, to have you, to have a fa—”  Sunset broke off, shivering as the demon’s eyes from the nightmare surfaced from her memories. “The idea of going back to being...that...of losing everything I’ve worked so hard for...of hurting the people that have come to mean everything to me...”  Her veins filled with icy dread at the mere thought.  
“It terrifies me more than almost anything else.”
The room fell quiet for a few minutes, before Twilight asked, “Is that what your nightmare was about last night?”
Sunset shook her head. “...no...well...not exactly.”
Fingers scratched lightly at her scalp, a soothing action that pushed back the chill that had come over her.  “Are you willing to tell me what happened in your nightmare?”
Sighing deeply, Sunset nodded into her girlfriend’s neck. “Yeah...I woke everyone up and I scared you...you deserve to know why.”  The redhead took a few heartbeats to collect her thoughts.  “I was....alone. The world was all wrong, dark and twisted and empty...and everyone was gone except for me...and the old me....”
Listening quietly, the dark haired girl never stopped the soothing motion of her fingers...it reminded her fleetingly of a few night terrors she’d gotten when she was a very small filly, horrible visions of burning heat and choking smoke that had triggered magic surges that threw things about in the bedroom that she had shared with the Princess.  Celestia had always groomed her in the aftermath, humming her lullaby and trying to coax a terrified but exhausted Sunset back into dreamland.  Twilight’s encouraging humming sound was a far cry from the song of her foalhood, but it gave her the courage to keep going.
“I had to find my friends, in the dream...but I found her instead, surrounded by signs that something awful had happened to them. I was...too late, and I don’t even know what got them, only that it was terrible and they were gone for good.”  Sunset shivered and tightened her grip. “Then that...that...raging she-demon! She reminded me about you, and I...I had to get to you. To keep whatever had gotten everyone else from getting you too—I didn’t want to lose you.” Another ripple passed through her as she remembered the frantic run in the nightmare.  “I ran as hard as I could, as fast as I could...but your house was already dark, the twisted things in the darkness crawling all over it....but I tried to find you anyways...”
Twilight stayed silent, but Sunset knew she had her full attention, letting the former unicorn get the words out in her own time.  It helped her push down the way thinking about the Not-Twilight had made her feel. “I found you...but...”. Black eyes and cruel laughter flashed through her mind.  “I...I wasn’t fast enough. Strong enough.  You were begging me for help, but I couldn’t stop it...in the end, I was helpless and you suffered because of me.”
She could feel the arms around her tighten.  “That would never happen,” Twilight told her with quiet certainty.  “You would do everything in your power to help me if I needed you, and you wouldn’t stop trying until you found a way to succeed.”  The younger girl pulled back so that she could meet Sunset’s eyes.  “I know for a fact that in this hypothetical situation, you would never give up on me...that you would find some way of bringing me out the other side of anything horrible that could happen...and in that same form of hypothetical, I want you to know would never give up on you either, Sunset.”
The redhead dropped her gaze.  “What if it still wasn’t enough?  What if I still failed?” She could see not-Twilight, the way the whole of her had wavered and her Sparky had been there long enough to plead for help, to reach out to her.  “What if you need me...and no matter what I do, it’s not enough?”
“Sunny...look at me?”  Hesitant blue-green eyes pulled reluctantly away from the wall. Twilight let their foreheads rest together, and Sunset felt some of her tension ebb.  “This is only a hypothetical, and nothing from your nightmare has happened.  We are both safe, and you didn’t fail me. Nor will you, should anything happen in the future. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that in any potential future events where I need you, that you will give everything you have and then some to succeed, because it’s who you are. In this case, you have nothing to fear, no matter what your inner demons might say to convince you otherwise...”
Kissing Sunset softly, Twilight continued, “Whenever you find yourself doubting that, I will be here to remind you, to quiet the negative things your own head tries to convince you of...just like you do for me.”
“Promise?” Sunset asked before she could stop herself, hating the way her voice trembled.  
With their foreheads still touching, and her arms still wrapped tight around Sunset, the dark haired teen made a quiet sound.  “Just like I’ve told you that I trust you, Sunset, I want you to know that you can always trust me even when you feel like you can’t trust yourself.  That’s a promise, one I’m making to my very best friend.”
The warmth of Twilight’s lips sealing to hers spread from the point of contact all the way through the former unicorn and left behind the same tingling that she had always associated with good magic passing through her. It was heady and left her wanting more as much as it left her feeling comfortable and relaxed.  
Evidently the other teen thought so too, because she tugged Sunset back down onto the pillows with her.  “Cuddle with me for a bit? Like last night? I think we both need it again.
“I think I can manage that,” the redhead snarked, shifting Twilight into the position they both liked best, enfolding her girlfriend in her arms and even draping one leg over Twilight’s to keep her close and warm.  The two of them exchanged light, affectionate kisses, allowing Sunset to finally get that smudge of chocolate off her companion’s lower lip with a playful flick of her tongue.  “You had some chocolate there, Sparky,” she murmured teasingly. 
The smaller girl made a face at her, eyes dropping briefly to Sunset’s mouth. “You were too neat an eater—I can’t enjoy you tasting like chocolate too.”
Sunset grinned, rubbing their noses together before rolling away slightly to be able to reach the plate on the desk.  “We can’t have that, now can we?” A swipe of a finger snagged a little bit of leftover chocolate from the surface, and she smudged it on her own lips, giving Twilight a rakish grin.  “There. How’s this?”
Purple eyes danced with humor. “Perfect,” came the response, and then Twilight was kissing her again, a kiss that was filled with chocolate and sweetness and more than a little silliness.
Coming up for air a minute later, Twilight giggled and fixed her glasses. “I think I’ve changed my mind,” she told Sunset with more than a hint of playfulness in her voice. “Chocolate coated Sunset is now my favorite dessert.”
It was a comment that made the redhead laugh—even as it stirred up some of the heat and desire that still smoldered in the back of her awareness.  “Mmm...we might have to agree to disagree there, Sparky,” she murmured, the tip of her tongue flitting out to delicately lick away the tiniest smear of chocolate from the corner of Twilight’s mouth. “I think I’m a bigger fan of chocolate flavored nerd...” Sunset watched Twilight’s cheeks darken, and she nibbled on Twilight’s lower lip teasingly.  “I like it enough that I was thinking about borrowing that bottle of chocolate syrup your mom keeps in the pantry so I can have seconds.”
Her girlfriend sucked in a sharp breath, the gasp echoing through the room. Purple eyes had gone wide behind her glasses, and Sunset could feel the way her heart had sped up.  “Too much?” she asked Twilight hesitantly. The words had been meant with the same sense of play the other girl had used, but the reaction they’d garnered suggested that she might’ve gone a bit too far.
Twilight’s blush darkened even more, and she played with a lock of hair, clearly trying to find the words to respond. It was interrupted by the cheerful and repeated chirping of her phone going off on her nightstand, which caused the dark haired girl to look momentarily confused before it registered that it was her cellphone.  She pulled away from Sunset’s embrace to retrieve the device.  “Who could possibly be texting me,” she mumbled. “You’re here, and my family would just knock on my door...” 
Swiping at the screen, Twilight went from confused to elated. “Oh!”  
As she settled back close to Sunset’s body, the former unicorn craned her neck to look at the screen. “Star photography? You finally found something you wanted us to try and get ourselves to add to your collection?”
Shaking her head, her girlfriend turned the phone so it was a less awkward angle. “Nope! This is actually something a cousin of mine took. Long Shot is really into photography, it turns out, and I ended up having this long conversation with him about different camera lenses and techniques. When I told him about how I learned the techniques to do amateur astrophotography, he said he wanted to give it a shot. This is the end result for his first attempt!”
Sunset studied the picture—quite a pretty capture of a night sky not unlike the one she had seen out at the farm on New Years.  “I think yours are better, but it’s not bad,” she offered. Most of her astronomy related experiences in the human world had been with Twilight over the last few months, and ponies...didn’t really have the technological gimmicks to do something like stellar photography. Illusion magic wasn’t a bad substitute, but the photographs were in a league of their own, one she was not in a place to judge objectively. “It sounds like your New Year’s Eve was even more eventful after we hung up than I thought...since it sounded like before you weren’t really on speaking terms with most of your relatives.”
“...when I talked to you...I wasn’t,” Twilight admitted. “For years, all I’d ever heard them talk about were things I didn’t care about, engaging in social behaviors I still don’t really understand or have any desire to learn.  I...suppose you could say I was drawing conclusions from incomplete data, and the ones that...are different than I had believed didn’t realize that I...didn’t understand.”  Her cheeks were flushed with a different kind of embarrassment now.  “I know you are aware of my difficulties in social situations, but not everyone is as...” she paused trying to find the word she wanted.
“Perceptive?” Sunset offered, nuzzling her cheek into dark hair.  “I like to think I’ve always been fairly capable of reading others, even back when I was awful.  It’s easier to manipulate someone if you can figure out how they tick.  Or...in the present example, have a good idea of what you’re feeling.”
“Perceptive is probably the best, non-esoteric term,” Twilight conceded. “Regardless, I was under a false assumption and generalization, but because of what happened with Silver Dollar—”
Blue-green eyes narrowed. “Wait. What happened with Silver Dollar? That’s the guy whose dad is like...your uncle’s business partner, right?  The one you said made you uncomfortable in the hall?”  Anger gnawed on the bars of the  metaphorical cage she kept it in.  “What did that two-bit, snake tongued, tail chaser do?”
Lavender fingers rubbed her arm.  “It’s fine, Sunny. I’m okay.”  The way purple eyes suddenly found her phone screen extremely interesting spoke volumes, and Sunset tightened the embrace, waiting for Twilight to put her thoughts in order.  “After we hung up, I still needed a little time to collect myself.  I was still too wound up to be able to be around people,” she began. “I went out on the balcony that runs the length of the backside of the house—it was cool and clear, and I could see the stars...”
Sunset listened, feeling anger rise in her as the story unfolded, anger at Silver Dollar for chatting up her Sparky, anger at herself for not being there, anger at Twilight’s relatives for letting a slimy, yeti kissing goat-licker anywhere near their house.  “That rotten—”
A finger to her lips quieted her. “He was awful,” Twilight admitted.  “...and when he got too close, too pushy...it...did remind me of what happened...but...”  The smaller teen gave her a slight smile, not a happy one, but one that held a measure of satisfaction.  “I didn’t freeze up, Sunny.   I reacted, used what you’ve been showing me, and when he grabbed me—”
“He. Grabbed. You.”  The flat delivery was the best Sunset could manage to contain the raw fury that surged through her.  “I’ll break every bone in his hands,” she hissed. “I’ll geld him with a rusty spoon. I’ll—”  Words failed, a red haze had descending on her, tinting the corners of her vision, feeding into her desire to find the scumbag who had dared place a hand on her Twilight.
“—nny? Sunset!” Twilight’s insistent voice and the feeling of a palm pressing to her neck jolted the former unicorn back to full awareness, cutting through the rage.  Blue-green eyes found purple ones, even as the other teen stroked her fingers along Sunset’s jaw.  “Sunny...I’m okay. See?” A kiss was pressed to her lips.  “I won’t lie—it was a terrible experience, and when he grabbed my arm, I had flashes of...the boys from the park...but I didn’t freeze or have a panic attack.  I reacted like you taught me, I stomped his foot and yelled, and got free from him.  He let go and didn’t try anything else, especially after I...maybe told him exactly what I thought about him.”
Blowing air out her nostrils in an aggressive snort helped bleed off some of the anger Sunset was feeling, enough to focus on her girlfriend, to hear the rest of the story. She was still upset that someone had manhandled her Sparky, but at the same time, she felt a measure of vindication for her choice to give her the means to defend herself as well as a large amount of pride in Twilight Sparkle.  “You gave it to him good, then?” she asked on the heels of another snort. 
“Stomped his foot hard,” Twilight confirmed.  “I think I might’ve broken a few toes.  I don’t like the idea of hurting others, but I tried hard to make it clear I didn’t care for his approaching me and he failed to take the hint.”
Sunset kissed Twilight, using it to push the rest of her anger down until she could safely deal with it later.  “I’m proud of you, Sparky. You did everything right, it sounds like.”
Twilight pressed her forehead to Sunset’s, drawing in a shaky breath. “I don’t advocate interpersonal violence, but he deserved it,” she said tightly.  “He...he tried to insinuate that I should stargaze with him as some kind of lead in to a physical encounter.  He barely even knows my name, and he tried to weasel his way into stargazing.”  Her voice wavered, filled with upset and frustration enough that it made the redheaded teen grow concerned.
“Hey. Take a deep breath, Sparky, nice and slow. Then explain why that upsets you more than him getting grabby?” She stroked her fingers through dark hair.
Purple eyes were dark.  “Because...because it’s special.  Stargazing is... When I was little...my head was so loud, filled with too many thoughts, and lights and sounds were often too much for me...I couldn’t handle doing a lot of the activities that children enjoy with their families. But one night, I was too anxious to sleep, and the house just felt...too loud, so Dad took me in the backyard with his telescope. It was dark, and quiet, and the air didn’t feel like sandpaper on my skin...and he showed me the stars. Told me about them, their names, what constellation they were in, what kind of star they were, how far away, everything I could want to know. It became a thing we did, whenever I was stressed or upset, or when everything was too much.” Twilight hugged her again.  “Sometimes Mom joined us, and she would tell me the myths behind the constellations, of gods and heroes and monsters.”  She sniffled.  “We did it less as I got older and started seeing Dr. Soft-Spoken, but...when I look at the stars, all my problems just...feel small, and small problems I can handle...especially when I look up and it’s a reminder that my parents love me and have always done their best to support me, even when I’m not the easiest person in the world to get along with.”  
A soft smile crept across her face, "And in a way, despite the rest of what happened that night, it was stargazing that meant I met you....and the moments we have spent since then, looking at the stars together?  All of that just reinforces for me that its something very special in my mind. Something I only share with someone I can trust, someone I can relax around. It started with my parents, but now? Now it’s something I can only imagine sharing with you, Sunny.”
The former unicorn nuzzled Twilight, unable to prevent the throaty approximation of a nicker from vibrating the air.  “When I was out at Applejack’s farm for New Years, I could see the stars clearer than I have in the entire time I’ve lived here...and all I could think was that the view was missing the most important part: you.  You weren’t there beside me to share it, and because of that...I couldn’t look at it for long. It...didn’t feel right. So....I think I understand what you mean.”
Twilight's face lit up, "Yes, that's exactly how I felt when I was on the balcony by myself—the sky was this gorgeous panorama of more stars most people ever see, yet still calming and familiar....but there was an emptiness beside me, where you should have been.  It felt wrong to not be able to point out my observations to you, to enjoy the sights above us together...”
Then the lavender skinned girl took a deep breath, the content expression replaced by one that was filled with anger and disgust. “So for that...that...”
“Unmitigated spawn of an inbred goat and a centaur’s leavings?” she suggested, offering out the most vehement insult she’d ever heard come out of Raven Inkwell—the older mare had not had a high opinion the arrogant leader of the tribalist faction among the unicorn aristocracy, and that had been the one of her favorite labels for the young Duke Neighsay behind his back.
Her girlfriend blinked at her suggestion, but accepted it with a nod. “Yes. So for him to try and insinuate that he should be in your place...and behave like he was doing me a favor by offering?” Fingers flexed as if she wanted to ball her hand into a fist—instead, she gripped Sunset’s shirt. “I felt more violated by that intrusion than him grabbing me. It made me so furious I lost myself for a minute.” A shudder went through Twilight’s frame.  “It’s...probably a good thing Glamour showed up and ran him off.  I’m not sure what I would have done next with how angry I was.”
Sunset cuddled the smaller form close, humming softly as she did. “Anger...is something I’m very familiar with,” she murmured in one lavender ear.  “Sometimes, I think I was probably born angry, and never stopped. It never goes away, and it’s always waiting for a reason to explode out of me like a raging wildfire.  So believe me when I say I understand how it feels to be angry like that....but I also think you would have been okay.”  Feeling Twilight go still against her, she pressed her face into dark hair.  “You weren’t angry for no reason, and you weren’t blowing up at someone innocent. And in the end...you stopped.  If your anger was...the kind you should be worried about...the kind that I have, you wouldn’t have stopped, or hesitated.  You would have hit him until the sensation of hitting wasn’t satisfying anymore.”  The echo of breaking bone and the sound of stone crashing into flesh reverberated through her mind.  
Seeing the tension come over Twilight, Sunset shifted the topic gently. “I am glad your cousin helped you get rid of him though. Which is strange to say because last you mentioned her, you were complaining about her. What happened?”
The other girl flushed, tucking her face into Sunset’s neck.  “And I feel really awful about a lot of what I said about her, not just to you, but to my mom.  Glamour...may have overheard me, and even though she tried to tell me it was justified because of her actions, I know it wasn’t right.  She got the same expression you do, when you talk about people bringing up the way you used to be as some kind of joke.
Sunset winced. “Oh...that’s...not great.”
Twilight nodded against her collarbone. “It’s not.  She...she’s got a lot in common with you, Sunny—she got a wake up call to the fact that her behavior was hurting others around her, and now she’s trying to fix it, to change and be better, which has included her wanting to put things right with me...” Though her voice was muffled, Sunset could still detect the guilt in it. “And I know just how much it hurts you when your efforts get thrown back in your face, even if people aren’t trying to be cruel. Knowing I did that to her, especially when I’ve always known that nothing about Glamour Shot’s behavior was malicious...” Twilight sniffled. “I feel like a terrible person and a worse cousin. My parents taught me better than that, and I just...I ignored it...because she annoyed me.”
 The former bully carefully tilted her girlfriend’s head up until she could see watery purple eyes. “Hey,” she said gently, giving her a crooked smile. “You are not a terrible person, Sparky.  From everything you’re saying, she didn’t know how bad her actions made you feel, and you didn’t understand that her behavior was motivated by a genuine desire to help.  Now though, it sounds like you both know how the other feels and have a better understanding of what is going on...which means you can both try to be better towards each other going forward, right?” 
When Twilight nodded in affirmation, Sunset used her thumb to wipe away the tear that had made it halfway down a lavender cheek. “I know you, and the fact that you picked up on the parallels between her situation and mine means you will be hyper-conscious of what you say in the future. You won’t keep getting digs in by bringing it up, or use it as some petty way to get back at her for things she did in the past, even accidentally.” 
Kissing her girlfriend on the nose, Sunset’s smile widened.  “Take it from someone who has been seeking forgiveness from those I wronged—the fact that you apologized in turn and accepted hers? That meant more than she can ever tell you...because even though most people never think about it...even bullies have feelings, and they can get those feelings hurt.”
A comfortable silence fell between them as Twilight digested Sunset’s words—the redhead could tell, just by the expressions that flitted across her face that she was analyzing her own memories and emotions.  At last the smaller teen sighed.  “...you know, you’re getting good at this.”
“Good at what?” Sunset furrowed her brows in confusion.
Her girlfriend nibbled Sunset’s bottom lip. “Giving friendship advice.”
That garnered a laugh. “I am not—I just happen to have had a great teacher.”  She flicked her gaze down, then back up.  “Though none of my past teachers gave me quite the same...incentives...that you do.”
Cheeks flushing, Twilight tried and failed to give her a stern look.  “Sunny!” The grin she was fighting ruined the scolding tone. “‘Incentives’ or not, you still had to be willing to put in the effort yourself. I didn’t make friends for you.  You did that yourself.  You reached out to others.” 
“...not entirely. Some of them reached out to me.”  She found herself making a face as she recalled her first conversation with Flash over the holidays.  “Even when I had gone out of my way to avoid some of them.”
Twilight gave her a searching look, "Something you want to talk about?"
Sunset winced, trying to come up with a way to explain the situation in brief without it getting uncomfortably weird for both her and her girlfriend.  “About a year ago, when I was running things at CHS, I had the brilliant idea that I needed a convenient boyfriend. Some of it was to stop the advances of boys in general—and the rumors that spring up when a pretty, popular girl constantly turns them down—and...well...all my research had shown me that a well liked, handsome boyfriend was part of the popular girl image that I was cultivating....so I picked Flash Sentry. Sweet, kind, friendly, part of his own band, popular and attractive, but a gentleman....”
A realization hit her, one that made her cringe. “...thinking about it now, I...would guess Shining when he was in high school was probably a lot like Flash is now.  Which of course, makes what I did even worse.  I hooked Flash into dating me, playing the picture perfect, popular girlfriend. We went to school events, dances, games...every one of them perfectly planned and executed to increase my reputation.  Even kissing him was preplanned.” 
Guilt and shame flared, and she couldn’t look at Twilight right then, so she closed her eyes.  “Everything I did was a performance.  In my eyes he was a disposable accessory...one I got rid of once he served the purpose I wanted...but he didn’t know it was fake until I ended at the end of summer.”  Sunset swallowed, but pushed on, knowing she had to get it all out.   “He ran into me outside the mall and my friend Rarity sort of...pushed us into a private conversation.  I expected yelling, or at least some ugly name calling. It was definitely what I deserved, but Flash proved, once again, that he really is a good guy.”
“What happened?” Twilight asked in a soft voice.
“He forgave me—more than that, he apologized to me for not doing anything when I was dealing with people getting revenge on me. I broke his heart, Sparky, and he still made the effort to talk to me, to put all the ugliness behind us, so we could start again as friends. It...made me feel even more awful for what I did to him.”
Twilight was quiet at first, something that started to worry Sunset, who still had her eyes shut, unable to work up the courage to see what expression the other girl wore.  When she started speaking it was almost a relief to hear that her tone remained neutral and fairly soft.  “Sounds like he’s a good person, and is capable of seeing how much you’ve changed.  He wants to give you a second chance, because you’ve worked hard to earn it.”  
There was a pause, and Sunset felt warm fingers stroking her cheek.  “And you have earned it, Sunny, even if you don’t want to believe it.”
The former unicorn leaned into the touch.  “It's hard, when I look back at how cruel and spiteful and mean spirited I was.”
“Sunset? Answer me honestly: would it have made you feel better if he’d screamed and swore at you instead? Called you names and provided a detailed list of every wrong you’d ever done to him? Or maybe if he’d wished all kinds of ill upon you?  Would that have been better?” Twilight let her palm cup Sunset’s cheek.  “Or would that have only perpetuated an ugly, vicious cycle of hate and strife?”  
Blue-green eyes finally opened to meet her girlfriend’s gaze, and she found herself remembering the lesson of Hearth’s Warming, specifically the way Princess Celestia had told the story in her foalhood.  “‘Hate and fear only beget more of the same.  Less work they take than stoking Friendship’s fire, but in the end, all they leave is an icy domain,’” she quoted.
“That’s a beautiful and eloquent way of putting it, Sunny. Is it a quote from something?” 
She nodded, staring beyond Twilight into memory for a moment.  “A story from when I was young...” she trailed off, giving her head a shake to clear it. 
This time it was Twilight who tilted her head with a gentle touch, so their eyes met again.  “It captures the concept quite poetically,” she murmured. “...but there’s one thing you seem to forget: it’s not just about forgiving others or being forgiven by others, Sunset.  It’s about learning to forgive yourself too.  You have to, or you’ll have just traded one negative emotion for another.”
Sunset had no reply to that—Twilight was right, echoing something several of the girls had already hinted at, and on some level, she had already known it herself. It was just hard to reconcile with the guilt and shame that ate at her still when her past actions were brought up.  She still had a lot of apologizing to do, people to make amends with.  
She gave a heavy sigh.  “I know you’re right, Sparky, I do. I guess I just feel I still have so far to go to make up for every ugly thing I did to others....but I’ll try.”  Her mind drifted back.  “I suppose I’ve already made amends with almost all of the people I hurt the most....there weren’t many people I did worse to than Flash and the girls....”  Except Princess Celestia, but that hurt was long standing, mutual, and complicated by her exile.
Still, the idea of one day...eventually...hopefully...clearing the air with her former mentor—mother, a traitorous corner of her mind whispered—was an appealing thought. Their last conversation had been so ugly, so hateful, so angry, with words being thrown that one or both of them didn’t truly mean, and the former unicorn longed to be able to apologize, and just once, even if the Princess of the Sun laughed in her face after, tell her that she loved her as the only mother she’d ever had or wanted. At the same time, she didn’t believe that any encounter between them would go quite so smoothly.  The people she’d wronged here had nothing on the wounds left standing between her and Celestia, and she wasn’t sure the alicorn would react quite so positively to a mere apology.
Faintly, so fleeting she thought she might’ve imagined it, she thought she caught a faint snarky whisper cautioning her against borrowing trouble when she already had enough of her own to see to.  Whether it had been Stupid Little Voice or not, the words rang true. Magic and magical powers in a nonmagical world was quite enough on her plate, and she didn’t need to add to it with some kind of over the top teen drama and a negative spiral fueled by misplaced negative emotions.  They had just gotten through that with the Sirens and were still trying to clean up the aftermath.  The last thing she and the girls needed was for her to get hung up on her ‘mommy issues.’
The kiss jolted her out of her musings, and she raised an eyebrow at the dark haired girl still curled up comfortably in her arms.  “Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
“You got lost inside your thoughts, so I figured I’d try your technique. Turns out it works on you just as much as it does on me.” Twilight smiled at her. “Care to share with the class, Miss Shimmer?” she asked in the playful tone that only Sunset got to hear.
Her own smirk curled the corners of her mouth up lazily.  “Sure thing, Professor Nerd,” she responded, reaching up to tweak Twilight’s nose.  “I was thinking about my friends, and how having them has made all kinds of changes in my life.”
“Good changes though, from everything I’ve seen,” her girlfriend pointed out.  “You sound so happy when you tell me about your friends and your outings with them.”
Sinking more into the pillows, Sunset nodded. “I am happy, and I have such a great time with them, even when I don’t think I will, and they keep surprising me with little things I don’t expect.  Like at the sleepover....we had this all out pillow war where we turned furniture into forts and almost took out some of the lamps in our efforts—I thought we’d get yelled at, but Granny Smith just yelled for us to clean up at the end.  Or Rarity went and got a whole bunch of the food for our dinner from this farmer’s market, because she thought I might enjoy some of them instead of the cheap fare from the deli.”  
Twilight propped herself up on one elbow. “I didn’t even know there was a farmer’s market around here.”
“I didn’t either,” Sunset replied, toying with a lock of dark hair.  “I did get the flyer for it though, so maybe we can go one weekend, maybe get some stuff to surprise your mom.  Rarity had a lot to say about the breads and fancy cheeses, and AJ said her family runs a handful of booths there, selling produce and cider and stuff.”
“So a pillow fight and a fancy DIY sandwich feast...and you told me about the fireworks and the s’mores, and they did all of this with the want to give you a good experience? Your friends sound so nice.”
“They are some of the best people I’ve ever met, and I’ve learned as much about friendship from them as I have from you.  I can’t imagine not having them in my life.”  Sunset reflected on the warmth and faint sense of magic that even just thinking about her friends made her feel.
Twilight gave her a bright smile. “And that’s wonderful, Sunny—I’m so glad you have friends like that, where everyone supports each other in their unique interests but still comes together to share things as a group.”  Her smile turned wistful.  “Sometimes I find myself a little jealous—I would love to have a group of friends like that in my life.  I had some friends but...well...Lyra moved away and Moondancer is doing a year in Italy as an exchange student.  All that is left besides me is Wallflower...and honestly, I feel really guilty but she is so quiet that I just...forget she even exists when I get into one of my projects.  Besides, as good a group of friends as they were, they didn’t have that same balance of accepting my interests but knowing when to pull me out of my own headspace that you do, or that your friends seem to have with each other.”
The smile dropped into a thoughtful and somewhat pensive frown as Twilight kept talking.  “I’ve known Moondancer since sixth grade,” she confided, “and the other two girls I met my freshman year...but in all that time, I don’t think Ive ever been as close with them as you are with your friends.  We get along, and Moondancer even had a few sleepovers here over the years, but...we certainly never had a big group sleepover, and sometimes...”
“Sometimes what, Sparky?” Sunset ran her fingers lightly along Twilight’s shoulder.
Her voice got very quiet.  “Sometimes I wonder if the only real reason they were my friends is because we didn’t fit in with everyone else at Crystal Prep.  Half the time, I’m not sure if Wallflower is being sarcastic or if she doesn’t like me at all, but the alternatives at school are worse.”
Sunset observed the way that Twilight’s mood shifted with the topic. It wasn’t just her voice, or even her expression, but the way her whole body shifted whenever her school and the people there came up in conversation.  For a moment, she considered asking if Twilight herself even liked the girls she was referring to as her friends, but as soon as the thought made itself known, the former unicorn squashed it.  It wouldn’t help right now, and in a lot of ways, it sounded very much like something the old Sunset would have asked.  
Instead, she settled for squeezing the dark haired girl tighter.  “I...wish I could tell you that's not the case, but I can’t, Twilight, because I don’t know. I’ve never met them, and what I know about CPA members besides you...doesn't really endear your classmates to me.” 
“I know, Sunset,” came the disheartened response.  “I’m not asking you for any kind of clairvoyant insight or even a way to fix it.  I’m just...wishing I had more friends that I connected with even half as much as I connect with you, that’s all...”
 Guilt made her stomach twist—the redhead had every reason to believe that her Twilight would love forging friendships with the girls, and not just because they were already friends with a Twilight Sparkle.  They would adore the nerdy girl for herself, and do everything they could to make her feel welcome.  ...and yet...she was denying her girlfriend the chance at what could very well turn out to be some of the best friends Twilight could have, all for her own self centered reasons.  
It was guilt that prodded her to speak.  “...maybe...I don’t know...but maybe when we’re...more ready for people to know about us...I could introduce you to the girls?  I have a feeling they’d like you a lot.”  It wasn’t much, and she shamefully hoped that such a nebulous time would happen after she’d decided on what she wanted to do, what she really wanted with the girl she was curled up to...but at the same time, she wanted to see Twilight happy, and if that meant a little more pressure on her thought process? Well, it’s not like she wasn’t used to impossible deadlines, between the Battle of the Bands and her previous life as Celestia’s student.
Thankfully, Twilight seemed as nervous and uncertain about the suggestion as she was about going through with it anytime soon.  She bit her lip, expression not exactly a frown—it was more pensive than anything—her fingers toying with Sunset’s shirt.  “....maybe?” she responded, her voice squeaking slightly. “I mean...I would like to someday meet them..they clearly mean so much to you, Sunny, and that matters to me.  It’s just that five people at once seems like a lot to get to meet and know, especially with all of them possessing such vibrant personalities and you know how I am with social situations, especially with strangers. I’d be so worried that I didn’t want to mess up with that many eyes on me that I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to remember their names or even speak at all, and then what would they think of me?  I’d be seen as some kind of spaz, a weirdo...and what if that damaged your friendships with them? I don’t want to put you in the middle and make you choose between me and your friends—that would be just awful for you and I don’t want to—”
“Twilight,” Sunset interrupted, before her girlfriend wound herself up again.  Purple eyes met hers as Twilight stopped talking.  The redhead kissed her lightly. “It’s fine. I didn’t mean right now—you can meet them when we’re both ready, and if you’d feel better meeting them one or two at a time, that’s fine too.”  
She watched as her girlfriend gave a little shake of her head to clear it—one Sunset suspected was modeled after her own tendency to do so.  “Yes...of course.”  The words were slow, halting. “Later is...I can do later.  Maybe...in the future, after I’ve worked up to telling Mom and Dad? Then I could meet your friends...as your girlfriend?”
In answer, she pressed their lips together again for a longer, more intense kiss.  “I...think I’d like that...but not until we’re ready.”  
Twilight kissed her back, and the world around them melted away as the two of them lost themselves in each other again.  When they finally pulled apart to breathe, Twilight eyed Sunset shyly, cheeks flushed.  Her fingers fiddled with one of the former unicorn’s shirt sleeves.  “...so...were you serious earlier? ....About...about the chocolate syrup?”
The wicked smirk that crept over Sunset’s face was an answer all on its own.
> Chapter Seventy: Hidden in the Lines
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“...eidoles iktha si’dianoia...’Magic...twists? ‘Warps?’ ...no...that’s not…‘affects’ might be a better way to put it. Stupid old dialect Minoan,” Sunset complained to herself, writing her chosen translation into English letters.  “Couldn’t they have written this in something that’s been used in the last century or two?”  
Shaking out a hand cramp, she continued her effort on converting the valuable passages of the minotaur treatise into something humans could make sense of.  “Magic affects your mind...’Si’krashu xiti vizakra afi-os...’ oh, horseapples, does that say zha’val or sha’val? Gotta be ‘zha’val.  Strength makes more sense here than a hat...that would make it ‘zha’val Th’lesi sha’attra gripa-os.’  ‘You must be Cunning to recognize its touch, and stronger of Will to break its hold.’  Poetic, but it doesn’t really get to the how....stupid, flowery...ugh.” She sighed, taking a sip of her tea and finding it had gone cold, and scowled at the next sentence.  “‘Sikuran ithar d’spaira, ek xi’zha’val kai defsi...xi’tukaish a’eidagos iki...’”  Sunset sighed, dropping her pencil.  “It’s official. I don’t remember enough old Minoan to translate this, unless it really does mean weak souls are having affairs with a goat while everyone else plays with spellcaster manure...”
The former unicorn slammed the book shut, rubbing her temples.  She had been muddling through the tome for almost two hours now, and had managed to scrape together a single page in bullet point notes.  That was beyond pathetic, though given that it had been over a decade since she’s learned the modern form of the language and actually used it in conversation, Sunset decided she was lucky she even remembered how to tell someone her name, let alone anything more.  She would have to break down and either ask the princess for a translated copy, or to run it through a translation and duplication spell to provide her with a copy in proper Equestrian glyphs rather than the horrible half glyph, half alphabet that minotaurs used.
Sighing, Sunset put the tome to the side, and looked over her progress for the day.  She’d done quite well—she had managed to scan and edit the unicorn first aid manual for magical injuries and exhaustion, and the file was safely in a thumb drive as well as a hard copy printed and secured in a three ring binder. The same was true for the pertinent sections of both the zebra text—and its loose pages of annotated notes courtesy of Princess Twilight’s zebra friend—and the book on wards and protections for a space.  Those she wanted to give to her principals as soon as possible to give them an idea of what might be doable, but also as a show of good faith that she really was doing what she had promised.  
Leaning back in her chair, she looked over the stack of books she had brought home. She’d already read The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide twice, comparing it with the book she had stolen from the palace archives during her first trip back through the portal almost three years prior.  The reference guide had more overall information, but the book she had acquired was definitely older, and it wasn’t a tome meant for reproduction. Her find was all private research notes, ramblings and speculation mostly, by a very strange pony who had dedicated a whole section to the concept of what would happen if one of the Elements was brought to another world, a section which had been the source for her entire plan with the Element of Magic.  It had actually been misfiled when she had snuck into the restricted archives during her first brief visit back, and she had taken it by mistake when she had grabbed several other books that it had been wedged between.
Despite that, the two books, along with Princess Twilight’s own notes on the Elements of Harmony had provided her with a great deal of information on the subject.  They were still considered some of the most powerful magical artifacts in Equestria, and Twilight had discovered their origins in some sort of massive crystalline tree at the heart of the Everfree forest—a tree which was located over a major leyline nexus where at least eight different major lines and a multitude of tiny ones were known to converge.  According to those same notes, the SET level around the Tree of Harmony was far higher than a base background reading in just about anywhere else in Equestria that had been measured, including other nexus points.  The princess had even gone so far as to theorize that it was the magical oversaturation that was responsible for the wild magic and anomalous nature of the Everfree forest, and that the massive nexus the Tree sat atop was actually the origin point for the bulk of Equestria's leylines coming up from the source of magic that was believed to lie deep within the world's core.  
Most of the notes Sunset had taken were far more basic than Princess Twilight’s complex hypotheses.  The Elements had six known virtues, and history as well as legend described that any pony—or other creature—that bonded to one expressed that Element’s virtue as a very strong part of their personality, sometimes to the point of nearly personifying that virtue.  Once bonded to a being, it seemed that the Elements themselves had some choice as to how long they stayed bonded, occasionally remaining with a Bearer until their death, other times only briefly, and in some cases abandoning a Bearer if they lost the virtue that the Element connected with (as happened with Princess Luna when she became Nightmare Moon, and Princess Celestia when she had turned the Elements on her sister.)  The Elements' combined power was capable of summoning the Rainbow of Light, a purifying, cleansing force that wiped out any corrupted magic it encountered, stripping any corrupted entity of power until it was returned to its previous state of being.  The one exception seemed to have been Discord, God of Chaos, who had merely been turned to stone, twice. Princess Twilight had speculated wildly in her notes as to why that was, but Sunset wondered if the answer wasn’t extremely simple—that, to the Elements, Discord wasn’t corrupted, just a problem—Chaos was a natural part of the order of the universe after all, not the result of some twisted idiot power drunk on way too much magic the way she or Nightmare Moon had been.
Knowing all of this about the Elements in Equestria only made the puzzle more complicated in the human world.  The power the girls were manifesting was the energy of the Elements, but the only one any of them had ever had physical contact with was Magic (courtesy of the game of keep away that Sunset had instigated in her fit of jealous rage).  The other Elements had remained in Equestria, and yet Magic, which was supposedly unable to function properly without the other five, had not only somehow recognized the virtues of the human counterparts of the current Bearers, but had managed to summon the full might of the Rainbow of Light all by Itself.  According to everything she had read, that shouldn’t have been at all possible, even with Princess Twilight present as the legitimate Bearer.  That suggested that the Elements--or at least Magic--were...self aware on some level, and capable of a great deal more than what the natives of Equestria knew.
And for that one exposure to the power of the Elements to leave behind an echo in the girls was one thing, but their power was growing, not diminishing. Even in just a week of daily readings, Sunset was already seeing incremental increases in their individual SET levels, and when she paired that with her own, less precise sense of magic, it had been growing fairly steadily since the night of the Fall Formal. The basic idea wasn’t far-fetched—none of them had been magically gifted before the formal, and that much power could theoretically change a being’s magical potential. What made it a problem was their power was increasing far faster and to a far higher level in a place that lacked the energies to fill whatever reserves they had acquired.  The human world didn’t have the background thaumic energies that Equestria did, or the foods rich in thaumic energy that unicorns used to recover their magic.  So where was the energy coming from? 
She even counted herself among that question, since she knew she had drained her own magical reserves in the final fight with the Sirens, and even in Equestria with a steady and controlled diet of foods designed to replenish a unicorn from over-expenditure, it would have taken several months to recover her magic.  Yet here she was, a month later with not just her magic back, but according to the scan she had surreptitiously taken of herself, her SET level was higher than it had ever been, and she was running into issues with magic surges, suggesting she was drawing in more magic than she could rightly contain.  
By all the rules and laws of magic, Sunset and the other girls were an impossibility.  One that she didn't even know how to start figuring out beyond what she was already doing: taking notes and readings and testing their magic under a variety of circumstances to learn how it worked.
Speaking of magic she didn't understand...
Blue-green eyes drifted to the mysterious diary that had been left in Pinkie’s locker, her senses automatically stretching to feel the strange magic that permeated it.  She was still reading through it, but she was beginning to wonder if the explanation in what was different with the magic in the girls lay in understanding the native magic that had existed right under her nose in the human world, magic she had believed was nothing more than fanciful myth influenced by a visitors through portals to Equestria over many millennia.  
The book had certainly caused a stir amongst her friends, but she stood by her initial perception.  The magic in it was not Equestrian magic in any fashion. It was a completely different energy with its own resonance that was unlike any magic the former unicorn had ever encountered in any of her studies.  She had defended that idea to her friends several times since the book had come into her hands.





“Human magic?” Applejack questioned skeptically.  “Ah thought y’all said this world don’t have its own magic?”
Sunset ran a hand through her mane, resisting the urge to toss her head in agitation.  “As far as I had been able to learn, this world didn’t have magic worth mentioning. And believe me, when I first got here, I looked. The best I could determine is that there is more than one portal to Equestria and that over the centuries a handful of beings and creatures from Equestria have ended up here, allowing for the spread of legends and stories from that side of the portal to come here.  Nothing ever suggested that there was magic here, not even my own senses.”  She rested a hand on the diary, feeling the energy pulsing under the surface.  “But this book...it’s magic, clearly, but it’s not Equestrian magic. It doesn’t feel right to be any kind of magic in Equestria, even some of the more ancient or obscure ones.  It’s completely foreign to me.”
“Are you absolutely certain that it’s not simply a magic type you’ve never run into in Equestria, darling?” Rarity asked gently.
The redhead closed her eyes, a slow breath exiting her nostrils.  “If I were anypony else, that would be a definite possibility,” she agreed.  “But I was the personal student of the Princess of the Sun, an immortal alicorn who has been around for thousands of years.  I grew up in the palace, exposed to the greatest collection of artifacts from across Equestria that exists, including a whole host of pre-Discordian objects, and had plenty of interactions with creatures from every corner of Equestria in my place at her side.  There are very few flavors of magic from Equestria that I have not encountered at least once, from the dunes of Saddle Arabia to the frigid northern reaches of Yakyakistan, to the peaks of Mount Aris and beyond the Badlands.”
There was a scoffing noise from Rainbow Dash.  “You sound like some kind of egghead, Sunset, and besides the world’s a big place, right?  Even with all that, there’s probably a lot of stuff you just didn’t have time to see.”
She bristled at the implications, feeling Flash actually put a hand on her shoulder when she tensed up. “C’mon, Rainbow,” he tried.  “This doesn’t seem like something Sunset would exaggerate with.”
“Yeah, but even an egghead doesn’t know everything—just look at the stuff with the Sirens. Sunset didn’t know anything about their magic when they first showed up.” The comment stung, even more because Dash didn’t seem angry or upset.  She sounded like she was just offering a reasonable viewpoint....and Sunset realized, from her point of view, she was.  The human world had a lot more cultures and humans tucked away in all corners of the world, compared to her world’s much lower population density and large tracts of unsettled territory.
“I still could tell it was Equestrian magic of some kind. It had the right flavor, the right feel,” she responded, trying not to sound petulant.  “It wasn’t a hundred percent match but it did overlap with a number of magics I have felt before, several of them nasty.  It’s...it’s hard to explain, because things really are so different here than Equestria....but I promise you, I do know what I’m talking about. I’m not exaggerating or lying.”
Applejack interceded when Rainbow Dash opened her mouth again.  “Ah believe ya,” the farmer said firmly, emerald eyes boring into Sunset. “If ya say that there book ain’t from Equestria, then it ain’t. Simple as that. ‘Specially since listenin’ ta both you an’ Twi talk about Princess Celestia makes me think she’s not just a pony wearin’ a crown where y'all’re from.”





The conversation had only gotten worse at that point. Sunset had tried, somewhat futilely, to explain the Goddess-but-not-worshiped nature of alicorns, Celestia in particular, and had run straight into the culture clash of human belief systems compared to Equestrian ones.  The concept of a god was virtually inseparable from religious beliefs for them—the notion of a Goddess who wasn’t related at all to a religious system of beliefs, whose power wasn’t speculative or faith based but tangible, measurable, and real was something that had never happened with humans.  In the end, she’d given up before she had snapped at her friends over something that was unimportant in the grand scheme of things and not pertinent to the subject of human magic. 
Since then though, she’d been trying to read her way through the diary, looking for anything that might prove useful.  So far, Sunset knew that it was the record of the life of a young man trying to recover a sweetheart who had been kidnapped by magical beings and spirited away.  He detailed his interactions with a woman in Ireland who gave him some solid advice on beings she called ‘the Fair Folk’ but Sunset wasn’t sure how much was truth, as the diary had yet to indicate its author had actually encountered any magical beings.  Most of it had been just an endless stream of journal entries, but occasionally he had done sketches and diagrams of plants, locations, and objects that he deemed pertinent, and it was those almost scientific pages of notes that were of more interest to Sunset than the chronicling of his trek.
Sunset snagged the old book off the desk, flipping it open to her bookmark, skimming through several entries, detailing the author’s search for “a weapon capable of cutting through lies”—something that sounded way too fanciful to her.  Running a hand through her fiery mane, she sighed heavily. She was nearly a decade’s worth of entries in, and a lot of what she’d read in there sounded like the plots to a bunch of movies Shining had insisted needed to be on the watch lists for Friday nights.  If it weren’t for the fact that the object radiated magic all its own and still prodded her every time she went to open it, the fact that she had read through more pages than the slim volume should have contained—an enchantment mentioned five years in by the author, done by the woman in Ireland—or the Age Approximation Apparatus that had been among the tools from Equestria, Sunset would have thought the book some kind of prank....
But those three factors proved it was anything but. The whole thing was older than Shining’s movies by decades, and humans couldn’t trick her magical senses like that.  More than that, something about the account felt authentic in a way she couldn’t articulate to the girls.  Already it at least confirmed magic was here in the human world, though it seemed to be rare, disbelieved, and half hidden from human prejudice.  Sunset needed to keep slogging through it to hopefully find useful information.
The redhead rubbed her eyes tiredly, feeling the strain of her evening’s work.  It didn’t help that the writing in the diary was atrocious to the point of being barely legible at times.  It reminded her of the time she’d come into Twilight’s garage lab to find her trying to take notes while running three simultaneous experiments. Human writing was already messy and despite their fine motor control most of them had no care for penmanship...and that was compounded by their alphabet and its different styles of being written.  She made a face.  It was so messy, all random curls and loops and lines, about half of which were superfluous and depended on the writer, but with enough overlap with parts where the loop changing direction drastically changed the letter.  It was nothing like the elegant way glyphs flowed across a page, and was the primary reason Sunset preferred to read human script printed by a machine.
Her stomach growled at her, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since brunch at Twilight’s house.  She dropped the book on the desk and sat up, wincing when the movement pulled on muscles gone stiff from being hunched over for so long.  “Stupid, Shimmer,” she chastised herself. “You know this body hates it when you study like that..” 
The former unicorn pulled herself up from her seat and made her way out into the main part of the loft to arch her back in a stretch. Pain followed by distinct relief accompanied the popping sound of vertebrae realigning. “Oooooh...” she uttered, the long groan echoing through the space. “That’s better...” A pang of longing went through her for her telekinesis—it was so much better on her body to use her mind and magic to do all the work while lying comfortably.
Sighing, she began doing some light stretching exercises, feeling her muscles start to unkink.  She wanted dinner, but feeling the way her muscles protested, it seemed like a scalding hot shower was on the agenda first, followed by an order of takeout.  She could really go for a shrimp lo mein and the seafood and tofu stir fry...maybe if she asked nicely they’d add extra peppers and some baby corn to hers.
Licking her lips at the thought of dinner, she grabbed a towel from the bucket of clean laundry and headed for her bathroom and the siren song of hot water.
> Correspondence III: Back and Forth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







Dear Princess Twilight,

Sorry for not writing to you sooner—it's been a long week for us here on this side of the portal.  Tirek’s teeth! Do I have information to share with you!
On the research end, I can confirm that the baseline SET levels you established for the girls and the school grounds were not flukes, nor was it interference from the portal to Equestria.  The subsequent daily readings have been well within the margin of error every single time. I can also tell you that the effect seems to be centered on the school, likely due to the events with the Element of Magic last fall—the SET level decreases fairly steadily away from the school until it reaches a background reading of about 0.2481.  I’ll be taking a bit of a drive out of town soon to confirm this as an approximate standard baseline for this part of the human world. That's a significant difference from CHS, but also about what I suspected given the extremely low levels of magical energy in this world.
It's too early to tell, but if what my own senses and observations are telling me are true, I suspect we will see the girl’s magic levels continue to increase—though that is more of a hunch than anything at this point. I just don't think the power they've come into possession of is done growing yet, not with the bits of spontaneous magic still happening—I hesitate to call them surges, as they lack the volatility of a surge.
As for my magic, surge is definitely the right word for what is happening to me, and I’m worried, Twi.  I was prone to dangerous surges as a foal and even later when I got my magic under control, fits of temper could still cause them.  The last thing I want is to have a massive surge around people I care about and accidentally hit one of them...



Sunset? Are you still there? The message ended abruptly.

Hey, Twi.  No, I’m still here. Just...trying to collect my thoughts, I guess.  

That’s understandable.  Have you narrowed down what is inducing your surges, or is there no seeming pattern?

Well...sort of. They’re caused by extremely powerful emotions...but for once in my life, it's not my temper that’s doing it.

You mentioned that before—were your surges as a foal only catalyzed by rage? 

As far as I can remember, yeah...though you’d have to check with Princess Celestia about the ones I had when I was really little.

Hmm. Have you had any fits of temper recently that should have caused a surge but didn't? (Any variable we can eliminate is helpful.)

...I’d say there were at least a couple of moments that should have qualified. 

What about the magic in the surge itself? I know it can be excessively difficult to analyze one’s own surges, but...

...but it's helpful to know if there’s abnormalities in the energy and its flow. Yeah, I remember.  It's...a little hard to describe. The magic was definitely my own, it came from my own reserves and not from an outside font...but it also didn't feel quite the same as my magic has always felt before. 

What do you mean? Do you think it could be related to your magic’s abrupt color change?

Maybe?  It's not the same as the powers from any of the Elements, I can tell that much—it's still very much my magic, but there’s a quality it did not have before, one I can't quite describe. It's not dark magic....at least, I don't think it is. 

I’m not sure I can do much more than make educated guesses without more information, Sunset.  Do you think it might be possible for you to try and trigger a surge while I’m there so that I can get some direct readings and observational data?
...Sunset?

Sorry, Twi...I’m...not really sure I can recreate the surges under “laboratory conditions,” to be honest.  The emotions involved are usually pretty intense and focused on a singular individual.

I see. Is it always the same individual or does it just require somepony to be your focus?

Same individual.

Is there any way they could be present for such a test?

...not really. Look, can you keep a secret?

Of course I can, Sunset. I promise I won't share what you tell me here without your permission.

Okay. Here goes... 
I have a friend that the girls don't know about. She...doesn't go to CHS, and I’d...introduce them to her but...she’s not really comfortable with meeting a lot of people right now. She doesn't know I’m a unicorn from Equestria, or about anything that happened at the Fall Formal or with the Sirens, or that magic is even real.
...Princess Twilight? 

Oh, that’s fantastic! I’m so happy to hear you're branching out beyond just the girls and making more friends! And I completely understand having a friend who struggles with large social groups—Fluttershy—that is, the Fluttershy I know in Equestria—still doesn't like large groups of ponies focusing on her.  
So that's out, then, and it explains your worry about the surges!  Maybe I can do a bit of research here...would it...be alright to ask Princess Celestia about the subject? She might have some ideas or information on the subject.  I might also be able to come up with something that can passively record data on the surges?

....you’re not mad that I’m keeping a secret like this from the girls?

What? You mean your other friend? 

Yeah. 

Sunset.  I understand that Honesty is an important virtue for friendship—telling lies only hurts a friendship long term...but a secret like this sounds like something you are not keeping out of malice or selfish gain.  If your friend is as uncomfortable with large groups as you say, then you sound like you are acting in accordance with your friend’s wishes.  I know better than anyone just how overwhelming the girls can be—I was a socially incapable shut-in who had no idea how friends worked when I first met them, and just between you and me, if it hadn't been for the world-ending peril of Nightmare Moon, all of them at once would have had me locking myself in my tower in Canterlot and never leaving again.

I’m glad you're not upset.  It's not that I really want to keep it a secret, but...I’ve brought up introducing her to them, and she’s said that she’s not ready, and I don't want to push her, not before she’s ready.  It would just be a disaster, and I don't want to hurt her like that, not after everything she’s done for me since we met.  

You’ve offered some very rational reasoning for keeping it a secret, and no one is being hurt from it.  I can respect the decision, and I am honored you trusted me enough to tell me, since it's apparent that you are exceptionally close to this friend.
I’ll see what I can do to come up with some form of discreet sensor for you to carry with you. Do humans wear jewelry for things besides formal attire?

...they do, but if you go that route, Twi, please keep the gems small. I showed you what common gemstones are here, so imagine what large sized Equestrian gemstones are worth to a greedy human.  I would really rather avoid getting attacked because I’m walking around with a hoof sized diamond.  I’m already investing in a safe to keep the spell kit in at the school for just that reason.

I’ll see what I can come up with.  Would a pendant work better? You could hide something like that under your clothes.

A pendant would be ideal—humans have some special customs shaped around rings, based on which finger of which hand you wear it on.  

Hmmm. I suppose having ten digits perfect for rings would allow humans to come up with complex traditions around them.  Do they use them the same way unicorns do for weddings?

Sort of. That's one of the customs I was referring to. A ring on one finger signifies a betrothal, and another signifies a marriage bond...except humans are expected to wear them all the time, not just for the ceremony. It's...strange, really.

Strange? I find humans to be absolutely fascinating—well, once I got past the whole no horn, hairless yeti with no magic thing.  I don't suppose you've had a chance to find me a few books on human culture?  I could learn more about them than any other pony other than you, maybe publish a few papers on them, correcting the falsehoods in some of the old legends...and even if I didn't, I would love to learn just how different their customs are from ours. Like with the jewelry, do they use specific gems to signify different things? Or the styles for different types of jewelry—are there some only meant to be used under a specific circumstance? What about taboos? On just that alone, I have so many questions!

Twilight, focus! I know you’re interested in studying humans, and I promise you, I will find you some good reference books, but I’d appreciate it if you’d rein in your enthusiasm for now...at least until we figure out the magic that's come to this world and is affecting our friends?

You're right, Sunset. I’m sorry, I just love a potential new field of study.

Trust me, Twi, once we figure all of this magic out, I will buy you any and every human text you want if it’ll make you happy...but one thing at a time.

Right.  I need to look into magic surges in adult unicorns—I’ve actually never heard of them occurring, but I’m not a doctor, nor do I commonly dabble in medical texts.  In the meantime, have you tried some sort of meditation, or found a way to channel your magic in that body? It might help if you can find a way to expel some of the excess power you're building up and not using.

I did do a bit of meditation one of the days when I was on the verge of a surge and it helped some.

I’d recommend making that part of your routine then. What about using some of your magic? Have you tried again while ponied up?

Oh! That was one of the things I had meant to mention!  Yes!  It's...the other day, I had an impending surge, and I managed to get a moment alone. I used a little music to trigger a pony up, and then shunted the power through my horn!  They're not just decorative, and they act as the same form of arcane resonator as in Equestria! It wasn't a specific spell that triggered—it was more like an energy wave—but I intend to experiment more.

The more data you can collect, the easier it will be to narrow down the problem, and knowing the problem will help us formulate a solution, Sunset.  Run as many different experiments as you can safely, and record what happens for me?  
...Spike has actually brought up a good point. When he was just a hatchling, we had the palace healers run numerous scans of him regularly, especially once his unique fire manifested itself.  (My mother suggested it initially as a precaution against the lack of knowledge about dragon physiology in the event that he got sick.)  Do you know if there were medical scans done when you were a foal?  Since you indicated your magic surges were abnormally powerful and continued on into a much older age than most young unicorns, there's a chance that there might be something in your medical files.

I...you know, Spike might be onto something there.  You’d have to check with the palace physician...I used to get seen by Ivory Aura, but I actually don't know if she’s still there.  Unless you guys changed the calendars since I first came through the mirror, it's been a few decades, and she was older when I was still a filly.  If she’s not, they probably archived my records. Raven might know where they cache those. Barring that, Princess Celestia MIGHT have a copy, since I was technically her ward.

Then with your permission, I'll start with looking for Dr. Aura—the name isn't familiar, so I don't think I ever met her at the Palace myself. What do you want me to tell the Princess, if I end up needing to ask her? I don't want to lie to her, but I also don't want to share things you might not like me to.  

...truthfully, Twi, I’d be surprised if she cared as long as I’m not back to being a power mad egomaniac with delusions of conquest.

That’s not true! If I go asking her where your medical records are with no context, I know she’ll be worried sick!

Princess, she hasn't been that concerned with me since I was eight years old. I sincerely doubt she’ll start now.
Twilight?
Are... are you still there?
I didn't... I know Princess Celestia’s still your teacher and you probably have nothing but respect for her...and for you, she probably is amazing, because as a teacher, I know better than just about anypony else how good she is....it's just...she and I...there were a lot of problems for a long time between us, and...what happened between her and I isn’t so easily glossed over and made new again.
Twilight, please don't be mad with me. I...I didn't mean to upset you...
Princess?
I'm sorry. If you still want to do the research after I was a bitch like that, then... you can say whatever you think best...
I’ll talk to you later.
> Chapter Seventy One: Breakfast Club
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The car pulled up to the curb, and Twilight unbuckled quickly so she could retrieve her things from the back seat. “Thanks for bringing me early, Dad.  I wanted to make sure Wallflower and I have plenty of time for breakfast and her gift. Do you think she’ll like it?”
Night gave her a smile, chuckling softly. “You told me she enjoys gardening and plants, and Sunset helped you pick it out—I’m certain your friend will like it just fine.”  Then her father sobered. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come over for your meeting with the principal?  I can, very easily. I don’t have an eleven o’clock class, and I can dismiss my nine o’clock group a little early.”
Adjusting the straps of her backpack, Twilight shook her head.  “You don’t have to do that, Dad. I’m not sure they’d even let you in—schools have some very strict rules these days about visitors.”
“They can make an exception if I demand it, Twilight. As your father, I am completely within my rights to be present at any meeting between you and the administration.  If you want me here, Principal Cinch will just have to understand.” 
Twilight leaned in to hug him. “I’ll be okay, Dad...but...thanks. The offer means a lot to me.”  
Night Light returned the hug with considerable strength. “Alright, but if you change your mind, text me.  I’ll leave my phone on. I love you, sweetheart. And...try to have a good breakfast with your friend?”
“I love you too, Dad,” Twilight said as she straightened back up and grabbed the bag of breakfast goodies.  “I’ll message you and Mom after the meeting too, to let you know how it goes.”
She watched for a moment as her father drove off, then turned to head inside. Twilight had arrived early enough that the main building of the school was mostly empty—though she could hear the noise from the cafeteria when she stepped inside the main doors, telling her breakfast was in full swing for the students who boarded at the school.  The dark haired teen gripped her bag tighter, feeling the distant murmur of noise and the immediate silence of the hall as a heavy, oppressive blanket that made her skin crawl and her lungs struggle to pull in a full breath.  Her steps quickened, lavender fingers of her free hand going to the lanyard tucked into her shirt so her fingers could grip the warm, familiar metal of Sunset’s gift, the pattern of bumps and notches satisfying her need to have something in her hands to fidget with.
Touching the key helped, but the feeling followed her all the way to her lab, and on more than one occasion she felt like she was being watched, despite being alone in the hall.  You’re being ridiculous, Twilight, she scolded herself. The hallway is just empty and quiet—though it might be good to get some EMF readings of this part of the school. A sense of disquiet can be triggered by unshielded cabling or excessively high field readings, resulting in what some psychologists refer to as ‘fear cages.’ Clearly, her imagination was just acting up, especially after a trying and stressful weekend.
All the same, it was with a sense of relief that she got herself into her lab and shut the rest of the world out.  Twilight sank into her chair, taking a minute to just focus on her breathing, running her fingers over the key again and again, the pattern of the movement comforting her as much as the breathing exercise did.  Despite how ludicrous it sounded when she thought about it too hard, sometimes the teen would swear that it was as if Sunset had left a little bit of herself in the key, and that when she focused just right, she would catch a hint of it.
Sunset’s wry voice echoed in her mind as if to prove the point. “And right now, you need to breathe, Sparky. You’ve got a friend joining you for breakfast, remember. Might want to get that ready.”  
Right. Breakfast with Wallflower, since it was the other girl’s birthday—Twilight wasn’t certain exactly how old she was, but she assumed the answer was “at least seventeen” since Wallflower had made references to owning and driving a car since last spring.  She began unpacking the bag of food, a batch of small sized lemon and lavender muffins that her mother had helped her make, along with a hot thermos of tea.  The dark haired girl was fairly certain she’d remembered the items correctly from one of Wallflower’s occasional stories about her grandmother.  She arranged the muffins on a plate, carefully coating the top of each one in the special glaze, and then sprinkled the tops just like her mother’s detailed instructions had indicated she should with what the paper called “a mixture of lemon zest and lavender buds.”
Twilight placed a very nice bit of actual lavender flowers on the edge of the plate like a chef might use a bit of parsley, before setting to work with the pair of teacups she’d brought. Last to go on the desk was a neatly wrapped rectangular present with a perfect bow on top—her mother had done that part, since Twilight was mostly thumbs at arts and crafts. Now all she needed was...
The door opened, admitting the dour faced, green skinned girl, trailed by mocking laughter.  She slammed the door, hard, making Twilight wince.  “Wallflower?” she hesitated to say anything else, unsure of if her curiosity would make things worse or better.
"Twilight," the girl said tonelessly. Reaching up behind her back, and pulling away a sheet of paper that had apparently been taped there. She studied whatever had been there for a moment, before viciously crumpling it, and dropping it in the trash can. "Monday, huh? What a brilliant day. Really."
Wringing her hands nervously, Twilight tried to offer support. “They won’t come in here, at least....” Her eyes flicked to the food, wondering if Wallflower would still be interested in the treats. “Um...did you still want to eat breakfast with me?”
Wallflower’s gaze seemed to look through her for a long moment, before she curled her lips into something approaching a smile.  “Sure, Twilight.  Breakfast would be...an improvement.” Pushing lank hair back from her face with one hand, she turned to dump her bookbag at the table she generally used, only to freeze at the sight of the plate of muffins, eyes going wide.
“I...hope I got it right,” Twilight ventured, carefully pouring steaming Earl Grey tea into the teacups.  “From your stories? About your grandmother?”
For just the briefest second, Twilight thought her friend’s lower lip might’ve trembled.  “Oh...” she murmured, sinking into the chair with none of her usual snappy sarcasm. “You...you remembered...?”
She nodded, perhaps a touch too enthusiastically.  “My friend Sunset helped me pick out the right kind of tea—she said something about it being an afternoon blend, but I couldn’t remember if you’d mentioned your grandmother making something different in the mornings, so I decided to stick to the one I knew you’d talked about.”  She scooted her chair over to the table with the food.  “Mom helped me find the right recipe and make the muffins, and we even used lavender from our garden. Mom grows a bunch of flowers and herbs back there as a sort of hobby, and every year she dries a bunch of stuff that she grew.”
Brown eyes seemed to drink in every tiny little detail.  “...oh...real teacups too... and you even found sugared violets? I...never mentioned those...”
Twilight toyed with the key around her neck. “I...can’t actually take credit for those.  They were a suggestion from Sunset, and she gave me some that she made for herself. Said that she thought it might be a nice touch.” She bit her lip. “Did I do okay? I wanted to do something nice for your birthday, Wallflower, since it's just us, and I realized last week that I haven’t always been the most observant of friends...I don’t want you to think that I’m a bad friend or that you don’t matter, because you do...I’m...I’m just not always the best at noticing things or people when I get sucked into my work.”
Wallflower looked away from the food to Twilight, a real smile tugging at her lips for the first time in a while.  “...this is...” She paused to take a deep breath. “I can’t imagine anything I’d’ve enjoyed more.  Thank you, Twilight.”
That helped quiet some of the anxious murmuring in the back of her mind, and Twilight tucked the key back inside her shirt.  With a deep breath and a shaky smile she offered the wrapped package.  “I hope you like this too. I...um...” she sighed.  “I know I don’t have the best record with picking out gifts, so I asked Sunset for help. I wanted to get you something you would actually like. She told me to think about things I knew were important to you, things that make you happy...”
Green skinned hands took the present, and began to undo the wrapping, revealing a book. The cover was adorned with images of flowers and greenery, and the title proclaimed it a Comprehensive Guide to Flower Language in elegant font.  Wallflower turned it over in her hands, her expression shifting to one that suggested she was intrigued, prompting Twilight to elaborate.  “I know you have an interest in botany and horticulture, and that you spend a lot of time in the greenhouse...I...thought maybe you would like a book that talks about the different meanings and symbolism behind a wide variety of plants.”
Wallflower thumbed through the book, stopping when she got to the page where Twilight had stuck a bookmark she had thought her friend might like—the design of vines and flowers matched the book’s cover.  She took a moment to read what was there, only to shut the book with care so she could rub at her eyes.  Twilight was surprised to find her friend fighting tears, and she felt her worries spike. Perhaps the book had been a poor choice?  “Wallflower? If...if you don’t like it, that’s okay.  You can just tell me.”
“Like it? Twilight...” The other teen shook her head. “I love it. This is already the best birthday I’ve had since I was five years old.  You...” her voice dropped to a whisper.  “You remembered me.  You did nice things for me, because you wanted to.”  Bitterness crept in.  “That doesn’t happen to me.  People don’t see me—they barely remember my name, not that it’s much of one.  It’s a stupid name: the flower that no one plants, that no one would notice even if someone did.”
Wincing, Twilight felt even more guilty for her tendency to get caught up in her work. “I...I do notice, Wallflower, and I promise, the moments I forget have nothing to do with you. It’s...it’s my brain, and I can’t always help it.  My dad calls it a form of tunnel vision.” She fought the need to fish the key back out of her shirt, settling for wringing her hands for the moment, wanting to help pull her friend from this...dark mood that she seemed to be heading for.  “....Mom actually has some wallflowers growing in our backyard in one of the flowerbeds.  When I was a kid, Cady told me they were magic flowers because they have all different colored flowers growing from the same stem—my brother even convinced me they were a unicorn’s favorite snack when I was four, and that it was the flowers that made unicorns any color other than white.”  Twilight dimly realized she was rambling and sought to rein herself in. “I know different now, obviously—unicorns and magic aren’t real, and there’s actually a very scientific explanation behind the flowers, which I’m guessing you already know because plants are your thing...but it doesn’t make them any less pretty or neat to look at!”
There was a stunned silence from Wallflower as a shy smile turned the corners of her mouth up.  “You really think that?” she asked, looking a bit overwhelmed.  Her cheeks darkened slightly. “No one besides my grandma has ever said something nice like that about my name...and she’s biased, since she was the one who named me.”
"I wouldn't say something I didn't mean, Wallflower." Twilight responded, feeling more than a little awkward.  The dark haired girl wasn’t used to anyone other than Sunset reacting this way to her words, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.  “I hate it when people do that to me, because I have a hard time picking up on the duplicity.  It ultimately makes social interactions so much more complicated than they need to be."  
Wallflower chuckled dryly, setting her book to the side away from the food.  "Does it ever." A small smile as she took a sip of her tea, brown eyes closing for a moment in obvious enjoyment.  
Twilight took the opportunity to help herself to one of the muffins, her stomach reminding her with an irritable grumble that she needed to eat.  The silence that stretched between them was comfortable for the moment, a far cry from the awkward ones the week before.
Halfway through a second muffin, Wallflower arched a brow curiously at her.  “So...unicorn food, huh?”
Cheeks hot, Twilight ducked her head in embarrassment.  “In my defense, I was four years old, and Shining had never lied to me before. I believed everything he told me.”
The green haired girl shrugged her narrow shoulders.  “Every little girl goes through a stage where she believes in unicorns and fairy tales...hell...I can’t say I’d be too upset if they were to suddenly become real now.  Imagine being able to fix all your problems with a wave of a wand or snap of your fingers or whatever wizards do.”  Her smile became a smirk. “We could turn Suri and Sour Sweet into toads—then their outsides would match their winning personalities.”
Twilight couldn't help but snicker at the mental image of two of their worst tormentors being turned into warty, big eyed amphibians.  "I completely support the idea of such a fate for the two of them, even if it was only for a limited duration." A small part of her—the part that chafed and loathed the mocking and taunts, that wanted to lash out in response to the little cruelties the other students inflicted—had a rather vindictive thought.  "Put a twist in the magic that defines exactly what part of the prince they'd have to kiss, to break the spell.”
It took Wallflower a moment to register what she'd said, before her friend started laughing uncontrollably, "Yes, oh yes! Oh my god, that's brilliant Twilight!"
Much to her surprise, Twilight found herself enjoying the ensuing conversation as they finished breakfast.  It was different from her normal attempts at socializing, lacking the stilted, one sided nature over topics of academia that she was familiar with.  Wallflower led their talk onto other subjects that she might have normally ignored, even in her talks with Sunset Shimmer—like discussing some of their schoolmates and teachers.  She knew Wallflower leaned towards sarcastic, but she gained a new understanding on just how much of an acid tongue the green haired girl possessed.  
As barbed as some of the remarks were, however, some of them were both painfully accurate and exceptionally funny examples of word play. She laughed at yet another observation about Sugarcoat’s mannerisms, finding herself with a wondering thought flitting through her mind.  Was this what Sunset felt like with her friends, this easy fun and good humor even when the conversation had nothing to do with her own interests?  If they acted like that, then it was no wonder that Sunset enjoyed the time she spent with them.  It even served to keep some of the anxiety about her meeting at bay, at least for a while.
The two of them were still chuckling over Wallflower’s latest quip when the first warning bell sounded, causing Twilight’s eyes to seek out the clock. Her good mood vanished just as quickly as it had come—it was that much closer to her meeting with Cinch, and while she didn’t have a first period class like Wallflower, she did have a second period gym class that seemed to host all of the people who had decided “tormenting Twilight Sparkle” was a competitive sport they were all determined to win at.  It also meant making the terrible, embarrassing trip through the locker room—even though she changed in the bathroom stalls and did everything she could to avoid needing to shower after gym.    
Wallflower’s voice faded as Twilight found herself getting lost in her own thoughts.  She was aware that the other girl was still talking, but the words were little more than a background buzzing compared to the internal noise that was making her chest feel tight.  Twilight was never more acutely aware of her own sexuality than when she kept her eyes firmly on her shoes in a room full of nearly naked bodies, some of them more than a little damp from a shower.  Some part of her felt like she was doing something wrong, just by being present in the locker room at all, and the thought that someone might figure out the reason for her discomfort was a fear she couldn’t escape from.  Combined with the presence of people like Sour Sweet, Suri, and Upper Crust in the same gym class meant that she was simultaneously wishing the day was already over and that it had never arrived.
A hand on her arm made her jump, reflexively falling into a defensive stance, hands up to protect herself.  Wallflower Blush lurched away from her. “Whoa! Twilight relax! Its just me!” 
“Sorry,” Twilight responded, cheeks hot.  “I got a little caught up in my own head.”
The green haired head nodded. “I could tell—you had this expression on your face like someone poured soda into one of your chemistry projects.” Her head tilted. “Gym today?”
“Right before my scheduled meeting with Principal Cinch,” the bookworm responded, raising her fist in a mockery of enthusiasm. “Hooray.”
Wallflower grimaced in sympathy, before giving her a sidelong look.  “Could you...I don’t know...have a conveniently timed ‘research breakthrough’ that just has to be investigated immediately or you risk losing valuable data?   I’d bet if you can come up with something convincing to show the harpy for it, she’ll give you a pass on cutting class one time in your entire academic career.”
Horror made Twilight’s face twist up unpleasantly.  “Wallflower!” she yelped, scandalized.  “You’re talking about skipping class! I can’t do that!”
Her friend rolled her eyes. “Twilight, you’ve said yourself that these project meetings with Cinch are important and they stress you out, because they’re worth so much of your grade for the year in...two courses for you? Math and science, right?  We’re always hearing about how our grades and actions here at school will shape our future ‘reputations,’” Wallflower pointed out flatly, fingers making air quotes.  “Don’t let a bunch of spoiled brats who wanna spend gym class getting under your skin ruin that—the future of Twilight Sparkle is way more important than anything that pack of mean spirited jerks will ever amount to, even if you added them all together.  If skipping one time will make sure you come out where you belong, then you should.”
Twilight found herself truly mulling the words over in her mind for a minute, but in the end, she shook her head.  “I can’t skip, Wallflower. Its wrong, and even though I hate it, skipping would throw off my whole schedule. I would be worse off between that and the constant fear of getting in trouble for breaking the rules.”  She tried to smile, but couldn’t really manage it. “Thanks for trying though.  Will I see you at lunch? If my meeting goes well, I’ll probably be working, but it’s your birthday, and I can take a break for a little bit if you want?”
“Sure. I was gonna spend lunch in the greenhouse, but...here would be nice too.  Good luck with gym.” Wallflower packed her new book away in her backpack.  “And Twilight? Again...thanks for making this birthday not suck.”
> Chapter Seventy Two: Overexposure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Alright, ladies and gentlemen!  Listen up!”  Coach Force barked. “As you all know, the Friendship Games against Canterlot High are in roughly two months, and that means we have to pick the best of the best this school has to offer!”
Twilight shrank in on herself, trying to stay fairly invisible at the back of the crowd of students.  She had no desire to even go to the Friendship Games—it was not like she could even enjoy spending time with Sunset, since no one at either school knew they were friends...and it was very likely that none of their classmates would handle that well, not with how aggressive their schools’ rivalry could be.
The gym coach grinned.  “That means today, we’re doing fitness tests so I can start to narrow down which of you will be on our team!  Here’s how we’re going to handle this...”
As if the day could not get any more stressful for Twilight, now she had to participate with her best effort. Even if it was only a fitness test, it was still a test, and Twilight Sparkle could never give less than her best on any kind of test.  The coach wasn’t cruel, but he expected the students to try, so even if she did poorly (and she usually did), he respected her attempt and would still give her a decent grade.  
While the coach detailed the tests and how they were being divided up, Twilight found herself falling into the stretches that Sunset always did with her before their lessons.  “Gotta loosen your muscles up first, Sparky, or you’ll risk hurting yourself. Any time you do exercise, stretch first and cool down after. Trust me,” Sunset had told her in the beginning, drilled into her until the stretching was automatic, unconscious.  It felt good to do right then, the tug and pull on her muscles coaxing some of the tension out of them.
The added stamina from their weekly sessions and the light exercise regimen her girlfriend insisted on as part of it was certainly not something Twilight would complain about either, not when the girls were instructed to start the test with a mile run while the boys did things like push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.  She settled for a light jog, the same pace she and Sunset sometimes used when they took Spike out to the little nearby dog park, a pace she knew she could keep up without ending up too sweaty and out of breath.
Absorbed in her own thoughts and memories that made her smile softly, Twilight was surprised when she reached the end of her run.  Instead of being dead last—or close to it—she had actually finished ahead of a portion of her classmates.  It wasn’t a performance for the record books, by any means, but “middle of the group” was a far cry from “the nerd everyone was waiting on to finish.”  Coach Force eyed her speculatively, before favoring her with a respectful nod and a smile. “That’s what I like to see, Sparkle!” he boomed.  “I don’t expect miracles, but it’s nice to see you brainy types keeping up with your health! Good job!”
She could feel the eyes on her as his voice carried through the gym. “...thank you, sir,” she offered quietly, hoping he’d send her over to the next test without any more attention.  
“Go join the rest of the girls for the other tests,” he instructed, before turning his attention to some of the boys who were goofing off. “Knock it off, you three! Starburst, Tumble, if you have enough energy to cause problems you’ve got the energy to give me a mile run! Get to it!”
Taking the chance, Twilight crept over to the other girls, who were doing flexibility and agility tests, cringing internally at the nasty look Suri sent her way before engaging in a whispered conversation with Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare. From the glances being sent her way, she knew that it was about her, and that it was decidedly unpleasant. Probably their next malicious prank, if she had to guess, and she resolved to be extra alert for a while.  With that in mind, she positioned herself as far from them as possible, in a spot where it would be difficult to sneak up without her noticing, before beginning the second part of the fitness test.
Like the running, Twilight was surprised to find her skills had measurably improved since the test at the beginning of the year, and while she was still sweaty and overheated from exertion, she finished each of the exercises with a decent score and without feeling like she was about to collapse from utter exhaustion.  It felt...strangely satisfying to finish a round of sit-ups with out a sensation like a mule had kicked her in the stomach, and while the attention it drew her way was distinctly uncomfortable, having Coach Force comment positively on her form for push-ups made her pleased enough that she couldn’t wait to call Sunset later and tell her about it.
Class finished out with the coach addressing them all again.  “Good hustle today, all of you! I liked what I saw, and some of you even managed to surprise me! Those public school kids don’t stand a chance at the Games if you continue to perform like this!  I’ll be submitting my recommendations to the Principal for the teams next week, but never forget that this is a school effort! That means whether you’re on the team or not, you’ll all be training hard for the next two months, so come prepared next week to work up a real sweat!” There was a long pause as he let that sink in. “Now get out of here and go shower!”
Shower. The word sank into Twilight’s stomach like a lead weight.  She sniffed her shirt, and realized that she reeked of sweat—she couldn’t go to her meeting smelling like this.  That meant a shower. In the locker room.  Surrounded by other girls, and more nudity than she felt it wise to think about.  The teen forced herself to take several deep breaths, trying to remember what Cadence had said when she had talked to her about the subject: that it was her anxiety making things seem a lot worse than it really was, and she just needed to breathe and try to relax. 
Twilight let the bulk of the girls go on ahead of her, focusing on calming down, working out a ‘plan of attack’ to minimize her own embarrassment and awkwardness, and expedite the things she needed to accomplish in the locker room.  Her nerves as settled as they would get, she headed in, keeping her eyes from zeroing in on anything in particular.  The first stop was her gym locker, where she kept a towel and some toiletries for the days she had no choice but to shower.  Running her plan through her head, she stripped quickly, storing her uniform with her regular clothes and making sure the lock was secured—a lesson she’d learned the hard way in freshman year, when someone had stolen her clothes while she was in the shower.  
Steam greeted her from the shower area, a long, open area with a few dozen showerheads on each wall.  Twilight felt herself flush as she caught sight of many of her classmates under the hot spray.  She found an unoccupied showerhead to turn on, fixing her eyes firmly on the ugly brown tile wall.  Cleaning was mechanical and rote, as she fought against both her rising anxiety and the memory of a nearly nude Sunset Shimmer.  The last thing she wanted to do was get all flustered and worked up in a public shower space surrounded by people she didn’t trust.
It reminded her of the way Sunset had once complained about how much she also hated showering after gym.  They’d been talking a little bit about school, Sunset finally opening up about her life at Canterlot High.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunset blew a bit of hair out of her eyes as she reclined on the couch in the loft, Twilight stretched out on top of her, nuzzling into her collarbone.  “It’s not that I care about nudity much—bodies are bodies, and don’t do anything for me...but after gym? I hate the locker room because of the smell.  Humans stink horribly when they get all sweaty, and when you combine those stinks with gangly limbs and weird patches of hair in places that seem to exist solely to trap bodily odors, I want nothing to do with any of it.  When I have to shower, I just try to not breathe too deep and think about anything else, and get it over with as quickly as possible.”
Twilight nuzzled into her girlfriend’s neck.  “I...never thought about the smell, but you’re right...people do smell bad when they’re all hot and sweaty.” She paused thoughtfully as something occurred to her.  “That’s why you always suggest showering after my self defense lesson, isn’t it?”
The redhead gave her a lopsided smile. “Pretty much—I can’t even stand the smell of myself when I get all sweaty and gross like that.”
She bit her lip.  “I’ll try to remember that from now on.”
That earned her a kiss, and the squeeze of amber skinned arms around her.  “You aren’t so bad, believe it or not.  You don’t stink as bad as my friend Rainbow does after practice—sometimes I can’t decide what to invest in more: nose plugs or a high pressure water hose.  In fact most of the time, it’s barely noticeable unless I’ve run you into the ground.”  Blue-green eyes danced playfully. “You know, like that first weekend, when you melted onto the sofa until I tempted you with food and engineering.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Yo! Sparkle!”
Twilight was jerked roughly from her thoughts by a voice at full volume yelling just a short distance from her ear just as she was cutting off the water. She twisted around, finding herself face to face with one of the school sports stars, Indigo Zap.  
Indigo grinned broadly at her.  “Never thought I’d see the day when you could keep up with anyone! What got you off your dorky butt enough to exercise?”  Honey colored eyes raked over Twilight, making her feel uncomfortably exposed and on display.
The dark haired girl hastily grabbed for her towel to wrap it around her body, providing some measure of separation between her and the girls now looking her way.  “I...what?” she asked, confused.
Stepping way too far into her space, Indigo jabbed a finger at her arm, then her stomach. “This, Sparkle!  You used to have stick thin nerd arms, but this looks like actual muscle tone...” Running her fingers through her short blue hair, the athlete circled Twilight like a predatory animal.  “You’re getting yourself into shape, and I was just wondering what cau—”
When Indigo Zap stopped mid-word, Twilight swallowed, her nervousness ratcheting up a few notches. “I...um...I’ve just been walking my dog more,” she mumbled.
“No. Way.”  Indigo was staring at her in openmouthed disbelief, and she squinted at Twilight’s chest.  “No. Fucking. Way.”
Twilight cringed back, trying to decide if she could make a break for her locker and thus, her clothing, but there was a bit of a crowd now gathering to see what Indigo was being so loud about, the showers white noise being drowned out by the whispering of the girls.  
“Is that a fucking hickey?! Holy shit, Sparkle! Are you getting laid?” Indigo’s grin got even bigger. 
The words also set the proverbial cat loose amongst the pigeons, as every pair of eyes in the immediate vicinity zeroed in on Twilight and the spot on her collarbone that Zap was pointing at.  Even her own eyes were drawn downwards, and she spotted what the other girl was talking about.
It was, in fact, a mark that could be classified as a hickey, a few inches from the hollow of her throat, in one of the spots Sunset had been nibbling on a few days prior.  It wasn’t very big or dark, looking more like a smudge of dirt or a faint shadow on lavender skin than anything, but it’s shape and placement meant it was unlikely to have been caused by anything other than another human being.





Twilight found refuge in one of the many odd alcoves that existed around Crystal Prep, sinking against the wall to take weight off of legs that were trembling too much to support her anymore.  She was suddenly thankful for the old building and its nonsensical architecture that normally drove her nuts, with its strange alcoves and short corridors that went nowhere, irregular door placement and what had to be oodles of wasted space in the walls.  In this moment, she ignored all that, because those maddening quirks provided her with a semi-private spot to bring herself back under some semblance of control after the complete...
Her mind struggled to find words that adequately described what had occurred in the locker room, but fell short, and she found herself borrowing one of Shining’s terms instead.  The events in the locker room had become completely FUBAR’ed, blindsiding her with something she couldn’t stop, not once the words were out of Indigo Zap’s mouth.
It wasn’t just the acrid taste of the half dissolved anxiety tablet that left her mouth full of bitterness and ash, but the way the announcement had sent tongues wagging and caused girls she didn’t even remember the names of to bombard her with deeply personal questions about her now suspected love life.  Her stomach churned and twisted back in on itself, and every breath was a struggle as she desperately tried to use one of the calming exercises her therapist had taught her in order to bring her racing heart rate under control before she passed out.
“Safe place, Twilight,” she mumbled under her breath, repeating the instructions Dr. Soft-Spoken had given her.  “Picture a safe place and put yourself there in your mind...” Saying the words aloud gave her enough of something to focus on to be able to start following them.  She needed to build a mental image of the safest place she could think of...
Red and gold hair paired with smooth, warm amber skin immediately came to mind, the vision of Sunset Shimmer reclining on Twilight’s pillows with her arms held open in invitation for her girlfriend to curl up against her something that dominated the backdrop of her bedroom.  A twitch and her focus fell away from even bothering with the room, fixated instead on the way her mind would always manage to slow and calm as Sunset held her, when she nuzzled her nose into Twilight’s hair or breathed sweet affection in her ear...something about it made Twilight feel as though nothing and no one, no matter how powerful, could ever hurt her when she was wrapped up tight in the world that existed just for the two of them.
It was a vivid image, one that somehow managed to draw in her other senses...warm breath tickling her ear with every word, fingers and palms that rubbed up and down her back, or down her shoulders and arms, making her skin tingle pleasantly from the contact... The tight band around her chest let go at last, letting her inhale fully, and bringing with it the way Sunset smelled, a fresh, clean scent that reminded her of a summer afternoon touched lightly by shampoo and body wash, purging the cloying, perfume-over-human-funk stench that always pervaded the locker room and its showers.  
Fingers flexed, releasing their stranglehold on her own arms and tingling as the circulation in them returned to normal.  Without really thinking, she visualized them running through tresses of curling fire, over and over in a gesture that was mutual pleasure, until the words being half sung in her ear transformed into soft, throaty sounds of encouragement that made Twilight feel warm inside.
She wasn’t exactly sure how much time had passed before she brought herself back to the present, though logically it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. Her uniform still felt cold and clammy from the moisture it had absorbed when she threw it on in a rush over still damp skin, in too much of a hurry to flee the speculative stares and inappropriate questions to fully dry off—had it been that long, it would have warmed to her body temperature and begun to dry.  Twilight opened her eyes, reluctant to let go of the serene comfort of Sunset’s arms for the dimly lit alcove in an unforgiving school.
Only to find herself facing a sight that made the top of the list of the top five things she didn’t want to see tight at that moment: Indigo Zap, standing before her, watching her intently.  Indignation colder than a winter storm swept through her, purple eyes glaring balefully over the top of her glasses at the athletic student.  
“Hey, Sparkle,” Indigo started, only for Twilight to cut her off sharply.
“What? Once wasn’t enough for you today?” she hissed, the bitterness that still sat heavy on her tongue filling her words. “Felt like trying another round of ‘humiliate the nerd?’  Don’t you have something better to do with your time, like mindlessly kicking a ball at other people?”  The words were out before she realized what she had said, and she was torn between the same heady thrill that she’d felt when she’d put Silver Dollar in his place and a gnawing sense of unease and guilt when Indigo recoiled like she’d been slapped, her mouth working soundlessly for a moment.
It was only the sense that backing down now would worsen her situation kept her from babbling the apology that hovered on her lips, especially when Indigo’s honey colored eyes turned confused and her demeanor reminded Twilight of a scolded puppy.
“Gonna say I...” The girl rubbed the back of her neck, clearing her throat and correcting her speech to erase the hint of an accent that leaked through.  It reminded Twilight of the unpleasant rumors that had circulated the year before about Indigo’s family background “...I deserved that,” she finished, looking down at her shoes briefly.  Then she squared her shoulders, and brought her eyes back up to meet Twilight’s.  “Didn’t mean to set all that off, Sparkle, not like that.  Just saw you in class, ya know? And maybe you didn’t do as many push-ups or sit-ups as some of us, or finish the mile at the head of the class, but...”. Zap shrugged. “Your form was spot on. Perfect, and I figured maybe you got a personal trainer like I did, someone getting you in shape.”
Twilight blinked, unsure of how to reply.   “...oh...” was all that she managed, but it was enough for her classmate to continue.
“And you are getting in shape—that’s why I was saying something, because damn, you’ve definitely put on something and it isn’t flab. You’ve got muscle tone you didn’t have at the beginning of the year, enough that I was gonna ask who you were working with, what your secret was. That’s all, I swear.  The...uh...hickey...just caught me by surprise.”
Folding her arms across her chest defensively, Twilight gave Indigo a flat stare that Sunset would have been proud of.  “...if that was all you wanted to do, why didn’t you do it privately instead of making a scene?” she asked, not really expecting a real answer.  After an awkward pause where the athletic girl looked more than a little sheepish, Twilight let out a sigh that barely scratched the surface of her rapidly rising frustration.  “Look, it’s fine,” she stressed, even though it really wasn’t. Before the week was out there’d be a rumor (or several) about who she was having nonexistent sex with, and she really didn’t want to deal with that or anything related to it. It wouldn’t take much sleuthing to find out how she spent her free time—the only males that were involved in her life were her father and brother.  
“...if you’re sure...” Indigo rubbed the back of her neck again. “Look…fair warning, but you might wanna steer clear of Suri and her group for a while.”
Purple eyes blinked. What had she somehow done to offend Suri this time? The girl talking to her caught the look, and tried to explain. “She’s not happy with your new look, ya know? And when she started making comments after you left, Rose Bubble thought it would be a great idea to ask why it even mattered if you cleaned up and turned out to be hot enough to snag a boyfriend.”
Twilight cringed for a great many reasons.  “She didn't.”
“...yeah, she super did, Sparkle, I swear.  And then she put her other foot in it, by telling Suri real loudly that with the way she was acting, people might start thinking you went and stole Suri’s boyfriend from her.”  Indigo’s brows furrowed, and she gave Twilight a long look. “You didn’t, right?  Hook up with Suri’s guy? Cuz that would be suicidal, Sparkle.”
She snorted loudly.  “I can promise you and everyone else that I’m not ‘hooking up’ with anyone or anything that’s been with Suri first.”  The words dripped sarcasm, and she scowled.  “I don’t even know why she has it out for me in the first place.”
That made Indigo laugh. “Yeah, I didn’t think so, Sparkle, given that you’re kinda a brainiac....but hey, it wouldn’t be the first time a crush made a girl stupid.”
Sheer force of will kept her from reacting, from letting her thoughts flit back to Sunset, and she managed to keep her tone level, if a bit curt.  “I like to think I remain in control of my faculties, no matter what I might be doing.”  Inwardly, she acknowledged how untrue that was when she got so easily lost in the moment with her girlfriend.  
“Wouldn't expect anything less of the smartest girl in school,” Indigo responded, grinning broadly. “Keep it that way so we can win the Games, alright? We need your brain to put those Canterlot nobodies in their place.”  
Twilight didn't want to dwell on the impending competition between her school and Sunset’s—given half a chance, she fully intended on being conveniently too busy to consider going. She wasn’t sure if she could handle being that close to her fiery haired paramour and having to pretend they were total strangers. “I have no intention of letting myself become complacent in intellectual endeavors...now...if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with Principal Cinch I cannot be late for.”  Her eyes flicked to a nearby clock, realizing she was cutting it close.
The athlete nodded, backing down. “Good luck with that...and sorry again.  You’re not half bad, Sparkle, when you get talking.  See ya ‘round!”  With a final wave, she sprinted off down the hall, leaving Twilight to hurry to her meeting.
> Chapter Seventy Three: If You Want to Cross the Bridge...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight paused outside Principal Cinch’s office, a sinking feeling making her stomach churn as she realized she was a whole minute late for her meeting.  Taking a deep breath, she fought the sensation down by drawing on the visualization she’d used in the hall, imagining herself back with Sunset. In a bit of a whimsical moment, she pictured the sensation as a kind of armor around her—it had been so during her interaction with Indigo, giving her the strength to deal with her loud and somewhat obnoxious classmate without turning into a stammering, panicking mess.  Maybe it would do the same for this meeting with Principal Cinch.
Head up, spine ramrod straight, she knocked on the door, a little more firmly than she was usually wont to do. How would Sunset handle this? Twilight pondered. If she was right here, beside me...what would she say to Principal Cinch?  The answer came, in an image of Sunset standing tall with the easy confidence that said she knew what she was doing, offering an apology for her tardiness, but also offering a reasonable explanation without making an excuse.  That could work...explain that it was due consideration for the seriousness of the meeting but also the principal herself, as I didn’t wish to appear slovenly and disheveled.  She hates untidiness in personal grooming, and body odor upsets her. Just remember last year’s assembly? She tore into Gold Leaf over his uniform.
She nodded to herself, setting the plan in place. She would acknowledge her error, offer the explanation, and it should balance into neutral. Twilight could handle neutral.  Her father had once said that neutrality was good when he was defending a thesis—it meant the person hadn't made up their mind and provided the chance to convince them of the viewpoint one was defending.
It helped that the voice bidding her entry sounded like Principal Cinch's normally curt and formal tone—not particularly happy but also lacking that edge that, while subtle, projected the knowledge that the woman was irritated and simply biding her time to unleash consequences on the individual that was the source of her ire.  Twilight pushed the door open carefully, pausing in the doorway to enact a slight curtsy—the kind that Aunt Alabaster had insisted on teaching her when she was nine years old—deciding to err on the side of the extreme formality that her Principal seemed to enjoy.  Without fully stepping across the threshold into the woman’s domain, she spoke carefully rehearsed words.  “Good morning, Principal Cinch.”  To her relief, her voice came out soft but clear, and she took further pains to make sure she enunciated properly and spoke at a measured, normal pace.  “I do apologize for my tardiness,” she continued, following her plan while the mental image of Sunset nodded encouragingly at her, “but I had failed to take into account that my scheduled class prior to this meeting was physical education.  I thought it best to ensure that my appearance afterward was a presentable one, rather than appear before you in an unkempt state.”  
Resisting the urge to babble further, she fell silent, letting her words hang in the air.  It was a satisfactory apology and the explanation didn't sound like an excuse, and she’d stuck to the excessively formal method of speech that had been trained into her by her extended family, all things that she still hoped would go over well with the severe, strict administrator.  
There was a long moment of silence, during which Twilight could feel her stomach twisting unpleasantly.  Principal Cinch’s gaze scrutinized her, inspecting every inch, from the top of the neat bun that held her hair in place,  all the way down to the tips of her polished mary-janes.  Finally, the chill voice came, accompanied by the barest hint of a thin lipped smile.  “I believe, Miss Sparkle, that I may overlook your delay in light of what I view to be an adequate reason for doing so. In the future, however, if the same scheduling conflict arises, please inform my secretary in advance and I will grant you an extra five minutes leave to ensure you are adequately presentable."
Twilight felt almost dizzy at this practically unheard of consideration on the part of Principal Cinch, and on autopilot she curtsied again, murmuring, "Thank you for your forbearance, Principal Cinch." 
Was it her imagination, or did that thin smile widen fractionally? The woman almost seemed to bask in the obeisance, before one thin hand gestured to the chair set across from her desk, "Be seated, Miss Sparkle."
Rising fluidly from her own seat, Abacus Cinch crossed the room to a polished sideboard, where a carafe and glasses sat.  Twilight’s mind took in the sight, noting with a bit of detached curiosity that the crystal set was equal to—perhaps even finer than—anything she’d seen at the family estate.  She focused more thoroughly on recalling the lessons Alabaster and even Great Aunt Aurora had attempted to instill, and remembered enough to wait by the chair her principal had indicated, not wanting to insult her ‘host’ by sitting down preemptively.  It was only when Cinch had returned to the desk, setting glasses of cool water in easy reach and retaking her own chair, that Twilight allowed herself to sit down.
Once more, Principal Cinch gave her the cold smile tinged with what might be faint approval; it was an expression rather akin to the ones Great Aunt Alabaster had bestowed upon those young members of the family who satisfied her expectations...and often made Twilight feel vaguely like a performing animal that had managed to learn a new trick.  The administrator’s piercing gaze remained on Twilight even as she took a slow, measured sip from her glass, taking in every slight movement in utter silence as Twilight timed her actions to always follow hers rather than precede them.
The water in the glass distracted her briefly, fresh and cold and tasting unlike any water she had ever tried before.  All at once it both quenched her thirst and yet made her wish the circumstances were different so she could drain the glass because she was just suddenly that thirsty.  It was an exercise of will to set the glass down after only one sip, her attention turned on Principal Cinch as she waited for the woman to speak.  Alabaster’s sharp “don't speak unless spoken to first, child,” echoed in her head, backed up by Sunset’s more friendly encouragement from the other day. “Let whoever is older speak first.  It puts them in the mindset that you're being deferential, Sparky, and they’ll be more inclined to hear you out when you do talk.”
The silence stretched between them, Twilight doing her best to keep her eyes focused on Cinch’s face with her expression one of polite attention.  She struggled to ignore the way the dimness of the office made the shadows in the corners seem alive, the darkness seeming to ripple and lengthen in her peripheral vision.  The dark haired teen scolded herself mentally for letting her anxiety get the better of her, but that didn't stop her from drawing the image of Sunset closer to her side.  The shadows in the room almost seemed to recoil before the strange optical illusion ended and they returned to just being shadows. Her imagination really was running away with her. 
At last, Cinch gestured to the binder resting on her desk, the detailed proposal for Twilight’s project just slightly closer to the principal than the teen. “I will be taking a moment to refresh myself with the details of your project proposal now, Miss Sparkle.  You may quench your thirst if you wish.”  
Twilight found her mouth suddenly dry and parched again, as if the utterance of the word “thirst” had drawn her attention to just how dehydrated the exertion in gym class had left her.  Cinch continued speaking, either unaware or unconcerned by how Twilight swallowed reflexively, her throat dry.  “After your...intriguing performance in physical education today, I am certain you could stand to replenish yourself.”  
Principal Cinch knew about what happened in gym? So soon after it happened?  Twilight blinked, confused.  She knew her Principal was aware of everything that went on in the school, but she hadn't realized that information got to her so quickly.  To cover her surprise, she reached for the glass again with a quiet word of gratitude and took another drink. That second sip banished the thoughts, the water seeming even more refreshing and delicious this time.
The principal read slowly through the printed pages, turning each one with careful deliberation, faintly catlike eyes looking up periodically to watch her with a sense of pleased satisfaction.  “I must say, Miss Sparkle, I find myself most interested in your findings and your thoroughness in your research so far shows both the level of intellect and integrity I’ve come to expect from your work.  At the same time, this project proposal of yours...I believe it has far more potential and long term ramifications than you have fully considered.”
Steepling her fingers, Abacus Cinch leaned forward the barest fraction, an action that made Twilight’s heart jump. Her principal actually looked...legitimately invested in the project? That never happened.  “I...had considered the potential applications for the energy, ma’am,” she offered.  “There seems to be a large amount of energy in a hereto unknown frequency, but its output seems to be rather large for all the apparent invisibility of what is generating it.”
“This...energy...it has the potential to be so much more than that, Miss Sparkle.  I do not think it premature or an exaggeration to say that your proposed project, if successful, could change the world.” Those sharp eyes looked over the top of the woman’s narrow glasses to pin Twilight with an intense, serious stare.  “As such, I feel that there is merit to ensuring we protect your intellectual discovery, as this is far more than just an obligatory semester project to provide grades in core subjects that you have tested beyond even our school’s ability to instruct.”
Twilight’s breath caught, her mind racing.  What was Principal Cinch getting at?  “I...I don’t understand, Principal Cinch,” she voiced, trying to hide her worry.
“Miss Sparkle, this is a prestigious institution, far above and beyond facilities like Canterlot High, which serve as little more than babysitting services that churn out another generation of low class, menial laborers whose most intense aspirations in life are getting inebriated at a public taproom on Friday night or finding the right mate to produce innumerable offspring with.  We do our level best to nurture talents like yours, to provide opportunities for growth and excellence that only the best—such as yourself—can truly appreciate.” Cinch’s voice oozed disdain, and Twilight fought down a surge of defensive indignation for Sunset and the school she clearly cared about. She didn't have to agree with the woman’s opinions, the small voice in the back of her mind rationalized, to make use of what she’s about to offer you.  She would have to get used to that anyway—there were a lot of times two scientists that disagreed might have to work together for their research.  
Her principal continued, ignorant of Twilight’s internal struggle. “Part of the tuition funds we acquire each year are set aside in a special project grant, to be used at the discretion of the administration to further provide opportunities to students like yourself, Miss Sparkle.  I very rarely find a student with both the drive and talent that I deem sufficient to offer it...”  She trailed off, giving it a moment to sink in, before continuing.  “However, I believe you to not only possess significant amounts of both, I also believe that this research of yours is exactly the kind of thing the founders of this school would deem worthy of access to the special project grant.”
A special grant? Twilight wasn't even aware that the school possessed something like that, and her research several years ago had been fairly thorough.  Something like that would be like a dream come true, funds to purchase better equipment than what she could scavenge or cobble together with her engineering skills, allowing her much more precise measurements and better data on the anomalous energy.  The dark haired girl struggled to keep her surprise from showing on her face, though from the somewhat patiently indulgent expression that crossed her principal’s face, she hadn't quite succeeded. 
“Of course,” Cinch explained in a serious tone, “I must stress that for the good of the school’s finances and reputation, and to protect both the institution and the researcher, there are conditions and stipulations, and a bit of paperwork involved.  Nothing too onerous, I can assure you, Miss Sparkle, and I think you will agree once you read it.”  She opened a folder that had been sitting near her elbow, retrieving a stack of papers to set on top of the now closed proposal binder.  
Nodding in agreement quickly, Twilight gave her own eager reassurances, not wanting to lose out on this opportunity.  “Of course, Principal Cinch.  I can completely understand the need to protect the school’s financial investment in a situation where grant money is involved.  I also assure you I would not dream of wasting resources offered to me.”  This was beyond anything she’d hoped for, and the excitement she was starting to feel was making her uncharacteristically jittery. Official funding! While still a high school student! It was unprecedented!
Cinch let out something resembling a chuckle.  “My dear Miss Sparkle,” she purred, as though Twilight had just said something she found endearing—which felt so out of place it almost jarred Twilight back to earth.  “I am quite certain that a student with your work ethic has never wasted anything in her life.”
This couldn't be real. She had to be in some kind of dream state.  Or maybe an alternate universe, because that was an honest-to-goodness smile on the face of Principal Abacus Cinch, and that never happened.  The proof of its rarity was how out of place and awkward it seemed: lips just a little too wide, teeth too white and sharp to look entirely natural or relaxed.  The teen let it slide in favor of the fact that Cinch had just offered her a compliment and was still talking grant money.
“The conditions are outlined here, in this document, Miss Sparkle, and I want you to absolutely read through it, but allow me to summarize the basics of it for you.”  The woman took a sip of her water before resting her hand atop the papers.  “The project grant allows you to treat this research endeavor as a form of senior thesis—despite your being a junior—and the school’s funding allows you to purchase and otherwise access materials you might need at prices given to educational institutions and that can prove difficult for an unaffiliated youth to be able to find and purchase.  Nothing hazardous or overtly dangerous, I’m sure you understand. We don't need a student building a nuclear reactor on the campus, for example.  The school will also allow you intellectual rights to the findings of your research—for the purpose of publishing and further research in your future, of course—but...there are some stipulations.  The first is that Crystal Prep’s backing goes hand in hand with any findings as far as publishing and knowledge presented to the scientific community; this serves to elevate the institution’s reputation and esteem, and provides you with a measure of security given your youth compared to your scientific peers in academia.  Crystal Prep takes care of its own, as I’m sure you are aware.”  
She paused, giving Twilight the opportunity to pose questions, but the dark haired girl was still too stunned by the turn of events to do more than nod.  Cinch continued, “The second stipulation is far more serious.  In the event that you should renege on your work, such as failing to complete the project, wasting school funds on superfluous purchases, or otherwise attempt to back out of your duties, then you lose all equipment, materials, documentation, and intellectual rights to what of the project that was completed.  Crystal Prep takes care of its own, but not at the expense of the school as a whole or its reputation...I’m sure you can understand that.”
The paperwork was slid across the desk to her, and Twilight picked it up with trembling hands.  A considerable portion of her awareness felt sick and dizzy, and seriously regretted telling her father she didn't need him here for this meeting. She was well beyond her comfort zone and expectations with this, and she didn't quite know how she should handle it. This was not something she and her parents had ever discussed, because really, what person would fund a high schooler’s research projects?  Her parents had gone over the papers for the semester independent study projects and given their thoughts, opinions, advice, and ultimately, their blessing.  That same part of her urged her to voice her concerns, to ask to take the paperwork home and have her parents look over it first.
Yet the excited part of her, the part that secretly dreamed of being a recognized scientist and academic yearned to take advantage of the opportunity being presented.  The principal had never sounded so excited and proud of a student as she did in this meeting, and the logic she laid out for the reasons behind this contract were perfectly rational. Protecting both the student and the school was important and logical, and both stood to benefit from the arrangement. And the possibility of being published? Cinch had connections in academics...if she felt the results could get Twilight published even before the end of high school, then she probably would direct her to the right people to make that happen, since it would make Crystal Prep look even more prestigious. 
As she waffled in her decision, she looked down at the papers, which were surprisingly heavy in her hands. The contract for the special grant project hadn’t been printed on standard computer paper.  Instead, the paper used was a heavier, parchment-like paper, with a texture like she had never personally encountered. The school’s emblem stood out at the top of the front page, and subsequent pages had it present in the upper margins but in a much smaller size.  Purple eyes began to read through the text, hoping maybe a good read through would help her figure out what to do.
The contract was a lot of legalese, with points and clauses and notations defining the terms of each and every single point, from the exact amount of money being provided by the grant—that was enough zeroes to make Twilight question if she needed to get her eyes checked—to the types of things she could and couldn’t purchase with the funds, to the exact nature of what part of the project belonged to who.  There was even an entire section on project assistants.  She couldn’t believe it.  This was an actual grant contract being offered to her. It couldn't possibly be real. She needed to show her parents before she did anything else.
As that thought flitted through her mind, her vision wavered, and she saw in her hands not the contract but other papers. There were scientific journals publishing her work, scholarship and acceptance letters from the most intense universities in the country...and...
Her breath hitched at the image of the heavy frame that showed off a degree—her first degree!  This project really could change her life, she realized, and if she could use it to put herself out there, to make her first steps into academia and the realms of science and engineering before she even graduated high school?  People like Delicate Alabaster and Platinum Filigree and Summer Breeze would have to accept her as she was, because how could they look down their noses at her for anything when she had accomplished so much before she was even old enough to drink?  Not to mention how proud her family would be, or how excited Sunset would be to celebrate her success with her...maybe then, with so much to her name, she could even be honest about who she was and who she was with.  
The thought of showing her parents was forgotten, pushed out of her mind by a newfound determination, a new goal firmly in mind.  “I agree completely, Principal Cinch,” she heard herself say, skimming through the rest of the contract ignoring the way the words seemed to shift strangely where her shadow was cast upon the page.  Twilight found herself hunting for a pen distractedly, even as her principal proffered her own, one monogrammed and plated in gold.
Twilight ran her fingers down the sides of the pages to straighten them, putting her initials in each of the marked spots, her excitement making the task difficult as she flipped through the pages, barely noticing that she had managed to cut herself on the edge of the last page, until her grip on the pen made a drop of bright red blood run down the gold surface and splash onto the paper at the end of her name.  She blinked in shock at the crimson punctuation to her signature, finally feeling the uncomfortable throb of her injured digit.  “Oh! I’m sorry, Principal Cinch!” she apologized, hurriedly fishing out a wet wipe from the supply in her backpack that she used to clean her glasses, wiping down the pen to get the blood off its surface.  “I didn’t realize I’d cut myself!”
The principal of Crystal Prep favored her with a magnanimous smile, one with just a little too much of her teeth showing. “Think nothing of it, Miss Sparkle. Such things happen,” she assured the teen, taking the papers from her so she could finish cleaning the writing instrument.  “Besides, a few drops of blood are nothing compared to taking your first steps into changing the world, after all. Savor this moment, Miss Sparkle, because you have just laid the foundation for your future.”
Twilight beamed at the words, placing the now clean pen in its holder on the desk. “Thank you so much for this opportunity, ma’am.  I can’t tell you how much this chance means to me. I won't let you down.”
The woman’s eyes glittered strangely for the brief moment they held eye contact. “I’m certain you won't, Miss Sparkle. Now, off with you...I have to finalize this paperwork and I believe you have lunch to attend.”
Giddy and glowing from the praise, Twilight practically skipped out the door, never seeing the predatory smile that crept across the administrator’s face as soon as her back was turned, or the way the shadows curled around the papers she had signed with something akin to a lover’s caress.
And what no one had noticed, not Twilight herself, or Cinch or even the watching shadows, was the way the single drop of blood had beaded up and run off the page rather than soaking into the parchment, splashing instead to the patterned cloth of the teen’s skirt, invisible against the dark fabric.
> Chapter Seventy Four: ...You've Got to Pay the Toll
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Blue-green eyes flitted to the open pages of the tome on wards, double checking the lines of the glyphs and runes in the complex design of a ward meant to alert and provide a basic barrier to a small area.  Abjuration was never Sunset’s preferred school; she was comfortable with basic personal shield spells and simple protective enchantments, but the more complex barriers were a type of magic she had always struggled with.  Wards in particular required a great deal of meticulous patience and perfection that she had always lacked.  The lines had to be just right, especially when a spellcaster set them into crystals and stones rather than used themselves as the focus for the spell—stone and crystal lacked the flexibility of a thinking unicorn, who could adjust and change the flow of a magical matrix in real time.  
The redhead bit her lip as she brought the etching tool back to the surface of the fist sized gemstone that was a black so dark it seemed to devour light.  She wasn’t sure if there was a human world equivalent for what ponies referred to as “Nightstone,” but it was unmatched when it came to defending against dark magic, particularly the kind that affected the mind.  It was also extremely hard to overload with brute force, since it grounded energies into the local leyline network, and as near as Sunset could identify with her research and knowledge, CHS was sitting on a leyline nexus.  
The tool made a scratching, raspy sound as it carved an elegant curl into the surface, completing the last of the lines for the ward.  With a sigh, she set the stone and tool down, shaking her hands out to ease the cramp in her palm before she hopped to her feet and started stretching.  She’d been antsy all morning, and the wardstone hadn’t taken as much time as she’d wanted it to.
Nibbling on her thumbnail, the former unicorn glanced at the journal that sat, inert and unresponsive, on the desk.  She had yet to hear back from Princess Twilight, and the conversation that had ended abruptly on a sour note.  Idly, Sunset considered if she could get advice from her girlfriend on what she should do...maybe frame it as a disagreement  with a friend over an opinion on a shared teacher?   Then she shook her head, rocking her weight from one foot to the other.  No...that wouldn't work.  A generic teacher doesn't really capture the reason for my opinion.  She’s a teacher to Princess Twilight, but so much more to me. If the princess is anything like Sparky, she has counterparts to Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Night... 
Speaking of her girlfriend...she had her second meeting with her principal, and Sunset was half wondering if she should head over to the Sparkle house after she was done for the day, just to make sure Twilight was okay.  Her stomach twisted unpleasantly at the thought of showing up to another meltdown like she’d witnessed on Friday.
The former unicorn tapped the toe of her boot on the ground, trying to shake off the agitation she felt, and glanced at the clock. The girls would be showing up in the next fifteen minutes for their lunchtime practice, meaning she needed to get the monitoring equipment set up so they could go right into practice.  Maybe that would get rid of some of this restless energy, plus she wanted to do another scan of herself; her magic had been buzzing under her skin for the last hour, never threatening to surge, but making her nerves tingle with power that refused to remain still in her core.  
She pulled open the cabinet, snagging the thaumometer and the stand for it, dragging it over to the right spot to capture the whole area where the instruments were already set up, followed by a simple electromagnetic field detection device that she’d acquired from the science storeroom, the antiquated device running on an oversized rechargeable battery that it had taken her three days to find a replacement for. That went on a small table, and she cracked it open to install the roll of paper that it printed the running readings on once it was started—that was an experience, since its innards looked more like something she would find in Equestria rather than the world of modern technology.
Sunset snapped it shut, and gave the setup a once over, running a short baseline test for both, frowning at the readings from the thaumometer.  The school’s baseline was fairly steady, but the scan of herself showed a noticeable increase in her SET level. That didn't help her mood. She blew air from her nostrils before dropping in a huff back into the desk chair, picking up a pencil to write the information down in the research notebook she had started.  
“Hey, pony-girl, is this a bad time?”
Sunset came right out of her chair in surprise, letting out the most undignified sound she had ever made in any body, made more so by the fact that it sounded like a startled imitation of a proper pony noise.  Her head and jerked back, her arms came up defensively, and her body turned to face the threat.
She and Flash Sentry stared awkwardly at each other for a full half minute, during which she felt her entire face heat, skipping past tomato right into molten red.  “I...” she stumbled over her words, shoulders slumping.  “Any chance you can forget you just heard that?”
He laughed, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him. “Only in the company of others. In private, I reserve the right to rib you for it.  Consider the privilege as my form of revenge.” A teasing grin let her know it was all meant in good fun.  
“Wonderful. The first time in years I squeal like a foal who just got goosed by a crab, and this is when it has to happen?  I’d ask what I did to deserve it, but at this point I could just pick something off the list.”  She snorted, shaking her head and sitting back down. “What’s up?”
“Besides the fact that I’m now imagining a horse getting its butt pinched by a crab at the beach?” Flashed joked.
“Pony, not horse...but yes, besides that?”  She nibbled absently on the pencil in her hand.
He stepped further into the room. “Last week, you asked me to come by because you wanted to run tests on someone from CHS who wasn't sprouting wings and horns.  Teacher let us out early after the test, so I figured I’d offer myself up as your guinea pig.”
“Oh!” With the weekend, it had completely slipped her mind. “Sure, that’d be great! It won’t take too long, I promise.”  In an instant, she was on her feet again, tugging him over to stand in front of the thaumometer. “I just need to run a couple of scans, take some notes.”
Brows furrowing, the young man stared at her. “Are...are you sure you're okay? You seem awfully jittery.”
“Hmm?” Blue-green eyes looked up from the device. “I’m fine.  Had a bit too much coffee this morning.”
“C’mon, Sunset,” Flash countered. “You were a good actress, but I’d like to think I learned a little about you.  You don't chew on things like that unless something is bothering you. What’s going on?”
Chewing? I’m not chewing on anyth—Oh.  Sunset realized the pencil had found its way to her mouth in place of her thumbnail, and she was cribbing at the piece of wood restlessly with her front teeth.  Forcing herself to set the writing utensil on the desk with her notes, she sighed.  “It was just a rough weekend,” she hedged, setting the thaumometer up to scan Flash.  
He frowned in concern. “Rough? Are you okay?”  The young man hesitated, looking around, before he asked quietly, “Everything okay with your girl?”
She rolled her shoulders to try and shake off the prickling feeling building in them.  “Sort of. It's...complicated. Sparky and I are fine...but...we didn't really have a good weekend for reasons utterly unrelated to our relationship.  I just haven't seemed to be able to shake off the way it left me feeling.”  Then she made a face. “I also got a little short with Princess Twilight and she hasn't responded to me in the journal since.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Flash eyed her, weighing his words before he spoke. At last he held out an arm, giving her one of his smiles—the Nice-Guy-Trying-to-Cheer-Someone-Up smile he kept on hand for upset girls and crying children she noted when her eyes flicked up from the thaumometer’s projected display.  “You look like you could use a hug, and a friendly ear, pony-girl.  Wanna talk about it, see if that helps you sort out what's going on in your head?”
Sunset shifted her weight to her other leg, resisting the urge to pace. “I...” she paused, stretching her neck and shoulder to try and release some of the tension thrumming in her muscles.  “...I dunno. Maybe? It's not exactly something I can really explain easily...” The she realized he was being careful to hide his other arm behind his back.  “Speaking of hiding...what’s behind your back?”
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”  Flash pulled his other arm into view, holding a basket that was piled high with an assortment of fresh vegetables and what looked like a bag of dried apple slices.  “I bumped into Granny Smith on the way here, she asked me to give you this.  I guess they are from their family’s greenhouses?”  
Blue-green eyes went wide and the former unicorn had to restrain herself to a pace best described as a hurried trot, so she could take the basket.  She could smell the vegetables, and the scents were making her mouth water. Sunset picked up a tomato and brought it close to her nose, inhaling slowly.  “...Sparky had a rough Friday last week,” she explained, before biting straight into the red flesh of the vegetable, unable to stop the pleased nicker in her throat that bubbled up as she chewed.  
Flash’s chuckle made her raise an eyebrow. “That must be one amazing tomato. I’ve never seen anyone eat one like an apple before.”
Swallowing, she licked the rich juice off her lips. “I don't feel the need to pretend quite so much to be human with people who know I’m a pony,” she responded.  “We eat a lot of our vegetables raw just as often as we cook them.”  She squinted at the tomato. “Though tomatoes are better raw if you sprinkle a little salt on them. Not too much though—a salt soused unicorn is never a pretty sight.”
He laughed. “I’ll remember that...”  Then the young man changed back to the previous subject.  “So your girl had a bad day Friday? Bad grades from her exams? Parent problems?”
The redhead tossed her head, grabbing her notebook and the pencil to take notes on the readings the thaumometer had taken of Flash. “Neither,” she replied.  “She’s too brilliant to fail her exams and her family is amazing.”  She flicked her eyes towards the door.  “...she goes to Crystal Prep, and for all they are supposed to be this amazing school that beats CHS in every imaginable way, the people there sound like they make the old me look like a toothless, declawed manticore kitten with no tail.”
“Yikes.”  Flash made a face. “Sounds pleasant.  So she doesn't get along with people at school?”
“Pretty much...and the principal sounds like my own principal from back in Equestria: as awful as the students and as cuddly as a thornbush.”  She sighed. “Anyway, Sparky had a terrible day and was a mess when I got to her house.”
Concern laced her ex-boyfriend’s tone.  “By ‘a mess,’ do you mean someone beat her up? Or...?”
A surge of protective fury went through her, and she curled her lips back to show teeth with a low growling noise. “If anyone puts a hand on her, I’ll break every bone in their arm into tiny pieces,” she hissed before she could stop herself, her boot making a rough THUD as she brought her previously relaxed foot down hard.
A slow nod and Flash shrugged. “Anyone who beats up a girl deserves what they get.  So, just regular bullying then—or was it more...like what people were doing to you?”
Forcing the anger down, Sunset took a breath, then another bite of the tomato to make sure the magic in her veins wasn't going to react violently.  Swallowing, she scowled.  “She hasn't said. Sparky had a meeting with her principal, but I’m not sure if that was the cause or just one more stressor on her for the day. Either way, she was having a massive freak-out when I got there. We spent most of the night trying to get her to calm down and feel better...”
“I’ve got a cousin like that,” the young man commented.  “Sometimes it doesn't even have to be anything particularly bad, just outside of the norm or his expectations to make everything too much.”
The former unicorn polished off the tomato. “That sounds about right.  So Friday night was bad...”  She fell silent, her brows knitting together pensively.  Once again she was caught in the memory of blackened eyes and twisted horns of dark reflections and inner demons.
“Sunset?”  A warm hand rested on her shoulder, jolting her back to the present, where Flash was eyeing her with real worry now.  “What aren't you telling me?”
She curled her arms around herself in a defensive gesture, pushing down the memory of her nightmare. “I...” A shiver passed through her.  “...I have nightmares...” she confessed.  “Not all the time, but sometimes...”
The touch on her shoulder became an arm draped over them as he turned the gesture into a sideways hug, guiding her back to her chair at the desk.  “You had one this weekend?”
“Friday night—well, early Saturday morning.” Sunset couldn't stop the words from spilling out.  “It was a bad one, really bad.  I woke everyone up at the house with my screaming.”
Flash grabbed the second desk chair that had belonged there originally, dragging it so he could sit next to her.  “And it was stuff you couldn't tell them about?”
The redheaded teen rubbed her face tiredly. “Kind of...but not exactly.  Have you ever had a dream that you weren't sure was just a dream? Like it meant something more?”
“Like a message or something?” He leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling.  “Not really? I don't remember most of my dreams, and when I do, they're really weird. Like standing up on a stage with crying clowns tossing tiny pickles at me kind of weird.”  He glanced her way. “Truth be told, I never give dreams much thought once I’m awake.”
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I know humans don't always put much stock in dreams, but in Equestria, dreams...they can have meaning...with a pony’s mind trying to tell them something...and some ponies see more than just their own inner thoughts and feelings. Nightmares are actually dangerous for a pony, since magic can interact with them and create monsters. But that's not all—sometimes, a pony can...feel or see or sense things that will happen before they do. It’s a form of clairvoyance, related to certain schools of magic.” It felt good to be able to voice some of her worries, if for no other reason than it let her talk her way through the problem.
The young man blinked. “Okay...so magic makes dreams more than weird head movies for ponies. You're thinking your nightmare was one of these?  Has that happened before?”
Sunset bit down on her thumbnail, wincing when her teeth caught some of the flesh instead.  “I...feel like it might have been. I've had nightmares before, especially since the formal, but...this was different. It...felt strange, and there was too much about it that was just...out of the ordinary...” Blue-green eyes met his.  “It terrifies me, Flash—I would take being trapped in the heart of a forest fire with an inhibitor ring on my horn over the way the nightmare made me feel.”
Grimacing at that, he went back to looking upwards in thought.  “So a warning of some kind then, since that's what pony nightmares can do and you didn’t...I dunno...wake up to an eldritch nightmare beyond mortal ken gnawing your face off.”
She shuddered.  “And that was an image I never needed. There’s a reason I left in the middle of you trying to show me Alien last year.”
“Sorry?” He ran a hand through his hair.  “Weird question:  Does this mean the rest of your magical girl squad needs to be worried about nightmares too?”
That stopped her train of thought cold; she hadn't considered that as a possibility at all, but Flash had raised a good question.  One she did not know the answer to, and she acknowledged as much, adding, “There’s really no precedent here. In Equestria, most beings have considerable magic in them, even ones who aren't active spellcasters like a unicorn is, and that can be affected by the individual’s emotional state.  Humans...don't normally have that kind of magic in them—for example, you registered just now as a 0.6793 on the SET scale Equestria uses to measure magic. If a creature from Equestria had a SET level that low, they’d be dying a slow death unless they got an infusion of magic immediately.  At this point, that's even lower than the baseline for the school itself—1.3 today, just to give you a comparison.  But the girls...they’re different.”  
“Different how? Like just a higher magic power level?”
Sunset shook her head. “That's part of it...but...it's almost as if the girls have become sources of magical energy rather than beings using it.  So I have no idea if they will be susceptible to the problems native denizens of Equestria suffer from.  The best I can do is watch out for problems and maybe warn them...but I also don't want to cause a panic over nothing.”
He nodded. “I think you should at least warn them. You guys are a team, right? You owe it to them to at least let them know it's a possibility, and if it does happen, they know to speak up about it instead of...I dunno, sit on the problem while it slowly ‘drives them mad with knowledge man was not meant to know?’” Flash made air quotes with his fingers, and at her somewhat blank stare, he sighed. “We need to introduce you to a broader spectrum of human literature.  Even I’m aware of Horrible Phobias Lovecraft and his work, and I rarely find books I like.”
“I read!” she countered defensively.  “And the name sounds familiar.”
“What name sounds familiar?” Pinkie seemed to appear in front of them, beaming from ear to ear. 
The redhead managed to keep from making noise this time around, but it was only Flash’s steadying grip that kept her from falling out of her chair. “Pinkie! Don't do that!  How long have you been standing there?”
“Oh, I just got here! We all did!”  The party planner waved an arm towards the door, where the rest of the girls were filing in.  Then she gave them a considering look and produced a plate of cupcakes that she plonked down on the desk next to the basket of produce.  “You guys are waaaaay too tense! Have some cupcakes—guaranteed to put a smile on your face!”
Having made that announcement, she snagged a tomato out of the basket. “Hmmm...is the tomato a vegetable or a fruit? It tastes like a veggie, but some people call it a fruit...do you think a tomato would make a good cupcake?” She made a face and turned to Sunset. “Do ponies make tomato cupcakes?”
Tomato...cupcakes? The former unicorn made a face. “No...I've had bread with tomato in it though...that's pretty good.”
“Sounds weird,” Rainbow remarked, hauling her guitar case off her back. “Shimmer, you set up our sound equipment yet?”
“Not yet, but it's all ready to be plugged in.”  Sunset took a moment to help herself to a cupcake, hoping maybe the sugar would help her feel a little better. 
“Awesome! AJ, gimme a hand.”  Rainbow started plugging in their sound equipment.  “So, Flash, you here to listen to us jam?”
The lone male in the room glanced at Sunset, then back to Rainbow Dash.  “Sure. Haven't heard you guys since the Battle of the Bands. You...got what you needed with your scanner thing, right, Sunset?”
Finishing the cupcake—and regretting it a little when she stood up and her stomach lurched—Sunset wiped her hands off on her jeans. “Yeah. I’ll want to scan you once a week or so to establish a consistent profile, but we can talk about that later.”  She needed to move, to do something to burn off the energy that was making her skin itch from the inside. “What are we playing first?” An amber skinned hand grabbed her electric guitar, checking the cords and giving it a test strum to make sure everything was in order.
Fluttershy fiddled with her hair. “Maybe we could start with ‘Shine Like Rainbows?’”
“Oooo!” Pinkie hopped gleefully over to her drums.  “I like that one! It always makes my insides all squishy and tingly!”
Blue-green eyes slipped shut for a moment.  Pinkie was right about the feelings the song evoked.  She knew the bulk of the song was about friendship, but the opening lines always hit her hard, and in her mind, when she played those chords and put her all into that first verse, it wasn't her friends she was directing it at. They could have the second verse. For her, the first verse called to mind the very girl she’d spent the morning worrying about.  “Shine Like Rainbows sounds like a good start. Maybe we can do that new one Fluttershy finished last week too.”
“Yeah,” Dash settled into her spot now that everything was arranged to her satisfaction.  “I spent the weekend with Shy working out the arrangements on that. With you backing me up, Sunset, we can get a little more creative without losing the sound. Is your thaum-thingy recording yet?”
“Thaumometer.  I actually started it up after I scanned Flash.  I wanted to get an idea of if things change when we aren't playing.  Flash, hit the green button on that big thing by your elbow?” When he did, the redhead ran her hand through her hair.  “I’m ready to go.”
“Right! Let’s do this! Pinks, count us off!”
It felt good to play, something about the power in the opening notes of the song soothing her nerves, and like it often did as she let her fingers instinctively find the right chords to fill in and enrich the sound of the lead guitar and the bass, Sunset’s mind drifted.  Purple eyes filled her mind’s eye, and the magic under her skin throbbed warningly, right before her vision blurred.
She could still see the room she was in, could feel the way her fingers continued playing, could hear the song as Applejack began the first verse.  She even saw a worried look on Flash’s face as he started to stand....but that wasn't all she saw. Darkness had filled the room, translucent but still powerful enough to make her skin crawl, and two figures emerged amidst the black, half out of focus and as insubstantial as the shadows that reminded her far too much of the writhing void-spawn from her nightmare. Yet...even out of focus she knew the first form, could feel the knowledge burned into her bones—Twilight Sparkle, staring down a monstrosity that was horrifying to look upon even as indistinct as it was.  Stretched and gaunt, with limbs too long and spindly to be human, and over long fingers that ended in talons, it was a parody of a human figure.  Too pale skin was colorless—not white, like Rarity, but truly without color, and catlike eyes and oversized, pointed ears capped off its look, as it reached for Twilight with a hand that oozed noxious foulness that reeked so strongly of the darkest forms of magic that Sunset actually gagged.  She took a step, wanting to wrest her girlfriend away from whatever it was...
And as quickly as it had begun, the vision ended, and every bone in her body burned so badly tears sprang to her eyes.  The magic surged, and it felt like she was melting from the inside out, her legs threatening to give out.  The former unicorn wanted to drop her guitar, to cry out, to beg her friends for help, but she could not stop playing.  Her eyes widened when the magic raced through her body towards her skull—it was treating the music as a complex spell matrix that was midcast! 
The feeling of ponying up had never hurt before, but this hovered on the line between pleasure and pain, enough that the moment her ears were under her control again, Sunset pinned them back, her senses reeling from it all. That meant she couldn't even cry out a warning—she had just enough in her to make sure her horn wasn’t pointed at anyone or anything before all the raw power she’d been feeling leapt through her skull and burst free from the end of her horn.
The room was bathed in crimson light as the magic expanded outwards from its source. The sudden brilliance made the other girls falter in their playing—Rarity hit three sour notes on her keytar and Rainbow completely missed her cue for her lines—but as the wave touched each of them, they became caught up in the magic and their playing found harmony again, even as their own pony ears relocated and Rainbow’s wings pushed her several feet into the air.  Sunset could feel the magic within her friends joining hers, until the brilliant red itself was transformed into a blazing Rainbow of Light.
The lights in the room flickered warningly under the presence of the Elements of Harmony and their strongest power, the beautiful display of color and magic making Sunset’s senses sing.  Love and friendship, intertwined with the virtues each of the girls embodied filled her until she felt her heart would burst, and in that moment, caught between the euphoria of the Rainbow and the fearful vision of Twilight, she found herself wanting to turn the magic loose on the threat and drive it away from her girlfriend for good.
The song had reached a crescendo, and with it, the rising energy in the air.  The fluorescent lights overhead dimmed and brightened, before overloading with a series of worrying pops, leaving the sole illumination in the room a large window and the shimmering hues of the Rainbow that exploded outward in all directions, passing through the walls and floors of the school as if they were not even there, the light of it growing to a blinding intensity. 
The impact it had on her senses and the raw force of the magic drove Sunset to her knees, and the former unicorn could feel herself wavering, control slipping from her grasp, no matter how much she struggled to tighten her will on her magic.  Just before it shattered entirely, she felt an arm around her back, offering support and providing strength that gave her focus to renew her mental grasp.  She was dimly aware of a voice buzzing distantly in ears that hurt.  “It’s okay, pony-girl, you got this, and your friends? We’re all here with you.  You’ve got this...”
> Chapter Seventy Five: By the Pricking in My Horn...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset let Flash and Applejack help her to her feet once the world stabilized to her senses.  Her head throbbed, human tissue and nerves sore from the energy that had pushed through it...and from what still bombarded it.  She rubbed her face, trying to get her eyes to focus properly, to give her more than a blurry world of color.  “...Is...everyone okay?”
“We’re fine,” AJ responded. “Only one ta collapse was you, Sunset. Ya gonna be alright?
Steadying herself, Sunset nodded. “Yeah...I...think I’m okay.”  
“Good! What happened, darling?! One minute we were playing and the next, it was like...” Rarity’s voice trailed off.
“Like you were calling us for help,” Rainbow interjected, landing lightly on her feet, wings folding neatly against her back.  
Rarity nodded, brushing a lock of hair away from her horn.  “Yes, like that...and it was as if the magic answered that, without us trying.”
“It felt like the Fall Formal,” Fluttershy murmured, “when we jumped in to protect Princess Twilight.”
The connotations were concerning, and raised more questions than she had answers for, particularly since as far as she was aware, she...didn't represent an Element of Harmony...did she?  Sure, without Princess Twilight, the girls were representing the incomplete set, but the only one remaining was Magic, and whatever she was tapping into didn’t feel at all like the Element of Magic.  Was it possible there was a seventh Element? Or had her exposure to Magic’s power simply left a way for her own magic to connect to the Elements, like rainwater making use of an old, dried up riverbed to flow towards a lake?  
Sunset tried to marshal her thoughts, to bring the wildly racing mess under some measure of order and control.  She had to do damage control in the now before she could focus on what ifs.  “...right...okay. We need to figure out if anyone was affected by that burst.”
Applejack snorted, guiding her to a chair. “Ah’d say things were affected alright.”  Sarcasm dripping from the farmer’s drawl was a bad sign.  “Think ya better sit fer a spell afore ya start takin’ stock o’ that.”
Still scrubbing at her blurry vision, hoping the rest of the light induced spots would fade quickly.  “How bad is it?”
Something square and wrapped in waxed paper was pressed into her hands.  “Here, darling, eat this.  These were sent along for magical refreshments, correct?”  The scent of the energy bar hit her nose and the redhead unwrapped it so she could take a hurried bite out of one of the ‘Little Sun Bites.’  “In fact, in the face of whatever that was, would it be prudent for all of us to have one?”
“Yes,” Sunset responded after she swallowed.  “Even if you aren’t ponies, your bodies are housing and expending Equestrian magic, which they are adapting to on their own. Better safe than sorry—magical burnout is dangerous.  That's what happened to me after the fight with the Sirens.”
The sound of wrappers being pulled open and people chewing filled the silence, at least until Pinkie spoke. “Speaking of burnout, the lights in the hall are toooootally busted....”
Flash snorted.  “According to the text I just got—my cell phone is fine, by the way—the power is down across the school, and everyone saw the rainbow light show. I’ve sent out the word that it wasn’t because of a fight against another monster so no one panics.” Sunset could make out him shaking his head now.  “You girls sure don’t do anything by halves.”
The former unicorn leaned her head back, already dreading talking to Miss Luna and Principal Celestia over this magical mishap, when her recovering eyesight noticed something odd.  “Um...if the power is out in the school, why do we still have lights in here?”
“Yeeeah, that’s one of them things that was affected,” Applejack responded.
Now that her eyes weren’t still dealing with spots, Sunset let her gaze turn straight up.  Where there had been cheap fluorescent lights, now polished crystal mage lights hung from the ceiling, giving off the familiar glow she remembered from Equestria. “Sweet sunfire, how in the name of Celestia’s golden horseshoes did we do that?!” Her eyes started looking over the room, and other changes jumped out at her. “The principals are going to kill me,” she groaned.  
First were the crystal mage lights, which she realized were made of the clear crystals that grew in abundance beneath pegasi cloud cities. These crystals held lighting enchants easily since even in a natural state they tended to glow from within and something about their formation close to the rainbow falls that fell from the cloud cities meant that light threw out rainbows of its own. With the right enchantment and a skilled artificer, they could be coaxed to shine light in any multitude of shades and hues.  
The next change she noticed was the cabinet that she had been using to store things in. Gone was the simple particle board and plastic, replaced by a thing of fine, rich wood with golden and crystal inlay, done in the gentle swirls and designs so often found in Equestrian furniture.  One of the doors was open, and as she leaned to look, she realized that the short space of cubby holes was gone, replaced by something far larger than its outside. At her best guess, it was about two thirds the size of the room they were occupying, with an external footprint comparable to the wardrobe cabinet she had in her loft.  Sunset’s eyes widened—that was one seriously high end expansion spell on top of transmutation!  By all rights, it should have been impossible.  
Ignoring her headache, she extended her senses to feel the cabinet’s magic, and recognized the the lingering touch of transmutation, as well as a spatial expansion spell as powerful as something Celestia could have cast...and a third spell, one she recognized: a locking spell, like what unicorns used, that could be keyed to either a magical signature or a physical key.  Sunset took another bite of the energy bar in her hand, dwelling on that for a long moment, before realizing the cabinet wasn’t the only source of high end magic in the room.
The door to the hall might as well have been a beacon, and she turned around in the chair to stare at it over Rarity’s shoulder.  Like the cabinet, the cheap human metal painted door was just gone, replaced with a door that would have fit in in the Canterlot Palace.  In fact, it was exactly like the door that granted access to the relic room, where Celestia tended to keep powerful or dangerous artifacts.  The wood was from a special breed of hardwood that only grew in the Everfree forest, soaked in wild magics throughout its life, and the crystals inset were a mix of powerful stones for warding and protection, including a dozen small Nightstones, a smattering of fire rubies, some sunfire crystals, and a single polished disc of a striated green stone that was only native to the lands claimed by the fox-folk, that they called an Eye of Inari after their progenitor deity.  They were worth a small fortune in pony lands, meaning very few could make use of their properties that disrupted illusions and shapeshifting spells.  She had grown up seeing them though—most of the secure parts of the palace had one set into the doors just like this.  Even the normal door knob was gone, in favor of a gently curved protrusion and flat crystal faceplate that held a small keyhole and thrummed with the magic of a powerful locking spell.
Rainbow nudged her with an elbow, before gesturing with a hand holding a half eaten energy bar. “That’s one hell of a door. Is that what passes for one in Equestria? Cuz holy shit, that’s a lot of rocks. And is that real gold?”
“Yes, the ‘rocks’ are for wards, and yes,” Sunset responded, getting up to inspect the door closer.  “In fact, this is almost identical in structure to the doors in the palace...which means...” She placed a hand on the crystal plate, feeling a tingle of magic go through her arm.  There was the sound of a complex mechanism coming undone, and she could feel the wards relent.  With a gentle tug, the door swung inward on silent hinges.  “It's not just a key lock. It’s keyed to magic signatures...and if I was a betting pony, I'd say it's keyed to our magic signatures.” 
Without thinking about if it were even possible, Sunset dropped to one knee, and touched the tip of her somehow still present horn to the door, calling to mind one of the old diagnostic spells she had learned.  It was a struggle—her headache intensified and it was like pushing molasses through a drinking straw—but a little tendril of magic wove into a spell.
“Uh...Sunset?  What’re ya doin’?”
“Diagnostic spell. One second.”  By the time she had finished, she was sweating and red faced, and her head felt like it was splitting open, but she had her information.  Rainbow helped her up and offered her another energy bar, which Sunset practically inhaled.  “So, good news? The door is keyed to the six of us, and there's a key mechanism too so if we can find the key that fits it, we can give it to people we want to grant access to the room.”
Flash raised an eyebrow.  “And the bad news?” 
The former unicorn reached up to rub the base of her horn with a wince. “I won't be able to cast anything here more complex than what I just did, unless something makes this body adapt a lot more to using my normal magic and not...whatever causes the pony-ups....and also, by all the fundamental laws of magic in Equestria, the transmutations in this room are impossible. These are permanent transfigurations of entire objects on a grand scale, with complex enchantments woven into their very being. None of that should be possible.  Even the princesses can't do this...”
The girls all looked at each other, unsure, before Rarity cleared her throat. “And yet, we seem to have made it possible, darling.  You’ve said the Elements are extremely powerful and it's their power we are drawing on. Is it possible they exceed some kind of power threshold that makes them capable of doing this?”
“It’s possible, I guess? Nopony is really well versed in the Elements and their limitations. They’ve historically only been used sporadically against major world ending threats, not summoned on a daily basis for band practice.”  Sunset stepped through the doorway to see if any changes extended to the hallway beyond. 
In that moment, now out of the room, she sensed what she had missed because she had been inside its effect.  The redhead whipped around, ignoring the way her head protested and her vision swam dizzily for a moment. Gritting her teeth and forcing herself to focus despite how much it hurt, Sunset cast another diagnostic spell.  Her concentration wavered several times, from the sheer pain in her head and the way her human body was protesting against using magic the way she was forcing it to, but she persisted, digging her metaphorical heels in and pushing on through it. No one else could do this, so she had to.
“Oh horseapples,” she swore, as she analyzed the magic enveloping the room.  Somehow, without trying, they had fashioned an extremely powerful ward on the space.  “Moldering, reeking, waterlogged horseapples!”  Agitation was joined by borderline panic. These weren’t just simple effects.  Permanent transmutations, powerful enchantments, and an entire room warded more strongly than even Princess Celestia’s own chambers...and Sunset was at a loss to explain any of them.  
“Okay...okay...” she muttered, running a hand through her hair.  “Think, Sunset.  We can deal with this, it's just a matter of how we present it.  I mean sure, the wards are permanent, but at least this way our experiments should no longer affect the rest of the school....”  The cold air in the hall was making her nose run again, and she wiped her face with the back of her hand to get rid of the dampness under it.
“Sunset?” Rainbow’s voice was nearby, but still distant and buzzy.
Her ears flicked back and she shook her head out of habit, only to regret it when it sent a spike of pain through her skull. An involuntary noise of pain escaped her, before she resumed her self addressed train of thought.  “It solves the storage problem for the gems too, since the cabinet is warded too, and I can just pay for a replacement out of pocket in a few years and take the enchanted one with me...” 
The unicorn-turned-human looked up into the worried faces of her friends.  “It’s okay, girls,” she reassured. “It's nothing that will hurt anyone...”
“Um...Sunset, that’s not...it's just that...” Fluttershy started to say, trailing off, sounding like she was talking from the other end of a long tunnel and not from a few feet away.
“Yer bleedin’, Sunset,” Applejack told her bluntly. “Thinkin’ ya need to stop an’ siddown fer a spell.”
Sunset resisted the urge to shake her head, wiping her nose again.  “Bleeding? I’m not—” she began as she took a step forward, only for the world to tilt disastrously to one side. 
“Sunset!” cried a chorus of voices.
Warm hands caught her, and she felt herself being lifted.  The world spun and she closed her eyes to avoid revisiting the food she’d eaten. “It's okay, pony-girl, we’ve got you,” Flash’s voice echoed near her ear.
Resting her sweaty forehead against a familiar shoulder, the redhead tried to protest the fact that her ex-turned-friend was carrying her through the hall. “Flash, you can't. People will—”
“Can and will, Sunset.  The nurse needs to look at you, let people think what they want. You know the truth.  Your friends know the truth, and so do I.  Besides, what would Twilight say if she found out we just let you collapse in the hallway?”
Her brows pinched as her mind went to her dorky girlfriend first, imagining the shorter girl with her hands on her hips, giving them all an imperious glare.  A tired laugh escaped her, one she regretted since it renewed the pounding in her skull. “...she’d be furious...” she mumbled.
“Right. And I don’t want a magical pony princess mad at me,” Flash concluded.
“To be fair, darling, we’d be rather cross with ourselves,” Rarity’s voice interjected from somewhere in the vicinity of Sunset’s feet.  “That’s why I’m accompanying you both to the nurse, and why, other than Fluttershy, the other girls are going around school to see if anything else was affected by our little magical...accident.”
“...don't need a nurse. Just...pushed a little hard,” Sunset grumbled. “...I’ve dealt with surges....and...a little feedback...before.”
Rarity made a loud sound of disagreement as the shifting bounce told Sunset she was being carried down the stairs. She could also feel Flash’s heavy sigh. “Sunset,” he told her when it seemed Rarity wouldn’t, “you turned grey, and you didn’t even notice you had a nosebleed.”
“Yes, darling,” Rarity agreed. “It was quite dreadful, really. None of us has ever seen you faint before and it was...unsettling.  Please humor your friends who thought for a moment that you had seriously damaged your health, and let the nurse make sure you are alright.”
The redhead tried hard to organize her somewhat scattered thoughts, wanting to explain that the situation was not near as dire as they thought, that she had dealt with plenty of episodes of both magical over-expenditure and the pain of thaumic backlash in her life, but her head gave a warning throb that felt like knives being driven into her brain by way of her eye-sockets.  The agony caused a whimper to make its way past her lips, her world twisting and rolling despite her eyes being shut. 
“...nset?” The wave of pain subsided slowly, but it left her nauseated and dizzy, and Flash’s voice sounded hollow and far away.
“...nurse...might be good... Feels like somepony...kicked my horn...at the base...” she slurred.  
Cool fingers brushed her forelock back. “You really aren’t in any kind of state to argue, Sunset, but I am glad you’ve chosen to acquiesce.  I am truly worried about you—you look positively ashen.”
Sunset felt every single one of the twenty two steps in the stairwell like a blow to not just her brain, but also to joints that hadn’t ached and burned this badly since the week after the formal. Her jaw clenched and she swallowed reflexively, desperate to keep her stomach from redecorating everything in the immediate vicinity.
Their arrival at the bottom of the steps was met with sounds of two voices: the principals, each expressing their dismay at what they saw in different ways.  
“Sunset! What happened to her?” Prince—Principal, she corrected her mind aggressively despite the pain it caused—Celestia sounded extremely worried.
Her sister, on the other hand, defaulted to dry wit.  “I see my first thought that this was another of Miss Dash’s juvenile pranks born of ego was incorrect.  You appear to be in quite a state, Miss Shimmer.”
Sunset groaned in response, but Flash grew briefly incensed.  “You jumped right to Rainbow Dash pulling a prank? Isn't that a bit...” he trailed off, and an awkward silence ensued.  It ended when Flash’s shoulders slumped. “Never mind. My bad. I realized what I said as soon as it came out of my mouth.”
“Indeed. Now perhaps you can explain on the way to the nurse, Miss Belle, Mister Sentry.  What happened? Power is out over the whole campus.” Luna’s tone remained brisk, but Sunset could hear the concern layered in the cool, controlled delivery.
Movement resumed, and Principal Celestia added, “We also saw...and felt...whatever that was.  I...can't recall anything quite like that before.”
“...’S the Rainbow...of Ligh’...” Sunset mumbled. “Element’s...true power...”
Rarity patted Sunset’s shoulder this time, her voice now near Sunset’s head.  “Rest, darling.  Save your strength.”  Then she cleared her throat, addressing the adults. “Sunset calls it the Rainbow of Light—I assume that’s the Equestrian term for the magical rainbow our magic seems to summon at its most powerful. As for why it happened...none of us are quite sure.  We were doing our band warm up, with Sunset’s new instruments monitoring everything, and...I think Sunset’s magic reacted to something. At least, it started with her, but it was as though her magic called to the rest of us, and the magic within us jumped to her aid.”  The designer sounded puzzled by her own explanation.  “It was as if she were...calling for help, as preposterous as that likely sounds.”
Flash cleared his throat. “I think she saw something. Some kind of...vision...or something. Right before it happened...Sunset got this look on her face. She was...”
Oh horseapples, Sunset whimpered internally. Please don't tell them I was like a spooked little filly. 
The young man carrying her down the hall paused in his words, thinking. “It looked like it freaked her out,” he finished. “That's when she did the pony thing, and her horn started glowing red.”
The former unicorn struggled to provide some form of coherent explanation, to clarify Flash’s...fairly accurate guess.  “...nightmares...about dark magic...made me twitchy...all day...caused a surge...” She pried her eyes open, wincing as the added cerebral input made everything worse.  “...sorry...about the room...and the lights...”
“Dark magic?” the women chorused, before Celestia took charge. “Is the school in danger?”
“...don't think so...?” It hurt to think. Sunset couldn't answer until something was done about this headache. “...sorry...head’s...muzzy. Hurts.”
Flash adjusted his hold. “We’re almost to the nurse, pony-girl....and look on the bright side—your nose isn't bleeding anymore? You still kinda look like you lost a fight with the Hulk though.”
Pained as she was, she felt her lips turn up at the edges. “Heh. I...understood...that reference.”
Nurse Redheart, for her part, was not exactly the most sympathetic woman when they arrived, chiding Sunset, “Just because you provided me with first aid instructions for ‘magical’ injuries was not carte blanche to go and take foolish risks, Miss Shimmer.” Despite that, her hands were gentle as she gave the former unicorn a once over. 
“Sorry,” Sunset managed.  “Can I...get something...for my head?”
The nurse shined a penlight at each of her eyes, making a thoughtful sound. “Tylenol only, I’m afraid. If I hadn't seen the same light show as everyone else, I’d think you had a concussion.  As it is, the material you provided suggests that...'' she leaned over her desk, flipping through the binder that Sunset had put together, “...’thaumic backlash’ shows symptoms not unlike both a concussion and heat exhaustion.”
Sunset sighed, knowing the woman was right. “...yeah...”
“Then you need to take it easy for a few days. No gym class for the rest of the week, and I recommend you take tomorrow off from school entirely to rest.” The woman passed her a paper cup filled with water and a couple of white pills. “Two Tylenol now for the headache, and you can have another two in eight hours if the pain comes back.  No aspirin or ibuprofen for at least twenty four hours. And I want you to consider drinking at least a full bottle of water before you leave here this afternoon.  How's your stomach?”
Less likely to turn itself inside out all over the floor now that Sunset was laying on one of the beds in the nurse’s office, if she was honest, but that felt like too many words, so she settled on, “Better now.”
“Good.” Redheart addressed the rest of the group.  “Let her relax here in the dark and quiet for a little while. You can talk outside—she’s not going to be able to answer a lot of questions until she's more coherent. I’ll monitor her in the meantime.” She shooed them along, and settled back into her chair, going back to the binder Sunset had made.
Medicine taken, Sunset laid back and let herself drift, worry pulling her mind back to what she had seen. There was dark magic and it was coming for Twilight Sparkle.
And she had no idea how to stop it.
> Chapter Seventy Six: ...Something Wicked This Way Comes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Vice Principal Luna peered over the top of her notepad, tapping a pen on its surface. “Let me see if I have written this all correctly.  In addition to accidentally knocking out the lights, necessitating a trip to the fuse box in the spider infested basement of the school, your little rainbow display also caused the door and overhead lighting in the room given to your group to transform into magical equivalents, and produced some kind of protective barrier around the room.  Is this correct?”
Sunset ran her fingers over the large crystal in her lap, her headache reduced to a dull ache. “Yes, Miss Luna.”
“It also, somehow, caused every plant on the school campus and part of the woods beyond to come into full bloom as if this were the end of April and not the middle of a particularly chilly January, at least a half a dozen of which are growing along the trellises by the horticulture class’ greenhouse that are of an unknown species. A species which, based on a few leaves and flower samples, you have identified as some form of berry bush native to your homeland that you are certain will not cause undue harm to living things here?”
“They're fizzleberry bushes, Miss Luna. In Equestria they are a relative of the blackberry. Completely safe for human consumption...though I would note that people might want to mind the thorns. They produce a sap that has a minor numbing effect. It goes away after a few minutes, but it's...not great...if you fall into a bunch of them at once.” Sunset sighed.  “...but nothing that was changed should harm anyone. I promise.”
The administrator nodded. “And...what about that?” She pointed and the faintly glowing Nightstone Sunset was holding.
The redhead offered it out. “I’d made this as a test, but the magic we unleashed charged it. It's a wardstone, meant to guard an area. This one is designed to repel dark magic. I...wanted to give it to you and Principal Celestia. It won't guard the whole school, but it should protect the office and here.”
One dark eyebrow arched as Luna took the crystal carefully and turned it over in her hands. “Impressive work, Miss Shimmer—Is it too much to hope it repels spiders too?”
Her head still not in a place where shaking it was a good idea, Sunset settled for a nervous hand gesture. “...only if those spiders are a magical manifestation of evil?”
“Hmm.”  The dark skinned woman made a face. “I suppose that is a matter of debate. I would certainly classify them as the work of the most unholy of magics, so I am sure you can imagine how I felt finding three of them in my hair after my trip to the fuse box.”
An errant thought about getting Princess Twilight to send along a necklace enchanted to repel arthropods crossed the former unicorn’s mind and she filed it away for later. “I really am sorry about that,” she said, frowning.  “I really wasn't expecting it to go like that. I thought we’d just...play some songs, pony-up like normal, and I’d get some more solid readings on my equipment.” 
Luna glanced around, and lowered her voice in order to keep the conversation private. “Mister Sentry suggested you’d had some kind of vision, and you mentioned nightmares about dark magic. Are you alright, Sunset?”
The redheaded teen hesitated for a few seconds before she found herself spilling what she had told Flash, about her nightmares and how they felt more real than just an ordinary dream sequence gone bad.  Her vice principal listened to the whole explanation, nodding at the appropriate moments. When Sunset ran out of words, Luna frowned thoughtfully. “And you have little idea what it pertains to?”
“I...nothing here, as far as I can tell.”  Something niggled at Sunset, and she asked the question before she could talk herself out of it. “Miss Luna? What do you know about Crystal Prep?” 
There was a long pause before the older woman replied, the deliberation with which she spoke suggesting she was choosing her words with care.  "If I might be a bit candid with you on this matter, Miss Shimmer, then suffice to say that my sister and I have...a history...with Crystal Prep, as well as many of those who work there.  In manners both professional and personal, I have found myself at odds with them, and it would be...difficult...for me to give you an unbiased opinion on..."  Luna paused again, then shrugged one shoulder minutely, "...on anything to do with that place.”
Biting her lip, Sunset weighed her options.  In the end, her worry for her dorky girlfriend won out over everything else. “I...know someone who goes there,” she admitted. “A friend.  And...I don't know. Everyone talks about CPA like it's this amazing school, with all these great people going there, who all end up going on to do amazing things.” She toyed with part of her jacket. “When I first heard about it, I figured it was a bit like CSGU: stuck up upper class aristo-brats, all born sucking on silver and diamond spoons. But...my friend...that school seems awful when she talks about it, but then in the next breath she's trying to defend it, which makes no sense."
She frowned, shaking her head a little to dispel the way the subject was making her twitchy--and regretting it a moment later as the throbbing in her head increased. “And it's not just her. I keep hearing people talk about it like it's amazing and special...and it just sounds too good to be true.  Which makes me suspicious, so I really think I’d like to hear your view. Even if it's biased—especially if you aren't part of the ‘CPA is the best school ever!’ Club.” 
Her principal’s face was tight. “‘Too good to be true’ is perhaps the most accurate description you could give that...institution.  I would caution you, Miss Shimmer, about keeping an eye on your friend’s mental and emotional health. As much as Abacus Cinch tries to sweep it under the rug, that school has the highest rate of self-harm among students out of every school in the greater Canterlot area.  Even the remedial center for youths who have been expelled due to criminal activities and incarceration in the juvenile detention centers fares better than Crystal Prep in that area.”  She leaned back in her chair. “...of course, you didn't hear that from me.”
After the conversation she and Twilight had had about the exam week harassment, and seeing her the Friday before, Sunset wasn't surprised by that information, and learning that her principals both had issues with the private school helped solidify her own sense of mistrust about it as being more than just paranoia and projection of her own negative experiences from CSGU onto Twilight’s school life.  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for...being forthcoming, Miss Luna.”
With a nod, the woman scrutinized her. “There is a reason you bring it up, isn't there? One that has to do with your vision of dark magic?”
Sunset rubbed her face.  “Kind of. I think...I think CPA is the target...but I don't know for certain, and I don't have any details. Only an inkling of dark magic and a shadow over it all.  I don't even know if it's really magic or my mind just...being worried about my friend and presenting that in a way that makes more sense for a pony than a human.”
Luna was silent for a long time, expression thoughtful.  “I believe,” she ventured at last, “that you should trust your instincts, Miss Shimmer. While nocturnal fantasies may just be a side effect of your brain filing data away, it has been shown that our subconscious is often capable of realizing things before our conscious mind is aware.  Do not dismiss your nightmares quite so readily as unimportant before you analyze them carefully—they could be offering you information that could make all the difference.”
The former unicorn frowned, mulling over the advice. “That’s...a fair point, I guess. I still feel like I need to know more before I act though. Right now, I’d probably just come off as crazy.”
“A wise decision, Miss Shimmer, and you will have more time for it tomorrow once you recover a bit.  Which brings me to the next order of business...” Luna set the notepad and the wardstone on a nearby table. “Nurse Redheart is labeling your symptoms akin to a concussion. That means I cannot, in good faith, let you go home to your solitary dwelling, nor is it a good idea for you to drive.  That presents a slight conundrum, though now that you’ve updated your files, I can just call someone to come fetch you.  However...I wanted to provide you with some measure of control over your situation...”
Sunset’s eyes went wide at the thought of Velvet driving over to pick her up. The girls would see, the girls would have questions, and she couldn't just lie to them.  The truth about Twilight would come out and she had nothing planned yet on how to explain it...  Her breathing became strained as she felt fear and panic rising in her throat, choking her. “I can't, Miss Luna!” she blurted. “I can go to Mrs. Velvet’s house, but please, don't call her here. I’ll just...walk...there...” 
The educator watched her.  “Breathe, Miss Shimmer.  I would prefer you not walk.  If you are against me calling her to come get you, is there someone you can trust to provide you a ride over there?  If not, you can wait for me to finish my after school duties, taking the extra time to rest, and I can give you a ride over there.”
The redheaded teen weighed her options, really not liking any of those choices. Any of them would run the risk of Twilight encountering her friends and classmates in a fashion that Sunset was not prepared to handle when she felt like she’d been run over by the Canterlot Express.  Even if they just saw her getting into a car with Twilight Sparkle from a distance it would spell trouble.  One hand rubbed her temples as her headache spiked again.  “I don't know, Miss Luna,” she started, ready to explain she wasn't really comfortable with anyone accompanying her to her destination, only to have a voice break in.  
“I’ll give you a ride, Sunset,” Flash offered with a smirk and a wink. “You’ve ridden with me before.  I can drop you off where you need to go on my way to work.”  
Her face heated to the tips of her ears.  She had no idea how long he’d been standing there, listening.  At the same time though...out of everyone...Flash would be reasonable and let her explain the existence of another Twilight before scaring the daylights out of her girlfriend.  It would also serve as a good test run for telling the girls. That in mind, she slumped back against the pillows propping her up. “...yeah. Okay. Flash can give me a ride, Miss Luna. Can I at least move my bike closer to the school, maybe where it's in view of the camera? I don't want anything to happen to it overnight.”
Stern eyes flitted between the two teens, before Luna inclined her head. “Very well, Miss Shimmer, Mister Sentry.  As for the motorcycle, you can walk it closer with assistance, Miss Shimmer. Nurse Redheart specifically advised against any form of driving or heavy equipment operation—several hundred pounds of automotive engineering qualifies as ‘heavy equipment.’  Do you believe you can assist in this, Mister Sentry, or should I ask the Apple children to do it before they leave for the afternoon?”
“I think we’ve got it covered.” Flash’s smirk became his goofy, friendly smile.  “Did you need Sunset for anything else, Vice Principal Luna?”
Raising one brow, the administrator looked at the clock. “I believe I have had all my questions answered, Mister Sentry. Anything else can wait.”  She turned her attention to Sunset. “There are about fifteen minutes until the final bell. It might behoove you to go to your locker now, rather than wait to fight the crowd.  I will call Velvet once I get back to my office to let her know about your...” she paused, before very deliberately continuing, “...unfortunate dodgeball accident in gym class this afternoon.”
It took a moment for it to register. “Thank you...I...don't want to lie to them, but they...don't know about the magic.”
“I had assumed as much. Off with you, then.”  Luna looked at the stone in her hand as she stood. “Must we do anything special with this? Or just simply put it in a safe place in the office?”
Sunset rubbed her neck. “I’d recommend a safe drawer or cabinet, out of sight. It works based on an area, so in either of your offices should protect them both and Miss Raven’s desk.  I would have made it bigger but I wasn't sure it would work at all and I didn’t want to waste a five diamond Nightstone only to end up with a fancy paperweight.”
“Five diamond?”
“It’s complicated. Equestrian currency and values versus human. I’ll explain tomorrow morning,” Sunset answered.  “I have something I wanted to talk about with you and Principal Celestia anyway.” She needed to check and see if her finance advisor had gotten back to her anyway.  He was usually fairly prompt.
Luna gave her another stern look. “Wednesday, Miss Shimmer. You are excused from tomorrow to recover. I will see you on Wednesday morning, and no sooner, understand?”
Shoulders sagged. “Yes, Miss Luna,” the former unicorn sighed.
“Alright, pony-girl, come on. I’ve got your bag, and the basket from Granny Smith. We can hit your locker and beat the rush.” Flash offered her a hand up, and she used it to make sure she remembered how to properly balance on two legs. 
Sunset felt more stable once she reached the doorway. “You humans suck. Why did you choose to be bipedal? It’s a stupid way of getting around, always halfway to falling on your flat monkey faces.”
“Because we like having our hands free to open jars,” the young man quipped in response. “Plus it's hard to play guitar with your mouth.”  He bent down to grab her backpack and sling it over his shoulder, before hefting the basket of produce.  “Lead the way.”
It took them a little longer at her locker than anticipated, so by the time they got into his car and settled, they were stuck waiting for the buses to leave. Sunset glanced at the time on her phone, watching the minutes tick by and doing a bit of math in her head.  Twilight usually took the city bus home after school—there was a bus stop across the street from CPA, and one four blocks from her house.  It would be a close guess on whether she’d beat Twilight to the house or if she was about to be thrust into the world's most awkward conversation.  It made her fidget, and she found herself cribbing on the tip of her thumb.
It only got worse the longer they sat in the car, until Flash reached over and tugged her hand away from her face. “You're doing it again.  What's going on in your head, Sunset?” 
She blew air out her nostrils in a sound that was half sigh, half irritated snort, pensively staring out the window as they finally got moving.  “It's...complicated.”
“Is it about your girlfriend? That's whose house I’m taking you to, right? Which direction am I going, by the way?” Flash tapped an absent beat on his steering wheel with his thumbs, in time with the quiet murmur from the radio.
“...yes...” She hesitated, before sighing heavily.  “You know Clover Estates? She lives on Prosperity, three houses down from where it meets Easy Street.”
His eyes widened and he let out a low whistle.  “She lives in Clover? That's all old rich people there...she goes to our biggest rival school and her family’s loaded.”  It wasn't a question.  “I can see why you're a little hesitant to talk too much about her.”
Sunset leaned her head back, internal debate raging.  Flash had given her a good out, and she could take it...but all of that would amount to nothing if he saw her nerd.  “If only it were that simple,” she confessed. 
“I mean, I get it, pony-girl. The rivalry is bad on a Friendship Games year, and people have just finally laid off you.  I can see not wanting to put your girlfriend in that kinda spot. Not everyone at CHS is a saint, and we all know about Crystal Preppers.” The blue haired young man flashed her one of his reassuring smiles.  
It didn't help. “Look...there's more to it than that, way more...but I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone—not the girls, not Brawly, not your mom, no one—what I’m about to say.  I can't explain why, but...I need you to understand that no one can find out until I figure out how to tell them...and her.”  Her headache was ramping up again, and she felt queasy, but she had to do this. Twilight would likely not handle a strange boy trying to hug her with any amount of calm, rational behavior, and it was Sunset’s responsibility to make sure that such a totally avoidable scenario was, in fact, firmly avoided.
His brows furrowed worriedly.  “Sure, Sunset. I really don’t think whatever it is you’re worried about can possibly be all that bad though.” 
“It...could be. Please, Flash?”
A slow nod, and he took the moment at a stop sign to hold up a hand and make a gesture across his chest. “I promise, your secret, your girlfriend’s secret, whatever it is, is safe with me.”
That helped her jittery nerves some, and she focused on taking a few deep, cleansing breaths like Princess Celestia had taught her.  “Thanks...”  Then she steeled herself for his reaction.  “The reason I’m keeping all of it a huge secret is because of just who she is, and the way people would react if they knew.”
Flash laughed. “What, are you dating Countess Coloratura or something?”
“Worse.” Another shaky breath and she took the plunge. “I’m dating Twilight Sparkle.”
To his credit, Flash didn’t jerk the wheel or slam on the brakes.  Instead, he pulled over into a gas station parking lot, put the car in park, and turned to face her fully. “You're serious?” he asked levelly, searching her face intently.
“She’s not the Twilight from Equestria,” she clarified.  “This is the Twilight who is from this world. She’s as human as you are.”
Flash was silent, and the silence stretched between them like a taut rubber band on the verge of snapping back and stinging her hand, until Sunset began to think that she had made a mistake.  Finally, the universe seemed to take pity on her.
“Huh.”  The boy she’d once dated for all the wrong reasons, who’d had a serious crush on the pony counterpart to girl Sunset had just confessed to dating, blinked slowly, his tone that of someone coming to a slow but profound realization. “Huh,” he repeated.  “That...explains a lot, actually.”
The redhead exhaled in relief, sinking back in her seat.  “I can't tell anyone, because they’ll want to meet her, make friends with her, and while that'd be great, she's just not ready for that. I've talked to her about introducing her to my other friends, and she’s told me she isn't there yet.  I have to respect that, you know?  She’s nothing like the princess, and I'm not sure the girls...or anyone at school would understand that.”
He nodded. “I can imagine, with her being a human girl as opposed to a magical pony princess.”
“It's more than that. Princess Twilight was a student to a goddess, gifted in magic, and she’s led not just a different life, but...she’s...I can't explain it. She’s different from my Twilight.  Sparky is wonderful—she’s my best friend, Flash, and she’s the smartest being I've ever known in two whole worlds. She’s patient with me, she gets me—when I can't say what I'm thinking, she already knows it—we can talk for hours about all kinds of things that I can't with anyone else. For once, I don't have to pretend, or remember that not everyone calculates high end quantum mechanics and does advanced calculus in their head as an afternoon hobby, and while I've told her about Sunset Shimmer, Queen Bitch of Canterlot, she’s never been on the receiving end of it, so I don’t have the kind of baggage with her that I have with literally everyone else in my life.  She’s dorky, but funny, and she treats me like I matter for me.”  Her gaze turned to look out the window, blinking back tears.  “But she’s not the best with crowds or other people, and she doesn't have many friends.  She's not...outgoing like Princess Twilight. She’s quieter—maybe no less determined in her friendship goals—and she gets really bad panic attacks sometimes...”
She was babbling now, unable to stop the words that were pouring from her mouth like a waterfall. “If people found out about her? Or worse, saw her without me warning them? It would terrify her, Flash, strangers trying to hug her or pat her on the back, all knowing her name and things about her, referencing events she didn't know about.  I haven't told her what I am yet, or about magic or anything like that—she’d never believe me without solid proof and right now my magic is unstable and potentially dangerous, not something I can just call on at will like I could in Equestria....and I’m not ready to tell her yet...”
“Sunset....”  
The former unicorn was shaking now.  “I’m not ready to tell her or her family, because they're all so nice to me. Mrs. Velvet makes me special food, because I don't eat meat, and they invite me over for their holidays and their family nights.  They gave me a room, did you know that? A room of my own, no strings attached, to stay in whenever I want—or not, my choice!  No one’s ever—” Sunset broke off, changing tracks as she almost spilled more than she wanted to. “...I don't know what they’ll do if they find out everything else, and I’m not ready to lose them. They mean too much, Flash...they were there when I had nothing else.”
“Sunset...It's okay. Take some deep breaths, and calm down.”  The blue haired young man reached out and squeezed her shoulder with one hand.  “I promised I’d keep your secret and I will.  I completely understand. Your Twilight is someone special to you, and her family has become your family. I’m not sure how it is for ponies, but for humans, that just happens sometimes, and I get why you want to protect that.  I want to protect my family too.” 
Sunset scrubbed at her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I shouldn't dump all this on you, I wasn't going to, it just happened.”
Flash snagged a few napkins from the center console.  “Here. So you can blow your nose and clean up a bit.  There's still a little bit of dried blood on your face from earlier.  I’m gonna grab us some sodas, give you a chance to breathe without me here.  Dr. Pepper still your poison of choice, pony-girl?”
The gesture threatened to make her cry harder, and Sunset could only nod at him, too focused on wrestling with her emotions.  He gave her shoulder another squeeze, before leaving her alone. Sunset blew her nose, and then used water from a half empty bottle in her backpack to wet a few of the napkins so she could clean her face—especially after she got a look at herself in the mirror on the visor.  
By the time he returned a few minutes later with two sodas and a little paper sack of warm brownies, she looked and felt better.  Gone were the little flecks and smears of dried blood off her face, and she’d managed to get her emotions to stop trying to bring her headache back with a vengeance while making her look like an absolute headcase.  “Sorry about that,” she said quietly.  
He held out the bottle of Dr. Pepper to her. “I get it. You’re dealing with a lot. Top of our class, straight A’s, trying to do stuff with magic and protect the school, and basically living a double life...that's a lot on your plate, Sunset. Plus whatever happened earlier really knocked you for a loop.” Taking a sip of his soda, he added quietly, “You scared us. We thought you’d cooked your brain or something trying to do magic.”
Blue-green eyes stared into the dark liquid of her drink, as if she could plumb the depths of it for some kind of answer, some universal truth that would tell her what answer to give.  Silence stretched on until it bordered on uncomfortable, finally prompting her to unscrew the lid.  She drained a full third of the bottle without stopping, hoping it would do something for her suddenly dry throat and parched tongue.
“Sunset...?” Flash ventured.
The redhead held the cold bottle to her forehead, the sensation providing a measure of clarity to her thoughts.  “I...it happened before I could stop it, and I was the focal point for it....I could have tried foisting some of the power off on the girls, but for all their raw potential, none of them are trained magi.  And...it was my magic that set the whole thing off...” Sunset closed her eyes, unable to look at her ex-turned-friend, not up to explaining the complex problem of her magic and recent troubles with control.  “After everything I’ve done, after all the hurt and hate I caused, after what I did to everyone at school during the dance...after I tried to kill the princess...I couldn't allow my magic to hurt an innocent person again—even if it kills me. I’m sorry I scared all of you, I am, but...never again, Flash. I won't allow myself to become that monster again.”
He frowned. “You're not expendable either, Sunset.  Your life has just as much meaning, is just as valuable as anyone else. Do you realize what it would do to people? To your friends? To the school? And what about Twilight—both Twilights, even?”
Flinching, the former unicorn curled in on herself at his uncharacteristically stern tone as much as the words themselves, but Flash wasn't done.  “I get it—you're used to doing things for yourself. But you're not alone anymore Sunset.  Things that affect you affect all the people who care about you, and you need to start considering that before you jump in feet first.”
“I...” Her gaze dropped to her lap, because he was right.  If something happened to her, the girls would be upset...and Sparky?  In her mind’s eye, she could see purple eyes filled with tears, terror and grief and worry etched on features Sunset knew almost better than her own.  Something in her knew that Twilight would be devastated, and that knowledge jarred her worldview in a way she hadn’t expected. 
Unbidden, a scrap of an old memory was dredged up.  She’d been...maybe four or so, and Raven Inkwell’s predecessor, an elderly stallion named Writing Desk, had passed on. Sunset had known him, though not particularly well, and he had always been kind to her, but Princess Celestia had counted the brown, unassuming unicorn as a friend, and had spoken at his funeral.  After they’d returned to the palace, Sunset had been awash with questions, since it was really her first encounter with death, and Celestia had answered them with infinite patience...



“....What happened to Mr. Writing Desk, Princess?” the filly asked, snuggling on the bed against the large white barrel.  “Was he sick?”
A soft wing extended to tuck around her in an embrace.  “He was a very old pony, little sun, and it was simply his time to pass on.”
Tiny brows furrowed. “I liked him. He was nice to me when he visited the palace.”
“I liked him very much too, my little sun. He was my friend for a long time.”  The solar ruler nuzzled her cheek with her muzzle.  
Sunset considered that.  “I’m sad that he’s gone,” she announced, looking up at the alicorn mare for guidance.
Golden magic that reminded her of summer combed through her mane.  “That is normal, Sunset,” Celestia responded, tone soft.  “Even I am a little sad. But you won’t stay sad—it will fade.”  She kissed the top of the filly’s head.  “It is sad, but it is part of life, my dearest little sun.  Everypony will die someday, and while we are sad for a while, we won't be sad forever.  We learn to move on, and look back at our memories of the good times with a smile.”
The foal grew quiet and thoughtful, a frown marring tiny features even as she drifted off to sleep.



Sunset shoved the memory down.  That had been the moment when she first made the connection between her own mortality...and the princess’ immortality, that one day, the mare she adored would relegate her to “another pony she would be sad about for a while” before she moved on.  Her eyes raised to glance over at Flash. “...I’m sorry...” she apologized, her voice thick.  “I...I guess I’m still not used to mattering like that to anyone.”
“Well you do matter. People care about you, and more than that, they need you, in more ways than I think you realize.” Flash squeezed her shoulder.  “The girls definitely do—you balance them out, make them come together.”
She couldn't help but snort. “Now you're confusing me with Princess Twilight.  She brought them together.”
“Maybe originally, but Sunset? I've seen Twilight and I've seen you, and she might have reminded them about their friendship, but you've become the one that keeps them together. You can read people, and know just what to say or do.” The young man was watching her intently, giving her shoulder another squeeze.  “Right now, it’s you they look to for guidance, for answers, and for leadership, even if they don't outright say it...not Princess Twilight.”
Sunset’s stomach twisted, and with it, her expression. Flash let go of her shoulder with one last pat.  “Give it some time to sink in, pony-girl, and at least think later about what I’ve said. People in your life need you.”  He paused, then chuckled. “Crazy as it sounds, I’m one of those people.”
Wrinkling her nose, Sunset punched his shoulder as he put the car back in gear to leave the gas station.  “Don't be a mule.  I’ve already got a girlfriend.”
Laughing, he rolled his eyes.  “You know what I mean.”
Sunset was quiet for a moment, savoring this new form of camaraderie and friendship that was so different from her relationships with the girls, and she realized she was glad that Flash had been willing to start over.  “Yeah,” she admitted in a soft voice. “I can't really explain how I know what you mean...but I do.”  She gave him a smile. “Thanks, Flash...you're a good friend.”
> InterludeXVII: Mother's Intuition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The speakers from her laptop played music that Twilight Velvet hummed along with cheerfully as she moved about the kitchen. For a Monday, she’d been rather productive, finishing two whole chapters in a flurry of inspiration, before spending an hour or so giving the main floor a quick cleanup. Now she was staring into the freezer, trying to decide on dinner.  They’d done a lot of soups and stews recently, just simply because of how bitterly cold the winter had been so far, but she felt that something more solid would be appreciated by her husband and daughter.  Her eyes flitted to a package of chicken and an idea took shape.
The chicken was set in the sink and she checked the fridge and cupboard for the rest of the ingredients. Everything she needed was there, so she decided on making her grandmother’s cream and parmesan chicken recipe over rice.  Everyone in the house loved that one, and leftovers wouldn’t last, especially if Shining stopped by on Tuesday like he normally did.
A stray thought intruding sent the woman back to the freezer to retrieve a small package of salmon fillets out. Even though Sunset wasn’t due back at the house until Friday, Velvet decided that the teen would enjoy the same recipe with one of her preferred protein sources, especially if it was pre-packaged into meal sized portions to be kept in the freezer. In the months she’d been coming over, she’d started to lose some of the gauntness that Velvet suspected came from a mix of her vegetarian diet and a lack of real, healthy meals from a tight budget, but she was still too thin in all the wrong ways for a teenage girl with her proportions and frame.  It made her wish they could convince Sunset to just make their house a more permanent residence—at least then she would know that Sunset was getting at least one good meal in her every day.
For now though, she’d settle for making extra and sending Twilight over in the next day or two to deliver it. Her youngest would love the excuse to go see the girl she was “secretly” dating, and with how happy time with Sunset made her, Velvet was more than willing to come up with opportunities or sign off on them as often as possible.  Watching Twilight open up, laughing and socializing and going on outings like other teens her age—even if those outings were to places most teens wouldn’t be caught dead in, like museums—knowing that she was having those experiences, instead of spending her life cooped up in a lab all alone, was worth the worry that came from letting her ride with Sunset on the redheaded girl’s motorbike, or the added effort of pretending to be blind to the infatuated looks, sappy smiles, and touches that lingered just a little too long and a little too intimately for two girls who were only best friends.
The woman chuckled, thinking of the stash of photos that she had on her laptop.  All of them had been taken at perfectly innocent moments, yet when looking at them, it was impossible to deny the love and affection between the couple.  All going well, she hoped to eventually put them in an album, perhaps with a suitably amusing title—Night had suggested “Did You Really Think We Didn’t Know?”—and ultimately present it to the girls as a gift. Maybe for Christmas next year, provided they were still together and assuming her daughter actually got to the point of informing them of the fact that she was gay, and desperately in love with her ‘best friend.’  Velvet certainly hoped she would do it soon, because one of these days someone in the house was going to slip up and say ‘your girlfriend’ and she knew that would send Twily right into a nuclear level meltdown.  She had a good feeling though—there had been a moment that weekend that she thought Twilight was on the verge of blurting it out, which was closer than she had ever come before.
Truthfully, Velvet mused to herself, it was in no way an exaggeration to call Sunset Shimmer the absolute best thing to ever happen to her daughter.  Really, saying anything else would be underselling the impact of the fiery haired girl on the entire family and just how much she brought into their house.  She knew, from long talks with Night in those quiet, soft moments before they drifted off to sleep, that the way Sunset responded to parental affection meant a great deal to them both.  The teen was like a tiny, withered plant feeling the first droplets of rain at the end of a long drought, soaking it up and reaching for more, trying desperately to not look as in need of simple love and care as she clearly was.  The look in those eyes, the old pain mixed with wonder and a little bit of fear touched something in the older woman’s heart, and she wanted nothing more to give Sunset all the motherly love that she had clearly been denied since the loss of her birth family.
It was certainly easy enough to do.  Twilight Velvet was not ignorant of her own nature; her natural inclination to care for others manifested in many of her interpersonal relationships, in how quickly she had suggested to Fantasia that she and Night could look after Cadence when their friends had first started going abroad for business, in the way she interacted with her various nieces and nephews... And of course, it was the source of the soft pang that she could never quite move past, that went through her anytime she thought of those long years between Shining and Twilight. So many times where they’d hoped that this time would be different, that they’d done everything right, that she was taking the best care of herself she could, only for it to all end in yet another awful moment in some suitably pastel doctor’s office that could only offer them false comfort and empty platitudes that did nothing to alleviate the way her heart felt like it had been ripped out yet again...followed by far too clinical arrangements that she could only nod along to...Those silent moments of grief where she and Night were both hurting too much to do anything beyond hold each other and try not to weep... Impossibly long treks from the hospital to the car, arms and body filled with a void that ate away at a dream of filling the house with laughter and little running feet...
Twily had been their miracle child, a life brought into being when medicine and science had advised them that there was no hope and that for her health they needed to stop trying to beat the odds—even during the pregnancy there had been several times the doctors had advised them that she wouldn’t carry to term.  She had hoped, her heart breaking anew when her baby had entered the world into the beginning of a life filled with struggle.  Twilight had been so tiny when she was born, a little scrap of life cocooned in machines so much bigger than she was.
Those first weeks had been filled with Velvet staring at the baby in the NICU she wanted so deeply to hold and never let go, a whispered, pleading mantra uttered over and over.  Just live, my precious little one, breathe, fight and don’t give up...come home with me, with us, and I will give you anything and everything.
It was a vow she would prove unable to keep, though not for lack of trying. In the end, the one thing her beautiful daughter needed was something Velvet couldn’t give her, and it reduced her again to helplessly watching as an indifferent world hurt her baby over and over again, as Twily struggled in so many different ways that most children never did. 
Until chance...happenstance...or maybe another hidden miracle brought a neglected, hurting, flame haired child into their lives, and Sunset had somehow reached out to Twily, making contact with that place in her daughter that no one and nothing had ever managed to touch before and brought it to life.  For that, if nothing else, Twilight Velvet would love Sunset as if she were her own—even if the romance between Sunset and her daughter didn’t last, Sunset would remain a child of the woman’s heart, and would always have a place in their family and home.
Her phone ringing jarred Velvet roughly from her thoughts, the woman blinking in confusion for a few moments before it dawned on her where the ringing was coming from. She answered her cell, not recognizing the number that flashed across the screen.  “Hello?”
“Twilight Velvet?” 
It took a few seconds for her to place the voice: Sunset’s Vice Principal.  “Luna?”
“Yes, and I apologize if I am interrupting anything,” the woman said.
“Not at all.  Is everything alright?” Worry had started to gather in her stomach but Velvet was half hoping this was just the woman calling to verify the new information in Sunset’s file.
The pause from the other end confirmed that this was more than just a courtesy call.  “...not exactly.  There was a minor accident with Sunset at school today.”
Almost without conscious direction, her free hand reached for her car keys.  “What happened? Is she okay?”  The woman hesitated for a moment as something occurred to her.  “Tell her I can be on my way to come get her in two minutes and that no, it’s not an imposition or a worry or whatever other protest she might be making.  That’s why I gave her the contact information.” 
Luna chuckled,  “I see you know Miss Shimmer well enough to anticipate her excuses. She is quite alright—nothing the nurse thinks is serious. There was a bit of overenthusiasm during dodgeball today, and Sunset was hit in the face. The nurse checked her over, and is concerned she may have a very minor concussion on top of a bloodied nose.  Her recommendation is a day off tomorrow, and rest, without any intense activity—no driving, no heavy lifting, no strenuous exercise—but she also recommended someone be able to keep an eye on her in case it is more serious.”  There was the sound of shuffling papers in the background. “Though you need not come retrieve her—one of her friends has already volunteered to provide her with a ride.”
Velvet set her keys down.  “She’s not used to adults keeping their promises, or putting her first, I suspect.  Just the fact that someone cares about her is something she is still adjusting to.  It’s as if she has never been on the receiving end of unconditional love and support, and so it’s still a novel experience.”
The administrator on the other end sighed. “Miss Shimmer has a great deal of things she is struggling with, but she is making a great deal of progress...much of which I suspect you and your family have had something to do with.”  
She matched the sigh with one of her own, before falling into a brief silence.  “Anything we have given Sunset,” she confessed, “has been given back to us threefold or more, in what she has brought to our family...and to my daughter in particular.”  Memories of Christmas morning flitted through her mind, of Twilight’s laughter and smile.  “I’m not sure if Cady or Shining ever filled you in on the...challenges...my youngest has had to face?”
“Cadence did explain that there is a great deal of social anxiety,” the younger woman responded diplomatically.  “I didn’t want to pry too deeply into the matter, as the details seemed...very personal.” Another of those chuckles. “She may have also mentioned that her ‘little Ladybug’ and Sunset Shimmer had bonded...though she had no idea at the time that Miss Shimmer was one of my students.”
A hint of a smile tugged at Velvet’s lips, and she couldn’t hide the affectionate humor that leaked into her voice.  “Cady had always been a wonderful big sister for Twily,” she said.  “From the very first she always wanted to spend time with her and see her happy.” She thought of the distraught daughter who had been pacing the front hall Friday afternoon.  “I wish social anxiety was the worst of her problems, but recently...” she trailed off.
Luna made a soft sound of concern, before speaking hesitantly.  “If I may...your daughter goes to Crystal Prep, as Cady and Shining did?  Sunset was...asking me for my professional opinion about the school earlier with more than a small measure of concern.”
Sunset had said something? Velvet’s concern ticked up a few notches. Her daughter’s paramour was highly empathetic and intuitive, and had shown an unerring ability to read people. That she was concerned enough to broach it to one of her educators spoke volumes, and it hardened Velvet’s resolve over convincing the rest of her family—especially Twilight—that another school would be a better choice for her youngest child.  “...I wasn’t aware she was going to do that, but yes, Twily goes to CPA currently. It’s...something I am seriously hoping to see change before her senior year starts next fall.”
For a long minute, there was only the sound of a desk chair creaking on the other end, but Luna eventually drew in a deep, slow breath and let it out again.   When she spoke, her voice had lost the stiff formality and cool distance of an educator.  “I’m...taking my Vice Principal hat off here, Velvet, and speaking ‘completely off the record,’ as Shining might put it.”  There was a soft tapping noise, not quite fingernails on metal or wood, but close.  “As Cadence’s best friend, and as someone who always thought that little girl on the phone, asking so politely and carefully to talk to Cady, had to be one of the sweetest children I’d ever encountered...if there is any way you can get her out of that corpusculent, soul rotting hell-mouth masquerading as an educational institution, do it without hesitation.  Whatever accommodations your daughter needs, whatever educational support is necessary, we’ll make it happen for her here, or barring that, I’ll support you in seeing she gets it at whatever other school you choose.”
Velvet blinked, surprised by the vehemence in the woman’s tone.  She must have made some sort of sound, because Luna spoke again. “I apologize if that sounds particularly harsh, but the truth is, I wouldn’t trust Abacus Cinch with the care of a pet rock, let alone a living, breathing creature.  That sadistic, self centered, egotistical virago shouldn’t be allowed within a hundred yards of any child, let alone one like Cady’s ‘sweet little Ladybug.’”
Her breath caught in something that she couldn’t fully define as either a laugh or a sob, but was filled with a sense of relief.  “Finally...someone who feels the way I do... It gets tiring to hear how my opinion of that woman is unfair and biased.” Velvet rubbed her face.  “If I give you my email, is there a way you can send me the information on Canterlot High? It’s going to be an uphill battle to convince my husband and Twily, but both of them are rational minded. They prefer to deal in facts rather than feelings in serious matters.”
“I can do that. My sister is a bit more of the public relations type than myself, so I’ll see about enlisting her in polishing something up to present our best aspects in their best light.”  Shuffling sounds. “Go ahead.”
Velvet rattled off her email.  “Thank you, Luna, for this....and for calling me about Sunset. We’ll keep her here for the night and make her rest tomorrow.  Does she need any kind of note?”
“Only if she ends up going to the doctor and getting any kind of extended instructions—though I wish you luck on that, given how thoroughly and aggressively she was protesting even seeing the nurse.”  Luna sounded more than a little amused and a tad exasperated.
Laughing, the older woman found herself grinning. “I have a secret weapon, to be fair. If I really feel she needs to see a doctor, all I have to do is share my concern with Twily. I can guarantee that Sunset would be in the car, waiting to leave, inside of ten minutes.”
“Not a weapon we have here, unfortunately,” Luna laughed.  There was the sound of voices in the background and the vice principal sighed.  “And I’m afraid I have to cut this call short—duty calls, and disciplinary matters wait for no woman.”
Moving around the kitchen to fish vegetables out, Velvet found herself nodding despite Luna being unable to see it.  “Well, since Sunset’s friend is giving her a ride over, I’ll get a pot of her favorite soup started.  If she’s got even a mild concussion, a light meal is probably best—I’ve learned that stress tends to upset her stomach at the best of times.  Thank you though, Luna, for calling me, and for persuading her that coming here was the best course of action.”
Luna’s parting words were sobering.  “Thank you, Velvet—I say that from the bottom of my heart.  Miss Shimmer is not the first child I have encountered from a troubling background where love seems a conditional, limited thing...but you and your family have welcomed her into a loving home.  That gives her a measure of stability that puts her in the unfortunately small percentage of those children who stand a chance of getting some kind of happy ending to their story.”
The phone call ended with a beep, and Velvet found her eyes drawn to the kitchen window, toward the small rose garden tucked neatly in the corner of the yard.  Luna’s observation was one steeped in truth, and the fact was, if Twilight Velvet had any say in the matter, Sunset would never lack a family or love ever again.  She would’ve adopted the girl outright if she could, even if just unofficially, if that wouldn’t have made things awkward, given the romantic entanglement between the two girls.  Though, if it worked out, ‘future daughter-in-law’ was equally acceptable.
She set to getting the small pot of vegetable soup on to boil, working quickly while keeping her ears open for the sound of a car in the driveway.  Some part of her felt an irrational twinge of frustration at Sunset’s friend for being so helpful, for no other reason than her want to see for herself as soon as possible that Sunset was okay.  It wasn’t that she believed Luna would mislead her or lie to her—her son held the woman in too high a regard for her to be dishonest—but two and a half years of far too many incidents where Crystal Prep had downplayed things with Twilight had left a mark.  Especially because that supercilious bint they employed as the school’s nurse almost never bothered to call, and when she did, it was with a plethora of remarks about how it was ‘high time you stop catering to her tantrums and force Miss Sparkle to grow out of her childish behavior and dependence.’
The sound of someone pulling into the driveway cut through her thoughts, and she hurriedly wiped her hands off on a dishtowel. By the time she reached the front door, she could hear the murmur of voices, or more specifically, what sounded like Sunset arguing with someone. Velvet opened the front door, finding Sunset giving a half hearted glare at a young man who had the redhead’s backpack slung over one shoulder.
“I really can carry my own backpack twenty feet to the door, Flash,” she complained. 
The blue haired boy shook his head.  “Just humor me, Sunset. Nurse said no heavy lifting, and it feels like you’ve got bricks in here.”
She rolled her eyes, following him up the front path. “They’re books, Flash. My advanced calculus doesn’t do itself, and neither does my AP physics.”
Velvet couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her at the exchange, her feet already carrying her out onto the porch.  “Sunset, sweetie, I’ve seen those textbooks, and they definitely count as ‘heavy lifting.’” As she closed the distance, she gave into the urge to pull the too-slender girl into a hug. 
As she always did, Sunset stiffened the moment the arms enfolded her, a rigid tension that was less about any kind of discomfort and more to do with her not expecting the affectionate contact or knowing quite what to do with it.  It didn’t last long before her body leaned into the embrace, arms coming up to return it with a soft, throaty noise that Velvet had only heard her make when she felt safe and happy.  In response, Velvet ran her fingers through tousled tresses, holding the teen until she felt her start to pull away, focusing on just letting her know that she was loved.  Her heart felt lighter at the fact that Sunset accepted the parental affection so much more readily with every passing week.
Sunset’s lips held the hint of a smile as she was let out of the hug. “It’s not that heavy, and I’m not that hurt.  A good night’s sleep and I’ll be good as new.”
The woman chided her in a gentle tone, her smile softening the words. “I know, but it sounds like you gave your classmates and Luna quite the scare, and I was quite worried myself when she called.  It would mean a lot if you would let us fuss over you a little bit until we’re all reassured that you are okay.  Despite the nurse at your school judging it to be a minor thing, head injuries are fickle things and we want to make sure it stays minor.”
“It wasn’t so minor for those of us who saw it happen, either. You were a mess, Sunset,” her friend added. 
The redhead sighed. “Alright...I’m too tired to argue anymore and my head still hurts anyway.”
She put an arm around Sunset’s shoulders, guiding her towards the house.  “Which is why I’m going to tuck you into bed.  You can rest, and when you get hungry, there will be some of my vegetable soup waiting for you.”  Twilight Velvet turned her smile on Sunset’s friend, who was still holding onto her backpack like some kind of spoils of war. “Can you bring that inside for us? There’s a hook in the hall you can hang it on.”
“Sure thing,” he responded, following them into the house.  
Velvet turned briefly away from pointing Sunset towards the stairs to address Flash.  “I’m going to get Sunset situated, but can I offer you a cup of coffee or cocoa to say thank you for giving her a ride home and ensuring she got here safe?”
His eyes, which had been looking over some of the photos on the wall, flicked to Sunset, who was trying to hide laughter. “I appreciate it, ma’am, but I actually have to get to work, so I can’t stay.”
Another snicker from the teenage girl. “Yeah. Those lattes don’t make themselves. And stars forbid your regulars miss even a minute of you wearing that atrocious hot pink apron.”
Flash raised a brow in challenge. “You’re just jealous because I rock hot pink better than you ever could.”  He made an exaggerated show of flinching when Sunset slugged his shoulder, but he returned the gesture much softer. “Feel better, okay? And...think about what I said.”
Sunset nodded, smiling despite the slump to her body and the pain that showed in her eyes.  “I...I will, Flash. Thanks again for...well...everything.”
It felt like Velvet was missing some important layer to the conversation, but she settled for calling after the young man as he turned towards the door, “Drive safely,” in the way of mothers everywhere.
> Research Log II: Event Horizon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Research Log: Project Aurora. Log #36. Timestamp: Monday, 13 January, year 2014, 12:37PM. Location: Crystal Prep Laboratory.”
“I am not certain if I possess the worst timing or the best. There was another massive event today—Similar in scope to the December event, and likely the October one as well—and my instruments recorded it all from start to finish.  Unfortunately, the event occurred between 11:06 and 11:23 AM, while I was otherwise occupied in a meeting with Principal Cinch, meaning I could not perform secondary observations at the time.  
“Addendum: My place in Principal Cinch’s office provided me with a fairly unobstructed view of the window, and I did not notice any overt visual phenomena at the time.
“Still, there is plenty here, and now with two large sized events—I will classify them as ‘Type A’ Events—as well as five concurrent smaller, ‘Type B’ events, I believe I have enough data to begin constructing and fine tuning a method to more precisely track, and possibly even start triangulating the source of these events.
“So far, looking at the data, today’s event was not quite as large as the December Type A event, but I suspect it was comparable to the size of the October one...hmm...”
[Empty Space on the audio file, filled only with typing and background noise]
“I think I have something! Using the Type B events in November, I’ve isolated several minor frequency variants.  These Type A events are not one energy source, but multiple, operating on slightly different frequencies that overlap to create a much larger one!
“At present, I’m seeing at least five variations, one for each of the Type B events.  There might be more, but after removing the known variants from the composite wavelength, I am left not knowing how many are left. There is at least a sixth, making up what remains, but it is impossible at present to determine if it is one source or several.
“A tracking tool shouldn't be hard. I’ll need a preprogrammed sensor scanning the very narrow band the wavelength is on, and perhaps include the known variant profiles.  I’ll need some form of way to pinpoint direction—perhaps something similar to the red shift? Used in astronomy? It might be too minute at small distances.  Maybe set up multiple detectors in different places to triangulate?  I would really like one that is a mobile detector though. 
“Note to self: experiment with detection ideas ASAP.
“The good news is, with the grant funding from CPA, I should have no issue acquiring components for the detectors, once I can establish a working prototype!  Hopefully I can locate where this energy is originating, maybe even study whatever object or objects are producing it, preferably under laboratory conditions.”
[The recording once more devolves into dead air punctuated by faint, unintelligible mumbling, periodic exclamations, and at one point the distinct sound of something falling over.]
“Additional note to self:  Principal Cinch requires regular project updates. Adjust schedule to accommodate time to write a weekly project report.  She is placing a great deal of trust and belief in me and I cannot disappoint her.  This could change my life, and if this discovery is as new and unprecedented as I suspect, then it could make me one of history’s scientific greats!”
“It’s strange, and it makes absolutely no logical sense, but I feel like whatever this phenomenon is, it’s super important...More than that, I feel as though I am on the precipice of a world changing breakthrough, something that really will change life as we know it—and that’s not just because of what Principal Cinch had to say. It’s...not something I can really explain, but I just get this sense that if I can just solve this puzzle, everything will change, and that same feeling is pushing me to succeed somehow.
“Like I said...it sounds ridiculous. I’m a scientist. I deal in facts and logic and rational reasoning, not emotions and vague gut feelings. But it's something that I can’t seem to shake and it's a thought that keeps coming back on its own.”
> Chapter Seventy Seven: Meltdown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





For the ninth time in as many minutes, Twilight regretted not calling her father to come pick her up from school. She had stayed far later than she had calculated, startled out of her work when her phone alarm went off at five forty-five, and leaving her in a rush to catch the six o’clock bus home.  She didn’t like taking the later city buses; that time of day meant they were filled with people commuting home, making the ride a cramped, loud, unpleasant experience. With personal space at a premium, Twilight was always on edge by the time she arrived at her stop.
Today proved no different, and she regretted her choice when, three stops out of fifteen, the bus had filled up and the bench next to her was taken by a heavyset, middle aged man wearing mechanics coveralls that reeked of motor oil and exhaust fumes.  The dark haired girl knew her instinctive desire to press herself up against the window and outer wall of the bus was irrational, that the man was doing nothing wrong, but his bulk meant he was close enough to her that she could feel the proximity on her skin.  Even squeezed up against the window, she felt boxed in, with her space invaded by a presence that brought her nothing but discomfort and the threat of borderline panic.
Twilight did her best to keep her breathing even and level, focusing on fighting the fear she was feeling for no real reason. Any beneficial effects it might’ve had scattered to the winds when the man moved to retrieve his phone from his pocket, she recoiled further with an embarrassing squeak.  That made her fellow passenger glance her way, one eyebrow raised at her behavior. “Relax, kid,” he grunted in a raspy, gruff voice that suggested he smoked heavily.  “I’m not gonna eat ya or nothin’.” His attention then left her to zero in on his phone screen.
Shrinking in on herself, the teen scolded herself internally.  You should have called Dad, she thought angrily.  He would’ve come and gotten you. 
She was still berating herself another six stops later when her phone started vibrating in her pocket.  This time of day, it was most likely her parents—Sunny tended to call later in the evening—and they would get worried if she didn’t pick up...but her phone was in the pocket closest to the man sitting next to her, and fishing around for it would mean getting inside his personal space and possibly even bumping elbows with him....which Twilight could not bring herself to do. Even for her parents.
The phone eventually stopped, only to start up again a few minutes later.  This pattern continued until Twilight had to ask her fellow passenger to let her out at her stop. The man did so with no comment or complaint, but the teen cringed and hurried away as quickly as possible, wanting off the bus and to get home somewhere in the timeframe of yesterday.  A glance at her phone while she was walking down the sidewalk into her neighborhood confirmed her earlier guess—four missed calls from Mom and Dad, and one text message: Sweetheart, where are you? Are you still at school?
A spike of frustration went through her and she stuffed the phone back in her pocket.  Ever since her talk with Shining, where he’d confronted her about the night she and Sunset met, her parents had been...more insistent...about knowing her whereabouts after school.  It was a sure sign that her brother had told them everything, though they’d at least respected her desire to not discuss it.  All the same she found it to be beyond irritating—she was perfectly fine and fully capable of dealing with anything that might happen, especially now that Sunset was teaching her to fight back.  There was absolutely no reason for them to hover, and doing so just reminded her of how helpless she had been and what had almost happened to her.  They just needed to stop, and let her deal with it on her own. She wasn’t a helpless little girl anymore!
Those thoughts were still swirling around in her head when she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.  For once, Spike didn’t bounce around her ankles or bark to say hello...in fact she didn’t see her dog anywhere.  She did see her parents though, as she hung her coat and backpack up absentmindedly, closing the front door with her foot while pondering everything she’d learned that afternoon.
“...ily...”
As if the click of the door shutting had switched a track in her mind, she could suddenly see circuit diagrams and schematics coming together, things that would help further her research, prototypes for a couple different styles of detector, even a program to help sort the data... 
“...ilight?”
Automatically, her mind started running through the list of supplies she kept in her home lab, comparing it with what she would need, she felt a rush of giddy, excited energy.  Most of what she needed, she already had, and what few things she didn’t, she might be able to cannibalize from the leftovers of failed projects.
“Twilight Sparkle!”
The sound of her name called somewhat forcefully by her father finally registered, interrupting her train of thought with a little surge of annoyance.  Couldn’t he tell she was busy thinking? With a sigh, Twilight decided to get through the social pleasantries as quickly as possible, so she could head to the lab to get some work done before bed.  “Hi, Dad,” she responded.
Night Light frowned at her.  “You’re very late tonight, Twilight, and you didn’t answer your phone.”
“I had work to do for my project, and I lost track of time. I had a whole bunch of brand new data to sort through. My instruments detected a Type A event today.”  She rolled her shoulders. “There wasn’t time to call—I needed to catch the bus.” 
Her father glanced at her mother who stood at the doorway to the kitchen, before looking back at Twilight.  “Sweetheart, when it’s that late, I’d rather you miss the bus and call us.  I’m more than happy to come get you from school.”
For whatever reason, the glance only served to make her even more annoyed.  She might not have been the most apt with nonverbal social cues, but she had known her parents her whole life and she wasn’t ignorant to the way they sometimes communicated without words.  Normally it was just something they did, but right at that moment, it felt like so much more, and it made her angry. Something about the exchange told her they were both thinking about what they thought they knew, what Shining had told them, and their inability to just let it go was frustrating all on its own!
She found herself interrupting another of those silent conversations in a rather testy voice. “I’m fine. I can handle taking the bus home by myself—I’m not a small child anymore. You don’t have to hover.”
Night Light paused, seeming taken aback by her response, before he frowned at her, his expression becoming stern. “We are not trying to say you are a child, Twilight, and yes, you are perfectly capable of taking the bus home without our supervision. Your mother and I both recognize that. What I am saying is that we would prefer that you didn’t do so this late, or if you insist on it, that you both let us know beforehand and answer your phone when we attempt to check in with you.”
It sounded reasonable, but the way he put emphasis on some of the words made it feel more like a demand than any kind of request.  Instead of being mollified, Twilight opened her mouth to fire back a blistering retort...only for her mother to interrupt.
Velvet’s voice was true to her name, but it held an undercurrent of steel. “I think,” she told them both in a level, calm tone, “that everyone is hungry and that its making it hard for any of us to think or act in a fully rational and calm manner. Why don’t we have dinner—I made Grandma Twinkle’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken that you like Twily—and we can discuss everything once we have full stomachs and have had time to cool down?”
Twilight found herself nodding to her mother’s words and not resisting when the older woman put an arm around her shoulders to nudge her towards the kitchen.  “Good. It’s all hot and ready, so come fix a plate.  We both want to hear about how your day went, and afterwards I have some news for you as well, sweetie.”
The food did smell amazing, and it was one of her favorites. Twilight filled her plate, and as much as she really wanted to just take it with her to the lab, she could tell by the way her mother had set the table in the kitchen that she was expected to join them.  She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then slid into her seat. Maybe she could eat quickly and get to the lab before she lost the ideas for the schematics?
Velvet gave her an encouraging smile, holding up a pitcher.  “I made sweet tea with fresh oranges in it, if you’d like some instead of water,” she offered.  That made Twilight pause, puzzled. That was Sunset’s favorite, and her mother usually saved it for the weekend when her girlfriend came over.  What had prompted her to make it now?
Any further contemplation on that vanished as the part of her brain still going over her ideas suggested a slight design variation and she pulled a pen from her vest pocket to scribble it down on her napkin, head shaking absently at her mother.
Pen was put away a moment later, her racing mind directing her to shovel several mouthfuls of food into her mouth and wash it down hurriedly, still focused on her ideas. Twilight barely even tasted any of the food, even after rapidly clearing more than half the plate. She grabbed the napkin abruptly, hopping to her feet.  “I need to work on this,” she announced. “Dinner was great, Mom, thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”  Mentally she checked off the social niceties she’d observed in order, deciding she’d gotten enough of the important ones done for the evening and could now justify heading to her lab.  The dark haired teen was fully intent on getting a head start—she wanted a working prototype ready in time for her first weekly report to Principal Cinch.
"...ily..."
Twilight ignored the voice calling from behind her as she turned towards the back door.  Whatever it was could wait—her mother would understand soon how important her work was and why it couldn’t be put off.
"Twilight Sparkle, you will sit back down at the table this instant.”  
Her father’s stern voice cut through the cloud of self absorption in much the way a bucket of ice cold water drenching her might.  It was a tone that Night Light very seldom used, no nonsense, forceful, and commanding without the need for extremely loud volume that some males preferred...one he only broke out when one of them had pushed past or ignored one of the few but firmly enforced boundaries of behavior that the family had.  “I don’t know what has gotten into you today, but you are being rude.  What is so world-endingly important that you need to make a mess instead of eating dinner and then ignore us to rush out the door to your lab on a school night?”
That made her turn back, confused.  She hadn’t made a mess, had she?  Her eyes dropped to the table, and she blinked when she realized that somehow, part of her dinner had spilled onto the table and was now dripping the sauce onto the floor in a sticky puddle. How had that happened?  
She shook her head. “I’m sorry for the mess, Dad, but I need to work on my project.  You know how important it is, and Principal Cinch is putting a lot on the line—I have to do this right!  Especially after I signed that big contract this morning. I want to have at least a working prototype of the Anomalous Electromagnetic Energy Detector for my first project report next week.”  Irritation bled through into her voice, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, they’d known about her meeting.  Her father had even made a big deal about wanting to be there with her! Why was it suddenly an issue now?
It was her father’s turn to look confused, his brow creasing with worry-lines.  “Twily?” he asked carefully. “What do you mean about a big contract and project reports? I’ve read over the independent study project papers; they never make any mention of necessary reports, and you’ve never had to do them before.”  Golden eyes studied her for a long time, his expression morphing into something she couldn’t read.  “I think you need to set aside your project for the night, Twilight,” he told her firmly.  “We have more to discuss than just your behavior.”
For a long moment, there was nothing but a very pointed, very uncomfortable silence...And then...
“No.”
Twilight almost didn’t recognize her own voice, and it took her a few heartbeats to realize she was the one who had spoken. The entire time, the word’s harsh echoes hung in the air between her and her parents, and once spoken, she could not take it back.  In the end, she folded her arms defiantly and repeated herself. “No.”  She could hear her Principal’s words from earlier, and held her ground.  This was more important than a pointless conversation that would change nothing.  Her future, and all that she wanted in it was something she was willing to fight for.
Night regarded her coolly before nodding.  Turning in his chair, he picked up his phone and started tapping on it, the actions accompanied by a series of blips and beeps.  Twilight recognized them a moment too late: the security program for the house.  “If this is how you wish to behave, Twilight Sparkle, then so be it.  I have engaged the security system on your laboratory and set it into lockdown mode, something I will not be changing until you have sat down and had a calm and rational discussion with your mother and me.”  Each word was like the pronouncement of a death sentence. “You do not need to have this discussion tonight—in fact, you are welcome to take as much time as you need to reflect on how you are acting, but the lockdown will remain and I will not be releasing it until said discussion has taken place.”
With that, he calmly placed his phone in his pocket and returned to his dinner as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.  Her mother’s eyes flitted back and forth between the two of them, before she sighed and took a long sip of her tea.
“You can’t do this to me!”
The shout rang through the house with such volume and intensity that it really did echo, and Twilight could barely believe it came from her own throat.  She sounded so angry...no...no... She corrected herself sternly. She was just projecting confidence, like Sunset had been encouraging her to do when she felt threatened, not giving into weakness in the face of adversity.  She would face an uphill battle in academia as a woman, particularly with her preference for her own gender, and she needed to do what Cinch had been telling her since her freshman year and learn to not let others see her falter. She needed to be strong against anyone standing in the way of her success, even if it was against her parents.
Gathering her resolve, echoing Sunset when she had attacked the boys that first night, the way Abacus Cinch commanded a room, she put everything she had into her words.  “I demand that you unlock my laboratory this instant! You have no right!  It’s mine! Give me access!!”
Night calmly set his fork down.  “I’ve told you what it is you need to do in order for that to happen, Twilight.  Your private home laboratory is a privilege, not a right.”
Twilight could feel something nasty churning in the pit of her stomach.  Why wasn’t it working—she was doing everything right, being confident and assertive and not backing down—so why, why weren’t they recognizing it? It had worked on Silver Dollar when he’d crossed a line.  
Anger and frustration bubbled up unpleasantly from within, and she snatched a glass from the drainer by the sink, hurling it furiously at the wall as tears of injustice burned in her eyes.  “This is the most important event to ever occur in my life and you’re both too ignorant and small minded and overprotective to see it!  Your short sighted idiocy is going to cripple my future in the realms of academia and science—how dare you do such a thing?!  You have no call to ruin my life just because you have emotional complications that you insist on impressing on me! I—I—” Her voice was a scream now and she lost her train of thought before a wall of emotion, reduced to putting the hurt and anger and frustration into a verbalization that tore through the house like a violent wind. “I HATE YOU BOTH!”  
The dark haired girl emphasized the declaration with a heavy stomp of her foot, taking vicious pleasure in the sound it made.  Then, with angry tears in her eyes she turned on her heel to storm upstairs.
> Chapter Seventy Eight: Cut Me Like Those Words You Throw
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The dreamworld shattered with the sound of a slam, leaving Sunset in that unpleasant, groggy state...this time accompanied by burning in her bones, the return of a pounding migraine, and a throat that felt like she’d swallowed an acre of the Abyssinian desert.  She pushed herself towards some semblance of coherency, weak human ears straining to make sense of the noise, instinctively pushing down the way her magic fluttered in her chest.  Rolling over, the former unicorn slid off the bed to all fours beside a confused looking Spike, who nuzzled and licked her face while she attempted to gather her wits.  
It took three tries and the aid of the nightstand to get her body into a bipedal stance, and the world spun dizzily.  Sunset leaned heavily on the nightstand, her palms on its cool wooden surface the only thing keeping her upright. The dog whined and bumped his head against her leg, clearly trying to push her back towards the bed, but Sunset flashed her teeth at him, clicking them warningly in the empty air. “No, Spike,” she slurred. “Something’s wrong...”
Crossing the room was a harrowing adventure all on its own with the renewed migraine messing with her inner ear, and her joints were made of searing agony, making her legs tremble like a newborn foal’s.  By the time she got the door open and shuffled into the hall, she could make out angry shouting from downstairs. Her girlfriend’s beloved pet wasn’t making her efforts any easier, still trying to herd her back to bed.  He finally seemed to give up as Twilight’s furious shout ripped through the house, scampering down the stairs and barking.





Twilight made sure to slam her foot down as hard as she could with each step up the stairs, taking visceral pleasure in the way the loud sound reverberated and vibrated through the house.  Initially, she’d intended to run up to get to the sanctuary of her room where she could be upset in a private space, where no one could listen to her rant and scream while she reorganized her desk and bookshelf, but at the last moment she changed her mind.  She wanted them to hear every single step, all while secretly wishing she had some kind of power—as irrational as that was—to make the sounds shake the whole house violently, just so she could illustrate how much they’d upset her by refusing to let her go through with her perfectly reasonable desire to work on her project before bed.
The noise of her own steps drowned out another sound vying for her attention, but what little leaked through was like fingernails on her eardrums and even on her skin. And then something impacted her ankle, preventing her from bringing it down the way she wanted and it made her finally look down. 
“Spike!” she hissed. 
The dog whined and tugged on her sock again, before scampering up a few steps then running back down to her, barking. Twilight scowled at him. “Not now, Spike! Go see, Mom if you’re hungry!”
Spike tried a few more times, and each time she shooed him away—not harshly, as even as angry as she was, she didn’t want to hurt him, but it was a firm dismissal of his antics—making it clear she was too upset to play whatever game he was interested in. He finally took the hint, racing the rest of the way down the stairs and into the kitchen with the skittering of doggy toenails.
Once he had left her alone Twilight resumed her progress up the stairs. As much as she loved her dog, she didn’t need another reminder of how people saw her as weak and in need of help—or pity—and Spike was another one of the things that had happened because of just that.  Instead, she turned her focus to the task at hand, already making a list in her head of what she wanted to sort first and if she had the materials in her room to at least start on schematics. They could block her from the lab but they couldn’t halt all her scientific progress.  She mumbled to herself under her breath, already descending back into planning for her project, when a familiar pair of blue green eyes and a tousled mess of fiery hair stopped her in her tracks.
There, leaning heavily on the wall and looking half asleep, was Sunset, dressed in a pair of pajamas and staring worriedly at her. “...Sparky?” came the husky voiced inquiry.
What was Sunset doing here? It was Monday, and there had been no communication about her coming over at all.  Twilight knew her parents had extended an open door to her the way they had to Cadence, but Sunset never came over without Twilight’s permission first.  So why had she bypassed it this time? 
“What are you doing here?” Twilight bit out, leveling an annoyed glare at the taller girl, stopping in the center of the hall and crossing her arms over her chest.  Normally Sunset would have been a welcome sight, but right now, she was a distraction, one that Twilight couldn’t afford, not if she was going to make things easier for the two of them in the future. She waited expectantly for an answer, a part of her feeling guilty for the way Sunset flinched at her tone.  





For a moment, Sunset worried that she was caught in another nightmare.  Twilight—her Twilight, at least—had never looked at her that way, or spoken to her with such venom.  She recoiled, fingers pressing harder into the wall, extending her senses as much as she dared. It hurt, and she winced at the warning stab of pain in her temples that left her dizzy and panting, unable to really get a sense for anything beyond crippling agony.
When the spots stopped dancing in front of her eyes, she realized that Twilight’s expression had changed. The angry sneer had been replaced by a more familiar worry edging towards panic. The dark haired girl had taken a few steps forward, one hand now outstretched. “Sunny? What’s wrong?”
What was the excuse Luna had intended to use? Dodgeball? Sunset rubbed her head. “...you know how blocking something with your head is a bad idea? I learned why today,” she joked evasively. It wasn’t a lie. They would think dodgeball, even though she meant magic.
Purple eyes went wide, and she made a sound of distress. “B-but no one said anything?!” she cried, tripping over her words.  “Why didn’t anyone tell me something was wrong? Are you okay, Sunny? What happened? Why didn’t you text me?!”
A figure brushed past her, Velvet’s voice answering her daughter in a clipped, curt tone that echoed a long ago Sun Goddess in Sunset’s memory. “And if you had answered your phone any of the times we called you, or truly joined us for a civilized conversation at the dinner table, then you would have known, Twilight.” Every line in Velvet’s body, every ounce of inflection screamed that the woman was extremely put out with her child and it made both teens wince for different but related reasons.
“Sunset Shimmer, enough. I have tried to dissuade you for weeks every time you have brought up the mirror.  Let me be blunt: We will discuss the mirror—and other things—in due time, but you are not ready now. Do not broach the subject again.”  She could see the Princess’ dismissal, the anger, her disappointment...all of that and more reflected in Twilight Velvet even as the woman moved closer to her.
Yet...at the same time...Sunset picked up on the little gestures that made it different, that relaxed her muscles and made her breath ease, dispelling the image of an angry mare.  Velvet still gave Twilight a pat on the shoulder, a gesture laced with affection and reassurance of the woman’s love for her child, even if she was upset with her over something.  And despite all of that, she still answered the remaining questions.  “Sunset got hurt in gym class today, and the school nurse recommended she be monitored tonight and tomorrow in case of a concussion.”
“...oh...” Twilight said in a small voice.
Sunset watched, still leaning on the wall, relaxing as the agitated feelings that had permeated her mind when she woke up dissipated.  Maybe it wasn’t dark magic or any danger--just...a disagreement of some kind after a stressful day? It still caught her by surprise when Velvet wrapped an arm around her shoulders, straightening her up gently and touching the back of one gray skinned hand to her cheeks and forehead.  She looked at the woman, confused.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?  Is your headache back?”  The woman was back to motherly concern and comforting warmth.
Her stomach growled viciously.  “A bit dizzy...head hurts...but...I sorta skipped lunch to work on something,” she admitted.  
Velvet smiled, and started guiding her towards the stairs slowly. “Well, while Twily takes some time to sort herself out and calm down, why don’t we see if some vegetable soup and rice will do something about the growling monster you seem to be harboring? It’s better if you have a little something in your stomach before taking medicine anyway.”
“Okay...” Sunset allowed herself to be led, her eyes locking briefly and worriedly with Twilight’s, one hand reaching out to brush her girlfriend’s arm as she passed her in the hall.
“I’m sure Twilight will be down to join us in a little bit, Sunset,” Velvet reassured her.  “Right now, I want you to focus on yourself and feeling better.”  The woman guided her down the stairs, careful to stop every few steps to let Sunset’s equilibrium reestablish itself.  Once on the main floor, Spike met them, making worried whines and seeming to do his own check on Sunset, before scampering up the stairs after Twilight.
At that moment, Sunset almost thought the dog was as confused as she felt.



 

Feet carried Twilight towards her bedroom in a slow, dazed manner. Everything felt awkward and wrong, like something in her brain was out of place, but she couldn’t quite grasp what.  Shutting her door behind her, she leaned back against the wood, doing the breathing exercise Cadence had taught her years ago.  She had been furious at her parents, and for a moment, she’d been angry at Sunset too, but she couldn’t remember...
Her hand cramped, and she looked at it in confusion, taking in the white knuckled grip that was clenched tight around something.  It took a few tries for her hand to release the death grip on what turned out to be a scrap of napkin with a somewhat smeared ink drawing.  The dark haired teen stared at it, trying to make head or tails of what she was looking at...only for clarity to hit her like a bus.
She saw herself screaming at her parents, recalled the words she’d used, the way she’d felt... Twilight let out a whimper, sliding down her door until she could bring her knees to her chest and hug her arms around them. It had made sense at the time, feeling threatened by how they had kept interfering with her work, but looking back on it now, she wondered how she could have missed the signs that something important was going on... More than that, the more she studied her own behavior, the more irrational and childish it appeared.
Twilight knew she had to struggle against getting so engrossed in her projects and interests. It was something that Dr. Soft-Spoken had worked to help her understand with a greater sense of self awareness, and it could be a real challenge at times, when the siren song of knowledge and discovery held her in its grasp.  There were times in the past it had even prompted meltdowns and screaming fits like the one she’d just had...but she hadn’t behaved this poorly in at least three years, nor had it ever been...quite so hateful.
Tears burned in her eyes, and she but back a sob, her throat tight. Why had she behaved so terribly? More than that, how could she have said such things to her parents? Or been so mean initially to Sunset, who had nothing to do with any of it?
Going back over the memories again, she could see all the little things she had missed when she came home: Spike’s curious absence, Sunset’s bag and coat hanging on her peg, her boots tucked out of the way amidst the other shoes, even a place set for her at the dinner table and her favorite tea in a pitcher on the counter.  Each one an obvious sign that her girlfriend was in the house, and she had been so fixated on her project that she’d missed it, even when she knew that Sunset had asked her family to be her emergency contacts partially to allay Twilight’s fears!  
Guilt reminded her that she’d also suggested playfully not two days ago, when they’d woken up Sunday morning super early and spent the time just after sunrise lazily indulging in a heated make-out session, that Sunset consider coming over more often to spend the night so they could steal more moments like that when something wasn’t wrong...more lazy wake ups in each other’s arms and sweet affection to bolster them before a long school day.
Twilight cringed as that gave way to the memory of the look on Sunset’s face, the pain that flashed in those eyes when she’d....Oh no.  No no no no... another sob made it past her throat, and she curled even tighter in on herself, causing Spike—who had followed her into her room—to paw at her and whine worriedly.  She’d actually sneered at Sunset, spoken to her like she was an unwanted, unwelcome intruder—how could she have done that, when she knew just how much that would have hurt her girlfriend?
The teen rocked a little, whimpering and sniffling and crying. What should I do?  How do I— Her mind searched in vain for something, anything she could do to make this all right. An idea formed and she seized it with desperation. Cady! Cadence would know how she could fix this, make it up to Sunny and apologize to her parents, how she could put everything right.  Twilight scrabbled for her phone, ignoring the way Spike whined and nudged her arm with his nose, trying to comfort her. “I’ve got to make this right, Spike.  I hurt her...I hurt her and I did something I promised I wouldn’t ever do!”
Curling her fingers around the phone, she pulled it out with a shaking hand, struggling to hold it steady enough to punch the right number on her speed dial to reach Cadence.
The phone began to ring, and every ring that went unanswered ratcheted her anxiety up another notch. “Please pick up...please pick up...” she begged, tears streaming down her face. Twilight wasn’t sure what she’d do without Cadence’s help.  Just as she was about to give up, the line connected.  “C-Cady...?” she whimpered.
Instead of her sister-figure’s voice, another woman answered, her cool tones and crisp enunciation something at least someone Twilight recognized as someone who had often answered Cadence’s dorm phone in college.  “Hello, Ladybug,” the woman said. “It’s Lu.  Cady’s right in the middle of something, but she’ll be done in a few minutes. Is this an emergency?”
She sniffled again, aware of how choked and nasally her voice sounded.  Spike whined as she cleared her throat, the sounds mixing to form a weird background sound. “N-not an e-emergency,” she managed.  She remembered a number of calls just like this a number of years ago. Cadence’s friend and dorm-mate had always been nice to her—genuinely nice, not the fake nice of someone who pitied her for her anxiety and other problems.
“Alright,” Lu responded levelly. “Would you like to wait? Or do you want to have her call you back when she’s done?”  That was one of the things that was nice about Lu. She never got angry and was never in a hurry, and she gave Twilight nice, easy, simple choices that she could still make with her anxiety or other emotions running amuck.
“W-wait, please.”  Twilight sucked in a shaky breath that finished more as a sob.
There was a noise of understanding, and another question that was an echo of the times she’d called the dorm. “Would you like me to talk, or would quiet be better?” 
That was another nice thing about Lu. She was happy to hang out on the line and describe whatever was going on on the other end that Twilight couldn’t see if Twilight was not in a place to handle the pervasive quiet.  Like today. “T-talk, please,” she pleaded, hiccuping slightly. She couldn’t handle the silence today, not when all it did was give her a chance to replay that hurt-stricken face, the soft quip about something hitting her head laced with the pain Twilight had inflicted.
Lu hummed in response before launching into a detailed account of the goings on at the house, where she, Cadence and Shining were spending an evening doing some monthly meal prep and enjoying each other’s company.  She listed off the various dishes they were putting together, and talked about how Cady was currently dividing up marinated chicken into bags for slow-cooking, and provided an explanation of what had gone into the marinade.  The mundane descriptions helped slow Twilight’s racing heartbeat and calm her sobbing, hiccuping breaths into something approaching normalcy.  She even managed a sound not dissimilar from a laugh when Lu described the yellow streak painting her brother’s nose that he hadn’t discovered yet.
“Okay. Cadence is washing her hands now, once she’s done I will pass you over to her,” the calm voice told her.  “While you two are talking, I’ll be putting the chicken away in the freezer for them and a cooler for me.”  Lu chuckled, and offered conspiratorially, “I appreciate the timing of your call. This will give me the opportunity to sneak a few extra bags of the lemon chicken—I like that one, but my sister always manages to eat more than her fair share. Older siblings can be such a pain sometimes.”
Twilight laughed at that too, following it with a sound of agreement.  “Shining does that with my chocolate bars,” she admitted before blowing her nose into a tissue.
“Definitely an older sibling thing. Maybe I can bribe you to call next month so I can sneak more of the chicken then too?”
That twisted the knife in her chest, and she broke out into renewed tears. “I-I don’t want to do s-something bad next month,” she sniffled.  “That’s why I called...I messed up, bad, and I did something stupid that hurt my best friend! I need Cady to help me fix it!”
Lu reassured her. “Breathe, Ladybug. It will be alright. Best friends fight sometimes, but you can always work to make it better...” She trailed off, and Twilight could hear a murmured conversation in the background between the woman and Cadence.
There was some shuffling of the phone changing hands, and Cadence’s voice came from the speaker. “Hey, Ladybug. I hear you need a little bit of help making up? What happened?”
Some of her stress melted away—her sister-in-law never failed to help her feel better and find a solution to her problems.  “I messed up, Cady!” she blurted, unable to contain it any more. “I hurt Sunset and Mom and Dad too! I didn’t mean to, but my meeting with Principal Cinch went so well and I’m doing it as a special project with funding from the school and there was another event that my instruments caught, and I guess I just got so excited that I didn’t realize I was doing what Dr. Soft-Spoken is always warning me about, with the tunnel vision? I missed all the signs and I stayed late, almost missing the bus, and I couldn’t answer my phone during the ride so I missed their calls about Sunset and then when I got home I was still so excited about my project that I wanted to go right out to the lab, but Mom wanted us to eat dinner and I think tell me about Sunset, but I got so mad at them that Dad locked down the lab. Which made me so angry, I don’t even know why, and I screamed at them and said such awful things, and then when they wouldn’t let me get in the lab I was going to go upstairs and work, but Sunny was in the hall and I didn’t know she was there—”
“Twily?” Cadence interrupted gently. “Stop and breathe.  Your words are running together and I can't understand you.  Take a second and do your breathing, then keep going.”
Halting her rambling, Twilight put her fist to her chest and drew air in and exhaled in time with the extension and curling of her arm muscles.  A dozen breaths later she felt calm enough to continue. “I didn’t know she was there, Cady.  And I was just so angry at that moment and all I could think of was my project, and I said something awful, made her feel like I didn’t want her there! I treated her like she was in the way!  Please, Cady, I have to fix this! What can I do? What if Sunset really thinks I don’t want her around? What if she doesn’t come back, doesn’t want—” It was too much, and words failed her.
“Twily, I need you to breathe. Breathe and calm down, and we’ll talk.”  Obediently, Twilight ran through the breathing exercise again, listening to the sound of Cadence having a murmured conversation in the background, answered by deeper tones that could only be her brother.  It took the teen longer to calm down this time, before Cadence addressed her again.
“Alright. You better, Ladybug?”
“Yes...” She was calmer, but she really didn’t feel better.
Cadence made a soothing sound.  “Shining texted Dad, and it's okay right now.  Sunset is fine, and she’s not angry or upset with you and she’s not planning to leave. Right now she’s eating dinner and talking to Mom and Dad. Does that help?”
It was a lifeline she had needed more than anything and her muscles finally relaxed as tension drained away.  Sunny wasn’t mad and wasn’t going away...which meant she had a chance to fix this, to make things right. “Yes...what do I do now?”
She could practically hear the wicked smirk in the laughter that came from the phone, and she knew just what kind of expression was on Cady’s face—and that whatever she was about to say would embarrass the daylights out of her.  “...Ohhhh...it’s not that hard, Twily. Making up is fairly simple.  You apologize, talk about what happened, and then you two can kiss and decide whether or not the situation warrants make up sex or just a tickle fight.”
“CAAAAADDDYYYY!!” Twilight let out a sound somewhere between a squeak and a squeal, her face burning so hot that she was sure it was redder than Sunset’s hair. Her sister-figure was laughing too hard to offer any kind of reply, and Twilight was too flustered to even think of anything else to say to communicate her displeasure at the comment.
Especially because now the idea had gotten its hooks into her mind and her imagination was happy to supply suggestions to improve on it.  Like a smug, triumphant looking Sunset tickling her into submission...and then leaning close to her ear with murmured thoughts on just how Twilight could make it up to her...  That alone set a mass of butterflies loose in her stomach for an entirely different reason than any kind of anxiety.
Cadence finally got her humor under control. “Seriously, Twily, it's no different than apologizing for anything else. Just be honest, explain what happened and tell her you’re sorry.  You messed up—given what Sunset has told you, I’m very sure she knows what that's like and will hear you out without holding a mistake against you. She cares too much to let something like this ruin what you two have. Go clean up and then go talk to Mom, Dad, and Sunset.”
“Okay...” she could do that.
“And enjoy the making up after, sex or otherwise.”
“CAAAAAAAADDDDDEEENCE!!!”
> Chapter Seventy Nine: All the Hurt Inside You've Learned to Hide
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Velvet motioned for Sunset to have a seat on the couch, pulling one of the blankets off the back to wrap it around the redhead’s shoulders. “Get comfortable...I’m going to get some soup and medicine for you.  You’re not allergic to Tylenol, right?”
“Tylenol’s fine,” she mumbled in reply, still trying to get her brain to process what had just happened.  Twilight had been...angry...but then she wasn’t...and she’d had a fight with her parents?  That was...that was normal, right?  She wracked her brain, trying to remember if any of the girls ever talked about fighting with their parents.  Applejack didn’t, for obvious reasons, and she’d gotten the impression that Rarity’s parents weren’t around often enough to fight with.  Fluttershy never really mentioned much about her family, but what little she had was mostly positive, her slimy swamp wyvern of a brother aside. She knew the Pie parents were traditional and strict, but that Pinkie, with her queer way of existing in the world was both non-confrontational and almost impossible to pin down for an argument—that was why it had taken her six different schemes before one had worked to alienate her from her friends. That left Rainbow...but she couldn’t recall any mentions of fights...only that her parents were embarrassingly enthusiastic about her accomplishments.  Sure, there’d been rumors, gossip, talk...even complaints from other students about the adults in their lives, but she had mostly tuned out family troubles in her bullying days—there were some lines she refused to cross, even at her worst.
It made her twitchy, uncomfortable.  Should she leave? Had her presence played any part in the fight? Her brain sluggishly tried to weigh her options, only to be derailed by her stomach growling again and Twilight Velvet offering her a steaming mug that smelled wonderful.  
Sunset took it, the warmth of it seeping into her palms in a way that somehow soothed her nerves.  “Thank you,” she told the woman, who smiled at her and set a glass of sweet tea and a pair of white pills on the end-table next to the couch.  
“Get a few bites of food in you first and then take the medicine,” she advised. “It’ll work better that way.”
Nodding carefully—too fast and it would disorient her again—Sunset blew on a spoonful of the soup before savoring the taste of rich vegetables and rice that reminded her of dinners in the Canterlot palace during the fall and winter, the hearty, hot soups and stews essential for combating the bitter mountain cold that soaked into a pony’s bones for any trip outside that lasted longer than five minutes. Granted, most of those meals had been made by the palace cooks, but every once in a while, Princess Celestia had desired to indulge in a recipe from her past, and they used the monarch’s private kitchen attached to the suite to cook...and Velvet’s soup reminded her so much of the recipe that Celestia alway made when she was sick.
Tears pricked at her eyes, the memories of screaming matches and that awful, icy, final dismissal surfaced.  It must have shown on her face, because Night actually said something, his words drawing his wife back out of the kitchen where she was getting them both some coffee. 
“Are you alright, Sunset?” he asked, his usual teasing gone and replaced by genuine concern.  “Is it your head?”
She swallowed, the mouthful of food going down painfully.  “...no...” she answered, unable to lie to either of them. A single tear escaped her control before she could blink it back.  “...Sparky’s upset with me...and I don’t want to...if I’m intruding I can...”. Her voice shook slightly and she took a deep breath to rein it in. “...I don’t want to be a problem...I can go home if you need me too. You don’t even have to trouble yourselves with giving me a ride...I can get a taxi or walk.”
There was an intake of breath from Velvet, and the woman quickly came to sit beside Sunset. "Oh, no, Sunset...sweetheart, you are most definitely not a problem.”  Her arm curled around Sunset’s shoulders and hugged her.  “Twilight has been in a bad mood ever since she came home, and it had nothing to do with you being here. We hadn’t even gotten the chance to let her know you were in the house.”
The former unicorn wiped her eyes with her free hand. “She...just...she...”
“I’m sorry that she lashed out at you like that.  She’s not angry with you though, not really. Twilight is angry because Night and I told her couldn’t do something she wanted to do, and when she gets angry like this, she doesn’t always think before she says something.”  Velvet hugged her tighter. “You didn’t do anything wrong, or cause it in any way, I promise.”
That...made some sense—the anger part, at least. She understood all too well how fury could make a person say or do things that they normally wouldn’t.  That was certainly true of a great deal of her arguments with Princess Celestia, including the final fight that ended with her running to the human world, as well as the fight for the Crown of Magic. Another worrying thought reared up, and she bit her lip. “You...you...wouldn’t send her away, right?” Sunset found herself asking.  “Even though she got angry and yelled at you?
Her girlfriend’s parents looked at each other, and Velvet asked very softly, “Why would you think we might do that, sweetie?”
Sunset bit her lip, not sure how to explain the real argument, but she had already broached the subject. Taking a breath, she started to speak, fully intending to be deliberately vague.  “...I’ve seen it happen before...” she offered.
Another one of those looks and Night asked, “Sunset...where did you see that?”
“I—” The redhead floundered, falling silent and staring into her half empty soup mug.
Velvet carded fingers through Sunset’s mane. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, sweetie.  If it’s too difficult or if you aren’t comfortable, we understand.” Her tone was warm, and her next words hit the teen harder than she expected.  “No matter what you choose to do, it won’t change how we feel about you or that you have a home here.”
She couldn’t stop the tide of words that burst forth, or the tears that accompanied them.  “It’s what happened to me,” she confessed, managing to set her soup down on the coffee table as she curled in on herself.  “I wanted so much more than I had, more than she was willing to give me...I was an arrogant, selfish brat who wasn’t satisfied, and when she told me that it was too much, or dangerous, or inappropriate, I would argue with her. We fought so much...” The mix of hurt and anger in ancient eyes filled her mind and she whimpered. “I just...I wanted her to love me,” she whispered, “but somewhere along the way I forgot what I was fighting for, and then...we had a huge fight, and it was public...I got so tired of her telling me to stop bothering her and to go make friends, but no one wanted to be my friend...the only ones who seemed to were just doing it to play pranks on me and no one ever believed me because I would get so angry...”
“I did something she had expressly told me not to, and I got caught....and we fought...I was so angry, I threw things at her and called her out and mocked her and challenged her authority...and she just...”
“What did she do?” Night coaxed carefully.  “Did she hit you?”
Sunset shook her head.  “No...she never did...she didn’t need to.  She just...she said, ‘If that is how you truly feel, Sunset Shimmer, then it seems I have nothing left to offer you. For all you pride yourself on learning...you have failed in learning the most important and fundamental lessons I tried to impart upon you—and I see no further point in trying. They are lessons you will have to learn elsewhere.’ Then she had me escorted away with the knowledge I was to be gone at first light...”
She could see the shock on Night’s face, knew it mirrored Twilight Velvet’s.  She’d seen it on her Vice Principal’s face too, when she’d given Miss Luna the full story about her falling out with Princess Celestia.  Velvet drew in a long, deep breath, and hugged Sunset tighter.  “Did she...make arrangements for you to go anywhere else? Someone to look after you?”
How could she explain the difference? She’d been a near adult back in Equestria as it was, and she’d already earned her cutie mark. As far as her kind were concerned, she was not a foal any longer and not really the Princess’ ward anymore.  Being her student was an honor and a privilege, not a right.  She settled on a shrug.  “The guards were to see me and my things escorted to one of the school dormitories in the morning. I...didn't wait—why go to a school where I was already more advanced than anything the teachers were teaching, where I was the orphan no one wanted? I packed a bag and ran.  Ended up here.”
Night frowned heavily, and he muttered something Sunset didn’t quite catch or understand, but it wasn’t hard to guess what it was about, or that it included some rather colorful language that she’d never heard from him before.  His wife hissed in admonishment of his language, before directing all of her focus to Sunset.  “Sunset, do you understand that that was both utterly reprehensible and highly illegal, what she did? No matter how angry either of you got or what words might have been thrown, she was the older, more mature individual and you were her responsibility.  She had no right to do that to you.”
Leaning into the hug, the former unicorn sighed, warring with herself.  It felt so nice to be hugged and feel like they cared about her, but she didn’t want to get it because of pity generated by a false understanding of what had happened.  Princess Celestia’s dismissal and kicking her out of the palace that had been her home was painful, and even now the memories had jagged edges that cut deeply, but the Princess wasn’t some kind of monster.  Sunset had done most of the damage herself, and it was really only a surprise that the princess hadn’t gotten rid of her years earlier.  In the end, that final fight had proven unequivocally that Celestia had only ever been her teacher...and that knowledge was what hurt the most...
Trying to explain that was hard, though. Celestia had never offered anything beyond mentorship and tutelage. The Princess of the Sun was not to blame for a little filly’s assumptions, or that filly’s increasingly desperate actions to try and make the outcome she desired happen.  Foals were looked after by adult ponies in their vicinity—it wasn’t out of place in smaller villages, for example, to have youngsters scolded for bad behavior by whatever adult happened to see it.  Even Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had been raised by an entire village—no defined adoptive parents, but a plethora of “Aunties” and “Uncles” that she had chattered about to Sunset in great detail during their short period of non-hostility.  Humans weren’t like that, and they had very different laws and taboos about children, child rearing, and the like.  There was no real way to get past this cultural, very huge societal difference—or the way the portal had overwritten her age in Equestria with a human form that was close to a decade younger...not without having to explain Equestria, the portal, and talking ponies. 
So once more she settled on a shrug, quietly commenting, “It’s illegal here,” deflecting it with vagueness and allowing them to make their own assumptions.  One day she would correct it, tell them the full truth of it, but not today.  In the meantime, she directed her attention back to her real worry and not opening the old wounds of her past and all her mistakes. “...does that mean you won’t do that to Twilight?”  She hoped their reaction meant that Twilight wouldn’t be unceremoniously tossed out, even if they had a really ugly fight or if...if those outlandish stories about how some human parents reacted to offspring who found a partner in someone if their own gender proved to be more than ridiculous exaggeration.  Her voice cracked in the middle and she cleared her throat, her emotions not settling like she wanted them to.  If nothing else, she was thankful for the acting skills she’d learned before her reformation; they let her school her features to hide the worst of her emotions, including the large measure of guilt over not thoroughly correcting their reading of her past.
Night Light rose from his chair to cross over to the couch, kneeling down and taking one of Sunset’s hands in his own.  “Sunset, can you look at me for a minute?” When she lifted her eyes from her lap, he squeezed her hand and addressed her in a very serious manner.  “I promise you, Sunset, that we would never, under any circumstances, cast out or send away one of our children.  It doesn’t matter what they say or do, we love them, and that will never change.  Our children will always, always have a place in this family.  All of them, not just Shining and Twilight. That means Cadence...and you.”
Sunset went still and quiet, staring in more than a little disbelief at her girlfriend’s father.  She did not doubt the sincerity of his words, but she was not prepared for the way it made her feel—there was a weird rushing sound in her ears and a strange sense like being in free fall, and she started to tremble.  “That’s not...” she protested.  “...and I’m not...”
“Night is absolutely right, Sunset,” Velvet said from her other side, hugging her fiercely once again.  “We told you at Christmas, and I will repeat it as many times as I need to until you believe it: you are part of this family, as much one of my children as Shining or Twily or Cadence.  You will always have a place here, and we would no more send you away than we would Twilight. You are never a bother, or any kind of inconvenience, nor do we regret opening our home to you, so discard those notions right now.”
It was too much. With everything else, Sunset couldn’t handle trying to unpack the meanings of their words and her emotions on top of it.  She nodded to acknowledge their words, but focused on controlling her response, despite the way it increased the throbbing in her temples.  As if they could sense her mood, Night squeezed her hand one last time before letting go and Velvet pressed the soup mug back into her hands with encouragement to eat.
She ate in relative silence, finishing the rest of her meal and taking the medicine for her head. As she sat, sipping on her tea, the redhead glanced towards the stairs.  It had been a while since she had come downstairs with Velvet, and there had been nothing from Twilight. She glanced at the adults.  “Is...is Twilight going to be okay?”
Night looked up from his book.  “She’ll be alright,” he assured her with a slight smile, tapping his cell.  “She’s on the phone with Cadence right now, talking it out.  When she gets done, I’m fairly certain she’ll be down to talk to the rest of us.” 
The former unicorn leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes against the light from the nearby lamp. “...what made her so upset in the first place? It just seems...so out of character for her...”
Velvet, still settled on the couch with her, resumed her earlier act of running fingers through Sunset’s somewhat tangled mane, fingernails lightly scratching along her scalp in a gesture that was not unlike a scalp massage.  The teen found herself relaxing against the woman’s shoulder, idly musing that this must’ve been where her girlfriend had learned that particular technique.  It was certainly doing more to relieve the tension in her head and neck than the painkillers, and she barely clamped down on the urge to whicker, turning it into a long, contented sigh instead.
“Has Twily ever explained to you what tunnel vision—or fixation—means in relation to her?” Velvet asked, her voice soothing and calm, but honestly curious.
Sunset wrinkled her brow, thinking back over her conversations with both Sparky and then the princess, searching for any time the term or subject of similar meaning had been spoken of, but came up fairly blank.  “Tunnel vision: that’s...a tendency to focus on a narrow point of view or extremely singular goal.”  She repeated the definition as if by rote—it had been a human idiom that she had encountered early on and like most, she’d committed it to memory.  “Akin to the way being in a long tunnel restricts your vision to a very limited window until you reach the exit?”  
Fingers gently worked a snarl out of her hair, then resumed stroking. “Yes, that’s about right,” the woman murmured.  “With Twilight, when she becomes extremely excited or invested in something, she can sometimes become fixated on that limited window and shuts out everything else. In that situation, if you pull her attention away and make her consider something else, she can get angry or upset...and she is not always the best at dealing with how those emotions affect her.”
Thinking about it in that context, she could see the trait in lesser manifestations, like her tendency to spiral into ‘Teacher Twilight’ mode, or the way her girlfriend’s princess counterpart had gotten so bogged down in writing the counterspell that she missed the obvious events around her. “I...can see that happening,” she admitted, chuckling. “Sparky can get...intense...sometimes, when she is passionate about something.”
There was a laugh in response from Velvet. “She can, can’t she?  It’s nice that she’s found a friend like you who can engage her when she’s invested in a particular hobby or interest.”
Sunset rolled her shoulders in a half shrug. “...It’s interesting, and I learn new things sometimes. Besides,” she added, growing a little bold with her words, “it’s...cute...to watch her get so excited about being able to share with someone who isn’t just...letting it go in one ear and out of their minds.”
Velvet made a sound in her throat, and her voice was tinged with sadness that almost made Sunset open her eyes.  “...Her enthusiasm is endearing to some, but not often to her peers, or even to a great many adults.  You’re special in that regard, sweetheart.”
“Sparky’s the special one,” the redheaded girl said in a soft voice.  “She was the first person ever to look at me and actually want to be my friend...and she never laughs at me for the things I don’t know. She just...explains them, and she does it better than anyone else I know.” 
She found herself leaning more against Twilight Velvet’s shoulder, the receding pain from her headache leaving her mind in a weird sort of muzzy cloud.  With another almost whicker turned sigh, she let herself drift for a minute or two, perking up a little when Velvet dropped a motherly kiss on the top of her head with a murmured, “Thank you.”
One blue green eye cracked itself open. “Hmm? For what?”
“I am...just so glad that you and Twily met, sweetie...I can’t really explain how good your friendship has been for her.” The woman squeezed her around the shoulders briefly.   
Sunset felt a sleepy smile curl the corners of her lips upwards.  “I don’t think I deserve that much credit, Mrs. Velvet. Twilight’s amazing, and I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want to be her friend.”  It was true, even if that knowledge would have made the old Sunset go into a screaming rage. She’d come to know Twilight Sparkle, human girl, and could even see the very character traits that made the human girl special reflected in the pony version. The title of ‘Princess of Friendship’ was well deserved for the Equestrian counterpart, and in Sunset’s opinion, the title of ‘Sunset Shimmer’s Very Best Friend’ was no less powerful, even if it seemed more egotistical on her part than anything.  “I can’t even explain how amazing. Not only is she smart, she can see things in a way almost no one else can, making these leaps in logic that I never thought I’d find from anyone other than myself, but she’s not arrogant about it like I was—it hasn’t twisted her into a terrible jerk or gone to her head as some kind of delusion of grandeur. Instead, she’s nice and kind and respectful of others and their abilities, and it was just so simple for her to decide to make friends and stick with me when I thought the smartest thing she could have done was run for the hills and never look back.”  
The former unicorn knew she was rambling, and she should probably stop, before the adults clued in on just how involved she was with their daughter, but her brain was slow to halt the flow of words as she listed all of the things she found wonderful about her girlfriend.  “...she’s cute too, especially when her nose does that little scrunch thing when she’s thinking super hard, or when her eyes light up and she does that little...dance...thing when she gets excited or an experiment works...” She found herself fighting a giggle, and knew she was in trouble.  “And the pout she gets when something doesn’t go according to her plans, I feel so bad, but it gets me everytime...and don’t get me started on how impressive her ability to come up with creative insults is!”
Night Light’s chuckle in the background of her rambling grew into a laugh that hiccuped somewhere towards the end, finally cutting in on her running monologue.  When he recovered, pausing to clear his throat, he replied, “It just shows us what a special person you are, Sunset, that you can see all of those things about Twily too.  You might be surprised at how many people overlook those things in favor of a snap judgment.”
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Sunset snorted huffily, muttering a remark under her breath about stupid, blind monkeys, which made Velvet shake with laughter. “Sunset, sweetheart, you truly are a wonderful and loyal friend.”  Then she sobered.  “Back to my original point and your question, however: part of what set Twilight off earlier was us doing something that we had planned for--with her agreement and her therapist’s advice--meant to get her to take some time and space to work through her feelings and remember there are things going on besides her fixation of the moment, and that she has both responsibilities and needs that she needs to take care of that she would otherwise ignore. Because of us interrupting her fixation, and removing her ability to further engage with it, she got very upset with us.  Once she’s had a chance to breathe and calm down, she will sit down and talk about the situation with us in a much healthier way.”
The teen thought on that, before venturing, “So you're...trying to help her, but...at the same time, when she’s calm enough to talk, you make sure she understands why you did what you did and hear what she has to say?”  A wistful sound escaped her.  Why couldn’t Princess Celestia have done anything like that, instead of the enigmatic riddles and nearly emotionless reactions?  If she’d ever had the opportunity to explain her side of anything, maybe actually—
The former unicorn cut that thought off before it dragged her emotions back out right after getting them under control.  
Her girlfriend’s mother nodded. “We do our best to make sure that we communicate with her and that we listen as much as we talk, so that everyone is on the same page, and that she understands what we are doing and why.”
Silence fell as Sunset absorbed that information.  In a lot of ways, it made sense. She sat for a bit, just thinking and breathing. Finally, she asked, “...so...what happens now?”
> Chapter Eighty: What I've Done
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





There was the sound of footsteps and Sunset’s eyes snapped all the way open to lock on a pair of apologetic purple ones.  Twilight toyed with her ponytail awkwardly for a moment. “Um...” 
Both parents offered her encouraging smiles, though it was Velvet who spoke first.  “Are you feeling a bit better now that you’ve had a little space, dear?”
Seeing her girlfriend standing there, looking so awkward and agitated was painful, but this wasn’t exactly the kind of situation where rushing across the room and pulling Twilight into her arms was a good idea.  She’d already pushed the veil of secrecy to the limit enough with her tongue getting away from her earlier, so putting that secret—one of only two secrets Twilight had ever asked her to keep—at risk was not something she really wanted to do. At least her earlier rambling could be seen as entirely one sided.  Taking a cue from Velvet and Night didn’t make her feel any better though, nor did it do anything to get rid of the unpleasant weight in the pit of her stomach that had formed the moment Twilight had given her the dark look in the upstairs hall and had not completely gone away yet.
Twilight gave a nod, hands twisting and untwisting her hair.  “Yes, Mom, I am...”  The dark haired girl drew in a shaky breath, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.  “I...would like to apologize for my behavior tonight.  I had no real cause to lose my temper like that, or for saying such hurtful things to everyone.”  She looked at each of them in turn, and when she caught Sunset’s gaze, the former unicorn was rattled by the amount of guilt and pain mixed in with the more familiar anxiety she could read there.
In response, Night set his book aside and held out his arms for a hug.  Twilight practically dashed into the parental offering of love and forgiveness, sniffling into his shirt.  In turn, he pressed his cheek to the top of her head.  “It’s okay, kiddo,” he said, wrapping her up in a tight hug.  “We forgive you—we know you didn’t mean what you said.”
She hiccuped around a half sob.  “I really didn’t, Dad,” she whimpered.  “I don’t hate you both, I love you. You’re fantastic and supportive parents and I’m not even sure why I said all those things...”
Velvet watched her husband and daughter for a moment, before looking at Sunset. The older woman smiled and nodded her head towards the pair.  Sunset gave her a crooked smile in return, sitting up straighter and allowing Velvet to slip from her spot on the sofa in order to join in on the hug.  “Deep breaths, Twily. It’s okay.  We love you too, even when things like this happen.”  Like she had earlier to Sunset, she kissed the top of Twilight’s head and started running her fingers through the dark ponytail.  “Sometimes your feelings get away with you, but you’ve calmed down now and you’re working to set it right.  That’s what matters.”
Twilight turned, clinging to her mother just as fiercely as she’d hugged her father, burying her face in Velvet’s shoulder.  Sunset could see her shoulders shaking with quiet crying, and it tore at her—she wanted nothing more than to have her girlfriend into her arms, even though on some level, she knew that it was Velvet’s hug her Twilight needed most right then.  So instead, she leaned over and picked up Spike, who had once again parked himself by her and didn’t seem inclined to go far, hugging the small animal to her chest—much to his tail wagging, face-licking, doggy delight.
Night Light cleared his throat once Twilight had composed herself.  “I think, though, you’re a bit too overtired and emotionally drawn out for that discussion tonight, kiddo. I think we need to put a pin in that talk until tomorrow, when we’ve all had a chance to rest, relax, and clear our heads to approach it from a much more rational angle.”
Wiping her eyes and cleaning her glasses off on her shirt, Twilight stared at her feet in that way that Sunset knew meant the dark haired teen was gathering her thoughts and running what she jokingly thought of as a ‘self-diagnostic.’  “...you’re right, Dad,” she said finally.  “I’m...not in the right mental state for it tonight. I...I think I’d like to wait, and...Sunset is here...I...would be tempted to ignore her if the lab was unlocked and...I don’t want to do that.”  Purple eyes met blue-green briefly, and Sunset felt her lips curl into a slight smile again.
Scratching at the stubble on his chin, the family patriarch responded with another suggestion.  “What do you ladies all say to an impromptu family night? Perhaps Sunset can pick out a movie, and we can all enjoy just relaxing.”
The former unicorn could feel exhaustion as well as hunger nibbling at her—one mug of the soup hadn’t been enough to sate her, apparently—but the thought of being able to just enjoy a night with some mindless entertainment appealed, especially now that her headache was receding.  “I’m okay with a movie night,” she said.
Velvet hummed softly. “We can do that, but dinner needs to be cleaned up first.  I don’t want to leave the kitchen a mess.”  
Cheeks flushed and back to staring quietly at her toes, Twilight started to head for the kitchen. “I’ll do that, Mom.  It’s my fault there’s a mess anyway.”
She was stopped by Velvet, who caught her shoulders and turned her towards the couch instead.  “While that is normally something I’d let you do, Twily, there’s one person you haven’t apologized to yet, and in this case, I think that’s a little more important.  Your father can help me instead.” She gave her a gentle nudge, before collecting Sunset’s empty soup mug and the empty cups, glancing at Sunset. “Do you feel up to popcorn, Sunset?”
“...I...think I’d rather have more soup, if that’s okay?” She shifted in her seat, now eager to have a few minutes alone with her girlfriend.  It was an effort to keep her expression from showing just how eager she was, practically willing the adults to move faster.
“I can handle that.  Night?”
He chuckled, rising from his chair with a grin and a wink at both girls. “Coming, dear,” he teased, following after his wife. 
Once the parents were safely in the kitchen and out of line of sight courtesy of the back of the couch, Sunset set Spike on the floor and held open her arms to Twilight. “Hey...c’mere?” she asked in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible. 
Twilight was in her arms almost before she could finish her sentence, moving so fast that for a split second Sunset wondered if the human teen had figured out how to teleport.  She hugged the smaller form to her, happy to tuck her face into Twilight’s neck and breathe through her nose, drowning herself in the mixture of scents that were this wonderful, unique human who meant so much to her.  Holding her now, feeling their bodies press together in the way that sent a tingle down her spine, did a lot to chase away the dread and foreboding her vision that afternoon had left behind.
“I’m sorry...I’m sorry...so sorry, Sunny,” her girlfriend repeated like a mantra, curling into Sunset’s embrace like she was terrified the redhead would vanish in an instant. “I didn’t mean it...didn’t mean to hurt you, to say what I said, to treat you like that...”  Fingers gripped Sunset’s shoulders so hard it was almost painful.  “...I felt awful when I realized how I made you feel, that I acted like I didn’t want you here...I do want you here, Sunset...I want this to be your home too, and I want you to be able to come here whenever you want or anytime you need to, without ever feeling like you aren’t wanted...”
Sunset nuzzled the lavender skinned neck and squeezed tighter, but made no attempt to speak yet. This was something Twilight had to get out first.  Her girlfriend took a breath, trembling slightly.  “And I know it probably didn’t seem like it before but I’m so glad you’re here right now because today has been so stressful and a terrible mix of good and bad, and talking to Cady and her friend helped, but what I really need more than anything is you...even though, by all rights you should be utterly furious with me for my behavior and how I treated you, even though I promised myself I’d never do that to you and I broke my promise because I got so fixated on my project...” 
The former unicorn pulled herself out of her blissful spot of rubbing her nose and cheek against soft skin, pulling back to meet Twilight’s tear-filled eyes.  “Hey...it’s okay,” she soothed.
The other girl shook her head. “It’s not!  You have every right to be hurt and upset and angry, not giving me that smile and—”
Nope. Now Twilight was getting into a spiral that Sunset knew from experience was hard to get out of, so she solved it in the simplest way available: a quick glance over the back of the couch to make sure no parent was watching, and then covering Twilight’s babbling mouth with her own. It wasn’t the deep, hungry, almost possessive kiss she wished she could give her, not while in the living room and adults that could walk in at any moment, but a soft, gentle press of their lips that let her girlfriend know that she forgave her for the ugly glare and harsh words.
When they broke apart, she grinned crookedly at Twilight.  “It really is okay, Sparky,” she confirmed.  “I used to be the most hated person in my school...in several schools, really...  I think I can handle the occasional bad mood and dirty look.” She took a deep breath, pecking those lips with another brief kiss.  “I was pretty groggy at the time, and I was more...surprised and confused than anything...” she bit her lip, weighing how much to say, before forging ahead. “For a second, I was worried I might’ve been caught in a nightmare...like this weekend...”
Her girlfriend frowned in confusion. “I...don’t understand—I thought your nightmare was practically devoid of people, and more some twisted self-doubt about failing the people you care about.  How was me being mean and nasty enough to make you think it was another nightmare?”
Ponyfeathers.  Sunset bit her lip, then offered a half truth in explanation. “...when I failed...you...attacked me.  It’s...the only time I've ever seen you look at me like that.”
A slowly dawning look of horror grew on Twilight’s face. “You mean it wasn’t just that something awful happened...it had me turning on you?”  Her voice rose in both volume and pitch, enough that Sunset was sure Velvet and Night probably heard her.  
“....yes,” she admitted.  “But it was mostly at the end of the nightmare...and it was because I failed you.” 
Twilight’s grip on her shoulders tightened enough that it was painful now.  “I blamed you? Oh Sunny...”
Wincing, Sunset brought her hands up to gently loosen her girlfriend’s fingers.  “Hey....I’m fine.  I know that it was a dream, not reality, and we already talked about it, remember? I trust you.”  She got one of the hands to let go of her shoulder, bringing it to her lips to kiss her palm.  “...I just wanted you to know why it hit me so hard, because I don’t want you blaming yourself for something that was partially because of my mind playing tricks on me.”
The dark haired girl rested her hand on Sunset’s cheek.  “I am sorry that I made you feel that way, even a little.” She tugged Sunset’s forehead down to rest against hers. “I can’t think of anything that would make me do that to you.”
Sunset could feel her lips almost brushing Twilight’s, their breath mingling. “I know...” she murmured, feeling the way shaping the words made her mouth come within a hair’s breadth of an inadvertent kiss. 
A warm hand rested against her collarbone, and her eyes fluttered shut, savoring the touch.  “...You’re...” Twilight paused, her voice growing soft and quiet. “...you’re like a part of me, Sunny...I never ever want to—”
Humming softly in her throat, Sunset cut off the repetition of the earlier apology, giving in to the temptation to capture Twilight’s lips. This one was the hungry, searing kiss she’d resisted before, and it deepened quickly into something approaching ‘blistering’ before the sound of movement in the kitchen reminded them that they were not in the relative privacy of a bedroom. 
Both girls broke the kiss and shared a quiet laugh.  “Oops,” Sunset murmured, nuzzling her girlfriend affectionately. “Forgot where we were. Let’s say we finish this later?”
Twilight whimpered. “One more kiss, Sunny, please?” she pleaded, clearly not wanting to move just yet.
That made the redhead smile crookedly. “You’re lucky you’re cute, nerd,” she teased. “It makes you hard to resist. One more, but then we should make ourselves presentable before your parents are done in the kitchen.”
“Okay.” The word barely passed Twilight’s lips before she was kissing Sunset again, fingers tangling in Sunset’s wild mane. 
This time, they were interrupted by Night calling from the kitchen, “Have you girls settled on a movie yet?”  They pulled apart hurriedly, and Twilight hopped out of Sunset’s lap in case one of her parents walked in. She glanced at the redhead, face darkened with a flush. 
“Not yet!” Sunset called, straightening her shirt and motioning for Twilight to do the same.  “Pick us something light and happy?” she whispered.
Her girlfriend looked through the DVDs the family had, before pulling out a movie. “Found one!” she said, holding it up. “You okay with ‘Lilo and Stitch?’”
Sunset gave her a shrug as Velvet reentered the room. “Never seen it, so sure.”  To be fair, she hadn’t seen a lot of movies until the last few months; Equestria only had plays, and being an evil megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur didn’t exactly leave her with a lot of time or interest in animated feature films.
Velvet handed Sunset her refilled soup mug. “Oh, that’s a good movie. I think you’ll like it, Sunset.”  She smiled, somewhat knowingly, and settled into her favorite chair.  
Twilight put the disc in the player, before plopping back on the couch next to Sunset. She chose a spot close enough for them to be touching but not so close as to be inappropriately intimate for two friends....and not close enough to satisfy the burning desire in the redhead’s heart to cuddle up with her.  Still, she smiled at the smaller girl and bumped her playfully with one shoulder.
Night joined them a few minutes later with several bowls of popcorn—which finally pried Spike from where he’d glued himself to Sunset’s calf.  He handed out the bowls, and looked down at the wiggling ball of fur. “Yes, Spike, I have yours. Don’t panic,” he told the dog, before setting a smaller bowl on the floor.  Spike barked once and dove face first into his share.
As the opening credits played, Twilight tugged the blanket off the back of the couch and spread it across both of their laps, commenting on it being chilly.  How much of that was true, Sunset wasn’t sure, because no more than twenty minutes later, warm fingers threaded with hers under the cover of the blanket.





The credits scrolled up the screen, but Twilight had stopped paying overly much attention to the movie about halfway in, ever since Sunset had dozed off and ended up with her head in Twilight’s lap. It had left her hyperaware of the way her girlfriend snuggled into her, making contented little sounds.  
She was distracted enough that she didn’t realize her mother had moved until Velvet startled her by leaning over and brushing a few strands of fiery hair away from Sunset’s face.  “I think we should get her into a proper bed, don’t you?” her mother asked her.  “She needs a good night’s sleep.”
Twilight glanced down, taking in the way the other girl seemed fully relaxed.  “Yeah...”
Night cleared his throat. “Do you think she would object violently if I tried to carry her up without waking her?”
Biting her lip, Twilight studied her girlfriend’s face while she considered the question.  “She might...” she admitted.  She carefully touched Sunset’s shoulder.  “Sunny?”  One sleep-clouded blue-green eye opened, accompanied by a whuffling snort.  Twilight rubbed her shoulder. “Dad’s going to carry you up to bed, is that okay?”
Sunset mumbled something that was almost incoherent, but her open eye flicked briefly to Night with at least a little awareness before it closed again.  He raised an eyebrow at his daughter. “It should be okay,” Twilight told him. 
He carefully edged forward to pick up the redheaded girl, who made a halfhearted sound of protest.  Twilight rolled her eyes. “I know you can walk, Sunny, but I’m worried you might trip on the stairs if you tried right now.”
Sunset grunted, and that was when Twilight realized that there were still amber skinned fingers gripping hers, unwilling to let go.  “Yes, I’m coming too....not like you’re giving me much choice.”  
Her father seemed far too amused with her predicament, grinning at her and periodically shooting her mother little glances that Twilight, trapped in the place on his far side courtesy of the grip Sunset had on her, could not properly interpret.  She was forced to let it slide without addressing it, as navigating the stairs in tandem with her father so as not to wrench herself away from Sunset. Quiet as the amber skinned girl was, seeming at ease and still mostly asleep in Night’s hold, Twilight was concerned that things could change very quickly if Sunset got the impression that she was being taken away from Twilight.
The upstairs hall was a lot easier to traverse, even if it put her arm at an awkward angle so as not to twist Sunset’s shoulder, and going through the door of Sunset’s room was an exercise in both comedy and applied physics, but they eventually made it and her father set Sunset down on the bed with no real mishaps.  Twilight found herself sighing in relief, giving Night a smile when he kissed her forehead. “Good night, Dad.”
“Good night, Twily...and let us know if you need a crowbar there?” He indicated where her hand was still caught in an iron grip.
“Ha ha.  It’s not as funny as it looks, Dad, trust me. I’ll see you in the morning.” She paused, before blurting, “I’m sorry for earlier. I love you.” Twilight couldn’t help it—she needed to make sure her parents both knew she loved them, especially after the fight, and saying sorry just once didn’t feel like enough.
“I love you too, sweetheart.”  He smiled gently at her, golden eyes bright and warm.  “Even in the middle of the worst meltdown in the entire history of meltdowns, I love you all the way to Alpha Centauri and back.” 
Twilight couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up from her at the words, or resist finishing the quote he’d left incomplete on purpose. “...because the moon is just too close?”
“By several light-years, my star-girl,” Night replied, hugging her. “Try not to stay up too late.”  Then he slipped out the door as Velvet came in with a fresh glass of water and another dose of painkillers to leave on the nightstand for Sunset.
Velvet took some time to make sure Sunset was comfortable under the blankets, straightening them and tucking them in around her.  One hand smoothed the wild curls back from Sunset’s face, and she turned her attention to Twilight. “I had intended to bring this up earlier, but things got away from us...but do you have anything particularly important to do at school tomorrow?”
That made her frown. “Just the usual—I was going to work on my project some more, but I don’t want to get sucked into that again until I have that talk with you and Dad.”
“I’m proud of you for making that choice, sweetie—I know it can’t be easy, with how much you are invested in this project of yours.” Her hand carefully brushed Sunset’s forehead, watching as the redhead turned into the touch with a soft sound.  “In light of that, how would you feel about me calling you in sick for school tomorrow, and instead you stay home to spend the day helping me keep an eye on Sunset.”
Twilight bit her lip. She really didn’t want to miss school, but the thought of getting a day with Sunset was very appealing.  “I...I don’t know...I don’t want to just skip school...” The prospect of engaging in delinquency on purpose, even if her mother was sanctioning it, made her squirm.
Velvet watched her, before elaborating, “The reason I’m asking, Twily, is because Sunset’s concussion comes with the instructions to take it easy and rest, as well as to be monitored...and I was planning on going across town to the fresh market there—the big one that gets all the fresh, organic foods and has the butcher and the seafood counter? They’re having a big sale on meats and produce, and I wanted to stock up on things for the big freezer. I was thinking about getting extra things to surprise Sunset with some of her favorites for dinner tomorrow...and have the ingredients to make extra food that we can freeze and send home with her.  I don’t want to leave her here alone...but if you were to stay home...”  Her mother left the thought unfinished.
It was tempting. Anytime her mother went to the big market, she always came home with some great food...and it always took her several hours.  Several hours she could have...alone...with Sunset...  She fought a shiver of delight at the thought of being able to be alone with her gorgeous girlfriend with no worry of anyone walking in on them, and the part of her mind that had been distracted since their heated kisses earlier suggested several images that made her ears feel hot and her throat dry. “I...okay,” she managed with only a little squeak to her voice, giving in to the want to spend more time with Sunset.
Her mother gave her another smile. “I was also going to see if you’d use the time to convince her to stay tomorrow night as well. She seems to respond better to those kinds of suggestions if you make them, and I would feel a great deal more reassured if she stayed here a second night.  I worry about her going home to an empty house as it is, but concussions are touchy things.”
The teen curled her fingers a little more tightly around Sunset’s at the reminder that her girlfriend had been hurt that day...and worse, Twilight hadn’t been there for her.  After the conversation and all the weekend’s worry, she had still failed to be there.  Her mind supplied a troubling thought that made her stomach twist: what if it had been more serious, and those phone-calls she had ignored had been because Sunset was in the hospital...or worse.
A shiver traveled down her spine, and she could not contain the next thought that entered her mind in response to the rising dread.  “I’m going to program a code for all of our phones,” she announced to her mother.  “One that will use a special ringtone or vibration pattern when added to a call so I—we—know it’s an emergency of some kind.”
Velvet blinked, likely startled by what for her was a seeming non-sequitur.  “Not that it’s a bad idea, Twily, but...what brought this on?”
“Today,” Twilight responded, a little more short and curt than intended as she had to force herself to look away from the sleeping girl and focus back on her mother. “I should have answered my phone—especially when you guys kept calling. I know that doesn’t happen for no reason, but I...I assumed you were being overprotective again...since I know Shining talked to you.”  She didn’t elaborate and her mother gave no response one way or another, but neither of them had to, in this instance.  “None of the mess this evening would have happened if I had just answered my phone, but I was too focused and absorbed by...other things, and I didn’t.  If I make a code, then...”
Trailing off, Twilight blinked back tears and her gaze flicked briefly back to Sunset’s face.  “Sunny could have been terribly hurt, Mom, and I ignored my phone.  I don’t want to let that happen again, just because my brain does these...these weird, frustratingly stupid, abnormal things without my permission!”
Her voice faded into silence, with Twilight Velvet watching her with an expression she recognized was both thoughtful and concerned.  She stepped closer to pull Twilight into a gentle hug that soothed her nerves.  “I know you often feel this way about yourself after a meltdown, sweetheart, but please remember that these kinds of episodes don’t define who you are, okay?”
She didn’t answer—what could she say? She’d heard that before, but it didn’t make her really feel any better and it certainly didn’t change the fact that she sometimes felt like she was in a constant war with parts of her own psyche.  In the end, she gave a halfhearted shrug.
Her mother pulled back from the hug, resting her hands on Twilight’s shoulders and searching her face.  “Do you think having a special ringtone for emergencies would help you feel better in the long run?” Velvet asked softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Twilight nodded. “...yes...it would help, because it would be something that can get through to me when I’m unable to realize other social signals and patterns.”
More silence, before the older woman smiled at her. “Perhaps you and Sunset could work on that tomorrow then, if she feels up to it?”
Purple eyes were drawn back to fiery hair and amber skin, and she gave a little sigh.  “I’ll ask her...and if not, I can always work on it on my own later.  I...it’s something I need to do. Sunset is important to me, Mom, and I need to be there when she needs me. She’s my g—” Twilight covered her almost slip with a sniffle that was only slightly exaggerated. “...she’s my best friend, and I wasn’t there for her today.”  She cut off her mouth from saying anything else until she wrestled her feelings under control, because they were making it difficult to avoid oversharing.  
Those emotions were proving much harder to contain than normal, as her brain supplied a memory from earlier that evening, when she’d been straddling Sunset on the couch, wrapped up in warm arms and with soft lips against hers.  Heat made her skin tingle and her inside squirm, and she couldn’t help but ache to be able to relive that moment.  How much easier would it be to have moments like that if she just...told her parents? How would it feel, not having to hide, to be constantly afraid of exposure and greet Sunset with a kiss...or better, be greeted by Sunset pulling her into one of those kisses that left her weak in the knees? To snuggle into Sunset’s lap for a movie instead of sneaking a hand hold under a blanket?
Twilight bit her lip, and raised her eyes to meet her mother’s. “...Mom?” she ventured, trying to fight off the sudden trembling in her limbs.
“What’s on your mind, Twily?” Velvet’s tone was the warm, soothing one filled with love that always made Twilight feel safe.
Yet still she stewed in rising indecision, unsure why she just couldn’t say it. It wasn’t that complicated to say ‘Mom, I’m a lesbian,’ and she already knew they’d love her still. They hadn’t judged Cadence for being openly bisexual, and compared to all of the other issues that had cropped up for Twilight during her life, her attraction to her own gender was barely a blip on the radar.  But she still felt nauseous and panicky at the mere thought of outing herself, even with all of that and the fact that they treated her girlfriend like they’d adopted her as part of the family already.  Why was telling them something perfectly acceptable in the modern era such a huge deal inside her own head?!
“Sweetheart?” Her mother sounded a little worried now, probably because she’d been quiet for too long.
“...you like Sunset, right?”
Velvet chuckled. “Of course I do, Twilight. She’s a wonderful, intelligent girl, and the fact that her presence in your life clearly makes you happy means a great deal to me.”
She opened her mouth, determined to blurt it all put and get it over with, like ripping a band-aid off...but at the last minute, her resolve crumbled and she found herself saying , “I think it’d be...nice...to have her come over more often, don’t you?” 
It sounded awkward, even to her, but it was the best she could do without any real plan.  Her stomach twisted with anxiety, hoping her mother wouldn’t push. She couldn’t tell her now—the moment had passed and she just...It wasn’t the right time, she decided. After everything, between Sunset getting hurt and all of the emotions running high, she couldn’t dump another emotional weight on everyone. They all really needed sleep...and it wasn’t fair to tell just her mother, or to do it without discussing it with Sunset first.
Decision solidified and justified, she added in a hurried fashion, “I was thinking about asking her to do that, if it’s okay with you and Dad...I just didn’t want to do it without asking.”
The response from her mother was a slightly odd look, one full of emotions Twilight couldn’t quite parse with any degree of reliability, and she didn’t like to make assumptions because her guesses were usually wrong.  “Of course it’s alright, sweetheart,” Velvet assured her.  “We’re always happy to see her come over, and goodness knows she could still do with a few more home-cooked meals during the week instead of whatever processed, prepackaged things she is throwing in a microwave and calling dinner.”  She leaned forward and kissed Twilight on the forehead.  “We can talk about it more in the morning though.  For now, I’m going to get some sleep and so should you. It’s been a long day.”
“I’m going to...as soon as I get my hand back,” she explained, nodding towards the appendage in question.  Her free hand toyed with the hem of her shirt.  “...sleep well, Mom...I love you.”
“I love you too, Twilight. Sweet dreams, and I promise, tomorrow will be a better day.”
Twilight waited until her mother had gone and she heard the bedroom door to her parents’ room shut, before looking back to her snoozing girlfriend. There was never any question of where Twilight would be sleeping...but she didn’t really want to sleep in her school uniform.  
She pulled her hand free of Sunset’s, earning a displeased grunt and a snort, before one blue green eyes fluttered open. “Sp’rky..?” Sunset slurred, not really awake.
“I’m still here, Sunny,” she told her, leaning down to kiss her softly. “I’ll be right back, I need to change into pajamas...”
Fingers gripped her shirt and a whimper came from the redheaded teen. “D’n go...stay...need you...safe...”
Twilight bit her lip at the plea, and she caved at how small and frightened Sunset sounded. “Okay...move over.”  She stepped back, blushing as she dropped her skirt, vest, and tie to the floor, and with some creative contortions—and unbuttoning the top two buttons on her shirt—her bra followed a minute later. Hopefully this wouldn’t lead to an embarrassing morning...
Heart pounding, she nudged the drowsy Sunset over and crawled into bed beside her, not at all surprised when strong arms pulled her into a tight embrace, or when Sunset’s sleepy voice cleared up just enough to growl huskily in her ear, “Mine.”  The sound sent a shiver down her spine even as it made her body thrum with desire.





Twilight Velvet silently closed the bedroom door the rest of the way after the light went out in the room down the hall.  She glanced at her husband, who was leaning against the bathroom door frame, brushing his teeth, one eyebrow raising at her expectantly. She smirked in a moment of victory.  “I win. Pay up, dear.”
He gave the long suffering sigh of a husband yet again outwitted by his wife, grabbing his wallet from his dresser so he could retrieve a five dollar bill and pass it to her.  Then he ducked back in the bathroom to rinse his mouth. “You know,” he chuckled as they climbed into bed, “I really thought she’d at least go back to her room to change for bed first.  She hates that uniform.”
“However bad she feels about it, her feelings for Sunset override it.  I’ve never seen her come out of a mood as fast as I did tonight...and she almost told me again tonight. That’s twice in less than a week, Night.”  Velvet cut the light on her side of the bed.  
Night Light made a disgruntled sound. “Maybe she’ll finally ‘break the news’ to us before the end of the school year...”
“Lighty...” She rolled onto her side, placing her hand on his chest. 
“I’m sorry, evening star...” he murmured, offering her an apologetic smile. “I just don’t understand why we’re letting this drag on so long when it clearly causes her such distress and she is winding herself up so badly trying to tell us.  I think we need to sit down with Twily and tell her that we know.”
Her hand moved higher to trace over his jaw, a light touch in the dimly lit bedroom to communicate her love and affection.  “Lighty...” she repeated.  “I feel the same way, but we can’t. You know what Gently advised.”
“I know...that bit about ‘her sexuality is a factor of her life she feels she can control,’” he repeated.  “But she’s turning it into this enormous, stressful production, and there’s no reason for it.  At this point, I almost want to blame popular media and this pervasive social attitude that coming out is this huge deal with either an explosive dismissal or party with streamers....” He made a sound in his throat of distress. “When did just loving your child for who they are as part of how you treat them daily become so rare? Having her be so afraid that we will stop loving her for something so trivial hurts.”
Velvet sighed. “I feel the same way, dear...but I think we have to trust Gently’s assessment. She has Twily’s best interests in mind and she’s usually right.”
He hugged her closer.  “...I know Dr. Soft-Spoken is good at her job, but at this point, I’d be willing to believe that Sunset knows Twilight just as well if not better.  Have you thought about maybe talking to Sunset about it? Maybe we could let her know that we’re aware of their relationship and that we are happy for them...We might be able to get her to talk some sense into our daughter before one of us slips up and causes a meltdown that outclasses Vesuvius one hundredfold.”
“That...that could work...” Velvet mused.  “I think we should wait until spring break. We talked about that family trip to the beach house...what if we invite Sunset and talk to her right before that?  Maybe they could actually enjoy the trip as a couple.”
Night cuddled her even closer. “As always, evening star, your moments of brilliance remind me how lucky I am to have you to keep me from making a horse’s rear end of myself. What would I do without you?” 
“Live off of take-out and PB&J,” his wife responded dryly. 
He started to debate that, but paused to consider. “...you’re not wrong,” he conceded.  “My abysmal culinary skills aside, I do like the idea. Have a talk with Sunset a week or two before, see what she suggests.  I imagine she’s not too happy to hide it—you heard her earlier.”  He laughed softly.  “She did everything but tell us she’s in love with Twily.”
“I’m not sure she’s realized that herself yet, dear.”
Another laugh, and Night reached out to turn his bedside lamp off.  “I’m sure she’ll figure it out,” he murmured, already starting to doze off, now that they had a plan.  Shifting under the blankets, Velvet followed him into dreamland.
> Chapter Eighty One: Burn For You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The waking world faded in slowly, supplanting fragmented dreams of a soft voice murmuring love in her ears and soft touches that left her heart full to bursting with the distant sound of morning traffic and something tickling her nose....the fading scent of grass mingling with aged paper giving way to clean linen, a faint hint of honeysuckle...another smell that she couldn’t place—nothing bad, just foreign...but somehow familiar...to her.  Sunset drowsily pried open one eye as sunlight fell onto her face.  
It took her a moment to shake off the fractured memories of her sleep, of the feeling of fingers running through her mane and down her neck and shoulders, and realize where she was: the bedroom that she’d been given, rather than Twilight’s familiar bedroom.  She had only the vaguest recollection of how she had gotten there, of Twilight being there as a comfortable presence the whole time.
Speaking of Twilight...
Blue-green eyes could see the tousled head of dark hair, feel the pressure of it resting on her chest, the other girl pressed tight against her side.  She looked so peaceful, snuggled up like that, one hand curled into the fabric of Sunsets shirt, soft snores indicating she was still deeply asleep.  A smile crept onto her face, the arm that wasn’t holding Twilight moving so she could brush some of the hair out of her girlfriend’s face.  Twilight’s forehead creased, and she nuzzled more firmly into Sunset with a quiet little noise, as if seeking refuge from the minor disturbance.
Sunset relaxed, not wanting to wake Twilight—there was something extremely satisfying about the mornings that she managed to wake first and got the chance to bask in the warmth, touch, and affection she felt for the girl in her arms.  Once Twilight stirred, she would have to get up and get ready for school, and it would see Sunset left to her own devices.  
So the former unicorn enjoyed the time she had, feeling more rested and content than she had in weeks.  It was enough to make her focus briefly turn inward, taking stock of how she felt.  The exhaustion and fuzziness from the previous day was completely gone, leaving her surprisingly alert and clear headed despite having just woken up.  More than that, the strain on her magic and magical reserves was gone, as if she’d just come out of a week long bed rest in the Canterlot palace.  It was troubling, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it; it honestly felt like the more she explored magic in the human world, the less she actually understood.
In Equestria, magic had laws the same way physics and mathematics did, well established, tested, studied, and experimented with over thousands—and even tens of thousands—of years.  In a sense, it was a grounded field of study the way basic physics or chemistry was for humans...and Sunset had been well versed in the field, comparable to a human working towards a doctorate.  Yet all of her knowledge, all of those theories, all of that study was almost useless in the human world. Even the parts that started out looking and feeling like the magic she knew were playing by a new set of rules—including her own innate magic—and it left her floundering.
Think, Shimmer, she told herself. Back to basics, and throw out assumed data to gather observations from scratch.  She sighed heavily, and really took the opportunity to analyze how she felt.  Her magic levels were up, and she felt incredibly energized, and she felt fantastic...too fantastic, she realized.  Even if she had been gorging on the energy bars Princess Twilight had brought through, she shouldn’t have recovered this fast without some kind of direct mana infusion. 
But she hadn’t had a mana infusion, and more than that there was not enough magical energy in the human world to provide even a tiny, natural one....but energy could not normally manifest out of nothing at all.  It had to come from somewhere...
Or someone, a part of her mind whispered, images of the Sirens drawing magic out of the students via emotions that resonated with their gems coming to her mind.
Except she wasn’t a Siren, a Windigo, or a Changeling, so there was no way she could get energy that way...right? Ponies didn’t do that, and humans were without magic for the most part, so a magic leeching human made little sense.  
Her eyes flitted worriedly to Twilight, who almost never slept longer than Sunset. The other teen was much more a morning person, cheerful and bright eyed within minutes of waking.  What if her still being asleep had some kind of magical cause? What if Sunset had somehow done something?
Much to her relief, Twilight chose that moment to stir, as the wandering beam of sunlight finally moved to fall on her face. She scrunched her nose up with an unhappy noise and nuzzled her face into Sunset’s chest in a futile attempt to get away from it. Most of the worry left the redhead alongside an amused giggle, which made purple eyes open sleepily.
“...Sunny?” The smaller girl blinked at her owlishly.  
An amber skinned arm fumbled with the nightstand and retrieved her girlfriend's glasses, gently settling them on Twilight’s face. “Hey,” she greeted.  “How’d you sleep?”  She needed to make sure Twilight didn’t feel unnaturally fatigued, just to be sure.
Twilight rubbed her face against Sunset’s chest, seemingly oblivious to what her cheek was pressing into, a sound not unlike a purr escaping her.  The redhead could feel the way she arched her back and stretched without relinquishing her grip on Sunset.  The question seemed to register in a somewhat belated fashion, her eyes suddenly unable to meet Sunset’s.  “Oh!” It came out as a half squeak.  “I slept great!”  Her cheeks darkened with embarrassment.  “...really, really great...”  
The former unicorn couldn’t help the smile that curled at her lips, and the hand that had been resting on Twilight’s back moved lazily upwards to tangle in dark hair. “You must’ve,” she teased lightly. “You didn’t take your hair-tie out.  Usually that bugs you.”
A mock pout was sent back. “That’s because someone insisted I stay last night. You wouldn’t even let me change into my pajamas.” 
“Did I?” Her brows furrowed. She did vaguely remember telling Twilight she wanted her to stay close, so she could keep her safe...but the memory was clouded by sleep.  “I...sort of remember that.  I’m sorry, Sparky—you probably could have changed and I would have gotten over it.”
The giddy smile hiding behind the pout broke through, and lavender cheeks were still dusted with a blush. “...I didn’t fight too hard,” she whispered, scooting up Sunset’s body enough to peck her on the lips.  “I was tired myself...getting upset like that...always leaves me feeling awful and wrung out and I usually have trouble sleeping.”
“Nightmares?” Sunset asked worriedly, her brain already running another line of thought. She had sensed dark, foul magic in her vision the day before...was dark magic responsible for Twilight acting the way she had? And if so...how long had it been a problem?  
“Sometimes,” the younger girl admitted.  “The stress of it sometimes makes me sick too, and I can end up feeling like I’ve got the early stages of a cold or flu.”
Sunset eyed her.  “Like...how so?” she probed.
“Very similar to how you feel right before you get a bad cold.  You know how that feels, I’m sure...sometimes a headache, or extremely tired like you just want to sleep, or tension in your muscles and joints, and sometimes it feels like your sinuses and inner ear are affected? It always makes me go through a day or two where the world feels...skewed.”
Could be stress...or a touch of exhaustion brought on by an encounter with unpleasant magics, the unicorn-turned-human thought.  She kissed Twilight, using it as an excuse to throw her magical senses open wide, feeling for any traces.  Relief hit her like a flying tackle from Rainbow Dash at full speed—she could find no trace of the foulness, only the bright, shining nature of Twilight herself.  She smiled into the kiss before pulling back slowly.  “How about today?”
The dark-haired girl laughed softly, nuzzling close to Sunset again.  “I feel wonderful, Sunny. You’re like some miracle panacea—I slept great, I feel good, and I feel like I could take Spike for a mile jog and still have enough energy to take apart and put your bike back together!”
“I’m suddenly glad I had to leave my bike at school, nerd,” she told Twilight playfully.   “My principal wouldn’t let me drive yesterday.”
Her girlfriend frowned. “What exactly happened yesterday?  Mom said something about a potential concussion...did someone hit you in the head?”
Shrugging while prone and pinned down by Twilight Sparkle was an interesting experience, but Sunset managed.  “I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have, and it turned into a choice of taking the hit or letting it hurt a friend.  It wasn’t a hard choice, and I’ve had worse.”  She rubbed noses with her companion affectionately. “Besides, I feel great today.  I think I just needed some sleep.”
Twilight’s concerned frown deepened.  “Sparky...look at me,” Sunset coaxed.  When purple eyes met hers, she hugged her tighter. “I really do feel much better...better enough that I was thinking maybe we could finish what we started on the couch yesterday?”  It was only half a ploy to get Twilight to stop worrying—the other half was purely the selfish desire to have Twilight melt into her arms while she kissed her senseless. 
Purple eyes studied her intently, searching her face for so long that Sunset was beginning to wonder if Twilight didn’t believe her.  Slowly though, her frown transformed into a smile, and she brought her face closer to Sunset’s, kissing the tip of her nose.  “...that sounds like a brilliant way to start the day, Sunny,” she murmured, bringing a hand up to brush some tangled, messy curls away from Sunset’s face.
Sunset tugged her down so that the other girl was sprawled atop her. Lips met heatedly, earning her a low moan from Twilight and the sensation of fingers digging into her shoulders for support. Nickering in her throat, she rolled them, putting Twilight under her, just like Sunset preferred.  Another moan, a little louder than the first, escaped into the air when the redhead’s mouth moved down to nip at the lavender skinned throat before traveling up along her jawline to nibble playfully at an earlobe.  
She blew lightly across her girlfriend’s ear, earning a shiver from the smaller body.  “How long before you have to get ready for school,” she breathed, letting her lips just barely brush against Twilight’s skin.
Fingers clawed against her shirtsleeves briefly, as Twilight’s brain struggled to process the question amid the other signals bombarding her.  “...I...don’t have to...” she panted, relaxing her hands and rubbing her palms up and down amber skinned arms.  “...I’m...all yours today...consider it part of my apology...for what happened last night...”
Lightning lanced through her insides, and she treated Twilight to another deliberate nibble of her ear.  “You’re skipping school? That’s some apology, Sparky...”
Nails dragged along her arms, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to register to her nerves and leave slightly darker lines on her skin. Smirking, Sunset nuzzled her affectionately.  A softer, breathier moan fell from Twilight’s lips.  “...you’re worth it to me, Sunny...” she whispered. An insistent tug brought their foreheads together.  “Never doubt that, please...”
Sunset kissed her briefly.  “I don’t,” she responded. “...and I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
“I know...” Twilight kissed her back. “Mom originally suggested the idea because your principal said you shouldn’t be alone today, but she has some necessary errands to run...but I wanted to spend the day with you...” She bit her lip. “...maybe focus on us today instead of getting distracted by my anxiety or your nightmares or things that happened at school...or me getting wrapped up in my project, which I promised I wouldn’t do until after I talk with Mom and Dad tonight.”
Sunset found her eyes prickling, and she quickly blinked away incipient tears, drawing in a shaky breath.  How many times as a filly had she seen other ponies off enjoying themselves with loved ones, knowing it would never happen for her? She could remember plenty of times seeing a shop closing early because the owner wanted to surprise their mate with a special night out, or members of the castle staff or CSGU taking time off from their duties for a birthday or celebration, and even other foals missing a day of school because they were having a special day with a parent or grandparent. Always knowing that Princess Celestia was far too busy with important duties to even waste precious time with the alicorn to ask for that kind of impossible and selfish favor...feeling lucky that the Princess even managed to take time each summer for a private birthday dinner with Sunset.  To have someone do that for her now, for Velvet to think of it, all on her own without Sunset saying anything, and more than that, for her girlfriend to agree? That was something she would never have considered, especially because school was so important to Twilight—missing school was the closest one could get to an act of sacrilege for the nerdy girl...  
Yet here she was, happily giving up a whole day for Sunset, wanting to devote that time to the two of them spending time together... The emotion that filled her in that moment settled into one of the cracked, broken places in her soul, easing a hurt that Sunset hadn’t even realized was there.  She buried her face in the crook of Twilight’s neck, pressing as close as possible to the warm body beneath her. 
“Sunny?” Twilight asked worriedly, a hand resting between her shoulder-blades.
“Can we? Just forget everything else for the day? Just have it be you and me and us?”  Sunset hated how badly her voice trembled, but it was at least better than bursting into tears.  
Twilight’s throat vibrated with a soft sound that Sunset could feel just as much as she could hear it.  If another pony had made it, she might’ve called it a comforting whicker—from a human it was somewhere between a grumble and a hum.  Regardless, it made her feel good, especially when it was paired with Twilight rubbing small circles on her back.  “Absolutely, Sunny,” she murmured.  “Maybe...if you want...we could just spend the day in pajamas, cuddling? Maybe make some snacks and stay in here or in my room, just us, doing whatever feels right? We never did finish reading that book we bought, you know...”
“The one on myths? I liked that one,” she mumbled into dark hair.  “I liked you reading to me, and how you always add in the little asides about the culture and historical contexts...it makes sense when you explain it.” 
Her girlfriend’s joy leaked into her voice.  “Would you like to cuddle and read then?  Mom is going across town to this fancy market where she can get a lot of fresh food and she usually brings home special treats or a special lunch to whoever is here to help bring in groceries...and it probably means she’ll want to make someone’s favorite meal for dinner.”  She laughed. “And since you’re here, she’ll pick one of yours to try and entice you into staying.”
Sunset snorted with amusement.  “It’s a good method—her food is delicious.”
The former unicorn felt Twilight press a kiss to the side of her head. “Maybe you could stay again tonight and we could watch more movies? Mom says you’re welcome to, and...I know you said you feel better, but statistically, head injuries are erratic and affected by innumerable variables, and I don’t want you to be all alone and have something turn out to be wrong.”
The other girl sounded so concerned and yet hopeful that Sunset couldn’t say no.  “Alright...one more night. You’ve convinced me...but just the one.” She inhaled the scent of Twilight’s hair, already losing herself again in the private world that they found themselves in under the covers, where nothing mattered except the two of them and the kisses she wanted to press onto lavender skin.





“Are you partial to any kind of myth? A particular culture or place of origin?” Twilight had her laptop balanced while they cuddled close together on the couch, finally on the main floor after a morning spent indulging in quiet, intimate affection.
Sunset nuzzled her pajama clad shoulder.  “Not really. Though it would be cool to get different stories than the ones you read.”  They were mostly new stories to Sunset anyway, and regardless of culture, the very fact that they were of human origin would make them vastly alien to anything she’d heard before.  “I do like the ones with magical monsters though. The one about the sirens was...intriguing...” Secretly, Sunset wondered if the sirens in the story had any connection to the three sadistic Equestrian exiles.   “I also didn’t expect the one about the pegasus, or the Minotaur...” The one about the pegasus was gross fabrication, of course. Pegasi foals were born the same as any other pony, not from the severed neck of a gorgon.  There hadn’t even been any gorgons for centuries, ever since the minotaurs had hunted them to extinction in the wilds around their kingdom.  But the similarities in some of the myths to actual Minotaur culture were fascinating, and she wondered if other myths might overlap with other cultures native to her world.  
Her girlfriend smiled at her, stealing a brief kiss. “Monster legends, huh?  Like what?  Dragons? Shapeshifters? Talking animals? Unicorns? Mutant demigods? Sea monsters?” She tapped the screen.  “Most cultures have monster myths and stories, usually as some attempt to explain the unknown, or a phenomenon they couldn’t grasp, or trying to explain an unusual animal.”
Maybe it was ego talking, but some part of her was interested in myths that referenced her kind.  She’d learned that humans had stories about unicorns, but that they seemed to revolve around things she was tempted to refer to as cheap imitations of Princess Celestia—sans the wings, obviously. “Maybe...dragons, unicorns...and a few of the ones from different cultures?” Dragon legends could be a fascinating thing to pass along to Princess Twilight and her Spike, since the young drake would find few stories about his kind among pony literature.
Twilight hummed thoughtfully as she typed, narrowing some of the search parameters in a window that looked nothing like the default browser windows Sunset was used to using.  “It could actually be fun for us to compare the different regions’ myths and how the different cultures develop their own stories about similar creatures.”
Teeth nibbled lightly at Twilight’s ear. “As long as we can read it together, we can perform whatever detailed cultural analysis you want...” Sunset teased, even as she wondered about what her girlfriend might think of some of the legends from Equestria.  “Maybe I can even tell you a few myths you’ve never heard before...”  After all, a few of the more vague monster myths could be passed off as some kind of local variant from a human place that wasn’t Canterlot, right? 
Her girlfriend let out a happy little noise, a pleased shiver going through her. “Sunny...not too much. Mom’ll be home soon...and I don’t want her to find out about us because she walks in on us kissing...and when you do that, I really want to kiss you some more.” 
The former unicorn pulled back, straightening up and away from the warm body she wanted nothing more than to melt into, without a thought spared for the moon-banished consequences.  “Right...” she said softly, frowning.
It niggled at her, chewing on her awareness and her thoughts followed the unpleasant sensation.  She still struggled to really grasp a lot of the social intricacies on the subject of human relationship preferences and how they were judged externally by others—a ridiculous concept in any world, but for it to be over the gender of the parties involved? It was as stupid as tribalism.  Even the aristocracy’s classism made some measure more sense than that, and it was something that a pony only really found in certain cities.  
Sunset wasn’t one of those ponies who felt the need to advertise to every creature within earshot about her relationship.  Nor did she feel the compulsion to talk to anypony—or anybody—who would listen about her struggles with deciding if this relationship she had begun with her best friend meant she had found her Very Special Somepony or if it was just something comfortable that was an extension of their friendship—not something that humans usually did, but she was still a mare at heart despite her outward appearance.  At the same time, however, Sunset was in no way ashamed of how she felt, or of her romantic relationship with the girl sitting next to her. It wasn’t her nature and it wasn’t her culture—she’d never felt the need to pursue anypony in Equestria for a variety of reasons but feeling shameful about the way her eyes had preferred the softer, rounder curves of a mare’s flank and barrel to a stallion’s harder lines, or for the fact that stallion musk smelt unpleasant compared to the much milder scent of other mares had never been part of it. 
In the end, she wasn’t sure if she could survive long term in any kind of relationship where it was treated like a terrible secret. It reminded her too much of some of the awful attempts and malicious games from CSGU, where once in a while, another student would approach her, claiming they wanted to be friends, but would almost immediately make it apparent that if they did become friends, it would be a secret friendship. No one could know.  
The amber coated unicorn had sent every single one of them packing with a blistering diatribe singing their ear fur.
“...nny?”  Twilight’s worried tones shook her from her thoughts.
The redhead turned towards her girlfriend.  “Sorry, Sparky...what’d you say?”
Twilight laced their fingers together, bringing Sunset’s hand to her face so she could press her cheek to the back of it.  “What’s wrong?”
She exhaled slowly, trying to find a way to word it that wouldn’t trigger another panic attack or make Twilight feel like she was being attacked. “...I...I don’t want to upset you,” she admitted.  “...I...” she paused, licking her lips and collecting her thoughts.  “I want to let you know that I am not pressing you to start telling people about...us...but...” 
“...but...?” came the response, lips brushing her knuckles tenderly.
“...are you ever going to tell your parents about us? Maybe not now or even soon, but ever? Or is...is this it for us, always hiding, always sneaking around afraid that someone else might get it into their head that we don’t act in a way they think is acceptable?”  Sunset curled in on herself a fraction. “Your family has been so nice to me....I don’t want to lose them any more than I want to lose you, and I feel awful just...lying to them.”
Those eyes were watching her closely, and Twilight squeezed her hand.  “Give me a minute to organize my thoughts and feelings?” she asked.
“Yeah, take your time. I don’t want you to think I’m upset or angry or being pushy, I’m not...” Sunset relaxed when Twilight scooted closer, pressing up against her side.  There wasn’t stress or anxiety or anger in her girlfriend’s countenance, only a distracted sort of thoughtfulness and the quiet that said the nerdy girl was analyzing both what she’d heard and her own feelings.
At last, Twilight took a deep, slow breath, her other hand drawing in and away from her chest in time with the measured breathing.  “Okay...I...I want to try putting this into words, and if I am not making sense, let me know at the end? Getting it out is...hard, and complicated, but I’m doing my best.”  When Sunset nodded, she continued.  “I...you are right—I am not ready now to come out. I’ve...I’ve tried, a few times recently to Mom, and I just can’t at the last moment.”  Another breath. “But...I don’t want it to be a secret forever.  I’ll never be able to hide, to pretend to be interested in men or completely disinterested in the appeal of a gorgeous woman.  I want to one day be able to tell my parents about a date I went on, or cuddle up on the couch here without being afraid of being caught when you kiss me.”  She leaned over and kissed Sunset to punctuate her statement.
“I’m...just not there yet, and I realize that my fear is irrational and illogical...possibly a result of my hypersensitivity to how atypical I am compared to our peers...sometimes it feels like my sexuality would be ‘just one more thing’ to make people stare and judge me for...and I...I cant face that right now, Sunny, and I hate that my irrational phobia is making you feel that way...”  
The redhead looked away. “I...that makes sense. I just wasn’t sure if you were okay with this always being a secret...I...”  Deep breaths, Shimmer, and just say it.  “I don’t want to be a shameful, dirty secret for you, Sparky.”
Twilight made a noise like something heavy had been shoved hard into her gut, her face contorting into an expression of such pain that Sunset instinctively moved to hold her. The action was forestalled with a lavender hand, fending off the embrace firmly, leaving the taller girl to stew uneasily as Twilight sorted through her inner turmoil.
When the dark haired teen spoke, her voice was unsteady and thick with emotion, but there was no mistaking the determination that pushed her past that.  “...you’re right, Sunny...I have to admit that much, even if I hate having to confront that about myself. I...never meant it to be that way or make you feel like that...but that is how I’ve been treating you, treating our relationship...and I want to apologize for that.”  She took another of those slow breaths to control her emotions, fist pressed against her chest.  “I—That’s not right, or how you should treat someone you care about, especially in a relationship.”
There was such a heavy note in those words that Sunset felt her heart stop, a painful lump growing in both her throat and her stomach, making her feel like she wanted to retch.  Fear and a familiar sense of resignation gnawed at her senses—was this it then? Was Sparky about to say this part of them was at an end?  
Sweet sunfire and shining moonlight, she pleaded internally.  Don’t let it be that...  It hurt to even consider, with how mixed up her own feelings were and how uncertain she was about her own wants and desires involving Twilight, and if things ended like this, she wasn’t sure she’d handle losing everything that had come to mean so much to her about Twilight, about the rest of the family, and even about the house itself. She couldn’t breathe, waiting for the crushing blow and hoping it would never come.
Mercifully, Twilight spoke again before Sunset got too twitchy.  “...saying sorry doesn’t feel like it’s good enough, for making you feel that way, Sunny. You mean so much to me, more than I can effectively tell you...  I...I think this phobia has gone on too long. I’m going to talk to Dr. Soft-Spoken at my next appointment, and specifically address this...are you okay with me telling her about us being together?”
Sunset felt so overwhelmed with sheer relief that all she could manage to do was nod.  Twilight reached out to her then, tentative and careful, and it was all the redhead could do to hug her slowly and not pull her into a crushing embrace.  “Can...can you bear with me a little longer, Sunny?” Twilight breathed against her neck. “I promise you, I’m going to be working to overcome this, and even though I’m still not ready right now, I want to find a way to be ready soon...”
Still unable to talk around the boulder lodged in her throat, Sunset nodded again, her grip tightening on the smaller figure pressed against her.  The pain and fear faded slowly, leaving her queasy and trembling and fighting back heated tears. Twilight pulled back a bit, hands coming to rest on Sunset’s shoulders.  “Sunset?”
“‘M s’ry...” she croaked, “...you just got so serious and I thought...maybe you were...going to tell me to leave...for making things difficult.”  She couldn’t get out more than that, couldn’t voice how it had shaken her, and how relieved she felt when that wasn’t how it turned out...all because some part of her expected it. Things always went pear shaped for Sunset Shimmer, somehow.
Twilight brought her hands up, pressing palms carefully to amber skinned cheeks. “Sunset...” she said, her voice filled with a soft emotion that Sunset couldn’t quite identify.  “Look at me? Please, Sunny?”
Blue-green eyes flicked to Twilight’s face, vision still blurred by the tears that wanted to fall. A thumb carefully wiped away the first one to start making a track down her face.  “Sunny...I promise...you are my very best friend, and no matter whether we stay together as more or not, you will always be my very best friend, and part of my family.  This is your home, for as long as you want it to be, and no one can take that from you.”
“But...”
“No buts.”  Twilight’s tone was firm.  “Just simple truth, and no amount of fighting or stress or stupid fears will change that.” She tugged Sunset’s head down until their foreheads touched—the unicorn turned human could feel herself relaxing at the gesture, and a tiny, sniffling sigh escaped her.  “You aren’t making things difficult at all—we’re in this relationship together...or...at least I hope we are?”
“Yes!” Sunset couldn’t respond with an affirmative fast enough. “...if I didn’t feel so much...it wouldn’t hurt so bad...” she added. “...I didn’t feel anything with Flash...he was just...part of a plan for popularity...” 
A quiet hum came from the smaller teen, and she pecked Sunset’s lips.  “This is twice in a week that you’ve mentioned this ex of yours.  Remind me to ask for some stories about that.”
Oh ponyfeathers. There was another awkward talk to go into, but also a topic Twilight deserved to hear the truth about.  Sunset gave a nervous sounding chuckle. “Yeah...sure....”
“On topic, though...” Twilight continued carefully, picking up her previous point, “we are in this relationship together, Sunset, and that means that both of us matter equally.  Your needs, desires, and feelings are no less important or valid than mine.”
“I...” Sunset swallowed hard. “...I don’t want to make it all about me,” she whispered, turning her face away from Twilight’s in shame.  
Once more, lavender fingers turned her back to look at her girlfriend. “Can you explain what you mean by that?” she asked gently.  
She closed her eyes.  “I spent so long being so selfish and self centered, only doing things for myself and never considering how I made others feel, how my actions affected them...and I’ve worked so hard to put that Sunset Shimmer behind me. I don’t want to be her anymore, especially not with you.”
Arms went around her, holding her close. “There’s a very big difference between being a selfish person and telling me that something I’m doing is bothering you.”  Fingers scratched at her scalp. 
“It doesn’t feel that way,” the redhead mumbled into her girlfriend’s shoulder.
“Maybe an example would help?” she murmured close to Sunset’s ear.  “Using the current topic...would you go behind my back and out me to my parents just because you don’t like hiding our relationship from them?”
“What?! No!” Sunset jerked back, horrified by the very suggestion. “I could never do that to you! Even when I was an awful person, I never did that to anyone—there are lines even I wouldn’t cross.  Yeah, I don’t really understand the whole fear, but...I could never hurt you like that.”  
Twilight made a soothing noise, hand still tangled in fiery curls. "That’s what I mean.  A selfish person wouldn't care about all of that.  They'd just do what they want and expect the other person to live with it." She pulled back so she could tap Sunset on the nose with one finger.  "Or, to flip it around, a selfish person would expect her girlfriend to keep hiding their relationship, regardless of how it made that girlfriend feel.”
“I...see what you mean,” the former unicorn acknowledged, wrinkling her nose.  
“Good.”  Twilight gave her a bright smile.  “And since we have established that neither of us are that kind of selfish, immature, and self-centered person...we are going to do the mature thing, which is communicate and compromise. I'm going to actively work towards conquering this fear of mine, and you are going to keep me on track by reminding me just how nice it would be to do this without worrying about someone walking in on us."
With those words still hanging in the air, Twilight Sparkle drew Sunset Shimmer into a searing, intense kiss that was nearly indescribable, desire igniting between them that made the flame-haired girl's toes and fingers curl in response.  As she found herself pressing back, tongue flirting with her girlfriend’s bottom lip, she wished dearly the two of them were somewhere entirely more private in the house than the living room sofa.
> Interlude XVIII: Frozen Heartbeats
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Nothing about the day had been normal in any fashion, but sitting in the living room she’d grown up knowing, an observer caught in the middle of a battleground with numerous factions, Mi Amore Cadenza found herself wondering if this was all some kind of waking nightmare. While briefly contemplating pinching herself to make sure she was actually awake, Cadence found her attention drawn to the other silent observer in what was a situation quickly spiraling out of control, finding the intense look of focus and worry on Sunset’s face almost as troubling as the tableau before them.
The day had started out fairly normal, even accounting for the frantic phone call from Twilight the night before.  She’d felt good, her energy had been up, and she’d even managed to get a few of her favorite breakfast pastries on her way to work.  Work had been wonderful too, with some great callers and a few contests going on that brought out some amusing entries that made everyone at the station laugh, and she had received some amazing feedback from a contact about the draft of an article she’d written for her blog about abusive relationships....but then came the call from Velvet on her lunch break.
The call wasn’t really a surprise. She usually got an update from the woman whenever Twilight had a meltdown and called Cadence, because Velvet wanted to keep her abreast of what was going on. It was just part of the way the family worked together to support Twilight.  It was what Velvet told her that had been troubling and made Cadence think back about her own time at Crystal Prep and the stern, intimidating woman who ran it, asking herself if the woman could actually do what Twilight’s words had implied.
Her high school years were something she remembered fairly fondly, surrounded by a cadre of friends and Shining’s sweet, but dorky companionship, first as her childhood friend and eventually as her boyfriend.  None of them had been at the top of the academic track or sports rosters, and their parents weren’t the type who made massive donations to the school, so her group had been in the middle of the social hierarchy and not involved in the petty games of the movers and shakers of the school.  Yet try as she might to really remember any interaction with Abacus Cinch...she couldn’t.  At most, she recalled some school wide assemblies, as well as graduation, but beyond that, the woman was almost a non-entity, so much so that Cadence could barely recall the details of her features.  She had heard far more stories about Cinch than she had seen first hand...
It had left her calling the one person she knew who would have knowledge on just what Principal Cinch could get away with having Twilight sign without her parents present and putting pen to paper as well.





Cadence idly tugged her hair free of the high ponytail she’d worn at work and scratched vigorously at the itch it always left behind on her scalp while she listened to the phone ring in her ear.  “Lu!” she exclaimed in relief when the other woman picked up at last, “I know you probably just got home from work, but I feel like I’m heading into a potential minefield tonight and I need your insight in a big way.”
There was a faint and muffled voice in the background, and her best friend leaned away from the phone to answer. “Thai sounds fine, Tia...just my usual, please, and yes to the extra rum in my coke tonight.  After that damned meeting with Mrs. Pepita I need it.” Luna cleared her throat. “Sorry, what did you say, Cadence?”
The DJ chuckled.  “Been one of those days for you too?”
The exasperated groan that echoed in her ear was an answer unto itself.  “You have no idea. I swear, some days I feel like whatever god came up with the idea of teenagers should have been forced to live with several hundred of them for at least a year before getting to inflict their brilliant masterpiece upon the world...” Luna lamented.  “Some days, the only thing worse than teenagers are their parents.  Mrs. Pepita’s son is a mouthy pain in the ass who is in detention for getting verbal with his teachers at least once a week, but all we get from her is how her little Azul Angelito is a good boy who would never do anything like that. She should’ve named him Diablo Rojo instead!” 
She heard her friend take a long drink and sigh. “Anyway, my day aside, you needed me for something? Didn’t you get enough yesterday?” she teased.
“Never,” she joked back.  Then she sobered.  “Don’t worry about it, Lu.  You sound dead.  I can manage on my own.”
Luna made a thoughtful sound. “Cadence, it’s fine. Besides, it’s a nice change of pace to deal with an adult problem instead of a mire of teen angst and hormonal disturbances.”
Rubbing the back of her neck, Cadence couldn’t help but let out a sheepish, nervous laugh. “Umm...about that...”
Her best friend’s voice took on a sharper, more alert note.  “That tone tells me it is some kind of teen drama, in which case it involves your little Ladybug, and thus, Sunset Shimmer.  What happened? Should I be ready to deal with a broken hearted teenage girl tomorrow morning?”  Despite the light tone, she could hear the seriousness in the question.
“No, no,” she reassured immediately.  “From everything Velvet told me when she called earlier, the girls kissed and made up last night while Shining’s parents pretended to take about three times as long as actually needed to ‘clean up dinner,’ and she left them home alone for most of the morning to sort themselves out the rest of the way.  She even mentioned how Sunset refused to let go of Twily’s hand when Night carried her upstairs. It sounds like they mended whatever damage was done last night and then some.  She fully expected to get home and find them making doe eyes at each other.”
The other woman coughed, muttering something about ‘pony eyes’ before clearing her throat.  “I’m relieved to hear that they seem to have sorted their problems out.  From my perspective, knowing what I do, it seems to me that Sunset Shimmer’s relationship and the interaction with Shining’s family has been a major factor in the character growth and emotional stability she has exhibited in the last few months.  I would hate for some trivial teenage moodiness to put an end to that.”
“...plus they’re just so cute together!” Cadence squealed.
“Yes. I’m sure they’re absolutely...precious,” Luna responded with dry sarcasm.  “But if it wasn’t that kind of teen drama you called for advice on, what was?”
The pink skinned woman sighed. “This is going to probably sound strange...but what kind of contracts can the school present to a student to sign without parental consent or presence?”
Cadence could hear the rustle of fabric as Luna sat up, voice sharp and cutting. “Oh for—what bullshit has Abacus pulled now?”
She must have made some kind of startled noise, because Luna continued, her tone somewhat biting. “I’m not stupid, Cady—I had Sunset asking me yesterday about my thoughts on if Crystal Prep was a safe school environment and your mother-in-law asking me about information on CHS because she was concerned for her daughter’s mental health in that harpy’s gilded dungeon. So what has Abacus Cinch done this time?”  There was a worried voice in the background, and Luna turned her head from the phone again, answering, “Abacus Bitch being her usual self it sounds like...” to her sister.
“Honestly, I don’t know for sure, Lu. All I know is what Twily told Velvet and Night last night.  That she’d signed some special project contract with different rules than the independent study ones she’s done for the last two and a half years.  That’s why I wanted to ask you what kinds of contracts she could give to a student to sign without prior or active parental consent.”
Luna made a thoughtful humming sound. “Honestly not a lot. Almost anything outside some very basic school run, school-centric activities have to be signed off on by a parent or guardian first.  Nothing involving money, for example, especially coming from the student, is usually allowable—except for direct purchases or pre-orders of things like yearbooks, school pride clothing, that sort of thing. And even those obviously have records, receipts and up-front pricing data that is all sent home for parents to see.  I know we can have them fill out an incident report—for example, if they witness something like a fight or bullying, we have a form they can fill out that allows us to keep records of who tells us what, but it's not a contractual obligation, only a statement and a signature to say ‘yes, I wrote this.’”
That helped her relax just a little.  “So there’s no way she could have...say...gotten Twily to sign something that locks her into producing something for her, or that means she can make her spend more time at school than the standard seven thirty to two thirty time-slot?”  Those were two of the concerns that had come up when she chatted with Velvet earlier.
Her friend snorted derisively.  “I wouldn’t put it past her to try or have even slipped in some kind of signed contract if she thought she could get it past her parents...but if you mean something she can legally enforce without parental consent, then no, it’s expressly against the law for a school to try and do that to a minor with no parental backing.  If your in-laws didn’t sign anything then she doesn’t have any kind of legal leg to stand on.”  Luna’s tone shifted from irritated to concerned.  “...not that it would stop her from finding ways to take it out on your Ladybug, if something like that happened.  I’m telling you right now what I told your mother-in-law yesterday: I wouldn’t trust that vile woman with the care of a pet rock, let alone a sensitive child. Your family says the word, and she has a place here at CHS the next day.”





The talk with Luna had soothed her nerves some, and sitting down to dinner had actually lifted her spirits. Twilight and Sunset had been as thick as thieves, heads still bent together as they whispered between themselves about something, all smiles and happy laughter....and the little bit of footsie she caught a glimpse of when she entered the dining room had been so cute, especially with the way Twilight had been flushed and adorably nervous as she took the chance, and the sneaky kiss Sunset had pressed to her cheek in response. Even the dinner conversation had been light, with the girls talking about their afternoon reading ancient myths and ordering more books, and Night Light recounting a funny incident from one of his classes.
All of that levity had drained away when they were in the living room after dinner and Twilight had announced she was ready to discuss her project with her family.  When they yielded the floor to her to get an explanation of just what had gone down in her meeting with the principal of Crystal Prep, the teen had recounted the meeting in detail...and even before her story was finished, the mood in the room had changed.
Now the air was charged with frustration and disapproval and more than a little anger. Twilight had abandoned her seat next to Sunset on the couch in order to pace, gesticulating wildly with her hands as she defended her decision vehemently.  “I don’t see why you can’t just trust me and respect my decision,” she bit out.  “I read it over; it was all a reasonable contract, and I’m not stupid.”
“Twilight, it’s not that we don’t trust you,” Night offered.  “It’s that we just want to make sure you understand what you are signing before you do.”
She glared at him. “I’m perfectly capable of reading, Dad!  ...and I’m so tired of being looked at as ‘poor little Twily’ by this family and being made to feel like I’m never going to be anything because I’m not like everyone else! I don’t need you to hold my hand for everything!”
“Sweetheart...” Velvet had spoken worriedly, only to be cut off by Shining, who broke into the conversation, catching everyone by surprise, especially Cadence.
He gave his father a frown.  “Look, Dad, I don’t see why this warrants putting Twily through some kind of interrogation.  Sure, she should’ve talked to you before signing, because legally, it’s not a good idea to sign anything without having someone else read it first, but really, is there a reason to make this into such a production?  Principal Cinch is an upstanding educator with the highest of personal qualifications and a glowing reputation, who has never been in trouble with the law in any way—just the opposite. She cooperates readily with police, and provides anything asked for when we’re trying to track down a missing kid or something.  Whatever that contract says, it’s probably directed at protecting Twily and the school and is nothing to be concerned with.”
“That’s not really the point, son...” his father responded.
“Then what is? Twily is right—she is perfectly capable and able to read and understand a school contract, so why do we need to have this silly mockup of a sit-com in the living room?” The way his voice edged towards angry and defensive was more surprising than his actual words to Cadence—her Shiny never got this hostile.
The whole thing clearly bothered Sunset, the teenager having withdrawn into pensive silence, hugging her knees to her chest on the sofa.  She was flicking her gaze from person to person, brows furrowed and a mix of agitation and confusion was present in her eyes when they found Cadence’s.  She slid closer to the redhead, shaking her head quietly.  Velvet had said that Sunset had voiced some worrying concerns and admitted to an argument with her guardian that precipitated her running away from home.
It bothered Velvet too, and she spoke up, her voice shaking slightly.  “I think the point is what that educational institution does on a regular basis and the way it affects members of this family.”
Shining turned away from his father and towards his mother. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Velvet hesitated a moment, then seemed to gather herself and pressed her point to her family as a whole.  “Crystal Prep, for all its reputation, is an incredibly hostile environment that I don’t think deserves half the praise it gets—it certainly isn’t worth the amount of money that comes out of the trust every year to pay for it.  You kids are not privy to the constant struggle your father and I have fought for three years to just get them to follow Twilight’s IEP and behavior plan—things they are required to recognize and follow, by law, that have been created with the input of not just qualified educators, but also Dr. Soft-Spoken, who is not only a licensed psychologist, but one who has been working with Twilight for a decade!  The administration at this ‘wonderful, law abiding’ school ignores half of the things because it suits them! Did you know, they are supposed to call me anytime something happens? They are, and half the time they don’t. I find out when Twilight calls me herself, or worse, comes home at the end of the day and tells me what happened!  And on the off chance that they do call, it’s with this attitude that whatever the problem is, it stems from us not being harsher in ‘discouraging childish tantrums from Miss Sparkle.’  That’s not the actions of a school that gives a rat’s ass about its students’ well being.”
Cadence rubbed her eyes. This had been building up in Twilight Velvet for a long time, and it looked like that it was all going to come out at once.  
Shining let out a heavy sigh that was layered with annoyance. “Look, Mom, I think you need to take a step back and look at this whole situation less emotionally.”  He gestured towards his sister, who was still pacing restlessly.  “After all, that’s what you keep telling Twilight to do—to calm down and think rationally, rather than being ruled by anxiety and fear, right? The educators at Crystal Prep are all highly trained people who are widely acclaimed in their fields, not random people off the street like you’d see in a public school.”  The note of derision in his voice made Cadence’s heart twist—what had gotten into her beloved Shining Armor tonight?  
“Has it ever occurred to you that they may well seem to ‘ignore’ the various controls you’re trying to enforce because they’re already well aware of how to help Twily and are using more...successful...techniques?  They don’t need you second guessing them or worse, undermining their techniques because you’re an overprotective helicopter parent!”
Twilight chose at that moment to break in and add her own two cents.  “Shining’s right, Mom! I’m doing fine at Crystal Prep and any of the minor inconveniences in the social realm are far outweighed by the academic gain!  I know you’re always concerned about my ability to interface with my peers and build social relationships, but I have Sunset, and Wallflower, and I still talk to Moondancer...and that’s good enough for me. Not to mention, as wonderful as Dr. Soft-Spoken has been to me over the years, I think it’s time to face the fact that she is trained in the psychological development of children, and I am hardly a child any more.”
The pink skinned woman watched as things unraveled before her eyes, unsure if she should try and step in or if getting involved in what was escalating into a fight would only make it worse.
Velvet looked hurt and taken aback by her children’s words for a moment, but then she motioned to them both. “What has gotten into you?” She looked around the room.  “Do you even hear yourselves? Shining, this isn’t even about you specifically, and you’re treating it like a personal offense, and Twilight, I know you are invested in your academics, but that school is not good for your mental and emotional health! Yet both of you are defending that toxic cesspit of discriminatory upperclass rhetoric and social climbing nonsense, as well as the sour, hostile, arrogant, wretched woman who runs it with in a fashion bordering on zealotry!”
The dark haired teen threw her arms up in exasperation, her voice rising in volume and pitch. “Mom, seriously? You sound like you’re on some kind of witch hunt against Principal Cinch. What is your exact issue with her?”  Twilight blew air out through her lips in a noise remarkably similar to some of the ones Sunset would make on occasion.  “She’s a brilliant, successful woman with amazing credentials in academia, and she’s willing to mentor me, to help me in breaking into those circles and potentially gain some recognition—something I need to do for me, for my life!  You’ve always supported me before, so why aren’t you now, when it really matters?!”
The older woman sat forward, her expression tight with worry.  “Because someone like Abacus Cinch doesn’t do something like that for nothing,” she responded. “People like that are always looking out for number one and there is something in all of this she hasn’t told you and won’t tell you until she knows you can’t get out of it, Twilight.  Everything has a cost, and if they aren’t telling you upfront what it is, then you can be damned sure it’s a cost you don’t want to pay!”
Twilight had forgone all volume control at this point, her retort not quite a scream, but almost.  “MOM!  You’re asking what is wrong with us? What is wrong with you? It’s nothing like that, and you’re...you’re fixated on making this out to be some sinister, sleazy plot, like she’s going to steal me away...” Her face twisted into an expression that Cadence didn’t like seeing on her sweet little Ladybug. It was so ugly and filled with anger and spite, that it felt unsettling to see.. “Or is that it?” she accused.  “Are you just upset that I’m looking to someone other than you for guidance, that I’ve found a role-model to look up to that isn’t you?” 
Her mother gasped, shaking her head firmly.  “No, sweetheart, that’s not—!”
Shining cut in harshly, his voice a growl that Cadence could never remember hearing from him, even when Long Pass had gotten extremely personal to her and Luna back in their college days.  “That’s exactly what it is, and you know it, Mom. This whole thing is nothing but you being unable to accept that Twilight doesn’t need you holding her hand anymore and you’re trying to foist the blame on the school and Principal Cinch because you’re eaten up with petty jealousy for a woman who managed to achieve all the things you couldn’t in life!”
Horror.  That was the feeling in Cadence’s guts...pure sickening horror as she watched, frozen in place and unable to move as Twilight Velvet reeled from the verbal blow, her face gone white and tears gathering in her eyes.  Next to Cadence, Sunset made a wounded animal noise in her throat, fingers curled into fists, her body gone rigid and her expression more than a little distant.
At that point, Night Light seemed to recover from his shock at the way his wife and children were arguing and he stood up from his chair, extremely unhappy.  “Shining Armor,” he said, his voice dropping into the sharp, firm tone that Cadence could only remember hearing when one of them had done something extremely wrong.  “I think that’s quite enough out of you...”  He never raised his volume, but it had always proven effective at cutting them all off when he used it.
Sunset made another odd sound next to her, causing Cadence to turn to her, ready to suggest that the two of them go to the kitchen, worried that the situation was triggering memories and emotional distress for the girl.  What she saw was a little chilling—blue green eyes were staring at Shining with icy, dispassionate calculation, dilated so utterly that the iris was barely a thin ring of bright color outlining darkness, and the faint trembling had been traded for tightly coiled tension like an animal ready to spring into action.
At that point, she stopped listening to whatever dressing down Night might be giving her fiance.  She was far more concerned with Sunset’s reaction, Shining’s warnings and the scene from the previous weekend flashing through her mind.  She tried to get the redhead’s attention, but Sunset refused to take her eyes off of where Shining had turned his uncharacteristic rage on his father, doubling down on his caustic remarks in a manner entirely too reminiscent of his cousin Starry Night, someone that Shining had absolutely loathed for his simpering monologues about the people his father had basically paid off to give him a series of diplomas and degrees the man didn’t earn, all for a job his daddy got him in the family company, where he couldn’t get fired for laziness or incompetence.
Velvet, still in some measure of shock, had croaked out a plea for everyone to stop, voice breaking.  Shining—her sweet, goofy, lovable Shiny, who was so gentle and thoughtful that Cadence had worried about him being a police officer originally—responded with a single, threatening step towards his parents and sister.
Cadence barely had time to register the shift of the couch springs and the movement of air, before Sunset was between Shining and everyone else, hands up in a ready stance and eyes meeting his as an equal, despite the fact that he had about half a foot and easily a hundred pounds on her.  She made a horrid sound in her throat, some kind of nightmarish, burbling, wet sounding growl, her lips curled back from her teeth in a grimace, nostrils flaring with every breath. “Stop!” Sunset rasped, though whether as a plea or a threat, Cadence could not be sure.
> Chapter Eighty Two: When Madness Descends on Our Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset glared at Shining Armor, feeling her magic broiling under her skin, threatening to burst free if she would just let it, her temper snarling for her to take out the male who had become, to her senses, a physical and very real threat, the press of some kind of dark magic teasing at the edges of her senses and swirling in his eyes.  She gave her magic voice, trying to replicate the way she had gotten through to her friends in that storage room at the Battle of the Bands, wanting to purge the darkness she could feel encroaching on the members of the family.  “Stop!” 
Her head throbbed warningly in response, but she ignored it, pushing past the pain with sheer willpower, feeling the magic building where her horn wanted to form.  She grabbed the power and shoved it outward, just like she had then, a raw pulse of the magic that made the dark energy writhe and shrivel up into fading smoke and left her feeling drained.  It was an act that had no finesse, but the intended effect was more important than any amount of flair. Something was messing with her Sparky and the rest of the family, and it needed to stop.
As the energy dispersed, she could see the haze of unnatural rage dissolve from Shining’s eyes into dazed confusion.  He took a step back from her, hands coming up in a placating, defensive way, before the full implications of his actions slammed into him. Despite snow white skin, he seemed to grow paler, and he looked past her to his stern-faced father and shaken mother. “I—”
“I think,” Night interrupted, stepping around Sunset to stare hard at his son. “That you and I need to take a walk. Get your coat and shoes on, son.” 
The blue haired man wilted and backed up further. “...yessir,” he responded, shuffling towards the front hall.
Night Light turned on his other child, who was still standing, a frown still etched onto her face.  “As for you, young lady, this is not the calm discussion that was our agreement. This is on pause until I’m done with your brother, so get comfortable, and think about how you can defend your points rationally, without resorting to raising your voice or spewing insults.  What you two just did to your mother was beyond unacceptable—you both know that we do not show that level of disrespect to anyone, let alone your mother, who has never, in all your life, treated you with the level of ugliness you have just displayed to her. You should be ashamed of yourself, Twilight Sparkle.”
Without another word—but a long, concerned look at his wife, he headed to the front hall. Sunset faintly heard him say in that same tone to his son, “Outside. Let’s go,” before the sound of the door opening and closing cut them off from her ears.  
Once they were gone, she felt her muscles starting to unclench from the tense knots, and she looked towards her girlfriend.  Twilight still looked angry, jaw set in a stubborn line that was all too familiar to the former unicorn.  She felt angry...and more than a little disappointed.  How could she not see how awful she was acting? And to someone as nice as Velvet, the kind of mother that Sunset would have given her horn to have Princess Celestia be for her.  She frowned at Twilight, turning away to check on Velvet instead.
With dismay, Sunset saw that the older woman was still far too pale, arms curled around herself and her eyes filled with tears and pain. Everything about it was familiar to the former unicorn, turning her magical sense on Velvet.  The feeling of her own energy coming into contact with the fading remnants of dark magic made her stomach threaten to rebel; she swallowed reflexively against the bile that rose in her throat at the sensation, digging her nails into her own palms to push down the way her body was reacting to give the woman as much of a scan with her senses as she was capable of in her human body.
What she found made the redhead’s heart twist.  She hadn’t noticed any such magic before—and she had been looking, given what had happened with her vision and her nightmare—so where had this dark power come from and why was it manifesting now, over something so trivial? Had the Sirens not been the only emotiphages in the city? Was it possible there were more of them?  Paranoia made her study the dissipating magic more closely, and she wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or not—it wasn’t Equestrian magic...but if it wasn’t magic from Equestria...then...what had cast it...and more than that...what did it want?  And how could she hope to protect her girlfriend’s family if she couldn’t sense the magic before it triggered?
Then she studied Velvet again, worried at how the woman was handling this brief exposure—the shaking, the paleness, the obvious pain and discomfort...they were reminiscent of magical overexposure or magical over-expenditure, but Velvet was entirely human, not a unicorn transformed into one—how was she supposed to treat this, especially without exposing herself?
Sunset forced herself to stop and take a breath, clearing the panic and emotions from the forefront of her thoughts in order to deal with this rationally.  Humans didn’t have magic ailments, but Miss Luna and Nurse Redheart’s comparisons of her own injuries to a concussion made her stop and compare symptoms to what she’d learned of human first aid.  Taking in Velvet’s demeanor, and running the list of symptoms for the magical injury over in her head again, she realized that it wasn’t too dissimilar to the traits humans and ponies exhibited when they were in shock, or, like her, like what happened when they were concussed...  Like Nurse Redheart had pointed out, the treatments for both the physical injuries and the thaumic ones were very similar...so maybe she could start there.
And if that doesn’t work? a tiny, fearful part of her asked, stirring up worry and agitation in her gut.
Blue-green eyes once more studied the woman who had been so kind to her, who had opened her heart and her home to someone she owed nothing to, who had made her feel loved and valued in a way she had never known, and her resolve hardened.  If it didn’t work, then to Tartarus with the ramifications and consequences. She’d blow her own secret wide open, call the girls, call for Princess Twilight, and whatever happened...happened.  She wasn’t going to let down someone who had done so much for her, just because of a selfish fear.  Velvet was more important.
Head firmly in the game and with a course of action mapped out, she turned towards the other two humans still in the room.  Her stomach knotted and bile rose sourly in her throat at the sight of Twilight’s face, her expression a mixture of angry self righteousness and uncompromising arrogance twisting her features into something alien yet so reminiscent of Sunset’s own in the days and years before the formal that it made her feel physically ill.  A veritable stranger stared back, and her nightmare flashed before her eyes once more, before she shoved it aside to focus. Twilight would be of no help right then, and so she turned to Cadence.
The pink skinned woman looked almost as shocked as Velvet, her features marred by confusion and a sort of grief stricken devastation that called to mind the same look on the face of a pink alicorn filly when Sunset had lost control and set the room ablaze with them in it.  Sunset rubbed her face; she needed to snap Cadence out of her stupor.  “Cadence,” she called.  When she got no response, she repeated herself more insistently. “Cadence!”
Blinking, Cadence finally looked at her.  “Sunset?” she questioned, her voice shaken and lacking the cheerful self-confidence that made her the perky, peppy personality that could fill a room.  “...I can’t believe Shining would act like that...why would he do that?” she asked, her whole body shrinking in on itself, everything about the situation seeming to have left her diminished and unsure.
“I don’t know,” she responded.  It was true enough; she couldn’t identify why or how the dark magic had come about, or why it had sunk its claws so badly into Shining compared to everyone else.  
Cadence’s face fell further, eyes bubbling with something close to despair.  Memory flitted through Sunset’s mind, of Princess Celestia talking to scared ponies after a horrible disaster had wiped out half a small town, of the way her voice had taken on a reassuring, soothing but confident tone.  
“When ponies are confused and scared, sometimes just sounding like you’re calm and giving them a job to do, even if it’s something little, helps them feel less scared, my little sun.  They can’t control the big thing that is scary, but they can control the little job, and that helps them recover.”
She drew on that memory now, squaring her shoulders.  “Mrs. Velvet is shaken up—could you maybe hand me that blanket and then get her something hot to drink?” she asked, pointing towards the blanket on the back of the couch.
More blinking, with Cadence slowly processing the words past her emotional disorientation.  “Blanket? Oh! Yes!” she got up in a sort of dazed fashion, twisting to retrieve the blanket and offer it to Sunset.  Amber fingers took it, and Cadence gave a strained smile before she moved to head into the kitchen.  
At that exact moment, Twilight Sparkle let out an angry, frustrated sound, and stormed out of the room, bumping roughly into Cadence. The pink skinned woman staggered, raising a hand, half protest dying on her lips as Twilight disappeared in a swirl of dark hair.  She looked back at Sunset, who shook her head. She knew that it was unlikely that Twilight would listen right now—after all, she never had. Trying to force the other girl into conversation would only make it worse, so she squashed her own urge to follow after her and turned to Velvet again. 
This time, she knelt down by the chair, taking too cold hands in her own, feeling a twinge of empathy when the woman flinched as her joints shifted.  She knew all too well that ache and pain and how the numbing coldness only made it worse.  It made her wish more than ever that she could use her magic to help now, but all she could do was try and rub a little warmth and feeling back into her digits, mentally wishing and willing warmth and comfort as if she could bypass the laws of this world’s reality with determination alone.
It did something, because Velvet finally looked at her. “Sunset...sweetie are you alright?”
Sunset’s heart ached at the concern for her well being when she knew how awful her girlfriend’s mother was feeling in that moment.  It made her anger smolder and seethe—if she figured out where that dark magic had come from, she would make it pay for the damage it had wrought tonight.  “I’m fine, Mrs. Velvet...it’s you I’m worried about.”
By now some color had returned to Velvet’s face, though there was still hurt lingering in her eyes.  She gave a somewhat poor attempt at a smile.  “I’ll be alright, sweetheart.  I just didn’t expect them to get so angry, especially Shining...” she squeezed Sunset’s hands.  “I’m sorry you had to see all of that.”
Guilt made her innards twist as a thought tickled her mind.  Dark magic had done this, but magic had been almost nonexistent in this world before the formal...was this her fault somehow? Had her actions, her very presence with the family drawn this down upon them?  “I...I’m sorry...” she mumbled.
“What are you sorry for, Sunset?” Velvet squeezed her hands again. “You didn’t do anything.”
“For...”  What could she say? For possibly being the reason it happened? For not picking up on the strange magic sooner? For waiting so long to stop it?  For losing her own cool and almost putting Shining on the ground?  She settled on that last one. “...for going after Shining Armor like that,” she told the woman. “I...it wasn’t my place, but he was yelling and angry, and he’s so much stronger, and I reacted...”  And it had been a reaction, to what part of her subconscious had perceived as an aggressive, dangerous human male on the edge of violence—the presence of dark magic had only exacerbated her reaction, not caused it.
Velvet lifted her hands a little, thumb rubbing soothing circles on amber skin.  “Sunset, sweetie, can you look at me?” she asked, coaxing the redhead to meet her gaze.  When she did, half expecting condemnation or at least disapproval, as well as some kind of warning for threatening the woman’s son, she was met instead with a soft, very faint smile.  “Sunset, you did nothing wrong, and you have no reason to apologize.  You were scared, and Night had already told him once to stop...and Shining ignored that.  All you did was raise your voice—no one got hurt, and as soon as Shining stopped, so did you.”
“But—”
“No buts,” the older woman interrupted her firmly. “Shining was out of line tonight, and you had every reason to be concerned about how he was behaving. That’s a very natural reaction to someone acting with hostility, and more than that…it’s okay to want to defend yourself.  In truth, the fact that you are so willing to protect not just yourself but others against someone who is aggressive is an admirable and wonderful quality...”  She sat forward and pulled Sunset into a shaky hug, whispering, “I’m more thankful than I can ever tell you that you possess that quality, Sunset, because I know what you did for Twily that night, what you protected her from.”
That shocked her, enough that when the hug ended, she found herself on her rump on the floor.  “I...you know about...how did you—?”
 “Shining told us,” Velvet explained, her voice sounding almost normal, despite being very soft.  “We wanted to make sure you were safe, and when he was looking into police records on your neighborhood...he found the report on it.  It wasn’t difficult to put it all together.”
A dozen worries and fears flashed through her mind, from Twilight’s reaction when she found out, to what her girlfriend’s parents might do, to the very fact that Shining had looked into her.  Especially that last one.  She knew the fake life and identity that had been crafted for her would hold up against most scrutiny, but she still didn’t like the way it made her feel. Most of it was lies, crafted with just enough truth that she could be vague about her real past and not raise suspicions, but she didn’t want this family to believe those lies...it would make it a lit harder if and when she decided to tell them the truth.
Her thoughts must have registered on her face, because Velvet reached out and rested a soothing hand on her shoulder.  “Shining focused on the recent present, sweetheart, not the past. He was looking into your neighborhood and the people and problems there--we were worried, and wanted to know if there were dangerous people there that could hurt you, whether or not you were sleeping somewhere safe at night, and making sure you weren’t being forced into doing things no girl your age should have to consider, just for basic survival.”
Sunset did her best to force herself to relax.  That wasn’t unreasonable, she realized, especially considering Twilight was often at the loft with her.  She could understand them wanting to make sure their daughter was safe when she wasn’t home, and that the kind of person she was associating with wouldn’t get her into trouble.  “I...that makes sense, I guess.”  She mulled over the woman’s words, chewing absently on a fingernail.  “What...would you have done if it turned out things weren’t okay?” came the hesitant question, half worried that they’d have kept Twilight from her, since she had no idea when they’d had Shining look into her…probably well before Christmas.. That made her guts twist for an entirely different reason, and the redhead fought to control her breathing.
The response was prompt, too quick for it to be anything but the truth.  “We would have either done our best to talk you into moving in here full time, sweetheart, or helped you to find someplace safer to live, whatever you were more comfortable with.”  
Relief vied with the warmth that she was still growing used to whenever Twilight’s family did something that made her feel like she belonged, and she settled for nodding as she absorbed the words and their meaning, getting her emotions somewhat back under her control. Once the former unicorn had gotten rid of the unpleasant burning in her eyes and the lump in her throat, she exhaled slowly and finally turned back to the subject at hand.  “...and he learned about what happened in the park...I...I’m sorry for lying. It was just...that was a bad night, and I know Twilight doesn’t like talking about it...and I...I know I hurt them. I wanted to hurt them. I didn’t hold back...”  Sunset cringed.  “I didn’t want you to think I was some kind of monster...”
Velvet left the chair to kneel beside Sunset, gathering the teen into a hug. “Oh, Sunset, sweetie, you are not a monster. Acting in defense of another, even if it means you resorted to violence, does not make you into a monster—it makes you a good and caring person who did something very brave.” Her fingers ran through a fiery mane in a soothing fashion.  “Nor do you have to apologize for following Twilight’s lead in what to tell us—I don’t consider that a true lie.” 
“I still lied,” she argued.  “Even if Twilight asked me to, I still did it.”
A gentle touch tilted her face up to meet Velvet’s eyes.  “You had no reason to trust us back then. We were strangers, and all you knew was what Twily told you.  It's perfectly reasonable and understandable that you would follow her lead and trust her judgment.”
Cadence rejoined them, looking much more put together—though there was a suspicious reddened look to her eyes that suggested she’d shed tears in the kitchen.  She set a tray on the coffee table that held a number of steaming mugs on it, before settling on the floor with them. She gave Sunset a quick hug herself.  “Mom’s right—it was Twily’s responsibility to tell her family about what happened, not her best friend’s.”  She gave a tight, very faint smile.  “We love her dearly, but none of us are entirely blind to some of our Ladybug’s faults...one of which is that she often lets her anxieties dictate how forthcoming she is.”
Twilight Velvet made a sound of agreement as Cadence pressed a mug into one of her hands.  “She does do that. She’ll get an idea in her head about how she believes we will—or should—react and it can be very hard to get her to change her mind once she does...and that’s not anything you’re responsible for either, Sunset. It’s just part of who Twilight is.”  She looked like she was about to say something else, but fell silent instead.
Pink skinned hands offered a mug to Sunset, which she took gratefully.  The former unicorn took a long drink, savoring the taste of rich chocolate, and letting the warmth soothe her nerves.  “You’re not mad at me for keeping it a secret then?” she ventured.  This was something she still lacked a lot of experience with, but she was fairly certain that even pony parents would not think too highly of anypony who kept a secret like an attack upon their foal from them.
“Not in the slightest, sweetheart.  It was not your job to tell us. We had a feeling that something was off, but we weren’t sure if it had something to do with her or if it was about you, and we were trying to let her come to us in her own time.”  The older woman sighed.  “In hindsight, perhaps we should have pushed a bit more...”
“...I’m not sure it would have helped,” Sunset admitted. “...she...barely talks about it even with me.  It’s...” she huffed a sigh. “It’s why I started teaching her self defense. I thought it might help.”
Velvet gave the redheaded girl another hug. “I think it’s been having you as a friend that has done the most for her,” the woman told her. “I’m so glad she has you in her life, Sunset...more than I can ever put into words.”
The front door opened, silencing Sunset’s response as the tensed and stared warily towards the front hall.  Night Light came into the room, the strained expression on his face relaxing a fraction when he saw his wife sitting with Sunset and Cadence. “Room for one more, is this a ‘Girl’s Only’ powwow?”  
His voice was worn and tight, and Sunset realized the question had been more directed at her when both other women looked at her. Her ears heated and she offered a hint of a smile, feeling like the attempt probably looked as tired and exhausted as her girlfriend’s father did.  “Sure...there might even be some cocoa left, Mr. Night.  If you act quick, at least—this is a pretty good batch of cocoa, and I might want seconds.”  She slid closer to Cadence so there was room by Velvet.
Thin as the joke was, it eased the tension; Night came over and sat down in the space Sunset vacated, taking the opportunity to hug his wife.  As his body slumped from the rigid posture he’d entered with, he asked in a very quiet voice, “Are you alright, evening star?”  
She passed him a mug, offering a slight nod, though Sunset could tell the woman was still deeply hurt by her children’s words.  He could tell too, hugging her even tighter for a moment, a gesture his wife leaned into with a soft, indefinable noise--one so like the sound her girlfriend let out whenever she desperately needed the comfort Sunset’s hugs offered that the redhead knew without a doubt that the older woman was still very upset and hurt.  “Shining would like me to pass on an apology to all three of you, though he will be tendering a personal apology once he’s finished getting himself together.  At the moment, he’s gone for a walk around the block while he does some thinking.”  Then golden eyes flicked to Cadence.  “He also says he understands if you want to spend the night either here or with your friend, and talk to him tomorrow rather than tonight...”
The pink skinned woman nodded at that, before sighing heavily.  “I just don’t know what got into him tonight—he was fine this morning and even during dinner.  He never acts like this, even when he’s had an awful day...I want to talk to him...but maybe sleeping in my room for the night is a good idea. I need to get my feelings sorted out, and he needs to apologize to you, Mom, far more than he needs to apologize to me.”
“He definitely owes a great many apologies for tonight,” Night murmured. “And so do I.”  He looked at Sunset.  “I owe one to all of you for not stepping in sooner, but especially you, Sunset. You shouldn’t have had to witness that, and you certainly should have not had to step in to halt it.  It was...highly unusual for any disagreement in this household to reach that level of hostility and unpleasantness.”  He ran a hand through his hair.  “If tonight has made you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in any way, I truly am sorry.”
Her gut twisted again, her senses reaching out once more to confirm her suspicions.  The fading echoes of residual dark magic met her inspection, and confirmed that he too was suffering a reaction to the dark magic that she’d driven out of the house.  Sunset took a deep breath and leaned over to hug him, willing good magic and warmth into him the same way she had for Twilight Velvet.  “It really wasn’t your fault,” she assured him—all of them really. “None of it was.”  She wasn’t going to let them feel guilty for something that magic had done.
“Perhaps not directly,” Night responded, squeezing her shoulder warmly, before he rose to his feet.  “But it’s my responsibility now to talk some sense into my children, and make sure this does not happen again.”  He looked at them. “I assume Twilight is in her room?”
Sunset sighed. “She stormed up there after you and Shining left. She was...angry.”  She thought about elaborating that she would have gone up after her, but… decided against it. This was a situation where that wouldn’t really contribute.
Night sighed. “I would normally give her time to calm down but I think this has gone on long enough.” And with that, he turned to head upstairs and confront his daughter.
> Chapter Eighty Three: Crawling in the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





With a sound somewhere between a scream and a growl, Twilight stormed up the stairs with a faint sense of deja vu, though this time Spike was following her.  Her parents were being so...so...unreasonable!  
She stomped furiously down the hall.  Why couldn’t they be happy and excited that she was trying to get ahead academically?  Or at least understand how important this project was for her grade? It replaced her science and math credits, as well as filling the slot for an elective.  Almost half her GPA was dependent on this project—she needed to succeed at it and impress her Principal.
Stopping outside her bedroom door, a hand on the knob, she frowned even harder when she didn't hear the familiar footfalls of Sunset coming after her...something she suddenly realized she had been expecting.  The teen waited a full minute and twenty three seconds to see if Sunset just needed time to make excuses or tell off the adults in her own way, but by the end of it, there was still no sight or sound of her girlfriend.  No footsteps, no voice calling her name with worry, no warm arms to encircle her in a hug...
That stung, far more than expected, a feeling of hurt and betrayal burning in her chest at the thought that her Sunny had chosen her parents over her.  She jerked the door open to her room and hurried inside, barely giving Spike time to run in before she slammed it as hard as humanly possible. The reverberating BANG! was enough to knock a framed picture over, sending it crashing to the ground with the satisfying tinkle of broken glass.
In lieu of Sunset’s caring embrace and soft body, Twilight hugged herself, trying to contain and control the vicious maelstrom of thoughts and emotions battering themselves to shards inside her skull, as sharp edged as the slivers of glass on the floor.  It was too much, anger and frustration, hurt, pride, betrayal and fear, and so many more she couldn't even begin to identify, all clamoring for her attention and focus, alongside a dozen different scenarios of how the confrontation could have—maybe even should have—gone.
It was Spike who broke through the mental noise, pawing and barking and whining, tugging on her pant leg to pull her away from the glass.  She followed, finally sinking onto the floor next to her bed, letting her dog curl up in her lap. “It’s not right, Spike! Or fair! Sunset’s my girlfriend, my best friend...she should have at least come upstairs with me! She keeps telling me how important I am to her, so why would she choose them over me?!”
Head cocked slightly, Spike let out a low woof, before shaking his head with a snort.  “I didn't expect her to get involved in the discussion, but she didn't come up with me—she stayed with Mom instead!” Twilight responded irritably.
Spike whined, nosing her arm. The teen sighed. “I know...Sunset adores Mom, doesn’t she?”  At another querulous whine, she shook her head. “I don't know...I guess maybe it's because she lost hers, and not really having one in her life for so long makes it way more special in her eyes than it feels like to me?  Sunset only gets to see the nice parts—she goes home to her place and can do what she wants to without anyone hovering or being overprotective!”
Even as she said it, Twilight felt her stomach twist unpleasantly.  That was a hideously unfair statement, and she knew it. She loved her mother dearly, and their relationship was special to her...she just wished sometimes that her mother would be willing to see her as a near adult, and not the little girl who cried and panicked about absolutely everything.  It was also unfair to Sunset, who had no one at home and no loving family to surround her most nights, and who had bonded with Twilight’s instead.
Her dog apparently thought so too, and he growled softly, a low rumble that wasn't so much threatening as it was disapproving.  She scratched his ears gently. “I don't mean it that way! It's just that it's not fair! I'm not a child anymore, but they can't seem to see that, and Sunset doesn't have to deal with that kind of thing. She can work on what she wants whenever, and no one tries to treat her like a little kid anymore! Even Mom and Dad treat her like an adult, which isn't fair! She’s only a year or two older than me!”
Another canine like huff.  “I’m being completely rational, Spike! I explained to them all of the major logical reasons why I want to do this project...”  And she had—mostly.  She had left aside the one biggest reason, because she still couldn't bring herself to admit to them about her preference for female companionship.  Spike gave her a long look, and she caved. “Okay, I didn't tell them every reason, but that's more of a personal reason than a logical one!  If I do this, then I can prove everyone wrong, show them I am worth something and I'm not broken...if I do that, then people will judge me for my abilities, and stop judging me for everything that's not normal, because none of it will matter by comparison! Not an atypical psychology, not my anxieties, and not my sexuality!”
A furry head nudged her, and the dog leaned against her as she hugged him tight.  “I shouldn't have to tell them all that though, Spike.  I was trying to present logical reasons and explain my thought process—it should have worked!  It seemed to be working on Dad, at least until—”
Until Shining had gotten involved.  Twilight’s brows furrowed as her frown deepened.  She loved her brother, he was her BBBFF after all, but now, thinking about it...  She appreciated that he had agreed with her, sided with her. The support had been welcome then.  However, analyzing it now, she found herself frowning.  He had jumped in, and it had been him who had escalated the discussion into an argument. He had also gone too far with their mother, and Twilight felt her innards squirming again as she recalled his words.  She knew why her mother had a career that had let her work almost exclusively from home, and a large part of that reason had been Twilight herself.  Shining knew it too, which made his comment far more vicious than her mother had deserved.  
Her thoughts twisted back in on themselves, a series of spirals that led nowhere and left her mind a chaotic, disordered mess.  Part of her was angry at her brother—just like her parents, he saw her as this fragile little girl that needed protection, and in his misguided, outdated urge to do so, he’d made everything worse and taken the situation out of her hands when she’d had everything perfectly under control. Another part was frustrated beyond words for her seeming inability to communicate with her parents about what she was trying to do, why she wanted this.  Still another corner of her mind gnashed its teeth about her parents being narrow minded and over protective, unwilling to let her grow into a real adult at her pace, holding her back for reasons that just weren't fair!
Spike nudged her with his nose, the cold dampness jolting her abruptly out of her thoughts.  She hugged him tight. “I wish Shining had just stayed out of it. He only made it worse.  Especially with what he said at the end—Mom might not like it when I look to Principal Cinch as a role model, but he should know better than to say something like that!”  It had been hot headed and short sighted of Shining, and with something he knew very well was untrue. Their mother was plenty successful!  “If he hadn't stepped in, I’m sure I could have made them understand.”
And she did want them to understand, to realize this had truly been her choice, not something she was bullied or pressured into, not something she felt obligated to do.  “I’m doing it for me, for my future,” she told her dog vehemently. “Not for anyone else.”
Spike gave her a long look, head cocked to the side, ears splayed, as close to incredulous as a dog could get. Then he snorted at her.  Twilight huffed a little in response. “Alright, yes. I’m doing it for Sunset too...but that's not something I can explain to mom and dad, or to Sunny either.  Can you imagine? ‘Oh, Sunset, you have to understand. I need this project to be the most amazing and spectacular project ever, with world changing results, enough to have it launch me ahead in academia in a way that’s so impressive that having a girlfriend can’t be a hindrance.”  She rolled her eyes at the dog.  “That's absolutely the last thing I should do.”
Twilight rubbed his ears to silence another growl.  “I adore her, Spike, I really do...but something like that is not the kind of thing to go saying to Sunset, not when I’d really like us to be serious, for her to be the one that I—”. She broke off, not wanting to finish that thought aloud.  “Anyway.  It's not something I can say, not without completely ruining everything and making it all meaningless.”
She tipped her head back, letting it thump against the side of her mattress, her mind still caught in a repeating loop of thoughts she couldn't seem to escape from, her frustration rising with every completed mental circuit and her own failure to regain control over her brain.
Footsteps registered at the edge of her awareness, followed by a firm series of knocks on her bedroom door. “Twilight?” her father’s voice called, far too distant at first.  “Open your door. You and I need to have a talk.”
Exasperation made her want to scream, what little progress she’d made scattering at the interruption. “I’ll come out when I’m ready, Dad,” she called back. 
Instead of the acknowledgment she expected, he said, “Not this time, young lady.  You and I are going to talk now, because what happened downstairs is inexcusable. Open your door.”
“I don't want to talk right now, Dad,” she bit back, trying to keep from getting angry.  “You need to just leave me alone!”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Night said in a very firm, no nonsense tone.  “I am not asking.  Normally, I would give you space...but not tonight. In this situation, I am invoking my Parental Override Right.  Unlock your door, or I will get the master key and unlock it myself. Those are your options.”
Twilight swallowed a scream, before shuffling over on her knees to unlock the door and retreating back to the spot against her bed, glowering all the while.  “It's open,” she grumbled.
Her father opened the door frowning at the sound of broken glass being pushed by the door’s movement.  “Twilight,” he said firmly, “you know better. No matter how mad you might be, it's not acceptable to take out that anger on people or possessions.”
The dark haired teen crossed her arms, her stare turning frosty.  “It wasn't intentional,” she replied stiffly.  “That hook has been loose for a while and needed to be replaced.”
“Your behavior tonight has still not been acceptable,” he responded, crossing to sit in her desk chair. “We were supposed to have a calm, rational discussion, and instead, it turned into a screaming fight.  We’ve taught you better than that, Twilight, and I’m very disappointed in you. Especially with how you treated your mother. That was uncalled for, and it really hurt her...and that is unacceptable.”  He gave her a serious look.  “And what’s more, I know you know that too.”
That made her angry, and she could feel the fierce burn of tears in her eyes, vision going blurry.  “Why is it unacceptable only when I do it?” Twilight demanded.  “It's not fair and it doesn't make any sense!”
Whatever her father had intended to say dried up. “What do you mean?”  
“Everyone else can stand up for themselves, to not be a doormat to everyone around them, and its a good thing, but whenever I try, people don't like it!” Twilight huffed out bitterly.  “When I stand up for myself, I’m suddenly questioned about my competence, or my intelligence, or chastised for my behavior, and I don't understand why that is!  I'm doing everything right! Being firm, being assertive, refusing to back down on things that are important to me, trying to handle my problems without crying to my family or Sunset...”
Night’s brows furrowed as he listened to her rant, studying her thoughtfully.  It gave her the courage to keep going, because for the first time in forty eight hours, it felt like someone besides Sunset was actually listening to her.  “I’m not a little girl anymore, Dad, and I have to start doing things on my own, or I'll never be able to function as an adult, let alone survive in the competitive, male dominated sciences that I want to go into.  No one there is going to be impressed if I have to go crying to you and mom every time things get tough, or someone is mean.”  Her tone edged into accusatory.  “I can’t do that if you won’t give me the chance.”
Her father was silent until she took a pause to breathe, her skull aching and her chest tight in response to her rising emotions and tumultuous thoughts.  “Is that what you’ve been trying to do the last two days, Twilight?” His voice was still level and calm, but it had lost the icy edge that indicated he was displeased.  Now he sounded genuinely curious.
“Yes!  I was so proud of myself yesterday, Dad.  I was anxious all morning, but I kept it under control—I used what Dr. Soft-Spoken has taught me to stay calm, and I went into that meeting to handle it myself, and I did it! I read the contract carefully, listened to what Principal Cinch was saying, and I made a decision for myself.  It went amazing, and I did it without anyone having to hold my hand or keep me from panicking.”  She scowled. “I just...I thought you guys would be proud of me too.”
Leaning forward, Night rested his elbows on his knees so he was more on a level with her. “Twily,” he responded.  “I am proud of you—your mother and I are both very proud of you and all you have accomplished.  And knowing that you're trying to take steps on your own, trying to gain some independence, that's fantastic.”  He reached out with a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.  “But,” he added, and she clamped down on another surge of frustration, “I need you to understand that that is not how you have presented yourself the last two nights in this house.  You have not come off as assertive and confident; instead, you are presenting a behavioral front that resonates as belligerent and hostile.”
Twilight frowned. Was that the problem? If it was, what was she doing wrong then?  The frustration she felt turned inward, and she began sifting through every moment of the last few days.  She weighed her words, attitude, choices and even tone of voice against others’ behaviors, like Sunset the time they had been at the café where they got milkshakes and a group of boys from one of the city high schools had bothered them, or the way her Principal and some of the teachers conducted themselves, or even how her father lectured in his classes and talked to some of his students.
On some level, she was aware that her father had started speaking again, but she pushed the words away until they were little more than a faint buzz so she could focus more thoroughly.  It was nowhere near as important as the insistent, urgent need to search her memories and overlay them with one another in order to understand what had gone wrong.  She had been firm, like her teachers.  She’d refused to back down, like when Sunset had told the boys to leave them alone because she wasn’t interested in their time or attention, no matter how many times they begged.  She’d even used logic and rational presentation of her side of things, just like Principal Cinch had clearly approved of, and she’d done it without panicking or stammering or breaking down.  
“...ight?”
So what exactly had she done wrong?  It had to be something she’d done or not done—there was no reason for her father to lie to her, and more than that, that was something her parents had always promised to never do to her.  A lifetime of memories and experiences backed their promise with hard evidence, so if her father said that she’d been acting belligerent rather than assertive, she believed there had to be weight to his claim.  That meant that somehow, someway, she’d gotten it wrong...but how? Where?
“...ilight?”
Physical sensation once more proved to be the thing to break through her whirlwind of thoughts. This time it was a hand on her shoulder. Large. Masculine. A tremor of fear crawled up her spine, until she realized it was familiar. Gentle, but firm, squeezing periodically, in time with the sound she’d pushed away.
“Twilight...”
A sound that slowly resolved into her name. Oh!  The dark haired girl blinked, looking once more to her father who had moved from the chair to kneel in front of her. Her chest hurt, she realized, tight and constricted, like she was being squeezed in a vice, and she couldn’t seem to draw a full breath.
“It's okay, star girl.  Breathe for me. It's going to be okay.” Night spoke firmly. “You’re okay.”
It broke something, the lynchpin that had kept all the emotion tied up and tangled inside her, and with the collapse of the emotional dam, tears of frustration and anger and guilt made tracks down her cheeks in twin rivers. She let out a rasping sob, prompting her father to pull her into a hug, one hand rubbing up and down her back soothingly in the same pattern he had done since she was a little girl.  Soft words that held no meaning to her in that moment filled her ears, acting like a cool, calming wave that washed away most of the rest of her agitation, coupled with the steady sound of her father’s heartbeat to ground her. The familiarity allowed her to get her breathing under control, and it slowly passed, leaving her feeling drained and a cottony sensation enveloping her brain.
When she’d finally managed to return to a state approximating ‘normal’, her father asked, “…Do you feel better?”
Taking stock of herself, Twilight gave a slow, tentative nod. “…a little…but my head hurts now…and I feel like I want to take a shower and go to bed.”  Her shoulders sagged. “….I’m sorry, Dad. I…wasn’t trying to be hostile.  I just wanted you to…let me do things on my own for once, to make you see how important this is to me.  I need to do this…I need to know if I can do this, for me, for my future.”
“Can you explain to me why it's so important, Twily?” he asked gently, returning to his seat in her desk chair.
The judging faces of her peers, the scowls of her relatives, the harsh words she’d heard for years…they all echoed in her mind, the only bright spot the smile on amber skinned features under a wild mane of red and gold.  “…Because I need to know I’m not the broken freak everyone thinks I am,” she admitted in a small voice, fighting more tears and a rising resentment against those who told her how little they felt she was worth.  “Because I want to prove to Great Aunt Alabaster, and Aunt Filigree and everyone else that I’m more than what they say I am. I want to prove that I don’t need to be what they want in order to be happy and successful and a person worth knowing.  I need to prove it for me, so I know I’m worth something, that I can be the person I’ve always wanted to be, able to make a difference in the world for the better, to expand the fields of science and the knowledge of mankind.”  Because I want to be someone worthy of Sunset, who is so wonderful and amazing and brilliant…because she deserves a partner, a best friend, who can walk beside her, not follow at her heels… her mind whispered, …and right now…that’s not you, Twilight Sparkle.
Night’s brows pinched together, his expression one she couldn’t accurately parse, especially with how strained her brain felt.  He took a breath, letting out slowly in a fashion not unlike one of her myriad of breathing techniques before he spoke. “Alright, Twily…if that’s how you feel, then we’ll do what we can to help you get there…” His voice sounded stilted and off, like there was an emotion missing, but she was more caught up on the important part of his words: he wasn’t telling her she couldn’t do this! 
“…but Twilight?” he continued. “…You need to find a different way to try and assert yourself—what happened last night and today? That will not happen again. You really hurt your mother tonight, and that’s not acceptable, not now, not ever. There are better, healthier, and more effective methods to have your voice heard, and pushing your mother to tears is not one of them.”  His gaze sharpened and the firm tone was just tickling the edge of his speech. “You owe her an apology for your actions.”
Twilight squirmed as her stomach twisted, making her dinner sit uneasily in it.  She couldn't help the way her eyes dropped to the carpet under her toes or the guilty nod.  “I...I know, Dad.  I didn’t mean to hurt Mom like that, and I want to make it right.”  The dark haired girl worried at her lip with her teeth, the small sting of pain helping to ground her and keep her emotions from spiraling again.  “I didn't mean what I said in the way Shining took it.  I know he thought he was helping, but I really wish now that he had stayed out of the whole thing.”  
Collecting her thoughts, she attempted to articulate them properly. “...Mom is the one who has always been there and its her and Cady I go to when I need to talk stuff out... and it felt to me like she was upset because I was...giving Principal Cinch that same kind of regard for things like my schooling.”  Twilight’s shoulders hunched up. “Except it came out all wrong and then Shining made it worse, and its my fault because my messed up brain can't seem to explain anything right!”  Her fist clenched against her knee. “I never wanted to hurt her...I love Mom, and she’s given up so much all because of me.”
“Twilight,” Night interrupted the beginning of another rant. “I know you're upset, but instead of working yourself up more, I think the best thing you can do is collect yourself, and come downstairs to apologize. That will go a long way to fixing things.  Your brother will be doing the same thing once he gets his own head on straight.” He met her eyes. “Can you do that for me?”
Nodding quickly, Twilight scrambled to her feet. “Let me just...can I have a few minutes to clean up the broken glass and organize my thoughts on what to say to Mom?”
“Of course. Make sure you use the vacuum after you pick up the large pieces. I don't want anyone getting glass in their feet.” Night Light stood, giving her one more brief hug.  “We’ll be downstairs.”
As he left, Twilight began the arduous task of cleaning up a broken picture frame.





She could hear her family laughing as she crept down the stairs, her face still damp from the water she’d splashed on it to get rid of the salty tear tracks.  Peeking around the corner, she took stock of the situation.  Her mother was sitting almost in the middle of the couch, with Cadence perched on one side and Sunset tucked up against her other side, held in a sideways hug and resting her head on Velvet’s shoulder.  All three were smiling broadly, and Sunset...Twilight had rarely seen the other girl look so content and happy.  Cadence was regaling them with some kind of story, arms gesticulating wildly, and Night sat in his chair, smirking behind a coffee mug.  Shining Armor was conspicuously absent.
“....and that’s when she gave me the most excited grin I had ever seen, from a girl who never, ever smiled, thrusting it at me and squealing ‘Cadenza! Why didn't you tell me you had a lightsaber?! I thought you were my friend!’” 
Velvet, Night, and Cadence laughed, but it was Sunset who dissolved into giggles, her face crinkled up with mirth and her arms hugging her sides like they were ready to burst. She slumped even further against Twilight’s mother, unable to properly catch her breath because the story had tickled her sense of humor in just the right way so that every time the giggle fit looked like it might stop, she’d suddenly burst into fresh peals of laughter. Soon, it was only Velvet’s arm that steadied the teen and kept her from falling off the couch.
Jealousy and resentment lanced through her innards at the sight, leaving the lavender skinned girl with a sour taste in the back of her throat.  Twilight grimaced, forcing the negative emotions down—she couldn't afford to get wrapped up in them now, not when she owed her mother an apology.  If Sunset would relinquish some of her mother’s attention so she could, that was.
Her father’s eyes found her, and she squared her shoulders. It was now or never, and she forced her feet to carry her into the living room, stopping awkwardly in front of her mother. The laughter had died away, and now everyone was looking at her.  Sunset looked worried, blue-green eyes searching Twilight’s.  
Twilight looked away from that gaze quickly, turning to her mother instead.  She couldn't handle the twinge of betrayal she felt; if Sunset had time to laugh and share a bonding moment with Twilight’s mother, she could have very easily come upstairs to check on her too.  
She cleared her throat, voice barely more than a whisper. “....I’m sorry, Mom. I messed up, and I hurt you....I wasn't trying to, but I did.”
 Her mother responded with a loving and gentle tone, reaching out to squeeze Twilight’s hand with her own.  “Twily, sweetie, I forgive you. We all say things in anger sometimes that we don't mean. Do you understand why it was the wrong way to handle things, why your words hurt so much?”
Sunset had pulled out of Velvet’s hold, clearly not wanting to disturb this moment, but she watched the interaction with a burning, almost painful intensity.  She was so fixated on the two of them it actually felt...rude or maybe embarrassing, particularly since it was, to Twilight’s point of view, her mother’s customary and routine response to her transgressions and apologies: quick to forgive, but patient and firm about making sure Twilight understood what had occurred and why it had elicited the reaction it did.
With a sigh at her girlfriend’s actions, Twilight nodded at her mother. “In my attempts to act independent and self-sufficient, I instead came off as hostile, and I made some ugly accusations that were completely unfounded as a result of my frustration and anger.”
Velvet squeezed her hand again.  “Do you have a plan for how you can go about it better in the future?”
For a moment, Twilight found herself wishing that her mother could be more like Principal Cinch, giving her lecture in crisp, concise and informative tones rather than this humiliating, borderline condescending series of questions. While Cinch would have likely delivered a precise and cutting analysis of Twilight’s faults, she would have also provided her with the exact means and steps by which to rectify the behaviors and get the results she desired....something Twilight wished her parents would do more, especially with situations like this, where she was missing whatever instinctive manual on social behavior that it felt like other people were just born with.
Rather than snap at her mother again—once was already too much—the girl sighed softly.  “I...believe so. I want to seek out books on the subject of being confident and assertive without presenting an unpleasant demeanor.” She gave her a weak smile. “Particularly as I have been made aware that basing my attempts off of direct observation is nothing short of a catastrophic failure. I definitely need a very different methodology, and books have always proven more effective in imparting knowledge to me.”
Just like her father had, her mother gained a puzzling expression Twilight could not discern the meaning of, but with everything else she was feeling, she was just not in the mood to dissect what it could possibly mean. Infantile as she knew the behavior was, and though it was in direct opposition to the confident young woman she wanted so desperately to be seen as, Twilight held her arms out in a gesture every child instinctively knows. “Can...can I have a hug?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Her mother responded the way she knew the woman would, and Twilight found herself pulled down onto the couch into the space Sunset had vacated so that Velvet could wrap an arm tight around her.  She turned her face into a familiar soft shoulder, the knot of conflicting emotions completely giving way to mental exhaustion.  It was a nice hug, and even though it was also childish, she felt safe and warm in her mother’s embrace.  
Then her mother stretched that arm out further. “Sunset, sweetie, you don't have to move...” and before Twilight could register what was happening, Sunset was pulled tight against her other side, leaving Twilight squished between her mother and her redheaded girlfriend. “Besides,” her mother added, “Twily needs a hug on that side!”
Sunset laughed, and her arm snaked around Twilight’s waist, sending a heated tingle down the dark haired girl’s spine from where amber fingers pressed to her stomach, sneaking just up under the hem of her shirt.  She could feel the press of Sunset’s cheek and chin against her shoulder, hot breath blowing across Twilight’s ear. “Don’t worry, I can handle this side, right Sparky?”
It took every ounce of self control Twilight had to not react, to conceal the way the redhead’s touch and smell and closeness made her feel, to not acknowledge the way she was suddenly hypersensitive to the contact and proximity of the girl she desired so badly. Pieces of the dreams she’d had the night before rose up from her memories, heated fantasies that all starred Sunset Shimmer, and she could only hope that her face didn't look as flustered as she felt.  “Yeah,” she managed to squeak out, her voice only warbling slightly in the middle.  “Sunset’s good at hugs.”
Velvet laughed, in a way that made Twilight wonder briefly if her mother suspected, only to dismiss the thought when the woman’s other arm snagged Cadence and pulled her into a hug as well, turning the couch into one convoluted group hug.  “Let’s make this a girls’ hug.” 
Night arched a brow at his wife from his seat at the display. “What? Girls only? All that I do, and its right back to ‘no boys allowed’ at the first opportunity? I’m already drastically outnumbered in the family…”  
Twilight and Sunset shared a look, before falling even further into each other with fits of giggles, and Twilight found herself relaxing, tension leaking out of her body to leave behind a buzzing lightness. The evening had hit a few snags, but it seemed to be smoothing out, making it a good end to a wonderful day.
> Chapter Eighty Four: Heart and Soul Food
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset set the paperbox on the art table with a surprisingly heavy noise, making Pinkie look over from the seat next to her. “Oh wow, Sunset! Whatcha got there? New art supplies? Paper? Books? Candy?”
A tired chuckle escaped her as she dropped into her chair. “None of the above,” she responded, tugging the lid off to reveal a trashbag-lined inside full of the rich, dark, red-purple fizzleberries their magic had grown. “Roseluck found me after gym and gave them to me.” She reached in without thinking and popped one of the ripe berries into her mouth, savoring the tart-yet-sweet tang of the juicy morsel, followed by the ticklish fizzle on her tongue from its inherent magic. “I’m not sure why, but I loved fizzleberries as a filly, so I’m not complaining.”
Pinkie’s smile grew even wider. “Oh! I was wondering when they were going to give them to you!”
The redhead gave her friend an odd look as she pulled her sketchbook and pencils from the nearby cubby that housed her personal art supplies.  “Wait, you knew?”
“Uh-huh!” came the cheerful response. “I told them they should, since I knew you'd be needing them soon!”
Frowning, she canted her head, absently popping another berry in her mouth. “Not that I’m upset about having a few pounds of my favorite snack, but…what? How…do you ‘know’ something like that?”
There was a hesitation, then Pinkie shrugged her shoulders. “Pinkie Sense,” she informed Sunset matter of factly. 
Pinkie what? she wondered, then decided, given the sheer number of weird things that involved Pinkie Pie, that she did not really want to know. It was probably safer to just not think about it. Besides, she already had enough on her mind after the events earlier in the week.
When she’d left her girlfriend’s house for school that Wednesday morning, it had been to a very wan looking Velvet wishing her a good day while preparing a pot of homemade chicken soup for the family, since both she and her husband were feeling “under the weather.” While the woman had meant that she believed the family had picked up some kind of virus, Sunset knew the truth—they were still recovering from dark magic, and the severity of the reaction suggested that the exposure had not been entirely confined to the incident Tuesday night.  Combined with the vision on Monday, and the horrific, warning nightmare the week before, and Sunset was worried. Very worried.
Sunset wasn't stupid, or naïve enough to ignore the obvious, and it was something that had been on her mind for most of the week.  Some sort of powerful, dangerous dark magic was in Canterlot City…and it wasn’t Equestrian in nature. What she had felt had lacked the…flavor that all Equestrian magic had, something that had so deeply and intrinsically been part of her world that to her it was unmistakable.  She analyzed it further as she flipped the big sketchbook open to a blank page and began sketching the loose design for a painting they were working on as their big project for the semester.  Despite not being Equestrian magic, she had felt it, and like Equestrian dark magic, it had felt oily, insidious, and painful to her scarred psyche. It seemed to react strongly to negative emotions, at least at first glance, but Sunset was uncertain if that was the case, or if she once more reading far too much into the situation, a side effect of her desire to find more magic in a world that had so little. Not for the first time, she wished that she had access to the more esoteric and in-depth books on the subject from the palace’s restricted archives, or even just a few of the instruments that the princess had kept in her study.. Shining’s anger genuinely hadn’t spiraled into ugly aggression until well after she started feeling the magic…which left her questioning whether one had triggered the other or if it was like Equestrian magic in that regard: magic and emotions being intertwined.
Her hand wandered aimlessly over the page, the sketch more a reflection of her subconscious than anything, since she was not really paying attention, lost in thought. What had Shining encountered that had affected him so strongly, and why was it also targeting his family? How did that factor into the vision involving Twilight? Was he investigating someone or something that involved magic? Her vision originally had made her worry about Twilight’s project of trying to study the magic energy she and the girls had released, but with what had happened with Shining, she was no longer quite so sure as she had been. How was she supposed to protect them if she didn’t know where the threat was coming from or what it wanted?
Even her memories of lessons and conversations with Celestia didn't give her a concrete answer. The one time she could remember looking up from her history book and asking for what the solar Princess had done in the post-Discordian Reconstruction Era during the event known in the books as “the Wither Epidemic,” she’d gotten a very unsatisfying answer.
“How did you know what was going on, Princess?” The amber filly touched a hoof to the illustration in the book in awe.
The monarch glanced over at the book to see what Sunset was referring to. Her expression twisted slightly in exasperation. “The truth is, little sun, I did not. None of us had no idea about the life cycle of Withergloom Moths, or that they had started using ponies as hosts for their larva.” A wing stretched to drape over Sunset. 
Blue-green eyes looked up at her teacher. “If you didn't know what it was, how did you know how to protect ponies?”
“I did the best I could, Sunset, and we kept trying new solutions based on the knowledge we had. Sometimes, that's all a leader can do—work with the knowledge they have to try and help. The important part is to not give up. You keep trying, all while seeking more information on the problem.”
Her memory of the gentle smile on Princess Celestia’s face was broken in a jarring fashion when Pinkie practically screamed in her ear. “Oh wow, Sunset! That’s super neat looking—is that Equestria!? Are those really what your kind of ponies look like!? The drawings from Christmas were real?! They look so amazingly huggable! Do magic pony friends like getting hugs? If I was so soft and huggable looking, I’d love hugs! They would be the bestest, softest hugs in the world!”
Sunset was proud of herself for not squealing in terrified surprise, though she did let out a rather undignified squeak. “Pinkie!” she managed. “Don’t do that—I don’t want to accidentally hit you!”
Summer sky eyes stated back at her. “Silly Sunset! You’d never really hit me! We’re friends!” Then she looked down at the drawing. “So is it?”
“Is it…what?” 
“Equestria!”
The former unicorn looked down at her art, really seeing it for the first time, and feeling her heart twist in response.  What met her gaze was a detailed sketch recreating the Canterlot Memorial Garden Terrace, the large, lower winding terrace that wrapped around part of the mountain.  “Oh…I…guess…yeah, Pinkie, that’s Equestria. More specifically, it’s from our version of Canterlot.”
A long amber finger traced over the curved spires and carved marble of the pretty buildings visible on one side of the image. “It’s on a mountain, so the city is terraced, but there’s an amazing view of Gallopene Plains and the Everfree Forest.”
“So which pony is you?” Pinkie asked excitedly.
Sunset twitched a little, but let her eyes scan over the ponies scattered around on the grass. Some were clustered in groups, parents and foals or friends having picnics or playing games. Some were relaxing by themselves. In the sky, pegasi were flying, and on a higher terrace, she spotted the unmistakable form of Princess Celestia.
But her own unicorn self? She almost thought she hadn’t included herself, and was about to acknowledge as much when Pinkie pointed. “Oh! Oh! There! Is that you!?”
She followed the gesture, and found herself, her unicorn form tucked up under a tree, reading a book. Philomena was perched in the branches over her head. “Yeah,” she admitted, taking in the thick, curly fur on her body and the bouncing curls of her mane. “That’s me.”
Pinkie studied the picture with an intense look of concentration, and then, rather abruptly by Sunset’s measurements, she hugged Sunset in a tight bear hug. It felt good—well, once her ribs stopped protesting, that was—and she curled an arm around Pinkie to return the gesture. 
When the hug ended, the former unicorn tilted her head. “What was that for?”
Blue eyes regarded her seriously. “You needed a hug.  Even your drawing thought so—why else would you draw you over here, hiding and alone?”
The redhead glanced down at the mare all by herself under the tree. “Oh…” she said. “I wasn’t even really thinking when I was drawing. I’ve got a lot on my mind these days.”
“Uh huh, with the magic and school and stuff.” The other girl’s smile wavered a second. “Do…do you miss Equestria?”
Wasn’t that one of the million bit questions knocking around her head lately.  “It wouldn’t matter if I did, Pinkie,” she deflected. “I’m an exile. If I went back, I’d probably get arrested and tried for all the stuff I did around the Formal.”
Frowning, Pinkie poked her. “That’s not what I asked.”
Right. No getting out of it then.  “I…miss things about being in Equestria,” she confessed. “My magic, my real body,  the way the air smelled and the food tasted….but I…I’m not sure…” Her head hung lower. “Other than my school work, I didn’t really have a lot else there. All my friends…the people I’ve come to care about are here. Going back would mean giving all of that up and…I’m not sure if I’d want to.”
“Because you’d be lonely? Couldn’t you make pony friends?” 
Sunset shrugged. “I don't know. I tried when I was a filly, but it failed, badly. I’m not so sure it would work any better now.”
Pinkie tilted her head this way and that. “That’s a toughie,” she admitted. “If you went back, and you could make friends, that’d be great…but if you couldn’t…you would be sad and missing out, cuz you’re just so friendful here!”
The redhead rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the sting of truth in the words. “Pinkie, ‘friendful’ isn't a word.”
“Sure it is, silly! I used it, so it’s a word!”
A sigh escaped Sunset and she decided to pick her battles when she knew they wouldn't end in a migraine. “Anyway…I don’t know, Pinkie…part of me wants to go back…but another part of me…” she hesitated, then forged ahead, “…another part of me even wonders if there’s anything for me there anymore, or if I would just go back to being alone…”
 “We wouldn’t want you to go, Sunset,” Pinkie told her in uncharacteristic seriousness.  “We care about you and we’d be sad if you left…but we also want you to be happy. If going back to Equestria would make you sad, then we’d be extra upset…especially if it was because the other ponies couldn't see how much of a superfantabulous awesome friend you can be.”  She hugged Sunset again, this time placing a cupcake in front of her.
The words alone would have done wonders to lift the former bully’s spirits, but the added bonus of what smelled like a vanilla cupcake topped with strawberry icing was surprisingly touching and her eyes burned slightly as she blinked back tears. “…thanks, Pinkie…that…means a lot.”
She reached for the cupcake, only for Pinkie to yell, “Stop!”  Sunset froze, one hand inches from the treat, and watched her friend form a square with her fingers, one eye closed and her tongue poking out of her mouth in concentration. “It needs something!” Then she glanced around and spotted the box of fizzleberries. “Aha!” Pink fingers grabbed a ripe berry and expertly placed it on top of the cupcake. “Perfect!” She beamed up at Sunset. “Now it’s the best of both worlds, just like you, Sunset!”
As Sunset carefully peeled the wrapper off and took that first bite of the cupcake, she savored the mix of Pinkie’s amazing baking skills as well as the sharp fizzle-tang of the berry and its magic when she bit into it. Best of both worlds indeed…though she wasn't sure such a label applied to herself. Still…the cupcake did lift her spirits and make her smile, despite the thoughts still weighing her down.
“It’s good, right?” Pinkie grinned at her. “I know that smile! That’s a good smile!” She grinned, and snagged another berry for the cupcake she’d produced for herself. “I like seeing that smile on my friends.”
“It’s delicious. I don’t know why, Pinkie,” she said honestly, “and I know I don’t mention it at all really, but thanks for stuff like this.” Sunset motioned to the cupcake.  “It really does make me feel better.”
The pink haired girl practically vibrated in her chair with joy. “That’s because when you make something with love and smiles, it’s like giving a friend a hug they can eat!”
A hug you can eat… Blue green eyes flitted to the box of berries, then to the cupcake, then to Pinkie, even as memory nudged her firmly. She closed her eyes, thinking back to the breakfast muffins Velvet had sent her off to school with the nights she’d stayed over before Winter Break, or to the emotions stirred still when she joined the family for dinner on Fridays and Velvet always made sure to have an entrée made just for her because of her dietary restrictions.  And then her mind wandered further back, to breakfasts of thick, fluffy pancakes always made into fanciful shapes and designs that had made a filly laugh with delight, or the way dinners and desserts made by the Princess always tasted so much better and left her feeling much more satisfied than anything the palace chef’s could manage. 
Her voice thick around the sudden lump in her throat, she asked, “Is…is it just a you thing, Pinkie? Or…can other people do that too?” 
“Anyone can!” She munched on her cupcake, in between stealing a few berries. “You know, a lot of people will tell you that the secret to baking is the measurements. That you should use fancy scales and just the right measuring cups and all that, and be reeeeeeeeeeally precise.”
Sunset watched her, curious but also trying to contain the emotions that were making her itch inside her own skin. She could feel the low prickle at her senses that told her Pinkie was tapping into her magic subconsciously. “…Yeah, I’ve…heard that.  Before.”  From Princess Celestia, but she didn't add that.
“Well those people are wrong, Sun-Shim!” her bouncy friend announced with conviction. “Sure, that stuff matters, but the most important thing is putting what’s in here—” A finger poked Sunset in the chest. “—into what you’re making! You’ve got to put your feelings into it to make it taste super extra special!”
Maybe Pinkie had a point—she did feel better now than she had, and homemade food always tasted better than stuff in a package or even from a restaurant.  Especially at her girlfriend’s house…Velvet’s cooking did feel like it did more than fill her stomach. 
The redheaded girl thought back to how tired and pale Velvet had been when she’d last seen her, and she wished a hug or even a good meal was something that could solve the negative reaction to dark magic, but the only thing other than time that might help would be an infusion of good magi—
Oh. Well, for being one of the smartest students at CHS, she was remarkably thick sometimes. Her eyes studied the box of fizzleberries for a long minute. “Hey, Pinkie? If that’s true…do you think we could put some of our magic into the food as well? Like…if we made something out of these fizzleberries?”
Her friend’s eyes went wide at those words and she stared at Sunset so long and so hard that the redhead was concerned she might have accidentally broken Pinkie’s brain.  Just as she was starting to actually worry, Pinkie broke into a broad grin. “Yes. Yes, we can.”
“Um…do you mean we can try?”
“Nope!” The pink haired girl rubbed her hands together. “We can totally make magic food with magic berries!”
Sunset blinked. “Okay…why do you sound so sure we can, when I’m not a hundred percent sure it’s even possible?” she asked slowly, half dreading the answer.
Pinkie’s grin got even bigger. “I have a good feeling about it, Sunset Shimmer! And good feelings can’t be wrong!” She poked the former unicorn in the nose. “After all, even when you were a super mean meany pants, something inside me always said ‘Pinkie, Sunset might act all mean and nasty on the outside, but she’s got a super nice inside somewhere! It’s just hiding!’”  She gave a self satisfied nod, puffy pink hair bouncing cheerfully. “And it was right!”
There wasn’t much she could say—her friends didn't care much for her self-deprecating moods or rebuttals, and even on a good day she struggled to understand the living embodiment of confusion and chaos that was Pinkamena Diane Pie. So the teen just let it go, asking the question that seemed the next logical step in her plan to try and help Twilight’s family feel better. “…right…so do you think we can talk them into letting us use the Home Ec room after school?”
“Oh no! If we’re gonna do magical baking, we’re doing it at my house! Super special magical baking is going to need special ingredients and a happy kitchen! And my kitchen is the happiest kitchen this side of Sweet Apple Acres!”  Pinkie patted her arm. “Plus I have waaaaay more ingredients there!”
The redhead wondered if she’d survive baking with Pinkie without developing a migraine or mental whiplash. “Okay…that works.”
“This is gonna be so great!” Pinkie was bouncing in her seat like a middle schooler on a sugar rush. “You never asked to cook with me before! We’re going to have sooooo much fun! After school, get your stuff and meet me outside—Maud will give us a ride to my house!”
It was a good thing she’d walked today, Sunset decided, so she didn’t have to worry about her bike. “You sure Maud won’t mind?” Pinkie’s older sister was a dour sort who never seemed happy about anything, and she’d always unnerved Sunset more than a little, even during her bullying days. 
“She’ll be super excited that I’m bringing a friend home!”
That would be a first. Sunset fought back a snicker, going back to her drawing as a distraction, starting to fill in some of the details from her memory—like the stream that wound its way through the terrace and spilled off the side in a beautiful series of carefully carved ledges that created waterfalls that splashed their way to a lower elevation on the mountain and tended to throw up rainbows at all times of the day.
“You should totally draw all of us as ponies with you, that way pony-Sunset won't be all alone anymore! Because you aren’t!”
Sunset didn’t bother to fight the smile that formed at those words.





“Pinkie. Marble does her homework in the kitchen.”
Maud’s voice was still the same dry monotone that it always was, and her expression as she leaned out the window of the car to address her younger sister never showed an ounce of any emotion Sunset could read, but Pinkie went still next to her as if she’d been suddenly and thoroughly chastised. That made the former unicorn’s brow furrow in confusion and then worry, when Pinkie responded with an affirmative in an equally subdued tone. 
Once Maud had driven off—something about work at the local university’s geology lab, Sunset wasn't listening too much to Pinkie’s stream of frantic consciousness chatter—she turned to Pinkie. “What’s going on, Pinkie? Who’s Marble?”
Pinkie was quiet for a long time. “Marble’s my twin sister,” she said at last.  “Most of you girls have never met her….she’s…she’s not big on people.” Blue eyes were filled with a sort of sadness, and poofy pink hair seemed to sag a little under its weight. “Marble is really super sweet, but…she has problems with people. And when she gets upset she doesn’t talk and kids at school made fun of her, and she doesn't like loud noises or bright colors.”
Understanding started to dawn on Sunset, as she remembered several of Twilight’s panic attacks, triggered by the press of too many people or by really awful combinations of smells when they were out together. “Is that why she doesn’t go to our school?”
There was a slight nod. “Mom started homeschooling her in fifth grade. It’s helped a lot, but Marble still tends to hide when people come over and she…she doesn’t talk a lot.” Blue eyes flicked to Sunset. “She might leave when we come in, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you, Sunset, really.”
Sunset drew Pinkie into a hug. “Pinkie, it’s okay—I’m friends with Fluttershy, remember? And I’ve…known some people who struggle with being around lots of other people. If she doesn’t want to talk or if she just feels more comfortable going to another room, I promise I won’t get offended or upset.” She chuckled. “At least I can be assured she’s not doing it because she hates the Queen Bitch of CHS.”
The party planner brightened and laughed. “Nope! That’s Limestone, but she got in trouble for screaming bad words at you last time, so we’re all good!”
Bad words. That was probably the nicest way a person could describe the blistering, aggressive, and furious diatribe from the eldest Pie sister at that sleepover during the Battle of the Bands. Sunset had actually needed to look a few of the terms up later on her phone—and only about half of them had been anatomically possible. “…she’s…not here, is she?”
“Limestone? Nope! She’s off at work until five, and then she’s got a night class!” Pinkie opened the door. “So you're safe!”
Sunset gave a small laugh. “Oh good. I don’t think me being terrified out of my wits would make for tasty baked goods.  Fear doesn’t exactly taste good.”
Pinkie nodded in complete agreement. “You’re absolutely right, Sunset! It would ruin the recipe!” She led Sunset into the house, not seeming to notice the confused expression on the redheaded teen’s face.
Why did I say something like that? Fear doesn’t…have a taste…does it? Sunset shivered, as somewhere, deep inside she knew the answer…but she couldn’t explain how she knew. It left her mildly unsettled, but before she could dig too much into it, her bouncy friend had grabbed her arm and pulled her bodily into the kitchen, chattering away at ninety miles an hour, seeming oblivious to Sunset’s momentary silence.
“…could do that since the berries are sweet and tangy already, so they wouldn’t need a lot of honey—and you can watch that for me while I do the hard part for the topping, because that’s suuuuuuper complicated to get just right so it bakes up fluffy and light but still cooks right all the way through. If you don’t do it just right you get a super duper baked bad mess, all burned and lumpy and slimy in the center and I don’t think those would make our friends happy at all!” 
The former unicorn could only nod, fairly out of her depth. She could cook just well enough to feed herself, but other than Princess Celestia’s famous pancakes, most of her recipes involved ‘throwing a bunch of ingredients together with enough spices and hope it tasted good.’  “Sure, Pinkie…just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do my best.”
She let her gaze sweep the kitchen as Pinkie dove into cabinets and cupboards to retrieve ingredients and containers.  The kitchen was spotless, and still warm and homey, though its colors and decorations were much more muted than she’d seen in both Velvet’s kitchen and the Apple farm. Seated at the well worn table in the kitchen was a thin, washed out, gray figure watching her warily through her hair. That had to be Marble—Sunset could practically feel familiar anxiety pouring off her, and she tried a faint smile to ease the tension. 
“Hey,” Sunset said in the soft tone that she had gotten used to using when her girlfriend was upset. “It’s very nice to meet you, Marble.  Pinkie is helping me with baking some treats for my friends. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”  She very carefully set her box of fizzleberries on the table, and popped one into her mouth.
Marble stared at her for a long moment, then looked to her sister and made a series of very deliberate motions, the quick easiness of them suggesting it was a long mastered skill. Sunset wasn’t versed in what looked like sign language, but she’d made a personal study of human body language, and she could tell there was a question somewhere in there. 
So she did the next best thing—she looked to Pinkie for an answer. 
Pinkie nodded sheepishly at her twin. “Yeah, that Sunset Shimmer, but she’s our friend now! She’s super nice and an amazingly awesome super duper best friend who does nice things for all her friends!” She grinned. “Like today! We’re going to try and put magic feelings into the food using these neat berries Sunset likes, because she wants to make her friends feel good too! Which reminds me! Fill this bowl with berries, Sunset, and wash them super good with cold water, then put them in that pot! That will be just about enough to make the berry filling!”
Sunset nodded, taking the bowl quietly and focusing on filling it with ripe fizzleberries. The magic that had made them come into existence and bloom out of season was something she could feel in then, and she meticulously used her senses to pick out the best ones. She could see Marble scrutinizing her between bits of homework, but she didn’t call attention to it. If Pinkie’s sister had heard about the old her, then making loud accusatory statements or being aggressive would just be a disaster.
Instead, she hummed “Shine Like Rainbows” absently while she worked, feeling the magic start to bubble up faintly when Pinkie joined in. It wasn’t enough for either of them to Pony-Up, but it did lighten the atmosphere as she followed Pinkie’s instructions to add the berries to a pot with a little water and put them on the stove to start cooking them into a fruity filling for the pastries.
This part was familiar enough—it was the same process in many ways to the filling she and Princess Celestia had devised years ago for the energy bars. It made her wonder how much they could duplicate the magic infusion process without cloudflower honey, since such blooms were native to her homeworld, as were the bee species that made the honey.
She was still humming, accepting the masher from Pinkie once the berries had started to get soft in the simmering, bubbling mixture.  Mashing had always been her favorite part as a filly, since it let her work out some of her frustrations, and she found it therapeutic even if her frustrations had a much different source lately. Sunset just hoped the idea she’d had was crazy enough to work; she needed some way to help and protect the family and friends who had given her so much in such a short time. She wanted to make sure dark magic couldn't hurt Mrs. Velvet or Shining again.  And more than that, she needed to protect Twilight Sparkle. 
The emotions that welled up in her were visceral, and they burned with magic as she stirred in drizzles of thick, sweet smelling  apple-blossom honey courtesy of Granny Smith’s beehives.  The former student of Princess Celestia turned her focus into willing that power, those feelings into her efforts, fighting the lack of proper pathways and something deeper, and tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she couldn't make the magic do what she so desperately desired it to do.
“Silly,” Pinkie said, suddenly there at her side, hand wrapping around the trembling one holding the spoon.  “You should know by now you don’t have to do everything on your own—it takes all the colors to make a rainbow, not just one! That’s why you’ve got friends to help you out!”
For a second, Sunset could have sworn she saw Pinkie’s hand glow, but the rush of bubbly magic that always reminded her of cotton candy was flooding her veins, mixing with her own power and soothing the burn, and then flowing easily at her direction into the pot of fizzleberries. The mixture drank up the magic greedily, becoming a potent infusion that seemed somehow brighter and more vibrant than it had been a moment ago.  She turned her gaze on Pinkie Pie, only to get a beaming smile in return.  “These are going to be super duper awesome treats, Sunset!”
Sunset couldn't help herself—she laughed, a sound of such relief and happiness that she was going to have something she could give to her girlfriend’s family to help them that it made her shoulders shake and the tears that had been borne of frustration fall as ones of mirth instead. “You’re right, Pinkie…in more ways than one…”
“Great! Now we leave that on low, and you can help me make the dough for the crust!” Sunset was pulled over to the table and a big bowl. “You’re on mixing duty, while I measure!”
Sunset dutifully mixed while Pinkie sang a song to herself about baking, dumping ingredients into the bowl. It was a silly, childish thing, but it made her smile all the same, her head absently bobbing to the song’s rhythm.  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Marble watching her again, frowning…but this time, instead of looking away, she made a soft “Mmm…” sound in her throat that got Pinkie’s immediate attention.
“Sure!” Pinkie responded. “What did you want to know?” she asked her sister.
Biting her lip, Marble gestured to Sunset, expression and posture communicating obvious confusion, even as her hands moved. Sunset braced herself for the inevitable description of how Princess Twilight had kicked her flank up one side and down the other. 
So when Pinkie only laughed, and said, “Of course she doesn't move like we do! Sunset’s totally from a world full of magical talking ponies! She’s just living here with us, because she likes us better,” it took a minute or so for Sunset’s brain to react properly. 
“Pinkie!” the redhead hissed. “That’s supposed to be a secret! Not something you just go telling everyone!”
“Marble’s not everyone—she’s my sister, and she’s super good at keeping secrets. Besides, Marble loves horses!” Pinkie grinned at her.
Deep breath, Shimmer. In. Out. Just like you make Twilight do. There you go. “It’s still not really your secret to tell, Pinkie. It’s mine, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d ask me if you want to tell someone.  Also,” she ground out, “I am not a horse—I’m a pony.”
A hand tugged on her sleeve, pulling her attention to Marble, who was staring at Sunset with impossibly wide eyes, the question in them plain even without words or signs. Sunset blew a breath out her nostrils that came out as part snort, part sigh. “Yes, it’s true,” she said wearily. “I was born a unicorn pony in a world connected to this one via a magic mirror. I ran away from home and ended up here.”  She ran a hand through her hair tiredly. “But I’d like to ask you not to go sharing that around, please. I’m afraid of what might happen to me if the wrong people find out.”
Marble nodded solemnly, making a few sharp hand gestures at her sister and frowning sternly. Then she looked back at Sunset, reaching over and patting her shoulder, a small, shy smile creeping onto her face. “…I won’t tell…” she said in a voice barely more than a whisper, “…I promise…” Her breathy, whispery tones were hard to make out, and she paired them with more signs.
Pinkie seemed delighted with Marble’s reaction, if a bit surprised by her sister’s chastisement. “Me too,” she said apologetically. “Sorry, Sunset.”
“It’s okay, Pinkie,” Sunset said. “You meant well, and I know you were trying to give us reasons to get along—that’s important to you.” It wasn’t a question.
“Uh huh!” The pink skinned girl nodded vigorously. “I want all my friends to get along, and Marble’s not just my sister, she’s one of my bestest friends, too!” She took the bowl from Sunset, so she could start rolling out the dough, already perking right back up.  It was hard to keep Pinkie's mood down for long. “Can you get my big cookie cutters over there by the sink? I thought it would be super special to make these in fun shapes!”
Sunset laughed, and started collecting the metal bits shaped like hearts, stars, moons, balloons, diamonds, and even a few shaped like an apple, a butterfly, and a lightning bolt. “What, no sun shaped cookie cutters?” the former unicorn teased, holding them up.
“Already got that one over here, Sun-Shim!” Pinkie grinned knowingly at Sunset. “It’ll be my first chance to try it out!” Blue eyes glinted with humor. “I was gonna get a unicorn one for you until we found out that the sun thingie was super important to you!”
Sunset glanced down, to the shirt she was wearing that had her cutie mark embroidered on it—a gift from Rarity, of course—and couldn’t resist hugging Pinkie, feeling the magic well up inside her. “That…means a lot, Pinkie. That you girls are just…okay with what I am, I mean.” At an inquisitive noise from Marble, Sunset explained, “It’s hard to pretend to be a normal human all the time…but with my friends, I can…relax…a little.”
“You’re our friend, Sunset Shimmer. That means all of you, even the pony parts!” Pinkie turned Sunset’s one armed hug into a tight bear hug that threatened to drive the air from her lungs.  As she did, the magic broke free, and she tipped her head back to avoid stabbing Pinkie’s twitching pony ear with her horn.
“Oooo…tingly…” Pinkie giggled, bouncing out of the hug. “Besides! we’re magic and part pony now too!” She hopped over to her sister, who was back to staring with the same expression Sunset had seen on Twilight on Christmas morning.  “Check it out, Marble! I have pony ears, and I can make them wiggle!”
Marble made a squeaking sound of pure childlike delight, and Sunset chuckled in bemused tolerance. “There’s that part too, I suppose.”
The quiet teen tugged on one of Pinkie’s ears, then signed rapidly. Pinkie glanced Sunset’s way. “Marble was wondering if you would tell her about magic pony land! Ooooo—you could tell us about it while we bake!”
There was so much hope in Marble’s eyes that Sunset couldn’t have said no, even if she had wanted to. “I’ve got an even better idea. Would…would you like to help us, Marble? I could tell you some Equestrian legends while we work.”
A muted, grey haired head nodded so fast that she could have been mistaken for Pinkie without the coloration difference. The former unicorn grinned and picked up the sun shaped cookie cutter, pressing it into the rolled out dough. “Okay…then how about this…”
“Long ago, in Ancient Equestria, so long ago that it happened in places that no longer exist, there arose a great and terrible shadow.  Formed in the guise of a powerful ram, he was called Grogar, the Fear-Bringer, the Death-Ringer of the Pale Bell, the Nightmare King, and the tolling of his terrible Bewitching Bell summoned forth his army of Fearlings, that they would take the form of the deepest fears of ponykind to make conquering them easy…”
She could see that both sisters were captivated now as they helped cut shapes from the dough, and she found herself getting invested in relating one of her favorite fillyhood stories.  “But though ponies fled and hid, some were not content to be captive to Fear. Among those was a young unicorn, Gusty, whose bond with wind magic made her swift and tireless…”





“…and so, with a mighty heave of his magic, made strong by the six trials before this, by the frigid and Hateful Winter of the Windigo, and the bonds of friendship he formed, he held fast against the Winds of Despair, trusting in his allies to not abandon or betray him.  Because of his efforts in the Cleansing of the Riverheart with the lost spells of Serendipity Song and from his studying the Way of Flame from the Wise Sage Smokebreath, he felt no heat from the subjugated dragon’s flame as he darted through to free the creature from the sorceress’ mental shackles.”
Sunset’s voice held her audience captive, Pinkie practically vibrating in place as the story came to its climax. “With the dragon now gone, fled from the castle as soon as its mind was its own again, very little stood between Clover and the Sorceress. He made sure his allies had the rest of the Sorceress’ forces occupied, and kicked open the doors of her castle…”
She painted a picture with words the way Princess Celestia had for her when she was a foal, describing in detail the shifting illusions and assault on his psyche within the castle, and how Clover the Clever’s struggles to return the Sunfire Salamander to her people and the years he’d spent learning ancient magics and enchantments to craft his Cloak of Resolve, had allowed him to outwit her defenses and reach her.
“The duel had been so fierce and lasted so long that that the two had destroyed the top of the castle, leaving them exposed to the whipping winds on the top of Ruby Peak, and Clover could feel his strength waning, his reserves of magic almost empty. Yet he knew he could not let her win—the fate of the world, of not just ponykind but all creatures rested upon this last battle against his long time foe.”
“But the Sorceress could see his exhaustion, and she wove a terrible, awful spell into being. In one last ditch moment, Clover flicked the scales of the Salamander Queen free of his satchel, bringing them to the rune inscribed on his cloak, and there was a terrible light and sound that left all around unable to tell what had happened. Then the light faded, and as Clover’s allies held their breath, fearing for the life of their friend, they heard it. Limping, unsteady hoofsteps, not soft paws, until Clover stood at the edge of the broken castle top, calling, ‘The Sorceress is no more! Her foul, dark magic has turned back upon her and destroyed her from within! The spell she meant to kill me has struck her down instead! We are free!’ And then he collapsed, too drained to remain standing any longer.”
Sunset took a sip of her water. “Clover recovered, and in time spent his life as a teacher of magic and advisor to the new kingdom that had formed after the tribes united, always willing to see his old friends and allies true.  His Trials survived as one of our greatest legends, of how wit and intelligence can overcome even impossibly strong foes, and how one, unassuming pony can make the greatest difference.”
Pinkie and Marble stared. “Oh. My. Gosh!” Pinkie exploded into excited clapping and movements, as if sitting still for the story meant the fifteen minutes of fidgeting were now condensed into fifteen seconds. “That was the coolest story EVER! Sunset! Why haven’t you told us about pony stories before?! Those were so much fun! Magic and princesses and dragons and cat-people and duels! It’s got something for EVERYONE!”
The former unicorn shrugged awkwardly. “I…don’t usually think about it too much. Figured you girls wouldn’t be interested in a foal’s bedtime stories.”
“Are you kidding?!” Pinkie hopped up and down, her arms flung wide. “They’d be great for sleepovers! Even Fluttershy would love them, because they aren’t super scary! Even the Goat-gar one wasn't!”
“Grogar,” Sunset corrected absently. “And he was a ram, not a goat.”
The oven timer went off, catching them all by surprise, and making Pinkie Pie immediately change focus, so she could pull the last of the pastries out and turn the oven off. “Oh! These look great!” She set the tray down and brought over three of the ones off the cooling rack to the table. “Let’s see if they taste just as good as they look!”
The pastries certainly looked delicious—and far more professional than Sunset had expected since she had been involved in making them. They were some variant on a tart, with a buttery crust that the three of them had cut into shapes, the edges turned up just enough to provide a place for the layer of fizzleberry filling, then topped by some sort of fluffy meringue type topping that Pinkie had made, baked to what the party planner deemed perfection. All the while, to Sunset’s senses, it hummed with magic, the same Harmonic energies that the girls seemed to be capable of calling on.  
It smelled as impossibly good as any of the baked goods to come from the palace kitchens, and Sunset was the first one to work up the courage to take a bite. Flavor and magic exploded on her tongue and she made a low sound of surprised pleasure in her throat. “Sweet sunfire, Pinkie…you were right…it is like a hug you can eat…we did it. They're like the Sun Bites…but…almost better.”
Pinkie’s smile practically split her face. “I told you—it’s the feelings you put into it that matter most, and we put in some super good ones.”
The redheaded girl didn’t disagree—her friend had made a believer of her.  She just hoped it would be enough.
> Chapter Eighty Five: Food for Thought
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset pushed the front door to the house, a gust of warm air bringing the scent of soup to her nose. “Mrs. Velvet?” she called as she stepped in, doing a careful balancing act with a plastic grocery bag, a container of tarts, her overnight bag, and her keys, all while dodging Spike, who was yipping and whining and tugging at her pants leg insistently. She was more than a little worried after the text conversation that morning, and the dog's anxious herding behavior wasn't doing anything to settle her nerves.





Sunset’s phone had buzzed insistently when she was on her way to math. Slipping it free of the inner pocket in her leather jacket, she flicked her eyed down to see the notification, assuming it was one of her friends, or even her girlfriend, since Twilight sometimes messaged her during the day with affectionate comments or seeking reassurance about something. However, when it was Velvet’s contact name that popped up on the screen, she felt the blood drain from her face with dread. The only reason she could think of for the woman to interrupt her school day was if something was wrong with a member of the family, and her first thought was of Twilight. 
The redhead darted through the halls, heading for her library retreat in a half panic. She wasn’t sure how she got there or if she was more aggressive than usual in the process, but she was locking the door behind her in record time. Trembling hands punched the passcode for her unlock screen and brought up the message, heart in her throat and stomach sitting like a lead weight on her boots.
-Good morning, Sunset. Hope your day is going well and that you’ve managed to avoid this bug that the rest of us have caught. I don’t mean to interrupt your school day, but I know you usually stop over at that bakery on your way here, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to pick up a loaf or two of their fresh bread.  With everyone but Twily sick, we’ve been eating a lot of soup this week, and we’ve run out.-
Relief took her legs out from under her, and she fell into a beanbag chair, shaking with relief, and trying to calm her racing heart. It took a few minutes before she could effectively answer.
-Sure, Mrs. Velvet. I can do that. Did you need anything else? I can stop and get it for you.- 
-No, but thank you for asking, sweetheart,- came the response a minute later. -I have a grocery order being delivered tomorrow to stock up on the necessities until I can shake off this virus.-





It had taken Sunset another ten minutes after that to calm herself to the point where her legs would work again and she didn’t feel like she was about to puke…though she didn’t look any better when she showed up late to math. Her math professor had forgone chastising her for being tardy and skipped right to asking if she wanted to go to the nurse. 
Velvet appeared in the kitchen doorway with a tired smile, her coloring paler than normal and looking no better than she had Wednesday morning. “Spike, let her come inside please. How are you feeling, Sunset?  I hope you don’t end up sick with whatever it is we’ve caught.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I got the bread you asked for, and a few other things too. Are you feeling any better at all?” Carefully, she extended her senses, probing the woman with what she dared of her magic. The raw wound on her psyche from the dark magic was better, but still present. Had it been a physical injury she would have said it looked red and angry. 
She got a soft sigh in return. “Marginally, but this bout of flu is proving particularly virulent.”  
 The former unicorn pulled her senses back, and started for the kitchen. “Maybe I can help a little. I…knew you guys weren’t feeling well, so I…had my friend Pinkie Pie help me make something that I thought might…help a little? And I got a tin of tea that's good for soothing stomachs. It was…” Something the princess used to make for her when she was in pain after her surges and struggles to control her magic. “…a staple when I was little and wasn’t feeling well.” It might not do anything other than provide creature comfort, but it was worth a try in her mind, since all the herbs used were common to both Equestria and the human world.
The older woman blinked, her voice faltering a moment. “Oh, Sunset, thank you—you didn’t have to do all that, but it is so kind of you to think of us…” The smile was a little stronger now. “Let me just put some water on…” She moved past the redheaded girl, and in the brighter lighting of the kitchen, Sunset could see the way her girlfriend’s mother was still so horribly affected by the dark magic—far worse than even she had been—and she wondered if her nature as a unicorn gave her added resiliency, or if the Elements had been far kinder than she’d ever realized.  Twilight Velvet’s steps were uneven and a bit unsteady, and the sweater she was wearing hung looser than Sunset remembered, as if she’d lost weight in just a mere handful of days.  
She reached out in concern and gently grasped her arm to stop her. “Let me,” she offered. “I can stir the soup, and put water on if you tell me where you keep your kettle. You just…sit for a minute. You look exhausted.” She needed to convince Velvet to eat one of the tarts as soon as possible.
For a moment, it looked like Velvet might protest, but then she sighed. "Are you sure?” At Sunset’s nod and raised eyebrow, Velvet nodded in acquiescence. “That would be lovely if you were willing, sweetheart. This flu seems to make everything feel ten times harder than normal."
Sunset guided Velvet over to sit at the dining table, blue-green eyes scanning the kitchen and finding little signs scattered about that spoke volumes about just how unwell both of the adults must have been feeling since she’d been here last.  The sink, normally empty and clean, was stacked with dirty bowls and forgotten mugs, and there was an odor in the air that told her the kitchen trash had started to get a little ripe.  The normally clean floor had muddy shoe prints that Sunset would have bet a sackful of diamonds belonged to her normally conscientious and fairly neat bookworm, along with muddy paw prints that were from Spike. There was a forlorn pair of laundry baskets by the door to the laundry room piled up high with bedsheets and blankets, as if Velvet or Night had intended to get it started and had just run out of energy and will to finish the task.
Time to get to work, Shimmer, she told herself, setting her bags down on the table and cracking her knuckles.  The first order of business was to fetch one of the smaller blankets from the living room couch and wrap it around Velvet’s shoulders, wishing she could just channel the warm, good feeling magics into her. 
That earned her a brief hug of gratitude and a whisper of thanks, before she pulled herself away to the tasks at hand. The large and small pots of soup on the stove both got stirred, the sight of the smaller pot of Velvet’s rice and veggie soup that she loved so much made special for her, despite how poor the woman clearly felt, making her heart ache.  A quick look through the cupboards located a small but serviceable teakettle, not unlike her own at home, and that went on the stove as well to heat the water for tea.
Next came that pile of dishes. Sunset tossed her leather coat onto the chair with her bag, rolled up the sleeves on her CHS sweatshirt—spirit days were a lot of fun when a person actually got along with their peers, she’d learned—and got to work on scrubbing and rinsing.
At that, the woman at the table made a sound of protest. “Sunset, you don’t have to do all that…you aren’t over here to be our maid…I’ll get to it when I’m feeling better…”
The former unicorn stacked several plates in the dishwasher’s rack neatly. “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Velvet. You…you guys do so much for me…not just when I wasn’t feeling good, but just…all the time…” The words stuck funny around a lump in her throat. “…I…I want to do something to help you when you need it…and right now…this is all I can really do. I don’t have a magic spell to just make things better…but…I can wash a few plates so you don’t have to worry about them and make some tea and a few pastries…” She glanced over at her girlfriend’s mother, unable to put her feelings into words that make sense, making her stumble over her speech and her hands shake under the hot water.
She also did her best to avoid noticing or acknowledging what might have been tears in the older woman’s eyes, or the way Velvet had to clear her throat before she spoke. “Alright, sweetheart…and thank you. Cleaning up is something that would be a big help to me right now…”
Sunset smiled at her before turning her attention on the smelly bag of trash, trying not to breathe too deeply. Part of her wondered where in the name of Nightmare Moon’s overblown ego Twilight was, and just why, if her girlfriend was in good health, she hadn't done some of this in the last few days. It was extremely unlike her girlfriend to behave so callously, and she was starting to wonder if she needed to scan her for more of the dark magic when she did see her. As she dumped the bag in the outside can, she glanced towards Twilight’s lab, seeing the lights on and the ventilation system doing its thing. So she was home, but she was likely off in ‘The Twilight Nerd Zone.’ Sunset shook her head, and ducked back inside.
Humming lightly while she worked to wrestle dirty bed sheets into the washer, Sunset let her magic rise up as much as she dared without risking a Pony-Up. Maybe it wasn't a good idea, especially if Twilight had equipment in the lab meant to go off in response to thaumic based energies, but she weighed the options and decided that at the moment, helping the family was more important. The magic felt good, a solid core of energy that she let trickle out of her into the house, trying to impress that power into the very stone and wood of the building. It was no protection spell or ward, but she focused on her want to protect Twilight, to protect all of them, she could feel those emotions flavoring the energy and hoped it would be enough for now, against whatever foul, thrice cursed monster was targeting the people that lived there.
The familiar whistle brought her back to the kitchen and she poured the steaming water into Velvet’s favorite mug, then made a command decision to grab a plate and a fork. A minute later, she placed the teacup and a small plate with a sun shaped pastry on it in front of Twilight Velvet. 
Pale hands wrapped around the cup, a gesture that allowed Velvet to soak up the warmth emanating from it. “Oh…this is just what I needed…” She took a slow sip, some of the tension draining out of her.  “You’ll have to tell me where you bought this blend—I could see myself enjoying a cup of this regularly.”
Then she noticed the plate, and her face twitched with a surprised little smile as she took in the sight of the baked treat.  “You said you and your friend made these?”
Sunset nodded, feeling a little nervous about the tarts all of a sudden, shifting from foot to foot uneasily. “She did the really hard parts, like the swirly topping, but I made the filling, and helped cut out the shapes.” She gave a hesitant, lopsided smile, before trying to explain, “I…wanted to make something…special…I guess…and Pinkie was talking about putting feelings into food when you make it…so I thought maybe if…I helped make it, that maybe it would help you feel better?”
Velvet's smile took on that soft look again, and she reached up with one arm to draw Sunset into a hug.  "…Sunset…you went to all that trouble for us?” Her voice trembled a little and so did her arm when Sunset nodded in affirmation.  “Just knowing that you thought of us makes me feel better already.  Thank you, sweetheart…” She let the redheaded teen go, smiling as she picked up the fork. “It looks and smells absolutely delicious—so delicious that I rather think dessert should come before dinner tonight, don’t you?”  Giving Sunset a wink, she cut a bite off the pastry and popped it in her mouth.
The former unicorn opened her senses again, trying to not look like she was watching as intently as she really was. She needed to see the magic’s effects in action, to know it was more than a show or a placebo. As the woman chewed, Sunset detected the faint pulse of energy transference and the raw unpleasant sense of the dark magic damage eased, just a little. Velvet made a small sound—the same one, Sunset thought with a giggle, that Twilight made when she first bit into a double fudge brownie—and then helped herself to another, larger bite.  
“This is amazing, Sunset,” Velvet told her with a tired chuckle. “You really must have worked some kind of magic in your baking,” she teased, oblivious to how true her words really were. “Either that or there’s something in this that I’ve been craving without realizing it.”
It was both, Sunset knew, feeling the magic in the tart transfer to Velvet with every bite. Humans affected by magic needed it to heal that damage, it seemed, which was not too dissimilar from native Equestrian creatures. Higher magic to absorb meant faster recovery. She grabbed the broom to start sweeping, offering a nervous sounding reply, “…I mostly just focused on putting my feelings about wanting you all to feel better into it.  Pinkie acted like it was a kind of magic though.”  And it was magic that was working, she noted, as the woman slowly worked her way through the small treat, her color already much improved and her face looking less drawn and tired.
Velvet set down her fork a few minutes later, seeming a little surprised herself when she realized the tart was gone. A small smile tugged at her lips. “Well…I’m a firm believer in the idea that love and family are a type of magic all on their own…and I have to say, you more than succeeded here, Sunset. That was probably the most I’ve been able to eat in one sitting in two days. And the fruit filling—I couldn’t place what berries you used, but that was delicious. My compliments to the chefs...and you have my permission to work this kind of ‘magic’ on us at any time.”
Sunset felt her cheeks burn at the praise, and she ducked her head, focusing on sweeping a bit of stubborn leaf up that had been tracked in by either Twilight or Spike. “I’m glad. I…wasn't sure if they’d be too much, since Twilight said it was a stomach bug, but…” she trailed off to let her fill in the blanks, relief creeping up on her that her theory had worked. Now to just get the tarts into the rest of the family. “You said everyone but Twilight was sick…does that mean Cadence and Shining too?” 
“Yes…Shining has it so bad that his boss sent him home early Wednesday and he stayed home yesterday. Cadence told me this morning he went in today, because he had to, but that he didn't seem much better today either.” She sipped her tea, looking worried for her son. “They were staying home tonight, but maybe I can have Cady stop by for some of the soup and a few of these tarts. They could use a little TLC themselves, I suspect.”
That tracked with what Sunset suspected—that the origin point of the dark magic was Shining Armor and something he had been in contact with. “So…are…detectives not allowed a lot of sick leave or is he just involved in some important case?” she asked casually, hoping she could get some useful scrap of information.
“Nothing like that, I suspect,” Velvet responded softly, her tone shifting enough that Sunset looked up from her sweeping. “It’s…more that Shining tends to…throw himself into work when he has a lot on his mind. He…gets that from me, I’m afraid. Both my children do.”
Horseapples. Sunset winced. “..I’m sorry…I didn’t—”
“Sunset, sweetie, please look at me,” Velvet coaxed gently, reaching out to catch her arm. 
When unicorn-turned-teen finally managed to meet her eyes, trying to hide apprehension and guilt behind her careful mask, it was with worry about what she might see on the woman’s face. There was pain in ice blue eyes, coupled with compassion that reminded Sunset a great deal of Fluttershy, and also a few emotions that Sunset wasn’t ready to analyze too deeply. “What happened earlier this week was not your fault in any way, Sunset. No family is perfect and we fight from time to time, and sometimes, we say things in anger that we don’t really mean that hurt each other’s feelings. It’s just something that happens, and it does not mean that we stop loving each other or being a family.” She squeezed Sunset’s arm lightly. “Shining just needs to spend some time sorting out his own feelings before he and I can have a proper conversation—just like Twilight does. That's why she’s been out in the garage the last few days so much.”
Velvet paused, glancing over Sunset’s shoulder, and the redhead suspected Night Light had entered the kitchen.  It was confirmed when his exhausted sounding voice joined the conversation. “More than that, I suspect he will want to talk to you at some point too, Sunset, to make sure you know he’s not angry at you, or holding what happened against you…but Velvet is right. He has to take time to analyze his own feelings and sort through his personal reactions first before he can try any form of healthy discussion with others.”
“Oh…um…okay…” she responded, biting her lip. It was a lot more complicated than the adults realized but she had no way to explain right now when all she had were vague feelings and suspicions about the situation. When she had something she could present that they’d believe, she would, but all she could do right now was gather information and try to help heal the damage the dark magic had already done.  Sunset turned and got her first real look at her girlfriend’s father since earlier that week. 
Night Light looked absolutely haggard, his normal blue coloring so pale and washed out that it was closer in shade to Twilight’s lavender than its normal evening blue hues. His eyes were bloodshot, and it was hard to tell if he was leaning on the wall for comfort or if it was the only thing holding him upright. His wife beckoned to him. “Lighty, come sit down…before you fall over,” Velvet said.
He shuffled to the table, pinching the bridge of his nose and setting his glasses on the wooden surface.  Sunset moved to pour him a cup of tea and get him one of the tarts—a quick scan like what she done with Twilight Velvet revealed the same kind of painful wound from the dark magic.  As she set the cup and plate on the table, she caught a whiff of a coppery tang that stuck in her throat and made her nostrils flare. Thinking quickly, Sunset grabbed a wad of napkins from the basket they were kept in, and offered them to him. “Um…your nose is bleeding…” she pointed out awkwardly.
Surprise crossed his face as he realized she was right, and he hurried to use the offered napkins to staunch the trickle of blood. Velvet rubbed his neck soothingly. “Must be the dry winter air. Used to happen a lot when we were in college,” she told Sunset. 
The former unicorn nodded, accepting the statement at face value despite her own knowledge to the contrary, and returned to the task she’d taken on. She kept one ear on the low murmur of conversation between the adults, smiling in satisfaction when Velvet coaxed her husband into trying the tart, and the man’s reaction was just as favorable as hers had been. Two down, three to go.
A flick of her eyes to the clock made her realize how long she’d been there without hearing from her girlfriend. Frowning, Sunset sent her a quick message after putting a new bag in the kitchen trash can.  
-Hey, nerd. I hate to interrupt scientific progress, but do I get to see you tonight? I’ve been in here chatting with your folks for half an hour.- Sunset teased. -I’ve gotten more kisses from your dog than you so far.-
She didn’t have to wait too long to get a response, though the initial text made her frown and wonder if Twilight was feeling just as crummy as her parents. 
-Interruptions are a problem for me right now. I have a great deal of work to get done on my project and distractions are putting me behind.-
There was a little hurt that Sunset was nursing when she composed her reply. -I didn’t realize I was a distraction now. I guess that means you don’t want the dessert I brought with me? Or the kisses I’ve been saving up special for you since Wednesday morning?-
She turned back to the stove, stirring the soup slowly, staring into the swirling broth with its mix of colorful vegetables as if it could ease the sting of what felt like dismissal from her best friend who had always had time for her before. Was it the same after effects of dark magic her family was suffering from? Or were Velvet and Night right in their comments about Twilight and her brother being prone to retreating to analyze their thoughts? Or was it some other reason? A part of Sunset was afraid it was that last one.
Her phone buzzed again, and she looked to see what the message said. -I’m sorry, Sunny…I didn't mean it that way. I’ve been fighting a headache all day, and I didn’t have a good day at school either.-
Brows pinching, Sunset considered that. -Then you need a break, Sparky, even just to destress and get rid of the headache. Find a stopping place and come inside for dinner, and after, we can have a cuddle session in your room. Maybe while enjoying these tarts my friend and I made…if we can get to them before your mom eats then all—she keeps trying to steal bites off your dad’s plate.- 
-I’ll be right in. I can be at a good stopping point in just two minutes once I finish soldering these pieces.-
-If you’re not here in three, I’m coming out to kiss you until you forget your name.- Counting off the time as she wiped down the countertops and drained the dirty water from the sink, Sunset felt her lips tug upwards. As worried as she was about the family, she was looking forward to having her nerd in her arms for the evening, and just having some quiet time that was just them.  Just being with Twilight did wonders to help clear her head.
By Sunset’s fairly accurate count, it was roughly two minutes and forty two seconds later that the door opened and Twilight trudged in, wearing her lab coat and her hair pulled back in a somewhat frazzled bun. There were several pencils stuck in her hair and behind her ear, and the white of the lab coat was stained with several different types of grease as well as suffering a few scorch marks. Still, purple eyes lit up behind her glasses as they landed on Sunset. “Hi, Sunny…”
“Hey, nerd.  Where’s my hug?” Sunset grinned impishly at her. 
Twilight crossed the kitchen to squeeze her in a hug that smelled of electronics, grease, and hot metal, and Sunset plucked an errant pencil from her hair. “You know, most people just keep a plastic cup full of marbles on the desk for these.”
The younger girl took it from her and shoved it in her pocket. “I forget that they’re there,” she admitted. Then she poked her girlfriend in the shoulder. “You said something about dessert? I paid the best friend hug tax, now where’s the sweets, Sunset Shimmer?”
Laughing, Sunset drew her attention to the container of tarts. “Right here. I know they aren’t chocolate, but my friend Pinkie helped me make them…they’re kind of my first real foray into baking, so…be gentle?”
A lavender nose twitched at the smell of the pastries hitting her nose, and Twilight skipped the plate Sunset offered entirely to pick up a star shaped one and bite eagerly into it. The dark haired teen let out a low moan in the back of her throat. “They might not have chocolate in them, but these are so good they should be illegal, Sunny…you can bake for me anytime if it means things like this.” In only a few bites, she’d eaten the whole thing and was reaching for another.
From behind the girls, Night cleared his throat and commented, “Maybe you should consider baking for a fun Saturday activity sometime.” His voice was stronger and closer to normal than the near slurred, exhausted tone he’d used earlier—the pastries were working better than expected, something Sunset filed away for later.
Velvet laughed softly. “If you planned in advance what you wanted to bake, I’d be happy to add the ingredients to the grocery list, girls.”
Sunset was treated to a rather comical moment as her girlfriend nearly inhaled a bite of her second tart with a startled squeak, her eyes going impossibly wide and panicked behind her glasses. The expression she shot Sunset needed no real translation for the taller girl to know that Twilight had completely missed the presence of her parents in the kitchen, and that the humming chemistry between them had not been particularly well hidden during that last, flirty comment.  Holding back a laugh and taking pity on her girlfriend, Sunset turned her smile on the adults. “That sounds like it could be a lot of fun, but I wouldn’t even know where to start! I’m not exactly an experienced baker—I mostly cook by throwing things in a pan and hoping it doesn’t poison me or taste like the bottom of my boots.” She nudged Twilight with an elbow. “That’s why my stir fry and my omelettes are what I make when you come over. They’re at least edible.”
Twilight shot her a grateful look before patting her arm. “Don’t feel bad, Sunset…I’m afraid I inherited Dad’s cooking skills, not Mom’s. I can make instant oatmeal, sandwiches, and reheat leftovers.”
That earned another soft laugh from Velvet, an expression of sudden comprehension and then sympathy crossing her face, making Sunset’s guts squirm in her own form of discomfort. “Well, if you’d ever like to learn, Sunset, I would be happy to teach you how to cook some of your favorites.”
The former unicorn forced down her instinctive gut reaction to snap back that she didn't need pity. Let it go, Shimmer—she doesn't pity you. She cares, really cares, just like you care about them. It's not the same thing.  It was hard—looks like that had always, always been followed by condescension and thinly veiled insults and disparaging remarks that dug into the most sensitive parts of her heart and mind.  Nobles at court, members of the palace staff, teachers at CSGU, and of course, the other foals she’d encountered at CSGU…they’d all done it, inevitably getting digs in at the one thing about herself she had no control over and couldn’t change…but Velvet wasn't like that. Sunset straightened, hiding the quick blinking back of tears at the corners of her by running a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face. “Yeah…” she started. “I’d like that, Mrs. Velvet…but only once you’re feeling better. I don’t want to make it worse…”
Her girlfriend gave her a scrutinizing look, but offered a small smile, before glancing back at her parents with a modicum of worry. “Are you guys still feeling really sick? I would have thought you’d be feeling better already. Maybe you should go to the doctor?”
“It’s just a flu virus, sweetheart, and I am feeling better, now,” Velvet assured her daughter. “I’m just glad you seemed to have managed to avoid it.”
Which in and of itself was strange, Sunset noted absently, taking a moment to open her senses and compare Twilight to her parents. What dark magic had touched her had left a much lesser mark than on her parents, and she could feel the faint hum of the extra magic from the infused pastries she’d scarfed down still radiating faintly from Twilight’s body…
Why was that the case, when Twilight was the target in her vision? Just what in the name of Tartarus was going on?
> Interlude XIX: Penumbra
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Luna adjusted the heavy weight of the plastic bags she was carrying, enough so she could press her elbow to the little doorbell outside the apartment door. She could hear the faint cheerful tune go off inside, and within seconds, the door was pulled open to reveal Cadence. 
Her best friend, a woman who could usually manage to make a grungy, sweaty tank top and ratty cutoffs work and even seem flattering, looked as awful as Luna had ever seen her.  Nose reddened and eyes puffy from crying, moving like she had a bad flu, there was none of the normally upbeat and bouncy soul that had dragged Luna forcefully from her sour and reclusive shell in college. She looked…exhausted and defeated in a way that seemed almost like a violation of the natural order of the universe. Luna’s concern spiked up about half a dozen notches, and she fought to keep that off her face.
To keep her composure, the dark skinned woman hefted the bags a few inches as a distraction for herself. “Let me in? I brought comfort food. And some stiff drinks. And enough chocolate to make Wonka jealous.”
Stepping in past the pink skinned woman, she brought her bounty to the big coffee table in the living room, sensing that this was one of those talks where she’d be forfeiting any right to personal space. “Chinese,” she informed her friend in a mild tone as she sorted through and began to stack containers. “All our favorites. And here. Ice cream for dessert, with whipped cream, strawberry, chocolate, and caramel syrups, and a bag of those crushed walnuts you love. And…” she retrieved a big bottle of rum. “…this, because I suspect we’re all going to need it before the night is over.”
She barely managed to put the bottle down before Cadence was sobbing into the ancient Metallica shirt she’d changed into before heading over. Luna tugged her down onto the couch into an embrace, rocking the woman slowly and giving her a chance to just bleed off the excess emotion before she burst. It was a strange turn of events, she mused absently, such a far cry from the years at college where it had often been Cadence who had been the rock in Luna’s emotional storms.
When the tears faded into sniffles, Luna squeezed her best friend in a tight hug and offered her a tissue from a nearby box. “It seems like we’ve both had a rough week,” she commented mildly. “Why don't I go stick the ice cream in the freezer and make us a couple of drinks while you get the food out of the bags. Then we can talk while we eat way too much unhealthy food that is going to go right to my waistline and mean I have to step up my evening yoga routine.”
“Thank you, Lu,” Cadence said, voice still far too subdued and quiet for the dark woman’s liking. 
She rose, tugging at the other woman’s ponytail lightly. “Anytime,” she responded. “You were the one to buoy my tattered mental state once upon a time. I am always glad to be here when you need me.” Then she dipped into the familiar kitchen, fetching ice filled cups, plates and utensils, as well as a big bottle of soda to mix up with the rum.
By the time she got back, Cadence was a bit more put together, meaning Luna could ask the important question while she made them both some stiff drinks. “What happened? Between the call last week and this afternoon, it does not take a genius to know something is very wrong.”
Silence.
Instead of speaking, Cadence picked halfheartedly at a plate of food, staring at it as her fork pushed bits of it around in different patterns, as though she might divine some kind of answer in its shapes and sauce stains on the paper plate. Luna waited patiently, knowing Cadence would get it all out soon enough…
She was jolted from her thoughts when her friend jumped up and bolted for the bathroom, and part of her winced in sympathy as she set her drink down and moved to follow.  Dark fingers made sure the other woman’s hair was held out of the way as she retched, her whole body shaking with shiver-like spasms.
“…sorry, Lu…” came the weak whisper. “Neither of us have really been able to keep much down since…”
The dark skinned woman helped her clean up a bit, then guided her back to the couch. “Given your implications that both of you are suffering, I am assuming the obvious possibility has been eliminated?” There was a hint of dry humor in her tone.
The response she got was somewhere between a laugh and a sob, making her heart clench. “Yes…and I’m glad for that…wouldn’t that be the ultimate irony? All the advocacy I do for safe, smart, and informed sexual health? No. It's not that…and it doesn’t feel like any virus I’ve ever had either.” She took a shaky sip of the drink Luna offered her. 
“Not too much of that on an empty stomach. Eat some of the plain rice too.” Luna tucked a blanket around her shoulders and hugged Cadence again, something tickling the back of her mind amidst the worry. “And do cut me some slack—I oversee close to a thousand teenagers, and inevitably I have one each year who requires the facts of life explained to them…well after that horse has left the stable, as they say.”
Cadence gave a faint smile. “I’m pretty sure we figured out a long time ago that I know most of those kinds of facts backwards and sideways, Lu…” The faintest sparkle comes back to her eyes. “In fact, I seem to remember that I had to teach some of them to you…”
Luna felt her ears heat, but the sight of that light coming back to Cadence’s eyes was worth the embarrassment. “I do not remember you complaining,” she sniffed, trying to sound more offended than she really was.
“Why would I?” Pink digits curled around a dark blue wrist, squeezing slightly. “Those are some of my favorite memories, you know.”
Rolling her eyes, Luna snorted. “Especially the part where Shining and I could not even manage coherent conversation for a week, I’m sure.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she could have kicked herself. Cadence’s smile fell away and she trembled in the hug. “Cady,” Luna said in a soft voice, “what happened? I cannot help if I do not know what occurred.”
“It's…it's complicated and confusing, and it just doesn't make sense…” Cadence, with a little coaxing, nibbled at a forkful of fried rice. “You're probably going to think I’m nuts.”
Thinking briefly back over her year so far, Luna laughed. “Cady, I assure you, I will think nothing of the sort. Tell me?”
“…in all the years we’ve been friends, can you think of a time when you actually saw Shining lose his temper?”
She didn't even have to think. “When he rescued me from that party, after that slime-ball from the basketball team put something in my drink.”
A slow shake of the head. “Not like that. I mean really lose it. Out of control…violent…”
Luna frowned, searching her memories. “Never. He’s not the type—he gets angry just like anyone, but he is too much of a boy scout, Cadence.  Losing it like that just…is not him. His anger is the quiet fury, the kind that drives him to act when he perceives an injustice. You said his dad is the same way, if I recall.”
The nod that served as an initial answer was jerky and uncoordinated, and the DJ knocked back her drink, draining the rest of the glass. Luna took it from her and refilled it with just plain soda—the goal wasn’t to get Cadence plastered.  “…before…last week…I’d have sworn to you…on anything you wanted…that he would never…” 
Something dark and angry started to stir inside Luna. “Did he hit you?” she asked in a low, deadly voice.
“No…” Her best friend’s voice broke. “No…he didn't hit anyone…but…I thought he might…” She let out a whimpering sound. “Lu…he was so vicious…threatening…yelling…I…”
Luna hugged her tighter around the shoulders, frowning. She was hearing the words and she believed her, but it just felt so bizarre and alien to even consider. Shining…his nature was the opposite of cruel and nasty.  “What was he yelling about?”
Cadence didn't even seem to hear her, the words already coming in fits and starts, disjointed thoughts spilling forth. “I feel so ashamed…he was yelling at her…saying ugly things he knew would hurt…but I didn't move. I didn't try to stop him at all—I just…sat there…” The tears had started again, making tracks down her cheeks and dripping onto Luna’s shirt. “It was like he wasn't even my Shiny anymore, like a stranger was looking out of his eyes…”
“Who did he hurt, Cadence?”
Still no sign that Cadence had even heard, her voice sounding distant and upset.  “Sunset had to stop him…I should have done something, protected her from seeing all of it…but she just…one second she was on the couch and then…” Hands made vague motions in the air. “…it was like the next I blinked and she was just there, in his face, staring him down, like he wasn't towering over her…”
The gears began to turn. Had Shining been yelling at his sister then? That would be the kind of thing to provoke Sunset Shimmer into action, and she just couldn't see the girl being afraid of Shining after everything that had happened in the last six months, especially if he was threatening her little girlfriend.
Before she could ask, Cadence said something that got her attention. “She did something, Lu… she yelled for him to stop…and it was…there was this heaviness that just…it was there and none of us realized it…and when she yelled it was like something in her voice…pushed all that feeling away, and we could breathe again…”
That made her brows arch upwards in surprise. That sounded like Sunset used her magic, either intentionally or unintentionally…but why? Was it just a foul mood she had broken through? Some kind of instinctive, protective reaction? Or was there more to it? It was hard to judge—the more she got to know their extra-dimensional pupil, the more alien and strange the girl was.  Either way, it sounded like Sunset had used her powers; the magic the group of girls released did make it feel like a weight was lifted from a person’s shoulders, even if they were just having a tough day. 
“…and when I could breathe, it was like she…had brought my Shiny back, and he knew what he had done…and it…it hurt him inside too, just as much as it hurt us…and he’s just…I don't know how to help him…”
Cadence’s voice caught. “…I don't even understand what got into him…or into Twily…she practically trampled me at the end, because she was angry…” she rubbed her face. “All I could do was…stand there. My mind froze…and Mom…she was so hurt…it was like he had slapped her. And with Dad going after Shining…”
Now Luna was starting to get confused. “I thought Shining got into it with his sister…?” she ventured.
“His mom—both of them did. At first it was just Twily, but then he got involved…if was…” The pink skinned woman wrung her hands. “…It was so senseless, Lu! Just all hate and anger and ugliness…”
Humming, Luna hugged Cadence tight around the shoulders again. “I understand…how has Shining been since?” she asked carefully. “You said he’s not taking it well? What set them off like that anyway?”
The rattle of a key in the door interrupted whatever response Cadence had, but it was a moot point, as the opening of the door answered Luna’s first question.
Shining looked like hell. Like Cadence, he was pale and washed out, his eyes bloodshot.  There was a tremble to his limbs and his clothes hung on his body weirdly. Even his posture was foreign and worrisome, and his eyes stared at Luna with an expression she’d seen before, more than once, of someone who had taken a major blow to their reality.  He stood in the open door for so long she began to worry. “Shining? Maybe you should co—” 
He dropped his things right there, hurrying, just as his fiancee had, to the bathroom, the sound of retching even more pronounced and intense than hers had been. When Cadence started to rise, Luna gently pushed her back down. “Let me. You put some of that rice in your stomach. Just a few bites, and some of the soda, before you collapse in a faint.”
With that, Luna got up from the couch and moved to collect everything out of the entryway, setting it on a small table there, before firmly securing the front door. By then, the sounds in the bathroom had turned into the sound of running water in the sink, and the gargle-spit-gargle-spit sound of Shining rinsing his mouth of bile.  She stepped into the small bathroom, studying the figure slumped against the sink, barely holding himself up on shaking arms. 
When she touched his shoulder cautiously, she was surprised to find that he flinched away from her. “Don’t…!” He curled in on himself. “I…”
Luna’s lips thinned, and she closed her eyes a moment, gathering herself. This was not an easy conversation to have. She exhaled slowly, in a deep sigh, and set herself to do what needed to be done to sort this out. “Alright, Armor,” she said briskly, the same firm tone she used with her students. “None of that.” She hooked an arm through his, and pulled him bodily into the living room, despite feeble protests from him. “We need to talk, and I refuse to do it in the cramped confines of what passes for a bathroom in this apartment.”
Once he was ensconced in an armchair, she handed him a drink just as she had Cadence to settle his nerves and to get some sugar into him.  He took a sip immediately, then cleared his throat. “…Cady told you.”
“She told me some,” Luna countered, “but I want to hear your side, because I still possess an incomplete picture. I know better than to make judgments or fill in the blanks.”
Shining took another sip, pushing a lank lock of hair out of his face. “I…almost hit Mom…” he said flatly, a numb, clinical detachment to his tone.
“Alright…why? What started the argument?”
He spoke like he was reading a script, nursing his drink and with a thousand yard stare that made Luna shiver.  “Twily was talking about her project at school. About a contract she signed for it that wasn't what Mom and Dad had previously agreed to. Mom…started in about how she hates Crystal Prep and how they do things…how she thinks it’s affecting my sister.”
The niggling sense from earlier returned with a vengeance, and a picture was starting to come together, a picture that Luna didn't much like.  “And how did that involve you, Shining Armor?” the dark haired woman asked carefully.
“I…” He paused, as if searching for the answer. “It made me angry—I felt she was…targeting the school…and Principal Cinch…out of jealousy.” Still the answer was delivered in a flat tone, punctuated by him taking another drink. “I couldn't let her bully Twily into quitting Crystal Prep for…some…low rated…public school where her gifts would be…wasted in an environment that caters to the…lowest common denominator…”
Luna arched a brow. “Hmm. Offense taken, lunkhead—as both a graduate and an administrator.”
Shame flickered across his face. “I know, and I don't understand why I felt that way, now. It…feels…wrong.” A heavy breath and he rubbed his temples, a little more life in his voice. “But I did…and I stepped in. Calling out the absurdity of the whole mess. Argued with Mom…and she just…wouldn’t…listen. She just kept on and on about Principal Cinch and the school, about how she hates them and wants Twily out of there…how Principal Cinch is untrustworthy….and I just…snapped. I couldn't take hearing it anymore and all I could think about was making her shut up. Making her see that she was being a sour, unpleasant, jealous bitch all because her daughter didn't need her to hold her hand anymore.”
“Given that I have spoken to your mother over the phone in the last week, I feel your impression there leaves…much to be desired, Armor.” She filled her plate with a healthy helping of General Tso’s. 
He rubbed his wrist, the skin slowly turning pink under his grip. “I…I know. I can…recognize that now…but at the time…I just wanted to make her stop talking bad about Crystal Prep…in any way I could…and…make her regret it. I…wanted to punish her. My mom.  For an opinion about a school. And I don't understand why…”
Luna studied him, studied Cadence, and the gnawing sensation in her mind became the beginnings of an epiphany.  
The symptoms that resembled an illness? Bloodshot eyes and pale, shaking, sunken features, like an addict suffering withdrawal?
They were the same as Sunset had looked when the Sirens had the school under their sway.  
The emotional distress? 
She’d fielded that in plenty of her students over the last few months.  
The self-loathing? 
Celestia was still struggling with it when she thought no one was watching. Too many nights she’d caught her sister staring blankly at the television, not even aware of what was playing on the screen.
Crystal Prep. 
The school Velvet had expressed reservations of. A place Luna had been to, that always left her feeling…ill at ease and unsettled, like the whole building was judging her.  The very school that Sunset had asked about in a worried tone, less than two hours after having some sort of magical vision of dark magic encroaching.  A school constantly lauded as the best of the best, despite the extremely unpleasant statistics that its Principal tried to downplay.
Abacus Cinch. 
A woman that she and her sister both loathed, who seemed as welcoming as a venomous snake during its monthly molt. Whose greatest focus was not on the well being of her students, or the education of children, but on what those youngsters could do to further her prestige and renown.
Sunset’s reaction, severe and likely involving her own magic…something that the girl didn't seem like she would do lightly if she had a choice.
All of it was becoming a very nasty, very unpleasant picture that she did not like the feel of, not one bit, and it was making her hackles bristle, the thought that it had hurt two of her dearest friends making her extremely angry.
“Lu?” Cadence’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. 
“I…apologize,” she responded, schooling her emotions. “I…am just starting to have some…some of my long held suspicions confirmed, and I do not care for it.”
Shining’s brows furrowed and he looked at her—really looked at her, for the first time since she’d gotten home. “What are you talking about?”
Taking a deep breath, and following it with a fortifying swallow of a drink that was a bit more rum than coke, Luna answered him very carefully. “Bear with me here, Shining—I need to ask you some questions and I want you to stop and think before you answer. Really stop and consider the answer, search through memories and do not just give me a snap emotional answer. Can you do that?”
His brow furrowed, the confusion painted across his face a definitive improvement over the lost expression from before. “Yeah…Okay, Luna, I can try…” A thin, tired smile that was more grimace than humor twitched at his lips. “Just…keep the questions PG this time?”
Luna snorted. “Not those kind of questions, lunkhead.” Still, the sad attempt at humor did lighten the atmosphere—probably a good thing considering the rabbit hole she was about to take them head first into. “Think back on your years at CPA…when you two were attending, did you ever actually meet one on one with Abacus?”
Shining immediately opened his mouth. “Yes, of cour—” He stopped, mid-word as Luna held up a hand, flushing as he seemed to remember her full request, and then frowned even harder. Blue eyes sought Cadence’s, which were equally troubled. “I…Cady? I…I don't remember ever actually meeting with Principal Cinch.”
Pink skinned hands clutched the blanket around her shoulders tighter.  “…We never needed to,” she pointed out quietly.  “Neither of us stuck out in any way, Shiny. Not for discipline, not for grades or for sports. Only the best of the school and the problems ever really had her get involved. She was…just kind of not there for us outside of assemblies.”  She shivered a little. “I…have always been a little confused as to why she was so interested in your sister. Twily is a brilliant, sweet girl, and cute as anything, but…she just doesn't fit the pattern of the kind of kids that the principal liked to focus on.”
Sharp eyes fixed on Cadence. “What do you mean, Cadence?” Luna asked. “You have implied that she’s on a level with Sunset Shimmer, who is one of the brightest minds to ever grace the halls of CHS. Any school would be thrilled to have a mind like that, even if just to bring up the averages and test scores. I would think she’s the exact kind of student Abacus would want to put effort into.”
“Normally…but…” Cadence paused, trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say.  “Principal Cinch…she…doesn’t really like…children with…special needs…in her school. As smart as our Ladybug is, to CPA…her various diagnoses make her ‘defective’ in an ‘environment that promotes excellence.’” 
It took everything Luna had not to sneer, but she managed to keep her expression neutral and rely on dry sarcasm instead. “I wish I could say I was surprised that the harpy was of that mindset, but I’m not. If that is the case though, how did she get past the admissions process?”
“Money,” her best friend responded bitterly. “I can remember Dad and Mom arguing over the extra large ‘donation’ that had to come out of the trust on top of tuition fees. Something about it being used for a fund to accommodate ‘students with special needs and considerations.’ At the time I couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal…”
Shining rocked a little in his chair as the words really registered to him. “I…why did I forget that?” he whispered, before looking up at Luna. “Lu…I…how could I not remember that? Mom was really upset that he’d done it, and told him it was a sign that Twily needed to go somewhere else, even though her heart was really set on CPA, and even though CPA was where Dad, Grandpa Firelight, Cady and I had all gone…” He rubbed his face with a hand. “I…I told Mom…it was a small price to pay for…for my baby sister to be happy.” Horror coated his words. “Luna… that’s not legal.”
“Lunkhead, it is so beyond the realm of legality that it would put Abacus away for a long time.” Not that someone like Abacus Cinch would ever see the inside of a jail-cell, not with as many upper class sycophants as she had.
A pale hand reached for the bottle of rum and Shining poured a very generous splash into his still half full glass. “…that makes what happened even worse…” he moaned miserably. “Mom was talking about how the school doesn’t follow Twily’s IEP, and I told her the school probably knew better than she did how to meet those needs…to stop being a helicopter parent. But if Dad had to pay them extra up front to do that and…and they aren't…why would I think that’s okay?”
Silence that spoke louder than any answer stretched between them for a long time, until Luna filled a plate and passed it to Shining. “Eat before you have any more to drink.”
The apartment was broken only by the sounds of eating for several minutes. Once they’d all had a chance to put some food in their stomachs and both Shining and Cadence no longer looked about ready to collapse in a dead faint, Luna cleared her throat. “Alright…next question: Have either of you met with Abacus in the time since you graduated? Personally or professionally?”
Once more Shining opened his mouth to answer right away, only to freeze and stare out blankly. “I…I would have sworn…” he started slowly, frowning. “…but the few times I went…when I was still a beat cop and assisting a detective…it was almost always her secretary or the VP…” He shook his head in something akin to disbelief. “Lu…those were official police investigations and we just…the detective always put the secretary or VP’s words down as if they’d come from Principal Cinch herself…” He took a large gulp from his glass. “That breaks all the rules of procedure…why would we even do that?! And why didn't I really remember or care about any of this!?”
The answer to that was likely something he would not believe, but that Luna was growing more and more certain of: dark, insidious magic.  She needed a different, more mundane suggestion that led to the same result…thankfully, she had one. “I do not think you’ll appreciate the answer, Shining,” she said in a soft voice.
“Hit me anyway, Luna,” he rasped hoarsely. “We need to hear it. I need to hear it.  Especially if it's putting my family at risk.”
Nodding, the dark haired woman forged ahead. “Do you know what the seven main signs are to look for when investigating if someone might be caught up in a cult or extremist movement? I know there was a lot of talk of making that a mandatory part of the education for both educators and law enforcement after all the mess in the last two decades.”
She could hear Cadence suck in a sharp breath, and knew that the other woman was putting the pieces together on her own. Shining’s realization was slower. “…excessive devotion to leadership…use of coercive or manipulative techniques to isolate members from anyone not part of the organization. Control of action or thoughts with those methods….suppression of…” His expression grew sicker and his voice faltered, “…of information detrimental to the goals of the leader and organizational mandates…promotion of dependency…” Trailing off, he swallowed heavily and met Luna’s grim gaze.
She made a loose gesture. “Say it, Shining. You have to say it for yourself.”
“Lu…you…” A long, shuddering breath calmed him as she touched his shoulder gently. “…it’s…some kind of cult…isn’t it? And Abacus Cinch is in charge of it…”
Cadence commented, “It’s less like a true cult, just looking at it. It's more like…” She shivered. “Like a mix of some kind of organized crime syndicate and a cult of personality crafted by a celebrity.” She looked at Luna for confirmation.
Another breath, in and out, gathering herself. “A dangerous combination,” she acknowledged. “She has friends and associates in all kinds of places because of that school being around for so long. Generations of people in politics, finance, business, education…” Her eyes looked pointedly at Shining. “…military and law enforcement…and plenty more who are just existing with more money than sense.  Abacus is very good at getting what she wants.” …Of course, if she had some kind of mind magic, that would explain why so many people were willing to throw themselves into the fire on her behalf. A thought occurred—for all the CPA principal only appeared middle aged, she’d been in charge of the school for almost four decades without ever seeming to age. And for a moment, the Vice Principal of Canterlot High had an errant question pass through her mind: Why had she never given that more than a passing thought before now? The hairs on her arms prickled with unease.
Luna liked this whole thing less and less, the more she talked with her friends…and she would have to share this with her sister while deciding whether or not to confront Sunset Shimmer. Part of her wondered why Sunset hadn’t let her know already—the students all knew it was a Friendship Games year, including Sunset. Did she not have the information yet to pin down it being CPA directly and not just another roving problem like the Dazzlings had been? Or was there another reason? Protecting her relationship seemed like another likely possibility, since as far as she knew, Sunset was just as closeted as the girl she was involved with. Or…was it just that she believed she could handle it on her own? Any adult with eyes and basic knowledge of people could tell Sunset was a fiercely independent girl who was used to relying on herself to solve problems and run her life…partially because she still wasn’t accustomed to adults who actually gave a damn about her.
Damnit.
It could never be simple, could it?
Shining sat in numb, shocked silence for a while, his brain clearly overwhelmed by everything he’d realized and was trying to come to terms with. Then he seemed to register something she’d said, and he started trying to stand. “Right now she wants my sister,” he said, half to himself. “I’ve got to stop her. Tell mom and dad, get them to transfer her away from there. Find a way to expose her…”
Luna pushed him firmly back into his seat. “Armor, stop. Breathe. You cannot just go charging in like an avenging angel—Abacus is dangerous, and likely has contingency plans for just such a situation.”
He pushed back with considerable strength, and only the advantage of him being sitting helped her keep him there. “Damnit, Luna! I can't just do nothing! I can't fail Twily again! I have to protect her!”
The image of defiant blue-green eyes and fiery hair on a figure facing down ancient, magical demons from another world, one arm out in front of the kneeling Twilight Sparkle, as its owner put herself in the line of fire danced across Luna’s memory.  Shining might not have been aware of it, but his younger sister likely already had a new protector, one far more capable than anyone would imagine.  She set the thought aside for the moment—telling Shining that his role had been upstaged by an exiled unicorn sorceress in the body of a teenage girl wouldn’t help right now.  “You can protect her best by being intelligent and listen to what I’m telling you, lunkhead,” she bit back tersely. “This is not a dragon you can run out and slay, or an evil Emperor you can toss down a shaft in a doomsday device. First order of business is getting your sister away from CPA…that means your parents, and the two of you on the same page about it…though I would caution telling them about what you have just realized for yourself—having them go off like you already want to is a dangerous gambit.”
“And then what?” Shining snapped in frustration. “With the way she’s been challenging Mom and Dad over this project, and with the way she was just as mad as I was at Mom over suggesting Principal Cinch had less than above board motivations, she’s not going to want to ‘just change schools,’ not after she’s gone this long at Crystal Prep.”
Luna frowned. “You need to find something that can break through. Something she values more than Abacus’ indoctrination and manipulation. Preferably something outside that woman’s reach.”
They sat there in the quiet again for more than a double handful of heartbeats before Cadence spoke up. “What about Sunset?” she asked.
“What about Sunset?” 
The pink skinned woman sat up straighter. “Go with me on this…Sunset and Ladybug are like this.” She crossed her fingers. “And Mom has pointed out that Sunset can get through to her when no one else can…plus she…she broke through to you, Shiny, somehow.”
Shining Armor crossed his arms over his chest, looking extremely uncomfortable. “Is this really the kind of thing we want to get a teenage girl involved in? She’s only a year or two older than Twily, and she’s already been through hell—what right do we have to dump something like this into her lap? Especially since we have just talked about it being dangerous?”  He glanced between the two women. “As much as the relationship with Sunset has helped her….I feel like it’s a two way street. That it’s done a lot to help Sunset’s mental and emotional state over the last few months…is it right of us to even think about using Sunset that way, potentially putting strain on the relationship, and risk breaking what trust we’ve managed to foster with her?”
Luna weighed her words a moment, thinking about the intense look on her magical student’s face and the almost desperate note in her voice when she asked about Crystal Prep. “On the one hand, I would normally agree with you, Armor. This is not the kind of situation you drag a child into, even one as mature as Sunset can be. However,” she continued through, ignoring his frown, “given the nature of a few conversations I have already had with her, including a very pointed one where she all but demanded my thoughts on the environment and safety of Crystal Prep…she is already well ahead of all of us in clueing in on just what is happening with your sister.” 
The expression her lips stretched into could never be called a smile. “Pair that with Sunset’s natural independent streak and her glaring mistrust of most people outside a very small circle, I would be willing to wager she is already making plans of her own on how to undermine Abacus’ actions, and to further separate her friend from machinations that she is, I suspect, all too familiar with.”
There was a sigh from Cadence. “Shiny is right about one thing though, Lu—we can’t try to manipulate Sunset. That would break her trust in all of us at the house.”
She highly doubted anyone in the family was actively capable of manipulating Sunset Shimmer, but she didn’t voice that. Instead, she said, “So do not try. As I said, Miss Shimmer is likely working on plans of her own—perhaps you should just encourage giving her opportunities to do just that. She’s extremely skilled at flying under the radar, while still enacting complex plans to attain goals—and if her investments in her friendships are anything to go off of, she will be more determined to succeed at whatever plan she devises than she ever was at controlling the student body at Canterlot High.”
As tired and worn as she was, Cadence managed a wry smile at her best friend. “If I didn’t know better, Lu, I’d almost believe you sound like you admire Sunset’s former accomplishments pulling one over on you.”
A snort of laughter escaped before she could halt it. “I suppose it is in my favor that you do know me better than that then?” She sipped her drink, deciding how to explain it best. “It is not her actions or her ability to perform subtle manipulation on a grand scale that I admire—much of what I realized after the fact was her doing was devious, underhanded, petty, and extremely self-centered.  However, I am quite capable of realizing and even respecting the sheer amount of discipline, drive, intelligence, forethought, patience, tenacity, and sheer cunning she brought to her endeavors. Sunset Shimmer at her most invested is not an opponent I would relish pitting myself against.”  
Luna fought to hide the savage grin that wanted to break out on her face, knowing that if her suspicion of there being some kind of magic involved was correct, that sour old Abacus Cinch may have more than met her match in the unicorn turned teen girl from another world. A touch of her emotion still leaked into her words. “Given what I know of Abacus, and the way she treats others, I almost feel like Abacus Cinch deserves every iota of misfortune and unpleasantness that comes as a result of whatever plan Miss Shimmer decides to pursue in her goal of helping your ‘little Ladybug.’” 
Shining topped his glass off with a healthy amount of alcohol before raising it towards Luna. “Knowing what I know now, I can drink to that,” he said.
> Chapter Eighty Six: Make Me, Break Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






A sound somewhere between a whinny and a shrill scream ripped through the darkness, tearing free of Sunset as she jolted awake harshly.  The former unicorn sought to push the magic burning just under her skin into her horn to cast a light spell, only for searing agony to lance through her skull, making her curl up in a ball of suffering to wait it out. As she lay there on her side, catching her breath, her brain shook off the lingering traces of her dream and re-engaged with her reality.  She wasn't in Equestria, a creature of magic with hooves and horn and fur...she was on Earth, twisted into an uncomfortable position in a naked, ugly primate body, listening to the sound of a train in the distance and the occasional car driving by. 
She rolled into a position more suited for her body, arms curled defensively around her midsection as heat and ache and want made her body tingle until it hurt. Tears made tracks down her cheeks and dripped onto her blankets as fragments of the dream replayed themselves no matter how hard the redhead tried to stop them.
Sunset hated her dreams, all of them, with all the passion she’d once felt for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Princess Twilight, but this was one of the worst yet with how much it twisted a knife in her chest....
Her mother’s Sun beamed down on her with late spring warmth, making the wavy, plush amber coat practically glow gold and turned her curling mane and tail of red and gold into living flame that streamed behind her as she kicked into a canter across a rolling sea of verdant grass.  A snort puffed from her lungs, playful, primal enticement and challenge to herself and her companion, as she slowed to prance around the smaller form, neck arched proudly, every movement, every stride screaming ‘Look at me!’  She reveled in being in her own body, powerful and strong, with muscles that rippled under her coat and her horn rising from her forehead right where it belonged...
She broke into renewed sobs from the echo of how it felt to be a unicorn again, in the body that felt so right, grass under her hooves and wind in her mane, and the freedom of magic singing in her veins as she ran.  Being human was awful, and her body subjected her to so many indignities and disorienting feelings that it felt like she was choking on them. Especially with the dream so fresh in her mind, this beautiful fantasy that had made her dreaming mind feel like she had an alicorn’s wings.
The unicorn mare she was showing off for was, in Sunset’s eyes, the cutest thing on four hooves she had ever seen, with dancing purple eyes she recognized in a heartbeat, and a sleek lavender coat that contrasted sharply with her own...and it didn’t take much before that mare turned her efforts into a game, the two of them galloping through the grass, magic flaring and swirling between them, power dancing up one horn and down the other in a combined effort that sent erotic thrill straight to Sunset’s loins...particularly when the smaller unicorn had winked at her right as the magic had reached the base of her horn.
Amidst the tears she could feel just how flushed and overheated her whole body felt, on edge and craving release with a ferocity that not even her first cycle in Equestria could match. She could still feel the magic going through her, lighting up her body in a way that only one unicorn could do to another...the impossible scent of honeysuckle, paper, ink, and machines still burned in her nostrils from when she’d brought her muzzle down to nip at the place where neck met withers and that dark mane had tickled her face. “...Sparky...” she moaned in pained desperation into the dark of her loft, acutely aware of just how alone she was.
And that was what made it so torturous. She knew who the cute mare was. If she had been rendered blind, she still would have known...and it was all nothing but a beautiful, wonderful lie constructed by her subconscious.  The one who occupied her thoughts and had started invading her dreams and nightmares had never been a mare, and she didn't belong in Equestria.  The images dancing in her mind, taunting her were something that could never happen, not with her very human girlfriend and her own exile still being in effect. She let out another low whimper when her core throbbed.
The other mare rubbed along her side, and Sunset felt teeth nibbling at one of her ears, before the muzzle pressed to her neck, kisses ghosting along her pelt, sending fire heating her up inside.  It made Sunset flick her tail with purpose, deliberately letting the silky hair drag along a lavender coat, tickling the nerve endings sensuously, even as she breathed sweet nothings and passionate promises in her companion’s ear. The encouraging whicker and the way that the body had bent and twisted only served to inflame her senses more, leaving her dizzy with pure carnal desire.
Sunset dragged herself out of bed, staring at the numbers on her clock.  3:24 AM.  Far too early to be awake on a Monday morning, but she had lost all desire to sleep, even if her body hadn’t been tingling and charged with arousal.  Pushing back mental images of a dark tail flicking flirtatiously across her nose, carrying a heady perfume she could still taste on her tongue, the former unicorn stumbled down the stairs, before heading for her attic, her steps jerky and uncoordinated as she fought to remember how her human body was meant to move.  It was a struggle, and she kept having to correct a body that instinct wanted to put on all fours.
“Stupid monkey body,” she muttered, sounding more snuffly and pathetic than angry, and she scrubbed at the tears on her face before facing her new punching bag.  Sunset had to get some of this energy out, and she wasn't about to give in and touch this horrible, hairless body—she knew it would only leave her feeling worse, disoriented and twisted up with how wrong being human felt.
Fists clenched and swung, smacking into the bag with a satisfying noise. “Stupid!” Smack. “Monkey!” Smack. “Hormones!” Smack!  Tears that had almost stopped now fell in fresh streams in an outward reflection of the agony she felt inside, and she attacked the bag in a wild frenzy.
Purple eyes met hers, that achingly familiar voice panting her name needily...
A foot slammed into the bag hard. “Stupid!” 
Soft lips brushing the fur on her barrel, whisper light and teasing...
Another punch. “Feathering!” 
A dark tail flagging, a passive glamour dispelled to show her just how badly the other mare desired her...
The double smack of a one-two punch. “Dreams!” 
Her actions were as much a form of self-punishment as they were catharsis, each strike paired with harsh words and choked sobs, with no regard for how her muscles ached and protested the abuse.  Pain in her arms and legs, in her knuckles and wrists was better than the ache between her legs...
Burying a muzzle into a soft flank, feeling the sleek coat over powerful haunches...
But try as she might, it did nothing to banish the dream, all too soon, she collapsed into a sobbing heap, a miserable ball on the frigid attic floor, exhausted in every possible way.  





Eventually, the tears spent themselves and the cold left her shivering, having sapped the heat from her body to the point where her fingers were nearly numb.  Sunset shuffled down the stairs again, soaked with sweat that made her clothes feel clammy, snot and tears dried on her skin in a gross film, and feeling drained and filthy, covered in the stink of human exertion and other odors.  The clock on her microwave read somewhere in the neighborhood of five thirty, too late to go back to sleep at all.  So instead she headed for her bathroom and a wonderfully hot, steamy shower and copious amounts of soap.  
The water beat down on her chilled, exhausted body, chasing away the tremors that rippled over her.  Sunset let it warm her up, let it wash away the salty grit on her face and lips and soak into her curly, tangled mane.  This was the third night in a week she’d woken up this way, though the first to actually hurt something inside her.  Telling that this was the first of the erotic, steamy dreams that had featured her and Sparky as ponies instead of humans...
And that was at the crux of it all. She knew herself—just because she’d never pursued anypony had not excluded her from having a regular cycle in the few years before she left, or from noticing the curves of some rather fetching mares in Canterlot. Nor had it stopped her from sating the occasional physical urge with a clever spell she’d written herself for just that purpose.  But that was in Equestria, in her natural body, thinking about other mares.  Mares were pretty, mares had all the physical traits that registered to her as desirable.  In this world though? She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Rarity and Flash how sexually unappealing the average human was, and how little it did for any kind of libido the unicorn-turned-teenage-girl had.  Even her Twilight was appealing to her more because it was Sparky, her best friend, her nerdy, adorable girlfriend, and the person she trusted the most in this world, not out of some burgeoning attraction to primates.
The dreams that had them as they were in the human world left her body wound up, but she could sort that much easier, feeling detached from the physical need and able to push it down...but to dream of them in the bodies of her own kind had gotten to her, ignited something inside her she couldn't ignore, but the very nature of it left her more aware of the body she was in than ever.  
Sunset scrubbed herself down roughly with soap, eager to strip the stink from her skin in favor of the mild scent from her bodywash.  As vigorous as the cleansing was, however, it didn't completely dispel what the dream had done—it had presented the girl she was dating in a whole different way, in a context that Sunset couldn't get out of her head.  The physical desire was no longer disconnected, and her breath caught as she thought about Twilight Sparkle, with her eyes dancing and her nose crinkled up with laughter while she pressed close to Sunset for a kiss.  Heat pooled low in her belly, a sensation that had become all too frequent of late, but this time, it was accompanied by a whispered thought of desire and longing that was as much in her head as it was in her groin.  
She wanted Twilight Sparkle.  She wanted to pin her down and let her mouth explore every inch of lavender skin...wanted to hear those pleading sounds and breathy devotions falling from her lips...wanted to spend hours physically professing how the other girl made her feel, making sure she repaid her best friend for every kind word, every hug, every moment that made her heart soar and battered soul feel a little less broken.  Because of the dream, human curves and angles that seemed so ugly and wrong everywhere she looked—even on herself—had taken on a different appeal when she pictured Twilight. They weren't pony ones, but she could feel her mind catching glimpses of traits that were exactly what she’d want in a mare.
Soap stinging her eyes was a useful distraction, and Sunset made herself focus her attention on getting clean, and then on drying off.  Paying attention to the little things, like combing through her mane and getting dressed pushed back the thoughts that were plaguing her...at least until she stepped back into the main part of the loft.  The air there felt cloying and heavy, thick with the reek of human pheromones and sweat, and the walls felt like they were closing in on her, suffocatingly tight.  The former unicorn shook herself, trying to squelch the feelings, but her body moved of its own accord, grabbing her backpack and shoving her boots on so she could step out the door in a hurry, needing fresh air and to just escape.
The sky was just turning to that midnight blue touched with pinks and purples that would never fail to remind her of the girl that consumed her thoughts when her boots hit the sidewalk, and frost covered everything, making her shiver and shove her gloved hands deeper into her pockets.  It was too cold to even drive...and the walk would clear her head. Boots on concrete didn’t sound the same as hooves on stone, and the steady beat of a human gait could never be mistaken for a quadrupedal pony…but for just a little while, Sunset let her mind drift, not really seeing her surroundings, and let herself pretend. Her thoughts drifted in a space somewhere between memory and dream, seeing the pristine white, purple, and gold of Canterlot’s spires of years long past instead of the drab slice of human suburbia, and remembering what it felt like to just be a unicorn pony.  
A car driving by at a speed well above the limit, followed by a set of sirens and a police car jerked her out of the daydream, the terraced mountain city fading away and leaving the frigid winter morning in a human city, passing under the flickering street lights lining the sidewalk. Bitter regret and a longing for the crisp clean air of Equestria and the powerful sense of magic under her hooves rose up, making her eyes burn with tears and the sensation went to war with the aching desire left by her dream.  With a heavy sigh, Sunset turned her feet towards the bakery, needing to assuage the hollow feeling in her stomach with something while she sought to get her thoughts in order.
Was she becoming so human that she was developing a taste for them, she wondered.  Was Sparky just the first? Or was it just because it was Sparky, a girl who had already elicited a reaction from her body that no one else had? Was this just the next step in that? Was she losing part of who she was, just by the virtue of being exiled in this world and trying to make the best of what she had?  Were her growing attachments, to her friends, to Twilight and the rest of the family...were those things changing her?  The stress she had felt the previous week when the family was at odds, when they were sick from exposure to dark magic…even the warm feelings that she’d felt when she’d managed to find a way to help them…or the way she’d felt Friday and Saturday night when she and Twilight had laid awake into the late hours of the night, kissing, cuddling, and talking about anything that came to mind…it made her realize how deeply attached to not just her best friend but the other members of her family she had become.  
Her mind shied away from delving too deeply into those attachments, especially from the way she was starting to view Velvet, something about it rubbing against a raw spot inside her, the warm eyes and soft hugs burning like acid because it was filled with emotions she’d once craved, emotions she’d long since had drilled into her were emotions she didn’t deserve and would never have. It was something she dared not give a name, because some part of her felt as though the instant she did, she would have it torn away, and she wasn’t sure if she could deal with that on top of everything else going on in her life right then.
All the same, those feelings, those attachments, and the desires that came with them…were they making her more human and less of a pony?  Or was it that only some of the people she was close to knew about what she was? Would Twilight and her family be like the girls, be like Pinkie and her sister, like the principals if they did?  Would they still expect her to act human? Or…would they accept that she wasn’t, that she would never truly be one of their kind?  Sunset started to crib on a fingernail as she walked, but a shiver went through her with a sharp gust of wind, and just the short duration made her fingers go numb.  She huddled deeper in her jacket and stuffed her hands deep into the pockets to try and retain a little warmth in them.  The redhead’s thoughts twisted back on themselves, bringing with it the faint beginnings of fear…that the dream and the emotions that came with it were a sign that she was losing touch with the pony she had been.
Even as she thought it, it sounded ridiculous, but the thoughts lingered, nipping at her hocks. It made her glance surreptitiously at the other patrons in the bakery, looking to see if any other humans seemed suddenly more appealing than the week prior. It made her choose some raisin and oat bran muffins and a pear for her breakfast out of all the potential sweets and pastries, needing something that linked her to her nature that felt like it was slipping through her grasp like grains of sand. It gnawed at her the rest of the way to school, making her question her identity even as it made her hyperaware of everything in the human world that was different from Equestria.
She put a hand on the door and pulled, only to realize the school was locked.  Her eyes took it all in, and dimly, she realized that she had gotten there so early that no one, not even Principal Celestia, was there yet. 
“....now what do I do?” Sunset groaned aloud. She had no desire to walk all the way home, only to have to do it all over again, and she had been hoping to distract herself with an old tried and true method: magical studies.  
The redhead turned around and sat down on the frigid stone of the steps, staring at the polished marble of the statue and taking solace from the buzzing of Equestrian energy that resonated from it like a faint but steady heartbeat.  She might have been in a monkey body, but at least she could have the presence of familiar magic pressing against her senses.
Time lost meaning as she ate her breakfast, senses narrowing to focus on the calming presence of magic.  In a way, the icy cold helped, numbing her senses to the body she was in, letting her distance herself from the ungainly limbs and furless body, from the smell of ozone and fumes and tar, from the faint buzzing of electricity like insects against her inner ear, until all she could think or feel or sense was the soothing thrum of Equestrian magic singing in her mind.  She wasn't sure how long she sat there, staring at the polished white stone of the Wondercolt’s hindquarters.  It was long enough that the winter cold seeped through leather and denim, leaving her extremities near numb and a shiver making her body tremble. She put it out of her mind, one more thing trying to join the messy jumble in her head—she could thaw out in class anyway.
“Sunset?” For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating, that her desire to hold onto being a pony was making her hear the Princess’ voice in her head.
“Sunset? Are you alright? What are you doing here so early?” A hand touching her shoulder brought her around, and she realized it was no hallucination as the worried face of her Principal came into view.
“I...no...” she found herself admitting.
The older woman hurriedly opened the door and deactivated the alarm, before helping Sunset up. “We need to get you inside before you catch pneumonia.”
She was too numb in both body and mind to protest, and she followed the administrator to the office, shivering in earnest now that she was aware of just how cold she had gotten.  Principal Celestia fiddled with the office coffee pot, turning it on and filling a mug with steaming hot water and a teabag.  She pressed it into Sunset’s grip.  “We need to warm you up, Sunset. Your lips are blue.”  From her office, she retrieved a thick blanket, and draped it around the teen’s shoulders. 
The former unicorn said nothing, only huddled under the blanket and gripped the mug of tea in shaking hands so she could drink without spilling it.  Her principal gave her a few minutes to let some of the warmth seep into her, before asking very gently, “Sunset? Can you tell me what happened?”
Maybe it was the genuine concern in the woman’s voice.  Maybe it was how achingly similar it sounded to the voice that had always made her feel safe as a filly.  Maybe it was the combination of cold and stress...or maybe it was just that she felt so overwhelmed and wrong and desperately homesick for Equestria. Whatever it was, homesickness welled up inside her, a painful longing for Equestria, her real body, and for Princess Celestia to take away all her fears.  Before she could stop it, the words were in the air. “I...I want...my mo—” No, whispered a little voice from her memories. Not your mother. You don't have a mother.  “...I want Princess Celestia...” 
The human woman gave her a look of pained sympathy, and sat down beside her on the couch.  “Sunset,” she began in that same tone that the Princess always used when she was worried.  “I know I’m not Princess Celestia, but I am here to listen if you want to talk to me.”
It wasn't what she really wanted...but maybe it would be enough. Sunset nodded once, a jerky, stiff motion, gathering her thoughts as best she could. There was no way she could admit to the details—she wasn’t comfortable with that much, but...
“...The entire time I've been in this world...I’ve always known who I was. What I was. What I was doing here...”  She took a sip of the tea to help a throat that felt too dry. “I was Sunset Shimmer, a unicorn, and this was just part of a plan to go home and prove to Princess Celestia that I was worth more than she’d ever thought.  But then...” she trailed off, frowning.
“Then the formal occurred and your plans changed.” Though soft, it was not a question.
“My plans ended in a rainbow to the face,” Sunset corrected. “One I deserved.”  She wasn't going to sugarcoat the truth here.  “And my sentence was Exile. I can't go home again. I don't have a home in Equestria anymore...though...sometimes I wonder if I ever did.”  Another drink of the tea let her keep her voice level.  “I have to live here, in this world, because there's no place left for me to go.”
Principal Celestia touched her shoulder with one hand, concern written on her face. “Are you that unhappy here, Sunset?”
“No! That’s just it! I love it here—I have friends here, people who care about me, who treat me like I matter, who don't think that I’m dangerous and different or less than nothing because I don't have a family.  I...didn't really have that in Equestria.”  The former unicorn was shaking from more than cold, as the numbness in her heart had started to replace the chill in her bones.  “I’ve got a life here, one I’m making for myself,” she confessed, “and I love it, but...”
Once more she hesitated, and the woman next to her made a soft sound. “But you still miss your home in Equestria?”
She shook her head, letting out a wry snort. “No...and that’s just it.  I’m...I feel like I’m losing myself. Before, I was always just pretending, playing at being human to protect myself from the things that could happen...but now...I’m not so sure I’m pretending anymore.” Sunset dimly felt the tingling in her limbs as they regained feeling, but the ice that had formed in her chest blocked out most of the sensation. “I feel like the more I try to make a life here, the more I’m losing who I am.  I can barely remember what some of my favorite foods taste like, or what it's like to have hooves instead of hands.  And every day, there are thoughts...feelings...I don't understand, that I've never had before because that's not how ponies are.”
Silence, thick and nearly choking pressed down on her, and for a minute, Sunset wondered if she’d said too much.  Eventually, her principal took a breath. “You feel like you're becoming more human and less of a unicorn, and it scares you.”
Sunset’s voice cracked on the response. “....Yes.  I don't want to be human, Principal Celestia. I don't want to stop being a unicorn, even if I have to live in a human body for the rest of my life.”
Celestia made a thoughtful sound.  “Why can you not just be Sunset Shimmer, who is a unicorn living in the human world? Embrace all the aspects of your life that make you happy, and find a balance between the two parts of your life?”
The former unicorn recoiled a little, some of that ice settling into her guts.  “Because I’m not a unicorn right now...” she tried to explain. “I don’t have my horn—except when I pony-up, but it doesn't last—or hooves, or my fur, and I’m stuck in this awful monkey body...” Her hands shook so bad that the administrator took the mug from her before she scalded herself with its contents.  “This stupid, horrible body! It does awful monkey things and makes me want things that I never would have thought about as a pony, and I can't seem to make it stop, because it's only getting worse and it's getting into my head now—” Teeth clamped shut to stop her from babbling. Not that she would have done so much longer with the way the ice was now squeezing her lungs, until black spots danced across her vision.
“Sunset, I need you to try and breathe for me,” Principal Celestia said, sounding like she was speaking over a waterfall.  “Slow, deep breaths. You're okay. You're safe.”  The teen did her best to follow the instructions, going so far as to mimic the technique her girlfriend used, bringing a fist to her chest and concentrating on breathing in time with its slow, slightly unsteady rhythm.  “There we go,” the woman next to her encouraged as the roaring in her ears faded and some of the ice in her chest had melted away.  
Once she had calmed, her principal spoke again. “Sunset, can you look at me for a minute? I need to ask you a question.”  
The redhead turned to face the pale skinned woman, confused by the sudden seriousness she could hear in her voice.  “....what is it, Principal Celestia?” she croaked, her throat still tight.
“You don't have to give me details, but I need to know.  When you say your body is making you want things that you wouldn't want as a pony, are these things that are dangerous, harmful, or illegal? Is it anything that's going to hurt you or cause you harm?”  The administrator’s face was painted with worry.
It didn’t take a genius to realize what she was referring to and Sunset shook her head vigorously. “No! It's...nothing like that. Drugs are stupid, Principal Celestia, and I learned the hard way about a hangover back in Equestria.”  She sighed, sharing a little more than she’d intended, mostly to assuage her principal’s fears. “It's...because of a girl.”
Celestia let out a quiet sigh of relief that Sunset wasn't sure she was meant to hear.  She could practically feel the tension draining out of the principal.  “Thank you for being honest.  I didn't think you would, but I needed to ask for my own peace of mind. There's a lot of bad peer pressure involving children your age, and I don't want to see you get mixed up in anything like that.”
“That’s...not something you have to worry about,” Sunset offered.  “Drugs...alcohol...they take away a person...or a pony’s control. Bad things happen when I lose control.” Memories of fire and screaming flitted through her mind before she squelched them.
“Yes...I suppose I can see you responding in a highly displeased fashion to anyone peddling poison in your direction.” Principal Celestia laughed softly, before she returned to gentle seriousness. “That aside...if I may offer a little wisdom, Sunset?”
At this point, Sunset would have been happy with a shot in the dark, let alone some actual wisdom from an adult human she respected.  She nodded, giving the woman the signal to continue.
“You will always be Sunset Shimmer the unicorn—the body you're in doesn't define who you are inside. The place you came from, the culture, the world, the way your experiences shaped you?  Those things will always be part of your identity, even if how they affect that identity changes; you aren't losing them or replacing them, and you aren't ‘turning into a human.’”  
A low sound of frustration bubbled up, “Then why does it feel like I'm losing who I am, like I’m turning into someone, something I’m not!?”
Principal Celestia patted her shoulder again, the gesture bringing some measure of comfort.  “Part of life is growing and learning new things about ourselves, and I suspect that is as true for your people as it is for mine. Instead of seeing those changes as replacing or taking away a part of you, you might consider seeing how they add something instead, whether that thing is a new favorite food, a new friend, a hobby you never considered before, or even falling in love with someone you would never have imagined falling for.”
The former unicorn fell silent, mulling over the words, picking them apart and letting them sit in her brain.  The principal let the words sink in, then added, “You will always be Sunset Shimmer, the unicorn who is living here with us humans...but you are so much more now than the unicorn who first came here to our world and ruled the student body with an iron fist.  You are a unicorn who is growing into an intelligent, compassionate young woman, one I am exceptionally proud to have as one of my students.  You are so much more than you were just as recently as the beginning of the year, not less, and that is something to be embraced, not feared.”
She didn't respond—she couldn't, not really. The words stuck in her head, and she found herself ignoring her Principal to turn the statement over in her mind, feeling for all the world like she was caught in the same kind of mental trap that her girlfriend ended up in so often, stuck with her thoughts circling back around over and over again with no escape in sight.  She knew she was being rude at this point, but she couldn't turn her thoughts to anything else, not until she’d picked everything apart. 
It didn't seem to bother the administrator all too much.  The woman pressed the hot mug back into her hands.  “You sit here as long as you need to, Sunset. Warm up and think about what I said. There's no rush.”  She patted her shoulder one final time as she stood. “If you need anything, or need to talk more, I’ll be in my office, looking over the paperwork on that ‘semi-anonymous donation’ from the ‘Sunny Skies Education Foundation’--which is not as anonymous as its benefactor might hope.”
Sunset ducked her head at the comment, knowing very well that another Celestia would probably have used the same alias as the Princess on occasion, and resolved to worry about the questions from that later.  She was already too caught up in her current crisis to deal with another.
Was the principal right? Could she adapt and change to fit this world, this new life without sacrificing everything that made her who she was?  Were the feelings and wants starting to affect her head just about personal growth, and not about some horrible transition into being a human being inside as well as out?  Could she have traits from both species, and still keep herself a pony?
And, her circling, spiraling thought patterns asked as she came back to the issue that spawned it all: her feelings for Twilight Sparkle.  Even Celestia had tapped the subject without really knowing what was going on, her words echoing as Sunset pictured the dark haired girl in her mind’s eye: “....or even falling in love with someone you would never have imagined falling for...”  Sunset wasn't ready to call it that yet...but...could she? Was this dream, and the way it affected her a sign not of becoming more human...but of Sunset...reaching a point where she could potentially find that kind of intimacy and connection with someone here—Twilight or otherwise?  
The redheaded teen thought back to the bakery, where she’d taken the time to observe the other patrons.  They all still just looked like humans—weird, skinny, long limbed bipeds—and while they didn't look quite so horrifyingly ugly as they had in the past, she had to acknowledge that none of them, even ones who would have been considered far more attractive by human standards than her girlfriend, made her mind wander in the direction of fantasy or send a thrill down her spine into her core.  Yet when she focused again on a mental image of the girl as she’d woken to her that Saturday morning, hair tousled from sleep, wearing a pair of flannel pajamas and cuddled into Sunset’s side while reading an old, tattered paperback book, she could feel her cheeks heat and her breath catch.  More than that, the longer she focused on the memory, the more her mind found things to notice about Twilight that made Sunset feel hot all over again.  Like the way she fit neatly against Sunset’s side, or the way she smelled...the way her hair fell down around her shoulders in an adorable mess, or how her lips moved slightly when she read, as if she were resisting the urge to read aloud...
Wrenching herself out of those thoughts before she ended up in the same state she’d woken up in, Sunset took a long drink from the mug in her hands.  Okay, Shimmer, she told herself, you can deal with this. Maybe Principal Celestia is right.  Maybe this isn't all bad—it's not every human right now. Just Sparky. That’s not the worst thing in the world, since she’s already your girlfriend...  She was aware that she felt a connection to her best friend, something that was different than her other friends.  Twilight’s personality just meshed well with hers in all the ways she never knew she really needed.  The human girl was smart, well read, and intensely curious, but her special skills and areas of expertise were different than Sunset’s, nor did she attempt to hold herself as superior to those around her, so it never really roused the former unicorn’s competitive streak or ire.  Instead, it made conversation with Twilight incredibly fascinating, especially when they compared different approaches and understandings and ended up spring-boarding each other’s own knowledge and ideas to new heights. She never challenged Sunset’s sense of internal power and control, but she wasn't a cringing doormat either, and she had a way of communicating her thoughts and feelings in a way Sunset inherently understood.
Then there were the emotions that flared and surged back and forth between them.  She cared fiercely for Twilight, for Twilight’s family who had shown her that they cared, for her  friends...but the way Twilight affected her had always been different.  They just...connected...in a way she couldn't fully explain, and the dark haired girl made her feel good and content and just happy, just by being in the room with her, and those feelings only grew when they snuck little intimacies like soft touch and eager kisses, or when Twilight was in her arms on Friday nights, pressed against her and sleeping soundly....
Her body had already started responding to her girlfriend’s touch, to the desire she could see burning in purple eyes...was it awful if she started seeing her the way she might have if Twilight had been a mare in Equestria? If her mind started finding things about her girlfriend that made her want, not just with her body but with mind and heart as well?  Was she capable of being happy and okay with desiring physical intimacy with her very human companion? Or would giving in to that make her lose something she was desperately trying to hold onto?  
Sunset didn't have an answer for that, especially when one of her fears began gnawing on her again. This whole dating thing had started as an attempt to explore what they felt and to let it develop at its own pace in its own way...what if Twilight changed her mind? What if she ended up wanting to stop being so close to her best friend?  As they were, right now, Sunset could probably cope with that as long as they remained friends...but if she let herself go further, if she opened her heart like that, took that plunge...only to have it end...could she cope with that loss, or would it destroy her from the inside out?  
Ponies weren't like humans when it came to relationships, flitting through partners like a bee amongst wildflowers.  Her kind tended to form romantic and emotional attachments from among those with whom a pony had already bonded, usually as friends, as a growth of those already established relationships.  Like she’d explained to Rarity, there wasn't a socio-cultural push to find a partner and have as many foals as possible, the way humans seemed to do.  Relationships were about mutual happiness and enjoyment...but it also meant that the concept of casual relationships was fairly alien.  Ponies invested a part of themselves when they did find somepony they bonded with, and it was that emotional investment that often drove a relationship more than any amount of physical, sexual desire.  If she was desiring Twilight the way she would have as a mare, then she’d crossed a threshold without realizing it, and if her girlfriend wasn’t invested in the same way and ended things...
A low sound escaped her, as did a few tears, before she shoved the rest of that thought down roughly, to keep a hold on her emotions.  She couldn't be thinking of that when she hadn’t yet told Twilight that she was a pony.  Twilight deserved to know that, to have all of Sunset known to her before they crossed that point of no return. 
Sunset squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't ready to tell her—to tell any of the family that had welcomed her so readily, really—that she was an inhuman exile from another world and a creature that most of their species would consider an animal...even if it was a mythical one.  Fear kept her silent, fear of their response, and just like Twilight telling her parents about her sexuality, it was something Sunset was trying to work towards having the courage to do.
And if she was starting to see Twilight the way she would another pony, if she had reached a point where she could fall in love with a human, where the emotions of the unicorn she had been raised as merged with the physical desires of the human form she lived in, then Sunset was running out of time to make the decision with a level head...
> Chapter Eighty Seven: Tutoring For Dummies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“This is such fucking bullshit!”  There was a loud SLAM! as Rainbow Dash brought her a textbook down hard onto the lunch-table, jolting Sunset from her own reading on the advanced theories of the interaction between active magic use and leylines. The former unicorn made a shrill sound in her throat in surprise, half out of her chair and her apple rolling down the table with a few bites missing before she could stop herself.
Dash stared at her for a few seconds before her sour face turned into riotous laughter. “Oh holy shit, Sunset! I didn't know you could make a noise like that!”
Fluttershy stopped the runaway fruit from falling to the floor as she pulled out her chair, offering it back to Sunset. “That’s not very nice, Dashie...”
“It's fine,” Sunset took her apple back and eased back into her chair with a hammering heart. “And I’m soooo glad me being startled out of my wits provided you with a momentary reprieve from your bad mood.”
The soccer player had degenerated into snickering.  “You sounded like one of AJ’s pigs!”
“I did not,” Sunset grumbled. “I’m a pony, not a pig.  Now what’s got you so mad that you're trying to break our table with your trig book?”
The laughter stopped, and her colorful friend glared at the book like it had personally offended her somehow. “I’m failing math—bombed my midterm. Coach says I have to bring my grade up or I'll be suspended from the team.”
Fluttershy gave her a look of sympathy. “Oh, Rainbow, I’m so sorry...”
Rainbow slumped in her chair. “Yeah. I can't help it that I suck at math. When am I ever going to use this stuff?! None of it makes sense!”
Sunset frowned. “What part is giving you trouble?”
“All of it!” the athlete complained. “Numbers and formulas, and this sine/cosine stuff! Even paying attention in class doesn't help, and the notes might as well be horsey hieroglyphs for all I can use them!”
With a sigh, Sunset slid the book over, opening it to the section marked by a piece of paper—the latest quiz Rainbow had failed with a bright red 48 scrawled across the top in ink, along with a note from the teacher.  “Okay, I know this. What parts do you already get, Dash?”
“I get it's about triangles, and finding like, angles and stuff. That’s it.  I don’t understand anything else.”
Sunset skimmed it, looking over the quiz too, to see if the athlete had gotten anything right.  Her eyes flicked up to watch her friend playing absently with a small rubber ball, rolling it around her hands, tossing it up and catching it, or bouncing it off the nearby wall only to snatch it out of the air. An idea began to percolate in the back of her mind.  “I can try tutoring you if you want?” she offered.  “Math is something I’m good at, but I learned it all for applications and not theoretics.  I’m wondering if you might learn it better my way.”
“I dunno...”
“I’d take her up on it, Dash,” Flash’s voice broke through the background noise of the cafeteria. “Sunset’s the only reason I passed Algebra II last year.” He was standing there with a tray, two girls just behind him, and he winked at Sunset.
She laughed, tossing her head. “Probably the only good thing that came of dating me, right?”
“Oof. I wasn't going to say that,” Flash said with a wince. 
“No big deal. I know it's the truth,” Sunset shrugged. 
The blue haired young man shook his head.  “Mind if we join you guys?” 
Rainbow squinted at Sunset. “Alright you can try but I’m no egghead. Don't expect much.” Then she turned back to Flash. “Well, don't just stand there, sit down!”
All three took seats at the table. “Hey, Lyra, hey, Bon-bon.”
“We were actually coming over to ask kinda the same thing,” Flash said sheepishly. “Lyra and I aren't doing so hot in math either, and you're the best math tutor I know...”
Sunset rolled her eyes but the smile never left her face. “What class?”
Lyra made a face. “Trig. The same as Rainbow Dash. I am sooo not a math person.”
Bon-bon rubbed her back. “I tried helping her, but we learned that I...don't really have the patience for it,” she told Sunset. 
“We got talking after class,” Flash chimed in again, “and I was talking about asking you if you’d tutor me again, so...”
The pieces came together neatly. “So you figured you’d both come ask me, and I’m guessing you're in the same class as Dash too, since you're not surprised by her wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
“Hey!” the athlete protested.
Flash had the decency to at least look guilty. “...yeah...basically.”
Sunset shook her head. “I’ll help...but not at lunch.  I think we can all agree that we enjoy being able to eat.” She mulled her schedule over in her head, and compared it to Rainbow’s.  “How about Wednesdays, right after school, in the library? I’m sure I can catch you guys up pretty quick and keep you up to speed with about an hour a week.”
Rainbow scowled. “Awww man...that'll cut into my practice time...”.
The former unicorn arched one brow. “Do you want to pass math, or not?” she asked. “You've got to put effort into it.”
“Can’t I just talk you into doing my homework for me? You're a math nerd, Sunset.” Leaning back in her chair, the soccer player waved a hand. “It's not like it would even be work for you, since you do your own math without a calculator!”
A tanned skin hand swatted Rainbow with a stetson, catching her by surprise and making her tumble out of her chair with a yelp and a loud smacking sound of her hitting the floor.  “Do yer own work, lazy ass. ‘S not Sunset’s responsibility ta pass yer classes.”
Dash dragged herself back into her chair after giving Applejack a one finger salute. Sunset shook her head with a laugh. “I do it in my head and without a calculator because Equestria doesn't have calculators, Dash. Not to mention I spent four years of concentrated effort studying high level math at CSGU so I could do it on the fly. I have to run massive equations through my head very quickly to calculate a teleport. After that kind of study, high school math is barely a warm up.”  
A finger pointed at her triumphantly “See?! She could totally do it!”
Sunset arched a brow, before letting her down with a point she hadn't considered. “Sure, I could do your homework, but I can't take your tests for you.  You still need math for that.”
Rainbow wilted.  “Aaaaawwwwwww man...I forgot about that.”  Then she perked up a little. “Wait...can't you just...I dunno...do some fancy unicorn magic shit? Make everyone think you're me and take the test?”
"Fancy unicorn shit?" Sunset repeated in a voice as dry as the dunes of Saddle Arabia.  Down the table, Flash slowly brought his palm up to meet his face, and Applejack looked like she was about to use more than her hat on the back of her friend’s skull.  “Rainbow...we’ve established that I can barely use my magic safely here...and also, that's cheating, and we all know you're not a cheater.”
Her friend’s expression fell, and she looked away. Sunset reached out and laid a hand on her wrist. “Dash, why are you so against even trying? This isn't like you.”
She shrugged. “I’m not an egghead. I just don't get this stuff. You’re going to be wasting your time. My parents have tried to get me a tutor before.”
The redhead frowned. “Dash, look at me.”  When the soccer player met her eyes, she continued.  “It's my time to ‘waste’ how I choose, and I think I can help you. Let me try.”
“...fine...but don't expect much.”
“Then...Wednesdays after school? Meet me in the library.” She looked at Flash and Lyra. “That work for you guys?”
“Yeah, I can do Wednesdays. I’ll just let my boss know I can only do closings on that day.”  Flash shrugged, before biting into a chicken sandwich. 
Lyra followed his assent with a nod of her own. “Oh yeah, totally. Thanks, Sunset. My mom would be furious if I failed math.”  
  “And then she’d try to make you participate in whatever chakra balancing juice cleanse or whatever she’s into this month,” Bon Bon added with a chuckle.
The pale haired girl groaned. “Bonny...please don't remind me. I still can't look at a pineapple.” She draped herself over her companion’s shoulders with some over dramatic whining. “Especially because you don't want to know what the latest fad from her favorite celebrity is....”
Sunset arched an eyebrow.  “That sounds...”
“Terrifying? Interesting? Like Lyra’s mom is a few pineapples short of a fruit salad?” Pinkie plopped into a chair, ignoring the pained groan Lyra gave. “Hi Lyra! Hi Bon Bon! Hi Flash!” She tilted her head.  “This is the fourth time in a week you’ve had lunch with us, Flash!”
He laughed awkwardly. “Yeah I guess it is. Do I...need to sign a guest register or something?” he joked.
“Nope!” Pinkie grinned. “But if you're gonna keep joining us, we should have a party to make you officially part of the group!”
“We’re a group now?” Sunset commented.
“Of course we are, silly filly!” Pinkie poked her in the nose, which made Sunset want to bite.  “Twilight got us all back together, and then you joined us, which made the group even better, and now Flash is here more which is super neat and fun, and he’s bringing his friends too! Which calls for a celebration!”  
Sunset stared.  Mostly at the party hats Pinkie had pulled from somewhere and was putting on everyone at the table, despite any protests being made.  She reached up to her own head, finding one of the conical cardboard hats already in place, trying to decide if she should wonder where the cake sitting on the table had come from. 
It must have shown on her face, because from her other side, Rarity patted her shoulder. “Don't think too deeply about it, Sunset. Pinkie Pie has a way of challenging sanity and rationale on a good day. Its probably best to label what she does as a form of Pinkie Pie magic and move on.”
“I’m beginning to realize that,” she agreed. “It makes me wonder if this world has an equivalent to Discord or if it's just a manifestation of human magic—which I seem to be mostly blind to until it's actually happening.”  That conclusion, which she had reached after both the journal that had been left in their care, and the incident with Shining Armor, was unsettling. The idea of a magic whose energy she couldn't pick out of the background until right before it activated was dangerous, and difficult to study or even find. It meant there might very well be extremely powerful magic here, and she would never know it unless the user decided to reveal themselves.
“Hey, Sunset,” Rainbow laughed, “I think Flash is trying to get your attention! Dude, come on, that’s not gonna work if you don't know what a unicorn’s mating call sounds like!”
“Mating—what?” Sunset shook herself out of her thoughts to stare at Dash first, then slowly pan her gaze to Flash. “What in the—really, Flash?”
Flash had adjusted his party hat so it sat on his forehead in a parody of a unicorn horn, and added a set of the Wondercolt ears. “What? I don't want to be left out! Whaddya think, pony-girl? Would I pass as a Rainboom? Or as a pretty unicorn?” 
Lyra leaned forward, staring at Sunset intently. “Actually, that's a good question—are there even boy unicorns? Or do you have to use other magical equines for reproduction?”
Her face heated, and from the way Rainbow Dash started laughing, Sunset decided she must be as red as the red in her hair. “There are unicorn colts and stallions,” she responded a little stiffly. “But they are a lot fewer in number than fillies and mares.”
“So unicorns are mostly female! Is it because of their purity?”
She stared blankly at Lyra for a long moment, trying to decide if the bubbly girl was on some form of illicit substance. “...no. It's because ponies' natural birth rates as a species skew heavily in favor of female offspring,” she explained, her voice giving away how uncomfortable the subject of discussing her species’ reproductive statistics was.
“What about the idea that unicorns are only interested in vir—” Lyra was cut off by Bon Bon’s hand over her mouth.
“Lyra, sweetie, love of my life, manic pixie that haunts my nightmares,” she deadpanned, “we’ve talked about this. Time to put your feet back on the ground and stop using intensely personal questions about our friends and classmates to further your conspiracies or monster theories.” 
The green-skinned girl mumbled something that might’ve been an apology underneath the hand.  Bon Bon nodded. “I’m going to let go, and try to keep to normal conversation that doesn't include other people’s sex lives, please?”
Rainbow laughed again. “Aw c’mon! We didn't even get the part where she asks if unicorn horns double as a—WHOOOOAAA!!”
The table—Sunset included—fell apart in uproarious laughter when Applejack calmly upended her friend’s chair and dumped her unceremoniously onto the floor.
> Interlude XX: Zwischenzug
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Acid green eyes stared intently at one of the monitors arrayed before their owner, brows pinching together as the older woman frowned.  A few keystrokes and a click of her mouse zeroed in on the alert.  “Hmmm...again?  We can't have you doing that, little mouse.” Dark, inky black fingers flew over the keys, counteracting the curious investigation of a bright young mind into alterations she’d put in place months before.  
Her opponent gave pause, only to start following a trail in another direction, dismantling—possibly without even realizing it—another security precaution, leaving her to try and repair the damage and shunt the intruder away from anything important. “Clever girl, aren't you?  I can see why she likes you...but this is not for you, little mouse. Find some other kind of cheese.” Fingers danced over the keys, shutting out the intruder and opening up a pathway that would lead them back to safer subjects, leaving a few breadcrumbs to satisfy curiosity.
The person on the other end was quick, seeing through the ploy and making it quite clear what they thought of it. “Cheeky of you,” the woman murmured, fingers typing so fast they were nothing more than a dark blur, even as her phone began to play an upbeat tune. 
A quick tap on her bluetooth headset answered the call with barely a pause in her typing. “Hello, dear.”
“Auntie,” the woman on the other end greeted with warmth.  “Is this a bad time?”
Her lips curled in a smirk, and she reached across her desk to pluck the fancy cigarette holder from its resting place, lighting the waiting white cylinder at its end with neat precision.  “My dearest, darling little gemstone, it is never a bad time to hear from you.  How are you?”
“I’m just fine, Auntie. With everyone back in school, and both Greenie and Cinnamon applying to colleges, it was a busy winter break.” The younger voice sighed, thick with emotion. “I’m going to miss my girls when they leave for college.”
Her beloved niece had such a huge heart, just like her mother.  “It's hard, my dear, but you’ll always be their mother, remember that.  Just like your sisters will always remember Synergy as their mother.”  She drew a long drag of tingling smoke into her lungs.
“Thanks, Auntie...that means a lot, coming from you. I always worry if I’m living up to Mom’s legacy. And speaking of sisters...Active did what you asked. She said to tell you she gets a good feel for him—he really was genuinely concerned over the girl’s wellbeing, and that it was a personal investigation.”  
“As I suspected.  Red’s been making waves, and it's stirring things up.  Keep your girls close, my dear.  Unpleasant elements in the city are growing anxious again, and my children can only do so much.” Her fingers flew over the keys again, blocking two more holes in security and sending the little mouse where she wanted in the digital maze.
“We will, Auntie. We’ve put the earlier curfew into check like you suggested.  Hot also did maintenance on the House’s security system, so thank you for sending him. He’s been a godsend.”  There was a note in the younger woman’s voice that made her smile.  
“I’ll have him stick around in the meantime then.  Can you put him up in your spare room? Or should I arrange for him to have an apartment nearby?” Hot Head, despite his name, was a loyal Child who would protect her nieces and their girls.
“We can manage, I think, especially if he’s willing to give the wiring a good going over in the dining room and bathroom on the main floor.” There was a soft note in her voice, one that suggested the woman would enjoy having Hot around for reasons beyond just protection. 
She suppressed a laugh. “Very well, gemstone. You keep him there until this is over. He can take the chance to redo all the electrical in that building. It needs it, and if money is an issue, I’ll see some wired to the foundation account.”
Her niece let out a soft but happy sigh. “Okay, Auntie. Is there anything else you need from us in the meantime?”
“Only for you to send along any rumors or information about Red and her collective, or about the school—no matter how bizarre. Especially from your girls who go there. Other than that, I’ll see you and your sisters for dinner on Sunday.”
“We’re excited to see you again, Auntie—it's been too long and we all miss you. More so now that Dad is gone…” 
“You have my word, gemstone, as soon as this is over, you will be seeing me more. Give your sisters my love in the meantime, and stay safe.”
“We will, Auntie—and you please do the same. I don't want to lose you too, not in the same year that we lost Dad.” Her voice was ragged with pain. “We don't have anyone else.”
“I will be fine, dear. I've been playing this game for a long time. Have a little faith in me.” Movement caught her eye and she saw one of her Children waiting patiently for her to finish her call. “Now I have to go, but I will talk to you soon. Goodbye, gemstone.”
“Goodbye, Auntie. I love you.” 
The call ended with a click, and the woman took another drag on her cigarette. “You have something for me?”
“Yes, Mother,” the young man said. “Ghost sent this file over.”
Her eyes watched the progress on screen—the mouse had finally taken the bait and followed the path she’d been laying out for it. “Bring it here.”  A few more keystrokes left the information she wanted the mouse to have and none that she didn’t. You’re playing a dangerous game, mouse, right in between the claws of a panther… She just hoped she could act in time to finally see the panther caged…
Taking her eyes off the screen for the moment, she opened the file folder set neatly in front of her with the same precision Shadow always conducted himself with.  It revealed a thick stack of papers and photos, and she carefully looked through them one at a time, scrutinizing them with a practiced eye. Her grim expression morphed into a dark smile—not for the implications or the likely fate of the missing girl mentioned in the files, but for the opportunity it afforded her.
“Maybe your waves will be beneficial after all, Red…” she murmured, taking a long drag on her cigarette. 
She flicked her eyes to Shadow. “Call Echo and Whisper, have them come in. I have a task that requires their delicate touch.”
Shadow inclined his head. “Of course, Mother. They’ll be here before morning.” He turned crisply on his heel and left the room.
She turned back to the files for a moment, before rising from her seat, gliding to a clever set of panels on the wall. Resting her hand on the concealed sensor, she waited for the safe to slide open, humming a tune from decades past. “This could very much work in my favor…” she murmured, glancing over her shoulder at one of the files open on her computer, showing the detailed service record of a blue haired CCPD detective. “Let’s see if you are as noble as I’ve heard, Detective…and if you care about your sister more than you want to conform to that snake charmer’s tune…”
She took a thick stack of folders from the safe, beginning the arduous process of sorting and organizing them so she could make copies.
> Chapter Eighty Eight: Whispers in the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Purple fingers adjusted the last bit of wiring inside the heavy duty casing. “There. That should do it!” She held up the finished product for Wallflower to see.  “My prototype detection device for Project Aurora is finished!”
“And it does...what, exactly?” Her friend sounded bored.
Twilight elaborated, too giddy with having finished the device to be offput by the harsh tone. “It’s a mobile variant of the machines in here that detect the frequency of the strange energy that I’m researching for my project, except this one can lead me to the sources of energy by giving me directional input, almost like radar.  I am hoping to narrow down an area or a source and perhaps procure samples of either the source or affected mediums to run further tests.” She could barely contain her excitement, bouncing on her toes. “It’ll also help determine if it's one source or multiple different ones! I’m so excited to test it out!”
Wallflower raised her gaze from an ancient looking book on medicinal plants that she’d procured from one website or another.  “Great...absolutely fantastic,” she deadpanned. “Practically overcome with emotion, can't you see?”  With that, she buried her nose back in her book, pausing only once to add, “Dibs on any mutated plants you find, especially if your pet energy has turned them into ravening meat eating monsters.  Could you imagine the look on Suri’s face if we put one in her locker?” 
“Why would we do that with a valuable specimen?” Twilight asked, not sure where her friend was going with the strange suggestion.
The green haired girl smiled.  “Because maybe it'll bite that perfectly sculpted nose off her perfectly crafted face. I’d love to see her plastic surgeon fix that.” She laughed to herself like it was a hilarious joke.
Seated at her desk, Twilight frowned slightly, not really caring for the joke—at least she thought it was a joke.  It was hard enough for her to read most people, but Wallflower was harder to get sometimes, because her voice had even less intonation and inflection than anyone she’d ever met, and that included Moondancer.  In this case, there was something in Wallflower’s eyes that she couldn't define...but whatever it was, it made her uncomfortable.  She found herself glancing surreptitiously at the clock, eager to have the bell ring and signal the end of the day, because the air in the room now felt too close, too crowded, despite the room being empty but for the two of them. 
Twilight felt her stomach squirm a little more, as the silence stretched longer than she knew was considered socially acceptable...but she couldn’t come up with a response that felt right, not without knowing the real intention behind the other girl’s words.  Eventually Wallflower sighed, sounding frustrated—an emotion Twilight could place. “It was a joke, Twilight,” she pointed out flatly. “You're supposed to laugh.”  
So it had been meant as humor. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I wasn't sure...and...I’m not certain medical insurance covers acts of mutated plant life, at least not in policies I’ve read about. Without coverage, it would be difficult to find a surgeon to fix such injuries at a price her family could afford, since her family does belong to one of the lower income brackets that attends this school.”
Wallflower stared at her, before bursting into laughter.  “Oh my god, Twi! Do you know how furious she would be if she knew you called her poor?  She would be more purple than you are!”  The girl grinned, but it didn't teach her eyes the way Sunset’s smiles did. “Suri Polomare, Princess of the Paupers, Diva of the Destitute.  Has a bit of a poetic ring to it, I think.”
“I...that is—I wasn't...” Twilight cringed. That hadn't been what she’d meant, at all. She had been merely espousing some basic facts, not providing a scathing social commentary on the bully’s family status or financial state. “You're reading it—” 
She was cut off by the final bell ringing, a shrill sound that always dug painfully into her ears.  Wallflower jumped up, shouldering her bag with an ugly curse that made Twilight uncomfortable all over again even as it made her grateful for Sunset’s odd manner of speech and somewhat endearing epithets.  She understood that cursing was a part of language, but the unpleasant focus and emphasis that her peers often put on the slurs of a sexual nature was more than a little awkward for a teenager who didn’t conform to heteronormative standards.
“Tell me later, Twilight—I have to go actually buy food since my parents decided to extend their stay in Fiji for another two weeks. And if you do find some kind of man eating plant monster, I call dibs for my garden!”
Then the other girl was gone, leaving Twilight’s brain buzzing and her explanation of her thoughts dying unsaid on her lips.  She sighed, and gathered up her bag. She wanted to test this detector out anyway, and the sooner she got started, the sooner she’d have something to show for it.





Twilight stopped outside the music store, baffled.  Her detector had led her to the mall first, for reasons she couldn't quite understand. Surely someone in the mall would have seen something strange?  She carefully made her way inside the store, watching her scanner as she did a slow circuit of the open space filled with instruments, racks of CDs, and various supplies that she secretly thought about surprising her girlfriend with.  The entire room held an echo of the unidentified energy, with its strongest concentration in the section where they kept electric and acoustic guitars. 
Glancing around, she saw only one clerk—a bored looking college age boy wearing a grimy band shirt for an old metal band her father liked, and a head full of longish, greasy looking dreads in a virulent shade of green that clashed heavily with neon orange skin.  He wasn't looking her way, so she pulled a few of her little sample vials out, and used a pair of tweezers to gather up some loose carpet fibers from the baseboards, and some paint chips from a spot on the wall that was peeling.
She made another circuit, even slower, testing the readings at different heights, but nothing pointed to a definitive source. It was as if whatever had caused the lingering energy signature had simply walked out—or been purchased.
“So are you gonna buy something, or are you gonna stare at your weird Gameboy all day? Like, I don't care but the boss does, so like, you might wanna look like you're gonna buy something.”  
The voice of the clerk made her jump. “Oh! Um....” Twilight spotted a set of spare strings for a guitar, and she grabbed it, before pretending to look through some music CDs. Maybe she could get Sunny a little something... Her eyes spotted a CD in the new releases rack that was from a band she knew Sunset loved, and she grabbed it too, wandering towards the counter. Maybe the clerk could tell her something.
“Oh cool, you found something after all!” Bloodshot eyes and the reek of what could only be illicit substances greeted her at the register. “Aw man, I saw this earlier, and I sooo wanna hear the new stuff. You a fan?”
“...My...best friend is. It's a gift for her,” she responded awkwardly, the word ‘girlfriend’ sitting on her tongue.  “I've listened to them with her. They have talent.”
“Oh for sure!” His head bobbed in an uncoordinated nod. “So what's with the gizmo? Aliens probing our stock again? Am I gonna glow in the dark? That’d be awesome...”
“Um. Just some strange energy readings, but it's probably nothing...unless something weird happened here? Out of the ordinary weird?” It wasn't much, but maybe?
“...nah, nothing weird ever happens here...unless you count those girls a couple months ago. That was super weird and awesome...” The clerk stared at the wall with a broad smile. “It was totally the weirdest thing ever...they were having this rocking guitar duel, right? And I dunno, maybe the hit I took on my break had something in it, but the music was so out there it was like an explosion! Have you ever heard something that sounded so good you could see it?”
“I...can't say that I have...” she responded, watching him scan the CD. 
“It was that good...like the music was making sweet love to my brain. I've never seen colors like that before—and that one girl was so good the music gave her wings to fly, girly.  It was the best feeling of my life!” 
Or maybe not.  Clearly this man was on something particularly potent, and what he was recounting was obviously some kind of hallucination induced by illegal, mind altering substances.  Someone flying because of music? Preposterous. And the rest just sounded like the standard signs of a ‘bad trip.’  She forced a smile. “That...does sound...interesting.” So much for a potential lead.
Beep! He scanned the guitar strings. “Your girl play too?” he asked, blinking blearily at her.
Her cheeks felt hot, and her breath caught. Had she given herself away? She had said ‘best friend’, right? Not girlfriend?  “My best friend is in a band,” she said evasively, just in case.  
“That's awesome! I was in a band once. We called ourselves the Limp Lizzards.” More of that empty eyed smile was directed towards her and she could practically smell his lunch on his breath under the acrid odor of what was probably marijuana.  “Didn't last though.  That’ll be thirty three seventy eight, girly.” Her stomach lurched as the stink rolled over her and flooded her nostrils.
Twilight peeled a few bills out of her pocket and shoved them at him, beyond ready to get away from him.  “That should be forty...”
“Aaand...six thirty in change. Here you go! Enjoy listening to the CD with your girl!” 
She gave an internal scream of frustration, and practically ran from the store with her purchases, not bothering to correct either his math error or his assumption.





Twilight stared at the white vehicle in sheer confusion, and double checked her device. The signal indicator did not change, and when she moved around the parked vehicle, the screen changed with her movements to always point at it.  Somehow, this car had been in contact with the energy...a good bit of the energy, but how? Why?  
Circling the car slowly, she glanced around for anyone to see her, and quickly and quietly used a small tool to scrape a little rubber off one of the tires and some of the metal off the underside of a wheel well, quickly pocketing the tiny vials containing each sample before anyone noticed her doing anything strange.  Then she circled the car again, scratching notes down in a notepad: make, model, license plate, and even the VIN which she had to squint to make out. She intended to do a little digital snooping later, to find out more about the vehicle and its history, since it was an odd sporty looking car but not particularly remarkable. The backseat was filled with what looked like sound equipment, including DJ turntables, microphones, and speakers, as well as school supplies. Nothing that stood out as unusual or a likely source for the readings she was getting, which spiked quite a bit higher than the music store had.
She was doing a quick and very rough sketch when a throat cleared behind her, making her whip around to face a girl about her age with ragged blue hair and pale skin. Pink tinted lenses blocked her ability to see the other girl’s eyes, but her lips turned up in a smile and she waved before making a series of hand gestures that she recognized as some form of sign language, though the exact meaning was lost on her. She started to say something, but the girl had already moved on to the car, sliding into the driver’s seat. With another smile and wave, she drove off, leaving a confused Twilight Sparkle coughing in a cloud of exhaust.





Purple eyes glared down at the screen of her device, at the readings that told her she was standing right on top of the greatest concentration of energy.  It couldn’t be broken, since it was built off the same measuring devices that had already recorded so much data.  That meant it was picking up something, but....
Twilight raised her gaze from the device to look around her. She was standing in the middle of the stage at the local amphitheater, looking out at empty space and surrounded by nothing but an empty stage floor. Even looking up only showed her the thin skin of the stage’s cover, so if there was something up there, it was impossible to access alone and without complex equipment.  So why was this spot so high in readings?  She started manipulating the scanner’s calibration, trying to see if she could further pinpoint the origin of the reading.
“......feel the wave of sound....”
Her head snapped up at the faint echo of music, and she looked around for its source. “Who’s there?” she called out.
“....let’s battle!” A voice whispered faintly.
The dark haired teen shook her head, and charged towards a darkened corner of the stage. “It's not funny! Come out of wherever you’re hiding!”  She could hear more faint whispering, behind a heavy curtain, and she grabbed it, jerking it out of the way, fully expecting to see people.
Only to find nothing. There was no one there.  Twilight hugged herself with a shiver. Something wasn't right, and it was making her stomach tie itself in knots. There had to be a logical explanation for this. There had to be a reasonable source for the sounds—someone must be playing a prank of some kind.  Other teenagers from the sound of it, which would line up with her experiences; her peers had no respect for scientific progress and those who pursued it.
“...Sunset Shimmer!” 
Twilight jolted, whipping around. That sounded like...like her own voice. But when had she ever cried her girlfriend’s name with such desperation? 
“....you were filled with...a lust for something...wasn't yours to have...and so We became...Does your soul hunger so badly it bleeds?” A dry voice that bore a faint resemblance to Sunset at her most sarcastic whispered from beside her.
At that faint voice, emotions welled up from somewhere inside her, so strong they felt almost disconnected from her sense of self.  Her knees threatened to buckle and she almost dropped her device under the wave of longing need and a desperate, despairing loneliness so profound it brought tears to her eyes. For an indeterminable moment, she was drowning in it, haunted by a single question that almost seemed expressed without words…
Where are You?
Sunset. She needed Sunset. She had to find Sunset.
Before she could stop and think, Twilight was running, leaving the amphitheater far behind, the sound of her footsteps keeping a tempo for the words repeating in her head. Find Sunset. 





Twilight leaned against a tree just out of view of the sidewalk, struggling to catch her breath and not get noticed by the occasional student leaving the grounds of CHS. She wasn’t sure how aggressive the rivalry would get if they saw her in her CPA uniform, but she didn’t want to risk it, not with how nasty they’d been to Sunset when she was the target of their ire.  She’d run here on some kind of panicked autopilot, only to recover her wits just before she’d entered the parking lot of the school, and ducked out of sight to avoid a group of players from one of the sports teams. She sank to a seat on a stump, trembling from cold and exhaustion, and set the device she had managed to maintain a grip on in her lap so she could retrieve her phone.
It was shaking fingers that punched in a message to Sunset’s contact, a very messy and borderline incoherent string of letters that she hoped would get her girlfriend’s attention. 
The response didn’t take long. “Sparky?” came the worried voice when she picked up the phone. “Where are you? I’m on my way. What’s wrong?”
“Behind your school. I…I don’t know. I just…I need you, Sunset. I had to find you…Please…”
“I’m on my way. Stay put. Are you in the parking lot?”
“…no…behind it. In the trees.” She squinted. “…I see your bike.”
It didn’t take more than another minute and she saw a familiar head of red and gold hair heading her way, Sunset pausing at the edge of the woods to see if anyone was nearby, before she plunged into the trees. She came right to Twilight, making the dark haired teen wonder if she was not as well hidden as she would have liked.  Twilight had just enough time to get shakily to her feet before she all but collapsed into Sunset’s embrace. “Sunny…” she breathed into an amber skinned neck, feeling her heart rate finally start to slow, and her lungs feel not quite so tight.
“Hey…” the other girl breathed. “I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” A hand rubbed up and down her back soothingly. “Deep breaths for me, okay, Sparky?”
A few minutes of breathing and being held worked a strange kind of magic on Twilight. The painful feeling in her chest eased and the panic that had caused her to flee the amphitheater finally melted away. “…I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened…I was doing some readings for my project, and I thought I was hearing things, but I couldn’t find who was doing it, and one of them sounded like you, and I had the weirdest panic attack I’ve ever had…all I could think of was getting to you, and I ran all the way here, but I didn’t want to get attacked because I know CHS and CPA are rivals and after everything they did to you, I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t just do stuff like that to me for my uniform so I hid and—”
Sunset kissed her into silence, and Twilight went limp in her arms, trusting her partner to not let her fall.  She savored the heat of warm lips on hers contrasting with the bitter winter chill, her fingers gripping the leather of Sunset’s jacket collar.  The redhead made a sound in her throat, almost like a growl and her grip tightened in a way that made Twilight feel safe rather than confined.  It was a relief, after the stress of being dragged around all afternoon for a whole lot of disappointment and agitation.
When they broke apart, Sunset rested her forehead against Twilight’s. “Better?” Her hand cupped Twilight’s cheek gently, wiping away the remnants of tears.
“…yeah…” Twilight leaned into Sunset’s palm, feeling the warmth send a tingle through her. 
“Now…can you tell me a little slower, what made you so upset?”
That, she could probably manage. “…I was taking some readings for my project, and I…I got freaked out because I thought some people were playing a prank on me. I couldn’t find them, and it…triggered a panic attack.”
A soft smile crossed Sunset’s face. “…so you came to find me?” 
“…I can’t explain it. I needed to find you. I knew you’d make it better.”  Twilight smiled. “And you did.”
Sunset chuckled. “Glad I was able to meet your expectations, Sparky.”  Then the taller girl bent down to pick up the device that had fallen from Twilight’s lap when she had jumped up. “So what’s this?”
Twilight froze, her principal’s words echoing through her mind about the nature of her research project. “…It's a device I built to give me some readings for my research,” she offered, taking it back from Sunset and checking it for damage…only to realize that it was registering a massive reading in the form of the entirety of CHS’ grounds.
“What kind of readings?” Sunset asked.
Evasively, she waved the device. “Atmospheric conditions, local EMF readings, background radiation scored, that sort of thing.”
Her girlfriend gave her a long look, a frown pulling her lips down. “Twilight...” she responded in a tone that made it clear she didn’t one hundred percent believe the other girl.
Shoulders slumped. Of course Sunset of all people would be able to read her, particularly since she already knew more about Twilight’s fascination with the energy than most people.  “I...it is for my project, but I can't really talk about it right now.  Can you just think of it like an NDA that I have to try and stick to for the duration?”
“I don't like this, Twilight...you don't know what you're dealing with, not really, and all this? Skulking around behind my school? Lying to me? Blowing up at your parents?” Each word was delivered with gentle concern but struck her like a blow.  “This isn't like you, Sparky.”
“I...” She shuffled awkwardly, stomach back to twisting in knots. “...I don't mean to...” she said softly. “...I know there’s something strange going on, with this energy, Sunset. It's not very scientific, but I feel it. This could change the world, and if I’m the one who figures it out...” Even to her girlfriend, her best friend and partner, the words wouldn't form, and she let the sentence hang.  
Sunset Shimmer sighed. “Alright, nerd...but you can't be around CHS like that. Not with the Friendship Games coming up. Everybody is on edge about them at school, and anyone seeing you in that uniform is going to lose their minds. I don't want you to get hurt or overwhelmed...so here's the deal. We go back to my place, you change into something less conspicuous, and I’ll bring you back to get your readings. By then, most of the school will be clear, and you won't be basically waving a red flag at a bull.” Fingertips brush along her throat. “And maybe while we’re at my place, I can kiss you the way I really want to...”
The husky note in Sunset’s voice made her legs feel like jelly, and the fingertips on her skin left a burning trail that only more if that touch could douse. Twilight swallowed.  “Okay,” she breathed. “Let’s go to your place.”
Sunset’s lopsided grin was better than any amount of data collection.





Her back hit the cool surface of the wall, leeching heat from her skin even through Sunset’s old dark gray hoodie.  Twilight was almost grateful for it, because the hands pressing to her stomach were so very, very hot....as was the tongue that slid against hers in a passionate kiss.  Sunset had pinned her up against the wall aggressively, sending her brain into a complete tailspin of babbled thoughts and secret desires.  Oh yes, Sunny, please, some part of her begged. Like that, oh please, more like that!  I want it, want you! Can't you see how badly?
And when that mouth pulled back so they could both pant for air, it was Sunset’s body pressing into her that held her up. Her knees wouldn’t have supported her even if she’d wanted them to, not when Sunny’s mouth was on her neck like that, finding the exact spot that drew a long, pleading moan from Twilight’s throat.  She arched herself reflexively into that stronger, taller body, feeling the way her girlfriend’s limbs with their deceptive strength kept her trapped, the way those amber skinned fingers slid along the skin of her stomach to her sides, lifting her up just a few inches and putting her entirely at Sunset’s mercy. 
Fingers dug into Sunset’s shoulders for purchase and instinct made Twilight wrap her legs around the girl pinning her.  “....Sunny....” she moaned again, finding one hand tangling in fiery curls. “....please...”
Whatever else she’d meant to say was swallowed by the mouth that covered hers with a low, almost animalistic growl. It was a growl that went straight through her, making her want nothing more than to surrender to the feelings it roused. She wanted to hear it again, that rough, possessive noise, and she ached with the need to give in completely to the desire calling to her own.  Make me yours, Sunny, that corner of her mind pleaded, unable to give the thought true voice.
Yet as badly as she wanted to end up in a tangle of sweaty limbs on Sunset’s bed or couch, she couldn't let it happen. Not without making sure Sunset was really okay with it.  Twilight could recall, with clarity, just how shaken Sunset had been the few times they’d pushed the boundaries, how awful her girlfriend seemed to feel after, and she refused to destroy what they had for a few moments of hormone driven release.  
This time it was Twilight who ended the kiss, pulling reluctantly away from Sunset’s lips and meeting gleaming eyes with a smile. “We should probably stop,” she murmured, pressing her palm to Sunset’s cheek. 
Her best friend let out a breathless, husky laugh. “Yeah...probably. I just...really wanted to kiss you.”  Carefully, she lowered Twilight back to her feet, bracing her until the dark haired teen could stand on her own, somewhat wobbly legs.  Only then did she pull away, but not without one final, soft kiss filled with affection. 
“I...didn't exactly say no,” Twilight giggled, running her fingers along the collar of the leather jacket Sunset had never taken off. 
Sunset smirked. “I’m glad you didn’t...because I like kissing you. A lot.” To prove her point, she brushed their lips together, a featherlight touch that sent a tingle up her spine. “See?”
Twilight couldn't help but giggle. “It's a mutual like, Sunny.” She hugged her girlfriend tightly. “...one I’d love to keep indulging in, but I need to get my readings completed.” She toyed with a bit of her hair. “Will you still go with me?”
Another brief kiss made her lips tingle. “I said I would. C’mon. Let’s go get you your readings, nerd.”





CHS was deserted by the time they got back, and the sun had sunk below the trees, leaving long shadows across the grounds. Sunset parked her bike in the lot, and offered Twilight a hand.  “So where do you want to take your readings?” She ran a hand through her hair. “The only place I don't recommend is the area near the front doors—there's a camera there that has a view of the whole front steps and sidewalk. I don't want either of us to get in trouble.”
That was quite logical, and Twilight nodded, already looking at her device. “I wouldn't want that either...for now, let me get closer to the building...maybe see if I can narrow down the source further.” She started walking, adjusting the scanner’s sensitivity as she moved.  “Are there more cameras back here?”
Sunset bit her lip. “A few, but I know where most of them are.” She pointed out a few points—mostly near the doors, but Twilight could only barely make out small, dark smudges that might be cameras. 
Turning in a slow half circle, Twilight determined a nearby concentration of energy. “Can you get me close to your greenhouse? Are there any cameras there?” Perhaps the source was a biological one? Mutations could arise, and plants did handle radiation and energy a lot better than animals did.
Blue-green eyes glanced towards the structure of glass and wood. “...no cameras on the outside, but they lock it at night, so we won't be able to get inside.” The other girl paused, then added, “Unless I pick the lock.”
Twilight stared at her girlfriend, her train of thought entirely derailed.  “Can you do that? Pick locks?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Sunset rubbed her arm awkwardly, staring at the ground. “I...sorta. Simple ones. Like a front door or a locker or simple locks like that. It's...not exactly something I’m proud of....I misused the skill a lot when I was a bully to get dirt on people for blackmail. Or to plant evidence. Or so I could use their phones without them knowing.” She kicked a rock into the grass. “It was...pretty handy for all of that.”
It was clear that Sunset was discomfited by the subject, and Twilight gave a quick glance around before standing on her tiptoes and kissing an amber cheek. “No matter how much I want data, I would never ask you to do something that makes you upset, Sunny.”
A crooked smile was sent her way. “Thanks, Sparky.  I know you wouldn't, but it is nice to hear it. Now come on, let's get you where you can get your readings.”  She laced their fingers together and tugged Twilight towards the greenhouse, picking a route that kept them out of sight of any cameras.
Up close, the green house was intimidatingly large—thirty feet long and probably fifteen wide, its tall sides and sloped glass roof black in the faded light.  All around it grew medium sized bushes and vines on trellises.  Twilight checked her device, and realized there was a more solid reading around the other side. “Keep watch?” she asked Sunset. “I want to scan the entire perimeter, but you are right about our schools’ rivalry, and I’d rather not put you in a potentially uncomfortable position.”
Amber skinned fingers brushed her cheek. “Alright, nerd. Go do your thing.”
Twilight let herself lean into the touch briefly, turning her head to kiss the tips of those digits. Then she turned her attention back to her device. She needed to focus, and her girlfriend was proving to be extremely distracting just by being in close proximity.  The teen started walking around the outside of the greenhouse, watching as the signal got stronger with every step. On the other side, the high point in her readings turned out to be a collection of berry plants growing up a trellis that bore a great deal of resemblance to blackberry brambles...but thornless, and with leaves shaped wrong.  What was most unusual was that the bushes were in peak bloom.  In January.  
Lowering her scanning tool, Twilight studied the plants and their fruit more closely.  The leaves were long and blade-like, and the fruit looked like blackberries or raspberries with fewer of the little fruit nodules on each berry. It was hard to tell if they were the purple black of blackberries or if they were another color that only looked black in the low light conditions.  The air around them was sweet smelling, fruity and tangy--strangely familiar, too, though she couldn’t place where or why--and even the greenery of the plants smelled pleasant.  Twilight retrieved some more sample containers from her bag, using a pair of tweezers to pluck a few leaves and some of the berries—all of which seemed fully ripe, rather than existing in various stages of ripeness and growth like a normal plant might.  Something was definitely off.
She’d barely managed to finish sealing her samples when Sunset’s voice called to her. “Sparky, come here!”  It wasn't quite a yell. It was more a stage whisper hissed around the side of the greenhouse. 
Twilight put the samples in her bag hurriedly and rushed back around to rejoin her girlfriend.  “What is it? Is someone coming?”
Sunset was dusting off her jeans, putting something back in her coat pocket. “....no, but I...” One hand pushed the door open to the greenhouse. “Thought you might want to see the inside?” she offered sheepishly.
“You...did you pick the lock?” Twilight was shocked. “I wasn't going to ask you to do that, Sunny...”
A crooked smile is sent her way. “I...I know, but it's just the greenhouse, and we’re not going to touch anything...and I thought maybe...” The redhead rubbed the back of her neck. “I thought maybe you could get better readings inside...and it's pretty in there. They grow all sorts of neat plants and flowers and it smells good and it's soothing to me. I don't come out here much but I always enjoy it when I get the chance.”
Biting her lip, Twilight stepped close to her fiery maned paramour, reaching out to take her hand.  “Thank you for doing this, Sunny—I really do appreciate it.”  She paused, hugging that arm to her chest.  “I just want to make sure that you don't think you need to compromise on what you’re comfortable with to make me happy...”
“I...wasn't...we’re not going to mess with anything or break anything, and I’ll relock it on the way out. I...guess I’m okay with it, just this once because I wanted to show you our greenhouse—it's Principal Celestia’s personal project at CHS—she loves gardening and sometimes she joins in with the horticulture classes on her lunch.  It's pretty...and you can take your readings...” Sunset tugged her inside.
There were some low level emergency lights casting the whole greenhouse in a mix of sharp shadows and pale light, but even in the dimness, Twilight was dumbstruck by just how impressive this small space was. Filled with flourishing plants, some with gorgeous flowers despite the time of year, others the kind that would produce fruits or vegetables, and still others that just smelled like springtime, the greenhouse was something else, and it put the one at Crystal Prep to shame. “Oh...” she breathed, staring. “Oh, wow...”
Sunset brought their linked hands up so she could kiss Twilight’s knuckles. “Told you it was pretty...” she murmured against lavender skin, her face half hidden in the shadows of her hair.  
“It...it really is,” Twilight agreed, allowing her girlfriend to lead her deeper into the building. “My friend at school—Wallflower? She would go crazy over a greenhouse like this. The one at my school isn't this nice or this big.”
The redheaded girl chuckled. “Well...maybe after all the Friendship Games nonsense dies down, you can bring her over after school, and I can see about getting permission...and a key...to show it to her?” 
Smiling, Twilight leaned into the warm body next to her that chased away what chill lingered in the relatively comfortable building from the door being opened. “That might be nice.  I...I’ve been thinking about introducing you to Wallflower.  She could use more friends since the ones we used to have at school are mostly gone now, and I think she would be happier if she had other people in her life besides me.”  She bit her lip. “Her parents are kind of awful.”
“I’m happy to meet your friend, Sparky, however you want to introduce me. If you want, we could plan something at some point, maybe shopping or milkshakes or something?” 
Twilight nodded against a leather clad shoulder. “I will have to find time to arrange something. Maybe I can inquire deeper as to her personal tastes and interests, so I can find a mutual activity that all three of us will enjoy. I've known her for several years, but I realize I have not been the best friend to her...and I want to remedy that.”
Her girlfriend chuckled. “There’s always room for improvement, right?”
“Exactly.” The dark haired girl was once again reminded of how nice it was to have someone like Sunset, who just understood what she was trying to say. A happy little smile grew on her face as she started to fiddle with her scanner, preparing to scan the room.
“You know,” Sunset murmured, leaning close to nibble on her earlobe, “there was another reason I wanted to show you the inside of the greenhouse.” 
A shiver went down Twilight’s spine at the sound of her best friend’s voice practically purring in her ear. “Y-yeah?” She stumbled over the word when Sunset’s tongue traced the outside edge of her ear. 
“Yeah...there’s no camera in here, Sparky...which means I can do this without getting caught...”
Hungry lips claimed hers a moment later, and Twilight let out a little squeak of surprise...though it quickly became a moan as Sunset’s tongue warred with hers. Later, she would dimly recall placing her scanning tool on a table so she could wrap her arms around the redhead and return the tight embrace she found herself in, all thoughts of scientific readings and unusual energy chased from her mind by the sheer intensity of the feelings racing through her body.
> Chapter Eighty Nine: Magical Overload
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset found herself pacing under the bleachers by the soccer field, feeling disconnected and agitated...and more than a little guilty.  Right now, the rest of her friends were up in the bleachers, cheering on Rainbow Dash during early tryouts for the varsity soccer team.  Her ears caught snippets of the conversation as she paced in an oblong path underneath them.
“Rares...do we have ta wear this get up? Ah know we’re here for Dash, but we look like a gay pride parade got lost.”
“Dearest, they're her colors. We are trying to look supportive and keep warm at the same time,” Rarity responded to her partner.  “And you know very well that the Pride rainbow has some significant differences and variations.”
Applejack groaned. “Don’t go there. Ah’ve been tryin’ fer years ta block that memory from mah mind. Those weren’t shorts, they were a glorified technicolor belt.”
 “They were not. Honestly, the way you go on sometimes, Applejack! You’d think I do naught but torment you. And since your memory works that well, I trust you are capable of spotting the differences without me pointing them out.”  She paused. “As for what we are wearing today, they’re nothing more than a slight accent to our attire in an attempt to cheer on a friend.”
“Besides!” Pinkie chirped cheerfully. “They match the cupcakes I brought! Want one, Fluttershy?”
“Oh thank you, Pinkie...”
She should have been up there with them, watching their friend put her all into making the team.  Instead, she was here, hiding while her mind went over the events of the week, trying to make sense from it all. It had started when Rarity and AJ had met her in the hall the other morning in front of her locker, both with worry etched into their faces....





“Girls? What’s wrong?” Sunset looked between the pair, feeling her stomach twist. 
“Mac got the truck stuck in mud this mornin’…” AJ began. “So we got some boards down an’ Ah went ta maybe lift the front an inch’r so ta get the boards under the wheels…”
She trailed off and Sunset furrowed her brows. “Okay…so why do you look upset?”
“Sunset, Ah lifted the whole front half o’ the truck with mah hands…an’ it felt like it weighed nothin’ at all.”  Applejack looked at her. “Couldn’t do that before…an’ Ah had that feelin’ inside, like when Ah Pony-Up.”
Sunset blinked, rocking back on her heels at this information. “You’re saying you had some kind of magic surge…and it made you super strong?”
“Eeeeyuuup.” AJ took off her hat and scratched her scalp. “Didn’t last too long. Maybe twenty or thirty seconds—Rares saw the whole thing.”
“I did,” the tailor confirmed. “She did seem to glow a bit, like we do sometimes right before a Pony-Up, but it wasn’t…it…seemed different? I do not know how else to describe it, as I am…not accustomed to magic, Sunset.  It's quite the new experience for me.”





Sunset had spent most of that day worrying, instructing all of her friends to let her know if anything unusual happened or if they had any unexpected magical events.  They hadn’t, but her weekly scans around the school had shown that the ambient magic was still creeping upwards, and she was beginning to catch brief flickers of what the former unicorn thought might be newly active leylines beneath their feet. 
It didn’t help that she had so little she could offer in the way of answers, not to her friends or to the principals, who were counting on her to research and understand the magic and provide them with some kind of guide or instructions on how to best handle it.  The former unicorn had gone through every book she’d gotten and all the notes Princess Twilight had given her, looking for answers, and found nothing more concrete than ancient Equestrian myths, mostly from her people but some from other creatures as well.  Myths that had been old when Princess Celestia had been a foal.  Only a fool relied on myths as hard fact without a lot of evidence to back it up…evidence that was lost to time.  
She found herself cursing Discord—the Princess of the Sun had always been adamant that the bulk of their ancient culture had been lost in the Discordian Era, more than had been lost in the Warring Tribes Era.  Knowledge of not just history, but of ancient magics, and wonders that ponykind hadn’t seen since, some of which were periodically rediscovered—like the Sonic Rainboom—and many of which would be lost outside the annals of legend and myth.
“Sunset?” Fluttershy’s voice broke through her thoughts, making the former unicorn halt in her pacing.  “Are you okay?”
Blue-green eyes looked towards the voice, finding Fluttershy peering down at her through the gap in the bleachers. “Hmm? Oh…Yeah, I’m okay, Fluttershy.”
“But you’re hiding under the bleachers and pacing in circles…” Her friend looked concerned. “…is something bothering you?”
Sunset’s shoulders sagged, and she ran her hands through her hair. “It's just more of the same, Fluttershy—I still have no idea what’s going on with our magic, which is still growing, and now it looks like I’m not the only one having magic surges, and I don’t even have any real information to know whether or not this is good, or bad, or some kind of manifestation of human response to having magic. All I’ve got are legends and myths, folktales thousands of years old.”
Fluttershy frowned, glancing back briefly as their friends cheered for Rainbow Dash. “You mean like Applejack getting really strong? Do you think something like that might happen to all of us?”
Isn't that the two million bit question? Sunset thought bitterly. “I don't know…like I said, all I’ve are my people’s equivalent of…” she searched for a comparison, and remembered something her English teacher had commented on. “…It's like your Arthurian mythos. Sure, maybe ponies like Rockhoof or Mistmane or even Gusty the Great were real, and maybe they did do something important, but the stories they came from were pieces that were passed down from more than six or seven thousand years, including an entire thousand years where Discord’s Chaos and pandemonium meant creatures and cultures across Equestria lost nearly everything, since the effects of his roving chaos storms meant a village was lucky if it survived two decades.  We were almost driven to extinction—Princess Celestia once told me that the population of ponies in Equestria by the time Discord was sealed away was less than a hundred thousand.  A thousand years of that…we lost almost everything that we couldn't carry, and when you have starving foals, you're going to prioritize food and shelter over old books. Most of the knowledge that lasted was either sealed away and rediscovered later, or it was passed on from one pony to the next, orally or by demonstration.”
The animal lover’s eyes were wide by the time Sunset finished her explanation. “That so awful!” This time she didn't turn to see what Applejack was suddenly yelling and stomping her feet over. “That…can't happen anymore, can it?”
Sunset blew air out her nostrils. “Not unless somepony does something foolish and frees Discord from his prison.  He was sealed away thousands of years ago by the Elements of Harmony.” She sighed. “It's the last known use of them before a thousand years ago, when the pony I now know was Princess Celestia used them to imprison her sister in the moon. Then they went missing until Princess Twilight and your pony counterparts found them and fixed Princess Luna.”  Her skin prickled, mimicking the way her hide would have rippled as a pony. “Each of those stories is self-contained, and two of the wielders were alicorns, so they were already super powerful, bigger, tougher, stronger, and more magically capable than the average pony, meaning they are data points I cant use.  And I’ve looked over everything the princess gave me—there's so little there because she's lacking data. Yes, her Dash is faster than before and her AJ is super strong, but how much of it is their own magic as a pony or even just pony biology?  Its left me with nothing to work from, Fluttershy. Not for any of this. I’m going in blind.”
Head resting on her hands, Fluttershy asked, “So why not treat it like a completely new thing? Like when they discover a new animal, they try to get all kinds of notes on its behavior first before they start comparing it to other species.”
The former unicorn stopped in her pacing, turning the suggestion over in her head a few times.  Was she looking too hard at the magic she’d always known for the answers? It was hard to tell if she was, because the magic that they had felt like the magic of the Elements, and her own power was decidedly unicorn magic flavored…but there was also an unknown quality to both now, something that felt….different than any magic she’d ever seen or touched. 
“Sunset?” Fluttershy’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts once more. 
“Sorry…I was just thinking about your suggestion. I…don't want to completely throw out what I know from Equestria about magic because some of it does apply and our magic does have the same feel as magic in Equestria….” She scuffed a foot along hard-packed earth.
“But…?”
Sunset blew air out her nostrils in a snort that steamed in the air.  “…but I guess instead of getting angry and frustrated when I don't have an answer or something contradicts what I know I should look for the answer or take more notes, and realize maybe this is a thing that makes our magic different.”
Booted feet start pacing a path along the earth again, her mind racing.  “So far, we’ve had several major events that have caused powerful magical effects and the creation of powerful wards, enchantments and even impossible transmutations, the spontaneous generation of native Equestrian plants, and now Applejack is reporting magic surges that are increasing her strength a hundredfold.”  Sunset looked up at Fluttershy. “Maybe the rest of you should be on the lookout for new magical effects.”
“Like what?” Fluttershy asked.
The former unicorn sighed heavily, throwing her hands up. “I don't know!” came the frustrated growl.  Fluttershy made a sound of surprise and distress that forced Sunset to rein in her temper forcefully. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” she apologized. “I’m not mad at you…I’m just frustrated at the situation—I want to help, I should be able to offer you something, but I can’t.  As many years as I had at CSGU, it's no good when the magic here seems to be operating on its own set of rules.”  Her hands tangled in her hair in a very human gesture of frustration, gripping her scalp for a moment.  “I guess…just look out for magical things happening that have never happened before, or anything far above and beyond your normal abilities.  You should feel the magic inside you….rising up…like it's responding to something, even if nothing is going on.  If there are people around…try to be away from them or at least point yourself in a direction they aren't.”
In her mind’s eye, she saw herself on the bed with Twilight, magic burning in her veins so strongly it hurt, and the moment of fear she’d felt when to felt like her power was about to burst out of her, that she might do to her girlfriend like she’d done to ponies and objects in the past. Sunset shuddered, shaking herself to throw off the memories.  “Magic surges can be dangerous,” she added.
They could also attract attention that neither she nor the girls needed. If Twilight could detect the energy, then any one with the right technology and know how could. Sunset was already having to invent ways to distract her overly curious girlfriend until she could figure out what to tell her—if she even could. Equestria was an entire world that was not prepared for broadscope contact with humankind, and Sunset was an Equestrian exile who had no authority to make a decision to tell someone who wasn't already in the know about the magic about the world of her birth.  She could ask Princess Twilight, but the mare had only just found out she had a friend other than the girls and she wasn't sure if she was up for explaining the relationship she had with the human Twilight Sparkle to the pony one.
The former unicorn turned in a smooth arc, pacing back the way she had come, brows pinched together in a frown. Guilt and self loathing gnawed at her. She wasn't even sure if the princess was still talking to her, given their last conversation and it’s abrupt end, with the alicorn no longer responding in the journal after Sunset had been…less than kind in venting some of the bitterness that still lingered around the subject of Princess Celestia.  It wasn't something she meant to do, but her temper had slipped a little and before she could stop herself, the words had been written, something she couldn't take back.
Her stomach twisted sourly, making her regret the vegetarian burrito she’d had for lunch. Sunset was slipping badly in the last two weeks. She’d gotten ugly with the princess over nothing, she’d snapped at Fluttershy, and just the other day, she’d panicked when she had found her girlfriend behind her school, and misused the affection the other girl had for her to derail her investigation. Just like the kinds of tactics she’d used in her past…though it was the first time she’d ever used her own body as the tool, and it made her feel…
“…set…?” 
Dirty. Sunset felt dirty, and showering didn't make it go away. Twilight was her best friend, her girlfriend, the one person who she trusted more than anyone, and what she had done was wrong. She’d used the way Twilight felt, the desire and affection and trust between them as a way to manipulate the situation.  
“…unset?”
And the fact that she had enjoyed it made it even worse! The entire thing had been instigated with an ulterior motive, but once she had started, she had lost herself in the heated kisses and tight embrace.  It hadn't been her original plan—she had mostly been focused on keeping Twilight away from the statue—and the greenhouse had been a perfect way to let the inquisitive teen get her readings without actually scanning anything important.  
“…Sunset?”
Granted, Sunset would be lying if she said she hadn't wanted to show off the small, quiet space that was the greenhouse just a little. It was private, intimate, and it reminded her of Equestria, surrounded by the low level hum of magic and vibrantly growing plants, many of them that were both food and decorative to her, and she thought it was pretty…but when Twilight had started to mess around with her scanner, Sunset had seized upon the memory of how Twilight had been utterly invested when they had been kissing in the loft, and before she could stop herself, she’d had her girlfriend sitting on the nearest open space on one of the plant platforms, legs wrapped around Sunset’s waist while the redhead had kissed her until she could barely remember her own name. 
It had worked better than she anticipated, especially since she’d gotten caught up in it herself, surrounded by the scents of growing things and clean air and freshly churned earth and it was only when Twilight’s phone went off with a call from her concerned parents that they’d realized how long they’d been making out in the CHS greenhouse. She’d driven Twilight home, and left her in her driveway with a silly little smile on her face, getting a sweet kiss and a giddy sounding thanks from her girlfriend before she’d headed home herself.
By the time she had gotten home, she felt nauseous and awful, the warm feeling replaced by shame and self-loathing, and she’d limited herself to the nightly text chats and short good night calls that Twilight liked to sneak in before they both fell asleep, feeling like she barely even deserved that much. It hurt inside, knowing that at the first sign of panic, she’d fallen right back into her old habits without even realizing it until it was too late.
“Oh my gosh! Sunset!? Are you okay!?” Fluttershy’s voice finally cut through the mental static, and the former bully jerked herself to a halt in her pacing to stare at her for a long minute. Fluttershy frowned in worry. “Sunset?”
“I—” Her voice broke, and she cleared it, trying to dispel the choking lump that had lodged itself there. “Why wouldn't I be? I was just a little lost in thought.” The feeling of something squeezing her chest, making it impossible to breathe, intensified.
“Sunset,” her friend said gently, “you’re crying…”
One hand came up to her face and found that her cheeks were wet. “Oh…”
Fluttershy ignored the frantic call of her name, staying focused on Sunset. “Did you want to talk about it? Or want me to come down there and hug you? Dashie will understand.”
Sunset scrubbed the tears away furiously, before looking at Fluttershy.  She couldn't explain, not yet, and—
“Fluttershy! Look out!” came a cry from the field, and several things happened at once. 
Magic surged along her awareness like a powerful bolt of lightning, stunning her with its intensity.  There was a rush of wind, a blur of color, and then Fluttershy vanished from where she was peering through the bleachers at Sunset. A second later a soccer ball smacked into the spot that the animal lover had been in, followed by a thud from behind Sunset. 
“Fluttershy, are you okay?” Rainbow asked from over Sunset’s shoulder.
The former unicorn pivoted, already hearing the rest of their friends clamoring off the bleachers to come find them. Rainbow and Fluttershy were standing about a dozen feet from her and the athlete was hurriedly checking her friend for injury. The soft-spoken teen just looked bewildered more than anything. “I’m okay Rainbow Dash.  What…just happened?” she asked.
“Flitter kicked the ball all wrong when Lightning Dust hit her in the ankle,” Dash explained. “It was gonna hit you in the head, Shy. So I got you outta there.”  
“Exceptin’ the part where ya were all the way across the field, an’ ya covered it faster than Ah could blink,” Applejack drawled.
“Or the massive magic surge you just had,” Sunset said quietly. She shuffled in agitation, resisting the urge to pace again.  “Which was definitely some kind of surge—did you pony up at all?”
Rainbow reached up and ran a hand over the top of her head.  “No ears, and I didn't feel wings. Are you sure it was really magic? I didn't really feel anything like that…”
“I know a magic surge when I sense one, Rainbow,” Sunset responded tightly. “And I know what your magic feels like. It was definitely a surge from you.”
Rarity made a thoughtful sound. “And you did cross a considerable distance rather quickly, darling. As fast as you are, even you are not capable of those kinds of speed unaugmented. No human would be.”
“Eyup…crossed the field on a diagonal in less time than it took that ball ta fly. Ain’t no one that fast, Dash.”
Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno. I just saw Fluttershy was gonna get nailed and I had to stop it.  It's not really a big deal, even if it was magic—and if it is? Cool! Maybe I’ll end up like the Flash!”  
Sunset rubbed her temples. “Dash, it's not really something you can—”
Shouts for the athlete interrupted Sunset, and Dash grinned apologetically at her. “Sorry, Shimmer. Gotta go back to tryouts. My team needs me to win it! We can talk later, okay?” And then she was running back towards the field. 
Exasperated, Sunset thunked her head back against one of the support posts of the bleachers, much to murmurs of concern from the other girls. She heard Rarity clear her throat uneasily. “Sunset, darling, please correct me if I happen to be misremembering and misunderstanding your previous conversation on the matter…but I was under the impression that uncontrolled surges of magic had an element of danger to them?”
“There can be,” Sunset sighed. “Which is why I’m worried and I wish Dash would take this seriously.” The former unicorn took a deep breath to calm herself. “Magic surges for a unicorn don't come with things like super powers. Its more uncontrollable spell effects for us—I used to start fires or cause explosions.” A faint memory of a study room ablaze and panicking while she tried to keep the flames away from the terrified alicorn filly, fire licking painfully up her own legs made her shudder.  “It almost killed me more than once.  I can’t say these could be like that, but think for a moment.  AJ could pick up a car. What happens if that strength shows up when she goes to clap a hand on someone’s shoulder or worse if it happens when she goes to hit someone?”
“Oh dear. I can see where that would be problematic.” Rarity touched Sunset’s arm with a concerned hand. “What can we do?”
With a shake of her head, Sunset looked at her friends. “Honestly? I don't know. This magic is similar but different to what I know. I’m sorry. I should be able to help, and you guys are relying on me to help figure out all this magic, but I…don't have an answer for you.”
She hung her head, feeling guilty that she had no real answers to give, when Rarity squeezed her shoulder. “Sunset…that’s quite alright if you don't know. No one here is expecting you to be all-knowing. We will figure this out together, darling—we always have, and you said yourself, no one person is meant to have all the answers.” Rarity glanced in the direction that the soccer player had run off. “As for Rainbow, in all the years we’ve been acquainted, I’ve never known her to take anything overly serious…but it does not mean she’s not paying attention to what you’re saying, or the warnings you are trying to convey.”
Applejack tipped her hat back from her face. “…Rares is right, Sunset. We’re in this together, like ya said before, an’ that means figuring out the magic as much as it does hittin’ magic monsters in the face.  We’re here ta help, an’ ya need ta let us.”
“Yup!” Pinkie chirped. “And if that means we have to really work hard on learning about magic like you, Sunset, we’ll do it!  I can tell you all about my Pinkie Sense!”
Fluttershy moved to hug Sunset around the shoulders. “…This magic is as much our responsibility as it is yours.  We might not understand everything, but we can try our best to help you figure it out, even if it's just us being a sounding board for your thoughts and ideas.”
Blue-green eyes took in the faces of each of her friends, even as the faint trickle of magic from each of them wrapped around her soul.  “…I…you’re right. I guess I got so caught up in being the only Magus among us that I forgot that I can ask for help.”
“Who knows,” Applejack added, rubbing her chin, “mebbe we’ll think of things that you wouldn’t, cuz we’re not workin’ off thousands of years of rules and traditions about magic.”
The pale skinned tailor made a loose gesture at the group, arching a brow at Sunset as if to say ‘See?’  “So why don't you tell us what we can do first to take some of the weight off your shoulders, darling?”
Sunset felt a smile creep onto her face. “…Alright,” she agreed. “Well, to start, we need to all be on the lookout for potential surges in ourselves and each other, which means each of you needs to get familiar with not only the feeling of your own magic, but the feel of each other’s…”  She found herself relaxing as she fell into the rhythm of working with her friends to prepare themselves for whatever their magic threw at them next.
> Chapter Ninety: Light the Night with Stars Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Idling at a red light, Sunset glanced skyward, pleased to see that the late afternoon sky was remarkably clear.  The weather was the one part of the evening that she couldn’t control, and she’d spent the last few days checking the weather constantly and hoping that there wouldn’t be any surprise storms to ruin all the planning she’d put into the evening.  She didn’t expect the night to go perfect—she didn’t expect to get that lucky—but she wanted it to go well.  She needed this. Twilight needed this, and she’d spent weeks planning how to make it happen the way she wanted. 
That was truer now than it had been a few weeks ago, after what she’d done to keep Twilight away from the magic.  Sunset had to do something to make amends for using the younger girl’s feelings against her like that…even if Twilight didn’t know it was an apology.  She’d already sworn to never resort to those kinds of underhanded, deceitful tactics ever again, but there was still this urge to do something to balance the scales, to set things right somehow.  Hopefully, this would be a step in the right direction.
Hopefully it wouldn’t blow up in her face. 
The redhead laughed, a self-mocking sound stolen by the winter wind as she waited for the light to turn. There was a fair chance that she’d guessed wrong, and this whole thing would just upset her girlfriend, but Sunset was determined to give it a try anyway. Even if it ended with Twilight upset with her—something she felt she deserved, given her manipulative actions in the greenhouse—Sunset could say she did try her best.
An icy wind gusted as the light turned green, cutting through her and making her more than a little glad that she’d dressed warmly in some of the winter clothing that the her girlfriend’s family had gifted her over the holiday, and that, on top of a blanket to keep them off the frosty grass, she’d brought a thick, soft warm blanket to cover up with once it got dark and the temperature plummeted.  It would be no fun for either of them to end up with frostbite while watching the meteor shower.   
Right at that moment, the blanket was serving a secondary purpose in the storage compartment of the bike that was equally important in her eyes…





Night considered her question for a long moment. “You’d need a pretty powerful telescope for that, Sunset, one with several attachments to allow for a camera to be used with it with significant power and sensitivity to capture anything.  Those are pretty expensive, kiddo, and you’d probably have to custom order it.”
Her shoulders fell with her mood, and she sighed. Money wasn’t as much of an issue—time was, and even though her finances were such that she could afford to splurge sometimes, she couldn’t justify the amount of money it would take for a rush job to get her what she wanted in less than two weeks. “Oh. Never mind then. It was just a thought, because I know she’s really wanted to get into stellar photography, and the pictures she can take with her current setup are just not as vibrant and pretty as she wants. I wanted to do something that would make this meteor shower even better…”
The man held up a hand. “…I might have a solution for you, Sunset, one I think will help you give our Twily the best night she’s had all year. I have a nicer telescope that would work for what you want, and it does have the attachments you need. I use it sometimes for work, when I need to go out and get imagery from much more remote locations or locations from specific geographic coordinates.  Normally, I’m the only one allowed to touch it, but you’re a very responsible young woman, and I’d be willing to loan it out to you for the night, if you’re interested. I’d want to walk you through the setup and use of it before you could take it with you, just so you know how to do what you want with it, but it is an option…”





Night had made good on the offer, showing her how to work the telescope that was now secured carefully in its case in her bike’s storage, the thick blanket wrapped around it for added protection…and to keep it a surprise until she set it up later. Of course, it meant she had to pack other things in the backpack that was heavy on her back, that Twilight would have to shoulder on their way to the observatory…but something told her than the reaction she’d get when she pulled out Night’s high end, expensive telescope would be worth the inconvenience.
Sunset smiled faintly, the prospect of the night already lifting her spirits as she pulled into the neighborhood and onto Twilight’s street.  They had the meteor shower at the observatory, and then it’d be back to the Sparkle house for the Friday night sleepover that was, in many cases, the highlight of her week, surrounded by the feeling of a family that cared about her, and with her sweet nerd of a best friend and girlfriend curled up in her arms and hugging her tight.  It was more often than not, the one night a week where she didn’t feel like her problems were closing in on her.
Pulling in behind Cadence’s cheerful little four-door, she shut the bike off and headed for the door. It was a little earlier than they would need to beat the crowd of sky watchers to a good spot, but that was all part of Sunset’s plan.  She knocked, and jolted back a little when it was a very chipper looking Cadence pulled her inside. “Come on in, Sunset! Twilight is just getting changed!” she said, her voice loud enough that it would carry up the stairs. The resulting thud from overhead suggested Twilight had heard her…and tripped over something in the process.
“Hi, Cadence,” the redhead greeted. 
The pink skinned woman beamed at her, and lowered her voice. “Did you get everything okay?”
On some level she should have expected this, given how the woman had acted when she had sought her advice while Twilight was in the shower the Friday before…





Cadence let out a loud, ear piercing squeal, and Sunset flinched—partially from pain and partially out of worry that the other residents of the house would want to know what was wrong. “Cadence!” she hissed. “Do you mind keeping it down?”
“I’m sorry,” the woman apologized, “but this is a big deal! I can’t help it!”
The redheaded girl shook her head. “Except the whole point is to not make a big deal of it. That’s the opposite of what Twilight would want…and it's not really what I want either.”
Twilight’s sister-in-law sobered, considering Sunset seriously for a long time. “Then what exactly do you want?” she asked at last. “And how can I help make it happen?”
Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “…Nothing big, nothing overly showy or obvious. I want it to be something that fits for us. Something that will mean a lot to Twilight, make it everything she could ever want, without drawing attention to her, or to us. That’s a definite no-go, with how upset and anxious she gets if she thinks someone has an inkling about us.”
That almost set the woman to squealing again. “Oh, you’re so sweet! Twily is so lucky to have a girl like you—do you know how many women would kill for a boyfriend half as caring and attentive?”  At Sunset’s glare, she lowered her volume. “I mean it, Sunset—it's hard to find any kind of partner who is as sweet and focused on the other person’s happiness as you are with Twilight.  I hope Twilight knows how lucky she is to have you.”
“…I’m the lucky one,” Sunset responded with heat flooding her cheeks. “…Twilight is the amazing one, not me.”  
The smirk on Cadence’s face was filled with an emotion that Sunset couldn’t quite put a name to. It was more than amused, but not arrogant enough to be smug.  “If you say so,” she commented, before her face turned much more contemplative. “…On a more serious note, I have a few ideas of what you could do…”





Sunset smiled, nodding her head and feeling somewhat bemused by the other woman's excitement. It was hard to tell whether or not this was some kind of human thing, being so overly delighted by someone having a romantic relationship and the various ‘milestones’ involved, or if it was the kind of thing present more as a result of certain personality types and age groups. Given both the nature of a number of girls at the school and Rarity’s reaction to even the idea of a romantic partnership for one of her friends, she was willing to believe the real answer might have been ‘both.’  “Yeah,” she said, rubbing her neck a little awkwardly. “I did.  I picked up several of the choices on the list you gave me. It gives her the ability to decide what she likes better, and whatever’s left can be saved for tomorrow.”
Clapping her hands, Cadence couldn’t resist and swept the former unicorn into a hug that would have made her ribs creak if she hadn’t gotten used to hugs from Pinkie Pie and Applejack.  “This is going to be so great…our Ladybug is just going to adore this when you pull it off!” Her eyes were dancing brightly when she pulled back, an arm remaining to start leading Sunset towards the kitchen. “Come on, Mom’s got the rest organized for you like you asked for. It should be all ready and secure to stick in your bag.  We want to get it all hidden away before Twilight remembers how to put on pants,” she whispered impishly. “That way we don’t spoil your surprise.”
The woman was still grinning when she dragged Sunset into the kitchen with her, and Velvet chuckled. “Calm down a little, dear,” she chided Cadence gently. “Let Sunset walk on her own—honestly, the way you’re behaving, anyone would think you were the one heading up to the observatory tonight instead of Twily.”
Cadence released Sunset with a sheepish expression. “I’m sorry, Mom…” She shifted from foot to foot a little. “I’ve just been worried about Twilight too. She’s not been quite herself the last few weeks, and I’m with Sunset on this—she needs a fun night out of the house and away from her project and her worries about school to destress.”
Velvet smiled warmly at Sunset, pulling the former unicorn into one of her hugs. “And who better to see that she gets it than her best friend,” she said with a light laugh. 
“Yes ma’am,” Sunset responded cheerfully, taking her backpack off so Velvet could carefully rearrange the items inside to accommodate her contributions to the evening.  “I swear, she’ll have a good night, even if I have to sit on her and tickle her until she’s laughing so hard she can’t talk.”
Carefully settling several containers in the bag, Velvet shook her head. “I don’t think it will come to that, sweetheart. You’ve put so much effort into it that I can’t imagine Twilight being anything but delighted with the surprise.”
Sunset felt more than a little relieved that Mrs. Velvet was taking this calmly—more like she’d hoped, honestly, without the dramatics and noise Cadence had been expressing—and that her girlfriend’s parents took her carefully presented explanation for the night’s plans that, while not a lie, didn’t explore the depth of exactly what she had in mind to do. 
And if Velvet’s smile seemed a tad bigger than normal, or her hug just a little tighter, the redhead believed it was because she was a worried mom, hoping that the night would pull Twilight out of her anxious, stressed mindset that was becoming more and more prevalent as the days went by.  It didn’t take a genius to realize that the prospect of Twilight’s general disposition becoming less moody and short tempered would make Velvet happy, and since it was Sunset’s idea, Sunset was the one on the receiving end of her reaction.
“I’ll finish repacking your bag, Sunset. Why don’t you go see if Twilight’s ready to go yet?” Velvet suggested. “You know how she can get when she’s really excited.”
She laughed brightly. “I do, and I’ll do that! We don’t want to lose out on a good spot!”  It was all the excuse she needed to take the stairs two at a time so she could start the night off right with a proper hello for her girlfriend before they were out in the public eye…and this time, the only ulterior motive behind it was in making this whole evening as close to perfect as Sunset Shimmer could manage.  “Sparky?” she called, knocking on the younger girl’s bedroom door.
“You can come in, Sunny! I was just putting my socks on!” Twilight answered back.
The chipper excitement in her voice boded well for the beginning of the night, and Sunset slipped into the bedroom, dodging Spike as he darted out to run down the stairs, collar jingling.  “Hey, nerd,” she greeted playfully, shutting the door behind her and clicking the lock. 
Twilight grinned at her from her seat on the bed, her hair still loose around her neck and damp from the shower. “You’re earlier than I tho—”
Sunset crossed to the bed, stepping into the space between Twilight’s knees and leaning down to capture her mouth, swallowing the rest of her sentence.  Amber fingers tangled in dark hair, and the former unicorn focused on drawing out the kiss, focusing on affection and sweetness rather than the heated hungers that had colored so many of their recent encounters.  She could feel her companion’s momentary surprise give way to an eager response, feel Twilight’s hands come up to rest on her shoulders—not quite a hug, but still a touch that communicated to Sunset that she wanted the embrace to linger as long as possible.  
The redheaded teen broke the kiss to let them breathe, only to close the distance again to continue after a few panted breaths, still wanting more and not done trying to turn Twilight into a giggling giddy mess.  It wasn’t until her girlfriend fell back on the bed, pulling Sunset down with her that she pulled back, brushing their lips together one final time as she rested their foreheads together. She could feel Twilight panting for air under her; each time her girlfriend inhaled, it pressed her up into Sunset’s chest, making her nerves tingle and magic flicker in her soul. 
Twilight gave her a soft, silly smile, running fingers along the outline of one ear and down her neck. “…hi…” she giggled. “…I missed you all week.”
“Missed you too, Sparky,” Sunset admitted in a whisper. “…I’m sorry.”
“For what?” the other girl asked, her arms going around Sunset in a hug and in no hurry to have her girlfriend move.
Sunset felt guilt rear up. “…for being distant most of the week, and for…going a little too far in the greenhouse.  It…I should have stopped way before I did, or maybe not started kissing you there at all—”
Lips found hers this time, keeping her from going off on a downward spiral of apologies and self-recriminations. “Sunny, it’s okay.  I understand you were busy and had a lot on your mind—more than I realized.” Twilight stroked fingers over her cheek now. “…You didn’t go too far in the greenhouse—we didn’t go any further than we have here, and there was no one there to see us. I know I was frustrated because I lost track of time and didn’t get as many readings as I wanted to, but you also didn’t have to help me…and I wasn’t exactly an unwilling participant in kissing you hard enough to almost knock those tomato plants off the table.”  
She ran a thumb over Sunset’s lower lip, sending a tingle through the former unicorn’s nerve endings.  “Besides, Mom and Dad weren’t even mad when I explained that you were with me while I was looking for readings, and that you brought me home rather than letting me walk it. They just ask we maybe pay better attention to the time next time.”
Her mouth went a little dry. “N-next time?”
“Uh-huh…” Twilight answered with another soft giggle. “…I can’t really have you help me with my semester project much…but I was thinking…you do make a pretty good research partner…maybe we could work on some projects together this summer?” She bit her lip, suddenly shy and uncertain. “…that is…if…if you wanted to? Be…my research and lab partner?”
Wanted it? Sunset’s breath caught in her throat, stuck inside the sudden boulder that had formed there, making swallowing painful.  There had been a time, long ago, where she’d wished desperately for a friend who loved the things she did, studied things at her speed and with the same hunger for knowledge and learning.  That had been back before she’d been overcome with rage and bitterness and the knowledge that she could trust nopony besides herself, during her early years at CSGU.  Back then, Princess Celestia had filled her ears with how the school was going to be good for her, a place where she could make friends who loved magic like she did, and that she would love going.
That bright eyed enthusiasm had taken its first blow in the same week that the bigger colts had picked on her in the courtyard and goaded her into her first real act of violence against other ponies, when the filly who had approached her with an offer of friendship stole her work on a project, and turned it in ahead of Sunset under her own name.





Sunset was upset and hurt, and she stared at Diamond Aurora and Azure Light with tears in her eyes. “Why would you do that? I thought we were friends!”
“Friends?” The sky-blue unicorn with the pink and purple mane tossed her head with a derisive snort. “With you? I’m the daughter of Duke Brilliant Diamond and Duchess Dazzling Mirage—why in Equestria would I ever lower myself to associate with a nameless mongrel like you?  You’re practically little more than a dirty mudpony with a stubby, crooked horn like that—no proper unicorn would be like you.”
The amber filly flinched back, unable to resist bringing a hoof to her horn. It always looked fine to her, and Princess Celestia had never said there was anything wrong with it. “…I am a unicorn just like you! I worked hard to get in and pass the entrance test!”
Azure Light laughed. “Passed? You didn’t pass anything. You were let in because the princess felt sorry for you.”
“You’re not our equal,” Diamond sneered. “You never will be. You should be grateful I’m teaching you this now, mudpony.  It’s a lesson you’ll have to learn sooner or later, and better now so you don’t waste anypony’s time trying to do things meant for real unicorns with skill and talent.”
“You’re wrong!” Weren’t they? Princess Celestia said that it was a pony’s cutie mark that told them who they were and what they were meant to do, to be. She’d already earned hers not that long ago, and learning magic tugged at something inside her that felt right. “I can do magic just as good as you! If you’re so much better at magic, then why did you steal my work instead of doing your own!?”
Diamond looked her over in a way that made Sunset’s fluffy, wavy furred coat prickle uncomfortably, and the amber unicorn flattened her ears defensively.  The blue filly stamped a hoof pointedly. “I didn’t steal anything—that work belonged to a real unicorn, so I merely appropriated something you can’t possibly have the ability to do on your own. It's why the teacher didn’t believe you.”
“Don’t you understand?” Azure added flippantly as they turned to trot away, “You’re not here to learn magic or be our equal. You’re here to learn how to be a proper servant to your betters—doing that work for Diamond was part of your place in the world. We have proper unicorn bloodlines and family lineages, and you’re a nopony with no pedigree. That’s the way the world works. You’re here to serve our needs.”
Laughing nastily, the two fillies left Sunset Shimmer there, shaking with shock, tears streaming down her muzzle and the sharp sting of hurt and betrayal making her feel like she was going to be sick to her stomach.





 “Sunny?” A worried voice and gentle hands roused her from her memories, Twilight’s thumbs on her cheeks to carefully wipe away tears that were burning tracks down amber skin. 
Sunset gave a watery smile. “I’m okay, Sparky…just…old memories.”
The younger girl pecked her lips. “…it’s okay if you don’t want to be my research partner,” she said timidly. “I didn’t mean to upset you…”
“No!” Sunset interrupted, pressing closer. “…I…I’d love to.” She met those lips with her own, drawing comfort from the kiss. “…be your research partner, I mean. I…always wanted that…someone I could…relate to, engage with on my level and study things that interested…but the others…at my school didn’t like me. They…only pretended so they could steal my work. The teachers never believed me—why would they believe the orphan charity case over the daughter of an aristocrat?” As much as she tried, she couldn’t stop the bitterness from leaking into her voice or more tears from spilling down her cheeks. “…it didn’t take long for me to stop trying.”
“Oh, Sunny…” Twilight held her tightly. “…I promise…it's not pretend for me. You’re my very best friend, and I wanted to invite you to be my research partner, my lab partner, because I want to share my love of science and learning with you, with someone who is as smart and knowledgeable as I am, who clearly loves learning like I do…”
“No one loves learning as much as you do, nerd,” Sunset said with a small, crooked smile. “…and I know…it just…brought up old memories…but…I’d really enjoy that. Researching stuff with you, maybe building things…we could even overhaul my bike if you wanted? I know I promised you a while ago you could have a go at her under the hood…”
“Can we? I’d love to do a few upgrades for you, and you need new shocks badly. I feel every pothole you hit, Sunny.”
Chuckling, Sunset pushed herself up off her girlfriend. “We sure can, but later. Tonight, we have meteors to stare at, and we need to get going soon to get a good spot.”  She held out a hand to help Twilight to her feet. “So finish getting ready, and we’ll get out of here.”
Twilight gave her one of those brilliant, dazzling smiles that only Sunset ever got to see. “I just have to put my hair up. Do you think we’ll have time to stop for something to eat on the way? I didn’t get dinner yet and I’m kind of hungry.”
“Already taken care of, Sparky,” Sunset said with a mischievous smirk. “Now hurry up before it gets too late…”
> Chapter Ninety One: Light the Night with Stars Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






When they’d left the house, Twilight’s entire family seemed to be having one of those silent conversations that she couldn’t quite decipher. Under any other circumstances, she’d have been agitated, but tonight, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Not when she felt so good, pressed up against Sunset’s back on the bike, arms around her girlfriend’s waist and feeling the warmth of her body soaking into Twilight’s arms and palms, and they were on their way to engage in one of Twilight’s favorite pastimes, something that had become intrinsically bound up with the beautiful redheaded girl that made her heart beat faster just by being in the same room.  Her parents had given them permission to stay out as long as they wanted to stargaze…and the night was perfect for it, crisp and clear—even while on the road, looking through the visor of the helmet Sunset had given her for Christmas, she could see how bright the stars were.
Some time later, after handing over their tickets to the security guard at the road entrance to the observatory, they pulled into the parking lot just down the hill from the big observatory, amid the last vestiges of light from the setting sun. They were early—only a few other cars were in the parking lot, and given where they were parked, they were likely staff at the observatory and planetarium.  Twilight released her girlfriend and they both stood up and stretched—as fun as being pressed together on the bike was, a forty five minute drive out of town on a mountain road when the bike was in desperate need of new shocks left both of them a little sore.  
The backpack Sunset had handed over to Twilight to carry was fairly heavy and didn’t make it easy to stretch, but when her girlfriend retrieved a thick bundle of blankets from the bike’s storage when she stowed their helmets, the dark haired teen only adjusted the bag and looked around to see if there was anyone nearby. Determining the coast was clear, she leaned close to Sunset and kissed her.
The older girl blinked at her in surprise when Twilight pulled back. “…what…was that for?” she asked, also casting her gaze around the area.
“For you to think of bringing blankets. It's colder up here and now that the sun is going down, it's going to get cold fast.”  She kissed her a second time. “You’re an amazing girlfriend for thinking of it—with all the work I’ve been putting into my project, I completely forgot to make a checklist of things to remember for tonight.”
Sunset laughed. “…you’re such a nerd, Sparky. You’re lucky I like you.”  She rubbed her now cold nose against Twilight’s, before stealing a third kiss. “Now come on. Let’s go get our spot—I think you’ll like where we’re going to set up.”
Hurrying after the tall redhead, Twilight couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean? We have to find a good spot, there’s no assigned seating.”
Blue green eyes danced as Sunset turned around to walk backwards for a moment and talk to her. “…That’s true…but…maybe I drove up here the other day and scoped the place out, and found two or three great places for us, but there’s one in particular I really wanted to snag, because I think it's perfect.” She turned back around, her lopsided smile faltering with sudden uncertainty. “…I just hope you agree when you see it…”
Twilight couldn't help but respond, wanting to assuage Sunset’s worries and bring back the smile that she loved to see.  She skipped a step or two forward so she could hook her hand on her girlfriend’s arm, fingers pressed to the inside of her elbow.  "Sunny...whatever place you found, it's going to be wonderful because I’ll be there with you. As much as I’ve been looking forward to seeing the meteor shower, it's like I told you when we were talking about New Years…the most beautiful panoramic view of the heavens in the world feels empty if you’re not at my side to see it with me.”  She leaned her head against Sunset’s shoulder briefly. “This is going to be a great night because we’re spending time together, because you were really sweet and got me these tickets and are sharing this experience with me.”
That seemed to restore Sunset’s confidence, and she gave her one of those smiles, the kind that always reminded Twilight of the sun her girlfriend was named after, brilliant, fiery, and all warmth and light, sending a tingling shiver all the way down to her toes.  The night had barely started and it was already the best night she’d had since Christmas. 
Sunset led them along confidently despite the gathering shadows—her girlfriend had the best night vision Twilight had ever seen—her blue-green eyes almost seeming to glow in the dimness that left Twilight more than a little impaired.   “Just a little further, and then we can unpack everything,” she said, after the shorter teen had stumbled and caught herself with Sunset’s arm for the fourth time in their trek across the grassy slope that terminated in the edge of the ridge that the observatory was located on.  
“Here we are, Sparky,” came the announcement a minute later, and Twilight did her best to get a look around. They were on the downward slope, towards the far edge of the grassy field, about halfway down its distance. Sunset had set down her blankets and was spreading one out on the grass near a broken boulder that had fallen over into several pieces and created a rough L shape, picking up some fist sized fragments and using them to hold the corners down. “Come take the backpack off and sit down. The rock makes a great backrest.”
Twilight did so, and realized something else. “Oh! It blocks the wind! Sunset, this is a great spot! We won’t get as cold here!”
Her girlfriend chuckled. “…It’s also off and away from the main area, so unless it's really crowded, we shouldn’t have too many people close to us, so there will be less noise, and less chance of some little kid with a flashlight shining it at us. It was the best spot on the entire hill, and it's one of the main reasons I wanted to get here this early.”  She was carefully unwrapping the other blanket. “…and it means we’ll get full use out of this.”
She held up the object that had been concealed in the blanket, and Twilight gasped. “When did you get an Aldebaran Startracker?” she asked, stunned. She had assumed that Sunset had brought their normal telescope, a small affair that was easily portable, and much cheaper than the one Sunset was putting together. “Those are expensive!”
“It's…not actually mine. I talked to your dad about telescopes, and he offered to let us borrow it…with the camera attachment…so we could try and take some pictures,” Sunset explained. “…you keep talking about wanting to get more into stellar photography as a hobby, but I also know that our normal setup just doesn’t do well to get you the kind of detailed shots you really want…”  
Twilight was speechless. “Dad let us bring the Startracker? He never lets anyone use it without him…”
“I was pretty surprised too, but…I’m not going to complain—after all, it means I had the budget for this.”  From the blanket came another object. “This right here was the best rated digital imaging camera for stellar photography on the market that I could find and afford,” she explained, “and it's a match for the telescope attachment…I also got the sixty-four gigabyte SD card for it, so we can take all the photos we want tonight.”
Sunset passed her the camera to look it over while she finished setting up the telescope. The younger teen turned it over in her hands, marveling. “…Dad’s been talking about getting one of these for the Startracker himself,” she murmured. 
“Yeah,” Sunset agreed. “He told me when I showed it to him. I already told him he could borrow it if he ever needs it as long as we aren’t using it. After he was willing to lend us the telescope, I figure it's the least I can do to say thanks, you know?”
Twilight chewed on her lower lip, her thoughts darting around like particularly energetic minnows, and as the silence stretched on between them, Sunset turned away from the telescope in concern.  "Talk to me, Sparky?" the older girl coaxed.  "Please? Did I do something wrong?"
At the words, the dark haired girl shook her head quickly. “Oh! No no, Sunset…it’s perfect. You did perfect, and I’m excited and I love that you put so much thought into all of this…” The words tumbled out, Twilight desperate to erase the note of pained worry she could hear. “I really do like all of this, and the idea of being able to do the things we’ve talked about is amazing and wonderful, so please don’t think that I’m upset or that you did anything wrong…”
She took a breath. “…It’s just…Sunny, this camera costs a small fortune—that’s why Dad has only been thinking about one and not actually bought one yet.  It’s amazing and wonderful for stellar photography, the sort of thing a professional would use…not a beginner like me.”
Her girlfriend canted her head to the side a fraction, going from worried to confused. “…That’s why I got it, though? It had the best reviews and highest rating for this specific type of photography.  You deserve to have a good one, because otherwise you’re just going to get frustrated and disappointed with all the flaws you’ll pick up on—just like you have the times we’ve tried before….right?”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and Twilight was gratefully it was probably too dark at this point for her blush to show up easily. “…I…well…maybe? But…”  Pausing again, she struggled to gather her thoughts up into something coherent, trying to identify for herself what it was that left her uneasy. “….I’m worried about just how much you spent on this camera, Sunset.  It’s really expensive, and I don’t want you to go without things you might need, just because you wanted to buy something for me…I would feel awful about that…”  Twilight bit her lip, the sting of pain from the act helping to ground her and give her focus. “…and I don’t want you thinking you have to…”
Sunset scooted closer, slipping an arm around her and pulling her into a warm hug that smelled clean and faintly of Sunset’s shampoo.  “Don’t have to what, Twilight?” she asked, her palm rubbing affectionately up and down the smaller girl’s shoulder. 
Considering and discarding a dozen ways of wording it, Twilight finally just blurted the thought out as it was, cringing and hoping that Sunset wouldn’t take it as an insult.  “…It’s this…thing in relationships in media and popular culture. This idea that…a person has to buy expensive gifts for their significant other as some kind of proof of their feelings…which is stupid and discounts entire other methods of showing affection and committment and I really hope you don’t feel like you have to do that because I really do care about you no matter what and I don’t want you to feel like this is something you have to do for our relationship to be real or my affection for you to be genuine and—”
An amber finger came up to place itself over her mouth, cutting off her rambling. “Twilight, stop,” Sunset said in a gentle but firm tone.
 Heart racing, she blinked up at Sunset anxiously, hoping she hadn’t just messed up the night.  Sunset glanced around to make sure no one was nearby and kissed her briefly. “That’s not why I did it. I did it because I wanted to, and I could afford it. I didn’t spend money that I needed for any of my bills or for essentials, and I didn’t feel pressured into doing it because of some societal expectation that equates dollars spent to the value I place on having you in my life, okay? I did it because I knew we’d get a lot of use out of it—not just for this, but any time we want to take really nice pictures and not just crappy phone ones—because I figured I’d keep it at your house, so anyone there can use it whenever they need it, and because I knew how much you really wanted to start trying to take better photos than what we were getting with our old setup. I did it because I’m happy when you’re happy, and I wanted to see you smile and be excited when you get those first photos of the meteor shower tonight, and later, when we point this whole setup at your favorite constellations to get some great photos of the stars.”
Twilight felt her thoughts start to settle and calm with Sunset’s explanation, the tightness in her chest from rising anxiety abating.  “Are you sure?” she asked, needing hard confirmation.
Sunset nuzzled her, making a soft, throaty sound. “…Absolutely certain, Sparky.  I even talked to your dad about keeping it at your place. He was all for it, and offered to add it to the list of things in the house they have insured, in the event it gets…lost, or stolen, or somehow broken. Maybe we can use it over the summer if we go to the beach or something? Your dad mentioned something about a beach house, and how taking pictures with the camera on a family beach trip would be great.” 
She took another breath, and organized her remaining thoughts, some of the tiny sparks now able to coalesce into complete ideas that she could verbalize. “I…didn’t want to sound offensive or insulting with what I said…I’ve…realized…” 
The dark haired girl wavered a little, and Sunset tightened her hug. “You didn’t insult me, Twilight.  You were trying to express your feelings, and I’m able to listen to that without getting my own hurt.”
Breathing deeply, Twilight nodded again.  “I…think…it's related to my issue with…the concept…of a public relationship…  At the least, I want to add it to the things I intend to address with Dr. Soft-Spoken.  I…think I’m…uncomfortable with the…expectations of society in regards to how a relationship is to look and progress.”  She picked her words with care, taking time to breathe, both to avoid misunderstanding and to prevent another surge of anxiety that might overwhelm her.  “I…don’t want to come off as ungrateful or demanding…because you always try so hard to be considerate and thoughtful in regards to my desires, and that means so much to me, and this…right here, with the camera, and the telescope, is another sign of how much thought you put into everything you do for me…and that means so much to me, that you listen to me, that you do try so hard…it means more than I can truly put into words.”
Sunset pressed her forehead to Twilight’s. “…It's not about what other people expect from a relationship, or from us, I promise. It's about me doing things because I thought they would make tonight even better. I know how long we’ve been looking forward to this, how long you’ve been looking forward to this, since you told me about it back in…November?”  
Pulling back a moment later, the redhead confessed, “To be honest, I really don’t understand ‘normal dating’ at all. My one experience with it was what I told you: a carefully planned manipulation for the sake of reputation and an end goal.  It was scripted and I let Flash do most of the work on the activities because I didn’t really care what we did, only that people saw what I wanted them to see. So everything I do for you, for us, is based entirely on you and I, and no one else…though I did ask Cadence for some advice on what to get for dinner for us.”
Twilight was still absorbing the first part of Sunset’s words when the ending statement registered.  “Wait—dinner? What?”
Her girlfriend laughed. “I told you I had us covered for food, didn't I?” She reached over and grabbed the backpack, pulling it into her lap and unzipping it.  “What did you think I meant?” A small battery powered lantern was set on the blanket and switched on, casting a soft light to see by now that the sun was below the horizon.
“I thought maybe you brought snacks and drinks?” Twilight said, her nose catching a faint whiff of delicious odors from the heavy bag.
“I did, but I got us dinner too, since I wanted to get here so early.  I got us sandwiches from that sandwich place you keep talking about taking me to—Cadence told me several of the sandwiches you like to order from there, and I picked them up on my way over. I got a couple of different ones, because I didn't know which one you’d want tonight, but I figured what you don't eat tonight can be lunch tomorrow or Sunday.”  Sunset pulled out an insulated soft cooler, and opened it. The smell of hot sandwiches hit Twilight’s senses, making her stomach growl hungrily. “I really liked what I saw on the menu there—I haven't seen anyone in this place that knew how to make a hot sandwich with grilled eggplant and zucchini, let alone one with mushrooms and cheese. And they didn't even look at me weird for asking for them to throw some peppers and onions on it.”  
Lips curling up into a smile, still trying to process the fact that Sunset had gotten them dinner, Twilight stared as Sunset started pulling out paper wrapped packages. “…that’s why I wanted to take you sometime,” she said. “They have a whole bunch of real vegetarian options that aren't based off ‘fad veganism.’”
Sunset nodded. “And it's amazing—I love places like that, because it's so hard to be a vegetarian here. It's like either you put dead animals on everything or you are expected to eat only plants and weirdly processed pretend animal products that smell awful and taste worse. Or they think all you eat is salad.” She inspected the label on each wrapped sandwich, setting two aside that were hers. She held out three more. “You, on the other hand, have three choices, nerd.  A chicken Florentine panini with added tomatoes and extra cheese, their bistro turkey sandwich, or the calorie laden offspring of a BLT and a grilled cheese on steroids.”
Every choice made her eyes go just a little wider—those were the sandwiches she liked most from the restaurant. The fact that Sunset had asked Cadence for the information was touching and sweet, and it made her want to kiss the other girl until her head spun. 
The only thing that stopped her was the sound of voices nearby as other people were starting to arrive and set up their own spots.  So she settled for letting their fingers brush when she took the loaded grilled cheese. “I’ll settle for the calories—I worked through lunch today.”
Sunset sighed as she put the other sandwiches back, and retrieved two small thermoses meant for soup. “You shouldn’t skip meals, Sparky,” she said. “I’m glad I got your Mom to heat us up some of her vegetable soup to go with the sandwiches then.”  She passed one of the thermoses over to Twilight with a spoon.
“Mom was in on this too?” she asked, worry starting to rise. What did Sunset tell them? Was this why they were looking at them the way they were on the way out? Did they suspect?
“Hey…it's fine. I just told them the truth: that I wanted to make tonight as amazing as possible since you’ve been so stressed the last few weeks. I wanted to make sure you had fun tonight and got to relax. They were all too happy to help, because we’ve all been worried about you.” 
Twilight was quiet as she took in the food, the blanket, the fancy telescope and camera, and of course, the beautiful girl sitting shoulder to shoulder with her.  She had not come out expecting any of this, and it left her having to completely reevaluate her emotions. “I…didn’t realize I had worried everyone so much…have I been that bad recently? …I mean, I know I got into that fight with them…but…”
“Not bad…just…not like you. Stressed, and…something I don't know how to describe, but not bad?  I just thought maybe a fun night would be a good thing, and this is…you said yourself that this is kind of our thing, looking up at the stars, you know? So what better night to try and make even better than the one where we’re doing something that's special to you?” That crooked smile, shy and hopeful, was flashed at her as Sunset opened her own soup. “Did…did I do okay with this?”
“Oh, Sunny…” Twilight murmured, taking amber fingers in hers and squeezing tightly.  She could feel the heat in her cheeks and the way her heart raced—it was an effort to keep her voice steady. “…this whole evening is…it’s already so far beyond just being okay that I’m having a hard time remembering that we aren’t alone, that there are other people around, because I just want to kiss you until neither of us can remember our own names.” She swallowed, her voice growing choked up and happy tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “Sunny…this has been the most amazing, wonderful, perfect evening…and we haven’t even gotten to the stargazing yet!”
Sunset perked up, bringing their linked hands surreptitiously to her lips and pressing a brief kiss to the knuckles. “I’m really glad to hear that.  I thought you would be happy but there was always a chance.” Then she let go, bumping Twilight’s shoulder with hers. “Eat your food, nerd. I know you’re hungry; your stomach sounds like a rock slide.”
Laughter bubbled up from inside her, the kind that left her heart lighter afterwards. “It's not that loud!” She protested, only to have half her words drowned out by her stomach voicing its opinions on the matter. Sunset merely raised an eyebrow and pointed as if to say ‘You were saying?’
The dark haired girl dug into her food after that, the sandwich and her mother’s soup leaving her comfortably full and warm.  Once they’d polished off the main part of the meal—and Sunset had gathered up their trash to put back in the bag—they sat in comfortable quiet, Twilight murmuring occasionally as she pointed to the stars that were now visible, naming and describing them.
At some point, Sunset pulled out a pair of sandwich sized bags, offering her one. “Cookies? They're double chocolate fudge.”
Twilight beamed at her, and took the bag. “You said the magic word.”
“Cookies?”
“No,” she giggled. “Chocolate.”
“That was my next guess,” the older girl admitted, taking a berry from her snack bag and popping it in her mouth with a blissful sigh.
Twilight tilted her head. “No cookies for you?”
Sunset shook her head. “Not tonight—I found some of my favorite types of berries, and I haven't really had them since before I…came here. They don’t grow anywhere nearby.”
It didn't take much to read between the lines: It was some kind of foreign fruit native to the place she’d run away from. Probably a rare subspecies or offshoot that only grew in specific climate and soil conditions and would cost a small fortune to buy in Canterlot.  Twilight nibbled on a cookie. “Are they good?”
Sunset was quiet for a minute. “You ever have something you loved but then you forget about it because life happens, and when you remember it again later it's ten times better than nostalgia tells you it was?”
“Not personally, but…I think I understand what you are getting at.” She gave the redhead a soft smile. “Can I ask to try one?”
In response, Sunset held a dark berry up to her lips. “Here.”
The berry was a burst of flavor in her mouth she wasn’t expecting. Sweet but with a little tang of tartness, it reminded her a little of a blackberry, but also of strawberries. What really shocked her though was the odd sensation on her tongue, the faint buzzing, tickling feeling like a mouthful of soda from a freshly opened can. “Oh! They're good! And…”  She realized the taste was familiar…but where…
She began looking back through her memories. There had been something recent that tasted like this… It came to her, with the memory of Sunset in her kitchen, offering her a tart that tasted even better than chocolate. “...these taste like those pastries you brought over! Is this what you used in them?”
A grin met her question. “Sure was. My friend helped me turn some into the filling. You like them?”
“They’re really delicious--not too sweet but not too sour either….but…what is it doing to my tongue? Are they supposed to do that?”
Giggling, her girlfriend nodded. “They are! We called them fizzleberries because of it! Most po—people don't like the fizzle, but I do. I used to eat them by the bowl….I…just kind of forgot about them after I ran away, you know?”
Twilight nodded in understanding.  "You had to move on with your life, to worry about your well being in the here and now, and looking back on something you could no longer have would have been detrimental to that."  She winced inwardly when she realized how detached that sounded, like the recitation from a passage in a textbook.
“Yeah…but I’m able to enjoy them now, and share them with my best friend in the universe, so…it's not all bad.” She ate another berry, with a happy smile. 
“There is something to be said for that,” Twilight conceded, trying to parse why the scent and hard to make out fruit was making an almost thought flit through her mind just out of reach, like she was forgetting something important.  Unable to catch it, it faded away, and she was left leaning against her girlfriend with a slight shiver. Sunset was always so warm to the touch, even in the dead of winter, and she enjoyed the way that warmth seeped into her.
“Getting cold?” Sunset murmured in her ear, sending another shiver down Twilight’s spine for a completely different reason. 
She nodded, hoping the lantern light was too dim for her blush to show. “A little,” she responded. 
Amber fingers grabbed the blanket that had concealed the telescope and camera. “That’s why I brought this.”  Sunset draped it around both of them, trapping both teens in a cocoon of soft warmth.  “Better?” she asked, her hand resting on Twilight’s leg just above her knee and squeezing now that no one could casually glance over and see the touch.
Another nod, and Twilight rested her hand over Sunset’s. “You really thought of everything tonight,” she joked with a light laugh. “The only thing you’re missing is a by the minute timetable.”
Sunset’s free hand reached over and tweaked her nose. “I thought about it, nerd, but that's more your thing. Didn't want to step on any toes.”  Then she checked the time on her phone. “Although if I remember the timetable of astronomical events I did look at, the meteor shower should be starting in half an hour…so I need to finish setting up our telescope so maybe we can get a good view.”
While Twilight stayed wrapped up warm in the blanket, the redhead finished working on the telescope, even going so far as to move the bag with their leftovers and extra snacks out of the way so she could bring the telescope close enough where they could use it while seated leaning against the rock.  
Sitting back down next to Twilight, she asked, “How’s this? Good view of everything?”
Twilight peered through the telescope, panning it carefully to do a sweep of the sky. “It’s perfect, Sunset, and this attachment with your camera is everything I wanted for stellar photography—plus I was looking through the camera bag, and it's got all the individual lenses and adaptors for taking sky photos from a tripod too.”
“It should,” the taller teen laughed. “I ordered all of them with it for just that purpose. There's even the easy tripod in the bag too.”
Opening her mouth to respond, Twilight was interrupted by an excited exclamation further along the slope, right as a brilliant streak lanced across the sky.  Sunset squirmed back under the blanket with her. “It’s starting!” she pointed out gleefully, reaching out to switch off their lantern and plunge them into darkness.
Twilight couldn't help her own excited sound as she hurried to snap the camera into place on the telescope.  Even with the sudden rush and the way her heart raced, her fingers were sure and steady, methodically securing one expensive piece of equipment to another, and she felt a broad grin form on her face as she finished just in time to capture what she felt was going to be an amazing shot of a triple streak of meteorites arcing across their view, as well as half a dozen ones of meteors passing through some of the winter constellations, including Orion.
Next to her, Sunset made one of those indefinable sounds that Twilight knew meant the other girl was happy to the point of giddiness, her face turned heavenward to watch the celestial show.  Something about it all made her pause in her own scanning of the sky to lean over and kiss an amber skinned cheek, barely even registering the ever present worry that murmured ‘Someone might see.’
In that same moment, Sunset turned her head towards her with that soft, lopsided smile, and instead of Twilight’s kiss finding her cheek, she ended up brushing their lips together.  It was a brief, light touch, yet somehow it seemed even more electrifying than kisses they’d shared to date, even the steamy ones taking place in her bedroom. “Sunset…” she breathed out, words filling her mind and demanding to be expressed.  “…this evening is everything I needed. It's been beyond wonderful—you’ve made it a truly magical night, more than I ever could have dreamed it could be…”
Warm amber fingers threaded through lavender ones, and Sunset squeezed her hand tightly. “I’m so glad,” she murmured in response, “because tonight was meant to be special for a reason.”  
Pulling back from the camera again, Twilight put her attention back on Sunset. “What do you mean?”
The redhead seemed to gather herself, and she gestured beyond their little piece of quiet serenity, where other star watchers were, some with kids running around, some talking loudly by lamplight, some just sitting quietly in ones or twos like them. “Look around, Sparky,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “All these people and barely any of them are looking twice at us. And when they do…they just see two friends who are sharing a hobby…”
Her brows furrowed. “Because we are best friends sharing a hobby?”
Sunset snuggled close. “That is true…but…that's not what tonight was. To everyone else, maybe we’re two friends sharing a hobby…but for me…tonight was getting to spend the evening with my girlfriend, making her happy and watching the stars together…to me, this was a date.”
Twilight’s mouth went dry. “What?”
“For me, I did this as a date….because…I know you aren't ready to be open about us…but…” Sunset paused, her voice faltering for only a second before she forged ahead determinedly. “Look, it's like I was trying to tell you a few weeks ago. We don’t have to check all these stupid traditional social checklists for something to be considered a date for us. It doesn't have to be some big obvious courting gesture, it doesn't have to involve me trying to impress your father, or fancy clothes, or putting on some visual show for everyone around us. It can just be something small, something we enjoy doing together, just us, whether that's getting milkshakes after school, or reading books together in your room, or just like tonight, sharing a picnic under the night sky and watching the most gorgeous meteor shower of the year.” She pointed up to where the sky was awash with streaks of light.
She felt like her head was suddenly spinning, whirling with the rush of new thoughts crowding her mind, everything about the night reevaluated in a blink through a completely new and different lens. At first she felt the shock of her perceptions being completely shifted, but the tender emotion in gleaming blue-green eyes made that melt away, replaced by a growing warmth and a sense of delighted wonder taking its place,
Sunset was right, Twilight realized.
All of the things that bothered her about the idea of dating, about going on dates, they were all, at the heart of it, about societal expectations and the opinions of others…something she hated even under normal circumstances, both because of her own inability to truly understand why they were given weight at all, let alone the sheer amount most people ascribed to them, and for her own situation of not wanting to conform combined with the number of ways she was simply incapable of doing so while still being who she was. Why had she never really noticed that before?
Twilight found herself backtracking through dozens of conversations, most of them with Cady, picking out her own worries and seeing them in this new light. They all matched her realization…and with that new perspective Sunset had provided, all of the suggestions and hints and advice her sister-in-law had dropped in those talks suddenly sharpened from vague, nonsensical statements into crystal clarity.  She didn't need those things society declared a requirement to have the emotional and personal depth of meaning to have it be a romantic outing instead of a purely platonic one. After all, tonight was proof of that, and in hindsight, dozens of little outings to museums or for milkshakes, or all the times they’d looked up at the stars had meant more to her, been more romantic and intimate than any traditional romantic date she’d ever read about or seen on television.
There were no words she could think of that were enough to encapsulate such a profound epiphany and all the emotions connected to it, so she acted on her feelings instead.  Leaning in with a murmured, “Thank you,” she let her lips meet Sunset’s, expressing everything she was thinking and feeling in the tender kiss she shared with her girlfriend under the beautiful starry sky.
> Interlude XXI: Family Affairs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





 Four sets of eyes, all holding a complex mix of emotions, zeroed in on the vibrating cell phone. Velvet calmly picked it up, and smiled as she read the message. "Twily says they are just leaving the observatory now and it was amazing," she informed the other adults as she typed out a short reply.
Shining cleared his throat, the sound awkward, particularly when he hesitated before speaking. "....anyone want to hazard if she's speaking of the meteors or the company?"
“Given that they are just now heading home at one in the morning and the meteor shower ended almost two hours ago,” his father observed, “my estimation is ‘both.’”
Cadence glanced at Velvet. “I wonder if they used those blankets for more than just keeping out the cold,” she pondered with a sly grin.
Velvet laughed and shook her head, mostly at the suddenly uncomfortable expressions on the men’s faces. “Cady, dear, I’m not sure that’s an appropriate discussion to have right now.”
Clearing his throat, Night responded, “Or ever, in my hearing, if you please, Cadence. That’s not a subject I ever want to contemplate when it involves any of my children.  A father has his limits.”
Shining flinched at Night's last words, then seemed to try and force a smile.  In the end, the expression was more of a grimace. "I... have to say I'm with Dad on this one, Cadence. I’m sorry…but please, can we not talk about this? It's just... just TMI and kind of gross when it involves my baby sister.”
The pink-skinned woman rolled her eyes, then mouthed ‘Wimp’ at him with a bit of a smirk.  Her fiancé flinched again--a common response in the few weeks, despite the fact that she’d forgiven him, and so had his parents.  Cadence sighed.   "Come on Shiny, it's not that bad..." An impish smile started to make its way onto her face, and she opened her mouth to fluster him again with another ribald attempt at humor. 
Before she could though, Velvet cleared her throat. “I believe that’s something better saved for girl-talk later, Cady,” she chastised gently.  Then she studied the depth of her hot cocoa.  “All the same, I am extremely happy that their ‘not-a-date date-night’ seems to have gone well.  Maybe this will turn out to be one of those things that makes Twilight more comfortable with the idea of telling us.”
Cadence tapped her own cup with a finger. “I think part of it is Sunset’s ‘do instead of debate’ approach.  By showing her first and then explaining it, she’s eliminated a lot of Twilight’s worries with hard proof.”
Her fiancé snorted, the sound laced with frustration. "Then maybe we should do the same, he bit out, anger from more than just the situation at hand leaking into his voice. “Just tell Twily that we know she's gay, we know she's head over heels for her best friend... and that…We. Don't. Care." Cadence reached over and touched his hand briefly, trying to soothe him without words. She knew that it was more than the secrecy of this whole ‘not-a-date-date-night’ that was eating at him, but this wasn’t the time for that to be addressed.
“I’m not sure that’s the best course of action. Keep in mind,” Velvet reminded her son, her words soft edged and calming, “that out of all of us, Gently and Cadence are the only people besides Sunset that Twilight has spoken to at length on the subject, and Gently has repeatedly advised that Twilight has to come to terms with how she expresses that part of her identity to others on her own, and that we need to leave that choice in her hands if we can. I don't think it's reached any kind of point yet where her health or well-being is at risk—Sunset is not the kind of girlfriend that is bringing Twily into dangerous situations or pressuring her into unhealthy behavior—quite the opposite, actually. In the months since they met, she’s proved a remarkably stabilizing influence on your sister.”
Taking a sip of her drink, Cadence added her thoughts on the matter, drawing one what she knew from experience. “Twilight needs that control, I think. She wants to tell you all, but she’s trying to work up the courage to do it and just is not there yet.  She’s got a lot of those fears like any queer kid trying to ‘come out’ about themselves, but her anxiety problems makes the fear worse. Still, she’s got a lot of the signs of psyching herself up for it, and I think Sunset is a big part of that.”
Shining shook his head. “And how is that fair to Sunset?  I’ve said it before--she’s just as much a child as Twily is, and deserves the same amount of consideration and care, but no one has asked how she feels about this!  She’s about as ‘out’ as they get without wearing a rainbow patch on her jacket.  Do you honestly think she’s happy sneaking around about it—we all know that Sunset doesn't exactly do subtle.” He stood up abruptly to begin pacing, the things on his mind meaning he could not sit still any longer, and the pink skinned woman knew she had to do something to stop him from winding himself up further.
“I’m not sure that Sunset is as ‘out and proud’ as you seem to think, Shining,” Cadence pointed out doubtfully, remembering the storm of confusion in blue-green eyes over the holidays and the way the teenager had admitted to ignorance of modern views of sexuality and identity--or at least, some kind of disconnect from them.
All three of them looked at her curiously.  “What do you mean, she’s not?” Shining asked. “She couldn't be more obvious about being in love with Twilight if she actively had it written on her forehead in permanent marker!”
Laughing, Mi Amore Cadenza shook her head. “No, I get that her feelings for Twilight are extremely transparent. That’s not what I mean. It's more that…she is far too in-the-dark about sexuality and romance as a whole compared to most people who are public about their identities. She openly admitted to me that everything she knows about ‘dating and courtship,’' Cadence said with her fingers making air quotes, “came from a handful of teen movies, and observation of her peers at school.”  She paused, thinking back on something Luna had said. “The same movies that depict a high school ‘mean girl’ that Lu has implied was her previous persona before this year.”
Night arched his eyebrow. “You're suggesting she learned how to be a teenager from movies rather than just being a teenager,” he commented, seeking clarification.
“Not quite. I’m suggesting she learned how to be our kind of teenager from movies.”
Velvet frowned. “From what she let slip, it sounds like the person who adopted her was a very busy person and sent her to boarding school almost immediately, with a focus on academics…but didn’t bother to pick one where Sunset’s intellectual abilities would be challenged. Given her similarities to Twilight, and her lack of positive social exposure until recently, I’d wager she spent a lot of time alone, reading and working…and otherwise avoiding human contact when she could.”
“And if you couple that with a completely different cultural environment—because let's face it, Europe has dozens of tiny countries, fiefdoms, and glorified dukedoms, all with their own histories and cultures—it is like Sunset is operating from a completely different playbook than the rest of us,” Night noted.  “One that has overlap in some areas, but not in others.”
Shining added his own two cents to the conversation, his pacing slowing as he'd absorbed their words, "...and there could be more cultural disconnect if you consider she spent the first handful or so of her years in this country, before being uprooted..." 
The four adult members of the family were silent and thoughtful for a time, before Cadence continued, “It makes sense, and it would explain why Sunset sometimes…” she hesitated, looking for the right way to phrase what she wanted to say. “…Why she sometimes seems like she’s operating from a completely unrelated point of view that has very little in common with what we would expect from your average teenage girl wearing leather and driving a motorcycle. Which was my original point. I don't think she’s ‘out’ so much as it is that she doesn't really grasp the entire concept of ‘the closet’ at all, much less being ‘in’ or ‘out’ of it.. At least not on any kind of personal, emotional level that we would relate to.”
Twilight Velvet stirred a few more marshmallows into her cocoa. “From her words to you, sweetheart, the entire concept of romance may have been a non-issue before Twily as well, so I’d be hesitant to ascribe any feelings or opinions to Sunset she hasn’t explicitly expressed to us.”  She glanced at her son. “She may very well be chafing under the secrecy, or she may not even notice it. We have no way to guess for certain if her behavior does not always conform to our societal interpretations.”
Night nodded along with his wife, adding, “As much as it frustrates me, and as much as Twilight’s fear of our reaction hurts…your mother’s right, son. It's not as simple as telling Twilight we know about her preferences.” He adjusted his reading glasses.  “Though it might interest you to know that we were considering going out to the beach house for Spring Break and inviting Sunset along for the trip.”
A grin split Cadence’s face. “They’ll spend the whole week staring at each other like lovesick puppies,” she chortled. 
Shining’s brows furrowed. “Do you think that’ll work? Like do you think letting them play house for a week at the beach will get Twily to just tell us?”
“Not necessarily,” the older man answered slyly, “but we suspect talking to Sunset privately a week or so before break will help on that front. That gives your sister a few months to gather her courage on her own, but in the end, if she can't, maybe Sunset will have some ideas on what we can do to settle her fears.”
Cadence looked between Night and Velvet. “So you intend to tell Sunset that you know they’re dating? Or just that you know about Twily being gay? Or…”
“Both, really,” Velvet answered.  “That we are aware and have been for some time, but that we want Twilight to be able to tell us so she has one less thing that she is constantly stressing over….because, at the end of the day, we love Twilight and we won't react badly.”  She smiled. “Twilight wants to tell us, but she loses her nerve at the last second—it's happened two or three times now since Christmas—and I suspect all she needs is something—or someone—to give her that last bit of courage.”
Laughing, Cadence set her empty mug on the coffee table. “That someone being Sunset.”
“That’s the hope,” Night said. “I’m half hoping that after Sunset learns it's a secret that isn't actually a secret to anyone, she’ll work her ‘Twily Whisperer’ magic and get her to just talk to us. She’s blowing this whole subject out of proportion, and it's just going to get worse the longer she and Sunset are together—at this point it's only a matter of time before someone slips up, and my money is on Sunset. Like you said, son, the fact that she loves your sister is completely unsubtle and might as well be a tattoo on her forehead.”
Crossing his arms, Shining’s face twitched as he fought off a scowl again. “That’s why I think that it's unfair to Sunset for Twily to insist on it being a secret. They should be enjoying their relationship, not skulking around like they're doing something illegal.”
A pink skinned hand rested on his arm, trying and failing to get him to sit back down. “Shiny, to a lot of people, they might as well be. As loving and tolerant as you and your parents are, you are in the minority. Look at the fight going on right now just to try and legalize the right for people like your sister to marry, and how aggressively nasty the opponents of the idea are. Twilight and Sunset face extremely different challenges to you and I at that age and stage of a relationship, and being cautious is one of the ways they protect themselves from people who would hurt them just for how they feel about each other.”
The blue haired young man gave an explosive sigh. “I know that…but that's out there, not in here. Not with us. We love Twilight—she’s family—and we aren't going to just stop because she likes girls.  She’s supposed to feel safe at home, and she clearly doesn't…” He rubbed his face. “I feel like I’ve failed her twice now.”
“I understand how you feel, son,” Night said. “I hate that Twilight is afraid of repercussions from her own family, and in some ways, I wonder if that is our fault for not speaking out louder at the big gatherings against some of the beliefs perpetuated by people like Jade and her husband, or the way Alabaster is always looking to correct behavior she sees as ‘socially unacceptable.’”
Velvet interrupted them both sternly. “We could talk about reasons and blame all day long, but in the end, that’s not fair to Twilight, Sunset, or us…and it's explicitly what Gently told us we should avoid when Twilight does have these kinds of behaviors.  The things that motivate Twilight to decisions like these rarely have any connection to our emotions, or to what we want to assume they do, and if she ever got an inkling that we were blaming ourselves or assuming things that she hadn’t considered, or thought about, all it would do is make her anxiety and mental state worse. It will feed right into one of her spirals, and turn into a meltdown that could have been avoided.”
“Not only that, but you’re both wrong,” Cadence said in a very pointed tone.  
Shining blinked at her. “What do you mean?”
His fiancée frowned and poked him with a forceful finger, making the pale skinned man move back from her with an uneasy expression. “Trying to take on any measure of blame for what happened to Twilight in the park is a load of bull.  This house is in a suburban neighborhood, in an area with an extremely low crime rate, and she was in a park that is only a mile away.  A park, mind you, that she has been to a hundred times before at all hours with no trouble. You had no reason to suspect that anything would happen, that there would be any danger, and it's not your doing that there was.  Taking that blame on yourself, seeing it as your fault is no better than saying ‘Twilight should have known better.’ Its bull, and just like victim blaming, it takes the responsibility away from the people who are really at fault: the attackers.”
Twilight Velvet made a noise of agreement. “Cadence is right, Shining.  No one here did anything to put Twilight in danger, nor did Twilight openly seek to do things to put herself in a bad situation, and the blame should go completely to people who believed it was their right to do whatever they want to whoever they want with no consequences.”
Frowning, Shining Armor returned to his pacing. “I still feel like I should have done something, told her to stay home, not suggested the park instead of the backyard, or checked in on her, or even made sure she knew how to defend herself better.”
“And none of that would have guaranteed any different outcome,” Cadence countered. “Or done much to change the minds of her attackers. You can’t change what has already happened, not without a time machine, and I don’t think Twilight has built one of those yet.”
He fell silent, pensive and thoughtful, and Cadence turned her attention to Night Light. “…As for the way you and Mom stood up to the attitudes of the close-minded crowd…the fact is, Dad, that it wouldn’t have changed anything either. This is a really volatile time period for the Queer community, where we’re making actual headway in the area of equality and acceptance, and just like any fight for equal rights, it’s being met with strong opposition from those against it.  Twilight would come face to face with those attitudes eventually, and have to learn that there are plenty of people who are offended by her existence and how she loves, and no amount of you shouting at Artful Jade or Ringing Endorsement or Shining Aurora would change their minds.  He’d still be pushing his legislation to provide protections for conversion therapy as a 'legitimate practice’ to ‘cure’ certain ‘psychological maladies,’ and Jade would still be going at Dancer every year at the dinner table about his ‘eternal bachelorhood.’”
“It still might’ve made Twilight feel more like we were in her corner.”
“Would it? I’ve been vocal for years, to the point of earning more than my share of animosity from them for it, and it hasn’t made a difference in their opinions, or in Twilight feeling more open at home.” Cadence shrugged. “And it's pretty likely that any increased hostility towards all of us is something she would have internalized as her fault.”
Setting aside her empty mug, Velvet added, “Much as I know your inner cavemen would like to prevent all problems for the women in your lives, sometimes things just are what they are, and we must do the best with the hand we've been dealt."
Night cleared his throat. “You’re both right, I suppose. It's just hard sometimes when we try so hard to protect the people we love and it feels like we fail.”
Cadence sat forward, waiting a moment until she had Night's direct attention before she spoke.  "Dad...don't ever think for a moment that you aren't doing an amazing job. You know the kind of things I see and hear about with my job, from the Dreamwalker kids, from other people in the Queer community, and that’s not even touching on the stuff Shining sees and hears about at work.... believe me when I say, you and mom are in the top one percent for parents of a kid like Twily. And she knows that too, even if she never says anything."
He gave her a small smile. “Thank you, Cady…It means a great deal to hear you say that.”
“Speaking of good parenting,” Velvet mused, looking at her phone, “perhaps you and I should discreetly take ourselves upstairs so that the girls don’t come home to the whole family waiting up in the living room like we intend to interrogate them. That would ruin any progress made tonight by triggering Twilight’s anxieties.”
“I’ll wait for them,” Cadence offered. “Maybe I can find out how it went if it's just me down here.” Her eyes danced with glee.
A shake of her head and Velvet began collecting empty mugs. “Try not to be too excited, dear. They may not want to share too much right yet.”
She grinned. “I’ll be careful, Mom…but I can usually get Twilight to spill with just a little coaxing. Big sister rights and all that.”
Shining hesitated.  "I... don't think my presence will be productive for any kind of girl-talk, and…well...I’m not sure Sunset will feel comfortable with me around just yet anyway...She keeps giving me these…looks." He shrugged when Night frowned at him.  "Dad, I know what I’m seeing, and I'm the only one she didn't come to when planning this not-a-date of theirs.  It's better for everyone that I…respect her clear wish for space." He picked up his mug, and after another hesitation, leaned down to kiss the top of Cadence's head.  "I should get some sleep anyway, I offered to take the crap shift for Oakstaff tomorrow so he could go to his son's Little League game."
> Chapter Ninety Two: Feel the Magic All Around You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight half stumbled as she climbed off the bike, feeling warm hands catch her and pull her up against a body that always smelled of leather and sunshine. “Easy, Sparky,” Sunset murmured in her ear. “It's been a good night—falling in the driveway would be a terrible way to end the evening.”
She found her arms hooking around an amber neck and pulling the taller teen down into a quick kiss in the safety of the shadows of that moonless night. “….night’s not over,” she responded when they parted. “You're staying over, which means I get to fall asleep next to you…”
“Wouldn't be Friday if I didn't,” Sunset laughed.
Twilight kissed her again. “Perfect end to a perfect night.”
What little light was around seemed to catch brilliant blue-green eyes, making them visible in the dark. “I did okay tonight then? With the date?”
The question was tremulous, far too nervous and shy for Sunset, telling Twilight just how important the evening had been to her girlfriend. She hugged her tighter, giving her a soft smile.  “It was everything I could have dreamed of, Sunny, and then some.  No one could have done better, or found a way to do something that was us in such a perfect fashion.”
A laugh, ringing and bright, broke the night’s stillness and Twilight found herself in the air as Sunset picked her up and spun them around in excited joy.  It was contagious, the laughter, and by the time she was on her feet again, neither of them could stop giggling. She clung to Sunset, dizzy from the spinning, and pressed her face into the older girl’s collarbone.
Sunset separated from her a minute later, still smiling and laughing, to press the backpack full of leftover food into her hands. “Carry this in so I can bring in the telescope? I don't want to leave it out in the cold.”
The two of them managed to get to the door without dropping anything, exchanging a few more stolen kisses on the way where no one could see them. They stumbled through the front door, shushing each other between bouts of laughter, not sure who might be awake and who might be asleep. Twilight knew someone had to be up—the living room had a light on and the tv going—but she couldn't take her eyes off Sunset, didn't want to shatter the happy bubble of freedom and joy they’d found themselves in for the night.  Her girlfriend seemed so carefree in that moment, head tossed back as she laughed, eyes bright and dancing, all the normal tension just…absent from her frame.  And Twilight? She now knew what it meant to feel like one was ‘walking on air,’ all while her heart raced and butterflies danced in her stomach.
A voice broke through the laughter. “I’m guessing you two had a great time tonight?” Cadence was grinning at them from Night’s favorite armchair.  
Twilight found herself unable to contain her excitement. “It was amazing, Cady! The meteor shower was beautiful, and we got some fantastic photos of the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades!”
Sunset met Twilight’s glance her way with one of those crooked smiles. “I’m going to go put this in your dad’s office,” she said, hefting the telescope case. “You want to put the leftovers up, nerd?”
Rising from the chair, Cadence grinned. “I’ll help, Ladybug, and you can tell me more about your date.”
“I—How did you—“ Twilight tripped over her words on the way into the kitchen, and Cadence just gave her a long look.
“Twily,” she said, hugging her around the shoulders. “Sunset came to me for advice about her plans. How do you think she knew what sandwich shop to go to or what you like to order?”
The dark haired girl mulled that over for a few minutes, then practically pounced on Cadence with a tight hug. “Thank you,” she told her sister-in-law. “Thank you so much for helping her…tonight was everything I ever dreamed of…”
Cady hugged her back. “Oh, I can't take that much credit, Ladybug. Sunset planned the whole thing. All I did was offer my opinion on her plan and answer a few questions…this whole night was her doing.”  She pulled back so they could start putting the leftover food away.  “Sooooo…We can call your first date a success, then?”
Twilight couldn't help the giddy smile that spread across her face. Her first real date and it had been perfect for her and her girlfriend, regardless of what society often portrayed. “It’s…it's a night I will never forget,” she answered truthfully. “It was perfect for us, and…I didnt feel…” 
Another hug from the woman she had always confided in soothed the small burst of anxiousness in her throat. “Like you were doing something wrong?” When Twilight nodded, the arms around her tightened. “Because you weren't, Ladybug. There’s nothing wrong with your relationship with Sunset. It’s sweet and beautiful and surprisingly healthy given your age and experience, and you shouldnt be ashamed for how you feel about her.”
Cadence moved out of the hug to stand in front of her, both hands on her shoulders.  “I know you're still working up the courage to come out, even if only to the rest of the family, Twilight, but I cannot stress enough that there is nothing wrong with who you are—you are valid, and have just as much right to exist and be happy with yourself as any other person, even if your love just happens to be different than most people.  Don't let small minded bigots convince you that you have to be ashamed of how you love.”
“I…I’m trying, Cadence,” she admitted, “but it's not always that easy or simple.”  Twilight pulled from the hug.  “As much as I try to acknowledge that there is nothing wrong with my sexuality, and that bigots are just that, the fact is that that bigotry can impact my life, my education, and my future career. I’m already facing an uphill fight simply because of my gender and neurological differences…and I cannot just pretend my sexuality won't give those detractors more ammunition.  As much as I would love to not care at all, it would be shortsighted and foolhardy of me not to recognize that.”
The pink skinned woman squeezed her shoulder. “I know…I just don't want you to believe the things they spew, even if you have to play some of the social games, Ladybug. You deserve love and happiness just like everyone else.”
Twilight nodded. Cadence had a valid point, one she was aware of, but as much as she loved her brother’s fiancée, as much of an elder sister as she was, her situation had never been quite the same as Twilight’s.  Still…the support was welcome, and she hoped her smile communicated that where words could not.
Light footfalls from behind her that she instantly recognized were all the warning she got before Sunset, still in a good mood, tugged her away from Cadence and into a warm embrace. Twilight pressed her body back against her girlfriend’s front as Sunset dipped her head to nuzzle her cheek. “Food all put away, nerd?” she asked, before kissing Twilight’s cheek. 
The goofy, bubbly feeling in her chest made her smile widen, and the dark haired girl nodded. “All taken care of, Sunny. I now have lunch for the rest of the weekend.”  
“Good.” Sunset glanced towards Cadence. “…thanks again for your help with tonight. I…really appreciate it.”
The woman laughed. “I was happy to offer my extensive knowledge of Twily’s sandwich preferences to the cause.” Her smile softened to something that Twilight knew was heartfelt and genuine. “I am really glad you both had a wonderful time on your date—not every date is a winner, especially not first dates, but you two deserved it.”
Sunset and Twilight glanced at each other at the same moment, their noses brushing together in the motion. Feeling bold, Twilight pecked Sunset’s lips with a brief kiss, one hand coming up to run fingers through red and gold hair. When they finally parted, She looked to her sister-in-law, still smiling. “Thanks, Cady. For everything. It…means more than I can explain.”
“I know, Ladybug,” Cadence responded. “Now it's late, so we should probably call it a night before all this girl-talk wakes the rest of the house.” 
That made Sunset chuckle and nudge Twilight along towards the stairs. “She’s right, Sparky.  I don't want to accidentally wake up your parents…” Then the redhead lowered her voice, lips barely an inch from a lavender ear. “Besides…nothing says we have to go right to sleep…”
Heat rushed through her, forgoing her already reddened cheeks in favor of settling a lot lower, and Twilight threaded her fingers through Sunset’s to tug her hurriedly up the steps.  Outside Twilight’s bedroom door, Sunset separated from her, gaining a confused look from Twilight.
“I’m going to grab my pajamas from my room and rinse off quick. I feel kind of sweaty and I don't want to smell myself all night,” she explained. 
Twilight nodded in understanding. “Okay. I’m going to change then…see you in a few minutes?”
“Fifteen minutes, tops. I promise I’ll be quick.”  Sunset gave her a crooked smile. “I won't leave you waiting long…”
Leaning in close, Twilight captured her girlfriend’s lips sweetly. “Trust me, Sunset Shimmer….you're worth waiting for.”
Sunset blushed, and pulled back reluctantly. “I still want to make it quick. You might be patient, but I’m not good at it.” Then she slipped away to shower, leaving Twilight to enter her room.
It took only a few minutes to change into her pajamas, and Twilight stretched out on her side of the bed, grabbing her phone to check on the day’s science news; she needed something to help avoid thinking about Sunset in the shower.  When it showed “6 Unread Messages” on the lock screen, the teen pulled up her texts in confusion. The only people who texted her were her immediate family and Sunset…so who…?
Glamour’s contact name was highlighted as the source of all six messages, all in the last forty minutes. Twilight checked them, worry knotting in her throat.
-Twi?-
-You awake?-
-I really really need to share this with SOMEONE, Twi, message me ASAP!-
-I dont have anyone else I CAN share this with-
-doesnt matter how late it is, plz let me know when you get this-
-Twi?-
Lavender fingers raced over the keys. -Sorry, Glamour. I was out with Sunset, and we were driving home. Are you still up? What’s wrong?-
Almost immediately, her cousin responded—still with grammar that made Twilight cringe.  -Nothings wrong-
-Tonites wonderful. Can i call?-
Twilight took a breath, letting it out slowly. -You can call. I have a few minutes.-
Her phone rang, and she answered, more than a little confused. “Hi Glamour.”
“Ohmigosh, Twi! I'm so glad you're still up! You’ll never guess what happened tonight!”  Glamour’s perky, excited voice was almost too loud, and Twilight pulled the phone back to lower the volume right as it dinged with a picture message. Staring back at her was her cousin’s hand, wearing a pretty ring in gold, one stylized with what looked like wings or feathers as it wrapped around the digit. “Song gave me this—it’s not technically an engagement ring, because we can’t get married yet, but it's a promise that when we can, she wants to!”
Breath catching, Twilight found herself with a few happy tears in her eyes for her cousin, her own mood returning to its previous high. “Oh wow, Glamour,” she managed, smiling even though the young woman on the other end of the line couldn't see her. “That really is amazing, and I’m so happy for you!”
“Right?!” Glamour made a sound that was both a laugh and a sob. “I’m laughing and I’m crying and I’ve never been this happy, not once in my entire life, and I just needed to tell someone before I exploded!” Her enthusiasm waned a bit. “You are really the only one I could tell that would understand why it's such a big deal…”
“It's a huge deal,” Twilight agreed. “And I understand why you would be so ecstatic.”
“I know I still have two more years before I can risk anything,” Glamour said, her perky, bubbly optimism returning, “but this…this is something I can hold onto to get me there, even when we can only be ourselves in this dorm room, and I can wear it anywhere, because it doesn't look like people think an engagement or promise ring should look!”
Thinking of her evening and the epiphany that Sunset had helped her reach, Twilight answered in a quiet but happy tone, “And that’s okay—it doesn't matter what society says it should look like. You can give it whatever meaning you want it to have, and it can mean that to you.” 
“Twi?” Glamour sounded a little confused. 
“Sunset…made me realize something tonight, and she was right, and maybe you already know it, but…” She was smiling so hard it was starting to make her face hurt.  “…it's not the eighteenth century anymore, or even the fifties. It's the twenty-first century, and we’re allowed to define our own relationships instead of being hidebound by our grandparents or great-grandparents traditions… A couple can decide for themselves what they want to be, how they express their commitment, what is and isn’t a date, not centuries of heteronormative mandates that are designed to treat women like property and allow males to show off to other males like peacocks flashing their tail feathers.”
Her cousin giggled over the phone. “You're right, but did you have to give me that image? Now every time I have to put up with the men my parents try to throw at me, I’m just going to see their suit coats as peacock feathers!”
Twilight laughed with her. “Oh! Now that you’ve said it, I think that’s all I’ll be thinking of at New Years next year!”
The pair of them giggled and laughed for several minutes, until they couldn't breathe right and there were tears of mirth on Twilight’s face.  When she’d caught her breath, Twilight wiped the tears away. “Anyway…as I was saying, I could go on a two hour lecture into the intricacies of the diamond industry and deceptive marketing, but neither of us wants to spend time on that tonight…especially since I’m fairly certain that you will never have any intention of walking around with some oversized hunk of compressed carbon on your finger like Summer does, flashing it to anyone that looks her way to show off how much she was bought for.”
“Ohmigosh, no! I love Mom…but I hate that about her, how everything is always about money! It's like ‘there’s more to life for me, Mom,’ but of course she doesn't get it.” More giggling. “You know, I never realized you had a sense of humor.”
Sobering a bit, Twilight took a long few heartbeats to answer. “…not a lot of people even understand my jokes, much less find them amusing, so I suppose I’ve learned not to bother most of the time unless I’m with family or Sunset.  People I trust.”
Glamour made a soft noise into the phone, not quite a sigh, and Twilight couldn't quite identify the emotions. “It means a lot then, Twi, that you are comfortable enough to trust me enough to get to know the real you. For what it's worth, you’re the one member of the family I really trust—ever since New Years, it's been amazing to have someone I can just talk to without having to remember what I can and can't say.” A soft laugh escaped her. “Especially because you understand in a way most people don’t the parts of my life that are secret from everyone.”
Twilight played with a bit of her hair. “I know what you mean—I was talking with Cadence before I came up, about coming out, and I love Cady, She’s the best sister ever, but…it's not as easy as she talks about.”
Her cousin sighed. “Twi, Cadence is a wonderful person, and for all she’s supportive of you, she’s with your brother, and always has been. Even if she likes girls too, when she goes out with Shining, no one can tell she’s anything but normal.  Your parents are great, and it sounds like her parents are too, so her family loves her anyway, and her career doesn't come with those expectations of fitting a particular mold.  She’s never been terrified that someone will read into your friendly outing and see more, or look to ruin you out of some kind political or financial agenda by trying to cause a scandal.”
“I know my anxiety problems are a big contributor to my stress over telling anyone,” the teen acknowledged, “but Cadence doesn’t seem to quite understand what I mean when I say it's more complicated than just talking to my therapist and working up the courage to be open about it.  I know it won't be all sunlight and rainbows—not with my desire to get into science and technology fields for a career.” Her words carried a hint of frustration.
There was a sound of a person snorting from the background loud enough for the speaker to pick it up, and a voice Twilight didnt recognize commented sarcastically, “And the sciences are worse than even the corporate ladder for women as is, let alone those who follow in Sappho’s glorious lesbian sandals.”
She and Glamour both laughed, with her cousin introducing the speaker—Wildsong, as Twilight had already guessed. 
“They are, and I have a plan, if people will just let me do it at my pace without trying to pick apart what I’m doing.  The only one who hasn't really been pushy about this is Sunset—she’s so sweet and understanding with respecting my wishes and space, while still somehow knowing exactly when I need to be shown a different perspective.  Like tonight!”  Twilight glanced up as her bedroom door opened to admit the very girl she was gushing about, unable to stop the deliriously happy smile that crossed her face. 
Sunset closed the door with a click of the lock, and finished getting as much water as she could out of her damp hair with a towel.  A moment later had her slithering under the covers with Twilight, arms going around her in order to cuddle close to her.  Sunset was delightfully warm against her back, and she could feel her placing little kisses against the back of her neck.
“What happened tonight, Twi?”
Lavender fingers rested over amber. “We went to watch a meteor shower that Sunny got tickets for back at Christmas. I thought it was just another outing, but she surprised me by telling me it was supposed to be a date—but a date that was perfect for us, that no one could tell was a date!” She thought back to Sunset’s confession under the celestial tapestry, the quiet, fervent intensity in her murmured voice, and the soft kiss they’d exchanged by accident. “It was magical.” 
Sunset made a throaty sound close to her ear, nuzzling into her happily. “I’m glad,” the redhead whispered for Twilight’s ears alone.
Glamour squealed with glee, and Twilight had to pull the phone away from her ear with a wince. “Ohmigosh! Twi, that’s fantastic! What did she do for the date?”
Twilight gave Glamour a summary of the date itself, her fingers drawing constellations on the back of Sunset’s hand.  “…We were out way later than we really should have been, but Sunset had gotten Mom and Dad’s permission, because we were testing out her new camera for some stellar photography.”
“I’m so happy for you, Twi! Sunset sounds like she’s a keeper!”  
In the background, Twilight could hear the other voice talking too low to make out, and Glamour giggled. “Song is reminding me we have a fairly early day tomorrow and that Sunset is probably waiting for you to finish talking, so I should let you go. I’ll text you later in the week, okay?”
“Yeah…it is really late.  I’ll talk with you another day, hopefully not so late at night next time?” Twilight yawned. 
After setting the phone on her nightstand, Twilight twisted in Sunset’s arms and hugged her tightly. Her girlfriend brushed lips against her forehead. “Hey…” she said.
“Hey,” Twilight answered. “Missed you.”
The taller girl chuckled. “Sparky, I was gone for like fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes too many,” came the response into her shirt as Twilight pressed their bodies together tight enough to send a shiver up her spine at the way their contours fit together nicely. 
“Nerd,” Sunset teased, tilting Twilight’s chin up.
She smiled. Trust Sunset to be able to turn the word into an endearment.  “As long as I’m still your nerd, Sunny.”
“Always,” the girl holding her responded, before kissing her. The lips working against hers sparked a fire in Twilight, and she pushed harder into the kiss, hands moving until one gripped Sunset’s shoulder and the other was tangled in damp hair.  Sunset made a throaty sound into her mouth as her tongue begged entrance, one of her long legs hooking over Twilight’s hip possessively tight.
By the time they parted for air, both of them were breathless and grinning, and Twilight felt the heat on her back from Sunset’s hands through her shirt.  She left a trail of little kisses along the other girl’s jawline. “…are you tired yet…?” The soft question barely disturbed the air.
Sunset rubbed their noses together lightly. “Not really, why?”
Twilight teased her girlfriend’s mouth with her own. “Me neither…” She nibbled on Sunset’s lip. “And after all the effort you went to to make tonight so special…I find myself wanting the night to last just a little longer.”
One of those soft, lopsided smiles tugged at Sunset’s lips, and she stroked her hands up and down Twilight’s back. “Then kiss me again,” she said in a voice that was practically a purr, “and we’ll make sure the night doesn't end just yet…”





Streaks of light lit up the night, passing from one end of the sky to the other against a backdrop of stars. It was beautiful, and made all the more wonderful by the presence surrounding her, holding her with warm arms.  As they sat there, leaning back against the rock, Twilight could feel sharp nails sneak up under the hem of her shirt, stroking along her skin in a way that sent tingles through her body.  And when heated breath ghosted over her ear to wash down her neck, it trailed its own fingers along her nervous system to send lightning jolting along parts of her as yet untouched.  The teen had to bite her lip to avoid reacting audibly, not wanting to draw attention to them with a sudden, loud sound.
“Do you like that, Sparky?” The voice that murmured to her was husky with desire, but still welcome and familiar in the best of ways. “Or are you just cold?” her companion teased. “You're trembling…” Those fingers became a palm pressed to her stomach, searing hot in all the right ways.
With a soft whimper, Twilight arched into the touch, shuddering. Her mouth opened to answer, but the feeling of sharp teeth nipping at the side of her neck turned it into a gasp. “Can’t have you getting cold on me,” her paramour chuckled. “Let’s see about warming you up…” A snapping noise of thick fabric filled her ears right before a warm, fuzzy textured dark blanket was wrapped around their shoulders and covered her front all the way to her thighs.  “How’s that?”
She nodded, tilting her head back to try and look at her companion. “It’s perfect….” the dark haired girl managed to get out, catching a glimpse of gleaming blue green eyes shining in the dark. Her hands came up to touch the blanket, feeling along the thick, heavy surface with its soft, plush texture, feeling it shift against her touch. 
Twilight’s head lolled to the side as a mouth descended on her neck, placing little kisses and love bites on the skin.  It quickly put her mind into a dreamy haze where the only thing that mattered was who she was with and how good she felt, quieting the constant storm of mental noise that was her normal state of mind. She savored the sense of…drifting, just like she did every time that those arms held her tight.
More hot breath tickled her ear. “Twilight Sparkle,” came the soft murmur from lips just barely tickling her skin, “I want to make you mine and mine alone…if you would let me…”
Her mind still hazy, Twilight mumbled something incoherent in reply. Forming a structured sentence was hard when she was so very relaxed and content.  Still, more words drew her mind back from that space full of nothing but the pleasure of just Being.  “Be mine, Twilight Sparkle, until the last star of eternity cools…mine to have…to keep…to hold, so that no other may touch you who are my light, the keeper of my soul…”
Something nagged at her, further grounding her and coaxing a response that she knew in some undefinable way she needed to give. Twisting around in the embrace and unsettling the heavy, dark warmth blanketing her, Twilight slid her arms around her girlfriend’s body and pressed them together in a tight hug.  “I want that too,” she whispered.  “I want to be yours, to feel you hold me, to know I’m safe with you…”
“Then open your eyes, and answer me…” 
Without a second thought or moment’s hesitation, Twilight opened her eyes, taking in red-amber skin and catlike eyes glowing in the dark. “Yes,” came the fervent, heated reply that fell from her own lips and onto  Sunset Shimmer’s. “A million times yes, Sunset. I’m yours…”
In the darkness, under a blanket of stars, there was heat and pleasure coursing through her veins as hungry lips fastened on hers, rough passion communicated from one body to the other.  Sharp teeth nipped her lower lip as Sunset pressed her to the blanket, flared wings silhouetted against the night. Clothing was pulled aside or vanished as if it never was—Twilight couldn’t tell which and it didn’t really matter anyway.  What mattered more was silken skin pressed against her own, warmth and softness over strength like she’d never imagined that her girlfriend could possess, and how right it felt to her.
More kisses left a trail of fire down her neck, and the dark haired teen could hear that voice breathing words like a mantra and a prayer. “You are mine, Twilight Sparkle…I swear it on all that I am…you belong to me and no other… my light, my soul…”  Every word uttered resonated with the core of her being, making her body thrum with energy and growing need that passed between them, shared without words, as their bodies sought to melt together into one…



	

Waking was a shock to her system, not unlike frigid ice water upended over her, and she panted and gasped painfully for breath as her heart hammered against her ribs. The surge of adrenaline that kickstarted her body into a waking rhythm from deep sleep left her disoriented, her nerves hyper-sensitized, and her brain frantically clawing for a rational explanation as to what sent her so roughly from the arms of sleep. 
It hadn’t been something in the room, she decided, taking in the stillness and shadows of the familiar darkened space. If it had, Spike and Sunset both would have alerted her, yet both slept on, undisturbed.  That also ruled out either of them having woken her. Spike was curled up in his bed in the corner, snoring soft little doggy snores, and Sunset?  Twilight could feel, even through pjs that felt like sandpaper against her skin, the too warm body pressed against her back, the sensation of breasts pressed against the top of her shoulder blades, of a leg still hooked over her hip and trapping her close.  Slow and steady breathing and the sleepy murmurs against Twilight’s scalp gave her every indication that her girlfriend was still sound asleep.  There was a possibility of a far off noise, but that too should have woken Sunset, at least, who she knew from experience didn’t handle exceptionally loud noises with any sort of decorum when they jolted her awake.
Twilight sought to bring her breathing under control, running her fingers over the amber arm that was around her waist.  It could have been the dream, she decided, cheeks heating at the memory and her body aching in response. The dream had been an intimate, visceral thing, full of the desires that had been plaguing her since the early part of December, and like so many before it, left her feeling entirely unsatisfied in the lack of conclusion.  Her body throbbed again, reminding her that this was the first time she’d had such a dream when the subject of it had been curled around her in bed.  It had been her Sunny in the dream—no matter how bizarre the form her subconscious liked to fashion for Sunset might be, Twilight would always know who she was. If she was ever struck blind she would still know Sunset Shimmer by presence alone, because the way Sunset filled a room was unmistakable to her….and the memory now, of a dream where that presence was wholly fixed on her, where Sunset’s touch and breath and being was fulfilling every sordid little desire Twilight had possessed in her slumbering state set her ablaze with renewed want that sent a shudder through her. 
Suddenly it was hard to breathe again—not from panic, but from the feelings that made it hard to keep quiet, to keep that moan from escaping to wake Sunset up. Twilight squirmed, managing to extricate herself from the hold without disturbing her dreaming girlfriend, needing a few minutes alone to deal with the way her feelings were affecting her physically….
What she never noticed, in her hurried rush to escape to the bathroom, was the way glowing blue-green eyes followed her exodus, or the frustrated tears that stained the pillowcase.
> Chapter Ninety Three: ...It's Bringing Me to My Knees
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was officially the longest week in the history of long weeks, and it was only just starting. Sunset took a moment to rest her forehead against the icy cold metal of her locker, wondering if she could get away with sleeping through to Friday.  
Probably not, she decided after several minutes of serious consideration. The principals might have relaxed some of their restrictions on her at school, but almost a week of missed class would be pushing even their forbearance to the limits.  Just suck it up, Shimmer. You can do this. You have to, she told herself. It wasn't like there was another unicorn prodigy living as a human that could study magic in her stead. She had yet to hear back from Princess Twilight—it was highly likely that the alicorn was still upset with what Sunset had said about Princess Celestia, but Sunset couldn’t bring herself to apologize.
That meant she had to power through, even if her dreams had started making sleep impossible. Sighing, the former unicorn lifted her head and set about opening her locker to put her books away. 
“Hey, pony-girl,” a voice called from over her shoulder. 
Sunset turned towards the voice, sending a wan smile Flash’s way. “Hey, Flash,” she responded. 
Almost immediately the friendly grin on his face morphed into one of concern. “You okay, Sunset? You…don't look so good.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “I thought you said your date went great.”
Her lips turned up more as her mind flitted back to Friday.  “It did,”she said, the ghost of Twilight in her arms and holding her under the stars making her stomach feel as though it were full of butterflies.  “I don't think it could have gone any better than it did—it was practically perfect.”
His brows pinched together. “Then why do you look like someone replaced your lunch with the Meat Lover’s Delight?”
Shoulders sagging, Sunset slumped against the lockers with a harsh sound.  “It’s complicated,” she bit out, pushing down the memory of dreams and nightmares.
Flash watched her for long enough she started to feel twitchy, the instinctive pony need to get away from a predator’s stare fighting her own natural tendency to respond to such with aggression.  She bent her knee, resting the toe of her boot lightly on the tile, resisting the urge to turn the motion into a complete kick. “What?” Sunset finally asked, a little harsher than she intended.
“You need a break. No band practice today right, since Rainbow has soccer stuff after school?” Flash glanced at the calendar she’d stuck in her locker to keep track of important after school activities.
The redhead nodded. “Yeah…I was going to sort through some of my data and run a few more tests.”
Her ex-boyfriend shook his head. “It can wait until tomorrow, pony-girl. You and I are going to go get something horribly deep fried and unhealthy, take it back to my place, and then I’m going to beat your ass in some Smash Brothers.”
“Flash, I can’t. I have to try and figure out what's going on with this magic.” Sunset shook her head, wild mane bouncing around her shoulders. “As much as I’d love to, I can't afford to just skip my responsibilities, even for a day.”
Gentle hands on her shoulders made her look at him, and idly she wondered if she’d gotten taller in the last eight months—she didn't remember being so close to eye to eye with him when they’d been ‘dating.’ “Sunset,” he said, “I know you feel the need to throw yourself into your work…but when was the last time you just took a day for yourself, and actually acted like a teenager?”
“I—“ When was the last time? Sure, she let herself have Fridays, and she’d had a sleepover with the girls recently…but a corner of her mind nagged her that she’d spent half of that sleepover testing their magic. 
“You need a break, Sunset. What good will figuring out the magic do if you’re so burned out when you do that you just collapse? You need to take better care of yourself—if not for yourself, then for those of us who care about you.” The blue-haired teen squeezed her shoulders lightly. “And if that means I have to be the friend who makes you do stupid teenager stuff once in a while, to make sure you come through this okay, then I will.”
Sunset couldn't help but laugh. “Really ‘taking one for the team’ with that, aren't you?” she commented with more than a little sarcasm. “Such a sacrifice.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Considering I'm offering to spend my money on buying my ex dinner and then spend the afternoon getting my ass kicked in video games to help her feel better, yeah.”  
They both went silent for a minute before Flash rubbed the back of his neck. “Wow. When I put it like that I sound pretty pathetic.”
“I don't think so,” the redhead disagreed. “I think it makes you sound like exactly what you are: a really nice guy who cares about his friends. And…youre right. I haven't really stopped since the Sirens showed up. Maybe an afternoon just hanging out will help me get my head on straight.”
Flash chuckled. “That’s the spirit!  And, you know, if you just want to rant to me about whatever’s bothering you, Sunset, I’m all ears. I know there's some stuff you're not ready to tell the girls, but…I’ve got your back.”
With renewed vigor, Sunset dumped the books and notebooks she didn't need into her locker, retrieved the few she needed for homework—world history, joy—and shut the door with a resounding clang.  “Let’s get out of here—are we going to the place that makes the beer battered fish?”
“The same. They've got these new cheese and bacon potato bites that are amazing, and they added fried cheese bites to the menu last fall….along with a few weird vegetarian options that sound pretty gross to me, but you might enjoy them.” He nudged her shoulder with his own. “You can get whatever you want, my treat. Some weird old guy with the ugliest striped suit tipped me a hundred bucks yesterday for making his coffee order ‘to absolute perfection.’”
Sunset snorted. “You may very well regret that, Flash—I skipped lunch today to run tests around school and to prep for tutoring on Wednesday—apparently word has gotten out and I had a dozen people asking me about what subjects they could get help with.  Speaking of, you're still solid on your world history, right?”
The blue haired young man blinked at the question as Sunset shut her locker and started walking with him down the hall. “Yeah…why? Are you failing again?”
“Not yet, but I could always use a little help. No, it's just that Flitter and Wisp asked me today about if we had anyone who could help with history if they were willing to help others with English. I thought it might be smarter to build on each others strengths so that no one person is doing all the heavy lifting.”  She shrugged. “And I know you and Bon-Bon both sleep through history and ace the tests.”
He considered her suggestion. “That's…actually a really good idea, Sunset. Wondercolts helping each other. Maybe you ought to talk to Principal Celestia, make it an official after school thing. She could do sign up sheets or something.”
The former bully bit her lip. “I’m kind of banned from running any kind of official extra-curricular school activities…it was one of my punishments from the Fall Formal,” she admitted. “No dance royalty, no club leadership positions, no committees or councils, nothing that would put me in any kind of position of power.  If it weren't for me being the only student with any kind of Magus Certifications to my name, I doubt I’d even be in charge of the magic research.”
Holding open the door to the parking lot for her, Flash tilted his head back. “Maybe you should ask anyway, pony-girl. That was something given out right after the Fall Formal, right?”  When she nodded, he grinned. “That was back before you saved us all from being mind slaves to a bunch of shrieking seahorses.  Maybe things have changed, and they’d be willing to let you help put together an after school tutoring thing that's open for people to sign up.”
“Maybe…” Sunset worried at her lip, her hands otherwise engaged with holding a few extra books that wouldn't fit in her backpack. “I guess it can't hurt to ask.”
She followed Flash to his car, pausing long enough at her bike to secure her backpack and books in its storage, then slid into his passenger seat. “Alright, I’m good to go—let’s go spend your hard earned tip money.”
The other teen laughed. “Sure! And on the way, you can tell me how your surprise date went,” he ribbed her, grinning.
That made her blush to the roots of her hair. “It went great,” she confessed. “You were right. I didn't have as much to worry about as I thought. Twilight had the best night, and when I explained it all to her…it just all clicked, and now she wants to see if we can do a few more dates during some of our free nights or on Fridays….when we’re not bogged down with schoolwork or other commitments.” She glanced his way, wondering if this was weird for him, given his feelings for the princess.
A hand lifted off the wheel while they sat at a red light and squeezed her shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Sunset,” he told her, flashing one of those cheerful grins her way. “And I knew it would work out—from the way you talk about her, your Twilight sounds like she cares about you a lot.”
Staring out the window, Sunset could feel wayward thoughts intruding. “Yeah,” she responded softly. “She’s more than my girlfriend…she’s my best friend, and that….that matters more to me than I can put into words…”
The former unicorn trailed off, the conversation having dredged up the thoughts that had been eating at her all weekend from where they had settled in her subconscious. She did care about Twilight…more than she could ever remember caring about anypony or anyone. The human girl really was her best friend, the person whose company she would seek out in the worst moments just as much as the happy ones…and in recent weeks, it had become impossible to deny that the dark haired girl was eliciting a number of very physical reactions that no other human could manage, something Sunset was struggling to come to grips with.  Before, the physical, carnal desires had been just that…physical; manifestations of hormones and an adolescent body that was still in a state of flux with the chemicals it was flooding her brain with.  It had been something she could ignore the way she did her best to ignore her monthly cycle—inconvenient and discomfiting but survivable—but ever since the dream with Twilight in the body of a pretty little unicorn mare, teasing and enticing her amidst a field of wildflowers and sunshine, it was no longer just physical. 
Now, the dreams made her heart race and her body ache for hours afterwards, and she felt that old, familiar hunger in her soul. Sunset found herself dwelling on the Twilight from her dreams, of soft moans and whispered pleas and bared skin pressed to her own, and part of her wondered if the real Sparky would be like that if they went further in their intimacies.  
And that Friday night? It had been the first time she’d had one of those carnal dreams while in the same bed as the source of those desires. Jolting awake from a much more intense rendition of the end of their date and finding Twilight’s body warm and soft and still very much present and solid in her arms and tangled up with her had almost been her undoing.  The other girl waking up and wiggling free for a trip to the bathroom had been a relief, and she’d cried into her pillow until the ache in her core had finally subsided and with it, the rising magic that had been making her blood burn and her limbs tingle, just before Twilight had returned. She’d managed to feign sleep as her girlfriend had returned to the spot in her arms, but it had been over an hour before she’d relaxed enough to fall back asleep herself.
Flash, as if sensing her withdrawal, had fallen quiet during the car ride, interrupting only when he pulled into a spot outside the unsung treasure of Canterlot: Batter Up!—a tacky looking theme restaurant with interior decoration dedicated to the human sport of baseball, and enough fried goodies to clog every artery of every person in the city and surrounding counties. Sunset gave him a thin smile as she followed him inside, assaulted by the scent of oil, breading, half of the potatoes grown in Idaho, and a myriad of meats and other edibles.
Sunset’s thoughts wandered again as they stood in line, drifting back to her girlfriend and her own uncertainties. It was hard to separate the various emotions from each other, they were such a tangled mess, especially with how her magic was reacting to them.  The unicorn turned teenager knew she cared about her best friend, and felt genuine affection for her, just like she did for her other friends, but there was another layer that muddled it, a stronger affection that was wrapped up in a desire to protect Twilight from the things she was vulnerable to, and a need to see the younger girl smiling and happy that sometimes felt as strong as any nudge from her cutie mark. 
What was more, that didn’t even touch on the way their physical intimacy made her feel…the way Twilight’s hugs and soft touches filled a hole inside her that she hadn't even known needed filling, the warmth that grew inside her whenever her girlfriend kissed her nose or whispered, “Sunny…” in that tone that made Sunset feel like she was flying without wings.
“Sunset?” Flash’s voice broke through her thoughts, so much less welcome than Twilight’s would have been, regardless of how twisted up she made Sunset feel. “What do you want?”
At some point she and Flash had reached the register without her realizing it. “Oh…uh…get me a number four,” she said absently, her focus still turned inward. 
The blue haired young man looked at her oddly. “Sunset,” he said again. “That's a double bacon cheeseburger meal. Last I checked, you don't eat cheeseburgers. Or bacon. Unless you’ve decided to try a new diet?”
That finally jerked her back to the world around her and she blinked confusedly at the menu. “Horseapples,” she swore. “Yeah, no…the number ten—the seafood basket, with the Old Bay breading, curly fries….and can I get a side of your fried okra too? And a large Dr. Pepper.” Her face felt hot from the embarrassment of almost ordering something she would never in a million years eat.
“Get what you want, pony-girl,” Flash told her. “I told you, it's my treat.”
She smiled at him as best she could, still flushed from her near mistake. “That’s good for me,” the former unicorn said, running a hand through her frazzled mane and trying to corral her scattered thoughts back into some semblance of order.
It proved a nearly impossible task, as each thought spawned several more, even if they were fractured, half formed things, and by the time they got back out to the car with several bags of greasy food, she was ready to scream frustration to the heavens. So maybe that was why when they had settled in the car again, and Flash turned to her, his brows pinched in concern, and asked, “You wanna talk about it?” Sunset blurted out a question without even considering an answer.
“How do you know if it’s love?”
Flash sucked in a mouthful of his drink, causing him to hack and sputter to clear his airway. Sunset took the bag of food he was holding so he wouldn't drop it.  “Dammit, pony-girl,” he rasped when he could breathe again. “Don't do that to a guy when he’s drinking.”
“Sorry,” the redhead said, feeling guilty. “I just…you asked…and I’m just…” she trailed off, unable to voice her feelings.
“….Love, huh? Is it that serious then? You and Twilight?” Blue eyes studied her curiously.
Sunset groaned. “I don't know! That’s the problem! How am I supposed to know? I never had any friends before the disaster at the formal, and I’ve told you that my dating you was not about feelings.  And humans do things so differently than ponies, so I have no idea how to judge these things!” A fist struck his dashboard in frustration.
“Whoa! Okay, Sunset, calm down. Don't break my car.” He reached over and squeezed her wrist gently. “Take a few minutes to breathe while I get us back to my place, so we can talk while we eat, instead of having these super important conversations in a car.”
Nodding, Sunset adjusted her hold on the food. “I’m sorry, Flash. It's driving me a little crazy.” 
“Don't sweat it, pony-girl. Love’s a big deal, I get it. Just focus on holding our food, and I’ll get us to the house and we can talk.”  He pulled away from the curb with one last calming squeeze to her wrist, leaving her to sit in silence for the ten minute drive back to his house.
Once they were firmly settled on his living room couch, containers of their takeout spread on the coffee table, Flash gestured at her with a chicken strip. “So. Love. You said it’s different for ponies. Want to start with explaining that?”
Chewing viciously on a fried shrimp, she grimaced. “Humans…are both fixated on romantic partnerships and disgustingly casual about it. Look at people at school—how many boyfriends has Whisper Song been through since the beginning of the year?”
He rolled his eyes. “Probably a dozen. Rumor has it she hit three dozen last year before summer break.”
“…that’s what I mean. Ponies don't do that. We…aren't constantly looking for a partner, and we don't dip in and out of relationships like that. Not every pony wants a partner, especially when we’re young, and most don't go hunting for them like it's the most important thing in the world…but when we do find our Special Somepony, it tends to last. Maybe not forever, but years, even decades.” Sunset popped another popcorn shrimp in her mouth, giving herself time to organize what she else wanted to say.
Flash studied her. “…in other words, you're not into casual dating and hook-ups.”  
Shaking her head, the former unicorn replied, “Not usually, no. I mean, there are some ponies who are, but they’re…a minority and culturally, they’re…outliers. But…that’s not who I am.”
“Except when you're faking a relationship for the social games?” her ex joked with a raised eyebrow.
Her face heated. “I felt uncomfortable the whole time,” she admitted, unable to look up from the food in her lap.  “In a lot of ways, I was…relieved…when you broke up with me.”
A fist punched her shoulder lightly. “Relax, Sunset. I’m not angry, not anymore.”
Sunset sighed. “I can't help it. I still feel terrible for what I did to you. I really am sorry about that.”
“It sucked at the time, but it's okay, pony-girl.  You were a different person then, and that person is not the one I’m friends with now.”  Flash gave her one of his goofy grins. “And as your friend, I’m curious. You say you're not into humans, and that you aren’t one for casual dating…so….why Twilight? What makes her different?”
Her mouth opened to answer, but the weight of the question gave her pause. Why Twilight at all?  Brows furrowed, she spoke haltingly, trying to find the right words to explain. “Twilight’s…she’s not like any human I’ve ever met,” she said quietly. “She…she’s smart, and funny in this dorky, endearing way, and she’s the first person or pony I’ve really ever met who can have an intellectual conversation with me on my level—”
“Wow, ouch.” 
She snorted. “I don't mean it like that—I mean, I could talk advanced spatial calculus with her and she can do something other than stare in confusion at me because I’m throwing around high end theoretical math. We can talk for hours on all kinds of subjects, and even the ones I’m not great at she can somehow make interesting…” The redhead’s expression softened as she thought about her girlfriend. “She also always seems to know just what I need when my head is at its worst, and I don't have to try and put feelings into words with her. She just…knows, as weird as that sounds.  And it's the same with her—there's no games or manipulation with her. We just click, and…I trust her, more than I think I’ve ever trusted anybody.  She’s…”  Twilight’s own words came to her, and she smiled. “Sparky’s my very best friend, and I wouldn't give that up for anything…”
The young man opposite her on the couch nodded, swallowing a mouthful of fries.  “She sounds like a pretty cool person, Sunset, and a great friend.” Then he canted his head to the side like Spike when he was curious. “What about when you kiss her? What’s that feel like?”
Sunset felt her face go crimson. “Flash!” she yelped.  That wasn't the kind of thing she was going to share with anyone else. “Inappropriate much?”
He shook his head. “I didn't mean it like that, Sunset. I mean in your heart, in your head? How does being with her as girlfriends make you feel? Like when you kiss her, what does it feel like?”
Relaxing and trying not to get hung up on the memories suddenly clamoring for her attention, the former unicorn took a few deep breaths. “…I feel…warm….happy. It's usually just the two of us, and she’s a hugger, which means all I can see and smell and feel is her…” 
She could feel the echo of that soft, slim body pressed against her, setting her nerves aflame and tying her up in knots with how badly she desired more. Her breath stuttered awkwardly in her lungs as she fought the reaction her body was having from memories alone. The last place she wanted to deal with her body betraying her was in front of Flash.
When she finally managed to look at him again, her face was even more flushed than before, but the redhead had managed to stave off the hunger that settled into her core. “…sorry…”
Flash arched a brow, looking amused. “I can safely say you definitely feel something for Twilight that goes beyond ‘just friends.’ I’ve never seen you look like that before.”
“Like what?” Sunset asked, feeling a little uneasy. Had he been able to tell she was—
“Happy….but…happy in a way that comes from the heart and soul of a person. You never smile like that, and the way you sounded when you talk about your Twilight…like she’s the world’s greatest Christmas and birthday gifts all at once. You’ve got it bad for her, pony-girl.”
Sunset thumped her head into the back of the couch. “But is it real feelings or is it something brought on by this body and its hormones?!” she demanded in a frustrated tone. “How do you humans tell the difference?!”
Her almost shout faded into silence, and Flash sighed.  “…I wish I could give you a better answer on that, Sunset, but…everyone is different. The best advice I’ve ever heard is just ‘you’ll just know.’”
Bitterness crept into her response. “That doesn't exactly help me now…or help me figure out what she feels for me.”
Flash stared at her for a long time, before he said, “Why are you in such a hurry to know, Sunset? Did Twilight give you some kind of ultimatum or deadline to figure out your feelings?”
The former unicorn shook her head sharply. “Of course not! Twilight wouldn’t do that.”
The young man nodded. “Okay, what about someone else putting pressure on you? Her family? Someone else who wants to date one of you?”
Sunset snorted. “The only member of her family who knows we’re dating is her sister-in-law. And even if they did know, her parents…they aren't like that.”  Her ex-boyfriend seemed to mull over something for a long minute, and it made the redhead wonder exactly where he was going with his line of thought.  “Flash, why are you asking me things like that?”
He held up a hand. “I have a reason, Sunset. Just one more question.”
Scowling, she crossed her arms. “Fine. Ask.”
“Is this need to know and define your feelings some kind of pony thing that I’m missing?”
That gave her pause. “…not exactly?” she hedged awkwardly. When he made a ‘go ooon’ motion with one hand, her shoulders sagged. “It's…it's complicated…and more of a ‘Sunset the pony exile’ thing that I really don't want to get into.”
Flash sighed again. “Look, you want my honest opinion, pony-girl?”  When she bobbed her head in a quick nod, he chuckled. “I think you're doing that thing where you overthink everything in order to have total control over the situation, Sunset. Just like our sophomore Spring dance—do you remember that?”
Her face flushed. That had been a near disaster that had almost undone her plans involving her staged relationship and after that, she’d governed the whole ‘dating Flash’ thing with a much lighter hand. He’d had a much better grasp on what human dating was supposed to be like anyway.  “….yeah…that was…”
“Pretty awful?” he laughed. “That’s my point here though.  There’s no reason to rush it. You don't have to know today, or tomorrow, or this week. Stop worrying about whether its some kind of ‘monkey sex thing,’” he chastised, making air quotes with his fingers, “and just let yourself feel the way you feel with her. Sooner or later, you’ll realize that you know the answer to what you're asking, without having to pick your relationship and your feelings apart like a math problem.”
Sunset fell quiet, thinking over his words while she finished off her food.  Maybe he had a point.  She still had time—maybe not as much as he thought, given her girlfriend’s insatiable curiosity and investigation into magic, not to mention the way it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the desire that burned inside her when she and Twilight were curled up together.  And hadn’t her and Twilight’s whole foray into dating been about “trying and seeing where this goes?” It was definitely going somewhere, but it wasn't there yet, wherever “there” was.  Sure, she would need to make a decision about what she was going to do eventually, but …that could wait until she knew for sure what she felt, right?
Setting aside the empty styrofoam, she took a long swallow of her soda. “…maybe you're right. It…maybe I am overthinking it.”
With a chuckle, Flash squeezed her shoulder with one hand. “Then stop, and let it just happen, Sunset. Maybe it's love, maybe it's just a high school romance, maybe it's just teen hormones and platonic feelings getting all twisted up together, maybe it's a love that will be the stuff of legends. Who can say? What matters is that you two are happy with where you are in the present moment. The rest you’ll figure out in time. And with everything else you're worried about, you could stand to stop stressing about something.”
She blew air out her nostrils on a resigned snort. “…you're not wrong. I need less stress in my life…”
A controller was dangled in front of her nose. “Then let me make good on my promise about today, and help you destress with some video games. You still like Smash Brothers, right?”
Her lips curved up into a competitive smirk. “Prepare to eat my fists, Sentry.”





Flash made an overdramatic gurgling squeal, throwing himself half off the arm of the sofa. The hand not holding the controller stretched out towards Sunset beseechingly, and he rasped, “How…could…you? I thought…I was…one of your…favorite monkeys…”
It was so ridiculous, she couldn't help but laugh until her sides hurt. “There are no friends in Smash Brothers, Donkey Kong,” she giggle-snorted. “Only enemies to be crushed!”
He went limp, hanging off the sofa arm like a ragdoll. “….betrayed!” Flash cried, “Betrayed by someone who abuses Kirby for a cheap victory!”
“Don’t be such a sore loser,” she returned. “I used the character as intended. It's not my fault you need to get good at the game.” Her face was still scrunched up with laughter. “I don't even own this game and I kicked your flank up one side and down the other!”
The door opened as she gave him a shove with one booted foot and he fell dramatically onto the floor with an exaggerated sound of fake pain. “Sunset! How could you!” came the muffled words from where his face was smooshed into the carpet. “I trusted you!”
She barely heard him, freezing in place as his mother and sister stared at her from where they had just come in the front door. His mother was looking between the two of them with a slight frown.  Sunset swallowed uncomfortably. “Um…Mrs. Sentinel…hi.”
Flash immediately pushed himself up off the floor and back on to the couch. “Hey, Mom.”
Before the woman could answer, the child at her side piped up with her own commentary on the scene. Flash’s sister was…nine? Ten? Sunset couldn't remember exactly, and human ages were still something she had a hard time narrowing down, but it was definitely in that age category where both children and foals tended to say whatever came to mind, with no filter. “Is Sunset your girlfriend again? She didn't do a very good job last time—girlfriends aren't supposed to make boys cry.”
The redhead winced, both at the remark itself and the way it changed the room’s atmosphere into a tense mass of awkwardness and embarrassment.  Her ex-boyfriend turned a bright shade of vermilion. “Ivory, that’s not really—” he started, but again the child interrupted.
“Yeah it is! I heard you crying!”
Flash’s mother put a firm hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “That’s enough. Leave your brother alone.  Go in the kitchen and get your snack, then sit at the table and do your homework.”
Pouting, Ivory scuffed her feet on the floor on the way to the kitchen, making squeaking sounds with her shoes the whole time. She gave Sunset a dirty look, like the former unicorn was somehow at fault for her being yelled at. It didn't help make her any less uncomfortable and she decided maybe she should leave before it got worse or Mrs. Sentinel could throw her out.
Just as she was gathering herself to make an excuse to leave, the older woman turned her attention back to the two teenagers. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line—not a frown, but definitely unhappy.  Flash rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Mom. It's really not something I wanted the third degree over…”
Mrs. Sentinel flicked her gaze to her oldest child. “Tactless as your sister was, she did raise an interesting point. I’d like an answer as to what is going on here, given everything she put you through last September.”
Oh, ponyfeathers, horseapples, and flaming hydra farts.  Sunset cringed back, trying to decide if making a break for the door would generate enough surprise to get her unscathed past Flash’s mother, or if maybe going through the window was a better option, despite the hassle of glass shards in thin human flesh.  It’d probably be the less painful option, truthfully.
Flash narrowed his eyes, his blush fading only somewhat as embarrassed awkwardness gave way to frustrated indignation. “Mom!” he protested. 
“I know it’s a personal detail, Flash, but it doesn't take a lot of inference to put together what happened and how badly you were hurt,” Mrs. Sentinel responded, brushing some dark green hair back from her face.  “I’d hate for that to happen again, just because someone is playing games with your feelings.”
The look being leveled her way didn't do anything to alleviate the guilt and shame overtaking Sunset, and she shrank into her seat, mentally preparing herself for a dressing down that frankly was well deserved.  
The young man on the couch with her had other ideas, however. “Look, Sunset and I talked about that,” Flash said firmly. “Why we broke up and why it didn't work between us is not really anyone else’s business but ours.” Blue eyes glanced towards Sunset worriedly. “There was a lot going on I didn't know about at the time, and I forgave her for what happened. It’s my choice to be her friend now.”
The words burst out of Sunset as a fresh wave of painful guilt and shame rolled over her. “Flash, your mother’s right. I was horrible to you, and you didn't deserve any of it. I used you for my own reasons and my own gain, and then treated your feelings like garbage. She has every right to hate me and be suspicious, because she’s your mom, and she loves you.”  The words hurt to say, but she could see it, the fierce protectiveness in Mrs. Sentinel’s dark eyes that was the same as the one in Twilight Velvet’s when she’d finally detailed her grievances with Crystal Prep to her family, and she knew it was true. 
“….Sunset…” Flash started, but trailed off.
She gave him a crooked smile, more to mask the pain that stabbed through her when she realized she couldn't ever remember the Princess of the Sun looking at her that way than it was out of any humor. “It's fine. You’re lucky, you know? To have a mom that loves you that much. Don’t get mad at her for it.”  You're lucky to have a mother at all, her mind added for her, the thought steeped in bitterness and hurt. 
She started to collect her trash—no use in leaving behind a bigger mess—partially to give her a chance to put emotions back in the box she tried hard to bury in the corner of her soul.  Flash made a sound in his throat, before he turned on his mom.
“Mom, she has a girlfriend.”  The words were surprisingly soft spoken, but they cut through the suddenly silent house like a cannon shot. 
The silence felt like a heavy suffocating blanket, weighing down on Sunset’s whole body until she felt like she couldn't breathe right. Her hand clenched harder around her empty soda bottle, the creaking of strained plastic providing some measure of relief from the strained absence of noise.  She watched as the expression on the older woman’s face shifted through a variety of emotions, all directed at Sunset herself: shock, confusion, mistrust, anger, and finally, slowly enough that Sunset could practically read her contextualizing her former knowledge with that new piece, a sort of understanding. It lacked the warmth and welcome of Velvet and Night had always been so quick to show her, but at least it didn't seem quite so unpleasant as before.  It didn't help with the oppressive lack of sound either, but at least the unicorn-turned-human no longer felt like she was being stared down by an angry bear.
Then from the kitchen, Flash’s sister called, “No wonder she was a bad girlfriend—she likes kissing girls! Maybe you’d have had better luck if you had boobs, Flash!”
Flash rolled his eyes in annoyance, before giving Sunset an apologetic smile.  His mother snapped towards the kitchen, “That’s enough, Ivory Raven! You know better than to interject in conversations that are not your business! Now either pay attention to your homework, or you can do it in your room, without your snack!”
That shut Ivory up, and made Flash sigh with relief, rubbing the back of his neck again. “So…yeah…” he said awkwardly. “It just took until we talked again to understand why I’m really not her type.”
Sunset shook her head. “It doesn't excuse how awful and ugly I was to you before, Flash. You’re too nice a guy to deserve that, no matter what my personal reasons may have been.” She could recall, with clarity, just how devastated he’d looked when he’d come to her that day, a week or two into the school year, presenting her with an ultimatum about her behavior and their relationship, and she’d laughed at him.





“So let me get this straight. You don't like how I run this school, and if I don't give up everything I’ve spent years working towards, you’ll…break up with me?” Her eyes were like blue-green ice chips as they raked over the young man in front of her.
Flash nodded. “Sunset, you don't need to do all this to be great and popular. It's not worth it, and you’ll have more friends if you're nicer to people. Like you used to be. All this popularity is going to your head, and it’s…you’ve changed.” He looked down, saddened.  “…and I don't know if I can love the person you're becoming.”
It was almost too much, the hilarity of it. This stupid human boy really was a gullible fool who’d believed her entire act.  Where had someone like Flash been when she was a filly? She burst into laughter, the sound tinged with both mockery and bitterness. “Love me? You don't love me,” she sneered, “and the fact that you’ve deluded yourself into believing that is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard.”
His head snapped up, blue eyes wide and startled. “What? No, that—I do love you, Sunset…You’re a lot of fun to spend time with when you aren't focused on being popular.”
More laughter filled the air, and she let her disgust and sour amusement twist her flat face into as much of a nasty expression as this body could get. “You really mean that, don't you? You really are a stupid creature,” the redhead mocked. “Especially if you think I would change my plans for someone like you.” Sunset got closer, staring him down. “Your threats are nothing more than the hollow barking of a puppy on a very, very short chain. You see, I don't need you anymore—and I certainly don't have any actual feelings for an underdeveloped, emotionally unstable, simpering ape that follows me around with so much air between his ears.”
“What?” Flash’s voice wavered. “Sunset—”
“Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.” She spoke slowly, enunciating each word with emphasis and clarity, driving each one home like a dagger. “I. Don't. Care. About. You.  I never did. You were a means to an end, and you have served your purpose admirably.” 
Her ire spiked as his eyes filled with actual tears. “You—but I—how—I love y—”
“That’s your problem, not mine. Snips! Snails!” She snarled, snapping her fingers.
Her two flunkies appeared at her elbow. “Yes, Sunset Shimmer?” one of them asked, practically saluting her.
“Get him out of here. His whimpering is giving me a migraine, and I have more important things to do.” Like the final draft of plans for the theft of one of the most powerful magical artifacts ever known. She turned, ignoring the way her two lackies mocked and pushed the stunned, distraught form of her now ex-boyfriend out of the room.





She shook herself out of the memories. “You deserved a lot better than me, and I know that eventually, some girl is going to be very lucky to have you.”
His brow furrowed, searching her face. “Sunset, we talked about that. I had a chance to get it all off my chest and I forgave you. It sucked, but it's behind us, and I’d like to think we’re pretty decent friends now.”
Mrs. Sentinel chose that moment to interrupt the teens. “Your ability to forgive others is one of your most wonderful traits, dear,” she told her son. “I just wish it wasn't something you needed quite so much.”  Then she turned her focus back on Sunset. “I’m…still not happy with how you hurt him,” she told the redhead, “but I can understand why it happened. Figuring out who you are as a teenager is hard enough without throwing sexuality into the mix.”
Sunset’s gut churned, the food that had tasted so delicious a short time ago now sitting heavy in her stomach. The woman was offering something like a smile, but it was a smile Sunset had grown up seeing—polite, but it didn't quite reach the woman’s blue eyes. “I’ve had to do a lot of…self reflecting since the fall,” she admitted, not entirely sure herself if she meant the season or her nosedive into a crater courtesy of a rainbow. “There were…a lot of things I did because I didn't know there were better options, and because I was afraid. It doesn't undo what I did, Mrs. Sentinel, and I know that, but…I am trying to be better.”
The eyes might have softened just a fraction, but it was hard to read. “…I guess there aren't many ways to break that kind of news pleasantly to someone who believes that you return their feelings, especially when you went to such trouble to make it look like you did.” 
Sunset winced. “I…I know.  I could have handled it better…but at the time I was…” The former unicorn hesitated. “At the time I was in a really bad place, and I wasn't a very good person. I had things I thought I wanted, and I was willing to do whatever I had to to get them.”  Guilt gnawed at her—she wasn't lying, but it felt…wrong, somehow, to let the woman think this whole conversation was about her being like Twilight: afraid of people finding out her preferences in a partner, when it very much wasn't. But she also knew that the real truth would just put her friends in danger, risk her own cover, and potentially make the woman think she was either insane or on drugs, so she shoved the feeling down. “I learned the hard way how wrong I was, and in the end, it left me with nothing.”
Flash reached over and patted her shoulder. “You have friends now, Sunset, and we accept you for who and what you are. And we all forgave you for what happened before.”
Smiling at him, the former tyrant queen of CHS, nodded. “I know, and I can't tell you how grateful I am because of that.”
Mrs. Sentinel made a noise Sunset couldn't place, addressing her son. “You really are such a sweet and compassionate young man, dear. Your friends are very lucky to have you in their lives.” 
The words struck home, hard, and Sunset found herself mulling them over.  His mother had raised a lot of good points, especially the last, considering her own history with her ex. With everything she had done, the fact that he had been willing to forgive and just let it go, no strings attached, and without the sense of obligation that had jumpstarted her friendship with the girls…it was something amazing.  He really was a good person, and she was glad to be able to call him a friend. 
Sunset realized something else in that moment. Even after everything, Flash had believed that she had changed, was capable of change…and in a way, she wondered if he had always seen her, and not the facade—as Rarity was keen to point out, her acting skills weren't really that great.  It was a sobering revelation, and she studied the young man with new eyes and a warm smile. “Yeah…you're right. I am pretty lucky to be his friend.”
> Chapter Ninety Four: In the Middle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Hopping out of her father’s car, Twilight barely looked back as she called a goodbye and shut the door, not really hearing the words that the car door slamming cut off.  Her mind was already elsewhere—continued tests with her portable tracker had led her to random locations for seemingly no reason, and she needed to refine its design. That meant disassembling it and redoing several core components, and she’d spent most of her Sunday sketching and refining schematics for those parts, and she could finally act on those ideas.
The halls had a surprising number of students in them given how early it was, and Twilight did her best to remain out of their way as she hurried to her lab. The path there had never felt so long as it did now, with the sensation of eyes periodically boring into her back, and she wondered if it was in part a trick of the light. Maybe it was the early hour, or the fact that it was winter, but the school felt unnaturally dim…
By the time she escaped into the safety of her lab, Twilight was more jittery than if she’d drunk three cups of coffee in short order.  She took a few minutes to lean against the back of the closed door and breathe, trying to calm her racing heart and dispel whatever the feeling was that had come over her in the hall.  It was highly irrational, and the dark haired teen scolded herself for it, before dropping into her chair and retrieving the updated blueprints for her tracker. 
Deft fingers worked the screwdriver to start disassembling the device into its component parts as Twilight added to her audio logs on the project, her voice steady and even as she detailed her thoughts, her theories, her intended alterations to the device in hopes of refining its detection…
Only to be interrupted when the door slammed open, the startled yelp escaping her as she practically flung her scanner across the room in her surprise. Twilight tried to calm her racing heart as parts from her device went skittering everywhere, disrupting the perfect layout she'd created on the desk in front of her, and her keen ear caught the tell-tale tinkling sound of delicate components being rendered into useless shards.  
Wallflower eyed her with an odd expression Twilight couldn't parse, a strange gleam in her eyes. "I swear, I should rename you Twilight Kitty...” she commented in her flat, dry tone.  “Then I could film the way you look when someone jump-scares you and post it up on a page for startled cats—I bet if you had a tail it would be straight out behind you right now and puffed up just like my neighbor’s cat." 
The other girl's lips twisted in something resembling a faint smile, but it seemed somehow…off…to Twilight, for reasons she couldn’t explain.  She cleared her throat, seeking clarification when the confusion did not resolve after a dozen seconds or so. “Am I safe to assume you were attempting some kind of humorous joke, Wallflower? I’m afraid I seem to be lacking some kind of context for it.”  At least Wallflower never seemed to mind her asking.
Her friend stared at her for almost twice as long as Twilight had, until Twilight shifted, feeling uncomfortably akin to an insect under a microscope. Had Twilight misinterpreted entirely what was said? Surely it had to be humor, since they were friends. Sunset teased her all the time, and it was one of the many ways she showed her affection and attention to even the smallest actions.  At last, Wallflower’s smile twitched just a hair, and she answered. "Yes Twilight, it's a joke. One of those things people do. Well done."
Twilight shook her head a little, turning her attention back to consider how to salvage the mess her workstation was now in, only to have to suppress another yelp when a firm hand grabbed her by the shoulder.  "Oh no way, Twilight, not after the conversation I just had in the hall.  No disappearing into nerd-land right now for you, kitty-cat,” Wallflower told her flatly, physically tugging Twilight away from the desk.  “Cinch grabbed me, and I'm now grabbing you. We have an assembly to attend, and apparently you are Cinch's guest of honor—I can't see any other reason she’d take time out of her day to ensure you made it." 
It was times like this that Twilight hated her difficulties with reading people. As always, the green haired girl’s delivery was emotionless, but for a brief second, she thought there was something else layered beneath the normal indifference.  A fleeting thought went through her mind, that she wished Sunset were with her, because her girlfriend was exceptionally good at both deciphering and explaining people’s emotions and behaviors in a way that always made sense to her.
The thought was knocked away when the grip on her shoulder became a grip on her upper arm, and Wallflower made to lever her up out of the chair by force. She made a vague sound of protest—she was capable of getting up on her own, after all—and tried to pull away from the other teen’s grip.
Wallflower gave an exasperated sigh, and pulled on her again. “Look, Twilight,” she said, terse now. “I might be your friend, but no friendship is worth Cinch’s displeasure. Get up and let’s go, before the principal comes for you herself, because if that happens, its my head. So if you’re having one of your little weird Twilight Sparkle emotional fits or whatever, just…deal with it later.  We have to get to the auditorium now.”
Suddenly the rough words and invasion of her personal space made sense. Wallflower was her friend, but Principal Cinch was an intimidating woman, and it was completely reasonable for her to fear reprisal if she failed the task the administrator had given her.  Twilight herself had no want to be on the receiving end of the principal’s temper either, and she realized that Wallflower’s actions, unkind as they appeared, were merely the actions of someone trying her best to keep them both out of trouble, and Twilight wasn't helping matters with her behavior.
She gave herself a little shake and replied in a voice smaller than she would have liked, "I'm sorry Wallflower.  Let me just straighten my uniform and we can be going.  I don't want you to get in trouble with Principal Cinch.”  Her friend smiled in response, an expression that seemed to hold more than a little satisfaction, though Twilight assumed it was because she had finally gotten the message Wallflower was trying to impart on her.
Once in the hall, the green haired girl kept harrying Twilight with little pokes and none too gentle prodding that left her feeling even more off balance than normal, leaving her to stumble awkwardly over her own feet.  If Wallflower hadn't been her friend, Twilight would have found the constant and unwanted intrusions into her personal bubble as not just unpleasant but also upsetting. As tactile as she was with people she cared about, she didn't care much for being touched by people she didn't invite to initiate contact.
In order to distract herself from the growing discomfort, she started to ask a question. “We didn't have an assembly scheduled for today. Did Principal Cinch say—”
“Don't get distracted, Twilight. We don't have time. Just focus on getting to the auditorium—preferably before Cinch starts, not after, like the principal wanted. And no, I don't know what this is for. I didn't ask, because honestly, I don't care that much.”  
There was a surge of emotion through her that Twilight almost wanted to label as resentment, which she did her best to squelch.  Wallflower was her friend, and for all her abrasive tendencies, she meant well. This was likely just the way in which her friend’s anxiety and stress manifested, as biting commentary and aggression.  Twilight herself knew just how badly a person’s behavior could be affected by those feelings, and how they could make someone act in a way that wasn't nice to those around them.
Her own anxieties over being potentially late to whatever this assembly was began making her worry, and she tried to hurry along faster, focusing on not tripping over her own feet in the process. It didn't help much, as not more than twenty seconds later she stumbled. She would have gone crashing to the floor painfully if Wallflower’s grip on her upper arm hadn’t hauled her up short, tightening so forcefully in the process that Twilight was concerned she might develop a bruise from it. 
“Oh for the love of—seriously, Twilight, get your head out of whatever useless doohickey you're daydreaming about and pay attention? We’re almost there, and we’re cutting it close as is. I really don't want to get a tongue lashing from Cinch.”  Her tone shifted from exasperation to something Twilight couldn't place. “And if you're worried about whatever piece broke, don’t. Just ask your dad to buy a new one when he picks you up later.  I’m sure he’ll be happy to.”
 Confused and unsure, Twilight tried briefly to puzzle over why Wallflower’s tone had turned momentarily ugly at the mention of her father. Her father picking her up from school was such a normal, prosaic thing, something parents did, as far as she was aware….but maybe that was the problem. Her friend had made a number of mentions of parents who seemed a bit absentee—was it possible she was envious of Twilight having parents who paid attention to her?
A forceful tug on her arm snatched the thoughts away and sent a jolt of pain through her shoulder as she almost tripped again, and Wallflower caught her awkwardly.  She opened her mouth but once again she was cut off by her friend as the auditorium door was jerked open. 
“....just move Twilight. We can talk once we’re inside and won't get in trouble with the Wicked Witch of West Canterlot.”
Twilight gave up on trying to talk in favor of freeing herself from the grip on her arm and heading for an empty seat that was towards the back and well away from anyone who had it out for her. If she tried to say anything right now, she was likely to bungle it—her agitation and anxiety had risen too high for her to communicate effectively. Unconsciously, her fingers found the key on the lanyard hidden under the formal uniform, pulling it out to run her fingers over the bumps and ridges to sooth her emotions and bring her back to something akin to equilibrium.
Wallflower plunked herself down a moment later next to the dark haired teen with a heavy sigh.  A lot of the tension seemed to bleed out of the other girl as she slumped into the chair and kicked the seat in front of her. Twilight decided that it was proof positive that Cinch’s words had intimidated her friend badly, and resolved not to mention the bruised ache in her upper arm and shoulder.
“Looks like we’re right in time to sit here like adoring little minions while our Supreme Leader favors us with her attention and wisdom.” Grimacing, Wallflower rolled her eyes. “Probably for how to achieve the perfect life of emotional solitude and detachment from such human failings as love, empathy, and compassion.”  Twilight thought she detected a faint sarcastic lilt to the words, one she was used to in Sunset’s voice when the redhead was being snarky, and she decided that Wallflower was attempting to cover up her earlier distress with humor.  In response, she offered her friend an uneasy smile, still trying to calm her own emotions.
Fingers traced the key again, counting each ridge and contour, and calling to mind Sunset sitting next to her, leaning close to murmur in her ear. She could practically feel amber fingers closing around the hand gripping the house key. “Deep breaths, Sparky,” Sunset’s voice echoed through her mind. “I’m right here. You're safe…”
Her breathing eased, and she started to relax, only to be interrupted by the reality of Wallflower replacing the fantasy of her girlfriend. Mental Sunset dissolved away with a frown toward the green haired teen, and Twilight fought the urge to mirror it as she tucked the key back safely under her shirt. “What did you say?” she asked, aware that the other girl had spoken to her.
Another eyeroll and her friend whispered, “I was saying ‘Who knows? Maybe certain rumors going around are true, and she feels we need a lecture on the iniquities of being distracted from our studies by temptations of the flesh.’ Wouldn't that be something? So much for CPA’s oh-so-important ‘reputation.’”
‘Temptations of the flesh?’ What could Wallflower possibly mean by—
Twilight’s brain ground to a halt as memories rose unbidden, memories from half a dozen incidents in the hall in the last few weeks since the incident in the locker room with Indigo.
“Sparkle! Is it true? Did Suri really catch you with her boyfriend in the locker room?”
“I heard it was behind the bleachers after school.”
Twilight tried to push the thoughts away, but more floated up from her subconscious mind.
“Hey, Sparkle, I heard that your tuition is being paid for by the old one knee approach. Couldn't Mummy and Daddy afford to pay the old fashioned way?”
The rumors were bad enough, but the brutal fashion by which some of her peers were trying to pry into her personal life was worse in her book.  
“So what kind of boy does it take to get the great and brilliant super genius Twilight Sparkle to look up from her books? He can’t possibly be attractive at all, because…well, look at you! If you were any more of a huge dork, you’d be dressing like an eighty year old librarian.”
Anxiety rose as she shook herself out of the memories, warring against her better judgment with a painful need to know what Wallflower.  Taking a slow, deep breath, she imagined holding hands with Sunset in her mind, until she would swear she could feel the strength of warm amber fingers squeezing hers, that strength flowing from her girlfriend into her.  How would Sunset deal with this?
“Just ask casually,” she imagined Sunset saying. “Like you want clarification, not details. She looks eager to overshare anyway, and you are both just killing time.”
Right. Easier said than done, but…
“It…would have to be some kind of particularly salacious rumor for Principal Cinch to call a surprise assembly—she’s a busy woman with a very important job, and it is a Friendship Games year.” Twilight was proud of the fact that she managed to speak without her voice giving her away. “She doesn't really possess enough free time to be concerned with the day to day drama of teenagers.”
At her side, the mental projection of her redheaded girlfriend gave her an encouraging, crooked smile, one of the smiles that always made butterflies swarm in her stomach and her heart skip a few beats. It was almost unfair that even in her imagination, Sunset was able to affect her like that. “That’s my girl!” Or that even a fake version, created by her mind and memories could somehow still manage to possess enough of the real Sunset’s charismatic personality and inflection to turn her insides to jello.
Wallflower shifted her gaze towards Twilight and gave a slow, laconic shrug. “Twilight, you should know by now that certain people are never too busy when they have a chance to exert their control or drive home how immoral and disgraceful the behavior of teenagers today is. After all, we’re all headed straight for a life in the gutter or on a street corner without them providing strict structure and guidance.” Her tone still managed to convey sarcasm despite the complete lack of emotion. “Adults do that, it doesn't matter who. Parents, teachers, librarians, cops, even that little old lady in the park feeding all the pigeons, they all just want to police our lives to tell us all the things we can’t do. Which usually amounts to anything that would feel good, make us happy, or make us be anything but obedient little adults in training. And they especially want to control teenagers’ sex lives.”
Twilight’s ears grew hot, and she shifted uncomfortably, her nose wrinkling before she could stop it. “While on some level that may be true, Wallflower, do you really think the principal will lecture us about it?”
The green haired girl studied her intently for a minute, before rolling her eyes. “Twilight, if she’s paid attention to even half the rumors I have, she’ll be salivating over the chance to do so.” 
Something in her tone made Twilight’s stomach shift and squirm unpleasantly, and suddenly she didn't want to know about these rumors.  The Sunset in her mind’s eye squeezed her hand, making her feel warm inside for a different reason. “Whatever it is, you're not alone, Sparky.”
It was a comfort Twilight soon found herself grateful to have, as her friend began detailing some of the rumors she’d heard in the halls from other students. The ones relating who had been caught cheating on who were bad enough, but the last rumor Wallflower started describing—about one of the senior girls and a number of boys from the football team—made her feel downright ill.
What relief she might have gained from the fact that none of the rumors involved her or the incident in the locker room showers was drowned out by the way Wallflower was talking now.
“I don't know how much is true, of course, but she kinda seems like the type to enjoy three guys from the team pinning her down all at the same time. I can't see them being overly interested in her otherwise—she’s not exactly a runway model.” Wallflower shook her head. 
Twilight swallowed both bile and words, feeling like her skin was crawling with the half remembered touch from the boys in the park, trying to fight off the way her brain fixated on the rumor and its similarities to her assault. There had been four of them that night, after all, and they’d made their intentions clear…
“Twilight…” whispered that warm voice in her ear. “Breathe. It didn't happen, and I made sure they won't hurt you ever again. It’s okay.” The mental form conjured by her mind gave Wallflower a dirty look before turning a smile on Twilight. “And if she’s talking about something that bothers you like this, ask her to change the subject.”
That was a good idea. Even an imaginary Sunset seemed capable of helping Twilight find practical solutions to problems. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was at that moment that the lights in the auditorium dimmed and Principal Cinch stepped out onto the stage with all the regal bearing of a queen, becoming the instant focus for the whole school.
Wallflower fell silent immediately—Principal Cinch was legendary in the school for her ability to zero in on someone who was not paying her sufficient attention and respect, and unspoken but equally legendary was how she could reduce the most arrogant of students to a quivering wreck with little more than a stare and a few  deliberately chosen words. Twilight watched as the woman began her walk across the stage, not for the first time in awe of her Principal’s ability to effortlessly draw every eye in the room to her. Between one step and the next, she radiated a sense of presence and charisma that demanded attention. It was a skill that the teen had only seen in a few people in her life, though it seemed a bit different depending on the person, but it was definitely not a gift that Twilight possessed. 
As one, the students in the auditorium rose to their feet when Principal Cinch began her trek across the stage, waiting with what felt like baited breath as her stern gaze surveyed them as a general might her troops.  As the silence stretched, starting to become tense and full of disquiet, the woman finally spoke, her voice never seeming to rise above conversational levels and yet reaching every corner of the room with crisp clarity.
“You may be seated, students of Crystal Prep.”
Once again, the students moved, still in almost eerie silence and unison, like an army of automatons preprogrammed to function as a collective, returning to their chairs. The only sound that could be heard was the very faint rustle of clothing, as even the fabric did not want to risk Abacus Cinch’s displeasure.  Twilight’s anxiety spiked, making it hard to breathe, as her principal’s face grew even more stern and pinched, gazing out at the students as if they were a group of puppies she expected to piddle on a priceless rug at any moment.
“Reputation.” The word echoed painfully through the cavernous room with all the edge of a weapon. “In this world, reputation matters. It can open…or close…doors. It can make the difference between success or failure.  Your reputation as an individual affects the reputation of the institutions you are associated with.” Sharp eyes raked over the room. “And…the reputation of those institutions can improve yours.”  Those eyes settled on a member of the audience. “Miss Flare, what does Crystal Prep Academy’s reputation mean to students like you?”
“The best of the best, ma’am. Crystal Prep students have the best, brightest futures and are successful. It means acceptance to almost every school worth mentioning in this country, and several internationally.” Sunny Flare answered promptly. “It also makes people listen in business and political circles, acting as an endorsement by association alone.”
“Correct. Crystal Prep has a reputation of excellence and quality, far above any other school one could name, and that reputation is passed, in turn, to its alumni.” There might have been a hint of…approval? Pride? Something…yet the Principal’s countenance darkened, making Twilight cringe in her seat, shaking.
“But,” and the word was more frigid than the weather outside, “a reputation means expectations.” 
Oh no. Wallflower had been right…and Principal Cinch had to know about the locker room incident by now. Twilight struggled to draw in a full breath, seeking futilely to push down the rising panic in her chest.
“Hey…” came the soft voice in her mind, an image of Sunset reforming as Twilight grabbed for it in desperation. “Breathe, Sparky. You don't know yet what this is, and you're just winding yourself up. Don't borrow trouble.”  
Twilight drew on the memory of arms holding her tight, and felt the panic recede until she could breathe again and properly hear the principal’s speech again.
“The Friendship Games are fast approaching, and Crystal Prep has a reputation to maintain. The truth is, it does not matter if this school wins the Games. What matters more is that we are expected to win. It is part of the school’s reputation—Crystal Prep Academy is leagues above some trite public school filled with the offspring of the working class, and thus, the outcome of the games should go to the superior school every time.”  
Mental Sunset made a face. “Ponyfeathers…I bet she’s a real laugh at parties. This is the woman that intimidates you, Sparky? She looks like she’s just bitten into a really sour lemon.” A glance towards the stage and she snorted. “Make that two lemons.”
Part of Twilight wanted to laugh until she cried, not because she agreed with the vision of Sunset her mind had conjured up—quite the opposite, since she felt her principal was a talented and skilled woman, and her severity was just how she got the respect she was due. No…she wanted to laugh because of the sense of lightheaded relief running through her. Principal Cinch never deferred disciplinary actions for other matters. If she had been intending to make an example of a student in front of their peers, it was always done first, so that the full impact of her displeasure and disappointment carried through while she had their undivided attention. That meant that she was not about to get called up in front of the school and have strips taken off of her verbally for what happened the other week.
The teen settled on allowing herself a small smile at the fact that her girlfriend really would make a terrible joke like that, if for no other reason than to settle Twilight’s nerves.  Mental Sunset gave her a playful wink. “That’s my girl,” she said, and her hand moved to toy with Twilight’s neat bun. Not that she actually felt anything, but Sunset was prone to little physical touches like that, and so her imagination supplied them to the facsimile.
A sharp nudge from Wallflower pulled her from her contemplation on Sunset’s traits and manner of dispensing affection back to the stiff and unpleasant atmosphere of the auditorium and the Principal’s speech. “Superior breed, hmm? I’m guessing Cinch has never tried to have a one on one conversation with Suri or Upper Crust.”  Wallflower’s eyes gleamed with amusement, despite her flat expression and the way she never turned her head, but something about the whole thing…felt wrong, somehow.
“Speaking of lemons, Sparky, she’s a real sour one. What’s her issue?”
Twilight shook her head slightly at both Wallflower and the mental projection of Sunset. She didn't want to get caught talking over the Principal, not with one of the teachers walking past their row of seats. Not to mention, if she chose to answer a figment of her own imagination, where others could hear, they’d question her sanity. Instead, she tried to tune back into the speech.
“…field their team by a ridiculous popularity contest among the drooling masses. This ensures an even greater lead, as Crystal Prep selects our team for the Games based on skill and ability, fielding our top twelve students to uphold the reputation for superiority and excellence that this school is known for…”
Twilight frowned, finding herself disconnecting from her Principal’s spiel as the woman began to rabble rouse the student body’s ‘school spirit’ against Canterlot High even as she talked about the team selection process. The dark haired girl had no interest in where she could find the posted results of the names who had made it into the “top ten percent of performers” in the school—even with her improvements in her physicality, she was solidly average, and thus not even in the running compared to some of the outstanding athletes on the sports teams. Nor did she particularly care about the selection process that would be used in a month to pick the final members of the team as well as those who would be allowed to come on the trip to the games themselves to “support CPA’s crushing victory,” since she wasn't planning on going at all.  Her project was more important, and going to her girlfriend’s school where she would have to pretend they were utter strangers as well as rivals for some sports competition would stress her out far too much.
Instead, she turned her attention to her scanning device—she knew Wallflower had broken one of the components in her earlier haste, but she hadn't seen which one. There were only so many it could have been, and she gave thought to how to replace each one if it turned out to be the broken one.  
Speaking of Wallflower, her friend was still keeping up her low running commentary of Principal Cinch’s speech.
The other teen’s eyes flitted around and once she was sure the patrolling teacher had her back turned, she rolled her eyes. “‘Hail Caesar,’” she whispered to Twilight. “‘We who are about to die salute you’ and blah blah blah…seriously. Someone needs to tell her that the Games aren't the Roman Circus, and this isn't a gladiator school…” Then a smirk curled up the corners of her mouth and she gave Twilight a nudge. “Not that I’d object too strongly to some of the seniors on the sports teams battling it out wearing a leather jockstrap and oiled up like a Greek Olympiad. They're jerks, but they could still provide a girl with some nice eye candy.”
Her stomach twisted, and she could picture mental Sunset making a face. “Ugh…that’s gross, Sparky,” she could hear her girlfriend say. “Not only would they reek of sweat, they’d smell like a stale fry vat from a cheap fast food place. I need a shower just thinking about that.”
“I…think I would pass on that, Wallflower,” she whispered back. “Physique does not really compensate for a toxic personality and the way they treat me.” That was a safe statement. It wasn't overly negative, and the reason she gave was factual and logical, while not mentioning the fact that she was not attracted to men.
Wallflower stared at her for a long moment, before sighing. “You don’t have to care about their personality to enjoy the view, Twilight. Taking a few peeks at some well toned abs doesn't mean you're asking a guy to marry you.”
She didn't really have a response to that that wouldn’t potentially out her, so she shrugged and fell silent.  While it was true she did enjoy the sight of a physically attractive woman—especially Sunset, her subconscious reminded her, along with a few mental images that had been the cause of more than one intense dream—she never felt quite right about ogling them, even in photos. It felt…intrusive? Crude maybe? Even the few peeks she’d gotten of Sunset were things she felt a little guilty over and they'd been accidents. 
Her cheeks grew warm at that thought and her friend snickered. “Yeah. That's what I thought. Guess the high and mighty Twilight Sparkle isn't so different from the rest of us mere mortals after all.”
That only made her blush more as the vision of Sunset conjured by her imagination blew her a kiss with a playful wink.
> Chapter Ninety Five: Highway to Hell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight frowned at the broken component, wracking her brain for how to replace it. It was a piece she’d scavenged second hand from a failed project she’d made last summer, and she couldn't remember exactly which thing she’d pulled apart initially to acquire it. It might’ve been an old television, or a small radar gun, or any number of a dozen broken and scrapped machines.  And that was the piece that Wallflower’s frantic behavior earlier had destroyed—all for an assembly that had nothing to do with her.   
With a heavy sigh, she began taking notes on the broken piece, so she could look up where she might find one to replace it.  This would set her research back several days, and that was upsetting, and she hoped she could make up for it before her weekly progress meeting with Principal Cinch on Thursday.
The friend responsible for her setback had followed her back to the lab, still hung up on offering her commentary on the assembly, but Twilight had long since tuned out what Wallflower was saying…which worked fine until it didn't.
“Twilight, are you even listening?”
Stress and anxiety made her tone a little shorter than normal. “Not really, Wallflower. I don't particularly care about the Friendship Games, or this petty ‘rivalry’ with CHS. I plan on spending the day of the games right here, in this lab, working on my project.  And right now, that project has hit a snag because your somewhat aggressive manhandling of my person earlier caused the destruction of a delicate and difficult to replace component integral to my energy scanning device.”
Wallflower looked taken aback by Twilight’s brusqueness. “It was an accident, Twilight,” she responded stiffly.
“I understand that, but I do not remember exactly where and how I acquired it in the first place, and that will take me time to sort out and replace. Time I do not necessarily have.” The dark haired girl gave her friend a long, somewhat hard stare. “While your desire to not be on the receiving end of any ire by our Principal is reasonable, you may have simply created a situation where her displeasure will be felt in other ways.”
It looked like Wallflower was trying to determine if Twilight was serious or not and she finally shook her head. “There’s no need to try and scare me Twilight—it was an accident and I’m sorry a piece of your project broke, but I don’t understand why you can't get your parents to buy you the parts you need. It's not like they're hurting for the money.”
She frowned. While it was true that her family was well off, her parents had never had the kind of frivolous spending habits often found among the upper class members of society. Her mother shopped at sales and used coupons, and her father was often content with cheaper, storebrand goods for generic purchases. Plus, both of them had been firm with Twilight and Shining—if they wished to spend money on things, they had to either work for it or provide a reasonable explanation for why they needed it. Otherwise, they were instructed to save their weekly allowance and birthday money. They didn't just buy whatever she asked for immediately.  “That’s not really the point, Wallflower,” she responded finally. “My parents don't just buy everything I want when I ask. I have to explain myself.”
“So do that. It's for a school project, so they can't complain, and you told us you love taking stuff apart. They can buy a bunch of stuff for you to do just that. Win-win for you.” The other girl shrugged. “If anything, I’ve kind of accidentally done you a favor that means you’ll get all kinds of new things to take apart.”
Twilight blinked at her friend, unsure how to take that. A favor? By wrecking her work? How did she even reach that conclusion? “A favor?” she repeated dumbly, trying to make sure she’d heard that right.
“Yup,” her friend responded cheerfully. “A favor, and one I kind of want to cash in right now.”
Her head spun, confusion and disbelief drowning out her other feelings. Had she missed something somewhere? “Cash it in?”
“Oh yeah, totally, because it seems you’ve been holding out on me.”
“I…don't understand, holding out what?” Twilight asked, now completely lost.
Wallflower’s smile became a smirk. “I heard that you  got caught sucking face with Suri’s ex boyfriend—and you didn't tell me that you’d gone and gotten one over on her…and maybe a leg too, over that statuesque hunk of muscle and abs?” Her voice was as dry as the Sahara. “I’m hurt.”
Twilight turned red. “Because there was nothing to tell! It was a stupid rumor started because Indigo mistook a bruise for a hickey in the locker room and she only has one volume setting: obnoxiously loud.”
Her companion took in her hunched shoulders and red face. “Are you sure? Because if you're getting some on the side and its pissing Suri off, that’s worth sharing.”
“I’m not ‘getting some,’” Twilight replied, hoping Wallflower would drop it. Especially because there was a part of her that very much wished she was—with a girlfriend like Sunset it was a very easy thing to wish for. “And I certainly wouldn't want Suri’s leftovers.  The guys she dates are the exact opposite of what I would consider for a romantic partner. They’re all big, dumb jocks who are easily led and manipulated and are from wealthy families. I would be very surprised if any of them even knew any three syllable words at all, or if they were even capable of a halfway decent conversation.”
There was another eye roll from Wallflower. “Ugh, not this again,” she complained. “You are listening too much to that sister of yours with all her talk of love and romance.”  Her voice dry, the green haired girl explained, “He doesn't have to be ‘Mister Right’ for you to get a little action, Twilight. He can be as dumb as a box of rocks, but if he’s hung like a horse you can enjoy the ride. And if he’s got money, you can enjoy spending some of that for him too.”
The mental image made her feel queasy, and she took a few breaths through her nose, calling up the visualization of Sunset to dispel the unpleasant thoughts, imagining what her girlfriend would have to say about this. “Bright moonlight,” the redhead would swear—and Twilight could hear the inflection almost perfectly—even as she rolled her eyes harder than Wallflower ever could. “Where do you find these people, Sparky? She sounds just like those stuck up relatives you were telling me about. Its like sex is a currency for them!”
That helped, and Twilight took a deep breath. “I'm not one of those people, Wallflower. I’m not interested in casual sexual encounters, because I was taught that its meant to be an act of intimacy and trust. I wouldn't consider it if I didn't and couldn't form some kind of connection with the other person.” Like she had with Sunset, for example, though she wouldn't admit that aloud. “It's just not who I am.”
Wallflower rolled her eyes yet again, and Twilight wondered absently if it was possible to strain them doing that particular gesture overmuch. “Suit yourself, Twilight. Keep your secrets. I've got to get to class anyway…and don't you have gym?”
Twilight glanced up at the clock and realized Wallflower was right. She hurriedly began putting tools and components away, rushing as the bell rang. By the time she was done, her friend was already gone, and she shouldered her bag with a sigh. It was probably best to just chalk the conversation up to a bad morning and stress on both their parts. She already knew that she was already feeling overwrought and nearing her limit for social stimulation. “You just have to survive gym and then you have two whole hours before English. You can do this,” she told herself.
Taking a deep breath, Twilight stepped out of her lab and into the hall, locking the door behind her. As she did, she heard whispering from nearby.
“Can you believe it?” an unfamiliar voice said grumpily.
“She certainly didnt earn it,” another responded.
Twilight fought a frown. Earn what? What had the rumor mill kicked up now? Shaking her head, she turned to hurry towards the gym so she wouldn't be late.  Eyes followed her through the hallway, and whispers continued to chase her hearing in snippets and snatches of conversation.
“Of course, she gets it…”
“…much they paid?”
“Well I heard…”
“…suck up. Wonder if she actually sucked someone to get in…”
Her heart rate increased, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling at the nasty glares directed at her, and escaping into the locker room was almost a relief.
Almost.
For about seventeen point four seconds.
Until Suri, Sour Sweet, and their posse surrounded her, cutting off her ability to even get to her gym locker.
“Well, well, well,” Suri said, her accent making her voice seem overly saccharine…in the same way antifreeze was sweet to the taste, despite being deadly poison. “It's not enough for you to ruin everyone else’s grades by being an overachieving suck up, but now you have to go and get yourself special treatment for the Games too?” She sneered at Twilight. “Ugh, you are the most inconsiderate, self centered person in the whole school, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight drew back away from the girl, resisting the urge to cower when Sunset’s voice whispered from a memory, “No matter how terrified you are, don’t let them see it. Predators of any kind are drawn to it. Plus it's harder to maintain a stance if youre all hunched up and tense. Stay loose, Sparky.”  
Heeding that, remembering how it had worked well against Silver Dollar, she squared her shoulders and did her best to meet Suri’s gaze without taking her eyes off the other girls, her feet shifting subconsciously into a ready stance. “What are you even talking about, Suri?” she asked, trying to project just how tired she was of the harassment from her classmate.  
“Don’t play coy with us, ‘kay? We’re not as stupid as you like to make us look.” Her gaze raked over Twilight. “It's easy to figure out that money has to be involved—no one is as good at everything the way you pretend to be. One thing? Maybe two? That we could buy, especially here, where only the best get in, but not every subject.”
One of the other girls, Ruby Necklace, sneered. “Yeah, and we all know that your family has the money to buy your grades so that you get all the attention.”
Twilight frowned. Not this accusation again. Just because she was smart and applied herself in her studies didn't mean she was sabotaging them—they had every opportunity to do the same instead of spending all their time going to the mall or gossiping like nosy old women. “I—” she started, but Suri cut her off.
“Still talking here. Don't be rude. You’d think with all the old money in your family you’d at least know better how to act in public. I guess it isn't your fault though that you're just too wrapped up in your little fantasy that mommy and daddy are buying for you to learn how to act like a normal person.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “The worst part is, if you’d stuck to your weird little academic fantasy where you pretend to be some kind of super genius, you probably would have gotten through your time here and we would have let it go.”
No you wouldn't have, Twilight thought grumpily. Suri and her pack had had it out for Twilight since freshman midterms had ended. That’s what had started the accusation that Twilight bribed her way to good grades.
“Let’s face it, Sparkle—we all know who is really the best here, and it's not you…and mommy and daddy’s money won't work well at college. When that happens, you’ll realize just how sad and stupid you really are,” Ruby added.
Except If she was having her parents pay people off it would have worked better at the college level than high school. That was, after all, what her cousin Starry Night’s father had done. “That still doesn't tell me what has you upset today,” she said in that same bored tone. “This is all the same thing you have been baselessly accusing me of since freshman year in some kind of attempt to make excuses for your grades without addressing the real source of the problem: your own refusal to place more value on your academics than your social life.” The words were out before she could stop them, and a part of her wondered what made her say it, internally cringing at just how mad Suri was likely to get over her standing up to them.
“See? This is exactly the attitude I’m talking about, where you think youre so much better than us, just because you're your family’s little princess. Except you’ve gone too far with it.” Suri looked her over, lip curling in disgust. 
Sour Sweet backed her friend up, “Way too far, Princess, and we’re not going to stand for it anymore.”
“Yeah, Princess,” stressed a fourth girl—Twilight thought her name might’ve been Diamond Dazzle—and she pointed a finger at Twilight. “You may have got what you wanted through bribery, to be seen as the best of everything, so you could make us look bad, because after all, who could compare to the great and powerful Princess Twilight Sparkle?”
The word princess rubbed her wrong, not just the way they meant it, but the way it made her feel, with all the connotations that it held.  “I haven't bribed anyone,” she responded tightly. “I don't need to, when people like you, who seem barely capable of English Comprehension, are my academic competition.”  
She could picture Sunset nodding approvingly at her for that one. “Now stand your ground, Sparky, and look for your escape route.”
“I think that’s enough out of you, Princess, ‘kay? The fact is, maybe we don't have the ability to counter your parents' money—you’ve got Principal Cinch too tightly in your corner for that, but we can promise you this:  you’d better succeed now that you’ve done this, because if you don't? You are going to regret ever coming to Crystal Prep.” Suri’s expression had become a dark glare, but it only served to make Twilight even more frustrated and angry. She still had no idea what had triggered all this. 
It was one step too far, given how bad her morning had been, and she was getting so very tired of the same old lies and vitriol falling from Suri’s mouth. “So now it's not enough for you to accuse me of bribery because I do better in class than you,” the dark haired girl said, arching a brow at her tormentors, “but now youre bold enough to accuse Principal Cinch of taking those supposed bribes?  Not even you can possibly be that stupid, Suri Polomare.”
That took them all by surprise, and Twilight kept talking. “Principal Cinch has a reputation for being an upstanding citizen and administrator of this school, with contacts and connections in all fields of academia and society, and her reputation is very important to her—as is the school’s.  Yet here you stand, so committed to this farce you desire to perpetuate that you are now slandering her and the school as well. Do you honestly think she will be happy when she finds out about that?”
She could see Sour Sweet go pale, even as Suri drew herself up to speak again. The girl well known for her erratic mood swings covered Suri’s mouth before any words came out.  “Of course we wouldn't question our Principal’s honor,” she said sweetly with a smile before shifting back to sour, “but that doesn't mean there aren’t others you bribed.”
Suri tried to move her head to talk, but Sour Sweet shot her a dark look, silencing her struggle for the moment. Then she returned her focus to Twilight. “We’re going to end this discussion here, today, Princess, for your sake…” Those eyes narrowed, cold and icy as a winter night. “…but you've had things your way long enough.  So you’d better hope you can make good on what mommy and daddy’s money has gotten you into. Because if not, we’ll be there, waiting…and you will learn just how insignificant you are in this world.”
Then she nudged Suri and the other girls, hard. “Let’s go.”
Twilight stood there, dumbfounded and trembling for several minutes, unable to truly process that she had stood up to her bullies and actually came out of the exchange the victor. That was, of course, overshadowed by whatever had upset them that she was still in the dark about—her gut churned with anxiety at the idea of something unknown looming over her with consequences she didn't particularly feel keen on suffering.
“Yo! Sparkle!” The shout of her name made her jump nearly a foot in the air, only to realize a second later that it had been Indigo calling out to her, and not one of the girls who loved harassing her. 
“Oh, Indigo. Hello…?”
Indigo looked wild eyed and a bit frazzled herself, and she motioned to Twilight. “How are you not dressed yet? Oh man…look, if you're late, it's both our asses! C’mon!” The other girl gave her a gentle nudge towards her locker. “Change quick, there’s only a few minutes.”
Sighing, Twilight opened her gym locker and started to do just that. “Believe me, it's not by my choice. Suri and her friends took intense offense to my existence this morning. Probably because its a day that ends in ‘y.’”
Honey colored eyes went wide. “Then what I heard coming in here was true? You had it out with her in front of everyone? Holy shit, Sparkle, do you have a death wish?”
Tugging her shirt down, Twilight stuffed her uniform in her bag and secured her locker. “It doesn't matter if I do it or not,” she bit out. “Suri has had it out for me since freshman year for reasons that only exist in the space between her ears she calls a brain.” The words were more than a little bitter, and part of Twilight felt guilty for being ugly, but she was tired of being Suri’s verbal punching bag, and her time spent with Sunset had made the prospect of just suffering through it until she graduated unbearable.
Indigo frowned, but hooked her arm with a hand and tugged her towards the door to the gym. “Yeah, but embarrassing her in front of everyone is only going to make her go after you more. For a nerd, you're a decent person, Sparkle—it would suck to see something happen to you because you pissed off the wrong girl. So think carefully before you piss off Suri and Sour Sweet and them too bad.  Now c'mon. Move faster…coach wants to see us both, but then I’ve got to figure out how much help you're going to need to get ready.”
They had passed through the door and into the echoing gym, and Twilight had had enough. She jerked to a halt. “Get ready for what!?” the lavender skinned girl demanded. “All morning long I’ve had nothing but nebulous demands and a million whispers, and somehow, unbeknownst to me, I’ve managed to yet again offend the bulk of the CPA student body, and send Suri and her friends on the warpath, and now you're telling me I have something to get ready for, but no one in this entire school seems willing to tell me what it is I’m supposed to have done!” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Indigo.
The athlete stared at her. “You…the Friendship Games? You’ve been put on the team by Cinch?”
Anger guttered out even faster than it had come, leaving behind ice in her veins that froze her to the spot. “What? No no no…I’m not going to the Games.  I’m not one of the school’s physically capable students. Why would I be on the team?”
A powerful hand clapped her shoulder and their gym coach’s booming voice echoed in her ears so loudly it made her teeth itch. “Because Principal Cinch thinks you're going to be instrumental to our victory this year! And with Indigo training you up, you’ll be a fine asset to our team!”
No no no no no…this could not be happening. This was some kind of horrible nightmare, like the one where she got up to give a lecture only to learn her notes were all in the wrong order and she was in her pajamas. She couldn't go to the Games—she had too much work to do! That and having to pretend for a whole day that she and her best friend didn't know each other, when she had a sneaking suspicion that the girls Sunset was friends with would be on the Canterlot High team…she wasn't sure if either of them could do it, and she didn't want to be the reason for Sunset to get bullied again.
The coach was talking again, but Twilight couldn't hear any of it over the roaring in her ears. The ice had stolen her lungs' ability to draw breath, and black spots started dancing across her vision.  She struggled against the rising panic, against the maelstrom of thoughts and feelings, trying to find something to hold onto before she passed out.
It came, as it often had of late, in that mental construction of her girlfriend. She imagined those warm arms enfolding her, the fiery redhead putting herself between Twilight and the source of her negative spiral. “Hey,” Sunset’s voice echoed in her mind, the single word with so much inflection dredged up from a hundred memories. “Sparky, it's going to be okay. Just focus on breathing for me.”  
Mental-Sunset was right. She needed air desperately.  She struggled against the ice, felt that phantom brush of fingers over her heart, and suddenly the cold spear in her chest was melting away. The first breath was almost painful, ragged and tearing, but the warmth encircling her was safe and encouraging. “That’s it. Deep and slow. I’ve got you.  Now nod your head for me, so your teacher will go away instead of thinking you’re ignoring him.”
Twilight refocused briefly on the real world, eyes opening enough to see her gym teacher looking at her expectantly, and she followed the command from her subconscious by giving a short, jerky nod. He smiled and walked away, blowing his whistle and seeming to yell at the rest of the class.  
“There. Okay. Keep breathing. Lets get you calmed down for now. Do you have your medication?”
It was in her bag in the locker-room. She’d have to wait until after class to take it.
“Ugh. This school of yours is a nightmare, Sparky. I don't like it. Alright. New plan.  Lets focus on something else. Your friend here is starting to get worried. Can you focus on what she’s saying?”
Friend? She looked around sharply, half expecting Wallflower, and finding Indigo instead. Did she really think of Indigo as a friend?
“Twilight! Focus!”
Okay…Indigo was talking. Twilight pushed past the buzzing to try and hear her classmate. “…arkle, cuz you dont look so good.”
Assuming it was an inquiry about her state of being she gave a second, jerky nod.  As her breathing finally found a more normal rhythm, she croaked out, “I didn't do this.”
Indigo tilted her head. “Do…what?”
“Games,” Twilight managed. “…I…don't…even want to g-go.” Her breath hitched again, and she focused for a moment on her mental projection of Sunset Shimmer, watching and trying to match her breathing pattern. “I…didn't…ask…for this…” Her arms came up and she hugged herself, leaning against the wall. 
The other teen watched her for a long minute.  “…I believe you, Sparkle…despite what Suri and her pack of bubblegum zombies have convinced themselves, the spotlight isn't your style.”  Indigo frowned. “But you can't go against Principal Cinch. Which means you're on the team, and you have to go now…but it also means I’ve got the next two months to train you up.”
Twilight’s brain threatened to halt all function then and there. “W-what?!”
“That’s what coach was telling you. You and I are training buddies until the Friendship Games. Your gym classes from now until then will just be you and me, doing our thing. So at least that gets you away from Suri, right?” Indigo gave her an attempt at a smile. 
The dark haired girl swallowed hard. “Me? Train? Train how? I…I’m no athlete, and I’m clumsy and terrible at sports and I can barely throw a ball for my dog, or run too long without running out of breath…”
Indigo cut her off, the friendly firmness in her tone doing more to settle her than the words themselves. “I don't expect you to be a sports star, Sparkle, but we are going to work on your speed and endurance at least. You’ve already gotten better since last fall, and even if thats cuz you're getting laid or because you just found a reason to care about fitness, it's something we can work on.”
Something akin to discomfort and resentment bubbled up inside Twilight. She worked with Sunset on her fitness and actually enjoyed it because of the company, not the fitness, and because it meant Sunset was teaching her more ways to protect herself.  Doing it for a school competition that she was being forced into, and with someone she barely knew and certainly didn't trust? The very idea soured in her stomach and made her nauseous.
“I…” the words failed to exit her throat.
Her companion sighed. “Look, let's go for a warm up jog around the indoor track—its on the opposite side of the gym from everyone and you can tell me what's the problem, and no one will hear as long as you don't shout.”
She could practically see Mental-Sunset giving her a crooked smile. “Sparky, it's going to be okay. If you need me, you know I'm here for you in a heartbeat, and your Principal won't scare me. I've faced bigger harpies and lived to tell the tale.” A phantom hand brushed her cheek. “And your friend there is right—you’ll be away from that pack of slavering, inbred, manipulative popular girls who like to bully you…they make the Queen Bitch of CHS look like a newborn foal.”
She resisted the urge to nod and followed Indigo across the gym, feeling like everything was swirling wildly out of her control. They began warming up for their jog, stretching their muscles out, and Indigo glanced at her briefly. “Look I know you don't want to do this, but let's face it, that ship has sailed. Cinch isnt gonna change her mind.  So what’s the issue, Sparkle?”
Twilight exhaled slowly. “…I…I’m not…my love life…or lack thereof,” she stressed firmly, “is not really the kind of thing I feel comfortable having be the talk of the school.”
Indigo rubbed the back of her neck. “Aw shit…I’m sorry, Sparkle…I didn't mean it the way that came out. I’m not trying to dig into your personal life or find out what motivated you to improve. It’s not my business, and I'm really sorry for what happened the other week.”
Once again, Twilight could hear Sunset gently nudging her mentally, as if her girlfriend were really there and not just a complex coping mechanism to help Twilight handle extremely stressful situations when her support network was not present. “This one’s not that bad, Sparky…Definitely less nasty than anyone else so far today…including your friend from earlier. Now say something—she’s starting to look like your dog after his tail gets stepped on.”
There was a moment of confusion at why a part of her subconscious seemed to prefer the school sports star over her actual friend, but it was pushed aside as she realized that Indigo did look rather crestfallen and upset, her shoulders slumped in and head down as she stretched out her legs. It…reminded her a little of both Glamour on the balcony and Sunset when she talked about her past with her school. 
“It’s…well…it's not alright in the sense that I am frustrated by the rumors being spread about me,” Twilight stated awkwardly, “but…I don't blame you for that, and I…forgive you for your unintentional outburst. It's wrong for me to throw it in your face after you have apologized for it…just…in the future, could you perhaps minimize inquiries in that direction? It’s not a subject I’m comfortable with.”
The athlete shrugged and rubbed her neck, dropping her foot back to the ground with a thump. “I’m not great at thinking before I open my mouth, Sparkle. It's why I stick to sports stuff and sports related motivational speeches, y’know? Balls and nets and sweaty teens who are good at kicking balls around don't care if you're not good at talking, and they don't make fun of you for not wearing the latest fashion or being sweaty and dirty.” She sighed. “I can try, but sometimes I get excited and things just…come out of my mouth.”
Again she saw Glamour apologizing to her on the balcony, and it made her reexamine Indigo’s behavior and words. “You said before you were excited at my improved fitness, that it was why you said something. That excitement was not related to the Games? It was…because you thought someone else might have found enjoyment in something that you have a passion for?”
Indigo glanced up at her again, her face twisted into a somewhat pained expression, before she looked away. “Uh…yeah…I guess I did.”
“She’s lonely, Sparky. Maybe even more than you are here. Unlike most of this place and the people in it, she seems like a halfway decent human being—if about as observant as a half blind mule with a hornet in his ear.”  The sarcasm softened away into that tone Sunset took when she was trying to show compassion and empathy towards someone—Twilight wondered idly if her use of this coping skill was delving into unhealthy territory given the detail she was starting to put into the mental facsimile of her girlfriend and best friend. “I know that teaching you to protect yourself is an us thing, but letting her help you with this wouldn't cut into that.”
Twilight bit her lip. It was true that the weekly self defense practice was something special to her and Sunset, but it was also fair that running and doing push-ups and sit-ups and learning some other ways to stretch was not the same thing.  Taking a breath to calm her jittery nerves, she imagined her fingers were entwined with warm amber ones. “I suppose you raise a valid point. While I have absolutely no desire to participate in the Friendship Games, if Principal Cinch has made this decision, I am unlikely to be able to convince her otherwise…and I also imagine that your place on the team may be contingent on my performance, yes?” That was, after all, how things were done at CPA. No reward was ever a given—it had to be earned through accomplishment or some assigned task…
“Uh…something like that, yeah.”  Indigo scuffed a toe on the gym floor. “I’m not the only athlete in school.”
“Which makes this a source of stress for both of us.” She imagined Sunset squeezing her hand and flashing her that encouraging, crooked smile. “It stands to reason then, that we should come to an agreement that reduces as much of that stress as possible.”
Relief was evident in the way Indigo’s body bled tension at those words, and her lips twitched into that confident smile once more. “Yeah! Working together, we’re gonna make you a hell of a Friendship Games Team member! CHS won't stand a chance!”
The dark haired girl made a face. She did not understand the rivalry between the schools, especially because she had Sunset for a best friend. “I suppose…though I doubt my physical performance will be that stellar.”
“So maybe we don't think about it as training for the Games,” Indigo stated abruptly, elaborating when Twilight looked at her in abject confusion. “Maybe we can just look on it as trying to improve your personal fitness instead.”
Her brows furrowed. “…O…kay?”
It was Indigo’s turn to look flustered. “Look, maybe it’ll sound stupid to you, Sparkle, but…I want to go into sports medicine. Physical therapy, personalized training programs, the nutrition side of it, all of it. I’ve been working my ass off for years to get the grades and study what I can before I graduate. I’m already prepping my applications for the schools I want to try for after I graduate next year.” She rubbed her neck again, looking self-conscious. “I could…put some of that to work, you know? Get a feel for where you are, and help plan out goalposts, milestones, daily goals, that sort of thing? Like I will eventually for real clients.”
Now that sounded like a much more beneficial use of her gym class, Twilight decided. Especially because those kinds of plans often involved carefully measured spreadsheets and scheduled activities. “I think, Indigo, that that sounds like a far more preferable use of our time, and a compromise I can agree to.”  A slight smile crossed her lips. “While I still believe that these ‘Games’ are a waste of valuable time, especially given such a blatant misnomer as applied to a competition that seems to engender anything but, perhaps you could use this as an independent project of a sorts, simulating the way you will one day assist a client in reaching their fitness goals?”
And while she knew it was just part of her imagination, she couldn’t help but feel like Sunset was smiling approvingly at her actions.
> Interlude XXII: Obtenebration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time ticked far too slowly in a place that had never seen true light. The only illumination in this place came from rivulets of molten earth that ran like trickles of water down dark stone walls and pooled in cracks and crevices on an uneven floor.  Here, in the dark, the scent of brimstone and ash, of char and hot stone permeated everything—had anything of flesh and bone ever set foot in these labyrinthine tunnels, its throat and lungs would have burned from both the heat and fumes in the air. It was a place most unpleasant…
Behind a heavy door, sealed within a chamber where not even magma spilled its ruddy false-light, the shadows were so thick that they were more suffocating than the foulness of the air.  The only light in his prison—if one could call it light, for it was not, not in any sense of the word—was the far wall, a wall of obsidian, whose surface was fractured and spider-webbed like a cracked window, its smoothest sections polished by sheer determination and countless hours of touch from powerful hands.
He languished in the dark, the air silent and still, with even the voices of the shades contained in the cell muted to a distant murmur. Each breath pulled in sluggish air that felt unnaturally thick and heavy as it coiled in his lungs; it was a never-ending conscious effort to inhale and expel the fetid miasma, leaving mouth and tongue coated with a noisome residue.  The figure’s face twisted into a scowl, his carefully contained rage fueling raw determination.  Soon. He would be free of this cell soon, and all would be as it should be.  That which rightfully belonged to him would once more be his.
With that thought in mind, he rose from his seat and paced to the obsidian wall, staring at the flickering images he could dimly discern in each broken facet, more shifting shades of black that only countless hours of dedication had allowed him the ability to read. One taloned hand lifted, hovering just above the stone, and he inhaled, drawing a deep breath and focusing his anger to overcome the way his prison pulled on him. He forced his shadow to meld with the wall, and with it, his very sense of awareness.
It was like forcing his way through a thick, viscous, tar-like medium, that tore at mind and body alike, and with honed determination he seized on that pain, using it to fuel his anger, his rage, and demanded of the shard to do what he wished. Slowly the image took shape, detail and muted, twisted color spilling across the fragment, til he could perceive Itheadair addressing a girl colored in greens and browns…
The world skewed, and with a sound like rushing wind, he could hear and see as if he were standing right next to them, watching from a crystal column’s polished surface.
As he watched, the sidhe let the barest hint of a predatory smile curve the corners of their lips upward.  Most would not notice it, of course, but he had observed his servant long enough to know, and with that smile came a hint of borrowed power, sending mortal drudges skittering out of the way through some primal fear they could not place.
With the obstructions removed between Itheadair and the girl, his servant prowled forward at a measured pace, eyes beneath the glamour fixated on their target with a basilisk-like gaze.  While the sidhe lacked the ability of the king of serpents to actually turn its victims to stone, it still caused the rumpled figure to freeze in place, fear fluttering anxiously in the mortal child’s mind at what had been done to draw the attention of the stern faced ‘Principal.’  His servant’s pleasure at this mock hunt was evident, as was the way they savored the same fear he could sense in the way some mortals savored a glass of fine wine.
Coming to a stop just inside the girl’s personal space, the sidhe looked down their nose, and in a tone that managed to be sharply condescending and more than a little dismissive, said, “Ah. Just who I was looking for…Miss…Cabbage Rose, is it not?”
Fear fizzled in favor of sour indignation that flashed across pale green features.  “Wallflower, Principal Cinch,” she corrected in a voice carefully devoid of inflection. “Wallflower Blush.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” One hand twitched in an even more dismissive gesture, casting aside the correction as one might a soiled napkin. Itheadair’s eyes glittered, and they continued, “You are Miss Sparkle’s little…assistant, yes? Because that is why I require your attention.”
Increased indignation made pale green skin darken to an unpleasant shade, and the girl-child once again corrected her superior.  “I’m Twilight’s friend and I sometimes share laboratory space with her for projects, if that’s what you're asking about, Principal Cinch.”
Itheadair’s lips twitched into more of a smile, albeit a dangerous, predatory one.  “Is that so?” the sidhe purred, a spike of power making the human suck in a sharp breath as magic set off a reaction of primal unease and a prickle of fear. “Whatever you wish to delude yourself into calling it, I desire your attention now in your capacity as Miss Sparkle’s assistant.”  That shark-toothed expression stretched further into a mockery of a smile, each word driven home with the precision of a knife.  
The human child swallowed, cowed to a sullen, bitter silence. When she offered no retort, the fae nodded, and continued, issuing instructions in a firm, exacting tone, expecting nothing but complete and immediate obedience. “There is an assembly being held in the auditorium in fifteen minutes. Miss Sparkle will be there before it begins, and I am tasking you to ensure that it happens. Moreover, consider the following incentive: for every minute Miss Sparkle causes me to delay the assembly, I shall see to it that your professors deduct ten points from the final grade of whatever little project you have supposedly going on in this ‘shared laboratory space’ that I am most certain I did not sign off for you to use.  Am I understood?”
Brown eyes widened, and the girl trembled before the taller figure.  Itheadair made a dismissive motion with one hand. “Best get moving—the clock is ticking, Miss Rose. Be on your way, and do not forget what hangs in the balance…”
He didn't get to hear the mortal girl’s reaction. Instead, the world skewed around him as one of his shades dragged his attention to another part of the complex.
As reality refocused, he saw two of the children arguing. The female’s voice was shrill, painful to even ears buffered by crystal, and the male’s face was crimson with embarrassment and rage. 
Yes…this would do nicely…
He could sense the way the power of the school, his power, woven into the very earth and anchored by dozens of sacrifices that wailed in glorious, eternal terror and suffering, draped over the arguing children like a thin film.  It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to weave mental fingers through, the shadows twisting the gathering darkness in their minds.
Shut the simpering harlot’s mouth…one whispered. She has no cause to treat you this way. Assert yourself…
And when the loud, ringing sound of a slap filled the air, silencing the yelling and filling the air with the fear of one and the guilt and anger of another, he laughed, dragging the fears out of both of them, delighting endlessly at how the girl-child cowered and the boy-child glanced around as if expecting reprisal from a witness.
What if someone saw? the shadows taunted the boy.
What if you make him angrier? they hissed at the girl.
No one can know, they reminded both. Keep it secret…for who knows what will happen if someone finds out…
Delicious terror, feeding back into the darkness and making it stronger.  He grinned, satisfied, and let the world shift again…
Another group of mortal youth, huddled in a forgotten nook behind which dwelled a tortured soul.  One was doling out little bags of capsules in exchange for money, his smile oily and serpent like the whole time…
At least, until one sniveling wretch did not have enough green.
“You know the deal—cash up front, or no study pills,” the keeper of the capsules sneered. “Forty bucks short means you can't even afford a half dose.”
“Please!” begged a reedy thin boy with unhealthy perspiration on his reddened face. “I really need it to study for this chemistry test!”  Fear of failure and his own inadequacy poured off of him in greater rivers than his foul smelling sweat.
The other human shook his head, delighting in the power he held over his peers. “Not my problem. You want them, you pay for them like everyone else. This is business, not charity.”
Again, the thin youth begged, and He supped on the fear like He once savored fine wines and sumptuous feasts. “But I need it! I’ll fail without it, and my parents will kill me!”
Hard eyes stared him down, remorseless and without an ounce of pity. “Then you’d better find a way to pay for it. Might want to hurry—if I remember right, you have that test in three days….and who knows how long my stock will last…”
The shadows twisted with an idea, one whispered into the sweaty boy's mind and echoed with a shaky and weak attempt at a threatening tone. “M-maybe you should c-cut me a deal—unless you want s-someone to find out about t-this!”
Anger and rage flared from the dealer, and he gave the reedy boy a hard shove. “Do that and you think anyone else will want to sell you your study pills? And then where will you be? No more ‘A’s’ in chem means that daddy of yours won't be happy. Especially if he’s been drinking again.”
Hissing with laughter, the shadows latched onto both boys, tenebrous tendrils digging into their essences and gnawing at the edges…which in turn would strengthen his hold on them and the property—more vessels to draw power from was a hard necessity in an era without much magic of its own. 
That elicited something akin to pleasure in him, along with the knowledge that things would soon change. There was magic near again, and it was growing…and soon…it would belong to him. If Itheadair managed to do things right—progress with the girl he had chosen was…not going as quickly as it should.
For a moment, he was back in his prison, pacing before the wall of shards. The sidhe was always looking out for themself first, but they had always known their place as his subordinate. This time though…something was different. Something was wrong, and he did not like leaving things so utterly to chance. Best to watch his servant closely, and start preparing contingency plans…
That meant observing the speech Itheadair planned to give, he realized, lips curling back from fangs in distaste. Time spent listening and watching them preen and posture like they were reliving their days in Eire, before the old ways were challenged and driven out. It was pathetic, really, how the fae beings were incapable of truly adapting and insisted on this pale imitation of bygone eras. So much energy wasted instead of finding new methods of control, new fears to manipulate. 
Turning back to the wall, he found a source of darkness and despair that drew his attention like a moth to flame, not far from his ultimate destination…
The girl shivered as she crept into the deserted locker room, thin hands trembling as she strained to push the heavy door open and almost too weak to do so.  Unhealthily thin and wan, she wore too many layers even for the time of year, and still she shivered and shook like a brittle leaf in a stiff autumn breeze. 
Shadows nipped at her heels, and her thoughts were practically an open book, fleeting promises to her parents to stop, the niggling sense of self preservation telling her that she was wrong, that she needed to walk away from what she was about to do…and the anxious, suffocating fear that gripped her heart and threaded through her veins like ice.
A fear that spiked when he whispered through the shadows in the voices of her peers, her family…herself…
“Glutton….”
“Pig…”
“No restraint…”
“Just look at you…”
The fear threatened to consume her, tears streaking down her face as she stripped down to nothing, bones standing out in sharply defined contours on paper thin flesh, casting harsh bruise-like shadows where there should only be smooth shading and curved lines.  She needed to know for herself, to see how bad the damage was…
“Look at you, bloated thing!”
“So hideous, so corpulent…”
“You should see yourself…”
Her eyes rose, dragged by the mocking whispers, to stare in the mirror, and with delight, he twisted her perceptions further—until the chubby figure in her mind's eye was a thousand times worse; a swollen, marshmallowy creature that only barely looked human beneath the grotesque, bulging fat.  The teen sobbed, nails digging into bones and sinew where there was almost no muscle or fat left beneath flesh, leaving crescent shaped welts she could not feel over the chill that only seemed to grow.  Shaking legs brought her onto the waiting scale, as her mind wailed and pleaded for numbers to not betray her..
Her suffering was sweet music, and he drew as much as he dared from her, savoring the particular flavor of her torment. He nudged her towards a precarious edge—too far and he’d push her beyond the point of no return, and he enjoyed watching the torture be drawn out, but not enough and his hold would weaken. Better to keep her balanced on the knife’s edge of despair.
His feast was interrupted by one of his more autonomous shades, a lesser thing imbued with its own sense of intelligence and vague consciousness, and he glowered at it through space and time.
It cowered before his sight. Please, Master, this one only does Your Will. The gathering begins, and this one cannot find the sacrifice—she is not there, Master.
Rage. It filled him, threatening to spill over into violent action, and he ripped himself from the scene before him. What?!
His shade shivered under his power. We search, Master, but nowhere is she! 
Show me! He thundered, forcing his senses into the shade. In a flicker, he was in the auditorium, staring out at the sea of students from the harsh shadows under the heavy stage curtains.  He scanned the room, extending his senses, but it appeared his shade had been speaking the truth. The girl was not there.
Itheadair… He hissed. Damn that fae and their games. They knew he needed the girl present if he was to temper her properly as a sacrifice!
Another look over the youth in the auditorium, confirming that the girl was missing. He even found her companion, the mortal that Itheadair had so recently terrified. That girl was there, the empty seat at her side mocking him, radiating apathy and distaste.  How dare they?!
And with his duplicitous underling now speaking at the podium, he couldn't punish them properly. He would have to wait, sitting through the immortal creature’s pedantic prattling and half delusional recreation of the days when they actually held true power over mortals instead of being relegated to playing nanny for the spoiled children of the upper class. 
Rage seethed in him, and he reached out to one of the shadows, to the shade that had brought the bad news.  His presence filled the shadow, unseen by the students and staff, but centered in Itheadair’s line of sight, channeling his fury into power, and willing that power to make his form visible. He glared intently at them, and felt a pleased satisfaction when the fae’s eyes landed on him. To the mortals, the pause was natural, organic, but he knew otherwise. His underling had faltered, felt true fear for a single instant, and he felt their mind quail when he hissed so only they could hear, The office, when thisssss is finisssshed. I have wordsssss for you, Itheadair.  Do not tarry, or you will not enjoy the consssssequencessss.
Skin went a few shades paler under the glamour, and He sneered. There was a reason he preferred his shades—loyal and obedient and incapable of plotting against him.  He departed the shade a moment later, heading for a different part of the school.



When Itheadair opened the door to their office, they were treated to a sight that was meant to drive home exactly what their place was.  
He had possessed yet another shade, planting this one firmly in the sidhe’s chair at the polished desk, looming over the rest of the room, his might far too great to be contained in a human sized form. Darkness was winning against the single dim light, and more illumination came from his eyes than the bulb, casting a faint red glow wherever he turned his focus.  
He could see it in their face as they shut the door, glamour nothing more than a nuisance he tore away to expose their true countenance; the sidhe’s mind was clearly racing, despite the effort they put into schooling angular features into a neutral expression.  Itheadair drew up into a regal but deferential pose, voice belying the strain they were under, trying to to keep the tremor of fear in what blackened husk passed for their heart from showing. 
A wasted effort, of course, but he wasn't about to overplay his own hand. He could sense the glorious touch of it, and his shadows hissed for the chance to gorge on it, to feed, to breed, to birth more of their kind. Patience, he urged them, the lesser demons under his will. They would get their chance to sup on that emotion, but not yet. Not unless Itheadair had truly betrayed him.
The form he inhabited glowered down at the smaller figure, and the ancient creature swallowed their pride, kneeling before him on the expensive carpet. “I have displeased you, Master,” came the acknowledgment in the Old Tongue of the sidhe, the submissive and demeaning posture a show of contrition from such a proud being as this.  “I know not how, but pray, inform you servant how amends may be made, and it shall be done.”  The head bent, twisting that too long neck slightly to expose pale skin as if to a blade.
If they thought that would mollify him, they were gravely mistaken. He leaned forward from the position of waiting, and if he had loomed before, now he towered over his subordinate, the red pits of his eyes glowing brighter with a hellish, unholy light that reflected his rising fury.  He drew it out, the waiting and the silence, until discomfort started to compete with Itheadair’s fear. 
Sharp tenebrous claws drummed on the antique desk, a staccato pattern that unsettled more than just mortals.  Amendsssss? echoed the voice from another corner of the room.  You wissssh to play gamessss and put on a sssshow of repentance when you are even unwilling to admit what you have done? Do you think me a fool, Itheadair, blind and deaf to the kind of ssssnakes you and your ilk are? For the moment, his tone was commanding but contained, giving only the faintest hint to the true depths of his rage.
“What I have done matters not, Master, only that I have transgressed in some fashion,” the sidhe responded, “even if it was unintentional.” They watched him with the eyes of a rabbit staring down a starving hellhound, 
The refusal to admit what they had done coupled with the attempted guile disguised as ignorance only incensed him further. The drumming of talons on wood continued, hard enough to leave marks in the polished surface, despite the semi-insubstantial nature of the body he possessed. If you are truly assss ignorant assss you claim, sssspawn of the bogssss of Eire, then you are no better to me than a broken tool, he hissed dangerously his voice coming at the elder fae from a different place in the room than before.  
His voice cracked like a whip, each syllable in time with both the impact of a talon on wood, and a flash of crimson from the reddened puts that were his eyes. Why wasssss the girl not in attendence of your little asssssembly? This time, his voice erupted from the darkness just in front of the kneeling figure.
Discomfort had fled in the face of renewed fear, and now confusion pushed it down as his servant spoke. “My…my Lord…” Itheadair looked up for the first time at him for the barest of moments, before fixing their gaze once more on the floor.  “I…do not understand—she was present, Master. I ensured it myself—I checked as I entered the auditorium.”
That the sidhe had become so bold as to defy him this way was either very brave or very foolish, and he let them know it, his voice thundering from everywhere at once. SSSSHE WASSSS NOT THERE! The drumming stopped as the shade he filled flowed over the desk and stalked forward until it almost touched Itheadair, eyes burning enough to cast the suggestion of terrible fangs and horns into sharp relief as it stretched its head down to be on a level with the cowering creature.  I will give you one chance to ssssave your misssserable, pathetic hide, wretched sssswamp-sssspawn, sssso conssssider that carefully before you ssssspeak. Issss thissss act of ignorance truth, or one of your twissssted faerie gamessss? 
“I swear it, Master,” the fae uttered, voice trembling with true, primal terror that stripped away all pretense. “When I entered the auditorium, my eyes beheld her seated beside the Cabbage chit, as I instructed the girl to do. On my Word, if something hid her from your sight, it was not I. I play no such game with something so important to you, my Lord.”
For a long moment, he said nothing, picking apart what he felt and heard through his shade, his eyes boring holes in his underling, never quite touching the pale thing.  At last, he returned to the seat at the desk. Fix it, Itheadair. You have one chance, before I see if one of your lessers might do better at your job than you. I will not have this conversation again.
“As you command, Master.”
Move quickly, sidhe. Time does not favor you.
He released the shade, his presence returning to his prison, in need of a moment to recover. Full possession of his shadows was something only done sparingly for a good reason. He retreated for a time to his throne, tail lashing as he drew energy in from the darkness surrounding him.
If Itheadair was planning against him…or worse, becoming so incompetent that the lesser fae beneath the elder one could pull off such blatant acts…then it was past time to consider a replacement….but not a fae this time. He needed someone or something he could more easily control, something that could be taught to follow him loyally, as he had once had, long ago with Urtur and Beltezzar. They had followed him, served unquestioningly until that wretched priest-king and his army had destroyed them, sent them to this damnable prison where all that they were had been ground to dust millennia ago.
Anger and hate rose and he breathed deep, letting it replenish his energy with its black flames. He would find a replacement, but would do so carefully. Groom them carefully. Test them. Ensure their loyalty….
Shaking himself from the thoughts of a time long gone, he focused his thoughts on the here and now.  His strength had returned, and so he returned to the wall—there were seeds to be sown, all with the intent of tempering the girl he had chosen for the ritual, and while he had eternity himself, the timing in the physical realm was against him.
The world slewed around him once again, and he watched from the polished surface of a mirror in a girl’s bathroom.  He could see several pairs of feet under the stalls, and smiled darkly. A nudge to several of his shadows, and a false conversation began, spoken in feminine voices that vaguely resembled students, audible to the real students in the room.
“Did you hear what I heard?”
“About what?”
“About Suri!”
“Oh, something juicy about Polomare? Now you have to share?”
There was a sudden hush in the room and he knew without a doubt that every word was being absorbed by the listeners. 
“Well, remember how she was going out with Gold Clover until a few weeks ago?”
“Yeah, and then he broke up with her in the cafeteria, with that huge fight. It was a mess and she was even more of a bitch for days. Made a few girls cry in the halls.”
“Guess who found out why he dumped her?”
“Don't leave me hanging! Why—I mean, besides the fact that she’s a total bitch!”
“Turns out, she cheated on him—“
“No! Get out! She cheated on Gold Clover? He’s already well out of her league! She could’ve been set for life! Do you know how much money his family has?”
“It gets better. She didn't cheat on him with just anyone—Suri was caught with a girl from East Valley who turns tricks on the weekend for money.”
There was a sharp gasp from several of the stalls, as the listeners couldn't contain their shock.  One of them even called out, “A public school student from that ghetto rathole? And a girl?! Are you sure?”
“Oh yes, my cousin saw it himself. Suri was caught seeing her off, and as soon as it got back to Gold, he was furious!”
The room was now filled with the chatter of speculation and the original voices were forgotten in tumult left behind in their wake.  He praised his shadows and their creative cleverness, and set them to watch, maybe encourage the rumor here and there. Then he turned his attention to locating his true quarry—now that he knew something was interfering with his sight of her, it would prove a simple thing to break through that.
It turned out to be unnecessary. Whatever enchantment had concealed the girl was gone, and he located her in the locker room, surrounded by a pack of other girls—and one of Itheadair’s minions disguised as a girl—who all radiated displeasure and menace. He brushed against his target’s shadow, using it to whisper foully in one purple ear.
Why do you stand for this? It's the same thing, time after time, and they keep coming after you… he found the kernels of anger inside her, beneath the anxious, fearful shell, much of it wrapped around the burgeoning but powerful magic he felt within her.  Claws sunk into that anger, that raw frustration, drawing it inexorably to the surface.  
“I haven't bribed anyone,” the girl responded to her tormentors accusations in a tight voice, annoyance starting to show in the tone of her voice. “I don't need to, when people like you, who seem barely capable of English Comprehension, are my academic competition.” The last bit was delivered with the beginning of what might be called a proper sneer, if he had been feeling generous. 
He was not and when the leader of the pack spoke again, he paid careful attention to his quarry’s reaction to the words.
“I think that’s enough out of you, Princess, ‘kay? The fact is, maybe we don't have the ability to counter your parents' money—you’ve got Principal Cinch too tightly in your corner for that, but we can promise you this:  you’d better succeed now that you’ve done this, because if you don't? You are going to regret ever coming to Crystal Prep.” 
Interesting…that one word caused more rage than most of the others. It wasn't the accusations or the threats that got to her, but a royal title… 
Are you going to let her get away with this? Aren't you tired of it? He whispered, goading her, though her conscious mind could not hear him. Or are you really a spoiled princess, waiting for someone else to fight your battles for you?
He felt the moment her patience snapped, and he waited gleefully to see how her fury would manifest. It was always such a telling moment.
The girl with dark haired straightened her spine and arch a brow at her tormentors, expression growing cold.  “So now it's not enough for you to accuse me of bribery because I do better in class than you, but now youre bold enough to accuse Principal Cinch of taking those supposed bribes?  Not even you can possibly be that stupid, Suri Polomare.”  
Her tone was sharp, cutting, but every word was calculated with machine-like precision. “Principal Cinch has a reputation for being an upstanding citizen and administrator of this school, with contacts and connections in all fields of academia and society, and her reputation is very important to her—as is the school’s.  Yet here you stand, so committed to  this farce you desire to perpetuate that you are now slandering her and the school as well. Do you honestly think she will be happy when she finds out about that?”
It seemed, then, that her rage was like ice, something he mused on and found pleasing. Such rage was easier to manipulate, and paired well with her fears and anxieties. He had chosen his victim well.
And if a part of him practically cackled with glee over the panic that suddenly rolled off the lone changeling amidst the pack of mortal girls, that was just a delicious bonus. He watched as the changeling halted whatever the mortal pack’s leader was going to say next, offering their own hasty retraction, lest Itheadair learn one of their own was speaking ill of their “honor.”
Foolish fae and their rules. It made them far too easy to manipulate.
He watched as the changeling used bravado and empty threats to cover up the group’s forced retreat, already pondering how to best prod his target’s anxious thoughts now that anger was spent, when one of his shades found him.
Master! Trouble, Master! The mortal law-keepers return! They seek audience!
Irritation soured his mood. What of it? Mortal lawssss and their guardianssss are none of my concern!
Itheadair is afraid, Master. Bids Master come, watch, prepare… the shade sniveled.
So now the sidhe was incapable of placating mortals without aid? It truly was time to replace the doddering old wretch. With a last look at his quarry he shifted his focus, sending the shade back to its post, even as the world ran like ink around him, the locker room melting into the office that the sidhe liked to pretend was their throne room.
His underling was seated at the desk, opposite two humans, a male and a female, both well dressed. The sidhe was in the middle of greeting them when his vision of the room cleared. “—can I do for you, Detectives?”
The female’s expression was grim. “I was handed the case file for Jeweled Design, since the previous detective attached to it retired, and I had a few follow up questions for you about her as a student here. I’m hoping it might give me a clue as to her disappearance.”
Itheadair steepled their fingers and their glamoured face stretched into an attentive expression. “Of course, Detective…Advocate, was it? Here at Crystal Prep, we do what we can to cooperate with law enforcement such as yourself—as your partner well knows, since he was a student here once.”
“So he told me,” the blonde woman said in a dry tone.  “But my focus is on a missing girl who disappeared in November, right around the Thanksgiving holiday. What can you tell me about her life here at school? Did she have a lot of friends? Was she anxious or stressed? Was she well behaved? I know her file said she was on the track team…”
He sneered. This is what Itheadair had interrupted him for? One human female rising above herself and a male who was likely still affected by the geas from his time as a student of the school to ask any real questions? 
Pathetic, Itheadair…
The sidhe never looked directly at him, but he could feel the spike of irritation at his mocking. Good. He didn't appreciate having his time wasted.  He studied the detectives again.  The female was listening to the responses to her questions with far more scrutiny than most mortals displayed, but it was her next statement that made him pay attention. 
“Forgive me, Principal…but is your office always this dark? Doesn't that make it hard to do some of your work?” She gestured to the way the room was illuminated by only the single light over the desk. 
There was that insincere smile. “I manage,” was the carefully crafted response. “Its these old buildings—the lighting isn’t always the best, and we prefer to spend our budget on the students than on adding more lights to my office when its not really necessary.”
Now the detective was frowning—and more importantly, the male detective, who should have been blissfully and forcibly ignorant of the quirks of the facility was looking at the room himself intently, as if with new eyes. “Maybe you should think about it, Principal Cinch. It's a lot darker than I remember,” he commented. “That can't be good for your eyes, and it probably makes the students feel like this is a dungeon…”
The smile wavered for a fraction of a second with surprise, but was smoothed quickly with a practiced effort that even the shadows had to respect. “I might have to,” the ancient being conceded, “have to have someone look at the room. It does seem as if something is not working as it should if you noticed the difference, Detective Armor. But in the meantime, were there more questions?”
“No,” the female responded. “I think that’s what I needed.” She rose fluidly, and extended a hand for the principal. “Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to talk to us.”
Itheadair, under the false smile looked as though they had just been forced to consume spoiled milk, shaking the offered hand. “We here at Crystal Prep do strive to maintain a positive relationship with authorities such as yourselves, detectives. We have an example to set for the best and brightest of tomorrow’s leaders, after all, and respect for the law and those who keep it is an important lesson to learn.”
He saw it in smokey eyes—the detective could see right through the duplicitous faerie double-speak. “If only more people in your position were so helpful,” she responded.  Then her eyes flitted down, and she ran fingers over the inlay on the desk. “This desk of yours is gorgeous, by the way. It's an antique, isn't it? And is this ivory?”
“It came with the building,” was the reply. “I understand it was used by the previous owner when this was a home for troubled youth.” 
He twitched in the shadows. Damn the sidhe and their need for half truths! Not to mention the way this complicated matters—the mortal should not have been able to even see the bone inlay, since it was enchanted! This whole thing was making the mortal investigators suspicious, and as he reached out to hurry this along, to nudge the male into hurrying his companion out, he recoiled as if burned. The power that should have been there wasn't just gone—something was actively protecting him from the darkness…something that seared his awareness painfully when he touched it.
With a hiss, he was forced to retreat, glowering from his prison at the vision before him as the pair of mortals left the office…leaving him with the growing feeling that he could no longer trust his followers to act in accordance with his will.
And that certainly would not do.
> Chapter Ninety Six: Magic 101
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Whaddya mean we aren't playing today?” Rainbow demanded, waving her hands. “How are we supposed to do magic if we don't play?!”
Sunset leaned back against the desk, arms crossed over her chest. “Because the music is just a shortcut. Your magic is starting to manifest under other circumstances and you girls are starting to exhibit actual magical abilities beyond summoning the Rainbow of Light and growing pony appendages.” The redhead indicated the magic cabinet with a tilt of her head. “It seems like it's all fun and games right now, but you have to learn to control your magic actively if it's going to be effective the next time we have something show up.”
“I take it you have something in mind to help us do that, darling?” Rarity asked from the desk’s chair where she was carefully stitching something onto her school bag. 
Nodding, Sunset waggled a hand in the air in a ‘maybe’ gesture. “Sort of. When I was a filly, Princess Celestia had to work with me a lot to get my magic under control, and I was…a lot younger than most foals are when they start learning, so she had to start with getting me to learn what my magic felt like.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I thought that might be a good place to start, since you all aren't used to feeling magic at all.”
“You are quite right there, Sunset,” the tailor agreed. “I know I do feel…something when our magic activates, but…much of it feels more akin to a personal emotional reaction than an active sense, and it is quite difficult to put into words.”
“I know I feel all warm and good inside when we use our magic,” Fluttershy offered, “like I know there's nothing to be scared of.”
Dash is frowning. “I know I felt something…when we did the magic that day in here, when we zapped the school. But it just felt like you needed our help, Sunset.”
The former unicorn blew a breath out her nose in something that was more than a sigh but less than a snort. “That’s a good start, but now we have to get you to feel your own magic and each other’s…when it isn't a crisis or a surge. I don't want any of us to accidentally hurt someone.”
Applejack took off her hat to scratch her head. “Alrighty then, where do we start? Cuz Ah ain't got the slightest notion on what I’m s’posed to be feelin’ around for.”
That would be a bit more complicated, Sunset knew.  “Honestly, I’m afraid that is going to have to be a bit more trial and error, girls. We…don't usually have to teach this kind of thing as ponies.” The redhead searched for a way to explain. “It’s like humans and hands. You didn't have to be taught how to use them. They’re part of you, and while doing more complicated skills with them—like playing guitar or writing—had to be learned, using your hands didn't.”
Rarity’s eyes were sharp. “But you did, didn't you? You didn't come with an instinctual grasp of how to use them, and you had to learn.”
“I had to practice a lot, yeah. It's why I took up guitar, actually. It's good for learning and practicing finger manipulation.” Sunset paused for a moment. “I kept it up more than any of the other hobbies because I like making music, but in the beginning, it was about learning how to do what humans already knew. Same with some gymnastics. I had to learn this body and what it could do.” 
Rainbow Dash stared at her. “That sounds like a lot of work.”
She laughed a little. “It was, Dash. Learning a completely alien species’ body and culture good enough to pass as one of them is hard.”
The soccer star squinted.  “How the hell did you find time to take over the school, plus get straight A’s, if you had to do all that?!”
“Consider me a chronic overachiever,” she responded dryly.  It was more complicated than that but Sunset wasn’t interested in detailing the lonely days and nights of an angry, friendless, wannabe tyrant with a huge chip on her shoulder. “But we’re getting off topic. The point I was trying to make is that I don't know exactly how to go about teaching you how to sense your magic, because it's innate for me. I’m going to do the best I can to guide and help, but we may have to try a bunch of different methods before we find one that works…and there's no guarantee one method will work for everyone.”
Her friends absorbed that, and Sunset took the chance to take a sip from a bottle of water she’d snagged from the vending machine. It gave her a minute or two to consider the basics that she could build off of, and an idea came to her from one of those early lessons with the princess. 
“Alright,” Dash said, flopping onto a beanbag chair. “So how do we do this? I wanna learn to fly whenever I want…goodbye bus!”
Sunset laughed. “Hey, you're the one that hasn't told me when you want to work on that bike I got you.  I know some guys who can get us good deals on parts.”
“Can't get a real bike license until I take a course. Dad’s orders. Can't do that til summer—I have to pay for it myself, and that means summer job money.  So wings before then’d be great, Shimmer—chop chop!”
Shaking her head, she stepped away from the desk, feeling more comfortable if she could move while she talked. “So each of us has this…reservoir of thaumic essence inside…like a tank, but for magic instead of water. Yours are all new, but growing and filling with magic pretty steadily. I have one too, but I was born with mine because I’m a unicorn. Yours were created when you channeled the Elements at the Fall Formal. Princess Twilight and I are still looking into why your powers seem to be growing, but for now, what we do know is that you girls act as if you are in possession of the Elements all the time.”  She found herself pacing the length of the room. “Theoretically, you should be able to feel not just the energy inside you, but also the energy given off by other sources of magic. Rarity, you mentioned feeling something when AJ lifted the truck?”
Blue eyes blinked. “Why…yes, darling, I did. It was…well it reminded me of the way that first sip from a mug of hot tea or cider feels when you are quite chilled. A sort of warmth that spread from core to extremities.”
The former unicorn bobbed her head. “Then it’s definitely there. So I’m going to…demonstrate since I can still…manipulate my magic to a limited degree. You girls don't have to do anything but close your eyes, breathe, and feel.”
“Sit…and like…'use the Force, Skywalker?' Sounds pretty boring,” Rainbow joked.
Pinkie giggled, then pitched her voice to a creaky warble, poking the colorful athlete with a drumstick. “Patience you must have, young Padawan. Feel the Magic you must.”
She shook her head with a low laugh. “It's not a bad analogy, honestly. Magic and emotions are connected, and you’ve all seen what happens when they get twisted up. You get a raging she-demon instead of a Sith Lord, but the principle is the same.” There was a hint of self deprecating humor in the wry expression she gave them. “Just lucky for everyone I didn't know what a lightsaber was at the time.”
“We’ve also seen what happens when someone lets go of their anger and resentment, and comes back to themselves, Sunset,” Rarity pointed out, stopping Sunset’s pacing with a hand on her elbow.  “Unlike in fiction, it does not ‘forever dominate your destiny.’ The past taught you lessons, and it will influence your future choices, but it doesn’t define who you can become, and it does not have to always hang as a stone around your neck.”
Warmth suffused her bones, and her magic pulsed in response. Her lips quirked into a real smile. “I…know that now, and I’m trying. It's easier because I have friends who’ve forgiven me, who remind me that I’ve changed for the better.  I’ll…get there…someday.” She blinked back moisture and cleared her throat to dispel the lump lodged in it like a whole apple. “Anyway. Just…feel. And don’t worry if you don't feel anything. It's...not a pass or fail, it's…an experiment.”
Maybe this was a bad idea, Sunset mused, but as long as she didn’t think about Sparky too much it should prove okay.  She grasped the feeling of gratitude and friendship and trust Rarity’s words had evoked, letting it trigger even more positive emotions in a cascade of memory, of moments with these five girls, of times spent with Twilight’s family, even of recent conversations with Flash.  Her magic responded, and she felt the crawling sensation followed by the disorienting POP! of ears suddenly able to hear in a much greater range than humans that signaled a Pony-Up.
“Um,” Fluttershy started, “you aren't going to try and cast any spells, are you? That really hurt you, Sunset, and we don't want that.”
She smiled at her soft-spoken friend. “I’m not going to cast any actual spells, no. What I’m going to do is just project a little magic out through my horn near you guys, to see if you can feel any of it.” Carefully, because she truly had no desire for a migraine, she tried to just let the power rise up and flow more naturally out of her horn, the way smoke rose to the highest available point. Crimson light tinted her world view, and while it was definitely not as easy as it was for a unicorn body, it didn't feel like her nerves endings were being fried.
“Ooooo….” Pinkie giggled. “It's like a warm hug and hot chocolate! And maybe some of those cinnamon candies!”
“The really spicy ones?” Fluttershy asked. 
Pinkie grinned. “Yup!”
“Ah don't taste or smell candy,” Applejack muttered. “But Ah do keep catchin’ a whiff of woodsmoke. Like from a firepit or a bonfire.  The warmth though…that Ah feel.”
Sunset watched them for a moment, mulling over what she was hearing. Having the humans register magic as if they were perceiving them with their already existing senses was interesting, and that both examples so far were associating her magic with heat and fire when she herself had always done so was even more intriguing. 
Dash shook her head in frustration. “I don't really feel anything but bored. Isn’t there a way to do this that doesn't involve sitting around like I’m trying one of Treehugger’s stupid high-on-drugs ‘meditations?’”
“Dashie,” Fluttershy chastised. “That's not very nice. Treehugger takes cannabis for medical reasons.”
Sighing, Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “It’s okay if you don’t, Dash—like I said before, I’m kind of making this up as I go. I still have a few more things to try.” She knew Dash’s pony energy was that of the pegasi, and so the former unicorn thought for a minute about what she knew about pegasi arcanobiology, even flipping through one of the text the princess had loaned her. “Okay. Idea. Stand up, Rainbow, but keep your eyes closed, and take three steps into the middle of the room.”
Her colorful friend laughed but obeyed. “Okay, Ben Kenobi, now what? You going to make me dodge lasers with my eyes shut?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
“Wait, what!?”
Without giving her a chance to really react, Sunset just held on to the magic, letting it fill her extremities too, and started swinging an open palm towards Rainbow’s head. The first swing ended in a light but firm tap to the other girl’s skull, followed by two to her shoulder. “Feel for the energy in order to avoid me. Don't think about it, just…feel. Just do what feels right. You're supposed to be fast, right?”
The flurry of strikes, modified from the fighting arts she’d been taught, still struck at vulnerable points but without the violent intent to cause harm. It did serve, however, to get Rainbow Dash’s attention in a way she couldn't ignore: a challenge.
The first dozen or so hits got through, but abruptly, something changed. An expression crossed her face that Sunset couldn't quite identify, and she watched as Rainbow ducked under the next two blows. The third hit, but the soccer star twisted away from the fourth, and intercepted the fifth. Three more strikes after that were danced around, and the redhead could see the expression on Dash’s face turn into one of dumbstruck surprise.
“Holy shit, Shimmer—that’s you? That’s what magic feels like with you? To you?”
Sunset backed off, taking a drink from her water. “What does it feel like to you?”
The short teen frowned. “Like…you ever gotten a face full of really hot air when you open an oven? Or felt it when there was one of those really hot summer storms coming? It's like WHOOSH! Hot air that burns a little rushing you? And it just makes you feel overheated instead of relieved?”
Applejack snickered. “So what yer sayin’ is that Sunset’s a blowhard who’s full of hot air?”
That set off laughter, even from Sunset, who shook her head good naturedly. “Thank you for that wonderful assessment of my character, Dash,” she said dryly.
“Dude! You know I didn't mean it like that. It's like with Pinkie talking about hot cocoa, and AJ about the campfire. You’re hot.” It took about two and a half seconds for the words to register, and it set off the entire group into laughter again, especially because Rainbow Dash turned red and looked like she’d swallowed a bug. “Oh, c’moooooon!” she whined. “That’s not how I meant it! I mean Sunset’s magic or whatever, we’re all talking about it like its hot things, things that can burn the shit out of you if you're stupid.”
Sobering, Sunset took another drink from her water, and noticed Rarity had an intense look on her face. “Hey, you okay?” she asked.
“I am beginning to think Rainbow Dash may be on to something, and that perhaps the…emotional response is not what I thought it was.” The pale skinned girl met her gaze. “Especially if I stop and consider the way certain elements have particular traits associated with them in various aspects of myth and mysticism.”
Sunset wrinkled her nose. “With all respect to your species’ beliefs, I’m not sure much stock can be put in anything religion says about magic.”
Rarity nodded. “In respect to modern monotheism, yes, but we do have older beliefs on record, ones that talk about magic. And some of those older beliefs have common threads that are far too common to be coincidental.” She pulled out the sketchbook she often used for her design ideas, and flipped to a new page, scratching down what looked like loose notes. “Because, given what Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack have said, all three have interpreted your magic as was just suggested: something burning, hot, intense. You’ve also suggested that your magic, when out of control, manifested ‘explosively.’ And I too, have interpreted what I perceive from you in a way that calls up fire and flame and the blazing brilliance of the sun.”
The former unicorn arched a brow. “I had noticed the correlation, yes, and I know my magic always feels like fire inside me, something I have to control as much as my temper or it will burn me and everypo—everyone else.”
Fluttershy spoke up. “But isn't that an easy one for each of us to apply? Sunset is named Sunset, and she’s very…fiery…in appearance, plus…well…tempers and anger can be seen as ‘hot’ too.”
Blue eyes remained fixed for a moment on her before dipping to the paper. “Perhaps, but…Sunset has also detailed that magic is tied to emotions…and I’m not just talking about Sunset’s magic. Applejack, darling, what did you feel when Rainbow Dash was dodging Sunset?”
Put on the spot, the farmer blurted without thinking, “Smelled more woodsmoke, but also that weird smell that tells ya a big storm is almost on top of ya.”
Sunset’s eyes widened. “Grogar’s oversized bells…you might be on the right track.” She’d caught a flicker of Dash’s power responding to hers, and she could remember it always raking across her magical sense like a bolt of lightning, going all the way back to the formal. 
“I think,” Rarity continued, “that lacking our own unique sense, our minds are translating the information to a language we do understand.”
“And with a common cultural background, emotional ties, and deep familiarity with each other, you're perceiving our magic as a representation of the individual in a way that ‘feels’ like them?” Sunset asked for clarification, trying to make sure she was following the tailor’s thought process.
Before Rarity could respond, Dash broke in again with a frustrated groan. “Oh come oooon. Who cares why it works like that? Egghead won't help me fly faster—can we go back to focusing on the actual magic?”
Sunset rubbed the bridge of her nose, resisting the urge to snap at the soccer player.  “Because it could be important, Rainbow. You have to understand how your magic works and why to be able to actively bring it out…and honestly?  This feels like a good thing—it means all of you might have a better sense for each other's magic than I thought. Which means we can look more at teaching you to find your own, and work on bringing it out.”
Raising her hand, Fluttershy asked, “How do we do that?”
The redhead found herself shifting her weight from foot to foot in an effort to control her urge to pace. “That's…a little harder, but thanks to Princess Twilight’s notes and some of the texts I have, I think I know where to at least start. We’ve talked about the Elements of Harmony and the Magic of Friendship before, and how it comes from our friendship with each other…but there's more to it. Each of the Elements corresponds with a virtue, and each of those matches up with one of you girls.” She started ticking them off, pointing to the girl she connected to each Element. “Honesty. Loyalty. Kindness. Generosity. Laughter. And Princess Twilight is Magic in Equestria.” Though once more, her mind conjured not the image of the princess, but of her human counterpart, who had been the one who had truly brought friendship’s magic into Sunset’s life.
“So what does that make your virtue, darling?”
Pulled from her distracting thoughts, Sunset stared at Rarity. “What?” 
“If each of us has a virtue, then what is yours? It assuredly was not the same as Twilight’s at the Battle of the Bands, and it has continued when we play, or like what happened when you collapsed.” Rarity tapped her chin. “Is there another Element of Harmony?”
Her brows furrowed. “I…don't know. None of the texts I’ve read mentioned any such thing, so if there was another, its been gone for over five thousand years. Possibly closer to eight or ten thousand, because there aren't even stories left.” She rubbed her face, trying not to think about the nightmares involving her demon side. “It’s…more likely that my powers are a side effect of putting on the Element of Magic, turning into a murderous she-demon, and then getting my soul scrubbed by the Rainbow of Light. Any one of those could have left lasting changes behind, but all three together? On a unicorn with an overabundance of magic that was already unstable?” Sunset shrugged, turning towards the wall so she didn't have to look in their eyes.  Her arms crossed in front of her chest, knowing she words had just a tinge of bitterness to them.  “It's better if we keep my case separate, because I can skew the data for a bunch of reasons.”
An acid voice whispered in her memory, echoing her words with ones she’d heard more than once. “I’m sorry, Miss Shimmer, but given the unstable and erratic nature of your magic, we simply cannot in good conscience count your scores with the other students’—it's simply not an accurate reflection of the situation, since your magic skews the data with inaccuracies.” 
Giving her head a sharp shake, the former unicorn focused back on the present, pushing the memory away.  Her friends were watching her now, and Rarity replied, “I don't think that discarding yourself from information we’re gathering is a wise idea, Sunset. You seem to be tied into our magic as much as we are.”
Applejack frowned. “Ah dunno, Rares.  Sunset might have a point—but not fer some nonsense about ya being unstable, so don’t even try that. Yer not unstable in any way, not more’n any of us, Sunset. We’d’ve noticed if ya were.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But…ya are right about skewing data…because of other reasons. Yer a unicorn, we’re human. Yer trained, we’re not. Yer magic is somethin’ that was part of yer whole life an’ where yer from. Any of those things is gonna make ya different from us in magic.”
Blue-green eyes blinked. “That’s…actually a much better point, Applejack,” she conceded.
“It's also not a reason ta dismiss yerself from the study entirely. Way Ah figure it, what’s important is that ya are part of our magic. Ya pony up with us, ya were part of that big rainbow thing against the Sirens, and yer magic called ta us ta do it here at school again. Whether that means yer one of them Elements or not, Twi was right. Our magic needs Sunset Shimmer ta work right.”
Sunset found herself falling silent as she turned the words—and the feelings they evoked—over in her head. The quiet conviction in the blonde farmer’s voice vibrated with magic, a sense of veracity as solid as the stones of the earth and just as stubbornly adamant as the speaker. It filled her with a strange sense of comfort and a reprieve from the unpleasant feelings that had been twisting her insides.  “…that’s…as much as I might want to argue…you aren’t wrong about a lot of it. I…hadn’t considered the fact that I’m a unicorn being more likely to skew data…and I have nothing to debunk the statement that I am some integral part of this magic.  Whether that will change in the future…well, I’m not good at divination, so I have no idea.”
“Uh…can you repeat that in plain English?” Rainbow asked.
Giggling, Pinkie poked the athlete’s shoulder. “Silly! She said that being a magical pony makes her different from us when she studies the magic, and that she can't say she’s not super important to our magic yet! And that she’s a reeeeeeally bad palm reader, but that's probably because ponies don’t have palms to read!” Pinkie beamed at Sunset. “You don’t have to worry about reading palms, Sunset! Rarity knows how to do that!”
Rarity sighed. “Pinkie, I read that book out of curiosity, not so I could make up futures for my friends.”
Blue eyes went wide. “Does that mean you won’t tell me if Friday will have a fantastic, super amazing and delicious dessert? I need to know so I can prepare!”
“Prepare?” Fluttershy asked in confusion.
“Yup!” Pinkie responded, popping the ‘p’ enthusiastically. “If it's lime jello and not cake, I’m bringing cake!”
Sunset arched a brow, and pointed put dryly, “Pinkie…why don’t you just check the school site on your phone? They post a monthly cafeteria menu there. Besides, you’d probably be better off using math to predict it than…whatever ‘palm reading’ is.”
There was a scoffing sound from Rainbow. “We don't need math, Sunset. Of course there’ll be cake on Friday!”
“And how do you know that?”
“Duh! Pinkie just said she’s bringing it! One hundred percent chance of cake!” Dash looked inordinately pleased with herself.
Most of the girls giggled, especially when Sunset rolled her eyes. “Right. Anyway…back on topic. I thought I could have you girls try—”
The bell rang, cutting her off and signaling to six hungry teens that it was time for lunch.
> Chapter Ninety Seven: It's All in Your Hands...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset glanced around the room, watching three rather subdued and thoughtful girls work with trying to both draw their own magic up and sense each other’s power.  They were making considerable progress in a very short time, with flickering spikes of power trying to respond to them, despite the emotional toil that they were all feeling.
Sighing, the former unicorn ran a hand through her hair. Lunch had been a near disaster, but it had certainly driven home the very warning she’d been trying to get them to understand in a very visceral and real way.  She just never would have expected the one to have a near uncontrollable magical surge to be Fluttershy. That had shocked her just as much as it had the rest of them—even back when she’d been Fluttershy’s primary tormentor, the mild mannered, sweet teen had never shown herself to be anything but pleasant. It had driven the old Sunset more than a little crazy, trying to find ways to get under her skin—and was why she’d finally used the girl’s love of animals to drive a wedge between her and Pinkie…but even that had been a sort of sullen hurt and betrayal.
And what had happened today could not be classified as hurt or betrayal.





Sunset lunged as she felt the magic impact her senses like a freight train, grabbing Fluttershy by the shoulders amidst the sound of the normally soft voice rising in righteous anger. “Fluttershy!” the redhead called her friend’s name urgently, trying to pull her attention to Sunset. “You’ve got to calm down—your magic is going to surge if you don't!”  She could see pale yellow ears reshaping as they migrated higher on the animal lover’s head, and they looked all wrong, far too round and furry for pony ears.
Her instincts screamed at her as she realized that Fluttershy now stood several inches taller than her, and shoulders under her own grip bulged with muscles that hadn't been there thirty seconds ago.  Blue-green eyes looked to Fluttershy’s face, seeing the familiar features starting to warp and disappear under a feral, animalistic visage as the sound of grinding bones and squelching insides registered to her ears.





Shuddering, Sunset shook herself out of the memory and back to the present as Applejack managed to finally draw forth her magic in a strong enough fashion that she ponied up, ears set with unconscious determination. “Alright, AJ,” she said encouragingly. “That’s it—now tell me what you feel….and maybe what you were focusing on to make it happen?”
The farmer frowned. “Just that Ah’m worried about Fluttershy,” she admitted, toying with the brim of her hat. “…and Dash.  They’ve been with the principals a long time now, an’ Ah’m startin’ ta worry that something’s wrong.”
Rarity hugged Applejack. “I do believe we are all more than a little concerned, dearest,” she murmured soothingly to the blonde. “Though I can't imagine Vice Principal Luna truly punishing either of them for that fiasco. Not when Zephyr was clearly the perpetrator. It is more likely that she had to call their parents and then wait for them to arrive. It is a rather delicate situation given that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have known each other long enough that I imagine their parents are at least moderately acquainted.”
“Mebbe…just wish Ah knew for sure. Ah can't help but feel like Ah wanna be there, standin’ up for them both.” The farmer sighed, and her pony features faded away. 
Pinkie frowned, passing something appropriately sugary and sweet to AJ. “What did they want to talk to you about, Sunset? They asked all of us about what happened, but you were in there lots looooonger.”
Chewing on a fingernail, Sunset scuffed her foot on the floor. “She did ask me about what happened, but she also asked me questions about magic….”





“Fluttershy had a surge, Miss Luna. It's something I’ve been working to try and avoid by teaching them to use their magic consciously. It was triggered by her emotions.”
The dark skinned woman frowned thoughtfully. “Can that happen to any of you girls?”
Sunset slumped back into the chair, unwilling to lie to the woman she had come to respect, but feeling like she was about to betray her friends.  “Yes,” she admitted. “I’ve had problems for years—it was one of my biggest issues in Equestria for most of my foalhood, and the girls have been having bursts of magic for a few weeks now. I’m trying to teach them, but it's hard because their magic isn't exactly what I know. They aren't ponies.”
Tapping a pen on some paper, Luna asked, “How do your people handle a situation like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Luna elaborated, “how would ponies handle a situation like this: where one pony who had powerful magic threatened to use it against a pony who had no magic?”





The three girls looked uneasily at each other, then at Sunset, before AJ voiced what they were likely all thinking.  "It wasn't Shy's fault!" she bit out, bitterness under the anger in her voice.
Rarity broke in, her voice soft, "I must concur with Applejack on this. The scenario was not instigated by either Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash—that blame should reside solely with Zephyr Breeze and his behavior, and I am fairly confident that the ultimate outcome will reflect that.”  Blue eyes slowly passed over each of them.  “However…Fluttershy’s loss of temper, as unpleasant as it was, did illustrate one failing on perhaps all our parts: we have not taken Sunset’s warnings as seriously as we should have…and today someone almost paid a terrible price for that.”
Silence reigned once more, all four of them lost in their own thoughts. At last, Sunset broke it. “I’m sorry, girls. I probably should have tried harder to make you understand.  Or started working sooner to help you learn how to control your magic instead of letting it just…happen.”
“Now see here, Sunset,” Applejack chastised. “It ain't yer fault we didn’t take it as serious as ya meant it. Fact is, we were all kinda riding the high off beating the Sirens, and Rares is right about us not listening.  Ah thought—Ah’m sure we all thought—‘it's the magic of friendship, and it don’t work if we ain’t being good friends…’ Turns out, we were wrong.”
The former unicorn paced a few steps, thinking. “But that's the thing—Fluttershy was being a good friend…to Rainbow Dash. She was trying to protect a friend.” She rubbed her face. “It's not that she was abusing the magic, but that it was responding far too aggressively in a situation that it wasn't needed.”
That got a snort from the farmer. “Iffin ya ask me, it was necessary—ain't much else seems ta deter that horse’s ass.” At Sunset’s arched brow and Rarity’s frown, AJ coughed. “Uh…no offense.”
A rueful smile twitched at her mouth. “You know,” the redhead commented, “I think I’m going to ban the use of that phrase around me.”
Flash’s voice broke in. “Maybe wait until you hear us out first.”
Sunset turned around to see Flash, Lyra, and Bon-Bon entering the room. “Hey,” she responded, waving at them. “Should I be worried?”
He winced a little, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture she recognized. “Maybe? Hard to say?”
“Uh oh…” Sunset sighed and put her hands on her hips. “What did I do now?” came the tired question. She was aware of her friends coming to stand on either side of her in support if she needed them, something she was grateful for. It certainly made it easier to deal with the awkward silence that stretched on as Flash, Lyra, and Bon-Bon all exchanged glances. “Look, will one of you just tell me? Whatever it is, it can’t possibly be as bad as the fallout from the Fall Formal.”
Bon-bon straightened up. “It's not, but it's serious and you’re the only one who can help us. We’ve been trying to do our own research, but with what happened at lunch, Lyra and I realized that nothing we’ve found is any good against real magic.”
The former unicorn studied them, a growing suspicion nipping at her hocks. “What do you mean? What research? Good against real magic? What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Fight back,” Lyra said cheerfully. “Every magic has a counter, right? We just need to know how to counter it.”
Blue-green eyes sought out Flash. “Sort of, and I've been looking for solid ways to defend against magic without it, but I haven't got anything to give you yet. I told Flash that a few weeks ago.” He had the decency to look away guiltily.
“We know,” Bon-Bon clarified, “because he told us. But that’s not good enough, Sunset.  Twice now, magic has gotten the better of all of us, used us, restrained us. How long before the next magical threat takes over the school and tries to take us hostage again?”  She raised her chin defiantly. “I refuse to let that happen—maybe I can't win, but I refuse to be a victim a third time. I’m not going to be a hostage; I’m going to be a problem.”
There was a giggle from Pinkie. “My science teacher says I’m a problem all the time!”
“Pinkie, darling,” Rarity interjected, “I do not believe that is quite the same thing.”
Sunset frowned. “Even if it’s not,” she admitted, “what do you want from me?”  One hand pushed wild hair back from her face. “All of the ways I know come from creatures who have some magic of their own, and…as much as I’d like to be able to hand over a book full of answers, I can’t.”  She couldn't hide the hint of exasperation in her tone—she was already struggling with the magic the girls had, and there simply weren’t enough hours in her day to be a full time student, work with the magic research, worry about what was after Twilight and her school, and start another research project for a separate topic. Not unless she started giving up sleeping.
“We thought maybe you could give us your thoughts on some of the ideas we’ve had,” Flash confessed, “because this isn't just the three of us, Sunset.”
It was Applejack who narrowed her eyes at them. “Whaddya mean by that?”
Bon-Bon made a loose gesture with one hand. “We’re here on behalf of a large portion of the school who feel the same way.”
“How large is large, darling?”
Lyra’s whole face lit up and she held up a notebook. “Right now the Wondercolt Student Defense Force has three hundred and eighty two members signed up.”
The former unicorn stared, her brain grinding to a screeching halt, dimly aware that her mouth was hanging open in shock. Pinkie said what she was thinking, though perhaps not in the manner Sunset was thinking it.
“Wow! That’s a whole lot!”
Flash looked sheepish. “It's mostly our class and the sophomores. Some seniors, a portion of the freshmen, and a handful of eighth graders.”
“Ya done got the middle school young’uns involved in this malarky?!” Applejack did not look any happier than she sounded.
“No one younger than eighth grade,” Bon-Bon clarified. “But some of them wanted to help, and we figured at least this way they’re supervised.”
A pale hand rested on Applejack’s broad shoulder to calm her down, Rarity clearing her throat. “Supervised doing what, exactly, if Sunset does not have any known methods of opposing magic without possessing it?”
The trio looked at each other, and Bon-Bon took the lead again.  “For starters, I was thinking self defense instruction. It’d be good for them to all know how to fight back against an attacker—even just a human one.”
The tailor’s expression was tight and critical, lips pressed to a thin line. “I see. And who would be the instructor? One of you?”
“I was actually thinking of talking to my dad,” the other girl answered. “He’s taught kids before, not just me. Sunset can attest to his skills—she was his student too—according to him, she was one of his most driven students.”
Her eyes widened, and Sunset tried to connect Bon-Bon’s face to the grizzled, heavyset, middle aged man with the scar on his chin that taught her how to protect herself. She saw none of him in the teen’s pointed chin and high cheekbones, but as she thought back, the redhead realized she could hear him echoed in Bon-Bon’s voice, the grave seriousness with which she had refused to be a hostage again, the hard edge in her gaze. It echoed the harsh sternness in dark predator’s eyes and a gravelly voice that once told her, “When you do this, you commit, girl. Strike hard, strike fast, and commit.  They aren't going to hold back, so you don't either.”
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she exhaled. “He’s good, but that's a lot of students, and he’d need parent permission for them.” Sunset rubbed her arm. “I’m also not sure it would do anything but make them overconfident and get them into more trouble.”
“Speaking of permission…ya got the principals’ permission ta form this little group of yers?” Applejack was looking even more agitated by the minute.  “Cuz Ah can’t imagine they are gonna be keen on the whole…child soldier deal yer proposing, and Ah’m not so sure Ah’m keen on it either, since Ah know Applebloom and her friends are gonna be itching ta be a part of it.”
“Oh no,” Lyra said. “This is not any kind of official extracurricular at all. They’d never let us. We were just planning on doing it and not telling them—after all, if they don’t know, then the watchers working for secret magical societies won't know either, and we’ll have the advantage when they show up trying to take over the school!”
They all stared at her, even Bon-Bon—who had a slight twitch to her eye as she tried to process the words. “Lyra, sweetie, best friend whom I love with all my heart? This isn't one of your weird roleplaying games with the Vampires or the Werewolves. We’re being serious—this is real life.”
Rainbow’s voice broke in behind her. “It's definitely not a game,” she agreed, sounding cutting, even for her. “Sunset tried to tell us that before, and I didn't listen. None of us really did, cuz we didn't get it.”  She walked in, brushing past Flash to lead Fluttershy over to her friends. “But she was right. Magic is dangerous, even ours. People can get hurt, or killed—we’ve gotten lucky. There’s no do-overs, not time-outs. And if people die…they're dead. Game over.”
Silence weighed down on the room, oppressive, choking, and Sunset had to clear her throat before she could speak. “That’s why I don't think making yourselves bigger targets is a good idea. The instant you pick up a weapon or raise your fists, you become a prime target.“ Her eyes met Bon-Bon’s. “Don't take up arms unless you're committed to dropping your enemy. We have a similar attitude in Equestria.”
“So what do ponies do instead, Sunset? Do you guys just run?” Flash asked, sounding genuinely interested. “Because Twilight didn't. She stood up to you at the formal, and the Dazzlings at the band competition.”
Sunset rubbed her temples. “Right, but Princess Twilight is a grown mare, an alicorn, and one of the most talented magical prodigies Equestria has ever seen. She has the power, knowledge, training, and experience to back it up. We dont send foals in to fight—foals are taught to avoid, disengage, and run for safety.”  The former unicorn began to pace again, moving restlessly in a back and forth arc, the motion repetitive but also helping her to think clearer. “Which is, ultimately, I think the best angle for your little ‘defense group’—getting yourselves and others out of the situation, away from danger, and to somewhere you can defend until it's clear.”
He rubbed his neck. “Okay…but…how?”
“I still say being able to take someone down is a good plan,” Bon-Bon groused.
That earned her several hard stares and a sharp head shake from Sunset. “Avoidance, remember?”
The only male in the room raised a hand. “What about defensive weapons that we cache around the school—slingshots, smoke bombs like Trixie’s always using, stuff like that? There’s plenty of empty lockers and other places we can hide stuff.”
Rainbow looked enthusiastic. “Yeah, you could totally hide stuff all over, maybe some flash bombs or stink bombs too, or like extra baseball bats in your lockers—could even raid the gym storage. You know we have bows and arrows in there, from like…back in the sixties?”
This time it was Rarity who rained on their parade. “You do realize most of those things are technically banned from school grounds and having weapons is grounds for expulsion? I’m not so sure we should engage in a solution that will get the well meaning student body in legal trouble, darling.”
Wincing, Sunset paused in her pacing. “Yeeeah…let’s try and avoid getting in trouble, guys. I just got to the point where people aren’t wanting to throw things at me in the halls, and I don't think getting some of them expelled will do me any favors. Plus I’m still on thin ice myself—any kind of major infraction and I’m the one they’ll expel.”
Pinkie latched onto her with a choking bear hug. “No! School wouldn't be the same without yoooooou!”
“Which is why I’m advising against getting us all kicked out.” The redhead carefully untangled herself from Pinkie Pie’s arms, feeling a little like she’d just been hugged by a particularly exuberant boa constrictor.
Lyra’s phone played an eerie melody, making the girl check the screen immediately. “Oh wow! Did you know someone spotted a sasquatch in White Tail Woods last week? They don't come this far south—do you think magic is drawing them here?”
Sunset blinked. “A…what?”
“Sasquatch. You know…Big Foot? The Yeti, but not as frostbitten?” Lyra grinned.
Blink. Blink. “You guys have yeti here? And they come this far south? This close to civilization…and the human government hasn't had them hunted?” That made no sense—yeti were aggressive and violent, and lived in highland mountains close to the snowline or in the extreme northern and southern ends of Equestria on frozen tundra.  Yakyakistan had a huge problem with them and was half the reason that they never had time to really make war on any other creatures.  “That sounds…super dangerous.”
It was too quiet, as if the entire room had stopped breathing, prompting her to look up.  The Equestrian native found everyone except Lyra staring at her in stunned fascination. “Did…did I say something wrong?”
“Uh…not really,” Applejack said. “Just…yeti and Big Foot and stuff like the Loch Ness monster and sea serpents and ghosts are fake. Tourist traps. Stories. Never proven.” She furrowed her brows. “Only folks inta alien abductions and conspiracies believe that kinda hooey.”
Sunset filed that away as potentially important. “Well…yeti are real. At least in Equestria. They're really big and ugly and dangerous. You know Coach Will? Imagine something built like him but…like almost twice as tall, hairy, smelly, and with lots of sharp teeth. And super angry, all the time.”  She thought about it. “Actually, yeti are probably the closest things Equestria has to humans, now that I think about it—unless you count actual monkeys and apes from the jungles.”
She found her shoulders grabbed by Lyra, who shook her. “Oh. Em. Gee! You have to tell me everything about the monsters in your world! Like do you have sea serpents? Dragons? What about gargoyles or basilisks?! Harpies? What abou—URK!”
Bon-Bon had latched her hand onto Lyra’s collar and hauled her back out of Sunset’s personal space. “Sweetie, I love you, but we don't have time for this right now. So unless you can use your network of conspiracy nuts to come up with ways to fight magic that isn't completely made up nonsense, can you focus, please?”
Instead of being deterred, Lyra’s grin only widened. “Oh, Bonny, I already did that! I even checked out some of the prepper stuff from a few places on the dark web that I thought we could use to fortify shelter spaces in the school in case whatever shows up has big teeth!” She fished an entire three ring binder out of her backpack and held it out to her girlfriend. “I thought we could have Sunset look through it and point out which ones were best!”
Taken aback, Bon-Bon let go to take the binder. “…O…kay…” she responded slowly. “Why didn't you tell me that before?”
Lyra’s tone remained cheerful. “I was going to, but then lunch happened and you were busy keeping Zephyr on the ground so Flutter-Bear would listen to Sunset and not get even madder, and then I was gonna tell you in last period buuuuut then one of my favorite ghost hunters posted a video about how they’d caught an actual spirit conversation on camera and I forgot.”
What was that faint sound? Sunset could pick it up faintly, and it took her a few minutes to realize it was the sound of Bon-Bon grinding her teeth. The girl with the mint colored skin seemed to ignore it as she flipped the binder open, revealing a very neatly organized collection of pages. “But look! Something like this—a protective circle of salt, plus warded crystals carved with magical symbols that have been soaked in salt, herbs, and holy waters in a new moon’s light.”
“But the new moon doesn't have light….” Pinkie commented in mild confusion. “So wouldn't that be the new moon’s not-light?”
Sunset chose to focus on the binder page, seeing a diagram that did bear more than a superficial resemblance to a real warding circle and spell matrix. It would never work, since it was clearly incomplete and mangled, and all that chatter about moonlight was mostly made up human nonsense. On the other hand, between that and the book someone had gone to trouble of getting in her hands, there might be something useful. “I’ll look through it,” she assured them.
Bright eyes jerked to Sunset in shock. “You…you will?” Lyra asked, sounding both excited and stunned. 
“Yeah…there’s a chance that there might be something in here that could be useful. Maybe not as is, but as…a sort of jumping point?” It was more to add to her plate, but there was no one else, and Sunset had no choice. If she didn’t help, chances were the students of CHS would go off on their own and possibly get hurt, and that would be her fault.  “I can't do it right this minute, because I’m working with the girls, but I’ll try to get at it this week after I get my homework done—I’ve got that paper due for English on Thursday, and a history report next week, but I should be able to have an hour or so each night to research.”  
Lyra seemed to hesitate a moment, a look of something Sunset thought was akin to, but not quite hesitation on her face. "I... uhhh..." Her eyes flicked briefly to Bon-Bon before returning to Sunset.  "I know most people call it all conspiracy nut stuff," she admitted, taking a breath, "…but I organized all the information and color-coded it according to what type of source it came from, if there are other references that might back it up, if there's any kind of proof of it working in any kind of context. So, I...hope that helps cut down on how much you have to do, to weed out what is actually useful to you. I know a lot of it is probably no good, but if there is something and it makes a difference in the end, then it was worth it, right?”
The redhead was quiet for a long minute, before reaching out and squeezing Lyra’s shoulder. “Yeah,” she agreed. “It is. Thanks, Lyra. That will make this a lot easier—in fact, if you're up for it, I might ask you to do this same kind of sort and organization with all the various bits of information people here at school keep dumping on me. There’s just not enough hours in a day for me to go through it.”  
“Totally, Sunset! I’d love to help! And if you can make a list of things I can throw out that you know won't work, I can even weed out the worst of it for you.”  The other girl was beaming now, and practically vibrating with excitement. She turned to her girlfriend. “See?! I told you it wasn’t a…”
Sunset tuned it out, in favor of her own thoughts as she slipped the binder into her backpack. There were a lot of things that needed to be done, and she really couldn't do it all by herself…
“Um…Sunset?” a soft voice and a hand on her arm dragged her from her thoughts. 
The former unicorn turned towards Fluttershy. “Hey,” she said. “You…doing okay now?”
Her friend gave a nod. “…yes…much better…” And then she was hugging Sunset, hard enough that Sunset could feel the trembling in her frame. “…thank you, Sunset…thank you so much for what you did…” she whispered. “…I’m sorry we didnt take your warnings more seriously…”
She hugged Fluttershy back, willing as much warmth and strength into the gesture as she could, unsure how else to help her. What had happened at lunch had rattled all of them, herself included. “I wasn't explaining it the best way, Fluttershy. It's not always easy, trying to tell you guys about magic because the words just don't exist for you, and I’m trying to explain stuff that ponies…don't really have to be told. We just…know it, by growing up in Equestria. So I’m sorry too.”
With a wince, Sunset added, “Your brother is…honestly, a slime…but I wasn't going to let you just go off on him…I’m just glad no one got hurt.  Grizzly bears are no joke.”
Nodding, Fluttershy squeezed even harder. “It was your voice. You…you interrupted me, interrupted all of the anger I felt, the way I just wanted Zephyr to stop, to make him stop being so smug about all of the things he does and feel the way he makes others feel. The way he makes Dashie feel. When that happened…the part of me that wasn't angry could…do something.  And then…”
“And then Bon-Bon put him on the floor and my magic did the rest…” Sunset concluded, recalling the way the energy inside her had reacted, latching onto the power that threatened to consume Fluttershy…how it felt like it was rushing through her veins like a raging river, before she directed it into the faint, ghostly leyline-like conduits that she sensed in the earth beneath the school.
“…yeah…but you kept me from hurting him. So thank you, Sunset…”
Fluttershy sounded so down, so upset that Sunset squeezed her around the shoulders. “I was just trying to be a good friend like you girls taught me. I know you’d have done the same for me in an instant.”  A hint of a smile quirked at her friend’s features, prompting her to go on. “And we know what your powers are now—and I’ve got to say, they're pretty neat. Shape-shifting is not an easy magic, at all. Even in Equestria, its very limited, takes a lot of power, and decades of training, and that's just for little changes.”
That did it—talking about animals usually did, with the soft spoken girl, and this was no exception.  “I do like the idea of being able to understand them better…and what better way than turning into them…”
Patting Fluttershy’s shoulder encouragingly, Sunset looked up to find Flash watching with a curious, almost excited expression. “What?” she asked.
“What about interrupts?”
The former unicorn’s brain did a weird little stuttery, confused stop. “What are you talking about?”
Her ex made a hand motion. “Fluttershy just talked about how you stopped her by breaking her concentration. By interrupting her.”
Where in the name of a diamond dog’s mangy hind end was he going with this?  “…..yessss…?” The redhead furrowed her brows. “Magic often takes some level of focus…the more complicated the effect, the greater the concentration required.” 
He grinned. “So why not take a page from video games then, and figure out ways to break the concentration of anyone trying to use magic on us? Could do slingshots, like I said, but with packets of chili powder, or water balloons filled with stuff, or the smoke bombs they let Trixie carry? Not to win, but to make it hard for them to use magic on us. Could even tell people to start carrying pepper spray on them, or even just ziplocs of dirt. Get things in their eyes, their noses…”
“Oh!” Pinkie jumped up and down. “Air horns! Glitter bombs! Strobe lights!”
“Chalk powder—there’s plenty in the gym supplies,” Rainbow added.
“We could use coffee filters and tea bags,” Rarity suggested. “Even liquids like soap or vinegars would blind and disorient an attacker. And none of those things are against school rules,” she noted.
Sunset’s mind raced, taking what they were talking about and combining it with their earlier suggestions in new ways. “Okay…yeah…that could work.  If you guys can find places around school to store that kind of stuff, and maybe teach people how to hit what they're throwing at…”
Dash broke in. “Have Fastball help. He’s got a great arm and he's worked training before. It's not baseballs but the idea is the same.”
Lyra is taking frantic notes in her notebook. “Okay. What about sports equipment? We could keep things like bats and hockey sticks for the older kids, just in case of close fighting. Or some kind of shield?”
With a sullen sort of twist to her features, Applejack speaks up, “Ah still think this is a terrible idea…but…instead of weapons…what about sports armor? Football gear, lacrosse padding, hockey stuff? Ain't nobody gonna question that in a school or a locker, and no risk of folks thinking it means they can beat a monster ta a pulp with it?”
“That’s…that’s…we could try that, yeah,” Bon-Bon said. “People won't be as happy with it, but…if we use some of Lyra’s prepper info to create defensive points in the school, places where we can make a stand, that’d probably work.”
Sunset took a few steps back, letting the rest of the girls brainstorm with their other friends, mostly so she could crack open the binder Lyra had handed her. If the other students were organizing their own plan in case of another incident with magic and magical beings—and now that they’d been firmly directed away from fighting like soldiers, it wasn't a bad plan—then that was one less detail about protecting the school that Princess Celestia’s former pupil had to worry about.  That meant she could focus more of her time and energy on being a magic tutor…and on figuring out just what was going on with the dark magic and Twilight’s school…
She’d do anything to prevent her dark dreams and visions from coming true.
Anything.
> Chapter Ninety Eight: Twilight on the Couch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Wind whipped Twilight’s clothes as she hugged herself tight to Sunset’s back. Normally, she loved riding on the motorcycle with her girlfriend—and why not? There was a lot to enjoy about it: the speed and the wind, the thrumming purr of a well cared for machine whose owner had put a great many hours into its construction and maintenance, the intimately close proximity to the gorgeous redhead, pressed flush against her back with arms around a body that was satisfyingly warm in winter, the excuse to press her palms to that toned, flat stomach with only a shirt between them and amber skin…
Today, however, she couldn't manage to muster the thrill she normally felt. Her anxiety had her wound far too tight to even enjoy the guilty pleasure of Sunset’s breasts brushing against the top of her hands with every breath. The dark haired girl was too fixated on where they were headed and why.
Her therapy appointment with Dr. Soft-Spoken.





It ate away at her as she watched her girlfriend lay on her bed, reading a book on engineering principles meant for college students, occasionally brushing a strand of fiery hair back from her face, lips moving slowly as she devoured the information in the text. Twilight had long since abandoned her spot at the desk to cuddle up under a blanket with the warm body of her girlfriend, and at first, all she’d thought about was kissing her until she was breathless.  Slowly, though, another thought had intruded, of uncertain, worried blue green eyes staring at her with fear and a little pain, and the voice of her best friend asking, “…is this it for us, always hiding, always sneaking around afraid that someone else might get it into their head that we don’t act in a way they think is acceptable?” and with it, an idea that wouldn't leave her alone.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, and blurted, “Sunny?”
Blue green eyes turned her way, and then Sunset leaned in to kiss her nose. “Yeah? What's up, nerd? You going to tell me what's been making you fidget for the last ten minutes?”
Twilight’s face felt hot with embarrassment. “Was it that bad?”
An amber skinned arm curled around her snugly, and Sunset pushed her book to the side. “Not really—I could just tell because of how close you are. Now what’s wrong, Sparky?”
“I…do you remember what we talked about on the couch the other week? About me trying to come out to Mom and Dad?” She toyed with a bit of Sunset’s sleeve, twisting it between her fingers.
Her girlfriend nuzzled a cheek into Twilight’s dark hair. “Mm-hmm…” she responded with a low hum. “What about it?”
“…I want to talk to my therapist about it, since she’s good at helping me work through stuff like this and come up with ways to overcome my anxieties…” Just the thought of discussing coming out with her therapist made her innards twist into knots, and she had to take a slow, shaky breath or two before she could forge onward. Sunset, to her credit, waited patiently, one hand moving up and down Twilight’s back in a comforting gesture. At last, Twilight found her voice again. 
“…I want to take you with me to my appointment and introduce you to Dr. Soft-spoken as my girlfriend!” She got it out in a rush before the panic could rise up again and silence her.
The redhead was quiet, her expression curious and thoughtful. “….o…kay…” she said slowly. “…I’m not opposed, Sparky, if it’ll help you…”
Twilight frowned. She could detect the hesitation in Sunset’s voice. “But…?”
Her girlfriend blushed and looked away. “I…I don't exactly know much about how this therapy thing works. What…would I need to do? Is she going to want to ask me questions?”
For a moment, Twilight was startled by Sunset’s confession, but then her brain registered it in context of everything else she’d gleaned over the months she’d known her fiery maned paramour.  “I’m sorry, Sunny…it never occurred to me that you might not know what my therapy appointments involved, or even have any personal knowledge about what goes on at them.”
Sunset shrugged, her expression shifting to that not-quite-blank one where her eyes were both too old for her face and seeing something a thousand miles away. It was a look that Twilight had learned usually meant that the older girl was going to half share something about her past that was both incredibly vague and evasive but also sometimes seemed as if she were protecting her former guardian and wherever the woman lived. “It's…not something that really existed…where I used to live. If some…body…had some kind of a problem…and they couldn't just…you know, work it out on their own, they’d go to their family. Or friends.” Another laconic shrug, and a flicker of real pain in those blue-green depths. “Neither of which I had.”
Anxieties forgotten in the face of a flush of true anger, Twilight had to bite back the response that wanted to fly from her mouth: that Sunset’s so-called guardian probably wouldn't have wanted anyone official to know just how she was treating Sunset anyway. She knew enough to know that a response like that would make Sunset defend the situation or shut down on the subject entirely. She settled for hugging her girlfriend tight and going with the second option of what to say, since it was less likely to upset Sunset—which was very much not the point of this discussion at all. “I understand, Sunset—I am aware that other countries do not always have the same access to mental healthcare that we do here, and many countries, even well established and well off first world ones, have harsher and even highly negative social stigma attached to the very thought of seeking a trained mental health professional.”
Sunset mouth twisted into a wry smile. “That’s…a reasonably accurate summary in a lot of ways,” she responded, her word choice deliberate and careful, suggesting Twilight had been at least partially right, but also partially wrong in her assessment somewhere, but that she didn't want to pursue the line of inquiry further.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to answer the original question. “You would not necessarily be expected to do much of anything. At most, I’ll introduce you, explain what I’m trying to do, and she may ask a few questions to make sure we’re on the same page about coming out. That’s it, and it may not even entail that much. She might just take a few minutes to facilitate the kind of conversation I can expect when introducing my partner to people…mostly to gauge my reactions and emotions, so she can assist me in ways I can work through my anxieties about the act of coming out to my family.”
The older girl was quiet, but Twilight could see she was turning the words over in her mind—not negatively, but in a way that meant she was processing new information…at least, that's what it usually meant when her brows furrowed that way. “…so…she’ll want to make sure I…understand what it is you're wanting to do…and that…I’m okay with it…but also not…forcing you to do it?”
Twilight nodded. “That is a possibility. She may also check and make sure its safe for you to be ‘out,’ since some kids are in environments where that would put them at risk from bigoted relatives or guardians.”
The brows pinched a little further. “Definitely not an issue for me. Even…before…I’m not sure it would have been. It just…wasn’t something that was worried about. They were all more worried about if the…person…was of the right social group or status…or if it would look good on their family. Still stupid, but stupid in a different way.”
Interesting…Twilight filed that information away, right next to the other details Sunset let slip about her upbringing, especially in the realm of relationships. “It can be a very short sighted attitude that is unfortunately all too prevalent, particularly prejudice against the non-heteronormative portion of the population. For reasons I fail to be able to find logic in, there is a great deal of hatred and fear directed at us, as if we are somehow a threat to others simply by existing, and our attraction and affections are somehow poisonous to ‘straight people.’  It's one of the myriad of reasons that the ‘closet,’ and ‘coming out’ are such harrowing things for a great many people.”
Snorting derisively, Sunset shook her head. “Yeah. I've heard stories. Back when I was running CHS, I dug up a lot of stuff to blackmail other students and…that one was one of a lot of people’s fears.”  She bit her lip. “At least I can say, as horrible as I was, that was one of the few things I didn't hold over anyone. I wanted control, but the idea that I would threaten to take away someone else’s family? I couldn't.”
Twilight said nothing to that, but secretly she felt it proof that Sunset had not been as bad as she made herself out to be. “It is a very common fear, and one with some very legitimate weight behind it, unfortunately. Which is why I suspect Dr. Soft-spoken may ask you a few questions to make sure my coming out does not put you in jeopardy.”
A sigh escaped the other teen. “So…she’ll likely make sure I understand all that, and am comfortable with it. Then what? Practicing this whole coming out thing with her and consider different situations that it might occur? Field questions people are going to automatically want to know about us dating?”
“I may be wrong, but that is my hypothesis of how it will go. Unlike what you might have seen portrayed in movies and television, my therapist does not browbeat me with words until I tell everything. She…lets me come to her with things I feel I need to discuss and asks questions around that subject. I also know from previous sessions where she spoke with a member of my family as well as me, she did focus on me as her patient and whatever problems I was dealing at the time, not on them.” She pressed her palm to Sunset’s cheek, making her girlfriend look at her. “I promise you that your secrets are safe—she won't try to dig them out of you.”
Blue-green eyes met purple, and the world around them fell away as Sunset dipped her face to kiss Twilight. It wasn't the steamiest kiss they’d shared, as of late, but it was deep and intense and it reached inside Twilight, drawing up plenty of emotions that made her feel giddy and a little lightheaded, as well as setting loose an entire swarm of butterflies in her stomach. When they parted slowly, breathing hard, Sunset rested her forehead against Twilight’s. “Thanks, Sparky. I…was a little worried about that…”  She snuck another quick peck on the dark haired girl’s lips. “…and who knows…maybe I’ll benefit too…”
“Oh?” Curiosity flicked its tail like a cat in the back of her mind.
“It's…not really the same kind of fear…but…I am a little nervous and…not entirely comfortable with the idea of telling my friends. Not because I think they’ll hate me or anything—none of them have any issue with Rarity and Applejack, and like…the whole school knows they’re together. But…I…haven’t told them about you…they don’t know I have a friend they’ve never met, let alone a girlfriend…and I’m worried about how they’ll take that I’ve been…hiding that from them.”
Resting a hand against Sunset’s shoulder, Twilight asked carefully, “Are you afraid they’ll be angry that you have a friend that isn't one of them?” She certainly hoped not—Sunset clearly cared about her friends, and it would be awful if it turned out they were toxic and unhealthy friendships.
Sunset bit her lip. “No, it's not that…it's…” She blew a sigh out her nostrils slowly. “I’ve talked about how I lost to that girl at the Fall Formal?”
She remembered. “The transfer student that…managed to work with the girls you’re friends with now to break your hold on the student body?”
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped the redhead. “That’s the one. She’s not here anymore, and before she left in December…We talked. I apologized for all the terrible things I did to her, and I guess we’re friends? And kind of pen-pals now?” She tipped her head away from Twilight to look at the ceiling. “Thing is… that girl…kind of reminds me of you—she even looks like she could be your sister or cousin, but a few years older, and she’s pretty smart and just…”
Something sour made Twilight’s mouth twitch, and it took her a moment to realize it might be jealousy. “Just…what?” she asked before she could stop herself.
Sunset shrugged. “Really good at making friends. That's how she beat me, in the end. She became friends and motivated the whole school to take a stand against me.” When Twilight didn’t answer right away, she looked back down. “Sparky?”
Twilight couldn’t help the way her face twisted, or the tears that prickled at the corners of her eyes. “It's just…she sounds like a better version of me…one that doesn’t have half as many problems…” She got the words out as a sharp, bitter set of sounds, mostly because it was better than crying. “Are you worried that your friends are going to…what? Think I’m not as good as her, that you should date her instead?”
Sunset’s face was blurry through the tears that she couldn’t stop from welling up and spilling over, but this close, Twilight could still tell her face was going through a myriad of expressions and emotions. “Sparky…no.” She gently took Twilight’s glasses off her face, and used her sleeve to wipe the tears away. “She is not you, and certainly not a ‘better version’ of you. You’re very different people with some surface similarities that people who don’t know either of you very well will compare and make assumptions. I have no interest in her at all, and I can’t see myself ever having anything with her that's anything like our friendship, and especially not more.” 
She pressed a soft, light kiss to Twilight’s mouth. “You are my best friend, and you…you’re special to me…”
Sniffling, the dark haired teen tried to give her a weak, watery smile. “…I’m sorry…I guess I’m used to thinking of myself as…broken…”
“Hey…” Sunset nuzzled her. “You aren’t broken. You’re smart and funny and you’re my first and best friend, and I think you are so amazing that no one can ever compare to you. And I’m not afraid the girls will think I should be with someone else…or anything bad about you at all.” She sagged a little into the mattress. “I’m afraid they’ll see the similarities I mentioned and think that I’m doing this as some twisted revenge plot to get back at her…or that I am dating you because I have some kind of thing for her that I’m projecting those emotions onto you.”
Twilight blinked and before she could censor it, her mouth opened. “Really? If they do, then your friends need to stop watching bad rom-coms and reading trashy romance novels. That’s…you’ve done so much to try and be a better person—thinking you would do something that…shallow and awful?” She shook her head and ran her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair. “If they’re the kind of friends you claim, then they would never think that of you, Sunny.”
Sunset gave a half laugh, half snort. “…ponyfeathers, that’s so on point about Rarity, it's like you already know her—she’s always going on about these ridiculous ‘romance’ ideas or theories. She’s a good friend, but sun and stars, sometimes it drives me crazy!” Then she sobered, growing thoughtful again. “…and I guess you’re right—it probably is silly to be afraid of them making that kind of assumption. It's probably all just in my head.” She hugged Twilight close. 
“I guess my only other question is ‘when are we doing this, nerd?’”





Twilight drew a calming breath in through her nose as they idled at a red light, letting it out slowly, picturing her anxiety as flowing out of her as part of her breath.  It didn't quite work, as her mind supplied a rather annoying but comical mental image of an anthropomorphic manifestation of her stress response blowing a raspberry at her and her attempts to oust it from her consciousness. It was a fairly illogical response, one she hadn't been expecting, but it was exactly the kind of thing Sunset would have made jokes about. That did put a smile on her face and this time when she exhaled, her chest felt less tight, her nerves less jittery as some of the anxiety untangled. She pictured the anthropomorphic manifestation wandering off to sulk and giggled a little to herself. It made Sunset glance back over a shoulder at her and Twilight squeezed her waist to let the taller girl know she was okay. 
And she was, she realized as the bike turned down another road a minute or two later. Her stomach no longer felt knotted up, nor did she have the urge to have Sunset turn the bike around so she could flee to the safety of her bedroom. She could do this—especially with Sunset by her side.
Which was probably a good thing, since the bike was pulling into the parking lot outside a large structure that housed her therapist’s office. Sunset dropped the kickstand and pulled her helmet off, shaking out her hair.  “Wow…this is…not what I was expecting at all.”
Twilight looked at the modern style, two story building, with its large windows, terraced balconies, and copious amounts of plants—including more than a few hardy evergreens and pots of pansies still providing nature’s greenery and splashes of bright color despite the yellow brown grass of winter. “What were you expecting?” she asked curiously.
“Something that looked like a hospital. Not…this. Not do bright or cheery.” Sunset slid off the bike and offered her a hand.
“It's a private practice with ties to a number of outreach programs. The second floor has a bunch of rooms and studios they rent out to stuff like art therapy and yoga classes, or to group meetings for grief counseling or addiction struggles,” Twilight explained. “It's designed specifically with mental health needs in mind, and hospital-like environs are both unnecessary and stress-inducing to a lot of people.”
Sunset did a slow turn. “It just seems…more like an office building or some place you’d come to get help with your taxes. My finance guy has an office in a place like this…” she murmured.
Hooking a hand around one of her girlfriend’s arms once she put her own helmet in the storage compartment of the bike, Twilight giggled. “The inside is  nice too—and it's warm. Come on.”
She led her compliant companion inside, bypassing the larger lobby in the front to head right down the left hand hallway. Around a turn towards the end, she pointed to a dark stained wooden door. “Dr. Soft-spoken’s office is through here. They’re designed like this so that the people coming for therapy with one of the doctors here aren't shoved into a crowded waiting room to get called on publicly like they are waiting to be yelled at by a principal.”
“Smart—sounds like it’d be a lot more relaxing that way.” Sunset reached for the handle. “Um…can we go in?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes. This opens to a waiting area just for her clients.”
The redhead nodded and opened the door, holding it open so Twilight could enter first. Beyond was the familiar small waiting room, one corner of it taken up by a child’s playmat and a bucket of miscellaneous toys.  Along the wall was a comfortable couch, some small end tables, and a waist high bookcase full of various books, usually meant for teens.  
At a slim desk near the door to the doctor’s actual inner office, working quietly at her laptop, was the secretary. She smiled at them when Twilight walked in. “Hello, Twilight.” She indicated a basket on the corner full of carefully wrapped cookies. “If you and your friend want a snack while you wait, Momo baked cookies with her Grandmother yesterday, and these were the extras.”
That helped her relax—Mrs. Sakura was a kind lady, and she barely even registered Sunset’s presence as anything to comment on. “Thank you, ma’am. A cookie does sound nice—what flavor are they?”
“What else?” The woman laughed lightly. “Chocolate and peanut butter, like everything else sugary my daughter wants to put in her mouth.”
Sunset’s eyes lit up and she politely accepted a cookie before joining Twilight on the couch. “These are pretty good,” she murmured, offering a second one to her girlfriend.
The dark haired girl took it, nibbling at it lightly. Her anxiety had settled but hadn't vanished entirely. So far, everything had gone smoothly…almost too smoothly. Even her evasive explanation to her mother about why Sunset was going with her to her appointment instead of Velvet taking her had been accepted with no suspicion or real question…





Twilight stood on the bottom step, mentally rehearsing what she wanted to say for the ninth time, going over her logical arguments and the justification for why she wanted to do this that had nothing to do with the real reason for it all.  For one wild moment, the teen was struck with just how irrational and illogical her entire plan—and her fears—were, that developing these complex workarounds and evasive explanations and borderline lying to her parents was ridiculous… In that second, she just wanted to spill the truth, to just tell her mother that she was dating her best friend in the bluntest way possible and dealing with whatever came from it. Cadence had been telling her for years that it would be okay, and she could not imagine her mother and father discarding her or being upset with her for the kind of people she was attracted to…
But just as she’d had that thought, her mouth opening to call out to her mother, her throat constricted painfully and her heart began to race. Vague fears began to coalesce in the back of her mind, whispering worries that made her anxiety spike, and even in the privacy of her own mind she couldn't manage to form the words that she wanted to just get out there and be done with.  Frustrated, Twilight pushed a fist against her mouth, biting her knuckles as an unintelligible sound rose in her throat, a manifestation of her emotions right then.
The noise drew the attention of her mother, and Velvet stepped into the hall, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “Twily, sweetie, is everything okay?”
Cheeks hot, Twilight slumped and crept her way down the last step to stand in the hall. It took a minute to sort her thoughts to a point where she could articulate in a way that was satisfactory. “…yes…I…just had an idea, but it refused to come out in a way I was happy with.”  She felt a little guilty but reassured herself it wasn't entirely a lie—she did have an idea and it didn't come out, and she wasn't happy with the results yet.
Her mother nodded. “I’m sure you can work it out, Twily. You're a smart girl, and no problem is truly unsolvable when you put your mind to it. You’ll find an answer you’ll be satisfied with soon, I’m sure.”
She tried a smile as she tailed her mother into the kitchen. “Thanks, Mom. I know I will…I just need to do a little more research on it first.” She sat down at the table, and accepted a drink and a small snack plate with a few cookies on it from her mother, nibbling on one to regather her courage. 
“Mom?” Twilight finally ventured when she felt brave. “My next appointment with Dr. Soft-spoken is on Thursday…”
Velvet smiled. “Yes, it is…unless you have something going on and you need to change it to another time?” She gave her daughter a puzzled look.
“Oh! No, no…I don't have any need to change it,” she responded hurriedly. “That’s not why I was bringing it up.” She gripped her cup with both hands. “I was just…Dr. Soft-spoken has met with each of the members of the family, as part of my therapy, gotten to know them a little and how each of you factors into my emotional support network and coping methods…but I realized that one of the people who has become extremely important to that support network is someone she’s only heard about second hand…” Her stomach flipped and flopped agitatedly. “I was thinking…do you think it would be okay to take Sunset with me to an appointment so I can introduce her to Dr. Soft-spoken?”  
Her mother was watching her, and Twilight swallowed, before hurrying through her train of thought. “It's just…she really is super important as my best friend, and she has become part of my everyday emotional support network, plus you guys have given her a room and told her she’s part of our family, and all of that means she’s also been added to our family dynamic…which should be taken into account and I know I spend an awful lot of my sessions mentioning her just because we spend a lot of time together and she’s been with me during some really rough panic attacks—”  Twilight dimly realized she was babbling and it took physical effort to make her mouth shut and stop the waterfall of words that was spilling out before she said something that gave her away.
Thankfully, Twilight Velvet didn't seem to notice that part, turning from the stove with a bright smile. “That’s actually a wonderful idea, Twily! You're certainly right that Sunset has been brought into our family and its dynamic just like Cadence was, and I think introducing her to Gently is a wise decision on your part. Did you want me to contact her office and set that up then, or would you prefer to take the initiative to do it yourself?”
The dark haired teen paused for a minute, worrying her lip. She had to rearrange her planned arguments and statements, having not anticipated her mother’s instantaneous agreement with her idea. “Uhhh…” she offered—probably not her most intelligent moment, she noted to herself.
Velvet patted her on the shoulder. “It might be better if I do it, now that I think about it. I can arrange with the office then to have Sunset added to the family account with the practice.”
Twilight blinked, confused. “Wait…why?”
“Because, while it might be a little soon for her to be comfortable with the idea if we broach it with her right now…the fact is that she could probably benefit from seeing a therapist herself, given everything.” Her mother’s voice was gentle, but Twilight couldn't deny how true her words were and that they came from a place of worry and compassion for her fiery haired girlfriend.
Still, she had no desire to go behind Sunset’s back, so she kept her response fairly simple. “…that’s…probably a good idea…”
Her mother checked the water and dumped the box of pasta shells into it to cook. “I don't want her to feel pressured, but if she goes with you, she might gain a positive perception of mental health care from the experience, and in turn might consider it for herself. If that happens, then she’s in a position to make an appointment without concern for the cost or needing to disclose it to any of us. I know her privacy is important to her.”
After some consideration, Twilight decided that her mother’s idea was probably a better cover for her real reason than any of the explanations she’d planned out, and that this worked thoroughly in her favor. So she nodded along with it. “Maybe I’ll bring it up to her after my session,” she ventured carefully. “Encourage her without accusations or demands…”





A warm hand on her forearm jolted her out of her thoughts and made her jump a little in her seat. Sunset was quick to reassure her. “Hey…hey…Sparky, calm down…It's just me. You got super quiet on me. You okay?”
Trying to slow her heart rate, the younger girl nodded. “I’m fine, Sunset…I was just…a little lost in my own thoughts, that's all.” She squeezed amber fingers in affection and reassurance of her own. “It's just been a long and tiring week.” Which it had—she’d spent a good portion of the week going over the data from the area near and around Sunset’s school, as well as running extensive tests on the strange plant that had been growing by the CHS greenhouse.  It had yielded baffling results, and kept her up late speculating.
“Don't get too caught up in your own head, nerd,” Sunset told her, tweaking her nose. “You still have to introduce me to this therapist of yours.”
She wrinkled her nose in response. “I know…that's part of what I was thinking about…”
The redhead gave her one of those crooked smiles. “It’ll be fine, Sparky. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
That helped more than Sunset likely realized. “Thanks, Sunny…”
“Hey…” Sunset winked. “What are best friends for? Besides making this jacket look good?” She popped the collar on her leather coat in mock arrogance.
That set her off for some reason, and Twilight collapsed against Sunset on the couch, giggling uncontrollably. Her girlfriend soon joined her, and they were still laughing a few minutes later when the door to the inner office opened, and a boy of about twelve shuffled out, his mint green hair spiked up with copious amounts of gel, and more chains than was probably necessary on his oversized black clothes.  He gave the two giggling girls a disaffected scowl, as if they were laughing at him.
Sunset caught the expression and stuck her tongue out at him childishly. Twilight elbowed her, but couldn't seem to stop laughing long enough to chastise the taller girl. The boy glared at them both and made a huffy sound. 
Twilight finally managed to rein in her laughter about the time Dr. Soft-spoken leaned out of her office. “Twilight? You can come in now.”
What laughter was left dried up, and her legs felt more than a little shaky as she walked to the office, Sunset Shimmer in tow.  She stepped inside, and looked at the woman who had been her therapist for nearly a decade, searching her face for any sign of her personal opinions about this meeting.
Dr. Soft-spoken looked the way she always had, if with a few more age lines than the previous years. She was a woman of average height, five to ten years older than Twilight’s parents.  Her orange hair had wide streaks of white at the temples—what some people called ‘witch’s locks’—but was otherwise up in a serviceable bun and complemented by the comfortable yet professional outfits she wore.  A pair of reading glasses hung from a decorative beaded string around her neck, and all in all she’d always reminded Twilight of a no-nonsense but kind grandparent or teacher.  And right now she had her neutral expression on, her greeting as she stood up from her seat giving nothing away.  “Good afternoon, Twilight. I see you’ve brought someone with you today.”
She opened her mouth to respond as Sunset quietly shut the door to the office behind them, preparing to answer with the planned introduction speech she’d practiced at home several nights in a row. Instead, she felt the words lit out of reach and the fluttering anxiousness in her stomach became a violent churning that crept up the back of her throat and lodged there.  She couldn't do this, she realized. As much as she tried to reason that the doctor already knew she was attracted to girls, it felt like this new admission, this open acknowledgment of the girl standing next to her was her significant other would be crossing a line.  
Even though part of her chastised her for her silliness and irrationality, she found herself searching the older woman’s face, and while overtly her expression had not changed, it felt like it had. She could see it, swimming within placid features, an expression familiar and alien, in lips thinned into a faint smile that was almost mocking her, and a coldness in dark golden eyes that she had never beheld from her therapist before but that Twilight knew from somewhere….and that she also knew didn't feel right to be witnessed here.
Her lungs burned, unable to draw in a proper breath, no matter how hard she tried to suck in air. She could feel Sunset’s concerned form stepping up beside her, but even that didn't help with the raw panic threatening to make her mind shut down. Sunset said something, and Twilight could see her lips moving but the sound was lost in a distorted roaring that filled her ears.
Warmth settled over her shoulders and she felt Sunset’s fingers curl around her upper arm, pulling her into a sideways hug. The taller girl breathed slowly and deeply, and with them pressed together side by side, Twilight could feel her every inhale and exhale, knowing Sunset wanted her to match them. It gave her something to focus on amidst the rising panic, and as if someone had thrown a switch, the panic attack cut off abruptly, leaving her feeling tired but her thoughts crystal clear.  Sunset’s fingers squeezed in reassurance, and she could feel the message in the touch: “I’m here.”  
She gave a small, weak smile in gratitude, before looking back to her therapist. Whatever horrific hallucination had fallen over her was gone now, leaving only Dr. Soft-spoken, waiting and observing patiently, but her gentle smile offering welcome to both girls.
Twilight straightened, breathing deeply to prepare herself, then focused on the formal and polite introduction she’d rehearsed.  She stepped out of Sunset’s warm embrace to begin.  “Dr. Soft-spoken, may I present to you my best friend and girlfriend, Sunset Shimmer?” Part of her knew it was far more formal than the situation really warranted, but relying on that overly formal method of address had grounded her before in circumstances that caused her panic, and as Twilight had hoped, it did the same here, letting her get the words out without completely losing her nerve.  There was however, an unforeseen consequence…
Her somewhat stiff, formal words prompted a curious reaction that Twilight had not anticipated from her girlfriend.  Sunset’s posture went ramrod straight, her head held high, and her boots made a noise as the sides of her heels came together. Twilight turned her head to watch with interest as the redhead stuck out her hand to the older woman. “Good afternoon, Doctor. Twilight has spoken exceptionally highly of you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” As she shook hands firmly and briskly with the psychologist, she inclined her head ever so slightly.
The whole thing struck Twilight with a sense of recognition that was not quite deja vu, and she wracked her brain trying to place it. The answer came a moment later, swimming up from a memory from when she was about seven, of her mother making a joke while Twilight was fixated on a woodcut illustration in the reprint of an 1800s guidebook for “Young Ladies” and “Proper Etiquette and Deportment When in the Presence of Members of the Peerage.”  
It had been not long after an emotionally devastating encounter with Great Aunt Alabaster. Twilight had gotten away from Cadence and found the library at the estate, intending to read some of the fascinating old books she found there, when the elderly woman had discovered her. What had followed was a furious interrogation followed by a crushing and scathing lecture about Twilight’s inability to engage in proper manners and basic socialization, some of which had been thinly veiled implications that Twilight was mentally defective. Cadence and her mother had found her in a sobbing, hyperventilating heap after the fact, and during her very next trip to the local library, Twilight had located and borrowed as many books on proper etiquette and manners as they had, bringing them home and pouring over them for weeks.
The book that had illustrated various greetings had been a particularly dry and dusty tome, detailing the minute variations in greetings based on both parties social status, and her mother had read the page she was on over her shoulder, before gently addressing the issue. “Twily, sweetheart, I know you want to be prepared, but even if some of your father’s family likes to pretend they are displaced nobles slumming it in the states, they aren't, and none of them has any right to expect you to show them this level of bowing and scraping.  Its enough for you to be a polite and well mannered little girl.”
That memory floated before her mind’s eye, and with it, the caption: “Appropriate postures from an heir apparent showing courtesy to a lesser noble, esteemed professional, or foreign dignitaries on official business.”  The knowledge settled uncomfortably as she looked at the girl wearing comfortably worn blue jeans, a t-shirt for one of her favorite bands, and a leather jacket who slipped as easily into the bearing of a princess as she did the black boots she loved to wear.  The pieces she had been gathering about her best friend’s past were starting to add up more and more, and she wondered if she had enough yet to figure out who the unnamed guardian had been, and what locale Sunset had called home for years.





Sunset settled her hand back at her side as the therapist smiled politely. “The pleasure is mine, Miss Shimmer,” the woman responded with surprising warmth. “Twilight has mentioned you and how much she values your friendship quite extensively in our sessions over the last few months. It is quite nice to finally be able to put a face to the name. Why don’t you go ahead and make yourselves comfortable?”
When Twilight didn't move, Sunset glanced at her girlfriend and realized she was frowning and slightly out of it, lost in one thought or another—probably over having openly acknowledged their relationship to someone new. The older teen put her arm back around Twilight and moved them both over to a couch, nudging her to sit down. Sunset dropped into the seat beside her tugging her back into a sideways hug, and kissed the top of that dark haired head, offering soft reassurance. “Hey…I’m proud of you, Sparky.”
Purple eyes blink owlishly at her from behind thick glasses. “What?”
“I’m proud of you.”
Lavender cheeks flushed. “R-really?”
Sunset pressed another kiss to her hair. “Really. I know how hard this is for you…but you did it, all on your own. I’m proud of you for it…and you have every reason to be proud of yourself too.”  Twilight smiled up at Sunset.
Dr. Soft-spoken waited a few moments longer before clearing her throat. “You do have every reason to feel accomplished, Twilight. While you have previously discussed your preferences with me, it still took courage to make such an introduction…especially since I believe you still have not broached the subject with your family?”
Twilight shook her head. “Just Cady, but I told her a long time ago.”
The former unicorn cuddled close to her girlfriend. “Did you ever actually tell Cadence that we were dating? Or did she just do that thing where she knows?”
A lavender nose wrinkled. “She knew I liked you the day she met you. She…was the one who pushed me into at least telling you about that.”  Her head tilted. “I…don't think I ever actually told her—I mean, she pulled me into sister talk after that weekend at your place, and she just…she knew. I…didn't really feel the need to say it in so many words…just acknowledged that it worked out and that I…” she trailed off, blushing again.
Blue green eyes danced with humor. “That you what?” she asked teasingly. “That you interrupted our superhero movie night to kiss me?”
Twilight made a face at her, but Sunset felt her body become less painfully tense when she elbowed the redhead’s side.
The older woman made an interested sound, before interjecting in her calm, level voice. “Do you think you can remember how that made you feel, Twilight? When Cadence showed positivity and support for your relationship without the expectations that you had to ‘come out’ to her?”
There was silence for a long minute as Twilight screwed up her face in thought, and Sunset knew she was going back over her memory in a meticulous, methodical way.  Slowly she responded, “It…felt good…I didn't really think about it, so I was more…excited to share how good I felt…it was nice to be able to have someone understand and be happy for me.”
“And now that you have gotten through the obligation and expectations surrounding introducing Miss Shimmer to me as your partner, how do you feel about talking about your relationship with me?” The woman was relaxed in her chair, Sunset noticed, with a calm and open posture that didn't make this feel like an interrogation.
Biting her lip, Twilight said, “I’m…not bothered or anxious like I was before? I…I’m not as excited as I was with Cady, but she’s my sister in all but name, which is very different from a semi-professional relationship with my therapist.” 
Nodding, Dr. Soft-spoken tapped her finger thoughtfully on her chair. “Then would you say that it's not as scary as you anticipated, acknowledging your orientation and relationship once you actually do it?”
“It’s…it's not, because you already knew…but telling people who don't know at all, that's…I’ve tried, a bunch of times, to tell Mom…but I panic at the last second, and I can’t make the words come out.” She started to wring her hands in agitation, but Sunset reached over and grasped her hand instead, giving her digits to squeeze in lieu of potentially rubbing her wrists raw. Purple eyes flitted to her, and a slight but firm squeeze of her hand let Sunset know it was the right action to take. “That’s…that's part of why I…brought Sunset today,” Twilight explained. “I…I want to tell my parents…so we don't have to hide anymore….but I need help, because doing it on my own isn't working.”
One hand raised to take off her reading glasses so she could study both girls for a long minute. “I see…and…if I may, Miss Shimmer, how do you feel about this?”
Having anticipated the question from her talk with Twilight the weekend before, she took a breath. “I don't like lying to Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Night…they’re always so nice to me, that being…dishonest and hiding feels…” Sunset shrugged uncomfortably, the nagging sense of her recently found morals eating away at her. “It feels wrong…and I feel guilty for doing it.”
Twilight jolted and her eyes went wide as she refocused sharply on Sunset’s face.  “Oh, Sunny…” she said, “I…I’m sorry.  I know you mentioned not wanting to continue keeping it secret from them but…but I never really considered the deeper emotional implications of why you felt that way…” She squirmed, looking upset and guilty, then glanced at Dr. Soft-spoken. “I…believe I would like to add that to the reasons why I’d like to work up to coming out to them in a reasonable timeframe. The situation has become…” Anxiety broke through as her hand tugged free of Sunset’s grasp to make a wide, vague gesture. “…it's become untenable and attempting to persist is irrational, even more so than the phobia itself.  I recognize intellectually that its based on a completely unreasonable idea and I need to bring my emotions in line with my logical side, rather than continue to be ruled by their projection of something not even remotely close to reality!”
Sunset suppressed a wince, recognizing all the signs of her girlfriend about to go off on a rant, but the older woman in the room was entirely unphased, sitting calmly with that neutral-but-inviting expression and occasionally making a sound that encouraged Twilight to keep going. It was pretty impressive, all in all, and Sunset found herself taking mental notes on the technique. It also told the redhead that this particular rant was something that did not need her intervention, and to instead just let Twilight get it all out.  She settled to just rub her palm along a lavender skinned forearm in light affection and support.
Not that Twilight seemed to notice, still gesticulating in a manner in line with the outpouring of words tumbling over each other. “Given everything about who Cady is and what she does, it does stand to reason that if my parents had any problems with non-standard relationships, it would have come up or been expressed in some fashion by now…if anything, it seems quite the opposite, with somewhat vocal opinions in regards to the actions of some of the more conservative members of my extended family and on on the stories Cadence has related from the Dreamwalker Foundation, of children and teens expelled from their family homes or worse by bigotry and intolerance.  On a rational and intellectual level, I know that my mom and dad will love me regardless of my preference in romantic partners and I can imagine my mother will be happy to take any advantage she has to make Sunset even more a part of our family…” As her rambling petered out, she shifted her attention back to Sunset with a smile that was both fond and slightly exasperated. “Mom would outright adopt you if she thought she could, you know…”
Dr. Soft-spoken shifted in her seat, drawing attention to herself. “That is all a very logical estimation of reality in comparison to some very emotionally driven anxieties and fears, Twilight, and I commend you on being able to separate the two—which is something I know you struggled without  the last time we talked about this. I would be happy to help you devise some step by step strategies in working through your fears to be able to express yourself openly to your parents…but first, I would like to ask Miss Shimmer a few more questions. Is that alright with both of you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Twilight agreed immediately, “as long as that's okay with Sunset.”
Her innards twisted, and Sunset answered carefully, falling back on the ingrained manners she’d used not long ago, scripting her reply along the lines of what Princess Celestia might say. “You may ask, but depending on the question…I may decline to answer it…”
“Something I am more than willing to accept—you are not technically my patient but my concern is in assuring that what advice and suggestions I make to Twilight will not be putting you at undue risk, Miss Shimmer.” Steepling her fingers, she asked, “First and foremost, will Twilight engaging in more open behaviors or speaking up about your relationship with her put you at any risk of negative consequences from your own family situation?”
Well…that was a question with a lot of things in the answer that she didn't want to explain to the woman. Better to keep it all simple and plain. “Not in the slightest—my living situation is secure and will not be changed by my relationship with Twilight or anyone else anytime soon.” She offered a slight smile to her girlfriend in reassurance that she was okay from the question.
The slight quirk to the doctor’s lips as she studied Sunset left the former unicorn with the unpleasant sensation that she might have inadvertently given away more than she wanted, and she resisted the urge to grimace. She did not like playing this kind of social game against others who could read her behavior in ways she didn’t deliberately allow.  She considered her options as Twilight added, “Even if there was a possibility of that, Sunset already has a room that’s hers at my house.”
Sparky, she thought tiredly, please stop sharing.
Still, the way the woman seemed interested in that knowledge might prove useful in misdirecting her and ending the conversation’s focus on Sunset.  “Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Night have spoken with me at length on the matter of where I live, and what options are available to me in the event that it ever becomes unsustainable.”
Blue-green eyes watched, and a brief sense of satisfaction tickled her when she saw the faint line of concern on the therapist’s forehead smooth out and the expression returned to that neutral one that she had worn most of the meeting. “Thank you for being forthcoming on that, Miss Shimmer—it sounds as though you have already put careful thought and consideration into your own situation, and that you have resources and support available should you need it.”
Sunset decided that this was a good place to take her leave of the conversation, before the therapist found other questions to ask. She leaned over and kissed Twilight on the cheek. “I think this is the part of the talk that is meant for you and her to talk privately, so I’m going to step out…” She cupped Twilight’s cheek gently as she stood. “You can do this, Sparky…and I’m here to do whatever you need me to do to help.”
Twilight gave her a smile, pressing her cheek into Sunset’s palm and soaking in the affection for a moment. “Thank you, Sunny. For coming with me, and for being understanding…”
“Hey…I told you…I’m here however you need me. Just like you are for me.” She tweaked that lavender nose playfully. “Best friends, remember? But I also know that this part is just between you and the doctor right now, because that's how these things work. So I’ll be right in the waiting room if you need me back in here, but I’m going to give you that privacy, okay?” Maybe it was a little cowardly of her, to hide behind the veneer of politeness and respect when half the reason for her exodus was not wanting to have more questions leveled at her that she didn't want to answer…but she wasn’t ready to have those things revealed to Twilight and certainly not in front of a stranger who would likely take her history as a sign of mental instability.  That was the last thing she needed.
At least Twilight wasn't bothered. “I appreciate that part too, Sunny…that you respect my privacy enough to give me that space while still being close by. I’ll be done  in…” Purple eyes studied the clock. “Forty two minutes.”
“No problem—I’ll do some homework or drop into group chat with my friends on my phone. If you need me, just let me know.” She pulled away with reluctance, before focusing on the therapist still watching them. “Doctor,” she said, slipping back into formality. “It truly was a pleasure.” It wasn't a pony body, but the act of holding her head high and keeping her carriage straight and steady was the same, as was the slight dipping of her head. She was the former protégé of the Goddess of the Sun—if Twilight felt this woman was due the level of respect and formal courtesy she would show someone in Celestia’s court, then she would not act like a sullen mule, no matter how uncomfortable the questions had made her.  “I greatly appreciate you allowing me to accompany Twilight and sit in on part of the session…” She paused, a fraction too long, but it would have only been noticed by sour old Kibitz anyway. “…and your concern for my well being despite me not being your patient tells me that I have nothing to worry about with whatever plan you and Twilight devise in regards to this. You have my complete cooperation and support in whatever part I need to play in it.”
Perhaps she was reading too much into it, but Dr. Soft-spoken seemed to be taking her cue from the redhead’s own behavior, continuing to display a warm but professional air, enabling Sunset to maintain the emotional distance between them. It was a mild relief, but she still searched the woman’s face for any indication that she might have given away more than she intended with her words. It didn't take a genius level intellect to realize that this doctor who focused on the mind and emotion was a great deal more perceptive than her façade presented. 
“Thank you for your willingness to be a part of this, Miss Shimmer—it is not an exaggeration to say your attitude and willingness have me feeling confident about the situation under discussion. Please feel free to help yourself to a snack or drink while you wait. There are vending machines down the hall, and if that doesn’t appeal, Mrs. Sakura has cookies and fresh coffee available as well.”
Sunset murmured her thanks and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her so that her girlfriend could have privacy for the rest of her therapy session.  She flopped onto the couch, the tension in her muscles making her back ache—stretching out on the soft surface would let her relax a bit before she had to drive Twilight home. One hand fished her phone out of her jacket pocket, so she could mindlessly read one of the books she’d downloaded onto her reader app.
She was lost in a mystery about a stolen fortune when fingers ran themselves through her hair, and a giggle reached her ears. Blinking, blue-green eyes looked up to meet purple. “Hey…”
Twilight gave her a smile, but she could see the anxious tension behind it. “Hey, yourself,” she managed.
Sitting up, Sunset looked her over in concern. “You okay, Sparky?”
“…I’m okay, Sunny.” There was a slight stiltedness to her words that hinted at stress she didn't want to address right now. “It was…hard…but knowing you were close by…helped. Dr. Soft-spoken assisted me in devising a series of acceptable plans, strategies, and stages.”
The former unicorn stood up, giving her girlfriend a brief hug. “I’m proud of you, Twilight…” She tugged on a dark ponytail lightly. “What do you say about a stop by the used bookstore and then milkshakes on the way home?”
A beaming smile was all the answer she needed.
> Interlude XXIII: Flash of Insight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Pulling up to the curb, Flash Sentry threw his car into park, glaring irritably at his steering wheel as if it had personally wronged him. His phone vibrated in his pocket; he ignored it, knowing full well it was his mother, either trying to guilt trip him after their fight that morning or trying to continue the ridiculous story his parents were insisting on pushing on him. 





“You were out late last night, son,” his father commented as the family moved around each other in the kitchen, preparing for the day.
Flash shrugged. “Working the closing shift on Wednesday now—stayed after school late. Sunset’s organized a group tutoring and is helping several of us bring our math and science grades up. In return, I’m helping a bunch of people out with history, and our friend Rarity and this guy, Thunder Strike, are working on helping with English.”
His mother’s gaze sharpened. “Sunset organized it?”
“Uh…yeeeah…kind of. A bunch of us were asking her for math tutoring and this was what she came up with so she could help all of us at once.”
A frown pulled at her features. “If you're having trouble with your schoolwork, you should have said something to us. We can get you a real tutor.”
Blue eyes narrowed. “I’ve found a tutor, probably the best math tutor in the tri-county area. And it's free.”
“I don't think its a good idea for you to be spending that much time with Sunset Shimmer, son,” his father commented. “You're just setting yourself up to get hurt again.”
Flash looked back and forth between his parents. “What are you talking about?  I told you, Sunset and I are just friends.” A friendship he was learning brought him way more satisfaction than dating Sunset had. Sunset the friend was much more open and emotionally upbeat, with warm smiles and laughter and jokes. It felt…good…to be counted among the redheaded former-pony’s friends and confidants. “And I like being friends with her.”
“How do you know it's not another of her games? She claims to have a girlfriend, but can you prove it? Have you even met this girl—do you even know if she really exists? Because there’s a chance that Sunset is playing on your sympathies and making the whole thing up to get you to stop being upset over her.” His mother’s words were crisp, and she’d stopped in the act of packing his sister’s lunch to give him a long, piercing look.
Rolling his eyes, he stabbed his waffles with a fork. “Yes, Mom, I know her girlfriend really exists. When she got smacked in gym, I gave her a ride to her girlfriend’s house so she wouldn’t be home alone with a concussion.” Sensing the next words about to come out of his mother’s mouth, he cut it off early. “And that's all I’m going to say about that, because her girlfriend isn’t out, and it's not my place to say. The only reason I told you is because you didn’t want to believe me otherwise.”
Bitterness crept into his voice. “Not that it seems to have done much good.”
“Flash,” his dad said warningly.  “Your mother and I are just concerned. This girl hurt you badly, and we know what it's like to be a teenager.  We just don’t want you to be leaving yourself open to getting hurt again.”
“Or to being used,” came his mother’s addition. “Like to give her free transportation, or do homework for her because she doesn't want to do it herself.”
Annoyance and frustration became a defensive anger, and Flash stood up from the table with the ugly sound of his chair scraping on linoleum. “Stop it! Do you even hear yourselves? You're so busy trying to find a way to cast Sunset as a villain that you aren't listening to anything I’ve said! She’s not the same as she was when she dated me—she has busted her ass to turn her life around, by herself, and figure out who she wants to be! Yeah, I was hurt, and I was angry for a while, but she and I talked, and I found out things I didn't know before, things that explained why it all happened…”
He scowled. “Sunset isn't manipulating me. Before we talked, she was avoiding me. I approached her. I confronted her after I made some choices I’m still not proud of. I chose to listen to her, to hear her out. I chose to forgive her. I chose to be the bigger person and offer her my friendship, because she doesn't have anyone else but her friends. I chose to hang out with her, to ask her for math help because she’s the smartest kid in our school. I chose. Me. Not her. So if you want to be mad at someone for it, be mad at me.”
Stalking to the trash can, he tossed the breakfast he’d made away, his stomach too sour feeling to even contemplate eating. “Or maybe,” he said over his shoulder as he grabbed his backpack, “maybe you guys can actually trust that I’m not an idiot or a little kid, and believe that I’m capable of taking care of myself and choosing my own friends.”
With that, he slammed the door behind him on the way out.





Flash unbuckled his seatbelt. He was angry and he needed time to clear his head, which made him glad he had another closing shift at his job that night. Of course, his anger didn’t stop him from making good on his promise from earlier in the week to his mother to take some boxes of books to the used bookstore before work. Which was why he was in the city proper, awkwardly parallel parking, and even more annoyed than before.
Why they couldn't just take him at his word, he couldn’t understand. Yeah, so maybe he hadn't told them everything about what had been going on since the Fall Formal, but…that was understandable, given…well…everything. His folks were not likely to believe a wild sounding tale about magical otherworlds, fiery demons, and mind controlling fish horses—no person who hadn’t seen it for themselves would, and was the biggest reason it had all been kept secret by the students. No point in telling someone the truth only to be called a liar and for parents to assume it was a cover for something else.  Besides those specific omissions though, he’d always been honest and straightforward with his parents, and they’d always trusted his judgment before…so why was now any different?
He hauled himself out of his car, still trying to puzzle that out. Had he acted that different when he’d dated Sunset? Did they think he’d hidden the depth of their relationship the few times they’d come home to find the pair firmly ensconced on the couch playing video games or watching a movie? There hadn't been anything to hide, really—even then, Sunset had been…he would have called it emotionally reserved, or even shy, and at the time he had thought it meant she was letting her guard down, that he was seeing the softer side of the school’s most popular girl. As a result, he’d been careful about his conduct, letting her take the lead while he focused on trying to be the best boyfriend he could, the way his parents had always told him he should treat a girl.  
He hadn’t been entirely wrong—it had been an act, her relationship with him, but he could see that reservation had definitely come from somewhere a lot deeper, since he could see it in the conversations they’d had about her Twilight.
Lips curled subconsciously into a small grin as he lifted the heavy boxes out of his trunk. Sunset Shimmer was dating Twilight Sparkle—the human one, but…Flash couldn't blame her for her taste in girls.  If she was even half as cute and smart as the pony princess he’d crushed on, then he wouldn’t be afraid to admit to being a little envious of his redheaded friend. 
And wasn’t that the crux of it all? He was genuinely happy for Sunset, for the fact that the person—pony, he supposed—that he thought he’d glimpsed a year ago had really been there, buried deep, and that she’d managed to bring that person out.  Seeing Sunset smiling and laughing…seeing her happy made him feel good, and having his parents suggest that he was still pining after her, with only the thought of ‘winning her back’ or soaking up whatever affection she decided to throw his way made him angry. Made him feel…dirty, in a way, because such a thing would mean he was trying to break up her and Twilight…and just from listening to her talk about her girlfriend, that would be an act simultaneously cruel and selfish to both Sunset and Twilight.  Flash was a lot of things, but cruel was not one of them.
Hefting the boxes, he pushed the door of the bookshop open with his elbow, nodding to the guy behind the counter.  With as much as his mother exchanged books there, Flash coming in to drop off a few boxes in exchange for store credit on her account was normal. Once the boxes were set down, it was a quick and fairly quiet exchange, which suited Flash just fine. His mood meant he didn't feel much like small talk, more focused on brooding over his fight with his parents over Sunset.
There was an old saying his grandpa had been fond of: “Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.”  Flash had never really understood the real depth and meaning of that saying until he realized he heard a familiar voice laughing in one of the aisles.
“Sparky! That’s terrible!” More laughter. “Merciful moons—I will never be able to unsee that!”
Girlish giggling, and another voice that he recognized answered. “Misery loves company, Sunset. Consider it payback for what you told me on the way over.”
Flash cast his eyes heavenward as he took the receipt with his mom’s updated store credit amount on it. Clearly someone up there thought this was funny, and he found himself unsure as to what to do.  Should he say hello? Or quietly slip back out? Sunset had said neither of them was quite ready to show Twilight off to Sunset’s friends.
Biting his lip, he put the decision in someone else’s hands, messaging Sunset. -Do I want to know what it is you can't unsee, pony-girl? Or should I just leave and pretend I heard nothing?-
There was more giggling and laughter in the aisle, before it suddenly quieted at the chirp of a phone. A moment later, he heard, “Sunset?” Then the sound of booted footsteps with that familiar, confident stride, as his ex-girlfriend strode from one of the aisles and locked eyes with him.
“Hey, Sunset,” he offered with a sheepish wave. “Thought I heard your voice.”
Abruptly, he found himself the focus of a pair of sea-green eyes that seemed to see far too much in that moment, and he knew he hadn’t covered his emotions well enough to escape her intuitive perception.
"You alright, Flash? You...look kinda rough—did something happen?” The redhead gave him a visual once over, head canted slightly to the side.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Flash hesitated, weighing how to answer. Part of him did want Sunset’s advice, but not only was it not fair to dump on her about how his parents viewed her, doing so by barging in on what was probably a covert date by being the needy ex-boyfriend was really not the kind of introduction he wanted to have with her Twilight.
Instead he settled on, “Long day, math quiz, big history test, and I got into it with my parents this morning and I’m just glad I’ve got a closing shift at work to calm down. Just…normal ‘rough stuff’, nothing to worry about…” Flash caught himself before the ‘pony-girl’ slipped out, remembering at the last second that she wasn't ‘out’ about her origins to her girlfriend yet.
And given the nervous purple eyes staring at him from around Sunset’s shoulder, a girlfriend that was probably unsure of what to make of him anyway.  
“Are you sure you're okay, Flash?” Sunset pressed, and he knew this definitely wasn't the time or place for him to talk about their shared history.
“Oh, um…yeah, I’m good, Sunset. It's nothing to worry about. Mom and Dad just…don't like some of my…uh…recent life choices…and I told them where to go. Nothing they won't get over and that I won't survive…”  Flash raised a hand, shifting his weight and hoping he wasn't about to make a total fool of himself.  He waved in what he hoped was a friendly fashion, smiling in his friendliest manner. “I’m…guessing this is the…um…friend…you told me about last week? I’m totally crashing here on you guys hanging out…I’m sorry for invading your space and all, I just overheard you talking and wanted to say hi…so…um…hi? I’m Flash Sentry…one of Sunset’s friends?”
Shit. Just from the expression on Sunset’s face he knew he was babbling, and he really wished he’d just left quietly and said nothing. Or that the floor would swallow him. That’d be really great.
He glanced down, hoping he would get his wish. 
Nope.
No such luck there. The floor stubbornly didn't eat him, and no weird magic or explosions interrupted, and he didn't wake up from an embarrassing dream.
Damn.
Then he heard a giggle, and looked up to see Sunset’s Twilight hiding her mouth behind a hand, eyes crinkled up with laughter.
Sunset’s staring turned into a wicked smirk, and she nudged her companion. “You’ll have to forgive Flash. He forgets the English language around pretty girls.”
The dark haired girl turned and poked Sunset’s shoulder. “Sunny! Dont be mean.” She turned back to Flash and with a slow breath to steady herself, she stuck out a hand. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.  It's nice to meet you, Flash. Sunset’s told me all about her other friends.”
He grinned, trying to put her at ease. “I can only imagine what you’ve heard,” he laughed, shaking her hand with the lightest touch he could, and the instant she started to pull her hand back, he let go.
Getting his first real good look at her, Flash could see right away what Sunset meant about the two Twilights being very different. The pony princess he called friend had been about five or six inches taller and now that he saw a Twilight who looked like a high schooler a year or so younger than himself, it made him realize that the one he knew didn't look like a teenager. She looked like a college student masquerading as one. If they’d been side by side, he’d take them for sisters but not identical twins.
“Good things,” the lavender skinned girl said, bumping her shoulder into Sunset’s arm in a way that seemed so natural and right that Flash couldn't help but feel his grin grow more heartfelt and less awkward and staged—especially when Sunset responded by draping that arm casually across Twilight’s shoulders, tugging the smaller girl into a sideways hug that even he could see held a hint of protectiveness to it.
Flash chuckled. “I’m glad she stuck to the good stories and didn't tell any of the more embarrassing ones.”  He glanced at Sunset as he spoke, catching her while her gaze was focused on the girl at her side, and what he saw hit him with the full force of a mack truck on the highway.
There was a light in those blue-green depths that he had never seen before, and as her lips curled up into a warm, affectionate smile, that light spread to her whole countenance.  Even here, among the teetering old shelves overstuffed with tattered paperbacks, her presence and emotions burned blindingly bright, and all of that was turned on the petite girl who was hugging her now around the waist with one arm, all laughter and friendly smiles. 
“How do you know if you're in love?” Sunset had asked him, and he’d fumbled with a vague, uncertain answer he’d heard from his parents and from how he’d come to that conclusion about her when they’d been dating.  
His answer had been wrong. You look at somebody like you are right now, Sunset, he thought. Like they're the reason you draw breath…That’s how you know…
It hurt a little, rubbing an old scar that had just really healed, but not in a bad way, he realized. It confirmed what she’d said to him, what he’d been coming to grips with since the day they broke up: that it was never going to be him that she loved. Not the way he’d wanted and hoped at the end of the summer.  
Because Sunset never looked at him that way…and…for all his infatuation…he had never looked at her like that either. This was on a whole different level than anything he’d ever witnessed or felt, not from any of the kids at school or even from his parents and his grandparents.  Even just standing there in that unguarded moment, when the two girls in front of him were looking at each other, emotions written on their faces as surely as any ink, he felt it warm him inside the same way the rainbow magic had, an uplifting, airy sense of something good and right and full of light and wonder…kind of like being a kid on Christmas morning.  
No…she’d never looked at him like that. Or anyone, as far as he’d seen before. This Twilight was special, more than he’d realized. Though…given what had happened with the princess one, maybe it was all the more appropriate that the human Twilight was the one to bring this light out in Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset tore her focus away from her girlfriend—and anyone who saw that display would never mistake them for anything else—and grinned crookedly at Flash. “Oh yeah, lots of good things, I promise. I focused on the fun stuff and not on how awful you are at Mario Kart.”
Twilight laughed again and nudged the redhead with a hip. “Sunny! Give him a break. You have a distinct advantage in subconscious reaction times far faster than most people.” Purple eyes dancing with laughter met his again. “She told me about how nice you were, how you reminded her of my brother. Which tells me that you're a great friend and a great person, Flash, because Shining Armor is my BBBFF—Big Brother Best Friend Forever.”
He felt his face heat a little at what was clearly the highest of praise from Twilight. “I…try. And believe me, I wish I had a sister like Sunset—my actual sister is…”
“A mouthy brat who likes to make you turn funny colors?” Sunset offered dryly, adding in an aside, “His little sister is like nine or ten.”
The young man made a face. “Something like that. So yeah, Sunset’s kind of like the better sister, and..bonus, we don't have to share a bathroom in the morning.”  The words were out almost before he thought of them, and it shocked him to realize they were true. The care and affection he felt for his ex-girlfriend was more akin to what he felt for Ivory, or even his cousin Dancing Lights, than it was to the intense emotions he’d felt months ago, and…that felt good and right to. Like this place somewhere between friends and siblings was exactly where their relationship had been meant to end up.
“Lucky me,” came the sarcastic response. “You have more hair products in your bathroom than Rarity, and that’s an accomplishment.”
Flash groaned. "Please don't remind me...”. When Twilight gave him a puzzled look, he elaborated.  “My sister, Ivory, keeps convincing our mom to buy her a whole bunch of different brands of hair products because she's sure this time that these ones are going to be just right for that frizzy mess she calls hair.  Of course, that's until she hears about the next newest brand from a friend, and that's the perfect one…”. He rolled his eyes. “And of course, lucky me gets all her unwanted products dumped on me, because 'it's wasteful to just throw them out, so just use those up.’ Except with the endless cycle, I never can.”
Twilight bit her lip, then suggested in a soft, somewhat nervous tone that the princess had never used, “If you really don't want the products, what would you say to boxing them up and donating them somewhere they could really use stuff like that?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Flash shrugged. “Sure, I’d be down to do that. What kind of place are we talking?”
Toying with a bit of her hair, the nerdy girl explained, “There’s this charity that my sister-in-law is involved with that could really get use out of stuff like that. It helps kids in need, especially teenagers and stuff who’ve either run away or been kicked out of their homes by their parents. They have a center in town that’s a safe place, and the kids can have a hot meal, a shower, a dry place to sleep, stuff like that.  Even if the hair products have already been opened, it would be a major help, and the kids would be happy to have nice things to use.”
Flash’s smile broadened—he was going to like this Twilight, he decided, for more than just her effect on Sunset Shimmer.  “You are every bit as brilliant as Sunset said, Twilight,” he told her earnestly, amused by how she flushed at the compliment, “and a total lifesaver.”
“I…wouldn't go that far…”
Sunset reached over and tweaked her nose. “No, he’s pretty on point there, nerd. You're amazing.”
He laughed as the smaller girl made a flustered sound. “I mean it, Twilight,” Flash reiterated. “Absolute, total lifesaver. I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think the bottles were breeding—not only are they overflowing the bathroom, but now they're even finding a way into my bedroom to crowd me out!”
Sunset cackled with laughter, curling the fingers of her free hand into mock claws and making a wet sounding growl. “Watch out, Flash!” she warned. “They're coming for you to make you smell like a girl—all flowers and sugar!”
He pretended to recoil in terror. “No! Anything but that! Help me, Twilight Sparkle! You're my only hope!” One hand stretched out beseechingly.
It had the desired effect—the dark haired girl dissolved into giggles, and from the grateful look Sunset shot his way, Flash decided he’d done exactly the right thing with this encounter.
> Chapter Ninety Nine: In Proving Foresight May Be Vain...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“…so then he just looks up, covered in mud up to his eyebrows, with this ridiculous grin that reminds me of one of those Labrador dogs, and says, ‘This is why I’m really not a cat person, Sunset.’”
Twilight lost it, the giggles that had carried her through most of her girlfriend’s story turning into full on laughter until she couldn't breathe right.  She fell back against Sunset’s chest, sides heaving and tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks.  Something inside her relented at the laughter, a painful tension that had been knotting her up all day, that had nearly made it impossible to give her weekly progress report to her Principal without feeling dizzy and lightheaded. It was such a relief that by the time she caught her breath, not all the moisture on her face was from laughter—some were from relief.
Sunset cuddled her closer, a warm presence surrounding her while the taller girl reclined back on the pillows on the bed, Twilight seated between her outstretched legs and resting back against her chest.  Sunset’s arms were wrapped around Twilight’s waist, palms pressed to her stomach over her sleep shirt. “So yeah, that's how that disaster of a ‘date’ ended. I was pretty glad, because it meant I could leave without him expecting me to kiss him. Flash is a good guy…but…I…wasn’t a fan of that part of the whole deal.”
Twilight tilted her head back to look up at her girlfriend, bringing fingers up to brush the lips that she loved to have on hers. “Did you know, when you started dating him that…well…you know?”
In response, Sunset rested her chin on Twilight’s shoulder. “It's…complicated. Like…you know how I didn’t have any real friends before we met?” At Twilight’s nod, she exhaled and pushed forward. “I…wasn’t really any better in the romance department. I just…didn’t see anyone who caught my interest—male or female was kind of irrelevant, because…it's not really about what people look like. I don’t…” she flexed a hand. “You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to kiss me, Sparky.”
That made her cheeks flush and her heart race, and the dark haired teen snuggled deeper into the embrace, absently tracing her fingers along the skin of Sunset’s forearm, thinking. “In a lot of ways, it's mutual,” she admitted quietly.
Lips pressed to her neck lightly, before that husky voice murmured in her ear, “Oh?”
“I…mean, I’ve known I liked girls for a long time—with Cadence as a sister, it's…pretty hard to be in the dark about human sexuality, or about my attraction to the female form. But…while I might’ve had fantasies, or indulged in crushes on fictional female characters…I never actually found any real life girls that I really wanted like that…” Twilight turned her head so she could brush her lips to Sunset’s, smiling. “And now? I can't imagine wanting to kiss anyone else.”
Sunset pressed in closer, covering Twilight’s mouth with her own for one of those kisses that left the lavender skinned girl weak in the knees and desperately wishing that the hand on her stomach would slide under the shirt fabric. She made a soft sound of encouragement in her throat, shifted so her shirt tugged up a few inches, but other than those calloused fingertips brushing along the exposed skin, Sunset didn’t take the bait. She remained frustratingly polite and PG rated in the way she held Twilight.  There was no doubt in Twilight’s mind that her girlfriend desired more—the sheer number of heated make-out sessions that they’d halted because that physical desire threatened to get out of control was well into double digits now—but whatever it was that made Sunset hesitant to go further with physical intimacy was firmly a boundary, one Twilight had no idea if and when the older girl might change. She was determined to stick to her promise to go at Sunset’s pace, but when she kissed her like that it was hard not to wish Sunset would just—
The burning need for air and Sunset pulling back so they could catch their breath derailed her thoughts from a very dangerous route. “…like that especially…” she managed, knowing the expression on her face could probably best be classified as ‘dreamy.’
Sunset chuckled, nuzzling her nose against Twilight’s jaw. “Nerd,” she murmured affectionately, gaining a soft hum in reply.
They lay there for a long time in relative silence, exchanging light kisses and sharing body heat under the thick winter blankets on Twilight’s bed, occasionally feeding each other bits of chocolate sweetness from the plate of brownies that had come up with them as a snack. 
Thoughts wandering back to the story she’d heard, Twilight giggled. “So I guess that explains why you never seemed interested when I suggested the zoo as a potential spot for an intellectual outing.”
“Oh yeah. I’d never be able to walk past that exhibit with a straight face.”
Grinning, Twilight joked, “And now, neither will I.”
A snort escaped Sunset, followed by a long silence, and then, in a quiet voice, she said, “I’m…sorry about Flash getting sprung on you like that. I had no idea he’d be at the bookstore…”
“Sunny, it's fine,” Twilight reassured, kissing her cheek. “Flash seems like a really nice friend and good person and it was nice to meet him.”
The redhead’s arms tightened. “I’m glad. Got a little worried when he was just there, and I had no warning. I thought you might be upset..?”
Twilight felt her lips pull into a frown. “I have been a little stressed and out of sorts the last few weeks…this project is huge, Sunny, but I keep running into snags. I’m on my third iteration of a device to track and analyze the anomalous energy readings, and I keep getting taken to random locations—or to places near your school. Are you sure you haven’t noticed anything strange?”
Her girlfriend was silent for a long time, and Twilight took it to mean she was sorting through recent events at her school.  Finally, she answered, “I haven’t seen anything I would classify as…strange. It’s a bit crazy, because everyone is hyped over it being a Friendship Games year—they really want to have a shot at beating CPA and not just…” A shrug that Twilight could feel suggested Sunset was not particularly invested in the school rivalry. “…not just getting stomped all over. But there’s nothing recently that’s happening that isn’t in line with the rest of the year.”
She sighed, slumping a little. “I’m just…having a harder time with this than I thought. It feels like someone is toying with me, these readings popping up in random places, with no discernible source or even anything in common with each other.” And it was driving her crazy—there was no pattern she could discern, not even a radius based one hinting at a central location, at least not a helpful one. Just a bunch of places in the greater Canterlot area, sometimes miles apart. One had even taken her out towards a rural stretch of road, something she was unable to really pursue further because the city buses didn’t go further and she was too young to have a license. 
Sunset’s hands moved to hug her tight. “Hey,” the taller girl said, having picked up on Twilight’s despondency. “Talk to me, Sparky. How can I help? Maybe I could double check your readings and devices, see if I can come up with anything?”
Silence stretched between them as the dark haired teen weighed how to answer Sunset. On one hand, she valued Sunset’s sharp intellect and keen perceptions, and the older girl had shown in some of their weekend projects that she had a knack for machines and engineering.  Letting her have a look at the energy detector and scanning device could prove helpful…
Yet she hesitated, her voice dying in her throat as something her principal had said at one of her progress report meetings swam to the forefront of her mind.  “You must take care, Miss Sparkle. Your work here is quite important and there are a great many unscrupulous individuals who will appropriate your findings to claim them as their own. It would be wise for you to take care of just who you place your trust in.” Twilight found herself hearing those crisp tones as she mulled over a niggling, bothersome sense that Sunset’s comments about her school did not match the data Twilight had already collected. Every piece of evidence said the energy manifestations came with some kind of visible phenomena, and affected electronic equipment. Surely with readings as consistent as they were around Canterlot High, someone at the school would have noticed an issue with their computers or science equipment or even their cell phones…right? So was Twilight’s scanner more faulty than she thought? Or…was Sunset not telling her the truth? The other girl had solved the math equation that let her track the data, claiming she’d seen its like on secret documents held by her guardian, and she’d also been really insistent that Twilight take care or avoid studying the energy all together—what if there was a greater reason for that beyond an angry encounter with an abusive guardian?
Something deep inside pushed back with an anger that surprised her, anger at even the entertainment of the idea that Sunset was doing something so manipulative and petty. It was Sunset, her Sunny, her best friend…the girl who knew her even better than even her parents did these days. If there was one person in the whole world she trusted above all others, it was Sunset Shimmer, and she felt disgusted at herself for even considering otherwise.
Still… another part of her whispered in her mind, …if Sunset helps you and solves the problem…then did you really earn your accolades for it? What happens if someone asks questions you can't answer? 
Twilight frowned, brows pinching together, which prompted a soothing, if distant touch from warm hands massaging her shoulders. After all she’d done lately to try to prove her maturity, her ability to succeed without her parents holding her hand or clearing obstacles, and if she turned around and had Sunset help her…was she just trading one crutch for another? Was it really showing she was capable of doing things for herself, that she had what it took to survive in academic fields where there was intense pressure and fierce competition? 
Gentle fingers moved from her shoulder to her neck, tipping her head back to meet concerned blue-green eyes, an act that snapped her out of her thoughts. “Hey…” Sunset murmured softly. “You okay in there, Sparky? You don't usually take this long to think something over.”
Exhaling slowly, Twilight turned her head so she could kiss Sunset’s wrist. “I’m sorry, Sunset…I was…thinking…about how I wanted to answer your query.”
A faint hint of a crooked smile crossed Sunset’s features, and she brushed a thumb over Twilight’s cheek. “Did you come to a conclusive answer, or should I wait for your brain to finish running the diagnostic, nerd?” 
She could feel her cheeks heat.  “It…is a complicated situation,” she replied. “Not something I could easily come to an answer about.”
Sunset nuzzled her nose into dark hair with a soft hum. “Okay…do I get to hear the answer you reached?”
“You do.” Twilight took a breath. “I…appreciate your offer, Sunny, really…I know how smart and clever you are, so please don't take this wrong, but I think…”  She took a shaky breath to calm the spike of anxiety that went through her. “…I think I need to do this on my own.”
Another soft sound, and those arms were hugging her again. “Can I ask why, at least?”
She gave a nod. “I…I need to know I can stand on my own, handle the pressures of the field I want to go into…and more than that…I…it needs to be my project. It’d be different if it was a joint project, if we were lab partners, but…” Words failed her, and she faltered, looking back at her girlfriend with the worry that Sunset might be upset.
Instead she found an understanding smile. “Hey…I get it, Sparky.”
Do you? Twilight wondered bitterly, thinking about the twinge of suspicion she’d felt.
“Oh yeah. Used to go to a place like your school, remember? The pressure, the paranoia that somepo—someone—especially someone you think you can trust—might take your work, that if you don’t perform to the standards you set for yourself everyone will know…the way you have all these expectations to meet, and you don't want to fail, and even asking for help feels like you failed?” A wry expression crossed her face. “I get it, just like I get wanting to prove to yourself that you are everything you want to be. I was that way for a long time…and I still am, in a lot of ways. I don't like losing—it tends to make me a little crazy.”
Confusion made Twilight’s response slow—had she inadvertently spoken aloud? She didn’t think she had, but she must’ve. “…I…guess you do. Get it, I mean.”  She bit her lip. “You’re not…mad, are you?”
Lips brushed her forehead. “Nope. Like I said, I understand. Just…if you change your mind or if you feel like you're in over your head with it…remember that I'm here to help. That’s what best friends are for—something you taught me.”
Settling once more against her girlfriend’s warm torso, Twilight fell quiet and contemplative for a long minute. Her mind was filled with snippets of thoughts and perceptions that she couldn't quite manage to assemble into a complete idea—every time she tried to put the pieces together like a puzzle, they twisted back in on themselves into a new shape.  More data was needed, she decided, and cleared her throat softly. “You’ve mentioned that before—going to a school like mine, from before you ran away—is Canterlot High really so different from it?”
Now that the words were out, she found herself wondering about the answer. How different was CHS from the schools she had known? Sunset didn't seem to worry about her classmates there stealing her work or projects, or competing viciously enough to go as far as sabotaging each other…or at least, she assumed the older girl didn't have to, given her mentioning it happening at her old school, but only really bringing up her own unpleasant history or the spate of bullying she went through after her fall from the peak of the school’s popular crowd.
The answer was spoken in an equally soft voice close to her ear. “Like night and day, really,” Sunset murmured.  “So many things are…just different. Better, in a lot of ways.” Fiery hair tickled Twilight’s neck and shoulders as she shook her head.  “People there..care. They treat each other like people. Friends. We help each other out, learn from each other.  Like the group tutoring we’ve put together on Wednesdays—it started as me helping Flash and my friend Rainbow in math. Every week though, it's a few more people, and they're getting help with where they’re struggling but helping others in areas they're good at.”  A low sigh of hot air across her ear made her shiver. “It’s nice…being in a place where it's not all pulling each other down to make yourself look better…I feel bad, sometimes, because I tried to destroy all that…and I’m really glad they stopped me.”  
The arms around Twilight tightened, emotion leaking into Sunset’s voice.  “I wouldn’t go back now…even if I could.”
Even as something in Twilight was moved by the picture her girlfriend’s words were painting, this enchanting image of a school like nothing she’d ever experienced, some other part of her pushed it violently away, rejecting it as almost too good to be true, a fleeting dream at best. After all, this was the same school of students who had spent most of the fall bullying and abusing her Sunny. Almost unconsciously, she found herself reciting words from the research on Crystal Prep that she’d done before submitting her application to the school.
Sunset hummed thoughtfully.  “Eloquently worded, but…is it really true? All that effort to paint the school and its students as perfect and far superior to the average teenager…I remember the same kind of rhetoric from CSGU, and I also remember what the reality was for any individual who didn't conform to what they thought you should be like.”
Twilight felt something twist in her stomach, the truth in Sunset’s words unsettling her in ways she couldn't articulate.  Breathing slowly, she replied with the same words she often used to remind herself when the other students at her school were at their most vicious.  “…perhaps I am more non-conforming than the average high schooler is capable of accepting.  It is not arrogance to say I already out-perform my existing classmates at CPA to a degree which they are unable to rationally accept or cope with, so I can only imagine what it would be like at a regular school that isn't designed for everyone to be in an advanced curriculum.  And for all it…can be upsetting at times,  I cannot fault them for reacting in a manner indicative of their age and maturity level. That would be, for all intents and purposes, like ‘getting mad at a cat for being a cat.’”
Sunset’s sharp, derisive snort shook her body physically with the vibration it sent through her chest as much or more as it startled her mentally—she hadn't expected the response to be so…blunt and visceral.  The puff of heated air from her girlfriend’s breath ghosted over her neck, and her innards shivered in subconscious reaction despite how uncomfortable the conversation was becoming.
“Twilight, that’s a complete and utter load of steaming, sun-baked, mouldering horseapples, and we both know it. Who ever convinced you of that line deserves a mule’s kick right where the sun refuses to shine.” A low, odd growl escaped from the older girl’s throat.  “Look, you’d agree that on an intellectual and academic front, you and I are reasonably comparable enough to be considered equals, right?”
Nodding, Twilight pushed some of her dark hair back, out of her face, before her hands twisted together to help her bleed off her anxiety. “I…given the observational and anecdotal evidence, I would be willing to concede that in this case, though it would take some actual, measurable tests with scores we could compare to judge accurately.  Still, in areas of science and mathematics, we are comparable in our knowledge and capabilities, though our approaches are decidedly different.” She breathed in and out, taking time to further compose her thoughts. “One of my favorite things about our relationship is that you challenge and engage me mentally, and because of your high intelligence, I find I very rarely need to translate my thoughts into a format that you are capable of comprehending in conversation.”
Lips pressed soft kisses to the spot where neck and shoulder met. “I’m not saying this to bring you down or sound arrogant, but the fact is that both of us are far ahead of our age-mates in our schools, and sit close to the top of our class rankings…but for all of that, even at my worst moments in CHS, both as the bully and as the bullied…no one at the school has ever suggested that it was at all acceptable for anyone to bully a person because they did better than you in a class. If anything, it's the opposite—even when I ran things there, I knew there were lines I couldn't cross because the Principal and Vice Principal would tear me apart. And when they found out what was happening to me, they were just as swift to come down on the people doing it.  If they ever got an inkling of a teacher saying stuff like that? I’d bet a sack of diamonds that the ink wouldn’t even be dry on their termination notice before they found themselves on the sidewalk outside.”
Tucked into Sunset’s warm, soft body and embrace, Twilight wrestled against what even she could tell was an almost irrational want to leap to the defense of her school, her principal, and her teachers…she had no desire to get into an argument over something that didn't really matter in the long run. She was already most of the way through high school; at this point changing schools would be a hindrance not a boon. So the dark haired girl pushed the ugly words down with a frustrated sound.
“Sparky? You’re all tense and wound up now—what’s wrong?” Sunset moved a hand from her waist up to across her shoulders and collarbone.  “Talk to me.” Genuine concern filled the now alert voice.
Now that the thoughts had been pushed away and the thread of conversation broken, Twilight could put the words together she needed to. “I…I am…discomforted by the points you’ve raised, but I feel this whole topic is something I need time to think over alone, when I am less under pressure from all sides. My mother is still advocating that I consider transferring, and I…need time to weigh the situation without the expectation of someone wanting a response looming over me.”  She let out a shaky breath. “Is…that okay?”
Those arms hugged tighter, before warm hands found her shoulders and began to rub soothingly, transferring their heat into a body that felt more than a little chilled.  “Of course, Sparky…I didn't mean to upset you,” came the tickling whisper against her ear, before her girlfriend began to hum, a soft pretty little song that seemed to be her go to when she was offering comfort to Twilight. It let the younger girl just drift for a little while, feeling the cold that had frozen her inside melt away in favor of the contentment that just being wrapped in Sunset’s arms created.
The silence between them stretched on companionably for several minutes, broken only by the rich musical tones of Sunset’s humming.  Finally, even that petered out for a double handful of heartbeats into comfortable quiet.
At last, the redhead broke it, after Twilight had gone completely limp in the embrace.  “Want me to go raid the fridge for leftover chocolate cake and some ice cream?”
Drowsily, Twilight considered her choices. “Hmmm…chocolate cake versus keeping you here as my pillow and heater…hmmm…you arent making this easy on me, Sunset Shimmer.”
That earned a laugh. “I’m so sorry, Twilight, but I can’t just levitate the cake out of the fridge and up the stairs with my mind.” Sunset kissed her close to her ear. “If I could, I would, because I’m pretty happy to have you all to myself like this.” The fingers on her shoulder wandered in to her throat, tracing up and along Twilight’s jawline in a featherlight caress, before they tucked some dark hair behind one ear.
Breath hitching now for an entirely different reason, Twilight licked her lips “I think…I think the chocolate cake wins…after all, it was an exceptionally good dessert you brought this week…. ” she murmured, twisting around so she was kneeling between Sunset’s legs, seeing a grin on the other girl’s face as Twilight leaned in to brush their lips together. “…especially if you bring up the chocolate syrup to go with the ice cream…”
A light went on in blue-green eyes as Sunset clued in on what Twilight was hinting at, and she scrambled off the bed in a hurry to get the requested items. “I’ll be quick,” she promised, tweaking Twilight’s nose playfully. “…chocolate flavored nerd sounds like an even better dessert than cake…and a great way to spend my time before bed.”





It was some indeterminate amount of time later, long after dessert had been reduced to a sticky memory in bowls shoved carelessly to the side on the floor and to the lingering scent-taste of chocolate that was on their lips, after Twilight had finally determined after some heated and intense data collection that chocolate flavored Sunset kisses were definitely better than regular ones, that she had another idle thought tickle at her brain.
She shifted in Sunset’s arms, propping herself up on one elbow. “Dr. Soft-Spoken is going to be pleased with me at my next session…” 
A crooked smile teased at Sunset’s kiss bruised lips as she let her eyes drift up to Twilight’s face from where she lay, stretched out under a shared blanket. One hand reached out to run down a lavender skinned arm. “Oh?” came the response.
Twilight smiled at the other girl, snagging amber fingers with her own hand. “After you left the office yesterday, we talked about my apprehension and difficulties with being open in regards to our relationship.  One of her suggestions was to remove the sense of ‘all or nothing’ I can sometimes be prone to distilling problems into, and instead focus on it as a project with many small stages and steps.”
Sunset tugged their interlaced fingers towards her face, placing soft kisses on Twilight’s knuckles. “Okay, I can see that. So what are these stages, Sparky?”
“To start with, she proposed the idea of small things, like meeting someone you know as just your friend in a one on one fashion, then taking the time to analyze my feelings after, to determine what, if anything, about the interaction caused me anxiety.” Twilight laughed softly, feeling each of the kisses brushing her skin as a tingling warmth that made her heart beat faster. “I wasn't sure about it at the time, to be honest.”
Watching her intently, Sunset asked, “Is that why you were a little out of sorts when you came out?”
“Yeah…it had me pretty tied up in knots, even thinking about it…” the dark haired teen admitted. “…but then we bumped into your friend by accident, and it went so well that it made the idea less intimidating.  I don't know if it was because it was a chance meeting, or because Flash is just really patient and relaxed, or because I didn't have time to get overwhelmed by anxiety…but…I was thinking it was a method that does seem to work.”
A gentle tug pulled Twilight back into Sunset’s arms, and her girlfriend nuzzled into her neck with one of those throaty noises that she had come to associate with Sunset being relaxed and happy. “I’m glad, Sparky…I was worried when he messaged me from the front of the store…I didn't know how it would go, and I really wanted to have my friend and my girlfriend on good terms.” She laughed into Twilight’s ear. “It was a bit nerve-wracking for me until you smiled and said hello.”
“And for what it's worth, Flash commented today that he thought you seemed really fun, and that he hopes someday you’ll be able to come to some of the group hang-outs.”
Absorbing that knowledge felt…good, and she found herself smiling for reasons beyond the way Sunset was snuggling her tightly. “I…would not be opposed to that, someday.”  She breathed deep, enjoying the odor of faint shampoo, leather, and sunshine that was Sunset’s personal scent, letting loose ideas start to coalesce into something solid.  Before anxiety could make her indecisive, she forged ahead, blurting out the thought before her courage was lost. “Since it went so well, what do you think about repeating the experiment, as it were, but perhaps under more controlled conditions?”
Her girlfriend lifted her head so they were almost nose to nose. “Like what?” came the curious question, carrying with it that hint of chocolate from earlier.
Twilight rested her palm against a warm cheek, before she moved to thread fingers through strands of red and gold. “I met your friend, so what do you think about an afternoon outing with myself, you…and my friend Wallflower? The girl you helped me pick out the birthday gift and the tea for?” Her voice carried a hopeful note as she searched blue-green eyes.
What she saw was a hint of playful mischief. “I could be convinced,” Sunset murmured. “Tell me about this Wallflower?”
“Well…she’s…not quite as smart as either of us, but she’s really adept with botany and horticulture…” Twilight started. 
Lips teased hers. “Okay…?”
“She’s kind of quiet, but also sarcastic…”
Another kiss. “I don't mind quiet, and I’ve a been known to make a sarcastic remark at times.”
It was getting a little harder to focus with Sunset insisting on kissing her, but Twilight forged on. “Sometimes, I worry I’m not the best friend to her since I get so caught up in my work, and I also have a really hard time deciphering what she means sometimes….but she’s really nice, and I feel bad because it sounds like her parents don't have a lot of time for her. I think she’s a little lonely.”
The redheaded girl paused in her playful assault of Twilight’s lips to study her closely. “That’s…yeah, I’d be okay with meeting Wallflower, Sparky. She…sounds like a decent person, and I can understand where she’s coming from if she’s lonely. I’ve been there—surrounded by a crowd and feeling alone…it’s…it's not great.” The quiet seriousness in her voice made Twilight’s heart ache for the girl she considered her closest, dearest friend, and it must have shown on her face, because Sunset rested their foreheads together. “It's not that way since I made friends…I promise…I’m just saying that I understand.”  Then she smiled. “Besides, anyone who can appreciate a pretty garden and a nice cup of tea has to be someone I can find common ground with, right?”
> Chapter One Hundred: Crawlin' In the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





There was a curious sense of numb detachment as Twilight’s body collapsed to its knees like a marionette whose strings had been severed. There was a curious roaring echo in her ears as she dimly noted that such a collapse would have, in the waking world—for surely she had to be caught in some kind of terrible nightmare—would have left her bruised and aching, and at the moment, with her heart pounding in her ears, she could barely feel her body to tell if it hurt or not. A sarcastic part of her mind that sounded more bitter than anything pointed out, “If its a nightmare, at least it had the decency to leave you clothed…” She brushed the errant thought away, unable to focus on anything beyond the want—need, really—to scream or cry or…something…anything…that would wake her up.
Lavender fingers scrabbled futilely against linoleum tiles that were too slick and somehow greasy under her fingertips, and she was overcome with the sensation that any moment now her digits would push through the surface into something even more horrific. Abstract patterns and lines that before gave the impression of a faux wood grain seemed to melt and warp before her sight, twisting into a hellish representation of agonized, screaming faces. Around her, scraps of paper—that was her handwriting, her research, please, no—slid just out of reach, moving on unnatural gusts of air that felt far too warm and fetid against her skin in a building that was always cold, as if some monstrous thing were behind her, unseen and breathing down her neck.
As she scrabbled, growing frantic, broken bits of electronics and wiring skittered like metallic insects in shadows that oozed, too black and opaque to be just darkness, from all the corners of the room, bringing with them faint cacophony of unintelligible but decidedly unpleasant whispers—her classmates? Had they done this? Who else would have? But why??—and the susurration of distant, mocking laughter.
Twilight Sparkle choked on bile that rose in her throat, thick and burning and corrosive, and in her rising panic, all she could think of was Sunset. She desperately needed the warmth of flame, of amber and the smell of sunlight, to draw her out of this nightmare landscape she was imprisoned in.  Stiff, numb fingers that felt like they were moving through molasses, barely responding to her mind’s commands, searched her pockets for the phone she knew should be there. Relief ghosted over her before anxiety swallowed it whole, and shaking hands struggled to get to Sunset in her contacts, raw, animal terror rising as a chittering sound grew closer, eclipsing any other noise with the way it drilled into her skull painfully.
Her breath turned to gasping sobs as she typed, words scrambled and misspelled, a desperation personified in an amalgamation of sentences and broken characters that her mind tried to force into some semblance of coherence. The image of her smiling girlfriend at the top of the screen was her only lifeline to sanity, and she gripped the phone like a talisman, trying to will the older girl into existence at her side. 
“Breathe, Sparky…”  A faint sense of a whisper broke through the noise, but it was gone almost before she registered it, and she curled into herself, caught in a loop of her own fear. 
This is a nightmare…it's not real…this can't be happening…make it stop…
As if in counterpoint to the inhuman sounds, a thread of all too human laughter, stifled—possibly behind a hand—tickled her ears. It was…familiar…the actions of an adolescent trying to avoid sharing their mirth, lest it garner adult attention. 
So it was her classmates…they had swept her lab clean, destroyed months of work, all to see her falter and fail…
Yet it was crisp tones that followed, not the sniggering mockery of her peers. Each word was too precise, as frigid as if it had been carved from crystallized nitrogen ice. “While your devotion to maintaining school property is…entirely admirable, Miss Sparkle, I do believe such a menial chore as collecting what trash remains in your former laboratory can be safely entrusted to the janitorial staff.”
Cold lightning shot through Twilight as she turned her face upwards toward the voice, her body left wreathed in ice and her stomach twisting nauseously. There, staring down at her was the immaculately groomed visage of Principal Cinch, expressionless eyes somehow giving off the impression of a viper, poised to strike.
What? Cinch had taken her lab away? Why? The woman was pleased on Friday with her progress—or at least she had seemed so, providing the rare words of praise that had bolstered her confidence despite her difficulties with the scanner.  Why would she do this? Maybe not the lab, but to throw away all of Twilight’s data and work? Without letting her know some line had been crossed?
“Up.”
The single word, laced with venom, brought Twilight to her feet before she even had time to register what was happening. Her senses reeled, her stomach churned, and she could feel the tears on her face still making their way down her cheeks to drip to the floor.
Principal Cinch turned sharply on her heel, movements as neat as a drill sergeant, yet elegant enough to be more at home in the courts of old. To blurry eyes, shadows swirled out behind the attenuated figure with the motion, like some kind of oily black cloak that billowed before it vanished between one blink and the next, leaving the teen dizzy and disoriented.
“Come.”
A second command, as cold and devoid of emotion as the first broke the air, and the dark haired girl found her feet moving of their own volition to obey. Dimly, amidst the sensory overload and the racing thoughts, she became aware of a shadowy figure that stepped up, a little behind and to one side of her. Scrubbing her eyes furiously, she focused on wilted green smudged with a muddy shade, and the figure resolved into Wallflower, the normally restrained girl possessing a rare smile that seemed entirely too satisfied.
Her principal began to walk, and with Wallflower urging her onward, Twilight was forced to follow. The dark haired teen did everything she could to concentrate on both making her legs move in a coordinated enough manner to approximate walking, and on breathing. Her inner voice tried counting, some part of her desperately grasping for a memory of Sunset’s reassurances, coaxing her to draw in enough oxygen with that warm, familiar voice with the faint hint of an unidentifiable accent.  Twilight’s external awareness dimmed, Wallflower fading into the background until all that seemed to remain was a cheshire grin, hanging mockingly at the edge of her peripheral vision.  It was still enough of a distraction to make it hard to conjure more than the faintest wisps of memory, particularly when it was paired with the way the footsteps echoed around her, somehow both too loud and close to her person, but also echoing back distantly, distorted and muffled, as if she were hearing it underwater.
The shadows in the corners of her vision returned amidst black spots as she struggled to draw in enough air to feed her oxygen starved lungs. She caught glimpses of them, too-dark things that seemed to stretch into an impossible infinity even as it felt like they were dogging her steps, as though they wanted to nip at her heels. Their very presence seemed suck the air away that she was so desperately trying to inhale, and Twilight swallowed a whimpering gasp, clenching her teeth and triggering the sensation of stinging pain on the inside of her cheek and a coppery taste on her tongue that made her want to gag had she not already been choking from the inability to draw a real breath.
Vibrations tickled her thigh, her panicked mind taking a moment to recognize it as her phone going off with a message. It bounced slightly with her movements, but even as it vibrated again the teen dared not look at the screen—she couldn’t, not with Principal Cinch right in front of her. 
Her mind was too happy to jump in and supply her with the obvious answer: after the mangled message earlier, it had to be Sunset. That knowledge was a comfort she clutched at like a lifeline as the phone buzzed again, the faint sound and feeling driving the blackness back and bringing sweet relief in the form of a real breath at last.  Whatever was happening, whatever had gone wrong, she told herself, her Sunny would be there for her at the end of it….she just had to hold on and get through this.
That faint thread of warmth was all that sustained her as she followed the ominous clicking of Principal Cinch’s heels through polished halls, the periodic and insistent vibration against her leg keeping her from breaking down. At first, Twilight believed them to be heading towards the woman’s office, but when they continued on beyond it without so much as slowing down, the cold weight in her stomach grew heavier. This path led to the auditorium.  Was that her punishment for whatever transgression had cost her her lab? Public humiliation for her failure and shame, paraded before the school as an example of what not to do, along with the mocking laughter of her classmates following her in the halls until the day she finally left for good?
Caught as she was, the lavender skinned girl did everything she could to keep from making a sound, knowing full well that the instant she let even the barest whimper free, she would break and she wouldn't stop screaming until her voice gave out…Almost missing the moment when the Principal’s brisk clip took them past the entrance to the auditorium and continued deeper into the heart of the school, crossing an invisible and unspoken threshold to enter the set of corridors that by tradition…and more than a little covert enforcements by the inhabitants, belonged solely to the senior students.
Twilight shuddered as her mind dragged up memory from the times she’d attended classes here in her first year at the school—it was one of the reasons she’d been so happy to do the independent study projects…so she could avoid all the baleful glares and hostile murmurs that followed after her, directed at her, all for being a ‘middle schooler’ invading their territory, especially one beating them academically in every way possible. One spot in the hall brought up a particularly vicious encounter, of her back pressed to icy metal, surrounded by angry glares and—
She crushed the memory down hard, forcing herself back to the present, dismissing unimportant events from two and a half years ago.  None of that mattered right now, not compared to the present. With them now deep into the senior halls, Twilight’s panic and fear was now at war with confusion, and the teen set herself to do the only thing she could in moments like this: focus on continuing to breathe, and to endure. The detached sensation of vibration against her leg was the only thing left to help ground her, each twitch like a squeeze of Sunset’s hand in her own.
After what felt like an eternity, Principal Cinch halted, abruptly enough that Twilight only just caught herself and prevented her body from colliding with the administrator. Like a bucket of icy water, cold terror went through at the the thought of almost having done something like that, and Twilight forced herself to refocus on the older woman. Just in time too, she realized, as the precisely cultured tones registered to her ears as speech—speech that was directed at her.
“Of course, I do apologize, Miss Sparkle." Her voice was crisp and cold, with an edge that Twilight couldn't quite explain—the part of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Sunset whispered that it was contemptuous amusement, but that was an unfair thought.  Principal Cinch was an upstanding educator who valued her students…she gave herself a mental shake and tried to pay attention.
Principal Cinch continued, steepling her fingers. "I had planned to present this to you a great deal earlier; however, the previous occupant did not grant this honor the…respect…it was due.  As such, it necessitated the outlay of significant resources to bring it back to the standard I expect a student of your caliber to... appreciate." With deliberate slowness, the woman turned towards the door they’d halted in front of.
Like a record scratch across her mind, the sound of a key turning in the lock made everything jerk to a grinding halt.  And when the door opened, harsh, bright overhead lighting almost blinded her after the dimmer corridors, sending a stab of pain through her brain like an ice pick. Twilight faltered for a moment, her feet unable to move while she tried to cope with the assault on her senses.
Suddenly, there was a sharp feeling in her side, like a jab or a pinch. It sent her stumbling over the threshold into the room after the principal. The older woman smiled, a thin thing that held Twilight’s attention, even as she gestured elegantly around the room. “After all, it would not do for my…prize student…to work in substandard accommodations any longer, and quite inappropriate for me to present you with an upgraded space that resembled a low budget bachelor pad after a drunken celebration….don't you agree, Miss Blush?”
And just like that, the focus was off of Twilight for a moment, and the weight crushing her was gone—the world no longer felt like it was coming down around her ears. She could breathe again—and she did, her side aching with each glorious inhale of fresh oxygen. It banished some of the haziness, and helped slow her heart rate down from the frantic runaway gallop to something a bit more sedate…like a run. 
She heard Wallflower respond, but the words themselves seemed inconsequential in lieu of what Principal Cinch had said. The phrase ‘prize student’ echoed in her mind over and over as she tried to come to terms with what was going on, overwriting her earlier assumptions. She hadn't failed or done something to disgrace herself. She wasn't being punished… 
Purple eyes roved over the room, taking in the little details. Lab equipment, brand new and shiny, cabinets with plenty of space for supplies, a refrigerator for samples or experiments that needed chilling (or for stowing her lunch, the ‘Sunset portion’ of her hindbrain suggested), and plenty of space on counter tops and the workbench for her to spread out her work.  And atop the surfaces, there were parts she recognized, a sheaf of notes, stacked haphazardly, her own handwriting plain to see, and even her tools, all arrayed in a fashion that was close enough to her own preference to be familiar…but just off enough to know she didn't leave them there and to trigger her need to reorganize for herself.
Except it was all here, in the large laboratory that was the coveted lab space in the school…a lab that traditionally went to a couple of senior students at the beginning of each year…A lab that she had known to already be filled. The principal’s words drifted through her mind, and so did a stab of new worry. This lab was for seniors, which she was most certainly not, and there was always a long list of the top seniors who wanted to have it for themselves.  She wondered briefly how many of them had been skipped over for this space to be granted to her.
But that concern would have to wait, as Principal Cinch was speaking to her again.  “Of course, you mustn’t let your focus be siphoned off by such mundanities as organization, paper filing, or errand running.  The contract you signed makes allowances for a fellow student to act as your assistant, and I have taken the liberty of assigning Miss Blush to fill that role for you. I also recall that you have come across some botanical samples in the course of your search, and I believe her background in botany and horticulture shall serve you well in expediting your research results in those areas.”  One of those thin smiles Cinch was known for crossed her face, this one with the barest hint of her teeth as Twilight tried to force her scrambled and disordered thoughts into some kind of order that let her comprehend what was being said. Assistant? Wallflower?
“Isn’t that great, Twilight?” Wallflower was grinning broadly, an expression so out of place for Her normally dour and sarcastic friend that it felt strange and unnatural to Twilight. “Principal Cinch offered to let me use this as a semester project to replace my science course if I help you out. Plus we’ll get to spend more time together!”
Twilight had a sour taste in her mouth. She recognized that her Principal had made the decision and she couldn't just countermand it, but she really hadn't wanted an assistant in the first place. She didn't care much for someone getting underfoot during her projects, and as much as Wallflower was her friend, this was not really a project where she wanted to have to spend time explaining every little thing she was doing to someone else when that time could be better spent actually working towards an end goal.
Now that’s not true, her mind whispered traitorously. There’s one person you’d love as an assistant.
The image of Sunset in her garage lab, wearing her spare lab coat while they tinkered with the stabilizers on her custom camera drone, the redhead’s eyes bright as she explained a change she’d come up with that would improve the drone’s maneuvering capabilities, came to her mind. No, she corrected herself. There definitely was one person she’d want in a lab with her…and it wasn't Wallflower. 
Nor was Sunset just an assistant, either. In every instance so far that they’d worked together, and in every fantasy in Twilight’s mind—both the illicit and ‘safe for work’—Sunset was her lab partner, her equal in every way.
Wallflower was very much not Sunset Shimmer, and that knowledge just made her innards twist unpleasantly.
Yet there was nothing she could say or do—Principal Cinch had decided, and the other girl’s grade now depended on it.  Plus, she looked so excited to be working with Twilight…to spend time with her friend…what kind of friend was Twilight being if she pushed her away?
She’d already been a less than stellar friend this year to both Wallflower and Moondancer, caught up in her projects and all the time she spent with her girlfriend.  Was it right or fair to be upset about spending time with a friend? Especially one who didn't have a lot of other people in her life she seemed close with?
Guilt gnawed at her over her knee jerk reaction, and it made the hand that pressed down on her shoulder feel too heavy and painful, as if the thin fingers were digging into the nerve that crossed her collarbone.  Her stomach lurched and roiled in borderline rebellion, but she forced a smile onto her face as best she could. Something socially appropriate and grateful must have passed her lips, because her principal seemed pleased with it before she departed with a final weighty statement.
“We expect great things from you, Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight was left in the lab with Wallflower, the echoing, heavy sound of the door shutting feeling somehow ominous despite the circumstances…or maybe because of them. 
“I did what I could to keep things together when I moved them,” Wallflower admitted.  “I hope I set everything up right for you—Cinch didn't exactly give me a lot of warning…” 
The words, paired with the hand still on her shoulder, felt like acid dripping steadily onto exposed nerves. “I can see that,” Twilight acknowledged, doing her best to keep the emotion out of her voice. “Thank you, Wallflower.” While it was only loosely felt, she could still do her best to express the socially acceptable amount of thanks so she didn't hurt her friend’s feelings.
“I even tried to follow that weird system of yours…doesn't really make any sense to me, but it's your stuff…” The girl shrugged.
Twilight took a deep breath, her eyes falling on things that were just enough out of place to make her hands itch with the compulsory need to fix the disorder. “I needed to do some reorganization anyway,” she said, doing her best to sound offhanded and casual. It came out strained.
“Well, that’ll give me something to do—Cinch’s orders say that I’m your assistant, but since most of your project does not involve plants, I’m basically here to keep you company and do all the menial labor and tedious tasks that might distract you from being the ‘Shining Star of CPA.’” Wallflower’s lip curled at the last part of her sentence, and even Twilight was capable of detecting the sarcasm and annoyance in the tone.
The dark haired girl took a deep breath, twisting away from Wallflower’s hand in a way that didn't make it seem she was repulsed by her friend—she really wasn't, but uninvited contact was not something she could handle when she was this keyed up. She then sank into the desk chair, depositing her phone on the empty counter surface and trying her best to rein in her thoughts and emotions, letting Wallflower’s words sink into the background for a moment, like sticks floating by in a stream’s current.
Did it really matter if Wallflower did reorganize her things? The space Twilight had felt was hers was not, and the abrupt shift to this new lab space had shown her that. This was not her space, not in the way she naively thought the old lab had been, and while she could work in it, she wasn't sure she could ever be comfortable.
This lab, and any other in the school belonged to Principal Abacus Cinch. She could inhabit it, make use of it, but only so long as she met the expectations—demands, her inner Sunny corrected with an unpleasant sneer before Twilight pushed the thought away—placed before her. Fail, and she would be removed, just like the previous occupant had been.
That’s not fair, another corner of her thoughts whispered. It's no different than what happens in the real fields of science and academia. Research funding comes with an expectation of results.  In this, Principal Cinch was providing a mimicry of that, allowing her and other students the chance to adjust to the rigorous and competitive field in a safe—mental Sunny snorted derisively—a safe, she repeated mentally to drown out the facsimile of her girlfriend her mind had created, and relatively controlled environment. 
Really, Twilight should have been grateful for the Principal’s foresight, and she felt guilty and ashamed that her impulsive reaction had been the desire to throw a tantrum like a toddler.  She needed to stop acting like a child so often.
Her phone vibrating on the counter coaxed her out of her thoughts, especially when Wallflower saved it from falling to the floor. “Jeez, Twilight—whoever this Sunset character is, they're real hot to get a hold of you. They are blowing up your phone like crazy. Sixteen unread messages. That’s nuts.”
 Right. She had yet to reply to her. “That’s my fault. I panicked earlier when I went into the old lab and I sent her a pretty incoherent text. She’s probably trying to figure out what's going on.”
Wallflower rolled her eyes. “That does not require sixteen messages in like ten minutes. Sounds like she’s desperate to me.” The phone lit up in her hand. “Oh, and now she’s calling you. You want to take this or should I tell her to get lost?”
Twilight snatched the phone back. “No!” came the yelp, before she could stop herself. “…I…I can handle it. Let me just answer this and talk to her real quick.”
The green haired girl rolled her eyes, but flopped into her own chair, playing with one of the microscopes. Twilight answered the phone, only half paying attention to her friend.  “Hi, Sunset…”
“Twilight!?” Sunset’s voice on the other end sounded agitated and tense, coming out more demanding than the teen was used to hearing. “Are you okay? I couldn’t understand most of your text.”
Sighing, she hastened to reassure her girlfriend. “I’m okay, Sunset. I…jumped to conclusions and then had a panic attack as an overreaction to the whole thing.”
That seemed to do little to mollify the other girl. “Overreaction…Sparky…what happened?”
“I…” Twilight hesitated a moment, looking back at the door, then at Wallflower, who was watching intently. “It’s complicated, Sunset, and I don't really have a lot of time to talk about it right now—I need to get some work done.”
“Are you sure you're okay?”
“I’m fine,” she reiterated. “…can I call you tonight after dinner? I can explain then.”
Sunset made a dissatisfied sound. “…alright…” she said at last. “…we’ll talk tonight.” 
Twilight winced at the frustration she could hear in those words. “I’m sorry for making you worry…” she told the redhead.
“You scared me.” Sunset’s voice had grown quiet and soft. “I was afraid something terrible had happened when I got your message…especially when you didn’t respond to me after that…”
Guilt found some new to chew on. “I’m so sorry, Sunny! I never meant that—I sent the text on accident when I was interrupted, and then I couldn’t really answer my phone right away.”
“As long as you're really okay, Sparky. That’s the important part.” Sunset exhaled noisily. “I’ll let you go—but if you do need me for anything, call or text me. I’m always here if you need me, no matter what or when.”
Twilight mumbled a neutral sounding goodbye, doing her best to keep her tone in ‘best friend’ territory, because while she was planning on introducing Sunset to Wallflower as her best friend, she wasn’t comfortable with broadcasting their intimacy yet…and Wallflower was watching her with more interest than really felt polite.
As she hung up, she sent a hurried text to said girlfriend for added reassurance. —Sunny, I'm sorry for cutting the call short, but I wasn't alone and I wasn't ready to air what I'm feeling here. If you’re available to come over tonight, I would really appreciate your company, and I could tell you better then.— Her eyes skimmed the barrage of increasingly agitated texts Sunset had sent her, and she sent a second quick text to her mom, letting her know that her day had been stressful and that she had asked Sunset to come over that night.
“Boy,” Wallflower commented as she was hitting send, “that Sunset chick seems kind of intense and pushy.”
Twilight put her phone back in her pocket. “Sunset isn't pushy,” she defended. “She was just really worried about me.”
Her friend scoffed a little.  “Sure, Twilight, whatever you say.  How'd you even meet someone like that?”
Discomfort spiked, making her stomach churn. “We bumped into each other in the park and got to talking,” she responded, knowing she was being evasive. “Turned out we have a lot in common and get along well, and we got to be friends.” Change the subject, Twilight. “I was actually thinking of inviting you both out for an outing with me. I…would like to introduce my old friend to my new friend.”
Wallflower raised an eyebrow. “I’m not so sure that’d be a good idea…” she said with hesitation. “How do you know this is not some repeat of freshman year? You remember that girl from your chem class, I know you do. What's to say this isn't another situation like that? She could be using you.”
Twilight shook her head, trying to avoid the memories that Wallflower had stirred up. “Sunset’s not like that. She’s been nothing but a good friend to me—she’s smart and caring and warm hearted.”
Her friend snorted. “I’ve seen plenty of girls who act like that to people they want something from. How long exactly have you known this Sunset chick that you are that confident she isn't using you for something? She’s not a student here, is she?”
Something in Wallflower's tone reminded Twilight unpleasantly of Alabaster, and her response came out somewhat shorter and snippier than she'd have preferred. "Long enough to know what kind of person she is, and that she’s not going to do that to me.  As for her not attending this school…quite frankly, given how poorly most of the students here are prone to treating both of us, it would seem to me that such a fact is a positive point in her favor.”
“Sure, Twilight.” Wallflower rolled her eyes. “How did you even meet her? Since she doesn’t go to our school. It's not exactly like you’re a social butterfly.”
Frowning, Twilight felt her agitation rising and swallowed the immediate, snippy response she wanted to give at the repeated inquiry. Taking a breath was harder than she would have liked, as she fought down memories of that fateful night and tried to avoid having a reaction that her friend would detect. It was a struggle; between that and her earlier meltdown, she resigned herself to taking a dose of her anxiety medication when Wallflower dipped out to either fetch her lunch or to take a bathroom break. “We met by accident, last fall,” she responded carefully.
Cynical and skeptical, the other girl crossed her arms over her chest petulantly. “That doesn't mean you really know her.”
 Twilight had reached her threshold of tolerance for what felt like an unfair interrogation.  “With all respect, Wallflower, I’m not sure why the details of when and how I met Sunset are something you're so fixated on, and why you seem unwilling to at least give her a chance before you assume she’s up to some nefarious purpose.”  She took another breath, let it out slowly, and continued. “What matters is we met and became very good friends, and I was hoping to introduce you, a friend whom I have known for several years, to a new friend I’ve made this year, because I think you could find common ground with her if you tried. She’s the one who helped me pick your birthday present, after all, and she’s the one who gave me recommendations for that tea we’ve been sharing during lunch since your birthday breakfast.”
Wallflower was silent, watching her with furrowed brows, and the inner Sunset in Twilight’s mind filled in with a thought that was more accurate than Twilight would have expected. “She looks like someone who just got bitten on the hind end by what she thought was a rock.”
It really did, when she looked at her carefully.  The other girl finally noticed her watching, and rolled her eyes again. “If I didn't know better, I’d think this Sunset was actually some hot, rich dude and not a chick, the way you talk about her.”
Twilight laughed, nervousness making her stomach flip flop. “I didn't know what I was saying sounded like that,” she hedged. “I just…really do think she’s a good friend, and we could both use more of those.”
“…not so sure more friends is really the answer, but I guess it can't hurt to meet this Sunset for myself—form my own impression, see if she really is all that you're making her out to be…” Wallflower leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the counter. “So when did you want to do this?”
> Chapter One Hundred and One: The Nightmare's Just Begun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Bedsprings creaked as the occupant shifted, rolling to the other side and reaching for something that wasn't there. When lavender fingers fell on the unused pillow instead, a whimper escaped her, and she twisted further in the sheets. Outside, the first drops of freezing rain and sleet began to fall, creating a staccato sound on the roof like running steps.
Running…she was running, barefoot, feeling the painful sting of sharp rocks and broken terrain under her soles…
Despite the house being heated, the room had a chill to it that made exposed skin shiver and prickle with goosebumps.
Everywhere she looked, it was all wrong. Everything was dead and decaying, a landscape devoid of all life and with her only company writhing shadows and foul, sulfurous miasma that sapped the heat and life from her…
The sound of whimpering woke Spike, and he climbed up on the bed, trying to figure out what had upset his human so…only to find her sleeping, her clothes soaked in sweat in spite of the chill.
She needed Sunset. Had to find Sunset. Sunset could get her out of this place. Sunset would make the light come back to the world. She screamed her name, hoping to hear an answer in turn. She only heard silence.
Spike pawed at Twilight, licking her face and nosing her as forcefully as he could, trying to break the nightmare’s hold. 
How long had she been looking? Forever it seemed, before she had found her. But something was wrong. Sunset wasn't moving. Why wasn't she moving?  She grabbed Sunset by the shoulder to get her attention, only for the figure to fall backwards into a pool of liquid shadow that wasn't shadow…eyes that once shined with laughter and love now empty and vacant…
And it was only then that Twilight realized her own hand was holding a jagged, dripping spiral…
Twilight sat up with a ragged, painful sound, one somewhere between a gasp and a sob. Her heart was pounding and the fragments of the nightmare left her whole body shaking with a cold that did not want to leave no matter how many blankets were wrapped around her.  Spike, who had fallen back when she woke, crawled into her lap and whined, trying to soothe her as best he could, and she petted him with one hand while she shook and trembled, desperate to push back the lingering images of her nightmare.
Yet as the image of those familiar blue-green orbs staring blankly at her swam before her mind’s eye, Twilight couldn't hold it in anymore and she burst into tears.  Even the faded image of Sunset like that from a purely fictitious nightmare sent sharp, crippling agony through her, and she hugged Spike tight, wishing Sunset were with her.
For a fleeting moment, she thought of calling Sunset, but the blurred numbers on her clock stopped her—it was a little after three in the morning and Sunset had a history test in school she needed to be rested for. So Twilight changed her mind, and settled for recounting the nightmare and her fears to Spike.  At first, the words wouldn't come—even after her sobbing had trailed off into little hiccups—her mouth refusing to form them as if by speaking it aloud she would somehow will the horrible nightmare into existence.
“….I’m scared…” she managed, rocking back and forth with Spike clutched tight to her chest. “….so scared, Spike…” The admission came haltingly, but labeling it helped her deal with it easier. “…I…saw something…a nightmare….it was awful…and it scared me, Spike…”
Her dog whined, licking her face in sympathy, and it helped loosen some of the words lodged in her chest, past the lump in her throat. “…I…It happened to Sunny…in the dream…and I just wish she was here now, Spike…I want Sunset so badly right now to be here…so I can hug her and know she’s okay…that it was just a dream…” 
Spike perked up and wriggled free of her arms to scamper over to the other side of the bed, grabbing her phone in his mouth and bringing it to her, tail wagging. That made her tears start anew. “I can't, Spike. She’s sleeping and she has a test in the morning at school…” She took the phone from him and set it in her lap. 
Twilight tried to scrub the tears away. It was illogical, irrational, to be this upset over a nightmare. Especially one so bizarre and completely disconnected from reality.  Yet as much as she told herself that, as much as she tried to dismiss it, some deep seeded part of her cried out in fear and despair, and she just could not shake the sense of impending doom hanging over her. 
It had happened before, she realized with an odd start, right before winter break, when Sunset had been pulled into drama at her school, trying to stop those three girls from following in her former bully persona’s lead and potentially getting people hurt. She had been suffering nightmares then, and left with this same feeling of dread and worry….but Sunset was not under duress at the moment, so why?
The teen wracked her brains, mumbling to her dog the whole while. “It…it doesn't make sense, Spike. Last time…she was upset and agitated and I couldn't help her, and so my brain translated that into anxiety and nightmare, but she’s been doing wonderful lately. Every time we talk…she’s…just overflowing with stories and anecdotes about her friends and how good things seem to be going for her right now!” She hugged herself as a shiver passed through her thin frame. “So why do I feel this way now? Is this…some kind of manifestation of jealousy? Stress? I…I don't want bad things to happen to her, Spike…so why is my brain showing me this!”
Her oldest friend whined and snuffled at her face, before licking her cheek as if to tell her it was alright. Then he hopped down and once more padded across the bed, this time across Sunset’s side to grab something off her desk and bring it to her. 
Twilight stared down at the faulty detector in her hands, absently wiping off the dog slobber from the device she couldn't manage to get right. “Spike?” she asked in confusion. She knew her dog was smart, but…was this random, or was he trying to tell her something? What did her research have to do with th—
Images slammed to the fore in her mind, not of Sunset and the nightmare, but of readings and dates. Of the spikes she’d missed in early December. The same week Twilight had been wracked with nightmares. The same week Sunset had had important things going on at school.
No. It was ludicrous. Ridiculous bordering on superstitious and nonsense. People did not have the ability to sense such things…No amount of science had ever proven any such thing existed as more than random chance or hoaxes, all easily understood as being interpreted by hopeful humans as ‘wishful thinking.’
Right?
It had to be. She was a logical, rational mind, and science was how she explained the world around her—it had rules and patterns and explanations for everything, even if those explanations had not yet been deciphered. And there was no place in that rational pattern of existence for silly things like premonitions and gods and the spike of an unidentified energy triggering an emotional response in someone nowhere near the events. 
Her feet hit the floor before she could stop them. She needed to debunk this nonsensical idea before it turned into some kind of flight of fancy….
Once she changed into clothes that weren’t soaked with sweat, tears, and snot from her bout of crying and distress. She couldn't go out to the lab like this—she’d freeze before she got there. Twilight shuffled over to her closet, digging through it for something that would be warm and comfortable that wasn't pajamas.
Past her extra uniforms and formal attire, beyond a plethora of jeans and skirts, her fingers hit soft, thick fabric and she pulled the item out, revealing a worn hoodie that might’ve started out black but was now a faded dark gray, and a pair of old sweatpants…along with memories.
At the time, she’d been curious about Sunset's strange association between eating meat and being a violent, unpleasant person. On and off over the ensuing months, she speculated about the source of that, coming up with and dismissing several potential theories, such as wondering if the redheaded girl’s former guardian had perhaps been Buddhist…yet Sunset’s lack of knowledge and utter disinterest in religion of any kind—to the point where she only seemed to remember religion existed when it was brought up by someone else—suggested otherwise.
Other things though, jumped out at her now, in more detail than they perhaps had at the time, and she let her mind drift through the memory as she rubbed the well worn, soft fabric between her fingers…





"I'll get you something you can wear, so you aren't out and about in pajamas.” 
Visceral revulsion made her body go cold and her innards twist at the very thought of touching the clothes she’d been wearing the day before, let alone putting them back on her body…never mind that the blouse was ruined, the buttons gone and the fabric torn violently at the hands of…of those…those—
Twilight jerked her thoughts away, focusing back on Sunset Shimmer. The fact that she recognized without Twilight voicing her feelings exactly how she felt brought a sharp sensation of relief that made her eyes prickle with tears of gratitude. Gratitude that immediately became concern when she realized the older girl was moving slowly and gingerly, taking several tries to push herself up off the couch, and her steps more a limp than a walk.
Blue-green eyes met hers, and Sunset seemed to realize Twilight was watching her.  A crooked hint of a smile tugged the corner of her lips upward.  “…Though I might have to walk you home.  I'm not sure I could keep the bike upright with how my hips feel right now." She pulled open a standing cabinet that turned out to be a small but neat wardrobe to start rifling through its contents.
"You're in pain? What happened?”  Maybe it was meant to be reassuring, but Twilight felt her stomach sink and sick horror crawled up her spine.  Particularly once her mind started conjuring up images and ideas of where the other girl might be injured significantly enough to make using a bike difficult and how she might’ve gotten hurt that way. She swallowed around a pained lump in her throat. “Was it... it wasn't from the fight was it?" Unconsciously, her hands twisted, nails scraping over her skin as she tried to combat the sensation of a thousand ants crawling along her skin and trying to avoid digging deeper into the flesh to rid herself of the feeling of harsh, violent male hands touching her.
"No. Earlier in the night.” Sunset shrugged, her words faltering for just a split second too long, enough for even Twilight to notice.  “Part of my public humiliation included a bit of a fall. Nothing broken, but I'm feeling it today."
Relief warred with anxious distress at the nonchalant tone.  Twilight knew that tone, had heard it far too many times over the years from her own lips. It was the tone of someone who had been hurt—not once, but many times—while others did nothing to prevent it or intervene, and all a person could do was not let anyone, not even themselves, see how much it hurt.  
"Did the other girl push you?" the dark haired teen asked, suspecting the answer she’d receive even as the words left her lips. Given the amount of self-recriminations and self loathing from the night before, Sunset would find a way to blame herself.
The redhead shook her head, her expression darkening for a brief instant before she schooled her face back to neutrality.  "...no. I did it to myself. I did something incredibly stupid that I thought would get me what I wanted... and it all went horribly wrong."
Twilight took no satisfaction in her hypothesis being correct, but said nothing as Sunset continued talking, pain poorly hidden in blue-green eyes.
"It's sheer luck that no one was hurt badly or worse because of me. Including myself."
Except you are hurting. She didn't have it in her to say it aloud, knowing that it would not be appreciated. She certainly wouldn't have wanted someone to puncture her denial either, nor would she have been happy at any person who did confront her in such a manner.
“Here. These should fit you okay.”
Instead she allowed the abrupt subject change and accepted the offered clothing being thrust into her hands, nodding at Sunset’s somewhat hesitant follow up statement.. “I…figured you might not want to put last night’s clothes back on, so you can have these. They don’t fit anymore, so I don’t care if I don’t get them back.” 
The clothing given to her was warm but fairly shapeless, all encompassing, and let her hide from prying eyes. It smelled of warmth and sunshine and fresh air, and even touching it calmed her nerves.  Just one more little thing that made her marvel at this girl she’d just met, who seemed to know what she needed even without Twilight ever saying a word…





Twilight brought the old hoodie to her face, inhaling the scent that she now knew was synonymous with Sunset, and feeling her nerves settle. She’d never bothered to give the clothes back, not out of a desire to keep them, but because she’d stuck them in the back of her closet so her family wouldn't ask questions. Now she was glad she hadn't—in Sunset’s absence, they gave her comfort.  It didn't take long for her to strip out of sweat soaked pajamas and into the clothes that had once been Sunset’s. Almost immediately, the tremors that had been wracking her ceased, and she hugged herself, more determined than ever to prove her unusual hunch wrong. 
“It's not rational,” the teen told her dog, “and I’ll prove it. I need to prove it.” If she couldn't, then…
Twilight shoved her feet into a pair of old shoes, and hurried out of her room, barely remembering to put her phone in her pocket. Spike scampered after her, still whining softly. She ignored the noise and his attempts to herd her towards her parents room. The teen had more important things to do in her lab and no reason to interrupt her parents' sleep; she had her own key to the lab and they wouldn't understand what she was anxious about anyway.
Her brief trek through the yard made her huddle even more into the hoodie, as sleet and freezing rain pelted her with needles of icy cold.  It was a miserable night, but she continued on with a sort of dogged persistence, unlocking the lab and slipping inside to its relative warmth, Spike whining and shaking ice particulates from his coat just behind her. She spared him a brief pat and the effort to cover him with a blanket in the lab’s doggy bed so he would stay warm, then turned her attention to the lab computer and her collected data…
The computer seemed to take forever to boot, and Twilight tapped her foot in a restless gesture, even as she tried to organize her thoughts. She needed to verify that her estimation of her nightmares did not coincide with her readings from December, and then cross check that with her instruments to see if there was any source of energy spike that day to correspond with the nightmare that woke her up. “There won't be,” she told Spike, though it was half to herself. 
Spike huffed at her from under his blanket. The dark haired girl frowned. “Because it's a silly notion, Spike, the same assumption that has religious people drawing corollaries between disconnected events as some kind of divine punishment or opinion.” She rolled her eyes. “There’s a reason I’m a woman of science and not one of faith.”
A brief piece of classical music and a neutral woman’s voice interrupted her speech. “Good morning, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice said, resembling the cool tones of the computer from Star Trek. “The time is three thirty seven AM…”
“Good morning, Athena,” she responded absently, even though her machine couldn't hear her. She was still working on her ideas for complex voice recognition software. “Now, lets see that data…”
Click. Click. Click. In moments, she had the data opened on several windows and she began searching through it, using her phone to double check the dates of the texts she and Sunset had exchanged during the week Sunset had been dealing with trouble at her school. As she did, her premature sense of triumph began to drain away, replaced by a growing unease. “No…thats silly…” Click. Click. Clickity-click-click. 
Pushing herself away from the machine, Twilight jumped to her feet and hurried to the simple detection instruments she’d set up in her home lab to help facilitate triangulation, dumping the data to Athena. She needed that day’s information. 
Dropping back into the chair with enough force to send it rolling, she pulled herself back to the computer screen, willing the analysis program to work faster. It was all she could do not to jump back up and pace, her feet tap-tap-tapping against the floor as she watched the spinning icon on the screen that told her Athena was compiling as fast as its processor could.  Twilight groaned, slumping against the desk and fisting her hands in her hair. “I should have upgraded you last summer,” she lamented. “I could have sprung for that new processor with birthday money, and maybe more RAM…” Her voice rose in volume and pitch as she berated herself. “I shouldn't have spent it all on books. This is taking too long and I need to know now.”  
Spike whined from his nest of blankets at her, sounding worried. Twilight tightened her grip on her hair. “No, Spike…If there’s a correlation then there has to be a scientific basis behind it and I need to know!” Pain flaring in her scalp and made her gasp, and Twilight forced herself to unclench her hands and lower them to her lap. She stared blankly down at strands of dark hair clinging to her fingers, not quite comprehending its connection to the way her scalp throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
She had no idea how much time had passed before a melodic chime from Athena caught her attention, making her jerk back to the screen.  Frantic eyes checked back and forth on the timeline, over the spikes of energy and how it seemed to affect things like seismology…then fastened on the most recent data from the last few hours.
There was a faint roaring in her ears, and her stomach knotted up even as it fell to her toes. “No…no…” Staring back at her from the screen was a modest spike of the energy that very evening, starting a few hours before and while it was still active, it had been dying down right about the time she’d pulled the data. “This isn't rational…can this energy affect the human psyche?” she asked, half to Spike, half to herself, the words sounding strangled.  “…no! This has to be some kind of error! I need to recheck the data!” 
It didn't help. Double checking it changed nothing. Neither did triple checking it. Even flushing the download and redownloading the data to Athena to recompile it didn't change the results.
Twilight sat back, her thoughts swirling wildly. What could this mean? Was the energy capable of affecting the human psyche? She had only been exposed to residual traces and a few objects. Was it dangerous? Could—
Rationality and cold logic reasserted itself. “This is still not more than circumstantial evidence,” she reminded herself. “Correlation is not causation, and a good scientist does not jump to conclusions without more evidence. The first time it happened, I was under considerable stress and worry about Sunset. That was when she was hurting and upset, and the events at her school disrupted our established routine.”
There was a snort from Spike, and she turned in her chair to look at him. “Yes, I am aware that I do not do well with a disruption in my routines. So that could logically be responsible for the nightmares the first time…” She considered. “And this time…I’m…not suffering worry about Sunset. Our relationship, maybe…introducing her to Wallflower…working up to coming out to Mom and Dad, maybe…”
Spike growled, shaking his head and causing something in his mouth to flop around. When the motion stopped, Twilight recognized one of her old school uniform socks that Spike had stolen after she’d thrown it away. “…but I am stressed about school, about my project…and my routine has been completely disrupted because of my—” Twilight caught herself and recanted part of her statement. “Because of the loaned laboratory at school being changed on me. And since Sunset and I talked about it just the other day, it's all still stirred up in my mind.”
Her dog huffed at her, as if chastising her for what was a gross misrepresentation of events…well, okay, maybe not that, but at least a carefully worded understatement of what happened.





Sunset had been there when Twilight had gotten home from school, and the dark haired girl had barely had time to accept the offered snack and hug from her mother before Sunset had ushered her upstairs and into the bedroom, where the redhead had hugged her so tight that her ribs protested. “Sunny…” she protested with a squeak. “Too tight.”
“Sorry, sorry…you really scared me today,” Sunset admitted, shadows in her eyes. “I was on the verge of cutting out of class to…come to your school or call your mom or something.” She rested her forehead to Twilight’s, refusing to let her go just yet. “Are you going to tell me what upset you so badly?”
Twilight felt her face flush with heat, and her eyes skittered away from those worried blue-green ones. “I…overreacted…to a perfectly normal situation, and…I’m really sorry for that, Sunny.” She gripped Sunset’s shirt tighter. “It wasn't my intention to cause you worry, and at the time, I had an audience when you called, meaning I couldn't speak as freely as I might have otherwise.”
Silence stretched between them, and Twilight let her eyes track back to her girlfriend. The older teen didn't look the slightest bit reassured—if anything, she seemed more concerned than anything, the lines on her forehead deepening alongside her frown. “Twilight…” she began.
“My principal decided that I needed to move to a larger, better equipped laboratory space on campus,” she cut in. “It seems this had all been organized for some time, but unfortunately the presentation of the space was held up by the necessary refurbishment of the equipment, due to the previous occupant having left things in a bit of a state.”  Twilight did her best to keep tone level despite a large portion of her wanting nothing more than to bury her face into Sunset’s shoulder and cry out all the emotions caused by her unpleasant discovery that the space in school that she had long considered her cherished, personal sanctuary from the other students and their harassment had been nothing more than an illusion.
“That..” Sunset took a breath, and continued. “That seems…really shady and unfair, Twilight. Not just to you but to whoever used this lab right up until she kicked them out of it. And…shouldn't you have been told about it in advance? I mean, it's your lab, your workspace.”
“No,” Twilight said, perhaps more terse and sharp than intended, and she did her best to soften it as she continued. “No…it was a misunderstanding.  Principal Cinch had informed Wallflower, who she has decided shall be my new project assistant for the rest of the semester.”
Her girlfriend interrupted, sounding more than a little incredulous. “She decided. Without asking. In a project where you’ve repeatedly told me you want to handle it on your own? And…you're…okay with this?”
She squirmed. “Given that Principal Cinch and Crystal Prep are providing some funding to it, it gives her the right to make some decisions in the project.”
“Sparky…that’s messed up.”
The dark haired girl cringed a little. “It's not great, but…it's one more thing that I need to get used to if I intend to go into science and academia. Principal Cinch is aware of that.” It sounded weak, and both she and Sunset knew it.
One eyebrow arched, and Sunset blew air out her nose in a snort. “Uh-huh. Alright, Sparky. So…Wallflower didn't think to let you know that this plan was in the works?”
“Wallflower was under the impression it was meant to be a surprise…” 
Blue-green eyes looked right through her. “Twilight,” Sunset’s voice was flat, “you hate anyone messing with your lab space without permission or direction from you. Didn't Wallflower know that? She’s supposed to be your friend, and…well…you're not subtle about stuff like that.”
Twilight struggled with the emotions threatening to boil over, focusing on keeping her voice even. “Except it was never my space, my lab, not really. It was the school’s and Principal Cinch’s. I…was under a false assumption and this move helped me to understand that.”
At that, Sunset brushed fingers along her jaw, tipping her chin up to make Twilight meet her eyes. “Helped you?” she repeated, and the tone could not have been flatter if she’d taken a steam roller to it. “How is leaving you upset and distraught to the point that you couldn't type a coherent text or manage to reply helping you?  How is driving you to tears—and I know you’d been crying, I could hear it when you finally answered your phone—helpful or educational? That just seems…unnecessarily cruel and malicious, especially since your Principal deliberately didn’t inform you in advance.”
“That was…my own fault…” she countered weakly, feeling her emotional wall starting to crack with her voice.  “I…came in and everything was gone…and I thought…I’d done something wrong…and I panicked.”
Sunset made a noise in her throat and snorted again. “Sparky, are you listening to yourself? You didn't overreact. Your principal did something that's really questionable and kind of manipulative—and believe me, I know, because that's exactly the kind of thing I used to do to people at my school to hurt them or get them to react a particular way. And this…putting your friend into a position on your project without asking? Going through your notes and equipment? That’s…not okay, and you’re reacting like you did something wrong instead of her…that this is some kind of ‘tough love’ to teach you something about ‘the real world…’” Those brows pinched together. “That's the same kind of thing I heard a lot from my old school when other students would do lousy things to me to ‘show me my place’ because I was an orphan and they had families that mattered.”
Too stunned to respond, Twilight watched as her girlfriend pulled out of the hug they’d been in to gesture with her hands. “And more than that, I’m a little worried about why your Principal is paying so much special attention to your project. Don't you think it’s…I don't know…a little weird?”
A measure of irritation rose in her core and Twilight couldn't help but snip a little. “How is that any different from what you’ve mentioned about your principals being interested in your project? I mean, you did say that you've been meeting weekly with them about it and that they gave you a workspace to use with your group?”
A low sound burbled up from the redheaded teen’s throat, and she ran a hand through her mane of wild curls. “Because that’s literally part of the conditions for my probation at school.  Sparky, as much as you don't want to hear it, because you never knew that side of me, there’s no sugarcoating it. I spent years being a manipulative, tyrannical bitch, who enjoyed making people dance to my tune, and not only did I torment other students for over a year, I caused major property damage to the school and came within a hair’s breadth of killing both someone else and myself with what I did the night of the formal.” She made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “I have weekly meetings because that was part of the deal they made with me for not calling the cops and pressing charges or expelling me. They are doing this to make sure I’m still keeping up my end of the bargain, and the only reason I have the workspace is because it's a group project, and I have done my best to turn my life around from what I was. But that doesn't mean they trust me yet, or that they should.”
Twilight shook her head, not wanting to get sidetracked by the extremely negative and exaggerated way Sunset always talked about her past like she was…some kind of hardened criminal, rather than having behaved in a way that, in Twilight’s experience, was quite common for high school popular girls. She pushed those thoughts away, searching for a response instead. “…it doesn’t change that Principal Cinch has invested a…significant amount of money in providing me with this new laboratory—some of the equipment in there costs as much or more than a high end motor vehicle!  It’s only natural that she would want to keep a close eye on the whole setup, to ensure I don't make frivolous use of it, and…just like in the real world, I need to produce results that justify the funding I had received.”
Sunset took a breath, visibly struggling to calm herself down, and Twilight thought it sounded like she was counting under her breath. If it was counting though, it wasn't a language the younger girl recognized.  When she opened her eyes, she focused on Twilight with an intense stare. “Okay, Sparky…judging by the fact that your mom was in a good mood when I came in, I’m guessing you haven't told her what happened today.”
“Um…” Twilight looked away from those eyes that could see right through her, focusing on the way Sunset’s hair fell over her collarbone.
Her girlfriend frowned and the stubborn set to her jaw gave away how unhappy she was. “Right. Let’s go.”
Twilight's gaze snapped back to stare at her girlfriend, "…what? Go where?"
“Downstairs." Sunset's voice was short, but the arm that curled around the shorter girl’s shoulders was gentle, suggesting that none of the negative emotions were directed at Twilight herself.  
“Why?”
She kissed Twilight’s temple. “Look…I might be this—the world’s worst person to speak on the subject of how families work, but even I know this much, Sparky: your parents need to know what happened, and they are not going to be okay with how this was handled by your school.”





Twilight looked at the data again, drumming her fingers on the desk restlessly. Sunset had gotten increasingly cagey the more they talked, more suspicious about Principal Cinch’s interest in the project.  “But…it's not just because of this,” she said to Spike thoughtfully. “She’s been…uncomfortable with my project all along.”
Spike growled and barked quietly.  Twilight nodded. “She was. Like…back at Thanksgiving…when she solved that equation I was working on…”. Her lips thinned in a frown, thinking over that first incident where Sunset had reacted negatively to her research. “In fact…it felt more like she knew more than she was willing to tell.”
There was a low whine from the doggy bed, and the teen gave a huffy sigh, giving him a long look. “Yes, I know it's possible she signed some kind of NDA with all the stuff around her emancipation and her guardian, but it feels like she should tell me—especially if she believes it really is dangerous! I’m her girlfriend and her best friend, and I’d like to think that in a real scenario, my well-being would rank a little higher, don't you?”  If it sounded a little scathing and whiny, there was a reason for it, she decided, pushing away a nagging sense that she was being unduly harsh.
Her dog barked, wrinkling his muzzle up in clear admonishment, and it made her shift uncomfortably in her seat. “It's not unreasonable—I understand that such things are considered a matter of personal integrity, but such integrity when weighed against safety of someone should place higher value on that safety…and it clearly has to be about that, with how she keeps siding with Mom and Dad, and is all kinds of worried and paranoid about the project and my principal’s motivations! So what isn't she telling me?”
Silence fell for a long minute as Twilight and her dog engaged in a staring contest that seemed almost a contest of wills, and it was Twilight who looked away first. “There’s got to be something she isn't saying, Spike. It's the only thing that makes sense. Sunset doesn't jump at shadows…” Spike cocked his head. “But what?” Twilight asked, just as much to herself as to him.
Memory tickled her mind insistently, and Twilight let it play out, searching for the answer to her questions…





“Do you remember where you saw the equation before? If it was in a book or a paper somewhere, I might be able to track it down....” She could barely contain her excitement—that equation had been a thorn in her side for weeks, and she’d nearly cried in frustration more than once over it.
Sunset paused. More than paused, Twilight noticed, in a way that didn’t seem like her normal thoughtful pause, and seemed more like uncomfortable hesitation. And when she did speak, the humor from moments before had been lacking as she shifted her weight, eyes   focusing everywhere but on Twilight’s and the nervous way she’d chewed on her thumbnail before answering. 
“...it was before I ran away...” she said, her words slow, deliberate, and careful, like each one was meticulously chosen. “I found papers with high end research on them in her private study. She was angrier than I could ever remember when she caught me—there was lots of yelling, and it is why she sent me away...”
She. The guardian that treated Sunset as disposable. She brought Sunset in for a hug, trying to help push away any of the negative feelings that had been stirred up…waiting to see if there was more, or if this highly succinct, sanitized version was all the redhead would part with at this moment in time. Sunset gripped Twilight tighter, and for a time they just breathed together, sharing warmth.
“Look…Sparky?” Sunset’s voice trembled with emotion. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”
Twilight pulled back slightly, worriedly searching her girlfriend’s face. The other girl looked like she felt guilty, but also somewhat scared, an emotion so strange on Sunset’s face that it hit her hard. It recontextualized the tightness of the hug, and the way Sunset did not seem to want to let her go.  Sunset spoke again into the silence between them. “If she got...that mad about me looking at the equations with no context...I’m afraid of what other people might do if they learn you’re researching this energy.” 





The dark haired girl frowned, mulling over the memory. At the time, she hadn't really thought too much about her behavior and words, more concerned with comforting the older girl, and letting her change the topic to something less fraught with an emotional minefield.
But now... those words came back to her, along with sea-green eyes filled with fear and guilt... It was as if the older girl had wanted to tell her, to warn her…but she was frightened enough by what she knew to be afraid to actually speak…scared of what the consequences might be of breaking her silence. Almost as if... by telling her, she risked losing her somehow.  
Twilight pondered that thought in her mind, turning it over and examining it. What if that was the heart of it? She knew from the nightmare that had woken Sunset up screaming, from the way she had talked about it, that the older girl feared losing her with a terror that went beyond rationality...not that she was much different, she acknowledged, shying away from her own nightmare and its implications.
But why? 
“I found papers with high end research on them in her private study…”
Sunset’s guardian. A woman who was wealthy, important somewhere, and had reason to have research on the anomalous energy in her study. A woman who, Twilight was starting to suspect, was Old World royalty. Which meant connections, connections to agencies and organizations that had power and goals, who could bypass a lot of the rules ‘lesser people’ had to follow…
A former guardian who knew where Sunset was, since she would have had to have been involved with the emancipation process. Important enough to have everything redacted from Sunset’s files according to Shining, yet still never be in the news or forced to face justice for what she’d done…
What if she was still watching her former charge? Who in the area did she have as contacts?
Who would someone like that be friendly with? Who would be looking for signs that Sunset had violated the gag order, the clearly enforced silence about her history?
Her own mother’s voice echoed in her ears, full of frustration and worry. “Because someone like Abacus Cinch doesn’t do something like that for nothing. People like that are always looking out for number one and there is something in all of this she hasn’t told you and won’t tell you until she knows you can’t get out of it, Twilight.  Everything has a cost, and if they aren’t telling you upfront what it is, then you can be damned sure it’s a cost you don’t want to pay!”
Icy dread gripped her heart. Had her mother been right? 
Twilight thought back to the inventory she’d taken just the day before, of all the equipment in the new lab space, marking its condition and serial numbers meticulously. How she’d started to realize that every piece of equipment was brand new and not cheap.  How some of the devices cost as much or more than a new house on their own…and even Wallflower had been impressed with the funding that had been put into outfitting the lab. At the time, it had driven home to Twilight that she needed to put forth her best effort forward in her project…
But now? Now she wondered.
Where had the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment come from? Who had access to that? Why would a private high school level academic institution pour that kind of funding into equipment that was going to be used (sometimes unsupervised) by teenagers?
Doubt joined anxiety in making her stomach twist. Was Principal Cinch working with Sunset’s former guardian? What if there was another reason she was excited about the energy Twilight had discovered?
The dark haired girl struggled to breathe, feeling like she was surrounded on all sides. Sunset wasn't telling her everything, had practically admitted as much. Her parents, her brother, even Cady had been exchanging looks recently that suggested they were keeping something from her.  Now she wasn't sure she could trust her principal…or Wallflower, who had shown she would jump to doing whatever the principal asked of her without a second thought…and there was the possibility of Sunset’s former guardian sniffing around her, her research, and her girlfriend.
The energy and the research… she realized, the dread from her nightmare resurfacing. That was the common factor. The guardian knew about it. She’d discovered it. Sunset feared it. Cinch was excited for it. But who could she trust, other than herself? She didn't want to put Sunset at risk. Or herself…but if they already knew she was doing the research…
“What do I do, Spike?” she asked, feeling close to being overwhelmed.
Her dog looked at her, then at her computer, whining. His teeth found her sweatpants and he gave a tug, still whining.
Could she keep it here? The school computers all had administrative access that her Principal could use to go through even hidden or encrypted files. Athena’s mainframe was away from them physically…but she was still connected to the web.
A stand alone terminal? That…that might work. One with no hardline or wireless connections where she could store her data, only putting it on Athena when she needed to do calculations, only putting select data on her weekly reports, carefully controlling what part of her tests and experiments her principal saw until she knew for certain who to trust.
Anxiety became fuel for action, and Twilight jumped from her chair to the cabinet and containers full of computer parts, old cases and outdated pieces donated to her from a dozen different sources, from old lab tech at her fathers job, to pieces parts not quite right to go into refurbished PCs she often built over the summers for Cady’s Foundation, to things Shining had brought home to the disassembled bits of appliances, televisions and other tech that she had scavenged from everything from other people’s trash to yard sales to bargain bins at electronic stores. Everything was inventoried and sorted, and she began retrieving what she needed.
The computer would be primarily storage…but it needed to look unassuming. Perhaps not even like a computer at all. Twilight sorted through her parts and found the old washing machine she’d claimed when her parents replaced it a few years back. She’d long since gutted the insides for circuitry, wiring, and of course the drum and agitator…but she’d held onto the big boxy outside in case she found a use for it. For now, it would serve as a special housing for this computer with some minor tweaks and a few mounting brackets, all hidden near other imperfections and mounts. The back provided plenty of ports for venting waste heat, and she had some old fans that with some modifications to a liquid cooler heatsink would do to keep the whole thing running at optimal temperatures….
Twilight rambled as she worked, first to Spike as she put the hardware together, then to herself once she booted the machine and began to upload her custom OS, the one she had used and refined on Athena. This one…she tweaked the settings as it installed, then went into the code itself, searching and changing pieces as she went, adding new sections and commands at a furious pace, layers of security and encryption that she’d learned from books and websites and plenty of “online communities” in places that no one in her family knew she was even aware of.
Then she ran the updates she’d added, checking it for errors. When it all came up green, she smiled at the query that came up in the text box on the screen. 
[Parameters?]
She typed quickly, something inside her urging her on. The commands were accepted after a minute.
[Parameters saved. Medusa Security Protocols Engaged.]
Satisfied, she began to work on copying all her data to the new terminal that she’d named Artemis and checking over Athena’s security at the same time, implementing portions of the Medusa program to Athena to increase security. At school, she would have to be careful, and decide what of her data to keep to herself and what to allow Wallflower—and therefore Cinch—to know about.  She would have to do most of her actual work at home in the end…because she couldn’t risk anyone catching on to what she was doing.
The teen bit her lip hard enough that a coppery taste flooded her mouth. The hardest part was going to be keeping this from Sunset... as much as she longed to get her girlfriend's input, to tell her any of this, would be to put her in danger.  She knew Sunset, knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, like she knew her own name, that the older girl would do anything, go to any lengths, no matter the danger to herself, if she thought it was needed to protect Twilight...
> Interlude XXIV: Wondercolt Strong
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Bon-bon pushed the door open to the classroom in the history hall, her target seated at his desk, eating his lunch in silence. She shut the door behind her firmly, making him look up. “We need to talk, old man,” she said bluntly.
Mr. Doodle set down his fork patiently. “Test grades for last week’s test are not up for negotiation,” he said plainly. “It was multiple choice and short answer, not essay. I’d also appreciate a little more respect from my students.”
“I’m not here about the test.” Bon-bon smacked her palms down on his desk. “I want to know why you're playing this wishy washy game.”
He gazed up at her, frowning. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“No?” Her eyes narrowed. “Really?” She dropped a folder on his desk, and flipped it open, raising an eyebrow. “C. Doodle, born June 12, 1888. Passport issued, 1906. Here’s a rare newspaper photograph from early 1906, showing a young Mr. Doodle grief stricken at the disappearance of his fiancée, one Miss Matilda Mulesworth.”  She glanced between him and the photo where a younger version of the teacher was being led away from a house by family. “Unless you were magically born on the exact same day as your grandfather or great grandfather, and also managed to marry a woman with the exact same name…that's you. Born more than a hundred years before I was. And yet here you are, teaching high school and looking younger than my dad.”
Cranky sighed. “So what if that's me? What's that got to do with anything?”
“Magic.” Bon-bon glared. “I've seen the book some unknown person left in Pinkie’s locker. Heard Sunset talk a little about what's in it, how the book is magically protected. How it was written by someone trying to rescue his fiancée. I’m not stupid—its your book. You don't look ancient. And you're one of the only teachers who hasn't been affected by what's happened. You know about magic.”
Another sigh. “I know enough to stay out of it. That was a long time ago, another lifetime.” He looked tired.
“Except now it's this lifetime,” she argued. “Magic is here, it's all over our school, and no one is stupid enough to believe that there wont be another incursion. But while we’re all trying to come up with ways to fight, you already know. And you're not helping.”
“Kid, you don't know what you're asking.”
This time her fist hit the desk hard enough to make his lunch container bounce. “Bullshit. I’m asking you to help us not waste our time on shit that won't work. I'm asking you to actually teach us how to fight back!”
That turned his frown into a sour glare. “Because fighting back has consequences! Because once you take that step, you can't go back! Magic changes you forever, and if you don't know what you're doing you end up causing a whole lot of trouble for other people, and get yourself into a worse situation, just like Sunset Shimmer! She started meddling with something she didn’t understand, and now look what its done to the school!”
Bon-bon stared at him, before she started to laugh. “Wow. Maybe this was a mistake—you don't even know enough about magic to know the truth about Sunset.” She rolled her eyes, but managed to compose herself. “The fact is, old man, that people are already involved, and they don't want to be hostages next time. They want ways to fight back…”





Luna stepped into the massive cathedral for the first time since her parents' funeral, more than a decade and a half prior. Emotions swirled in her chest, memories of a childhood spent attending mass with her mother’s gentle souled encouragement and loving faith, of her father’s warm voice teaching the Sunday school classes, explaining Biblical tales to curious children, until her life had been turned upside down in one horrible weekend.  Since then, the thought of stepping beyond the doors had brought pain, and she avoided it, unwilling to praise an entity who had taken her wonderful, kind, generous parents away and almost stolen her sister in the same moment.
But here she was now, carrying a long narrow box, and a hope that its contents could help protect her sister and their school.  Within the cardboard container sat a newly repaired and restored blade.  It was a family heirloom of sorts, stumbled across when she’d been in the attic, looking through her father’s old things: a rapier, several hundred years old, from back when such things were weapons and not show pieces, brought from Italy by her great-great-great grandfather when he immigrated to the “New World.”  It had been tarnished and battered, the leather of the sheath stained and cracked, but now it looked brand new;  white leather trimmed in gold and blue, and the hilt and blade both polished to a mirror shine, the ancient crest of a golden sun behind a beast. At first she’d thought it a badly done rampant lion, but the repairs had revealed its tail to be that of a scorpion instead.  
A manticore before the sun’s glory, she mused, and wondered if it had been a family crest or simply the maker’s mark.  Given how prevalent the sun and moon had been in their family’s history, it was probably the former.  Idly, she wondered if she could adopt the manticore into her own things, perhaps marked by her preferred crescent moon?
“Little Lu?” An elderly voice spoke from her left. “Lord’s grace, child…I have not seen you in years…”
The woman turned, her eyes falling on the priest who had been in this cathedral since her earliest memories. “Hello, Father…I am glad to see you well.”
Father Malleus stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. “My dear child, I have missed having you among my flock. Are you returning to us at last?”
Luna returned the hug carefully. “…I am…considering it…much has…troubled me of late. This visit has a more…immediate purpose.”
He released her, but guided her towards the back with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Come then, we can speak in my office.”





Slender, smooth hands with skin of old gold accentuated by designs in warm colored henna carefully sorted and counted the paper bills and heavy coins from the register, adding up the day’s profits.  Their owner paused at the end, confused, and counted again, twice, then a third time just to be certain, before she turned around to call to the back of the shop, “Amma! Today is almost triple our usual…did we sell one of cousin Kefira’s big carvings or something?”
A light laugh echoed back to her. “No, no…those are right where they always are, guarding the window displays and providing spiders with many homes.” Her mother came out of the back with a tray of trinkets to put in the display cases by the register. “It was teenagers, all coming in after school. There must have been three or four dozen of them…”
Dark brows furrowed. “Why? What did they want so badly?” she asked.
The older woman held up a small item between her fingers. “These, and anything like them. They bought every single one of our personal protection charms, beads, amulets, and runestones…and I ran out before I could satisfy them all. I’ll be making orders for weeks to meet the demands.”
“What could they possibly want them for? Is something going on? A new movie perhaps?”
Her mother brushed strands of dark purple hair back from her face, before shaking her head. “No…something is coming. I read my tea leaves after dinner…troubled wind blows foul weather to our town…and the children know it. As do the beasts. The cats are restless.”





There was a heavy metal song blasting out of the stereo speakers, a counterpoint in the form of the precise ringing strike of a hammer on metal timed to the beat of the song. Iron Will straightened up when the song switched to a new track, lifting the face shield he was wearing and inspecting his work in progress. 
So far, so good. The spiked steel strips meant deter climbers on a wall were easily heated to malleability a few inches at a time with his blowtorch, enough to hammer them down around the head of the sledgehammer.  He still had plenty more of the strips to go, encasing the large, heavy steel head in extra weight and deadly spikes, but when he got done, the former twenty pound sledge hammer would be a suitable weapon against the next monster to show its ugly face in Iron Will’s school and threaten his students. He chuckled, running his hand down the haft of the hammer—he’d replaced wood with steel, and then wrapped it in meticulously woven, olive green cordage.  He knew from his experience in the army that the cord was reliable, durable, and easy to grip even with hands covered in blood and sweat. 
Picking up his torch and dropping the face shield back down, he began to heat the next section of the metal, tapping his foot in time with the music. Perhaps if he had enough left, he would add some of it to the altered football pads and body armor he’d been working on. Nobody would mess with his students then—he’d be the one carrying The Big Stick.
Laughing at his own joke, Will lent his booming voice to the vocals coming out of his stereo.





Footsteps scampered over in that uneven gait of early adolescent awkwardness, joining a like group of youngsters, all of them guilty of restless shuffling leg movements and furtive glances to make sure no one was watching them.
“Didja get it?” an excited voice asked the new arrival, trying and failing to remain hushed.
“Uh-huh,” came the response, alongside the crinkling of plastic. “Got enough for all of us too. They were practically giving it away!”
“Awesome!” Cried a third member of the group, fishing his own ziploc bag out of his backpack. “Go ahead and dump my share in here with the rest.”
Murmurs of agreement and more bags were retrieved from pockets and packs, eagerly held out as the seeds and bits of unidentifiable plant matter from easily a dozen different sources mixed with the slow cascade of yet more seeds into each of them.  
“Do you think this’ll work?” came the nervous question.
“If we do it right, it should,” was the response. “Just don't go showing it off to the teachers.”
The first youth stared hard at each of them in turn. “She’s right. No tattling. This is our thing, and everyone else has enough to deal with.”
A chorus of agreement rippled through the group, just as the bell rang out. Hurriedly, they all hid the bags away again, and took off to go back inside the school.
The ringleader of the little group paused, pulling a somewhat tattered piece of paper from one pocket, and grinned in satisfaction as she ticked off another item on the list, "This is awesome, now that we got that…that's every herb off Granny's list for keeping bad things away. All we got ta do now is scatter the seeds n' stuff once the snow is gone, and once it all sprouts, ain't nothing getting in our school!" She grinned at her two closest friends, before the trio raced after the other middle schoolers to head to class.





Flash adjusted the stack of boxes in the empty locker. “Are we still clear? We’ve still got three more of these to hide away in F and G halls.”
Brawly nodded. “Yeah, dude. We’re good. VP’s on the phone, and big C’s in her office.” He checked his phone. “Watermelody and Micro Chips both reported in. Locker rooms, gym, and the boiler-room are prepped with full kits now. Apparently old Leaky is in, and he’s giving Chips a list of other great places to store things and ten more hiding spots for people.”
The blue haired young man blinked. “Wow…Leaky Pipes? The same guy who gives you the stink eye for even looking at a floor he’s just mopped?”
His bandmate laughed. “I know, dude, I can't believe it either, but Micro Chips is talking to him now. Guess he didn't like the Dazzlings much either.”
Shutting the locker, Flash made sure to affix the Wondercolt Pride sticker across the top of the locker—markers for the student body to recognize the drop points for the boxes and their contents. Since they were unused lockers, usually ones “broken” in some way, there was little worry about them being assigned to any random new student who arrived. Especially since Miss Inkwell, the secretary, was also in on their plans, and had specifically provided them with the list of lockers…and other unused storage spots unlikely to be bothered any time soon.
“Alright, this one’s good. Let's hit F hall next. Numbers?”
Brawly Beats glanced down at the paper behind his phone. “Twelve seventy three and fourteen nineteen. One’s by the computer lab, the other near the home ec room.”
Nodding, Flash tipped the blue painted hand-trucks stacked with boxes and headed down the hall. There was work to do.



	

Green skinned hands, once carefully manicured as her single concession to vanity, now chapped and raw with nails bitten to the quick, worked with the exacto knife to slip under the seam in the tile square to pry it free.  The woman kneeling on the floor whispered ancient prayers from her homeland, ones to call upon guardian beings to protect her, to hear her pleas and lend their strength to her in a time of trouble.
As the tile came free on three sides, she exhaled slowly in relief and glanced at the shut and locked classroom door to make sure no one could see what she was fairly certain was against her contract to do. The window in the door remained empty, and she ducked her head back down to focus on opening a pot of paint, one specially crafted in the country she had been born in, one entirely made for the powerful act she was about to undertake.  She checked a worn piece of actual animal skin parchment that had a complex series of symbols and words meticulously drawn for her, along with the prayers she had to speak for each part and the order she needed to draw them in.
Preparing herself, she began to work, the first of the prayers falling from her lips in an ancient dialect of the language she had learned at her father’s knee, carefully recreating the lines and symbols as directed. Her heart fluttered with anxiety the whole time—she’d worked so hard to leave the old ways of a backwards country behind, to get an education and move to a new place, but here she was, calling on the very ways she’d scorned to protect her from something that she’d long believed was superstitious nonsense babbled by addle brained elders.
Perhaps her grandfather’s tales held a kernel of truth after all.





She could hear the heavy bootsteps behind her as her grandson followed at a hurried clip. She ignored it for the moment as she stepped into her bedroom where the farm’s gun safe was located, retrieving the key from where it was safely hidden out of knowledge and reach from the youngest in the family.
“Granny…” Macintosh drawled out, his tones full of worry and for a moment, she could hear the echoes of her own long-dead husband in his voice. Macintosh was a lot like his grandpappy, and it made her feel good  to know he lived on in a way outside of her memories.
Still, that didn't change the fact that she was not about to be argued with. “Don't you ‘Granny’ me, young man,” she retorted. “Ah been runnin’ this farm since yer Uncle Cortland was in diapers, and Ah ain't ready ta retire from makin’ family decisions just yet!”  Fingers twisted by years of arthritis managed to maintain a steady movement to turn the key in the lock.
The shuffling sound of him stopping behind her, several yards away, was accompanied by the creaking of floorboards as he shifted his weight. His already deep voice went down another notch with his disapproval. “But…”
“But nothin’! Ah ain’t goin’ back on this.” She pulled the gun safe open with a forceful tug, revealing the family’s collection  of firearms. There weren't as many as some people might’ve expected, but there were enough that they had one designated for a specific role. Granny Smith wrapped her hand around the ancient shotgun that had belonged to her own father, pulling it out and checking it over. 
For a long few minutes, there was no sound but the disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly of the firearm…Not that the battle of wills had ended. It was simply a silent one, with Granny and Macintosh staring each other down while she cleaned the shotgun.
It was broken when she stood up again, reassembled weapon in one hand. “Answer’s still no,” she told her grandson, relocking the gun safe and leaving her room behind, heading for the locked room in the barn where she kept the ammo.
Macintosh followed, down the stairs and out to the barn, not quite wringing his hands but close to it. “AJ said…”
“Yer sister says a lotta things, but Ah ain't heard one yet about us sittin’ around an’ bein’ as useless as a screen door in a submarine, boy! And even if she did, that’s too damn bad. She’s gonna have ta get on a step ladder if she wants ta lay down the law on me.” The old woman stepped into the barn from the cold outside. “Mah ass ain't no welcome mat fer troublemakers, and it's mah job ta make sure you kids survive ta graduate. Now either make yerself useful, or get outta mah way.”
Sighing in defeat, Macintosh helped her grab the two cases of salt shot and the big bag of rock salt from the storage room in the barn, hauling them to the truck for her so they could store them and the shotgun in the case behind the seats in the cab.





Age worn beads slipped one by one through Celestia’s tired fingers, finger-pads sliding over the time-darkened ivory. It was comforting in a way the woman couldn't describe, the knowledge and weight that not just her mother and grandmother but numerous generations of Solare women had held this rosary in the same fashion as she did in the present moment.  That knowledge and the steady flow of the Italian she’d learned in childhood at her great-grandmother’s house falling from her lips served to help steady her emotional state, even if it didn’t do anything to solve the problem before her.
Celestia was paralyzed by indecision.  She was not ignorant—she knew very well what both her students and her staff were up to, what they were attempting to do ‘under the radar.’ She knew all about the coffee filters full of pepper and chili powder, the smoke and stink “bombs,” the bottles of various holy waters or hidden sigils of varying religious significance. She knew they were preparing them to fight back if and when something magical came to the school again. And in a way, she couldn't blame them—part of her wanted to be helping them, finding ways to cache anti-magic weaponry around school, to join in her sister’s group of staff who were making use of storage rooms and cabinets to squirrel away tools and defenses, to talk to Sunset Shimmer about magic crystals and barriers…
But she hesitated, and questioned whether it was the best choice. By arming themselves, even with tools to distract and disorient rather than directly fight, they became targets, or worse, it would make them overconfident, and by extension, put them in danger.  Not to mention it was against every established policy the school had.  By all rights, she should be handing out detentions and suspensions, administrative warnings and even a few employment termination notices…
Yet she couldn’t do that.  Not after everything that happened, the students, the staff, even she herself no longer felt entirely safe in school. There was this eternal sense of waiting for the other foot to fall, for the next magical creature to show up and make trouble, only for Sunset Shimmer and her friends to need to engage it in some kind of magical throwdown. 
Guilt ate at her, twisting in her guts.  She should be leading them. Guiding them. Finding more effective ways to protect the children in her care, so they didn’t feel it necessary to hide boxes of slingshots in unused lockers. She should be enforcing policies to make the combined campus a safe, healthy learning environment for the students, encouraging them to learn and grow. She should have answers to ease their fears, to make them believe that she could protect them from the monsters of the world while they were in school.
Once more she circled back around to the question eating her, even as she started a new circuit of the rosary beads. Should she stop them?
Some of what they were doing was laughable according to her limited understanding of magic and the reports Sunset presented to them…but those same acts brought comfort to them and who was she to take away what she had failed to provide?
Certainly, some of the measures had the potential to be dangerous, though the students—and the involved faculty—had firmly dissuaded the group that suggested making flamethrowers out of super soakers, or the ones interested in raiding the gym storage for the old archery supplies.  Most of it though, was harmless, or at least, harmless in a way that wouldn't cause other students harm. 
If her students needed that feeling of control to feel safe, then did she really have any right to stop them…particularly since she had consistently failed them so badly?
Pale fingers continued to worry at the rosary beads as the owner stared out the window at the statue of the school mascot, the thoughts still chasing themselves in circles.





Cranky crossed his arms over his chest grumpily. “They’d be better off not getting involved. And whatever story Sunset Shimmer has spun you to justify meddling in forces well beyond her ability to grasp or control does not change the fact that a teenage amateur mucking around with a few old books nearly cost her her life and instead of taking it as an object lesson, she is continuing to delve deeper. Even worse, now she’s dragged other students into her insanity.”  He scowled. “Magic attracts magic, and she’s basically put a giant flashing sign on the front lawn.”
Bon-Bon shook her head. “You really don't get it, do you?” She ran a hand through her hair. “Let me elucidate, since you haven’t realized it yet on your own. Sunset isn't the amateur you think she is—this isnt ‘teen girl finds witch books and screws up.’ This is ‘experienced sorceress who grew up with magic trying to do damage control on a critical error’ with the long distance assistance of another experienced sorceress, all while trying to teach a class of accidental sorceresses how not to blow themselves up, and also trying to prepare for when the next magical being comes knocking on the door.”
She had him. She could see the confusion in his expression replacing the mulish stubbornness. “The fact is, Teach, that Pandora’s Box was opened months ago, and once the box is opened, closing it again and putting it under a blanket in the closet doesn't change the fact that it got opened. Neither does pretending you don't know about it. Us kids? The ones trying to learn how to protect ourselves? We don't want to learn magic—most of us don't have it, and that's half the problem. Sunset does. She always has, and where she’s from, they use magic to fight against magic. She doesn't know how people like me, or Lyra, or any of the non-magical kids defend ourselves. She’s done the best she can to come up with suggestions, but guess what? She’s already busy. Top student, magic teacher, magic researcher, and probably has a near full time job to pay her bills because she doesn’t have family in the area.…I’m not sure when she finds time to sleep. Sunset doesn't have time to spare to research stuff you already know. She barely has time to read that book you dumped on her.”
Each word now made the teacher flinch back ever so slightly. “We’re going to defend ourselves regardless of whether or not you help. But I think, somewhere inside, you actually care about your students, about this school, about what happens. I think you want to help, but you're scared, because you're right. For you, that was another life, and doing it means being someone you're not anymore…but it's not. You're helping others so they don't have to go through your life.” Bon-Bon could hear the words the way her father had said them once, when he talked about why he taught self-defense for a living, could see the way his eyes had…gone distant, staring at something else for a while, and seeing that same expression now on Mr. Doodle’s face, she knew she was right. 
It just needed one more push. “So…are you willing to help us?”
Silence, and for a minute she thought he’d refuse.  Finally he let out an explosive sigh. “I’ll work with you. Just you. I’ll give you a list of things that work, and what they work against, give your contact info to a few people who…sell…some of the supplies you’ll need. You coordinate with the rest of your friends, and you leave my name out of it.”
“I believe I can work with that, Mr. Doodle.”
“Yeah, whatever, kid. Come by before lunch tomorrow and I’ll give you the list. Now get out of my classroom so I can eat in peace. You're giving me an ulcer.”
> Correspondence IV: Is Anypony Out There?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------








	Hey Twi,

Haven't heard from you in a few weeks, and I know we didn't part on the best terms, but…I have a few things I need.
I’ve managed to acquire a book that has some details on possible magical manifestations in the human world, and I was hoping to compare it to some of the oldest knowledge we have on some of the other species. I've got a book on zebra shamanism, but I was hoping for some of the older books on the minotaur and on the deer-folk.
I was also hoping for a translated version of the minotaur fortitude treatise, because it turns out that my ancient Minoan is super rusty and I don't have time to translate it. 
We’ve had some interesting developments on this end I thought you’d want to know about. For starters, the girls are developing magic of their own and have had magic surges of their own. So far, each of them seem to be different…well…’powers’…for lack of better phrasing. Applejack is strong, but Rainbow is fast, and Fluttershy…Fluttershy seems to be able to shapeshift. That was…not great to learn. She almost turned into a bear because she wanted to maul her brother.
For the time being, I’ve started them on trying to do some of Princess Celestia’s meditations and sensing techniques so they can learn what their magic—and each other’s—feels like. Mixed success on that--how do you explain what knowing your magic is like to a species that was born with none, for whom possessing magic is completely foreign? It's not exactly a picnic in the Memorial Park, that’s for sure, and I’m...mostly having to feel my way through it. I know some magi would be ecstatic to found a new branch of magical study, or to be the first to document a new type of magic use...This is technically the first one since Nebula Scroll’s study of Cervine Treeshapers twenty five hundred years ago, and I suddenly have amazing respect for her. This kind of thing would be boggling to just write down, and here I am trying to not only study it but teach it to the wielders fast enough to avoid them accidentally causing destruction or injury. 
Truth is, I wish there was literally anypony else available to do it, but…there’s not, and nopony else is quite equipped to deal with the human world like me other than maybe you, and I’ve got about four and a half years on you with that. 
There was also a massive surge for me a few weeks ago, and it…it triggered the girls into releasing the Rainbow of Light again, but with no real target. It caused a bunch of strange transmutations and enchantments that don't make sense by any rules of magic I know of…which is exceptionally concerning, because transmutation is my primary specialty, what I got my magus certifications in. I’ll draw in and write down all I can about them at the end here, maybe you can find something about the Elements being able to permanently transmute things? 
Speaking of, have you found anything more about the Elements in general? Or on their history?  The more I look at the magic here, the more I research it, the more the girls use it, the more I’m convinced this has to be tied into some lost knowledge on the Elements themselves…but all I have is this crazy text that triggered my original idea to steal your Crown in the first place… Which is less helpful than you might think, because it's mostly written in Old Ponish and another dialect I can’t translate because I’ve never seen script like this before.  It does not match any language I ever came across in my studies in Equestria, suggesting that its one of the lost languages. It suggests there’s more to the Elements than our current knowledge tells us, but the details are missing…or hidden behind a writing style that looks like someone had an obsession with triangles.
Sorry for being a bit all over the place…I’m a bit stressed out right now.  Every time I turn around, I’ve got to add something else to the list of things I’m the only one able to deal with, and some days I feel like I’m drowning.  I can only imagine how you feel with this on top of all your other responsibilities.  

Sunset Shimmer









Hey again, Twi,

Haven't heard back from you yet, so I was wondering if my messages got through? The book seems to still be functioning on this end. Kinda hoping you're just busy…

Sunset









Princess Twilight?

Look, I’m sorry if I offended you or said something wrong last time we talked. I understand if you don’t want to talk much to me anymore on a personal or social level, but I’m asking that you don’t cut off contact entirely. If not for me, than for the girls--I can’t help them without your help. You have access to the libraries, and frankly, you’ve got a way better grasp of Arcane Theory than I do, which means you can make more sense of my notes than I can.

I’ve included copies of those, by the way. Sorry about the mess on the next twenty pages. I was trying to write as tiny as I could.

Sunset Shimmer







Sunset,

Hey, it's Spike. Sorry about it taking so long. Twilight is actually out of town right now—the castle has this magic map that's been sending ponies places, and she also needed to go talk to Princess Luna about some stuff, so she’s been gone for a while. 
If you wanted, I can send her a copy of your letter by Dragonfire.
Oh that makes sense. I was worried she was mad at me. If you could, that’d be great. Its not an emergency but it is kinda time sensitive, I guess?
Took care of it. I’ll let you know when I hear back.
Thanks, Spike. Hope everything is going okay in Equestria. 





Hey, Sunset!
Just heard back from Twi, and she gave me a list of books to get you. I found most of them. Did you want me to bring them by like…tomorrow afternoon? I can just pop through the portal real quick to deliver them to you guys.
Would you? That would be great, Spike. I can pick them up during my study hall just before lunch or even after school. 
	It's cool. I can bring them through…maybe I can talk you into getting me like some human comic books or something, sometime?
I’ll see what I can do. I know where the comic shop is. See you tomorrow.
> Chapter One Hundred and Two: Heat and Pressure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





A pen took absent notes in a notebook as Sunset turned another page in the magical diary. She’d finally reached a section that was useful, and she was making copies of the information as best she could. This whole section appeared to be some kind of makeshift bestiary of magical creatures that supposedly lived at one time in the human world. Some of them seemed like made up superstitious nonsense…but there were a few that she recognized as being Equestrian in origin, with data fairly consistent to the version she knew. That suggested that there was, at the least, some grain of truth, even if a good bit was wrapped up in human myth.  Like minotaurs being born from the liaison of human women and cattle. Minotaur calves were born the same way any mammalian species had their young, not through some form of divine punishment for ‘coupling with beasts.’ 
The former unicorn rolled her eyes. Humans were so strange sometimes.  Still…the book’s entries had just enough truth that it might be important to her research and for defending the school from external magical threats…and that alone would be valuable to her principals. 
So despite the cramping in her hand and sheer boredom from committing to book research, she copied carefully and paid close attention to each entry. It was certainly one of the easier sets of notes to take, given that the original writer had organized it neatly in each entry.  She was still struggling with distilling the useful parts of the minotaur treatise into English, even with now having a copy written in modern Ponish, simply because she was having to invent approximations for so many terms that just didn't have human equivalents. 
It felt like she was starting to get somewhere though. The girls were now starting to be able to actively feel their magic on command, and she’d started them on trying to bring it out under controlled circumstances. That was proving a bit of a mixed bag. Applejack found bringing out her power far easier than sensing it, for example, while Fluttershy cowered from using hers again, afraid she might hurt someone by accident. Meanwhile, Rainbow had proven hit or miss, Rarity was surprisingly sensitive to feeling magic…and Pinkie? Sunset winced a little. Pinkie was an anomaly that gave the redhead a headache trying to measure in anyway. Half the time she seemed to have no idea what she was doing, the other half of the time it felt like she knew more than she was letting on, and Sunset was left wondering which one was the truth, or if both were and Pinkie was somehow this world’s answer to Discord himself.
Taking a deep breath, Sunset glanced around the research room.  Nowadays it resembled a cross between a science lab, a band practice room, and a clubhouse, with each of her friends having added personal touches: curtains, fancy cushions to sit on, and a rolling rack of costumes and half finished sewing projects courtesy of Rarity, a case of sports drinks, a discarded soccer ball, and a bunch of CDs alongside a portable stereo from Rainbow, stacks of sheet music, a few bags of dog and cat treats, and here and there clumps of shed fur from Fluttershy and her furry friends…The mini-fridge was full of snacks, many of them made by Pinkie, and over by her drums sat bags of balloons and confetti, and even Applejack had contributed to the clutter with a case of fizzy cider, more than a few boot prints, and a forgotten pair of work gloves (as well as a few forgotten worksheets from her chem class.)  
Sunset shook her head good-naturedly. Sure, she should probably have them try and clean up a bit, but the fact was that the room was thrumming now with ambient layers of magic that felt just like her friends, right down to the touch of Harmony’s power laced through it. It was turning out to be more of a boon to her research than anything, since it let her analyze how their magic was growing, how it was affecting their environments…she’d even managed to compare the ambient SET of the school and their research room to several of the girl’s homes during sleepovers, and the differences were striking. Whatever was causing them to produce vast amounts of magic was ‘dialed up to 11’ as Rainbow put it, but mostly in school. Or, more specifically, in places where they were more likely to be together as a group. 
Flipping pages in her notebook to prepare a new entry, the redhead turned the page in the diary in front of her…
And felt her blood turn to ice.
Staring back at her, in neat but blocky script were the words Infernales Daemones.  The heading had a short description and generic data, before it gave a table of contents on the opposing page. It was not a short table of contents.
The former unicorn struggled to breathe, her heart pounding so badly that all she could hear was it thumping in her ears. 
Alp/Alf.
She wanted to look away, to close the book, but she couldn't stop her eyes from slipping over the list of words, many of which had no meaning to her…
Imp.
Her pen clattered to the desk from nerveless fingers, rolling until the nearby keyboard stopped it.
Shadow demon.
Sunset could feel it, the burning pain that had started in her head and traveled down her nerves with the rush of magic.
Aluqah.
Hands curled into fists reflexively, and she found she couldn't breathe, couldn't stop, couldn't tear her eyes away from the damning words that felt like they weren't just written on the page, but burned into her screaming soul.
Efreet.
In her mind she could hear her own maddened laughter, dark and sadistic, full of all the cruelty she could conjure.
Se’irim.
She could feel the heat of that searing ball of plasma and flame, her hate at Princess Twilight and the desire to kill her boiling over into the magic…
Utukku.
The rush of air as she plummeted, wings desperately trying to slow her deadly descent…right before they vanished in red-flame, leaving her to fall to her death…
Succubi/Incubi.
The door to the room slammed open, jerking her out of her paralysis. Sunset tore her eyes from the book, slamming it shut before she could look again. Lungs burned as the former bully sucked in a much needed breath of air, and she swiveled her chair towards the door to see who had inadvertently rescued her from the collapsing spiral of the book, its contents, and the fears deep in her core.
Rainbow Dash was looking over her shoulder, down the hall. “Too slow!” She crowed, even as a puffing Applejack crossed the threshold a minute later.
Applejack gave her a good natured punch in the shoulder. “Rat,” she grumbled. “Ain’t a real race when ya use magic ta cheat.” 
“Even without magic I’m faster than you,” came the athlete’s smug response.
The fist slugged her shoulder again. “Pack yer ego in, Dash. An’ that's fer yer prank earlier.”
By the time they looked her way, Sunset had managed to school her expression and recover from the reaction she’d had. “Um…what’s going on?”
A broad grin spreading across Rainbow’s face was not really the most comforting thing in the universe. “Applejack and I figured out how to be able to practice our powers without having to be cooped up in here!”
Sunset arched an eyebrow. “Alright…that's potentially a good thing, since this space might be okay for Applejack’s strength, but it's not great for your running. You'd be going around in circles and stirring up a cyclone.”
Pinkie’s voice called from the hall, “Yeah! Rainbow Dash would get reeeeeeeal dizzy if she did that!”
She failed at holding back a snort of laughter, even as she responded with a dry, “Thank you, Pinkie.”
Applejack cleared her throat. “Anywho, afore we get led down a rabbit hole by the pink rabbit…Ah realize Ah got a place fer us all ta practice usin’ our magic and stuff without worrying about breaking too much. We can use the farm.”
Biting her lip, the redhead objected. “Applejack, I don't want to risk damaging your trees or your family’s livelihood….”
“Ah appreciate the thought, Sunset, but Ah ain’t jawin’ about the orchard.” She pushed her hat back, even as she cracked open a fizzy cider. “See we also got four good sized fields out there. We run a rotation on ‘em fer the family garden and the livestock grazing. Two years as a garden, two as pasture and grazing space fer our horses and cows, and four fallow ta let clippings and manure break down inta good farming dirt again…always got two plots fallow. Would give us a good place ta work Dash and Shy’s powers since they cant be seen from the road—they're out behind the barn, and we can open up the back room in the barn ta get at the exercise gear there.”
Sunset mulled that knowledge over in her mind, eventually nodding. “….that…that could actually work.” She glanced out the window. “And today is a good day for it, if you girls are up for it—it's not too cold.”
“Awesome!” Dash crowed, punching a fist into the air. “Let’s do this!”





Reflecting on it, the redhead decided AJ’s suggestion had been a good one. The big, sprawling fields backed up to the large barn, and when her friend had opened the double doors to the backroom, it revealed a space holding exercise equipment set up as a mini gym.  It meant setting up was easy—she had Pinkie helping Dash mark out a running lane, marked with flags every fifty yards, had helped Applejack drag an ancient plow meant to be pulled by oxen out into the field, and had Fluttershy working on tapping into her powers to run a treadmill—out of all the potential things to set her to doing, Sunset figured that was the least violent.
Sunset herself was working at the punching bag to vent some of her earlier agitation. She hadn't gone quite so far as Applejack—the farmer had stripped to jeans, her work boots, a white tank top, and her battered hat, despite the winter temperatures—but she’d shrugged out of her jacket and sweatshirt, leaving her in a t-shirt and jeans. She’d even taken off her boots so she could get in some solid kicks without messing up the leather or the bag. 
It felt good to loosen her muscles up and get into the rhythm of punching and kicking the bag. For a long time, working with a bag had provided an outlet for her to sort through emotions, especially anger, long enough that it had become a habit. The demon from her nightmares danced across her mind’s eye in between bits of memory and the slowly growing worry that maybe that part of her hadn't been as thoroughly purged as she’d initially believed.
Five minutes in and the redheaded teen had worked up a sweat, pausing to tie her wild mane back in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes and to wipe away the sweat on her face with a rag. Blue-green eyes swept over the area, checking on her friends. Rainbow was running and flying along the measured area, Pinkie bouncing and cheering while manning the stopwatch.  Fluttershy was meditating near the treadmill, her arms and legs moving and twisting slowly as if they were made of taffy, producing fur that appeared and disappeared as bones and muscles reshaped with unpleasant noises that made Sunset’s stomach churn. Applejack was using the plow on one of the fields, pulling the ancient hunk of metal so that it dug a deep furrow in the earth behind her, while Rarity watched from a pair of hay bales nearby, the faint flush on her cheeks and the intense stare telling a great deal about how she felt about the sight. 
After a moment, Rarity seemed to feel Sunset’s gaze and turned towards her with a raised eyebrow. “Is everything alright, darling?”
Sunset coughed, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a long drink. “I’m fine,” she deflected.
Blue eyes stared right into her soul in that way Rarity was so good at. “Sunset, dear, it's unbecoming to lie. It is also difficult to….admire the scenery…when you are clearly out of sorts.” She rose and padded over to hold the punching bag as the redhead began to throw more punches at it. “Why don't you tell me what’s going on, get it off your chest?”
“It’s…” How could she explain any of it without giving it all away? She might’ve been getting to the point where she was okay mentioning her girlfriend was okay, but Twilight was not ready for her friends yet….and the situation was fairly wrapped up in things that had happened around her girlfriend.  “…it’s…complicated…” she hedged, her fist impacting the bag twice in rapid succession. 
The other girl raised her carefully manicured eyebrows. “Sunset,” she said in a dry tone, taking one hand off the bag to gesture with it. “Look around you, darling. Rainbow Dash is flying under her own power and about to break the sound barrier, Applejack’s strength can now be measured in horsepower, and I regularly sprout horse ears and a unicorn horn when I play music. Our lives are complicated now.” She gave the redhead a challenging smirk. “I think I can handle ‘complicated.’”
Sunset looked away, her hands lowering a moment. Her friend continued, “Darling, something has been bothering you for weeks now, and avoiding it doesn't seem to be helping. Maybe talking to a friend will—that's what we’re here for.”
“…I’m having nightmares.” It was hard to admit it, and she covered her discomfort by hitting the punching bag again.
Rarity made a thoughtful sound. “Are they…about something in particular?”
“….kind of…” Taking a breath, she forced the words out. “…I’m seeing myself. From the formal.”
The pale skinned tailor scrutinized her. “I assume you mean the rather unpleasant, crown wearing version of you?”  At Sunset’s nod, she made another thoughtful humming sound in her throat. “Is there something specific that seems to be triggering these nightmares? Something going on in your day to day, as it were?”
She rolled her shoulders in a half shrug, before focusing on a rough combination of blows that would have sent the bag swinging if Rarity had not been holding it. “I guess there could be a lot of things…Magic, my research, the way my own magic is having awful surges…trying to figure out how to teach you girls…that freaky…vision that I had…” Worrying about her girlfriend, about her girlfriend’s school, she added mentally.
“Is it possible that these nightmares are being caused by the stress of all the magical endeavors you have taken upon yourself as your responsibility despite the fact that we have offered our assistance repeatedly?” Rarity’s tone was ever so slightly chastising, and Sunset felt her ears heat.
Still, she shook her head. “…I don't think so…and I’m trying to get help from you girls,” she added. “I’m just…the only one with all of the knowledge of the laws and math, and I’m the only one fluent enough to read all the texts because they don't exactly offer Old or Modern Ponish as a foreign language credit here, let alone any of the other possible languages texts from Equestria are written in.”  Sunset stared off into the distance for a long minute, while Rarity waited patiently for her to continue.  
“It’s…what if the demon I became…what if that's not gone? What if it's still inside me? What if my surges are because of it?” The former bully of Canterlot High shuddered. “I don't want to hurt anyone, especially my friends…but if…if I turn back into her…”
Rarity interrupted. “If you turn back into her, we will stop her, and get you back.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Darling, we’re friends. I do not believe for a minute that you are harboring some hidden evil—not with how dedicated you have been to changing your entire outlook on life. But on the off chance that something forces such a transformation upon you…we’re your friends. We will deal with it together, as friends are wont to do.”
A shiver went through her, remembering the rainbow and how much she had hurt for days after. “What if it's stronger? What if it can't be stopped?”
Rarity let go of the bag to step around and put a hand on her shoulder. “I do believe we are up to the task, should it arise.”
“I can't ask that—I don't want to risk any of you…” Sunset tried to pull away.
Her friend held firm, her other hand coming up to Sunset's other shoulder, turning the redhead to face her. “…you don't have to. We would do it freely, because you're our friend, a member of what I would tentatively call a sisterhood, and it's not in human nature to abandon a friend.  We are not as helpless as we appear, Sunset.”
“I never said you were, but…it's just…”
A small smile was on Rarity’s lips. “I know. Care to put that to the test though? Or do you prefer a stationary target?”
The redhead’s brain ground to a painful halt. “Wait…what?” 
One eyebrow arched upwards. “You do understand the concept of sparring, yes?”
“I…yes? But…since when…?”
Rarity laughed, guiding Sunset away from the punching bag and over to the open stretch of flat ground with close cut, winter-brown grass. “Darling, please. Do you honestly believe for a second Daddy wouldn't have made sure I can take care of myself? He hired a private self defense instructor years ago, and truthfully, I find the exercise it provides quite good for my figure, so I kept it up.”
“Oh.” That made sense, Sunset decided. Rarity was a lot of things, but at the heart of it, the young designer was independent and self-confident. Shaking her head to clear it and gain focus, Sunset shook out her limbs and let her body fall into a ready stance. “If you're sure,” she told her friend, “then I’d love a sparring partner.” At least, a sparring partner that she wasn't teaching and that she did not get distracted with fighting because she wanted to kiss her.
Rarity took a moment to tie her hair back out of her face. “I’m quite certain, Sunset. It will allow me to stretch myself as well—it has been some time since I’ve fought a skilled opponent.” She brought her hands up, and Sunset’s focus narrowed to the sparring ring and Rarity, blocking out everything else.
Sunset was not the kind of person to fight defensively—her training had not been passive, but active. She took only moments to size up the other girl’s posture and stance, before launching into motion. Bare feet stepped in close, and she lashed out with a series of sharp jabs, watching intently as Rarity stepped away, pivoting and putting distance between them. Blue eyes watched her with just as much scrutiny, and pale hands redirected an open palm strike with ease.
The former unicorn felt something shift after they exchanged a few more testing blows and blocks. Rarity hadn’t been joking—if anything, it was beginning to feel like she’d downplayed her skills. A faint grin grew on her face at the thought of an actual challenge to her skills. As much as she loved teaching Twilight, her girlfriend was still a beginner, and Sunset had focused on teaching her skills to disable and get away, or how to break holds, not on crushing her opponents. In any matches with her nerdy partner, she had to keep herself in check, providing the services of a living punching bag more than actually testing her own skills. She could have gone to the gym not far from her house to find a sparring partner, she supposed, or called up her former instructor, but before she hadn't cared much, and now she just didn't have time.
This match though, against her fashion fixated friend, was something different, and it was exhilarating. Discarding her testing strikes, Sunset’s brain engaged on a higher gear, analyzing and modifying her own behavior, adapting to the style that was starting to emerge in Rarity’s movements. She stepped in again, with a series of rapid strikes; most never made it past Rarity’s guard, but the last one did, catching the other girl in a glancing blow. 
She paid for it though, when a retaliatory jab made her elbow go briefly numb, and Rarity moved away again with the fluid grace of a dancer. Sunset growled in her throat, a sound that made her friend arch one eyebrow at her. “Problem, darling?”
“No,” she responded, her muscles singing with enthusiasm. Her fist was slapped away with a pale hand, and Sunset was caught by surprise when Rarity took advantage of her mistake by stepping in instead of away and actually shoulder-checking her, throwing her off balance enough that the follow up leg sweep sent her to the ground.  “Just didn’t expect you to be this good.”
Rarity smiled. “I am more than fabric and lace, Sunset.”
Arching her back, Sunset hopped to her feet and shook out the sting from the fall. “What happened to ‘a lady doesn't condone violence?’” she asked in genuine curiosity as she came in again, only for her friend to practically dance out of range—something that was starting to frustrate her.
“A lady does not condone brawling like an unwashed savage,” Rarity corrected, blocking a one-two punch that would have left her breathless. “A lady does not seek violence as a method of solving problems…but that does not mean it is inappropriate for a lady to be able to defend herself effectively from violence brought upon her.”
How the other girl could offer such a long winded speech in the middle of a fight, Sunset didn't know. She saved her own breath for the fight itself, and for the unpleasant, guttural utterances that always seemed to unnerve her opponents. Sunset shook off the distracted musings in favor of the sparring match at hand.
With a feral pony sound that would have been a source of mockery in polite unicorn society, Sunset darted forward, delivering a satisfying jab to the shoulder, followed by several more successful strikes that got through her friend’s guard. The tailor fell back, keen on putting distance between them, but Sunset pressed the attack, not letting her gain an inch. Her whole world narrowed to action. Strike. Block. Twist. Step in. Punch. Redirect. Close again. Counter. 
It worked for a while, her brain adapting to Rarity’s strategies almost as fast as they were presented, and for a few minutes, they were both in constant motion as each tried to out-maneuver the other, to find an advantage or a weakness. Sunset briefly registered that they had an audience—the rest of their friends had come over to watch by the fence, and even Applebloom and her friends had been drawn away from their clubhouse to stare at the spectacle. She pushed it away when another of those surprise body-blocks from Rarity rattled her senses.
Pay attention, Shimmer, she told herself, shaking off the disorientation from turning an almost fall into a roll that brought her back up into a fighting stance within seconds. The redhead drew on the frustration and annoyance that had made her an agitated mess, turning it into fuel for another aggressive assault, ears pinning back a fraction instinctively.  The explosion of action soon had Rarity on the backfoot, though the smile on her face and the Pony-Up features told her that her friend was enjoying this as much as she was. Grinning, Sunset committed to what should have been the finishing blow in the fight, ignoring the hits that got through her guard in her pursuit of victory, fixed solely on the strike-that-wasn't-a-strike that would signal the end of the match—she didn't intend to actually hit her friend with a crippling blow, after all.  Tasting victory on her tongue, her fist launched forward, knowing Rarity’s arm was out of position by enough that she’d never get it up fast enough to block…
Only for her mind to register a surge of powerful magic, and her knuckles to crash with all of her force into something that felt like punching a smooth wall. The air rang with the sound of the collision, the soft edged chime the only sound to break the abrupt silence that fell over the whole yard. Sunset froze, her eyes meeting Rarity’s equally startled ones, before both of them looked at where Sunset had impacted a glimmering construct that resembled a flat polygon of hard light and gem-dust…with a fist wreathed in crimson flames.
“...A question…if you will, darling,” Rarity began. 
“Uhh…” Sunset responded, still processing what had happened, even as she straightened up and stared blankly at the crackling, blood-red fire that covered her hand and part of her forearm without burning her skin. It was warm, and its movement felt faintly like the ticklish brush of a feather against her nerves, but…it did not harm her.
“Did you…mean to do that?”
The former student of Princess Celestia shook her head, trying to shake the flames out—to no avail. “…no…did you?” 
Rarity looked down at the shield that had protected her from the unintentionally burning blow, the whole thing fading from existence. “Completely a surprise—though I suppose I am thankful I did. Burning hair smells awful and it is nearly impossible to get the stink out of fabric.”
Sunset attempted several times to put the fire out on her hand. Even dunking it in a water trough did nothing but violate several laws of physics and create a generous amount of steam. “Now if I could just figure out what I did, so I can stop doing it, that’d be great.”
“Holy shit!” Rainbow yelled, leaping into the air. “Did you see that?! That was so awesome!”
As if her yell had broken a spell, the rest of the watchers all started talking at once. Sunset winced, but a moment later the flames guttered out on their own, and she offered a hand to Rarity to help her up. “You okay?” she asked as Applejack leapt the fence to come check her partner over.
Rarity gave her a warm smile and patted an amber skinned arm. “I’m quite alright, Sunset. Though perhaps we should call that match a draw.”
> Interlude XXV: Who You Are in the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Being invisible was something Wallflower Blush had a lot of experience with—it was practically the story of her life.  Her parents forgot she existed, except when it was convenient for them or something reminded them that they had reproduced. This invisibility was so complete that even actions that should have garnered her attention went completely without recognition—even swiping one of her father’s credit cards out of his wallet had gotten no reprisal.  Neither of her parents seemed to notice or care that she used it for everything from ordering meals to buying clothes to a few grand at a time dropped on music, video games, and the latest high end laptop over the last six years. What passed for extended family never had time or interest in sparing her a single thought; her only still living grandparent lived across the country in an assisted living facility, unable to do more than send her letters and cards when her health allowed.  Paired with a long succession of short term nannies until her thirteenth birthday and a school full of people who didn't even care enough to bully her half the time, the green skinned girl decided her parents had given her the world’s most appropriate name.  
Growing up unseen and unheard had made her a quiet child—what’s even the point of speaking if no one even notices you're there?  She saved her words for the few people who did try and see her, like the group of three she’d stumbled into her freshman year.  
Being quiet and invisible had its positives, of course, many of which she enjoyed.  Wallflower managed to fly under the radar of the same bullies that made Twilight Sparkle and Moondancer’s lives hell, and since her grades didn't stand out too much, she could pretty much guarantee access to a good university without being part of CPA’s cutthroat social environment.  
It also meant she was a good listener, a fantastic observer.  People forgot she was there, and it let her watch, listen, learn....and she enjoyed that. Going through her day to day at Crystal Prep in a fashion more akin to someone watching a dramatic teen movie than a participant allowed her to hone her skills into an art-form, able to take in body language, tone of voice, even the way a person’s eyes moved, pairing it with their words to read them like Twilight read books.  And when the drama wasn't enough, she could easily leave a little rumor here or a fake note in a locker there, just to see what could happen when secrets were spilled anonymously.
When it came to her small circle of friends, she learned their personalities, their quirks, their flaws, their tells, and was fairly adept at picking up when something was wrong. She knew about every one of Moondancer’s exhaustive list of allergies, about Lyra’s mother and history of getting way too caught up in nonsensical conspiracy theories.  It certainly didn't take a genius to realize Twilight Sparkle was really bad at being a normal human being, or that even basic social behavior was beyond both her and Moondancer.  It was kind of sad, when she thought about it, that the most socially capable of the little group of four had been the crazy girl who hunted for Sasquatch on her weekends.
Sure, she probably had more skill in the social arena and ‘being normal’ than Lyra, but while she could certainly ape the way everyone around her behaved, right down to the minutiae of their interactions, why should she? What was the point? People wouldn't find her any more memorable, and she had no desire to be surrounded by sycophants. In the end, it was far more appealing to take advantage of her inconspicuous nature to learn what no one else was good enough to notice.
It meant that Wallflower Blush noticed when Twilight Sparkle came back to school different.  Some might’ve said some of the changes were for the better, but she wasn't so sure she’d agree with that.  The whole situation made her feel…odd. Out of sorts. Like her whole universe had shifted three inches to the left without her knowledge—everything seemed like it was still in the right places, but her instincts could tell.  As if the very nature of Twilight being this unchanging constant in her life was some kind of touchstone that grounded her, and a shift in that status quo was…far more disorienting than she’d ever thought possible.
A lot of it wasn't even drastic change.  Twilight was still this socially inept nerd who aced all her classes and couldn’t catch a clue if it walked up to her and offered her change for a dollar.  But it was enough for Wallflower to pick up on, where the already anxious mannerisms ticked over into borderline paranoia at any sudden movement or loud sound from classmates, as if she was expecting far worse from the other students than being tripped up or body checked into the lockers. It was there in those moments when she’d catch Twilight staring into space in a way that didn't scream one of her scientific frenzies, or how she seemed practically fused to her phone some days, texting furiously when she thought no one could see her, or how her casual indifference to ribald topics of conversation had shifted into something between revulsion and fear.
It was even present in how Twilight treated Wallflower herself.  Twilight had always been aware of her, seen her, even if her inability to understand how people worked meant that she hadn't the slightest understanding of what she was looking at, even when she drifted off into whatever geek interest or scientific fact that had captured her admittedly formidable brain…it wasn't the same kind of invisibility Wallflower had felt from almost everyone else in her life, nor did it carry the faint sense of superiority Moondancer gave off.  Twilight didn't make Wallflower feel…lesser…beneath her and her unnatural intellect. If anything, it had always felt like Twilight was looking to her for indications of social cues and explanations of why something had everyone around snickering, or what to do to respond to another person. 
Lately though, that had changed. Twilight seemed less interested in seeking her social guidance, and while she’d actively retreated from any and all unnecessary interactions…suddenly she noticed Wallflower more. Like some of the invisibility had been torn away, and Twilight felt the urge to try to remember and include Wallflower, to acknowledge her socially, even in little ways. Like on her birthday… A birthday breakfast, composed of things she loved, things mentioned in moments of rambling where she’d believed Twilight too engrossed in her project of the week to actually pay any attention to what she said.  Yet, somehow, Twilight had heard, and when she’d presented the breakfast and a personalized gift to her, the green haired girl had felt something new. She felt…seen, and somewhat vulnerable, glad more than ever before that Twilight had no social circle that she might spill secrets to…but at the same time, she hoarded that memory close, taking it out and looking at it whenever the isolation of her existence felt like it was closing in on her, taking comfort in a brief respite from the coldness of the world around her.
Regardless of the benefits, Wallflower wasn't quite sure she cared for the changes, especially as she tried to puzzle out what was causing them.  The answer had come, quite casually from Twilight herself, but it generated more alarm and mistrust in the teen rather than easing her worries. It was a bombshell on its own: Twilight had a ‘new friend,’ someone who wasn't part of their group, or even their school…and after Twilight mentioned this ‘Sunset’ the first time, they were suddenly all she ever seemed to talk about.  It didn't matter what the conversation was originally about, the dark haired girl would find a reason to talk about her brand new friend like they walked on water. Talk about more than a little annoying. There were times that Wallflower had bit back some really ugly comments and accusations about the whole affair; there were lovesick airheads who didn't gush as much about their boyfriends as Twilight did about this ‘new friend’ of hers.
Then the identity of that friend had been revealed, and Wallflower knew she was right to be skeptical. She’d known for a while that Twilight was not great at people, and that she avoided social media, even to lurk, but missing not only a year and a half’s worth of updates from Lyra when her parents’ divorce and subsequent move meant she had to switch to the public school, as well as every conversation between Wallflower and Moondancer on the subject their sophomore year was a new flavor of socially blind that Wallflower didn't think there was even a word for.
Lyra had spent the entire weeks at a time in texts and chat and even a few weekend get-togethers complaining loudly about her run-ins with “Sunset Shimmer, Bitch Queen of Canterlot High,” and how the popular girl was so nasty that she would have buried Suri and Sour Sweet’s entire pack of girls with all the effort it took most people to tie their shoes. Sunset Shimmer was bad news wrapped in a pretty, plastic package.  So what was someone like that doing ‘making nice’ with Twilight Sparkle?
She’d tried to find out—and maybe drop a few not so subtle hints that Twilight might want to ask more questions about someone who spontaneously wanted to ‘be her friend’—but Twilight had been remarkably close-mouthed about it, and Lyra hadn't responded to her message yet. And that wasn't even getting into the way Sunset Shimmer had been blowing up Twilight’s phone or the phone-call she’d overheard.  The phone-call in particular had been…enlightening, with Wallflower playing witness to the dark haired girl struggling to placate the person on the other end. Listening to it had been all too similar to the conversations that she’d overheard in the bathroom from some girl with an abusive boyfriend, and she couldn’t understand, for the life of her, why Twilight would bother wasting her time on someone who probably treated her like crap.
Which was why the green haired girl had agreed to the day’s outing with Twilight and Sunset. She wanted to figure out exactly what the popular girl was holding over Twilight to ensure her loyalty.
She parked outside the Canterlot Botanical Gardens, glad at least that Twilight had chosen a venue for the outing that was at least tolerable. Twilight was uncharacteristically chatty as they headed inside, going from frosty temperatures to steamy warmth.  While the outdoor gardens were brown and dead because of winter, the greenhouses were full of color, and that included the little café in the center of the building. 
“Sunset told me she’d meet us in the café, so we could get a snack before we check out the exhibit,” Twilight said as she led the way to one of the tables near a planter of colorful tropical flowers and ferns.  “I tried to pick something we could all enjoy, and the recreation of an ancient Egyptian temple garden was too good to pass up!”
Wallflower couldn't resist the urge to offer out a sarcastic, biting comment about someone she didn't care for, even though it would probably go right over Twilight’s head.  “From what I’ve heard about this friend of yours, I can't imagine her hobbies include cultivating plants…unless you count the lettuce and tomato that goes on a cheeseburger.”
“Sunset doesn't eat cheeseburgers,” Twilight responded with a smile, her eyes focused on the entrance. “…but she does enjoy greenery, parks, and being outside in the fresh air, and she and I have gone to a bunch of museum exhibits too, and since you have an interest in botany and horticulture, I thought this would mean everyone enjoys some part of the trip!”
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she settled for a deadpan reply. “I’m sure it’ll be the most fun I’ve had all month.  I’m going to go get a drink.”  It’s just too bad it can’t be a stiff one. As Twilight nodded absently, still watching the entrance like a dog pining for its master to come home, she idly wondered if her ‘affliction’ had morphed from invisibility to inaudibility. 
Wallflower kept her eyes on the situation when she got her drink, lingering by the line longer so she could get a look at Sunset Shimmer when she didn't know she was being observed.  She could certainly tell the moment Sunset arrived—Twilight jumped up out of her chair, practically vibrating as she raised a hand in a vigorous wave that was so unlike her that Wallflower almost choked on a swallow of her soda. Eyes narrowed and followed Twilight’s focus, getting her first actual look at the petty, spiteful princess who ran the social circles at the public school.
What she saw did not fit her mental image of a petite, super feminine, plastic doll in expensive clothes from a designer. The girl smiling brightly at Twilight was almost as tall as some grown men (though the heavy duty black boots she wore might’ve contributed a few inches), and wearing slightly worn blue jeans and a sweatshirt with a band logo on it.  The nicest part of her outfit was the jet black leather coat that looked brand new, and Wallflower didn’t detect a single bit of jewelry on her other than maybe some small, understated earrings. She wasn't even wearing makeup!
This was the infamous Sunset Shimmer, the popular queen of Canterlot High who ruled with an iron fist and nobody dared oppose for fear of reprisal? She looked more like a disaffected wannabe anarchist that viewed the height of rebellion as smoking pot at a trashy metal concert and dating a boy who was part of a tone-deaf garage band for the sole purpose of upsetting ‘Daddy.’  Suri would steal her boyfriend for kicks, before starting rumors that would ruin her social life, and Sour Sweet would absolutely eat her alive. If this was the top dog at Canterlot, it really was no wonder that Crystal Prep walked all over them every four years at the Friendship Games.
More confident now, Wallflower reached the table just before Sunset, slipping back into her seat nonchalantly. She wasn't going to give Sunset a single inch of anything that might be seen as deference, and she watched for the inevitable flicker of frustration across the popular girl’s face.
Instead, Sunset reached out and tweaked Twilight’s nose when she got close. “Sit down, nerd,” she said with a laugh to cover up the order.
“I just wanted to make sure you saw us,” Twilight said, cheeks darkening, as she sat back down.
An eyebrow arched and Sunset glanced around. “Twilight,” she said with a measure of sarcasm. “There’s like ten people in here, and you're the only ones that aren't old enough to be my mother. It wasn't hard to find you.” Then she looked at the table critically. “Scoot over,” she told Twilight, this time without the laugh to soften it, bringing her chosen chair around to be next to Twilight.
As Wallflower watched, Twilight obeyed the command, shrinking a little in her seat when the redhead sat down and their shoulders bumped. Wallflower bristled a little—not only had Sunset masked any signs of being upset at her slight, but she’d turned it back on Wallflower by treating her as a non-entity while she made it clear that she controlled the table. Only when she was comfortable, lounging in the chair like some indolent predator animal did she turn her gaze on Wallflower, sizing her up, judging her with eyes as calculating as any of the manipulative popular girls she’d ever known.  
“Hey. You must be Wallflower—Twilight’s said a lot of good things about you. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”
Perhaps she’d judged too quickly based on how Sunset dressed. This was familiar now, the silent judging and careful verbal sparring to test what an opponent was made of, all subtly designed to assert dominance. Wallflower had seen this game played out a hundred times in school. And she knew how to deal with it.
She let her lips curl into the sort of expression she’d seen Upper Crust and Suri use a million times or more, a perfect little ‘social smile,’ disarming to people who wanted to be fooled but effective at putting more aware individuals off balance if used right. “Pleasure to meet you, Sunset Shimmer. I just love your jacket.  Did you…” she paused just a fraction of a second, half raising the hand not curled around her drink and wiggled her fingers in a lazy looking gesture. “…get it on sale just for such an occasion?” 
Her lips fought the smirk wanting to break free, and only partially won that battle when the mean girl’s smile faltered on her way too perfect face. Sunset self-consciously tucked some hair behind her ear, finally shaking her head. “It was a gift, actually,” she responded once she’d recovered from the implied insult. “My friend Rarity helped me pick it out over the holidays, and then insisted on buying it for me.” Fingers touched a small red and gold sun that had been embroidered on the front. “She even helped personalize it.”
Twilight interjected, and Sunset’s eyes immediately snapped to her, as if Wallflower no longer existed. “Oh! I was meaning to ask you where you got it done. I thought you’d taken it somewhere.”
“Nope. Rarity sort of confiscated it at one of our sleepovers at her place, and before I knew it, she’d added it to the jacket.” Sunset touched the sun again. 
Wallflower wished she was anywhere but here; her idea for a fun afternoon did not include listening to some stuck up popular teen casually drop all the people she knew and what she could get them to do for her for free because they were sucking up to her in hopes of benefiting from her social standing.  “It must be nice to have people willing to do stuff for you like that,” she commented, her tone brittle and dry. 
Sunset frowned slightly, her eyebrows pinching together as the dig struck home.  “I try not to—a lot of stuff like that is just how Rarity is as a person. She has a habit of doing things for her friends—not just embroidery, either.  Like last week, she offered to make dresses for prom for the girls who are going, and AJ let slip that all of her formal wear has been done by Rarity for the last few years. Something about it being easier to get things in her size.”
Barely resisting the urge to grind her teeth, Wallflower took a drink to avoid the blatant retort that not even Twilight would overlook. A homemade prom dress by an amateur seamstress who probably acquired her skill with patching hand-me-downs for a horde of younger siblings who their parents couldn't afford to buy new clothes for? Who would want something like that? Except for maybe an overweight wannabe metalhead going by the moniker ‘AJ.’  
“Really?” she said, managing to keep a straight face. “I had heard that Canterlot High offered a much more…diverse…range of classes, since a public school doesn't have the funding to provide some of the advanced academic materials that a private school like Crystal Prep can.” She took another sip of her drink, just to draw out the moment. “Is your friend the shining star of your school’s…domestics department?”
Now those sharp eyes were on Wallflower, and she could sense she’d finally made some sort of dent in the popular girl’s armor.  “Rarity is already making a name for herself, not just at school,” she said a bit stiffly. “She runs her own shop, part time, and makes outfits on commission.”
There was a noise of surprise and interest from Twilight. “That’s actually quite fascinating when you look at the history of clothing manufacture and the profession of tailoring…” she began in what Wallflower could tell was the beginning of a long winded spiel about a subject no one cared about.  
She allowed Twilight about a minute of talking uninterrupted, watching to see if Sunset would shut her down, rolling her eyes when the mean girl let Twilight to keep rambling on some random history lesson about green dye.  Whatever Sunset Shimmer was after from Twilight, she must’ve wanted it badly with the way she was putting up with a veritable recitation of several chained wikipedia articles.  Wallflower stretched her foot out, having finally heard enough, and none too gentle poked Twilight’s ankle. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. Green dye bad, rich women are stupid, green dye made them somehow dumber. Not much has changed. Next topic, please.”
Sunset smoothly reached in her jacket and pulled out a twenty. “Hey,” she said to Twilight, getting the lavender skinned girl’s attention with a touch to her arm. “That green dye might’ve been poison, but why don't you take this green dye and get us some drinks and snacks to have while we walk around the exhibit, okay?”
Twilight had wilted a little under the chastisement from Wallflower, but as soon as Sunset spoke to her, she practically tripped over herself to follow the command. “What did you want?”
“….mmm…I heard they have a pretty tasty chai tea here. Get me a large? I’m pretty thirsty—had a pretty rough practice at lunch today, and my throat’s a bit sore.” Sunset gave her a smile and shooed her off, leaving her and Wallflower alone at the table.
The silence stretched between them until Twilight was in the line and out of earshot. Then angry eyes fixed on Wallflower, and Sunset showed her true colors openly for the first time. “Look, I’m not sure if we got off on the wrong foot somehow, or if you're just having a bad day or whatever, but is there a reason you're taking it out on Twilight? If I did something wrong, tell me instead of…whatever this is.” She made a loose gesture, her voice pitched low to avoid carrying.
How typical of someone like her, to make herself out to somehow be the victim when someone made it clear they were not falling for her game. “Off on the wrong foot?” Wallflower couldn't keep the sneer out of her own voice. “Oh, no, Sunset Shimmer. I’d say it was the perfectly right foot.” She leaned forward. “See, you may not know me, but I know you. I’ve known about you for a long time, about exactly what kind of person you are. I’ve heard about your exploits, ‘Oh Mighty Queen Bitch of Canterlot High,’” she hissed, feeling extremely satisfied at the way Sunset paled at her words. “I know about the lies, the manipulation, the blackmail, about all the underhanded tactics you use to stay at the top of the pile in that cesspool of lower class mediocrity you call a school.”  
Wallflower held the other girl’s gaze the whole time wanting her to know that she was serious. “I know plenty about you, and people just like you, who only care about yourselves. I know that someone like you wouldn't waste your time with my friend without an ulterior motive, and that once you get what you're after, Twilight will be yesterday’s news, just like dozens of other people you’ve used and forgotten.”
For a moment the green haired girl though Sunset might have a retort for her, only for the other teen to look away with…was that humiliation in her eyes? It was nice to see it on the face of someone who deserved it for once.  Then she steeled herself, and answered Wallflower, still looking away. “You aren’t entirely wrong,” she conceded. “I was a pretty terrible p-person for a long time. I manipulated and hurt a lot of people who didn’t deserve it, and for a long time, I enjoyed having that power over others…”
Oh, she should have been recording this, Wallflower realized. So she could play it back for Twilight, to make her realize she was being used.
“But…” Sunset kept going, “…it didn't make me happy, or any less alone. Having real friends, friends like Twilight, has.  I’ve worked hard to change, to be a better person.” She finally looked back at Wallflower. “So you're partially right…but partially wrong. I don't want anything from Twilight other than her friendship. That's it. No ulterior motive, no manipulation, no games. Just whatever friendship she is willing to give me.”
Wallflower snorted openly. “You can fool Twilight with that kind of crap, and probably the idiots you go to school with, but I’m not falling for it,” she said scathingly. “Because people like you don't change, Sunset Shimmer. You are always going to be looking out for number one, and you’ll do whatever you have to to get there, because you don't care about anyone but yourself.”  The redhead flinched back from her, and Wallflower could practically taste the victory right in front of her. “If you did, you’d see what was right in front of your nose: that Twilight deserves better for a friend than some dirty, rebellious, mean girl and her group of fellow trailer trash rejects. If you want to play power games amongst the children of blue collar laborers, I won't stop you, but you need to stick to your own kind and stop sniffing around people who are so far above you that you should be thankful for the chance to even work for them in your future.”
Sunset’s eyes were focused on the table, her knuckles white. For a moment Wallflower felt savage glee at having laid the popular girl so low with the truth that she honestly thought the other girl might burst into tears.  Good. Someone needed to knock Sunset down a peg—despite her words, not all of the public school kids were bad, and they certainly didn't deserve to suffer under this pathetic excuse for a bully.
It was at that moment, as she stared intently at the top of Sunset’s head, that something changed. All of the hair on her arms stood up, and from the prickling sensation on the back of her neck, it wasn't restricted to her arms. A low sound escaped the mean girl, and she straightened up, locking eyes with Wallflower.
Her heart felt like it stopped in her chest for half a second before jolting to beating a hundred miles a minute, and she couldn't breathe as cold, icy fear went through her body—not a little fear, like from seeing a garden snake or almost falling, but the kind of primal terror triggered by the instincts in the back of the brain, from the animal part that had evolved in a jungle full of apex predators who wanted to eat it.  For a second so brief she would later decide she’d imagined it, something else was looking at her through Sunset’s shadowed, glinting eyes, rage and hate and the promise of violence communicated without words. Wallflower practically jumped out of her seat, stumbling backwards, overcome with the need to be anywhere but here, all thoughts of putting Sunset in her place eclipsed by the fear that made her want to run and never look back…except to do so would be to look away from those eyes…and she found she couldn't no matter how hard she tried.
The moment was broken by Twilight’s voice, calling out to Sunset; those eyes blinked and the head turned away from Wallflower, releasing her from the hold they'd had on her.  The green haired girl sucked in a breath, her heart pounding, her guts churning, and cold sweat soaking her body, feeling like she’d just narrowly avoided certain death. Was Sunset on drugs or something? Normal people didn't look like that…
Whatever it was, it left her shaken and shaky too. Twilight looked at her in concern after handing Sunset her tea. “Wallflower? Are you okay? You don't look so good.”
She needed an escape, and Twilight provided one. “I…yeah. I might be coming down with something, Twilight—I don't feel well all of a sudden. I think I’m…going to go home.”
“Oh.” That word was laden with childlike disappointment. “Okay, I understand. Are you going to be okay with driving home?”
“…Yeah.” It didn't matter if she wasn't. She needed to get away from…from…her mind shuddered, refusing to complete the thought.
As she backed away from the table with uncoordinated, lurching steps, she could hear Twilight being reassured by Sunset Shimmer. “It's okay, Sparky. We can have some fun just the two of us today, and maybe we can try…” The voice faded as the door shut between her and the other two girls.
Wallflower fled to her car, shivering miserably in it for long after the heat had warmed the inside to a toasty temperature, suddenly understanding why Lyra had always talked about her like this unstoppable force, this tyrant queen of the student body who crushed anyone beneath her who stepped out of line.  She had underestimated Sunset Shimmer and had been forced to abandon Twilight to her clutches…
She wouldn't make that same mistake next time.
> Chapter One Hundred and Three: Misery Loves Company
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“…so I go into the manager’s office, thinking I’m in trouble for something—like a Bob-Cut complained that I didn’t fashion her latte with the exact percentage of whipped cream she was willing me to know by telepathy or something. And she starts asking me if everything is okay.” 
Flash stopped for a moment to take a sip of the horribly unhealthy fast food milkshake, and Sunset gestured at him with the end of her double bean burrito. “That’s pretty strange….how does this tie back to what you were saying about your parents?”
He grimaced. “That’s the worst part. Apparently, my dad called and wanted to get a copy of my updated work schedule from my boss, and when my boss asked why they didn't just ask me, my dad told him it was because I ‘wasn't making the best judgment calls lately about things going on in my life,’ and that ‘I had been distant and closed off.’” The blue haired boy made a sound of frustration.  “My boss thought he meant I had started doing drugs or had gotten involved with a gang or something like that, so I had to explain to her that my parents are overreacting because I’ve mended fences with my ex-girlfriend since we enjoy being ‘just friends.’” 
Sunset winced and shrank a little into the seat. “Ponyfeathers…I’m sorry, Flash. I didn't mean for you to get into it with your parents over me.”
Glancing over, the other teen shook his head. “It's not your fault, Sunset, not this time. My parents are the ones incapable of accepting that I am capable of making decisions and don't want to believe that I’m over what I felt for you last fall…or believe that you’re a much better friend for me than you ever were a girlfriend. They have it in their heads that I’m still head over heels in love with you, and that all of this is me being willing to be your doormat for any scrap of attention.”
“…they…are aware that you were the one who broke up with me, right? I mean sure, I didn't fight it, and you know why, but…” She opened up her burrito to squeeze a packet of hot sauce into it, along with stuffing some cherry tomatoes and a few slices of red bell peppers into it from a snack bag leftover from her lunch, before rewrapping it and taking a hearty bite. The crunch of crisp veggies added to the otherwise fairly plain meal, and she hummed in appreciation, deciding to look up some recipes and experiment to make some kind of Equestrian style tacos and burritos.
Her friend sighed again. “It’s…it doesn't matter. They can't see that—only how badly I handled it when we broke up and I realized you’d used me.” He popped a loaded nacho into his mouth and made a face. “Ugh. Maybe a milkshake was not the best choice with this.” When Sunset snickered, he pointed a chip at her. “Uh huh, laugh it up, pony-girl. I'm sure you’ve got some bad food combo horror stories.”
“Anyway…I think it's just that thing parents do, you know? When they just don't get you, or have totally forgotten what it's like to be a kid. Even my grandparents are telling them to get over it and stop overreacting about stuff that's 'just part of being in high school.'” Flash looked over at her. “Do pony parents do that kind of thing too? Or is that just a human thing?”
The former unicorn fell quiet, using the large bite of food she’d just taken as a chance to organize her thoughts on the subject and figure out exactly what to say to him. Finally she swallowed, and took the plunge. “I…don't think they do it over the same things as humans,” she admitted. “Or at least…Princess Celestia never needed to get upset at me over what you're talking about. Most adolescent foals are usually focused on their cutie mark, either earning it or experimenting with the things related to it to figure out exactly what they want to do with their talents, and that's...encouraged by other ponies. You don't interfere in somepony's pursuit of where their cutie mark is driving them.” She ran a hand through her hair. “With me she was just always on my case about making friends, or about my behavior towards other students. Truth is, I started most of our arguments, not her.”
A frown pulled the corners of his mouth down. “What about your mom and dad?”
Of course he’d be the first one besides her girlfriend’s family to ask. Her other friends were curious about who she was in Equestria, but they were content to take what she gave them and focus on safer topics than on home and family.  Her shoulders sagged a little, knowing the truth was going to spawn more questions. “…I don't know. Kind of hard to fight with ponies who I never knew.”  Deciding to preempt at least a few questions and have control over the narrative, she added, “Princess Celestia found me abandoned in a forest fire when I was a newborn. She could never even identify who my parents were or what happened to them. I grew up as her ward.”
Silence, heavy and suffocating, filled the car for a long time as Flash sat there awkwardly. “Sunset…I…I’m sorry. I had no idea—”
“Of course not,” she interrupted. “I don’t bring it up for a reason, Flash. Not because it upsets me.” Could it really count as upsetting when it was just an ever present, half healed wound that never seemed to go away? “…but because of how others react. Can we…not make this weird?”
Flash watched her for a minute. “Yeah…sorry. I guess we all just kind of assumed you had a falling out with your family or something.”
She shrugged. “Honestly, I think that’s the better choice…it's…not too far from the truth anyway. I had a massive fight with Princess Celestia which is why I ran through the portal. She’s the closest thing I had to a parent.” Sunset took a drink of her Dr. Pepper, before trying to change the subject. “Anyway, I wish I had better insight for you about the stuff with your parents. I’m not sure what to say—I still barely understand Twilight’s parents, and I spend a lot more time at her house than I ever did yours.”
With a nod, he returned to working his way through his container of nachos. “Speaking of your girlfriend…you said something happened? You sounded pretty pissed.”
The burrito she’d just consumed turned into a lead weight in her guts. “….I am—not at Twilight, but…at this friend of hers. And I’m not even sure if I have any right to be angry, because she didn't say anything that wasn't true, but I was just getting used to not having everyone bring it up all the time…”
“Sunset,” Flash admonished. “Start at the beginning so I know what the heck you're talking about.”
Blushing, the former unicorn ducked her head in embarrassment. “Right. Sorry.” She ran a hand through her wild mane. “Okay, so…after we bumped into you last week, she wanted to introduce me to one of her friends from school, this girl named Wallflower.”
He nodded. “Okaaaay. With you so far. So what happened?”
Sunset blew air out her nose in a frustrated snort. “Twilight’s talked a bit about Wallflower before. They've been friends for a couple of years, they used to have a few other friends at school, but those friends moved or something. So it's just Wallflower and Twilight left there, and according to Twilight, Wallflower is quiet, kind of lonely, and doesn’t really have the best home life, but she likes gardening, tea, and is a decent friend. I even helped Twilight find her a birthday gift. I figured she’d be a little like Fluttershy, you know? Maybe a bit like Twilight.”
“I’m guessing that wasn't the case,” Flash commented.
“Not exactly…Twilight planned for us to meet up the other day after school at the Botanical Garden, because she figured it would have something for everyone.” Sunset took a drink from her straw. “I showed up, tried to be friendly…but…friendly in a way that was more calm and less…Pinkie?”
“So not screaming and setting off noise makers and throwing confetti?”
She snickered. “Yeeeah. I like Pinkie, but…I didn't want to be too much for someone I was told was ‘quiet.’ I said hi to Twilight first, sat down, and tried to keep it…relaxed. Like when you introduced me to the guys in the band?”
When he nodded, Sunset leaned her head back. “I really wanted it to go well. I want to eventually be able to tell her the truth and introduce her to the girls, because I know she’d like them, and this is kind of like…it's me meeting her friend, so I figured she felt the same way about it that I do about that. I want to like her friends too.”
Flash gestured at her with his drink. “Of course you do—because that's what a good friend, a good girlfriend does. And despite what anyone else thinks, you're a good friend, Sunset. You’ve become an amazing person.”
Her cheeks heated, and she ducked her head. “…Thanks, Flash.”
“So then what happened?”
The former unicorn puffed out a dramatic sigh. “She said hello back…sort of. It…wasn’t ugly or anything, but it felt…wrong. It felt like she was insulting me, but she wasn’t? I can't explain it, but it just made me feel really uncomfortable.”
Blue eyes watched her. “Did it feel…fake? Plastic?” 
“Kind of?”
He hesitated a moment. “Did it feel like something you might’ve said in the way you would have said it…say a year ago?”
Sunset froze, remembering how she’d spoken of Princess Twilight when she’d learned the other pony was going to run for Fall Formal Princess. The smiling mask, the neutral-to-slightly-saccharine tones, the double meaning in her innocent sounding statement…even the way Applejack had seen right through the ruse and scowled at her.
“Horseapples,” she swore. “That's it exactly. It even set all of my old instincts on alert. I thought at first I was reading too much into it, that maybe I was…backsliding? But…”
Her friend patted her shoulder. “I doubt that. Nothing else has made you go back to the old way you did things, so why would this? You need to listen to those instincts, pony-girl when they say something is wrong. So she was… making thinly veiled insults?”
“It felt like it.” Sunset cribbed her thumb in thought. “I just kept trying to be nice. She asked about my jacket, I mentioned Rarity bought it for me as a gift, you know, talked a little about my friends, but it was like everything I said, her responses were…like you said: fake.” She hung her head. “I tried to ignore it, told myself it was me.”
Flash snorted. “So what happened next to make it so you couldn't? I know you. Something else happened.”
Was she really that transparent? “…Twilight…likes to talk…but it's…more like she likes to share her knowledge. I like it—I learn new things or get a new perspective, and it means we never run out of things to talk about… When she…gets on the subject of something though, she…can just keep talking about it, until she either runs out of information or you interrupt her. I usually wait it out or ask questions.” She frowned, feeling anger bubble up from the memory of the other day. “Wallflower just…cut her off. And she wasn't nice about it. She was…pretty…curt? Brusque? It was enough that it hurt Twilight’s feelings.”
“Which pissed you off.”
Sunset glanced at him. “In not so many words, yes. I gave Twilight some cash, and asked her to go get us some drinks, and then I confronted Wallflower.”
Nodding, Flash dumped his empty nacho container into the bag they were using as trash. “I can't say I blame you…” 
She didn't blame herself that much either, not with how Twilight had looked, a mixture of surprise and a little hurt that Wallflower had been quite so cutting. “I don't know what I expected…but it wasn’t what she said. She…knew. Who I was before the Formal, I mean. Called me out for my past, accused me of using Twilight for my own ends…told me she didn’t believe people were capable of change…and even when I tried to explain that I’m not that person anymore…”
An arm draped around her shoulders in a friendly, comforting hug. “She didn't believe you.”
Eyes burning and guts twisting, Sunset leaned into the hug. “Worse. She…she told me to stay away from Twilight. That Twilight…deserved better than someone like me bothering her. That she didn't care what I did to people at CHS, but that someone like Twilight, like Wallflower herself, were superior to me. Like I was some kind of dirty mudp—” She caught herself, realizing that the slur wouldn't translate easily without a long explanation. “…it was just like what I used to hear when I was growing up in Equestria.”
The hug tightened briefly. “Spoken like a real Crystal Prep student,” Flash said in a sour tone. “That school really pushes the rhetoric that they are a million times better than others, that we should be happy they even acknowledge we exist. But it's not true. You know that, right? Twilight deserves a girlfriend…and a friend, if this is an example of the friends she has, that makes her happy, who cares about her the way you do. And no one should dictate who that person is besides her.”
The former tyrant queen of Canterlot High nodded tiredly against his shoulder. “I know…but…it made me so angry when she said it. It was like she was everypony who ever said those things, packed into one body, and she wanted to tear Twilight and me apart to prove it.” She pulled out of his hug, putting her face in her hands in shame and exhaustion. “I was so angry at her, I wanted to go over the table at her. I could feel my magic reacting, and it was all I could do to hold back a surge—I don't want to hurt anyone, and it would have probably killed her with how I felt…”
Sunset could feel his hand rubbing her back between her shoulders now. “You had a right to be angry. I would have been furious in your place...  If you want my opinion at all, this Wallflower sounds like a real piece of work, even for a Shadowbolt.” Flash paused a second, before asking, “Did your magic get away from you?”
“No,” she whispered. “I contained it. Barely…but I was so angry with her, and when I looked at her…” The image flickered before her mind’s eye, of Wallflower giving her that victorious, arrogant…not a smirk but…expression that said she knew she’d gotten to Sunset…of that expression faltering and then giving way to actual fear.  “I…she was scared of me, Flash. One second she was ready to drive me away from that table, and the next…” Green skin had turned ashen, eyes going wide and sweat breaking out on her forehead. Scared was an understatement. Wallflower had been utterly petrified of Sunset…but Sunset wasn't sure why. She’d been furious, and she knew her death glare was something she perfected in her time ruling over CHS—more than one student had been intimidated into hiding in a locker until she left—but even that had never triggered such a response.
“I mean, you can be pretty intimidating when you want to be, pony-girl. Especially when you're wearing your jacket and those boots,” the boy with her admitted. “And when you're angry…it's like this…” He wiggled a hand, trying to find the words. “You're suddenly bigger than yourself, and everyone can feel it.”
Sunset rubbed her face. “It didn't feel like that. It…” Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “It was way more scared than just me being angry.”  Guilt and fear of her own gnawed at the back of her mind, but she refused to give it a shape, a voice. “I didn't threaten her or anything like that—all I did was give her a look while I was angry. I couldn’t do anything else, not with my magic threatening to surge.”
Flash studied her for a long minute, before nodding slowly. “Other than being intimidated, what did she do after that? She make any more threats to you? Say anything else nasty? Or did she back down?”
With a scowl, Sunset tipped her head back against the headrest. “She jumped back…almost knocked her chair over in the process. Then Twilight came back, and she made this excuse to leave. Claimed she was feeling sick.”  She closed her eyes, replaying the scene in her memory. “Twilight believed her because she looked pretty bad. She was pale, and shaky, and looked like she wanted to throw up. She couldn't get away from us fast enough.”
“She wasn't really sick though. She just looked that way because of me.” Her old friend shame returned, bringing its sibling guilt with it. 
Her friend was quiet, thoughtful. “You want to know what I think, Sunset?”
“…yes?” the redhead responded, preparing herself for some unflattering truth.
Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Flash started slow. “First, I think you need to learn to trust your instincts about people more—you felt like something was off from the get-go and you were right. Now, what exactly was going on is…hard to say. This Wallflower does go to CPA, and that superior attitude, with the whole ‘our money and breeding makes us better than you’ is pretty much something that gets drilled into them. Lyra used to go there, and she’s commented that they even do that to each other there.  Maybe that's what caused it.”
“Or…maybe she’s had a shitty home life. Twilight told you she doesn't have a large friend group, right? You said it sounded like it wasn't a great time at home?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Twilight suggested she’s lonely.”
“Maybe she is,” Flash agreed. “Maybe she’s afraid that with someone like you in the picture, Twilight wont have time for her anymore. Especially if all she’s heard is about the old Sunset, plus your girlfriend singing your praises.”
Sunset sighed glumly. “I was kind of a bitch, and I didn't share with others well, you mean?”
Flash coughed. “I wasn't going to put it that way, but…kind of?”
“You don't have to be nice, Flash. I was pretty awful. I turned into a demon—hard to argue for the innocence of my soul when that happened.”
He gave her a light punch to the shoulder. “Stop that. I'm not trying to put you down. I'm trying to give you my thoughts here on why Wallflower was antagonistic. And if she was agitated about you ‘having an ulterior motive,’ maybe she was trying to protect Twilight in the only way she knows. In this case by being a Crystal Prep bully.”
The former unicorn turned the thought over in her mind. “…then…why was she scared at the end?”
Flash let out a heavy, slow sigh. “Do you know why you were so intimidating when you were a bully?”
That drew her up short. She’d never considered it much, assumed it was much the same reason other foals had been intimidated by her. “…because of my temper?” 
He laughed, the sound a tad bitter. “Hardly. No…it's because most bullies are full of hot air. They threaten and puff out their chests and talk big, but most of them crumple the instant you call their bluff. One punch, one challenge, one person who doesn't cower, and they've lost.  You weren't like that. Everyone knew you could back up anything you threatened with, whether it was putting someone on the ground or ruining their social life or making good on whatever blackmail you had on them. Princess Twilight was the first person—well…pony, I guess—to be able to out do your games…and she was the first one to be able to call your bluff.”
The once-bully was silent for a long time.  She had never given much thought during her reign of terror to why her tactics worked so well, but now that Flash had drawn her attention to it, she thought about it. She analyzed her own memories carefully, seeing the truth in his words, and pushed some hair behind her ears tiredly. “I didn't mean to,” she whispered, feeling ashamed more than ever at how she’d reacted to Wallflower. “I wasn't trying to bully her back…”
“Hey—none of that now, pony-girl!” Flash admonished. “I never said what you did was bullying her. She was being a bully herself, and you had every right to react badly. What I’m saying is that when you get upset, especially when you're angry, you are willing and able to act, and people can tell. So you went from being super friendly and trying to be nice to ‘wanting to go over the table at her’…and I don't think she was prepared for that.” He made a face. “It freaked her out because she’s probably never met anyone like you, Sunset. The bullies she’s used to talk big, but the one who does all the heavy hitting for them is their dads and their parents’ money.”
She blew air out her nostrils slowly, more a sigh than a snort. “ …maybe…” 
“It's more plausible than you spontaneously developing like, angry magic eyes or reverting to the former Sunset ala ‘Mean Girls 2: The Re-Bitch-ening.’”
Sunset sat in silence for a long time, deciding that maybe Flash had a point. The behavior she had witnessed had been everything she’d heard CPA accused of, and it would have fit right in with the noble brats of CSGU. She rubbed her face. “…but what do I tell Twilight?”  When he looked at her oddly, the redhead elaborated. “Twilight was really excited to have  me be friends with Wallflower…and I’m not entirely sure how to break it to her that I don't think that’s going to happen…”
The young man in the car with her drummed his fingers on his steering wheel in thought. “Maybe…just tell her the truth? That Wallflower thinks you're still the old Sunset, and that’s going to make it pretty hard to be on friendly terms?”
“I guess…I just don't want her to think I’m making this all Wallflower’s fault?” Sunset cribbed her thumbnail worriedly…
Only for her friend to reach over and pull her hand away from her mouth. “Be honest about that too. That her suspicion of you makes you feel lousy. At that point it's less about one person ‘being more at fault’ and more about you and Wallflower rubbing each other wrong.” He smiled. “If she’s half as amazing as you make her put to be, pony-girl, she’ll probably be more concerned with how bad it made you feel than anything.” He winked teasingly. “If I was in her place, and my girlfriend told me that, I’d be worried more about that than my girlfriend not getting along with my friend from school.”
“Haha, Flash. You're a regular comedian,” Sunset told her ex-boyfriend.  Crossing her arms over her chest, Sunset hunched in on herself a bit in her seat. “…I hope you're right though…”
> Chapter One Hundred and Four: All the Things She Said
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The room was quiet but for the soft click of laptop keys, as Twilight squinted at the screen, reading through the various local events at museums and gardens and other venues, striking off the ones that wouldn't work and jotting down potentials in a neat, precise list. The entire time her laptop’s speakers projected music from her iTunes at a low volume, not loud enough to disrupt her, but enough to provide a background track that kept her from noticing all the other noises in an otherwise quiet house.
Quiet that was shattered when Spike lifted his head at the sound of a familiar engine coming down the street, the dog leaping down from her bed and barking excitedly as if to announce Sunset’s arrival like a fuzzy herald. He seemed confused when Twilight barely acknowledged him, other than waving at her partially open door. “Go ahead and get Sunny, Spike…Bring her up.”
The canine needed no further urging, bolting from her room and flying down the stairs with how fast he ran.  Twilight could dimly hear her mother and dog greeting Sunset, and even registered the other girl’s laughter as she picked up the wiggly dog to say hello while simultaneously trying to avoid having him lick her face—there was some spluttering involved. 
It didn't take long before she could hear the approaching footsteps, and she turned to see Sunset slip into the room, flopping down on Twilight’s bed with her backpack on the floor and an exhausted groan. “…Hey, Sparky…” she managed. “…sorry I’m later than I planned. Got held up at school over a project for English…” The redhead rolled onto her back a moment later, staring up at Twilight’s ceiling. “Have I mentioned I hate the Bronte sisters and their writing? Ugh.”
“Oh?” she responded distractedly. “Not a fan of nineteenth century sexism and classism in the form of tawdry overly dramatic romance novels that imply that all a woman needs to be happy is the right marriage, and that pining after the wrong man or wishing to be master of herself is a guaranteed route to heartache and death?”
A snort escaped her girlfriend. “Not even a little.”  Her face pulled into a grimace, one laden with many emotions, too many for Twilight to identify them all easily, even with how well she could read Sunset. “Besides, I don’t understand how anyone can do that to a person--demand they give up what makes them who they are to make another person happy…and then to view it as the height of romance?” The last word was practically spat out, as if it tasted sour in her mouth. “There’s absolutely nothing romantic about destroying someone’s sense of self--it's no better than killing someone, and worse, it's all because some male is so uselessly self-absorbed and completely lacking in any depth of personality that would effectively attract a partner in the first place!”
Twilight blinked a moment, startled out of her hunt for a suitable event by the vehemence she could hear in her girlfriend's words. "That... you sound pretty serious about the subject, Sunny."
Sunset looked at her, her expression still twisted up with emotions. "Because I am. It's something I don't understand, can’t understand, and I’m not sure I’d even want to… There’s nothing anyone could use to justify denying someone the things that make them who they are that would ever make it okay, especially not claiming it's some kind of passionate declaration of love.  Relationships shouldn’t work that way--they should be about the people involved supporting and enriching each other’s lives and passions, not one person being forced into some kind of mold to satisfy the wants of the other and told they should be glad for the opportunity to be used that way."
Her own lips curled into a soft smile on their own. “You’re pretty amazing, Sunny, did you know that?” A thought occurred to her. “Is…that why you’re always content to just let me ramble and go to things I enjoy?”
That coaxed a laugh and an answering grin from her fiery haired companion. “Maybe,” Sunset said slyly. “Or maybe it's just that you’re adorably cute when you get super nerdy on me.” Blue-green eyes danced brightly. 
“So which is it?”
Sunset never stopped grinning. “You got me. I can’t help it. I am happy when I watch you get so excited and passionate about something that you just have to share it. Even if it's not something I’m interested in, its worth learning about it because it makes you happy.”
Twilight was torn. She really wanted to see where this conversation was going, maybe shift to the bed to cuddle up with the redhead and explore the idea…and the undercurrent of emotions it was generating further, but the open browser on her computer and the notepad in her hand was like a persistent itch demanding to be scratched, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to truly relax and focus on discussing ‘passions’ and ‘relationships’ with her girlfriend until she addressed it fully. Although the crooked smile and the way Sunset was looking at her made it a hard choice.  
In the end, she decided work before play was the best option, and turned back to the task at hand. “Before we…go further in this line of thinking…perhaps we can make a detour to a different subject?”
Blue-green eyes burned with an inner fire that Twilight could practically feel on her skin.  “Is that subject ‘the best way to go about kissing you?’” Sunset teased in a low, husky voice.
For a moment, Twilight seriously considered responding in the affirmative. Then she shook her head and pushed her hormones to the side. “Perhaps later, after dinner,” she replied with a small smile, reaching out to brush fingers over Sunset’s cheek. 
Her fiery maned paramour turned her head towards Twilight, one hand capturing those fingers so she could kiss them. “Okay…what did you want to talk about instead?” 
“I was attempting to come up with an event that would work for rescheduling our three person outing with Wallflower,” she explained, “and was hoping for your input.”
Sunset went quiet for a long minute, her brow furrowing and her face becoming tight and pinched, leaving Twilight feeling a pang of loss for the soft, affectionate space and the rising warmth between them, and the dark haired girl felt regret at having diverted the conversation.  Perhaps she should have just left this until later…
She sighed and shook herself out of the thoughts to focus back on Sunset, who also seemed unwilling or unable to meet Twilight’s gaze. Finally, Sunset let out a slow sigh. “I’m…not sure rescheduling is going to work, Sparky.”
Twilight’s expression pulled into a frown, not liking the echo of what she’d heard already from Wallflower when they’d talked the day before. “But…it's the socially acceptable way to handle a situation like this. We barely accomplished the goal of introducing you and Wallflower to one another, let alone spending any time in a mutual bonding activity in hopes of forming the start of a friendship…”
Amber fingers tangled with red and gold hair. “I recognize that, but I’m not sure that trying again will change the outcome, Twilight. I don't know if Wallflower and I will ever really get along…” Sunset refused to meet Twilight’s eyes, staring determinedly up at the ceiling.
It was once again an echo of Wallflower from the day before, and Twilight found herself comparing the two conversations…





“Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea, Twilight…” her friend said evenly from her chair while looking at the plant samples she’d taken from several places the dark haired girl’s energy detector had indicated as hot spots of activity. 
“Why not?”
“Because your so-called friend doesn't like me….and I don't trust the girl who has been bullying Lyra since she switched schools. I also don't get how you could miss that—even for you, that's pretty oblivious.” Wallflower never even glanced her way.   “I think we should both cut our losses and let her stick to bullying the public school.”





“I do not understand how a few minutes of fairly meaningless, albeit socially normative dialogue is sufficient enough to allow you to make that determination, Sunset. It is certainly not enough to form any kind of rapport.” Twilight took a breath, fighting her frustration down to maintain control over words.  “Our outing was interrupted by an unforeseen and unfortunate case of Wallflower being struck with an illness. It's not as though it was a planned circumstance on her part.”
The redheaded girl sighed. “Normally, I’d agree with you…”
Twilight tapped her pen forcefully on the desk. “Then the only proper course of action is to reschedule and try again—you should know this, Sunset.”
“I said ‘normally,’” Sunset stressed, “but not this time. Wallflower made it quite clear to me that she has no wish to be friends…”
Confusion made her comb through her memories of the short time her girlfriend and Wallflower had interacted, trying to figure out when such a thing had been said to Sunset. “I don't recall that being indicated at all,” she pointed out. “Not through direct statement nor through some form of implication.”
Blue-green eyes still did not meet hers. “It was when you were getting our drinks.”
An unpleasant suspicion crept over Twilight, the words bringing up another point from her talk with Wallflower…





“Please tell me you aren't really that oblivious, Twilight.” Wallflower was now looking at her with an expression of disbelief. “It's one of the oldest tricks in the book—it happens in TV and movies all the time.”
Twilight shifted in her seat. “I can't see Sunset trying to trick me or anything…” she hedged, only vaguely grasping what her friend was alluding to.
The green skinned girl rubbed her temples with one hand. “She handed you money and sent you off to get drinks,” she pointed out. “It was a tactic to get you out of earshot so you wouldn't hear her get confrontational with me. It was deliberate, because she knew you wouldn't sit for her talking like that to me. It would shatter this little persona she’s built up around you.”
“Sunset isn't like that,” she defended. “Yes, she has a rough past, but it's a lot more complicated than you know, and I’ve had the chance to get to know her.”
Wallflower sighed. “She’s playing you, Twilight, and you’re letting her. She tried to play me, and when I refused to fall for it, she threatened me. Just like she does to the kids at her school. In CHS you do what Sunset Shimmer says or you pay for it.”





Her stomach twisted in knots, and she found herself asking the question more to prove Wallflower’s words wrong than anything else. “…Sunny…did…did you send me to get drinks on purpose?”
Sunset finally looked her way, guilt and shame written all over her features. “Kind of…I was getting the impression that I’d done something to offend Wallflower somehow, and when she started taking it out on you, I…” She bit her lip briefly. “…I didn't want it to be a scene, or to upset you, since I knew how badly you wanted the day to go well…”
Twilight could practically hear the ‘I told you so’ in the back of her mind that sounded like Wallflower, and her hand tightened around her pen. “…are you saying that you were embarrassed by the thought of me ‘making a scene’…if I heard you say whatever it was you had to say to my friend?”  Hurt and something else leant an edge to her voice.
At that, her girlfriend sat up, swinging her feet off the bed so she was completely facing Twilight. “What? No! No no…Sparky…I’m never embarrassed by you…why would you even think that?” Sunset reached out and took both of Twilight’s hands in hers, forcing the dark haired girl to relinquish her hold on her pen. “I was afraid of me making it into a scene, because I didn't like how she spoke to you, how she kept making those…comments…about my friends…”
A thumb ghosted over the back of her hand as Sunset continued. “Turns out, my temper is…still pretty hard to control when it comes to defending the people that matter to me.”
Mollified somewhat, and trying not to get distracted by their proximity, Twilight took a breath, and asked the second half of her real question. “Then what did you say to Wallflower that led to your belief that the two of you cannot be friends?”
The other girl looked down at their hands. “I asked her if I’d done something to offend her…because if I had, then I’d prefer she either tell me or take it out on me, not be rude to you. You don't deserve to be attacked because I upset someone somehow.”
Perhaps that was the real misunderstanding? Twilight frowned, then decided to clear it up—if she could solve the misunderstandings that had clearly occurred between her friend and girlfriend then there would be no reason they couldn't be friends. “Sunny…while I appreciate your desire to protect me, Wallflower wasn't being rude…” She squeezed Sunset’s hands in hers. “She’s used to keeping me from getting too deeply distracted, drawing me out of mental tangents verbally.”
Sunset’s features became tense and tight, lips twitching. “Twilight…that's…that’s not how friends talk to each other. It was…it felt mean, not funny or like she was playing. Even AJ and Dash don't talk to each other like that, and I’ve seen those two get into a wrestling match in the barn over a difference of opinion…”
“And of course you are somehow a capable expert when it comes to proper friendship behavior now?” The words snapped out of her, cutting and harsh, as her irritation at her girlfriend grew. It meant the words bypassed her normal attempts at self-censoring, hanging heavy in the air between them. At the same time, Twilight pulled her hands from Sunset’s grasp; she needed to move, to gesture and pace in order to dispel the thoughts and feelings winding her up.
The other teen flinched back, expression twisting with hurt and shock, leaving Twilight with the sense that she had gone just a little too far—but if Sunset would just listen to reason—
“I never said that,” Sunset finally answered, her voice quavering. “…Just the opposite. The way Wallflower talked to you, talked to me…that's the way I used to talk and act to people…before…and it's not how any of my friends act to each other or anyone else…”
Twilight found she resented the implications. “Wallflower’s personality and mannerisms make her a touch abrasive, Sunset. I understand that might make her seem a lot more harsh than she means to be, especially to people who don't know her, but she really is a good friend.”
The redheaded girl crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself slightly. “This was more than ‘abrasive,’ Twilight. She told me outright that as far as she was concerned I was always going to be the Queen Bitch of CHS, and that I had no business even talking to you or her. That you deserved a better friend than me, and that the only reason I would want to be your friend was to get something out of you.” 
For the second time in as many days, she was being given a story that didn’t match with what she knew about her friends…





“Twilight, I think you need to really think about what I’m saying. This is Sunset Shimmer—she’s been the queen of mean at her school for years. Lyra has been complaining about her since day one! People like that don't just magically stop being horrible—you being friends with her is like making friends with Suri.” 
Twilight exhaled slowly, trying to fight her rising anxiety. “Sunset has changed. She’s worked very hard to be a better person since we met, and it's not been easy for her…but she’s trying. Why won't you give her a chance?”
Wallflower scowled. “This so-called friendship is not real! She has to want something from you, and you're so blinded by her that you're not only oblivious to that, but you don't notice how she treats you. She orders you around like a dog, Twilight. Or a slave. She hasn't really changed at all.”
That made her frown. When had Sunset done something like that? “I have no idea what youre talking about, Wallflower. I know Sunset has a somewhat assertive nature, but I’d hardly equate that to treating me as an inferior.”
Her friend snorted derisively. “Yeah, you aren't exactly known for having good judgment with things like that. Remember freshman year? That girl pulled the wool over your eyes for months, all while she copied from your work to up her own grade.”





Twilight was torn. Her two friends were telling contradictory stories and she wasn't sure how to handle it. Especially because they seemed like opposing viewpoints of the same events. Was it just possible the two of them had misjudged, partially because Wallflower had realized beforehand that the girl Twilight was excited to introduce her to was someone she’d heard negative things about in the past? 
That had to be it, and she decided to follow that logic, as it made the most sense. “Is it possible you misinterpreted her meaning at all? I know she is often concerned by my difficulties in spotting subterfuge—perhaps she just came on too strong?”
Her girlfriend made a frustrated sound. “No. It was not a misunderstanding. She was pretty direct in what she said, and made it quite clear what she thinks of me.”
It had to be though. Sunset had no reason to lie to her, and had been pretty enthusiastic about the whole plan before it had happened. By the same token, Wallflower was a friend she’d known for several years, who had not reacted this way to any of her other friends—they’d all gotten along fairly well, even Lyra, who had been extremely high energy and a little weird. “Are you sure?” she pressed, her own frustration rising as she sought a real answer instead of this nebulous game of “he-said-she-said.”  “Because I really think this has to be some kind of gross misunderstanding, and that only by trying another meet up will we be able to solve it so that we can all hang out.”
She watched as Sunset took a deep breath before exhaling slowly through her nose. The older girl’s lips moved like she was counting to herself…maybe…because Twilight wasn't great at reading lips.  “I’m more than certain,” she responded. “Your friend Wallflower was extremely clear on what she felt, and how little she wanted to even breathe the same air as me. This isn't some kind of social faux pas or personal misunderstanding. I know that you really really want us to be friends, but at this point, that is not going to be possible.”
“Why not?” Twilight demanded, her hands curling into fists at her sides. “Why aren't you willing to try?”
Sunset made a face. “I am willing, but she is not. She has already decided who she believes me to be, and she isn’t interested in anything that doesn't fit that narrative. Until she does, there's no point! There’s no point in pushing myself on someone who wants nothing to do with me, because it will only make it worse!”
“Someone has to be willing to try first, Sunset!” Why was Sunset being so difficult? If they just tried, she and Wallflower could be friends and put this silly misunderstanding behind them.
“It's not that simple, Twilight!”
From downstairs, she heard her father call up, about going to go get the takeout that the family had decided to order for dinner. It was a welcome interruption, Twilight decided. She needed some air and to calm down before this turned into a fight. She didn't want to fight with her best friend.
Purple eyes flicked to Sunset. “I think we need to put this conversation on hold. Right now, we both need space. I’m going with Dad to get dinner,” she told her firmly, her voice tight and strained. Then she turned and stalked out of her room without a backward glance.
> Chapter One Hundred and Five: Take A Step Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Sunset stared at the empty doorway, bewildered and stung. This conversation had not happened at all like she’d anticipated, and now Twilight had—
Hugging herself, the redhead cut the thought off. Twilight had done the right thing, stopping the argument before either of them lost their tempers. She certainly didn't want to run that risk, not with how her magic had been behaving recently. The knowledge didn't make her feel better, but it did mean she didn't feel any worse…
She pushed herself off the bed, and shuffled towards the door, then down the hall towards the stairs. The former unicorn had been looking forward to the night, but now…with how the uncertainty and hurt made her stomach churn and her chest feel tight…maybe it would be better if she went home. Facing Twilight right now was not a prospect that she was looking forward to—she needed time to sort through how she felt and what she wanted to say. With how Twilight had snapped at her and thrown her bullying, friendless history in her face, her emotions were a wreck. Of all the people she knew, the one person she had truly believed would never hold that over her had been Twilight Sparkle.  It was an illusion that had been soundly shattered now, and it hurt more than Sunset wanted to admit.
The redheaded teen grabbed her boots from by the front door, glancing down the hall towards the kitchen, where she could hear Velvet moving around. She debated with herself, before creeping into the kitchen with hunched shoulders; Twilight’s parents at least deserved to know she was going to head home. They would be worried if she just vanished, and after all they had done, she didn't want to worry them.
“Mrs. Velvet?” Sunset said hesitantly, gripping her elbow with her other hand.
Velvet turned, her face creasing with concern as she took in the sight of the teenager standing in the doorway, boots in one hand.  "Sunset...I thought you'd gone with Twily and her father to pick up dinner?" She seemed to look her over a second time, with more scrutiny, and immediately set aside the dishcloth she’d been using to dry a drinking glass.  Her footsteps carried her across the room quickly, reaching out with a gentle hand to touch Sunset’s shoulder.  “Sweetheart, are you alright? You don't look well…” 
She shook her head. “…she…went without me…I…we…we had a fight…and she said she wanted space…” Shying from the touch a little, she dropped into a kitchen chair to start putting her boots on. 
Her girlfriend’s mother frowned a little. “Why are you putting your shoes on?”
Sunset pushed her hair back from her face. “…I was…going to head home…since Twilight wanted some space…”
The frown on the older woman’s face deepened. “Did Twilight tell you to leave?” Some part of Sunset’s mind noted that Velvet had dropped the shortened form of the girl’s name, and seemed more than a little upset at the very idea.
Cribbing her thumbnail out of habit, she shook her head. “…no…but…I made her mad at me, and I…thought it might be best…” She cringed inwardly when concern became disappointment—she had never wanted to disappoint Twilight’s mother…but that was something that had been bound to happen sooner or later. “I’m sorry…” she mumbled.
"Sweetheart, can you look at me?" The gentle tone was at odds with the darkening expression on the woman's face, and an equally gentle hand reached out to guide the abused digit away from Sunset's teeth. 
Belatedly, she realized there was a foul, coppery taste on her tongue—blood, she realized, her stomach threatening to rebel over it.  She’d bitten her nail down to the quick and then some. Sunset swallowed, trying to settle her guts, even as she raised her eyes to meet Velvet’s, her boots forgotten for the moment.
Pulling a chair closer with her free hand, Twilight Velvet sat down, still holding onto Sunset’s hand and rubbing soothing little circles on the back of it that felt extremely comforting while she doctored the injury with supplies from a nearby kitchen drawer. “If you want to go home, Sunset, you can, but I would prefer if you’d let either Night or myself drive you home. I’m worried about you being on that bike of yours when you're upset like this…”
Sunset was quiet while Velvet finished wrapping a band-aid snugly around the end of her thumb, before she gave a slow and jerky nod. “If…if you’d rather, Mrs. Velvet, I…” She had to swallow several times when the words got stuck in her throat, hung up on what felt like a boulder lodged there.  As Velvet smoothed back a lock of hair that had once more fallen into her face when she looked at her toes, she managed to get her voice to work.  “…I don't want to make more problems for you…”
“You are never a problem for us, Sunset. Not now, not ever.” Despite the firm, fierce tone, the fingers now running through her hair were caring and comforting. “You are welcome in this house, with this family, even if you and Twilight are having a disagreement over something right now.”
The former unicorn let out a shuddering breath, but was unable to stop the flow of words that spilled out. “But she’s your daughter…and I—”
Velvet interrupted smoothly, “You're an intelligent and exceptional young woman, Sunset, who has, in the months we’ve known you, always conducted yourself politely and respectfully. There’s no reason to think otherwise of you, despite a fight with Twilight.”  She continued carding her fingers through red and gold curls. “Everybody fights, Sunset, no matter how close they are. Even Night and I fight sometimes. It would be silly of me to expect different with you and Twilight, or to automatically assume you were somehow in the wrong without knowing what happened.”
She paused for a moment, giving a chance for Sunset to absorb those words, before adding, “Though I’m here to listen if you want to talk about what happened?”
Indecision waged a war in her head. She wanted desperately to talk about what has happened, but she didn't want to betray any confidence or seem like she was somehow ‘tattling’ on her girlfriend to the younger girl’s mother. Finally she sighed, leaning into the hand stroking her hair. “…okay…”
Once the choice was made, the story spilled out of her: agreeing to a joint outing with Twilight’s friend Wallflower, the awkward and uncomfortable meeting, how the girl had been…catty and unpleasant, how she doubted her own reactions until the end confrontation, how she’d felt at the end, and then the subsequent argument she’d just had with Twilight when she tried to explain her hesitation on meeting Wallflower again…laid out as honestly as she could recount it. Her memory was nowhere near as precise as Twilight’s, so she summarized several points and bits of dialogue, but tried to keep it as close to what she could recall as possible.
Velvet listened, making the occasional encouraging sound whenever Sunset’s words faltered, giving the redhead the courage to keep going. When Sunset finally finished the recount of events—even the conversation with Flash because she had wanted an outside opinion—she sat for a few minutes in one of Velvet’s hugs, fighting back tears out of sheer determination. It was a losing battle as a few escaped to make damp tracks down her cheeks, followed soon after by more of them.  A box of tissues was passed to her without a word, allowing her the chance to wipe her face and blow her nose without overt attention being called to it.
When she’d put herself back together, unable to really look her girlfriend’s mother in the face, Velvet resumed the soothing motion of fingers in her hair. “For what its worth,” the older woman began, “I am proud of you for how you handled all of that, Sunset.  Considering the circumstances, you acted in a very mature fashion.”
“Y-you are?” she croaked in disbelief.
A motherly kiss was pressed to the top of her head. “Yes, I am.  You maintained a polite disposition in a very unpleasant and confrontational situation, took time to work through your thoughts, and sought an honest opinion on whether or not your reaction and feelings were appropriate for the situation.  I am proud of you for that…and not particularly pleased with my daughter at the moment for how she responded to you.”
Fingers caught her under the chin, making her meet Velvet’s gaze. “Sunset, I want you to understand something.  You are allowed to say no to anyone when they demand something of you that you are not okay with, even if that someone is your best friend.  I understand that you want to be a good friend, but when it is something that is causing you distress, it is perfectly healthy and acceptable to refuse.”
“Then why’d she get angry with me?” Sunset needed an answer to that, because she still wasn't sure what had sent the conversation off the rails. “When I told her, she…” She hunched her shoulders. “…she didn't believe me. She said I must have misunderstood Wallflower, and I should just try harder…”
Lips thinned at the question, before Velvet shook her head. “I…do not agree with Twilight in this case, Sunset. It seems to me a pretty hard thing to misunderstand when someone openly says ‘I don't like you’ and ‘I don't trust you not to be a terrible person.’” She closed her eyes for a few heartbeats. “Now, I will admit, I barely know Wallflower—I have met her a few times, back when Twily had more friends at her school, but not often and never for very long. However, her actions are hardly the kind of behavior I would want to see in a person either of you was associating with…” 
While her words trailed off, Sunset got the impression that there was more she wanted to say, but had decided against voicing it in front of a teenager. The former unicorn worried at her lip with her teeth. “…then why did Twilight say I did?”
Velvet was quiet for a minute or two, as if considering her response. Finally, she replied, “While I believe I can make an educated guess, it would be just that—a guess. It's a question I would very much like to ask Twilight myself, in addition to several other questions. I am not particularly pleased with her behavior as of late, and this is yet one more example of her acting in a fashion that is unacceptable.”  She gave Sunset another hug. “I’m sorry that you two had a fight, sweetheart, but I really do not think you should take the blame for it all on yourself.”
Sunset sat there for a time, trying to sort out and untangle the emotions roiling and twisting in her guts like a swarm of Abyssinian Firebees. Twilight Velvet sounded…almost like she was angry…at Twilight over the whole thing. Which…while it made sense for the woman, it…felt jarring and out of place to the former unicorn.  She was not accustomed to parents siding against their own offspring in her defense. It…just didn't happen. It certainly had never happened back in Equestria, and it hadn’t occurred in the human world either in the few instances of people getting parents involved over the years.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a concerned, “Sunset?” from the older woman. “What’s wrong?”
She floundered, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy. “I…” Blue-green eyes made the mistake of meeting Velvet’s, and she found the truth, though carefully worded, spilling out. “…just…I’m not used to…to…well…this!” She made a gesture in the air.
“What do you mean?”
Sunset closed her eyes, seeing again the angry faces of teachers and parents, taking her to task for confrontations with her peers. “…taking my side,” she said at last. “Whenever…someone was angry with me, and…adults found out…especially parents…they always blamed me. I’m…not used to someone saying their…child…might’ve been wrong.”
The arm hugging her tightened, and with her eyes shut as they were, the noise Velvet made was one she could pretend came from a mare instead of a human.  “A lot of parents do not like to acknowledge that their children are anything less than perfect,” she murmured, kissing the top of Sunset’s head again. “I have no such illusions—both of my children have their faults, just like every other person who has ever lived, and I am all too aware of what those faults entail for both of them.”
“Because of that, I can plainly see you are trying your best to be fair and truthful in what you’ve told me, and I can see where some of Twilight’s faults could create a situation very like what you’ve explained. It would be entirely unfair and wrong of me to do exactly what Twilight is doing and putting the whole of the blame on your shoulders when it is not yours.” 
A rattling, rough sob escaped before Sunset could stop it, her eyes squeezing shut against more tears. “…thank you…” she rasped.
“Any time, sweetheart…” There was a pause. “…and thank you, for trusting me enough to tell me all of that.”  
She nodded into Velvet’s shoulder, and they sat there for several minutes, Sunset drawing comfort from the warm motherly hug that soothed that old ache. Her girlfriend’s mother eventually broke the silence again, just about the time they heard someone pull into the driveway.  “I know you were thinking about going home, and I will still respect that choice, but I’m hoping you will at least stay for dinner, even if you aren't ready yet to patch things up with Twilight.”





Twilight barely restrained the urge to slam the door of the car when she got in the front seat next to her father. It wasn't his or his car’s fault that Sunset was being ridiculously difficult, after all. She settled for stewing in silence for a minute or two before she realized he hadn't started the vehicle.  Turning her head, she realized he was looking over at the front door with a concerned, confused expression, and it dawned on her that he was waiting on her girlfriend to appear.
“Just go, Dad,” she bit out in a huff, her voice sounding more petulant than the firm-but-calm tone she’d been aiming for.
Night frowned, starting the car. “What about Sunset?” he asked curiously.
“She’s not coming.”
He arched a brow, but began backing out of the driveway. “Wanna talk about it?” her father offered a minute later.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Twilight responded tersely, annoyed that her tone still possessed more than an acceptable level of petulance to it. That irritation merged with her frustration at Sunset’s pigheadedness, and, in doing so, prodded her to keep talking despite her decision to leave it at that. “Sunset is just being unreasonably childish is all. She took something Wallflower said in completely the wrong way, and is now acting like it's a huge problem…but she’s upset over nothing!”
Her father said nothing, and she took it as a cue to keep going. “When I explained that to her, that she had clearly taken things in the wrong way and misunderstood Wallflower’s intentions, and then pointed out that she was being exceptionally rude to be so hostile over a misunderstanding, turning down the social outing I was trying to organize to help them sort through their misunderstanding, she dug her heels in, becoming even more obstinate in her refusal!” She scowled out the window. “Someone with her obvious upbringing should have a better grasp of proper etiquette and social niceties than that—I shouldn't have had to explain it!” 
Twilight blew out another breath in a huffy sound, glaring into the evening gloom. “So she can just stay behind and think about it until she’s ready to apologize for her ridiculous behavior and act in a more reasonable manner.” 
More silence, and the teen felt the urge to fill it with more sound, more words. Besides, getting it all off her chest had helped a good bit.  “I’m doing my best to handle this in a mature fashion, Dad…removing myself from the situation until Sunset decides to come around and get over this snit about Wallflower.” She considered for a moment, organizing her thoughts. “Dr. Soft-spoken would probably say it's a result of insecurity on Sunset’s part, or maybe from jealousy over me having another friend…What do you think?”
A small smile tugged at her lips while she waited for her father to confirm what she’d hypothesized about the whole situation…only to fall away when she registered that her father was not responding with the expected alacrity. Twilight stole a glance at him—instead of nodding and agreeing, or even being overly focused on the road, Night’s expression was the worryingly neutral one he wore when he heard something he didn't like the sound of, but was holding back until they had finished.  
She didn't know how to feel about that look being directed at her, particularly in this situation. As a result, her attempt to prompt a response came out smaller and weaker than she wanted. “…don't…I mean…that was the mature and reasonable way to handle it, wasn't it? I thought that space and a time out to think until she understands how badly she’s been acting over this is the proper way to deal with this whole mess…that's what you and Mom do, after all…”
At that, Night did respond, his tone that very mild and neutral one that suggested he was incredibly unhappy.  “I do believe, Twilight Sparkle, and I am quite certain your mother would back me up on this, that I have never ‘put your mother in time out until she apologized’ for disagreeing with me. Not once, in the entire history of our thirty-plus years of knowing each other.” There was a crisp snap to the end of his words that made the dark haired teen twitch.  
 For a brief few seconds, she considered protesting, but her father continued, and what he had to say made her mood sour even further.
“I am going to be completely frank with you, Twilight,” he said, his voice firm. “I really don't care for this new attitude you’ve affected over the last month. It comes across as arrogant, spiteful, and is downright unpleasant to interact with. I understand you have been extremely stressed with your schoolwork, and that this year has had several large changes, but that’s not an excuse for it, and it's not a flattering persona you’re projecting. What you were just saying, a minute ago, about Sunset, who you claim is your best friend, was cruel, mean spirited, and derogatory—you sounded like Alabaster and Jade, sneering down your nose at someone who was less than you…” Golden eyes were hard and his expression had turned stern. “It is most certainly not how your mother and I raised you to treat others.”
Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but as they were idling at a red light, Night held up a hand to forestall whatever she’d meant to say. “Let me finish, please, and then you can respond.”
The teenager made a face, crossing her arms over her chest again. She’d expected her father to see the logic in what she had done and agree with her steps to handle the whole disagreement without screaming and yelling. Instead, here he was scolding her about a completely unrelated, irrelevant point that had nothing to do with that night and everything to do with the fact that her parents were leery of her desire to assert her independence, or even about her mother’s mistrust of her looking to Principal Cinch as a mentor figure.  
In the end, she tuned most of what he was saying out, in favor of mulling over it herself.  She could get the general gist of what he was saying to her, and mentally ticked off a number of items on a mental list.  Twilight had not been wrong. He didn't care for her standing up for herself, or making decisions on her own, or trying to handle these things by herself. Basically, Night didn't care for Twilight doing anything that showed that she was an intelligent young adult on the cusp of adulthood, instead of a dependent child who relied on Mommy and Daddy to make all her life choices. It wasn't fair, either—didn't he realize that she needed to do these kinds of things now so she could survive as an adult without having an overly emotional meltdown every time life got stressful?!
At some point, Twilight realized the car had stopped, and her father was looking at her expectantly. “Yes?” she asked, her tone short and sharp—even she recognized she was being snippy with him, but she felt vindicated since he’d just seen fit to dress her down like a recalcitrant toddler. Besides, she couldn't bring herself to let go of the sense of injustice that coiled in her guts at the way no one ever seemed to actually listen to her.
A small voice in the back of her mind, sounding wounded and huffing a little at the direction of her thoughts, retorted in a tone Sunset had never used to her knowledge, “I listen, Sparky. I’m just less inclined to listen when you're acting like the north end of a southbound mule.”
Twilight pushed the voice away. Well, I don't want to listen to you right now, she thought back. It was nigh on intolerable, she decided, when even her own mind refused to back up her own decisions.
“Were you planning on coming in with me to retrieve the food?” Night asked coolly.
The dark haired girl shook her head sharply. “I’ll stay with the car,” she said irritably. “You should go get it though—the app says it's ready for pick-up, and it's no good cold.”
Night Light watched her for a long minute or two, and she did her best to remain impassive, despite how it made her feel. “Very well, Twilight….but this conversation is not over yet. I will be right back.”
It was fairly obvious that her father hoped she would spend his absence thinking on his words, but Twilight felt little inclination to do so. Instead, she mulled over her indignation at his complete and utter dismissal of both her points and her struggles to grow as a person, viewing the latter as some kind of…attitude! Worse yet, he compared it to the mannerisms of…of… One eye twitched just a little. She was nothing like Alabaster or Jade, and she would never be! The whole point of pushing herself so hard with her project, with her grades, with her academic achievements was to prove that the beliefs about her from family members like that were wrong!
“Are you really sure about that, Sparky?” whispered that part of her that sounded like her girlfriend. “Maybe you should really think about what you’ve been spouting off this afternoon…it's…not like you at all—it sounds like you’re repeating what someone else has told you…”
Unbidden, a scrap of her conversation…such as it had been…with Wallflower floated up from her memories.





“Look, Twilight, I get that you're not the best judge of character, and you're a pushover, but even you have to admit it's not a great decision here. Why in the world would a public school kid be trying to hang around with people from a private school like CPA—they’re different worlds!”  Wallflower was looking at her with a severe frown—from her, that was practically a scowl, Twilight noted absently.
Still, she tried to counter the point. “When we met, she had no idea what school I went to!  There wasn't any kind of weird ulterior motive that you keep suggesting. Sunset and I have a lot in common!”
A snort escaped her friend. “I have a hard time believing that someone who probably lives in a leaky apartment or a dingy trailer has a lot in common with the smartest girl in Crystal Prep. You’re better off not getting too chummy with public school kids…but it's your funeral when the truth of what they're really up to all comes out. Just leave me out of it.”





“…could’ve called that one. I’m surprised she didn't give you the speech about how ‘while you can make allowances for those of lesser breeding, it doesn't do to let their kind of people too close. It gives them ideas, and your expensive cutlery goes missing.’ Really, Sparky, how do you put up with that?”
Twilight shoved the rest of the memories down, uncomfortable and starting to question both herself and the little voice in the back of her mind. Sure, it was pretty harsh, and she was as unhappy with Wallflower as she was with Sunset, but to be fair, Canterlot High did have a bit of a reputation for the way they handled problem students—everyone knew it was where the kids in the area who had run out of schools to get kicked out of ended up.
“That's just a rumor and you know better than that.”
A sound escaped her and she buried the voice. This wasn’t supposed to be how her night went, but Sunset had thrown off her carefully scheduled evening. Why did she have to turn this into an overly dramatic mess! Twilight took off her glasses and rubbed her face, trying to relieve tension and relax.  The last thing she needed on top of the rest of the evening’s disastrous events was a headache.
When she lifted her head and put her glasses back on, she spotted her father exiting the restaurant. Her stomach twisted at the stern look he gave her—it felt like he was even more displeased with her than he had been when he’d left the car. For once, the smell of stir-fried meat and vegetables, along with the delicious tang of soy sauce and ginger, failed to make her mouth water.  In a curiously distant and numb way, she found herself wishing that her mother had opted to cook dinner instead.
Night started up the conversation again once they were moving, and Twilight could see how angry he was—a rare sight, but one that had been happening more since the beginning of the new year. It was something that made her squirm a little in her seat, as it was directed at her…just like it had been the night she and Shining had gotten into it with their mother. 
“Maybe there’s a reason for that,” the traitorous voice she’d tried to bury whispered sarcastically.  
It made guilt twinge, the memory of shocked hurt and betrayal in blue-green eyes feeling like a knife to the heart.  
Still, despite the fact that he was angry, her father managed to keep his voice level and at a normal volume—in some way, she was grateful for that, because she didn't know how she would react if he had actually been angry enough to raise his voice. In all of her life, she couldn't remember a time when he had yelled in anger…it just wasn't who he was.  At the same time, him being outwardly calm left her with nothing to rail against, leaving her riddled with impotent frustration and forced to listen to what he had to say so she could prepare a counter argument.
“Alright…since I’m fairly certain that you were choosing to ignore me when I was talking before, I would like to start this conversation over again.” As the car stopped at a red light, he took a moment to pin her with a gaze that made her face heat with embarrassment.  “And just so you understand, if you attempt to ignore me again, I will lock your laboratory down for the rest of the weekend. I do not care how old you are—deliberate disrespect of a family member comes with consequences. Do you understand, young lady?”
Twilight squirmed in her seat but nodded reluctantly. She didn't really want to listen to the lecture all over again…but she definitely didn't want to lose access to her laboratory for the whole weekend, not when she had so much work she needed to do. That would put her behind schedule. More behind schedule than she already was, anyway.
“Verbal acknowledgement please, Twilight."  Her father wasn't giving one inch, and the dark haired girl wondered briefly if this had been what Shining faced, after he'd yelled at mom that night. If it was, it was understandable why he'd been so subdued since then.
“I understand, Dad." Her voice was shakier than she liked, wavering a little in the middle.  Night Light was not a harsh or even stern man—he didn't do something like this over trivial matters.  That he was doing it here spoke volumes about his seriousness, and that he meant every word that was about to come out of his mouth. 
“Maybe you should listen properly this time, Sparky, and consider the points he makes. If you don't, then how are you any better than those scientists and researchers you complain about—you know the ones who twist the facts to match their hypothesis rather than admit they were wrong?”  
Her father nodded, satisfied with her answer, and continued, “I am well aware of the fact that right now, you are extremely stressed with the school project you have taken on, and that, at the same time, you are also trying to explore what it means for you to make the transition from a dependent child to a more independent teenager in preparation to eventually become a fully independent adult. The truth is, Twilight, neither your mother nor I are unsympathetic towards the fact that such a transition is a tough time of trial and error for you, even more so than many of your peers, and we understand that you will not always get it right on the first attempt.  We are also acutely aware that this may mean you might wish to make choices that are different from ours, to try things we had not considered you might desire to try, and we know that such a thing does not necessarily make those choices wrong…merely different.”
The teen’s stomach twisted and contorted until it felt like her guts were trying to impersonate a möbius strip. That….was not what she’d assumed her father was going to say before…now she felt like a fool.
He wasn't done, continuing his lecture after a handful of heartbeats to let the first part sink in.  “However, part of being an adult is the ability to stop and reconsider our choices and actions, when we see that what we are doing is causing unneeded harm to someone.”  Golden eyes flicked briefly to her, a look that left her no doubt that he was talking about her behavior, not his….especially when she had a mental flash of the way Sunset had flinched, her face crumpling with hurt and betrayal.
Hanging her head, Twilight hugged herself as her heart sank further. Her mind had decided to dredge up an older memory immediately following the one from a short time ago, from one of Cadence’s more important discussions with her in sixth grade.





“While consent is usually spoken of in regards to sexual conduct, Ladybug, I want you to understand that it's actually super important and applies everywhere and  everywhen, not just for you, but each and every person. It doesn't matter what its about, the second someone asks you to stop or tells you no, you need to stop—I don't care what it is you're doing or how much you want it. You put it on hold and you listen to what they are saying. It's not okay to tell them they're wrong, or to argue about it. You listen, respect their no, and talk about the situation with concern for their wants and needs, just like you would want someone to respect yours.”
Twilight blinked at her sister in all but blood. “But what if they are being stupid and their reason is irrational? Do I still have to listen even when they are wrong?”
Cady rested both hands on her shoulders. “Yes, Twily. You don't have to believe them or agree, but you need to respect their right to choose and their right to say no, just as other people need to respect those things for you.”  Her tone was firm but gentle when she asked, “For example, someone else might think your reason for not wanting to date a boy because you like girls is stupid and irrational, but you’d want them to respect your decision and not be mean, wouldn't you?”
Blushing horribly, Twilight nodded and looked at her toes. Cadence tipped her chin back up. “Then you need to give other people the same respect.”





She took a breath to steel herself, then quietly said, "Do you think that is what I did earlier, Dad?"
Night was silent for a moment. "In my opinion, having heard your rendition of what occurred, and having received a text from your mother, who is seeing to Sunset…” He paused, and she bit her lip, wondering about his final verdict. “….yes, Twilight, I do believe you did that, even if it was accidental and not deliberate." His voice had started to thaw, just a little, but was still far too stern and flat, making her fidget with the sleeve of her sweater.
“Oh…”
A heavy sigh escaped him. “Wanting your friends to get along is not a bad or wrong choice, Twilight…but attempting to force them into each other’s company and socialize when one or both of them have expressed discomfort with that is a bad choice. It would be the same as if I decided you had to spend time with Silver Dollar just because I suddenly developed a friendship with his father.“
The utter absurdity of that scenario made Twilight choke on a laugh. "Dad...no, you'd never make me do...do..." Realization hit her like a brick. "Oh..." she whispered again, and her laughter cut abruptly.
“Yes." Night said, aware that what he’d been saying clicked with her.  He made a face. “Obviously, this is a hypothetical, since I’m well aware that he’s the definition of a creepy cad, but my point remains valid.  How would you feel if I ignored how you felt or anything you said about him or his behavior or how he made you feel? Especially if I told you that how you felt about Silver Dollar was just a misunderstanding, and you needed to get over it."
Twilight felt legitimately sick now. Was that what she'd tried to do to Sunset?
“Pretty much. It's me, Sparky,” mental Sunset chipped in, leaning forward from the backseat. “Have I ever been this adamant about something like this for no reason? Or been a bad judge of someone’s feelings and motivations towards either of us? Do you really believe I’d lie about something important like that? You know me.”
It was really hard to ignore the facsimile of her girlfriend making reasonable arguments and backing up what her father was saying. It certainly didn’t make her feel any better about what she’d said and done to Sunset, and how she had been so fixated on what she wanted that she hadn't cared that she’d hurt the one person who mattered to her more than just about anyone…
"I... need some time to think, Dad…Is that alright?"
Night nodded in acquiescence. “I think that is a very good idea, Twilight. Take some time to think about your actions, and if the way you’ve been acting of late is really the kind of person you want to become.” He paused, then added, “And maybe think about what you need to say to Sunset, because I think at the least you owe her an apology.”
The rest of the drive home was silent, as Twilight was left with only her own thoughts, uncomfortable as they were. Particularly one that rose up again and again as she struggled to analyze the interpersonal interactions she engaged in in the last two months.
Why does this have to be so difficult for me?
> Chapter One Hundred and Six: Breaking the Habit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





This was officially the most awkward meal Sunset had ever eaten—and she’d once sat through a dinner involving griffon dignitaries from warring clans who spent the entirety of the meal trying to assassinate each other with dirty looks.  Velvet and Night were carrying most of the conversation. She furtively watched her girlfriend, who wasn’t seated beside her as normal, but rather down the table on Shining’s normal seat. Twilight refused to look at her—at least directly—and hadn’t said one word since she’d gotten back with the food.
“Sunset? How’s school going?”
It took her several seconds to realize Night Light was addressing her, and she shrugged. “It's…about like normal, other than the craziness of it being a Friendship Games year.” Her lips twisted at the mention, an outward reflection of her inner feelings.
He tilted his head—the same way Twilight did, she noticed—and made a thoughtful sound. “Oh? I remember my Friendship games year. It was…exciting. You don't look so enthusiastic though.”
Sunset sighed. “I’m not, really. I just don't see the point in wasting time, money, and resources to host a bunch of people who remind me of the same kind of po—people I used to go to school with once. The kind of people who lord their victories over others, and take great pleasure in making others feel bad because they got bested in some silly sport or another. The kind of person I used to be. No matter how hard CHS tries, we’ve never won before, and I'm not sure we will this time…and even if we did, would CPA let us have it? I doubt it—they’ll either look for a way to say they actually won, or to discredit us, like an accusation of cheating.”  She drummed her fork against her paper plate of shrimp lo mein.  “Honestly, I’ve got enough on my plate there, between advanced classes, an independent project I’m working on at the principals’ behest, being in a band with the girls, and being the main organizer in a student group tutoring thing that a bunch of us started…I don't have time to worry or care about some silly sports competition.”
Looking even more thoughtful, Night rubbed his chin. “I confess, I never considered what it must be like for the students of Canterlot High during the Friendship Games, and how it all must feel…” He shook his head ruefully. “You raise a lot of very valid points, Sunset.”
“I think for a lot of people at school, it's a mixed bag,” Sunset admitted. “Some people are excited, because they think we have a chance to win, some people just don't want to give up…but honestly? A lot of them are just…going through the motions. Our school has never won a single event, in a competition that goes back something like five decades, and there’s not even any sense of sportsmanship from the other school. We’re not even asked if we even want to continue the Games. It's just some stodgy, hidebound ‘tradition’ at this point. If I could, I’d give the whole thing a pass.”
“You know,” Night said with a sly glance at Velvet, “…given Sunset’s feelings on the matter, and the fact that I know Twilight doesn't usually enjoy competitive events either…maybe we could organize a ‘family hooky day.’  I could take the day off work, the girls could call in sick from school, and we could go do something fun ourselves far away from school functions and sporting events.”
The redhead had to admit it was a tempting thought—she certainly didn't expect to be voted onto the team, and she really didn't care much about the Games…but…
Rainbow would make it onto the team. She was the best athlete in school, star of the soccer team, and that pretty much guaranteed her to be voted in as part of the Games team.  And after the events of the last six months, she wagered several of her other friends would get voted in too—after all, who wouldn't vote for the ‘magic using superheroes’ to represent Canterlot High? It made her glad that she was technically still under probation from those kinds of activities and thus, votes for her wouldn't count.
Blue-green eyes flitted automatically across the table, to see what Twilight thought of this, and she was surprised to see that her best friend looked…almost ill and on the verge of panic. Why, Sunset couldn't say, and despite their…disagreement…argument…whatever it was…earlier, she decided to step in before whatever was ratcheting up Twilight’s anxiety triggered a panic attack.
“That sounds like it would be a million times more fun,” she told Twilight’s parents, smiling tiredly at them, “and I really wish I could…but I don't think I can.”
Velvet watched her for a minute. “Why do you say that, sweetie?”
Sunset ran a hand through her hair. “Well…partially because I’m still technically on probation for the rest of the year. Miss Luna and Principal Celestia made it clear last fall that I’m to be a ‘model student’—skipping school kind of falls into the list of things I was explicitly told not to do.” She played with her fork, eyes dropping to her plate as she didn't want to see the disappointment in their eyes. “And also because I’m pretty sure at least a few of the girls are going to be on our team, and even though I think the Games are a waste of time…I want to support my friends. They’ve done so much for me, been there for me…I want to be there for them, even if it's just a stupid competition, you know?”
She could feel the silence pressing in on her, somehow managing to make the low grade headache she’d been trying to ignore worse, and she closed her eyes, not sure she wanted to see the expressions on the other faces at the table at that moment.  The week was catching up to her--after what had happened earlier she was feeling like a rag that someone had wrung out, and dealing with any other emotional stress, even just disappointment over the offer being rejected, was more than she could handle right now. 
“That’s a real commendable attitude, Sunset,” Night Light broke the silence at last.
Her head snapped up quickly to stare at him. “What?”
Twilight’s father smiled warmly. “Wanting to be there to show support to your friends, even though you really don’t want to partake of the Games. Given the name of the event, and the supposed wording of the charter that they are organized under, you saying that is more in the spirit of them than the competition has ever been. It's commendable,” he explained. “Looking back at it now, from an adult perspective, I wish even half the students from either school had such beliefs—it might’ve led to a very different sort of Friendship Games if they had.”
Ducking her head a little in embarrassment from the praise, Sunset risked a quick glance at Twilight to see if she was still panicking. The panic was gone, but the expression she found instead made her feel worse, not better. Twilight was frowning down at her plate, shoulders hunched—the frown was practically a scowl, her brows pinched together, her eyes narrowed, her very demeanor closed off and agitated.
Was it because Sunset had implied CPA students were unpleasant? Or was this about the…argument…from earlier? Or was it something else? Twilight had never been overly defensive of her schoolmates before, but…her recent behavior around anything to do with her school and the people there had become increasingly volatile…and after the vision, the nightmare, and the dark magic, Sunset couldn't be sure.   Especially because the digging into Crystal Prep and local history that she had asked Lyra to do had yet to bear fruit—not for lack of trying on the part of the girl who loved her conspiracy theories.  
The former unicorn didn't have any answers, and right now, trying to pick the whole mess apart made her headache throb painfully in her temples. She looked away before her girlfriend could catch her watching, answering Night with a half smile and an awkward, “…I…didn't think about it like that. I was just wanting to be a good friend…”
Whatever response they had, she barely heard, and the conversation moved away from her to other things. Sunset let herself tune it out until it was all just a vague buzz to her ears, focusing on eating. She wasn't feeling hungry, if she was being really honest with herself, and it might as well have been cardboard for all she tasted it, but she knew she’d skipped lunch earlier to run some tests on her magic alone, and her body needed the calories. 
It didn't help that said magic was skittering erratically along the inside of her skin in fits and bursts, like a horde of crawling insects.  She was struggling to push it down—not out of fear of a surge, as it didn't feel like it was going to get away from her, but because it made her feel even more agitated, stirring up buried instincts and old habits alongside unpleasant emotions.
Sunset put another forkful of lo mein in her mouth, chewing mechanically.  She couldn't taste it…didn't want it, not really, but a little piece of her nudged her forcefully, prodding her into finishing it and taking another bite, driven by a habit she’d thought she’d broken after her situation in the human world had stopped being so dire.  It wanted her to eat her fill quickly, so the redhead could escape to someplace where she felt less exposed, less raw.
She told herself it was ridiculous, that she was acting like a neurotic mess, but it was just one emotion in the storm that was building inside her, especially when she caught Twilight staring at her with yet another frown she couldn't read.  Her hands shook as she scraped her plate clean of food, drained the tea from her cup…
“Sunset, sweetie, are you alright?”
Velvet’s voice broke through the haze, and the amber skinned girl jerked her head up to look at her. The older woman looked worried. “…I…” How should she answer? “…my head hurts…” she settled on lamely.
Her girlfriend’s mother nodded in understanding. “Are you finished eating?” When she made a sound that was some kind of affirmative, Velvet reached over and touched her arm. “Then why don't you go upstairs. Take a shower, get comfortable, and maybe have an early night?”
That was the escape she needed. Wanted. With a mumbled thanks that even she could barely hear, and one last, furtive glance at her girlfriend, Sunset fled up the stairs.
Shower…she thought. That sounded nice…a way to ease the pounding in her head and the way her eyes felt grainy. Sunset grabbed a towel and her pajamas, and sought sanctuary under scalding hot spray and clouds of thick steam. With the lights on their dimmest setting, and the water cascading over her, the tangle of feelings rose to the surface, as if drawn up by the water itself, the way poison was leached from an open wound.
Hurt. She was hurt. Not just by the way Twilight had tossed her past in her face…no…if she was honest with herself…what had hurt most was that Twilight…
Tears fell, only noticed because of the burning in her eyes. Twilight…didn't believe her. Twilight had accused her…not of lying outright…but…of her perception of events being skewed…
Just like Princess Celestia…
Bitterness rose in her throat. It was too like the situations when she was a filly, when it had been her voice against her peers…and no one had ever believed her. They always believed the other foals. The foals who made her life a nightmare, who tormented and teased and mocked her, until she lost her temper, only to then point hooves at her and make her the villain.
Twilight had always given her a chance before…but this was the first time it had been a choice between Sunset and someone she considered a friend…and she’d believed Wallflower.
Anger rose up at the thought of the name, and of the girl who wore it. Wallflower…whose words and mannerisms could have been copied right from any of the noble-born fillies from CSGU…who treated Twilight with thinly concealed disdain and mocking…
The tears dried up quickly as her anger took hold of her, fought with her. Wallflower had been toxic from the get go, and the more she looked back at her own memories, the more little signs jumped out at her, registered to the part of her that had once held Canterlot High in her iron grip. She’d implied Sunset had stolen her jacket. Had disparaged her friends. Had treated Twilight—intelligent, curious, friendly, caring Twilight—like the lavender skinned girl’s inquisitive and knowledge-loving nature was annoying, something to be curtailed the way one did a puppy’s habit of jumping up on people.  Sunset growled, fighting with her magic as little tongues of red flame flickered in and out of existence along her knuckles and forearms.
And yet, for all of that, Twilight acted as though Sunset were the one in the wrong…as if she had no right to be angry and upset with Wallflower. For some reason, Twilight felt it was okay for the green haired girl to treat both of them like that, but Sunset not wanting to be subjected to that was crossing a line.
Her anger snarled and growled inside her, not just at Wallflower, but at Twilight. That hurt, and it washed over her like ice water a moment later as she wrestled with her magic. Sunset didn't want to be angry at Twilight….but the former unicorn couldn't help herself. The dismissal of her feelings, the questioning of her point of view, the insistence that she just try harder…she found herself seething from the sheer injustice of it all…
She’d thought Twilight was different. Different from Princess Celestia.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Grief and guilt swamped her. Twilight was not Celestia. It wasn't right to compare them, even under the circumstances. Her dark haired girlfriend had never done this before, and something about it wasn’t right, even now. It felt wrong, like some other hand was at work…like there was something Sunset was missing…and here she was getting mad instead of asking questions, instead of looking for answers.
Falling right back into old habits again. 
Tartarus take her, she was pathetic.
The fury guttered, threatening to go out like a spent candle for just a moment, then reignited at an errant thought: the dark magic that had triggered a similar argument the month before, that had left the family spiritually wounded for most of a week. Other thoughts pushed forward…the vision that had triggered the Rainbow of Light…her nightmares of that shadowy, twisted landscape…the…hint…of something else in Twilight’s eyes…even Vice Principal Luna’s words about Crystal Prep…
Sunset's stomach twisted unpleasantly, the question of whether or not what had happened was another attack by the same dark force that had been skirting the edges of her life since the beginning of the new year.  She hadn’t openly sensed any dark magic during her disagreement, but experience reminded her that this magic had proven capable of hiding from both her active and passive senses before.  It had been Twilight and Shining going at their mother the first time when she had sensed it, but the day before Twilight had gotten into a screaming argument with her parents…and Sunset had sensed nothing.  The parallels were too strong here to ignore, the teen decided with a pained grimace. She hadn't witnessed the first argument but the way Twilight had turned on her the moment she said no bore too much similarity to previous events not to be suspect.
Was that why her magic was so...active? Churning inside her like it was seeking a target, spilling out alongside her emotions? Flames gathered on her fingertips again as her anger had found its target in the form of that nebulous enemy behind the dark power that had been targeting her girlfriend’s family. Despite the way her head pounded, her focus sharpened, until crimson fire became a blood colored ball of seething plasma that hissed and spat steam when stray droplets of water touched it.
It had to be that twisted thing she’d seen in her vision…somehow…that was the creature responsible…but she had no idea what it was or how to fight it. Or what reason it had for targeting her Twilight, why it wanted her girlfriend. 
The thought left the former unicorn cold, and her hand clenched into a fist around the fireball, snuffing it out.  Think, Shimmer, she hissed to herself.  Don't go charging after the shadow in the woods like a foolish foal...you know perfectly well how that story ends.
She slumped under the spray, her magic moving and writhing against the inside of her skin, fighting against her control.  Something evil was after her Sparky, and a sense she still couldn’t identify but that had become increasingly attuned to Twilight—call it her gut, her magic, her instincts, even some kind of seventh sense—whatever it was, it was warning her that Twilight was being targeted…by something, somewhere that had an interest in Crystal Prep.
Sunset was finding it hard to breathe, the hot steam that had been comforting only minutes ago now feeling like it was suffocating her, hemming her in like a fluid, shifting wall. Amber fingers shut the water off and pushed the door open to the shower cabinet, allowing the steam to escape, its thick blanket replaced by chilled air that made goosebumps prickle along her skin as she stepped out onto the bathroom rug.  Somehow, even that did not dispel the sense of being trapped but also exposed, and the shudder that passed over her was from more than just the cold as she hurriedly dried off.  
The rough treatment, first from a shower far too hot and then from drying herself off with more haste than care showed, even through the layer of condensation on the mirror. Her skin was reddened and flushed, and that coupled with her earlier tears and pounding headache left her eyes bloodshot and the flesh around them looking dark and bruised.  Sunset yanked her pajamas on, paying little notice to the way the moisture still in her hair left wet spots down her back and shoulders. She needed to think. To figure this out…to plan…to sort through the rest of her emotions even…she couldn't protect Twilight from an enemy if she was a breath away from screaming or crying.
For a wild moment, she actively considered calling the girls for help to…
To what? Her mind bit back, pointing out the obvious. What could they do right now? She didn't know exactly who her enemy was, or where they lived. All she had was some hunches and suspicions. It's not like she could even tell the family of her suspicions as things stood right now. They’d never believe her, and it would shatter everything she’d worked so hard to build here. Something in her mind laughed darkly at the mere thought of it. What would she even say? “Please, Mrs. Velvet, I think Twilight is being targeted by dark magic by an inhuman monster! I know because I’m actually a magical unicorn Magus from another world, pretending to be human because I screwed up so bad back home I’ve been exiled from my world! How, you ask? Oh, you know, stole a magical artifact of world ending power, turned into a rampaging she-demon, and nearly killed your daughter’s interdimensional pony princess counterpart.”  They’d think her insane and delusional.
No…she needed more than she had. She needed proof. Not just magic she couldn't control or visions and nightmares. Hard evidence to prove that magic was real and Twilight was in danger…and what it was the enemy wanted. Why Twilight in the first place?
As much as she cared about her adorable, nerdy bookworm of a girlfriend, in the grand scheme of things, she wasn’t exactly globally important. Twilight Sparkle was brilliant, but she was a teenager, not a princess, or a demigoddess, or some important cultural figure…and it wasn't like with her and the girls, who possessed powerful magic and the echoes left by the Elements…Twilight had no magic at all—unless Sunset counted the way the younger girl made her feel when they kissed, but that was a different kind of ‘magic’ all together.  So why would anything magical, dark or not, target her?
The question gnawed at her like an oversized Saddle Arabian Sand Flea when she left the bathroom, but she couldn't get her thoughts in order to even begin looking for the answer.  Instead, she stared numbly between two doors, one marked with Twilight’s magenta star, and the other bearing her own name and cutie mark. Habit wanted to carry her to Twilight’s bedroom, to the bed with the pillow and side she thought of as her own, so she could bed down amidst the scent of honeysuckle, old books, and the myriad of little scents that were Twilight…but her twisting, unsettled emotions halted her. 
Though she ached for the familiar, she felt uncertainty rise—would Twilight let it go, or would going there turn into round two of their not-quite-fight? She wanted to work through it…but not right now. Swallowing, Sunset forced herself to turn away from Twilight’s bedroom, her footsteps echoing oddly in her ears—something that they shouldn't have done anyways since the hall was carpeted. Each step was almost as painful as the throbbing in her skull, and she was trembling and breathing hard by the time she shut the door behind her. 
Leaning back against the wood, she let her eyes sweep the dark room, her hand clenched on the doorknob in a white knuckled death-grip. Her skin prickled, and her back brain screamed about how exposed she felt, how even the empty shadows looked menacing. Sheer will forced her magic down as it threatened to spill out, and the redhead felt her ears pin back with the effort…
Her ears…oh, no…
One hand reached up, and she flinched as she realized she’d Ponied-Up, her fingers running over the sensitive furry appendage. 
She also discovered that she needed to trim her nails, when she accidentally scratched her ear. Horseapples, that stung!
Shaking her head and jerking her thoughts back to the now, she let her head drop back against the door with a dull THUD that did nothing for her aching head. Her hand loosened the grip on the knob enough to turn the lock—she couldn't let the family see her like this, not yet, not until she could prove Twilight was in danger.  
Sunset let out a whimper, a low sound of pain, and began to shake, her legs barely able to support her. The instincts to flee rose up, a desperate need to seek the safety of her friends, of Twilight’s family…of Princess Celestia—the herd, some dim part of her that sounded like her nerd pointed out, the pony part of her wanting to seek safety in numbers.  It was a lesson drilled into every colt and filly, to run for help, to regroup with others, for adults to tackle dangerous foes with the aid of numbers.
She didn't have that though. Not that she ever did. She’d handled her fights alone back in Equestria…and here, until recently. There were the girls, but they weren't here right now….and Twilight’s family couldn't help. Couldn't fight this enemy…or help Sunset with her magic. It was too dangerous, and she could hurt them, badly. That was a risk she could not—would not—take.
A scrap of memory floated to the surface of her roiling maelstrom of thoughts, of a lesson learned long ago, one that had been distilled into a mantra for the first year she lived in the human world…
“If fleeing is not an option, or would put you in more danger, Sunset,” Raven Inkwell had cautioned her, “then you must hide. Mask your scent as best you can, hold as still as you can in some place small, some place hidden where the danger cannot reach you easily. Always pick somewhere with an entrance and exit—if a foe approaches from one angle, then you can flee from the other. Never box yourself in…”
Her eyes swept the room again, discounting the corners and the closet immediately. She would be trapped, and there was nothing protecting her from above. Blue-green eyes fell on the bed, and muddled thoughts drove her forward with lurching, zombie like steps. “Safe…not soft…” she mumbled, tears trickling down her face from the pain lancing through her skull and the burning of magic in her nerves and the pathways the Crown had torn and seared into her body when it had transformed her into the demon of the Fall Formal…
The unicorn-turned-teenage-girl forced herself to act quickly, pulling breath into her lungs despite the building agony in every part of her body and the anger that seethed like a living beast in her chest, thrashing and wanting out to burn the thing that dared target her Twilight to ash and cinders. This was her home. Twilight was hers. Twilight’s family was hers. CHS and the girls were hers…
Blankets and pillows were pulled from the bed to the floor as her legs gave out, and she crawled under the bed with straining, burning, shaking arms, burrowing into a nest of fabric and softness that smelled of laundry soap and fabric softener, while her body was wracked with agony of rage and magic that wanted out, against a mind so muddled from exhaustion and pain that she had forgotten why she had to keep it all inside, but was determined to do so regardless…
Any predator that wanted anything of hers would have to go through her first, and she would make them wish they’d never been born, she promised amidst the flashes of crimson light and harsh shadows…
Then it was too much and she blacked out, the last sight before her eyes a hazy vision of a terrible taloned hand reaching out for an oblivious Twilight Sparkle…
> Chapter One Hundred and Seven: Fact Check
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Twilight felt an obscure, unsettling pain in her chest as she watched Sunset push back her chair and make her way from the dining room on shaky legs. Dinner had been awful—all the little details she’d caught in those stolen glimpses of her girlfriend had rattled her. The way her eyes were half shut against the intrusion of the overhead light, the way her hands kept curling into loose fists that tucked defensively against her chest when she wasn't actively focused on eating, and of course, the uncomfortable silence…as if all the animation that made the redhead so uniquely Sunset Shimmer had been drained away…
And it was all Twilight’s fault.
She wanted nothing more than to rush after the older girl, babbling all the apologies she could think of, promising never to do this again, whatever it took to bring back her Sunny and the light she always saw in her eyes. Yet the words stuck in her throat, her whole body paralyzed; it felt like she was entirely encased in lead, immobile, frozen, unable to move no matter how her mind demanded her limbs respond. Only her eyes seemed capable of following her command, watching as her mother moved to walk with Sunset out of the room, instructions accompanying the sound of headache medicine being shaken free of a bottle. “Go have a hot shower, sweetheart, and then get some rest. We’ll be here if you need us…” Velvet’s voice murmured from the hall.
Innards twisted painfully as Twilight stared at the door and listened to the exchange, Sunset mumbling something before her footsteps carried her up the stairs. It should be her taking care of her girlfriend when she was upset, not her mother…but she had no right this time. Not when she had caused this, with careless, harsh words spoken and a single minded fixation on getting the results she wanted.
The teen bit the inside of her own cheek to help fight back the tears that wanted to flow, not for the first time cursing the way her brain was incapable of functioning normally and how that always seemed to cause disaster at the worst possible moment. How could you? she berated herself as she listened to the exhausted, dragging sound of Sunset’s footsteps make their way upstairs and down the hall.  After everything she’s told you, how could you be that stupidly insensitive?
Looking away from the door caused her eyes to fall on her father’s, and she couldn't hold back the tears any more. They made tracks down her cheeks, and the words she forced out felt like jagged glass in her throat. “…Da…daddy,” she croaked, feeling more like a child than ever, “how…how do I fix this?”
Night Light closed his eyes, and Twilight could feel the ticking of seconds marching by at a painfully slow pace, as if time itself had slowed to a near halt. She felt like it took an eternity for her father to make his judgment, and time only resumed when he moved his chair and held out one arm to her. It was all the invitation she needed to scramble from her chair, almost tripping in her haste to accept the offered comfort, catching herself came with the pain of biting her tongue and the numbing agony of her elbow hitting the edge of the table, the blow making her whole lower arm go tingly and numb.
She half collapsed into her father’s embrace, hot tears scalding her face and soaking into his shirt. In the way her parents always had, he offered no comment at first, only held her in a tight hug with one arm and used his hand to rub  feeling back into her wounded elbow while she cried. “I h-hurt Sunset,” she wept into his collar. “R-really hurt her!” Twilight knew she sounded like a small child, but at that moment, it didn't matter. Not compared to the gaping wound in her relationship with Sunset. With that hanging over her, she desperately wanted her parents to swoop in and…
And what? her mind demanded
…and just fix everything. Find a way to turn back time to the start of the evening, before she’d opened her mouth and said those awful, hurtful things, to undo the act that put a look like that on her Sunny’s face. It didn't matter that it was an impossible wish—there had to be a way to fix it, and she needed them to tell her how, because she didn't know how to do it on her own. 
“I s-said such horrible things! I didn't mean them, not really,” Twilight continued. “I never wanted to be like that…I wasn't thinking right and I got so caught up in being frustrated that…that it just came out!” Her breath caught in a hiccupping sob, the words tumbling out. “Sunset’s my—” she swallowed the truth, the half second pause barely discernible. “…my best friend, the best one I’ve ever had, the…the f-first person who wasn't f-family to j-just accept me and get me…”  She knew she was babbling at this point, but she didn't care. “…I messed that all up…and I don't know how to fix it, to make it better!”
Through it all, her father just held her in that tight hug, rubbing circles on his back like when she was little. At some point her mother joined them, murmuring her name softly and combing fingers through her hair. In that moment, it bothered her that they were being so kind…she was the one who had done something wrong!
“You should be mad at me…why aren't you mad at me?” Twilight mumbled into her father’s shirt. “I did an awful thing to Sunset—you should all hate me!” Her breath hitched in her throat; deep inside, a part of her mind begging for a scolding just as long as it came with a way to fix the damage she’d done, to undo the whole horrible evening.
"I'm not mad at you, Twily." Her mother's voice, gentle, so gentle, held a firmness that she couldn't evade, even if she wanted to.  "None of us hate you. I don't hate you. Your father doesn’t hate you…and Sunset doesn’t hate you.  I am, however, disappointed in your behavior.” Velvet pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
The teen sniffled. “…but I…I h-hurt her…I did to Sunset what she’d never, ever do to me. Worse than anything Alabaster or Jade could do, b-because n-no one expects them to be n-nice…and I don't understand why you're being n-nice to m-me. I don’t deserve it!” She struggled to breathe around tears and snot and her own ragged airways. “You should be mad and punishing me!” Her hands came up as she pushed away from her father, her voice spiraling higher with her agitation. “Consequences…something…just give me a punishment…and help me fix this! I can't lose Sunset! I can't!”
Night sighed softly.  “Twilight, you need to stop and breathe for me. Nice and slow…”  The firm tone registered and she found herself obeying, working to slow her breathing and heart-rate to a manageable pace that didn't leave dark spots at the corner of her vision.
After she’d calmed, he spoke again. “Now…am I to understand that you feel a consequence being imposed on you for your behavior will help you calm down and more rationally handle how you can set things right with Sunset?”
Twilight nodded frantically, her thoughts spilling forth unfiltered. “Yes, because that’s how it works,” she admitted, thinking back on all the lessons of her childhood. “It has to. I did something wrong…there’s a consequence, and then it can all be fixed…” It made sense, even if she cringed inside at the childlike simplicity of her words…despite that, she needed it to be that simple. Trying to do things in an adult way had been what had gotten her into this situation in the first place…
She sensed, rather than saw, her parents having one of those wordless conversations, the silence pressing down on her.  Eventually, her father broke the silence. “…and…just what…exactly do you think would be a reasonable punishment for having hurt a member of this family?” he asked carefully.  “Taking away your books? Denying you your lab? Giving you extra chores?”
Right then, she didn't care about the details of the punishment, only that it happened. “Any of them, all of them,” she croaked.
“While I know those things have been used as punishments in the past…I’m not entirely sure they’re appropriate in this case,” Night pointed out, frowning deeply. 
The teen shook her head, trying to explain. It made sense in her head, was calm and rational, a formula she could follow. It was that that she did her best to communicate. “It needs to be a fair and equal consequence…my behavior didn't just hurt Sunset—it took something away from her that I know she looks forward to immensely.”  Her mother twitched, and Twilight pulled free from both parents entirely, pacing slightly back and forth in the dining room as she laid out her thoughts. “Dinner and family night on Fridays mean do much to her, more than she ever says…losing something something of equal value or importance is…only fair…and I need to apologize.”
She paused in her pacing to look at her parents, seeing unreadable expressions on their faces.  “Yes, I do rather think an apology to Sunset is definitely something you should do,” Velvet acknowledged slowly, frowning slightly. “But…Twily…can you explain to me…why you think so?”
Confusion rose, battering at the edges of her mind. “Because I hurt her!” she reiterated. “I need to apologize, accept the consequences from you…to help put things right. Then I can try to make it up to her with a movie night tomorrow or something, because I spoiled today, and…” Twilight furrowed her brows. “That would fix it, wouldn't it?”
As she watched, her parents’ eyes locked in one of those frustratingly unreadable conversations that didn't involve any actual spoken dialogue, relying on subtle body language cues laden with information that even a lifetime of association hasn't made any easier for the lavender skinned girl to understand.
“Are you sure about that, Sparky?” The inner voice that sounded just like her girlfriend—Sunset was still her girlfriend, wasn't she?—chuckled in the back of her mind, sounding just as tired and strained as the real Sunset had seemed when she trudged up the stairs.
…she supposed yes, it was something she was fairly certain of, as she didn't quite know what her parents were conveying to each other at that moment.
And now she was over doing it, holding mental conversation with a facsimile of Sunset Shimmer created by her overstressed mind. Again. Maybe she should bring this up to her therapist at her next appointment. It couldn't be healthy. An invisible iron band constricted around her lungs, making it hard to breathe. Was she starting to lose her mind?
“Calm down and breathe, Twilight,” Mental-Sunset said firmly. “You're not going crazy, and that isn't the important thing to focus on right now. Stay with me on this.” The words were so Sunset that she found herself following the instructions automatically, imagining the older girl standing right next to her, a hand resting on the back of her neck, right where Twilight carried a lot of tension.  “There we are. Good girl. Now…take another look, and stop trying so hard. You know your parents…just absorb the way they look right now.”
Twilight blinked slowly, as time seemed…to move at the speed at which molasses poured.  Her parents…looked…upset…uncertain?
“They're trying to decide if it's better to be painfully honest now or if another time might be better.”
Focusing on her parents one at a time, she struggled to take in the details of each one. Her father looked tense, his shoulders stiff and his face creased with frown lines, and his fingers fiddled restlessly with his napkin. “He wants to protect you,” the husky voice close to her ear supplied in something close to a whisper, “but he’s come to the realization that keeping the truth from you might do more harm than good right now. He doesn't like it.”  Her mother, on the other hand, had her jaw set in a way that looked just like Shining’s when he got stubborn, and she was leaning forward slightly, still standing. It had the effect of making her mother seem like a much larger presence than her father. “She wants to protect you too, but she wants to just rip the bandage off quickly. She knows you value knowledge over ignorance.”
The teen filed the knowledge away, her emotions in flux now. She shook her head, feeling somewhat…bemused…but also…
She wasn't sure how to label the emotion, she determined. It was…positive but neutral? There but not all encompassing and somewhat dwarfed and diminished by the other emotions fighting for dominance inside her head.
“Trust me, I get it. Been there, done that, got the souvenirs to prove it. Now…you can do this. You need to do this, Twilight Sparkle. Not for me…but for yourself.”
…why was it starting to feel like her conscience had hijacked her girlfriend’s personality?
Rich laughter that was far more sexy than any mental creation had a right to be. “Oh, if you only knew…but now is not the time for that. Go on.”
Mental-Sunset was right. Twilight forced herself to take several slow and deep breaths as time resumed its normal pace. Gathering her courage and pretending she could actually feel long amber fingers massaging the back of her neck, she interrupted her parents’ wordless exchange. “Mom, Dad…? You’re…doing that conversation thing again…and it's about me. You're trying to decide on…how to tell me something you…don't think I’ll appreciate hearing?” She felt more than a little pleased with how level her voice came out, barely any wobble to it at all. Swallowing hard, she pushed forward. “I think…if…if you would like to consider my opinion in this matter… then…I would like you to tell me, please.”
It was getting hard to breathe again, and her throat hurt, necessitating another round of slow breathing exercises before she could keep going. Both her parents were now giving her their full attention. “Even if it’s…h-hard to hear…I w-would rather be told.” The dark haired girl squared her shoulders with a rush of confidence. “I caused this situation…and now I need to fix it, somehow, but given that you did not agree immediately with my previous…proposal…I am quite capable of extrapolating that it is…not the best solution. That I am…clearly missing some cue or rule of social behavior, and I won’t know what unless you tell me.”
Twilight had fallen back on formal speech—it gave her something to focus on amidst the tempest her emotions felt like they had become, allowing her to have some kind of mental clarity as she watched the expressions on her parents' faces shift and change. She detected sadness…but…pride?…on her father’s face, echoing the sad smile on her mother’s, and she realized with a jolt that she had arrived at the conclusion that she had hit upon the very thing they had been uncertain about telling her.
“See? You're not as bad at this as you think, Sparky. You just have to learn to use that beautiful mind of yours instead of treating this like some kind of magical knowledge.”
…and now her conscience or Id or whatever Mental-Sunset represented was going a bit too far into recreating the older girl. It was getting weird.
“Only the best for you, Twilight.” She would swear she could feel hot breath on her ear. “But…I can take a hint…just remember…if you need me…I’ll be here. It'll take more than a little fight to get rid of me…” And then the manifestation was gone, leaving the room somehow colder and more empty.
Twilight exhaled slowly, trying to keep from shuddering as she let the air leak from her lungs, trying to conceal her state from her parents, lest it cause more worry. Unfortunately, Velvet had noticed the slight tremble in her breath.
“Why don’t I make us some hot tea, and we’ll discuss this further?” 
“…tea would be….wonderful…right now…” Twilight agreed.  A hot mug to hold in her hands would help to push back the cold and maybe dispel the icy lump at the core of her, even if just partially. Not to mention, she associated hot tea with Sunset, who kept a stash of it in canisters in her makeshift kitchen that would be right at home in some fancy British household—yet one more clue that the redheaded girl had spent formative years overseas. Most people in the states didn't even know that many kinds of tea existed. “Then…maybe we can…discuss whatever alternative proposal you have, and help me understand why…why it is better than mine?”
She was determined to put it all right, no matter what it took.
Silence reigned for several minutes as containers of takeout were put away in the fridge and dinner plates replaced with steaming mugs, the family trading the dining room table for the smaller kitchen one. Twilight sat back in her chair, idly playing with the teabag.  Her mother paused as she stepped past the teen’s seat, squeezing her shoulder warmly. “I’m proud of you, Twily..”
“What?” The dark haired girl jerked her head up to stare at her mother. “Why?! I caused the problem!” Hadn't Velvet just been acting disappointed in her earlier? 
“Even so. I admit I was…disappointed in your earlier actions, and I am not happy this whole situation has occurred, but I am proud of your willingness to learn from this and improve. Sometimes the hardest part is admitting our own mistakes.” The touch on her shoulder became a hug that Twilight leaned into, basking in the warm comfort from her mother.  “I’m also proud of you for your dedication  in wanting to make amends with Sunset, sweetheart.”
Deep inside, something twinged painfully as she remembered that this kind of familial love and support was something her best friend had lacked for most of her life. Before she could self-censor, Twilight blurted, “…you were there for Sunny earlier, after I left with Dad…weren't you?”
Velvet nodded. “She and I talked when she came downstairs,” she acknowledged.
“…Thank you…” Twilight’s eyes swept the room, avoiding her mother. “…for being there for her, and…listening to her…when I wouldn’t.  I’m glad she wasn't alone.” Something tickled her perceptions and she blinked, realizing that Sunset’s boots were tucked up against the front wall of the kitchen, and her leather jacket draped over the back of the solitary empty seat…instead of in the front hall where she normally shed them. The knowledge hit her like ice cold water to the face: Sunset had been going to leave.
Her heart hurt, as though someone had jammed an icicle through it. 
Settling into her own chair and taking a sip of her tea, Velvet hummed in her throat. It was a sound of agreement, if a neutral one. “While I have no intention of sharing the details of what Sunset said—much of it was said in confidence, which means telling you about it is her decision—I will say that your words and actions had a…” 
The woman paused, giving Twilight the sense that her mother was choosing her words extremely carefully. It made the teen sit up and pay closer attention to her mother’s words, placing them in context of what she knew of her girlfriend. “…I believe they affected her more severely than you may have intended or realized.”   Twilight Velvet frowned. “Though…and this is mostly conjecture on my part…I suspect that…” There was another poignant pause, her mother making a face before continuing, the expression suggesting she had several stronger and more unpleasant labels in mind than what she ended up using, “…this other ‘friend’ of yours…may have been far more aware of the effectiveness of her words on you…” 
What? Twilight stared at her mother in disbelief. “Wallflower wouldn't—” Then she stopped, the rest of her declaration drying up as Sunset’s words in her room came back to her. 
One finger tapped the rim of her mug, and Velvet spoke again, careful and deliberate, as if she wanted to remove any ambiguity from her statement. “That is not an accusation, but a suspicion I think you would do well not to dismiss out of hand. I could very well be wrong—I am not privy to this other girl’s mindset or perspective, but I cannot shake the gut feeling I have after Sunset recounted her experience with your friend.”
Twilight flinched, and forced herself to breathe steadily, pushing down the anger and frustration she felt, as well as the desire to defend Wallflower from the words. Sunset had been honest. Her mother was being honest. Neither had demanded or encouraged her to take their side…and her mother was only asking that she follow her normal procedure of logic and investigation.
So what were the facts, as she had them?
Fact: Wallflower was typically abrasive in words and mannerisms.
Fact: Wallflower’s intentions, emotions, and meanings were often difficult for Twilight to read accurately.
Fact: Wallflower had repeatedly expressed mistrust for Sunset, before having met her.
Fact: Sunset had been excited and happy to meet Wallflower prior to the meeting. She had listened to Twilight’s description of the other girl and been attentive and reassuring, showing obvious interest in not overwhelming Wallflower.
Fact: Sunset had shown up to the outing and been friendly but reserved, but not unkind. 
Fact: Wallflower had left early, not more than ten minutes after Sunset’s arrival.
Fact: The very next day, Wallflower had immediately started on her insinuations that Sunset was up to something.
Fact: Sunset had said nothing for several days, until Twilight had brought Wallflower up to her.
Fact: Wallflower’s idea of funny sometimes struck Twilight as…mean or bitter, when it involved those she didn't like, such as Suri and her friends.
Fact: While Sunset did not always give her full details in regards to questions about her past, she had yet to lie to Twilight.
The dark haired girl stared into her tea, as if she could somehow find answers therein. Instead, memories about both Wallflower and Sunset flitted across her awareness, and she found herself unsettled by what the facts and her own experiences were telling her. Why did I never consider that she might have been ‘putting a spin’ on what happened? That her previous negativity had no weight on her comments about Sunset?
Purple eyes lifted to meet her mother’s. “You are…suggesting that…Wallflower may have exaggerated or misrepresented events to influence my perceptions?” she clarified, trying to make sure that she was on the same page as her mother.
“…yes…that is the sense I am getting from the situation as it has been presented to me, Twily.”
It hurt to say, especially because acknowledging it out loud was one more indicator that she had messed up beyond measure with her girlfriend—the best friend she’d ever had, her mind reminded her cuttingly—but it needed to be said. “…I…am beginning to believe you may be right…” Her face felt hot in counterpoint to the way the rest of her body was icy cold, but she forged ahead. “…in thinking back, I…can admit to noticing a certain level of paranoia, mistrust and even hostility to those outside our friendship circle in the last three years…it is not beyond the realm of possibility that she might interpret events in a way that fits her preconceived notions and perceptions.”
Night Light made a low sound in his throat. “Unfortunately, people can be like that, Twilight.”
She frowned. “What I fail to understand is why, in regards to Sunset. It…doesn't make sense. What does she stand to gain?”
“Twily, it could simply be the fact that Sunset is an exceptionally intelligent girl,” her father pointed out, his words, like her mother’s, carefully chosen. “From everything we’ve seen, she is very much your academic and intellectual equal, which is no mean feat.”
Twilight couldn't help the small smile that turned up the corners of her mouth. “…I’d noticed…it's one of my favorite aspects of our…friendship…”
He nodded and continued, “It makes us happy to see, because strong personal relationships like you have with Sunset require both parties to be equals, which is hard if there is too much of a discrepancy in key aspects…but that is not my point.” He took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Or at least, not my entire point.”
She wasn't sure what Sunset’s intellect had to do with anything they were talking about. “…o…kay…?” Twilight ventured in confusion. 
Her father made a loose gesture at her with a hand. “Twily…you have not been one to make friends easily…but Sunset quickly became your best friend. In weeks, rather than months or years, correct?”
The emotions inside her stilled a little at the warmth that she associated with her feelings for Sunset. “Yes…I connect with her better than I ever have anyone else, especially because of the aforementioned intellect. She…feels more like my equal in discourse and scientific pursuits, as you have intimated previously.”
Night rested his hand on the table. “And that’s a wonderful thing, Twily, one we’re extremely glad for, but…you’ve become closer to Sunset in the last six months than you are to any of your other friends, even ones whom you have known for years.”
Brows pinched together as she frowned. “…and you think that might be why Wallflower was trying to…influence my perceptions? As a case of jealousy because Sunset is my best friend or smarter than her?”
“Or possibly fear, sweetheart,” her mother interjected, drawing her attention. “We don't really know your other friend, but you have mentioned that she seems lonely. She might simply be scared that she is going to lose you as a friend to Sunset because you connect better with her.”
“But I wouldn't—!” Twilight stopped. But you did, didn't you? her mind whispered traitorously. You have been wrapped up in Sunset. You forgot Moondancer’s letters, you have barely talked to Wallflower for the first half of the year…
Velvet gave her a gentle pat on her arm. “We’re not saying you would, or that this is exactly what's happened, but I do feel it's a lot more plausible than any kind of Machiavellian scheme.”
Silence fell as Twilight sat there, her thoughts and emotions a maelstrom that threatened to drown her. It took everything she had to just focus on breathing over the roaring in her ears. Distantly, she heard her parents saying her name, but she couldn't make them out, couldn't focus on the sounds, so she shook her head to get them to stop.  
It took several minutes before she had pushed the storm down enough to do anything else. “…I…I need to think…” she managed. “…If…if it's alright…I…have some data to transfer in the lab…I need to be by myself for a little while.”
Her parents conferred silently, and Twilight was grateful to just have the chance to keep breathing and get her body back under something resembling control. She lifted her head when her mother cleared her throat. “If you need some time and space to work through things on your own, that’s fine, Twily…” A brief hesitation, and then she added, “What would you like us to do if Sunset comes looking for you before you're done?”
“I…” The dark haired girl froze for a minute, uncertain how best to answer. Then she decided blunt honesty might work best. “…If she wants me…” Did Sunny still want her, after this? “…then either you or she can call me, and I’ll come back in…I’m not working on anything overly important…just data entry and file transfers…I’m…hoping that the fairly mindless and repetitive tasks…will allow me to organize my thoughts and calm down…so I can work through my thoughts, feelings, and actions in light of…everything, really.”
At her father’s raised eyebrow, she tried to manage something like a thin, wan smile. Twilight was not entirely sure she succeeded. “I…don't intend to do anything I might get caught up in, or that can't be paused and saved at any time… If Sunset…decides she wants to talk or…or…anything…I can drop it and come back inside.”
That got an approving nod from him. “That seems like a good plan, Twily. I would caution you though, to keep in mind the fact that Sunset may want to wait until tomorrow to talk to you, if she is tired and doesn't feel up to it tonight—and that it's okay if she does. It does not mean she won't talk to you ever, but some people take longer to be ready than others.”
Twilight remembered back to the night where she and Shining had argued with their mother, and how Cadence had slept in her old room for the night while Shining had gone back to their apartment alone. It had not signaled that the pair were breaking up, or that they would never talk it out, and while it had taken a while, whatever damage had been done had been repaired in a few weeks time.  Then an older memory intruded, one from when she was small, a sort of soap bubble of time with sharp edges to where it began and ended. She’d been…four? Or five, maybe…but she’d taken it upon herself to take Shining’s brand new 10-speed apart to know how it worked…only he had interrupted before she could put it back together again. And he’d gotten angry. Yelled at her. Told her he never wanted to see her or talk to her again…
It had crushed her…and for three weeks she had cried and hidden in her room, thinking her big brother would never talk to her again. That he didn't love her anymore. 
But that wasn't the case—eventually, he talked to her, and she apologized, and they’d worked out the problem—which involved him getting another bike and her doing chores with her mother as punishment. And the cracks had healed, leaving their family just as close as before.  Sunset was just as important to her as her brother, Twilight decided, so if it took time for Sunset to be ready to talk, she’d wait.
Realizing he expected more of an answer than a nod of her head, she said softly, “I…will take that into account when thinking everything over, Dad.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Use Your Heart and Not Your Eyes...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Purple eyes watched as the file transfer ticked along at a snail’s pace, each file and folder carefully scanned by the Medusa security program Twilight had written herself the summer before.  Maybe it was overly paranoid, but she had never trusted any ‘out of the box’ antivirus software, and Medusa had been her answer to that.  Now she’d taken it a step further, altering the program further to be even more hyper vigilant, preventing outgoing transfer of files without the right protocols. Anyone who tried to hook into her system with a hardline would have their equipment last long enough to take it back home, and then the hidden commands would activate, sweeping through the offending system until it destroyed all the software, and left the hardware useless.
She’d been quite proud of the idea to have the protocols target first antivirus software, then the actual hardware controls that were the safety net for a system in regards to overheating and cooling fans. And in her test of an old laptop, it had proven exceptionally brutal and effective. The plastic case had actually warped from overheating.
Twilight rubbed her arms against the chill in her lab. “I’m…not being unreasonably paranoid, am I, Spike?”
Her dog raised his head from his doggy bed and made a querulous noise back. The lavender skinned girl leaned back in her chair. “It sounds silly, but I…I don't know. That nightmare, Sunset, all the things about my research that don't make sense, and even Principal Cinch’s questions at my last few updates…I can't stop now—I need to know what I’ve found…what this energy is and where it comes from...but…I’m scared, Spike. Sunset isn't telling me everything, and…I don't know. What is really going on?”  
She glanced at the big cork board with all the printouts and data for her project, connected by colored string. So far, she had more questions than answers, and a bunch of half formed hypotheses about everything and very little hard proof.  “Sunset’s school is involved somehow, but I can't exactly walk in there…maybe the woods behind it? Or another after-dark excursion?” Then she remembered another problem that tied into her other problems for the evening.
“And what do I do about Wallflower?”
Spike growled, rolling over slightly with a rumble. “She’s my friend, Spike,” Twilight sighed. “We’ve been friends since freshman year. She’s looked out for me. She was the one who discovered that Nebula was using me for a science grade, and she and Lyra got me away from the seniors that year too.” The dog gave a soft whine. “But lately…I don't know. She…she’s been assigned as an assistant by Principal Cinch, and I should be happy—she’s my friend, and we can spend time together at school, and I can trust she’s not trying to take my work for herself…but I don't know. Something about it feels…off. Wrong, somehow.”
Rubbing her face with her hands, she heard more than saw the dog get up and pad across the floor to lean against her leg. “And that's not even getting into what happened this past week with Wallflower meeting Sunset and how I handled it and what I said to Sunny—I hurt her so bad and I’m scared I messed up, Spike. Messed us up! And I don't understand why Wallflower doesn't like her…It’s…I trust Sunny, but I thought I trusted Wallflower…”
She hugged herself, shivering again. “What do I do, Spike?”
Spike looked up, then hopped into her lap to burrow his way into her arms. Twilight hugged him, fingers stroking through soft fur. “You're right…I’m getting worked up. I need to calm down.”  She focused on the fur texture under her fingers, steady doggy heartbeat—still optimum for his age and size, she noted absently—and forced herself to breathe. 
“It's two separate issues,” she acknowledged a few minutes later. Spike yipped in agreement. “Right…I need to tackle them one at a time…”
Twilight rested her chin on top of Spike’s head. “…this is a lot harder when the person I’d normally have helping sort through this kind of thing is the person I fought with,” she complained. The dog huffed reproachfully, and a small giggle escaped. “It's not that you're not my most amazing number one assistant, Spike and you're a great listener, but I need someone who can…understand and explain things I don't understand.”
Her pet’s eyes watched her for a minute, then he settled with a heavy sigh. “I know,” she laughed. “It makes me wish you could talk—that would make things so much easier.” Fingers scratched behind his ear. “What could I—” Twilight froze, thinking back to how her subconscious had coached her through reading her parents' expressions. It couldn't be that easy, could it?
Furrowing her brows, she focused on the way her subconscious had fashioned a mental Sunset, from the battered leather jacket and boots with the thick but sturdy heel, and imagined her standing nearby, arms crossed and with that lopsided smile that made Twilight feel good inside.  
One mental facsimile of Sunset Shimmer, check!
“I need advice. A sounding board. Starting with this whole Wallflower and Sunset disaster…” She waited to see if the obvious answer from the part of her subconscious that had adopted Sunset’s attitude would respond the way her girlfriend would.
Silence, leaving the teen sitting their long enough that Spike started licking her arm and whining. “Why is this so hard when I’m actually trying to do it?” Twilight asked him. The canine screwed up his muzzle in pure puppyish confusion. “You're right again—I just need to try harder.”
Twilight took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused on the problem, trying to project how she thought Sunset would respond. The tilt of her head, the raised eyebrow, the crooked grin, even the way she’d bump shoulders with Twilight and tease her…but none of it seemed to work to do anything other than threaten to give her a headache. She gave up when it actually felt like she strained a muscle in her brain—impossible, she knew, but that was the only analogy she had for the strange, somewhat uncomfortable twisting sensation in her skull.
“I wish I could just talk to Sunset about this,” she complained, rubbing her temples.
“Given the subject material, I would advise waiting as your father suggested.”
She almost fell out of her chair, caught completely by surprise when Sunset’s voice was proffered up by her subconscious. “It worked?”
The mental picture she had of Sunset did raise an eyebrow as she would imagine Sunset would. “If you mean your visualization technique, then it would seem so, Twilight.”  
Wincing, the dark haired girl frowned. “Apparently,” she noted to Spike, “I didn't do a very good job. My attempt to actively recreate Sunset in my mind has resulted in a somewhat formal version.” Spike sneezed in then wiggled until she let him jump down.
“That might have something to do with the events on your mind,” Mental-Sunset commented. 
That was a very valid point, Twilight decided. “I…probably. I screwed up, and Sunset is upset. I’m giving her space until she’s ready to talk, and trying to work through this on my own.  It's…hard.”  She could see the amber skinned hand in her mind now, making a ‘go on’ gesture. “Wallflower…presented a version of events from her perspective that painted Sunset as…not the friendliest…and I believed it. At the time, it made some sense to me—Sunset is still learning the ins and outs of friendship, and I haven't observed her interacting with many people in a personal setting outside my family and myself.” 
A familiar itch started between her shoulder blades and she hopped to her feet to start pacing. “I assumed, I now believe incorrectly, that the solution was to try again, for an event that lasted longer than ten minutes, since Wallflower left early from our last outing. Today, Sunset presented me with an opposing view: that Wallflower was actively hostile and unpleasant during the few minutes I left them alone together, which led to a fight.”
She shook her head. “Now, after talking to my parents…things make less sense. Not only was Wallflower extremely negative in her recount, but she insinuated heavily that she believes Sunset has ulterior motives for our friendship.  A continuation of her attitude from the day I suggested the meeting—something that upset me at the time, because she persisted with a very demanding and invasive…interrogation…about Sunset, while trying to suggest that Sunset was…manipulating and using me.”
“And that is the part that does not make sense?” Mental-Sunset shifted her weight to her back foot as she followed Twilight’s pacing.
Twilight paused as she got to where Spike was sitting, looking up at her, ears akimbo. “Yes and no…what bothers me is that it really made me angry when it first happened, before they met—angry enough that I snapped at Wallflower. Yet after the failed outing, I…didn't feel that same anger or annoyance. It…” She frowned. “…for some reason it seemed reasonable that she would have concerns about someone she didn't really know, who hadn't made the best impression.” She pivoted on her heel to resume her pacing. “Looking back…it almost feels like I was someone else in that conversation…”
Her mental creation made a thoughtful sound. “Maybe there is a reason for that, Twilight.  The mind is a curious thing…” There was something...strange…about the way her mind was presenting Mental-Sunset’s tone to her. “You can instantly recognize one of your own, even at an age far too young to know anything else, instinctively recoiling from that which is not what it appears to be…” Blue-green eyes for a moment felt like they were burning into her mind’s eye, leaving her feeling as if she was both numb and frozen. “That recognition works just as well when such a thing intrudes into the very sanctity of your mind…”
Spike let out a low growl, his hackles bristling as he stared at Twilight. Her control over her visualized Sunset wavered. “W-what?”
As the figure began to fade from her perception with her loss of focus, one final thought leaked through. “If it felt like it was not you…then maybe it was not you…at least, not entirely…”
Concentration shot, Twilight sank shakily into her chair again, her body trembling all over. Spike shook himself, collar jingling, and scampered over to her, whining and pawing her leg. She ignored him for the moment, trying to rub warmth back into her arms and regain her composure.  “…what was that?” the dark haired girl finally whispered. 
That had been nothing like the other times her mind had conjured up a version of her girlfriend. All those other times, it had really felt like talking to Sunset. This time it hadn't even sounded like her. It was too…detached. Clinical even, and far too formal. More than that…it felt…washed out. Like it was lacking in some vital piece. The real Sunset was as vibrant as her hair, full of passion and vitality that translated into every part of her person. She was always in motion, even when standing still, and even something as normal and passive as breathing carried with it some of the redhead’s intense energy. 
What she couldn’t figure out is why it worked when she wasn't trying, and failed when she was. Not to mention that she was starting to grow concerned about her own mental health—especially if her subconscious was creating mental constructs whose entire purpose seemed to be to warn her that she wasn't herself lately.
“…Could it be from stress?” she asked Spike worriedly.
He yipped and tugged on her pants leg, trying to pull her towards the door. Twilight rubbed her face. “…you're right. I need to go inside…maybe this will make sense after I rest. At the very least…I think I need to mention this to Dr. Soft-spoken next week at our session. If my stress levels are so high my body is starting to generate hallucinations and not just visualizations to help me process behaviors, then I need to change how I’m handling that stress….”  The teen turned back to her computer to see the file transfer had finished. “Let me finish this and shut everything down, Spike, and we’ll go inside. I think I want a hot drink to warm up.”
A few minutes later saw her firmly ensconced at the kitchen table in an abandoned main floor, pouring a mug of hot cocoa that was nowhere near as good as the cocoa her mother could make.  It would do for what she wanted though—chasing away the cold that felt like it had taken up residence in her core. Holding the mug in shaky hands, she let the heat seep into her, attempting to plan her next moves. 
She had given Sunset a few hours of solitude, and while she would keep to her promise to her father, Twilight would check in when she went upstairs. At the very least, she would offer the beginnings of an apology before bed. As for the rest….
Wallflower was her friend. They'd known each other for years, and she was the only friend Twilight had left at school; for those reasons, she didn't want to sever the friendship over this…but she would start paying more attention to the other girl’s words and actions.  Maybe even discuss them with Cady or her parents if she couldn't figure them out on her own. Clearly there was more going on than she realized, and while she didn't want to lose her friend…she was willing to admit to herself that Sunset mattered a great deal more to her than Wallflower did.  Perhaps she’d also write to both Moondancer and Lyra for their advice—she had Lyra’s email address, and she owed Moondancer a few letters anyway. It was possible one of them could shed light on Wallflower’s strange behavior.
Her precautions about her project would remain. In fact, she would step them up, she decided, during the hours that Wallflower was in her actual classes, so the other teen would be none the wiser about the added layers of security. The niggling, wary sense of potential danger still persisted, and she wasn't sure where the source was—though a part of her still feared it had something to do with Sunset’s unnamed former guardian. Better to only trust herself with the full access to the data from her research.
Sipping her cocoa, she tried to figure out what interest the energy might have to non-scientific minds. The obvious was the energy output—whatever source the energy had, it could generate large amounts under unknown conditions. If those conditions could be detailed and the energy harnessed, it would be at least  on par with the energy generated by large scale power plants or fields of solar panels…in what she suspected was a much smaller object than any other power source she could think of. If it was something that could be replicated easily, that could mean a nearly infinite source of energy for the person who did it. It would completely change life for the beneficiaries of that power. 
The other potential she saw was potential weaponization. Show a human anything powerful or energetic and they’d try to find a way to use it to kill someone else. So far nothing suggested the energy emissions or residue were hazardous, though she was starting to wonder if repeated exposure meant developing some kind of sensitivity to it. That would explain the pattern she’d noticed of being agitated or suffering nightmares in or around large spikes of the energy. Perhaps it acted the same way extremely high concentrations of electromagnetic fields in unshielded areas could supposedly trigger paranoia, whispers, and the feeling of being watched in individuals with a hypersensitivity to it…
Twilight sighed, setting her now empty mug in the sink. She lacked enough detailed data on the phenomenon to determine if it had any medical or communications applications, though the greenery she’d found outside the Canterlot High greenhouse suggested potential mutative properties to flora. The samples she had taken didn't match any known species in her preliminary investigation, though Wallflower was due to look them over that week. She was more familiar with botanicals, and it was part of what Principal Cinch had assigned her to do.
A part of her stewed in resentment and irritation that part of her project was now in the hands of someone else against her will, even if that person was her friend… It was out of her control, and there was nothing to do now but make the best of it. At least it was a friend and not a stranger, or worse, someone who wanted to make her life miserable.
The dark haired girl climbed the stairs, more than ready to change into her pajamas and climb under the thick, warm blankets on her bed. She still wanted to check in with her girlfriend—Twilight would be lying if she said she wasn't hopeful to at least apologize to Sunset so that she wouldn't feel awkward or guilty about curling up close to the redhead for extra warmth. Sunset could chase the cold away like nothing else—she was practically a space heater, which was deliciously wonderful as far as Twilight was concerned, since she got cold fairly easily.
Disappointment and worry flared when she nudged her bedroom door open to find the space dark, empty, and cold.  Sunset wasn't there…but she was still at the house; a quick look out her bedroom window confirmed the presence of her bike in the driveway.  Twilight frowned as she changed into her pajamas, eliminating places Sunset was not. She wasn't in the bathroom, or on the main floor, unless she’d been hiding in either her mother’s study or her father’s in-home office. That suggested she was in the bedroom Twilight’s parents had given her.
Once changed, Twilight slipped out of her room to the door a little further down the hall. She rapped on it gently, though the lack of light under the door made her wonder if Sunset had already laid down for the night. “….Sunset?” she called after a minute, knocking a little louder. When no answer came, she tried to turn the knob, at least wanting to peek in and make sure Sunset was okay…
Only to find it locked.
> Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Believe It or Not...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Everything felt stiff. 
That was the first thing that Sunset became aware of as she fought her way back to consciousness. She was stiff all over, like she’d done a full workout without cooling down, leaving her muscles with a faint ache and her joints slow to respond.
The second thing she noticed was that she was tangled up in a mess of blankets in the dark. The former unicorn fought to free herself from the slightly stuffy cocoon, and eventually sat up to do so…
Only for her forehead to come into painful contact with something above her that was only barely softened by the blankets. Sunset swore vociferously, tears burning at the corner of her eyes from the pain. “Hydra licking, kraken rutting, son of a three legged, inbred, cross-eyed, rotten toothed, mangy yak!” Fingers gingerly checked her forehead for blood or a lump, and she laid back, trying to gather her scattered wits before she did anything else.
Slowly, the fog cleared from her brain. She vaguely remembered the headache she’d developed the night before, along with the burning pain in her limbs as she struggled with her magic and the unintentional Pony-up…even more hazy was the memory of dragging herself under the bed with the blankets…. Part of that might have been the fault of the nightmares and sour dreamscape that left her feeling more exhausted than when she’d gone to sleep.  Sunset could recall fighting her way to the edge of wakefulness several times, seeking the familiar body that she had been expecting…craving…near enough to touch, only to be dragged back down into the black morass of shifting shadows and twisted wastelands and a Twilight who wasn't…
Sunset rolled to her side, finally squirming free of the blankets once she was half out from under the bed.  No wonder she felt like utter garbage—anyone would after a night like she’d had.  Running a hand through her hair, she sat heavily on the bed. At least her headache was gone, and her Pony-up had long since ended. A glance at her phone told her it was way too early to even consider being awake and alive…but there was no way she was going to get any more sleep.
“…shower it is,” she muttered, hoping the water would help loosen up the stiffness she had from sleeping on the floor. And maybe help wake her up the rest of the way.  Grabbing clean clothes from her bag, she staggered down the hall to the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later and it was still an evil hour of “too early to be on this side of the sunrise,” but at least she felt marginally more mortal and less like the discard pile from a necromancer’s lair. After squeezing most of the water from her hair and giving it a quick once over with her brush, Sunset tiptoed her way downstairs where she caught the faint scent of fresh coffee.
The kitchen was dim, lit only by the thin, grey light of pre-dawn and the eerie lights of appliance displays in red or green; those weak sources reached into the spaces between objects, slowly drawing each one out from the formless shadows. Despite that, Sunset could easily make out a masculine figure, outlined in the same pale light that exposed dark blue skin and golden eyes as he turned in her direction.  A tired smile tugged at Night’s face as he greeted her in a voice that did not shatter the peace of the early morning hour, instead weaving deftly through the quiet like it belonged there. “Good morning, Sunset. There’s coffee, if you’d like a cup.”  He left it at that for the moment, his vocalization fading smoothly back into a contemplative yet welcoming stillness.
For a moment, Sunset was caught by a sense of deja vu, the scene reminiscent of more than a few times during her adolescence in Equestria, where she would stumble back to her room after yet another all night study session, opening the door to her balcony to let in fresh air and catching sight of Princess Celestia on her own balcony. The mare’s coat had been washed out from its usual brilliant white and pastel hues to grays and blues in the dark as she stared down over the terraced mountain city and the lands beyond for a long time before she lowered the moon and raised the sun to mark the beginning of another…
Though Night did not bear even the remotest physical similarity to the ancient alicorn, there was still something in the way he stood in that moment, surrounded by a meditative silence that felt like it curled around and welcomed her that struck her as the same as those long ago early morning vigils she’d watched and had desperately wanted to be a part of. Back then…she’d turned away from her balcony, from the sight of the ageless immortal, reminding herself quite firmly that belonging like that was nothing more than an illusion. Wishful thinking from an orphan filly who had still dreamed of the mother she so desperately desired, unable to fully admit that she had no place at the alicorn’s side…that her dreams were nothing more than that, a fantasy that could never be reality.
Here though…here there was a pervasive sense that she was welcome in the quiet and dark, not some kind of intruder or observer. She stepped forward, deeper into the kitchen, until she reached the counter where the coffee pot sat. There she found her mug waiting, the colorful custom words printed on the surface echoed some of her own tired morning ramblings just as brightly as it had on Christmas morning when she unwrapped it to expectant grins from Cadence and Shining—the latter of which was far too pleased with himself over the whole thing.  A tired smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it, even as she filled the mug with bitter ambrosia and set about liberally doctoring it with creamer and sugar that sat at the ready on the countertop nearby.  Heat seeped into her palms as she held the mug, closing her eyes and letting the richly scented steam fill her nose for a long minute before she took that first sip, savoring the way the hot coffee managed to taste sweet as it washed away the night’s foul dryness from her throat.
Night spoke again, the soft pitch once more picking its way through the quiet instead of disturbing it. "I was going to sit outside and watch the sun rise from the back porch. Would you like to join me?"
Blue-green eyes opened at the question, their owner surprised by both being asked and her own positive response, despite it being a cold winter morning. Sunset gave her answer with a shy smile and a nod, before following him quietly out the back door to the small patio, pausing in the journey only once as he offered her a thick, warm coat to put on—it was one of several in the laundry room, and the teen suspected that it had once belonged to Shining Armor, from breadth of the shoulders and the way it enveloped her like a blanket.
Settling into one of the chairs, hands still wrapped around a mug whose heat should have burned her but had ended up more in the zone of ‘comforting,’ Sunset stared at the navy sky that was slowly becoming touched at the bottom edge with achingly familiar shades of magenta and purple.  The colors of early morning twilight giving way to the sun’s fiery presence stirred up memories not just involving her relationship with the nerdy girl who called this house home, but also of a time long ago, of when she was a fiery little filly with a curly coat that danced around alabaster hocks and tugged on pristine wing-feathers excitedly. “Is it time yet, Princess?” the filly in those memories asked excitedly, on those rare and important mornings where she looked forward to waking early or staying up late. Golden magic had caught her in its grip then, and warm wings enfolded her, as Princess Celestia had laughed and reassured her, “Soon, little sun, soon…”
The ache became bittersweet as the former unicorn stared at the changing skyline, emotions spinning themselves into words that spilled forth in a waterfall before she could even properly register that she’d begun talking. “I can remember,” Sunset murmured, the sounds turning to clouds of steam that drifted lazily upwards like dragon smoke, “once upon a time, the story of an immortal princess who was wisdom and compassion made real, whose strength was such that her magic granted her dominion over the heavens. The sun and moon danced across the sky at her behest, but despite being a goddess, she was ruled by her wisdom and compassion, and turned her powers to protect and serve the people of her realm, that they could rise and go about their days with joy, and rest peacefully at night, knowing that she was watching over them always…”
Her mind’s eye saw Princess Celestia as a little filly once had, larger than life, the sun and life, magic and love, warmth and safety, a being who engendered trust with her very presence…before the reality of her situation had torn the veil from her eyes. “Goddess of the Sun, Ruler of the Celestial Spheres, Princess of the Dawn…” Sunset couldn't stop the soft, sad laugh that escaped her. “When I was small, I clung to that story, to the myth of that princess. I wanted to be just like her, a true Daughter of the Sun…”
He turned towards her, expression concerned but thoughtful, and she sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. “I outgrew the fantasy…but it was a legend that shaped a lot of who I became…and who I’d like to be someday, I suppose.”
Night’s concern gave way to a warm and understanding smile. “Stories like that go hand in hand with the heavens in a lot of cultures, and I’ve always had an appreciation for them. It's fascinating, how we can look back at how the myths and legends of a people are shaped by and how they influence their search for understanding of celestial phenomena….though I must confess yours is a legend I’ve never encountered before. Do you happen to know a book that has it in there?”
Sunset shook her head, half cursing the moment that let her spill the truth dressed up as a myth. “I’ve…never found a book here that had the story in it…unless you count the book I gave Cadence for Christmas…but I made that one myself, from memory. Not exactly a credible academic source…” The excuse she’d given and the way he accepted it without suspicion made her heart twist painfully for more than one reason. For the incomplete truth, and for the fact that it was a truth, of sorts. No book in the human world would have history or myths from Equestria…one more reminder that she was the outsider here, no matter how much she pretended otherwise.
“That’s too bad…I’ve seen some of the stories in the book you gave Cady.” Night leaned comfortably back in his chair and looked out at the sky that was slowly lightening to a lavender streaked with shades of pink and red.  “Would you like to hear some of the myths I know then? Ones about the sun always seem to sound better when watching it rise or set. Something about it captures the majesty and awe that the original storytellers were trying to impart, I think.”
The former unicorn nodded, not particularly trusting her voice at that moment. It was much easier to keep silent and stick to simple gestures, letting the familiarity and…something else, something she couldn't quite define because it was different to anything she’d experienced—a part of her dared to suggest that it was the same emotions projected when he interacted with his children, but she shied away from that. It would hurt too much when it turned out she was wrong. 
So instead, she basked in the warmth of both the slowly rising sun and the emotions his presence and tone conveyed, letting it all wrap around her and serve as a soothing balm on a restless, nightmare rattled mind.  Night Light was still turned toward the view as the  last stars vanished one by one before the sun’s light, his voice rising and falling in a soft cadence that would have matched any of the storytellers that had graced Princess Celestia’s court….and all of his stories about the sun, or gods tied to it.  Some stories were foreign, others she had heard read aloud by Twilight, and still more were familiar, as though half remembered and drawing on echoes from her past…
“…and so, Inari resolved that the Sun must be made to slow, or else Their children would not have time to tend the rice, and neither would the rice have time to flower and grow…depriving all of the grain that they depended on for food. Resolved, Cunning Inari wove a net of music and clouds and time itself, with fingers clever and nimble…”
With every story, every sip of the warm drink, Sunset could feel some of her tension drain out of her, drifting away with the receding shadows in the face of the dawn. It was such a powerful feeling, that had she been anypony else, she might have thought that the Princess of the Sun’s magic had somehow reached her here, driving away her inner demons with golden light. In a way she was both sad and glad—sad that it wasn't, glad that she wasn't fooled, and both that she had once been close enough to Princess Celestia to know the difference.
She put it out of her mind, choosing to float in a half daydreaming state as stories filled her ears, only rousing back to full wakefulness when the last of the coffee had been drunk and the full warmth of the winter morning sun was on her face, the air silent once more.  The redhead turned towards her girlfriend’s father, giving a half smile. “…thank you. I liked listening to your stories…it reminded me a lot of…when I was very little…”
“I’m glad,” he responded, finishing the last of his own drink. “I always enjoyed sharing those kinds of stories with Twilight—Shining too, but he was never as interested as my daughter—and it's nice to be able to do the same with you…” There was amused affection now in his tone. “…Especially since it seems you and Twily have a shared passion for staring at the sky in all its splendor.”
Sunset felt her cheeks heat a little at what she knew was meant to be good-natured teasing, particularly when a part of her mind that sounded suspiciously like a voice that was both stupid and little suggested to her that that wasn't the only passion she and Twilight shared. “Uh…yeah,” she acknowledged. “It's…kind of become our thing, since…it's…relaxing. Fun. …makes all the stuff that we worry about seem small and insignificant…plus it makes her happy, and seeing Twilight happy is important to me…” Oh, ponyfeathers, please stop talking, Shimmer…before you basically give away that you're panting after his daughter like a diamond dog after a Fire Ruby! “…I want to be a good friend,” she tacked on lamely as a misdirection. “…I’m…starting to think her previous friends weren’t…actually that great…”
His eyebrows arched, and Sunset tried to shift focus, change the subject to something else. “…it was really nice though, to hear those stories. It makes sense now why she loves mythology despite being more a student of the ‘hard sciences.’ You're a good storyteller, Mr. Night.”
“…a better one than that visiting historian at the museum last November?” Night Light teased, his eyes dancing with laughter. “What was it I overheard you describing him as? ‘A reanimated yak fossil whose mother had dallied with a passing camel, his brain nothing more than a lump of algae stained swamp mud’ whose vaunted ‘expertise’ was little more than a ‘borderline creepy fixation on the worst aspects of a group of primates who discovered they loved sticking sharpened sticks into other primates?’” At her sheepish expression, he chuckled. “No need to be embarrassed, Sunset. I find your flair for descriptive insults to be both delightfully amusing and highly impressive.”
That made the teen smile crookedly. “I was being nice about him—what you didn't hear was what Twilight had just gotten done saying about him.” She bit her lip, then confessed, “I had to look about half those words up later. She…uh…has a very impressive vocabulary.”
More chuckles escaped the man. “I am aware…I am also aware that her commentary is likely justified. I may have memories of the same…lecturing ‘yak fossil’ during my undergraduate studies. Vague and hazy memories, mind, since I may or may not have fallen asleep due to his…monotonous cicada-like droning, and possibly dreamed most of it.” He paused, before adding wryly, “At least, I hope it was a dream. He certainly didn't strike me as the sort to do his history lecture on the Punic wars in a burlesque skirt and Roman legionnaire’s helm while dancing the can-can.” 
Blinking, the redheaded teen stared at him for a long minute before sputtering with awkward laughter. “Stars, that’s an image…one I never wanted. For everyone’s sake, sir, I hope that it was a dream. Watching his attempt at reenacting ancient human combat was bad enough, especially with his desire to add ‘realistic' sound effects. Those poor audience volunteers…”
“Indeed,” Night responded sagely. “There are some things not even years of therapy can fix.” 
Sunset lost it, falling into a full blown fit of laughter until her sides hurt. By the time she had recovered and wiped away the tears of mirth, Night was gathering their mugs and setting them aside so they wouldn't get broken. “I’m glad to see you seem to be feeling a little better this morning….did you and Twily have a chance to talk things out last night?” His tone grew quiet and curious without feeling like he was demanding. “I know that after she came to fully understand what she had said and done, she was very keen to apologize and set things right with you.  That realization gave her quite a bit of a mental shake-up.”
Regardless of the tone, the subject made the teenager stiffen at first, at least until the end. Her girlfriend’s parents had so far always been honest with her. If they said that Twilight wanted to mend things after what had happened yesterday afternoon, then it was true. Feeling herself relax again, she answered his question, first with a shake of her head, then elaborating further, “I…only just woke up a little while before I came down; I think she might still be asleep.” She gripped her elbow with her other hand, eyes looking everywhere but at Night. “…I…I’m happy that she wants to…” Her voice faltered, trailing off as she lost her nerve and floundered with exactly how to word her thoughts. She also cringed inwardly at the growing realization that she was not sure she was entirely in the right mental state to handle that conversation yet.
Night made an encouraging sound, the lack of judgment giving her the courage to keep talking. “I…know she didn't mean to…that she wasn't acting like herself…but…” Sunset stared at the red and gold streaks in the sky, trying to regain the emotional quiet she’d found just minutes prior. “…what she said…the way she said it…it was…people have said it before... It…hurt…because I never thought…that she’d throw that in my face…” She gripped her elbow tighter, hunching in on herself in her seat. “…she knows how much it hurts…how it makes me feel.”
“That is one of the unfortunate sides to being close to someone,” Night acknowledged gently. “They know what hurts the most, and in anger, people sometimes say things when they lash out, things they regret later.”
The former unicorn blinked rapidly, swallowing back the ragged emotions and the magic curling under her skin like a barely contained animal.  “I…I know. I have that problem a lot…when I get angry…I’ll just feel like I’m burning up and when I open my mouth ugly words come out, and I hurt people…but this time…”
Night Light nodded understandingly. “This time the shoe is on the other foot, and you're the one who has been stung.”
She sighed, trying to push her magic deeper. “Yeah…and I feel like I need to let all of the old feelings settle first before I can deal with the new, before I can hear her out…I know that’s probably silly or cowardly…but I’m afraid of what will happen if I don’t. If my head is still all…” She made a vague gesture with her one hand, “…it will be me who says something I’ll regret. That’s something I don't want to do, something that…as much as what she said hurts…that I don't think she deserves.”  It was easier, somehow, in this liminal space, to voice things so intimate and painful without shame and embarrassment.  Night Light was a surprisingly comforting listener, an air of calm acceptance and rationality to his presence that reminded her so much of how Twilight normally behaved when Sunset had things to get off her chest.
Even his voice, when he spoke, reminded her of Twilight from discussions past, and she swallowed around a lump in her throat as she realized how important that Twilight’s patient rationale had become to her, and how the increasing lack of it in the last month had been eating at her.  “If that’s what you need to do, Sunset, that’s okay. Do you have something in particular that helps you organize your thoughts and feelings the way you need?”
“…physical activity,” she admitted. “Running, riding around on my bike, working out—I…have a small workout space in my attic…it's a lot easier to not think and just put all my feelings into what I’m doing. It…burns it away.” Sunset smiled faintly. “One of my friends, Applejack, lives on a farm out past the old mill, and lately, I’ve been going out there…I help out with some of the chores, and sometimes, we use the workout space in the barn…” Her eyes turned towards the direction she knew the farm was.  “It's…hard work, but it feels good after…”
“I can imagine. There is something satisfying about a job well done…and a good workout.”
Sunset chuckled a little. She definitely had gotten both lately working with their magic at the farm. “Yeah. I was actually heading over there today to meet up with some of my friends. I’ve been helping plan a park beautification project—we’ve been getting people at school and around town to contribute time or money for supplies to help us pick up trash and add animal feeders and new park benches. AJ was gonna borrow the truck and she and I were going to hit the hardware store to buy the supplies. Means AJ is probably already up and halfway through her morning chores…”
Biting her lip at something that occurred, she glanced over at her girlfriend’s father. “…I would have invited Twilight to help out, but…I…didn't know if she was ready to go back to the park yet….” It was partially true, and the reason that she’d discussed briefly with Twilight. Luckily for her, the younger girl had soundly agreed with Sunset’s hesitation—she wasn't sure she was ready to go back yet either.
His features pulled into a frown as he considered her words and the meaning behind them. “I never did thank you for what you did,” he commented.
“I didn't do it for thanks,” Sunset whispered. “I did it because I couldn't let something like that happen.”
He reached over and squeezed her shoulder briefly. “I know.”  There was silence then, things unspoken but somehow instinctively understood between them. After a few minutes he changed the subject. “Your project takes monetary donations?”
The redhead nodded. “Yes, sir. We’re putting the money towards supplies like trash bags, tools, and safety equipment. We don't want our volunteers picking up broken glass or anything like that bare handed.”
Night pulled out his wallet, counting out a handful of bills, before holding them out to her. “Consider this the family’s donation to your project then.” 
She stared. “This is…a lot. Are you sure?”
“Quite sure. If there’s more than you need for supplies, use the extra to feed your volunteers. You can get party sized catering orders of sandwiches from the deli on Ninth. And you might consider, if it's open to walk-up volunteers, talking to Cadence for a mention on the radio.”
Asking Cadence was not something she’d considered, but it couldn't hurt. Sunset tucked the money into her wallet. “Okay…thank you…”
The early morning quiet closed back in around them for a time. Eventually, Night rose and collected their empty mugs. “Let’s get back inside before we freeze,” he suggested. Sunset nodded, following him back into the toasty warmth of the kitchen.  They were refilling their coffee when he brought up the previous topic of conversation, his words measured and thoughtful, as though he had selected each one after careful deliberation. “For the record, I want to commend you, Sunset, for the amount of mature self-awareness you exercise in regards to your emotions, both in how you recognize your mental state and in finding healthy outlets for yourself.”
Blue-green eyes widened in surprise—she hadn’t expected to hear something like that. “…I never really thought of it that way…I just…I don't want to hurt Twilight…or anyone really, and if I get angry…that's what happens. People get hurt.”
“It does not take away from the fact that you have developed self awareness and what a therapist would likely call a ‘healthy coping mechanism.’” Night’s smile was warm and touched with…pride? He was…he was proud of her and her actions. It produced an odd, happy sort of satisfaction in Sunset, one that persisted even with his next question. 
“You mentioned wanting to have space to sort your feelings before you sit down and talk things out with Twilight?” Golden eyes studied her over the rim of his coffee mug.
Sunset was torn. Part of her wanted to deny it, knowing that if she put it off, her girlfriend would just stew over it and end up in an even worse state with her anxieties running wild. That was something she didn't want to put the younger girl through that, no matter how badly she wanted time to sort through the morass of feelings and memories last night had unearthed. “I…do…” came the confession, guilt leaking into her tone as she hung her head.  “…but…Twilight…I don't want her to get even more upset because she starts…you know, imagining the worst case scenario?”
Sipping at his drink, he leaned against the counter. “Sunset, I understand why you're worried…but in this case, it is completely reasonable to look after your own needs instead of putting them aside in favor of what will benefit Twilight the most. If you need to take a few days or even a week to get your head straight before you're willing to talk things out with her, then do so. Part of any healthy relationship—friendship included,” he clarified with an odd note to his voice, “is learning how to balance both parties needs, rather than one constantly sacrificing for the ‘good’ of the other.” When she opened her mouth to respond, he held up a finger to stop her. “More than that, Sunset, you are forgetting one detail: Velvet and I are more than willing to help when it comes to Twilight’s struggles with her anxieties.”
The former unicorn made a face as she looked into the swirling depths of her coffee. She had automatically discounted any outside assistance, mostly out of the habit of solving her own problems. It had never even crossed her mind that Twilight’s parents might be able to help keep the nerdy girl on something of an even keel while Sunset took some time to breathe. Instead, she had assumed that it was a choice between her desire and Twilight’s…and that wasn't much of a choice at all. Twilight would win, every time.
Still, Sunset wrestled with it, and it took quite a while before she responded to Night. “…if…if I was to take some space…would you and Mrs. Velvet be willing to make sure that Twilight is okay?” At his nod, she added, “I won’t leave without telling her…that's something I should tell her myself. I want to make sure she knows I’m going to come back…and that things will be okay…that I’m not going to leave her or not be best friends anymore or…or anything like that that she might get worried about.” She rubbed her elbow. “Would you be able to make sure she…doesn’t get the wrong idea before we talk…?”
He reached over and gave her another of those soothing shoulder pats. “We can handle keeping Twilight firmly grounded for the week, Sunset. She will be fine while you take your time and space.”
Nodding jerkily, feeling that gnawing sense of her own instincts demanding that no one could protect her Sparky the way she could, Sunset blurted. “If…if she’s not though…you’ll let me know, right? So I can come over and fix it?” The redhead hugged herself reflexively, struggling with the conflicting feelings and finally settling with the offered compromise when Night agreed.
“I believe we can do that, if Twilight shows signs of handling things poorly despite intervention. I do not believe she will, especially if you give her a specific deadline to wait when you explain this to her.” Night smiled encouragingly. “It will work out, Sunset. Both of you want to make this right between you, and as long as both of you feel that way, you will get through this. The strongest bonds are not so easily broken by a few fights.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she set her mug in the sink. “Alright…thank you…I…if it's okay with you, I’m going to message AJ and see if I can head to her place a little early.” With that, Sunset headed for the stairs to gather her things and make a phone call.
> Chapter One Hundred and Ten: Time and Space
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





For once, Twilight was not particularly keen on getting out of bed right away when she woke. Her sleep—if one could even consider calling it that—had been almost nonexistent, and she woke feeling groggy and far more tired than she had been the night before. Falling asleep had been nearly impossible on its own after her discovery that Sunset hadn’t just been avoiding her because of the unresolved fight—the older girl had actively locked herself away from Twilight.  Learning that had sent her back to her room in a numb haze, where she’d ignored the whining Spike to sit numbly on the bed and stare blankly at the wall for what might have been minutes or hours, until something inside her broke with the knowledge that she had driven her very best friend in the whole world to a point where she would cut contact—even temporarily—so completely that Twilight couldn't even try to apologize.
She couldn't even blame Sunset. It was wholly, utterly, entirely her own fault. And so Twilight had fallen to pieces, curling up around Sunset’s pillow on the redhead’s side of the bed, and sobbed like her heart was breaking—it had certainly felt like it at the time.  In the end, it had been hours after Twilight had climbed the stairs that unconsciousness had finally taken pity on her and she had passed out in a snotty, hyperventilating, miserable ball with a pounding headache and red, sore eyes.
Yet even that mercy had been short lived.  Shapeless nightmares had cast her repeatedly into distorted mindscapes, full of twisted forests or warped hallways, urban hellscapes and storm-wracked wastes… In some she was searching for, chasing, missing something she never saw, always just too slow, too far behind, to find it. In others, figures tormented her in various ways, some fashioned to resemble real people she knew, others monstrous parodies that blew past ‘uncanny valley’ tumble straight into ‘horror movie antagonist.’ And every single one, ended with her dragged to barest awareness to gain the knowledge she’d been dreaming nightmares before she was dragged back under to drown once more in her subconscious fears.
Twilight knew she couldn't lay there forever, though, and she shivered as she left her bed—her room seemed colder than ever before.  As the dark haired girl went through her basic morning routine, she used it to think about literally anything else but the night before—which worked handily until she’d stepped into the shower. Then her brain took advantage of the white noise and closed-off-from-the-world nature of the shower to pummel her again with the knowledge that this whole mess was solely and entirely her fault.  She had been beyond unreasonable—and over what? That her girlfriend should spend time with her old friend?—to the point that Sunset had ultimately been driven away, driven to locking her bedroom door…presumably because she thought Twilight might…
Might what, exactly? Continue to press the issue about Wallflower? Browbeat Sunset into capitulation? Heartlessly get her digs in about things that Twilight very well knew made Sunset feel awful?
Her eyes burned and she began to shake; despite the heat of the water, Twilight felt icy cold inside. Sunset was the bravest, strongest person she had ever met. She had come through terrible trials, and even if she’d lost herself for a while, she had come through it without losing the intelligent, caring person she had buried for so long. The redhead wasn't just strong or resilient…she was inspiring, meeting challenges that left Twilight grasping blindly, and she met them with confidence and plenty of clever wit…So many times she’d stepped up without being asked to stand as a shield between Twilight and Twilight’s own fears, anxieties, and struggles, without a murmur of complaint or sign that she was bothered at all by the burden she’d shouldered.
To know that that same fiery girl, as bright as the sun and as proud as a lion, had felt terrified enough to hide and cower in what had been meant to be a safe refuge…all because of the one person who should have been defending her against all comers?
It was wrong.
Twilight felt her eyes burning again, and her throat ached, but she struggled against it. She had cried last night…now she needed a plan. She needed to make this right. Starting with an apology…nothing further until she opened her mouth and admitted her fault, her failing, and her guilt freely.
No matter what Sunset’s response might be, that had to happen. Too many talks with Sunset that had divulged bits of her history had made something quite apparent: no one ever apologized to Sunset when they hurt her. In fact, most never seemed to ever see they had done anything wrong, and in those cases where adults had gotten involved between children, Sunset had always been treated as the aggressor, the problem, not the victim…even when she was the victim.
So an apology was vital. Twilight had messed up, had been terrible…but she wasn't like those people in the past. She was able—even if it had taken a blunt reality check from her father—to admit her mistake and make amends.  It was what people were supposed to do, especially when they hurt people they cared about. 
Cady had taught her that, years ago, after a much younger Twilight had witnessed a bad fight between her brother and his girlfriend. Shining had been angry, and yelled at her with something ugly, something that had made Cadence burst into tears and run to her room. Twilight had yelled at her brother, then chased after Cady…





The six year old peeked into Cadence’s room. “Cady?” She crept in and shut the door behind her, before crawling onto the bed to hug the teenager. “I told Shining that he’s a big mean stupid jerkface.”
Sniffling, Cadence hugged her back, crying and laughing a little at the same time. “Did you?”
“Uh huh. He was mean. Why was he mean? I thought he loved you…”
The pink haired girl frowned sadly. “He does, Ladybug. We just had a fight, and we both said some things we didn't really mean…” When purple eyes just stared at her in confusion, Cadence sighed and did her best to explain. “Part of loving someone means that you let them in. They learn your secrets and you learn theirs. It can be a risk—they could use those secrets to hurt you, but part of love is trusting them not to. Unfortunately, even people who love each other more than anything in the world fight, or get angry, and sometimes when that happens, we say things we don't mean. Remember when you took apart Shining’s bike?”
She sure did—Shining yelled at her, told her she wasn't his sister anymore and didn't talk to her for weeks. “…yes…”
“And he said a lot of things that hurt really bad?”
“…he didn't want me as his sister…”
Fingers ran through the child’s hair. “And did he mean that?”
“…no. He said sorry for it later. After I said sorry for his bike.” Twilight sniffled. 
Cadence nodded encouragingly. “Right. It happens…but when you do get upset and fight, the most important thing is to say you're sorry and show that you mean it, because hurting people like that, even with words, is not okay. Especially if it's someone you love.”
She considered it for a long minute. “How do I do that?”
“Show that you mean it? Well, that depends on the person and what you did or said, but…I’ve found that asking them how to make it right after you apologize is a good place to start…”





Fingers absently worked soap into her hair as she began to construct her plan going forward. Her goal was to apologize to Sunset. That came with several steps, the most difficult of which was proving to be working up her…courage…to go to Sunset. Would Sunset even want to talk to her yet?  Would seeking her out now be welcomed, or should she wait? Her parents’ words about letting Sunset have space had stuck with the teen, and she didn't want to push her away further when what she really wanted was to apologize…
As the logical part of her planned and the anxious part began asking questions and imagining all the ways it could go wrong, a hopeful third part of her mind tried to shape a best case scenario.  It offered up several potential solutions, based on her independent readi—research, plus Cady’s conversations with her, and even times her father or brother had needed to apologize.  Twilight’s logical side dismissed Shining’s trick of copious flowers—it was far too early in the morning for any florist to be open, after all. Plus, she noted with a spike of anxiety, apology flowers pretty much screamed ‘romantic relationship’ and her parents couldn’t miss something so blatant. The same went for possibly planning something for Valentine’s Day next week—any complicated plans would be hard to conceal, plus she needed to apologize sooner…
Even if coming out to her parents and admitting she was actually dating her fiery haired best friend was a pretty declarative way of showing Sunset how much she meant to Twilight…
No…none of that would work.
But…it didn't have to be complicated or showy to work, did it? Their date for the meteor shower had been fairly simple after all, and left no one the wiser…
Twilight could see it now. She could go find Sunset in her room, knock, and ask to talk to her alone. Her girlfriend would let her in…Twilight could then apologize. A real apology, citing all the things she had done wrong and offering recognition that she had been in the wrong with what she had said and done…
Sunset would accept it—at least, she hoped that the other girl would. She…didn't seem like she wanted to hold grudges, at least, not since Twilight had known her.  Plus, if she wasn't interested in at least hearing Twilight out, wouldn't she have just left last night instead of risking staying and bumping into Twilight?
And then, after they talked a bit about it, Twilight could invite Sunset out to brunch…maybe? There was a little café not too far from the cluster of stores they both loved, about three blocks from the used bookstore they loved and next to this second hand store Sunset liked to browse.  
That was if Sunset was amenable to Twilight furthering her apology with an activity, of course. Perhaps instead of a specific destination, she could see about offering Sunset the choice of if and what to do? Would that be a more appropriate way of showing her sincerity and remorse for her behavior? 
The more Twilight considered it, the more sensible her plan seemed. It left things mostly in Sunset’s ‘court,’  so to speak, dealt with her own actions in a fair and honest way, and was strictly short term without too many assumptions based on incomplete data. Even if it hit a few snags, or certain parts didn't pan out, at least the core of it should succeed.  She smiled as she finished rinsing her hair, feeling positive for the first time since the conversation with her father in the car the night before. It was all going to turn out okay…
Those thoughts kept her going as she finished her shower and got dressed, giving her the chance to plan out exactly what she would say when Sunset let her in to talk. She had to get it right, and she discarded several short speeches for not quite conveying what she wanted.  It took until she was finished in the bathroom, and her hair brushed and tied back in a ponytail before Twilight had something that she was satisfied with. Now all that was left was walking down the hall and knocking on Sunset’s door.
The dark haired girl stared at her reflection, taking a deep breath. “You can do this,” she told herself, wishing she was as sure as she sounded.
Twilight exited the bathroom and turned towards Sunset’s room instead of her own, gathering her courage.  Her steps took her to the door and she knocked, her stomach twisting unsettlingly when the door moved away from her knuckles loosely. “Sunny?” she called hesitantly, pushing the door open further to see into the room.
Her stomach sank to her toes at the sight of the empty bedroom, the falling sensation coupled with its earlier churning to make her feel slightly nauseous.  Swallowing reflexively, she let her eyes scan the bedroom, every sense clawing at her with some instinctive knowledge she couldn’t articulate that something was horribly wrong with the room. It looked off, with the sheets and bedding twisted and half trailing on the floor, some of them even wadded up and shoved  under the bed. It sounded wrong, as if the insulation in the walls—something she rationally knew was no different to the insulation in the rest of the house—was somehow trapping and eliminating all noise entirely, leaving the room far too quiet and still.  It felt wrong, the way the air currents from the now open door rubbed against her skin, too hot and stifling, like a summer attic instead of a winter bedroom. It smelled wrong, the heated air tainted by sweat and a faint acrid odor she couldn't place, mixed up under the even fainter whisper of Sunset’s scent of ‘sunshine, summer, and leather’…
Her imagination shivered with the suggestion of an all too real conclusion: Sunset, her Sunny, caught in the grip of a nightmare like before, suffering and unable to wake, with no one to hear her cries, no one to hold her when she finally came out of it…no one to let her know she was safe and cared for no matter what the demons of her past might say to her… Shame twisted a knife in her chest; whether she triggered the nightmares or not was an irrelevant factor, because had she not been so selfish, so blind, Sunset would not have had to face the darkness alone.  
It made her even more determined to find Sunset and apologize.
Twilight considered for a minute, trying to decide where Sunset most likely was if she wasn't in the bedroom the family had given her. The most likely answers were either downstairs in the kitchen or living room, or in Twilight’s room—the latter would suggest she was doing what Twilight had attempted to do.  She’d start there, then go downstairs if that turned out to not be the case.
She’d taken all of three steps towards her own door when a sound from outside sent her organized thoughts scattering to the four winds like a flock of frightened birds. Twilight knew that rumbling roar from her driveway with the same familiarity she felt about the smell of her girlfriend’s jacket, or the husky sound of her voice when they were alone—it was Sunset’s bike starting, before falling into the purring, thrumming idling sound. And that sound could only mean one thing.
Sunset was leaving.
Panic drowned out any other thought, and the teen tripped over herself in her mad rush for the stairs. Sunset was leaving, and Twilight couldn't let her go before she apologized. If she left…
No. She couldn't. Not without Twilight apologizing first.
Twilight ran, taking the stairs two at a time, disregarding her own safety, practically leaping over Spike, and then stumbling as she hit the last step wrong and pitched forward right as a form she hadn't expected came in the front door.
Warm hands reached out without thinking, their owner catching Twilight mid-fall and steadying her as she put her feet under her, Sunset’s voice breaking the silence with one word. “Careful!”
The touch, the voice, they burned her senses in a way that felt so good it hurt, and she found herself scrambling mentally, trying to recall her planned apology and failing miserably. Twilight tried anyway, the words spilling out in an unintelligible waterfall of stuttered, half sobbed syllables, truncated sentences that never lasted longer than a few words, and fractured thoughts that she couldn't manage to make the shape of with her tongue.
“Twilight,” Sunset said, her voice gentle but firm. “Stop. Breathe.”
The dark haired girl stopped, and they stood like that for a moment, time itself grinding to a halt as purple eyes met blue-green, both of them just taking in the sight of the other.
Sunset looked tired, and her eyes stormy. Her posture was stiff, far too stiff around Twilight, lacking the open welcome and subtle physical contact that existed between them. Twilight blinked back tears at the tangible proof that she had hurt Sunset deeply—even the night they met, Sunset had never been adverse to her touch.
This time, her voice worked, though it was a weak, broken thing. “…Sunset…Sunny…I…I’m so sorry…I…you didn’t deserve…”
Tension eased just a fraction, as those eyes searched her, not just her face, but seeming to peer right into her heart and soul. Whatever the taller girl found must have satisfied her, and she reached out, catching Twilight’s upper arm in a squeeze. “…I know…and…we’ll talk about it…but not right now.”   
Confusion made her frown, her eyes falling to the floor and Sunset’s hand moved to tip her chin back up. “Hey…look at me, Sparky…” As she raised her eyes back to her girlfriend’s—she was still her girlfriend, right?—that amber skinned hand moved to cup her cheek, thumb brushing over Twilight’s lips. “We’ll talk about it, work through it…but not right now.  What you said last night stirred up a lot of stuff…stuff I need to sort through.”
The tears that had been welling up spilled over. “Sunny, I—”
Sunset used her thumbs to wipe away the tears. “I’m not angry at you, Twilight. I am…upset. You…what you said hurt, and we need to talk about it for a lot of reasons.  But right now, I’m not in a good headspace to have the conversation we need to have. I need some time to deal with all the things that got stirred up, or I will get angry and say things I will regret. Things you don’t deserve to have thrown at you because I’m angry and being a bitch.”
Biting her lip, Twilight asked, “…are we still…?”
Casting a quick glance around, Sunset leaned forward to kiss Twilight’s forehead. “You are still my best friend in the world, Sparky,” she answered, then tilted her head to rest their foreheads together briefly, voice lowering to a whisper meant for Twilight alone. “…and my girlfriend, as long as you still want to be. I’m just asking for some time to work through a few things, that's all. Can I have that?”
Twilight nodded as best she could, remembering what her parents had said, about respecting Sunset’s needs and wishes, as well as her own earlier promise to let Sunset have the final say about the apology and the conversation they needed to have. “…take as much time as you n-need,” she croaked out, her throat tight with emotion.
Her girlfriend gave her the faintest of crooked smiles as she stepped back into her own space.  The unspoken, invisible barrier was still present, but seemed less now about Twilight’s actions and more about Sunset’s own emotions.  “…we’ll be okay, Twilight. Just…give me the week to get my head on straight, and we’ll try again next Friday, alright?”
“I’ll be here,” Twilight managed, her own smile faint, weak, and watery. “…and I really am sorry, Sunset…for last night. I was wrong, about a lot of things…”
One last brush of amber fingers touched her cheek, and then Sunset’s warmth was gone. “…thank you, Sparky…for saying that much…it…” Sunset’s eyes blinked moisture back rapidly. “It means more than you know to hear that.”
With that, the redhead bent to grab her backpack off the floor, and then she was gone, leaving Twilight cold and alone in the hall, wishing that the week was over already…
> Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: Get It Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Applejack was waiting when Sunset pulled into the driveway, her bike’s tires slinging gravel as she stopped sharper than normal.  One blonde brow arched as the farmer helped Sunset wheel the bike out of the way under a tree.  “Ya look like a carcass dragged half a mile behind a plow, Sunset. Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really,” she replied, feeling drained for the moment. The brief confrontation with Twilight at the base of the stairs and the rough, somewhat reckless drive to the farm had left her feeling emotionally wrung out, but the former unicorn knew that feeling wouldn't last. Not after what she’d sensed when she went digging this morning through Twilight’s essence—there, almost invisible, were the barest tendrils of dark magic, fresh but already withering, and Sunset’s touch had burned them up, just like at the Battle of the Bands, or the day she’d stood between Shining and his mother.
The fury was simply banked for the minute, the slowly building inferno in her chest gaining strength the more she thought about the fact that something malicious was trying to use her adorable nerd for some terrible end. She wanted to take that available time to sort through the unimportant things cluttering up her mind after the night before. Being reminded of snotty aristocratic brats who had long aged past her in a world and kingdom she may never return to was painful and distracting and a lot less important than the more immediate fact that there was something using dark, corrupt magics on her best friend, or the fact that her other closest friends were practically bursting at the seams with magic they were struggling to learn how to use and control.  
She looked up to meet worried emerald eyes, and hugged the tall girl impulsively. “Thank you for caring, Applejack…I…I won't say I’m fine, but I need to organize my thoughts before I’m ready to talk.”
Scratching at the back of her neck, AJ nodded. “Alrighty then…c’mon then. Best way Ah know ta clear yer head is a bit of mindless work. Gotta muck the barn and pull some bales down from the loft.”
“Sounds good…” Sunset followed her into the larger stock barn, where they kept the cows and the family’s few horses during the winter cold.  It was still unnerving to have wall-eyed primitive equine faces hanging out over stall doors at her, but at least they smelled better than the pigpen. “Are you putting them out in the field today?”
“Eyuuuup. Think ya can set the horses out while Ah muck out the stalls?”
With a noise of agreement, Sunset fell in beside her friend for the work. It turned into a longer, more grueling and physically taxing endeavor than anticipated, especially when Sunset caught the distinctly off gait in one of the horses that she knew all too well—something was caught putting pressure on the fleshy pad on the underside. That had led to her appropriating the Apple family’s hoof care kit, and with more than a little grumbling about how awful it was to get something stuck up between the hoof wall and the frog, had cleaned the offending foot until she located a sliver of thick, unyielding haystalk that had wedged itself in good and was jabbing awkwardly into the one part of a hoof that was sensitive to pressure. Its removal had been met with such approval from the mare that she’d practically knocked Sunset over when she’d headbutted the redhead. 
Applejack was still giving her plenty of teasing as they headed in to wash up.  “So…looks ta me like yer part of the herd now,” she laughed, “an’ Ah think Daisy is sweet on ya! Gonna take her ta prom?”
Blowing air out her nostrils in a snort, Sunset gave her friend a glare with no heat behind it. “She was just appreciative for me getting the annoyance out of her hoof,” she grumbled. “There's no comparison to what that feels like for a pony, not even a rock in your shoe. Maybe a sliver under your fingernail, or a piece of wood stuck in your foot, but even that’s not quite the same.”
“Sunset, she done followed ya around the paddock the rest of the morning, making doe eyes. An’ after ya put Rufus in his place, it was like Moses an’ the Red Sea!” Applejack stepped into the mudroom and stripped off the soiled work clothes and muck covered boots.  
Sunset just removed her boots and went to wash up in the big basin sink. “…he’s a gelded stallion, AJ. Of course he’s going to give way to an assertive mare. He just wasn't expecting a unicorn mare to walk into his home wearing this body.”  She rolled her eyes. “Also you have the weirdest take on pony body language I’ve ever heard of, by the way—none of what that mare was doing would count as flirting, even in the most primitive fashion. She was trying to make a friendly overture after I made one to her.”
Green eyes study her. “Uh huh.” Her expression turned sly. “So what would count then? Magic ponies give each other flowers? Show off their ears and shiny coats ta each other?”
Her face grew hot as her mind wandered to Twilight and parts of the girl that most assuredly were not her ears. “Um…we don't look at ears. Flowers are a pretty good way to show interest though—there's so many plants and ways to arrange them in bouquets, and a lot of them do have meanings…”  Sweet sunfire, this was not a conversation she really wanted to have with anyone. Especially not things that counted as instinctive flirtatious gestures for her species. Redirect, Shimmer! “Especially since many of them are delicious too. I used to buy this snack, during late spring and early summer in Canterlot, where the vendor would sell spring flowers coated with other things, like chocolate or honey, and sometimes, she’d add things like chopped nuts or dried fruit. Her dark chocolate walnut daffodils were so decadent they should have been illegal.”
“Chocolate covered flowers? Huh. Ah guess Ah can see why pony-folk would like those.”  The farmer joined Sunset at the sink, to wash the worst of the grime off her arms, hands, and face. “So ponies give each other flowers just like people, huh? Guessin’ pony flower language ain’t the same as human ones.”
Sunset blinked. “You guys have flower language?” She paused, thought about it for a minute. “You know flower language?”
The blonde laughed. “Aw, Sunset…don't sound so shook up!” Her eyes danced with humor. “Rares loves gettin’ flowers, so Ah made a point ta know what Ah was sayin’ years ago.” Then she sobered a bit. “‘Sides, Ma was big on flowers and Ah used ta help in the garden.”
Wincing, the former unicorn tried to focus on something that wouldn't poke at the loss of her friend’s parents. “I guess it makes sense. I never considered that humans would have a particularly complex flower language, but…you guys do cultivate a lot of them, despite the fact that almost none of them are edible for you….”
“Eeeeeyup. Most people know the big ones. Red roses fer a lover, white or pink fer yer mum or granny, yellow ta say yer sorry. But there's lots more, and ya can send all kinds o’ messages with how many of what kinds and colors, and even how they’re arranged together.” There was a measure of smugness to Applejack’s grin. “Ah like sending Rares flower notes an’ seeing how long it takes her ta figure out what Ah said.”
There was an amused throat clearing from the inner door. “And you are quite exceptional at subtle messages, dearest,” Rarity said. “But if you keep wowing Sunset with your exploits in the fairly lost art of speaking with floral arrangements, breakfast will get cold.”
At this rate, Sunset was going to end up with mental whiplash. She turned to stare at Rarity, who was already dressed—though her hair was still damp from a shower and pulled back in a simple ponytail. “…I didn't know you were here,” Sunset blurted without thinking.
Rarity smiled, beckoning her inside. “Mother and father are off on an anniversary trip, so Sweetie and I are spending the next two weeks here. And I took the liberty of assisting Granny with cooking breakfast.” She paused, her expression faltering. “That alternative is Sweetie helping in the kitchen.”
Sunset tilted her head in confusion, until AJ leaned over to whisper, “Sweetie Belle can’t make a sandwich without burning boiling water.”
“That…I…how?”
Rarity made a face. “We aren't sure, darling, but it's just best to keep her out of the kitchen.” She led them inside. “Thankfully, Applebloom helps keep her distracted on mornings such as this. They're off doing minor chores upstairs.”
Granny patted Sunset’s shoulder as she set a bowl of sliced fruit on the table in front of the former unicorn. “Mornin’, young’un. More trainin’ today?”
Pushing her hair back from her face, Sunset shook her head. “Not really…until later maybe. We’re getting the supplies for our park clean up. Maybe painting some bird houses or feeders. If we have time after we’re done, I might do some more training or research.”
“Eat up first. Can't get any real work done fer the day if yer belly’s chewin’ on yer backbone!” the old woman instructed before she shuffled back to the kitchen, half muttering to herself about teenagers. Sunset just looked at her friends—she had a hard time grasping Granny Smith’s behavior on a good day, and this was not a good day. Applejack just shrugged and started loading up a plate with a heaping mound of eggs and sausage, along with several large biscuits of a type Sunset had only ever seen come out of the Apple kitchen. Rarity just rolled her eyes and pushed the eggs her way, mouthing ‘Just eat,’ at her.
Deciding to take her friend’s hint, Sunset filled her plate—despite her awful night, she had an appetite, and managed to eat more at the breakfast table than Applejack…who had gone back for thirds.  It…was a nice change of pace from the normal tendency to be ill before, during, and after nightmares, but it was still embarrassing when she got teased about it, especially when it was Applebloom and Sweetie Belle poking fun at her during the clean-up.
It was overwhelming enough that she ended up fleeing outside as quietly and quickly as possible, leaning against the battered farm truck to wait on AJ and shivering in the February sunshine. It was stupid, she berated herself, to get agitated over a couple of middle schoolers teasing her in a way that was clearly not malicious, but she couldn't help it. She was still a little too raw to be able to deal with any teasing. Even Applejack’s earlier jibes had felt a little more pointed than intended, and she knew perfectly well that that had been her blonde friend’s way of trying to get her mind off whatever was bothering her and to maybe make her laugh a little.
Footsteps crunched along the gravel nearby, and she looked up into green eyes, even as Applejack unlocked the truck. “Ready? Rares gave me the list. Said you have all the donation money.”  Sunset just nodded, and climbed into the passenger seat, hunching her shoulders inside her jacket and fiddling with her scarf.  
As they sat there, in the idling vehicle, the tall girl cleared her throat. “So…ya ready ta tell me yet about what's got ya lookin’ like yer dog just died and snippier’n Rarity when she’s got a weeks worth of sewing ta do two days before a deadline?”  She gestured. “Ain't one here but us, and no one ta overhear.”
It was an oddly familiar scenario, sitting in the passenger side of a vehicle, trying to decide whether or not to spill what was on her mind. Sure, it was a truck instead of a sporty car, and Applejack in the driver’s seat as opposed to Flash, but it held the same mental and emotional feeling, with her friend offering the same quiet patience and open ear as her ex.  Sunset blew air out her nostrils in a heavy sigh, absently chewing on her fingernail as she warred with herself.
“None of that now,” her friend interrupted, nudging her hand away from her mouth and offering her a bag of fruit flavored lollipops instead. “Chew on one of these, not yerself—no need ta risk needing medical attention if ya bite too hard.”
Flushing, the former unicorn took one and then took her time unwrapping it. Her hand was still sore from the abuse her cribbing had subjected it to the night before, and she didn't really want to subject it to any more. “I’m…worried,” she admitted.
“‘Bout what?” Tanned fingers fiddled with the truck's heat, and soon the chilly cabin was being flooded with warmer air. 
She warred with herself, then decided to tell as much as she could without mentioning Twilight by name. “This might sound a little out there…I’ve been having nightmares,” she started. “…and…not-quite…visions. Like what happened the day we blew the school’s power out.” 
Green eyes studied her, before AJ turned her attention to putting the truck into gear and pulling out of the gravel patch into the driveway proper. “So not just weird shit cuz ya ate too many jalapeños durin’ a slasher movie marathon right before bed then.”
“Um…no?” She gave her friend a somewhat confused glance. “That’s…weirdly specific.”
There was a snort of laughter. “Dash did it on a dare when we were eleven. Still not sure what kept her up more—nightmares or her gut’s opinions on an entire jar of jalapeños.”
Well. That…was certainly something. Sunset shook her head to dispel that mental image and refocus on the topic at hand. “…right. No, it's…not like that. Because there's more…I’ve…encountered people affected by dark magic—” There was a sharp sound from Applejack, and she paused to give her a chance to absorb that, before continuing. “Except it's not the same as with the sirens. This dark magic is…hidden…somehow, until it activates.”
“That ain't good. Any ideas on who these folk are?”
Taking a deep breath, Sunset said, “The only link I’ve seen so far is that they are either Crystal Prep students…or the family of Crystal Prep students. Obviously, I can't just go up and ask about who might be casting dark magic on them, or what they have in common with each other, you know? Most people would call the cops, and I’d like to avoid that.”
Applejack made a noise in her throat. “Yeah, Ah can see that. Prolly shouldn’t draw attention ta ourselves and our magic.” She was silent for a minute, but the expression on her face suggested she had more to say, so Sunset waited. 
She was not disappointed. “…gonna be honest, though: wouldn't surprise me all that much if it were someone at CPA behind it. Some of them folks are…not exactly ethical types. If it’d give them a way ta get what they want, they’d go fer it.” 
Thinking about the way Wallflower had acted, even without the presence of dark magic, Sunset grimaced. “I’ve…gotten that impression,” she acknowledged, rubbing her face. “Which is part of what worries me. Dark magic…can be addictive…to those who crave power.”
The farmer makes an unhappy sound. “Definitely ain’t good. So what do we do?”
Sunset rubbed the back of her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension in the muscles. “We prepare ourselves. We can’t exactly go hunting for whoever or whatever is responsible, but dark magic users usually seek out more power. And with you girls acting like living vessels of Harmony magic…”
“Then it's only a matter of time before the next magical so-and-so comes a’knockin’.”  Applejack shook her head. 
She let air escape from her nose slowly in something that wasn't quite a sigh, but was filled with tired resignation. “Exactly. So us practicing, getting all of us to the point where we can access and then use our magic is important—unfortunately, I highly doubt whatever is responsible for what I’ve sensed is going to give us the time we really need before it comes looking for our magic.”  Sunset rested her head back against the seat. “It doesn't help that there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done I need to do.”
The truck pulled into the parking lot of the local hardware store, and AJ turned to face her once the vehicle was safely parked in a space. “…Mebbe you should start delegating.”
Delegate? Blue-green eyes must have showed her confusion because Applejack sighed. “Look…Ah know yer doing what Rares suggested, talking to us and not keepin’ everything in all the time…but yer still trying ta do most of everything by yerself.” She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “Some of it, Ah get. Yer the only one with know-how about using magic, so yer the only one who can teach us. But there's other stuff we can do.”
The redhead frowned. “I’m not dismissing it, but…what exactly do you think I should hand off to you girls? I…can't exactly see Dash being particularly enthusiastic about research.”
Her friend laughed. “Aw, shit…no, Dash’d be bored and playin’ hangman in the margins before ten minutes was up! Ah meant…okay, research is a good place ta start. Lyra’s already organizing what folks at school bring in, and any of that stuff she finds on the internet. So…why not let her do more? Give her…and Flash, mebbe, since he’s level headed, a way to sort the good from the bad, an’ let them read through it all. Then you only have ta go through the most promisin’ stuff ta see if its legit at all.”
The more she mulled it over, the more she liked the idea. “…I could…I’d still have to be the one to go through the books from Equestria, but…that would save me a lot of time with all the human folklore…”
“Sure would. Bon-Bon and Flash are already handling the rest of the school—with some help from Rarity—and Miss Luna seems ta have the teachers under control…” AJ took off her hat and fiddled with it. “Ah also thought mebbe you could teach Dash ta work yer scanner, and let her fly around town at night ta take all those readings. Takes you a few hours, dont it?”
Sunset nodded slowly. “Yeah, because I’ve been driving out to both the observatory and near the beach to get ambient baselines far from the epicenter of our school. It eats up a good bit of my Saturday and Tuesday afternoons.”
Applejack shrugged. “Let Dash do it at night. She can fly, and it’ll let her use her magic. She can get it done in less than an hour, without having ta pay money fer gas.”
This was not the conversation she expected to have, but that wasn't a bad thing, Sunset decided. “I…could do that. Make a list of locations and teach her the thaumameter’s scan functions…I can read the data later for myself, and she wouldn't have to learn more than four or five glyphs.”  She ran a hand through her hair. “That would give me more breathing room…Thanks, Applejack.”
“Oh, Ah ain’t done,” the farmer responded. “Ain't just magic Ah think could use delegation. Like…this park project. Ah get that it was yer present ta Fluttershy, but…we can help more. Like the feeders and birdhouses. Pinkie and Ah had an idea fer getting them painted all nice and colorful if yer willing ta let us handle it?”
Warily, Sunset arched an eyebrow and made a ‘go oooon….’ gesture. 
“We take ‘em over ta Starlight House with the paint, and let the girls there paint them and sign their names on the bottom. Mac and Ah can put them all together lickety-split with our nailgun, and the kids can paint them. They’ll be ready ta go up in the park by the time we get ta the event.” She worried at her hat’s brim in a way that suggested the action was an old habit. “Yer not gonna be able ta help anyone, Sunset, if you work yerself ta death. Ah know how ya feel—like if you don't do it yerself, yer letting folks down…”
Sunset’s eyes couldn't look at her friend, gaze falling instead to the dashboard. “…because this is my fault. I brought the Element of Magic here. I put it on. I unleashed all that energy here. Everything that’s happened since is my fault, and if people get hurt or killed…that’s my fault too. I've got to do my part in keeping that from happening!”
“That's not true, Sunset. Not entirely. Yes, the whole mess at the Fall Formal? The Crown and the demon and that? Sure. That is yer fault. But…yer not responsible fer what the sirens did. You weren't holding a gun to any of ‘em, telling them ta enslave the school or drain our magic. It wasn't you that was making us act lousy ta each other. Just like yer not the one using dark magic on Crystal Prep students, right?” Applejack’s voice was firm, and magic hummed between them.
The former unicorn shook her head. “No, but—” 
She was interrupted by a loud noise from Applejack. “No buts, Sunset. A person—or a pony,” the blonde joked, eliciting a faint laugh, “is only responsible fer their own choices and actions. You ain't gotta carry the world on yer shoulders alone, Sunset.”  
Tears burned behind her eyes, and she tried to respond, but the sound got stuck in her throat. Movement caught her ears and then she was being held in a warm hug by her friend. “Ah mean it. Rares has been telling you that you can rely on us ta help, and she’s right. We ain't gonna get anywhere working alone—we’re a team, and our magic works best when it's working with each other.  We’re here ta take some of that weight from you, but you gotta be willing ta trust us.”
Swallowing hard, Sunset managed to get out, “I do trust you girls…I just…” She hesitated, realization coming slowly to a tired mind. “…I guess that’s something Princess Twilight and I have in common…” she admitted as she pulled back from the hug. 
AJ slugged her shoulder lightly. “Well, take yer own advice.”
One hand rubbed her eyes—she hadn't cried this time, but her eyes still felt gritty and sore like she had.  “I guess I’m so used to having to do things on my own that I…don't think about asking other people to do things. That's…something that’s…as hard to let go of as it is to trust people.” 
“And do you? Trust us?”
Sunset fell silent for a minute, mulling the question over. Her mind nudged the faint sense of fear away with a memory of another time, the first time, really, that anyone in two worlds had ever asked that question. The mental image of a lavender skinned hand extended to her, palm up, a body close enough to her own that she could feel the warmth radiating off it, and purple eyes fixed on her face danced across her mind’s eye, and she could hear the soft question whispered by the girl who was her first and best friend. “…would you be willing to try and trust me?” Twilight had asked her then.
Just like Applejack was asking her now. Did she? Did she trust the girls with something this important? 
Magic filled her senses, solid as the earth itself and it plucked at her soul, making her laugh quietly as she became aware that this waiting magic would accept nothing less than the truth…and neither would AJ.  She lifted her head, meeting green eyes, and nodded. “…yes….I do…because it's not enough to be honest with your friends is it? You have to be willing to trust them with your truth too.”
********
The sound of AJ’s nailgun at work was a passive background sound, one that let Sunset know she was somewhere real while she had her focus turned inward, her magical senses wide open as she walked Rarity through meditation exercises designed to help unicorn foals strengthen their connection to and awareness of their magic.
“In ponies,” she was explaining, “our magic follows what we call ‘thaumic pathways’—imagine it as a sort of…cross between a nervous system and a circulatory system, designed to carry our magic through our bodies.”
Rarity made a thoughtful, considering noise. “Humans don't have anything like that. Is that why your magic can’t be used the pony way here?”
She felt her expression turn wry. “Pretty much. The energy feels like it tries to borrow my nerves instead, and that’s dangerous. In Equestria, thaumic energies passing over the nerves can create degenerative conditions and is one of the most common causes for mental decline in elderly unicorns. But that's…beside the point here. Those energies still come from within our cores—you girls aren't using any kind of spellform or ritual to pull magic from the ambient environment, and everything I can feel shows me the magic is inside you. What I want to learn is…how the magic is traveling through your bodies without a thaumic pathway system, and without using your nerves.  I can’t look at myself, because I’m a unicorn despite everything, and I likely have spell damage from the dark magic at the formal—the princess and I discussed it, back during the battle of the bands, and my forays into trying to cast since support it.”
A concerned frown twisted the corners of Rarity’s mouth. “Are you sure we shouldn’t be more concerned about you, darling?”
“Weirdly, I seem to be fine as long as it's whatever magic is causing the Pony-Ups in me. My problem is the unstable surge fluctuations I’m encountering, but that's a completely different situation, one I’ve dealt with most of my life.” Sunset waved her hand. “Anyway. What I want you to do is just…focus on the feelings, your friendships, the things that draw out your magic. Don't force it, but…let it happen slowly, and naturally. Don't try to control it—we’re alone in a grassy field, and I can handle any surge that might happen. Just let it come, and focus on what it feels like as it moves through you.”
Her friend studied her, one of those scrutinizing looks that always left Sunset feeling a little exposed. “I will try, of course, but I will also not have you attempting to change the subject on me, Sunset Shimmer, not when the subject is your well being.” The designer’s tone was serious and firm. “I understand you are much better educated on the matters of magic, but if using it presents some kind of danger to your health, we should like to know. I speak for all of us when I say that we would much rather have to muddle through our powers and have you hale than learn them faster at the expense of you. You are not expendable, do you understand?”
Thoroughly chastised but also feeling warmed by the sentiment, Sunset sighed and nodded. “…okay, I…I will tell you girls if it becomes something to worry about, but I really don’t think it will, as long as I don't push it.  The magic that makes us Pony-Up is…different, and I’m not entirely sure my Pony-Ups are…the same as yours. For all I know, it could be simply my body responding to the large amounts of magic you five radiate when your powers are active—keep in mind that being a pony is my natural state of being and this form is just…”
“…some kind of complicated illusion?” Rarity offered with a hint of a smile. “Very well. I shall bow to your knowledge in the field of magical studies, but I stand by my concerns and will say something if it seems as though you are at risk. There will be no more repeats of your collapse in the school, darling.”
Sunset didn't respond verbally, but Rarity seemed to take her lack of argument as agreement. The pale skinned tailor relaxed and closed her eyes, her breathing becoming slow and steady. The former unicorn tuned out everything else but her magical senses, focusing those on Rarity and the area immediately around them both.
She sensed the magic well before Rarity actually Ponied-Up, and it was nothing like the former student of Princess Celestia was accustomed to. It didn't come from a particular location or source, wasn't energy traversing the body like she would see with a pony… In hindsight, it almost made sense why she’d never really been able to catch the moment the magic started before, because it…didn't ‘start.’ It just…was, a faint presence of magic that, for lack of a better term, suffused Rarity’s whole being, starting out barely there—what she realized she had dismissed as being simply part of the ambient energy in places like the school—and growing stronger and more…concentrated?’ Sunset was finding it hard to put into words, even with her own culture having terms for magic; what she was perceiving was different in ways that pony scholars had never encountered before.
With a bit of strain in her voice, the redhead told Rarity as much. “Do you believe it cause for alarm, Sunset?” Rarity questioned in response, pony ears flicking and twitching erratically towards every sound.
“…no…” she answered after a minute. “It…it feels like Harmony magic, and while my…debacle at the Formal might suggest otherwise, I don't think I know of any other occurrence in any story where the Elements brought harm to any wielder…”
“Darling,” her friend pointed out dryly, “I don't know if it’s dawned on you yet, but the only one in this group who has wielded anything of the sort…is you. We all touched the Crown, briefly, but the rest of the set were in your world….and the Crown was taken back by Twilight.”
“Tirek take me for a horncap,” Sunset swore distractedly, realizing Rarity was right.  The former unicorn wracked her brains for some kind of answer, someway to make sure this wasn't a reason to panic. 
Strangely, an idea nudged her, the faintest scrap of…memory? Maybe? From long ago, when she was a very young filly but too old for the magic surges she was still having, and how the palace doctors had run a barrage of tests. She kept melting down the equipment, shattering crystals and otherwise causing a problem. It had been at that point that the fox-folk ambassador, the sweet, nice fox she had met at one of the fancy dinners and had loved baby Philomena so much happened to step into the palace infirmary, offering his assistance…
Shaking her head to dispel the memory, Sunset frowned. It was a long shot, but maybe…
“…I…I want to try something—is…that alright?” she asked, still focusing on the magic.
Rarity was looking at her—she wasn't looking at Rarity, but Sunset knew that the tailor was staring at her, could feel it in the same way she could feel the magic, a sense separated from the other five, but bearing touches from all of them. “Will it hurt you?” 
“…It shouldn't,” Sunset admitted honestly.
A heavy sigh that actually sent a curling zephyr of magic into the world sounded, and she could sense the head nod. “Go ahead then, darling.”
Sunset steadied herself with a slow, deep breath of her own and reached out to touch Rarity’s hand, lowering the barriers that kept her magic in check slowly, letting her senses mingle with it, and that faint pulse of power came into contact with Rarity’s magic.
What happened next was nothing she could have prepared for.
If there was a word to describe the unfathomable, she would have chosen ‘abundance.’ The magic, Rarity’s magic, was a woven tapestry of Harmony magic and something else that could only be Rarity herself. Her own awareness was surrounded by it, warmth and light and familiarity, tickling her senses with half flickered, hazy impressions of other things: a bite of  oven fresh bread, rich with real butter and a drizzle of cloudflower honey, laughter, rich in her ears with a vibe of welcome, the touch of arms drawing her into a place of warmth from the bitter cold, a hot drink pressed into her hands that smelled of rich chocolate…
It was comfort. Joy. Friendship’s endless depths from which there always seemed to be more to share, no matter how much there already was filling a room or a person… Something deeper called to her, a ringing that seemed to be excitement and greeting and undiluted happiness, and with a sudden shock she realized that the magic itself was…happy she was there studying it. 
That made her pause, and the welcoming joy paused in turn, and now she felt she was the one being studied. She could feel the magic touching back, followed by…reassurance? It was hard to translate, to wrap her mind around something that wasn’t thoughts but rather emotions and impressions of them that were not her own…yet…
Reassurance was closest, and the magic drew her in more, its power dimming enough that she could really get a good feel for how it was woven into her human friend. Woven…that was a good word for it, she decided, in the end. The source was not latched onto Rarity like some kind of parasitic force, nor was it seeming to be in danger of taking her over. Instead…it seemed as though it had actually joined with her the way one could weave threads together to make fabric, each still their own substance and singular identity, but much like the power of the Elements of Harmony themselves, the magic that had come from Equestria had come together with Rarity to help her become…even more herself than she’d been before.
Sunset pulled herself free of the connection, trailed by a sense of farewell. She swayed as her own magic retreated, leaving her feeling worn and more tired than before. “Sweet sunfire and moonlight ice,” she whispered, not really connecting with her surroundings for the moment.
“—nset?”
That wasn't…what had the Crown done to her friends? This wasn't residual magic from the formal catalyzing their own potential, nor was it just the leftover energy of the Elements of Harmony. 
“…Sunset? Darling?”
Fingers touched her arm, jolting her back to the present. She blinked rapidly, as Rarity came back into focus. “Are you okay?” the tailor asked, worry etched into her features. “You went completely still, and you were glowing all over, but you didn't seem to hear anything I said.”
Breathing deeply, Sunset rubbed her neck. “I’m okay, Rarity…it was just weird…and intense.”
Rarity watched her. “What happened? Do we need to be concerned? I could…feel some of what your magic was doing…but it was so strange…”
Did they need to worry? The redhead thought back to the way the essence of Harmony…of Generosity, she corrected absently…had looked, how it had interacted with Rarity’s core, her essence. “No,” she said with certainty. “The magic is not a danger to you…it…if anything…it just seems to make you…” She found herself echoing her initial perception. “…more you.”
Her friend relaxed some. “I suppose that is a relief then.”
Sunset distractedly ran her fingers across the grass beneath them, glancing down when she discovered it felt different than it had felt when she sat down. It was longer and softer—the yellow brown had been replaced with dark green fresh growth in a circle around her and Rarity.  It wasn’t as extreme as the grounds of their school, but it was enough that Sunset made a mental note to look into if it was a normal side effect of Harmony magic and the Elements, or if this was just magic in general. Such things fell more into the scheme of Earth Pony magic, and as a unicorn whose talents lay in spell construction, she was only loosely read up on the magic of non-spellcasters. 
It wasn't the only thing she needed to look up. She wanted to read back through the book she had stolen from the palace on the Elements. The old, strange one that had no title, that didn't have a duplicate among any of the other texts Princess Twilight had sent her. It had a lot of theories about the Elements that officially published works seemed to lack…
It was the text that had suggested the idea that separating an Element from Its world and the other Elements would “confuse” the object enough to allow someone other than a chosen wielder make use of Its power. She had built her entire plan off the one text, once she had realized the Elements had been found, saving her the trouble of having to hunt for them.
And it was also the only text she’d read that suggested the Elements were more than just powerful artifacts…she’d assumed that was exaggeration, a way of articulating the way Harmony magic worked, the way the Elements chose wielders, bearers, relating it to the way thinking beings thought…
But now…she was starting to question it. What she had encountered was…more than just energy, and while it was part of Rarity, it was also…not her subconscious or conscious mind as far as Sunset could tell.
Were the Elements…aware? Had the Element of Magic…left something behind besides energy? The memory of that dry, somewhat cutting voice that had picked apart her excuses and her actions during her transformation into the demon and in that strange white void surfaced.  At the time she had assumed it was the Element drawing on her own subconscious, of Harmony magic acting in accordance with its nature and stripping away lies, falsehoods, and corruption, combined with the deleterious effect dark magic had on the psyche.  What if it…wasn't just that? What if there was more to it? What if the Elements of Harmony…were…not alive, per se…but sentient somehow? 
And what did that mean for her friends? What had her hubris done to them?
She didn't know. At present, Sunset didn't have definitive answers, only half formed worries and suspicions…something she didn't want to scare her friends with unnecessarily. Not without some kind of proof. But she couldn't lie to them either. That was wrong and the mere thought made her feel nauseous.
“I—” the former unicorn began, only to be cut off by yelling. 
“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you put her down this instant, you ham-handed giant! Before Trixie decides to punish you by turning you into a toad!”
Sunset and Rarity were both on their feet, turning towards the yelling in an instant. Sunset found herself staring at the scene that met her eyes. Big Mac had Trixie Lulamoon slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour, and was carrying her over to where Applejack and Fluttershy had been quietly constructing birdhouses and animal feeders. The wannabe stage magician was yelling, pounding on Big Mac’s shoulders and demanding to be let go, her feet kicking futilely.
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Rarity sighed, sounding more than a little exasperated as she grabbed Sunset’s arm and began to stalk towards the impending disaster.
They interrupted the early stages of an argument, with Big Mac having set Trixie on her feet in front of Applejack, one meaty hand gripping the intruder’s shoulder firmly to keep her from running. Applejack was already scowling. “…ill trespassing,” she was saying, her voice tight. “And spying.”
“It was not! Trixie was ensuring that amateurs did not accidentally cause problems with more mismanagement of ill-gotten magic that you were never meant to have!” Trixie crossed her arms over her chest. “Trixie is also a member of the Canterlot High Student Defense,” she added in a petulant tone.
Great. Not that again. Also, who was she calling an amateur? Arrogant little—
Sunset forced her emotions down, breathing deeply as Rarity interjected smoothly, “Trixie, while we appreciate the thought, Sunset has things well in hand with our magic tutelage…”
“Ah, yes,” Trixie said with more than a hint of mockery. “How could we forget Sunset Shimmer’s command of the craft after her phenomenal display during this year’s past Fall Formal. Tell me…was the rampaging demonic transformation ‘working as intended?’”  
“Now that tears it!” 
AJ started forward, but Sunset held her hand in the way.  “No, Applejack, she raises a good question…and she deserves an answer, if she’s willing to answer a few questions of mine in turn.”  She could play this game too, and she was starting to get tired of being a verbal punching bag, especially about the formal. Besides, trapping Trixie in her own ego would feel cathartic without being harmful.
The other girls stared at Sunset, completely lost and confused. She smiled pleasantly, thankful for years of having to put on a public face. “To answer, no. The power I acquired was the initial intention. The forced transformation and the warped worldview was unintentional, and a very good example why you are right about amateurs dabbling in those powers unguided, since even an experienced Magus can be caught if they aren't careful.”
“Um…Sunset?” Fluttershy started.  Applejack was staring at Sunset like she’d grown an extra head. Rarity was watching with shrewd eyes.
Trixie preened, and Sunset could practically see her ego growing in real time. “Exactly! Which is why the Great and Powerful Trixie was here!”
Sunset nodded again. “Of course, completely logical. You wanted to ensure that all moral and ethical practices were being followed when teaching fledgling spellcasters how to use an incredible amount of power safely. Again, completely logical and reasonable.”  She turned her attention briefly to her friends. “It's not really that big a deal, girls. The same thing happens in Equestria—the Equestrian Board for the Standards and Ethics of Thaumaturgical Practices exists for a reason and they are very firm about the standards for behavior they set forth, more so than just about any other such body except perhaps the Equestrian Board of Alchemy and Apothecarium…for the same reasons, really.”
Applejack blinked. “The…who-whut-now?”
“Magical Ethics organizations…kind of like how all the major human nations agree to follow certain rules about science or war, kingdoms in Equestria have similar rules for magic and potions.” 
“Huh.” The farmer rubbed her chin. “Never thought about that. Interesting.”
Rarity arched an eyebrow, looking between Sunset’s easy smile and Trixie’s self assured expression. “Indeed, that’s very fascinating, darling, but…I trust you are going somewhere with this?”
Trixie couldn't help herself. “Clearly, Sunset Shimmer understands that Trixie is the best qualified teacher of the magic arts that you all could have, and she is going to turn herself and all of you over for Trixie’s instruction!” 
Gotcha! Sunset couldn't help but feel more than a little smug at how easy it was to trap Trixie like this.
“When Hell freezes over!” came the retort from a now very irate Applejack.
Waving a hand, Sunset said calmly, “No…Trixie has the right of it…provided, of course, that she can produce her certifications.”
Trixie’s triumphant expression faltered. “Uh…my what?”
By this point, Rarity had caught on. “Why your official documents in regards to being qualified to train others in using magic, darling. What else would Sunset be referring to?”
The teenage magician couldn't seem to formulate a response, eyes wide as it started to dawn on her that she’d been caught in a situation she couldn't win from. If she backed down about the ethics and standards, then her justification for trespassing and spying would fall apart, but if she persisted, she would likewise be escorted away from the situation she was trying to insert herself into with no reason to argue for being allowed to stay. She resorted to her only option. “Well, what about you, Sunset Shimmer! Where is your paperwork!? Trixie demands to see it!”
Sunset’s smile became a smirk. “I’d be happy to show you,” she responded, suddenly glad for the pit stop home to grab her enchanted saddlebag-turned-backpack. “Fluttershy, hand me my bag?”
As they watched, she opened it up, reached into a pocket inside, and retrieved a rather official looking leather-bound object about the size of a human passport. She showed it to the whole group, first the cover—with the impressed and gold embossed seal of the kingdom of her birth marked deep into the smooth, chocolate brown leather, and then flipped it open to reveal the two page spread of legalese inside. On the one side was a photo of herself, as a teenage unicorn, her hair still slightly frazzled from a week’s worth of certification exams, along with her name, species, birthdate, place of residence, a copy of her cutie mark, as well as a few other notations that only mattered to government and bureaucracy for records purposes. On the other was her official certification for her Magus level masteries.
All written in Ponish, of course.
Sunset traced a finger over the glyphs. “This side is just my personal details, a lot like what's on my driver’s license here. Sunset Shimmer, born…well, it’d be about early August here. Different calendars. Species, unicorn pony, native of Canterlot, my cutie mark…that sort of thing.”
“And this side reads: ‘On this day, the twenty first of…I guess it would be about April?…in the year nine hundred and eight four SSC, the Equestrian Board for the Standards and Ethics of Thaumaturgical Practices certifies that Sunset Shimmer has attained board-certified Magus level Mastery in the following areas…’ followed by the listing of the various branches of magic and subjects of study I passed the examinations for. A bunch of them are not really important here—like my basic mastery in artificing—but among the list are transmutation, teleportation, spellcraft and deconstruction, and a minor mastery in artifacts and enchantments. If I hadn't come to this world, I would have gone on to finish my Archmagus certifications in spellcraft and deconstruction.”
Silence. 
She couldn't even hear them breathing. Looking up from the object in her hand, she punctuated it by snapping it shut. “No sensible Magus goes anywhere without theirs.” Blue-green eyes bored into Trixie’s. “If your certifications out-rank mine, Trixie, and you can produce them, then, of course you can teach the girls magic and how to use it…but given where I’m from, that's going to require you to do more than make a rabbit appear out of a hat. Especially if you expect to be trusted with the safety and lives of my friends. Magic in the hands of amateurs is one of the most dangerous types of magic, as you pointed out…”
By now, Big Mac had let the stage performer go, and Trixie stared long and hard at Sunset, giving the redhead a glimpse behind the ego and the mask at something…much more serious…and holding a faint glimmer of something that almost felt like…respect?
From Trixie? No, she must have been more tired than she thought, Sunset decided. 
And yet…as the girl broke the stare down to look at the closed certification booklet, she nodded. “Perhaps…you have a valid point, Sunset Shimmer—your time is best spent teaching your friends control. Trixie will spend her time seeing to defenses around the Canterlot Campus. Such a project is a more appropriate use of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s time and skill.”
She gave an arrogant sounding sniff, and inclined her head. “And perhaps someday, you can provide Trixie with a demonstration of your skill that does not involve property damage or a power outage?” With an expression that was challenging, the girl with silvery hair made a hand gesture that created an explosion of blue smoke, blocking their view of her. When it cleared she appeared to have vanished from view.
Applejack snorted derisively. “Overblown showpony,” she said with an eye roll. “Prolly just hidin’ behind a tree ta sneak off when we ain’t looking. Waste of fifteen minutes. Now…about that thing-a-ma-jigger ya showed off…Ah gotta know..is that really what ya looked like as a pony?”
As Sunset stammered out a response and found herself having to let her friends get a good long look at her frazzled teenage filly self, she couldn't help but disagree with Applejack’s assessment. The day had given her a lot to think about, even the encounters with Trixie.
> Research Log III: Dissenting Opinions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Research Log: Project Aurora. Private Log #27. Timestamp: Sunday, 9 February, year 2014, 4:39 PM. Location: Home Laboratory.
“Once again, I am met with mixed results from my mobile tracking unit. It is successful in bringing me to general locations, but then fails to pinpoint the specific source of the anomalous energy. I’m trying another iteration for this week’s tests. I just hope it is a better result than last week, which kept going off at seemingly random times in places where the energy, as far as my research has determined, isn't present…at least, not in amounts significant enough to detect.
“Overall though, the project is going well, despite some…setbacks and obstacles.  I’m still keeping these logs separate and hidden away from the main body of research, since I can't shake the unpleasant sense that someone from Sunset’s past may be involved. It might all just be unreasonable paranoia, but Artemis and the upgraded Medusa Protocols make me feel better, at least.”
A heavy sigh echoes, along with the sound of fabric shifting.
“I also wish Sunset was my partner on this. I know she goes to a different school, and I know it's silly to feel this way since Wallflower’s my friend, but…I just don't feel like Wallflower would understand most of what I’m doing with this project.  
“That's awful of me, I know. Despite whatever happened between her and Sunset to make them antagonistic to one another, Wallflower is my friend, and she means well…plus she was picked by Cinch, so she didn't have much choice…
“But I can't help but feel like my project and space are being infringed on now. Like, if asked, she’ll report everything I say and do to my principal…”
A scoff. 
“Now I know I’m being ridiculous. Back to the experiments and project. The strange energy has shown fluctuations much more regularly, and the area affected seems to be growing, though slowly. Estimates show it is only by a few inches every couple of days, but that suggests that the energy is getting stronger. I've narrowed down a primary epicenter, plus at least three smaller locations—is it possible that these are the locations of the Large Events?”
“The first, and primary epicenter is located somewhere on the campus of Canterlot High School and Canterlot Junior High School—the combined campus and heavy woods surrounding one and a half sides of it make pinpointing the exact location difficult. Particularly as the staff and students of the school are not known to be friendly to Crystal Prep students showing up. I chalk that up to my school’s population having a long history of defacing their mascot statue over the last several decades.”
“The others, as much as my research indicates, as well as my use of simple cartography skills, indicates that one of the secondary locations is the local amphitheater—I have not returned to the site since my unnerving experience and panic attack—a stretch of farmland at least an hour’s walk from the furthest stop of the city bus-line, and somewhere in Everfree Forest Park, possibly where it backs up to the old quarry or the reservoir. Only the amphitheater is easily accessible to me, unless I can convince Wallflower or Sunset to drive me out to those other locations to take some readings…
“I’m not sure that will be possible in either case.”





“Research Log: Project Aurora. Log #72. Timestamp: Monday, 10 February, year 2014, 11:17 AM. Location: Crystal Prep Laboratory.”

A derisive snort comes from some distance from the microphone. “Why do you do it that way? It sounds kind of pretentious, Twilight.”

“Because it helps me keep things organized and in order. If I need to search for a specific entry later, I can find it quickly. Now where was I?
“Right. The newest iteration of my portable scanning  device is finished, and intended to be tested tomorrow after school. Today, however, I wanted to go over some of the samples taken from several of the sites.”
“To begin with, I did my best analysis of the paint and carpet fibers from the music store. Aside from evidence of extended exposure to marijuana’s active compounds and possible traces of other illicit substances, nothing out of the ordinary turned up.  The same goes for the samples taken from the car tires, the pawn shop, and outside that dress shop that seems to be an exclusive boutique of some kind…It has a ‘by appointment only’ sign at least, and I can't come up with a justifiable reason to go inside.”

“Why do you need some kind of reason? Just go in, and if some sales clerk asks, lie. None of their business anyway.”

“…because I would be entering their place of business…I would think that would make it exactly their business what I was doing there.” Fingers drum on the table. “It's a moot point anyway. The readings were faint, and none of the samples showed anything unusual. I’m more interested in running tests on the biological samples I managed to acquire from outside Canterlot High.”

“Yeah, those are definitely weird, Twilight.”

There’s a long moment of dead air, with the sound of a creaking chair. Then, “How do you know that?”

“I was looking at them earlier, while you were in your gym uniform, sweating to death under the watchful eye of the school’s most obnoxious soccer and field hockey player. After all, that part of the project is my grade now too, remember?”

“…yes. I do. But I had intended procedure to do the updated documentation on those samples, and—”

“And it wasn’t necessary. I did all that for you, not that anything had changed—which is part of the weirdness with whatever X-Files crap you've got going on here.”

“…could you clarify with more than that, Wallflower?”

“Okay…look, some of it is normal. You brought me samples of maple and oak and pine, but also things that look like leaves from vegetables and common fruit bushes.” 

“Most of those should be labeled as having come from the greenhouse.”

“Yeah. But that's not what's making them weird. It's that even though these samples were picked…what, like two weeks ago? They're fresh. None of them have wilted or dried or become discolored. And let's not start on the fact that these are green oak leaves in February. I’d make a joke about global warming, but the news this weekend was talking about how it's been way too cold this winter, all over the northern half of the state.”
“And then there’s this sample. I have no idea what kind of plant this is. I can tell you what it looks similar to, but I’ve looked up every part of it in every book and horticulture website and reference guide I know of, and it's not listed. What can you tell me about the plant you cut these from?”

“It was hard to tell in the dark, but it was a row of bushes—or perhaps one bush? About four feet tall, give or take a few inches.  The berries were what I smelled first. I thought it was a blackberry bush at first, until my light was on it. Then I realized the berries were all wrong for blackberries.”

“It’s definitely not a blackberry bush—blackberries don't grow on bushes. They grow by sending up long cane stems from a much longer lived root system...Not only are the berries not right, the leaves are the wrong shape.” Crinkling plastic. “The berries look more like Rubus caesius—that’s the European dewberry—but the color is wrong, as is the texture of them, and the leaves don't match.  Everything in the samples suggests its something in the Rubus genus, but it doesn’t match any of them.”
“I’m still looking, but it could be a brand new hybrid species and those kids at Canterlot probably have no idea what they’ve got if it is!”

“Perhaps it is not a good idea to get too far ahead of ourselves, Wallflower. Isn't the blackberry part of a rather extensive family of berry producing plants all over the world?”

“Over thirteen hundre—ow! Shit! Mmmph!”

“What happened? Are you alright?”

“Clearly, I decided my thumb was lacking in the number of holes it possessed, so I used a thorn to add a new one.” The tone was dry. “It's fine. In fact, I barely—wait. That’s…”

“What?” The other voice sounded frantic.

“Those Canterlot nobodies really have no idea what this is worth…Twilight, my thumb is numb now. There's sap on this plant…if it made my skin go numb, this could have medical applications. Do you have any idea what a discovery like this could be worth to the right pharmaceutical company?” There was the sound of pen on paper. “We need to go to CHS, get some viable cuttings. If I could cultivate one of my own, I could submit my own findings and get credit for the discovery of a new species…”

A long, drawn out moment of fairly dead air ensues, the faint snippets of one voice mumbling to herself and the other painfully, pointedly silent.

“…probably don't even know where it came from…just smile dumbly and use the berries for some kind of baking recipe…have to…paper…write down all of it…come up with a name for it…Rubus erysi, I think, with the common name ‘Blushberry’ since people will know those better than anything else about them.  

The muttering is finally broken by a ragged, agitated breath. “I think you are getting way ahead of yourself, Wallflower. First of all, you have completely compromised any of the data you are attempting to gather with those samples because you have compromised the protocols necessary to prevent contamination. Second, you have barely done any research—you have no idea if this is a new species, not yet, or if it is some known variant or documented hybrid. A forty five minute class period does not allow for thorough research. Thirdly, you are not even monitoring or treating your injury which has apparently been involved with some kind of foreign compound that caused numbness. It could be a toxin or something triggering an allergic reaction! While—”

SLAM!

“The only thing that matters is being the first to publish, Twilight.  That's it. If I’m going to scoop this discovery before some public school idiot figures out what they’ve got, I have to work fast, and be willing to make sacrifices. It's all well and good for you, since you study just about anything—the chances of you finding some kind of physics law or space anomaly or inventing a new computer chip are good, but the wonderful world of botany isn't exactly crawling with brand new discoveries unless you're interested in sweating your ass off in some malaria-infested jungle a thousand miles from anything remotely civilized, hoping you aren’t about to be eaten by a jaguar. If avoiding that means risking an infected cut or meaning your OCD just has to deal with me not using all of the steps you want to use, then you can just learn to live with it. That's how academics works.”
“And seeing as how you barely know a chrysanthemum from a radish, you need me on your project to figure out the plants. That's why Cinch put me here as your assistant. You need my help. I don't need yours.”

Tension leaks across the recording, despite the several seconds where no one speaks. 

“I was perfectly capable of doing my own research, and I did not ask for nor did I need an assistant.” The words are clipped, tight, and more than a little upset. “I am perfectly capable of recording my own logs, and looking up information—and at present, I seem to be more capable than the so-called assistant dumped on me without any thought to what I might have desired.” 

“Oh yes, Perfect Princess Twilight Sparkle, the genius who is absolutely perfect at everything she does and never needs anyone because she's sooooo much smarter than the rest of us mere mortals.” A nasty noise. “Just forget it, Twilight. You can’t possibly understand what it's like to not be the brilliant prodigy who never has to actually work at anything.” 
The sound of a chair shifting almost drowns out the next accusatory statement. “Are you actually recording all this?” 

A pause. “I never stopped. You were the one who interrupted my audio notes.” A ragged breath.  “I think we’re done here for the day, Wallflower.”

“Oh no, not yet…but this thing is certainly going off. I don't want to be part of your creepy recordings.”

“Don't touch tha—”

UNEXPECTED END OF FILE.





“Research Log: Project Aurora. Log #72.5, Supplemental.  Timestamp: Monday, 10 February, year 2014, 4:23 PM. Location: Home Laboratory.

“Given the unprofessional nature of Log 72, I have felt it prudent to make an addendum to it from the solitude and safety of my home laboratory.  There is a lot to go over, and I shall endeavor to avoid going off on emotional tangents. We’ve had enough of those for the day.
“First and foremost, while Wallflower’s knowledge of botany outclasses my own, I do not agree with her assessments on the unknown berry bearing plants I acquired samples from. In my discussions with Sunset, she has made allusions to the principal of her school having a horticultural hobby, and also implied that the woman in question donates funds, equipment, time, and specimens to the school’s greenhouse and green spaces.  This principal, as far as I’m aware, is actually a member of a family that travels in the same circles as my father’s family, meaning she likely has the ability to cultivate foreign contacts and afford import fees of exotic plants.”
“And that's what I suspect the plants are: a foreign import of some unusual but well documented member of the same family as blackberries and raspberries. Because I recognized them when Wallflower inadvertently crushed one of the berry samples in her emotional outburst. The plants she was so quick to jump to naming after herself are just Sunset’s source of those fizzleberries she let me try during our observatory outing. Given what I know about Sunny, the plant is probably from the same place that her guardian is from, and all signs point to that being some small European province where English is the language of politics and business but little else. Since Wallflower isn’t fluent in any language but English, she wouldn't even think to look through any European botanical texts that aren’t written in English.
“I’m extremely put out with her for getting so caught up that she has thrown research out the window in favor of…I’m not even sure what to call it.  Not only is she overlooking the likely truth, she completely ignored all procedures and protocols for studying samples from my project…without even talking to me first! I understand that she is meant to be my assistant on this, but that means she should be taking her cues from me, not using my samples to do her own project on the side. Because of her, I now have to go back to Canterlot High and other locations to collect more of the botanical samples. Granted, that will give me a chance to test the new iteration of my detector, but it's the principle of the matter. 
“In a real working environment of science, actions like hers could compromise a study, and with it, any funding. She should know better! I should report it to Principal Cinch, but I don't want to make things even more unpleasant. At least Wallflower is my friend…for all she hasn't been acting like one today, and I’m not sure any student in the school that might replace her would be any better.
“I’m almost going to be glad when this project is done, because this is not what I thought it would be. My old independent study projects were completely different, and nowhere near this stressful.”

Tap. Tap. Tap. Plastic is tapped against metal in a steady sound of agitation. At last, the voice breaks from the stiff, stilted, carefully cultivated control.

“I know I said I was going to leave emotions out of this, but I find myself needing to verbalize in order to move forward.  The…disagreement…between Wallflower and myself has left me…more out of sorts than I first realized. Under normal conditions I would call Sunset…but I promised to allow her the space she needed this week, and breaking that in two days to vent to her about the very subject of our own fight is…”
The trailing sentence ends with a heavy sigh. “I suppose I could contact Dr. Soft-Spoken, but…that doesn't feel right either. I have an uncomfortable suspicion that if I did bring up what happened, I would have to provide context, context that, once given, will verge into a situation where she would strongly suggest we have a joint session with my parents.”

The voice is joined by the sound of receding and then approaching footsteps as it gets closer to and further from the microphone. Pacing, each direction a measured count, with just the same amount of time between each step.

“That would be a circumstance I wish to avoid at all costs. This year Mom has been particularly vocal about her desire for me to transfer to a different school, and in recent weeks, I’m getting the impression that Dad is starting to be swayed to her way of thinking, despite the excellent quality of academics at Crystal Prep—his own high school alma mater!  The troubles around my project have only served to exacerbate the whole thing, and while I am not normally a fan of relying solely on ‘gut instinct’ without at least a little objective proof to provide clarity, something tells me that combining today with the hostility between Sunset and Wallflower, and my own…admittedly poor behavior…Friday…would be enough for my parents to enact Parental Override Protocols, consequences on my education be hanged, and take the decision to stay or leave Crystal Prep out of my hands entirely. 
“Especially if Dr. Soft-Spoken backs them about it…and I already know she likes Sunset. She’s told me as much, commenting on her intelligence, maturity, and ‘sensitivity.’  I’m…not sure she’d approve of my actions last Friday, and I can't see her having the same kind of praise for Wallflower…even if she is my friend.”

A longer pause, while the sound of restless pacing continues.

“…Wallflower is my friend, right? She’s never acted like that before, and it was…” A shuddering breath. “I didn't like it. It felt all wrong, like this project is messing up our friendship, messing with Wallflower’s head.  I know she’s always been a little classist talking about public school kids, but she’s never gone to a public school ever, and I always thought before it was her trying to be funny, because she always treated it like she was being sarcastic. Was…was I mistaken in my interpretation? Today she was…just mean. About the CHS kids, about me, about…well…everything.
“Is…is this because of the pressure at school? Or is this a part of Wallflower I’ve overlooked?”

The sound of movement stops, giving way to measured breathing, slow, deliberate, calming.

“Perhaps I did. Or perhaps this is a recent development. It might even be a response to recent changes…
“I am not so socially blind as to miss the changes that have occurred in myself in just six months—has it really only been that long? It feels longer. And I have changed, more than even Dr. Soft-Spoken or my parents are aware of. My developing relationship with Sunset has come with beneficial side effects that I’m still discovering. I feel so much happier most days, and it's been a long time since my anxiety levels were this low…these last few weeks notwithstanding. My therapist noted an increase in self confidence and even remarked on the emotional animation in my speech…perhaps another side effect is a greater awareness of others’…social flaws?”
“Or it could be that Wallflower’s behavior is new, and a direct response to the changes in me. I know from past experience that Wallflower does not handle abrupt change well—she’s almost worse than I am about it.  I am able to rationalize the need for change and work on overcoming my initial, anxiety-borne reaction, but Wallflower shows little inclination to do the same. Rather, she does often exhibit surliness and becomes…more sarcastic and biting, and not necessarily just about the source of her upset…”
A rueful, tired chuckle is picked up on the audio. “I suppose if I ever wanted proof of my own change, that would be undeniable evidence. Exposure to Sunset has taught me to be more alert and observant to other people’s behaviors, to recognize certain reaction patterns and what they mean…
“I guess there had to be some benefits to spending time with Sunny besides what an amazing kisser she is…”

An awkward, throat clearing cough cuts off any further musing. “Anyway. Wallflower. Many things—the school environment, our friend group, myself—have changed since the beginning of the year, and her reacting with anger and upset, even to me or Sunset, is very likely just a result of her projecting her emotional reaction to the change around her that is out of her control.
“If that’s the case, then I suppose I can forgive her reaction, if not the initial actions. It also makes it easier to deal with—I can prepare and make allowances for this in my calculations and plans. It doesn't mean I’m not still upset with how today went, but…I think the best thing I can do for both of us and our friendship is buckle down and work as hard as I can on my research. The sooner the project is done, the sooner that pressure is removed from the equation.”
“With that in mind, I will combine a field test of the new tracker with replacing my samples tomorrow. I can then take them back and analyze them at home without…interference.”
> Interlude XXVI: Forget About It!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	

Wallflower barely resisted the urge to slam her car door in irritation at Twilight.  The nerd was being utterly insufferable, insisting that Wallflower park like six blocks away from their destination—it had been a chore to convince her they could take the car in the first place.   Twilight had wanted to take the city bus! The green haired girl suppressed a shudder. After she’d swiped several caches of “vacation money” from her parents and purchased the sporty little dark silver car, she’d sworn to never suffer through the cramped, smelly conditions of public transit ever again.
It was already ridiculous enough that Twilight had insisted they change into different clothes before they went, with some weak explanation of not wanting to inflame the school rivalry even more if they were seen. As if. If any of the Canterlot kids saw them, they’d probably think they were just getting high out of sight of adults.
Just who did Twilight think she was, ordering her around like that? 
At least she would be able to scope out where her key to fame and independent wealth was planted. Whatever protests the younger girl had were weak—Wallflower knew what she had on her hands was the discovery of a lifetime, and with medicinal properties? The right pharmaceutical companies would be lining up for the privilege of buying it from her.  
She doubted Twilight would let her get too close, but Wallflower could just sneak back at night. For all the talk of ‘security cameras’, she highly doubted that a public school could really afford many, especially not ones of a decent quality, and that Twilight could probably hack into it anyway but was deliberately choosing not to do so. What was there of value to be had at a run down eighty year old building that relied on state funding to operate anyway? 
Her eyes searched the place Twilight had had her park. “Twilight…this is nowhere near the high school. What are we doing here?” They were on a sidewalk in an older middle class neighborhood, and they stuck out like sore thumbs next to Wallflower’s car.
Twilight, for her part, walked towards the end of the row of houses, where they gave way to a bunch of trees. “There’s a path,” she explained, pointing to a bit of exposed, bare earth that disappeared into the scrubby pine trees near the sidewalk’s end. “It goes all the way to Canterlot High, and through most of the woods around the one side of the school.”
That caught her by surprise. Just how many times had Twilight snuck around by the public school in order to discover a questionable shortcut like this? She followed the other girl into the woods, and spotted the telltale signs of teens and other people using this as a place to do things of a questionable nature: discarded beer bottles, cigarette butts, various types of trash.  “You just happened to find this path? You?”
The glance sent her way was…ashamed? Embarrassed? A bit of both? “Sunset showed it to me, actually,” she confessed.  Her shoulders tensed, and she turned away, walking quicker. “Last time I was here.”
Well. That didn't take long. Wallflower resisted the urge to scowl when Twilight brought up Sunset Shimmer less than five minutes after getting out of the car. And after such a pleasant couple of days where the younger teen hadn't mentioned the popular girl once. She had actually thought briefly that maybe Sunset had listened to her warning to leave Twilight alone, but it seemed like that had been too much to hope for. 
“Why am I not surprised? I can only imagine how she came to know about this particular avenue of travel.” As she rolled her eyes, she spotted yet another discarded bag with the burned out remnants of what could only be marijuana in it, and Wallflower began to wonder…
At first glance, Twilight seemed like too much of a goody two-shoes rule follower to ever do something even potentially illegal, but Wallflower knew better. She was a rule follower, until a situation came up where her logic and rational thinking determined that bending the rules into a pretzel on a technicality would be the best course of action to further whatever end goal she had in mind. Then she’d get quite duplicitous and go about bending the rules in question until they begged for mercy to get the end result she wanted, all while maintaining the fact that she never actually broke the rules.  Knowing that, and knowing that their friend group had discussed the pros and cons of medicinal marijuana use…she began to wonder if that was the answer to everything that had been off for months, and why Sunset Shimmer was interested in Twilight at all.
While smoking pot or making and eating edibles wasn't necessarily part of the popular girl image…Sunset looked more like a wannabe street thug or a punk rocker than a girly princess, and that was a demographic that did have a reputation for drugs and alcohol use. She hadn't noticed the smell of pot around the popular teen, but that didn't mean anything given it was a planned outing and she knew Sunset was supposedly cunning and clever. 
As they traipsed through the woods that smelled strongly of earth and pine, the green haired teenager mused on the topic, wondering if it would even be worth the effort of bringing it up to her friend. For reasons that she was still trying to understand, Twilight was extremely sensitive and quick to defend the leather clad redhead…though if Twilight was involved in some attempt to self-medicate her anxiety, and Sunset was the source of her supply, either by dealing or sharing what she acquired, that would make sense. And it would even explain why Twilight asserted that Sunset was so ‘nice’—no one was mean when they were high on marijuana. 
Wallflower wondered if Twilight’s parents knew about her association with Sunset. She didn’t actually know much at all about Twilight’s parents beyond what little the girl herself said. She’d met them, of course, once or twice, but that wasn't really enough to get any kind of read on them. Maybe they didn't, and if they were the super straight laced type—highly probable with Twilight’s own rule following nature—then they probably wouldn't be keen on the idea of their genius daughter getting a special prescription for medical marijuana.  If that was the case then Twilight might be worried about losing her access to something that helped with her often crippling anxiety problem if people looked too deeply…or if she did anything to anger the notorious bully.
And if Sunset was selling it to her, or if Twilight’s rich-girl allowance was paying for her supply, then that would explain why Sunset Shimmer was keen to pander to Twilight’s more annoying neurotic tendencies. No need to upset the goose that laid golden eggs, after all, and a naive, socially inept introvert like Twilight was quite the score indeed for someone who probably got her spending cash by stealing lunch money.
Of course…this was all just speculation at this point, but it did fit, and it certainly was a more plausible explanation than Twilight’s insistence that she and Sunset Shimmer were somehow actually friends. Yet she couldn't just confront her with it, not with how agitated she’d been since Wallflower’s confrontation with Sunset, and how vehemently she defended the popular girl against perceived slights.
Maybe Wallflower needed to back off on being blunt about Sunset’s reputation and work at both finding out the truth of what was going on, and if the answer was weed, then…maybe…subtly opening Twilight’s eyes to some alternatives and that she didn't need Sunset Shimmer?  She needed to play a much longer game against Sunset anyway—the way Sunset had glared at her…
A shudder went through her that had nothing to do with cold. It was as though just thinking about that look had dragged icy talons across her soul. Sunset Shimmer was no innocent school girl like Twilight believed.  She was a dangerous predator, one that was fully capable of using violence to get what she wanted. And right now, for reasons only known to Sunset herself, she wanted Twilight Sparkle in her orbit.
No. A more subtle approach was the way to go. 
For now, some probing to see if that was what was going on, and if she was right, then accept it for the moment. Look into alternatives she could suggest…hell, it couldn't possibly be that hard to actually grow the stuff. She had enough experience in her greenhouse to be able to grow three or four pot plants at home. It wasn't like her parents would notice or even look in her greenhouse..or barring that, she could add to the hydroponic system she’d had installed in one of the spare rooms.  The maid service had long since learned which rooms were off limits.
Wallflower hunched deeper into her jacket as faint flurries managed to get through a break in the evergreen canopy, mentally nodding to herself. If Twilight needed whatever Sunset was offering, then all she needed to do to get her friend away from a toxic, fake ‘friendship’ was to provide a better, safer alternative. Something that didn't come with strings attached or some ulterior motive someone like Sunset Shimmer always had.
She was jerked from her thoughts by Twilight finally answering her earlier question, her tone stiff. “I believe she and some of her friends use the path through here on occasion. Like when she has no choice but to park her motorcycle further from school. She mentioned it's easier to park it in the neighborhood back there and then cut through the woods.” She shrugged. “I didn't really inquire further, since it is such a convenient way to avoid much of the potential unpleasantness that comes from the rivalry between our schools.” 
Biting her tongue physically to remind herself to not say the first sarcastic comment that came to her mind, Wallflower carefully schooled her voice into one of practiced neutrality. “I imagine it is. You haven't considered alternatives though?”
Twilight tensed. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Twilight, we’re friends. I've been your friend for years now, since that disastrous English class freshman year when Lyra did a paper on Bigfoot.” She pushed hair out of her face, took a breath, and continued, “Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice? I may not be a super genius to rival General Relativity, but I’m not stupid.”
The younger girl froze in place, and Wallflower could see her shaking slightly. “…you did?”
Wallflower rolled her eyes. “Twilight, of course I noticed. You’ve been like a completely different person for months. A blind man could see that you've been way less anxious and stressed, and that for you, you've been downright giddy more days than not.”  Still the younger girl didnt move, but her breath seemed to catch, prompting Wallflower to speak faster. “And…it's great, really…” she said, though she didn't fully agree with her own words. “…and if this is something that makes you happy, then…I’m glad. For you. I know shit can be hard for you sometimes, especially at Crystal Prep, what with Suri’s petty crap. Anything that makes that easier to deal with is understandable—Suri’s a Grade A bitch.”
Slowly now, Twilight turned to face her, and Wallflower saw an expression of genuine terror give ground partially to the expression that meant she was puzzling her way through the words and trying to figure out the social context in which Wallflower meant them. The terror was a cause for a little bit of alarm—would Sunset now target Wallflower for finding out their secret? Or would Twilight be made to pay the price somehow? That thought settled unpleasantly in her stomach.  “Relax. I’m not going to tell anyone—you’re my friend, and what you do with your free time is your choice, really. It's just…as your friend…I want to make sure you're…safe.”
Fear and puzzlement gave way to worried confusion.  Confusion, like a puppy trying to understand a strange animal standing before it…she would have laughed at the comparison, but Twilight was eyeing her and her words came out in a nervous rush, “Safe?”
How to put this so Twilight wouldn't go back to being defensive? Perhaps some vein of the truth, carefully worded to be friendly and no confrontational—Wallflower was good at that. “Safe. Doing what you're doing because you want to. I know you keep saying how great you think Sunset Shimmer is, but…I mean, Lyra’s complained about her since she got to CHS, about how she lied, bullied, and blackmailed people into doing what she wants.” 
“I’m well aware of Sunset’s past,” Twilight countered. “I know what she did not because of Lyra’s gossip or the way you’ve brought it up half a dozen times in the last week! I know because she told me! I know more about her than you or Lyra possibly could. She’s not that person anymore, and I don't understand why you just won't believe me when I say that.” Bitterness and frustration crept into her voice and she was scowling now.
Wallflower frowned back at her. This wasn’t going well.  “Lyra has no reason to lie to us for over a year, Twilight. She was telling us all about Sunset Shimmer long before you apparently stumbled across her, and she was bitching about her like a month and a half ago.” ‘Was’ being the operative word, given the phone conversation over the weekend, but Wallflower didn't want to voice that, not in this discussion. “And I know Sunset’s been nothing but sunshine, rainbows and fairy unicorns with you, but you’re my friend, Twilight, and you aren't always the best judge of people and social situations, and you don't always know how to tell people no! The last thing I want is for you to end up hurt, or in serious trouble!”
Twilight was silent, and her friend wondered briefly if she’d started to get through to her. “I didn’t mean to make you worry so much,” the lavender skinned girl apologized, “but I don't know how to convince you that Sunset really has changed, has worked hard to be a better person. I know you don't trust her, but…can you at least trust me?”
She knew a losing fight when she saw one, and she reminded herself that she had to do this smart, not fast. Backing off could make Twilight relax, and maybe this could work to her advantage. “Okay…fine. I do.” She trusted that Twilight believed what she was saying, at the very least, and for the moment, maybe it was true. 
“Thank you…” Twilight still looked far too nervous and agitated for this talk to be finished. Wallflower waited, and the other girl finally blurted out a question. “How….how long have you known?”
Known? She shrugged. “I’ve known for months that something had changed—you were acting so…different. It's why I asked about the rumors, the ones saying you had a boyfriend. That was me trying to figure out what was going on…” Wallflower leaned back against a nearby tree. “It's kind of a short list that makes a person relax like that when they are wound as tight as you are: alcohol, sex, and drugs…our trip here today just tipped me off.”
Twilight’s voice was pitched an octave higher as she responded incredulously, “That's why you implied I might have stolen Suri’s boyfriend?!”
“Not implied, asked if the rumor might be true. I was hoping you would tell me what was going on with you.”
Her friend just stared, her expression gaining attributes of what Wallflower could only label as disgust and nausea. Wallflower raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, look...I apologize for even considering you'd have the poor taste to take Suri's sloppy seconds.  I thought it was hilariously unlikely, but in hindsight…the joke fell a bit flat.”
Hands moving restlessly, Twilight nodded, the motion stiff and her cheeks flushed. “Humor is something I continue to struggle with at times, Wallflower, particularly social humor. It is difficult at times to tell when you are trying to be funny.” She huffed a little, her breath steaming in the air and blowing a few snowflakes away in a swirling dance. “But really, even if I was considering someone at Crystal Prep as a potential…romantic interest…it most certainly wouldn't be anyone even remotely associated with Suri in any fashion, not after the last three years of near constant bullying and verbal abuse.”
Did Twilight even hear herself sometimes? How could she miss the obvious parallel?  Wallflower rubbed her forehead, trying to keep her thoughts out of her voice. “I get it. I feel the same way, which is why it was a ridiculous rumor. People like Suri and her cronies…” And Sunset Shimmer, she added mentally, before continuing, “…they just…taint everything around them and they don't care about anyone but themselves. From what I’ve heard, Suri’s been a total bitch since like fourth grade, and her mother is just like her. People like that just…they don't change. The best you can do is avoid them until graduation and then never see them again.”
There was a sound that Twilight made that she recognized as meaning something like thoughtful, tentative agreement. “I will admit, I am hard-pressed to imagine Suri changing unless something significant forces her to reevaluate her life choices…”
Closing her eyes briefly, Wallflower breathed, trying to word her next statement carefully. “Which comes back to why I’ve been bringing it up repeatedly, Twilight, because I don't really get it. Sunset Shimmer, from everything I’ve heard, from Lyra, from rumor, from transfers…all of the stories about what that she does to others…Sunset Shimmer is Canterlot High’s own version of Suri, and yet somehow, according to you she’s…just decided to be magically nice? Can you see why I’m having a hard time buying it?”
“I—”  
She gave into the urge to frown. “And I know you asked me to trust you, and I know you said you believe her, but youre secretive and cagey about her—even about something as simple as how you met and ‘became friends’ in the first place! It doesn't make sense, Twilight—look at it from my perspective, and tell me you wouldn't be worried that someone was making your friend do things against her will?”
“That’s—”
Wallflower cut her off. “Look me in the eyes and explain it to me, Twilight. Really explain to me why I should believe that Sunset Shimmer isn't using you for her own reasons with this, that you aren't just completely blinded by what she’s offering you and how that makes you feel!”
The younger girl stared down at her feet for a long time before raising her head to meet Wallflower’s gaze, hugging herself as she fidgeted, as though she was fighting the urge to pace.  “I didn’t intend for it to happen this way,” she admitted. “We really did meet in the park, like I said…she…Sunset helped me out of a bad situation, and made sure I was okay. That I was safe and calm, before she took me home.” Her voice caught and she seemed to struggle with breathing. Whatever panic attack she was referring to, it must have been one of her really bad ones, Wallflower decided, and in some place as public as the park would have made it ten times worse with its lack of hiding places. 
“She tried to warn me away, told me everything you've been saying about her. How she was this awful person and I should stay away, but I…I just thought she maybe needed a friend, so I decided to be that friend, and…”
The green haired girl bit back a groan of annoyance and frustration, fighting to keep her expression neutral.  Maybe there had been a single moment of basic human decency, but she highly doubted that lasted long before Sunset Shimmer had realized the golden opportunity dropped into her lap, especially once Twilight got all starry eyed over the ‘magical power’ of friendship. It wasn't exactly hard to guess how Sunset had resorted to dealing with Twilight’s panic attack, and if Sunset was using too, then she very well might have been momentarily mellow enough to lull Twilight into a false sense of security, blissfully unaware of any potential ulterior motives. 
Twilight had continued talking, and Wallflower tuned back into what she was saying as she wrung her hands and seemed to be pleading her case in an increasingly anxious and frantic voice. “…she’s harder on herself than anyone about what she used to be, and yes, I know a lot of it does sound just like what Suri does, but Sunny is just so full of hurt and regret for it all and she’s worked so hard for months to start putting things right and make amends to the people she hurt—she’s nothing like Suri, not deep down, and I just dont think she ever was, and for all she’s talked about the ‘old her,’ she’s never been anything but intelligent and nice, worrying about how I feel and making sure I’m okay, without acting like my anxiety is a huge problem she doesn't like dealing with…”
It was at times like this that Wallflower wished that her friend was at all capable of getting to the point before she died of old age. Right now, this just sounded like a pitch for the Sunset Shimmer fan club and not any kind of logical argument that she was used to hearing from Twilight Sparkle.
“…and we got to be friends, good friends, and I didnt mean to, but she was just so smart and pretty and fun to be around, that I couldn't help crushing on her—”
What?
“—didn't think it would amount to anything because what are the odds, you know? Here’s this person I really like, but there's no way, except, then it turned out it wasn't so one-sided after all, and I had no idea until she kissed me!”
The words echoed through the strangely heavy, still air of that winter wood, leaving both girls staring at each other as the sound faded far too slowly. Twilight’s eyes widened, as if the words that had come out of her mouth had not been a conscious choice, leaving her with a dawning panic that she had once again overshared.  
For Wallflower the only sound she could hear now was the eerie not-sounds of the winter weather, that hollow but faint whooshing sound that only came with frozen water falling from the sky. Which was fine because she needed a minute herself. This…this was not where she thought this talk would go when it started, and at first, she wondered if it was some kind of joke or a last ditch effort to throw her off the scent of Twilight’s real activities with Sunset Shimmer. The look on Twilight’s face though, told her it was the truth, one the girl hadn't been intending to share so openly.
It made some measure of sense, she supposed, Twilight being gay. Looking back, the signs were there—she had taken them for a lack of interest in romance at all, like a lot of socially inept hyper-nerds were known to have, or at least the ignorance of that aspect of a social life. It was half the reason she’d poked fun at her with the topic, because she’d need to learn sooner or later…And if Twilight was gay, hiding it at CPA was the smartest thing she could do, because someone like Suri would use that for ammunition.
…but this…? She wanted to clarify, and so she broke the silence, not even trying to frame her words positively.  “Are you telling me you’ve been sucking face with the queen of Canterlot High?”
 Twilight stared at her, and went from anxious hand wringing to pure incredulity. “Really? That’s what you’re going to go with? Crude humor?”
“Look, Twilight, I wanted to make sure I heard right, and not everyone is as much of an uptight prude as you are—though I guess you really aren't as much of a prude as everyone thinks.” Wallflower rolled her eyes. “Now answer the question, because I was not expecting to find out Sunset Shimmer was a secret rug-muncher, or that you’re apparently telling me you’ve been inspecting her tonsils.”
The younger girl stiffened, managing to look offended even as she edged back into ‘freaked out’ territory. “Can you not use slang like that? It’s insensitive and extremely derogatory.” She searched Wallflower’s face, wringing her hands again. “And what do you mean you weren’t expecting it?! That's what we’ve been talking about for the past ten minutes!”
“I thought she was supplying you with weed!” Wallflower countered. “I thought you were getting high with her! Not feeling each other up in the woods or muff-diving on the sofa!”
She watched her friend’s face flush, a sure sign that the dig had more than a little truth to it—which Wallflower didn't particularly want to think to closely on, given that she couldn't see someone as domineering as the redheaded bully choosing to be the one going down on anyone. Twilight did manage to glare a little…not that it did much. “All this time, you were trying to tell me you thought I was on drugs?! That Sunset was…what, my dealer?! Why would you even consider such a ridiculous idea!?” Then all the color drained out of her face. “But you didn't really know…and I…oh no…no no no no no no…” 
Twilight was starting to hyperventilate, mumbling things to herself that Wallflower only caught snatches of. All the same, what little she cared to make out amongst the nonsense made her angry and more than a little annoyed. “Twilight, would you just stop and calm down! What is wrong with you?” Her fists clenched tightly, nails biting into her palms. “We’ve known each other for years, been friends since freshman year—do you honestly think so little of me?”
Wallflower kicked a fallen branch through the leaf litter. “You've gone on and on about Sunset Shimmer being this wonderful friend, but you're willing to believe that I’m going to…what? Put up fliers and tell everyone I see that Twilight Sparkle kissed a girl and liked it?” Hurt crept into her voice despite her attempts to keep it to its normal flat neutrality.  “After everything, despite the fact that I’m still friends with Lyra too, you think I’m going to be some kind of raging bigot? I thought you knew me better than that. I would never do that to a friend.”
Her rant seemed to have stopped whatever spaz attack Twilight was in the middle of, and Wallflower took the chance to drive the point home. “I don't care, Twilight. If you prefer sitting on some attractive girl’s face to riding some hot guy like a prize stallion, that's all you. It doesn’t hurt me, does not affect my life as long as you get that I like my eye-candy to be of the decidedly male persuasion, so I have no reason to judge what kind of person does it for you.  What I care about is if you're getting involved with people who will hurt and use you, just like I said earlier, and I’m still not entirely convinced Sunset Shimmer isn't one of those people.”
Silence again, except for the sound of the winter storm that was slowly growing stronger, and the wind that was becoming decidedly bitter. Wallflower rubbed her arms through her sleeves to generate a little more warmth. 
Finally Twilight seemed to come to some kind of decision. “I…I apologize for sounding as though I was implying you would out me to the world, Wallflower. But your comments, while perhaps not meant that way, were rife with language and demeaning slang used by bigots to shame and control people who are different, and even when you were directing your comments towards Sunset, every single one of them applied to me too.  If they were another of your attempts at humor, they fell flat when you began…punching down, as the saying goes.” A shiver went through Twilight and it was hard to tell if it was from cold or from her leftover anxiety. “As for everything else, this…this is not the time or place to have this conversation, so I am requesting we put that on hold until we can have it in a place that is both private and climatically suited for a long discussion. Suffice it to say, I am not out to many people at present, and I would appreciate very much if it continued that way.”
“And I said I wouldn't do that to a friend, Twilight,” Wallflower bit back. “It's a lousy thing to do, especially to the only person who remembered my birthday.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Right…” Twilight tried for a weak and fairly pathetic smile that didn't really reach her eyes. “For now, let’s agree to disagree on your assessment of Sunset, while I acknowledge your right as my friend to be concerned and appreciation that you care about me, while stating respectfully that I am accepting responsibility for my choices and the fallout of those choices.”
Stubborn, obstinate—Wallflower grimaced, cutting off her thoughts to give Twilight a grunted, “Fine. We have work to do anyway, gathering samples. Let's get that done before this weather gets any worse.”
The pair continued on in uncomfortable silence, Wallflower grinding her teeth in irritation. The fact that this was some kind of creepy romance meant she would definitely have to reevaluate her approach…maybe she could talk to Moondancer for ideas. Or at least to preempt Twilight roping her into this ‘We Love Sunset, The Sun Shines Out Her Ass’ club. Lyra was already a lost cause, since she too had been singing Sunset’s praises on the phone on Saturday. Of course, if Sunset Shimmer was a dyke, that would explain it—the queers always seemed to stick up for each other, even if one of them was a total bitch.
Her darkening thoughts were interrupted when she took a step and realized the air was…warm. Blinking, Wallflower looked around and realized she had crossed some invisible threshold into spring. The trees around her had leaves, lush and green, on them, and the cold half frozen precipitation landed here as a light and refreshing misty rain. It was as if winter had…never come here.
“What in the world?”
Twilight glanced over. “It's really strange, isn't it? Now you get why I want to really do some deep investigation here. And why I wanted to be careful? This energy is affecting living things and the environment in unprecedented ways. Go ahead and start gathering plant samples? I’m going to test my new detector.”
Wallflower muttered something like an affirmative, already working at taking clippings and bits of bark from the trees, and even a few soil samples for her own study. Whatever was going on here, it was better than any fertilizer, and she wondered briefly if it was the result of some project by the CHS students…before dismissing that as fairly ridiculous. No one at this school would be smart enough to do something even Twilight Sparkle was having difficulty puzzling out.
She crept through the trees until she could see the grounds of the school, searching for the greenhouse with her future money maker growing outside.  She could see a number of the public school kids loitering under overhangs and in doorways, waiting for a ride, and others, dashing across the parking lot through the wet weather.  She even saw Sunset Shimmer , straddling a sleek, well maintained motorcycle, talking animatedly to a girl with long purple hair styled to within an inch of its life—one of her air headed sycophants, no doubt. She held back a snort at the sight—Sunset Shimmer really wasn't that subtle, was she? Between the leather, the boots, and now a motorcycle, all she was missing was the awful butch haircut and a pet cat to complete the stereotype.
Pulling away from watching the source of her current ire, Wallflower spotted the greenhouse, and the strange chest high bushes growing along one side. Even from her vantage point, she could see they were covered in the berries….and that there was a pink skinned girl happily picking them off the bush with several others, periodically popping one in her mouth and giggling.  
Satisfied with her reconnaissance, she moved back into the woods to look for where Twilight had disappeared off to. She found the younger girl circling a small clearing slowly, focused on her device. “Find something?”
With a distracted hum, she nodded, before squatting down next to a good sized rock sticking up out of the ground. “Yes, actually. These three rocks…do they look deliberately placed to you?” She fished out her phone to take pictures.
The rocks in question seemed to form a rough triangle, though one was much larger and laid out on the ground, like it had been knocked over. It…reminded Wallflower of the pictures she’d seen of Stonehenge, now that she thought about it. Just…smaller, and with fewer rocks. She said as much.
“I noticed that too. It's curious as the natives in this region were not known for any kind of henges, which suggests this was something done much more recently. Perhaps a student project or prank at some point in the school’s history? They aren't new, by any means, if the one is indicative of the others and how deeply they’ve been buried over time…” Twilight finished taking pictures, before digging around in her bag and retrieving two small spades. “Shall we dig down and see whats setting off my detector?”
With that, the pair of girls began to slowly excavate the circle, the damp earth easily removed in a somewhat muddy affair. They were over two feet down before discovering that the whole thing was much bigger than they thought, as the stone on the surface was broken off a much larger stone. 
“Twilight,” Wallflower muttered, “I swear if this is some kind of ancient Indian burial ground and we end up cursed, I’m going to be pissed.”
Her friend bit her lip. “I…don't think it's anything like that. It's more likely that—”
CHINK!
Wallflower’s spade hit stone, and they both looked down as she scraped away the dirt and mud to reveal a smooth, curved stone surface. “This is getting weird…I figured we’d find some kind of…I dunno…radioactive rock, or weird busted machine, Twilight.”  
Twilight didn't look any happier than she felt. “That is clearly some kind of man-made object,” she said quietly after a minute, pointing her own tool at the rounded surface. “It's too smooth, and natural weathering doesn’t produce a rounded object that looks almost perfectly spherical, which this seems to be.”
Another eyeroll. “I could have told you it was man made by the fact that someone wrote on it. Even if I've never seen letters like this before.”
Her friend blinked. “Letters?” She looked closer when Wallflower pointed. “Oh! That…does seem to be a kind of writing…” her hand reached down and she brushed a finger along the curve of one of the strange markings.
Purple-pink light flashed from her fingertip, making her real back with a startled yelp, landing on her butt in the leaves and mud. “What was that!?”
“How am I supposed to know? Maybe it was your weird energy you can't manage to find?” Wallflower kept scraping, and discovered what looked like a crack. “Looks like whatever this is, its broken.” She fished out her own phone and took a few pictures of it—she bet Moondancer would be able to recognize the writing, since the girl was a massive nerd for lost civilizations and ancient ruins.  Something told her this was not a prank from a previous generation of students.
Then she was back to work, wedging her spade into the crack to try and lever the thing open. If there was some kind of curse or whatever protecting it, she figured Twilight had already triggered it and that she’d be safe now.
Speaking of Twilight, she was already back on her feet, looking very agitated. “Wallflower, I think we need to stop. This…this isn't…something is very wrong here. My detector is going haywire, and whatever that was, it wasn't normal or logical.”
“Stop?” she questioned in disbelief. “When we’re this close to cracking it open and finding out what's in here and just what is going on at this school? You said this is the center of all your readings, right? What if this thing is the source? Not only would you ace your project, but then we could study it and figure out what makes it tick.”
The other girl shook her head. “I’m not saying it shouldn't be studied, but…I think there needs to be precautionary measures taken, and that we should be following a much more in depth procedure. Like you suggested, I didn't expect to be digging up an energy source—these tools were for botanical and geologic sample collection. This…energy source could be dangerous and handling it may not be the best idea.”
Wallflower made a sound of triumph as she finished breaking the seal on some kind of circular lid to the stone…container? It ended up splitting into several pieces, revealing a dark interior that seemed to have a faint, diffuse glow inside. “Got it!” she exclaimed, and tossed her spade aside to reach in. She couldn't explain it, but she needed to know what was in there, to see the glowing object in the light for herself.
A lavender hand reached to stop her. “Wallflower, wait, it could be dangerous!” 
She shook it off. “That's been true of any discovery worth discovering,” the green haired girl countered. With that, she plunged her hand into the darkness and wrapped it around what felt like two objects: smooth stone that was far too warm to the touch for having been in the ground, and…a roll of paper? Fabric? Wallflower pulled them out. “See?”
The ground rumbled under them, and the stone container collapsed into gravel, as if thousands of years of erosion and aging happened in the blink of an eye. The standing stones and all the loose earth fell into the now collapsed space as gravity took hold, leaving both girls staring down at a somewhat messy, but much shallower hole than they'd had a moment before. “Convenient,” Wallflower muttered, absentmindedly shoving one of the remaining mounds of dirt and debris back into the hole, covering up the last vestiges of the big stones. 
Twilight was staring. “This is officially dangerous and well above what we’re capable of handling…please Wallflower, I think you need to put that stuff down and we should reevaluate—”
Wallflower stopped listening, studying the fist sized, egg shaped rock in her hand. It was etched and grooved with lines and symbols she didn’t understand, all terminating in what looked like a staring eye on the face of it. All of the carvings were glowing with a faint, somewhat sickly green light, and a few drops of some kind of green-tinted fluid dripped to the damp earth beneath her. It was warm to the touch, almost hot, and it tickled something in the back of her mind as that warmth made her arm tingle all the way to her elbow.
The other item was a sealed and tied…scroll? Like the kind found in history museums or fantasy games. Something to be looked at later. The stone…it was more important…she could feel it.
“—I should have listened to Sunset and not researched any of this. She was trying to warn me, but I just thought she was being silly…”
Ugh. Sunset, again. Now Twilight was explaining that she wanted to abandon their find, rebury it, and scrap her project…because of Sunset Shimmer?  “Would you just shut up about Sunset, Twilight!? I’m so sick of you constantly talking about her like she’s the greatest person in the world! She’s not, okay? She’s mean and ugly and no different than Suri, and you're so stupid about her because of some ridiculous crush that you can't tell you're being used for a cheap thrill by someone looking to experiment before she graduates! I am not letting you take this away from me because you've got your lips glued to Sunset Shimmer’s ass!”
Twilight stared at her, shock and hurt written on her face. “That’s not what this is about! That rock could be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt because of me! You’re my friend, Wallflower, and I would feel terrible if I caused something to happen to you!”
It was hurt that was echoed, years of being forgotten and ignored, pushed aside in favor of something or someone more important—not as much by Twilight, who, admittedly, was better than most—and Wallflower just couldn't keep it in any more. Not when she could see what was coming, knew that Sunset would isolate Twilight from her real friends until all she had was Sunset. It had already started, after all…and she said as much.
“You’d feel terrible, Twilight? You? You barely remember you even have friends! When’s the last time you bothered to call or text Lyra? Did you even know her crazy mother nearly put her in the hospital with one of those ridiculous ‘juice cleanses’ of hers? I bet you don't even remember us talking about it last year! You certainly didn’t show up to see her with Moondancer and me! And speaking of Moondancer, when's the last time you wrote to her without me reminding you? Have you even bothered to read her latest letter?” Wallflower’s voice grew more angry and hurt with every word, but she was on too much of a roll to stop now. She was barely aware of discarding the scroll so she could grip the stone in both hands.  “You forget my existence half the time when I’m in the room with you, because you're so caught up in your own delusions of winning some Nobel prize before you turn twenty five that nothing and no one else matters! And when you do manage to remember you only do things because you feel guilty! That's not friendship, Twilight! You don't care about me—you don’t even want me around most of the time! Like with this project! Cinch put me on as your assistant, whether I wanted to be or not, and you treat it like some big inconvenience!”
Twilight was still gaping at her, mouth moving in some futile effort to produce words, as Wallflower panted for breath. The stone clenched in her fists burned into her palms with painful heat, matching the pain in her heart and head. “So don't tell me that you’d feel terrible! You’ve done nothing but complain and criticize and boss me around for weeks, and the only thing you'd feel bad about would be getting in trouble for breaking some imagined rules, or for putting you in a bad position with your so-called girlfriend!”
“That’s not—I—it could be—”
She cut her off.  “This was your project, your idea, your excursion, and you were all ready to do this until the last second! Now, when we might have something potentially world changing in our hands, you want me to give that up? You can forget it, Twilight, the same way you forget your friends all the time!”
“But, Wallflower, your hand—”
“Just forget it, Twilight!” she snarled.
But it was the stone in her hand that answered. It lit up with a powerful green light that flashed bright, slamming into Twilight like a battering ram. Twilight crumpled, and a thin, faint wisp of something like luminescent liquid smoke drew itself off her skin, the same purple-pink as the light from before, threaded through with fainter hints of other colors, like red and pale blue and sharp hints of a sickly yellow green, like an old highlighter. The stone seemed to gobble up those smokey tendrils hungrily…
It was so shocking that Wallflower dropped the stone in shock, where it landed in the mud at her feet with a splat. The green light emanating from it flickered, then went out. She stood there for most of a minute, before she felt the stirrings of her own panic—Twilight hadn’t moved.
“Twilight?” Wallflower called in concern. “Crap…Don't be dead, please don't be dead…” If Twilight was actually hurt, Wallflower would feel bad. Not to mention how much trouble they’d be in for trespassing on CHS grounds…
Just as she’d resolved to run for help, Twilight groaned, sitting back up, leaf litter stuck to her hair. “What…what am I doing on the ground?” She fixed her glasses that had been knocked askew, and looked up at Wallflower. “What happened? Did you get the samples?” She frowned, rubbing her temples and leaving a dirty smudge. “I was…following a reading…?”
Shock almost broke her composure, but Wallflower squashed it down with more than a little of her earlier anger, keeping the worried expression on her face through sheer effort. Was Twilight seriously going to play like the last half hour had never happened, the way a middle schooler might do, out of pettiness? Was that the level Sunset had taught her to sink to?
No…she realized, as the younger girl took in her damp, somewhat muddy state with real confusion in her eyes. Twilight wasn't capable of that kind of subtlety—it was honestly too emotionally complex for someone who barely understood humor that wasn't bad puns, much less something subtle like sarcasm. Even someone like Sunset Shimmer couldn't teach Twilight duplicity, no matter how good she was. 
Which meant this was genuine. Somehow, Twilight had…forgotten…a good twenty or thirty minutes. Should Wallflower tell her what they’d found, what had occurred? Wallflower though back to how Twilight had reacted over the Blushberries, how agitated and demanding she’d been just a few minutes ago about the stone…the likelihood of her going right back to demanding they abandon the whole thing or turn it over to someone else…she didn't want to go through that again, and she certainly didn't want to give up the stone they’d found. Not of it could do things like alter memories—what if it could do other things as well? 
She’d be stupid to give up that kind of power to just anyone, to give them something they could use against her. No. The stone was hers now, and Twilight didn't need to know about it. No one did.
Shifting her stance, Wallflower crouched down to offer one hand to help Twilight up, using the action as a cover for her other hand to retrieve the strange rock and stuff it in her pocket, mud and all.  “I was hoping you could tell me. I was collecting plant samples, and heard you cry out. You were already on the ground before I could get here…” It took some effort, but she kept her tone normal as she spun the lie.  
“That’s…so strange. I don't remember yelling or falling…just talking to you and turning to follow my detector, then suddenly I’m on the ground, all muddy.” She frowned. “Are you sure you didn't see or hear anything odd?”
Wallflower shook her head firmly, searching for a way to divert Twilight’s attention. “Other than you, no.” She got the hint of an idea, and decided it would work as well as any on Twilight’s overactive mind. “You sure this isn't something else you haven't bothered to tell me?” she asked in return, putting just a little accusation in her voice. Purple eyes blinked behind thick lenses, and she could see the hesitation and uncertainty there. Time to drive the point home. “Just seems an awful lot like Dancing Petal’s spazzie fits last year, just without the gurgling and thrashing.”
That did it. Twilight pushed Wallflower’s hand away and got to her feet on her own, swaying briefly. “That's a horrible way to put it, but no, I’ve not impossibly and spontaneously developed epilepsy,” she told her tersely. “And before you jump to false conclusions, it's not the result of me being on some kind of illicit substance either.”
“Just telling you what it looked like,” she said with a shrug. 
Twilight stared at her again, shaking her head before searching for her detector. “I’m going to get my readings now.”
Crap.  No, she couldn't do that. What if it could see the stone in her pocket? “I think we should be done for the day, Twilight. Get out of here, get some Starbucks or something on the way home, and come back another day.”
Her friend frowned, and she recognized the stubborn set to her jaw. “I can't. I need my readings before I go for the day.”
“Twilight,” she ground out, “Its freezing, it's starting to sleet--despite being in this weird magic bubble that feels like summer, and we’re already cold and soaked. Maybe you don't care about catching pneumonia, but I’m not thrilled by the idea. I’m done. I’m going back to my car, going to get a hot coffee, and going home. And since I’m your ride, you don't have a choice. Pack it in and let’s go.” One way or another, she couldn't risk Twilight discovering what was in her pocket, even if that meant being a bit of a bitch to her.
Still, Twilight resisted, even though she was starting to shiver. “I can't go yet! Just give me ten minutes.”
Wallflower shook her head. “No, Twilight. We’ve done enough, you've collapsed once. We’re done. I’m leaving. You want a ride home, you’ll be done too, or you can find another way home. I’m sure Sunset Shimmer would be happy to give you a ride.” 
The last sentence came out sour, and rather than risk another argument, Wallflower turned and made for the path through the woods, intending on putting as much distance between herself and Twilight’s device as possible before the girl recovered enough to start using it. 
> Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: Not All Heroes Wear Capes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Numb. That’s how she felt, and not just physically, as she stared at the rectangular space where Wallflower’s car had been parked.  Gray, dirty slush and half melted sleet outlined tire marks that headed out of the neighborhood, away from the bare spot that was quickly becoming coated with what the weatherman called a ‘wintery mix.’  Closing her eyes and counting to twenty did not change the view; it only gave the wind time to blow harder and send needles of cold straight through her body, the wet, mud stained clothing doing nothing to stop it.  The car was gone, and so was Wallflower. This was definitely the right spot—she had noticed the mailbox across the street when they’d parked earlier.  How could she not, decorated as it was with a cheery plastic snowman perched atop it, defiant of cultural norms in this slice of mundane suburbia with its rainbow colored scarf and matching flag attached to one faux twig hand? Before, she’d smiled secretly to herself, heartened by the display, but now…
Given everything, the color seemed less bright and cheerful, washed out, the flag now coated with a thin layer of frozen water, limp and dreary.  It felt like it served more as a reminder to her own mistakes that afternoon, than of any kind of proud declaration.
Wallflower had been upset enough that she drove off without her, leaving Twilight there in the cold to find another way home. She didn't even wait a minute—Twilight couldn’t have been more than twenty or thirty seconds behind Wallflower, having taken that long to snap out of the stunned shock at her friend abandoning her with parting words that sounded…ugly and harsh, somehow dirty, like the idea of her calling Sunset was worse filth than the mud on her clothes.
Was…was that it? Was it her admission of dating Sunset that upset Wallflower so badly? It didn't seem to be whatever sent her to the ground and got her clothes muddy and soaked—Wallflower had been concerned, but…that didn't seem like it was it. And they hadn’t talked much after their disastrous conversation in the woods. 
It stung her a little that her friend had been more okay with the idea of Twilight doing drugs than having a meaningful relationship with Sunset…but was it really because it was Sunset, or…was it even simpler—because it was a girl? Intellectually, Twilight knew what homophobia looked like, had seen it thrown around on television and movies, talked about it with Cadence, even heard it whispered by members of her extended family…but she’d never quite been on the receiving end of it, and there was a surreal, disorienting sense to her brain, like she couldn't quite figure out of it was real or just some kind of misunderstanding.
She was used to the unpleasant feeling that came when she realized she was missing some important social cue and it was upsetting people. This…wasn’t that, and it was far worse than that had ever been, a gnawing sense of something very wrong and that she should be trying to find the answer on top of the normal frustration and…not quite embarrassment, leaving her feeling extremely agitated and unsettled.  Her stomach twisted and taking full breaths in the icy air was getting harder and harder, the more she thought herself in circles, trying to understand what had set the whole chain of events off and why Wallflower was so upset with her about someone she really didn't know at all.
For a moment, Twilight was overcome with an aching need to call Sunset and beg her to help. Sunset would understand what she was feeling and be able to explain it in a way that didn't leave Twilight feeling ignorant and confused and ashamed. She might even know how to fix it, to mend the situation or at least mitigate the damage, and even if she couldn't—or wouldn't, given her and Wallflower’s apparent mutual dislike—she would at least be able to hug Twilight and take her home to someplace warm and safe, where sleet and freezing cold rain and bits of ice weren't pelting her and the wind wasn't going to make her teeth chatter…
…Except she couldn't call Sunset. Twilight had promised her space on Saturday, and this was only Tuesday. What would it say if she called her now, begging and pleading for Sunset to drop everything she was doing to come help her deal with a problem?  That would be her problems once more steamrolling over Sunset’s emotions…and her fiery haired paramour would want an explanation about what had occurred. Which would mean explaining why she was even here in the first place, why she was wet and muddy and upset…and that meant bringing up Wallflower, which she felt might…
No, she corrected herself, it would hurt Sunset that Twilight had brought Wallflower to the grounds of CHS, even if the whole thing had been more a necessity because Wallflower contaminated her previous samples than any actual desire on her part.  Not to mention it felt like a form of betrayal to admit that her botanically inclined friend now knew more than her girlfriend and preferred lab-partner about the project that Sunset already had reservations about.
Another thought wiggled into her brain, making Twilight bite her lip and twist her hands anxiously enough that she could detect discomfort from the actions. What if Sunset did feel like this was a betrayal, and needed even more time apart, leaving Twilight to stew in yet more worries and ‘what ifs?’ Or worse, what if she—
Twilight cut that thought off, hard, in a desperate bid to avoid panicking. Sunset would come back over, and they would talk. She had promised Twilight she would, and Sunset had never broken a promise to the dark haired girl. Promises were important to Sunset—she was sparing with them and took them seriously, and with what she knew of her past, Twilight wondered if broken promises had been a facet of Sunset’s childhood.
Trying to take deeper breaths, Twilight’s resolve hardened. That was an even more important reason why she couldn't call Sunset right now—while she herself hadn’t used the word ‘promise,’ she had in a sense meant it as a promise to give her girlfriend the time and space she needed to sort her own feelings out. All things considered, she couldn't be responsible for breaking any more promises to Sunset, not after she’d broken one Friday and thrown her past in her face like that.
She’d already started walking, if for no reason other than to generate some warmth in her legs to counteract the biting wind, and she rubbed her arms through the damp hoodie sleeves, and tried to figure out who she could call. Her parents were the obvious answer—her mother would come get her in a heartbeat, and be very concerned about her state too. However, that came with its own problems, one of which came back to Sunset.  When Twilight had mentioned to her parents on Saturday about Sunset needing space, her father had simply nodded, and acknowledged that he had already known, explaining Sunset had talked with him that morning over coffee.  He also mentioned that her girlfriend had insisted that he’d contact her if anything happened. 
Twilight wasn’t stupid. She knew that her mother would take one look at her physical state, her location, and her emotional distress, and expect an explanation of what had happened to leave her like this, when she had told her mother she would be working on her project after school. Most of it would be okay, other than Velvet being unhappy that Twilight hadn't let her know she wouldn't be at Crystal Prep to work on her project like had been implied…but not the stuff with Wallflower. Not with how Wallflower had ditched her in winter weather almost two miles from her home in a neighborhood on the far side of CHS. That would mean explaining exactly why Wallflower had been upset enough to leave her, which meant talking about both her strange collapse behind the school, and the conversation in the woods.
The conversation…where she’d accidentally outed herself and Sunset…because she had assumed Wallflower had already guessed. She let out a whimper, hugging herself tighter. That had been a disaster…and it was everything Twilight had always feared about coming out to others. There was no way she wanted to go through a second tortuous conversation, and she was not ready yet to tell her parents about her sexuality yet. She certainly did not want to come out to them under duress in a conversation about a fight with a friend. When she told them, she wanted it to be in a controlled environment, in a controlled setting, with Sunset by her side to help her have the courage to say the words.
Her teeth were chattering steadily now, almost painfully so, and she clenched her jaw firmly to stop them as she made up her mind to not call her parents. That would be as bad as calling Sunset, albeit for different reasons… The dark haired teen focused on putting one foot in front of the other, trying to school her thoughts into some kind of order. She needed to be methodical, but it was hard in the face of the panic that was wearing away at her after almost an hour now of fighting to push it down, to prevent it from overwhelming her and making her breakdown where she stood.
Who else could she call? Twilight forced the thought through determinedly, ignoring the way her breath was still short and fast, and every beat of her heart was painful, feeling like it was trying to tear free of her or choke her or something equally impossible but painful.
Shining?
No, Shining would require the same explanation as her parents, and he would be even more vocal in his anger at Wallflower…and he didnt know she was interested in girls yet either, unless Cady had told him—and she’d promised Twilight she wouldn't tell. Plus he was at work, and that would mean his partner might learn that she had been trespassing in the woods behind a school she didn't attend. While Shining himself would chastise her, his partner might not be so lenient.
That left Cadence…and she knew without a doubt that her sister-figure would not be comfortable keeping this from her parents, not with the way the situation had played out. Cady would absolutely see Wallflower leaving Twilight with no ride like that as a ‘dangerous and unsafe situation’. That would mean she would be forced to tell them about how Wallflower had acted…
Twilight stumbled to a stop, unable to keep going as the panic crashed into her hard enough to almost overwhelm her completely. Wallflower was her friend, and Wallflower had…had… The teenager shook in the brief, partial shelter offered by an awning outside of a closed florist shop, trying to fight the thoughts and losing. Wallflower had abandoned her to the cold and wet, and the only logical reason for it was because she had found out Twilight was dating Sunset, since that was the only thing of note the whole afternoon that had put them at all at odds as far as she could see…
What if Wallflower told? She said she wouldn't but that didn't mean anything really, especially not with something like this. Not when it could slip out so easily in a fit of temper or be mentioned so offhandedly in all kinds of circumstances, and Wallflower did know who all of Twilight’s worst bullies were, or she could also tell their old friends who weren't around any more, and she didn't have any idea how Lyra or Moondancer would react to learning she was a lesbian…or that she was dating Sunset, who it sounded like may have run afoul of Lyra during the previous school year, before Twilight had met her…and if they found out, would it get out to Canterlot High that Sunset Shimmer was dating a girl from their biggest rival school? Would Sunset be subjected to bullying and harassment over it? Her school had certainly turned on her quick enough before over—
“Twilight Sparkle?”
She’d been so lost in her own cascade of increasingly terrifying thoughts that she hadn't heard the car pull up nearby, or the footsteps of someone getting out of it. So the male voice, full of concern and far closer to her than she expected made her cry out as she jumped in surprise, half stumbling as she whirled to face whoever it might be.
Concerned blue eyes peered at her. “I thought it was you,” Flash said, keeping a few feet away from her—well outside her personal space, she numbly realized. His voice sounded far away due to the roaring in her ears, but she could tell it was meant to be calming. “…are you okay? It's freezing and you look terrible.”
Twilight wanted to answer, but she couldn’t get the words past her throat. All she could do was stare at him, her mind recognizing him from the bookstore. Sunset’s friend…he was Sunset’s friend…and something else gnawed at her, something the amber skinned girl had admitted to her in private…but what had it been?
The memory swam up, distorted and mostly filled with the taste of chocolate and Sunset’s downcast eyes full of guilt, struggling against getting lost in the riotous noise of her mind. All she got was a snippet, but it was enough. “…he’s a lot like I imagine Shining was in high school…”
Sunset trusted Flash, that was it. Maybe not like she trusted Twilight…but enough to say hello to him with Twilight in the bookstore, and enough that she’d been willing to be places alone with him during her bad times…and if Sunny trusted him, thought he was like Shining, who Twilight trusted completely…maybe she could trust Flash just a little? He had been nice to her before, and he had the same look on his face now that Shining got when he was worried about her.
The sound that made its way from her throat wasn't any kind of real words, just a gasping, keening whine of distress. It was all she could get out, her thoughts racing even faster than her heart, and even that she regretted as she struggled to remember how to breathe right.
Sunset’s friend seemed to take some kind of meaning from it though, and his voice was even more gentle. “Twilight, I don't know what’s wrong or what’s happened, but I have my phone on me—did you want me to call someone for you? Your parents? Or maybe Sunset? She’s still at the school and she’d be able to get here fast.”
Nothing in her world seemed to feel right at that moment. Here was someone who didn't know her, who had only met her briefly, and he was being kind and was genuinely worried about her well being, where her own friend had been biting and callous before abandoning her to the elements. She wanted nothing more than her girlfriend’s arms around her, holding her and making everything alright again, but she couldn’t have that right now, and even the option of seeking solace in her mother’s embrace was full of negative consequences she dared not risk. She was alone, and half frozen and she couldn’t breathe right, and yet here was Sunset’s friend trying to help her, with an offer meant in kindness that would only make everything go even more wrong.
In the end, it was just one thing too much, and something had to give. Her mouth opened, and sound poured out in a desperate attempt to stop the hand holding up his phone from dialing Sunset. She wasn't sure what she said, or how much of it was actually words—all she could hear was the rushing roar in her ears and the thudding pulse of her racing heart, and she only stopped when she ran out of air and found she couldn't draw in another breath. Her vision blurred as she fought to remember how to suck in air against the crushing weight on her chest.
Flash’s voice broke through the cacophony, sounding even fainter and further away than before. “Twilight, it’s okay,” she heard echoing in her ears, “but I need you to breathe with me.” The exaggerated sound of a deep breath reached her, and she tried her best to mimic it, with some success. The rushing, wind tunnel sound in her ears eased, and she managed to focus her eyes properly on him. The young man smiled encouragingly. “That’s better. Just keep doing that for a minute. I’m going to stay right here and make sure you're okay while you focus on breathing.”
It was hard, but she did as she was told, until she wasn't quite so much on the verge of passing out. Flash spoke again after a minute. “I’m going to ask a few questions. You don't have to answer with words, you can just nod yes or shake your head for no.” He was exactly where he had started from, making no move to get any closer, which was a relief. As nice as he seemed, she wasn't sure she could handle it if he had tried to come any closer or touch her right now.
Still, Twilight gave a jerky, uneven nod. Flash chuckled. “Okay, that's good—I’m not sure what I would've done if you said no.” Blue eyes studied her briefly, assessing her in the same way Shining might. “It's cold out and you're soaked—your lips are pale and turning the bad kind of blue. It's not a perfect solution, but my jacket is nice and warm and dry…if I give it to you, will you put it on?”
His…jacket?  She stared blankly, first at him, then the thick winter coat he was wearing, unable to comprehend at first. When it finally registered, she gave another of those stiff nods and another hiccupping breath.
Flash never stepped closer as he took off his coat. “I’m going to come just close enough for you to be able to take it from me, is that alright? I promise I won’t get any closer than that and I’ll step back out of your space once you take it from me.” He stayed perfectly still until she nodded again, and then took one careful step towards her with the coat extended in his hands. “It's a pretty warm jacket—even Sunset thinks so. She borrowed it earlier when our friend Rainbow hauled all of us outside to show off some new moves she’d learned. Apparently leather looks cool, but it's not the most insulated thing…you know how Sunset is about her leather jackets. Telling her to give it up is like kicking a puppy or something.”
Sunset had worn it recently? The thought of that was strangely soothing as Twilight took the coat from him and fumbled with numb fingers to put it on. The warmth was immediate as she settled it around her shoulders, and the dark haired girl huddled deeper in the thick coat, chasing the heat that promised to bring back feeling to her nerves. As she did, she caught the faintest whiff of…was that Sunset’s shampoo? Even if it was just her brain looking for any port in a storm, she felt herself latch onto it.
For a minute or two they both just stood there as she soaked up the heat from the coat. He didn’t complain or even speak for most of it, instead he stood quietly and waited until both her breathing and her trembling were more under her control.  “I…didn't understand all of that,” he admitted, “but from what I did get, it sounds like you’ve had a pretty rough day, and you're super stressed out from it. Is that a fair guess?”
Her hands twisted together in an attempt to dispel some of her anxious energy and she nodded at him. “….y-yes…” she managed.
“I’m sorry it's been a bad day, but even if you don't want me to call Sunset or your folks, I can't just…leave you out here like this.” Flash shuddered. “I don't know about your parents, but when Sunset found out? I could hide out in another world and she’d still find me.” When that made her lips twitch up slightly, the blue haired boy smiled at her. “See? You get it. So...I don't want to push you into anything, but…” One hand, not dissimilar in shade from Sunset’s warm amber tones, gestured to the vehicle idling by them. “…my car is warm and out of the wind and ice…would you be willing to sit there with me so we can talk about what's wrong and how I can help you at least get home without frostbite?”
Twilight hesitated, looking between him and the car. She knew what Sunset had said, what she’d implied about Flash’s moral integrity, her own fears still clamored for attention, and being alone in a car with a male she didn't really know personally was pushing the limits of what she thought she could handle…
Another wintery gust kicked up, needles of cold going through her legs. Still…it would be nice to be warm while she reorganized her thoughts and tried to get them under control.
Watching her waver, he added, “I even have a thermos of hot chocolate—Sunset and I have a friend who is this amazing cook, and she’s testing all kinds of new hot cocoa recipes on us. It's…pretty good, and it should help warm you up the rest of the way, plus my grandma always talks about how holding onto a hot cup of something is good for the soul or something…” He trailed off as a shiver went through him with another cold blast of wind.
The dark haired girl bit the inside of her cheek, feeling a stab of guilt for having taken his jacket, which was so wonderfully warm. It took effort, but Twilight mustered up the effort at something resembling a smile. Her voice came out a little stronger than before. “Did…did Sunset tell you that good chocolate is my kryptonite?”
Sunset’s friend looked inordinately pleased by her response, but shook his head. “She never said anything about it, but I’ve seen how she and the other girls devour the stuff, and I’ve been informed that ‘when in doubt, most women won't turn down free chocolate.’ I thought it might be a safe bet on how to cheer you up, maybe make your day at least a little better?”
Twilight fought down a weak laugh. “Whoever gave that advice was pretty smart—it is fairly accurate.”
“That checks out. Sunset is the smartest person I know, and it always seems to work on her.” Flash laughed. “Like yesterday, one of our friends brought this bag of chocolate coated kale chips—her mother is always on one weird fad diet or another, and insists on her taking these strange foods. I thought they smelled like someone deep fried yard clippings and rolled them in cheap chocolate, but Sunset loved them. She ate the entire bag at lunch, and was talking about hunting down more like they were the greatest snack in the whole world…”
Whether it was the odd similarity to Shining Armor’s mannerisms or the way he was content to fill the space with a running batch of anecdotes about her girlfriend that Twilight had never heard before, Twilight found herself accepting the offer to warm up in the car, fighting a giggle as the heater blasted warmth onto her legs and a thermos of hot chocolate was passed to her almost before she could blink.  Flash had cheerfully segued into a new story about Sunset, and listening to this part of Sunset’s life she didn't talk much about left Twilight wanting to hear more. She certainly recognized the bright, intelligent personality in the stories as Sunset’s, but the young man telling them was painting a vibrant picture of someone who was liked by a solid circle of friends as well as respected or admired by a sizable portion of her schoolmates.
It was a completely different viewpoint from the excessively negative one bordering on paranoid that Wallflower had been espousing, and it was comforting to know that the people Sunset surrounded herself with when Twilight wasn’t with her saw the redheaded girl the same way that Twilight and her family did, regardless of how she had acted in the past.
When Flash’s story ended, she shyly reciprocated with a few short stories of her own about Sunset, mostly about some of their outings or antics in her lab, where she enjoyed Sunset’s wit, intelligence, and humor, and the older girl’s ability to not just meet her on her level but in a few cases challenge her. Her words trailed off though as she was hit with unexpected distress, and she gripped the thermos in her hands tighter.
“…I wish Sunset was my lab partner, not Wallflower…” she admitted, the words coming out before she could stop them. Working with Sunset just felt…right, and didn't leave her frustrated or hobbled with the unwanted presence of another person slowing her down.
Flash looked over, taking a drink from a soda before answering her. “…I’m not sure I got all of what you were saying before but…you mentioned someone named Wallflower and getting plant samples from the woods back by CHS? Something about a school project? Were they with you?” 
She nodded, the motion jerky and uneven. “…Wallflower’s my friend from school, really my only one left there, and we don’t usually work together…but my principal assigned her to work with me, and botany is her preferred area of study…” Twilight cut herself off there—she didn’t feel up to explaining that it was really her project that Wallflower was inserting herself into in a far greater fashion than Principal Cinch had meant in making her friend her ‘assistant.’
“And so you needed actual samples for her part of the project. You guys picked a really bad day to do that—this storm is a mess!” He gestured to the sleet now coming down heavier outside the confines of the car.
Twilight made an irritable noise. “We wouldn't have had to, but Wallflower compromised the integrity of samples I had already taken with Sunset’s assistance, because she didn't follow the procedures I had gone to the trouble of writing down for her, and this was the best day this week for both of us.” She stared out the window. “She’s my friend, and she was so excited to work with me but…does it make me an awful friend for thinking I’d rather work alone than with her?”
He shook his head. “No, Twilight, it doesn't. Just because you like hanging out with someone doesn't mean you're good work partners.”
Sipping at the drink, Twilight made a soft noise, allowing Flash to continue after a brief hesitation. “…plus Sunset…told me about her impression of her…”
Purple eyes snapped sharply to him. “What? She told you about it?” Did Sunset also tell him about the fight?
“She came to me for a second opinion,” Flash explained. “The day after. She bought us food and told me about the whole meetup, about what she was feeling…she wanted to make sure she wasn’t overreacting or anything.” He looked away for a second then back. “She was upset because she said she knew it was important to you that your friends get along and she didn't want to let you down.”
Twilight winced. “…she said that?”
He made a loose gesture. “Not those exact words, but…yeah.” Flash rubbed his neck then, looking awkward. “Point is…it…says a lot to me about this Wallflower, as a person, since it sounds like she has some kind of immediate hate-on for Sunset even though they barely met. She sounds…like not the kind of person I’d want to be friends with, you know?”
She couldn't help but try and defend Wallflower a little. “…it wasn't entirely out of the blue—I didn't realize it, but…Wallflower’s talked to people who went to your school…before. When Sunset was not the person she is now, and she’s heard all kinds of bad stories….” Her shoulders slumped. “…but that doesn't make it any better, I guess, especially since I made it all worse by not listening when Sunset tried to tell me…” 
The young man reached into the back and fished around in a box, before offering her one of those prepackaged brownies from the grocery store. “Don't get too upset about that, Twilight. If that's the reason Sunset is walking around in a funk, I’d say she’s past any anger and into the ‘dealing with her crap’ part of it already. Doesn't mean she hasn't been…what did AJ say? Something about a mule and a burr?” He gave her a smile. “She’ll come around soon, she just…likes to work out her emotional stuff by herself. I think it has something to do with how she grew up.”
Taking a sip of the hot chocolate—it was really good, but privately, the teen thought her mom made better—masked the frown that marred her face. Flash was probably on point with his observation, and she wondered privately how much Sunset had told him versus how much he had figured out on his own. The redhead had admitted more than once to Twilight that she didn't like talking about that part of her life to a lot of people.
“I don't like being pitied, Sparky. It's worse than people being angry at me.”
Instead of commenting on that, and risking Flash doing any digging Sunset might not appreciate, she said quietly, “…that’s why you can't call her, why I didn't call her. She asked me for space this week and I promised I’d give it to her…” Twilight couldn't look his way, hunching in on herself in guilt. “…and I can't go back on that…not after hurting her with some of the things I said.”
Flash didn't say anything for long enough that Twilight started to worry, before tapping his fingers in a light rhythm against the steering wheel. “For what it's worth, I think she’d understand in a case like this, but that's your call, Twilight.”  He left the thought hanging in the air for a few heartbeats before he continued on the previous subject. “So you came out to take plant samples in the woods…and then…you fought with Wallflower? Because…she…accused Sunset of…being a drug dealer, on top of being the biggest bully of CHS? Did I hear that part right?”
The dark haired girl couldn't help the frustrated noise that escaped her. “Yes! I have no idea why, but she got it into her head that the only way I could be dealing better with my anxiety was if I was on drugs! And that somehow, Sunset had to be the one supplying me with them! That doesn't even make sense!”
The young man shook his head. “That is a big jump to make. My bandmate does a little weed at home with his brother, and when he is high or was high, we can tell. There’s a lot of little things that aren't there with you that we see with Brawly. This Wallflower ought to go into a career of writing those melodramatic TV shows with an imagination like that.”
She almost laughed, except his next words froze her blood.
“What I don't understand is why she decided to be weird about it instead of straight out asking. She had to have been super vague for you to get the impression that she’d figured out about you and Sunset dating—that’s not even remotely the same as ‘doing drugs.’”
Twilight struggled to breathe, feeling her panic coming back. Had she outed herself by accident a second time when she’d been trying to keep him from calling Sunset? Her hands shook, and with it, the thermos, threatening to send cocoa spilling everywhere.
A hand steadied the cup, careful not to touch her directly. “It’s okay, Twilight, relax. It wasn't anything I didn't already know.”
Now she stared at him. “…H-how?”
“I’m not as smart as you or Sunset, but I’m not an idiot. Back before Christmas when Sunset and I talked about—” He broke off the explanation to ask, “She…did mention we dated last summer, right?” When Twilight nodded, he kept going, “Cool. Well, we talked about why she broke up with me, and why…why it never would have worked…and she ended up telling me she had a girl she was seeing.  She didn't tell me anything other than that, no name, not what school said girl went to, or even if she lived in town….though I am the only person she’s told.”
His expression turned…the word that came to mind was ‘soft.’ “When she talked about the fact that she’d met this girl, who did not know the old her and just…accepted her for who she was, her face lit up in this way I’d never seen before…and when I ran into you guys at the bookstore…it was pretty obvious when she smiled at you that you had to be the girl she’d mentioned. It was the same smile.”
“Oh…” she croaked out. “Y-you don’t—I mean—I’m—” Her hands were white knuckle tight on the thermos.
“Mind?” he finished for her. “Not at all. Honestly…I’m actually glad.”  At her blank stare, he rubbed his neck. “Look…you didn't know Sunset before. Truth is, no one really did, because she didn't let anyone get close enough to see the real Sunset underneath…but I caught glimpses, when we dated. She was never happy….but you make her happy, in a way none of us can. And I’m glad she has someone who does that for her…Sunset is special, you know?”
That made Twilight’s cheeks heat up. “…I think she is,” she agreed, feeling like the conversation itself was more than a little surreal.
“See? Then you know why I’m glad…and as for you being a girl and her being a girl, I don't really care about that. Half the people I hang out with qualify as ‘not-straight.’ Sunset having a girlfriend isn't going to raise any eyebrows with me or any of our friends really. They’ll care more about if you're a good person who is good for her…and from what I can tell, you are.”
Twilight felt the pressure in her chest ease as the ice thawed in her veins. “Okay…it’s…okay.” She focused a minute on her breathing until it leveled out and the world settled on its axis.
He looked at her with sympathy. “…your friend really must have reacted badly to the news, the way you are reacting.”
A tight shake of her head confirmed his words. “She took it badly…to hear her, me becoming a sensory addled substance abuser was preferable to being a lesbian and d-dating Sunny…” She grimaced. “I…am not sure if it was the fact that I was with a girl or that I was with Sunset that set her off—she made it sound like the second, but she did just about everything other than call me a dyke.”
The young man snorted derisively. “So on top of everything else about her, it sounds like she’s a bigot too.”
Her eyes fell back to the thermos in her hands. “…she says she’s not, that she doesn't care, but…it's just hard to believe when she relied on the same crude slang that bigoted people use to dehumanize people like me.”
Flash tapped his fingers rhythmically against the wheel—it seemed like an unconscious habit—and asked, “Why exactly are you friends with her? She…doesn’t really seem all that likable, or a good friend.”
“I…she’s usually not like this,” Twilight explained. “Normally, she’s a lot more relaxed and shy, but I don't know…something about Sunset…”
“Or her assumptions about Sunset,” Flash interjected.
She nodded. “Or that…has her really on edge where she's not acting like herself.”
He gestured at her. “Is that why you look like you got in a fight? She…shove you or something?”
Twilight frowned. “…I don't know.” At his confused expression, she explained what she could remember of the incident as best she could, about them splitting up to gather samples, about her searching for indicators related to her own project. “…and the next thing I know, I’m opening my eyes on the ground, and my head feels weird. Not really hurting, but…not right either. Like I was searching for a word that was on the tip of my tongue? Wallflower was next to me looking upset—worried-upset—and said I’d made a sound and that made her come check on me, only to find I’d…collapsed somehow.” She frowned. “I was thinking I must have tripped on a rock or stepped in a hole, since the whole area was churned up and uneven.”
Skepticism colored his tone. “That seems kind of suspicious, Twilight. You said you were near the path, right?” When she nodded, his frown deepened. “We all use that path, because CHS has a lousy student lot, and our VP goes on about how we’re not allowed to park in the faculty lot. That area has rocks and sticks and leaves, but it's never been what I’d call ‘churned up’ or ‘uneven.’ Just the opposite. It's usually kept fairly clear….”  His fingers drummed out a pattern again. “You guys were there to gather samples…do you have them? I’m guessing you have proper stuff to do that and a way you'd go about it, with how smart Sunset says you are.”
His words stopped the argument forming on her lips—she knew what she saw, after all—and she immediately moved to verify his question. “I’m assuming I do have them stored where I—“ Twilight stopped, her hand in the pockets of her hoodie finding none of what she expected. “…I only have empty sample bags. All of the tools I use to collect them are missing, even my gloves.” Her brows furrowed. “That suggests I had begun the procedure to do so, but was interrupted from completing it. Why don't I remember that?”
Flash rubbed his neck. “I…I think you were pushed, Twilight. Maybe it was just a little shove that turned a lot bigger if you stumbled over a rock, but…you really do look like you got into a fight and were rolling around in the mud. You're missing time…you said your head feels weird…and you've just spent ten minutes talking about how unpleasant and upset Wallflower was at your accidental reveal…”
She bit her lip—surely Wallflower hadn't been that angry over the whole thing, had she? The other girl wasn't prone to violent outbursts, as far as Twilight knew…but a small part of her reminded her that homosexuality often brought out the worst in people for some reason she could never understand. “My head does…feel achy and muzzy, reminiscent of how Sunset described her headache after the dodgeball accident….but that doesn't mean Wallflower…attacked me. I just can't see her doing that.”
“Maybe she didn't. Or maybe it wasn't a full on attack, just something like a small shove or a bit of rough shoulder checking, but…you don't look like that,” he gestured at her, “from tripping and landing on your ass in an icy mud puddle. And if she pushed a little too hard, and you hit your head when you fell or slipped or whatever, then you might have some kind of concussion.”
A wave of exhaustion washed over Twilight as she nodded. She really just wanted to go home and take a shower and…relax. “I can't see her attacking me…but I cannot say your hypothesis is without merit. I certainly have no hard proof to refute it….but I can't say I’m happy with the idea at all…”
Flash gave her a sympathetic look. “Believe me, I get it. This is someone you thought was a friend, and the idea that they could be capable of that kind of betrayal is hard….I’ve been there. Took me a long time to accept it, and even longer to forgive. And if she did push you, it might not have been with the intent to hurt you—that might even be why she bailed. If she shoved a little, lashing out, and it snowballed out of control, maybe she panicked? It doesn't make it right, but…I dunno. I just get this feeling you didn't just fall, Twilight. Maybe don't jump to conclusions, but…don't dismiss it without investigating either?”
“I won't,” she agreed, leaning her head back and blinking back a few tears that stung the corners of her eyes. It was just too much on top of everything else to think that Wallflower might have been responsible for injuring her. “…this is…this has not been a good week so far.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry to dump that on you—it's a crap situation and you probably don't need any more stress—I hear CPA is already bad enough for that. I wish I could help more, you know?” Tap-tap-tappity-tap went his fingers. “At this point, about all I can offer is a hug. I know I’m not Sunset, and you don't really know me, but…you just look like you need one.”
Twilight shifted awkwardly. “…I do really just want one of Sunset’s hugs right now…her hugs are like nothing else in the world, and they make me feel like nothing can get to me…”
“It's a Sunset thing—I always liked her hugs when we were dating, and I found out recently they're still great.” Blue eyes danced with mirth. “It's like she’s such a force of personality that she gives some of it away in her hugs….”
The dark haired girl couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. “…yes, that! And…she always smells like sunshine and green and warm leather and it's like holding onto summer, somehow…”. She blinked back some more tears, this time for a very different reason; the ache for Sunset’s presence and touch almost undid her.
Flash was quiet for a minute. “You know, she hugged me earlier today when she gave me my coat back.  Maybe instead of a hug from me, I could pass along this Sunset hug? It's not as good as her being here to hug you, but…”
A tearful laugh escaped her. “…if…you're holding a Sunset-hug hostage…I would very much like it released to where it belongs,” Twilight tried to joke. “It's probably missing the rest of the hug-herd.”
Something about that made him burst into hearty laughter, even as he held one arm out to her for a quick around the shoulders hug. “Run free, little Sunset-hug, your herd missed you!”
Twilight’s giggles were more a sound of relief, and something in the brief gesture made her feel better, almost as if there had been some lingering bit of her girlfriend in the light pressure around her shoulders.
“Better?” Flash asked when her giggle-fit ended. She nodded and he smiled. “Good. Now…back to your problem…there's really only one thing you have to solve right now.” He motioned out the window. “And that's you being stuck out in this weather, a few miles from home. Everything else can wait, until you have a chance to think or get some advice, or do some digging.”
She blinked, and realized that he had a good point. Whatever had happened—or not happened—in the woods, even her accidentally outing herself to Wallflower…it was something she could reexamine after she was clean and warm and dry and at home.  Twilight let out a heavy sigh, feeling some of the weight come off her. “You are…correct. I was so upset that I had not considered breaking the situation into many parts and dealing with them separately.”
“Trust me, Twilight, it happens, and getting that outside perspective can help.” He drummed out that pattern on his steering wheel again. “As I see it right now, you said you don't want to break your word to give Sunset some space, and you didn't seem like you wanted to call your folks…”
A shiver went through her. “If I called them, they’d want to know what happened. And…” Twilight grimaced. “They would come get me, but…I’m not out at home yet, and after what happened earlier, and with you figuring it out …I’m…I can’t. Not today.”
He made a noise of understanding. “It’s hard and it's a big deal, even if you don't think it’ll go bad. It sucks and it's not fair, but what can you do?” 
Twilight stared. “…no one has ever…just gotten it like that. How…?”
“You and Sunset aren't the only couple I know, Twilight. I’ve got friends who are going through what you're going through, and I listen when they talk too. It's not that hard to understand, even if I don't have to do it myself.” He shrugged. “So how about we keep all that drama from happening, and I just give you a ride home? Saves you a walk, you'll stay warm the whole way, and I avoid a date with Sunset’s steel-toed size ten.”
“…you…you would do that?” Twilight fidgeted. “It's not…out of your way?”
Flash gave an easy shrug. “Sure. I dropped Sunset over at your place that day she got hit in the head, and I don't work tonight, so I've got time.  Not exactly looking to go home just yet, since I’m kind of having a fight with my folks.” One hand ran through his hair. “I know you don't know me too well. Since this is really the first time we talked, but…Sunset’s one of my best friends, and you are more than just her best friend…and I guess I was just thinking maybe we could be friends too? If you don't think that sounds weird?”
For the third time in only a few minutes, Twilight had to blink rapidly to avoid tears. This was what she’d hoped to happen between Sunset and Wallflower, instead of the animosity that had sparked between them. “…I…think I would like that…” she said softly, looking out the window so he wouldn't see how the words had gotten to her. “…It…would be nice…when I’m finally ready to meet the rest of Sunset’s friends…to know that I already have a friend along them.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





A grimace crossed Twilight’s face as her steps halted, then changed direction in the school hallway as she realized that she’d been automatically heading to her old la—the previous laboratory space in the school she’d been given access to, she corrected herself. There was so much on her mind that she’d allowed herself to become horribly distracted again.  With a sigh, she quickened her pace as she traversed the new route to the spacious, bright, up-to-date lab that her Principal had moved her to, the part of her that sounded more like her girlfriend than was healthy referring to it as a “poisoned chalice.”
She glanced at the hallway clock, uncomfortable as the knowledge that if Wallflower wasn't already in the lab space, she would be soon enough settled over her like a heavy weight. Between this week and the last, her view of her friendship with the green skinned girl was clouded by doubt, mistrust, and a myriad of emotions that had yet to be sorted properly in her mind, which meant that right now, Twilight didn't even want to be in the same room with her, let alone in any kind of conversation.  Her attempts to reflect the night before both on the disastrous events in the woods, plus the girl’s general behavior had done little to soothe her nerves, and that wasn't even beginning to touch on Wallflower’s increasingly unsettling and unreasonable dislike of Sunset that was really starting to get under her skin. She had spent over an hour trying to find an alternative explanation the night before of her fall at CHS alone, but try as she might, she couldn't debunk Flash’s suspicions or come up with a logical answer that made as much sense.  
Twilight didn't even want to think what her parents would have had to say if she’d told them the whole of what happened. She was approximately ninety three percent certain that they would have reached the same dark conclusion as Sunset’s friend, and been highly displeased with the knowledge. They’d certainly been upset enough last night when she’d come home and simply told them that she’d slipped and fallen while gathering data for her project—going so far as to show them the broken scanner in her pocket, its casing cracked  and matching a bruise on her side that suggested she’d landed right on the delicate device when she fell. Or was pushed.





The front door had felt heavier than ever to Twilight’s re-chilled fingertips, and Flash had had to help her get the key to turn properly in the lock. Her attempted entry had made enough sound that her mother was half down the hall with Spike yipping at her heels when it finally opened and she stepped inside, still with Flash’s coat over her shoulders.
“Twily!” Velvet fussed. “What happened? You're soaked and filthy! Are you alright!?” Her eyes flicked between the two teens for an explanation. 
“I’m f-fine, Mom,” she managed tiredly. “I had stopped to g-gather some data for my project on the way home…but I slipped and fell into the d-ditch.”
Flash took back the coat as Twilight shimmied out of it. “I was going home after getting some stuff at the bakery,” he added, “and I saw her trying to walk in the weather, so I offered to give her a ride. Didn't want Sunset’s best friend to freeze, you know?”
Twilight sent him a grateful smile for being willing to keep her secret. “Thank you, Flash. Your assistance w-was t-t-timel—” She broke off with a sneeze. “..timely.” 
“Anytime, Twilight. Just glad you're okay.” He glanced at her mother. “She seemed a bit foggy when I first got her in the car, but I’m not sure if it was from the cold or if she maybe hit her head when she fell?”
The teen sighed. “I still believe it was from the c-cold,” she said, trying to remove the look of alarm from her mother’s eyes. “I don't have any lumps or abrasions or sore spots on my head that would indicate I hit it on anything…”
Velvet pulled her into a tight hug anyway. “We’ll make sure she’s okay…and thank you again, Flash. This is the second time you've made sure one of our girls got home safe.”
His response was an easy shrug as he put his jacket back on. “It's not a big deal, ma’am. Sunset’s my friend, and Twilight means a lot to her, so I wasn't going to just ignore her. Besides, it never hurts to show a little kindness, right?”
That earned him a warm smile as Velvet let her daughter go. “I don't suppose I can coax you to warm up with a hot drink this time, before you go back out into that weather?” she asked wryly.
Flash chuckled. “I’m afraid not. Someday, maybe, but it's getting worse out there, and I want to get home before I give my parents yet another reason to give me grief.” He gave them both a cheerful wave. “Have a good night! It was good to see you again, Twilight—let’s do it next time under better circumstances, okay?” He gave her an exaggerated wink, which made Twilight laugh.
“No promises,” she said with a faint smirk Sunset would have been proud of. 
“Stay warm and drive safe,” Velvet responded. “The roads are looking bad, and I would hate for you to get into an accident.”
“I will—it's not too far, just a couple of miles. I’ll be home in fifteen minutes, even going slow.” He stepped out and shut the door behind him.
Silence.
Awkward, uncomfortable, tense silence. Twilight could see her mother watching her, scrutinizing her intently.
Then the woman broke the silence. “I wish you had at least let us know you were making a stop on your way home, sweetheart.  Next time, please message me? You could have been seriously hurt, and no one would have known where to start looking.” She ran her fingers through Twilight's messy hair that had almost completely come out of the neat bun she kept it in for school. “This isn't a slight against your capabilities, Twily…it's a safety concern. I don't want anything to happen to you.”
She leaned into the touch. “I will, Mom. I…wasn't too far from the house, and I did not expect to fall like that. It was barely even flurries when I started.” Twilight had no desire to argue, and now that she was inside a nice warm house, she felt exhaustion creeping up on her. For a moment, the thought of confessing what had really happened crossed her mind, this sudden desire to unburden herself with everything welling up alongside the want for one of her mother’s tight, comforting hugs. It didn't matter that she would be admitting to Wallflower possibly causing her fall, and actually leaving her in the winter weather, or that she would be admitting to the unpleasant not-quite-an-argument that had spawned from Twilight accidentally outing herself and Wallflower’s hostility towards the girl she had chosen to date…
“Why don't you go upstairs and take a shower, put on some dry clothes after. By then, dinner should be just about done. I made that beef stew you and your father like.” Velvet guided her to the stairs, unaware of the internal war Twilight was fighting. “I don't want you to come down with anything because you sat around in cold, wet clothes.”
Plodding up the stairs at the gentle order, Twilight pushed the urge aside. The moment had passed...she would consider it after a shower and dinner had fortified her.





Unfortunately, by the time she’d gotten cleaned up and filled her hungry stomach with a surprising amount of stew, the familiar tightness had returned to her throat at the mere consideration of telling her mother any more than she already had…so she’d let it go, in favor of returning to the quiet solitude of her room. There, she’d spent most of the rest of the evening mulling things over.  Wallflower…was either changing, or had never really been the person Twilight had thought her to be, and she was starting to question everything Wallflower had ever said to her…
The other girl’s reaction to her admission in the woods had really hurt, regardless of whether it had been about her dating a girl or dating a specific girl. Logically speaking, Twilight had always known that it wasn't even uncommon—not everyone would be accepting and happy about her orientation. That was the biggest reason for keeping the information to herself for so long, because she didn't want to have hate and vitriol thrown at her for something that was as beyond her control as the color of her skin or her IQ. In an ideal world, she would have had both Wallflower and Sunset in her life and social circle…but this was the real world, and it seemed like Wallflower had already made up her mind. A preferable compromise would be for them to agree to disagree on the matter of Sunset, and her social activities with Wallflower remaining separate from anything with Sunset, but she wasn't sure that would happen either…
Twilight knew, somehow, that it would eventually come down to a choice, one Wallflower would demand…
When it did, she already knew who she would choose.
She just wasn't sure Wallflower knew that yet, and she wasn't keen on finding out just yet. 
Which is what led to this moment, hurrying through the corridors even as she fought the urge to move at a snail’s pace, desperately wanting to delay that moment where she would be face to face with Wallflower Blush. Maybe it was childish, or avoidant, maybe it came from the fact that she was still reeling from exposure to this new and ugly side of her long time friend, but Twilight had no desire to be in the same room with Wallflower, let alone engaging her in a confrontational conversation. …and it would be a confrontation, because she was going to lay down an ultimatum of her own. Whatever the girl’s personal issues were with Sunset—and really, it was verging on farcical, how hard she was pushing her personal narrative that Sunset was some kind of predatory monster preying on ‘poor socially incapable Twilight’—she intended to put her foot down. Wallflower could have whatever opinion she wanted, but she would keep it to herself and stop bad mouthing Sunset to Twilight.
Her grudge made no sense whatsoever, even if it was like her parents had suggested and she was afraid of losing her friend or if it was because Sunset had caused problems for one of their other friends…
Note to self…ask Sunset if she knew Lyra.
Regardless of the reason, Wallflower had no reason to make it such a personal issue. She had not met Sunset until recently, and had spent less than fifteen minutes in her company, nor had she been personally impacted by Sunset’s previously unpleasant behavior. When even people who had been her victims were willing to forgive and even become friends with the redheaded girl, Wallflower Blush didn't have a leg to stand on.
However, if Wallflower wanted to hold onto that, it was her choice, and Twilight wouldn't force the issue...but she also wouldn't let Wallflower harass and bully her about Sunset in return. Twilight had no intention of giving up her friendship with Sunset Shimmer under any circumstances, and Wallflower would respect that choice. That was non-negotiable.
More than that, she wanted to address the previous day’s events. Regardless of what had or hadn't happened in the woods, Wallflower had run off and left Twilight stranded several miles from home in the winter weather. Such an act was not just petty or mean spirited, it was dangerous, just like Velvet had pointed out. Coupled with her behavior over the samples, riding roughshod over Twilight’s own project out of some desire to “one-up” and preempt the imagined person Wallflower believed the berry bushes were a project for, and Twilight was no longer comfortable staying quiet on any of it.
Twilight gathered her courage, fixing an image of Sunset in her mind, eyes bright and lips turned into that lopsided smile. I know I don't have the right to ask this right now, she thought, imagining her girlfriend could somehow hear her mental whisper, but I need your strength and support on this, Sunny…I’m doing this for you, for us…because you’re so important to me, more than a fractured friendship, more than this project, more than all the scholarships and academic accolades in the world…
A year ago, Twilight would have balked at the thought, but now? There was no hesitation. Sunset mattered, as her best friend, as her girlfriend, as someone who believed in and accepted Twilight as she was, not who she thought Twilight should be. Like Flash had said during their talk in the car, Sunset Shimmer was special.
And Sunset deserved Twilight’s best effort. That was why she was thinking seriously about  having a conversation and coming clean to her parents either during Spring Break or when summer started. Admit to them that Sunset was her girlfriend, that she wouldn’t ever be bringing a boy home… She hoped that when it happened, Sunset would be at her side, because she still wasn't sure she could do it on her own.
Twilight was abruptly jolted out of her plans for how to broach the subject with her parents and what parts to focus on in order to preempt any questions they might have, when she slammed into an oddly yielding wall, bouncing off and staggering back to catch herself on the lockers. She managed to remain upright, but at the cost of the stack of books and the folder of papers in her arms. Those crashed to the floor and scattered in a messy arc.
Blinking, her head a little rattled from the impact with cold steel, Twilight fixed her glasses and focused on the source of impact.
Tall, with messy hair that might have been generously called pale yellow instead of white, the boy in front of her was also blinking a bit.  The colors of the school uniform looked unpleasant against his dark skin that reminded her of charcoal and it was when she noticed the pin with a cluster of stars on his jacket that she realized she recognized him: Polaris Hyades, the senior who was just barely behind her in school-wide scores now that Moondancer was in Italy.
Twilight didn't know too much about him beyond his name, and for good reason. Not only was he a senior and several years older, but after an incident in her freshman year, where one of Suri’s nastier rumors had involved both of them as yet one more attempt to make people believe that Twilight was bribing people in order to achieve her test scores.  The entire thing had proven doubly unpleasant as Twilight had been noticeably younger than the rest of her class, and Polaris had been very vocal about how appalled he was at the mere suggestion in the rumors. 
True to form, she had been oblivious to the rumors herself until he’d stood up in their shared history class and loudly fumbled his way through denials that he would even consider such a thing with a ‘middle school kid.’  While she understood and had been as uncomfortable and grossed out as he had been—she’d already figured out at that point that boys were not something she was interested in—the whole thing had caused them both a number of problems for months.
“Uhhh…” Polaris looked as startled as she felt, taking a step back and holding his hands up as if he was trying to avoid even the possibility of being seen touching her. “…Twinkle, right? Sorry…I wasn't…” He gestured a bit helplessly, then seemed to notice her scattered supplies. “Shit…um…sorry…”
She knelt down to start gathering them up, deeming him as surprised as she was by the encounter and thus unlikely to try to cause trouble. After a moment, he did the same. “…l-let me h-help…” he stuttered. She glanced up from the task of stacking her books, briefly wondering if the furtive motions and awkward shuffling was how she looked to others outside her very small social circle.
It…made her sad, for some reason.
“Why not try being friendly then, Sparky? You're good at that…”
Gathering her courage and listening to the part of her subconscious that had hijacked her girlfriend’s personality, she managed a small smile. “It’s…Sparkle, actually. Twilight Sparkle….and it's okay. Really. I think this may have been one of those cases where neither of us was paying enough attention to where we were going.”
He looked at her sharply, staring in a way that suggested he was trying to figure out if this was a trap…or at least, Twilight thought she recognized the wary confusion she felt sometimes in similar situations. Then he pasted an awkward smile on his face. “Oh…uh…y-yeah. P-probably.”
It served to cut the tension…at least until they both grabbed the same page of notes without realizing and the paper tore down the middle with a ragged sound. It was an accident, pure bad luck and happenstance, but Polaris went ashen gray and quickly let go, his hands now shaking uncontrollably.  Twilight furrowed her brow—this was more than just feeling bad over damaging a page of notes she could easily tape back together or print a new copy of, and she didn't need Mental-Sunset to interpret what it meant when the senior’s breath got hung up in struggling, tight sounding inhalations. Her stomach twisted in agitation as she saw the way his unfocused eyes darted wildly, a familiar panic in them. 
It was a situation she couldn't ignore and couldn't walk away from. “So help him,” Sunset’s voice whispered in her ear. 
She could try—she knew how her family, how Sunset talked her down, and knew the tools her therapist had given her to help herself. Twilight cleared her throat. “…Polaris?” she tried, awkward because it felt so surreal to be on this side of a panic attack. “…It's okay. You're okay…just take slow breaths—try and match my breathing…” Just like Sunset did, the dark haired teen took several slow, exaggerated breaths once he looked her way.
Despite her misgivings, it worked enough to bring a little color back to his face and keep him from hyperventilating on the hallway floor. It gave Twilight the chance to quickly pack her notes back into the folder—she could reorganize them somewhere safer than the hallway. 
Polaris finally took a deep breath, seeming more collected—though he still shook slightly and his color seemed...off…somehow.  He avoided looking at her, and she realized that what twisted his face unpleasantly was shame, even as he croaked out a stuttered, halting apology.
Twilight came to a decision then. “It’s really okay,” she answered, deliberately ‘misunderstanding’ his apology. “I can print a new copy later.”
“Letting him keep a little dignity?” Mental-Sunset commented approvingly. “Good job, Sparky. See? You’ve got this.”
Pained silence fell, even as she stood back up and her fellow student followed suit. She thought the awkward encounter would end like that, until he spoke again, voice unsteady. “…Y-you…got m-my lab.”
For a moment, the dark haired girl was confused, but then it clicked. “You mean the big lab?” She hesitated, then added firmly, her recent thoughts coloring her tone. “It was always the school’s lab, for Principal Cinch to give out and take away at any moment. You or I or any student who thinks otherwise is simply deluding themselves with a comforting falsehood.”
He frowned, but nodded slowly. “…I…k-know that n-n-n-now…” Shuffling and shifting his weight he asked, “You haven't…found any of my n-notes, have you? M-maybe some that were m-m-missed or overlooked?”
“His notes?” Mental-Sunset sounded as baffled by the direction the conversation had taken as Twilight felt. Still she dutifully thought back through her inspection of the space, trying to recall if she had seen anything that resembled someone else’s notes. 
She hadn't, as far as she could recall. “I’m sorry, Polaris,” she said as gently as possible. “I haven't seen anything like that, not even accidentally stuck with my own papers.”
Desperation leaked into his voice. “C-can…I…j-just check, real q-quick? M-make sure t-that there's not even something in a c-corner c-cabinet?”
Carefully, Twilight responded, “I…suppose? I’m fairly certain that who ever cleaned and rearranged everything between labs was very thorough, so I’m not sure you’ll find much of anything.” It wouldn't hurt to let him take a quick look, and all of the important parts of her project were stored primarily in a digital format with backups inaccessible at the school. She didn't leave much out in the open when she wasn't working…at least not here, not since the very lab move they were discussing.
Mental-Sunset had other opinions. “I don't like this, Twilight,” she commented, reminding Twilight she was there. “Something about this doesn't feel right. Why’s he asking now, like two weeks later?”
 Her subconscious might have a point, and Sunset had been at her for months, teaching her to trust her instincts when they crept up on her like this. She decided a probing but innocuous question would be a good route.  “Did…some of your project get misplaced when everything was moved around?” she asked.
The noise that escaped him was bitter and ragged, and for a second she was concerned he might be on his way to another breakdown. “M-misplaced?! D-d-do you know w-why you got m-my lab?”
“I know…the reasons Principal Cinch gave,” she said carefully without stating if she believed those reasons or not.
Harsh, stilted laughter that sounded one step away from being hysterical made her jerk and increase the distance between them another half step or so from the already ‘more than arm’s length’ distance. “S-she probably told you I trashed it, right?” When she said nothing, Polaris kept going. “I d-didn’t. Why would I destroy my own work? Why would I shred my own notes and b-break equipment?” His hands fisted at his sides. “Told my p-parents it was obviously stress! As if being stressed would make m-me decide to do all of that and then s-soak everything with a mix of cheap sports drinks and urine!”
“What?” Twilight was horrified.
“…yikes…Sparky…are you really sure this school is all you make it out to be? That's…animals don't act like that.”  Even the mental construct resembling her girlfriend was appalled, which spoke volumes. “Also…I really don't like this…I don't think you should be alone in a room with him…”
She didn't entirely disagree, but at present, they were simply walking down the hallway towards the lab, and he hadn't really stopped talking. It was like a dam had been breached and the story couldn't be stopped from rushing out of the shaking teen near her, his skin still looking unhealthy in its shade and sheen of agitated sweat. It certainly didn't smell too nice, she decided. Twilight couldn't be certain if it was the reek of teen male sweat or the story that made her stomach curdle and twist, what with its similarities to her own. Arriving in “his” lab space, just as she had, only to find it violated with no warning, months of work dashed to pieces…the arrival of a stern Principal…only in his case, there was no happy ending, no bright new lab space, only a dismal walk to the office and a phone call home.
“…I’m out of the p-program…if I don't ace the exams for classes I haven't been in all year, I fail for the year…she didn't even try to find out who really d-did it. I need something…p-proof I can show my family!” Polaris made a grasping motion at the air as they stop outside the lab door. “Cinch hit my parents with a b-bill for all the broken stuff—they're talking about using my college money to pay for it!” 
There was an anguish to his words that she could feel, but it teetered warningly on the verge of something else, as his body blocked a good portion of the light coming through the doorway into the shiny-but-poisoned lab space in question. She heard a low, animal-like snarl in her ear, and for a brief second, thought she both smelled the scent of Sunset Shimmer overlaid with something hot and sulfurous, and felt fingers dig warningly into her shoulder. “Twilight, move!”
Mental-Sunset was right. Twilight shuddered as her field of vision seemed to narrow in on the boy looming in front of her, suddenly too close for comfort, the light at his back casting his face in harsh shadows as one of the hallway lights decided at that moment to go out. His eyes were almost fever-bright as he continued to ramble, about proving it wasn't his fault and the injustice that had been done to him. 
Her senses were unable to cope with the assault, and she fell back a step with a low whimper when his ashen sickly pallor was overlaid by another, and the memory of the scent of cheap cigarettes and alcohol flooded her mind. “Please…get back…” Twilight’s voice was a weak thing, lost to the flow of words and the growling by her ear that no longer sounded human, far weaker than she knew she could be…far weaker than what Sunset had been training her to be…
A sweaty, frantic hand tried to grasp her wrist, and she found herself finally reacting the way she should, twisting free of the grab without thought and falling into the stance Sunset had drilled into her. “No!” Her voice was a sharp yell that echoed through the empty hall, yet somehow no doors opened, no teacher came to check, no curious student poked their head out to gawk. It was as if they were the only living people in the whole building. Not even Wallflower, who should have been in the lab, was coming to intervene…
Something flashed in the boy’s eyes, and those harsh shadows on his skin seemed to move and undulate before her vision, like the tendrils of some mockery of life, and his voice was an unpleasant rasp, touched by something Other. “You…I thought you understood…but you're just a stupid little girl, doing whatever they tell you to do! You're helping them do this to me!”
Time and space slowed into a distorted, warped tunnel around her, where sound boomed and echoed as if she were underwater.
Another light blew, this time in a shower of quickly fading sparks. Sparks she could see dying as they fell in slow motion.
He staggered for her, hands crooked into something more…
The growl became a feral scream that she knew somehow was Mental-Sunset, and the last of the dying sparks ignited into something else, shadow and flame fighting for supremacy in that warped landscape that felt too much like one of the art pieces by Impossible Triangle.
And then he was in her space, his face as twisted as her perspective had become.
So she reacted.
Just like Sunset had taught her. Drills had, at some point, become a muscle memory she didn't know she had, and in that space, where her mind was falling apart and she couldn't trust her eyes, her body knew what it was supposed to do…
Leaving her conscious mind to float, hazy and disconnected from reality.
How long that lasted, the parade of sensory data that she couldn't seem to compile into a complete picture, Twilight wasn't sure. Somewhere along the way, even the mental construct of her girlfriend had vanished, leaving her adrift with nothing and no one to ground her, trying to numbly parse snatches of audio that had replaced the growling, snarling, and screaming.
“…unfortunate incident, to be sure…”
“…no witnesses…”
A touch on her shoulder made her tense, until she dimly registered her mother’s scent and familiar hand.
“…ilight wouldn't have fought without reason!”
Her mother’s hand became an arm, and then she heard her father’s voice, angry and raised in a way she had never known.
“…twice her size and three years older!”
Something flickered in her vision, the faintest hint of another shadow…but it didn't seem to want to come any closer. She felt her face twist into a frown…or try to…but the muscles felt sluggish and slow to react.
“…mitigating circumstances, of course…the boy…unstable…documented…”
Unstable? 
Polaris came to mind, not when reality had broken, but when he’d been spilling his agonized tale in the hallway, stammering and anxious. 
No, she tried to say, this isn't right…
But her throat refused to work, and for a moment she thought the shadows were laughing at her.
“…a suspension, but…merely formality…expunged at the end of the year…placate the Hyades family…must look like we’re handling it…I’m sure you understand…”
Things were slowly melting back into focus, though she still felt…half outside her body, as if something else was in the driver’s seat, and she was naught but the passenger. 
Her father was still angry, but it was her mother’s voice that cut through the haze with how sharp and accusatory it was. “And the security footage? With how much money you pour into lab equipment for teenagers, and how much money tuition costs each year, a school as well lauded as this one should have state of the art cameras watching a room filled with half a million dollars worth of delicate and easily damaged assets…has that been reviewed yet to determine what happened involving my daughter?”
And her father, backing it up, “I would very much like to see that footage myself, Abacus. Especially if you're going to punish her for being so badly threatened by a boy who outweighs her by at least forty pounds that she reacted like this.” No title, no hint of respect, just the tense stress on her principal’s name.
“…We are in the process of reviewing all applicable footage,” came the response, and Twilight wondered if the administrator had always sounded so…oily. “It should never have come to this, of course…”
The tight hug from her mother muffled all the sound for more than a few heartbeats and she missed a good portion of the rest, her head starting to pound painfully. 
“…Monday…hopefully by then we can have this properly sorted and it will have blown over…”
Twilight forced herself to try and focus through the agony in her brain as she was led from the school by her parents, still only half in control of her own body in a world that was blurry and distorted. She managed to tilt her head enough to see herself, and the sight of a few red streaks on her uniform made her awareness lurch painfully as she got into the car.
Then her body was hers again and something snapped and she choked on a sob.  There was a soothing sound in her ear and Twilight could feel her mother pull her back into a close, tight hug, even as fingers loosened her hair from the messy remnants of the bun she kept it in at school so Velvet could run fingers through it the way she had so often when Twilight was a little girl.
She felt very much like a little girl again as she huddled in her mother’s embrace, trying to make sense of what had happened, even as the emotional impact of it reduced her to a sobbing wreck. Velvet just made more of those comforting noises and let her cry herself out.
Eventually the tears ran their course, and she felt…drained. Exhausted and empty in a way she could not remember feeling ever before. Even her bones ached, as though she’d been running a fever for days. Twilight lifted her head from her mother’s shoulder. “…I…I’m sorry,” she croaked, her voice sounding thin and ragged.
“Why are you apologizing, sweetheart?” Velvet asked gently, tucking some hair back from her face.
Twilight rubbed her nose, which was stuffy and gross from crying. “…I…you guys had to come get me…you're missing work…and I…I got in trouble at school…and…”
“Twily, you have nothing to apologize for,” her father said from the driver’s seat as he navigated busy city traffic. “My lectures can be handled by my TA, and I wasn't about to let your mother go into the lion’s den alone to get you…you are always more important to us than anything else.”
Velvet made a sound of agreement. “Your father is right. I was only waiting on notes from my editor today, and you needed us….more than that…I have a hard time believing you sought out some boy you barely know just to get into a fist fight. That’s not you, Twily.”
Relief crept in around the exhaustion. “…no…I…I tried to…he didn't seem…but Sunset thought—” Twilight halted, the words as garbled and disjointed as her thoughts.
Her mother rubbed her back. “Deep breath, sweetheart. You don't have to explain everything in one sentence. Take your time.”
“We definitely have that,” Night joked from the front. “Traffic is terrible—someone decided that they should do construction from Churchill Road all the way to Belmont in the middle of the day.”
The dark haired girl did as they asked, but it…still made no sense. Not at the end. The beginning was easy, though, so she could explain that. “…Principal Cinch changed my lab a few weeks ago,” she confessed. “Sunset made me tell you guys about that.”
“Yes, and believe me, I brought that up today,” her mother responded. 
“…she told me that the last student trashed it, that…they had to replace the equipment…I didn't ask who it was.” She shivered, remembering how that day had been an emotional rollercoaster. “…Polaris was that student…and I ran into him in the hall today…” Twilight pressed her face back into her mother’s shoulder. “He…I felt sad for him. He was…he looked like I feel sometimes. Scared. Anxious. He couldn't talk without a horrible stutter. I was…I tried to be nice. It was an accident, running into each other…but then he was talking about his notes and the lab and wondering if I’d found anything of his, which I hadn't because someone else cleaned the labs…”
She frowned. “It was okay at first…he just wanted to take a quick look in some of the cabinets to see…I didn't think it would hurt…especially because his side of what happened was terrible…he says he didn't trash the lab…and I believe him!” Hands shaking, she struggled to control her breathing. “I believed him…but…Sunset wouldn't have…and I could almost hear her saying something was wrong, and when we got to the lab…”
That was where her memory failed her, because none of what she remembered made sense. “I…I don’t…he got weird…angry…when we got to the lab…saying I was helping…cover things up.” Once again, she had to stop and breathe, to get herself under control, because the memories of the hallway in that moment made her skin crawl. “I yelled,” she whispered. “Told him to get away and to not touch me, but he…he tried to grab me and…I…” What had she done? She’d heard a warning in Sunset’s voice, and she obeyed it. “It was like…like I could hear Sunny telling me what to do in the backyard, and I did it…I don't…remember…what I did…only that I did something, and that it was what Sunset had told me to do…” She shuddered. 
Her parents were quiet for a minute, the only sound in the car was that of the turn signal ticking away as they idled at a red light. Finally, Night spoke, his voice firm and tinged with something she couldn't quite label. “What you did, Twilight, was defend yourself against a boy who was much older and larger than you who was acting erratically and had unknown intentions. No matter what nonsense your school is trying to push to save face and cover their backsides, do not believe otherwise. You did right, and we will back you on it.” 
The arm around her squeezed tighter. “Your father is right, Twily. While the situation is unpleasant, you tried your best to do the right thing, being understanding and compassionate to a peer, and there is nothing wrong with defending yourself. I can't put into words how glad I am that Sunset has taught you to protect yourself like that, when we didn't ever think that it was something you might need.” She laughed softly. “I’m going to be making all of her favorites this weekend, to thank her. This is not the first time her actions have protected you in some way.”
“…I…” How could she respond to that? There was so much to unpack in her parents’ words, and she wasn't sure she was in the right place to do so, even if she was no longer feeling ready to jump out of her own skin.
When she failed to continue, her father cleared his throat. “I understand that you're shook up, Twily,” he told her, “and that you're probably second guessing yourself, because we are constantly told how violence is bad and we shouldn’t engage in it…in this case, however, it was the right choice. It shouldn't ever have to be, but unfortunately, that is not how life works sometimes. I want you to understand that I am proud of how you handled the entire situation, from start to finish, even the fight. I would take a call like this a hundred times over if it means avoiding the kind of call that means one of your brother’s colleagues is involved and something terrible has happened.”
Abruptly, something clicked inTwilight’s brain, as though the words had formed a bridge between her memories and the disconnected thoughts and concepts in her mind that she was struggling to organize. Neurons linked up in new patterns and correlated information in a way she hadn't considered before, bringing up the idea that what had happened in the hall was not unlike the night in the park, albeit on a smaller scale.
The concept made her panic start to creep back up, before a second thought intervened, reviewing her father’s words. She had fought back this time, not just struggled futilely to fend off hands and screamed for help in hopes of someone else saving her. This time, it had been her own hands and feet that had gotten her away from someone who…while maybe not like the boys in the park, had definitely not been in his right mind and had come after her with unclear motives. The bloody marks staining her uniform weren't from her, it was…
“The enemy,” Sunset’s voice whispered in the back of her mind, the tone filled with dark satisfaction.
The whole realization was heady, and Twilight pushed it back long enough to question if she should feel bad for the fact that she…didn't feel bad. Maybe Polaris had been put in an awful situation, but he had attacked her out of nowhere. Whatever injuries she had left on the senior…she couldn't really bring herself to care beyond a mild sense of regret that it had been necessary at all…
“I…” Twilight took a breath. “I was trying to be kind, and he turned on me, for no reason,” she said, her voice growing more even and level with each word. “I stopped him from hurting me…”
“That’s exactly what you need to take away from this,” Velvet agreed. “You didn't seek out the confrontation, but you handled it as best you could when it happened.”
Twilight nodded, and relaxed, content now to let the car ride happen in relative silence, the presence of her parents helping to ground her further. They didn't press her for conversation now that they’d learned what happened; her father even went so far as to turn on the radio to the local station Cadence worked for, rock songs playing out on a low volume to fill the empty air.
It wasn't until they were free of the city traffic and most of the way home before Night spoke again. “Once we get home, I’m going to contact Sunset’s school—I think that’s much better than if one of us sends her a message directly while she’s in class. The school can call her to the office so I can fill her in…” He made a thoughtful sound. “Maybe I should also offer to pick her up after school. This is likely to upset her as much as it has the rest of the family, and I don't really want her trying to fight traffic after school like that…”
Her calm vanished in a surge of sudden panic, like when Flash had offered to call Sunset the day before. It would be so easy to say nothing, to give in to the part of her that wanted nothing more than to be hugged by her girlfriend…but she couldn't do it. She had promised Sunset something and she wasn't going to break a promise to the girl who had already been on the receiving end of too many broken promises. 
“Dad…please…you can't call Sunset…” she choked out, trying to wrestle with her rising anxiety and form words that wouldn't give away too much while still communicating her thoughts coherently.
Her mother’s arm tightened around her, voice so laden with worry and concern that it washed over Twilight in a wave. “What’s wrong, Twily…why don't you want to let Sunset know what happened?”
The words were hard to force out, her chest feeling crushed and tight. “I promised her…that…I’d give her space…after our fight,” she explained. “I want to call her…but…” She dragged a breath into her lungs that felt too warm and heavy. “…people have broken promises to her…a lot…and she tries so hard to keep her word…I don't want to be…just another person who can't keep a promise.”
Night cleared his throat. “I understand that, Twilight, and normally, I would let you choose when to tell Sunset, but I also made a promise to her last weekend. I gave her my word that if anything happened that I felt she needed to know about or be concerned over, I would make sure to contact her. She was worried about you and wanted to make sure that if you needed your best friend’s support, you would have it. While I doubt she specifically imagined something like this, I do feel it qualifies.”
That gave Twilight pause—as much as she didn’t want to break her promise, she couldn’t fairly ask her father to break his either. It wasn't fair to weigh her word’s value against his. Still, the presentation of the problem calmed the agitation she was feeling, giving her something to focus on. 
What would Sunset want? More than that, what did she need most? Knowing Sunset like she did, the way the older girl was quick to put her own problems aside for those she cared about, Sunset would want to be told…but Twilight wasn't sure that was what Sunset needed right now. Not if she was still…coping…after the weekend. Sunset…needed time to process her feelings. Twilight had learned that early on, and Flash had all but confirmed it with his own comments. She had to turn each one over in her head, deciding how she felt about the feeling, what she was going to do with it. When that process was interrupted…it festered until it all came out at once. Like after the week of nightmares, or the locker room incident.
As much as she wanted to feel Sunset’s arms around her…Twilight couldn't. Not like this, not right now. The danger had passed, and while Twilight was rattled, she was safe.
The faint wisp of Sunset’s voice echoed through her mind, sounding tired and worn thin, the creation of her mind reflecting her thoughts. “Doesn’t have to be one or the other, Sparky…my needs or yours. Maybe find a balance between the two?”
Just like that, the constricting feeling on her chest loosened, and she leaned against her mother. “I…understand why this…would fall under her request, but…can I be allowed the chance to see how I fare tonight? Calling her right now is going to interrupt her day and she would be forced to stew in that until the day ends—she’s still on academic probation and can't skip or miss too much class without getting in huge trouble…” She looked up to meet her father’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’m…safe…and…I…” It was bitter and awful to say aloud, because she had never been in trouble at school before, “…I’m home until Monday, right?”
“We will be fighting any suspension on your record,” her father asserted. “You were provoked, assaulted by a boy who is likely eighteen and legal, and defending yourself. The school has no right to punish you, even if you broke bones, given it's a problem they created unnecessarily, and failed to anticipate.”
“R-right…” Twilight forced herself to breathe. “But until then…Monday?”
“If you even go back to that school,” her mother said with a scowl. 
Twilight ignored that for the moment—she wasn't ready to deal with the emotions that sentence created. One crisis at a time, a dispassionate part of her decided. “I…am safe. I’m going home. I have an appointment tomorrow with Doctor Soft-Spoken anyway…and I…think I need time to organize my thoughts on what I want to talk to her about…as today showed me that while I am…coping…with…” Harsh laughter and the reek of beer-sweat-smoke tickled her brain and stole her breath for a double handful of seconds, but she forced the words out in as even a tone as physically possible. “…being a-assaulted…I am not…healing…the way I s-should from the experience…”
Several slow and careful breaths, and she continued, “I know she said that my friendship with Sunset was a good thing, but…also cautioned me not to become so enmeshed with it that I made Sunset bear the responsibility of keeping my mental health stable. I have a wider support system in place, and it isn't fair to expect that of Sunset anyway.”
She blinked back tears, fighting the desire inside her, because more than anything she wanted Sunset there with her, to be wrapped in deceptively strong arms and surrounded by that scent of leather and sunshine, just like she had wanted the day before. She wanted…but just as much as Sunset needed time to sort herself, Twilight needed to know she could stand on her own two feet. “…I’d…prefer to wait…if I can handle it, I’d like to work through this some with..the other resources and support I have…and then tell her what happened after we talk on Friday about what…what I did last week.”
Her parents were listening now, the occasional flicker of her father’s eyes in the rearview mirror telling her he was giving her as much of his attention as he could while driving.  Twilight squared her shoulders, feeling stronger for their patient willingness to let her get everything she needed to out. “She’s entitled to her own life and to know her needs matter just as much as anyone else’s—not be expected to drop everything whenever her best friend hits a rough spot.”
The car pulled into the driveway, but they sat in it for several minutes, even after her father turned off the engine. Her parents were locked in one of those silent conversations. At last, some sort of tension seemed to lift from the atmosphere and Velvet gave her a soft smile that was filled with pride. “Alright, Twily. We will hold off for now, but we’d like to reserve the right to contact Sunset early if we think you’re not handling the situation and would benefit from the way she grounds you emotionally. Is that fair?”
Twilight considered it, but nodded quickly. “More than fair. It is no secret that I draw from her strength when I am upset. If I use the other tools available to me and fail to manage, then Sunset would expect to be contacted so she could help.”
Pride was laced with some undefinable pain as her mother hugged her tightly. “Twilight…I hope you realize how proud we are of you—you’ve grown so much in so many ways this year…”
The tears that burned in Twilight’s eyes then were things of happiness and relief…
> Interlude XXVII: Love and Hatred
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Night looked up from where he sat on the edge of the bed as the door opened soundlessly to admit his wife. He indicated the phone he held to his ear with a finger and she nodded, closing the door behind her in the same soundless way, despite the fact that she was doing it while carrying two steaming mugs.
Over the phone, the shuffling of papers stopped, and the voice of “Great Uncle” Stalwart came back on the line. “I found it, and I’ll be placing some phone-calls come morning. For now, keep yourselves safe, son. I don't trust how easily this principal is gaming the system. Sign nothing, say nothing, and instruct young Twilight that she is forbidden from signing anything they give her either without our lawyers reading it first.”
Switching it to speaker, he nodded. “I understand, sir. In the meantime then, Velvet and I will look into a different school…One of Cadence’s close friends is the administrator at the school Twily’s best friend goes to.”
Velvet passed him his tea. “Luna was very adamant that she did not like Crystal Prep’s…policies, and that should we ask it, Twilight would have a spot in her school within twenty four hours.”
The old man on the phone made a thoughtful sound. “Can she be discreet, Velvet?”
“I would believe so,” Velvet responded. “If nothing else, she is the one who cautioned Cady and Shining about Abacus Cinch having an unhealthy level of influence and encouraged them in being careful.”
More quiet. “What’s the school she oversees? I want to look into that, myself. Make sure.”
“Canterlot High School,” Night supplied. “It's a public school, but it has an amazing amount of supplemental programs for both gifted children and children who need extra help. Twilight would have gone to their Junior High, except the district lines were redrawn that year and she was placed in a different school.”
Stalwart made another humming sound. “If you trust this Luna to be discreet, go ahead and get the paperwork from her. Fill it out, but wait to turn it in until we are ready and give you the go ahead. In the meantime, son, make sure young Twilight is safe. I will be in touch in the meantime.”
With a click, the call ended, leaving the couple alone. Night set the phone down on his nightstand, and took a steadying sip of his tea. Velvet settled next to him, and he drew comfort from her closeness.
“What else did he say?”
“He got the fax of the letter the school sent us this morning. He’s furious, but we knew he would be.” 
Velvet’s expression was more scowl than frown. “I am too. The nerve of them, trying to make us believe the whole altercation was Twilight’s fault, and they are doing us some kind of favor by covering for her!”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose did little to disrupt the throbbing headache that had formed behind his eyes. “That whole thing was so…” he searched for the right word with a tired mind. “…blatant in its threats. I can't believe they would actually put something like that in writing! Is the school really that arrogant?” 
A warm hand brushed the back of his neck in a light touch. “Migraine?” Velvet asked him.
Night closed his eyes against the pain. “From trying to read that thing. It made me so angry that it just felt like the blasted words kept twisting on the page.”
His wife hummed in agreement, and the hand left his neck. He missed the soothing sensation, but a moment later the sound of the nightstand drawer opening explained why she had pulled away. “Take some tylenol, Lighty,” she encouraged, pressing the bottle into his free hand. “It helps. I actually think some kind of chemical was spilled on the paper they used—I kept getting this whiff of…metal and sulfur. Like some of Twilight’s early chemistry experiments in the kitchen?”
Setting his drink aside to shake a few pills into his palm, Night sighed. “Maybe that explains the insanity in that office, because this whole thing has been insane on their part.” Tossing the pills back, he washed them down with a swallow of tea, sitting in silence for a time with his wife. It had been a long day, no matter how he looked at it, and tomorrow…he wasn’t sure if it would be better or worse.
“How’s Twily?” he asked eventually.
Velvet had risen to change into sleepwear. “Subdued. It sounds like she talked to Gently about the park events finally, as well as yesterday, and that took a lot out of her emotionally.” She glanced towards him. “Gently and I talked briefly today. She did say that she is also concerned about the school environment and the effect it is having on Twilight’s mental health.”
Night’s brows furrowed. “Do you think she would be willing to put that in writing as a professional opinion?”
“I believe so. She also commented that she believes that the strong and supportive friendship Sunset and Twilight have formed is one of the primary reasons that her mental health is not suffering worse.” She ducked into the bathroom, but her voice carried easily.
He nodded, though she couldn't see him, and took the time to sip at his mug of tea, savoring the flavor this time. “This isn't the usual night time blend you make,” he commented.
She poked her head out of the bathroom briefly. “Oh, yes…On a whim I made the blend that Sunset brought us when we were all sick—maybe it's just a bit of whimsy, but just the scent of it seemed to help my headache.”
Giving her a thin, tired smile, he savored another sip. “It does feel like my headache is already easing off. Perhaps it's got something in it that is good for headaches.”  Night adjusted his hold on the mug, the warmth seeping into his palms.  “Speaking of Sunset…did Gently have anything to say about Twilight’s insistence that we not alert Sunset to this week’s events? I’m still not convinced we did the right thing by not letting her know…and with everything, I’m afraid Sunset might be hurt when she gets here and learns we didn’t keep her in the loop.”
Velvet acknowledged him with a sound that suggested she was collecting her thoughts, so Night contented himself with finishing his tea as he listened to the familiar sounds of his wife’s nightly routine. After a few minutes, she came back out, stopping by his side of the bed to press a kiss to the top of his head. “She did, actually,” she told him, finally answering his question. 
“And…?” he responded, wanting to know the rest. She wouldn't have deliberated this long if there wasn't more. 
“She’s tentatively in favor of it, stating that Twilight’s reasoning was a mature and healthy one that encourages her to respect boundaries that are set, even under stressful circumstances…and because she believes it will be good for their developing relationship if both girls are able to realize that Twily can manage an upsetting and stressful event without Sunset’s immediate presence.”
Night Light sighed, setting his empty mug on his nightstand. “I still think I’m going to make sure I talk to Sunset and make sure she knows why we held off on contacting her,” he murmured. “I don't want to give her the impression that it was from lack of trust or that I didn't consider my promise to her important.” He paused for a moment, something about her words jumping out at him. “Evening star, did Gently actually say ‘relationship’ when referring to the girls?”
Velvet stretched out under the covers with a tired but relieved sound as she relaxed after a rough day. “She did, why?”
He joined her, holding one arm out so she could cuddle against him. “She’s always been a woman who is very precise with her language, so it just made me wonder…did she use ‘relationship’ instead of ‘friendship’ for a reason? Is it possible that Twilight finally got comfortable enough to be open with her about her and Sunset?”
His wife was quiet a moment. “Well..Twily did take Sunset with her to one of her recent appointments. She claimed it was to introduce Sunset as part of her ‘family and support system’ but there's always a chance…” She cuddled against him, resting a head on his shoulder. “So I suppose it's very possible--I know that I have been privately hoping that she did just that…but it's not the kind of thing I could really ask for details about from any of the people involved.  I know Gently takes ethics and privacy extremely seriously though—she only ever discusses subjects about Twilight with me that I discuss with her first, and she’s very careful not to give away what they talk about. I can't imagine she’d consciously give something away…” Her tone turned wistful. “But maybe…it would be a good sign, wouldn't it, Lighty? I’d like to think maybe it's a sign that Twilight is getting closer to being ready to tell us…”
Kissing her forehead, Night reached over to flick off the light. “I know…I think…maybe it's okay to be hopeful, because we need it right now. Because maybe then this whole horrible event might have some small good come from it, if it means Twily finally feels comfortable enough with us to open about the fact that she and Sunset love each other in a way that goes beyond ‘best friends…’”





The office was dark, unnaturally so despite the winter clouds that reflected city light back down on the world around. The shadows hissed and writhed, baleful eyes winking in and out of existence as they seethed and roiled across every surface available in the space. From the abyss that covered the windows and blocked out the world beyond, the Master’s voice was cold and cutting as an icicle laced with dark magic. “You have missssscalculated, ssssssssidhe. Again. Thisssssss isssss becoming a pattern with you.”
Suppressing a desire to shudder, the being who went by the moniker of Abacus Cinch among mortal cattle managed to keep the facade of calm emotionless. Even so, it was a near thing as the fae displayed the precise amount of deference and respect due the dark power in the room, and not a whit more or less—never mind that deep in the dark recesses of their psyche, they felt neither of those things, only contempt at their required subservience and fear of the Master, who, even now, held the power to end them should He so desire. “My Lord, perhaps it is merely that the missive has yet to arrive at its destination? While we used a courier, they are still mortal messengers…mortals are…unreliable in an age when one is no longer permitted to so readily apply proper incentives for failure.”
Darkness billowed and swirled with sudden aggressive violence, reaching towards the figure and tearing away the glamor with grasping talons and hungry maws, the motion unending and dizzying to look upon. It hurt, tearing agony into the sidhe’s essence and leeching away magic that had been hard won, squeezed from the misery and suffering that the shades fed on, but they dared not react in any fashion. Weakness…was to be eaten…
Silence ticked on, until at last, the voice spoke again, in a way that spoke of anger barely contained beneath a thin veneer of control. “You are becoming quite adept at blaming othersssss for your failuressss, Itheadair.”
Keeping from flinching this time was harder, especially without the glamour to mask their face further. “Nay, My Lord,” they ventured, seeing the unpleasant potential in this conversation already. “My Honor will not allow me to speak less than truth to you, even should it cost me. I cannot lie to you, Master.” The words rang oddly in the air, but they were an incomplete truth—the sidhe did not lie, but neither was it the nature of their kind to speak the whole truth…
A fact the Master knew well.
“It has been but a single day,” the fae being continued in the ensuing silence, “and the parents are known for doting on the girl, defective though she is. I remember well the sweet anguish that was supped on from the mother when the elder of their spawn attended our halls…how richly she grieved every failure, how prevalent her fears…it may simply be that their antics of late are that fear turned in a new direction. If so, they shall be easily brought to heel once more…with sufficient reminders.”
They could sense more than see, the claw like shadow that inched along the ceiling just behind them as if meaning to reach out and grab the sidhe…only for it to melt back into into the black morass consuming the room. “Is that what you would call it?” came the deadly hiss. “A sssssimple sssshow of missssdirected fear?” The sound of talons across crystal shrieked in the air, painful and shrill. “Wasss it missssdirected fear that dessssstroyed my sssshades, Itheadair? Or perhapssss you would blame that on the girl’sssss burgeoning gift, playing the fool and turning a blind eye to the sssstench of another magic sssseeking to undermine me?!”
True fear made the sidhe freeze in place. “Master, My Lord, I would never—!”
The shadows in the room swarmed, a pandemonium of invisible mouths and hateful eyes and chittering, hissing fury tainted with a touch of mad laughter, assaulting them until they could see nothing, feel nothing, except the horrifying agony of the darkness filling them, in until even the breath in their lungs had been replaced with an endless abyss. In all their centuries, the fae had never known such abject terror, such inescapable certainty that they were about to meet their end…
And then, in a mockery of mercy, the shadows released them, leaving the inhuman being to right themselves and try to recover some measure of composure. “The girl’sssss importance is the only reasssson why you sssstill sssserve, Itheadair,” the Master growled. “That growing power which sssshall be mine hasss made her role all the more irreplaceable, ssssomething that cannot sssstill be sssssaid for your ilk, sssspawn of Eire!” Those eyes bored into theirs, full of rage despite the now deceptive calm of the voice. “My power hassss become compromisssed becaussssse of you.”
Struggling now to maintain their calm, to not display the fear that had rattled them so utterly, even though their Master would sense it regardless at this point, the sidhe tried to speak in a level tone the words that they could not have stopped even if they’d wanted to…and they did very much want to. “If by my word or deed I have failed You, My Lord, then state how You wish amends made, and I shall carry out Your will.”
“Amendssss will be ssssimple, Itheadair,” the voice in the shadows began, smoother and calmer than it had been. “The bindingssss have been weakened from the outbursssssst, ssssignificantly. Mortal ssssouls are insssssufficient to fix it, sssso you will.”
There was an intake of breath that the sidhe could not stop, eyes going wider than they intended. The fear threatened to overwhelm them, the words almost hesitant. “Personally, My Lord?”
His voice became soft, whispering and sibilant behind one pointed ear, the feeling of smoldering embers ghosting over pale skin. “You are sssstill of usssse to me at pressssent, Itheadair….” The slight sound of the floorboards creaking under heavy footsteps echoed from one side of the room. “…but one of yourssss will now reinforce what issss Mine,” He finished, His voice coming from everywhere and nowhere.
The ancient fae did not relax, even as they cursed inwardly. They were already stretched thin, their underlings barely numbering three dozen, and this would cause more problems than it solved… not that the Master cared a bit about that. No…this was their punishment for something that wasn't their doing, for misdeeds that only existed in the mind of the warped being now holding it over their head. “As you…command, Master. Have you then made your selection?”
In the thick, impenetrable darkness, the high backed  chair at the desk creaked, rotating around and causing papers to rustle faintly. “No, Itheadair,” was the haughty response, tinged with the faintest hint of smug, sadistic pleasure that said its owner knew exactly what it was doing. “You all sssserve My Will…but they are yourssss to manage. You will decide which to ssssacrifice to correct your error in judgment.”
Were it possible, they would wish a curse upon the mortal wretch for putting them in this position, all while frantically considering which among the underlings could be given up to the Master’s demands, and how to make it seem as though the selected candidate had somehow brought the fate on themselves…it wouldn't do for it to taste of a betrayal. “As you command, My Lord. When do you wish to carry out the ritual?”
The muffling effect of the shadows did nothing to mitigate the sudden, jarring sound of a slam, or the way the heavy desk jumped on the floor. Nor did it do anything about the smoky sulfurous smell that flitted past the sidhe’s nostrils. “NOW, Itheadair!!” was the command, unmistakably in its threat.
Bowing their head to hide the internal rage, they said in a tone perhaps a fraction too terse, “It shall be done, My Lord.” They dared not say otherwise, and with gritted teeth expended their own magic to call their servants to assemble, venting their fury in the only way available—by adding to the end of the command, “Whichever among you is slowest feeds the Master’s wrath!” That would have to suffice in directing the rest of their kind on where the blame truly lay.
> Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen: Beautiful Disaster
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset dropped the kickstand once she had the bike parked at the very edge of the driveway so it was out of the way. She wasn't sure if Shining and Cadence would be there for the evening or not, and decided it best to err on the side of caution, since the weather report had been iffy on the chance of more winter weather from the mountains, in a week that had been nothing but a mess of winter storms, cold rain, ice, and snow. The redhead didn't want to risk her motorcycle getting hit by either a skidding vehicle or a plow if it was parked in its usual spot on the street.
The weather hasn't been the only part of the week that had been bizarre, unpleasant, and unpredictable. Ever since she’d left Twilight’s house the previous Saturday, things had been…weird. Her magic had persisted in its erratic almost-surges, and caused several incidents in practice with the girls, and also a small fire in her science class—explaining that to Miss Luna had been…embarrassing, to say the least. Then there was the way Rarity’s magic had felt when she inspected it, and the situation with Trixie…and of course the somewhat invasive questioning from her friends about her certifications and the photo of her as a teenage filly…once word had spread to the rest of the group, she’d been pounced on Monday at lunch by a very excited Pinkie Pie and Lyra who was practically vibrating with her want to ‘see an actual photo of a mythical creature.’ Even Flash had teased her about the picture…





“Suuuuuuuuunseeeeeeeet!!!”
The voice, loud and shrill and gaining the attention of every person in the cafeteria was the only warning Sunset received before a body almost knocked her out of her chair. It was only the steadying hand AJ put on the chair that kept it upright.
Sunset blinked. “Hi, Pinkie. What's going on?”
Pinkie squeezed her in an exuberant hug, but it was Lyra who demanded in an excited rush from just behind Pinkie, “Weheardyouhaveapictureofyourunicornself! Can we see?!”
“Uh….” 
Bon-Bon hauled Lyra back and into a seat. “Give her some breathing room, sweetie.” Then she translated for Sunset, “Fluttershy told us you have a photo of your non-human form. Lyra has been ready to burst since she heard.”
“Oh…” Sunset made a face. “It's…not really a great picture. It's just part of some legal documents.”
Lyra leaned across the table to grab Sunset’s wrist. “Don't take this from me, Sunset! A real, non-blurry, guaranteed-it’s-not-photoshopped image of a mythical animal—I’ve been waiting my whole life to see a picture like that!”
The former unicorn sighed. “I’m not an animal, Lyra,” she told the girl with patience she didn't feel. “I’m a person, like you, I was just born in a different body than your species.”
“Sooooooo…” Pinkie bounced and pressed her cheek to Sunset’s. “Caaaaaaaan we see it? I want to know if I’m right!”
“Right about what?” Sunset pried Pinkie off her with some considerable effort. “Also, Pinkie, personal space, please.”
The pink haired girl bounced away with an apology and plopped in the nearest empty chair. “About magic pony huggability! See, I think, because you're a good hugger, Sunset, as a human shaped pony, that pony shaped ponies are even better huggers!”
If she lived to the ripe old age of two hundred, she would never understand the pink one, Sunset decided. “…Right…” she rubbed the back of her neck, before sighing again and reaching into her bag. “Prepare to be disappointed.” The friends who hadn’t seen the picture before crowded around when she opened the slim book to show it to them, and she braced herself mentally for the squeal that was bound to come from Pinkie. 
She was not disappointed. Pinkie made a sound of delight that made her teeth itch with the audio frequency it vibrated at. Applejack reaching around to clamp a hand over her mouth was a welcome reprieve and Sunset gave the farmer a grateful smile. Lyra was studying the image with obvious intense interest, looking back and forth between the picture and Sunset as if comparing them.  “I didn't know unicorns were Curlies,” she gushed. “That's so cool!”
What in the name of Nightmare Moon’s moon-marked backside was Lyra on about? The redhead managed to avoid being snarky, but only just. “…what are curlies?” she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know.
Lyra gestured at the picture. “Horses that have this neat curly hair gene. They look fluffy…or sometimes poodley, and their manes and tails are all curly too.”
Sunset cleared her throat awkwardly. “Oh…um…that’s…not a unicorn thing. That's just me—I’ve still got most of my winter coat in that picture, because the Canterlot I’m from is perched up on terraces on a mountain range, and spring tends to come later at the higher altitudes.”
The other girl looked mildly disappointed. “Oh…too bad, because that would be neat!” She went back to looking at the picture. “I can definitely tell it’s you though! It still looks just like you!” She looked over at Pinkie. “Do you think if we went through to Sunset’s home, we’d turn into unicorns too?” Which inevitably set off a conversation between the two of them and Fluttershy on the subject of ‘what it would be like to be a magical pony.’
Flash sat down across from her and his gaze slid between the conversation and the object Sunset was holding. “Oh, is that the thing Rarity was telling me about? Some kind of pony work badge?”
“It's…more like a driver’s license meets a diploma,” the former unicorn responded with a surge of relief that he had a real question and wasn't going to gush over the Equestrian equivalent of her driver’s license photo. “In Equestria, higher forms of magic—not just the dozen or so spells every unicorn foal learns or the powers related to a cutie mark—are regulated and require certification to verify that a spellcaster knows what they are doing and is aware of the ethics of that field. Kind of like how…lawyers here are required to study law and then pass the bar exam in order to actually advertise themselves as a practicing lawyer?”
“Oh, that's…really cool, actually. So is it for…magic in general, or is it like in WoW where there's different ‘schools?’” Flash squinted at the pages. “I’m sure it probably says, but I can't read any of those weird pictograms on it.”
“Different branches of magic, yeah. A lot of human games call them schools, but…we have our own breakdown that…has to do with the spellforms used in the spells themselves, and not whatever arbitrary thing humans come up with that fits the game or book or show.” Sunset glanced down at her certifications. “I got my certs in a couple of branches of study…basic artificing, transmutation, teleportation, spell craft and deconstruction, and a minor mastery in artifacts and enchantments.”
Half the table was staring at her, wide eyed. It was enough to make her already unsettled brain nervous.  “….what?” 
It was Bon-Bon who found her voice first. “This all happened before you came here, right?” When she nodded hesitantly, the other girl continued, “I’m no expert in how magic horses age but…how old were you?”
“That's a good point,” Applejack mused, having been listening in silence since she’d already heard most of this. “Yer picture makes ya look like a gawky yearling, but everything ya’ve told us says yer kinda pony don't grow as fast as horses here.”
Greasy hydra farts. Of course they’d notice that. 
“I…actually set the record at the time for the youngest certified Magus,” she admitted slowly. “…I was fifteen. Not sure if I still hold the record--Princess Twilight might’ve broken it.”
Bon-Bon whistled. “You mean you basically graduated college with something like five or six degrees at fifteen? No wonder you can basically reach advanced math in your sleep! You never mentioned being some kind of genius!”
“Wait a minute. Time the fuck out, Shimmer.” Rainbow’s voice interrupted everything and everyone. “How could you get those at fifteen if it was before you came here? You were going to CHS at fifteen!”
Now the whole table was staring at her, and her hide itched uncomfortably at so many eyes boring into her. “I didn't lie,” she bit out defensively.
“No one said you did, darling,” Rarity soothed from a few seats away. “Though it does beg the question, as I quite remember you as a rather quiet and somewhat surly seventh grader in my history class.”
Sunset rubbed her face. “It's…complicated. The long and short of it is that the portal…has some kind of temporal distortion going on. The first time I went through it took…several years off me before dumping me on this side…and from what I could see, it's a permanent change now, on both sides of the portal.”
Applejack tilted her head, using a thumb to adjust her hat. “So…how old are ya?”
Wincing, Sunset couldn't look at her friends. “…I don't know….”
“How could you not know?” Dash asked, frowning.
“It's not just me. The temporal issue is on both ends—I’d lived here for five years when I stole the crown, but from what Princess Twilight and I have figured out, I've been gone for close to twenty years.” Sunset snagged a carrot stick out of her lunch and munched on it, concentrating on the sweet, slightly earthy flavor to keep her tone even as she explained. “Plus Equestrian days and years are not exactly equal to ones here, and human puberty is completely different from the pony one—trust me on that one, I've done both. And that’s not even getting into my social experiences that are apparently required for certain milestones of growth.” 
She had their attention and she pressed on, trying to explain something that even she had trouble wrapping her mind around sometimes. “The fact is, how old I should be or was or whatever is…it’s irrelevant. The portal changed me forever, and this…this body I’m in here, in this world, this is how old I am, and I’m aging just like you girls do, as far as I can tell…so it's just easier to go by what it says on my identification here than to try and figure out the answer.” It was a distressing thought, in a way, because it meant that her real body, the one she had been born with, had been destroyed and remade into something else along the way and she had no way of ever getting it back, and she hugged herself, gripping her elbows tightly with her hands.
A strong arm went around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, and she realized belatedly that Applejack had decided to do something about her obvious distress. “Ah think…” she started, “that Sunset’s got a point. Mebbe it’s a might strange, but it ain’t like having a friend who was born a horse is something that happens ta most folks.” The farmer winked at her, the playful joke meant to garner a reaction.
“Pony,” Sunset corrected, feeling her lips turn up at the edges.
“That too,” Applejack agreed. “Point is…Ah’m not sure the exact number of years you’ve seen is more important than ya being here right now with us. Yer one of us, our friend, and it ain't no different ta the fact that Fluttershy’s a few months older’n Dash.” Then she laughed. “Of course, that just means Pinkie’s gonna do her best ta find out when yer birthday is so she can throw a big party.”
“You bet I am!” Sunset was latched onto from the other side by Pinkie, who squeezed her so hard her ribs protested. “So! When is it, Sun-Shim?! And how old will you be turning?!”





Sunset shouldered her bag, careful not to slam it around too much, for fear of damaging the contents. Monday had been weird, and after the revelation of the disaster that was her age, her friends had focused on teasing her about ‘how adorable’ her pony self was. Rarity had even gone so far as to point out that she could make and market plush toys of Equestrian ponies if she ever needed a steady income…something about little girls wanting them by the dozen. The redheaded teen had tuned it all out at that point.
Monday had set the stage for the week though. Tuesday had been normal, except for the terrible weather, at least until she was leaving the school. Something had triggered a faint pulse of magic nearby, but it was rapid, faint, and so short a duration that had it not been for Rarity reacting to it as well, she would have believed she’d imagined the whole thing, and the weather had been too abysmal by that point to do more than give the parking lot and outbuildings of the school a quick search. They’d found nothing and it had left her worried and on edge the rest of the day for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on, and she couldn't even search for it Wednesday, because that morning school had barely started when she’d developed an awful migraine that left her feeling drained, wiped out, and sensitive to all light. She’d spent most of the day napping in the nurse’s office until the pain had dimmed enough to go home, at which point she’d slept through her alarm the next morning and been twenty minutes late to school, her shirt on backwards and her hair a mess. Miss Luna had actually asked her if she was okay before sending her on to class with a pass. Sunset had spent the rest of the day playing catch up.
Now it was Friday, and Sunset had been full of restless energy all day, unable to focus on anything but talking to Twilight after a week of silence between them. She…wasn’t entirely looking forward to the talk they were going to have, but the prospect of curling up with her girlfriend to sleep was enough to push her past that worry into anticipation at seeing the lavender skinned girl.
The prospect of one of Twilight Velvet’s home cooked meals also helped improve her mood.
She laughed slightly, before twisting the doorknob to the front door and stepping inside. Instantly, she was hit with the smell of food that made her stomach rumble demandingly. “Oh wow, Mrs. Velvet,” she called as she pulled off her boots by the front door. “Dinner smells amazing!”
Velvet poked her head out of the kitchen. “I’m glad you think so, sweetie—I made your favorite tonight.” 
Sunset perked up, and headed into the kitchen after Velvet to both inspect the pot of chowder on the stove and to give the woman a hug. “This is just what I needed,” she confessed, gesturing to the house as a whole. “It's been a weird week…”
The older woman’s eyes flicked to the table, and Sunset realized Twilight’s father was sitting there…and that neither Twilight nor Spike had greeted her yet. The two adults looked…agitated, and Sunset cast her senses wider, immediately searching for trouble of the dark magic kind.
Her senses brushed something, tucked away deeper into the house, and her magic retaliated with a vicious pulse, tearing the dark, odious source to shreds. Then she looked over her girlfriend’s parents; they seemed tired and stressed, but whatever had come into the house had not gotten hooks in them, as near as she could tell. Blue green eyes blinked. “What’s going on?”
Night Light pinched the bridge of his nose, looking more worn than she had ever seen him. “This week has been…difficult,” he said with a slow sigh. “Some of it is for Twily to tell you—I think she would be upset with us if we preempted her being able to do it herself.”
The two adults exchanged another long look, and Sunset found herself frowning as she saw a myriad of emotions playing across both their faces, frustration, fear, worry, and general unhappiness among them….plus more than a little guilt in the way Night Light wouldn't quite meet Sunset’s eyes. Her gut twisted as the uneasy feeling grew, her senses casting about for the missing girl who always greeted her when she came over. If something had happened to Twilight, why hadn’t they called her?
She didn’t realize that she’d voiced the last bit aloud until Night addressed it directly. “The answer to that is not black and white. I did not forget my promise, and I very much wanted to—I still think it would have been much better for everyone if we’d brought the whole family together on Wednesday, but I was overruled.”
Sunset gripped the back of one of the chairs so tight that the wood creaked, her world tipping out of alignment. Wednesday? Something had happened on Wednesday and no one told her?
Some of what she was feeling must have shown on her face before she could think to put her emotional mask on, because Night reached over to put a steadying hand on her elbow. “I assure you it was not a lack of trust or desire to inform you, Sunset. Twilight asked me not to, providing several well thought out and sound reasons that we felt…were acceptable at the time.”
The former unicorn dimly felt herself nod, hurt that Twilight had not wanted her to even know something was wrong. “…oh…” Her voice echoed strangely in her ears, tiny and far away sounding.
Velvet set her spoon down at the stove and crossed the kitchen to hug Sunset again. “It wasn't from a desire to exclude you, sweetheart,” she reassured. “Twily has been fighting herself for two days, but she was adamant about not breaking her promise to you from last weekend. It was important to her that she show you that she valued her promises to you as things that shouldn't be broken lightly.”
Swallowing, Sunset felt her heart unfreeze and start to beat again, offering out a shaky and rueful half smile to let them know she wasn't about to fall over. “I wouldn't have been mad or anything—it sounds like it wasn’t a small thing. Exactly the kind of reason I asked you to let me know about…” Blue-green eyes looked at her girlfriend’s father.
“I know,” he said, voice brittle, “but Twily was determined to keep her promise—and I wasn't sure pushing her on it at that time was a good idea.  Plus she…wanted to prove to you, to us, and to herself, I think, that she can manage on her own if she has to. That she can stand on her own feet and allow others in her life the ability to prioritize their own needs…” His fingers drummed restlessly. “I can't say for certain, but I suspect this is connected to her recent push to be ‘mature and independent’; she’s searching for safe ways to assert herself and feel in control of herself and her life.”
Sunset’s brow furrowed as she turned that knowledge over in her mind and felt the truth of it. Twilight had said and done a number of things in the same vein in the last few months, so it was possible, but it didn't make it feel good. “…that…sounds like something she would do,” she agreed quietly.
“However, I insisted on a compromise, because I had also promised you to keep you in the loop.” Night continued tapping his fingers on the table. “We agreed that Twilight could try to manage using all of her other available coping skills, but if at any point we felt her approach was not working, we would override her decision and call you.”
It all clicked very abruptly, even as she tried not to laugh at the image her mind conjured of Twilight with a stubborn set to her jaw, hands on her hips and brows furrowed as she attempted to work out a way to go through with her twelve step plan or whatever. “Let me guess,” she said with a fond chuckle, “Twilight took it as a challenge, and completely committed to forcing herself to manage, at the cost of remembering literally anything else she should be doing, including silly things like eating? Which is why I'm only being told now…because that’ll snap her back to normal?”
He laughed, more than a touch sheepish. “You’ve got it in one, Sunset. She attacked the whole issue of coping with her usual determination and drive for accomplishing a goal…and she did it. Maybe by the skin of her teeth and with a few bad habits raising their heads again…”
“Although,” Velvet interjected, “I do believe she has been counting down the hours and minutes till your arrival, even if she didn't want to admit it to anyone. At her age, all the coping skills in the world are no match for the comfort and presence of a best friend.” She smiled, running her fingers soothingly through Sunset’s wild curls. “We’re proud of her—even if we wish it hadn't been a necessary thing—but we are glad you're here now, because whether or not she wants to acknowledge it, she needs broader social support than just her parents, even if all you do is tell her she did the right thing.”
The redheaded teen leaned into the gentle touch, feeling a lot of her stresses from the week already washing away, and even the sudden added worry of what had happened to her girlfriend seemed less daunting. Velvet and Night were too calm for it to be anything utterly awful, and she grasped that thought like a shield against the negative thoughts and fears that wanted to drown her if given half a chance. And looking at it, Twilight’s want to hold out and cope on her own made sense—no one knew better than Sunset Shimmer how that stubborn need to prove oneself could feel, or the way it colored her choices and feelings to the point of blinding her to things that didn't fit that self perception of failure or inadequacy. As much as she wished she could have been there to support her girlfriend, it may very well have been something that her presence would have inadvertently made worse in the long term. This way, at least, Twilight had gained a bit of self confidence that had hopefully done something to silence the negative voice inside she suspected plagued her girlfriend just the way it did her sometimes. Voices like that liked to take up residence rent free at the worst possible times, she decided, though in this case it may have proved a boon in disguise. After all, how much help would she have really been given the massive migraine on Wednesday and the sheer exhaustion that had plagued her until just this morning? 
Sunset’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “I understand, Mr. Night,” she said softly, “and I’m not mad. You did the right thing, I think, because Twilight needed to know she could, and me being here would have made her doubt herself. I do appreciate you telling me right away though and explaining why—that helps…a lot more than I can really put into words…”
Relief painted itself plainly across his features, taking several years off his face in an instant. “I…I admit that I do not like feeling as though I have to choose between members of this family, so thank you, Sunset, for being so understanding…”
Trying not to get caught up in how easily both Night and Velvet seemed to treat considering her part of their family, Sunset cleared her throat. “I try to limit my explosive moments to the second Tuesday of every month. I couldn't afford the damages otherwise,” she quipped.
“If it needs to be more often,” Night returned with a smile, “I’m sure we could make up the differences. It's not like Twilight hasn't set the garage on fire before.”
They all shared a laugh, before Velvet gave her a long look. “Dinner should be ready in about an hour, if you want to go up and talk to Twilight before we eat. I’ll call you down when it's ready.”
Sunset pulled away, picking her backpack up from where she’d set it on the table. “Yeah, that…that sounds like a good idea. We need to talk about a lot of things it sounds like…”
> Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen: Balm for a Wounded Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset stood in front of the familiar wooden door, looking at the carved wooden plaque with her girlfriend’s name on it. Her stomach twisted, but the worry that had been growing pushed her forward more than her nervousness held her back. She needed to know what had happened, and if Twilight was really okay.  So she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Twilight’s voice responded a few seconds later, though she had to strain to hear it fully.  
Without giving herself any time to think about how this could go wrong, Sunset pushed the door open and stepped into the room.  Spike yapped happily and jumped down from the bed to greet her, but the pat she gave him as she sat her backpack on the floor near a bookcase was absent-minded at best. She only had eyes for the girl who was barely able to remain sitting, perched on the edge of the bed itself, all of her desired movements translated into fidgeting and twisting her hands.  “…Hey, Sparky,” Sunset managed, swallowing hard but holding out one arm in a way that said she was open to a hug.
In less than a breath, a smaller body slammed into her, arms vicing around her torso like a full body hug from a kraken. This close, she could feel the faint tremor in both of them; she wasn't the only one that felt utter relief at the contact as she managed to kick the door shut with her heel.  
Sunset tugged Twilight’s face up to look at her. “I’m glad to see you too,” she murmured, running knuckles lightly over a lavender cheek and savoring the jolt the simple skin contact sent through her nerve endings. Then her brows pinched together. “Though you could have at least texted me when things went to Tartarus in a picnic basket.”
Her girlfriend blinked several times in rapid succession, purple eyes gleaming with a hint of unshed tears. “I promised,” the other girl said quietly, shaking her head. “I know I didn't say it out loud, but I meant it as a promise, and I needed to keep it.” She released her death grip on Sunset with one arm long enough to swipe at her eyes. “I wasn't just a bad girlfriend last week, I was a bad friend…and…”
“You weren’t a bad friend, Twili—”
A finger pressed to her lips interrupted her. “I was. Not because we fought…but because I said something to you I shouldn't have because I was upset with you. I hurt you…and in doing so, I broke a promise I made to you months ago.”
The finger over her lips had stopped her because it was cute and adorable of her girlfriend to stop her talking that way, but those words completely derailed any coherent thought Sunset had intended to voice. The “What?” that fell from her mouth was said like she’d been punched in the solar plexus.
Twilight bit her lip before explaining, “It was a long while ago, when…when you were being bullied still, and you told me about some of your past…I didn't exactly promise it when you were awake or even out loud, but I told myself I’d never hurt you like that.”
“Sparky…” Sunset didn't have a word for the emotion in her core now, but it had certainly showed all her earlier fears the door and pushed them unceremoniously through it. “That’s…” 
“It's the truth,” Twilight said, voice so soft that it didn't carry beyond their embrace. “You’ve had so many people use things about your past your whole life to hurt you—I’m not the best with people, but you’ve told me enough to let me figure that out with simple logic.”
Breathing felt tight with the lump in her throat, but the former unicorn managed to give a brief nod acknowledging that her girlfriend had gotten it right. The dark haired girl watched her for a moment, then kept going. “You don't always see it, Sunset, but you are this amazing, intelligent, caring person who is always there for me whenever I need you…and you deserve better than hurtful, hateful words that use things in your past as weapons, or a thousand broken promises from people you trusted. That's why I didn't let Dad call you. I couldn't break another promise to you like that. I couldn't undo what I said, but I could do better this time…not as some kind of way to ‘make it up to you,’ but to show you that I care. That your thoughts, and feelings, and all the things you've trusted me with matter to me…more than…than…” 
More than ever before, Sunset was convinced that this was the real Twilight, this awkward, clumsy, dorky girl who had reached out and held a sobbing stranger while she wept, and that whoever or whatever had been manifesting in the last month or so was not just some hidden facet to her best friend. She couldn't sense dark magic on Twilight right now, but she was going to find the source and make it sorry for targeting her. “Hey…” she whispered, trying to put the smaller girl more at ease, even as she struggled to organize thoughts that were all over the place. “…thank you, Twilight. For…everything you just said.”
Twilight wiped her eyes again and managed something of a shaky, half hysterical laugh. “…I’m sorry…I had this whole speech planned out…and now I can't remember any of it!”
The redhead pulled her back into a tight hug. “I don’t need a grand friendship speech, Sparky…what you managed to convey meant so much more, because it was real, not rehearsed. It came from you.” She locked on to purple eyes, and couldn’t hold back any longer. “Now…can I kiss you? Because that was a pretty kiss-worthy speech in my book, and I have it on good authority that today is supposed to be one of those days where we’re supposed to indulge our kiss-impulses.”
Cheeks darkening with a blush, Twilight nodded. “I…I’d like that, but what do you me—”
It was Sunset’s turn to interrupt Twilight, and she did so by covering Twilight’s mouth with her own, willing even half of what her girlfriend’s words had made her feel to be communicated in the way she pressed into the kiss. Even if she didn't manage that, Twilight still let out a soft noise into her mouth, and one hand fisted in the black leather of the jacket she’d forgotten to shrug out of downstairs. Sunset’s own hands slid down, coming to rest on Twilight’s hips, and making sure she stayed as close as possible while she got reacquainted with her favorite nerd.
When she finally pulled back, both of them were flushed and panting for air. Twilight let out a silly little giggle, leaning against Sunset. “Oh…wow…Cady was right…about making up…” Then she blinked away the haze. “But…why…” Her brows furrowed, then realization dawned. “Oh! Valentine’s Day! Right?”
“My school looked like a cheap rose garden exploded inside it today, right after a chocolate factory accident,” Sunset said dryly. “And then I had to listen to my friend Rarity go on and on about the nature and beauty of romance.”
The shorter girl wrinkled her nose. “She's the one obsessed with rom-coms, isn't she? The coffee house romance one?”
“Got it in one, and she keeps trying to drop hints that she thinks I should ‘consider dating again.’ Flash thought it was hysterical until she started trying to not so subtly hint that he and I should try dating again.  Like there’s not enough baggage there or anything…” Sunset rolled her eyes. “But…you know…I figured nothing wrong with going with the flow of the holiday when my girlfriend gives me a speech like that.” She moved one hand back up to the back of Twilight’s neck, letting her fingertips ghost across the skin. “And…I forgive you…in case you needed to hear it said.  I know better than most what it's like to say something in anger….and I’m sorry if it felt like I was being unfair about Wallflower. I…wasn't sure how to tell you about what happened and I probably didn't do it in the best way. I know it was important to you that I get along with your friend…”
Her girlfriend snuggled in closer, pressing her face into Sunset’s collarbone and closing her eyes. “Thank you, Sunny…” she whispered with a long sigh that took some of her tension with it. “…it helps to hear you say that you forgive me…”
Sunset chuckled, before turning them around and walking backwards until her legs touched the bed, allowing her to sit down, pulling Twilight into a cuddle. “Why wouldn't I?” she asked. “It hurt and it brought up some old stuff…but…I’ve been taught that friendship is stronger than angry words.” Another snicker escaped her. “You should see Rarity and AJ fight—it's both terrifying and fascinating, but they always make up within a few days.” She nuzzled into dark hair that smelled of honeysuckle. “You're my best friend, Twilight. Our friendship is made of stronger stuff than any one fight.”
Silence fell between them for several minutes, exchanging light touches and sweet kisses. Eventually though, Twilight began to fidget again. Sunset pulled away from her neck to study her. “What is it?”
“…I owe you a second apology…for doubting you about Wallflower,” she confessed. “I’ve learned…that you weren't entirely wrong…about her behavior, and it's making me reevaluate both my friendship and past interactions with her….”
The words and the level of distress in Twilight’s voice made Sunset’s brain switch gears back to concern. “What happened, Sparky? Was it…” Her voice trailed off, uncertain. Had she somehow been responsible, if indirectly, for whatever it was?
Twilight brought a hand up to cup her cheek. “It's not your fault, Sunset Shimmer, so don’t immediately blame yourself,” she told her, clearly trying to be firm and authoritative—ruined by the sad little smile that said she knew Sunset was doing just that. “Wallflower…some things happened, and because of it, I got to see the side of Wallflower you described…and hear some of her unfiltered opinions on both of us.”  She grimaced. “It wasn't pleasant.”
She could hear the hurt and the faintest hint of bewilderment in Twilight’s tone, and it made her wish for a second that she could do something to make Wallflower sorry for hurting her Sparky….but she pushed that feeling down in favor of hugging the younger girl closer. “I’m sorry, Sparky…I…wish I had been wrong. That it was just me being unfair or some kind of personality conflict.” Tilting her head down a fraction, she asked, “Would talking about what happened help? Or do you want me to drop the subject?”
Biting her lip, the dark haired girl seemed to weigh the options, and Sunset remained quiet, letting her sort through her thoughts. Finally Twilight sighed. “You deserve to know, since it's about us, and about you. We…were talking, and I was trying to understand why she was…saying things very similar to what you said about her last weekend: that she didn't trust you, that she was sure you didn't like her, that she felt you were operating with some ulterior motive, that…you were still…the old you, from before we met…” 
“Okaaaay….?” Sunset frowned, the words already making the gears turn. Trying to pick apart a problem with logic and questions was very in line with how the dark haired girl handled things, but it could be a bit…invasive, if you weren't prepared.  “So then what happened?”
“The conversation…went wrong. She started acting oddly, saying things that implied she was aware I like girls and was involved with you in more ways than just platonic companionship. She…came off as more concerned that I had potentially found myself in a relationship with someone who might be an abusive partner, and that her concern was for my well being. That she…wasn't trying to be unsupportive, just wanting to be a good friend, even if she didn't agree with what I was doing…”
The former bully sucked in a sharp breath, the scene unfolding before her with a crystal clarity that came from having done exactly what Twilight was describing to others in her own history. “She manipulated you into telling her we’re dating, didn't she? Made it seem like she already knew the secret, so you’d talk freely about it?” Anger bubbled and seethed in her chest, making her grip tighten on her girlfriend.
Twilight looked up at her and then away. “…yes…except the secret I spilled was not the one she was expecting—she made that abundantly clear.”
“…if she wasn’t expecting to hear that you and I are together…then what was she fishing for?” Sunset asked, confused.
Now it was Twilight’s turn to get angry. “She thought you were selling me drugs!” she exclaimed in a whisper-yell. “That the whole reason I’ve been less stressed in the last six months is that I’m smoking marijuana, supplied to me, by you!”
Sunset stared at her, before bursting into disbelieving laughter. “You can’t be serious,” she gasped, before taking in Twilight’s expression. “Oh sweet merciful sunfire, you are! She honestly thought—but that makes no sense! Even if she’s hearing rumors out of CHS, I took care of the drug pushers! It was one of the first things I did when I ran the student body—someone on drugs is a liability, and more loyal to their habit—and dealer—than to anything else!” Not to mention, while she ignored people who smoked pot, the concept of alchemical poisons being used to get high was something that ponies were taught early was dangerous to do because of unintended side effects. It was the entire reason she’d been banned from the greenhouse at CSGU, after a misfired growth spell, and an unfortunate combination of Dragonlands Embermoss and Abyssinian kra’dafii vines had ended with half of the Emerald Terrace of Upper West Canterlot being drugged out of their minds for the better part of three days. 
Then the thought of her girlfriend doing drugs caught up and it sent her into another paroxysm of uncontrollable laughter. “And you! Does she even know you at all? Twilight Sparkle, smoking? You don't even like to take Tylenol without double checking the dosage!”
Sunset’s reaction seemed to do a lot to soothe Twilight’s ruffled feathers, enough that she made a little giggle snort of laughter. “Exactly! Even if she was assuming the worst about you, because she’s operating on hear-say, why would she assume that the only reasonable explanation for me being happy is drugs?” She sobered quickly and was soon back to frowning. “And her reaction when I admitted that we were together…”
Amber skinned hands rubbed up and down Twilight’s back lightly. “Less than stellar?” Sunset guessed.
“That’s…one way to describe it.” Twilight pressed closer, her hands worming under the leather of Sunset’s jacket to grip at the thick, warm material of the sweatshirt she was wearing. “I would call it a thinly veiled diatribe of bigotry masked as an expression of jokes and disbelief.”
Arching one eyebrow, Sunset commented, “That…sounds pretty bad when you say it that way.”
“She called you a rug-muncher,” Twilight told her bitterly. “And while it was you she targeted for name calling, it all applied to both of us, as derogatory slang used against women in relationships with one another.”
Rug-muncher? What in the name of Discord’s mismatched crabapples does that have to do with dating Twilight? Sunset frowned. “It sounds like a stupid insult from people not clever enough to come up with anything better—I’m not even sure what it's supposed to be insulting me about. It's not like I’m some kind of goat.”
Fingers rubbed over her side, sending pleasant tingles along her nerves even through her shirt. “It’s derogatory slang,” Twilight explained. “It is a somewhat dated, but offensive term that is meant to be a crude reference to someone performing cunnilingus—oral sex—on a woman, because of how our pubic hair grows.” She flushed under Sunset’s gaze. “It's used to denigrate lesbians because it carries the implication that the act is demeaning and the person performing it is deviant and unnatural.”
Humans and their fixation on sex, Sunset grumbled mentally. “So I was basically right—it's a stupid insult created by people who aren't clever enough to actually come up with a real insult to use on me.” She kissed Twilight’s forehead affectionately. “You don't need to worry about me being upset by it—it's just silly, empty words that mean nothing to me, Sparky…but I’m sorry that you had to put up with that kind of ugliness from someone who is supposed to be your friend.”
Twilight made a frustrated sound. “Even if it doesn’t upset you, that doesn’t make it okay that she thought she could use that kind of bigoted language and I…wouldn't care? Wouldn't view it as also applying to me?” She shook her head. “Like, because she perceives you as being on a lower social strata, it’s okay to say those kinds of things, whereas with me, she treated it the same way some of my relatives talk about queer relationships, as if it's some kind of ‘experimentation’ that goes on in high school and college, before you decide to ‘settle down with a suitable husband.’ Like she didn’t view you as human in the same way she views herself or me.”
The obvious joke about her not being human flitted through her mind, but she forced her laughter down in favor of the rest of what Twilight was saying.  It was a problem Sunset could understand. Classism was classism, regardless of species. “Classism is like that, Twilight. Those who have something they use to measure success or quality socially using it to put those who don't have that thing into a place they perceive as beneath them. At that point, it's not even about who you date or what kind of things you find attractive in a partner; it's about the perception of who has and who doesn't. If I had to guess, because I go to public school and don't wear designer labels, she's decided to classify me as one of those who doesn't. She’s not the first, and she won't be the last.” She squeezed her in a hug. “Which makes me wonder, is she against our relationship because we’re both female, or because I’m Sunset Shimmer?”
“Probably a mixture of both,” her girlfriend responded with a sour, frustrated tone. “She’s made comments before…and she’s not shy about her belief that a boy’s personality is not something she considers worth noticing, only how much money he has and if he’s…” The dark haired teen flushed and squirmed in discomfort. “…uh…hung like…well…you know.”
Sunset blew air out her nostrils in a derisive snort. Rainbow had made the same joke at her once, and she responded with the same sarcastic remark now as then. “Spoken like someone who has never been in the same room with a stallion.”
The younger girl blinked at her in brief confusion before her brain made the connection, and she had to let go of Sunset in order to plaster a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. “Oh…oh…I never thought of it like that but—oh that’s horrible, Sunny!”
One eyebrow arched upwards and Sunset smirked. “I’m not wrong though.” She was fairly certain she wasn't, as she’d passed her various Biology courses in CSGU—a requirement for anypony taking greater than beginner alchemy or medicine classes—and while they were ugly as an inbred diamond dog, human world horses had enough physiological similarities to her own species that it was comparable in this instance.
“You are not,” Twilight agreed.
The pair of them shared a few more giggles, and Sunset was glad to see that Twilight seemed to be in an okay mood despite the heavy conversation. “…Wallflower still goes to your school though—are you going to be okay there with her?” Another thought intruded. “This isn't what happened that has your mom and dad so upset, is it? Did Wallflower tell people?”
Her girlfriend shook her head. “No. For all that she was…spewing unpleasantness, she got very upset at the idea that she might use the information against me.” She fiddled with the collar of Sunset’s jacket. “Mom and Dad don't even know about the conversation with Wallflower…for obvious reasons….but I did talk to Dr. Soft-spoken about it. About my plans going forward to set some non-negotiable boundaries with Wallflower. She’s allowed her opinions, but there are a few subjects where she and I are going to have to agree to disagree, and I don't want her pushing me on it.”
Trying not to sound too hopeful, Sunset cleared her throat. “…like me?”
“Yes, like you. If she is unwilling to believe you have changed, that's her prerogative, but I don't want to hear her telling me how I need to worry about your ulterior motives, and how you're using me to get something.” Twilight leaned up and kissed Sunset, a featherlight brush of their lips together. “As far as I'm concerned, the only ulterior motive here is getting you to kiss me more, and I’m the one with that motive.”
“I don't consider that an ulterior motive, nerd,” Sunset growled back at her, chasing the too-brief kiss with one of her own that was much more satisfying in duration. “That's a mutual motivation. If there's an ulterior motive here, it's eating your mom’s cooking.”
Twilight grinned, her fingers tangling in fiery curls, as Sunset pressed their foreheads together. “I think that’s also acceptable. Mom’s a really good cook, so I can forgive you for wanting to find excuses to eat here.”
Sunset flashed her an impish grin. “That’s good, because she made her chowder tonight, and we all know that's one of my favorites.” 
More laughter warmed her insides, as did the feeling of those hands in her hair. “I swear,” the dark haired girl in her lap said with obvious affection, “Mom has made every single one of your favorites over the last two days. I hope that your freezer is empty because she plans on packing it full of all kinds of homemade meals for you—she even went and bought a new set of containers to package them in.”
Internal alarms were going off in Sunset’s mind now, but it just didn't add up. Mrs. Velvet’s go-to when she was upset was to retreat to the kitchen—a place in the house that was unquestionably her domain—where she would bake or cook. She’d explained it once as ‘making food for people was a way to express her emotions.’ However, the fact that she was concentrating on Sunset’s favorite foods and not Twilight’s over the past few days made no sense.
It couldn't be because of the Wallflower incidents, because her fight with Twilight had been a week ago, and the incident they'd just discussed was something her girlfriend hadn't even mentioned to them….and both parents had alluded to something happening to Twilight —or at least, involving her—that had left the other girl struggling to cope and both parents visibly stressed and exhausted…and feeling guilty that they hadn’t contacted Sunset. 
Plus she had felt dark magic in the house and destroyed it, part of her mind reminded her firmly. 
So what had happened?
“Sparky…” she said slowly, taking the time to examine Twilight’s essence much more thoroughly than the brief once over she’d given her the moment she walked into the bedroom, hunting for any hint of dark magic—something she should have done from the start if she hadn't been so focused on kissing the girl who had bolted into her arms. “What happened this week that you haven't told me? Your parents said something happened, but that it was your place to tell me, not theirs….after they gave me this big apologetic speech about not contacting me on your request. They looked exhausted and so do you, and now you tell me your mom has been cooking like crazy…except she is making my favorites not yours…”
The unease in the pit of her stomach only grew when Twilight tensed and refused to look her in the eyes. Instead, the other teen mumbled something incoherent that Sunset couldn't decipher.
“…Sparky?” the former unicorn prompted her with a little more urgency. “…you're starting to scare me. What is it?” Ice began to form in her veins, a chilling cold that spread from her core outwards and made it harder to breathe. There weren't too many subjects humans were this avoidant about, and fewer still that Twilight would balk at telling her….which meant the ones that remained were dire.
Anything else she’d intended to say was forgotten as the air was forced from her lungs in a grunt, as Twilight twisted in her lap to lunge forward and wrap arms around her with all the swiftness of a striking cobra, grip tight enough that for a second it felt like she was being hugged by Pinkie and not Twilight Sparkle, since only Pinkie and AJ could make her ribs feel actively compressed. She looked down, only able to barely see more than the dark hair in its messy ponytail, but from the way hot breath was soaking into her sweatshirt, it seemed like Twilight was trying to hide in her chest, an unintelligible mumbling coming from just above Sunset’s navel.
Whatever it was, it had to be bad. 
Attempting to bring them both a little comfort, she started rubbing circles on Twilight’s back. “…hey,” she murmured, putting as much warmth and affection—and a little gentle teasing—into her voice as she could. “…I know you were just waxing poetic a bit ago about how awesome I am—” And by the moon, wasn't that a flattering thing for her ego!  “—but, while I admit I have many talents, hearing through my belly button is not one of them. Can you come up here for a bit to tell me? I promise that the rest of me is just as good for cuddling after a bad week.  We’ve tested it, remember?”
She kept up the gentle touch and even started to hum ‘Shine Like Rainbows’ softly as she waited for her girlfriend’s response, unsure of what else to do to reassure either of them. After a minute, something the thought might have been a childish “Don't want to…” came from the girl clinging to her like a limpet. Either that or it was perhaps a particularly nasty curse in the old form of Yakyakistani’s mountain dialect that used to be shared with the now extinct musk-ox that once shared their range. Sunset was willing to wager that the first was more likely, all things considered.
“Still can't hear through my stomach, Twilight,” she pointed out.
Twilight sighed and raised her head up from her hiding spot just enough for Sunset to make out her next words. “…it’s comfy here and if I move I have to tell you…and it's awful, and embarrassing, and I don't know how it's ever going to get better!”
Sunset pressed a kiss to dark hair. “No matter how awful it is, I’m not going anywhere, Twilight Sparkle. You're stuck with me, especially after all the ways you’ve managed to sneak in friendship speeches about the enduring and powerful nature of being someone’s best friend.” She did feel some of the cold ebb—embarrassing was not the word she would use for anything that was dangerously permanent or devastating, so the worst case scenarios were off the table at least. “Besides…it can't be worse than anything you’ve heard from me, right? Between blowing up the front of my school, being a horrible bully, and all of the horrible stuff about my past…unless you're planning on world domination or some mad scientist scheme to blow up your school, you’d still be coming out on top.”
Another whining sound and Twilight mumbled something else she couldn't make out. Part of that might have been from the distracting pressure of having Twilight’s face wedged between her breasts though. “Seriously, Sparky, it can't be that bad…just tell me?”
Finally, the younger girl lifted her head. “…I got suspended…” she mumbled, still unwilling to meet Sunset’s eyes.
The redhead was fairly convinced that the sound of her entire train of thought leaping free of the rails and careening into a cliff face with an earth-shattering KABOOM! must have been audible in the real world. She stared blankly at Twilight, struggling to wrap her brain around the words she’d just heard.
Letting her head rest against Sunset again, although this time she turned it so that she could be understood, Twilight closed her eyes. “I…got suspended…until Monday…” She hesitated, then seemed to force the rest out in a rush before she could stop herself, “Or at least, it's supposed to be until Monday, but it could be longer because now it's a big legal mess, and Mom and Dad called Great-Uncle Stalwart and the family lawyers are involved and investigating and its a huge mess, and I cant really afford to miss all this school! I don't know what I’m going to do—I know I’m a month ahead in all my classes but I can't fall behind in my project and I really just want to forget it all happened and go back to school like normal!”
Sunset gave herself a mental shake, and said the first thing that came to mind. “What did you do to warrant all that, Sparky? Don't tell me you actually managed to blow up your school.” Then she proceeded to want to kick herself for the lack of brain to mouth filter. Way to go, Shimmer, she told herself. Not going to make her feel any better with that one! Stop acting like Rainbow and remember you have more than three brain cells to rub together!
Twilight winced. “…no…I…um…” Her voice got even quieter. At this point, it was reaching Fluttershy levels of quiet, and Sunset was actually glad she’d gotten used to deciphering her friend’s near inaudible whispers. “…I…beat up a senior…”
For a second, the former unicorn thought she had completely misheard. “You…beat up a senior?” she asked. When Twilight simply nodded, staying tucked as close to Sunset as possible, all of the disparate puzzle pieces started slotting into place in her mind. The agitation from the adults. Twilight wanting to cope without her but her parents really wanting to call Sunset. Velvet making Sunset’s favorite foods. The level of violence required for Twilight to classify her actions as ‘beating someone up’, and the circumstances under which the anxious bookworm of a girl would feel compelled to respond that way. The techniques Sunset had taught her meant to inflict damage against a larger, stronger opponent… The way Twilight didn't want to talk about it while simultaneously trying to crawl inside Sunset’s skin. The fact that she was suspended over the incident…
It was all adding up to a very unpleasant image, and she began to check her girlfriend over with eyes and frantic hands “What happened? What did he do? Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Because I swear by the sun, moon, and stars, if he did, there is no hole in the deepest pits of Tartarus that he can hide in—I will find him and—”
Her threat was swallowed by a kiss, and she froze, going from burning with anger to a different kind of warmth. “I’m…unharmed, Sunny,” Twilight told her. “He didn't get that far before I stopped him—he grabbed my arm, that’s all.”
Sunset searched Twilight’s face, at purple eyes that were finally willing to meet hers. “You’re sure? You’re not…trying to spare me the details or anything, are you?”
The smaller girl shook her head. “I promise, Sunny. It got to me emotionally and mentally more than physically. Whatever he intended when he grabbed my arm, he never got the chance.” Her cheeks flushed. “…actually…I feel kind of…bad. Like I went too far. Mom threw my uniform out because it had blood all over the front…”
“Blood!?”
“None of it was mine, Sunny…” She bit her lip. “I think I gave him a nosebleed. Or scratched him really badly.”
Grim satisfaction welled up inside her along with pride in her girlfriend.  She also felt vindicated in her decision to teach Twilight to defend herself—all of that training had been used twice now to fend off older, larger, stronger opponents. “So you managed to not just fend off a senior boy, but completely win in the fight and leave him bleeding?” Sunset hugged her tight. “I knew you had it in you, Sparky, and now you know it too. I’m proud of you.”
Then she mulled the situation over in her mind again. “There’s just one thing I don't understand….why are you suspended for defending yourself against a boy probably twice your size? Why would you be in trouble for that!? Is there like some weird policy in Crystal Prep that makes them punish everyone or something!?” Sunset didn't like that thought. It was too close to what used to get done to her at CSGU when the other foals would set her up.
Twilight made a distressed whining sound in her throat. “I don't know,” she told Sunset, “but it's why my dad called the head of the family, and it's why the family lawyers are involved, because all the money that goes into my tuition at CPA comes out of a family educational trust. And Great-Uncle Stalwart used to be a judge, so he’s really familiar with the law and he’s apparently angry…” She buried her face back into Sunset’s shirt, her rambling voice growing muffled again. “…and I know it probably sounds silly, but I don't want to miss school. I just want it all to go away so I can go back to school and do my schoolwork.”
The former unicorn hugged her tighter, pressing her cheek to dark hair. “I’m sorry, Sparky…” she said softly. “I wish I knew how to help…” She really did, because the tired strain in Twilight’s voice hurt to hear, and she wished she was able to make her girlfriend feel better. 
The voice mumbled into her shirt sounded even more strained and was definitely pitched up several notches as Twilight’s anxiety spiked. “This is going to end up on my permanent record,” she whimpered. “Colleges will see it in my transcripts—what if it means I can't get into a good school? And if I end up having to transfer, how is that going to look? They’ll think I couldn't handle the high stress environment of an academically intense school…”
Brows pinched together. “I don't think it will, Twilight. Be on your record permanently, I mean.” Her hand idly returned to rubbing Twilight’s back. “It…I dunno. It sounds more like upper class politicking than anything, and if your great-uncle knows law, and the lawyers your family pays think there's a reason to fight against the school, then…chances are it's your school posturing to keep it quiet. After all,” she wrinkled her nose, thinking of similar events in Equestria, “what would the papers say if they found out some darling heir to a family fortune was in trouble for assaulting a minor—you said he was a senior, right? So there’s pretty good odds he’s already considered a legal adult by age. Maybe you should wait to see how this all shakes out before you worry yourself sick, okay?”
“But…what if it does go on my record?”
Sunset snorted. “So what if it does? Do colleges really care about that? Or are they going to care that Twilight Sparkle, genius girl who is going to change the world, wants to go to their campus for an education?” She coaxed Twilight into looking up at her, and caught the hint of a smile starting to turn the corners of her mouth up. “At that point, any school that doesn't want you because you protected yourself isn't worth your time, Sparky. You're too smart to settle for some place that judgmental.”
Twilight sniffled a little, but she sounded a little better. “Why do you always seem to know what to say to make me feel better?” she asked. 
Laughing, Sunset flopped backwards on the bed so they were laying sprawled out together. “Fairly certain that's my job, both as best friend and girlfriend. Besides, I like seeing you smile. Makes me happy to see you happy.” 
The lavender skinned girl shifted so she was hovering over Sunset, propped up on her elbows. “You're sweet,” she said, eyes bright. “How much longer do you think we have before dinner?”
Not as long as she wished they had, that was for certain. “Don't know. Long enough for you to do what you're thinking?” Sunset offered cheekily.
Giggling, her girlfriend leaned in to kiss her. “Sunny, we wouldn't have that long if we had a whole week alone to ourselves…”
“Guess we’ll just have to pick one thing then.” Sunset grinned. “How’s kissing sound?”
“…it sounds…like an excellent suggestion.” 
And an excellent distraction for them both, Sunset decided a few minutes later as she found herself squirming while Twilight nibbled on her ear. She knew, in a distant sense, that she should be focusing on how these recent events tied in with the source of her visions and the dark magic she kept encountering trying to latch on to Twilight and her family, but she didn't have any real way to search or ask for more information that wouldn’t make them think her insane…not without the girls to help…which Twilight was not ready for, and she herself wasn't ready for. As much as she loved her friends, the phrase “human Twilight Sparkle” would be the extent of what they heard before stampeding to meet her…and some of them weren’t always the picture of tact. Like Rainbow. Or Pinkie. Or even Fluttershy sometimes. Plus, while she knew they wouldn't do so on purpose, the potential for subconscious expectations was high, and her girlfriend was very much not the princess.
Sunset shook herself out of those musings by flipping them over on the bed so she was on top of Twilight and able to latch her mouth onto the sensitive spot on that pretty neck that made Twilight make that cute little whimper that she loved to hear. “I missed you,” she growled against Twilight’s ear, nipping at it. “My week sucked…not as bad as yours…but I missed talking to you…those little messages? Morning and night? They make everything so much better…”
“Sunny…” Twilight gasped, fingers digging into her shoulders. 
The sudden rapping on the bedroom door made them jump, and Sunset almost fell off the bed, flailing her arms wildly. Twilight hurriedly straightened her top. “C-come in…” she called, managing to sound like she hadn't been kissed senseless not thirty seconds before.
Cadence poked her head in. “It's just me, girls, no need to panic. I was sent up to tell you it's dinnertime.” She winked. “Don't forget to give yourselves a once over in the mirror before you come down—unless you want everyone to know that you were having your own Valentine’s Day celebration up here…”
Sunset flushed, adjusting the collar of her sweatshirt that had been tugged and twisted in weird ways under her girlfriend’s eager hands. “We’ll do that…thanks, Cadence.”
“Happy to help!” the pink skinned woman responded brightly. “Although, Ladybug?”
“Y-yes?” 
“If you want to keep this a secret, maybe don't leave a hickey on Sunset’s neck the size of a silver dollar—nobody is going to believe that's a bug bite.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: Where the Heart Is
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset sprawled on the floor in the living room, her stomach happily full of chowder and fresh bread, her girlfriend close enough next to her that she could feel the buzz of proximity against her nerves, and she was surrounded by people who made her feel welcome. For the moment, life was good.
Then she realized neither of Twilight’s parents were hurrying to set up a movie, and Cadence was strangely absent. “Are we….not doing movies?”
“Nope!” came Cadence’s voice as she came into the room carrying a huge box that was practically overflowing. “It’s Valentine’s Day, so we have a different tradition…”
She set the box on the coffee table with a heavy noise, and Sunset realized it was filled to the brim with chocolate, cards, flowers, and other odds and ends. A glance at one of the tags on a chocolate box showed Cadence’s name written on it. “…what is all this?”
Twilight laughed and had already started pawing through the box, handing some sealed envelopes to her mother. “Besides a few months worth of free chocolate?” she joked. “Cady gets stuff like this on Valentine’s Day from her fans. We help her go through it all, and get the first pick of the best candy.” She held up a fancy looking chocolate rose in a box. “Like these.”
The redhead arched an eyebrow and picked up a bundle of flowers. “There's way more than just candy in here,” she observed, pausing to give the flowers a sniff. They smelled delicious, and she privately lamented that she wouldn't be able to dip those in chocolate and eat them. 
Cadence sat on the couch, plucking a few stuffed toys out. “Fans send a lot of things in. A lot of things like the toys and excess flowers the station and I donate to good causes. This year we’re sending the stuffed toys to the children’s hospital, and the bulk of the flower arrangements already went to a couple of hospice and elderly care facilities. I always bring a few of the ones I like the colors of home to put in the kitchen here.” She held up a couple of bouquets. “They provide a nice bit of cheer to a very gray month.”
Sunset nodded, setting the flowers in her own hand aside and watching everyone else for a minute as they rooted through the contents of the box. Velvet and Night seemed to be focusing exclusively on sealed envelopes and cards, while Twilight was quite delightedly cherry picking out the best chocolate. Cadence seemed to just take whatever came to her hand first, organizing it into piles.  After a minute she shrugged and stuck her hand in, helping Twilight in fishing out the candy so her dork of a girlfriend could decide if the chocolate was going in the pile to keep, or the pile to give away. 
Still, it made a tendril of worry tug at her over the object still carefully hidden in her bag upstairs. “So…do you guys…not like this holiday then?” She asked, passing Twilight a box of expensive chocolate truffles.
The pink skinned woman paused, scrutinizing Sunset in such a way that she suspected meant Cadence had an idea as to why she was asking, before laughing lightly. “Oh, nothing like that! It's just that because I’m a bit of a well known face here, any attempt to go out on Valentine’s Day is a bit of a social disaster—and I usually end up working anyway. After all, what would Valentine’s Day be without the ‘CNTR Love Goddess’ taking calls and love song requests from lovebirds all over the tri-county area?” She waved a plush pink rabbit around like she was making some kind of point. “With all of that, Shining and I prefer to go out and have a date night on a quieter day, usually in a very different month, because I believe that you don't need a specific date dictated by card companies to tell your partner you love them. Love can be shared and shown at any time, for any reason.” 
Yeah, she knew why Sunset had asked, and that wink sent her way was more than a little embarrassing. Thankfully no one else seemed to notice it or Sunset’s blush.
Night carefully cut open an envelope with a pocket knife. “As for us, we don’t particularly have any objection to the holiday, but it's become a family tradition to make this evening about spending time as a family because of Cadence’s circumstances. Love for your family is just as important as any other kind of love, after all…and if Velvet and I decide we want to have a private night out, we can do that any night we want, especially since Twilight is old enough to be left home alone for the evening without having to worry too much that she’s going to burn the house down.”
The teen made a grumpy face at her father—the effect was ruined by the chocolate staining the corner of her mouth, but Sunset thought it was definitely cute to watch her try. “Daaaaad! I swear, I set the kitchen counter on fire one time, and you're never going to let me live it down!”
“The kitchen counter, yes,” he teased his youngest child.
Twilight groaned and looked at Sunset. “It was only once, I swear,” she whispered. “The other times there was no flame.”
Snickering, Sunset tweaked her nose. “You are not helping your case, nerd.”
Her girlfriend stuck her tongue out childishly at Sunset, but did not answer, choosing instead to grab a card out of the box. The adults all shared a round of chuckles, before Velvet commented, “To be fair, missing out on the Valentine’s hullabaloo is beneficial—when we do go out we avoid the ridiculous price mark up they put on anyone they perceive as potentially being a couple.”
Cadence rolled her eyes. “Which basically means any male and female pair that looks like they're in the same age bracket, forgetting that friends and siblings exist and in a lot of places also refusing to allow any other kind of couple to enjoy the romantic promotions.”
Blue-green eyes flicked briefly to Twilight, who had gone just a little too still, and Sunset found herself drawing the attention in the room to her so that the younger girl could catch up to her emotional response unnoticed. “Which I really don't get,” she blurted out, flushing when realized it sounded petulant and childish. The adults focused on her, and she kept going, making a hand gesture. “Why does it matter so much when it doesn't affect them? Why are people so invested in the relationships of strangers?” 
Twilight Velvet sighed. “That is a very good question, and I’m sorry that the answer is not a good one, sweetheart. The truth is, it comes from centuries of strongly held religious beliefs and cultural outlooks that distilled a woman’s worth and success in life to…finding a suitable husband and providing him with children.” Her eyes were full of a deep sadness and pain that pulled on Sunset’s heart, and some of it leaked into her voice. “It is not something easily shaken off, even when those beliefs and attitudes have faded. There is still a subconscious bias that views a woman—and men to, to a lesser extent—as failing in some fundamentally important way if they are unable or unwilling to procreate…even if the reason is something like a medical condition beyond their control, or the kind of person they choose as a partner.”
Night Light tugged his wife into leaning against his shoulder, kissing her hair and murmuring something Sunset couldn't make out. Her eyes looked to Cadence and Twilight, and noted both of them looking down with their own quiet and pensive expressions that she didn't quite grasp the reason for…but she couldn't find her voice to ask. There was something about this moment of silence that seemed too…sacrosanct…to break just yet, so she held her tongue, and let it pass by. Only when Velvet cleared her throat, did she relax and even consider a response.
“You're right, Mrs. Velvet—that is a bad reason.” She made a face. “I think, if it's alright with everyone, I’ll file that under ‘stupid things to never believe because I’m not an idiot.’ Right next to ghosts and trusting Rainbow Dash when she tells me she wants to show me something funny on April Fools Day.” That was an eighth grade prank she had never quite forgiven the athlete for and part of the reason she’d trashed so many of Dash’s friendships during her reign of terror.
Cadence pointed at Sunset with another of those chocolate roses. “You’ve got the right idea, Sunset. It is stupid. Love is love, and it shouldn’t matter to anyone but the people involved. Who cares if it doesn’t fit some outdated model from sixty years ago?”
The redhead checked on Twilight again as subtly as she could, and was relieved to see that her girlfriend had managed to look like the topic at hand wasn't a personal one…though that almost failed when Velvet spoke up again. “It doesn’t matter, at least not here. I’m of the mind that if a couple is happy and they love each other, then that is the most important thing in the world, and other people should celebrate that there is more love in world.”
From beside Velvet, Night made a grumbling sound. “Especially parents—the ones who toss their kids out make me sick. There’s never a reason to abandon your children, and doing it over the fact that they’ve found someone that puts stars in their eyes?” He made another sound, and pinned Sunset with a long look. “If you ever find someone, Sunset, and you bring them around here, I don't care if they're a boy, a girl, or a green alien from Andromeda—I’ll just want to know if they care about you.”
She felt her cheeks redden, and it was everything she could do to keep from looking at Twilight. Letting her gaze go to the girl at her side would have been an unmistakable signal to both parents, and something about the tension she could feel with the other girl sitting only inches away told her that despite this being the perfect moment, Twilight wasn't ready to seize it.  At the same time, Twilight’s father once again so casually including her as a part of his family…she was smiling so much—she couldn't have stopped herself if she tried—her cheeks hurt. “I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Night…but right now, I’m just happy being here, with all of you.” A somewhat nervous laugh escaped her. “Having some of you meet my ex-boyfriend was already weird enough, anyways.”
Her joke made everyone laugh, even Twilight, and the atmosphere returned to being relaxed and calm. At least until Twilight made a noise of excitement as she read one of the cards. “Oh, Cady! Here’s one for your wall!” She held it out to the bubbly woman, who took one look and made a sound that would have left Sunset’s ears ringing as a pony. As it was, the teen shook her head to dispel the echo of the sound from human ears before trying to see what had caused such a reaction in everyone.
It wasn't hard to do—Cadence was holding the card out for everyone to see. Brows furrowed, Sunset found herself looking at a picture of four individuals clustered together, one of them holding a tiny bundle of pink. 
What in the wide world of Equestria…?
Her brain caught on a moment later and she realized the pink thing was a human infant, wrinkly, slightly red, with its features all scrunched up. Blinking, the former unicorn determined that what she was looking at must be a newborn human—she’s seen a few older human babies before in public places, and they looked a lot more…finished…than what she saw now… The mystery was why a random fan would send something so personal to Cadence.
Velvet read the card aloud. “‘We are pleased to announce the birth of Joyeux Melody, beloved of us all.’” She smiled. “This was the group you told me about before, right? Such a sweet thing to send you!”
Cadence was grinning brightly and the room felt…lighter with the mood sweeping through everyone. “I’m so happy it all worked out for them—they always credited me for the relationship, even though I really didn't do anything except encourage them to try! I am glad that they found a name that isn't exactly like mine. It was flattering…but a little weird too, as happy as I am to hear good things came of my encouragement.”
Grabbing a piece of folded paper out of the box, Sunset found herself looking at a child’s drawing, full of bright colors, rainbows, hearts, and what she assumed were people. “This one’s from a kid—is all of this from people like this? Kids and families you helped get together?”
“Oh, I wish I could say it was,” was the wry response. “I love things like this—I have a whole wall in my office at the station dedicated to them, and I post shots of it on my big blog. Unfortunately, for every good letter there's a weird or bad one. The station guys filter most of the worst out, but some of them still get through.”
Night snorted and held up a sheet of paper looking like it was torn from a legal notepad. “Like this. Someone wrote you a…I assume its a love poem. The French is atrocious.”
Next to her, Twilight snorted with laughter. “Google translate at its finest, Dad?”
“Google translate would have been better. I don't know what word they meant, but they compare Cadence’s voice to…” He squinted at the paper. “‘The smell of wet cheese in a thunderstorm.’”
After they recovered from another round of laughter, Sunset shook her head. “Okay…I can see why you guys do this.” 
Borrowing her husband’s pocket knife, Velvet cut open an envelope and pulled the contents out. Her expression was one of momentary shock, then rapidly morphed into a disapproving frown as she looked over what was in her hands. Shaking her head, she put it back in the envelope and handed it to Night, who put it aside on the end table. 
It was so odd that Sunset asked without thinking, “What’s in that one?”
“A lawsuit in the making,” he told her in a very dry voice.
At her confusion, Cadence sighed. “Some of my more…amorous fans send inappropriate photographs on occasion. The station gets most of them, but one or two always seem to slip through.”
Twilight wrinkled her nose up, and leaned over to whisper in Sunset’s ear. “That's why Mom and Dad take all the envelopes, and we focus on cards and loose notes on the candy. So we don’t accidentally open up a thing photos of some creepy naked guy.”
Sunset wasn't sure if the shudder that went through her was from the terrible mental image or from the feeling of Twilight’s lips almost brushing her ear. “Wow.”
“The station sends all of the really bad stuff—hate mail, threats, stuff that sounds like they could be a stalker, to the CCPD. It's…an unfortunate side effect of putting myself out there the way I do,” Cadence said with a sigh and a smile that wasn't quite as bright as before. “…but then I get messages like this one, where a boy says he got out of a bad situation thanks to the resources on one of my articles, and I remember why I do this: because by spreading joy, encouraging love in all its forms, and helping others to understand themselves or others, I’m making the world a better place for everyone.”
The former unicorn was reminded of something Princess Twilight had said, when she looked down on Sunset from the rim of a crater, and Sunset smiled at Cadence now. “Love and friendship have a magic all their own, I think, and it's the strongest magic of all, in this world or any other.”
It wasn't as eloquent as something the princess might’ve said during a friendship speech, but it was good enough that the shadows fell away from Cadence’s eyes and Twilight wrapped her in a hug that lingered just a breath too long for a best friend.
Things fell into a lull as they went through the box, reading out happy messages, or laughing at the weird and unusual items fans sometimes sent in, and helping themselves to various items of chocolate. It was a great excuse to hold a bit of chocolate out more than once for Twilight to try. She would never admit it, but she secretly enjoyed the way her girlfriend lit up in a smile whenever she did it, and the way she seemed to savor the chocolate like Sunset had offered her a bit of fine cuisine instead of bite sized heart shaped candy bar from the local corner store made her feel as if her magic was a warm buzz inside her.
Perhaps the part of the evening that surprised her the most was when Twilight held up a stuffed unicorn with the chunkier, stockier proportions that would have been right at home in comfort toys made for foals in Equestria. In fact…
“Look, Sunny! She looks like the one you have on the shelf next to your bed.”
Her heart twinged, and she studied the toy. A creamy colored coat, just a smidge too colorful to be white, and a bright, sunshine gold mane, tail and horn…Reaching out, she took it with a hand that looked steadier than she felt, giving the toy a squeeze. “She’s…in better condition than Princess Sunbottom,” she said, her voice raspy with emotion. “But my…mom…was never much of a seamstress. Her talents lay elsewhere.” Her hand brushed over a patch on the haunch that was different in texture, and she realized the toy had a series of hearts embroidered right on its flank. “I've never seen another toy with a cutie mark before,” she commented, before realizing it was said aloud.
“Cutie mark?” Twilight asked with a soft smile.
Oh, ponyfeathers. Way to go, Shimmer. Quick, think of a way out of this one!
Thinking rapidly, she pointed at the hearts. “The mark on her flank. Mine has a sun on hers…it's…what…my mom…called it when I was little.” Because it was—the homemade toy from her fillyhood was a lopsided, somewhat well loved copy of Princess Celestia, right down to the eight rayed sun on its flank. She shook herself out of the memory of the bed full of stuffed toys made by an amateur seamstress, all mismatched limbs and oversized heads, from the softest fabric Canterlot offered, a kernel of sunshine magic in the heart of each one, surrounding a frightened filly with the Princess’ magic even on the darkest night to chase away her nightmares, none so beloved as the one that looked like the alicorn herself. Wiping her eyes, she held out the toy to Cadence. “Sorry…” she apologized. “…sometimes…memories, you know?”
With a warm smile, Cadence pulled Sunset into a hug. “Keep her—a friend for the one your mom made from your family here.”
The warmth inside her grew, and she gripped the toy tight as she returned the hug and Twilight joined in on it. “Thank you,” she whispered, already deciding on the name for the new addition to her bedside bookshelf—Princess Heart Song had a nice ring to it.
> Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: Ultraviolet Is a Wicked Spell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





They made it inside Twilight’s room tripping over each other and giggling, as they called goodnight to the adults. Sunset pushed the door shut behind her just in time to turn and catch an armful of her girlfriend. Twilight squeezed her around the middle in a hug, and Sunset responded by pecking her lips with a brief kiss. “Nerd,” she teased. “You need to watch where you put your feet—that could have ended badly.”
“You’d never drop me, Sunny.” Purple eyes met hers, bright and still full of laughter. 
Another soft kiss on those grinning lips, and Sunset made a show of rolling her eyes. “Not on purpose, no, and if I can see you to catch you, I will…but when my back is to you? Even I’m not that flexible, Sparky.”
Twilight pressed closer, squishing Sunset between her and the door, standing up on her toes to kiss the redhead, tongue flirting across parted lips teasingly. “How flexible are you?” she asked when they came up for air a few minutes later.
Growling playfully, Sunset twisted in place, and a moment later, she had Twilight swung up in her arms. “Flexible enough, nerd. Five years of martial arts and a regular gymnastics routine make a body pretty limber…”
Cheeks flushed, her girlfriend squeezed the unicorn plush that had ended up on her stomach when Sunset had picked her up. “Don't say things like that,” she mumbled. “…it's putting thoughts in my head…and I can't do anything about them yet…” 
Sunset sucked in a breath, heat racing from her head to her toes in a tingling rush. “Oh…um…oops?” She coughed, adjusting her hold on Twilight. 
“I’m not pushing, Sunny. You're ready to go further when you're ready. I’m just saying…” Twilight bit her lip. “If you’re worried about me, I’m…I’m more than happy to go as far as you want.”
Oh. Oh. Sunset took a few slow breaths to slow her heart rate. “That’s…good to know….but I shouldn't tease like that, I guess. It's not fair, and I’m sorry for not thinking about what I was saying.” She bent her head down to kiss the girl in her arms. “Teasing you is a lot of fun, but I’ll try to avoid the more…obvious innuendo until I’m ready to follow through.”
Silence settled over them, both girls blushing madly and feeling more than a little flustered and awkward. Twilight looked down at the toy in her hands and found a change of subject. “I…didn't know the unicorn on your shelf was made by your mom.” 
Maybe not a better one, Sunset decided, but at least it wasn't about the sexual tension thrumming between them like a magical feedback loop. Clearing her throat, the former unicorn moved and sat on the bed, one hand moving to brush along the toy’s mane. “…she made a bunch of them when I was really little. I…had these awful nightmares back then—about what exactly, I couldn't tell you. All I can remember are…flashes. Heat. The smell of smoke. Shrieking and screaming. But they were awful, and I’d have them if I was in my own bed.”
A lavender hand rested over hers, squeezing gently. “Night terrors are a pretty common occurrence in young children, but more so with any that have any trauma in their background.”
The redhead gave a humorless chuckle. “Yeah…doesn't get much more traumatic than being an unwanted orphan, I guess. Anyway…nothing else seemed to work, so she took fabric from old dresses that were hers and made me these…stuffed toys. Princess Sunbottom was my favorite, but I had a whole bunch of them, a horde of monsters and animals. A bear made of stars, a dragon whose head was too big and his wings too small, a manticore with a mane made from her hair, a deer, a cat-boy with mismatched beads for eyes, even a cow.” Memories pushed their way to the fore, of lessons and games and stories played out with her horde of stuffed toys, and of nights surrounded by a soft textured pile, all stuffed with feathers shed from the princess’ own majestic wings. “They were pretty much the closest thing I had to friends when I was little, and I felt…safe…at night, surrounded by them. Like the bad things in the dark couldn't get me.”
Twilight pulled her into a hug, quietly comforting while Sunset was lost in memory for several minutes. Eventually, she raised a hand to brush a few stray curls back from Sunset’s face. “Sunny?” she queried in a soft voice, pulling her out of the memories. 
“What is it, Sparky?”
“Can…do you mind if I ask for clarification on something that's been bothering me for a while? You…don't have to give me the details if you don't want to…” At Sunset’s nod, the younger girl continued, “…you told me a long time ago that you didn't remember your parents, that they actually died when you were really young…but you’ve mentioned your ‘mom’ several times now to me, or to mom, or dad, or even Cady and Shining…”
Oh horseapples. She’d forgotten about that long ago talk in her loft, not long after they'd started dating. Sunset breathed a sigh out. “Yeah…I…did…and I didn’t lie. I don't remember them. Anything about them, really. I don't know their names or what they looked like. It’s…it’s just an empty space and me on my family tree.” It hurt to say it aloud, but she clenched her jaw.
Nodding in acceptance of the answer, Twilight pushed on. “Then…is the woman who made your toys, the one you call your mom…is she the same person you also call your guardian, or are they different people?”
Sunset couldn't meet her eyes. “The same person. It's…a complicated mess Sparky.” She grimaced. “It’s best summed up as ‘being an orphan sucks.’”
The arms hugging her tightened, and her girlfriend made a soft comforting sound, nuzzling into Sunset’s body. “Thank you for trusting me with that, Sunset…”
“Who else would I trust? You’re my best friend, Twilight.” Sunset cleared her throat to push away the emotions she didn't want to really unpack right now. 
Fingers squeezed her shoulder. “Its okay to not be okay about something that hurts you. You don't have to pretend if you don't want to, and if you want to talk about it, ever, I am here. I may not entirely understand, but I’m willing to listen, just like you listen to me.”
Taking a shuddering breath, the former unicorn shut her eyes, debating…and realized she wanted to tell Twilight the truth. Maybe not all of it yet, but…
“She was never really my mom….but I wanted her to be, so badly that it drove me to do a lot of stupid things to try and prove that I was worth it. That she wouldn't be making a huge mistake if she adopted me into her family. When I was little…I thought she was my mom—I never called her that, but it was because I didn't even know the word until I was…almost six, I think?” The words, once they started, flowed out of her like a raging mountain river full of spring meltwater. “I never questioned it when I was that small, because she took me everywhere with her, taught me to read and write, taught me languages, and how to behave in different kinds of dinners, how to greet guests…she’s even the one who taught me chess, or took me to see plays and operas.”
The toy was in her hands now, turned and squished in her fingers. “Everything back then was so easy. I believed that she loved me, that she wanted me, wanted to be my mom…” She sniffled a little. “It was a fantasy, beautiful and wonderful…and not real….but it drove me for so long…right up until I almost got myself killed at the Fall Formal. I realized that I was destroying myself for a dream that would never come true…and letting it go is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Oh, Sunny…” A hand was pressed to her cheek. 
Laughing, the sound a little wet and choked, the redhead kept talking, letting the words spill out.. “It's funny if you think about it. I spent years trying so hard to belong to her family, and the same night I finally gave up on it as an impossible thing…I met you.” ‘And your family,’ she thought, avoiding voicing it…but the look in Twilight’s eyes told her that she picked up on the unspoken addition.  It was bittersweet, admitting it, and Sunset was afraid of the potential that it could be used against her, but she thought maybe if she laughed enough, it would be taken as a joke.
Twilight’s fingers moved to card through flame colored locks gently. “…you don't have to give up entirely on a family, do you?” 
Blue-green eyes flicked to her, sharply, and Sunset wondered if Twilight could feel the way her heart raced. “What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly, aching for the answer and terrified of it in equal measure. 
Her girlfriend looked…shy. Nervous, almost. “…you…you're part of my family…if you wanted to be, I mean. That's…why Mom and Dad gave you a room. We want you with us…” She chewed on her lip. “Even if something happens in the future and you and I break up…you’d still have a family. I’ll still be your best friend, as long as you wanted me to be, and you would always have a home here.”
Sunset squeezed her in a hug so tight Twilight made a squeak of surprise. “I don't even want to think about breaking up, not now or ever. I never want to lose you, Sparky.” The words were heated, intense, and fierce, and it brushed against a subject that Sunset had been putting off with herself for too long. She needed to face it soon, before it ate her alive.
“I…don't want to think about it either,” Twilight soothed, bringing Sunset’s head down to rest against hers. “But I want to make clear that you being part of this family is not conditional based on whether we are romantically involved or not. As long as you want it, you have a place here, just like Cady would, even if she and Shining called off the wedding for some reason.” 
Sunset cleared her mind of the conversation she wasn't ready to have with herself, not here and now at least, and found herself smiling crookedly at Twilight. “Like they ever would. They’re so sappy it's sickening sometimes. Do you think she calls him embarrassing nicknames in private?”
Giggling, the other girl responded with a cheery, “She does, but I swore never to tell.” Her hands tangled in Sunset’s wild mane. “Also…” Her voice was soft again. “…you do realize that there's a good chance that when I do finally tell them about us, they're going to want you to call them Mom and Dad too, right?”
She went still. “…they would?”
Twilight’s smile made her feel lighter in her soul. “Mom absolutely would—she’s slipped and referred to you a few times as her third daughter.”
Sunset’s lips curled into a full smile. “…I suppose that explains your dad’s little speech earlier.” The smile became an impish smirk. “If you decide you want to come out to them on Easy Mode, I could do it instead. Introduce you to them as my girlfriend.”
The girl in her lap blinked, made an odd sound, blinked again, then beamed at Sunset. “Sunny, you're brilliant! I mean, you always were before but that's pure genius!”
“Uh….”
“No, really, it is! One of the things I talked with Dr. Soft-Spoken about is that I struggle more with telling someone who doesn't already know…but if you told them that you have a girlfriend, and then tell them it's me, then they’d kind of know, and it…would take away the pressure of having to tell them!”
The poor unicorn-turned-teenage-girl felt like her head was spinning as she tried to suss out the logic her girlfriend was using. It all sounded more like a snarled tangle of Pinkie Pie’s ‘logic’ than anything she was used to from Twilight. “Um…I was mostly joking, but we can do it that way, if…if you want?” She fixed her with a look. “Are you sure that's what you want?”
Twilight’s expression faltered and became uncertain. “I…I still want to try on my own…but…if I can't…I would be okay with this as an option, yes, if you would be willing?”
She chuckled. “I wouldn't have made the joke if I wasn't. I don't care if they know that I…” she paused, trying to decide how to explain it. “…enjoy the company of other females far more than I would from males,” she settled on. It was true, although she was leaving out the part where she definitely preferred mares to any option that wasn’t a pony…other than Twilight herself. “Or that I prefer your company to anyone else’s.” Sunset winked at her. “You…just have to tell me when.”
The smaller girl turned thoughtful. “I think I still want to try coming out on my own…but if I find I just can't…maybe then, when a moment like what happened tonight comes? Tonight would have been a perfect moment, and I…I’d want it to be like that. Relaxed, where we’re all happy and feeling good, and then it wouldn't be a huge deal. You could just say it, and I could be like ‘yeah, I’m a lesbian and Sunset is the best girlfriend ever, can I keep her?’… and then they’ll make a huge fuss about you being theirs and me being gay won't be a huge deal!” 
It seemed a bit convoluted for a plan, but if it would make her girlfriend feel better and more in control of telling her parents that she was dating Sunset, then the redhead was happy to do it. Tonight’s conversation had solidified in Sunset’s mind, at least, that there would be none of the social backlash she’d heard about when some teens told their parents about their preference in partners. Besides, her affection for Twilight was the absolute least of her secrets that she was keeping…
Shaking herself off that train of thought, Sunset tweaked Twilight’s nose. “If that's what you want, Sparky, then consider that our backup plan, and you can even write it down in some kind of seven step form if it’ll make you happy.”
Her words earned her an exuberant hug and several  ecstatic kisses. “You really are the best girlfriend I could ask for,” Twilight told her. “How am I so lucky to have you?”
Sunset shrugged lazily. “If you ask me, I’m the lucky one—after everything I’ve done, I don't exactly deserve to end up with an amazing best friend and an adorable nerd that I get to kiss whenever I want in the same package.” 
“Whenever you want, huh?” Twilight rubbed her nose against Sunset’s. “What about whenever I want?”
A low, burbly sound escaped her throat. “That too, Sparky. You just say the word, and I’ll kiss you until you can't remember math.”
Twilight’s grin turned sly. “You already do. I can think of several times already where you kissed me until I couldn't function!” Her proclamation was followed by her bursting into giggles.
Blue-green eyes blinked, and it took about ten seconds for Sunset to put it all together. When she did, she groaned. “Did you seriously just make a horrendously awful math pun?”
Still giggling over her joke, Twilight nodded. The redhead rubbed her face. “You aren't just a nerd, you're a huge dork,” she told the younger girl.
“But I’m still your dork, right?” came the giggled query.
Sunset gave a long suffering sigh that wasn't as legitimate as she tried to make it sound. “Yes, Sparky, you are. I've got to protect the rest of the world from your awful jokes.”
“Dad laughs at them!” Twilight informed her with a grin.
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Of course he does. He’s as dorky as you are and his jokes are equally awful—it must be where you learned it.” Stealing a brief kiss, she smirked. “You're just lucky I think you being dorky is cute…although you might want to lay off the bad puns for a bit if you want your Valentine’s gift.”
Purple eyes went wide and startled behind thick lenses. “You…you…even after…l-last weekend? You s-still—” Twilight broke off, unable to articulate whatever she was trying to say, and Sunset was genuinely concerned she was going to cry…which was not the reaction she had been going for with a present for her girlfriend on the strange imitation of Hearts and Hooves Day that humans celebrated.
“Hey…” she responded, trying to salvage the mood. “I said last week and earlier that I forgave you for that…I didn't want space because I was angry at you, Sparky.  I needed it to deal with some stuff from my past that our fight and the whole mess with Wallflower dragged loose—something that left my emotions all over the map. I didn't want to take all of that out on anyone, like old me would have, that's all…” Rubbing the back of her neck, Sunset added, “I’ve actually been working on this for a while anyways…back when I started planning our date to the observatory. I was coming up with ways to do things for you that could…mean something between us that wouldn't be obvious to others, but would…you know, let us feel more like we can just…be together?”
The redhead had more to say, but once again arms viced around her hard enough to compress her ribs slightly, forcing the air from her in a gusty huff. She was starting to wonder if Twilight was somehow either part boa constrictor or related distantly to Pinkie. Tilting her head down, she listened to the happy sounds being emitted from the vicinity of her chest, where Twilight had once again mashed her face—a very different experience since she’d swapped out her sweatshirt for a sleep shirt without a bra. 
Sunset tugged her up out of her hiding place a bit. “I need to breathe, Sparky, you think you could ease up on the grip a bit?” The arms loosened with a faint apology, and she chuckled. “It's okay…I was going to say, it was actually a fun project, coming up with ideas...and…this one, it took me a while to get just right, so that it…said what I wanted, put how I feel into something that you can see and touch. Something that you can look at and know those things are true, even if we fight or say the wrong things, or if I’m not here for whatever reason…”
Twilight sniffled a little, but there was a big smile to go with it, so Sunset hoped they were happy tears. “Oh, Sunny…I wish you could see how amazing you are…how you really are the best girlfriend anyone could ask for—you put so much thought into not just what you want to do, but how I feel about you doing those things…” She wiped the tears off her cheeks. “You really are so much better at friendship and our relationship than you ever give yourself credit for. I mean it…and I really wish I hadn't totally forgotten the holiday, because I wish I had something to give you that's even half as sweet as what you’ve done!”
Suddenly she froze and sat up, pulling out of Sunset’s arms. “Oh!” A second later she was on her feet. “Sunny? Do you mind if I go get something real quick? It won't take long, I promise.”
By this point, Sunset was truly beginning to wonder if there really was some connection between her girlfriend and her bouncy, zany, pink friend, but she gave the dark haired girl a sort of bemused nod. “…sure, Sparky. That’ll let me get your present out of my backpack.”
Grinning brightly, Twilight ran out of the room with a call that might have been a thank you, but given that it started in the doorway and finished at the top of the stairs, it could have been a lot of things. Sunset shook her head with laughter as she could hear the heavy sound of her favorite bookworm taking the steps two or three at a time like an excited foal on their birthday.
It did give her time to retrieve the rectangular package, neatly wrapped in brown paper that had once been a couple of grocery bags. To make up for the plainness of it, Sunset had doodled animals and monsters of Equestria all over it, peeking out from behind large hearts or holding little bunches of flowers or sometimes eating them, because she’d been daydreaming about her favorite honey dipped daisies with powdered walnuts dusting the outside in a bit of a crispy crunch at the time.
True to her word, Twilight was back in under five minutes, reentering the room at a slightly more sedate pace. Closing the door, she moved to stand in front of Sunset, one hand presenting the older teen with a white envelope. “It's…not exactly a Valentine’s gift, since it's really more from Mom and Dad than anyone, but…after tonight…it feels like the right time to give it to you…”
Curious now as to what it could be, Sunset took the envelope, taking in the little details: how the contents felt stiff and heavy despite being small, her own name written neatly on the front in Velvet’s smooth cursive script, and how Twilight was practically bouncing in place as she waited for Sunset to open it—the former unicorn could almost taste her excitement.
When she opened it, the envelope spilled a key and a rectangular card with a string of numbers and letters on it into her palm. Reminded of her secret Christmas gift to Twilight, Sunset looked at her girlfriend with a tiny little flower of hope starting to unfurl inside her chest. “Is this…?” she trailed off, unable to finish.
Twilight nodded excitedly. “A key to the house? Yes! And that’s your personal code so we can download and install the program for our security system onto your phone…that way you can come here whenever you need to, even if no one is home.” She reached out and curled Sunset’s hand closed around the key. “Just like you gave me a place in your home, I want you to know you have that same place here.” She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Sunset’s trembling shoulders, letting the redhead press her face into a lavender skinned neck and dark hair. “You do have a family, Sunny, and a home, for as long as you want it.” A little laugh escaped her. “I should probably work up the courage to come out before Mom decides to file adoption paperwork, honestly.”
Laughing and crying at the same time, Sunset kissed the smooth skin of her girlfriend’s neck. “Probably—it’d be weird to date you if she did. Be a weird way to tell her about us too. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs. Velvet, I can’t—I’d love to be one of your children, but I make a habit of kissing your daughter on weekends, and I think that would be frowned on if we became sisters.’”
The response from her girlfriend was soft laughter and a wistful admission. “You could kiss me a lot more if I came out though…and then we could do things like hold hands whenever we wanted…oh, Sunny, why can't I just do it?”
Pulling back, she nuzzled Twilight’s cheek with her nose. “You will…but you need to tell them when you're ready, Sparky, and not before. It's okay. I can wait, and when you're ready, I’ll back you up the whole way. Now…smile for me and open up your present so I know whether I guessed right or chose horribly—the suspense is killing me!”
Dropping a kiss on Sunset’s nose, Twilight took the package off her lap, taking a moment to turn it over in her hands, studying the drawings on the brown paper and searching for the seams so she could undo the wrapping with as much care as she might handle a fragile gift. “I love the paper…did you draw all these yourself?”
Shyly, cheeks hot, Sunset nodded, resisting the urge to crib on her thumb. Instead, she clenched her hand tightly around the house key she’d been given. “I…didn't have wrapping paper at home, and I didn't have time to call Pinkie about where to get some.”
Twilight carefully set the actual gift on her desk so she could neatly fold the paper and slide it into the drawer in her nightstand. “I’m going to keep it…and when my parents know about us—when, not if, because it's going to happen—I’m going to have Mom help me use the drawings to add to the photos I have of us, so I can always remember this.”
Sunset squirmed in uncharacteristic nervousness as she watched Twilight pick up the picture frame and take the last of the tissue paper off it, revealing the image preserved under the glass.  
It was representative of weeks of work, carefully researched and replicated in a unique design, the colors chosen with care and the cost of the art supplies putting quite a dent in Sunset’s fun budget for the month…but she thought the results had been worth it, even after she’d had to restart the piece three times (especially after she’d learned that humans had a flower language of their own.) The end result was a crystal vase, the kind Princess Celestia used to use in her private quarters during spring and summer to display the bounty of the palace gardens, filled with a faithful reproduction of a complex floral arrangement that, to Sunset’s gaze was heavily laden with layers of a deeply personal message for the human girl who occupied so many of her thoughts.
She knew Twilight would recognize some of the flowers, maybe even realize they had meaning, but others she never would, since the flowers and their meanings were entirely unique to Equestria and the ponies who loved there. What she didn't know was if Twilight would understand why she had done it like this.
Twilight sucked in a breath, one shaking finger tracing some of the depicted blooms, her voice barely more than a tremulous whisper. “Oh, Sunset…” The smile on her face was everything Sunset had hoped it would be when she saw the gift, and the nervous feeling melted away into joy-filled relief and satisfaction that her girlfriend was so obviously moved by the painted flowers. 
“…I couldn't get you regular flowers,” she offered. “They’re too obvious, and I didnt want to do that…but I thought…something like this…it's just art, and I do take art at school, so…it could be explained away as something like that. That you liked it so I gave it to you, but secretly it’s…flowers for my girlfriend…you know?”
The dark haired girl’s smile and the light in her eyes as she flicked them between Sunset and the picture in her hands was better than sunshine and summer summer flowers. “…oh, Sunny…I do, and it's perfect…thank you so much…”
Lavender cheeks flushed a little and Twilight murmured, “I’m not the expert Cadence is…and this is me assuming here that you do know the meanings and chose the flowers you did specifically for them…” Fingers ran over the shapes of petal and leaf, fern and ivy, dancing lightly across the glass to outline wild roses in soft pinks and yellows, sprigs of lavender with tones that blended with those smooth fingertips, across chamomile and the coriander peeking shyly from between Equestrian blooms… “…but…” her eyes raised to meet Sunset’s steadily. “…I treasure you and our friendship too, and I will be as patient as you need me to be to wait until you are ready…I promise you that.” 
Another breath, and Twilight scrubbed a few stray tears from her eyes. “Friendship that will last a lifetime, yet is becoming so much more…which is more that I ever could have dreamed of…Sunny, this is a beautiful gift.” She faltered, reaching the center of the arrangement. “I…don't know this one…but…” Purple eyes glittered with emotion. “It looks like my star. And that one…it's like fire—like you.”
Sunset leaned forward, guiding Twilight’s fingers over the rich purple petals and the small white star shaped flowers carefully placed around it. “We call it a Nightlily, and these are Moonlit Stars. They…only bloom under the full moons in summertime…and when paired together, they mean a hidden treasure, something of undiscovered majesty and wonder…something of great worth that not everyone notices. I…made them look like your star…because it's you. That’s why it's in the center, and everything is arranged around it…it's you, and all the things you make me feel, and all the things I see about you that no one else does.” She led those fingers over to the fiery bloom twined with another nearby. “Which is what this is. A Sunfire Bloom—” she didn't explain the symbolism in the barely open blossom so deeply associated with Princess Celestia’s sun, or how the alicorn had always put them on the table for her birthday meal every year: “little suns for my little sun,” was the soft joke from the solar ruler the first time. Instead she focused on the flower with it, three blossoms on a single stem, each one a rich riot of color that was its own pattern. “—with Wishful Wonder…it means I See you, Twilight. The real you, not a false front or what I think you should be…but the truest parts of you.”
With a voice full of emotion, Twilight breathed out, “Sunny…” like it was some kind of prayer, even as she set the frame onto her desk, upright so it could still be seen from the bed. Her fingers then moved to twine with Sunset’s, bringing their joined hands up so she could press her lips to amber knuckles and then rest them over her racing heart. “I am going to treasure this gift for the rest of my life…” She glanced towards it, unable to resist another look, then focused on Sunset again. “You put everything I ever dreamed a relationship could be into something I can see and touch…into something so beautiful…” A few tears made tracks down her cheeks but her smile was full of soft affection and happiness. “I…this means so much…I could almost run to my parents right now, even though its late and they're probably asleep, and come out to them tonight, just so I can share how truly wonderful and touching this is, so they can know the real meaning…and not just appreciate it for how beautiful your artwork is…”
The former unicorn felt dizzy and light, her magic bubbling and thrumming under her skin and making her nerve endings feel hypersensitive and tingly everywhere she and Twilight touched. She wanted…needed…that touch, because words paled beside the emotions arcing between like lightning in the clouds of a mountain thunderstorm. Amber hands squeezed tighter around pale lavender, using their touch to pull Twilight closer. There was no resistance to that or the soft command that fell from her lips. “Kiss me.”
Their lips met in an awkward kiss, one girl leaning forward over the other’s legs to reach.  Sunset made a sound of frustration in her throat; she wanted her girlfriend as close as possible, and the position wasn’t cutting it as far as she was concerned. Twilight seemed to feel the same way, breaking off the lip-lock in order to solve the proximity issue in the most expedient fashion available—by climbing into Sunset’s lap, straddling long, toned thighs and bracing her palms on the taller girl’s shoulders. Sunset hummed in approval, one hand reaching up to pull Twilight’s hair tie out, even as she captured her mouth in another heated kiss. Dark locks tumbled down around her girlfriend’s shoulders, allowing her to run her fingers through it. 
Twilight whined into Sunset’s mouth, but she was eager, pressing for more and shivering when the redhead flicked a tongue against her bottom lip, lips parting under the silent question. The hand not tangled in dark hair splayed against the star-speckled fabric of Twilight’s pajama top, keeping her flush against Sunset and unable to escape from the way Sunset explored her mouth, aggressive and hungry for more. A tingle of heat and pleasure went through the unicorn-turned-girl with every tiny whimper and soft moan that her ministrations coaxed from her girlfriend, pushing out any thought but ones that utterly revolved around the smaller form in her lap.
Unfortunately, air was a necessity, and they had to part far too soon to catch their breath, though Sunset refused to relinquish her hold—having the smaller body pressed so close against her was intoxicating, burning hot wherever they touched. She nibbled on Twilight’s lower lip in between little kisses. “….Sparky…” she whispered, the word made up of all the things she didn't know how to voice right then. 
Her girlfriend leaned back a fraction. “…are you…okay…with this, Sunny?” she asked, hands squeezing Sunset’s shoulders. 
In response, she pulled Twilight back close, nuzzling her, cheek to cheek, in an action that was all pony but seemed to work well enough with the human girl as an intimate gesture. “…mmm…yesss…” she murmured, giving Twilight a half smile. “…you? Not too much?”
“No…it’s…I like it,” Twilight wiggled a little on her lap. “Being this close…having you hold me…feels good…”
Making a nickering sound before she could stop it, Sunset latched onto a lavender skinned throat, kissing and sucking on a spot she knew would get a reaction. She took full advantage of the hand in Twilight’s hair to tip her head back and expose her throat even more fully to Sunset’s efforts…and to stop her from wriggling in such a distracting way…Though that might have backfired, she realized a moment later when Twilight moaned and for all it was good at trapping heat, flannel was not so good at dulling any sensation from a lapful of her girlfriend instinctively grinding against her.
Magic pulsed in her soul in response to the rising feelings and the ache in her core, but it had become a familiar sensation over the last few months, and Sunset pushed it down under her skin with control born of long hours of practice and iron will. She did her best to focus on Twilight, distancing herself from what her nerves were telling her brain about her body’s reaction.
The hands on her shoulders clenched and flexed against them for support, bracing the shorter girl just as much as her knees did on either side of Sunset’s hips. To Sunset’s ears, sensitive as she was to all the little variations in Twilight’s vocalizations, the sounds her girlfriend was making shifted in some subtle way, taking on a breathless quality that almost broke Sunset’s control and stoked the heat in her from a low smolder to a burning hearthfire. Distracting herself, the redhead went back to kissing her partner’s neck, dragging her teeth along flesh as she worked her way down and over, lipping at Twilight’s collarbone where the neck of her top had left it exposed.
Twilight gave a low cry, arching against Sunset and twisting to give her better access. “…ahh…yes…please, Sunny….” she pleaded, one hand leaving a shoulder to dig into red and gold curls and clutch at the back of Sunset’s head. 
Sunset growled in response, a thing more felt than heard, and nipped sharply at the exposed skin before she could stop herself, and then realizing that what meant ‘hold still’ to a pony had a completely different effect on her very human girlfriend. The gasp and moan that escaped were loud, loud enough to make the former unicorn freeze and strain her ears to make sure they hadn’t alerted Twilight’s parents.
Silence broken only by a panting, mewling plea met her ears. “…don’t stop…”  They were in the clear…but it wouldn’t stay that way if she didn’t do something to muffle those outbursts. A smirk tugged at her lips as she pulled back from a patch of lavender skin now peppered with love bites. It was a good thing she preferred being on top, she decided, before putting her plan into action.
Like she had earlier when she’d picked Twilight up, the redhead twisted in a complicated maneuver that relied on her being more flexible than the average high schooler—her recent decision to go back to honing her body in case of magical problems turned out to have a few benefits she hadn't thought of at the time. Twilight was deposited neatly on her back on the pillows, Sunset looming over her on hands and knees. A perfectly executed switch of positions, she thought smugly, leaning down to cover Twilight’s mouth with her own, the cascade of red and gold around their faces creating a private space of heat and passion for just the two of them.
Except for one small detail: when she shifted her weight from one arm to the other, her hand inadvertently pressed into soft flesh, and Sunset became acutely aware of the fact that under the old, worn Star Trek shirt, her girlfriend was definitely not wearing a bra.
She was not prepared for her girlfriend’s response to the touch. Purple eyes went wide behind her glasses, and she shuddered violently, a gasp quickly becoming a needy moan. “Oooh! Sun-Sunset!” 
Sunset pulled her hand back as if burned. “Sorry! It was an accident!” she hastened to tell the other girl. “I didn't do it on purpose!”
The dark haired girl grabbed at Sunset’s hand with her own shaky one, and tugged it back down towards her body. “…it felt…good…Sunny,” she panted, smiling up at her. “I…please? D-do it again?” She released Sunset’s digits just above the soft, well-loved fabric of the shirt, looking up with a pleading expression and eyes full of desire.
It left the redhead suspended in momentary indecision, wrestling with her magic and with the hearthfire that was threatening to turn into a raging wildfire. She wanted to…her resolve was crumbling under the onslaught from so many directions…and the way Twilight arched her entire body underneath her made something break free inside. She wanted more…wanted to see Twilight writhing and panting under her, pleading with that needy voice and wide eyes, for something that was entirely in Sunset’s hands to give her…She needed to hear her name fall from her best friend’s lips in that breathless whisper laden with passion…
Her hand moved, almost of its own accord, and she found herself squeezing pliant, yielding flesh through thin fabric to another of those noises of pure pleasure from Twilight. She could feel the nipple pressing into her fingers, a counterpoint to a piece of anatomy that would never be found on a mare, not like this. The former unicorn didn't know how to feel about it at first—pony bodies were soft, but not in the same way. Not far under the padding was always muscle, and even a nursing mare didn't have anything that matched a human’s breasts….
But there was something intensely fascinating and satisfying about squeezing slightly and having Twilight squirm and cry her name in response, in feeling contrast of the soft flesh and pert nipple even with cloth in the way, and Sunset leaned into it, indulging in seeing just how many different sounds she could coax out of her if she paired this new touch with what she was doing before to Twilight’s neck.  Lips found that delightful place where neck and shoulder met, and the redhead sucked hard on the sensitive spot of muscle and nerves. She wanted to leave a mark on Twilight—even if she couldn't announce to anyone that she was dating this girl, Sunset wanted some sign of her affection painted on her girlfriend’s skin.
Twilight’s reaction was everything she wanted and more, her body thrashing and voice keening something that may have been intended to be Sunset’s name but came out as a garbled mass of syllables. Hands had already been gripping her back, and she could feel nails through her own shirt as those digits clenched and unclenched, searching for something to hold onto and just not finding it…
Until they moved lower in their frantic movements, and Sunset’s eyes snapped open in surprise at the feeling of Twilight’s hands gripping her rear. Her mouth came free of the skin she’d been worrying at, a blustering, snorting whinny mixed with a human yelp rending the air.
The hands she could feel on her froze. “Sunny?” her girlfriend asked worriedly, her voice still breathless and soft but now laced with concern rather than desire. Slowly, as if she were afraid of making it worse, Twilight moved her hands back to the small of her back, loose enough that Sunset could pull away if she wanted.
She didn't want to—for all the way it shocked her, moving away from Twilight was the last thing she wanted. “…sorry…I…wasn't really expecting…” she trailed off, slowly pushing herself up enough to meet Twilight’s eyes—and to take her hand off Twilight’s chest, placing it on the mattress instead. “…you surprised me,” she finished lamely.
Echoing Sunset’s own long, slow exhalation as a sigh, the dark haired girl studied her. “Okay…but was it a good surprise or a bad surprise? I…couldn't really tell there.
Sunset grimaced a little. “I…don’t know? I’ve never really had anyone do anything like that to me before—at least not besides a couple of handsy guys freshman year who learned my boots aren't for show—and…I didn't exactly have time to decide if it felt good or not…” Her brows furrowed. “I’m not sure if that makes sense or not?”
“It makes sense to me, yes.” Twilight gave her a slightly wry smile, running fingers through her hair. “Sometimes unexpected things can…override anything else. Is it something you would be okay with me doing again, so you can determine if you did like it, or…would you prefer I didn't?”
The former unicorn took a minute or two to think it over, doing her best to ignore the tingling heat where their bodies pressed together and the racing of both of their hearts that seemed strangely in sync. “I…I think I’d like the chance to see if I like it,” she answered at last, acknowledging privately that it was an area she would have expected another pony to pay attention to, and that…made the prospect that much more enticing. “I don't know if I will, but so far…” Her grin to Twilight was more than a touch sheepish. “…anything you’ve done has felt…good. Sometimes too good.”
Twilight’s soft laugh and embarrassed smile made Sunset feel less flustered. “I feel like I need to say the same back to you,” she confided, looking away as her cheeks darkened with a blush. “What you were doing? It felt…amazing.”
She watched Twilight as she spoke, searching for the little signs of distress or hesitation. “All of it?” Sunset asked, fingers brushing her cheek and turning her back to meet blue-green eyes. “Even me…being on top of you like this while I was? I never want to hurt you, Sparky, or scare you.”
Her girlfriend’s blush grew, until her whole face was reddened under the pale lavender skin tone. “Uhhh…actually…” she stammered, “…that was part of what…felt so good.” She chewed on her lip as she searched for the right words.  “Being…pinned down…like that, I mean…” One hand twitched, like she was fighting the urge to gesture with it. “…I think…not just anyone…could get away with it…but…it's you, Sunny. I’ve told you before, I trust you, so much…and something about it, when it's you on top of me like this?” A little wiggle of her body drove home the position they were still in. “Physically it feels…good, and in my head it feels…even better.  It’s like…I know you’ll never hurt me, and I can trust you when you want to be…like this, when you seem to need to be more in control…” Purple eyes were surprisingly bright in the lamp light and shadows of the room. “I…like the way it feels to let you.”
Sunset swallowed hard, and the breath she took was shaky from how thoroughly what Twilight said affected her. “O-oh.” Another attempt to swallow with a throat that felt way too dry. “…you…do?” Control…was that what it was about? The way it made her body hum with something that felt so good in so many ways? Sunset wasn't sure what to make of that idea…or if she wanted to connect it with the way every beat of her heart was echoed in her groin with a whisper of need and desire. 
It was impossible for Twilight to turn any redder, but she nodded. “I do…but…only with you.” Biting her lip again, she seemed to think it over, then repeated herself. “Only with you…I don’t think I could ever trust someone else the way I trust you.” Her hand, trembling slightly, moved from Sunset’s hair to rest against the side of her face. “You're special, Sunny.”
The redhead leaned into the touch, drawing comfort from the contact of skin on skin and the affection she could see in the other girl’s eyes. “Going to make me cry again, nerd,” she groused, trying to blink back the moisture forming at the corners of her eyes. “…but…thank you…for trusting me like that.” She leaned down, brushing her lips to Twilight’s gently. “And I promise, I won’t ever break that trust…you're safe with me.”
“I know,” Twilight said softly, taking a slow breath as if to keep her voice even. “…and Sunny?”
She nuzzled into the hand on her cheek. “Yeah?”
“I…just want you to know…it’s okay for you to like…being more…in control…and being the one to…do more things like…you were just doing to me.” Twilight still looked just as flustered as Sunset felt, and she realized that at the moment they both matched, with faces as red as they could get. “…I also…don't mind if you want to…to explore that a bit more…?”
Clearing her throat, Sunset decided she needed to do something to bring the tension down before one of them died of embarrassment. “Are you sure you can keep it down if I did?” she joked. “…because…that's also on the list of ‘awkward ways for your parents to learn we’re dating.’”
That was when Sunset learned that Twilight could actually turn redder, and she was a little worried that her girlfriend might combust. Even her ears were crimson. “Um…I…uh…p-perhaps we can…work out where the limits are for…noisiness?” She stumbled over the words a little.
“Sounds like a research project for our free time,” Sunset purred playfully, happy to redirect the topic. “Maybe we should pick up where we left off and test a few variables. What do you think—want to be my lab partner for this?”
Twilight couldn't seem to help the needy little sound that escaped her. “…yes, please…Sunny…” she stretched underneath the taller body pressing down on her, arching up against her, before letting her hands drop back on the pillows over her head. “…you can consider this an open invitation to explore whatever variables you want…” 
Sunset inhaled sharply and this time when she captured Twilight’s lips, it was for a fierce, aggressive kiss that towed the line fairly close to indecent. She found herself returning to her earlier ministrations, and savoring the way Twilight whimpered into her mouth, every time her touch ghosted over a sensitive spot. It did feel more intoxicating than she wanted to admit, being able to cause these reactions…
Was it about control, she wondered as she found herself nibbling on one lavender ear. Did she…take pleasure in having power like this over Twilight, being able to wring sweet sounds of pleasure and desire from her with just a touch of the hand, a kiss from her lips on smooth skin…
And if…if she did…was it okay because Twilight had told her she could?
She didn't want Twilight to be right. It had been hard to walk away from old habits and terrible behaviors, and even now she still struggled when her temper got the better of her. What did it say about her if those negative qualities were seeking a new outlet…twisting up her physical desires for her girlfriend with a hunger for power and control over another person…especially Twilight, who trusted her to not to take advantage of her in a moment of intimacy…
Could Twilight really trust her so deeply with this? How could she be okay with…with surrendering control in any fashion? Sunset could never do that, even with Twilight—she had to maintain a little control over at least herself, her own body, or she’d never be able to relax. Yet here Twilight was, her arms pinned above her head now by one of Sunset’s hands, shivering and trying to keep her moaning cries to a low volume that wouldn't wake the house, while the redheaded teen left a new mark on the other side of her neck. 
Her voice, in between cries, pleaded with Sunset…not for freedom…but for more of that touch, for Sunset to press down harder, to do more to stop the squirming thrashing movements of her body…and it didn't repulse Sunset to consider it.
Worse…
She wanted to do it. There was a hunger in her, a desire to trap Twilight under her and see how loudly she could make her beg and plead, how many different noises she could coax out of her, how much she could tease her until she—
A shudder went through Sunset and she jerked herself out of those thoughts. She wasn't going to do that to Twilight…no matter how enticing a prospect it was…
Sunset shifted her hand, sliding it away from soft breasts until it was curled around Twilight’s back, dragging her nails lightly against t-shirt fabric. The moaning cries slowly settled down into soft panting, the kind she was more used to hearing, and that grounded her. It meant she could feel good about hugging Twilight to her tightly, changing their positions just enough so that she could throw a leg over her girlfriend and keep her in a snug embrace despite the shivers and faint shudders that rippled through them both. “How was that?” Sunset breathed against one ear, before placing light kisses to her neck. 
 It took a moment for Twilight to reply, still panting and breathless. “…incredible…mind-blowing…indescribably perfect…” she managed. 
“That good, huh?” The former unicorn smirked a little, the line of kisses leading her back to her girlfriend’s mouth slowly. 
“…mmmhmm…” Twilight murmured. “…just like you…”
A snort escaped her. “I am far from perfect, Sparky…but I’m glad you liked it.” She kissed her, slow and soft, feeling strangely satisfied with the way the heated make-out session with her girlfriend had gone, even with the parts that had left her uneasy. 
Twilight snuggled deeper into her, wiggling a little until she was comfortable. “…I hope you enjoyed it too…” she said with a yawn. “…though…for proper scientific procedure…we should repeat the experiment…” Another yawn interrupted her. “…several more times…on other occasions…”
Amber fingers combed through dark hair. “Tired?”
“Haven't…been sleeping well this…week,” Twilight explained. 
Sunset frowned. “Nightmares?”
Purple eyes looked away, but the younger girl gave the tiniest of nods. “…some…when I could get my brain quiet enough to sleep.”
Making a soft nickering sound in her throat, Sunset leaned in and kissed her again. “I’ll take care of your nightmares, Sparky, and if any get through me, I’d bet Cadence has some ice cream at the ready.”
Her joke earned her a drowsy smile from Twilight. “You're here…don't have nightmares…when I’m with you…”
Still running her fingers through Twilight’s hair, Sunset hummed Princess Celestia’s lullaby, hoping to get her girlfriend to relax enough to doze off. Sure enough, in only a few minutes, she felt the body in her arms relax, breathing slowing to the familiar rhythm of sleep.
Ever so carefully, Sunset pulled the glasses off Twilight’s nose, twisting her upper body to set them on the nightstand before turning off the bedside lamp. The sleeping girl mumbled a protest until Sunset settled back, pulling one of the blankets over them both. “Relax, Sparky,” she soothed, kissing her forehead. “I’ve got you. You're safe. You can sleep now—I won't let anyone get you, I promise.”
Blue-green eyes cast one last look around the dark room that looked as bright as it did at noon, before she tucked her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck and sought sleep for herself…
> Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Sweet Dreams Are Made of This...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Hunger. 
It was the first thing she registered as part of her awareness, this ache that sat, not in her stomach, but in the core of her soul, a desire that was as much a part of her as her magic or her heartbeat, and deep down, she knew there was only one way to sate it for even just a little while.
Breathing deeply brought the scent of aged paper, worn leather, and ink to her nostrils, and she felt herself smile at the memories and emotions it evoked. The scent was familiar, comforting, and even though the hunger never eased, she found herself relaxing. Flicking her eyes open, she confirmed that she was standing in a library of some kind, shelves of thick books stretching in all directions as far as her eyes could see.  The library was dimly lit, with a soft golden light that seemed to just emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once, and it was almost silent.
Almost. 
Her ears twitched, swiveling towards the faint sound of paper rustling and a murmured voice talking to itself. She knew the voice, and it was like sweet music to her ears that she would never get enough of, no matter how much time went by. That voice soothed her and excited her in a marvelously impossible combination, and the owner of it even more so… she wanted to get closer…but where…? Her ears moved and corrected as she narrowed down exactly where its source was located…
Target acquired, the smile transformed into a smirk, and with barely a conscious thought, she began to move towards the sounds, her steps silent and predatory.  
It didn't take long to find her quarry, tail swishing in excitement.  The other form was happily tugging books off the shelf, opening them to read a few pages, and either putting them back or adding them to a growing pile on the floor.  Clamping down on the growl that wanted out, she crept up behind her, waiting until the last second to slide her arms around that familiar form, pulling her back and flush against her front. “Sparky,” she breathed huskily against the other girl’s ear, palms ghosting up and down Twilight’s sides.
Instantly the smaller form relaxed against her, pliant and willing. “Sunny,” came the happy response, and she could feel the joy seeping into her, filling the emptiness within. 
“Books again?” she teased, tugging the ponytail out of the way so she could kiss and nibble on her partner’s neck in that way she knew Twilight loved.
There was a shaky inhale as a shudder passed through the body in her arms. “I...love…books...” was the reply. “This library is...” she broke off with a whimper when teeth nipped her jawline. “Ahh...Sunset...” She pushed back against the fiery maned figure, tilting her head to give better access. 
She was all too happy to oblige that obvious want, leaving a trail of heated kisses and love bites along neck and collarbone. It elicited the most wonderful responses from the dark haired girl in her arms: more of those soft whimpers, panting breaths, and even a few moans that she tried to swallow. One hand pressed to Twilight’s stomach, under the shirt, claws scratching lightly across lavender skin, and a burst of pleasure nearly made her eyes cross in the process.
“Sunny....” Twilight whined. “...teasing me with this...do you know how long I’ve wanted this, with you?” Her body pushed back against the taller form again, pressing and shifting in a way that felt like more.
“...such a nerd,” she teased in that low voice.  “Even your fantasies are nerdy...”
Twilight twisted in her arms, bringing them face to face, and the smile that lit her face was warmer than a summer sunrise.  “Maybe....but I’m your nerd, Sunset Shimmer, and right now? That’s all I want to be.”
This time the growl did escape her throat, and she captured the smaller girl’s mouth, fingers twining into dark hair.  The kiss seared their senses, filled with passion and providing a conduit for her to communicate the hunger thrumming in her veins, hunger that only the girl in her arms could sate.  Twilight gripped her shoulders, whimpering desire into her mouth when her legs went weak.  
“Mine,” she purred, pulling back to nip at Twilight’s bottom lip.  “My Sparky...” Her hands found the curve of her partner’s rear, pulling their bodies flush together again. 
Purple eyes were fixed on her, filled with emotion. “...yes,” she agreed, a strange note in her voice. “Your Sparky, Sunset...”
The books rocked warningly on their shelving when she lifted her smaller partner and took a step forward to trap her up against it. Her leg nudged Twilight’s knees apart, allowing her to rest a foot in an empty space on the bottom shelf, bringing her thigh up high enough to keep the other girl trapped off the ground. Squeezing the rounded rump in her grip, she smirked when it earned her a squeak and a gasp that advertised pure pleasure. “I can see the appeal now…though half of it might be the noises you make, Sparky…” 
Cheeks flushed, but Twilight’s eyes sparked with lust and laughter in equal measure. “…you know…there’s no one to hear me here but us…so…we don't have to worry about volume control….”
A long tongue flicked out, dragging wetly up a lavender neck. “Good…” she purred happily, tail flagging higher, “…because I want you to scream my name, Twilight Sparkle…”
Claw tipped fingers had no trouble hiking up the back of that skirt, or snaking inside panties to grab smooth flesh directly. The taste of desire and Twilight’s need was a delightful buzz to her senses, making her head swim with ideas. She was going to coax every last pleasurable sound she could from this girl, and by the time she was done, there would be no place left on her for anyone—or anything—else to claim.
Twilight Sparkle was hers. 
If any lurking, opportunistic shadows wanted Twilight….they would have to pry her from a pair of cold, dead hands at great cost.





Sunset was pulled back to consciousness abruptly, her eyes snapping open and her heart racing as she stared at the ceiling of Twilight’s bedroom.  Fire in her veins tingled with the hum of her magic, and fragments of the dream flitted through her mind, making her face feel hot.  She’d had dreams like this before…but usually she didn't have them when she was tangled up in bed with the same girl who starred in them.
For a moment, she wondered what had woken her up, trying to ignore the feeling of disappointment over the dream being interrupted…and the unease she felt from the unpleasant way that dream logic had incorporated all manner of things that had been on her mind the past week, including a previous nightmare, and the sense that something was after her girlfriend. Despite the discomforting nature of some of the elements in the dream, it had been the furthest thing from a nightmare, and what had been happening before she woke had been…intense…but not bad.  Since none of that accounted for what had jolted her back to consciousness though, it had to be something else…something external.
At present, the room was dark and silent, and she could make out the numbers on the clock. Far too early for her to be awake—if she had her way, her eyes did not open on this side of six AM unless she had to pee. There was no sound outside—no one going out early for work, no cars—and the house itself didn't seem to hold anyone else stirring. Even Spike was quiet in his little bed, soft doggy snores a familiar noise that wouldn't have woken her.
Then her bedmate twisted in the sheets beside her with a whimper that raked along her awareness like an electrical jolt.  Rolling onto her side, she studied Twilight, thankful for once of whatever magical side effect had given her night vision that an Abyssinian would be jealous of, since it meant she didn't have to squint through the darkness for some vague hint of her girlfriend as a featureless shape.  Instead, Twilight was crystal clear, and what Sunset saw was concerning.  The expression on her face was not relaxed in any way, not with her features twisted up with tension, pajamas askew and hair messy and sticking in places to a sweaty forehead.  The former unicorn immediately drew her girlfriend into her arms, hoping to soothe the nightmare before it woke Twilight up.  
“Hey...It's okay, Sparky,” she murmured softly, kissing her forehead. 
Another whimpering sound, and Twilight’s back arched, pressing their chests together. Sunset couldn't breathe, couldn't move...her heart rate thundered in her ears, the flash of her lips closing around a pert nipple on a lavender skinned breast dancing before her mind’s eye. She did her best to squelch the desire while it was still half formed—this was not the time for that! “Shh...You’re safe, Sparky,” she offered as reassurance. “I’ve got you.”
On most nights where she was with Twilight and these nightmares hit, that was enough to calm the other teen back into restful slumber. Tonight seemed to be different—Twilight’s state worsened, her head tossing from side to side, her hands scrabbling in uncoordinated desperation until she latched onto Sunset’s pajama top, fingers digging into her arm and side. “...Sunset...” came the plaintive whine, the sound sending a shiver down the redhead’s spine and the dream rushing right back to the forefront of her mind…





Twilight threw her head back against the spines of old leather-bound tomes with a loud, breathy moan. “Ah! Sunny!” Her back arched under the smooth motion of nails dragging down her unclothed back, making it all the easier for her companion to use her tongue and teeth to draw more of those sounds from her. 
Pulling back from a nipple, she tilted her head to look up at Twilight’s face in that omnidirectional, ever present mood lighting. “If you don't stop moving, I'm going to have to hold you down…”





The growled, seductive words in her own voice echoed in her ears, and Sunset struggled to focus, to breathe right….particularly as her girlfriend’s writhing became more and more pronounced, leaving the redhead to tighten her arms around Twilight to keep her from sending either one of them out of the bed and onto the floor. It would be so much easier if she rolled them until she could pin Twilight under her larger, stronger body…
It would feel good too.
Shaking her head to try and clear it of the intruding thoughts spurred by the still lingering dream, Sunset adjusted her body so she could tuck her face close to Twilight’s ear, trying to wake her. “Sparky,” she coaxed, falling into that firm tone that worked so well. “Stop.  You’re going to hurt yourself. I promise, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.  You’re safe. Wake up.”  
For a moment she thought it worked, as the frantic thrashing stilled, and the hands fisted in her shirt relaxed.  But then a low moan escaped Twilight, and her legs jerked, locking around one of Sunset’s securely.  The redheaded girl sucked in a sharp breath, hot lightning lancing through her innards as her mind shoved more of the dream back into her conscious thoughts.





Claw tipped fingers trailed up a smooth lavender thigh, even as gleaming blue-green eyes observed the figure half sprawled now across a veritable bed of forgotten paperbacks, many of them tawdry romance novels with women locked in a thousand different intimate embraces printed on the covers. None of the pictures compared to the vision before her now, of dark hair, free and mussed from passion and her touch, pooled across cover and page like a waterfall of spilled ink…of lavender skin at last exposed, covered in love bites and kiss-bruises, a canvas brushed with loving care by the artist’s proud signature…and purple eyes, staring at her like she was the key to the secrets of the cosmos… 
Hunger welled up, more powerful than ever, and she found herself kneading at the flesh under her palms, shuddering with pleasure of her own at the keening, pleading, begging cries that echoed off the bookshelves around them and drove themselves into the depths of her soul. It drove her touch higher, until knees were draped over her shoulders and the moaning of her partner was sweet music in her ears.





A shudder passed through her, her body aching with want.  Here, in bed, surrounded by the familiar scents of shared bedsheets, with the smaller form pressed against her, a pleading whimper coming from Twilight’s lips, it was all she could do not to lose control. 
Wait.
Sunset’s eyes widened as her attention was suddenly focused on her girlfriend’s voice, breathy and full of sleep.  “....please, Sunset....” Twilight begged, her tone needy and desperate. “...more...Don’t stop...” 
Sudden clarity brought with it a hyper awareness of the situation. The fact that that wasn't fear in her voice, but desire, the way her hands were gripping Sunset’s arms in vice grips, the flush on her cheeks, the way that Sunset’s leg was trapped between the dark haired girl’s thighs in a way that could never be construed as anything but intimate.  Sunset froze, eyes wide and startled, all other thoughts fleeing her head in that moment.  Her control was already balanced on a knife’s edge—she could hear her own breathing coming in harsh pants, and her nerve endings tingled in a way that she couldn't decide was physical, magical, or both.  
There was a throbbing ache between her legs that worsened with every beat of her heart, and she let out a low, panted moan of her own before she could stop it. Sunset clenched her fists against Twilight’s shoulders, fighting with herself; the urge to roll them over, waking Twilight up even as she pinned her to the mattress wouldn't leave her mind.  
“Sparky, please, wake up...” she hissed in desperation.  This couldn't be happening, shouldn't be happening, but it was, and she had no idea how to stop it...and she cursed the part of herself that didn't want to stop it.
It would be so easy…and Twilight’s words from the night before raced across her mind like a tantalizing piece of fruit just out of reach. She could pin her down, reenacting the dream in the waking world, until Twilight couldn't remember anything but Sunset’s touch…the thought of her begging, arching needily into whatever the redhead decided to do, however she decided to touch her…it almost broke her.
She had to get away before she lost control completely.
Tears leaked from her eyes as she struggled to extricate herself from the tangle of bodies and sheets, fighting Twilight’s gripping hands and sleepy whimpers. She could feel the way the soft body arched and writhed against her despite trying to get away from the touch… Heated breath panted against her shirt, the warmth passing through the fabric to tickle over her breasts until her nipples ached and making the hot need between her legs that much worse.
Twilight whined, and a jolting movement from Sunset pressed the dark haired girl’s knee higher, and pleasure slammed into the former unicorn that almost sent her careening off the bed.  She dug her nails into her own palms hard enough to hurt, using pain to hold onto the last threads of control she had. It lasted just long enough to let her tear herself free, landing on the floor in her mad scramble with a thump, shivering and shaking violently.
Her girlfriend whined in her sleep at the loss of contact, reaching for the now missing body. Sunset wanted nothing more than to soothe her, to hug and hold her, but she didn’t trust herself, not with the dream and desire almost ruling over her. She needed to get away…to push it all down and get her control back before she gave in and did something that would destroy both her and her relationship with her best friend.  
Lurching to her feet, she fled to the bathroom, leaning against the sink in the dark, panting.  Sunset brought her hand up, scrubbing the tears off her face, trying to tell herself that she wasn't a horrible mare, that she would never force herself on Twilight like that…that her reaction was a result of her emotions and her human body’s biology…but somewhere, deep down, she didn't believe it. For the briefest of moments, in the near total darkness of the bathroom, it felt like when she looked in the mirror, the demon of her nightmares looked back, smugly satisfied and pleased with herself…
> Interlude XXVIII: Love Advice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was earlier than Cadence preferred to be up, but a frantic phone call had roused her almost before the sun rose. After talking down one of her friends from the station from a panic after a particularly disastrous Valentine’s Date, she found herself shuffling about the kitchen, setting on a pot of coffee to clear the cobwebs from her brain.  As she stared petulantly at the percolator, cursing its slow speed, she could hear the ceiling creek overhead, suggesting that someone else was awake and she would soon have company. She half turned towards the kitchen door, expecting Twilight Velvet or Night Light, given the hour.
So when Sunset dragged herself into the kitchen, eyes shadowed and bloodshot, Cadence immediately became concerned.  That worry increased when those eyes lit upon her with something akin to desperate relief, and the fiery haired girl spoke in a shaking voice. “....C-Cadence?”
It was a tone she was far more used to hearing from Twilight, when her Ladybug was overwhelmed and stressed and fighting off a meltdown with everything she had. It was so like Twilight that the pink skinned woman couldn’t resist her instinctive impulse to leave her mug by the coffee machine to gather the teen into a gentle hug.  “Sunset, what’s wrong? Bad dream?”  When Sunset leaned into the hug, Cadence felt a bubble of happiness well up inside her…though that quickly deflated when a sound of distress escaped the younger girl. “…I’m here to listen if you want to talk about it.”
The redhead started to nod, before shaking her head, then going still. After a quiet moment, she finally voiced a soft, “…I-I don’t know…Maybe? It…wasn’t really that, but other stuff…and…can…can we talk?” Her voice quivered a little, and as she pulled back from the hug, the expression on her face, so lost and exhausted and stressed, that Cadence’s heart went out to her, even as she realized that Sunset trusted her enough to confide something in her.
Patting her on the upper back the same way she would for Twilight, she gave her an encouraging smile. “Of course we can, Sunset. Here? Or would you like us to move somewhere a bit more private?”
“Private, please,” Sunset responded quickly, her hands curling into awkward fists close to her chest, shifting from foot to foot. It was a mannerism that the woman had noticed her display in times of stress or agitation.  “If…I mean…if it’s not too much trouble…?”
Gentle fingers smoothed some of the wild hair back from Sunset’s forehead, trying to help her relax. “It’s perfectly fine, Sunset. That’s why I offered. We can use Mom’s office—before you worry, she doesn’t mind at all. It’s where I often go to talk with Twily when she doesn’t want to talk in her room. Everyone knows not to come in without knocking, and it's almost impossible to hear anything when the door is shut. Everything talked about there is private and in total confidence.” She met the girl’s eyes. “Does that sound like someplace you’d feel safe talking?”
She gave a slow, somewhat jerky nod, her face still wearing that lost expression.  “…yeah…okay…”  
Cadence suppressed the urge to frown, knowing that the warm, slight smile was more effective to helping lower stress and make someone feel comfortable about opening up than a scowl would be. Still, it did nothing to help combat the growing urge to find whoever had made Sunset feel like it wasn’t okay to seek out emotional support, so she could practice a few of the self-defense moves Shining had taught her on their person.  “You think this is an ice-cream talk? Or is it more a hot-cocoa-slash-coffee talk?” she asked, keeping her voice to the calm and comforting tones.
The girl blinked, not expecting the directed question, an odd, startled sound escaping her in her confusion.  It took her a moment to focus, clearly running the question through her mind again before she answered.  "Um…coffee? My stomach is..." She trailed off, grimacing and pressing a hand to her stomach, clearly nauseated.  Cadence took a closer look, realizing that Sunset was a few shades paler than normal, and remembered a recent talk with Velvet where her mother-in-law commented that she felt Sunset’s emotional stresses led to the girl’s stomach rebelling, sometimes violently.
"Coffee it is then,” she responded, giving her one more gentle shoulder pat before crossing back to the coffee pot, reaching into the cupboard for a second mug. She filled them both, prepping hers with the appropriate amount of creamer and sugar and glancing at Sunset in thought. The pink skinned woman decided it might be better if she took charge for the moment, with how Sunset was standing there, hands still fisted up against her chest.  “Two scoops of sugar and a generous splash of creamer for you, right?” Once she got a jerky nod in assent, she finished preparing the teen’s drink and led the way to Velvet’s office.
Cadence settled her on the well worn, well-loved, much used little couch in small room, clicking on the desk lamp to bathe the space in soft golden light, snagging the soft blanket that Twily always liked to hug during their private chats, and tucking it around Sunset's shoulders. Her smile returned full force when Sunset turned her face immediately into the fabric and inhaled, relaxing a fraction.  She pressed the mug of coffee into amber skinned hands and found a seat on the other end of the couch.  “Okay, before we start this talk, I want you to know that anything that gets shared here stays between you and me, unless you choose to share it with someone else.  The only exception I make for that is if I believe you or someone else is in danger of coming to actual physical harm, but if that happens, I’ll tell you that, and tell you who I believe we need to tell—and why.”  Wrapping her hands around her coffee mug and taking comfort in the heat seeping into her palms, Cadence watched Sunset closely. “This is the exact same rule I have when I talk to Twilight. Is that okay with you?”
"...that’s fine... It's not something I want Twilight to…find out about…not right now..." Sunset shook her head, sending sleep-tangled curls this way and that. “…but I don't want anyone to get hurt,” she whispered, almost too soft to hear. “Especially Twilight.”
The woman still heard it, but for the moment she let Sunset talk at her own pace, in her own fashion, listening patiently rather than asking too many leading questions or making any kind of demand. Someone like Sunset, who didn’t open up easily, with a rough past and a history of extreme self reliance couldn’t be pushed into opening up—that would only alienate her, drive her further into her own head.  As it was, the way the teenager was talking, it sounded like something more than just a bad dream—Twilight was usually Sunset’s go-to for those, and the fact that she didn’t want to tell Twilight whatever was eating at her right now was fairly telling.
Fingers toyed with the coffee mug before Sunset took a tentative sip, her eyes a million miles away.  “I feel like I’m losing control,” she said at last.
Blinking, Cadence watched Sunset for a minute. None of what she saw looked ‘out of control’ to her. In fact, other than seeming immediately exhausted and emotionally overwrought, Sunset looked healthier than ever, with six months of Velvet’s cooking having filled out her frame and a wardrobe that was no longer comprised mostly of worn, well patched and repaired things.  She scanned restless arms, but saw no signs of track marks or bruises, and the hug had detected no scent of alcohol or smoke—just whatever faintly scented shampoo the girl used. “Sunset,” she asked carefully, “can you explain what you mean by that?”
Silence, as troubled, shadowed eyes stared into the coffee mug as if it held the secrets of the universe.  "...It’s hard to explain," she admitted after a minute or two.  "...I...I feel like I'm fighting myself, all the time. What...what my body is feeling, what I find myself wanting..."  Sunset hesitated, hunching in on herself as if trying to seem even smaller.  "...I want it so badly sometimes that it hurts, but I'm..." she broke off, as if registering that her babbling was making no sense whatsoever.  
A few, slow deep breaths, and the redhead tried again, slower this time.  "I want her. Twilight, I mean.  Every day that goes by, I want her more.  She's...one of the best things to happen to me since I came to this city..." A humorless chuckle. "...By the Sun, if I'm honest, she's the best thing to happen to me in my entire life.  And I know that as much as I want her, she wants me too...but…what I want is all wrong! I almost—” Her voice cracked and the flow of words halted.
Never had she been quite so grateful that Lu had talked her into getting that degree in teen counseling on top of the journalism studies as she was in that moment. Cadence reached out a gentle hand and touched Sunset’s shoulder. “Sunset, I want you to stop and breathe a minute for me, okay? In and out, nice and slow, just like we make Twily do.”
Blue-green eyes shut, and the teenager did as she suggested, until the agitation bled off to a level where she was at least able to communicate. Cadence patted her shoulder before moving her hand back to her own personal space. “Better?”
“Yeah…sorry…”
She smiled. “You don't need to apologize, Sunset. It's obviously a subject that is very personal to you, and I’m flattered that you trust me enough to confide in me about it.” The she made a thoughtful sound. “Though I would like to ask for a little clarification on what it is you are ‘wanting,’ and the situation with you and Twilight before we get into why it’s creating these feelings for you?” She gave a soft chuckle. “I want to make sure I’m not misunderstanding and offering bad advice based on a false premise. Can we do that?”
Sunset nodded, setting her coffee mug on the low coffee table. “…sex. I…Want…Twilight physically…but you…know about that part.” Her hands fisted and twitched in her lap now that she wasn’t holding a scalding hot beverage. “But…last night…I realized…it's more than just the physical…I had her…under me….and I liked it…which was…we talked…because I don't want to hurt her, and it was like how I first saw her, and I didn’t want to make her feel like they did…but she said it was okay…because she trusts me….”
Her voice filled with painful anguish. “She trusts me, and she shouldn’t….I feel like I’m at war inside, with wanting to do things to her…” Horrified eyes full of self loathing looked up at Cadence. “I had a dream. I've had them before…but not like this. It was…I was like the old me…exerting power over her…but with…sex…instead of bullying…and when I woke up…I wanted to do it all while I was awake. Just wake her up and…do what I was imagining…and it took everything I had to stop and get away before I hurt her.”
She watched as the redhead curled in on herself, rubbing at her eyes with the back of one still fisted hand, looking for all the world as if she was expecting condemnation and judgment.  There was a part of her that wondered, not for the first time, if wherever Sunset had lived, before being tossed out on her own, had been an environment where sexuality and sex where considered shameful, or at least forbidden to discuss openly, because it was starting to feel like Sunset had been taught the basic mechanics and little else—things she could have easily read in a textbook or off the internet.
Cadence kept her voice very calm, and not for the first time when faced with someone in the throes of an emotional breakdown, wished she could manage Luna's cool, professional, yet caring tones that seemed to work wonders with teens of all backgrounds. "Focus on breathing again for me, Sunset. It's okay...you are safe here.  I'm not going to judge or condemn you for things you did in the past.”  Pausing, while she waited for the teen to look less distraught, "Alright...I'm wondering just how much do you know about how sex and intimacy can work between two consenting individuals? Has anyone—besides me or Twilight—ever talked to you about sex, or let you ask questions?"
Those eyes went wide and Sunset turned red, though whether it was embarrassment or shame, Cadence wasn't entirely certain. “…that’s complicated,” she mumbled. “…it’s different here from back…home.” The hesitation was slight, but telling. “I…know how things work. I read the biology books, and I’m not ignorant of ‘where babies come from.’” She looked away. “…I forged a parental note to get out of sex ed—I had better things to do with my time than spend an entire month every year getting the same lecture about information that took ten minutes to read on my own…and since I never planned on letting anyone get that close to me, it…never felt worth looking more into it.” She grabbed her coffee and took a long, bracing sip. “…so not really. Just you and Sparky…”
The pink skinned woman mulled over the words, then asked, “Can you explain how it’s different here to where you were?” She searched for an example, then said, “For example, in some cultures, a girl wouldn't be told anything until her wedding night and the expectation is that she would refrain from engaging in any intimacy with anyone except her husband. Is it that kind of different?”
Sunset visibly shuddered. “Nothing like that, thank the stars.” Licking her lips, she fell quiet for several minutes. “It's…I talked about it before…it’s like everyone here is oversexed but repressed at the same time?” She sighed, the air escaping from her nose in a way that was almost a snort. “Here…people just…have sex for the sex, but then there's also people putting all these…restrictions on who or how or why, which just…it makes no sense.” One hand gripped her elbow. “I can't do that. It’s…it’s supposed to be about…trust…and feelings, and wanting to share all of yourself with somepo—somebody else.”
A small laugh escaped Cadence before she could stop it. “That is…an exceedingly accurate representation of sex as portrayed in mainstream media and to an extent, mainstream culture.”  Sobering, she made a loose gesture with one hand. “I’m going to guess then, that most of your knowledge other than what Twily or I have told you is from that source?”
Another awkward shrug, Sunset’s face still slightly flushed. “…such as it is. Before Twilight….I never wanted to let anyone that close, so I mostly ignored anything to do with it. I…had a boyfriend last summer, but it was all part of my plans to control the school, so it…never went anywhere. I barely even kissed him unless it was for the social games—you know, ‘popular girl has cute boyfriend who everyone likes?’”
 “I’m familiar,” Cadence responded dryly. “I imagine it also served to prevent unwanted attention from other boys?”
Sunset wrinkled her nose in disdain. “…which was the other reason for dating Flash. He respected boundaries, and I had to introduce fewer guys to my size nine and a half.”
Rolling her eyes, the pink skinned woman nodded. “That’s ‘guy code’ for you. A girl says no, and it means ‘keep trying’, but the instant they realize they are treading on another man’s ‘territory,’ they back off.” She huffed. “It can be infuriating.” It felt satisfying when Sunset laughed, and she shook her head. “However, I think we’re off topic here…”
The teen seemed more relaxed with the banter, which she counted as a win. It made the next bit go smoother. “To summarize, most of your knowledge on sex comes from mainstream media and textbooks, the latter of which is heavy on biology and light on anything more than ‘this is how babies happen, don't do it.’” At the nod of agreement, Cadence continued, “Now, if you’d like to learn more, I do have some materials I can loan you that focus more on the aspects of sexual and emotional intimacy…or I’m happy to answer any questions you want to ask.”
“…I like books,” Sunset said quietly. “…but...that…doesn’t help…with losing control…”
Cadence took a drink from her own mug before she addressed that.  "To a certain extent, yes it will...because what you're feeling is completely normal, Sunset, just like I told you before. Sexual desires are a complicated thing, and every person has different things that triggers desire…but desire itself is a normal thing.  It's not bad or wrong to feel desire, and doing so does not make you a bad person or some kind of twisted evil monster." She paused as she saw the girl whiten a little, and it hurt to realize she'd hit the nail on the head with her words.  Sunset did see herself as a monster for having normal teenage desires.
It was official, she decided. If she ever met Sunset’s former guardian, that person was in for a world of hurt—forget the self defense moves from Shining. She’d raid Luna’s SCA weapons cache instead. Maybe shove a bardiche where the sun didn’t shine.
First though, she needed to focus on the teenager who sat nearby.  “I will freely admit, being caught up in the moment with someone you care deeply for, when all the kisses and touches makes your heart race and it feels hard to breathe…desire at that moment can feel like you are losing control…because in a way you are. You’re letting go…and…like you said earlier…you're letting someone see the hidden parts of you. You’re trusting that they won't look at the things you hide away from the world and laugh or be disappointed. You’re letting them in. Letting them see things most people will never know…and that can definitely feel like you’re losing control of yourself and the situation, especially when you’re dealing with fear or shame about some of those aspects of your identity.” Her hand reached out to steady the shaking ones holding a coffee mug, her voice as soothing as she could make it. “But let me ask a very important question. When you woke up, let's say you had followed through with your desire from your dream…but when Twilight woke up she said, ‘Sunset, stop, I don't like that.’ What would you have done?”
“I…would have tried to stop. I promised her I’d never hurt her like that…” There was another of those distressed sounds from Sunset. “…but what if I couldn’t? If I really lost control?” Her voice grew even smaller. “Bad things happen when I lose control. I hurt po--people.”
Thinking about what Luna had told her about Sunset, about comments Twilight had made, and about what the adults had put together from Shining’s findings, Cadence was starting to get a better picture of Sunset, and it was heartbreaking. Even the girl’s own words were painting a painful picture of the kinds of things the girl would have to have been told to internalize an attitude like that. It wasn't ‘people get hurt,’ it was ‘I hurt people.’ “Sunset…” She chose her words carefully. “…while I believe you, like any person, have the capacity for terrible violence, the Sunset I’ve come to know, the person my Ladybug adores, is compassionate and considers other peoples’ feelings with an empathy and care beyond her years. No matter what people may have blamed you for in the past, you are a good person, deep down.” Cadence winked. “Twily is very vocal about that.”
Sunset sagged, discarding her cup again, this time to hug the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Twilight’s got a weird bias,” she mumbled. 
“Almost like you showed her the real you from the get go,” Cadence pointed out. “A bad person doesn't jump into a fight against physically stronger opponents and terrible odds for a complete stranger.” She scooted closer, and hugged Sunset around the shoulders. “You are more than you’ve been convinced you are, and we see that, even if you aren't ready to yet.”
Hands clutched at the blanket, but Sunset leaned into the hug for a minute. “…I’m trying…I want to be someone Twilight can be proud of. I want…I want to show her that being my friend wasn't a mistake.”
The woman shook her head. “She will never consider being your friend a mistake. You’ve changed her life—are changing her life, with every day that goes by.” Idly, she ran her fingers through Sunset’s hair, the same way she had done when Twilight was little, and the way Velvet had done for all of the children under her care over the years. “She talks about you all the time, you know. I haven't had a single conversation with her since you two met that hasn't involved her talking about you at some point.”
That got a tiny, lopsided little smile out of Sunset. “…nerd…” she murmured with affection. “…I can only imagine what she’s said.”
“Can't tell you. Big-sister confidentiality.” The grin on her face coaxed a stronger smile out of the teen. “The point is, you are being a little too harsh on yourself. I don't believe for a single second that if Twilight asked you to stop, that you wouldn't do everything in your power to do so.” 
She considered something else that she had noticed. “…I'm also beginning to wonder if this loss of control is not the problem but a symptom.”
Sunset’s full attention was on her now, and she pulled out of the hug to turn towards Cadence more fully. “What do you mean?”
She answered with another question. “When you ‘control’ your emotions, what do you do?”
Brows furrowed. “It's like fire…under my skin…wanting to burn out and explode…so I…pull it in, and…” she made an obscure gesture with her hands, “…I push it down deeper, so it doesn't explode…deep, like into my bones…wrap myself around it until it stops trying to get out. Eventually, I can calm down and it stops.”
Just as she thought. “Do you ever take the emotion out to figure out why you felt that way?”
“Um…sometimes? If I’m alone I can do that…but it’s not usually too complicated….” Sunset grimaced. “It's pretty easy to figure out what made me angry.”
Sighing, Cadence thought for a minute about how best to explain it. “I…think that might be part of the problem. You are suppressing your emotions, and then never working through them. Is it safe to assume you do the same ‘squish it down until it stops’ technique with your recent desires for Twilight?” At the slow nod, Cadence tapped her fingers on her knees. “That's…not exactly healthy, Sunset. Containing volatile emotions in the moment to keep them from getting away from you is a reasonable response, but you still need to deal with them eventually. Otherwise they build up until you can't contain them any more and they have nowhere to go but out.”
The teenager looked away, staring at the wall. “I’ve been trying to be better about stuff like that. It's why I asked for space last week. I had to fix all the stuff that got stirred up in my head.” She chewed absently on a thumbnail. “…it…helped…some.”
Cadence could work with that. “Alright…so let's look at your desires for Twilight. You said it's a mutual desire for physical intimacy between the two of you?”
Sunset’s cheeks turned red. “…yeah. We talked a bit last night…but I’m…not ready…there's just so much about it…about me…about what it means. I want to, so bad it hurts sometimes…” Her voice was shaky and she wouldn’t look at Cadence, shoulders slumped like the weight of the world rested on them. “…but it means things I don't know if I…”
She had that million mile stare again, and Cadence wondered briefly if she was even aware entirely of what she was saying.  “It means this thing between her and I is more than I ever thought it could be...it means I want this, want her, maybe forever...” she paused, and when she spoke again, it was words voiced so softly they were almost inaudible.  “It means telling her everything about me, including all the things I’ve been avoiding…It means never going home again...”
The pain in that whisper was almost tangible, and Cadence’s heart twisted in empathy for the redheaded girl seated beside her.  While it wasn’t the first time—nor would it likely bet the last—that she heard that kind of pain from someone, they usually weren’t someone she was as close to as she had become to Sunset Shimmer, who in many ways she was coming to think of in the same ways thought about Twilight: as a younger sister with whom she could share sisterly laughter and secrets with, someone whose successes and joys she could celebrate, whose sorrows and suffering she could help alleviate with hugs and copious amounts of ice cream and chocolate.  There was little that she could offer in this matter though, beyond pulling her into a tight hug. “Oh, Sunset…I wish there was a magic way to make this better, I really do, because I’m guessing that wherever your home before this was, it is not in a place where you can be open about your relationship with Twilight.”  
When the body in her arms stiffened, she hastened to reassure Sunset that her privacy was still respected. “You don’t have to tell me where, or any of the details as to why.  I just want you to remember what we said at Christmas and last night. You have a home here, with this family, with Twilight and her parents and Shining and me too, for as long as you want it. I know it doesn’t undo the past or change it, but I hope that it does help…and for what it's worth, that part of your life and your past won’t always be as bad as it feels right now.”
Sunset made a sound like she was choking on a laugh. “No...no...I couldn’t take Sparky there...that would end in a huge disaster, for so many reasons.”  She let out a breath.  “...and knowing I’m welcome here...it doesn’t solve the problem. I don’t want to make a choice—it’s...No matter what choice I make, I lose…and I feel like I’m running out of time.”
Cadence tilted her head, feeling a little confused, "Why do you feel that way?”
Blue-green eyes finally looked back and met Cadence's gaze, tired and strained by far more than just the current topic. "...I...I'm not good with temptation," she admitted at last. "...I’m fighting with myself every time I’m with her to not just…go through with it and take it that far…and on top of that...there are things I...things I need to tell Twilight that I've been putting off, because I'm not ready, because like I said, then it's real..."  It wasn't much of an answer, and it was abundantly clear that Sunset was avoiding disclosing something at the core of the whole knotted up mess.
Once again, Cadence had to consider her approach, not wanting to destroy the rapport that had formed during the conversation by pushing too hard about what Sunset was going out of her way not to share.  “Maybe we can look at this from a different angle? What’s the worst possible outcome that you believe could happen, if you were to give into temptation?”
The redheaded girl stopped, her expression twisting up with contemplation as she genuinely considered the question.  “...besides sex?”
Cadence nodded encouragingly. "Yes, besides the fact that you would have engaged in some kind of sexual intimacy. What are the possible bad things that doing this could cause?" She laughed softly.  “I know it might seem a little strange, but sometimes verbalizing what has you tied up in knots can help you see it from another angle. Do you think you can try that for me?"
“I can try...” Sunset’s brow furrowed in thought. “It...it would mean that I’ve made my choice, even if I didn't actively make the choice.  It would mean that I...have to tell her the...things I’ve been avoiding talking about, because she...she would deserve to know about it. It would mean...coming clean to her about all of my past, about everything, even the stuff I’ve only touched on before.”  Despite the curiously detached manner in which she spoke, Sunset Shimmer was trembling all over, minute muscle twitches that made her seem about ready to bolt.
One hand started to rub slow, soothing circles on Sunset’s back, as Cadence mulled over the response.  “…Okay, so for you, having sex means that you’ve chosen Twily over the past, and that you feel you’ll need to be completely honest with her about that past.  I can’t see anything there to really disagree with—honesty and communication with your partner are two of the fundamental foundations of any healthy relationship.”  Voice still gentle, she continued after giving that a minute to sink in, “It seems like something about doing that is extremely terrifying for you, Sunset. Do you think you can explain to me why it frightens you, what about it is so upsetting?”
"....Because it could change everything. Because it could cost me everything. I...I don't know if Sparky will still want me once she knows the truth of who I am....and if...if that happens after everything, after I've gone that far...made that choice..." There was something broken in that hanging thought, something full of fear and the potential for despair.
She tilted the redhead’s face up to look at her. “Sunset, I've known Twily since she was born, and I am very confident that she would never, ever do something like that to you.” Cadence tried to inject a little levity into the situation, "Even if you were to turn out to secretly be a princess in disguise, Sunset, on the run from movie-style bad guys and shady government agencies... I promise, it wouldn't change you being important to this family, or how much we all love you. Especially Twilight.”
There was a biting harshness to clipped words. “I’m no princess. I’ve proven more than once that I will never deserve a title like that.” Sunset picked up her coffee mug, drinking deeply. “…but how can you be so sure it won't ruin everything?”
It was time to put some cards on the table. “…because…I know how you feel. I know what it's like to be afraid that you're going to lose a friendship because of the complicated mess that sex and secrets creates.”
Sunset looked at her oddly. “I was under the impression you and Shining have been together longer than Twilight’s been alive.”
“I’m not talking about Shining.”
The silence in the room was so total that it was almost oppressive. She forced herself to clear her throat and explain. “I…felt that way once about my best friend…afraid that one night of lost control and confessed secrets was going to mean I would no longer have her in my life.” Cadence smiled faintly at the memories that she now looked back on with amused fondness. “But…like your friendship with Twilight, it was made of stronger stuff…and our desire to remain friends was stronger than anything that could tear us apart—it was certainly stronger than a six pack of cheap beer and some brownies laced with more than just chocolate chips.”
Cadence could tell she had Sunset’s attention now. “Think honestly about your friendship with Twilight, Sunset. Would you turn her away if she told you some deep dark secret about herself?”
“No!” Sunset’s response was immediate and intense, like the very thought was offensive.
She tilted her head curiously. “…then do you honestly believe she would do it to you?”
Silence, but this time it was a thoughtful, contemplative one. “You can't let yourself be ruled by fear, Sunset,” she encouraged. “If you let fear get a hold of you, it will take your ability to choose away from you. Have a little faith in the people in your life.  We love you for who you are, and I can't see any revelation changing that." She nudged her playfully. "It’s obvious to all of us that Twilight is totally and completely head over heels for you, and we couldn't be happier about that. You're family, no matter what you do or say, because that’s what family means—no matter what kind it is, real love is unconditional, and it persists, even when things are at their worst."
They sat quietly for a long time, Cadence allowing Sunset the chance to think things through. It gave her a chance to finish her coffee, and feel a great deal more awake than she had been. It was interesting to watch the emotions playing across the girl’s face, cycling from worried to afraid to angry, before finally settling on something Cadence would call ‘determined.’ “You’re right…” she admitted. “I’ve been…letting fear rule me…” Blue-green eyes meet Cadence’s. “Thanks…for listening…and helping me.”
“Do you feel any better?”
The teenager shrugged loosely, but it was missing the coiled tension from before. “…better than I did. I still need to do some thinking about…what I want…and I still don't feel ready…but…I’m not an emotional wreck anymore, at least?”
Cadence reached out to brush some of the tousled curls from Sunset's face, "You'll be ready when you're ready, Sunset, and I promise, you’ll know when that is. You won’t need anyone to help you there, so try not to let it get to you too much. I'm really glad though, that you felt comfortable enough to come to me with this." She held her arms out, letting the girl choose whether or not to initiate a hug this time, "And I meant what I said before, I'm proud of you for seeking help."
The teenager did hug her, though it was much shorter than one Twilight might've given her. "...Um...I did have something else I wanted to ask. You can say no, and I won't be upset...but...I've been organizing a park beautification project for next weekend with a friend. We're going to try and clean up in the park, and we've gotten permission to install some new animal feeders. Is...there any way you'd be willing to mention it on the radio or something--we’ve been advertising around school and to neighborhoods where people from school live, but…it's a big project that could really use as many volunteers as we can get to help out."
The pink skinned woman beamed, "Oh, what a wonderful idea!  Of course I can!  You write down the details, and I'll make sure word gets out. Do volunteers need to bring anything with them, or does your group have supplies organized already?"
"I'll get you the details before I leave today. And...we have all the basics—we’ve gotten a ton of donations and a bunch of local businesses have chipped in with supplies. They just need to wear old clothes that they don't care if they get messed up or dirty.” Sunset smiled. "...one of our groups will be repainting park benches, and others will be picking up trash or hanging animal feeders and bird houses.”
Cadence laughed and ruffled Sunset's hair, "That's why I know nothing can change you being part of us. No one who can care about the little things like that could have done something all that terrible in the past." She hopped up, and offered the girl a hand, "Anyway, I feel an urge to make pancakes for breakfast. Want to come help me, then you can surprise Twily with breakfast in bed for the two of you? How does that sound?"
Sunset made a strange sound. "...that...sounds wonderful," she answered. "...when I was little...that's what..." she halted awkwardly, then forged ahead. "...my mom would make...I've never managed to find pancakes as good, anywhere...but maybe these'll be close?"
It was small, but it was progress, and Cadence would take it.  "We can give it a go, and even if it's not quite the same, I'm sure pancakes eaten with Twily will have their own sweetness." With an exaggerated wink, she led the way back to the kitchen.
> Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Breakfast in Bed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset balanced the tray carefully so she could open the door to Twilight’s room. It was a challenge; breakfast for two was fairly cumbersome, particularly when she had to balance the heavily loaded tray with one arm so her free hand could twist the knob. Several failed tries where her movements almost unsettled the tray and she had to let go of the door to stabilize the food made her long for her telekinetic abilities. Hands had some definitive bonuses, however, multiple object manipulation was not one of them--as a unicorn, she could juggle carrying a few dozen heavy objects in varying, complex orbits and patterns, as well as never spill a drop from a rapidly moving porcelain tea service and never even blink.
All the same, she managed, shutting the door behind her with a hip...though that part was more accidental than anything because of how she had to maneuver herself through the doorway with the delicious smelling breakfast.  The sound of it shutting caused Twilight to stir in the bed, purple eyes blinking owlishly around, one hand fumbling to find her glasses.  Chuckling, Sunset set the tray on the desk. “Easy, Sparky,” she murmured. “Here...” She picked up the glasses that had been on the nightstand on her side of the bed, sliding them onto the other girl’s face. “You fell asleep with them on last night after our talk. I took them off so you wouldn't mess them up.”
There was still a little twinge of discomfort in her guts when she thought about the night before, but it was rapidly dissolving away before the eyes staring at her with so much affection in them.  “Thanks,” Twilight responded, sitting up further. “You’re up early...”
“No, I’m not, nerd,” Sunset countered. “You’re up late. It’s almost ten AM.” She couldn't help the smirk that played across her features, especially when Twilight whipped her head around to check her alarm clock in surprise.
“I never sleep this late...”
Sunset sat on her side of the bed, leaning over to twine their fingers together. “Hey,” she found herself saying, automatically trying to make her girlfriend relax a little. “You had a rough week, Sparky, and you said yourself you didn't sleep well. You needed to rest.”
The dark haired girl shifted closer, tilting her face up to brush Sunset’s lips with a featherlight kiss. “I always sleep better when you're here,” she whispered, voice soft and eyes bright. 
A shiver passed through the former unicorn, and she reflexively clamped down on the stirring magic that wanted to respond to the emotions.  “And I’ll be here anytime you need me, Sparky.”
A lavender skinned hand came up, tucking some of her hair behind her ear before pressing a palm against her cheek. She nuzzled into the touch, her lips quirking into a smile, and realized she shouldn't have been worried.  Despite the rough night she’d had, it hadn't ruined their closeness, or the feelings of affection and trust between them. Twilight still occupied this special place within her mind and heart that made her different from any other human or pony Sunset had ever known. Cadence’s words played through her mind, and she exhaled slowly. She wasn't going to let fear paralyze her anymore.
“Sunny?” Twilight’s voice broke her out of her introspection. “Are you okay?” The hand pressed to her cheek shifted, fingertips stroking delicately against her skin. 
“Yeah...” she responded, her own hand tangling into Twilight’s loose hair so she could drag her forward. Covering her girlfriend’s lips with her own, she stopped fighting against the rising hunger in her soul quite so fiercely, letting it influence how she explored Twilight’s mouth with a playful tongue, the surprised squeak from the other teen becoming an eager whine.
That sound echoed in more than her ears and she pressed forward even more, until they tumbled back against the pillows, wanting—no, needing—to hear more sounds like that from her companion.   Her mouth reluctantly parted from kiss-bruised lips, but she found other places to press it, nibbling and dragging her teeth against the smooth, soft skin of Twilight’s throat, each playful love bite eliciting another of those whimpering noises...and when she made her way to the place where neck and shoulder met, she bit down lightly, on flesh already marred by a mark from the night before.  That action drew a gasping cry from her Sparky, and eager hands tugged her back up to crash their mouths together again.  
They broke for air when they could no longer fight the burning in their lungs, and Sunset finally pushed back the urges into the corner of her mind, dazedly panting.  Blue-green eyes met purple ones that were equally dazed and passion-drunk, and Twilight let out a little puzzled noise. “Sunny...you taste like strawberries...”
Strawberries? Why...oh. Right.  Oops.
Sunset rolled off her girlfriend and back into a seated position. “Um...right, because...” she stammered, before twisting to retrieve the tray. “I made us breakfast. Well....Cadence and I made breakfast, but I wanted to bring it to you and surprise you?” Heat made her ears—thankfully still human—burn with a bit of embarrassment.
Twilight adjusted herself so she was sitting up with her back against the headboard. “That was sweet, but you never get up early. Are you sure you're okay?”
“...yeah, I am now,” Sunset said, scooting to join her so they could share the breakfast tray. “I woke early—I was really stuck in my own head, all twisted up, ya know? I went to get some coffee, and Cadence was there. We ended up talking and she...she gave me some good advice, made me realize a few things.”  She gave the dark haired girl one of her crooked smiles.  “I realized I’ve been letting fear control me, letting it make some choices for me...and that’s not who I am.”
Twilight gave a nod, then looked down at the plate Sunset was offering her, piled up with heart shaped pancakes, real butter and a light coating of syrup drizzled over it, with an arrangement of sliced strawberries around the base of the fluffy stack, all of them trimmed into heart shapes. Curious eyes flitted back to Sunset, who blushed. “Cadence showed me how to cut them like that. I made the pancakes though...it's a recipe from when I was little. She loved to make pancakes for breakfast, since she always got up with the Sun.”  The former unicorn was proud of herself; she was getting better with talking about those early moments without the heart wrenching longing and ache that had plagued her for years.  “....Do...do you like it?”
Twilight leaned over to kiss her cheek. “It looks delicious, Sunset, and it means a lot that you used a recipe that has such a special connection to your childhood…that you wanted to share something special like that with me.” 
Pleasure warmed Sunset’s heart as she watched her girlfriend dig into the meal with even more than her usual enthusiasm, fighting the urge to laugh. Twilight always seemed to eat like it was going to be taken away from her if she didn't finish it fast enough (so did Shining Armor, now that Sunset considered it), and Sunset wondered where she’d acquired that habit.  Still, the fact that she seemed to really enjoy the pancakes she was rapidly decimating into a few crumbs and sticky syrup puddles made her feel accomplished, and she turned her attention to her own breakfast, her stomach reminding her irritably that it too desired food.
For a long few minutes, there was only the sound of silverware on plates as the two teenagers made short work of the meal. Once both had finished eating, Sunset stacked the plates back on the tray and put it back on the desk so it was out of the way. When she turned back, she found Twilight studying her intently. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
“No...I’m just...wondering what it is that you were afraid of, and...” she bit her lip worriedly, “...and why you didn’t say anything to me? Did I do something wrong?”
Sunset blinked, then reached out to put an arm around Twilight’s shoulder, pulling the smaller body close to her side. “No!” she told her urgently, resting her forehead against dark hair. “You did nothing wrong, Sparky, and I don’t want you thinking that! You have been nothing but patient and accepting of everything about me that is strange and backwards and messed up.”  
“You’re not messed up, Sunny,” Twilight responded firmly. “You’re you, and it's you that I care about.” Her fingers found Sunset’s, lacing them together and squeezing. “But if it wasn’t something I did, what were you afraid of?”
That was the million bit question she still wasn’t ready to explain. She needed a little more time to get her thoughts in order, preferably at home alone, where Twilight’s....everything...wasn’t slowly driving her to distraction.  The redhead fidgeted a little, trying to focus."I...I'm not ready to tell you yet,” she admitted at last.  “Not about that, or about...well...everything I haven’t told you about me. I’m...just not quite there, but...I’m getting there." She gave the other girl a solemn look, "I promise, when I am ready, I’m going to tell you everything. No holding back, no secrets, everything about the screwed up life of Sunset Shimmer, yours to know...Just...give me a little more time?”
Her girlfriend stared at her blanket covered toes for a long time, brow pinched and eyes narrowed, before she blew a frustrated breath out between her lips.  Sunset had to swallow a giggle at just how pony-like the sound was, before tilting Twilight’s face towards hers and kissing her softly. “I promise, Sparky, okay?”
"I know…and I meant what I said last night about waiting until you were ready—that goes for this as much as anything else really," the lavender skinned girl said finally, eyes wandering to the picture frame on her desk where the colorful flowers could be seen still announcing their secret message in bright colors.  "I...just…I hate knowing that I don't know something...but that's what Doctor Soft-Spoken calls a ‘me thing.’  Not having an answer I know exists to a question does things to my brain, because when that happens all it wants is to figure out the answer." 
She gave Sunset a sheepish smile.  "I was even worse when I was younger, because I didn't understand the concept of personal privacy and social boundaries. It took Mom and Dad a long time to teach me how to realize when someone didn't feel comfortable with something...and I still miss the cues sometimes when I get fixated on something…which you've seen.”
Chuckling, the former unicorn nuzzled her affectionately, dropping another kiss on lips that tasted faintly of syrup and strawberries.  “It’s fine, Sparky. Most of the time, your enthusiasm is kinda cute. And...again, it's complicated, but I don't want to let my issues keep getting in the way of being as close to you as I really want to.”
Purple eyes searched hers intently, a faint blush rising in Twilight’s cheeks as she ascertained exactly how Sunset meant those words, and she stumbled over her next sentence. “...You...and...but...I...” 
“Sparky, breathe, and try that again. I only speak one language here, not whatever that was,” she teased.
Twilight gave her a long look, but it was hard for Sunset to find it intimidating in any way when the smaller girl was blushing to the roots of her hair.  Composing herself, her girlfriend tried talking again. “I just want to make sure you don't feel pressured—last night was…intense…and even though I told you we could go at your pace…I…know I was a little pushy last night.”  She glanced away, then back. “...but if you really wanted...to…advance things further physically…I would…enjoy that a great deal.”
Swallowing the flicker of nervousness, Sunset pressed her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck, kissing that sensitive spot that never failed to get a reaction. “I…think I’d like to…” Her fingers trailed down the other girl’s arms, then back up to her shoulders, before moving down to her hips, all so she could tug her girlfriend into her lap.  Twilight went willingly, blankets left behind as she sat facing Sunset, smiling brightly.  Amber skinned fingers found the place where Twilight’s pajama top had ridden up, exposing her stomach, running over the skin there, Sunset taking in not only how Twilight reacted, but how she herself did. The flesh quivered beneath the pads of her fingers—for once, Sunset definitely appreciated human anatomy over her pony body’s limitations, because sweet sunlight, fingers were wonderful!  
She leaned back on the pillows so she could watch Twilight as her hand crept higher. “Is...is this okay? Going under the shirt?” she asked, placing her palms flat against a lavender skinned stomach, scant inches below the bottom of Twilight’s breasts, watching for any sign of discomfort.
Something twitched across Twilight’s face, too fast for Sunset to identify it, but she melted into the touch. “I...I love it when you touch me, Sunny...” she confessed. Pupils blown wide, cheeks still flushed, she rested her hands over Sunset’s.  “Please...don't stop?”
The echo of the needy, desperate pleas from the night before made Sunset’s nerve endings burn, and she had to take a few heartbeats to breathe and make sure her grip on her magic was secure—this would be an absolutely terrible time to sprout pony ears.  Her hands felt steadier than they should have been, her thumbs ghosting along the bottom curve of Twilight’s breasts, blue-green eyes focused entirely on the girl in her lap.  Twilight’s back arched slightly, a shaking sigh escaping parted lips, and from the angle she had ended up at, Sunset realized she could see the definitive outline of nipples distorting the fabric of the dark haired girl’s shirt.  “Still good?” she murmured, though she was fairly confident in what the answer would be. 
Nodding, Twilight shifted and squirmed, leaning into the touch. The redhead felt the goofy grin quirk her lips upward into a lopsided smile, savoring the expression on her companion’s face and the way the soft, pliant flesh felt when her hands moved higher. Experimentally, she squeezed just a little, trying to work out exactly what would feel good for her girlfriend.  She hadn’t done much more than squeeze them through the shirt last night, which was not helpful in figuring out where all the sensitive spots were.  It also didn't help that she couldn't remember any time that she manhandled her own breasts where it felt like much of anything, so she was still a little dubious on how they could possibly be some kind of erogenous zone. The quiet gasp when her fingers pressed into them confirmed that, at the very least, she was doing something right, and the way that Twilight’s hands found purchase on her shoulders, grip tightening when her thumbs flicked over her nipples made it very apparent that Twilight was enjoying herself.  Confidence growing and a heated knot of desire settling into her center, Sunset set to exploring every inch of Twilight’s breasts with the intense focus that she brought to bear on every important task she’d ever encountered.
She found it difficult to keep her concentration a few minutes later, when the hands on her shoulders found their way down her sides, the tips of lavender fingers brushing against the bottom of her shirt, occasionally finding a bit of exposed skin where the fabric had shifted. The touch was gentle, careful, and she realized dimly that it remained firmly in a place where Twilight had touched before, never progressing further. Her heart ached from the emotions swelling in it, all for the human Twilight Sparkle, who, even in the midst of such a moment, was trying to remain respectful of Sunset’s comfort level.
The lopsided smile brightened as she pulled her hands free of Twilight’s shirt.  When the other girl whined in disappointment, pulling her own hands back and looking worried that something was wrong, Sunset tugged one of Twilight’s hands to her lips, kissing the palm. “You’re okay, Sparky, really,” she soothed. “I...um...I just thought you might like...that maybe it would be easier if...” She knew she was completely red in the face now, her voice failing her as she found herself unable to put what she was trying to communicate into spoken words. Giving up on explaining that way, the former unicorn lifted herself up off the pillows she’d reclined against just enough so that she could lift her shirt up and drop it onto Twilight’s currently vacant side of the bed. 
Cool air made goosebumps rise along bare amber skin, but the chill was worth it as she took in the sight of wide purple eyes drinking her in with something akin to awe. “Oh,” Twilight managed in a squeaky voice.  Sunset relaxed back against the pillows once more, Twilight’s reaction so typical of her nerdy girlfriend that she almost burst into laughter..  
When it didn't seem like Twilight could muster the cognitive ability to do more than stare, Sunset tugged at her hand again, this time bringing it to rest just over where her heart pounded in her chest. “You...you can...touch...if you want. I...” she took a breath, drawing strength from the familiar hand and its warmth seeping into her. 
The action brought Twilight back to reality, and she tore her gaze away from Sunset’s chest, meeting her eyes with concern that had quickly banked the arousal. “Are you sure, Sunny?”
“I... I’m okay, Sparky.” She exhaled, the breath shaky on its exit from her lungs.  “I’m making this choice on my own, no pressure. I want to do this right now.” It was still a struggle to hold both magic and the fire in her veins in check, but she could manage, enough to take this step. She was Sunset Shimmer, and she wasn't going to be beaten by her own insecurities and fears.
Twilight leaned forward to rest their foreheads together. “At any point, if you say stop, I’ll stop.  Don’t hesitate to do so if it becomes too much, or if you don't like it.”
Even after months of the gesture, even with the lack of a horn on either of them, Sunset still felt the rush of good feeling and emotional intimacy from the sensation of their foreheads touching.  “I know,” she responded.  “I trust you.”  
The girl in her lap kissed her sweetly, little, light, short brushes of their lips coming together, while her hands snaked around Sunset’s body.  There she ran her hands up and down Sunset’s back, mapping and exploring the contours, angles, and curves with slow and careful touch, almost like she was painting a mental picture of how amber skin would look when she moved. Much like a blind woman might use her hands to ‘see’ Twilight let hers slowly move outward from Sunset’s spine as they strafed up and back down in a light caress, eventually bringing them to ghost up Sunset’s sides.
The redhead dropped her head back against the pillows, her senses consumed by the feeling of those hands on her back sending hot tingles through her nerve endings.  Her breath came in short pants, in between kisses, she found herself grinning that silly smile against her companion’s mouth. “...wow...” she managed, before giggling goofily.  
Twilight’s hands came up Sunset’s sides again, but this time she let her thumbs stretch out and run in a gentle arc against the sides and bottom of Sunset’s breasts, just as Sunset had done to her only minutes before.  Blue-green eyes went wide and a weird noise burbled up from her throat, her brain registering tactile sensations that were completely new.  Twilight immediately stopped, concern taking precedence over physical desire.
“Sunny? You okay?”
Sunset was quiet for a moment, mulling over her response to the touch and how it made her feel. Then she nodded, releasing a slow, somewhat shaky breath. “Yeah,” she confirmed, her voice catching, “...that was...new. Very new. I wasn’t expecting it to feel...good. I’ve never felt much of anything when I’ve handled them.”
“Did you want me to keep going?” Twilight asked carefully. “Or did you want to stop?”
Did she want her to stop? A tiny part of her said yes, but the heat building in her core that was starting to feel like fire in her veins demanded more, and the magic she was spending so much time trying to understand, the very magic that Twilight was doggedly researching and pursuing, that magic thrummed in harmony with her emotions and encouraged the desires in her heart. “I...don’t want you to stop...not yet. Keep...keep going, Sparky. I’m okay.”
Those hands moved again, calloused fingertips tracing the curves of her breasts, palms gently cupping and supporting their weight. Sunset bit back a groan, arching into Twilight’s hands.  “Ooooh...yeah. Waaay different...but....aaah...way better...” she panted, before kissing Twilight, hard, to make sure the shorter girl knew how much she liked it.
When they parted, Twilight lightly pinched her nipples between index finger and thumb, making Sunset gasp. “Would you...be alright if I tried something a little different, Sunny?”
She restrained herself just barely from making the noise that her pony instincts wanted her to make, knowing that not only was it nigh impossible with her current vocal chords but would probably freak Twilight out. Sunset settled for making a throaty sound instead. “...o...okay...”
Twilight shifted in her lap, sliding her body down slowly, which made Sunset angle her head down to watch in confusion. Purple eyes met hers once Twilight was level with her chest, and all rational thoughts vanished from her mind a half a heartbeat later.
Discord’s mismatched horns! Suddenly the human interest in teats made more sense than she would’ve cared to admit; the hot mouth that had closed around her nipple sent signals to her brain that made her feel like every nerve ending was hypersensitive, and the only thing that stopped her from crying out loudly was the quick act of biting down on two of her knuckles.  And when that same mouth began to apply sucking pressure, tugging and teasing on its prisoner? Sweet sunfire flooded her veins, making her feel lightheaded and hot, like she was charging her magic without the intent to release it as a spell. Nothing short of gagging her could’ve stopped the sounds that fell unbidden from her lips, a babbling mess of pleas, groans, moans, and gasps, intermixed with things that might’ve been words, drawn forth as the dark haired girl switched from one breast to the other and then back again.
When Twilight finally slid back up, Sunset was shaking and trembling, limp on the pillows and struggling to catch her breath.  Purple eyes danced with affection and humor, as her hand came to rest against Sunset’s cheek, and she drew in close to kiss her.  “...was that okay?” she asked shyly.
It took her pleasure-addled brain a minute to comprehend the question being asked.  “Was that...oh, Sparky,” she chuckled breathlessly, before tilting her head and snaking an arm around Twilight’s back so she could drop a searing kiss on the mouth that had worked magic on her. “...that was...amazing. You’re amazing.” 
For several more minutes, Sunset allowed herself to indulge in the way the intimacy and closeness made her heart race, the way Twilight whimpered against her when she slid amber skinned hands back up under her shirt.  Just as she had managed to wrestle Twilight’s shirt off, leaving them pressed together with skin on skin from the waist up, there was a knock on the door that almost made them both jump right out of their skins. 
Twilight froze in Sunset’s arms, eyes wide and fearful. Sunset nuzzled her. “Hey...it’s okay. Breathe, Sparky.”
“Girls?” Cadence’s voice calling through the door made Twilight relax.
“Um...yes...?” Twilight asked nervously.
The door opened a crack, enough for Cadence to poke her head in, the one hand shielding her eyes. “Ladybug, I know you’ve got decent insulation in the walls, but...if you don't want Mom and Dad to clue in about you and Sunset, you might want to keep it down.  They can’t hear anything downstairs, but it sounded like you were watching amateur porn from out here in the hall.”
Twilight whined in mortification, burying her face in Sunset’s chest.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Indulgence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	

After Cadence’s interruption, Twilight had slipped out of bed to lock the door, before crawling back under the covers and returning to her place curled up on top of Sunset.  Hopefully the lock would prevent anyone from barging in; with her sister-in-law’s reminder, she didn’t want to push her luck and get caught by her parents making out with her best friend, both of them bare from the waist up.  She just wasn't quite ready to end the quiet, deeply emotional and intimate moment with her fiery maned paramour, not when it was helping Sunset work through some of her thoughts and feelings.
She rested her cheek on Sunset’s chest, the feel of warm skin sending a tingle through her body, close enough that if she tilted her face up and Sunset tilted hers down, they could continue their kissing.  Which they did, long, slow exchanges that let them explore each other in new ways that they hadn’t before. Twilight was pleased by the faint mark she’d left on Sunset’s collarbone, low enough that her shirts would cover it, and by the way Sunset was pressing kisses to skin that had so far gone unmarked by the touch of her lips. Amber skinned arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly, the other teen also in no hurry to cut this shared affection short. The heat of Sunset’s body contrasted with the cooler air of her bedroom, making her shiver and snuggle further into her girlfriend’s embrace.
“Cold?” Sunset breathed in her ear, causing a shudder from something other than cold.
“Maybe a little,” was the admission that followed.
Sunset pulled the blankets up further, creating a cozy cocoon around them, making Twilight sigh in happiness. “Thank you, Sunny.”  She leaned up to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “How do you feel? Still okay and comfortable with everything?”
Quiet reigned for a few minutes, Sunset trying to gather her thoughts. Her brows furrowed and her nose scrunched up in the process.  “...I didn't know it would feel so...so...” The redhead shrugged, seeming to lack a way to describe what it felt like.
Twilight let a happy little sound escape her, content in the way she was surrounded by Sunset’s warm touch and pleasant scent.  It made her rub her cheek against where it rested, hearing the steady heartbeat speed up when she did so. “I liked it too,” she offered quietly. “It was...” Blood rushed to her cheeks.  “I...I’ve always...had this idea of...the kind of person I wanted to be with, way longer than I’ve known you...” 
Blue-green eyes watched her curiously, and she found herself stumbling a bit over her words.  “It...you...you're everything I’ve ever thought about wanting...in every fantasy...every dream...” Twilight felt like she was going to combust from how hot her face felt. “...Like this, right here, with you holding me and touching me and...”
Sunset’s expression was soft and filled with surprised wonder, her fingers stroking through dark hair, tucking some of it behind her ear.  “...you think about me like that?” she asked, her voice trembling and husky with emotion.  
“More than you know,” Twilight responded honestly.  “You’re gorgeous, smart, funny...when you hold me like this, I feel safe, wanted...when I’m with you I don’t feel awkward or strange or like something is wrong with me. You get me, like no one else, and you always seem to know just what I need, before I even tell you...” She tilted her face up to smile at Sunset.  
Leaning forward, the redheaded girl kissed her, a short, sweet kiss that ended far too soon for Twilight’s liking. Sunset’s eyes danced with...an undefinable something in their depths, before a hand slipped between their bodies, a calloused thumbpad rubbing over her nipple, drawing a whimper from her, the heady need for more of that touch making her squirm.  “Sunny...”
“You really imagined someone like me...doing things like this to you?”  The tone was playful, teasing, but Twilight knew there was something more serious underlying the question, that Sunset needed the knowledge the answer held, even if Twilight found it embarrassing to admit to the years of daydreams and fantasies aloud.
“This...and more...” Her face must have been glowing from how hot it felt.  “So much more...”
Sunset shifted under her, those dexterous fingers coaxing another whimper from her throat.  “Tell me..?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper, and Twilight could finally put a name to what she saw in those eyes: fear, hope, longing, desire...
She found herself answering in a flustered rush, falling back on her old safety net of science and logic.  “It’s...many adolescents fantasize while learning about their sexuality, and most of the time they begin vaguely formless with only basic ideas of pleasure.  I was different—I already knew that I was noticing other girls and I never looked at boys like Cady looked at Shining, so all of the fantasies I've ever imagined had another female in them, and she was always a certain kind of person…held me, made me feel safe and special and wasn't turned off by my intellect or the parts of my brain that just don't work the way that everyone else’s does…I’ve always imagined her as someone who didn’t mind taking the lead so I can just stop overthinking everything all the time and ever since I met you, all I see when I close my eyes and think about those things is you, and it makes me want you so bad that you’re in my every fantasy and dream—do you have any idea how many times I've dreamed about you pushing me up against a shelf in a library, or on a blanket under the stars?” Twilight ran out of air, forcing her to suck in a breath, and allowing her to get a handle on her thoughts before they ran away with her.  
Her girlfriend licked her lips.  “A...library, huh?” she managed.  “Sparky, you're such a nerd...even your fantasies are nerdy...”
The familiarity of the words brought back her dream from the night before, of heat and passion and glowing not-quite-right-but-still-familiar blue-green eyes, of Sunset pressing her hard into the library shelving and a bed of old paperbacks, teasing her, dominating and assertive in all the right ways to make Twilight’s heart race and her breath catch. There was only one response she could give, pressed together intimately as they were.  “Maybe,” she said with a shy and affectionate smile, echoing her own words in the dream. “...but I’m your nerd, Sunset Shimmer...and right now? That’s all I want to be...”
The sharp intake of breath, and wide, blue-green eyes fixed on her told her just how thoroughly Sunset had been affected by her response. She scooted a little further up to rest her forehead against Sunset’s. “I mean it, Sunny. I’m yours.”
A hand found its way to the back of her neck, and she was being kissed, hard and rough, Sunset’s tongue  exploring her mouth. The hands on her kept her where Sunset wanted—not that Twilight was interested in getting away. She melted into the aggressive, hungry embrace of her companion, happy to surrender and let the other girl indulge in kissing her senseless.  It was enough to make her heart pound and her ears ring...
She whined in frustration when Sunset broke the kiss, and tried to beg her with pleading eyes to not stop, never stop, to kiss her and hold her until the heat death of the universe and beyond...but the ringing was interrupting her attempts to seduce her girlfriend into more kisses.
Hold on...what was the source of that ringing?
“Sparky...” Sunset panted.  “Your cell’s going off.”
Crap.  Why now?  Twilight half rolled off Sunset to reach the phone on her nightstand.  She blinked in surprise at the name on the screen. “It's my cousin,” she mumbled as Sunset pulled her back into a cuddle.
“So answer it,” was the reply, Sunset tucking her face into Twilight's neck. “Put it on speaker. I want to meet this cousin of yours that apparently was the one not-snob at your family reunion.”
Since it seemed the moment was broken, she answered the phone call. “Glamour?” she asked, puzzled.
“Twi!” the perky voice of her cousin called. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important!”
“Um...not really? Sunset and I just finished breakfast.” She was proud of herself for managing to keep her voice level. Especially with Sunset kissing her neck like that.
“Oh! Sunset’s there? Put me on speaker!” Glamour Shot’s voice sounded again, this time away from the phone to answer a voice in the background.  “It's Twilight, Tiger, and Sunset too! Come say hi!”
Sunset pulled her face away from Twilight’s neck to mouth ‘Tiger?’ with a perplexed expression. Twilight responded with a shrug.
There was some shuffling on the other end of the call, and a much grumpier, raspy voice bickering with Glamour Shot—“I’m not a zoo attraction, Glam.”—before Twilight’s eternally perky cousin was back. 
“Twi? You still there?”
“Yes, Glamour,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re here. You're on speaker.”
“Ooooh! Hiiii Sunset! It's nice to meet you! I've heard so much about you!  Twi raves about you every time we talk!”  
Sunset burst out laughing, and she tweaked Twilight’s nose playfully. “Is that true, nerd? Do you really talk about me to your cousin?”
“Some?” she squeaked. 
“All the time!” Glamour corrected.  “Only the good things though!”
Sunset nuzzled Twilight, even as she took a moment to greet Glamour. “So you’re the infamous Glamour Shot, the one person that Sparky could tolerate out of a batch of stuffed shirts?” She furrowed her brows. “Thanks for helping her out when she needed it.”
“Happy to help! Silver Dollar is a creep, and I wasn't going to leave my favorite cousin alone with him...and Twi, you were right! Her voice is sexy as hell!”
“My voice is what?”
“Glamour!” Twilight cringed. She had let that slip during one of her chats with her cousin, completely by accident.
“You know I’m right here, Glam. Hearing you gush about your cousin’s girl...you’re lucky I don’t do jealousy.”
Glamour giggled. “I'm just happy for Twilight, Tiger. You know it's you that I love.”
Twilight sighed. “Did you just call to make things awkward?”
“Your cousin’s an airhead sometimes, kid. She called because I had an idea, but it's gone in one ear and out of her mind at the first hint of gossip.”
A snort of laughter from Sunset interrupted Twilight’s response.  “Okay, I like your cousin’s girlfriend, Sparky.”
“That’s because you're a connoisseur of sarcasm. It's like fine wine to you,” Twilight told her, before addressing the phone once more. “What’s this idea?”
Wildsong was quick to explain. “Right. So Glam and I are off starting next Friday for three weeks, because Spring Break here never manages to mesh with Easter, and I was thinking, it's two hours from here to Canterlot City, and from there it's an hour to my hometown, which flies some serious rainbow flags.  Whaddya say to us picking you girls up on a Friday or Saturday one of those weekends, and we’ll do that double date that Glam has been dying to go on. I know some great places that we’ll fit right in, and where I’m from? Nobody knows any of you, so you don't have to worry about outing yourselves.”
Uncertainty gnawed at Twilight. On one hand, the idea of being somewhere no one knew her and having an actual date with Sunset sounded like the most wonderful thing in the world. On the other hand, it was still taking a risk, and she was afraid of how people might react to the two of them being together, of it potentially getting back to her family. “....I don’t know...”
“C’mon, Twi! It could be a lot of fun! You were just telling me a few weeks ago about how you would like to just be able to relax and not worry when you went on a date! This is our chance to do that, and Song knows all kinds of great places where no one will look at any of us twice.” Glamour’s tone softened. “You won't be alone either. It’ll be a first for me too, and...I know...there’s a part of me that’s terrified. What if someone sees, what if it gets back to Mom and Daddy? ...but...I can’t always live in fear, everywhere I go. It's a hundred and fifty miles from where I go to school, twice that from the estate, and the odds of running into anyone who will recognize me on sight is so low...  I’m willing to take a chance, because...I’m tired of feeling like I’m ashamed of who I love.  Aren’t you?”
Twilight was silent but her brain was buzzing with variables, with potential outcomes, good and bad, chasing down and playing out a hundred different outcomes if she said yes, of all the things that could go right...or wrong.  She couldn't focus, and as her mind threw out more and more mental simulations, it forgot to remind her how to breathe right and her lungs were beginning to burn as they started and stopped, failing several times to draw in air and—
“Twilight.” The interruption of Sunset’s voice broke through the buzzing. “Sparky. You need to breathe. It’s alright. Come on, breathe with me so you don't pass out, okay?”
The buzzing was still there, and against it, she thought she could hear worried voices, but Sunset’s was the only one that mattered right now.  And Sunset was telling her to breathe. She could feel the rise and fall of the body she was laying on, and she tried to focus on copying the pace of that breathing like Sunset wanted her to. Everything else needed to wait.
“That’s it.” There was a familiar warm hand rubbing circles on her back, and it helped ground her, bring her back down to the tangible world, out of that space inside her own head where she got lost so easily. Sunset was talking to someone else now, and she listened, focusing on her girlfriend’s words. “She’s okay. It happens sometimes—just give me a minute to bring her around, okay?”  
Blue-green eyes were fixed on her, holding her gaze in a way that was hypnotic, and Twilight felt something brush across the very fiber of her being.  The buzzing and the panic that it brought began to drain away, and she felt...exhausted, as if she’d been out running instead of spending a lazy day with her girlfriend in bed.  She sighed, dropping her head back to Sunset’s chest tiredly. 
“You back with me, Sparky?” Fingers carded soothingly through her hair, and it felt so good, so right, being held and cared for like this that it made Twilight feel brave.  This wonderful girl holding her wasn't a dirty secret, even if she wasn't ready yet to tell her parents, she knew she would be soon.
She gave a small nod. “Sorry...”
Sunset tweaked her nose. “No apologies, remember? I’m here for you, like I promised. Best friends help each other.” Twilight could see the worry on her face. “And if you don't want to go, it's okay. I won't be upset, and I’m sure your cousin will understand.  This is a big thing for you to decide to do, and if you aren't ready, then I’m not going to force you.”
Gnawing on her lower lip, Twilight watched Sunset. “Let’s do it. Go on the double date, I mean.”
The other teen blinked in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“Glamour is right. We shouldn't be ashamed of who we’re with....” Her sudden courage flagged under an errant thought. “...unless...you don't want to?”
That sexy crooked smile was back on Sunset’s face. “I’ll go anywhere with you, Sparky. Any time, any place…all you have to do is ask me.”  She raised her voice, “Hear that? I’d say that's a yes!”
“Oh you two are adorable!” Glamour Shot’s squeal was reaching Cadence levels of glee, and it made Twilight realize the whole exchange had been broadcast over the phone. 
Groaning, she responded with a hunt of a whine, “Glamour...please don’t. You’re as bad as Cadence.”
“I’m sorry, Twi, but you are so sweet together, and I’m excited!” Whatever else Glamour Shot had been about to say was cut off with a startled yelp.  “Tiger!”
Wildsong broke in. “Glam, I love you, but your mouth is running off chasing squirrels again. Focus. You can gossip when we pick them up. You’ll have them trapped in the car for an hour, completely at your mercy.” She cleared her throat. “Which weekend, kids?”
Twilight glanced at Sunset. “It can't be next weekend—don't you have that park event with your friends?”
“Yeah,” the redhead nodded. “Next weekend is bad for me, since it's kinda my Christmas present to Fluttershy. While everyone else is picking up trash, I’ll be basically coordinating the whole thing and making sure it all runs smoothly. Fluttershy’s great, but she’s…not so great at things like dealing with bureaucrats or speaking forcefully enough to get anyone to listen to her…but I am. Figure all my years of being a bitch and a tyrant should go to good use, you know? And if I get any kind of break from making sure everything runs smoothly, I’ll be helping her figure out where to put up animal feeders for all the small fluffy creatures who live in the park. I expect she’ll have me climbing trees like I’m some kind of monkey.” Then her eyes lit up. “What about the last weekend? Three weeks from now? That’s the big city founders holiday, remember? Everything’s closed, they do the parade, and all those events at city hall, the college, all of that? School’s closed that Friday, so we could take advantage of the three day weekend.”
She had totally forgotten about that, buried as she was in stress and work at school, and some of her frustrations with her research... “That could work...” An idea tickled at her. “Hey, Glamour? Wildsong?”
“Yeah, kid? We can do that Friday if you want.”
“You are already off that week, right? What if...you guys drove down on Thursday, and stayed overnight?” Her eyes found Sunset’s again. “Sunset could come over after school Thursday too, and we could get up early to leave, make a whole day out of it?”
“Oooo! Do you think we could? Would your parents mind us using a guest room?” Glamour sounded even more excited than before.
“I don't see why not. I have to talk to them about us going, anyway. We can frame it as a friendly social bonding activity—Mom and Dad are always happy to see me engage in those, and they were happy to find out I’d connected with you, Glamour.  Mom will probably love having someone new to feed.”
Sunset snorted. “That’s an understatement.  Your mother is the reason I had to replace all of my clothes, Sparky.”
“It's not like you’re fat, Sunset,” Twilight countered. “You were way too thin before, and living off stale cereal, frozen dinners, and takeout. If it weren't for your love of fruit, I’m fairly certain you would have had a vitamin deficiency long before we met.”
“I eat just fine! It's just so hard to find quick food that isn't made of plastic or covered in dead cow, and I didn't exactly have a lot of free time when I was evil. Being a horrible bitch and controlling an entire student body took way more time and effort than I realized—I didn't know just how much until I wasn't doing it anymore, and suddenly had time on my hands.” Sunset wrinkled her nose. “If I had, maybe I would have stopped being a bitch sooner.”
Twilight gave her a quick kiss to stop the self flagellation before it started, and Wildsong asked, “So...full vegan or just vegetarian? A lot of the places in town have options.”
Sunset flushed.  “I...don't eat anything with hooves,” she explained. “I like seafood though.”  She paused, making a face. “I...don't understand the whole vegan thing, honestly. Fake meat? That stuff is so processed its…not really food anymore, and it smells awful.  Dairy substitutes? Have you ever heard a cow complain when they need to get rid of some milk--they aren’t quiet. Plus it's impossible to make good baked goods without eggs.”
“Eh. It's not for me—I like bacon and eggs way too much. But I can at least respect people who choose to be vegan or vegetarian or whatever, as long as they respect that I choose to eat dead cow. You're chill with me eating a burger at the table, right?”
“Just don't wave it in my face, and there's no problem.” Sunset gave Twilight a playful wink. “Sparky though, has to brush her teeth before I’ll kiss her.”
“It was one time, Sunset Shimmer, and I said I was sorry!” Twilight pouted, but she was also fighting a laugh. It had been awkward and upsetting at the time, but now it was almost a joke.
“I’ll have Glam pack the travel size mouthwash just in case then.” Wildsong chuckled in amusement.
Glamour giggled. “Oh this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait! We need to get going though—we’re getting together with the rest of the floor for a movie marathon this afternoon.  Talk to your parents, Twi, and let me know if coming down that Thursday evening is okay?”
Twilight nodded, even though her cousin couldn't see it. “I’ll ask them when we take our dishes downstairs, and I’ll text you then, Glamour.”
“We’ll let you two get back to making out. Looking forward to meeting you in person, Twilight, Sunset! Later!”
The phone beeped as the call ended, and she set it to the side. “So...I guess we’re going on a double date with my cousin and her girlfriend.”
“Yeah. Sounds like.” Blue-green eyes sparkled. “Right now though? I’m more interested in doing what she suggested.”  When Twilight looked at her blankly, Sunset grinned and flipped them so she was on top. “Making out,” she murmured in explanation by Twilight’s ear, hot breath causing her to shiver. “Thoughts?”
Twilight answered with a kiss.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One: Iridian Council
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset was starting to get used to the concept of a ‘working lunch.’  She was sitting at a cheap card table that Applejack had brought in, enjoying the scent of the steam wafting off the little container of vegetarian lasagna Mrs. Velvet had sent home with her—she’d be eating good for a while, since her girlfriend’s mother had filled her freezer and then some—surrounded by the girls and waiting on the rest of the members of the meeting to arrive. Flash had wandered in a few minutes prior, showing off his most recent math test, and was now deep in discussion with Fluttershy and Rainbow about songwriting. Rarity was reading a book with some very scantily clad humans on the cover in a passionate tangle, and Applejack just looked bored, idly working on a bit of science homework. Pinkie…
Actually, where was Pinkie? Sunset paused with a forkful of lasagna halfway to her mouth. The party planner had been there just a few minutes ago, helping set up the table and putting a container of cookies on it….
“I foooooooound theeeeeem!”
Pinkie bounced in, pulling Bon-Bon and Lyra along like they were a three person length of chain. “They were making out in the library!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don't ya think it's a might rude ta interrupt them then?”
“Nope! We have important stuff to talk about! My Pinkie Sense told me that and that it’s suuuuuuper important for them to be here!” Pinkie was all happiness and cheer. “They can kiss later!”
File that under ‘more reasons Sunset was cagey about the girls knowing about her Twilight.’ The last thing she needed was Pinkie casually showing up when she and Twilight were…otherwise occupied. Pinkie had no sense of privacy sometimes. “Right. Sorry to interrupt your private time, girls…but I wanted to make sure information and communication keeps us from tripping over each other’s work.”
Bon-Bon waved it off. “It’s fine. We got distracted. What's the first order of business?” She pulled a chair up to the table and turned it backwards before she sat in it.
“I’m curious as to the status of your efforts, dears,” Rarity addressed Flash and Bon-Bon directly. “Considering I am responsible for Sweetie Belle’s well being, I would appreciate being kept up to date on things she is almost assuredly involved with.”
Pulled from his chat with Dash and Fluttershy, Flash rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve mostly been handling the equipment end. We’ve been sourcing things like Sunset suggested—prank items or regular stuff we can get away with at school….” He pulled out a notebook from his backpack, and began giving an inventory list, along with where the students had been rat-holing the supplies. There was even a map of the school with precise labels added to it.
While he was talking, Sunset studied Lyra—the normally cheery girl was pensive and mostly silent, the first clue that something far more than having a make-out session with her girlfriend interrupted was wrong. There was a shadowed look to her eyes and a measure of obvious tension in her frame, as if she was expecting an enemy to jump out at her at any moment. And she wasn't eating, despite the lunch bag sitting on top of her ever present mound of binders and texts on human world cryptids.
Catching her eyes, Sunset gave her a concerned look and raised an eyebrow. The other teen gave the barest shake of her head, then mouthed ‘after’ at her.  She gave a nod of her own before focusing back on the conversation in progress.
“…prepacked an entire five hundred count box of coffee filters with the most noxious spice combos the Home Ec kids could come up with,” Flash was explaining. “Each of the lockers has twenty five. We also stuck boxes of rock salt, baking soda, and bottles of vinegar in them.”
Applejack nodded. “Stink and smoke bombs?”
He made a face. “We managed to get different people to order them: fifteen boxes of ten stink bombs. No smoke bombs though—those are a bit more regulated since the easiest ones are illegal fireworks.”
Sunset tilted her head back and an idea came to her. “Get Trixie involved.”
Where Pinkie found a record player to perform an actual record scratch in that moment was…a question for another time. Everyone stared at her like she had gone mad. “Hear me out,” she told them, gesturing with her fork. “Trixie wants to help defend the school. She has those ‘Magician’s Exit’ smoke-bombs all the time and never seems to run out, and I’m not sure she has a part time job….” Sunset thought back to when they'd talked to Trixie at the farm. “She seems…genuinely concerned about the magic…and there was something about her at the farm…”
Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Actually, I’ve been wondering about that too. How did Trixie know where you live, Applejack?”
Green eyes widened. “…now that's a damned good question…one Ah can’t answer, given we’ve never been friends. Coulda followed us from the hardware store?”
“What if she didn't?” Now all eyes were on Rarity. “Trixie has been a magician since we’ve all known her in school. When she’s not put on the spot, her stage magic is actually quite good…and how many times have any of you seen her do something…unusual?”
Sunset blew air out her nostrils. “I’ve never sensed much from her…but…that doesn't mean she doesn’t know something about magic either.” It was starting to come together in her head. “That’s what's been bugging me. Trixie talks big all the time, right? Always boasting?”
Flash rolled his eyes. “Boy does she. She’s the biggest blowhard in school.”
“Yet she's the only person who hasn't given me a copy of imaginary love spells or a bag of river rocks or asked how to make a magic wand.” Sunset  frowned. “Not once has she come forward to school me in her superior knowledge—when by all accounts…that’s exactly what she would do. The only time she's said anything since the Battle of the Bands was at the farm, and for all the bravado…” she looked at her friends, “she was genuinely concerned about your safety under my instruction.”
“Holy cotton candy hot-sauce!” Pinkie’s summer-sky blue eyes were huge…and a great distraction from what abominable culinary item she was using as an expletive. “Are you saying Trixie is a real magician?!”
Sunset winced. “By Equestrian standards, she is—prestidigitation is not exactly high level magic, but it is a respectable focus used by a lot of entertainers.” At the fairly blank looks, she clarified, “Stage magic. For her, I always thought it was sleight of hand, but…maybe it's not just that. If there's a chance she is knowledgeable about magic in this world, we have to look into it. Flash, I hate to ask, but do you think you could bring her in on your end? Ask her for her expertise in recommending more distractions and see if she can point you at where she gets her smoke bombs.”
Her ex gave her a long-suffering look. “If it were anyone else, pony-girl, I’d tell you where to go…but sure. I’ll go talk to Trixie.”
“I’m sorry, Flash—I just think you’re the best person to talk to her.  She doesn't see you as competition in any way, so her ego is less likely to be touchy with you.” Sunset offered him an apologetic smile. “Lyra?”
The girl perked up. “Yeah?”
“Once he does, see if you can draw her into your research and sorting. See if her knowledge lines up in any way with what I’ve told you already, and if it does, use her to help you sort through data to weed out useful bits from trash.” Reaching over, the former unicorn tapped the binders. “That’ll help you work through this faster, which may mean the difference in what we do here in the future.”
Bon-Bon looked skeptical. “This is all hinging on a couple of really big ifs,” she pointed out. “If Trixie is willing to help, and if she even knows anything useful.”
“She’s got a point,” Rainbow said with a snort. “I mean, relying on Trixie? We’d probably have better luck with a magic eight ball.” 
The former bully set her fork down, arm moving to grip her elbow so she wouldn't crib on her thumb—it was sore from all her worrying in the last week. “…I know Trixie is a difficult person to get along with,” she said softly, “but so was I, once. I had an ego and was loud and arrogant and demanding…”
As blunt as ever, Applejack grunted and pointed with her cider bottle towards Sunset. “Yeah, but ya got knocked off yer high horse, and it turned out there was a person under all that malarky.”
Nodding her agreement, she forged ahead. “That’s…true...but it's also true that…that I did a lot of that to hide my own mess of insecurities and issues. It doesn't make it right, but part of the reason I was a bully and a bitch was to avoid being bullied myself. Control others before they control you, get them before they get you.” Her shoulders hunched, and she folded in on herself in the chair a bit. “…and…I don't know…but I wonder if it's the same idea here. If Trixie puts on a front, an ego, all that bravado and boasting…for other reasons? Because at the farm…something was different. I saw it, for just a minute.”  Blue-green eyes lifted to look around the table at her friends. “…you gave me a chance when I didn't even deserve one, when I did a lot worse than Trixie ever has…isn’t it only fair that we give her a chance too?”
Dash looked like she’d bitten into a particular spoiled and sour piece of fruit, but she sagged back into her seat. “I fucking hate you sometimes, Shimmer,” she complained with no real bite to the words. “…especially when you're right about shit I don't want to do.” One hand tossed a french fry at Sunset, but Pinkie caught it out of the air and popped it in her mouth. 
“Giving a chance does not mean being blind or foolish,” Rarity commented to Bon-Bon. “Be fair, but if she treads on the opportunity, or proves that her ego is her most important self, then no one will judge it unfair of you to…insist she find her own way.”
The scowl on Bon-Bon’s features eased a fraction. “Fine, but Flash, she’s your responsibility. If I have to interact with her, I’ll deck her the first time she talks about herself in third person.” 
It was as good as she was likely to get, so Sunset accepted the small victories. “Speaking of decking people…” she ventured carefully, “how are things on your end?”
Bon-Bon shrugged. “We’ve sorted out who has taken self defense from who hasn't. Dad has an entire new class—two dozen juniors and seniors—and we’re doing a weekend instruction on getting out of holds for the younger crowd. No actual fighting,” she added hurriedly at the looks from Applejack and Rarity. “Just…breaking free of being grabbed in a bunch of ways? And we’re in the process of designating safe zones and lockdown plans—because let's face it, the ones the school has are bullshit, even for normal things, like a shooter. This school is so old it has a lot of places to hide away that are off limits to people now. Like the attic space over A-Hall, and the catwalk areas over the stage…and the crawl spaces under it that connect to where they used to have a pool under the gym…back in like the forties? Fifties? Point is, it's a big empty space that the drama department stores old sets and stuff…but you could hide a hundred people there easily.”
Who knew there were so many undiscovered hiding places in the school? Not that Sunset didn't know a few of her own. “The roof door in the Science hall doesn't lock right,” she offered. “I used putty in the door several years ago and so it looks closed and locked but it doesn't latch. There's a storage space up there that I think used to be by maintenance for like…smoke breaks or lunches. It’s dusty, but it's hidden from sight.” She tilted her head. “If people are outside, the storage shed by the soccer field has a busted window latch. There's a bunch of tools and a lawnmower in there, but…you could get people in there too.”
Flash’s pencil made soft scratching sounds as he wrote that all down. “What about here?” he asked, gesturing to the room they were in. “Ever since you guys made the door weird, it's been different in here.”
Sunset shrugged. “Yeah, this is a defensible spot because the door is warded now, but the problem is that I close it when we aren't here, and only the girls and I can access it unless someone has a special key…which I have yet to figure out how to make work without being able to cast spells.  Better to leave this as an ‘only if people are coming to get us’ option.”
“Bummer,” the young man sighed. “Alright, scratch that. Anything else?”
Applejack cleared her throat pointedly and caught Sunset with a green eyed stare. The former unicorn grimaced. “Yeah…I’ve discovered something I can't do much about right now other than make sure everyone stays alert.” She took a swallow of her water. “I’ve picked up dark magic again.”
Everyone in the room was on alert as she finished the sentence. “Where?” Bon-Bon demanded in a tight voice.
“Not a where entirely. Who. I’ve…encountered it on Crystal Prep associated people—students, former students, family members. I’ve done what I can to burn it out without being noticed, but it’s…it’s not good…something about it is…sneaky. I can't feel it until the moment it activates, but it seems to make the victims agitated, angry…warps their emotional state. I have no idea of where or what the source could be, or what it wants…but…” Sunset spread her hands helplessly.
Flash caught on right away. “But we’re hosting the Friendship Games in like a month and a half. Which means a huge chunk of CPA will be here…”
Slamming a fist on the table, Dash contributed her own two cents. “And if they're here, then it's a good chance the magic user will be too, and they’ll want our magic for themselves!”
One hand rubbed her temples tiredly. “That is definitely one possibility.” She gave a half hearted shrug. “But without knowing anything else, I can't say for sure. Which is why I want everyone to keep their eyes and ears open for anything that could help us. Rumors, sightings, people asking too many questions…”
Her friends all exchanged looks. “In short,” Rarity filled in, “keep our eyes and ears open for the one responsible or anything that might lead to them.”
“Yeah…I’m sorry I don't have anything better,” she apologized. “It's not Equestrian style magic either, so I can't even tell you what kind of being could be using it…only that it's probably someone who is naturally human. Or started out that way.”
Fluttershy leaned over to hug her. “It’s okay, Sunset. You're doing the best you can. We all are…and that's all anyone can ask.” She gave a tentative smile. “We’re going to do our best to be ready for whatever happens in the future—we promise.”
It felt like someone had lifted weights off her shoulders, and Sunset couldn't stop herself from blowing air out her nostrils in a heavy sigh. “Thanks, Fluttershy,” the redhead mumbled, squeezing her friend back. “And…thank you, all of you, for helping me—I can't do this all alone, and it was stupid to think I could.”
A blue skinned hand rested on her arm. “We get it, Sunset,” Rainbow said with a grin. “This is the first time you’ve had a team before, instead of flying solo…and that’s going to take some getting used to.” Then she slugged Sunset’s shoulder. “I learned talking horse picture words for you, Shimmer. I wouldn't do that for just anyone.”
That made her roll her eyes. “You learned to read four words, Rainbow. Four. That's barely a complete sentence worth of words.”
“But it's enough to use your scanner thing.” The athlete’s grin widened. “Gonna do that today after practice. You said school, beach, observatory, and downtown, right?”
Sunset nodded. “Add Whitetail out by the farm and a bit north, up near Everton? If it's not too much for you?”
Dash cackled gleefully. “Too much? Are you kidding? I’ll get to practice my magic and fly at the same time! This is great!!” She wrinkled her nose. “Though it gives me a major case of the munchies when I fly a lot.”
“Maybe it's like on TV?” Lyra suggested. “Like how in things like Dragon Ball or Slayers where they need to eat a lot to generate all their energy and power?”
With a strange amount of unspoken coordination, seven sets of eyes turned to Sunset, and she shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. “…um…I don't know?” The former unicorn ran a hand through her hair. “It…doesn't work like that in Equestria unless a unicorn burns their reserves of thaumic energy to dangerously low levels, but…there's also a large amount of ambient magical energy that our bodies draw in naturally, in the water, air and general environment just by being there. And any unicorns that burn themselves out like that typically end up receiving medical care to avoid death—we need a bare minimum of magic in our bodies to live. It's why any area in Equestria with a SET rating lower than one is typically an inhospitable waste—almost nothing, plant or animal will survive there.” 
Considering it for a moment, she tapped her fork on the container her lunch had been in. “However, I will note that Princess Celestia and Princess Cadenza both were prone to eating a lot more on average than most ponies, without it going right to the flanks.” The former unicorn grimaced. “…something I was more than a little jealous of when I was at CSGU, I’ll admit—I always came out of winter and all those study sessions with a few extra stone packed around my haunches and barrel.” She snorted. “Turns out that turning yourself into a burrito with as many blankets as you can find, having the palace staff bring you your meals, and refusing to come out except to go to class or shower…isn't good for keeping fit.”
Rainbow started snickering. “So…you had junk in your trunk as a pony?” 
Sunset stared at her hard, before sighing. “…yes, Rainbow. I don't know if you've noticed, but ponies tend to have large rounded hindquarters. We tend to pack on weight in the winter in the colder climates because unlike humans, most ponies see clothing as optional. I lived in the mountains, at an elevation about two or three times higher than here, which means frigid cold and lots of blizzards. Besides…it's…not quite the same? The truth is, rounded hindquarters are…appreciated by ponies as an attractive feature.” Her ears felt hot, and she tried not to think about how distracting Twilight’s rear was in tight pajama bottoms. 
“Soooo…you're saying ponies like big butts and you cannot lie?” Pinkie’s grin was near manic, and it sent Rainbow into riotous laughter, and most of the rest of the group was grinning or snickering behind their hands. Flash caught Sunset’s eyes and gave her a wink that made her face feel like it was on fire—and from the way he was smiling, he knew what she was trying not to think of her girlfriend.
The unicorn turned human took refuge in her old friend Sarcasm. “If you must know, yes, I happen to like rounded haunches on a fetching mare. Like most ponies. I could also detail you the attractiveness in the appropriate ratio of length to thickness of the cannon and gaskin, or how the curve of the crest can turn heads, but it would be as boring to any of you as figuring out the human obsession with teats has been to me.” Granted, she’d discovered one reason for some of that fixation, but…that involved touching. Lots of touching. She and Twilight hadn't gotten much done on Saturday until almost dinner time. 
Everyone looked at her now with a whole host of reactions: surprise, confusion, quiet understanding, amusement, and burning curiosity—that last one was mostly Rarity and Lyra. Rarity looked her up and down. “I do suppose we deserve the verbal jibe on that,” she commented wryly. “It certainly never dawned on me just how different physically our two species really are, or how those differences might affect standards of beauty and attraction.”
“I’m not sure those standards are that different for humans,” Bon-Bon joked. “Furries exist, remember?”
The tailor arched her brow with such a look of disappointment and disapproval that Bon-Bon winced. “I am aware, darling, but that is a conversation no one here really wants to have, considering how most of us have partial equine transformation sequences.”
“Sorry…”
She waved a hand. “Forgiven, Bon-Bon, but do be a dear and let's not bring it up again. Some corners of the internet are…best left where they are.” Then blue eyes were fixing on Sunset again, and the redhead squirmed a little in her seat.  “Is the human appearance truly so alien to you?”
It took a minute to gather her thoughts, and Sunset offered a wry smile. “…not anymore? I’ve had five and a half years to get used to this body…but you’re so different from ponies that…” How could she word this in a way that made sense and did not come off as insulting? “…that I’d have to do a lot of mental work to find most people enticing in that way…and a lot of the innuendo just…falls flat?” She shrugged loosely, not sure what else to say, though a small corner of her mind prodded her about how she didn't seem to mind that mental gymnastics routine when it came to her Twilight. 
“I suppose that makes sense,” Rarity mused, thinking about it. “I likely would feel somewhat similar were our situation reversed and I was in a world of talking horses…as fascinating as I would find them. They do look very different from people—not in a bad way, but I couldn't picture myself wanting to kiss one.”
Fluttershy spoke up, “That doesn't make them ugly either…just different, I think. Horses are beautiful creatures, especially when they run.” She hugged Sunset again. “Next to dogs and cats, horses are some of our oldest friends. No matter how different they look from us, we just see them as friend-shaped, and worth admiring.”
Somehow, Pinkie glommed onto her other side. “You see, Sunset! You’re friend-shaped, no matter what you look like!”
Feeling warm and fuzzy was good, but they were way off topic and lunch was going to be over soon. “Thanks, girls…but we need to focus more on what we’re trying to accomplish and less on how ponies rate each other as ‘Hot or Not’ like one of those trashy gossip rags you see in the checkout.” Sunset rubbed her nose after extricating herself from the hug. “We’ve got the park to clean on Saturday, bright and early. I’ll be getting over there at six to help set up, but the actual start time is eight. That means no regular magic practice, but I was thinking we could do something on Sunday for a few hours? And an extra long band practice tomorrow afternoon? I want to test something with our magic.”
Applejack picked up her hat from her lap and put it back on her head, now that she was done eating. “If yer convinced what yer seeing is setting its sights on Canterlot High, then we can’t be slacking now. We gotta be prepared so no one gets hurt.” Determination radiated from her like an aura. “Ah’m in. Ah’ll tell Granny ta expect me late tomorrow and everyone can eat dinner at the farm Sunday.”
“Nothing’s stopping us from practicing at home either,” Rainbow pointed out. “Even if it's just…you know, turning out Pony-ups on and off.”
“‘S a great idea, Dash,” AJ agreed. “Mebbe Ah’ll just start using mah magic fer morning chores too.”
Frowning slightly, Sunset gestured to the magical cabinet. “If you girls are going to do that, I want you to each take a dozen or so of the Sun Bites that Princess Twilight brought us. In the event you feel woozy from overtaxing your magic, eating one or two of them should help.”
The farmer nodded absently. “Sounds like a plan. Question though…ya talked ta the principals at all about all this new stuff? About it mebbe being something going on at Crystal Prep?” She wrinkled her nose up. “Seems like the kind of thing they’d want ta know ahead of time.”
Sunset sighed, waiting to answer as the warning bell sounded, signaling the end of lunch. “Not yet—I wanted to check in with Princess Twilight first for her thoughts.”
“Fair enough,” AJ said, before cautioning, “but it might be a good idea ta tell them sooner rather than later. Be bad if something happened because we weren’t warning them fast enough.”
Gathering her things, the redheaded teen sighed again. “I know, but I need to get a few answers from her first…or some more books on the subject. We’re talking about highly advanced thaumaturgical theories of dark magic—one of the most restricted subjects in all of Equestria, for a good reason. I’ll write to her this evening—she’s got a lecture at CSGU or something this week, so I’m not sure how available she is going to be. Once I have my answers, I'll be able to give the principals a little more than my feelings and some anecdotes about encounters.”
That seemed to settle her friends, and they filed out of the classroom…all except Lyra, who lingered, looking on edge. Sunset waited until everyone else had gone, before speaking in a quiet voice. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
One hand pushed a bit of pale hair back from her face. “I wanted to warn you, but everything you were saying today makes what happened make more sense…”
“Warn me about what?” Now Sunset was worried and confused.
Lyra took a breath. “CPA knows about you. Or…at least some of the students do. I mean, some of them knew about you from last year because they were my friends…but not like this…”
Confusion melted away, replaced by concern, and part of her wondered if Wallflower had blabbed—Twilight hadn’t messaged her, but that didn't mean anything. Taking a slow and deep breath, she decided to not jump to conclusions. “Why don't you start at the beginning.”
“I…got a call from one of my old classmates. I…she was kind of a friend, but…well.” The girl grimaced. “You’ve heard all the rumors about Crystal Prep, I’m sure. And you've encountered some of the students, so I’m sure you know what I mean when I say she was what passed for a friend at Crystal Prep. There were a few of us, but honestly, I think they just felt sorry for me and let me hang out with them because there was safety in numbers.” 
“…I’m familiar with what you mean. Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was very like CPA at times.” Sunset could practically taste sand in her mouth, her voice was so dry. “So your…classmate called you?”
“Yeah. She’s called several times in the last two or three weeks. When she does, all she seems to want is to grill me. Asking about you—not good stuff either. She’s looking for dirt, I think. Like…she wanted to know if you were potentially involved in anything illegal, or if there was any real ugly secrets I knew.” Lyra hugged her notebooks to her chest. “I didn't like the way she sounded, and how every time she calls, she sounds…off. Angry. Worried.”
Swallowing, Sunset cribbed on her thumb. Briefly before discomfort forced her to pull it out of her mouth. “…honest answer? Was she fishing about magic, do you think?”
Lyra’s face screwed up in thought. “Maybe? It's hard to say because her questions have been all over the place. One minute she's asking if I’ve seen you do anything strange, the next she wants to know if you date a lot of people at school, and if they are boys or girls…”
“…I see…” Sunset replied, her concern growing. It could go either way—either Wallflower had run her mouth, or the source of the dark magic had learned of her involvement in purging the dark magic off Twilight’s family. Regardless of which it was, it meant trouble.
Her friend shook her head. “I really can't tell you much more than that. I’m sorry, Sunset. It could be about the magic, or it could be about something else. She keeps asking for more information, and she was pretty upset at first to find out that we’re friends now.” Lyra considered something for a moment. “She was also asking about you and Twilight Sparkle…but I don't know which Twilight she meant.”
Sunset jerked in surprise, and Lyra, seeming to take it for the admission of there being more than Twilight, explained, “There's a Twilight Sparkle that goes to Crystal Prep—nothing like the one who took you on at the formal.  She’s…super smart, but she is really not a people person like the other one, you know? I was super confused last fall, but after you explained about the whole world you come from and how there's more versions of people there, it didn't take much to realize she's the pony one, and the one at CPA is from here.”
What should she do? Play ignorant, or damage control before Lyra mentioned Twilight to anyone else? She thought back, to the conversation she and her girlfriend had, about Twilight not being ready to meet a whole gaggle of girls at once, and made a decision. “I…wasn't aware,” she said in a voice that only Lyra could hear, “that you knew about Twilight as well…but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised—I knew you used to go to CPA.”
The other girl blinked in surprise of her own. “You know Twilight?”
Running a hand through her mane, Sunset shrugged nonchalantly. “Ran into her in the park sometime after the formal. We ended up talking.” She chuckled lightly. “You're right about her being different than the princess, though, and it's why I’ve not said anything to the others.”
Brows pinched together, and a moment later Lyra nodded “…yeah…that's kind of why I didn't say anything before.”
“Because she wouldn't handle everyone’s over-enthusiastic stalking and bombarding her with so much friendship all at once with anything short of a ‘full blown, Grade A, Twilight Sparkle panic attack?’” Sunset asked wryly.
“Yeah. That.”
She nodded. “Same…which is why I’m asking you to keep this just between us for now. I’m…trying to work her up to it, slowly, because I think she’d like the girls, but it's a delicate process.”
Lyra smiled brightly. “I can do that! It's just really good to hear that she has someone as a friend who…doesn't go to Crystal Prep. That school is an awful place and the people in it are either jerks or paranoid that other people are.” She made a face. “Like the classmate who has been bugging me about you. She’s a…mutual friend of mine and Twilight, but I’m not really sure she’s the best kind of friend for someone like Twilight. Not that shes a bad person but…” One hand made a loose gesture of uncertainty.
It was starting to make sense now, and Sunset’s concern started to fade. “This…classmate who called you…her name wouldn't happen to be Wallflower, would it?” When Lyra nodded, Sunset groaned. “We’ve met.” Why couldn't Wallflower have turned out to be shy and awkward like Twilight had made her sound? She was starting to feel like the green haired girl was a particularly pernicious garden weed trying to choke out vital parts of her life. “She made it very clear from minute one that she hates me and knows who I used to be. Tried to tell me to stay away from Twilight.” Her eyes hardened. “I told her it wasn't happening—Twilight has become…my best friend, and I’m not giving that up.”
Sunny yellow eyes studied her speculatively. “…part of that might be my fault. I complained a lot in group chat with them last year about you and all the stuff you did to us. …sorry about that.”
“You don't have to apologize. I was a huge bitch to everyone. I’m surprised as many people have forgiven me as they have.” Sunset rolled her shoulders uncomfortably. “It still feels weird, to be in a school where most people tolerate me instead of hate me. Kind of a first.”
“Well…I still need to say it, especially if it's causing problems now. I certainly don't agree with a lot of what Wallflower was saying about you—I wouldn't have even when you were the mean girl. You certainly never tried to sell drugs—you stopped Lightning Dust from trying to push them on the middle schoolers, everyone knows that! Truth is, I’m actually glad you're friends with Twilight; the group she and I were part of…” Lyra hesitated, then took a breath and forged ahead. “There were four of us, and I was the most socially capable one there.”
Sunset winced. “Oh. That's, um…not great.”
Shaking her head, Lyra laughed. “It's definitely not. Twilight you know—shy, socially awkward, and nervous. Wallflower…she puts a whole new meaning to ‘abrasive personality’, and Moondancer? If Twilight is socially awkward, Moondancer might as well be an alien or a robot, because she does not understand how to people at all.”
Sweet sunfire. No wonder Twilight had latched onto being her friend so hard. 
Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because Lyra spontaneously hugged her. “You're a good friend, Sunset, and exactly the kind someone like Twilight or me needs, because you don't seem to mind the parts of us that are weird or freakish.”
“Neither of you is weird or freakish,” Sunset countered. “And even if you were…hi. I’m a magical unicorn from another world. Fairly sure that means I don't have room to talk here.” She sighed. “Still…thanks for telling me about Wallflower. She has apparently been giving Twilight a hard time about me, but I didn't know she’d gone that far—I thought she was sticking to insulting me in ways that really upset Twilight.”
Lyra made a face at that. “Probably the same ones she used the other day when she called me again. I know she’s abrasive and tactless but what did she expect anyway? Calling you things like that to me, of all people? I told her if she was going to talk like that she could stuff her bigotry where the sun doesn't shine and light it on fire. She…accused me of being your sycophant and hung up on me.” She rolled her eyes. “Because me not wanting to hear her call you slurs means I’m sucking up to you. Especially when she knows about me and Bonny.”
The former bully felt terrible. “…I’m sorry for that—it's because of me that she said those things to you, and I hate that I’m turning into a catalyst that wrecks other people’s friendships.”
Her friend gave a sharp head shake as they started moving to the door. “It's not your fault she’s a closet homophobe and I’m just now finding out. I know she's dealt with bullies her whole life and her parents suck, but that's no excuse for what she’s doing. It’s certainly not being a good friend to either Twilight or me…and even if she hadn't heard things from before about you, I’m not sure things would have turned out differently. She was always very protective of the group and keeping others out…”
She paused a moment, then squeezed Sunset’s arm. “Don't let her get to you, but…be careful, okay? Wallflower might be abrasive…but if what you were saying is true, then whatever is behind all that evil magic might pay attention to what she’s saying.”
“I’ll do my best,” Sunset promised. “Thanks again for telling me…”
The other girl winked. “Hey, Wondercolts stick together, right? Well, so do those of us flying rainbows.” 
Awkwardly, Sunset responded, “I never said—”
“Sunset, please. I went through a horse phase when I was little—most girls do. We know the difference between mares and stallions, colts and fillies.” Lyra arched her brows. “You specified mares earlier, and you told us before that your species has more females than males. It doesn't take a genius to put it together. Sure, you're really a unicorn, but that doesn't mean you don't count.” The girl shook her pale haired head. “We stick up for our own, because if we don't, no one will stick up for us.” Then she was all smiles again. “Oh, and tell Twilight I said hi! She can still message or call me, anytime—I’d love to catch up!”
She swept out of the room, joining the crush of students in the hall and leaving a somewhat stunned Sunset in her wake.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two: Make New Friends...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight resisted the urge to hug herself as she hurried through the halls. She hadn't even gone to her first actual class yet and she was already wishing the day was over. Glancing at the clock, she realized she still had an extra ten minutes before the bell, so she tucked herself into an alcove. Her phone was in her hand in an instant, and she sent a short message to Sunset, hoping that the other girl might send her something back quickly enough to help her get through the day. Starting a Monday morning off with her parents in a very uncomfortable and prickly meeting with her principal had absolutely destroyed her nerves for the rest of the day and she needed something to ground her. Even if it was just silly texts from her girlfriend.
The dark haired girl rested her head back against the cool stone of the wall, taking several slow breaths and trying to push back the headache already forming in her temples. All throughout the meeting and even now, Twilight felt like she was at war with herself. On one hand, she recognized why her parents were upset on her behalf—she was upset too, given that she had done her very best to keep the confrontation with Polaris calm and friendly, and it didn't seem fair that she had been so severely punished for being forced to defend herself. At the same time, however…there was a part of herself that felt like the whole thing had been blown up way too big and that her family shouldn't have antagonized her school principal so openly. Principal Cinch had earned some measure of respect and trust in her ability to do her job over several decades…hadn't she? It made her feel queasy that none of them—herself included—had given the woman any measure of the respect and deference she was due, even as it rankled her to even think the thought.
It didn't seem to matter much that Principal Cinch had done a great deal of things wrong—the family lawyers had walked both her and her parents through every step of how the administration of the school had circumvented or outright broken the rules, not just in the handling of the altercation the week before, but in many ways over the last three years when it came to Twilight and her education. She still felt, on some deep level, that she needed to be polite and defer to the woman’s expertise, and it wasn't her place…or her family’s…to tell Principal Cinch how to do her job. Twilight was grateful she hadn't told them anything else, not about being picked for the Friendship Games Team, or that Wallflower had been made her project assistant at the principal’s decision. Somehow, the teen knew they would have taken that information and twisted it to suit the narrative the lawyers had settled on.
Deep breaths, she told herself, taking time to draw and release several lungfuls of air as she wrestled with her own mind, trying to reconcile the disparate emotions and perceptions. Why was this so hard? On a logical and rational level, she understood that no one was perfect, and it was reasonable to say that Principal Cinch was not an absolute paragon of education and administration, just as she understood that her parents were correct in their assertion that respect was earned or lost through word and deed. By that metric, Principal Abacus Cinch had lost any respect she had accumulated, and the meeting had reinforced that.





The door opened with a loud sound that shattered the quiet that blanketed the office, and Twilight followed in her parents’ wake as they strode into Principal Cinch’s office, her father as hard and unyielding as she’d ever seen him and a defensive tightness to her mother’s eyes that seemed out of place on someone who was always the picture of love and welcome. While they weren’t marching in lockstep, there was a fluid coordination to their movements all the same, and the light from the hallway seemed to follow them, highlighting in a way Twilight had never really paid attention to just how unpleasantly dim the office was.
In fact, if it wasn't silly and irrational, Twilight might have said that the shadows were retreating from her parents more than the light itself, reminding her of some of the nightmares she’d had…where the darkness had somehow been alive and hungry. She shook her head and pushed the feeling away—it was silly and irrational, after all, and she was more concerned with this meeting. It needed to go well—she didn't want the suspension on her permanent record, but she also hoped her parents did not antagonize the situation so much that she ended up expelled. Principal Cinch was not someone to cross.
Speaking of the Principal…
Seated at her desk, the older woman had been startled when her parents walked in, though she’d quickly hidden that…and Twilight could see the slight tensing of her jaw muscles when her mother and father sat down before the principal could offer them a seat. That made the teen flinch, but she’d already promised her parents she would say nothing unless either of them directly asked her a question, so all she could do was politely remain standing and hope.
“I was not expecting you quite so promptly,” her principal commented, still shuffling through some papers on the desk. “You’ll have to give me a moment while I finish this—important paperwork that cannot be put off, I'm sure you understand.”
Night raised an eyebrow at her, then glanced down at his watch. “You have five minutes, Abacus. After that, we will take it to mean our daughter’s health, wellbeing, and future are unimportant to you, and we will be pulling her immediately from this institution to attend a different school.”
Twilight felt frozen to the spot she was standing, an icy chill washing over her as her father’s words, as well as his tone, registered with her. She struggled to remember to breathe, and it made her vision swim; around the principal, the shadows seemed to swarm and thicken.  It hadn’t occurred to her until he said the words aloud just how little control she had over the situation, whether she was silent or not. Her parents could pull her from Crystal Prep at any moment if they decided to, regardless of how she felt. 
And she didn't want to leave, despite everything. She had put so much effort into succeeding in CPA, in all her projects, in having the highest grade point average out of everyone in the school… Leaving now would mean it had all been for nothing, and to colleges that saw her transcripts, it would look like she couldn't take the pressure of a competitive academic environment. Places like MIT and CalTech would simply reject her rather than waste a slot on a student who couldn't handle the pressure, and she might have to settle for going to a school with lesser credentials, which in turn would affect her job prospects later.
As she felt her future begin to crack and crumble before her eyes, Twilight held her breath, waiting for her  principal to react to her father and the words spoken so crisp and cutting, not sure whether she expected the woman to immediately expel her and save them all the trouble, or to become displeased and upset at her father’s tone.
So the teen was incredibly surprised when Principal Cinch looked…taken aback in a way that just didn't happen to the principal of Crystal Prep.  Smooth hands began hastily collecting the papers, uncaring about order as she shoved them into a folder and then into a desk drawer. Twilight could even hear the telltale sound of paper crumpling as she closed the drawer.
“…of course, Mr. Light. It will press me for time but I can see to those later…” Each word almost seemed like it was pulled from her, but her expression was carefully neutral. “I…apologize for any…unintended slight. May I offer you both some refreshments before we start this meeting?” One hand slowly gestured to the same crystal pitcher and glasses that she had offered Twilight a drink from weeks prior…and the teen decided she could do with the distraction of a cold glass of water.
Twilight Velvet responded before the younger Twilight could move. “No, thank you,”  she said, curt and cold, cutting off any plan her daughter had to pour herself a drink. “I don't believe that will be necessary.”
Once again, the dark haired girl found herself waiting for the outburst that somehow never came, from someone rebuffing the principal’s efforts to be hospitable—something that everyone knew was a quick way to earn displeasure from the woman who took such old world etiquette seriously. Instead of upset, Principal Cinch had an expression that Twilight almost thought meant she was uneasy, shifting a few things on her desk for no reason. “Perhaps then…you would wish to speak first, that we might quickly put this business behind us and Miss Sparkle might return to her day before her schedule is disrupted any further?”  Her smile was a little sharp, like an angered predator staring out from the shadows on her face, and the teen found herself actually relaxing at the sign that Principal Cinch was upset, just…mostly concealing it.
It seemed her father was disinterested in any posturing or conciliatory gestures, his tone cold and clipped. “A schedule you disrupted, Abacus, with your preliminary choice of punishing my daughter—the victim—to placate her attacker’s family instead of doing your job as an educator and administrator properly.” He reached into the leather case at his side, and placed a slim object on the normally untouchable, polished expanse of the woman’s antique desk, adjusting it with practiced ease. “Decisions you can begin by explaining and justifying. I trust you understand that I intend to record this meeting so that there can be no…misunderstandings later on either side.”
With a start, Twilight recognized the object on the desk as an item she’d gifted her father, one of her own inventions: a digital audio/visual recording device with two independent cameras that could be trained in two directions. It had been a Mark I prototype of a device she used in her home lab to record experiments and her own observations, and he had made great use of it in recording his lectures in a way that allowed him to display both a board with diagrams and himself with another board of actual notes. She had no idea he’d brought it and intended to record the meeting.
Principal Cinch went unpleasantly pale which made the harsh shadows that seemed as though they were clinging to her even more unsettling. “I—”
“Unless, of course,” Night interrupted her protest, “you would like for the three of us to leave.” The ‘permanently’ was unspoken but it was very clear in the set of his shoulders and frown on his face. Twilight trembled, unseen, behind her parents.
Faltering, the principal searched for the right words, gaze darting around the room, and for a minute those eyes locked onto her; Twilight felt even more frozen than before, unable to look away or move or even smile or frown. 
“Easy, Sparky. I’ve got your back…” Sunset’s voice whispered in her ear, and she wished beyond measure that the amber fingers at the corner of her vision were real, solid hands resting on her shoulders, supporting her. 
A chuckle. “Real enough in the ways that matter, nerd. I won't let this hydra have you without a fight.” 
She could see it, in her mind's eye, almost without trying, Sunset standing behind her, pressed up against her back, hands on her shoulders…all while the taller girl glared daggers at her principal and told her exactly what she thought of her in those silly, endearingly funny euphemisms Sunset was prone to spouting instead of actually swearing.
Twilight couldn't help the tiny smile that worked its way onto her face, and she realized that she could breathe again. Even if Sunset’s actions would have been the height of blatant disrespect, the mental image still amused her.
“That’s my nerd. It's going to be okay.”
As she watched, feeling less like she was going to collapse, Principal Cinch jerked her gaze away as if burned. “Of…course…” she fumbled, looking as out of sorts and distressed as Twilight had ever seen. “You have…always been intelligent and devoted parents…I can…respect your wish to…protect…your…progeny.”





The meeting had continued and concluded in the same vein, with her parents refusing to back down and give the principal an inch, leaving Twilight even more agitated than she’d started out that morning. She was half convinced that this wouldn't be the end of the discussion about where she went to school, regardless of what Principal Cinch was willing to promise—her mother was increasingly vocal about her dislike of Crystal Prep, and now her father was of the same mind.  They had even instructed her that the only conversations she was allowed to have with anyone who worked at Crystal Prep had to be in direct relation to her project or classwork. Anything more, and she was to say nothing before contacting her parents…and they’d impressed the same thing onto Principal Cinch. 
It felt like a noose slowly closing around her neck, and she had no way to get out of it… Twilight shivered at the dark thoughts. This is not the time for that, she told herself. She was headed for the gym, and the teen knew she needed to be on her guard when she entered the locker room. 
“Sparkle! Yo! Hold up!”
Twilight was knocked from her thoughts by Indigo racing up to her from a side hall, skidding to a stop next to her, hands on her knees as she panted. “Indigo? I was just about to go get changed.” She indicated the door to the girls’ locker room just a short distance away. “What—”
The athlete put her hand on Twilight’s shoulder, making her flinch back from the contact. “Whoa—easy! Sorry, look, I’m just glad I caught up to you! I've been looking everywhere! You can't go in there!”
Baffled, Twilight studied the girl, anxiety shifting to wariness—though whether it was wariness of Indigo or something else, she wasn’t entirely certain. “…why not?”
Indigo made a face and her eyes darted around the hall, though the students around them mostly seemed to be ignoring them. She leaned closer and lowered her voice, “Because they're waiting on you in there…everyone’s heard about what happened, and Suri and her gang of bitches intend to catch you where there's no teachers to interfere.”
Something settled in Twilight’s guts, a knot of…some kind of emotion that existed somewhere between fear and anger and exasperation, related to all three but somehow distinct in its own right, an emotional taxonomic classification that was strange and new to Twilight. “…of course they are,” she muttered, shoulders slumping. As if dealing with the locker room wasn't already hard enough for her. “I still have to dress for gym,” the dark haired girl pointed out to Indigo.
“Yeah, I know, but I got a solution for you, and me too. C’mon. There's a bathroom down C-Hall that used to be for teachers. Three stalls, and everyone forgets it's there. But it's also right across from one the library, and this is when Mrs. Stacks takes her lunch break, so she’s guaranteed to be right on the other side of the hall.” Indigo’s expression was grim. “I used it freshman year when Sapphire started all those rumors that I was a lesbian. It kept me out of trouble, let me still ace gym, and my dad didn't get called in to school.”
She scrutinized Indigo carefully, worried that this might be a trap of some kind, and dismissed the thought almost as soon as it formed. Indigo had been…if not a friend, at least friendly and had actively helped Twilight dodge Suri a few times already. “…okay. I know the bathroom you're talking about…but what about our bags? We can't take them into gym…”
Indigo led the way towards the library. “That's the thing. Mrs. Stacks will let us stow them in her office during gym. She…doesn't like bullies. Or people who mess around in the library, so the odds are slim that someone will get at them.” She gave a sheepish grin. “Worked my freshman year, at least.”
Twilight didn't really know the librarian that well—despite her love of books, the library at Crystal Prep wasn’t exactly a welcoming place to read or browse. Many of the books were fancy copies of texts donated by or purchased to appeal to the wealthy elite who sent their children to the school, and what was left was often not on subjects that interested Twilight…or were of a high enough level to be engaging. However, her few dealings with the librarian had shown her that the woman was firm and no nonsense…but not without warmth. 
There was a calm silence between them as they ducked into the small bathroom, and she headed into a stall to change…only broken when Indigo asked, from the next stall over, “So what actually happened last week? The rumor mill’s gone crazy, but…I know that most of that is not even close to the truth. I just know Coach told me I wouldn't need to help you again til Monday.” 
She was quiet for a minute as she mulled over what she wanted to say and how much detail she wanted to go into. Particularly if the rumor mill had already sunk its teeth into the events. “I…was suspended…for defending myself against a senior,” she admitted in a voice just loud enough to carry into the next stall.
The sound of the other girl moving stopped, an unsettled hush falling over the room. Then, “…oh my God, Sparkle…” Indigo sounded horrified. “Are you okay? He didn’t…?” 
It took a second for her to register what Indigo was not able to ask, and she felt cold all over again, just like when Sunset had asked. “No. Not like that…he…was agitated and upset about something else and he…lost it. He grabbed my arm.” Then she exhaled a heavy breath. “That was enough…and I…I reacted…and injured him badly enough that he required medical attention.”
“Holy shit.” Indigo’s voice had gone from horrified to awed. “I can’t believe that part of the rumors is actually true.” She laughed. “Oh man, Sparkle, this is what's gotten you all toned up, isn't it? You’ve been learning martial arts, and you went Kung Fu Panda on a senior!” The laughter became a delighted cackle. “You are full of fucking surprises for a huge nerd! No wonder Suri is so pissed off—with that in the rumor mill, her tactic of getting even by sweet talking boys into harassing someone has a snowball's chance in Hell of working!”
The dark haired girl paled. “She…does that?”
Indigo broke out of her laughter. “…she has before. It's never pretty. Maybe this will make her think twice. Or she’ll just get more creative, and take matters into her own hands.”
Twilight hesitated a moment, before asking quietly, “Is…that what was going on in the locker room? Why you brought me here?”
The stall door unlocked and she could hear Indigo moving into the main part of the bathroom, packing her things into her backpack. “Pretty much—I overheard them in the hall, and you don't deserve to get bullied like that. Suri’s a bitch who gets off on twisting other people up and making them miserable. You're okay, Sparkle, and…well…I know I’m not really your friend, but I couldn't just leave you hanging in the wind like that if I could stop it.”
She could feel the air twist oddly, something prickling at her with the same sensation she felt before a big thunderstorm. It left her with a feeling of expectation but also urgency, like she had forgotten what she was supposed to do.
For the first time since the meeting in the principal’s office, Mental-Sunset made an appearance, interjecting with a tired but pleased sounding voice, “You know, Sparky, for all she might not think you two are friends, she went to an awful lot of personal effort to help you.”
Mental-Sunset wasn't wrong, Twilight realized. Indigo had been hunting for her, to keep her from walking into the lions’ den, and then offered her a safe haven and alternative to it…something that was almost certain to get back to Suri and her cronies. 
“She did this at a cost to herself—and it's not the first time, Sparky. For all the belief she isn't your friend, I’d say she’s probably the best friend you’ve got in this Tartarus-touched pit you call a school. She’s trying to watch your back because it's the right thing to do, regardless of the damage to herself—where is that kind of loyalty in your plant loving friend? You can't possibly think someone who listens to gossip like that didn't have any inkling of what those girls were planning. So why didn't she at least text you a warning?”
There was still quiet from Indigo, and Twilight hurried out of the stall, fixing her hair into a ponytail. “Indigo…” she started, waiting until the athlete turned towards her. “…I…know I’m not exactly the greatest at friendship—it's hard for me a lot of times, because I miss things about people unless I know what I’m looking at—but…you’ve done a lot for me you didn't have to. Today and before this. Things that have made you a target too, now, because we both know Suri will hear about you stopping me from walking into her trap.” She straightened her shoulders, meeting Indigo’s eyes and remembering the same look in a pair of blue-green ones what felt like a lifetime ago. “That…that makes you a pretty good friend in my book.”
There was a sharp intake of breath, and honey colored eyes stared at her, searching. “…Don't be so quick to say that, Sparkle,” she retorted. “I don't have the slightest idea how to be a friend to a genius like you. I’m just a meathead jock that’s smart enough to study.” 
“Last I checked, Intelligence isn't one of the primary virtues of friendship,” Mental-Sunset joked. “If it was, some of my…closest companions would be out of luck. Loyalty’s a pretty good one though.”
So was selfless sacrifice, the dark haired teen told herself, almost picturing the wink and nod Sunset would give her. Twilight offered a smile. “You don't have to be a genius to be a good friend, Indigo. You cared about me, enough to do something kind to help me when you didn't have to.  That matters more than whether or not you can do calculus or understand the theory of relativity.” 
“…you think so?” 
“I know so,” she said, feeling herself straighten under her conviction. “I’d be honored to call you my friend….if you’d let me.”
The other girl stared at her, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing, then shook her head and laughed. “Anyone ever tell you that you're insane, Sparkle?”
“Me,” Mental-Sunset drawled in Twilight’s ear. “Turns out though, that I like your kind of crazy. It's hot.”
It took everything in her not to react to the fact that her subconscious was now having her mental construct of her girlfriend flirt with her. Twilight really needed to address this with her therapist.
Clearing her throat, Twilight replied as levelly as possible, “My best friend. The day after we met. So I suppose that puts you in decent company.” Then, before Indigo questioned that too much, she asked, “You don't have to consider us friends if you don't want to, but it's not going to change my mind.”
Laughing, the other teen shook her head. “You really are nuts…but you know what? Sure. It might be totally batshit, but it would be nice to have an actual friend in this Hellhole.” She stuck out her hand. “Friends?”
Twilight shook it firmly. “Friends,” she agreed, before shouldering her bag. 
“C’mon then, Sparkle. Lets hide these with Mrs. Stacks and get to gym. I kinda want to see the look on Suri’s face when she comes out of the locker room and sees us.” There's a hint of cocky smugness to Indigo’s grin.
“Once more unto the breach then,” Twilight managed with a laugh, following the other girl to the door. “And Indigo?”
“What’s up, Sparkle?”
“My friends call me Twilight.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three: ...But Keep The Old?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Can you believe the nerve of her? It wasn't enough that she pushed him out of his lab—she had to completely eliminate her competition.” The voice was hissed, but at not so quiet a volume that Twilight couldn't hear it.
Another person, just as waspish sounding as the first, responded, “I heard it was worse than that. I heard that he was going to replace her on the Games team—which would make sense, since a senior is a way better choice for the team than some stuck up little girl who should still be a freshman. But little Princess Sparkle wasn't going to let that happen.”
Twilight cringed internally, but there was no way to tune out the chatter from all around her. She wanted to, badly, so she could focus on studying for the upcoming test…but the snippets of basic conversational Italian were too hard to ignore when she knew they were talking about her.
“What I don't understand is why she’s even still on the Games team when she got suspended.”
To be fair, Twilight didn’t understand that either—she would have been happy if last week’s events had meant her removal from the Friendship Games team. 
“Oh, didn't you hear? Guess who showed up holding Princess Sparkle’s hand this morning and had a long meeting with the principal?”
Another voice interjected. “Heard? I saw them. Her dad had this briefcase he was carrying around, and he looked mad.”
“Wow. How much do you want to bet the briefcase had cash in it?”
It didn't, Twilight thought sourly. It was paperwork, and the recording device. Yet she said nothing—there was little point, given that no one would listen to her anyway. She frowned and struggled to tune it out, glancing to see if the teacher was paying any attention to what was going on. He wasn't. Ignoring the chatter earned her about five minutes of peace before the sharp voices intruded on her awareness again.
“…the money has to come from somewhere. Jeweled said that she heard its a mob connection.”
“The mob? Isn't her dad some nerdy professor not good enough for one of the real universities?”
Her father was plenty good enough for the larger universities, she seethed. He had turned down offers several times because the family didn't want to move. And the mob? Seriously? Where did the rumor mill come up with this stuff?
“…brother’s on the take because he’s engaged to a mob boss’ daughter…”
This wasn't the movies, it was real life. Did they realize how bizarre and outlandish what they were saying was?
Twilight forced herself to take several deep breaths, fighting both the rising anxiety and the urge to correct gross misinformation being spewed by her classmates. Especially since they were talking badly about her family, making baseless and slanderous statements that implicated them in being involved with highly illegal activities. Implications that would see her brother under investigation at his job if they said it to the wrong person—it didn't matter that it was completely false, IA would be required to look into it, and it would be on his record forever, all because Suri Polomare and her gang of harpies had been pushing this narrative since Twilight had destroyed the bell curve one of her math exams her freshman year, a class that the older girl had failed. Because in Suri’s mind, it wasn't her own preference of going out with friends instead of doing homework or studying that caused her poor grades—somehow, it was the fault of people who did, as though only so many people were allowed passing grades or something.
“…maybe Hyades wanted a little something since she took his lab and his spot on the team too!”
Great. Now they’d abandoned all pretense of pretending to be practicing their Italian in favor of just gossip.
The worst part was, Twilight hadn't even shared an actual class period with Suri in freshman year—only the same math course and level. And none of their other classes had corresponded, so Twilight couldn't have been responsible for her failing the next two years in a row…in most of her classes. How embarrassing was it that Suri was making an attempt at her senior year for the third time? Only the money her family continued pouring into the school kept the girl from being encouraged to go to another school—facts Wallflower had been overly eager to share when she’d finally discovered the why behind Suri’s long standing campaign of bullying against Twilight (and Moondancer) a few weeks prior.  
“…Lime said she heard from Tropical that her boyfriend was in Mr. Angle’s math class when it all happened and he saw Sparkle flirting with Hyades in the hall….” 
None of that mattered to anyone else though. Suri was reasonably popular, and had friends in the right places, while Twilight was antisocial, quiet, and preferred books to people more often than not. She could stand up and show them a recording of the truth, and they’d just assume she had doctored the video, because popularity talked, and no one at CPA really cared about anything beyond their own successes and tearing down anyone they saw as competition. 
Like a junior who had skipped two grades and was still the top scoring academic in school in every class she was in except for gym. 
Not to mention, if the dark haired girl had stood up and spoken out, they’d know that it bothered her, and they would up their level of harassment. Sunset had put it best, once, when they had talked about the bullying the redhead had received at her school over the fall. 
“But why didn't you tell a teacher, or the principals?” Twilight had asked.
Sunset’s smile had been pained. “Because, Sparky, in my experience, it's always been me against everyone else. Who are the teachers going to believe? The girl who wrecked the Fall Formal? Or everyone else? How was I supposed to know that Miss Luna and Principal Celestia wouldn’t do the same thing adults have always done?” She shook her head. “Besides…reacting…reacting shows them your weak spot. The break in your shields…and they’ll come at them harder and harder until they break you. I refuse to let anyone break me. I didn't let them break me at CSGU, and I refuse to let them now. Principal Celestia stopped the locker graffiti and other stuff…and I've lived with ugly words my whole life. I can deal with it words as long as I have you and the girls.”
Her girlfriend had a point, and Twilight had taken it to heart. If they saw her react, they would try even harder. She’d pushed it too far already when she’d confronted Suri in the locker room. So she said nothing, ignoring the harsh voices that had given up all pretense of subtlety and where no longer whispers.
“…I figure her place on the team is one of those quota things. Look at her. There's got to be something messed up about her head—everyone knows she has medication and that she has those freaky meltdowns sometimes. My dad thinks she's actually retarded and that her parents' money pays for her grades and to make everyone think she's smart.”
“Nah…she's smart, but it's like that old movie with that guy. What was it…Rainmaker?”
“That’s Rain Man, idiot.”
“Yeah that one. Where the guy is like retarded about anything except, like, numbers. So like, Sparkle is smart with math and science and books, but she’s stupid when it comes to anything else.”
A girl nearby laughed nastily. “Yeah, like being human.”
That bit hurt more than she would have liked, not because the opinions of her peers truly mattered that much…but because the words had bypassed any defenses to spear deeply right into one of Twilight’s secret insecurities. It was something that she’d barely even mentioned to her therapist and never to her family. 
The feeling that she was some kind of imposter, pretending to be human and failing at it.
It had started when she was little, when she’d come across a book of “fairytales” accidentally left behind by her aunt. Unlike the normal variants written for young children, of princesses awoken from enchanted sleep by handsome princes, or sword wielding felines with excellent taste in footwear defeating evil ogres, this had been closer to the original folklore. Dark, cautionary tales on the dangers of the strange Other, the Unknown, of the beings who dwelled just beyond the edge of civilization…
Creatures called by so many names: fae, dark elf, dwarves, brownies, sidhe, the children of Oberon, the Third Race…
Changelings.
Of course, to her young mind, it had just been seen as a neat looking storybook she’d never read, which had prompted a young Twilight to dive right in. For the most part, it had simply been…darker, somewhat unsettling versions of familiar stories. Until her child-self had stumbled across the tales of Changeling Children; those tales of human infants stolen from their cradles and replaced by a fae-child in some macabre exchange only understood by the fae themselves. It was often children who were deeply wanted and loved by their parents who were taken, exchanged for fae infants who grew either wild and uncontrollable…or in some cases were far more intelligent than they should be at a given age, but incapable of comprehending emotional warmth and social norms that made humans…human. In either case, the inhuman child unsettled their peers and did not fit into the human social groups well at all.
It had been like reading a description about herself, and it had all come together in her child’s mind very neatly, feeling like it explained everything. Why she was so different, and had no friends and why no one wanted to be around her except her family and the occasional teacher. 
Her parents had been quick to step in when they found her staring blankly at the page and crying—Twilight was unsure how long she’d sat like that, her mind swirling and racing, before they came in. Night Light had taken the book away, some choice words for his sister on a very upset phone-call that same evening about the book she’d so carelessly left behind.
Or had it been deliberate? Twilight was never sure. Her aunt was strange, invested in the esoteric and mystical of ‘New Age’ beliefs, and something like that meant she might have made the same connection.
In the end, it had prompted her mother to buy and present her with the first of many psychological texts (age appropriate, of course), and for both her parents to reassure her that such fairy stories were just that, stories from a long ago time. 
The books stressed that for all she was different, she was still a person. Her brain just worked differently to most people, and that didn't make her less, or Other…just someone with different struggles. 
She knew better now, of course, that her parents had been right, and her own delving into the way myth and folklore worked made Twilight understand that labeling people with neurodivergence or mental health problems as things like changelings or possessed was just the way people had tried to explain what they didn’t understand. Silly things like magic and fairies and goblins, dragons and demons and unicorns…they were nothing but fiction and fanciful imaginings of the human mind.
But sometimes…usually when she was struggling the most with trying to understand people…Twilight couldn't help but feel that unpleasant sensation of Otherness…of being an Outsider…creep up on her, and a tiny, scared voice in her mind whispered ‘what if?’  in her ear.
Which meant that hearing such a statement, right now, hurt in a way she wasn’t expecting, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to focus on breathing away her distress quietly so they wouldn't catch on, all while feeling desperate for the bell to ring so she could get somewhere away from the whispers in the hall, away from the accusations and rumors and prying eyes. Even if it meant dealing with Wallflower, the relative safety of her lab seemed like a paradise by comparison to what the rest of the school was like.
“…let her get away with it?”
“It's like Suri always says, Viola…her parents—”
Whatever the girl was going to say about Twilight’s parents went unheard as the shrill sound of the bell drowned out any other noise. The dark haired teen packed her things quickly—though she waited long enough for the bulk of the students to exit the classroom before she made her own escape into the hall, doing her best to disappear into the shadows and faceless crowd.
It kept her from being accosted, but it did nothing to stop the whispers. She could still hear them, far too clearly, each separate vein of nastiness feeling like it was spoken directly into her ear. 
“…heard it was all a way to take out competition.”
“Me too—Hyades did edge her out in a few exams this year. Maybe the little princess isnt the smartest—she just gets rid of anyone better.”
“Yeah, like that other nerd…Moonflitter? Moonraker? Whatever. The one that was just as much a freak as Princess Sparkle. Notice she didn't come back this year….”
Twilight continued to do her best to ignore it all, focusing on getting to the lab as quickly but unobtrusively as possible, struggling to breathe right, to keep all the hurt and anger and anxiety that was stewing inside her from boiling out.  
“…connections with the Board of Education…”
“I thought it was the mob?”
“You're both wrong. Its the city council. Blue said…”
“…said she overheard the parent’s threatening to send her to another school if Principal Cinch didn't meet their demands…”
The lab wasn't far away, only two more stretches of hallway, but given that this wing was predominantly the domain of the seniors made it a harrowing stretch…with a ‘sanctuary’ at the end that felt like little more than the lesser of two evils than any kind of safety. And given the likelihood that Wallflower would be there, waiting, with all kinds of questions about the last four or five days, Twilight actually felt herself longing for the relative peace she’d had in gym, and the uncomplicated, tension free nature of her new friendship with Indigo...which in turn made her feel even more like she was caught in some weird ‘Through the Looking Glass’ nightmare of her life.
Because truthfully, that's what it was beginning to feel like. How else could she explain away wanting to spend time engaging in running and stretching instead of working on a science experiment and solving a puzzle in a lab? What else would create a reality where it was her gym teacher offering solid praise and discouraging her bullies, while all of her other teachers were turning a blind eye to the nastiness going on right in front of them?
Her life at school had become a nightmare, and for all her intellectual capabilities, Twilight had no idea how to stop it.
“So I heard from Melody, that Seashell’s boyfriend’s chemistry partner saw—”
She pushed the door open to the lab at last, darting in and shutting it firmly behind her, cutting off the latest unpleasant rumor with the slamming of the door. Her heart was thundering in her ears, and her breath ragged as she sought to calm herself down in the relative emptiness of the sterile laboratory.
A voice cut the stillness, making Twilight jolt from the suddenness of it. “There you are!” 
Wallflower followed her vocal exclamation by appearing inside Twilight’s personal space bubble, scrutinizing every visible inch of her intently. “You aren't hurt!?” came the question.
Confusion warred with other emotions at the question. “Hurt?” she managed, not able to follow quite what was going on. “I…was just coming from Italian…”
The green haired girl huffed. “Not that,” she returned. “From last week! You never showed up, and then I had to hear from the grapevine that you were in a fight and they had to call an ambulance!” She put her hands on her hips. “I had no idea what happened, and you didn't show up all last week, or even this morning!”
Twilight shifted uncomfortably. She’d prepared herself for a lot of possible encounters with Wallflower after what had happened in the woods, but this was not one of them. “It was a bit hectic,” she explained tightly. “I was in no condition to talk to anyone, after the fight, and I spent the weekend with my family trying to decide on how we wished to handle the whole situation.”
“What about this morning?” Wallflower said in a tone just shy of being demanding. “You're here now.” 
Her back stiffened. “My parents and I had a meeting this morning with the Principal in regards to my being unfairly suspended when a senior student attacked me in the hall. It ran long, and I had to hurry or risk being late to gym.”
“Oh.” Stepping back a fraction, Wallflower frowned. “You should have at least texted—I spent all weekend worried sick that you were in the hospital or something.”
What? Twilight stared at her, disbelief creeping over her. “You…were worried…all weekend?”  
The green haired girl nodded vigorously. “I was—I didn't know what to think.”  
Disbelief coupled with something like icy anger. Wallflower was claiming to be worried after abandoning her the week before in the woods when she might have been hurt? 
“Don't forget, she might have been the reason you fell,” Mental-Sunset’s voice murmured in her mind.
That didn't make it any better, Twilight decided. Even if her fall had been accidental, leaving her behind when Wallflower was supposed to be her ride home during unpleasant winter weather was still unacceptable, especially when Twilight might have been hurt.
Something else niggled at her, and the words were out before she could stop them. “If you were that worried, Wallflower…why didn't you text me yourself?” came the pointed question.
Wallflower’s lips twitched, as if the frown wanted to become some other expression. “Because I thought you might be in the hospital,” she answered. “I had no idea if you’d even answer.”
…yet despite her supposed worry, she hadn't even made an attempt to contact Twilight? 
“…why were you so convinced I was unresponsive in a hospital bed that you didn't even try to message or call?” she asked instead, trying not to give in to the indignant agitation she felt.
That got her an eye roll from the other girl. “Really, Twilight?” One hand gestured towards her. “What was I supposed to think? You didn't show up or message, and then all the rumors are saying you got into a fist fight with a senior before lunch, and that a student got taken away in an ambulance. Let’s face it, you might be getting trained up for the Games by Zap, but you aren't exactly the Karate Kid. All the seniors are like twice your size—they’d wipe the floor with you!”
Twilight took a deep breath. “For your information, Wallflower, I am perfectly capable of defending myself and getting away from attackers.”
Several emotions flitted across Wallflower’s face, including something that might have been relief. “That’s good to hear, Twilight,” she said, then added, “but I didn’t know that before. You never said anything, and have never done anything before any of the times people have bullied you.”
She sighed, willing herself to sound much less tense than she felt. “Because not every action deserves a violent response, Wallflower. Most people here only ever use words, and I’ve been ignoring those for a long time.” Her features twisted into a frown. “Polaris Hyades did not stick to words…and from the conversation we had before he…advanced on my person…his mental state was at least momentarily unstable for unknown reasons. I reacted, because his goal was unknown and I sincerely felt threatened by his actions.”
Wallflower’s face shifted to an expression Twilight might have called thoughtful…though Sunset probably would have called it ‘calculating.’ “So…he got a bit handsy…and you put him in the hospital for it?” 
The dark haired girl responded in a slow and deliberate manner. “That…is a gross underrepresentation of the circumstances, I feel.”
Her brows pinched. “But that's what other people are going to see, Twilight,” Wallflower pointed out. “You’ve gone and made a huge spectacle out of something that you probably should have handled a lot quieter."
"What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting I should have let him grab me?" Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Her friend shook her head. "No! Of course not, Twilight…but you could have, I don't know…maybe not gone so far? Gotten away and hid instead of a full fledged fight that led to an ambulance and you missing school for the rest of the week? Do you know what you've done?"
Twilight stiffened, indignation now a frigid fury. "Why don't you tell me, since you seem to already know."
Wallflower gave her a long look like she was a bit dim. "The rumors say he's been expelled, and Hyades was the next smartest kid in school, which means he was on the Games team. Plus you took his lab after he messed it up—do you have any idea how that's going to look to the rest of the school? To the seniors? You've basically painted a huge target on your back…and they won't let this one go, Twilight. This is going to follow you until you graduate."
Her voice was crisp and clipped. “I am not certain how that would be any kind of change from the way things have been since I started at this school,” she countered. “I have been a target of harassment and bullying since I walked in and aced my first test. It matters little to the student body what I do or don't do, because they have their own narrative that has little to do with the truth, and they will find a way to twist any event into somehow being something they can feel angry at me over.”
“That’s not a reason to paint an even bigger target on yourself, Twilight. Especially when it could affect more than just—”
She cut Wallflower off. “Honestly, I’m done caring about the opinions of the student body, Wallflower. I had every right to defend myself from harm, and despite what everyone seems to be saying in the halls, I did not seek a confrontation, nor did I jump right to violence…but I am not a doormat or a punching bag for other people. Polaris had already decided I was guilty of whatever conspiracy he believed was going on in these halls and felt fully justified in trying to assault my person in some form of imagined retribution for things that I had no hand in. I am sorry that it went the way it did, but I am not sorry for protecting myself.”
Arms crossed across her chest, Wallflower stared at Twilight hard, her frown and narrowed eyes communicating her displeasure quite effectively. “So that's it then? You're going to ignore what this is going to do to your school life? You're prepared to spend the next year and a half looking over your shoulder everyday? Because I’m not really interested in being collateral damage, Twilight—and I will be. I’m your friend, and with something like this, I’ll be fair game too.”
Twilight didn't need the mental version of Sunset to tell her how wrong that sounded. “…it sounds an awful lot like this worry and concern you claim to have over my well-being is actually you being worried about blowback on yourself, Wallflower.”
Wallflower scowled. “That's not what I meant by it,” she defended. “But we’ve always avoided the worst of the bullying by not drawing attention to ourselves. That's how people like you and I survive in places like this. And you’ve gone and destroyed our best defense in one week.”
“Avoided the worst of the bullying?” she repeated. “Maybe you have, but given that I’ve been Suri’s personal verbal punching bag for three years, I hardly consider that a true statement. The fact is, I’m tired of being her target. I’m tired of trying to ignore it in hopes they’ll find a better target…because they won't.” One of Sunset’s bits of advice swam up from the depths of memory, and she found herself repeating it. “Not only that, I have a right to protect myself from assault by whatever means is necessary to prevent harm to my person.”
Brown eyes bored into her, but for once, Twilight found herself holding her ground instead of looking away. “Do you even hear yourself, Twilight? You're advocating violence now, defending it! If this is the kind of change that your new friends are advocating, then maybe you need to reconsider if spending time with them is a good idea, because I’m not sure I like who you're turning into.”
“Well maybe I do!” she snapped at the green haired girl. “Maybe I like this me who isnt hiding in a glorified closet and barely has any friends. Maybe I like the idea of a me who isn’t constantly afraid of Suri Polomare and what she might do to me if I happen to breathe air wrong in her presence. Did you stop to think that maybe I might enjoy being someone who doesn’t let other people take advantage of her! Maybe now I like who I see in the mirror, a person not afraid to reach out and make friends with people who are different than me.”  Twilight straightened her back defiantly. “Maybe I like who I am when I’m with Sunset—the person she gives me the strength to be, because I know she supports my choices, even when she doesn't agree with them.”
Now she was pretty certain the emotion on Wallflower’s face was a mixture of hurt and anger. Her friend clenched her fists at her sides. “Support? What do you call me worrying and trying to make sure you’re not in over your head all these times, keeping you from being taken advantage of by people looking to use you! I look after my friends!”
Twilight observed her carefully, making mental notes of all the little details to go over later, from the way the other girl stood to how her jaw was set to even the tone of her voice, which had discarded some of its flat, monotone with her riled emotions. “While I appreciate your friendship, as well as your desire to assist me when I am struggling with social situations, or when you share information of which I am unaware, what you have done of late has crossed a line.”
The other girl’s eyes narrowed. “How is being a concerned friend crossing a line?”
Taking a deep breath, Twilight collected what she wanted to say into some semblance of coherent thought. “Telling me you are concerned about something is fine, letting me know you are worried about what a person’s motivation is if they have a history or have changed their behavior is acceptable, even appreciated…but you have progressed well beyond that. I have repeatedly stated that your concern is appreciated, but I feel as though I know Sunset Shimmer a great deal more intimately,” she stressed the word on purpose, “than you, who’ve spent a sum total of eleven minutes and thirty two seconds in her presence. I trust that the person Sunset has been with me is genuine, and I have been privy to her struggles to overcome her history and the behaviors she used to engage in, to grow and change into a better human being. Yet instead of respecting my ability to make my own choices, and even my own mistakes—like all of the other people in my life, including Sunset—you continue to push your rather presumptuous opinions on me, having made it quite clear that poor little socially inept Twilight Sparkle is completely incapable of handling herself.”
Wallflower stared at her, mouth opening and closing a few times as she struggled to respond. Finally, she countered with a weak but almost accusatory way, “…but it's true! Everyone knows that—you talked about how your parents had to send you to those special education things when you were in when you were younger, and you’ve got that legal paperwork with the school that says you're allowed all kinds of aid and assistance, even if you don't ask for it!” Her arms crossed over her chest. “And I’ve seen it too, so I know it's not fake! …I was trying to help…”
“Helping was what you were doing when you expressed concern the first time, Wallflower. Past that, you were refusing to respect my decision, and trying to push your point of view on me.” Twilight frowned, chin raised defiantly and so she could look her friend in the eyes. “Due to our friendship, I have done my best to be understanding—it is part of the reason I tried to organize a social outing to a venue that would engage all three of our interests, as I mistakenly thought that introducing you two would help you see the real Sunset and not the rumors you have heard second, third, fourth, and even fifth hand. I even went so far as to explain my perspective and assessment of Sunset, in an attempt to find a peaceful middle ground.”
“What's more, I find it rather telling how much you have attempted to push your narrative while Sunset has merely told me that she simply does not wish to interact with you as you have spoken plainly of your dislike, and she has no desire to force her presence upon you. Before that, she was actually excited to possibly make a new friend, something you ruined before it ever had a chance because you cannot accept that what you have heard is wrong.” 
If Wallflower had thoughts, she didn’t seem capable of voicing them, staring slack jawed now—she couldn't have looked more shocked if Twilight had slapped her across the face. Twilight pressed her point, laying out the boundaries she had agonized over for days. “It stops, Wallflower. You can feel however you like about Sunset Shimmer, but you will keep it to yourself. Not one word of negativity, no more attempts to ‘make me see’ your point of view on her, not one single off-color joke or sarcastic remark in my presence. In addition, your unpleasant slurs and bigoted comments are offensive. It's not funny, it's not a laughing matter—to you, it’s humorous, but there are plenty of people who use those words to spread hate and dehumanize people who are different. No more.”
Silence reigned for more than a minute, growing into a tense standoff and contest of wills the longer their eyes stayed locked. 
Finally, Wallflower looked away with a huff. “Fine,” she hissed, as though she was making some great concession. “I don't know why you're being so unfair about it—it's not like I was insulting you or anything. You shouldn't be so sensitive…”
“It's not being overly sensitive,” Twilight responded sharply. “Every single slur you used about her applies to me, given that the very actions you are denigrating Sunset for are things I’ve been a willing participant in with her. This isn’t a case of being offended on her behalf. This is me saying I will not be subjected to hate speech by someone who is supposed to be my friend.” She brushed past the other girl, heading for her desk so she could get some work done. “Those are the boundaries I am placing on our friendship going forward, Wallflower, and they are not negotiable. I don't care whether you think them fair or not—they are my personal boundaries and I have a right to set them. If you don't feel you can respect me as a person enough to respect my boundaries, then there’s the door. No one is holding you hostage here.”
> Correspondence V: Down the Rabbit Hole
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------








Hey Twi,


I know you’re probably still busy with your trip for your lecture, but when you get a moment, I…have updates and I need to impose on you again for research materials.
Updates first, so you have a better sense of why I have the requests I do.
The girls are continuing to practice with their magic—so far everyone but Pinkie has seemed to manifest some kind of ability. They haven’t changed at all from what I reported earlier—speed for Dash, strength for AJ, shapeshifting for Fluttershy (which is something they don’t get as being as phenomenal as it is, because human folklore is rife with shapeshifting beings of different kinds…)—so I’m fairly comfortable with saying that the powers they have acquired are unlikely to change type, though they may further evolve in strength and versatility as the girls get used to them and grow more confident.  It’s Rarity’s new power that really surprised me, and has tremendous potential for some very creative application.  She conjures energy projections but they’re solid like magical shields. It…seems almost to combine aspects of conjuration and abjuration all at once… 
At this point, I’m watching Pinkie, but she just doesn’t ever seem to get into a situation where she’s on an emotional edge enough to trigger anything. I suppose I should be grateful—knowing my luck, her power is to make cupcakes explode or something. It’s bad enough that I can now apparently create fire on a whim.  Could you imagine what kind of DISASTER something like Pinkie being able to make explosions would be? I’m really hoping that whatever ability Pinkie ends up with is fairly non-destructive and benign. She’s my friend, but some beings should never be given that kind of power. It’d be like somepony dyed Discord pink and let him out again.
Speaking of Pinkie…does the pony Pinkie Pie ever mention something called ‘Pinkie Sense’ or somehow know things she shouldn’t with no explanation as to how? Because the human one does and it…I’m afraid to look too much into it.  Something tells me that ‘that way lies madness.’ Are we sure Pinkie didn’t have an ancestor that had a rowdy night with Discord?
Anyway. I’m getting off-topic, but you’ll have to forgive me. Things have been…pretty busy and kind of insane here.  I’ve delegated what I can, but at the end of the day, I’m the only board certified Magus and the only one capable of reading the various languages of Equestria to take down notes. On top of practicing their powers, we’re also taking down readings and running regular tests on magic. The levels here at CHS are only growing, and the affect its had on the flora in and around the school has persisted, but without any ill effects, although the repeated waves of magic and exposure to the Rainbow don’t seem to have had any affects on students other than the girls—Flash, Lyra, and Bon-bon have graciously been my volunteer test subjects for that.
All of what we’re doing has also motivated the school…which is weird, in a way. The students are trying to find ways to defend themselves from magic, and I’m pretty impressed with some of the ideas these humans have come up with to disrupt a spellcaster’s magic. I just really hope they never have to use them…
We both know I’m not that lucky. 
Especially because I’ve picked up on dark magic again. Very dark magic, the kind that the Ethics Board would weigh in on and then put on the list of banned magics—the kind of stuff Darkblossom and Quietus the Blackhearted got condemned to Tartarus for.
I wont bore you with the human details that require complicated explanations, but my other friend? The one the girls don’t know about? She goes to another school, and several times now I’ve had to…burn off…purge…dark magic from her and her family. (It’s another of those complicated things I can’t explain how it works yet or why, but I think it’s tied into whatever power makes me Pony-Up.) The dark magic…it makes them angry and aggressive and not themselves, that keeps coming back, and that seems to be invisible until it’s triggered. And the thing that seems to trigger it most? Things related to her school. I can’t prove it, but the school seems the only common denominator, especially since Lyra had another friend who goes to this other school, and that friend is…also acting pretty hostile and aggressive lately when they’ve talked.  It’s enough to make me extremely suspicious…and very worried.
The worst part is that there’s a special competition coming up between that school and Canterlot High, hosted at CHS. If theres a being or person or artifact causing this…I’m extremely concerned about it trying to either tamper with the portal, or worse, go after the ambient magic present in the school and the students.
Which is why I need information on dark magic that might fit this. It’s not Equestrian magic, but it reminds me of some things I do remember from researching in the past. And it’s not like mind altering magics are super common as a subject… I’m hoping it might give me a starting point to combat it proactively, rather than being forced to react to it all the time.
I’ve also acquired a book…I think I’ve mentioned it before—the journal of a human chasing after a wife taken by unknown creatures? Anyway, I’ve confirmed that its legitimately magical, and very heavily spelled, which lends credence to it, and in it…I’ve discovered a bestiary of sorts, full of magical creatures, some of which I know are Equestrian, some of which I’ve never heard of, and some that are so much more expansive than anything I’ve ever read on some of the worst things rotting in Tartarus. Which brings me to my second request, which may be pushing boundaries all things considered, but there’s something I can’t shake about it. 
I need to know what our people have on demons and demon-like creatures, anything that falls under the Nightmares, Fearlings, and old Dream-Eaters stories, and anything else that can attack the mind or traverse the place between awake and asleep.  I can’t bring myself to trust this information one hundred percent by itself. I need other sources, and Equestria is where I can find them. 
Ive been having nightmares, Twi, and you’ll understand when I say ‘they don’t just feel like dreams.’ …and somehow, I have powers of my own, without being an Element…and I don’t know where its coming from. 
I need answers, and I need your help.
Please—I need to protect her.


Sunset Shimmer








Sunset,

Applejack here—er, the pony one, obviously. Twi and Spike are both out of town. Some big high faluting thing in Canterlot or something. She been heading there a lot lately—Princess Luna’s been getting her help, I think. 
Anywho. Read through your letter, in case it was an emergency, and while I cant help much with the magic stuff, the nightmares thing…look, we Apples have had a few ponies in the family over the years that were Moondreamers, and so Granny always taught us that if your dreams don’t feel like just dreams, listen to that. Its a good chance that feeling is right. And we cant really get any restricted stuff, but I’ll have Rarity and Pinkie help me look through whats here to find what Twi’s library has. Would it be okay for one of us to deliver it to you or your friends through the mirror? I can make sure its either me or Rarity—I’m not sure letting Pinkie loose on another world where theres already a Pinkie is a good ide—






Terribly sorry about the abrupt end of Applejack’s message, darling, but Pinkie appears to have caused a minor explosion in the castle kitchen. She is right about us searching the library, though I cannot guarantee we will find overmuch. Would you like us to send Princess Luna a message with your questions? Perhaps her role as the Dreamwalker might mean she has the answers you need.
This dark magic you mention sounds positively dreadful…I am no expert like Twilight, but have you considered using some of the gems to create a protective accessory? I’ve done that before for clients who needed the added defense. I understand humans don’t have tails, but based on Twilight’s description, it sounds like they have other types of accessories. You could either carve the array into the accessory itself, or if size and concealment is a factor, perhaps the use of sympathetic magic instead, by creating a smaller and more understated piece from parent stones and then keeping the parent array somewhere where it will be both safe and easily charged?
I will sketch in some of the arrays I’m familiar with—perhaps your Rarity can assist you in the craft…or, if you think it could be done with runes embroidered into fabric, I would be more than happy to do some of the enchanting legwork for you and send some of my special thread and fabric across. We may not be Twilight, darling, but we are happy to help somepony in need.
Let me know? I have a slow few weeks—no major client orders are due at the moment, so I have time so long as Sweetie Belle does not disassemble my loom for parts again.


Sincerely Yours,
Rarity of Ponyville
Proprietor and Seamstress of Carousel Boutique

 




[Smudges of glitter and excess hot pink ink dot the page]




Hiiiiiii Sunset! Pinkie here! Of course I have Pinkie Sense, silly filly! All Pinkies do—its part of THE PINK inside of a Pinkie! Thats how I knew you were talking about me! See, I got this twitchy feeling in my tail and then my nose itched and my front left hoof taped the ground six times two fast and three slow and one hard, and I just knew someone was asking about Pinkie Sense in a magic letter.  And then I accidentally had another twitch and knocked a thing of flour onto the fire and BOOM! Applejack had to help me air out the kitchens cause the flour made it super smoky! Oh, and she mentioned your letter! 
Also, you don’t have to worry about the other Pinkie blowing stuff up. Thats a DIFFERENT Pinkie who gets to do that! Though I suppose your Pinkie might borrow her sometimes…
Since we’re sending stuff through, I’ll make sure to send you a batch of my fizzleberry muffins! They’re good for chasing away the sad with smiles!


> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four: Mercurial
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset was not a huge fan of pep rallies. In all truthfulness, she had never cared for them before her reformation, and she was learning now that the dislike had not been tied to the unpleasant personality she had been prior to the Fall Formal. It didn't help that Pinkie and Rainbow had suggested that they go Ponied-Up, instead of wearing the fake Wondercolt ears and tails…and then made a very persuasive argument about how holding onto their transformations for an extended period of time could be a great test of their magical stamina. Which it was, curse them, but it meant she was now subjected to the sound of the entire student body all talking at once on top of all the other sounds bombarding her sensitive ears. She’d practically buried them in her hair they were pinned so hard to her skull, and it didn't do a lot to block out the noise. Not to mention, some kind of equipment in the gym space was vibrating at a frequency that made her horn hurt.
She glanced around. Most of her friends where nearby, though Rainbow Dash was down on the front row with the rest of the sports teams, all in uniforms, and Pinkie was with the cheerleaders and the Pep Squad, coordinating…because of course Pinkie Pie was involved in anything and everything that could be seen as a party or was about school spirit. Fluttershy was hemmed in between her and Rarity, listening to the tailor and a few of her friends from the drama department discussing costume fabrics, and AJ sat behind the three of them, looking bored. They didn't seem to be having the same issue with the noise level as she was, though…
Blue-green eyes scanned the wider crowd as a new sensation hit her—the feeling of eyes watching her. It brought a prickly feeling of agitation and anticipation, and her ears instinctively overrode the conscious muscle control to prick forward and start swiveling to and fro to search for danger. 
There it was! Whispered snatches of her name, people staring at the group then looking away quickly when her eyes tracked to them. What was going on?
A hand settled on her shoulder and nearly made the former unicorn jump out of her skin until she realized it was Applejack. “Relax, Sunset. Ah see it too, but Ah think they're all tryin’ ta get a good look at our Pony-Ups. An’ yer ears are…well, even fer non horse folk, they’re kinda givin’ you away.”
Sunset reached up and ran her finger tips over the velvety texture of her ear. It felt normal, and was moving normally—although the muscles that controlled them felt sore since they weren’t usually in use quite so much on humans. “What’s wrong with them?” she asked, confused and a little worried. 
“Nothing’s wrong,” AJ replied with a chuckle. “It's just…well…they move a lot, like a real horse. Rest of us...don't do that.” She pointed up at her own ears, which lay splayed and relaxed because of her ever present hat. 
One ear flicked back in annoyance. “Wait. You are saying that people are staring at my ears because I’m moving them?”
“Seems like. It's…pretty noticeable, an’ most folk have dogs or cats and are assumin’ yer ears are like those. From here, kinda looks like yer mad about something, especially with yer face all scrunched up.”
“…I’m not angry,” she defended. “Annoyed, maybe, because the noise level hurts a bit. Also something in the room is making my horn itch in a really unpleasant way.” Her ears drooped slightly. “…I didn't think humans could read my ears like that.”
The blonde shrugged. “Pets can't talk our way, so humans got real good at learning to see what they were saying their way.”
Fluttershy joined in. “It’s very interesting, studying the symbiotic forms of reciprocal communication that humans and certain types of animals have learned from each other. Dogs read human faces completely differently than they read each other’s or even other animals—they do it in a way that mimics how we read each other! And cats have developed a complex language of vocalizations they only use with human companions to communicate different needs!”
It was going to be one of those talks. Steeling herself, Sunset asked, “And your horses?”
“Horses have some of the most expressive emotional capabilities I’ve ever seen,” the other teen gushed happily. “They can suffer from a lot of the same problems we do, like depression or anger management issues, and they are extremely sensitive to our body language, especially when they've bonded with a rider. The best of them stop being a human and a horse and actually function as a unit!”
It was weird. “So what you're telling me,” she clarified, “is that it took me years to master acting human and figuring out what your body language meant, and you all just have an encyclopedia of interspecies body language and communication in your brains? All of you?”
Her friends—even Rarity now—were all watching her. At last Applejack nodded. “Eeeeeyup. Pretty much. Some folks’re better than others—like Fluttershy, or mah cousin who’s a regular horse whisperer—but most people can figure out the important ones.”
Sunset shook her head. “Of course you can. I’m not angry though. Just…annoyed. Maybe frustrated, because whatever is making that noise is driving me a little crazy!” She rubbed the base of her horn, and glanced at Rarity. “Can you feel it or is it just me?”
Frowning fractionally, Rarity nodded. “I had detected a weird buzzing sensation, but I wasn't sure if that was normal or caused by the crowd.  This is the first time we have had our powers active while in the middle of a crowd for an extended time like this.”
“It's making my horn itch all the way down into the core—the longer it goes on, the more it's making me feel like my brain is itching too!” Her ears pinned back fully. “I’m getting a migraine out of it.”
One of the drama kids sitting on Rarity’s far side one tier lower was watching her, before turning towards the sound booth and waving her hands. Her fingers moved in a deliberate fashion, and Sunset pushed the building headache down a minute. “What…?”
The girl shrugged and glanced over her shoulder. “If it's a weird noise that isn’t people, it might be the sound equipment. I was telling Vinyl to check it.” Her words were punctuated by a horrendous squeal of feedback that rang through the gym and made everyone wince in pain. 
When it stopped, Sunset realized that the sensation of ants crawling around in her horn core had stopped, and she slumped back in relief. “Oh bright stars, that fixed it.” 
“Great!” The girl made some more hand movements, paused, then made a few more. “Vinyl says that next time you pick up on something like that, give her a high sign so she can check the equipment. A sound cable was plugged in in the wrong port.” She turned and smiled at Sunset warmly. “You don't have to sit and suffer, Sunset, just because we can't hear it.”
“…I guess I didn't…think about saying anything?” The redhead ran a hand through her hair. “Thanks, though.” She felt really bad for not knowing the girl’s name—Golden something? She hadn't really been on Sunset’s radar during her reign, and so the name escaped her completely.
“Happy to help out!” With a smile the girl turned back to her group of friends, returning to their conversation.
Now that she was no longer suffering from whatever feedback had been bothering her, Sunset found it easier to filter out the noise and relax. Her mind wandered for a bit, onto her most recent experiments with their magic. The girls were getting the hang of activating their powers, and using them was definitely becoming less haphazard. Except for Pinkie. Despite all the weirdness that existed around Pinkie Pie, her powers seemed to be taking their time in manifesting in any particular way.
That was starting to worry Sunset—Pinkie was not exactly the picture of restraint, after all.
“Hey, Sunset! Mind if Bonny and I sit here?”
Jolting, she realized Lyra had appeared on her other side. “Oh…sure, no one’s sitting there. Pinkie is part of the organizing committee for this and Dash is sitting with the team, so it's fair game.”
“Fantastic! We wanted good seats for this. Flash wouldn't give us the details, but he said it's going to be a pep rally to remember.” Lyra was grinning from ear to ear.
Next to her, Bon-Bon snarked, “Maybe they’ll burn the Crystal Shadowcolt in effigy this year in some attempt to make the Crystal Prep students tolerable to be around.”
“With likely few exceptions,” Sunset responded dryly, “I doubt even setting the CPA students themselves on fire would do anything to improve their attitudes. Trust me, it didn't work at CSGU. They just got more unpleasant, not less, and the teachers looked for any excuse to come down on me after that.”
Bon-Bon arched an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if that says more about the state of the equine education system or you before you came here, Sunset.”
She wiggled a hand. “A little of both?” she offered. “I didn’t just start out being terrible the instant I ended up on two legs….but by the same token, CSGU was a magic school, so…things like being set on fire or accidentally turning yourself into a polka dotted toad in an alchemy mishap was…planned for?”
Lyra looked beyond excited. “Magic school sounds like so much fun! Did you have a class all for learning about magical creatures?”
“Um…I mean there was a track for those looking into things involving monsters and beasts. Arcanobiology, a few ecology and monster biology courses. Those were mostly on the medical side of stuff at CSGU though, for ponies going into healing professions. The kind of intensive course I suspect you mean wasn't a CSGU thing, it was actually a major part of Guard training.” 
Fluttershy piped up on her other side. “Guard training?”
Sunset nodded and explained, “The Equestrian Guard is…it's not really an army or a police force—I mean, yes, guardsponies do serve in a constabulary role when crimes occur, but other than the occasional scuffle, petty theft, or vandalism, there's not a lot of regular crime for them to worry about. What Equestria needs them for more is dealing with dangerous monsters and wildlife, especially on the roads or in more remote villages. Packs of timberwolves or a chimaera—especially a nesting mother—in the forests, hydra and sandmirks in swampy areas, and let's not even talk about things like pukwudgies, tatzlwurms, wyverns, and rocs…these things can be devastating for small communities or travelers, so the guard is our primary source of keeping monster infestations away from ponies. That means they have to know how to fight them, to drive them off or kill them, and how to avoid getting eaten…since most of the problem monsters think pony is a tasty snack.”
“That’s…” Bon-Bon paused, looking at the rest of the group. “Yikes.”
The former unicorn shrugged. “It is what it is. Most of them are apex predators and a single pony is…I dunno, probably about four or five hundred pounds of food for one of them? Unlike humans…we didn't end up on top of the food chain, so we defend ourselves as best we can.”
Applejack frowned. “Why ain’t ya just gotten rid of them?”
Rubbing her neck, Sunset explained as best she could. “They have a right to live too, and are part of the ecosystem. We focus on pruning them back away from our settlements and make ponies less appealing as food options than easier meals. There's a few exceptions—timberwolves are elemental blights that come from mutant magic, so hunting down and destroying Packhearts is always a priority, but most of them…they're only more dangerous than wolves or lions or bears because they’re bigger or magical. Plus there's plenty of space for all of us. Ponies are nowhere near as numerous as humans are.”
“So what kind of weapons do ponies fight monsters with?” Bon-Bin questioned. “I can't imagine you guys have submachine guns.”
“Oh no—we do have explosives, but most of those are thaumic, not alchemical. Spears, javelins, staves, polearms are pretty popular. Some of them have heads inspired by tools—shovels, pitchforks, hoes, scythes…sometimes you’ll see hammers. Magical spells, for unicorns. Pegasi sometimes uses their ability to manipulate clouds and air as a weapon—the Wonderbolts train to do just that, because a concussive blast or a tight spiral of air can be as devastating as an explosion, and not much is immune to lightning. We also have our hooves—a lot of the Guard has special shoeing done, or wear enchanted guards on their cannons that have blades or spikes when they kick. For bigger weapons, there's catapults, ballista, magic launchers that amplify a spell and hurl it at a target further than any caster can.”
“Ya know, Ah thought Equestria was some kinda paradise,” Applejack drawled, “but it sounds like it's just as scary as this world in its own ways.”
Sunset gave a slight smile. “You’re…not wrong,” she admitted. “Equestria—”
A loud bass track followed by a burst of electric guitar and heavy drums interrupted not only what Sunset was about to say, but also the conversations going on in the bleachers around her. The chatter around her fell off as attention turned to the stage and the open area of the gym floor below.
“Canterlot High!” came Flash’s voice as he took center stage, sporting a pair of Wondercolt ears and a CHS jacket. “Are you ready to rock?!”
The response was…somewhat lethargic, and Pinkie bounced up next to him a moment later, school spirit-wear practically coming out of her pony ears. “Hey! I thought this was a CHS pep rally, not a Crystal Prep one!” She pouted at the crowd of students, looking disappointed with her hands on her hips. 
Someone called out, “As if Crystal Prep kids would be caught dead in a place like this! Not enough silver spoons and tacky fake diamonds on everything!”
Flash grinned in challenge. “Then let me hear you act like Wondercolts! We’re a million times better than those snobs!”
This time the cheering was noticeably more enthusiastic, with people stomping their feet and roaring back at the stage. Sunset winced from the volume, and from the surge of aggression she could practically taste in the air… She felt Fluttershy give her a loose hug around the shoulders in sympathy, the other girl also cringing a little from the noise level. 
“I guess we’re in the right place after all!” Pinkie chirped happily into the mic once the crowd settled back down.
Strumming a power chord on his guitar, Flash agreed, and gave the room one of his boyish grins.  “Which is good, because we’ve got the Friendship Games coming up, and we’re gonna finally show those Crystal Preppers what it feels like to lose!”
Once again, someone from the bleachers called out, “How? By example?”
“Yeah, we never win against them!” someone else yelled. “They’ve already started their victory celebrations on MyStable!”
Sunset frowned, seeing her friends falter on stage. Her magic pulsed with that familiar static shock tingle when Rainbow Dash jumped to her feet. “So what!? We can win this year! Look at what we’ve already done!” Her wings flared, making her look much more imposing than her short stature allowed for, punctuating her statement with a visual reminder of the changes at the school.
Her own magic responding had the redhead on her feet before she could register getting up. “I thought you were Wondercolts,” she said cockily, hands on her hips. She could feel the eyes of every student in the room on her as well as the teachers…and the principals. “Are you telling me that you all are frightened of Crystal Prep…after you stood up to me? A bunch of stuck up rich kids who need their parents’ money to solve their problems are harder to challenge than the ‘Demon Queen of CHS?’ As if.”  Sunset let just a hint of the old smirk play across her face, one eyebrow raised.
“Yeah!” Rainbow cried, leaping into the air with a fist held high. Her fluttering wings held her aloft as she spun around in a slow circle. “Where’s that Wondercolt Pride? We’ve fought evil magic, crazy demon fish horses, and pulled the whole school together to help Princess Twilight! A bunch of private school kids are nothing compared to all that!”
Sunset caught Flash’s eyes and lifted her chin, a subtle signal for him to go ahead with what she knew he was thinking. Her ex winked at her. “I don't know about you guys, but I dated Sunset—she’s way more terrifying on a bad day than anyone we’ll face at the Games.”
Pinkie giggled. “Have you seen the size of her boots? Those make me super glad you're on our side now, Sun-Shim!”
“It's just Sunset, Pinkie!” she yelled back, half laughing now at the over the top act of her zany friend mock cowering behind Flash Sentry.
“Hide me!” she heard.
Flash looked bewildered. “Hide you? From Sunset? Sorry, Pinkie, friendship’s magic and all that, but a wise man knows not to get between his ex-girlfriend and her target!”
The pair made a spectacle of trying to throw the other into the ‘line of fire,’ all while Sunset stood in the bleachers, rolling her eyes. “It's probably a good thing I’m not trying to get them,” she joked rather loudly to her friends nearby. “With all of that, I’d’ve already kicked their butts and gone out for pizza afterwards.” 
Laughter rippled through the crowd, and she felt good as she found her seat again. Pinkie, who had ‘tripped’ Flash and was hiding behind a fake tree belonging to the drama department, peeked out. “Pssst, Flash!” she whisper-yelled into the mic. “I think it's safe! We gave her the slip!”
The blue haired youth stopped cowering behind a box. “Oh good. We’re safe now—take it from me, guys, those boots are a deadly weapon. It's like getting kicked by a horse!”
As a unit, her friends—led by Pinkie—yelled, “Pony!” 
More laughter, and the mood in the crowd had brightened, the faint stirrings of discontent and frustration scattered to the winds by Sunset’s willingness to make her own poor history a point of pride for the school. It…took a lot of the sting out of the reminder, she realized, when she was the one bringing it up as something other than a slip of the tongue or reference to the girls’ track record against magical threats. 
It helped that once the attention was off her, she’d been put into a group hug by the girls around her—including Lyra and Bon-Bon—and Rarity had placed a worried hand on her wrist, asking quietly, “Are you alright, darling?”
“I’m…okay,” she said back, equally quiet under the booming audio from the microphones as Flash and Pinkie continued to talk up the Wondercolts in the upcoming Games. “…I…don't like it when I’m…raked over the coals…about what happened, but this is different. It's no secret that I used to be pretty awful to everyone, and…I don't know…they weren’t laughing at me. They were laughing at Flash and Pinkie acting ridiculous.”
“Because no one was making fun of you, Sunset…and I do apologize if it has felt that way in the past. We…do not intend to make you feel bad when we mention what occurred at the formal, I do hope you know that…” Rarity’s lips thinned into a worried frown. 
The former unicorn hastened to prevent her friend from following that line of thought further. “I know, Rarity—it's never brought up with anger or anything like that, or directed at me. It's…a reminder…I don't like to have it brought up because looking back…” She rolled her shoulders, trying to push down the prickly feeling in her skin. “…looking back at it, I can see now how much of a miserable, unpleasant, nasty mare I was, and how I took all of my misery out on people here…when none of you humans were the source of how I felt...and when some of you even made the effort in the beginning…to be kind.” Her eyes met the tailor’s pointedly. “It reminds me how much I hated myself, and how I almost ruined everything forever…” The words she’d told her girlfriend came back to her. “…and all for something that was nothing but a delusional dream.”
“You…don't still hate yourself,” Fluttershy asked worriedly, “do you, Sunset?”
Shaking her head, Sunset hugged the other teen reassuringly. “No…I…worked through all of that because of the Battle of the Bands. Helping there, against the Sirens, being able to really start giving back to you girls and making things right in some small way with all the people I hurt…it…felt like…this weight…coming off me.”
“That’s good,” Lyra said firmly, “because you’ve been doing more than just ‘making things right.’ You’re a good friend now, Sunset, and you should be proud of who you are now.”
Her lips turned up at the corners when she glanced towards Lyra. “…I’m just trying to live up to what Twilight and the girls have taught me,” she admitted, knowing that after their discussion the former CPA student would get what she meant. 
She was not disappointed when Lyra’s answering grin became more than a little mischievous and she winked at Sunset. “I bet Twilight’s proud of how far you’ve come too.”
Sunset fell silent. Lyra wasn’t wrong—Twilight had told her more than once how proud she was of her…and backed it up with more than a few kisses too. It felt good to hear it from others though, especially those who had suffered under her tyranny. It made her feel like she really was moving forward as a better pony…and a better person. She’d never forget how far she’d fallen, but it was definitely feeling as if it no longer hung quite so ominously over her head, with those around her concerned if she would fall back into her old ways. In many ways, it was a relief—
“Oh my heavens, what have they done with their outfits!?” Rarity exclaimed with horror.
The former unicorn jerked her head up. “Who? What?”
One pale hand gestured imperiously towards the cheerleaders who had taken center stage while Sunset had been talking. “There, darling! Look at what they’ve done to themselves!”
Blue-green eyes followed the gesture in puzzlement and confusion as the cheerleaders began some complex routine that was part dance, part gymnastics routine. “Um…” Sunset wasn't an expert on cheerleaders by any means but she’d seen them at the games and pep rallies she’d attended in the past, and they didn't look much different than any other time. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”
Rarity huffed in exasperated annoyance. “Their skirts, Sunset, honestly, how does no one else notice the terrible stitching and the awful choice of materials? And don't get me started on the cut and style…”
Riiiiight. Skirts? Sunset tilted her head looking at the skirts more critically, but she couldn't figure out what her friend was talking about. They…seemed to be about what she expected…if shorter than most girls wore, exposing a host of long, lean legs to her eyes. Her gaze lifted to see if anyone besides Rarity had noticed anything. They hadn’t seemed to, though a number of the boys looked fairly invested in the routine…
Freaky monkeys and their hormones…
Sunset looked back at the cheerleaders, absently noting how the whole thing was meant to entice those who were attracted to the human female form. Even trying to imagine her girlfriend in one of those skirts didn't really make it any more interesting to watch, hunting for whatever Rarity was still complaining about.
“…it's nothing more than a cheap thrill to tease the boys and they could have done that without showing off the short shorts they are all wearing underneath the skirts to prevent flashing anyone…why, if they had just come to me, I could have designed…”
Sure, Sunset had snuck a few glances at Twilight’s rear and thighs, especially when she wore some of the tighter pajama pants, but she just couldn't picture her favorite bookworm in a skirt like that in a way that was appealing—the mental image was more comical than anything, of Twilight being flustered and awkward and that making her more clutzy than normal. The mental action sequence ended with Sunset having to catch her when she inevitably tripped and crashed into her.
Okay, so she would enjoy that part of it, but in her defense, Twilight was very huggable. And cute in a dorky way when she got all flustered.
Now that was an idea…
Looking at the skirts more intently, she wondered if she could find something in her favorite colors that did that when she moved…to wear in the privacy of the loft, of course, when Twilight was over? She could finagle a whole self defense lesson on fighting in a skirt to justify it… 
Twilight would be a blushing, stammering mess in less than five minutes, and Sunset would enjoy absolutely every moment of it. It would make wearing a skirt like that worth it. She could even picture the expression on her girlfriend’s face, a twin to the one from the previous Saturday, eyes wide and cheeks practically glowing, mouth hanging slightly open. 
Sunset liked the idea the more she thought about it, and wondered what other things she could do to elicit specific reactions from her best friend. Not just interest or embarrassment, but other things too, like surprise or delight, or even prod her into laughing. It could even be fun to try and predict how Twilight might react to something…
“…nset?” 
She blinked, realizing that the cheerleaders were done and she’d gotten lost in thought for not one upbeat song, but three. “Huh?”
Lyra smirked at her, leaning close to one pointed pony ear so only Sunset could hear. Obliging, Sunset swiveled the appendage to catch what she whispered. “Look, I know Emerald Lace has an ass you can bounce a quarter off of, Sunset, but you probably should be a little more discreet if you want to enjoy the view.”
Her eyes bugged out of her skull at that. “What?!”
“It's considered rude and creepy to stare like that even if you're a girl.”
“But—I wasn't—it’s not—I don’t—” Sunset sputtered, feeling her face heat up.
Lyra laughed. “It’s okay if you were, Sunset. There's no harm in looking—Bonny and I look all the time. Just don’t be weird about it, or do it in places like the locker room, that’s all.”
“It's not like that!” she managed, face burning up. “I was lost in thought!” Her voice sounded shrill to her own ears.
“Okay,” the other girl said soothingly. “They must have been some good thoughts, though, judging by your expression.”
“…was working on plans for something I was going to do later,” Sunset offered nebulously. 
Lyra glanced back at the cheerleaders hopping down from the stage, then towards Sunset, her face growing speculative. “Hmmm…”
“What?”
Her expression became a broad and cheery grin. “Go for it. You definitely have the figure to pull it off, Sunset.” Then she turned back to Bon-Bon and picked up a conversation with her, leaving Sunset staring and not sure how to feel.
Schooling her features before the rest of her friends noticed, Sunset forced her attention back to the pep rally—and resolved to be more careful about where her eyes were focused the next time she got lost in thought. Thankfully, the next bit of the event seemed safe—a couple of big guys from the lacrosse and football teams—Curly and a boy who insisted everyone call him ‘Teddy,’ if she remembered right—carrying the largest piñata Sunset had ever seen, shaped vaguely equine like and done in Crystal Prep’s colors in what, to Sunset, looked like a mockery of the official Wonderbolts stunt uniform. They brought it to a cable hanging down from the gym’s rafters, hooking it up and starting to hoist it up into the air.
A flash of light and bright blue smoke heralded the return of Flash and Pinkie on the stage, drawing her attention. As Pinkie bounced forward comically, Sunset caught a glimpse of Trixie backstage, the magician meeting her gaze briefly and giving her a slight nod. The former bully returned it—it looked like her guess about the silver haired braggart was at least a little accurate.
“Look-ee what we have here!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Where did this come from?!”
Flash smirked. “We caught the Crystal Prep Shadowcolt trying to sneak onto school grounds to see the Wondercolt!”
The pink girl gasped. “What was it doing there?! Planning a surprise party?”
“Maybe it was a forbidden romance?” Flash joked. He wiggled his brows suggestively at the crowd. That drew laughter and jeers from the assembled students, and he held up his hands placatingly. “Okay, okay, you're right. It probably wasn't fraternizing with the enemy. It was probably part of the plan to redecorate the Wondercolt…but it failed! So what should we do to the Shadowcolt?”
“I think the cheerleaders have a suggestion,” Pinkie giggled. 
Sure enough, several of the cheerleaders had stepped back out on the floor with a detached broom handle that had been painted blue and gold. 
“I think you're right—hey girls! See about finding an audience volunteer! Get some participation going!” The proclamation made people yell, stand and wave, or stomp their feet, eager to get picked to have a shot at the piñata. A shiver passed through Sunset at the barely restrained violence bubbling to the surface in her classmates—she wasn't sure what bothered her more at this point: the predatory aggression surrounding her, or the way the mood tugged on a part of her that had frightened her own kind that would fit right in with the humans around her. She also wasn't sure she wanted the answer to that question.
The cheerleaders went into a huddle to confer, before one of them skipped over to retrieve someone from the bleachers, a quiet, but awkwardly smiling Bulk Biceps. The towering frame of the surprisingly sweet and kind boy was led almost by the hand out into the center and turned in a circle to show him the cheering, excited crowd. Bulk’s pale cheeks were flushed, but he smiled and waved at everyone, before the painted stick was pressed into his hands. 
“Go ahead, Bulk!” Flash called. “Give that Shadowcolt your best shot!”
Looking at the stick, Bulk gave a testing jab at the piñata’s side, only to look startled when he ended up going straight through it and out the other side….and then the stick got stuck inside it and Bulk started trying to wiggle it free, sending it bouncing and swinging on its tether wildly.
“Oh maaaan,” Pinkie called. “It’s super good piñatas don't feel pain! Cuz that looks like it would hurt!”
“Then maybe it's good we stuck to a piñata instead of kidnapping the real mascot like some people suggested,” Flash joked. “I’m fairly sure the fursuit Shadowcolt is not filled with a candy surprise.”
“And who can say no to free candy?!” Pinkie seemed aghast at the very notion. It was Pinkie Pie, Sunset mused, so the odds of that being exactly the case were…pretty high.
Meanwhile, Bulk’s efforts to free the stick had torn open the side and taken off most of one front leg, candy spilling out onto the floor. He was grinning happily now, as the cheering and chanting rose to a fever pitch, and he completely forgot the stick as he yelled out, “Wondercolts! Yeah!” and struck the neck of the faux-mascot with one melon sized fist.  The piñata didn't stand a chance.
Candy, tissue paper, and bits of paper-mache exploded onto the gym floor, and the cheer squad scattered, grabbing handfuls of sweets and tossing them into the crowd of students. Two of them were parading Bulk around like a king, holding his arms up in a victory pose.
The cheers had turned to excited laughter, as people jumped and scrabbled for the candy. Even Sunset found herself laughing as candy pelted her, fingers reaching and snatching the sweets from the air. A few pieces she tucked into her jacket pocket for later, but most of it she passed to her friends around her—she still had a bag full of much better candy from her girlfriend’s house. “You know, this is…actually kind of fun when I’m not trying to put on a show or hated by the student body,” she commented to Fluttershy, handing the animal lover some mini 3 Musketeers bars. 
“I’m glad to hear you're having fun,” came the soft murmur in response. “I…don't usually like these things, but I want to support Dashie because I know they're going to to pick her for the Games.” 
“Yeah…I…figured I’m going to be cheering Dash and some of you girls on from the sidelines,” Sunset agreed. “Though I draw the line at embarrassing posters and body paints,” she quipped.
“Hoo boy…now don't give Rares no ideas,” Applejack warned.  That earned her a swat from a pale hand and a petulant frown from the tailor.
“No promises—she probably could design spirit-wear that doesn't look terrible.” Sunset grinned unrepentantly.
“Already done, darling. Tasteful Wondercolt spirit-wear designs have been submitted to the student council, and the designs have gone through. They’ll be sold as part of a pre-Games fundraiser in March.” Rarity smiled. “I do hope all of you will consider purchasing something—the money goes back into the school, into the Spirit and Dance Committee, and a good portion will fund prom this year.”
Sunset smiled back and nodded, mentally doing some budgeting math. She might have to contact Max and have him increase her monthly budget. Having a social life and a girlfriend was not going to be sustainable much longer on what went into her account, and there was no way she could find the time for a job right now, not with all the magic problems. Maybe over the summer? If the magic settled down and they stopped whatever was going on that possibly involved CPA students…or at least the one CPA student she cared about. “I’m sure we’ll all find something to support the—”
Thud-Thud.  Clap.
Her sentence ended abruptly, as the noise ripped from the speakers with bass she could feel.  Sunset took a long second to realize what the thumping noise had been, and her eyes widened as her hackles prickled.  It came again, the sound of heavy boots on a hard surface and she remembered the one thing that had always bothered her most about pep rallies…
Stomp-Stomp. Clap.
It was downright unnerving, watching some seven or eight hundred humans fall utterly silent in less than ten seconds, every single set of eyes drawn to the stage where Flash and Pinkie were already getting in on the percussion.
STOMP-STOMP. CLAP.
The bleachers vibrated from the force of the entire student body, even her friends around her, joining in on the opening to a song that seemed to be the go-to song for riling up sports fans and high schoolers alike. It didn't seem to matter that her research into music history told her that this song was older than some of the teachers, let alone the student body, every human she’d ever seen exposed to it seemed to know all the lyrics and felt the urge to sing and stomp and yell along with it at the top of their lungs.
STOMP-STOMP. CLAP.
If the earlier yelling and cheering had left her feeling rising aggression and predatory dominance from the crowd, this was on a whole other level. The music hadn't even started yet, and people were on their feet, a rising fervor sweeping through them like some kind of pack mentality.  
In every pep rally prior to this, Sunset had been forced to grit her teeth and fight the instincts in her hindbrain that wanted to either challenge the predators or run away before they decided mare was on the menu. It had always left her unsettled, and after the third or so pep rally in the first year she’d been in the school, she had always pretended to need a bathroom break about halfway through so she could miss this part.
STOMP-STOMP. CLAP.
Then Applejack was pulling her and Fluttershy up with help from Lyra, and a surge of something went through her. She didn't feel the urge to leave…
No. 
She wanted to join in.
And when Fluttershy grinned at her and raised her own foot to stomp in time with everyone else, Sunset Shimmer followed suit, her boot slamming down in a way, that to a pony, was even more a gesture of raw aggression than to a human. 
STOMP-STOMP. CLAP.
She’d never really done any illicit substances—there was one Gala where she had drank way too much champagne for a thirteen year old filly, but that had also been when she’d almost gotten into it with some of the aristocrats present too. And despite the greenhouse accident that left an entire three terraces of Upper Canterlot higher than a pegasus setting a flight record, she had avoided anything that might have messed with her head…but she was starting to feel like she had heard people describe being drunk or high…
A buzzing tingle had taken up residence in her brain, and was traveling down her spine and through her nerves, leaving her heart racing and her emotions swirling. She wasn't in danger because she was part of this herd, this pack, this group, and their enemies were her enemies, and she would protect them from those who sought to bring them harm. Or humiliation, or distress, or anything like it. 
STOMP-STOMP. CLAP.
Her magic agreed, pulsing under her skin and then out in a nimbus of scarlet flames that somehow didn't burn the friends around her. As she laid her ears back and slammed her hoo—boot, she was human right now—into the wood with such force that it stood out even among a sea of noise, the magic in her leapt to her friends, reaching out for familiar tendrils within them, and pulled them to the surface.
This was their school, and they weren’t going to let anything bad happen, even losing the Games. 
STOMP-STOMP. CLAP.
Then the lyrics started, Rainbow Dash jamming in the air near them with sparks of errant energy bursting and popping, drawn close by magic that called to Its own. All around the girls—when did Pinkie end up in the bleachers, bouncing and screaming along like everyone else?—the air was glittering with rainbows refracted again and again off the crystalline manifestations of Rarity’s powers, and the wood of the bleachers creaked warningly under Applejack’s boots…
Sunset couldn't focus on anything but the rush of magic and adrenaline, of fire and flame and the powerful connection between herself, the five girls with her, and the Elements of Harmony, of the tsunami of feelings and emotions she was drowning in, screaming the lyrics she would have sworn that morning she did not know as if they were engraved on her scarred soul like a defiant epitaph to the Sunset Shimmer she had once been.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Five: Making the Grade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Blue green eyes blinked dazedly up at the ceiling, her brain struggling to work through a sort of exhausted fog. That was the ceiling in the gym…why was she looking up at the gym ceiling? Hadn't she just been…
Oh no. What had her magic done now? 
Her head started to clear, and she struggled to sit up, against hands that were supporting her. “‘M fine,” she slurred, then realized belatedly she’d apparently forgotten how to speak normally, and for some reason she didn't know, her brain had defaulted to a dialect of Middle Ponish that Princess Celestia had taught her when she was little. “…sorry…” she mumbled. “…I’m okay…”
Bon-Bon asked wryly, “Are you sure about that? You were…actually on fire and glowing for a minute there, and you sound pretty drunk.”
“…Thaumic over…overload…” the former unicorn managed, realizing in a detached sort of way that she was back to being fully human again. “….is anyone hurt?” Her emotions were fairly slow to respond, her brain wrapped in a sort of numbing cotton. 
“Nope!” came Lyra’s chipper voice from far too close to her right elbow, and Sunset realized that she was one of the set of hands that had stopped her from crashing into the wood of the bleachers when magic took her off her feet. “We all feel amazing! That rainbow wave just swept over everyone and it felt tingly and warm and good! Like some super mixture of the best parts of chocolate and the world’s steamiest, hot se—” The rest of her sentence became muffled as someone briefly covered her mouth.
“Sweetie, you're oversharing again.”
“Whoopsie! Sorry! Anyway, it felt really great and I don't know about you, but even the soreness from gym class earlier is gone! Magic is so cool—I wish I had magic!”
“Perhaps so, darling, but right now, I believe I wish I didn't—whatever just happened has left me feeling a bit…under the weather.” Rarity sounded as foggy and tired as the redhead felt.
Sunset forced herself to sit up, feeling the hands against her back help. “…I…was a little caught up in the surge…but it sounds like it was a little like what happened last month…but not as severe.” She looked around the gym, which seemed to still have power, and blinked, because for a brief second, she thought she was seeing Pinkie Pie in two places at once. A second look showed that there was only one Pinkie, the one being propped up by a few of the guys from the lacrosse team a few rows down. 
“Wheeeee! That was awesome, Sunset! I didn't know you could do that! Best pep rally act ever! …even if you forgot to sign us up and I feel kinda party-pooped and dizzy!” Pinkie tried to sit up, giggling when it failed. “The show must go on! Take me to the stage, minions of fun!” 
“Uh…is she okay to go?” one of the boys asked, looking to Sunset.
The former unicorn rubbed her head and tried to shake off the cobwebs. “…she should be…it doesn’t sound like it was dangerous…but…” she reached for her bag, fumbling to retrieve one of the Sun Bites she’d started carrying around. “Here…Pinkie, eat one of these just in case.”
One of the other boys hopped up the three levels to take it from her, then jumped down to the floor to pass it to Pinkie. Then the group carried her like a queen back to the stage as she waved and laughed at the cheering from the reinvigorated crowd.
“We’re okay!” She yelled. “Surprise! We did a magic trick for you! Did everyone like that?” Riotous cheering and whistling came from every corner of the room, including some of the staff. (Except for a very grumpy looking Mr. Doodle…but Sunset wasn't sure that man knew what a smile was.)
Sighing, Sunset checked in on the rest of her friends, who all seemed in the same place as her: suddenly worn from whatever their magic had done. “…and here I thought we were getting a handle on it,” she groaned in frustration. “I don't understand why it keeps doing that—even if it was some kind of echo of the Elements, none of us represent Magic, which is sort of the one Element that is the lynchpin of the whole Elements of Harmony! And why it seems to draw me in is an even bigger mystery! I was corrupted by my own evil and Magic’s power—the Elements shouldn't even like me!”
“…but we do, darling.”
That stopped the former bully cold. “What?”
Rarity had a speculative look on her face. “We like you. All of us, even Twilight. And you said that the magic inside myself, at least…was both of the Elements of Harmony, but also a part of me that ‘made me more myself.’ Then if that is true, in a way, we are the Elements…or at least acting on Their behalf …and we do like you, very much.”
Hands squeezed one of hers, and Fluttershy joined in. “Maybe that's why the magic happens like this?” she offered. “Whenever your magic is having a reaction to something, maybe our magic is trying to help?”
Brows pinched together as she thought about it. It had never occurred to her because that wasn't really how magic worked most of the time for unicorns. It wasn’t impossible, she supposed, given that even for ponies there were cases where one pony’s magic responded to distress in a spouse or foal or sibling, but those were usually life or death situations.
Applejack cleared her throat. “Fluttershy might have a point, ya know. This is the second time our magic has done that when yers was acting up, Sunset.”
“There’s another angle I don't think any of you have considered,” Bon-Bon suggested. “The five of you are somehow channeling those wonky Element things that are related to the crown at the formal, right? The one that made Sunset into a giant succubus with the huge knockers?” She glanced down at Sunset’s bust. “Not that the second part has changed much…” 
The redhead crossed her arms defensively over her chest, face burning. “…that's the gist of it, yes. Somehow the girls have some kind of power core or connection to the Elements of Harmony from Equestria.”
“But you keep saying you don't. Why not? From where I’m sitting it all looks like it's the same magic. You transform the same, you get the horse ears and the hair extensions and a horn, you were part of their little rainbow attack squad against the Dazzlings, and this is twice you've triggered the rainbow blast thingie with them.”
Her shoulders slumped a little. “Because there's six Elements, and the only one left unaccounted for is the Element of Magic—the one that was in the crown from the formal. Despite wearing It, the Element…rejected me…” Her memories swam up, that hazy, nightmarish recollection of her time as a demon, and she shuddered. “It…pulled all of the ugliness in my soul up and looked at it, and…It…had a lot of thoughts on who I was and what I’d done…Magic…would never choose me.”
Bon-Bon made a thoughtful sound. “Setting aside potential gemstone based sentience for the time being, how do you know there’s only six of these things?”
“Because…that's all that any records of them state. There's six Elements of Harmony: Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, which come together to create the last Element. Magic. According to Princess Twilight, they represent the virtues associated with friendship.” Sunset managed to sit up all the way now on her own, her strength returning quickly. “She’s the closest thing we have to a living expert on Harmonic magic and the Elements.”
It was Lyra who spoke up. “‘Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.’ How do you know that there didn’t used to be more? I can think of a lot more ‘virtues’ that matter in friendship. Like Love…or Hope…”
“Resolve,” Bon-Bon suggested. “Knowledge. Forgiveness…”
“…Empathy,” Fluttershy volunteered quietly. “It's not the same as compassion, after all.”
“See?” Bon-Bon said. “So what if your magic is some lost or even brand new Element thing?”
Sunset went from having her arms crossed defensively to desperately gripping her own elbows to avoid hugging herself. “…because that would be too easy an answer..” Because she wanted it to be true. “Because the odds that ponies have missed a key part of the Elements of Harmony in some eight to ten thousand years of history, is astronomically low.” Because it would mean the Elements had forgiven her for what she tried to do, and what she remembered of the dry voice and that empty space where it had broken her down into the truth of herself, she had already received what the Elements of Harmony considered ‘forgiving.’ “Because I…don't think I’ve done anything to deserve that kind of honor, especially after what I tried to do.”
“Can’t you check?” Lyra asked curiously. 
She couldn't help the wince. “That's…sort of one particular flaw in the way I sense magic. I can perceive my own power, and things like damage or death, invasive energy…but it's kind of like trying to see your own face. You can feel what it feels like, touch it with your hands, manipulate your face muscles to blink or frown or talk, and you know when you get hurt…but you're looking out from it, so you need a mirror to see yourself, or someone else has to look at you. And…there's not really any options for that here. It would require a high end medical grade thaumometer, the kind used in very rare cases and medical research in Equestria…or someone here that was trained to scan and explore someone else’s magic.”
“…I could do it,” Rarity volunteered. “If…it's something you could teach me how to do.”
Chewing on her lip, Sunset hesitated. “We can try, but…first of all, it's not something you’ll be able to even attempt until you can master what I’m already teaching you, about feeling your own power and sensing each other’s in the broadest of terms. That ability is really the precursor to it, the more broad scope and less detailed version. The ability that lets you learn more than just the basics is a much more…invasive analysis, and it requires a lot more finite control and understanding over your own power, so you don't do more harm than good. Which…brings me to the second part…” She closed her eyes, pushing the memories down. “When we were learning this in my magus mastery classes…the ponies who partnered with me for it…always got hurt. Either because I did something wrong and learned a lot more about them somehow…or because my magic attacked them.”
Rarity made a thoughtful sound. “Was it like what you did with me at the farm?” At her slow nod, her friend made a dismissive noise. “Sunset, darling, that didn't hurt at all. I was…on some level…aware you were prodding at…part of me—my magic, I’m guessing—but it didn't hurt. I suppose it felt…more like a hand pressing down on my shoulder. Odd, and definitely not an experience I’ve had before, but hardly something I'd even call uncomfortable.”
Feeling eyes on her, Sunset squirmed a little. “I was as gentle as I could be,” she confessed, “because I didn’t want to make a mess of it. And…truth is, I think it's because I just can't access most of my magic in this world. Like the difference between a garden hose and a river. But if you're trying to investigate my magic as anything more than the surface sensing…my magic will be somewhat more able to react, and history shows it reacts…violently.”
“Violently how?” Applejack asked, arching one brow. 
“At least three ponies were tossed across the room into a wall, two ended up with horrific, thaumic backlash induced migraines, and six…including two different professors…caught fire?” Sunset rubbed her neck awkwardly.
Lyra gaped, then squeaked excitedly, “Magic school sounds like the best thing ever! Forget Hogwarts—I want to go to a school like that! You caught your teachers on fire?”
“Accidentally!” Sunset defended. “I didn't mean to, it's just…I…have an affinity for fire magic. It's pretty much my primary offensive branch of magic. And it's not as magnificent as it sounds…a lot of the ponies there didn't like me much.”
AJ snorted. “Ever think that might’ve been why yer magic went after them then? If they didn't like ya, would ya really want them diggin’ around in yer magic? Ah know Ah wouldn’t. Sounds kinda invasive.”
“Maybe? I don't know,” Sunset responded in exasperation. “It was years ago, and I tried to forget a lot of the worst bits…and trust me, setting other ponies on fire always upset Princess Celestia.” She looked for a distraction, and found it on stage, “Look, we can talk about this later. I think they're about to announce who is on the team for the Games.”
“And we wouldn't want to miss Rainbow Dash’s big moment, now would we?” Rarity murmured without a hunt of overt sarcasm. “Still…when it comes to it, Sunset, we’ll make sure to have a fire extinguisher on hand during further lessons…just…maybe not that novelty one that Pinkie bought. It apparently sprays out cotton candy. Somehow.”
Nope. Sunset refused to ask or even think about that. She shook her head and focused entirely on what Pinkie and Flash were doing on stage, as they called up the student council and were joined by the principals.
“This is so super duper extra special exciting and I can't wait!” Pinkie gushed to the student body. “Aren't you all just as excited as I am to find out how the votes went?!”
“I mean, I’m curious,” Flash laughed. “On who is going to be lucky enough to stick it personally to those jerks. Besides Rainbow Dash, of course. I don't know anyone who didn't vote for her.”
The head of the student council, a somewhat preppy looking senior, cleared her throat. “Rainbow Dash is the captain of at least two sports teams,” she acknowledged. “In a competition like this, she is a somewhat obvious choice. After tallying the votes, I think we have a good, solid team this year.”
Throwing her arms wide with exuberance, Pinkie yelled, “Do you hear that? You guys picked a super amazing awesome team this year! We are soooooo gonna kick the other team’s butt!”
“Miss Pie,” Vice Principal Luna sighed, “while I commend you for your enthusiasm, please stick to not exaggerating too greatly on such matters?”
“Whoopsie-daisy! Sorry!” The boisterous bouncy pink haired girl gave her an apologetic smile. 
Principal Celestia gave Pinkie a gentle smile. “It’s quite alright,” she reassured her, before addressing the room. “Good afternoon, students…and thank you to those members of the student body and their faculty support who organized and performed for us today. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this has been a pep rally to remember.” People clapped and stomped, and the woman gave them time to settle before she continued. “It is now time to announce those who were chosen for this year’s Canterlot High Friendship Games Team—as always, the twelve competitors were chosen by their peers to represent them in the upcoming event.”
The student council president handed her a thickly stuffed envelope, which Principal Celestia opened, retrieving a stack of index cards. “The competitors are asked to join us as your names are called.” She smiled. “Micro Chips!”
An awkward, geeky boy with knobby knees tripped his way down the bleachers, eyes wide in surprise. Sunset winced and reminded herself to apologize and pay him back at some point—she had bullied him out of a few hundred dollars worth of pocket and lunch money during her reign of terror.
“Sandalwood!”
The tall, goofy senior with with dreadlocks thrust his arms up. “Alright!” He high-fived his buddies and then several other kids on his way to the stage, slinging a friendly arm around Micro Chips on the way in a show of camaraderie as he got him moving faster.
“Ditzy Doo!”
Who? Sunset looked around, trying to put a face to the name. She finally spotted the clumsy blonde who had helped her in the hall on one of her bad days after the formal. The girl was bouncing down the steps with a sunny smile on her face, waving at her friends….only to trip and almost faceplant into the gym floor. The quick reaction of one of Flash’s bandmates was the sole thing that kept her from a nasty concussion.
“Lyra Heartstrings!”
With a painfully loud shriek in Sunset’s ear, Lyra jumped up, pulling Bon-Bon with her in some kind of exuberant hug that nearly knocked Sunset over onto poor Fluttershy. “Sorry!” she exclaimed before hopping excitedly down the steps.
“Flash Sentry!”
Sunset led the cheer for her ex, cupping her hands around her mouth to yell, “Way to go, Flash!” over the roar of the crowd. He grinned in her direction and flashed her a thumbs up.
“Bon-Bon!”
At least she didn’t practically squash them like Lyra tried to, Sunset thought as she clapped, hoping to save her voice at least a little bit for Rainbow. Bon-Bon caught up to her girlfriend and they linked arms to join the group at the stage.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie!”
“Wheeeeee!” Pinkie cheered, doing a cartwheel on stage. “We’re gonna have so much fuuuun!!!!” She somehow completed the maneuver to stick the landing next to Flash. “Hi again, partner!”
“Hi, Pinkie,” he laughed.
“Rarity Belle!” 
Rarity blinked. “Oh my. I didn’t expect to hear my name.” 
Sunset shook her head. “Rarity, you're one of the most popular girls in school, and you're an honors student. We have some solid athletic folks, but they need people for the inevitable academics portion.”
“Yes, I suppose there is that. Well. I shall see you after the rally then.” She waved and made her way gracefully down the steps.
“Applejack Apple!”
Chuckling, the farmer accepted the hug from Fluttershy. “Couldn't let Dash have all the fun, now could Ah?” she said with a wink at the two girls sitting in the bleachers amidst all manner of empty space.
“Just remember that you and Dash are on the same side and not competing against each other!” Sunset yelled as she crossed the large open space on the floor.
“Fluttershy!”
The soft spoken girl next to Sunset couldn't have been more surprised if she’d been slapped, the redhead decided. “M-me?”
“That’s what Principal Celestia said. Congratulations!”
“Oh…” Hiding in her hair, she got up to join the others.
Sunset touched her shoulder as she moved by. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked.
“I’ll manage…thank you for asking though…” Her smile was shaky, and she suddenly hugged Sunset tight. “Because of you, I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I ever thought.”
There was a painful meaning behind those words, and Sunset gaped like a fish as she watched her friend reach the end of the bench, take a deep breath, square her shoulders, and descend to the gym floor with her head held high to join the rest of the team. 
“Rainbow Dash!”
She almost missed Rainbow’s name being called out as she was still processing. Putting her emotions aside for the moment, Sunset jumped to her feet, cheering and pumping her fist in the air for her friend. Everything else aside, she wanted to support Dash…support all her friends, really. 
She…just hadn’t realized she’d be cheering alone from the sidelines.
Once the soccer star made it to the group on the stage, Sunset sank to her seat again, rubbing her arms to ward off a chill. It was just her on the bleachers now, with noticeable space between her and the students around her. 
Shaking off the sensation, and trying to smile, she looked towards the principals. There was still one last name, and she wanted to know who would be filling that spot. As she did so, the former unicorn realized something was wrong. Principal Celestia was frowning, and had stepped back from the microphone. Her sister was reading over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched, as they both turned to the student council.
The president of the council straightened as Celestia turned to speak to her, shaking her head in a negative. Snatches of conversation were picked up, however faintly, by the microphone as the girl stood her ground against the administrator.
“…going to have to…first alternate…”
“…almost…whole school…my responsibility to…”
“…sorry, but in this…just have to…”
Sunset cocked her head, now very lost as to what was happening—there was clearly some kind of problem with the last student, but…what? The redhead wracked her brain, trying to think if there were any likely candidates who were on some form of probation like she was. Maybe one of the athletes? They had to maintain a certain GPA to stay on the school teams—maybe one of them was slipping? Like Hoops, maybe? He was about as dumb as a box of rocks, in her experience, and most people who weren't on the basketball team with him gave his company a hard pass. He was a jerk to anyone who wasn't a sports star. Or maybe someone like…
“…set Shim…”
Her head jerked around, and she realized a lot of people in the bleachers were looking at her…but why…?
Then she heard the whispering…just like at the beginning of the pep rally, people were staring and whispering…except this time she couldn't blame it on the Pony-Up. That had faded a while ago. Her gaze moved from person to person, searching for some answers, and when it landed on Flash, she felt her gut twist. He was looking back at her confused and concerned…but for her...and when he jerked his head towards Miss Luna…
The Vice Principal was staring right at her, scrutinizing her intently…and that was when she felt her stomach sink all the way into the toes of her boots. 
Sunset had a pretty good idea exactly whose name was written on that last card.
Hers.
All around her, people were staring and whispering and pointing…and here she was, alone and exposed with no friends to look to for support because they were all the way across the gymnasium, watching her with worried eyes and puzzled faces.
The former queen of CHS wanted to be sick. 
It didn't take a genius to figure out what it looked like. That it looked just like all the rigged elections for the dances and other events that she’d cheated, lied, blackmailed, and humiliated her way into winning. They would think she did something to get her name on there, even though she hadn’t…hadn’t even tried to nominate herself, in any way. When voting time came, she chose from the basic list with careful consideration as to who she thought the best fits for the Games Team were rather than filling in the blanks at the bottom with her own submission. Among all her friends, only AJ and Dash had actually been on the ballot, and she’d tried her best to weigh them fairly with all the other options (she’d voted for both, of course, but Applejack was the strongest teen in the school and Dash was undisputedly the fastest and the most well rounded athlete.)
Miss Luna’s eyes bored into her, and Sunset could feel the hairs on her neck standing up in a frisson of fear. Then the woman looked away, took a few steps closer to where the girls were standing, Rainbow Dash crossing her arms and looking angry. One dark skinned hand forestalled the athlete’s comments, and the assistant principal gestured to Applejack with some kind of query. 
Applejack took her hat off, and shook her head, making a wide gesture at the group, then mimed guitar playing followed by what was meant to be pony ears on her head.
Whatever she said seemed to satisfy Miss Luna, who rejoined her sister just as the student council Vice President, Octavia, held out what looked like an entire ream of paper to the principals, expression just as defiant as the rest of the student council. Sunset couldn't read lips well, and definitely not from like a hundred feet away, but whatever she said seemed to shock the Principal. Her dark haired sibling seemed less startled, but she took the stack of paper and began thumbing through it, her expression becoming more and more thoughtful. She made some kind of comment, waving the stack of papers.
Finally, Principal Celestia stared out at the assembled students of her school, taking in the coiled, now antsy nature of them, until her eyes fell on Sunset. The woman studied her in a way that made Sunset feel like all her flaws were on display, a way that made her feel hot and cold and sick all at once, because in her memories it was associated with the Princess of the Sun expressing “how very disappointed” she was with Sunset’s latest actions—never raising her voice, of course, but filled with so much weight that it made the amber unicorn feel guilt and seething anger for days after. 
“Given the nature of the petition, letters, and signatures the student council took the liberty of obtaining, I realize you all are aware of who the last nominee for the Friendship Games Team is. While Vice Principal Luna and I appreciate what you have tried to do, at this time, we are not accepting or rejecting the nomination outright.” Her expression lost the searching look, and Sunset felt herself breathe again, and the faint smile made her feel hopeful that this would at least have a favorable outcome for her nerves. “In addition, I must commend every single one of you for the maturity, respect, unity, and virtues of true friendship you have shown us today with this. I am extremely proud of you all, and so very happy to be your Principal.”
The vice principal took the microphone. “I must concur with Principal Celestia on this—you have, each and every one, demonstrated the very behavior the Games are meant to embody. Whether we are victorious over Crystal Prep or not is irrelevant—with this action, you have proven yourselves beyond any shadow of a doubt to be the best Wondercolts ever to grace the halls of this institution in its almost ninety year existence. I applaud you.”
Principal Celestia waved her hand. “With that, I declare this pep rally--and the school week--over…I know it is a few minutes early, but you’ve all earned it. Go start your weekend!”
The cheers were deafening, even to Sunset’s human ears, but that didn't stop her from hearing Miss Luna’s voice rising above her classmates’ thunderous exodus.
“Sunset Shimmer, would you please meet us in the office before you depart for the weekend? It seems we have some things to discuss with you.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six: Are We Havin' Fun Yet?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was a relief to pull into the driveway at her girlfriend’s house—Sunset’s mind and emotions were in too much of a tumultuous mess for her to be considered a safe and attentive driver at the moment. By all rights she probably should have walked, but she wasn't about to leave her bike overnight, and she might need it in the morning if any last minute problems came up at the park. So she’d driven, a bit too fast and aggressive and she was glad no cops had seen her—there was no way something like that wouldn’t get back to Shining Armor…and both Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet would get that furrowed brow and slight frown that meant they were worried about her.
It was one of the mannerisms her nerd had inherited from her mother, and it was guaranteed to hit Sunset right in the feelings. Especially if they both hit her with it at the same time.
She didn't fancy the idea, so the former unicorn was glad she didn't get stopped. Instead, she secured the bike and retrieved her overstuffed backpack; she was spending Saturday night with the girls at Rarity’s house, so she packed everything for one long weekend. The new house key jingled on her keyring, bringing a surge of happiness to her despite how emotionally overwhelmed she felt, even as she dragged her body up the steps and into the house.
“Sunny!” Twilight was there to greet her just inside the door, holding a wiggly, happy Spike in her arms.
“Hey, nerd,” Sunset responded, managing a crooked smile for her girlfriend. 
Purple eyes studied her intently, and Twilight set Spike down, pulling Sunset into a hug immediately after. “Sunset?” she murmured after kissing her cheek, “Are you okay?”
A glance around made sure they were still alone, and the redhead kissed Twilight’s lips. “…better now that I’m here…but…I…I…don't know.”
Twilight slipped an arm around her and pulled her towards the kitchen. “Come on…” 
Sunset went, allowing the shorter girl to lead her into the kitchen and push her into a seat at the table. Twilight let go and turned to where her mother stood at the stove, stirring a pot. “Mom? Do you think we can make up some cocoa? I think Sunset could use some.”
Velvet turned away from the stove to greet Sunset and answer her daughter, only to take in the redheaded teen’s frazzled appearance. “We most certainly can, Twily.” The sympathetic expression on her face and hand that squeezed Sunset’s shoulder helped settle her slightly. “Was it just a cold drive, or did something happen today at school?” 
“The drive was okay…” Sunset said quietly. “And nothing bad happened—the opposite, honestly…but…I am not sure how I should feel about it? How I do feel about it…” Amber skinned hands pressed into her curling mane as she slumped at the table, and Twilight joined her in another chair after bringing the ingredients to her mother for the hot cocoa. 
With a loud sound, she scooted closer to Sunset, and put an arm around her shoulders. “Take a minute to relax?” her girlfriend suggested. “I think there’s some of your oatmeal raisin cookies left, did you want one?”
That sounded nice. Velvet’s oatmeal raisin cookies reminded Sunset of the way the palace kitchens always smelled, of fruits and pastries and batter and dough, of sugar and spice, warm and cozy even during the worst weather or coldest days when the only time Sunset would leave the warmth of her rooms was to go to class or to creep into the kitchens for food. “I like cookies,” she admitted with a crooked smile at Twilight.
Twilight hopped up to get them, and Velvet spoke again. “There’s no hurry, and you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but we’re here if you do. Twily’s got the right of it—sit for a little bit, get some cookies and cocoa in you, and just let your mind and body relax. Whatever it is does not have to be analyzed or solved right this minute.”
The former unicorn nodded slowly, and decided that felt like good advice. When her girlfriend came back with cookies on a plate, Sunset took advantage of her publicly stated emotional state to lean against the lavender skinned girl, resting her head companionably on Twilight’s shoulder. After all, Fluttershy did that to the rest of them sometime, and Pinkie regularly violated personal space bubbles in much more questionable ways, and no one read anything into any of it. “Sometimes I wish things elsewhere were as simple as they are here,” she mumbled around a mouthful of oatmeal and raisin goodness. “Things here make sense, and don't leave me…” A hand still holding half a cookie gestured at herself.
Twilight giggled softly, her eyes pointedly following the gesture and then dipping further south.  “You just gestured to all of you.”
…and you looked, Sparky, Sunset thought sarcastically, though she felt…good…about the fact that Twilight felt comfortable enough to do it in the kitchen, even if it was only because they had their backs to Velvet. She bit her tongue to avoid saying the thought aloud, but it must’ve shown on her face because Twilight blushed when their eyes met. Sunset gave her another half smile and a wink, which only made the blush creep its way to the tips of her best friend’s ears.
“Life can be complicated sometimes,” Velvet agreed, oblivious to the not-so-platonic exchange. “People are complex, nuanced, and flawed—everyone, not just some, and not everything has a right answer the way a math problem does.” There was a pause, as though she was considering something. “It doesn't seem that way here because Night and I work very hard in this house to make it a place where everyone, especially our children and their friends feels safe, heard, and accepted for themselves…” 
“Which…I do,” the redhead admitted in a soft voice, still leaning against Twilight. She could feel one slim hand squeeze her knee in response. “I can't tell you how much I look forward to Fridays because it means I get to be here.”
Sunset could hear the happiness in the woman’s voice as she came around and set two steaming mugs of hot cocoa in front of the two teens. “…and it makes me very glad to hear you say that, Sunset. We always want you to feel like you can just be who you are without fear of judgements.”
The thought of just blurting out that she was really a unicorn and could do magic came to her, and she wondered if it would be readily accepted by both humans in the room. Twilight would need proof, but…would Velvet? Sunset shook the thought away. No…not now. Like Twilight’s view of admitting to their relationship, Sunset…needed time and a plan for exposing her origins. “…thanks, Mrs. Velvet,” she murmured, both for the words and the drink.
“Of course, sweetheart…careful though, it's hot. And here’s the marshmallows if you want them.” She set the bag of tiny marshmallows on the table. 
For a while, Sunset followed their advice, and just sat in silence, sipping the chocolate ambrosia and just letting her mind…exist. It wasn't until Twilight Velvet joined them at the table while dinner cooked that she finally found herself ready to explain.
“We had a pep rally today,” she started, the words stilted and awkward considering the topic and rivalry between her school and the school Twilight went to. “…to get everyone excited for the Friendship Games. It's…hard, because CHS always loses…and well…CPA aren't exactly gracious winners, you know?” She sighed. “It went…okay. Flash and Pinkie were MC’ing, and I was in the bleachers with all my friends…we even sort of participated when the crowd got sour…I reminded them that they stood up to me, and…”
Her voice faltered and Velvet raised an eyebrow. “And…?”
With a guilty glance at Twilight, Sunset finished the sentence, “…and I was ten times more vicious and horrible than anyone at CPA could dream of being. That they didn't have a reason to be afraid of them. We made everyone laugh, and it was…well, it felt good to use my old self for something positive for once.”
Twilight didn't look too put out—she was thoughtful. “You're not wrong—the kids at CPA would not be able to handle you when you get sarcastic,” the dark haired said with a faint smile. “And anyone who threw a punch would regret it…”
“Right? Anyway…it was going good, and then they started announcing the people who would be on the Games team. We all knew Dash was going to get picked—she plays like three different sports in school and is really good at all of them, especially soccer. And we figured Applejack would get chosen too, since she’s stronger than anyone else, even all the guys.”
“Then they all got called, all my friends, even Bon-Bon and Lyra…”
Velvet interjected, “Twily, didn't you used to have a friend named Lyra?”
“Yeah, but she changed schools because her parents got divorced and she and her mom moved. I wonder if it's the same one…”
Thinking of the conversation she had had with Lyra, Sunset laughed a little mirthlessly. “I’m pretty sure she is…given that Wallflower has apparently been calling her up to try and dig up dirt on me.”
Twilight went rigid beside her. “Wallflower is what?!” 
“We’ll talk about that later, Sparky. I’m not worried about it, honestly—you already know that I used to be Queen Bitch of Canterlot High, so there’s not much Wallflower can use to try and drive us apart. Besides, it…sounds like she offended Lyra pretty badly in the call. Lyra did say she would enjoy hanging out with you again though.” She draped an arm around Twilight’s shoulders in a brief hug to soothe her girlfriend. It helped some, but Sunset knew that she would have to have a much more in-depth talk about it before they went to sleep. A private talk, with lots of cuddling and kissing and reassurance.
“Anyway…they had eleven out of the twelve people up there, the five girls, Flash, Lyra, Bon-Bon, and three other people from our school that I don't know much about…and then the Principals stop on the last name, and there's some kind of discussion up on stage.  They weren’t happy, but…the student council was…they didn't want to back down….and people were whispering and staring and that's…when I realized who the last name belong to.”
“You,” came Velvet’s voice, and it wasn't a question.
Running a hand through her hair, Sunset nodded. “Yeah. Me. But…I didn't do it, and I had no idea I was even in the running. Even before the Fall Formal, the kids at school didn't like me—they hated me, but they were too afraid of me to do anything about me other than what I wanted. And after…they spent until Winter Break hating me outright. It's only been since then that people have…started to change their minds. Plus…the principals banned me from stuff like official club positions, dance royalty, competitions, and any kind of post that would give me any kind of authority or power. So I couldn't even if I wanted to…”
The older woman frowned thoughtfully. “Was it some kind of mean-spirited prank?” 
Shaking her head, Sunset slumped a little in her chair. “If it had been, I wouldn't be feeling this way. I expect pranks and mean games like that from anyone who doesn't like me, and I've dealt with it for years.” She could feel that hand on her knee squeeze again in sympathy and understanding. “…but no…this wasn't a prank, and I found that out when I met with the principals…”





Sunset knocked on the door to the office, glancing over her shoulder at her friends who had insisted on following her the whole way. “I’m just glad you girls believe me…”
“Of course we do!” Rainbow slugged her in the shoulder good-naturedly. “It's not like you had the free time to do any of your old shit anyway!”
Rarity chimed in. “Perhaps poorly worded, but Rainbow Dash does have a point. We’ve spent most afternoons with you for months and I think we would have noticed something if you had. Besides which, our magic has taken up most of our free time, dear, yours more than anyone.”
“And if ya need us ta back ya against the principals, we’re right here at the ready, but Ah think yer gonna be fine.” Applejack thumped her on the other shoulder encouragingly. “Holler if ya need us ta come in.”
Swallowing, Sunset pushed open the door at the command from within, wishing she felt as sure as AJ did. “Miss Luna? Principal Celestia…?” Entering the office felt like walking into a manticore’s den. 
“Come in, Miss Shimmer…and feel free to take a seat.” The vice principal offered a faint smile that lifted her spirits slightly.
She did so, settling into the cushioned seat quietly. “…I…” Squaring her shoulders, she looked up at them, wanting to get the words out before anything else. “I didn't interfere with the votes! Or the voting, or the student council!” she blurted. “I didn't make it so my name was one of the ones that made it on the Games team!”
Principal Celestia held up a hand to halt the flow of words. “We know that, Sunset. We are not here to accuse you of anything.”
The former bully faltered, hugging herself to divert the restless, agitated energy thrumming through her. Her magic was at least quiet, spent in the outburst at the rally. “…Oh…” she responded quietly. 
Vice Principal Luna set a thick stack of paper in front of Sunset on the desk. “Do you know what this is, Miss Shimmer?”
“Uh…I think it's the papers that the student council gave you?” Sunset hazarded as a guess.
“Indeed,” the dark skinned woman replied. “This is a six page petition of names, followed by hundreds of letters personally written by students…about why they feel Sunset Shimmer is one of the most exemplary members of the student body and why we should allow you to be on the Friendship Games Team to lead and represent Canterlot High this year.”
….what?
Shock, somewhat numbing and enfolding her brain like a soft and squishy pillow, kept Sunset from completely losing her cool. “Petition? Letters?” She fumbled brilliantly. 
Not her best moment, to be sure.
The administrators exchanged a look. “See for yourself, Sunset,” Principal Celestia encouraged, pushing the papers towards her slightly. 
Amber fingers picked up the first few pages to see a page full of names and signatures, and skimming them made her realize that most of the school had signed…people she’d hurt, people she’d ignored, people she didn't even know…some of them were even the middle schoolers—she picked out Scootaloo’s messy scrawl between Applebloom and Sweetie Belle’s—and the paragraph description and neat heading on the first page made quite clear that the signatures and petition were done on her behalf.
But it was the letters under the pile of signatures that felt like being kicked in the gut. Each one she read, short or long, some typed, some handwritten, in scratchy print, elegant cursive, or neat script…was about her, and the good things she’d done for them. Much of it was generic—like the Battle of the Bands, or trying to help protect the school from magic—but others were…more personal. Like someone talking about the unofficial tutoring she’d started on Wednesdays, and how, in just a month or so, they had brought home their first A on a science test in their life, or someone bringing up how she’d stopped to help them pick up their books in the hall…
There was even one in there, near the top of the pile, written by Flash Sentry. He went on for most of a page on how Sunset was not only a great student, but a good friend and an example of how people could change for the better.
The writing blurred and Sunset found herself fighting back tears. “I…are they…are they all…like this?” she whispered, not expecting any kind of answer.
“My preliminary reading suggests that is the case, Miss Shimmer,” Luna answered. “It seems you have made a much bigger impact on your peers in recent months than any of us realized. Enough that they are willing to challenge our decisions on your behalf…without you needing to campaign for it.” There was a hint of wry humor in her tone. “I dare say you have more sway over the student body now than you ever did when you desired to control them.”
It didn't make sense, and Sunset felt like the ground had fallen out of her world. “…but…I…” Her hands were shaking so badly she had to drop the papers back on the stack before she dropped them on the floor. “…how could they--all of this? …I was horrible to them!” The former unicorn could hear the touch of hysteria in her own voice. “I bullied them…ruined their friendships! I was so awful and evil that I turned into an actual demon! I violated their minds the same as the Sirens!” She looked at them in disbelief. “…they hated me and then they stopped…but how can they…”
Something inside her, a cracked and trembling thing held together by defiance and willpower and fear that had long since hardened into defensive anger, shattered into a million shards, bleeding years of poison out of her soul as she laughed and cried until her sides ached and her eyes burned.





The kitchen was quiet for a long minute after Sunset finished recounting what had happened. She rubbed her face, feeling strained and worn out. “…so I don't know how I feel. This…I was happy when they stopped hating me outright, after Winter Break…but…after everything I did, I don't deserve this, and I don't understand…why they are so willing to forgive me.”
“I hate it when you talk about yourself that way,” Twilight said abruptly. “You aren't a monster, Sunset Shimmer, and you have done everything in your power to become a good friend and a better person than you used to be. You deserve a second chance, and you deserve forgiveness because you actually mean it when you say you're sorry.” 
Sunset turned towards her girlfriend, brows furrowed. “I do mean it…but it doesn't change what I did—being sorry doesn't undo all the hurt and suffering I caused, or fix the friendships I ruined.”
“That’s true,” Velvet commented, “but you can make amends…”
Twilight placed a hand on her arm. “Which is what you’ve been doing. You’ve changed, Sunset, and you’ve worked hard to make things right with the people you hurt. We see it…people at your school see it. Your friends see it. Why is it so hard for you to believe that you have earned this?”
“Because things like this don’t happen to me, Sparky. There's always a catch, always some kind of ulterior motive, always something that makes things worse than ever.” She could feel the weight of the emotions pressing down on her like a suffocating heavy blanket, and the memories stirred up in the process flitted before her mind’s eye distractingly.
Hurt filled Twilight’s voice. “That’s not true, Sunset. What about me? What about here? There’s never been a catch…”
Ponyfeathers. Nice going, Shimmer, she berated herself, before trying to explain. She drew Twilight into a tight hug. “…no, no…not you, Sparky.” Sunset’s voice was low, intense, and rough around the aching, burning lump in her throat. “You're the only one, in my whole life, who has wanted me. Just me….and you brought me here.  Everyone else has had something else they wanted, or was driving them.”
Purple eyes stared at her searchingly. “What about your friends that you talk about? Or Flash? Are you saying they aren't really your friends? I don't believe that for one second, Sunset Shimmer. Not with how you talk about them.”
“They are now, Twilight…but they didn't start that way. Flash initially spoke to me because he had a crush on me before I dated him, and after the formal, he spoke to me so he could yell at me.  Our friendship didn't start until after that….”  Sunset sighed heavily. “As for the girls…they were some of the people I did the most awful things to when I ran the school.  They were the ones who teamed up with the girl who challenged me at the Fall Formal. I nearly got them killed with what I did.” 
She felt guilt gnawing at her for that, but pushed it away to deal with later. “They didn’t reach out to me after the formal to be friends because they liked me, or from the goodness of their hearts. They did it because the girl who beat me that night tasked them with keeping an eye on me. They were meant to keep me from starting more trouble.”
Twilight frowned at her. “Why would she do that? Isn't that…the job of the teachers and the principals?”
How could she explain that the princess had every right?  “…I don't know. I didn't ask her why. Maybe she thought the girls would do a better job…maybe she thought they could help me be better as a person…” The redhead shrugged. “Maybe she thought I’d think twice before crossing the people who put me in my place, or maybe she figured if I went back to being a toxic bitch they’d do what would be necessary to stop me for good. They certainly did a much better job in three days than the administration did in fifteen months.”
“Sunny…”
Sunset shook her head at the younger girl. “Whatever her reasoning, she did it, and they’ve become an amazing group of friends I wouldn't trade for anything…but it doesn't change that they had a reason for associating with me in the first place besides wanting to be friends. There's too much history there, too much pain and anger and hurt otherwise.” She couldn't help but reach out to tweak Twilight’s nose in an attempt to make her smile, even just a little. “You’re unique, nerd,” she told her, her voice soft, and her fingers lingering to brush over the other girl’s cheek for a half second. “I never had anyone who was a real friend before you. No one ever just…wanted me for myself. Not my family, not my guardian, not my classmates…given everything…I don't even know if my parents wanted me—it's not something I can ever ask, after all.”
Standing up, the unicorn turned teen girl held her arms out as if to invite Twilight to study her whole self, from her flaming hair and black leather coat to the tips of her black boots. “I don't believe it because it doesn’t work that way for me.  I’m Sunset Shimmer, the one nobody wants.”  It hurt, saying it out loud, admitting that much, and what she couldn’t voice hurt even more. I’m Sunset Shimmer, the mare who wasn't good enough for anypony, that Equestria was happy to get rid of and completely forget existed.
Suddenly, a body crashed into her, hugging her so tight the air was pressed from her lungs in her surprise. She wrapped her arms around Twilight, feeling her expression go from carefully controlled to soft and affectionate. “…hey…” she wheezed. “Let me breathe…?”
Twilight’s vice grip loosened a little, and Sunset could hear her mumble something into her shoulder. “…what…?” She rubbed her back, more than a little confused.
“…I want you…” the dark haired girl mumbled a little louder. “…here…with me…”
Sunset rested her cheek against the top of her girlfriend’s head, the faint scent of honeysuckle and books tickling her nose. “…I know…and I want to be here with you…” she responded. I just hope that when I tell you everything, Sparky, you still want me…
They stayed like that, drawing strength and comfort from the hug, until a faint sound drew Sunset’s attention, and she realized that they had forgotten about the presence of Twilight Velvet. Blue-green eyes darted around, and she realized that the woman was actually looking in the cupboard for something, and the sound she’d heard was her moving some containers. Nudging Twilight, she indicated the distracted woman, and whispered so softly that even the girl hugging her would have been hard pressed to hear it, “Later?”
Nodding, Twilight let her go, and they sat down as Velvet turned with a box of brownie mix in her hand. “I thought maybe I’d make some dessert for tonight,” she offered with a smile, but Sunset saw the faint hint of tear tracks on her face, the kind that had been hastily wiped away. It made her feel a little guilty for upsetting the woman who had been nothing but kind to her.
“…that sounds great…maybe with ice cream? I still haven't…decided what I’m going to do…and this still has me mixed up, but…if it's the real deal…I think I’d like to try and be happy that people are willing to try and forgive me for what I did.” 
Velvet smiled faintly as she moved by the table for the stove, stopping momentarily to squeeze Sunset’s shoulder. “For what it's worth, we all want you here for who you are, Sunset, not just Twily…” 
Sunset reached up to touch the hand on her shoulder briefly. “I know, Mrs. Velvet…that’s…that's why here is so important to me. …thank you for that. It gave me light when things were very dark.”
For a second, the woman’s eyes glinted with tears. “I hope you know,” she said quietly, “that we will always leave a light on for you, sweetheart, especially when the nights are darkest.”  She let the words hang in the air for a few heartbeats before continuing on her way, taking a moment to check on the contents of the oven. “How do you girls feel about white chocolate chips in the brownies?”
Accepting the change in subject to let Velvet have her dignity and to keep from inadvertently advertising just what she felt about the woman’s daughter…or that Twilight was resisting the urge to crawl into Sunset’s lap for an emotionally charged cuddle, Sunset cleared her throat. “I…like the sound of that. What do you think, Sparky?”
“…that sounds delicious. You know I never say no to more chocolate.” Purple eyes never left Sunset. “And what do you mean you haven’t decided what you're going to do?”
Sheepishly, Sunset rubbed her neck. “Well…I was on probation from the principals, for what I did last fall…but…”





“What?” She couldn’t possibly be hearing Principal Celestia clearly.
The administrator steepled her fingers. “When we set your punishment last fall, it was with the intention of ensuring you had the chance to learn better behavior without temptation, or to at least show us that you intended to follow a path of self improvement, Sunset Shimmer.” A light chuckle escaped her.
“Needless to say,” Vice Principal Luna commented dryly, “you exceeded any expectations tenfold, Miss Shimmer. More than that, you have become not only a model student but an inspirational one to your peers. I have spent a little time reading some of those letters submitted with the petition, as well as the cover letter the student council drafted with the petition, and when I compare it to the student complaints I was fielding at the beginning of the year about your behavior…it is hard to believe you are the same student.”
Despite it being meant as a complement, Sunset winced slightly. It wasn’t entirely untrue—some days she didn't even recognize herself when she looked back at her own memory—but that didn't mean it didn't sting a little to have the woman voice it. “Okay…but that doesn’t change that I’m banned from stuff like dance royalty and the Games team…so what do you mean about making this my choice?”
“In light of your actions and the overwhelming support of your peers, we are…reevaluating…the duration of your punishment. If you remember correctly, we said that we would consider at the end of the year whether it would continue or be allowed to end…this has just…pushed that timetable forward,” Luna told her seriously.
Yeah, that was the part she wasn't sure she was hearing correctly. “…uh…” 
The principal took over the explanation again. “You have more than exceeded any possible expectations, Sunset, and we are willing to consider…I suppose you could consider it a type of parole for good behavior, that would allow you to participate on the Friendship Games Team. We would still be monitoring you, and if it proves a mistake, we would reinstate the punishment fully.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “However, we also know that you have a great many things on your plate at the moment, between academics, your band, your magical research, and serving as a sort of liaison with your homeworld…”
Luna chuckled. “…all of your burgeoning relationships with your friends…”
Her sister gave her a long look. “Those too, yes. With that in mind, I felt it would be best to let you have some say in the final decision. If you think that it will be too much, you can refuse the position on the Team and we will offer it to the first alternate on the list.”
“The choice is yours, Miss Shimmer.”





Accepting the chocolate batter covered beater Twilight was holding out, Sunset paused in her story to lick some of the chocolate off the metal surface. “…I ended up asking them if I could think it over this weekend and tell them my answer on Monday morning.”
Velvet made a thoughtful sound. “Given how you seem to be feeling about the whole thing, it sounds like you made a very mature decision, sweetheart.”
She nodded absently. “…what do you think I should do?” the redhead asked.
There was quiet, as her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s mother considered the question. Velvet answered first. “When it comes to serious decisions, Night and I encourage Twilight to make a list of pros and cons, and weigh them to help her decide.”
Twilight made a sound of agreement while freeing her tongue from the other beater; the smudges of chocolate on her lips and even the tip of her nose made Sunset sincerely wish Velvet would step out of the room for a few minutes, providing a much needed distraction to her emotions. Meanwhile, unaware of the sudden detour the redheaded teen’s thoughts had taken, Twilight added her thoughts. “When it's a very complicated issue, I personally like adding a weight to each item on the list. Something like a one to five scale, which allows me to compare them better, because sometimes the cons might be a longer list, but if they are all ones, and the pro side is shorter but has a few fours or fives…then I get a more accurate picture of the situation, and can consider each factor or outcome sufficiently to make an informed choice.”
Then she paused, looking at Sunset intently for a minute, “However, if you’re asking which choice I think you should make, I feel I will not be much help. In your place I would not want to be on the team, as public spectacles make me uncomfortable and affect my anxiety levels. I feel, in this case, you need to do what you want to do, not what others want you to do.”
Wrenching her thoughts back to reality and away from the enticing ideas of what she could do with extra brownie batter and her girlfriend, Sunset let her breath out in a snorting exhalation through her nostrils. “You’re right…I need to decide for myself. Before, I didn’t mind the attention—in fact, I loved it, and I think some part of me always will…but ever since the formal I’ve just found that being in the spotlight makes me agitated. Like I’m surrounded by beings who are trying to decide if I’d go better with mustard or barbecue sauce.”
They all laughed at the description, and Velvet shook her head in amusement. “Cadence has complained of something similar before,” she acknowledged. “Though, whatever you choose, Sunset, you should still recognize what has happened as something to feel happy and proud of. You earned this chance yourself through hard work, dedication, and a lot of self reflection, and that is commendable for anyone, but especially someone your age...and I’m proud of you.”
Twilight echoed her mother’s smile, and when the woman had turned back towards the stove, she reached up to press her hand to Sunset’s cheek. “Maybe you should look at this as the results of an experiment in just being the real you, instead of a persona you sought to project in order to gain a specific response from others…”
Sunset leaned into the touch, soaking in the affection it communicated. “…maybe… it's just…this feels like they're putting a lot of trust in me…and I don't want to let them down in any way…” The former unicorn turned the idea over in her head, weighing the choices before her like they had suggested. She had a lot on her plate, true, but…a lot of her magic research required her friends, who were all on the team… Her thoughts drifted to the pep rally, and the stack of papers the students turned in on her behalf…of the way they had laughed with her during Flash’s antics, and seemed to care when they thought she was upset.
“…I think…I think I know what I’m going to do,” she said at last.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Seven: Minutes to Midnight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Soft murmuring tickled Sunset’s ears as she lay cuddled up under the blankets with Twilight. The younger girl was dozing off in sleepy contentment, nuzzling her face into Sunset’s chest. Warm and drowsy, wrapped in blankets to ward off the night’s chill, the former unicorn savored the way her companion was  cuddled up to her, even if her slow breaths tickled when they brushed across bare skin. Yet despite the warm lassitude that had stolen over her, Sunset felt wide awake.
The redhead knew she needed to sleep—she only had seven hours until her alarm would wake her up…and she couldn't afford to hit the snooze button. Not if she wanted to make it to the park in time for what was likely to be a very stressful and busy day, since she was the one handling all the coordination of volunteer teams, supplies, refreshments, and all the other administrative details that went into such a complex project. Many of those duties required a polite smile and talking to a lot of people and giving orders—not something Fluttershy was suited to at all, so Sunset had taken them on. She was just lucky she was good at it.
Princess Celestia’s lessons hadn’t entirely fallen on deaf ears, after all.
Which wouldn’t amount to much if she didn’t get any sleep.
Sunset wasn’t sure why she was finding it so hard to follow her girlfriend into slumber. She could tell she was tired from a long day—a long week, really—but her consciousness hovered frustratingly in that place between active wakefulness and sleep, as if the relaxed contentment from kissing Twilight breathless had somehow sated her body’s need to rest. The very concept seemed asinine, but it was the only explanation she could come up with that felt even close to accurate.
Her mind drifted over the day, settling on the events of the pep rally and the conversation with her girlfriend’s family about it all, since it had continued into dinner when everyone else had arrived….





“That’s pretty impressive,” Shining said, pointing to Sunset with a fork. “Rallying the whole school to support you without anyone finding out? Your student council has a hell of a future in politics if they can do that.”
Cadence rolled her eyes. “I don't think that's the takeaway from this, Shiny,” she told him. Her gaze fell on Sunset. “It's really exciting to hear that you and all your friends will be together on the team! It sounds like the CPA team will have to bring their A-Game if they want to win.”
“Yeah…” Sunset shrugged. “I don't think we really expect much. I don't understand this…school rivalry…thing…but we’re going to do our best with what we have. I mean, Dash is the fastest person I’ve ever met, and I’m a little scared to know how strong AJ actually is…and then there’s Pinkie. I’m…not sure she abides by the laws of physics sometimes, like even the fabric of the universe decided that it's best just not to ask, you know?”
Her question got a laugh out of Night Light. “I think we’ve all met someone like that!” He chuckled and turned towards his wife. “Remember Rake?”
“From college?” Velvet smiled fondly. “Of course I remember him. I’m still convinced he was made of rubber.”
“He would almost have to have been, with all the stunts he walked away from.” Night laughed again at the memories, before his attention returned to Sunset. “I guess it's a good thing you nixed the idea for you girls to play hooky that day!”
Sunset had almost forgotten about that. “…yeah, probably wouldn't look too good if I had skipped out after everything the other kids at school did to vote me onto the team…I’m still not sure how they did it without me hearing anything. Even the girls were in the dark.”
Night took a sip of his iced tea, nodding. “Well, even though we won't be there, this family is rooting for your team. If both of you were on the teams at your schools, we’d have to root for both teams, and I’m sure somewhere someone would call that a conflict of interest.” He winked, indicating it was a joke.
“Especially for a couple of Crystal Prep Alumni,” Velvet pointed out dryly.
The redhead took the chance to tease her girlfriend, poking her in the shoulder with a breadstick. “Guess we’re lucky that you're not interested in sporting competitions, right, Sparky?”
Twilight blinked up at her, startled. “Why do you say that?”
“Because,” Sunset told her with a playful smirk. “You're already the smartest person I’ve ever met—if you brought even half as much talent and enthusiasm to sporting events, I’d say CHS should forfeit now.”
Ducking her head, the younger girl looked flustered. “I—but—Sunny…” she spluttered, then realized that Sunset was clearly teasing. She swatted her shoulder. “Last I checked, you're no slouch—I’d say that with you on the Canterlot team, CPA is going to have to work to keep the title.” Her voice was quiet, and something about it felt off, but Sunset couldn't tell why, and resolved to bring it up later…
“I wouldn't go that far, but I do intend to try my best.”
Velvet smiled. “Consider us ‘Team Sunset’ then,” she said with a warm smile. “Now, who wants dessert? I made brownies to celebrate.”





The open support and excitement they showed for events in her life felt good in a way that called to mind the days before her relationship with Celestia had degraded into constant arguments and endless frustration. It made her want to embrace the family she was being offered with open arms and no reservations…but she held herself back still. They didn't know who Sunset Shimmer was…who and what she had been, and the true depths of her darkness. This wasn't quite like Twilight’s anxiety induced fear of coming out—there were similarities, sure, but there were plenty of examples in the world of other humans who preferred one gender over the other in a romantic way. As far as she knew, she was the only Equestrian unicorn who had been exiled into this world after being so twisted and evil that she’d transformed into a demon.
Letting out a slow breath, her grip tightening around Twilight’s body, pressing the smaller form deeper into her embrace. Reading the mysterious journal had offered her unpleasant enlightenment on the human perspective on demons, and talking with her friends had solidified a lot of what she’d read as accurate to human beliefs. For all humans were capable of being far more savage and violent, it was one area they seemed to share pony views on: that demons were utterly horrific and regarded with a mixture of fear and disgust. This even extended, or so her history class had taught her, to other humans even loosely suspected of cavorting around with demonic beings—even unproven, they still executed thousands of people over the last millennia or more for suspicion alone.
Sunset shivered. Reading The Crucible had left her with nightmares for weeks the year before.
And she had become one. Human beliefs aside, pony research had always been clear. It required a truly warped and damaged soul and a lot of power to trigger such a transformation—part of her questioned still if that was why Celestia had kept her at arm’s length for so many years, if the Solar Ruler could see the path she was on, and what she would become…
Morosely, Sunset stared at the model of the solar system hanging down from the ceiling. She was a disaster and dangerous, and had been even before she’d put on the Crown and her soul's state had reconfigured its vessel to better reflect its nature. That had been the reason so many foals in her years at CSGU had avoided her, mocked her, teased her, feared her…
Whispers of memory tickled her ears, accusations and speculation from young unicorns about her ancestry…the most harmless had been to suggest other pony tribes in her background, but there had been some who suggested the reason for her horn’s curve, curling, fluffy coat, and instinctive affinity for fire magic in her unstable core had been from a far more disturbing source. What that source was had varied with the teller...dragons, Sunblaze Salamanders, Fire Elementals…one particularly inventive student had once wondered if one of her ancestors had had a liaison with one of the fox-folk, as impossible as that would have been. New students were nice enough at first, but to the very last that had changed when they learned the truth of her: fiery surges, an unwanted orphan with no family that would have her, and of course, her terrible temper.
Then they couldn't avoid her fast enough.
Her human friends were better, but they’d beaten the demon, seen the monster inside her defeated, though she wondered…
No. That thought was not worth dwelling on, not here and now.
Still, it made Sunset worry and wonder…
Would Night and Velvet, and their happy, welcoming, generous family…be quite so when they learned all she had hidden from them? When they found out about the demon and violence, about the fact that she wasn't really the person they believed her to be, but the pony they had never imagined?  Would they tell her it was okay and they still wanted her…or would they shy away from having such a terrible black mark near their family tapestry? She certainly couldn't think of a pony that would want their family’s good standing ruined by the inclusion of such a disgraceful mare with a nightmarish history and the shame of exile hanging over her head. 
…and there was a worse option, the dark, negative corners of her mind reminded her, dragging up Twilight’s insistence on keeping her word to give Sunset space, even in the face of events where no one would have blamed her for calling for help—or at least company—from her best friend, and the way her parents had acquiesced to that insistence.  What if…she told them, and they felt an obligation to not go back on what they’d already said, regardless of how it made them feel? Twilight had not come by her belief in keeping her word in a vacuum, after all.
The former bully pressed her face into Twilight’s hair. She was not ignorant of her flaws the way she had once been—how could she be when the Elements and the Rainbow had laid them bare, made her see the truth of herself and left her soul raw and bleeding from the experience? It meant she knew the unpleasant truth…
The truth was, in some deep seeded, desperate corner of her psyche, she was still the orphan filly who would give anything to be part of a family, who Wanted to belong with every ounce of who she was. For all the changes she’d struggled to make, she was still the foal who had clung so tight to the hope that if she did enough, Princess Celestia would want her, and pushed for that despite every indication to the contrary, despite all the ugliness, and fights, and the terrible truth that other ponies kept repeating to her that she never listened to…
Sunset wanted to tell them the truth. She wanted to spill her secrets, all of them, to Twilight, and then to Night and Velvet, Cadence and Shining, and even deeper, she ached for them to tell her that none of it mattered, that they still wanted her as part of their family…that Twilight still wanted to be her girlfriend…that she didn't need Equestria, because she could have her heart’s desire and then some, right here in the world of man. 
She Wanted it so badly that it terrified her.
Because the unicorn-turned-teen-girl knew herself, knew the lengths she had been willing to go to in the past when she Desired something that strongly. Last time, it had eaten her alive, had twisted her into a heinous monster driven only by that hungering, soul deep Want, even before she’d stolen the Element of Magic.
In a way, that was what frightened her the most: wanting something that badly again, and then having it snatched away at the last second when she believed it was finally hers. It was why she was hesitant about truly accepting the family saying she was one of them, why she had been avoiding the subject of her growing attachment to Twilight, and, she admitted to herself in the dark of the night, the reason she was so unsettled by what had happened with the school and the vote for the Games Team competitors.
After so many times of the universe twisting the knife when she had just begun to think things were going her way, she couldn't just blindly trust. Anything that felt too good to be true usually was, especially for the mare named Sunset Shimmer.
In her arms, Twilight let out a sleepy sigh and shifted, nuzzling into her chest more. “…Sunny…” came the happy sound from the sleeping girl.
Sunset’s lips quirked into a faint smile, unable to resist—the affection in her sleep from Twilight was sweet and achingly wonderful. Amber fingers ran through dark hair lightly. “I’m right here, Sparky,” she breathed. “I’ll always be here, as long as you want me…” Even though Twilight was asleep, it felt right to say, and some of her voice and touch must have communicated to the other teen’s sleeping mind, because she relaxed, settling into a deeper sleep.
Okay, so maybe there was one person in her life that maybe she felt she could trust to not pull the rug out from under her at the last moment. She just had to convince her brain of that.
Her mind drifted, the subject of trust dredging up a subject of their earlier talk when they’d retreated to Twilight’s room, where she’d finally had to explain what she had meant when she mentioned Wallflower in the kitchen…





Stretched out on the bed together with Twilight's back to Sunset’s front after some very satisfying ‘I missed you’ kisses, Sunset was enjoying the simple pleasure of holding her girlfriend close.  Twilight was idly tracing patterns on the arm wrapped around her waist. “Sunset?” came the hesitant query. “…what did you mean about Wallflower trying to dig up dirt on you?”
Sunset sighed. “I only know what Lyra told me, because she was concerned. According to her, a friend from Crystal Prep had started calling her out of nowhere, asking her about me. Asking what she thought, what I was like, if she knew about any dark secrets or gossip or ‘if I dated a lot of different people at CHS.’ Lyra was worried because, according to her, this friend sounded angry and upset, but also at one point if she knew anything about me and you.” The fingers tracing over her arm stilled. “That's when I asked if the friend in question was Wallflower, since as far as I know, she’s the only one who goes to your school that even knows we’re friends.”
“…and Lyra confirmed it?” Twilight sounded tired and sad as she asked the question.
Wincing in guilt, Sunset squeezed her tight in a hug.  “Yeah. Explained to me that the three of you and another girl—Moonprancer?—were friends when Lyra was at CPA.”
“Moondancer,” Twilight corrected, before rolling over so she could face Sunset. “I’m sorry, Sunset…I didn't think she’d go that far.”
The redhead leaned her face down to kiss her girlfriend. “Hey…it's okay. The bad stuff I did is already public knowledge anyway, and you know about most of the worst of it. She’s not going to be able to dig up anything she can use against me with you…and other than the mess at the Fall Formal, I was always really careful about not actively breaking any rules or laws. Besides, from the way Lyra was talking, it sounded like she told Wallflower to take a long run off a short steppe.”
Purple eyes scrutinized her. “But she and Wallflower are friends…why would she do that?”
For a minute, Sunset considered whether or not to tell the whole truth. In the end, she decided honesty was her best defense against Wallflower’s antics. “I don't know for certain, but it sounded like Wallflower used the same kind of derogatory slang about me to Lyra…who is pretty openly dating this girl at our school named Bon-Bon.” She shrugged. “I’m guessing she felt pretty much like you did about the terms.”
Twilight blinked, and Sunset could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she processed that information. Sudden realization flashed across Twilight’s face and her eyes narrowed. “That…that..” The sound that escaped her throat was surprisingly like the sounds that Sunset herself tended to make when she was frustrated. 
Hearing a sound that was pony-like to that degree coming from the younger girl was somewhat surreal, but it was also…adorable…and probably more interesting to her than it should have been. Sunset dipped her chin down to kiss Twilight before she could stop herself. 
It definitely prevented Twilight from finishing the sentence and voicing whatever caustic thing she’d been about to call Wallflower. While it probably wouldn't have been undeserved, Sunset felt like it was better if she didn't, simply because Twilight would likely feel bad about it later.  So she deepened the kiss until her girlfriend’s hands started to wander…





Looking fondly down at Twilight, who was smiling in her sleep, Sunset sighed. Twilight had told her all about the confrontation with Wallflower, about the boundaries she’d laid out and how the girl had reacted to both those and Twilight’s scuffle with the boy at her school…and then talked extensively on how she didn't want to just give up on her friendship with Wallflower. She still wanted to give the green haired girl a chance to change how she acted—or at least, to respect the boundaries Twilight had set. 
Sunset worried about the whole mess. She wasn't stupid, and she’d observed this kind of thing enough in her time ruling the school to know where it was headed.  Wallflower had already made up her mind, and from Twilight’s recounting of events, she had not cared for the boundaries that were set or how Twilight had responded to what she had said about the behaviors of the other students. Which meant this was going to go one of two ways: either Twilight’s friendship with Wallflower would fizzle out and die, or it would get progressively more fractured and turbulent, until it came down to one of them—likely Wallflower—issuing the inevitable ultimatum.
There was little doubt regarding the response to something like that. No one ever sided with the person issuing the ultimatum, not that she had seen. 
The former unicorn hated that. Twilight was going to get hurt, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Anything she could try to do beyond providing emotional support would only make things worse, because she was Wallflower’s main point of contention, and she wasn't willing to sacrifice her own relationship with Twilight to appease the mean spirited girl who was starting to feel more and more like an entitled brat.
It was definitely not something she was looking forward to, but at least there seemed to be a silver lining to the impending storm: Lyra. Due to Wallflower, Twilight would be given the chance to reconnect with an old friend…a friend who was a mutual friend of Sunset’s, which meant the events with Wallflower wouldn't be repeated. 
Thank the sun, stars, and little green parasprites for that.
Of course, Twilight was anxious about it, which was why Sunset was playing the messenger and going to be present when she and Lyra met up. Not that the redhead minded. More time with her girlfriend was a good thing, especially since both of their schedules had gotten so overwhelmingly busy this semester…





Twilight had that uncomfortable look on her face that Sunset knew meant she was winding herself up. “What’s wrong, Sparky? Do you…not want to reconnect with Lyra?”
“No!” Toning her voice down, Twilight’s face darkened with embarrassment. “No, nothing like that. In fact, I’ve missed Lyra. She was…cheery, even if her fascination was cryptozoology, which mostly contains hoaxes and misidentified creatures, but likely also includes a few undocumented creatures and extant members of long thought extinct species. She was quite adept at brightening the room and she never said anything unkind about any of us, even when we sometimes didn't listen to what she was talking about.” She bit her lip. 
“Then what’s wrong?”
Sagging against Sunset, she mumbled into amber skin. “…what if she doesn't like the person I am now? Wallflower doesn't.”
Biting back the urge to point out that Wallflower was a snobby, stuck up, entitled rich brat with an entire bugbear stuffed up her tailpipe stinger first, Sunset rubbed fingers along the back of her neck. “Lyra isn’t Wallflower…in fact, do you know what she said when she learned you were my best friend?”
Purple eyes looked up at her, and Twilight sniffled a bit, looking more stressed than Sunset had first thought. “…what?”
“She told me she was super glad to hear that you and I were friends, because she thought you could ‘do to have a friend that didn't go to Crystal Prep.’” Sunset winked. “Given how unpleasant most of your schoolmates sound, I can understand why she said that.” She kissed Twilight’s nose affectionately. “Lyra is glad to hear you are happy and have friends that make you happy…and I think she really wants to be one of those friends if you’ll let her.”
Twilight scrubbed at her eyes. “I’d like that…I…I’m just worried that she will see how different I am from the end of ninth grade…”
A finger over her lips cut her off. “Lyra likes you for the person you are, Twilight, not how you act. Trust me, I think she’ll celebrate the changes, not fear them, because they came from you being happier and more sure of yourself.”
Now the smaller girl was smiling slightly up at Sunset. “…I like who I am now,” she confessed. “I don't have panic attacks nearly as often, and my anxiety is better, mostly.” She paused, biting her lip again. “It would be nice to have a friend who knew me from before be happy for me. I know my family is supportive and all, but…”
“It's not the same as a friend? It’s okay, Sparky, I get it. Believe me, all things considered, I absolutely get that.” The two of them shared a quiet laugh, less from humor but as a release of tension. “Look,” Sunset said after the giggles faded, “if you want, I can go with you when you meet up with Lyra as emotional support or just to give her a second person to talk about manticore and dragons and yeti with so she doesn't talk your ears off.”
Her girlfriend tilted her head. “…you don't mind all of that when she does, do you? A lot of people have made fun of her for it.”
Sunset snorted. “Mind?” Technically the only thing she minded was when the monster was an actual Equestrian creature and the human info on them was wrong. Like minotaur. Or manticore. Or unicorns and pegasi—especially unicorns and pegasi, considering they were her own species. And then she just explained where the information was wrong, and Lyra would ask all kinds of questions about Equestrian Arcanozoology. “Not really. Some of it is a little out there, and not backed up by any kinds of facts, but…” she hesitated, then decided to test Twilight’s response. “…the world is a big place, and humans aren't everywhere all the time with cameras. How can we say that some of these things don't exist? Weren’t gorillas undiscovered and considered a hoax until like eighteen fifty?”
“Eighteen forty-seven,” Twilight clarified. “Nineteen oh-two for the mountain gorilla. And you are right—absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence. Some cryptids are very much hoaxes, but there are plenty that match extinct fauna, and several more consistent and long lasting sightings have turned out to be true. We discover dozens of new species every year, and that's just on Earth.” She rested her head back against Sunset’s chest. “I’m glad that you give her the chance to talk about it…I know how she felt when people would shut her down.”
The former unicorn frowned, knowing what Twilight meant. “Which is…not something I would do. Honestly, back…where I used to live…stories about things like dragons and monsters were…pretty common.” Because they were real. “…so I guess her talking about that stuff is…kind of…nice. Maybe a little nostalgic?”
With the way Twilight kissed her after that suggested that Sunset had said exactly the right things.





Sunset shifted, wriggling her way deeper into the warm covers, making a mental note to catch Lyra at some point either at the park or at school to pass along Twilight’s invitation to get milkshakes after school next week. 
All in all, it had actually been an okay, if weird, day, and it had ended on a high note….and a pretty intense make-out session with her girlfriend, so Sunset wasn't about to complain. Plus she’d decided what to do about the Games Team, and felt pretty confident in her choice, so she wasn't worried about the weekend or Monday.
She smiled, yawned, and pressed a drowsy kiss to the top of Twilight’s head. With the matter of what she was going to do about the Friendship Games solved, and all the emotions that it had brought up around the competition, she was really glad that Twilight had been spared the insanity that was the massive showdown between their schools. The dark haired girl wasn't even going to be in the audience, since that seemed to be reserved for mostly seniors. Twilight would be well away from it all, and maybe the day of the Games themselves would give her a respite from all the toxicity of her classmates since they'd be focused on hating CHS.
Her sleepy mind laughed as she settled into unconsciousness, and her last thought was that she was thankful that she wouldn't be put in the position of facing her girlfriend across the divide between the two schools.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight: Green Day Blues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset paused for a moment to wipe her brow—even though the sun was barely up over the horizon and it was a cool morning in what promised to be a nice early spring day, she had been running around for over an hour and a half already, setting everything up. The checklist on her clipboard—her girlfriend’s contribution to the event had been to make that for her—was fairly long and detailed, but she was almost to the end of it, and just in time, as volunteers were starting to arrive, being directed to the check-in table by a very boisterous Bow Hot-Foot, Rainbow’s dad. He had been the perfect person to stick on greeter detail, big, muscular, loud, and extroverted just like his daughter. 
Rarity had likewise been put in charge of the check-in table with Fluttershy’s mother, a meek, soft spoken woman whose mannerisms explained so much about her children’s behavior. The tailor had assured Sunset she would match teams of volunteers based on abilities and age, making sure that the middle school aged volunteers would be with at least two adults, preferably parents or guardians. Friends of Pinkie’s from the Home Ec classes were overseeing the food and drink stations—the local grocery store had donated an entire truck full of the refillable sports water-cooler barrels to the project which Sunset planned to turn around and donate to the school after all was said and done, and several bakeries and cafes had contributed snacks and energy bars. Lunch was being provided by the sandwich shop that Sunset had used for her date to the observatory with Twilight, paid for by Night Light’s generous donation, huge platters of cold sandwiches and condiments that Big Mac had volunteered to pick up with help from Sandalwood and Brawly in a few hours.
Her eyes continued to sweep the area, checking off the organized supplies—bins of work gloves, big bags for the garbage, brushes and outdoor paint in big buckets for the park benches, boxes of nails and screws, tools, the neat stacks of colorful bird houses and different animal feeders on a table—and even the first aid station that the school nurse had showed up to run in case someone got scrapes or splinters or blisters from working. Off to the side some trays of spring flowers and heavy bags of dark earth and mulch waited for their turn to be planted in the park’s neglected butterfly garden to attract both the colorful insects and local bees.  She’d even gotten big bins to use for recyclables like glass or metal—she never did understand why humans wasted so many valuable resources in landfills, when a lot of them could easily be melted down and used again with no issue.
They were ready to go.
The redhead turned to look at Applejack. “I think it's all ready to get started. You're overseeing benches and birdhouses. Pinkie and Rarity are here at base camp…Dash is helping clean the playground equipment with Fluttershy’s and Pinkie’s dads, since they brought those power washers…”
Chuckling, AJ adjusted her hat. “That’ll keep her from getting bored.”
“That was my hope. After that, they’ll see to laying more sand and stuff there since it needs it so badly. Rarity is going to send a lot of the lacrosse and soccer team their way so they have plenty of help lifting the heavy things. I'm just glad Pinkie’s family was willing to provide a lot of the mulch and sand and garden stuff they couldn't donate to us at cost. It helped a lot with our donation budget.” Sunset lifted her ponytail off her neck and enjoyed the breeze hitting her skin. 
Applejack nodded. “They're good sorts. Apple-kin usually are, even distant ones. Ah know they’d have donated it all if they could, but money in winter is a mite tight fer ‘em.” Green eyes watched. “What Ah can’t believe is that Marble wanted ta come.” She gestured to where Pinkie’s twin was seated away from the commotion of people arriving, carefully filling the feeders with either seeds or the sugary artificial nectar, depending on their type. Her eyes met Sunset and she waved shyly.
“I invited her along,” Sunset explained. “We got to be friends when Pinkie gave me some baking lessons, and I just asked her if she wanted to join in.” Her lips quirked into a smile as she waved back. “I think it’s because I’m a unicorn—Pinkie spilled that and I had to explain, and she really relaxed after that. I guess being a pony makes me less scary than if I was human.”
“Fair enough,” AJ said with another chuckle. “She gonna help you and Fluttershy mark trees then?”
Sunset set her clipboard down for a moment on one of the tables so she could check the time on her phone. “That was tentatively the plan. Fluttershy went to go meet up with the person who is supplying the yarn we’re using to mark where things are going.” Her phone played a trill of birdsong. “That's her now.” She flicked her thumb across the screen to read the text. “They’re on their way.”
Tanned fingers tipped a battered hat. “Ah think Rares and Rainbow’s Pa kin hold down the fort here. Ah’m gonna go get the first couple of paint teams started.” She winked at Sunset. “We got this, Sunset. Go grab Marble and find Fluttershy before it gets too crowded here.”
Spotting a large group of what looked like their classmates with extended family members heading towards the cheerfully shouting rainbow haired man, she nodded. “…yeah…good idea. My phone is on loud if I’m needed for anything though, so message me if I’m needed.”
With a final wave, she let Applejack head out and moved over to where Marble was. “Fluttershy is coming back with her friend—are you ready to help us color code some trees?”
Marble glanced up through her hair. “Mmmhmm…” came the soft hum in response as she screwed the top back on a now full feeder. One hand lifted in some kind of abbreviated sign, and Sunset became aware of a heavy presence at her shoulder.
It was Maud. She blinked at Sunset in that slow, unemotional way of hers. “I will take over here,” she informed Sunset. “I can inform them of the best uses for the geological landscaping items.” One hand gestured to the bags of dirt, sand, gravel, and mulch. Another slow blink and she turned to Marble. “When you want to leave, I will take you home. Have fun.”
As always, Sunset couldn't detect any kind of variation in Maud’s tone or inflection, but apparently her immediate family had no such issue. Marble gave her older sister a smile and a brief hug before joining Sunset.
What did it say that Pinkie sometimes felt like the most normal person in the family, the former unicorn wondered.
Blue-green eyes searched the area, and she saw a familiar head of pale pink hair held back in a neat braid—Rarity’s work, judging by the look of it—followed by another figure in much brighter colors. “There’s Fluttershy. Now…I don't know her friend, but she said they're a very calm and laid back person. If it gets to be too much, just let me know and I’ll get you back to your sister.”
A grey hand made another abbreviated gesture that Sunset had learned meant ‘Okay,’ and Marble held up a cell phone.
“Good. It should just be the four of us, marking trees. We shouldn't need more than that.” Sunset kept her pace at a brisk walk, shortening her longer stride so Marble wouldn't have to run to keep up—it was a habit after going to so many museums with her much shorter girlfriend, anyway, and she didn't want to do anything to make Marble feel uncomfortable or upset. Pinkie had mentioned in quiet tones earlier just how surprising Marble’s insistence on accepting Sunset’s invitation had been, and how the rest of the family was worried about how things would turn out. That made the redhead even more determined to make sure the day went smoothly for both Fluttershy and Marble.
Halting near Fluttershy and the other person—a woman who seemed a little too old to be a high schooler--Sunset let her eyes do a quick but subtle once-over of the unknown individual. The disaster with Wallflower had made her a little more wary of the ‘friend of a friend’ scenario, and old instincts were given a little leeway when it came to determining if trouble was headed her way.
What she saw seemed promising. The woman, whose skin reminded Sunset more of the shade one might find on green grapes or a green apple than Wallflower’s washed out pastel green, was smiling widely, and everything about her posture seemed relaxed. Red-orange hair fell in neat dreadlocks, faint stripes in the color visible when the early morning sun hit it just right, and there was a pretty flower print kerchief crowning her head. Her clothes were old and well worn—washed out jeans, and a tie-dye shirt that had probably once been much more vibrant in shade before a hundred washes or so.
Sunset knew she wasn't the best guess with ages for humans, but felt she could safely place her as older than her friends and younger than Cadence and Shining, so probably college age or a smidge older. Taking initiative, she held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer, one of Fluttershy’s friends and the head organizer for this event. I wanted to thank you so much for donating the yarn we’re going to be using to mark the trees.”
Eyes in a pastel shade that was a distant cousin of violet were half lidded, as if the woman was still two lattes short of being awake. “It's no problem at all,” she said, her voice slow and drawn out. “Happy to help reclaiming a little square of Gaea from human greed and apathy…” 
Fluttershy hefted up a small canvas bag with ‘Sunshine Tidings’ and a smiling sunflower stenciled on the side. “All natural wool, all natural dyes, so it's safe for the environment and for any birds who might want some to use in their nests!”
Before Sunset could respond, maybe ask for the woman’s name, she found herself in a hug by this complete stranger, unable to even move her arms. “And namaste to you, Sunset Shimmer,” she heard from collarbone level. “I am Treehugger.”
Struggling to breathe and avoid lashing out in a mixture of anger and primal panic, Sunset managed to free herself from the unwelcome hug, placing herself between Marble and Treehugger to prevent an even worse reaction. She heard, very faintly, from Marble, “…I’m not a tree…”
Clearing her throat, Sunset took a moment to flash Fluttershy a look, getting an apologetic smile from her friend. Internally, she let out a sigh, and decided she was going to have to be a little more overt about space. “It's nice to meet you,” she managed. “I’m not really a hugger, myself, and my friend Marble here isn’t either, so…we’ll stick to handshakes in the future, if that's okay.”
Treehugger stared at her with that same half lidded expression for so long that Sunset was beginning to worry that she might’ve offended her somehow. She almost looked to Fluttershy, but before she could, Treehugger was speaking again. “Oh for sure, Sunbeam,” she agreed in that same drawn out speech. “I would never hug someone whose aura has such dark indigo in it like your friend does…physical contact heightens perceptions of other people’s emotions and is super overwhelming for someone that sensitive….”
“Uhhh…” Sunset did look at Fluttershy, who seemed curious about what Treehugger was saying. “…right. Auras….” The word registered vaguely with an understanding that it had a human meaning in one of their fake magic practices…or maybe one of their religions? Certainly not the way ponies used it, to describe the visual effect of a user's actual magic. “…and it’s Sunset. Just Sunset.”
Fluttershy spoke up in her quiet way, reminding the redhead that Treehugger was one of her friends. “Treehugger has told me some fascinating things about auras,” she commented, though the way she focused on Sunset said that there was more than casual interest there. “They come in a rainbow of colors, did you know that?”
A rainbo—oh. Understanding hit the former unicorn. “I…don't really know anything about them,” she responded, trying to sound casual. Inside though, her thoughts were racing. What had Fluttershy heard that made her think it was worth investigating? Sunset had already accepted that there was some kind of magic in the human world, but between that strange diary and her own experiences, it was well hidden and disguised among plenty of false information, religious dogma, and half baked superstitions that had been passed down more as tradition than any form of real belief. It was something that had proven frustrating to the unicorn-turned-teenage-girl, for whom magic was a well researched field in the same vein as any other type of scientific study. The human emphasis on ‘magic’ as some unexplainable, esoteric force that couldn't be quantifiably measured was, in a word, ridiculous to her.
Treehugger’s face never lost its smile. “Oh it's totally righteous, Sunbeam…” Her eyes actually opened fully for a moment as she stared intently at Sunset…to the point where it was a tad unnerving. “Like…your aura is nothing like Fluttershy’s…Hers is all green with pink, signs of kindness, compassion, and a love for Mother Gaea’s creations…so smooth and soothing…”
The strange woman traced a hand through the air around Sunset, and she had to resist the urge to shy away from the gesture. “Yours…” came the slow response. “…so much chaos…twists of red and orange…it lacks the smoothness…cracks of darkness surrounding rich purple and draining the light from the other colors…”
Sunset shivered at the description. “…and…what does all of that…mean, exactly?” she asked, keeping her voice even.
“Powerful energy and creativity, Sunbeam,” was the reply, the insistence on the nickname rubbing Sunset just as wrong as the dreamy tone that didn't fit with the words being spoken. “But your power…it’s being strangled by exhaustion and a massive imbalance in your chakras, blocking the gift of Mother Gaea from flowing freely through you…”
She resisted the urge to snort, knowing that the sound would be far more aggressive than was appropriate for hearing the answer to a question she had asked. Yet the whole thing felt off, wrong somehow, unpleasantly personal and completely foreign at the same time. So she kept silent, letting Treehugger continue talking, quietly ignoring the reference to a deity from three thousand year old human mythology from a country she’d never visited, her eyes flitting briefly to Fluttershy, who was glancing her way with hopeful curiosity. Clearly, the animal lover was trying to help research magic in the human world, and had addressed the subject with the intent to get Sunset’s opinion later.  Not that Sunset had much to offer as of yet.
Not that Treehugger seemed to realize any of this. She seemed to have no idea about the magic Fluttershy possessed, or Sunset’s own otherworldly origins. Instead, she was beginning to explain something that the redhead had come across once or twice in her original research to find magic in the human world she could use…something that she loosely remembered as being heavily tied into a completely different human belief system a few thousand miles from ancient Greece.
“Your energy paths are horribly blocked and twisted,” Treehugger was saying, “stopping the energy from flowing as it is meant to, as debris can dam a river. These blocks are created within, from our own negative emotions…”
The former unicorn took a slow, deep breath, resisting her natural urge to correct a bad premise. In her case, while there was an issue with the flow of thaumic energy from her internal source of magic to outside of her body, it had absolutely nothing to do with her emotions and everything to do with biological limitations and her sincere desire to avoid giving herself brain damage. “…and just what causes the negative emotions,” she asked, trying to sound neutral and mildly interested, “to become ‘blocks’ on a person’s…energy?”
Treehugger’s mannerisms had gone from appearing somewhat sleepy and relaxed to looking more…vapid and disconnected from reality. “…it varies from person to person, Sunbeam…each of us has our own struggles with our shadow self…” Once again, she stared long and hard at Sunset. “…yours…” 
She trailed off with a long pause, to the point where Sunset idly wondered if she’d fallen asleep with her eyes open or entered some kind of trance. It lasted so long that Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Treehugger?”
“…totally sorry…I was reading deeper into her aura, Butterfly…” 
Butterfly? Sunset almost lost the fight against the desire to roll her eyes. This was…almost too much, even for her. And she was a magical unicorn from another world where dragons were real and fantastical beasts were a regular menace or household vermin.
Then Treehugger grabbed Sunset’s hands, derailing her thoughts. “…I sense much strife…your body and mind are out of sync, and you are stressed in your own skin…your soul’s shape is not human…” Her lazy smile was even more unnerving as she talked, her words far too close to reality for comfort. “…you need to embrace the truth within you and accept yourself for who you are…and let go of the paths that are closed to you…”
Her mouth went dry and if it weren't for the surprisingly firm hold on her hands , they would have been shaking. From Fluttershy’s somewhat surprised expression, she knew her friend had not shared the secret of her identity with Treehugger. “…I…see…” she responded, trying not to read too much into it, all while attempting to get her hands back from the grip that held them.  
As she did, Treehugger pressed something into her palm. “…you're not alone, Sunbeam…there are others like you out there, and they can help you understand what you are going through…” she smiled even more, and let go of Sunset’s hands.
What?
Blue-green eyes tracked downward to stare at the business card in her hand. It was an internet address and a fancy title—The Elysium Otherkin Association, whatever all that meant—along with what seemed to be the weirdest looking seven pointed star she’d ever seen. “Um…thanks? I think?”
One more of those vapid smiles and Treehugger…practically floated her way over to Fluttershy.
Sunset stuck the card in her pocket, and decided to worry about the whole thing later. “Okay. Trees. We need to mark them. We’ll start in this cluster here and then follow the path to the next. Fluttershy, do you and Treehugger want to mark spots for four or five birdhouses, while Marble and I find some good spots for the feeders?”
Fluttershy beamed at Sunset. “Of course! That’s the blue yarn, right?”
“Yeah. Blue for houses, green for seed feeders, red for nectar. We’ve got a hundred birdhouses, so I was thinking a few per copse and then spread out along the paths and a bunch in each of the garden areas. Less by the playground and the playing fields—we don't want stray balls hitting the birdhouses.” Sunset caught the green and red yarn Fluttershy gently tossed her way.
“A great use for your gifts, Butterfly…” Treehugger commented, as the pair headed for the nearby trees. “You can commune with our animal friends and learn where they would like their homes to be…”
Sunset tuned the voice out. She wasn't sure how she felt about the odd woman, and the things she had said that made no sense, or the parts that had been too close to a truth she couldn't have. “Right…so, any thoughts on where we should put some of the feeders? I’m thinking one of each in each copse, some along the paths, and some in the gardens.”
Marble gripped her jacket sleeve, tugging slightly. The redhead leaned closer to hear what the gray skinned girl wanted to tell her. “…most of what she was saying…isn’t correct…” Marble said in her whisper quiet voice. 
That made Sunset grin a bit crookedly. “…I…kind of got that.”
“…I study gems,” Marble explained. “…a lot of them have…connections…to the stuff she was talking about…I’ve read about them. She was…not really wrong…but also not right.”
Chuckling, Sunset squeezed her shoulder in thanks. “That makes me feel a bit better then. I did research when I first came here, looking for magic in this world, but all I found was human religions and human fiction…so I could tell something was off…but hearing you confirm it helps.” She shook her head. 
“Also Otherkin aren't like you…”
One eyebrow arched. “I don't even know what they are.”
Marble brushed a bit of her hair out of her face as she took the yarn from Sunset and pointed at a sturdy, nearby tree. “…they're people who think they're magical creatures born as humans.”
The unicorn turned human stopped her trek to the tree to stare at Marble. “That’s a thing?”
“…mmmhmm…”
Shaking her head, Sunset used a small pocket knife to cut a length of green yarn and tie it around the tree trunk at eye level. “That’s…weird. You humans are really strange sometimes. We…don't really have stuff like that in Equestria. Most creatures are happy to be what they are. Thanks for explaining it though. I…have honestly never heard of anything like that.”
“…one of them buys big rocks from Dad…for sunning. He wants to be a dragon.”
She rolled her eyes. “Dragons don't sun themselves. They’re connected to elemental fire. They have an internal body temperature in excess of boiling water and can swim in lava. About the only use a dragon has for rocks is gemstones they can eat, since they need the minerals to grow their scales.” She glanced over, to see questions written on Marble’s face and wide eyes, and continued, “Princess Celestia actually knows a bit about dragons, since she personally meets with the Dragon Lord every hundred years. They're…kind of grumpy and they have a lot of value on being strong and independent these days, but a long time ago, she says they were actually pretty clannish. And they're one of the longest lived creatures in Equestria. The current Dragon Lord, Torch, is almost as old as Princess Celestia, and he’s middle aged, although he’s only been in charge for…like a thousand years or so. She told me he’s…” Sunset paused, doing her best to convert the measurements to a human one. “He’d be like a hundred feet tall.”
“…and they eat gems?”
“As part of their diet, yeah. It goes to their bones and scales…though they eat a lot of other things too. Pretty much anything they can catch, and all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Princess Twilight has a young dragon, and he likes hayfries with cheese and bacon, and he eats a lot of chicken and fish..but he also makes sapphire cupcakes.” Sunset searched for another good sized tree nearby to mark with the red yarn. “Spike’s actually pretty interesting—he’s the only dragon to ever be adopted and raised by a pony, as far as I know.”
The painfully shy and normally anxious girl was hanging on Sunset’s every word, drinking in the information about Equestria like someone dying of thirst. She tilted her head in thought and jumped back to a previous topic. “Dragons aren't the only species we have that eats gems—there’s Diamond Dogs, Gemsilk Spiders, basilisks, several species of Salamander..those are big lava and fire serpents, by the way, not the weird little amphibians you humans have here, and a bunch of others. Gems grow in Equestria like wildflowers. They're everywhere, and they get huge.” She held her hands a good eighteen inches apart to demonstrate what she meant by ‘huge’ and watched Marble’s eyes grow even larger. “We use them for magic too,” she added.
“…you do?” The whispery voice was awestruck. 
Sunset grinned and nodded as she marked the next tree she’d chosen with bright red yarn. “We do. I actually have a magus certification in artificing—working with gems and metal to create magical devices like a thaumometer. Think…engineering, I suppose, but for magic instead of robots and cars.” She remembered something, and fished around in the inner pocket of her jacket. “We use all kinds of gems for different types of magic, and we have a bunch of gemstones you don't have here, like this.” She found one of the small shards in her pocket and offered it out to Marble.
It was a small, unassuming piece of gemstone about the size of an acorn, purple-blue so dark it seemed black until light hit it, and to Sunset, it hummed with protective energies. It had been a part of a much larger stone, until the redhead had deliberately fractured the charged parent stone into a few dozen smaller stones and inscribed each one with protective glyphs and runes…and then scattered the bulk of them strategically around her girlfriend’s house and yard in places nobody would notice, like in the backs of cupboards or shelves, or in the rose bushes. It had been a somewhat desperate attempt to further protect the family from the dark magic she kept sensing when she wasn't there to burn it up with her own power. “We call it Nightstone,” she explained. “It’s meant to absorb dark magic or nasty energy, and we use it for protection. You can have this one, if you want?”
Marble studied the small stone curiously, tracing over the neat sigils carved into each side, and broke into a real smile. “…thank you.”
With a laugh, Sunset joked, “Unfortunately, it won’t do anything to protect us from getting headaches trying to understand…” she gestured to where Treehugger and Fluttershy were headed their way. 
She counted the faint giggle hidden behind long hair as a sign of success, especially when Marble placed the small gemstone safely in her pocket.  
Now to just do her best to steer conversation towards non-magical topics with Fluttershy’s friend. She was probably much nicer when she wasn't talking about a quasi-religious subject.





“Oooooooooohm…ooooooooooooooohmmmmm…”
Sunset’s eye was twitching just a bit. This entire tree-marking process had taken three times as long as it should have because every new group of trees they approached had required Treehugger to stop and take up a meditative pose to make that really irritating and repetitive humming to ‘connect with Mother Gaea to help find the most harmonious places’ to put the yarn markers.
Conversation had also been a little bit of a disaster…every time she tried to shift it to something neutral, like animals, or plants, or even the weather, Treehugger had either rambled on about things that made no sense, or somehow brought conversation back to auras and fake magic and ‘spiritual harmony.’ The only reprieve had been the fifteen minutes Treehugger had spent in the bathroom halfway in, where Fluttershy had inquired if Sunset thought Treehugger’s information on auras might be helpful…and Sunset had had to break the news to her that most of it was just a mishmash of several unrelated religious pieces and probably no more accurate than a human horoscope was. Or at least, not related to their magic in any way that would help. She had felt bad for causing the disappointed look on Fluttershy’s face, but that had faded when Treehugger had returned, reeking of burned plant fibers and an even more vacant expression than before.
The redhead was on the verge of either losing her temper or tears—it was a close race—and so very frustrated with herself. This was the second ‘friend of a friend’ she’d met that had been a disaster, despite her initial attempt at friendly positivity and trying her best to look for the good…but it just wasn't working. Standing here, listening to Fluttershy’s story of how she and Treehugger had met and become friends had been Sunset’s last hope for finding some kind of common ground or way to be friends with this woman, and it had failed as soon as Treehugger interjected to talk about how ‘the spirits’ and ‘Mother Gaea’ had ‘meant for her to find the bright and pure soul’ that was Fluttershy.
“…a true alignment of souls and friendship…the world sang in joyous harmony that day…”
Right now, Sunset wanted to show Treehugger a little of her version of Harmony, in the form of 21.1211 SETs of Rainbow of Light to the face…preferably before she cracked a molar with how hard she was clenching her jaw.
“Sunset Shimmer. Your presence is required at the main check-in desk.”
Maud’s flat but firm tone was a welcome interruption to Treehugger’s slow and hazy speech, and Sunset turned around. “I am?” She checked her phone to see if she’d missed a text, but she hadn't. “I wonder why they didn’t text me.”
“I am unaware of that answer, but I was heading this way and I volunteered to find you.” Maud turned towards her sister. “Marble. How are you doing?”
Marble raised her hands and signed rapidly, making a low hum in her throat. Her face was almost completely hidden by her hair and she was still careful to keep Sunset between her and Treehugger, who had continued to prove that personal space was not a thing she ascribed to.
“I see. I will walk back to the front with you.” She turned her dead eyed stare onto Fluttershy and Treehugger. “You can finish this task without them.”
“Totally,” Treehugger responded. “Butterfly and I have this, Sunbeam….I can feel the proper alignment needed to maximize the happiness of the local spirits…”
Sunset didn't have to be told twice. “Thanks, Fluttershy,” she told her friend. “I’ll take care of whatever is wrong up at the front, and then it should be about time for lunch if you want to come get some sandwiches after you put out the last of the markers.”
Fluttershy enveloped her in a hug. “This has been so much fun, Sunset. Thank you for helping me with everything….I couldn't have done all this on my own.”
Smiling crookedly, Sunset shook her head. “You could have, Fluttershy. You're stronger than you think…I just wanted to do something to try and make up for all the times I ruined your projects and events….you didn't deserve what I did, and while I can't undo what happened, I’m…trying to be better. To be a good friend now.”
“Maybe I could have…but never something this complex or big…or that has been this fun for me. I would have worried all day about everything.” Another hug. “We’ll see you when we come for our lunches.”
Nodding, she stepped away from her friend and joined Maud and Marble as they started walking back to the other side of the park. “…so…do you know what’s wrong that they need me for?” Sunset asked the messenger.
Maud glanced over her shoulder, and waited until they were well out of earshot of the pair they’d left behind. “Oh. That. I lied. They don't actually need you.”
“…wait, what?”
A giggle escaped from Marble and Maud continued to explain. “Marble texted me, and said that you two needed a rescue from the cannabis addict.”
Sunset stared at Pinkie’s sisters, before she broke down into laughter. 





Wiping her forehead, Sunset closed the back of the truck. “You're all loaded,” she called to Big Mac. “Thanks for taking these to the recycling center!” He gave her a thumbs up and the truck pulled away a minute later. Blue-green eyes surveyed the area to see what was left to be done, one hand shading her gaze against the glare from the setting sun; AJ and Rainbow were loading the remaining bags of dirt, mulch, sand, and gravel into the Pie family work truck, and Sandalwood had a group of his pals loading the actual trash into the back of his. The tables had been broken down and put back in their owners cars, and most of the volunteers had already headed home, many of them taking leftover sandwiches for their dinner. 
The day had been a successful one, and Sunset’s final once over of the park had shown a place that would have felt right at home in Equestria, if it weren't for all the benches meant for bipeds. The former unicorn felt extremely accomplished, smiling broadly despite her exhaustion, and she was looking forward to the ‘victory sleepover’ at Rarity’s house that night…mostly because Rarity’s house had a hot tub big enough for all of them that they had already discussed making use of since all six of them were tired and sore from a hard day’s work, even the tailor—who had gotten into it with some Bob-Cut who had been incensed over the fact that the power washing of the playground equipment meant her bratty children had been unable to play. That one incident had ended when Sunset had simply walked off to the bathrooms and called CCPD—by way of Detective Shining Armor’s personal extension of course. The patrol car that had hung around the rest of the afternoon had deterred any further trouble, and Sunset approached them to thank them for the help.
The first officer was leaning against the hood of the car. “Everything good to go, kiddo?”
Sunset smiled. “Yes, and thank you so much for dealing with that woman…she didn't really want to listen to any of us.”
The woman snorted. “Takes all kinds. We see people like her a lot, and they're mostly hot air.” Red eyes lifted to look around. “Don't let her get to you—the park hasn't looked this good in years. Besides, babysitting this meant Bolo and I didnt have to bust shoplifters or deal with fender benders.”
Offering out the large paper sack in her hands, Sunset responded, “It's not much, but here. We had a bunch of leftover sandwiches, so I thought maybe you could take some for yourselves and maybe give the rest to whoever has the night shift tonight. They aren't anything fancy…mostly grilled cheese, turkey and cheese, or BLTs, but they've been kept fresh in coolers all afternoon, and from what I've heard, way better than your vending machine contents.”
From inside the car, the other cop laughed. “Kid, you have no idea. I wouldn't give the stuff in those machines to a starving hog! I’m fairly certain that the peanut butter crackers in there are petrified, and I know the twinkies are older than I am!”
“Yeah, this’ll be really popular for the guys who have the short stick this weekend.” The woman chuckled. “You’re Armor’s kid-sister alright; all those treats your mom sends over during the holidays are everyone’s favorite.”
Sunset felt her face heat and she stammered, trying to correct the assumption, but the woman had taken the bag and slid back into the car. “Dont worry about it, kid. You ever need anything again, don't hesitate to call the station. We’ll tell Spots to keep his ears open in dispatch in the future.”
The patrol car was gone a moment later, and Sunset glanced around to see if anyone had heard. Thankfully most of her friends were out of earshot, still helping with the last of the cleanup.
“That’s funny,” Lyra said from her other side. “Sounds like Twilight’s family likes you. Shining’s her brother, last I checked.”
Jumping a foot or more in the air with a startled sound, Sunset whirled to find Lyra grinning at her. “Lyra!” she yelped.
“Oopsie! Didn't mean to spook you!”
Sunset took a few breaths to calm her now racing heart. “It's okay…and…yeah. Her family’s fantastic; I go over there Friday nights for dinner and stuff, and they keep inviting me to spend holidays with them.”
Her friend looked even more excited. “That’s great! I always liked her mom, whenever I got to see her or she took us places. Way nicer than my mom,” she added with an eye roll.
The redhead shrugged awkwardly, then remembered her conversation from the night before with her girlfriend. “Oh, right! Okay, so Twilight said she’s really interested in meeting you for milkshakes or something, and was wondering if you're free next week sometime. Like maybe Tuesday or Thursday?”
Lyra brightened. “Oh yeah—I can do Tuesday. She wants to hit the place near the discount bookstore?” 
“That was the plan, I think…it's where we usually go, and…she’s nervous, so she asked if I would tag along, at least for the first meetup.”
The other girl bounced in place a bit. “The more the merrier—I’d bring Bonny, but she’s teaching a couple of classes those days at her dad’s dojo. Why don't we do Tuesday? Say…four?”
Sunset nodded. “I’ll let her know, and we’ll see you there.”
“Cool!” Lyra hugged her. “Gotta go—Bonny and I have a dinner date to get ready for! See you Monday!” And then she was gone, jogging towards the car in the parking area that Bon-Bon was waiting by.
Shaking her head, Sunset pulled out her phone and sent a message—and a somewhat candid selfie to her girlfriend. -We survived, nerd, and the park looks great! Your lists were the real mvp of the day!-
It didn't take more than a few seconds before the other teen responded. -That’s great! You look exhausted though—you didn't overdo it, did you?-
-No, I’m OK. Had to call CCPD on a Bob-Cut tho. That was fun. It’ll be storytime next Friday. How was your day with Cadence?-
She couldn't help but grin at the long stretch of emoticons that came before the next reply. -The police?! No one was hurt?-  Several blushing faces came through as their own message, and then, -…Cady took me shopping in Everton. Clothes shopping…among other things.-
Uh oh. Sunset wasn't stupid. Cadence was a bit nosy, and she had talked a bit with the woman the previous weekend about her and Twilight’s relationship. -Cadence wanting you to kiss and tell? I hope you told her that I’m amazing at it.- Hopefully the teasing joke would help Twilight feel less embarrassed.
-…-
-…I did…because you are. That's when she decided I needed some new additions to my wardrobe. Especially when I told her we’re going on an outing with my cousin.-
Checking to make sure she still had a few minutes before the girls came her way, Sunset sent a few teasing smileys. -So do I get to see what you bought?-
There was silence for long enough that she began to worry that she’d teased too much for her girlfriend. And then the picture came through, of her favorite nerd wearing a new skirt and a flattering top that made Sunset’s mouth go a little dry. Twilight was slightly flushed, but smiling, and she was holding an oversized, fancy chocolate milkshake while leaning against a garden wall outside some restaurant. -Hows this- came the hesitant question a minute later, the lack of punctuation telling Sunset that Twilight had been more anxious than she let on about the outfit and the photo.
Licking her lips in a vain attempt to help settle the sudden fluttering in her stomach and heat in her veins, Sunset typed her response quickly. -Wow. It looks great on you, Sparky. I like it…- And she did, especially the way the skirt looked with Twilight’s legs.
Maybe she should take a cold shower before doing the hot tub thing at Rarity’s house. 
-…you think so? I thought it looked okay, and Cady says it looks cute, but…-
-Sweet sunfire, yes, Sparky. If the rest of what you got looks even half as good on you, I’m in trouble. I won't be able to stop kissing you.- 
More of a long pause. -…we might both be in trouble then, because I already dont want you to stop kissing me.- Another long pause between messages. -maybe i can model soem otthem next weekens foryiu?-
Another text where Twilight had been too anxious to type carefully. Sunset tilted her head, seeing her friends coming her way. -I’d like that, if you want to- she told Twilight. -gotta go though—the girls are ready to head to Rarity’s. Oh, and Lyra said she’s good for milkshakes on Tuesday, around 4.-
Just what had Cadence talked Twilight into buying?
The question niggled at her for the rest of the night.
> Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Nine: Retail "Therapy" -- Sisterhood Edition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sliding into the passenger seat of Cadence’s cheery little car, Twilight couldn't help the smile that seemed permanently affixed to her face that morning. Waking up when Sunset’s alarm went off, her face snuggled into soft breasts and her cheek pressed to warm amber skin, had been like opening her eyes from one dream into an even better one. And when Sunset had been convinced to indulge in fifteen minutes or so of needy kisses and soft touches before she slipped out of bed to go shower, it had left Twilight feeling downright giddy. It had been all she could do to keep her goodbye to Sunset at the front door a few hours ago to a hug. She let out a dreamy sigh as her gaze turned in the direction of the park, knowing her girlfriend was there right now, taking charge and coordinating the large scale event.
“Sounds like you’re having a good morning already,” Cadence said from the driver’s seat as she tested the heat—it was still a little cool until the sun had been up for a few hours.
Twilight felt her cheeks heat, and she nodded, knowing that she was firmly in a “sisters having girl-talk” zone. “…Sunset and I spent a little time together before she left…” she admitted, simultaneously hoping that would be enough and knowing it would only pique her sister-in-law’s interest.
Backing the car out of the driveway, Cadence smiled slyly. “Is that what they call it these days?”
“Cady!” the dark haired girl protested. “We haven't—” She broke off with a distressed sound.
The woman laughed. “It sure sounded like you were last Saturday. And last night when I got up to pee. You might want to invest in a gag, Ladybug. Neither of you is any good at being quiet.”
A mortified noise escaped her, and her stomach twisted with sudden worry. Had her parents heard anything? They hadn’t given any sign they had when she had come downstairs earlier, only hugged her and Cadence, with heartfelt wishes for the two of them to have a great “Sisters Day Out.” Surely they would have—
“Ladybug, you need to breathe.” Cadence broke through her racing thoughts in a calm, familiar voice. “I was mostly teasing, and if I had thought it was loud enough to be heard by anyone else who wasn’t walking right past your door like I was, I would have interrupted to warn you.”
Right. Cady was right…she knew how much Twilight was struggling with this. They’d already discussed it several times. She did as she was bid, working to calm herself down. 
Twilight finally found her voice as Cadence pulled into a drive-thru for one of their favorite unhealthy fast food places. “…so where are we going today?” She asked the pink skinned woman, deliberately changing the subject.
Her sister let her. “Oh, I thought it might be fun to make the drive up to Everton. They have the big outlet mall and all those different specialty shops we both like.”
“Everton?” Twilight blinked—she’d assumed they were going to do something local. “Isn't that a bit far?”
Cadence grinned. “Maybe, but if it gets too late, we’ll just get a hotel room and drive back tomorrow. Already cleared it with Mom.” She winked at the teenager. “Besides…you know that old, antique looking theater?”
“…yesssss…?”
“I happen to have it on good authority that they are showing a marathon of ‘Questicon Galaxia: 2099’ tonight…” She dangled the knowledge like a baited hook, and Twilight could not stop herself from taking it. 
Purple eyes were wide and excited at the mention of her absolute favorite bad B-movie science fiction franchise. “Ice Fields of Abraxus? Cyborg Amazons from Alpha Centauri?”
As the car moved forward in the line, Cady nodded. “And the best of the dozen: Captain Stardust and the War of Tomorrow,” she pointed out. “This weekend only, in Everton.”
The dark haired girl could barely contain herself. “Yes! We have to go see them, Cady—we’ve never had the chance to watch them in the original theatrical environment with full widescreen aspect ratio and surround sound! And I’d love to hit some of the electronic and second hand appliance stores…I’m looking for a few replacement components that they just don't make anymore, not since they switched to LCD screen manufacturing!” She paused when it was their turn to order. “Two of the loaded breakfast croissants, an order of hashbrowns, and a large Coke, please?” she told Cadence with a grin.
Cadence relayed that while Twilight pulled out her phone to make a list of the stores she wanted to visit. “Oh, and the big bookstore for new books—the next volume of the Dresden Files is due to come out soon, and I need to find a replacement for my copies of For a Few Demons More and some of my Earthsea books…and I want to see if I can find a book on Mesopotamian mythology—Sunny and I are just about finished with the one on Norse Myths, and I think it might be fun to go back to some of the oldest civilizations for their stories…there's also a couple of thrift stores and second hand bookshops too, and I’d love to see if there’s anything interesting…” 
Her sister interrupted as they reached the window. “I was also thinking we could do some clothes shopping—see about getting you a new wardrobe.”
Twilight looked over, puzzled. “A new wardrobe?” she asked. “…what’s wrong with the clothes I have?” She took the drinks from Cadence, noting as she did that the teenage boy manning the drive thru window was staring at the two of them oddly. Probably another of Cadence’s fans.
“Besides the fact that in the last year you’ve outgrown them?” 
Shrugging, she held up her phone. “It's not that hard for me to just have Mom order the next size up in things I like—I have a lot of my lists saved.”
There was silence as Cadence passed her the food and pulled into a spot in the parking lot so they could divide up their food. “Except, Ladybug, you really need to try things on. It's not just a matter of growing a few inches taller.” She took the offered hashbrowns first since and they were best while still hot. 
She shifted uncomfortably, and focused on powering through one of her sandwiches, avoiding the problem for a minute. “…I don’t…what is it then?”
“Twily…you aren't the same shape you were eighteen months ago or even a year ago. You're not a little kid with a kid’s proportions anymore.” Cadence spoke softly, gently, but the truth still hit her in the face.
The teen hugged herself. “…I know I’m not, but what does that have to do with anything? I don't need anything other than clothes that fit. A larger size will do just fine.”
Sighing, she took a sip of her drink before answering. “Twilight,” she said, using her full name instead of a nickname in a tone that made the dark haired girl twitch. “…we have this same argument every time…do we really have to do it again?”
Defensively, Twilight countered, “We just did this a year and a half ago. It's too soon. I should be good for another two years at least. You know I hate clothes shopping.”
Cadence shifted to face her, since they were parked. “I know, Ladybug, and I don't do this to be cruel…but you need new clothes, and more of the same but a larger size isn't going to help…especially because you are probably close to the limit on the sizes meant for middle school girls.” She reached over to rest a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Plus, you’ve got a figure now you didnt have eighteen months ago—I’d wager that everything other than your school clothes and your baggiest sweatpants and hoody…which I believe you got from Sunset…I’d wager everything else, including what you're wearing now is not half as comfortable as it used to be. It's pinching in some places, loose in others, isn't it?”
Twilight refused to look at her sister-in-law, frowning at her sandwich instead. The words had opened a floodgate to a stream of data in her mind she had been mostly ignoring. “…but I like what I have…and I don't want to look like I see a lot of girls looking. It's…” 
“Oh, Twily,” she said with a soft laugh. “I would never do that to you. The lucky thing is, there are clothes made for every type of body and comfort level. Just look at Sunset—well, more objectively than your staring usually is…”
Her ears heated. “I don’t stare!” Twilight protested. When one eyebrow went up, she deflated a little. “…much…”
The woman smiled. “Of course you don't,” she teased. “The point is, though, that if you look at Sunset, she wears clothes that fit the shape of her body—her body type—but they are clothes that are both modest and flattering, not things that attach a flashing sign to her chest saying ‘Stare at me, I’m hot.’”
As far as Twilight was concerned, Sunset didn't need a sign for that. People noticed it anyway. Sometimes to a frustrating degree.
Cadence continued, unaware of Twilight’s thoughts. “There are clothes that will fit you, Twilight. Clothes that will not only feel good to wear but look good on you without having to be overly revealing or flashy.” She looked at her very seriously, before chiding lightly, “Do you really think I would try to dress you up like a doll or stick you in a tube top and a miniskirt?”
The dark haired girl winced. “No,” she admitted. “You never have…”
“And I don't intend to ever start, Ladybug. I love you, and I’m trying to make this as easy as possible on you because I know it's not something that you enjoy doing too much.” Cadence squeezed her shoulder. “That's why I figured we could do like we did last time, and space out the clothing stores in between visiting other stores. Plus a break for lunch—even if we just pick up something snacky at the food court to go with something hot to drink.” She made a face. “That place is always a freezer!”
Twilight managed a faint smile. “That…sounds like something I’d be amenable to…though I want an extra hour in the bookstore and six extra books as payment for all of this.”
Her sister-in-law narrowed her eyes. “That’s highway robbery! Twenty minutes and two paperbacks.”
Oh. It was on. Twilight rolled her eyes. “No way. Fifty minutes, four paperbacks, and a hardback of my choice, or…”





The store around Twilight hummed with the faint buzzing of a thousand and one electronic devices and appliances. Many people would have found the sound annoying, but for Twilight, the low and constant noise of electricity and the things that used it was as comforting and familiar a companion as the scent of old books. She headed for the big bins marked ‘clearance’—it didn't matter to her if the items were outdated, since most of what she bought was going to be cannibalized for components anyway.
“So what are you looking for?” Cadence asked from the next big bin that was full of discontinued radios.
Twilight picked up a clunky, obsolete laptop that was clearly a model from a few years back, turning it over in her hands. “I need parts for a new detector for my project—I’m having to redesign it almost weekly because none of the previous designs seem to work quite right.”
Her sister-in-law looked at her in puzzlement. “You seem to be having a lot more issues with this semester’s project than I can remember you having with any of the others. Is everything okay?”
That made the lavender skinned girl sigh heavily. “…it's…complicated,” she responded vaguely. She really didn't want another lecture about signing the special project contract with her principal.
“Well, I’m all ears if you want to uncomplicate it,” Cadence said.
Did she? Cadence had been the quietest out of everyone she knew on the whole thing, only asking questions so far about Twilight herself and not expressing too much of an opinion one way or another. “…it's a lot of little things,” she finally said. “The energy I’m researching is…proving elusive to locate, and I am uncertain if it is my detection devices or the source of the energy itself…” She frowned—that was a bit of an understatement on the situation, but she wasn't sure Cady would understand the anomaly she was studying.  At present, it wasn't just elusive, it defied all logic and several of the laws of thermodynamics; sources appeared and disappeared seemingly at random, with no consistency in time, duration, location, or intensity. Sometimes the sources were stationary, but sometimes they were mobile, and she’d tracked them all around town, only for the source to vanish before she arrived and leaving only dissipating remnants behind.  “So far I have found only locations and plants affected by the energy…”
Picking up a large blender box and looking it over, Cadence asked, “It’s affecting plants? Is it dangerous? It's not radioactive is it?”
She shook her head. “No, no, nothing like that. I have a Geiger counter I reference as part of my standard tool kit of detection devices. I have no desire to end up as an honorary member of the Fantastic Four.” Sunset was way more attractive and engaging than the Invisible Woman, in her opinion. In a world of hypothetical super powers, Sunset’s would be far more interesting than manipulating and refracting light and magnetic fields. Given her personality and her name, Sunset would probably throw fireballs or something.
Laughter brought her out of her musings. “That’s good—there aren't many people that can pull off brightly colored spandex, neither of us is one of them,” Cadence said with a grin. Then she winked. “I bet Sunset is though.”
Heat burned up her cheeks to her ears. “Cady!”
More laughter filled the air. “Oh come on, Ladybug, you know I’m right!”
“That's not the point!” Twilight felt like her face was on fire, and she hissed, lower, “You can't just go saying things like that—what if someone heard?!” 
Cadence lost her smile. “Twily…there's no one near us, and even if there were, they are strangers who don't care…” She studied Twilight for a minute. “I thought you were working towards telling Mom and Dad—that's what you said before.”
The teen winced. “I am…but…I don't know. After everything with Wallflower…”
“…what happened with Wallflower?“ 
She placed the obsolete laptop in the cart next to them. “…Mom didn't tell you?”
Her sister-in-law shrugged. “She mentioned you and Sunset got into a fight, and that she and Wallflower didn’t seem compatible as friends. So what happened?”
While she may not have wanted to discuss the details of her project, Wallflower was another story, and before Twilight could stop herself, she was spilling the whole sordid mess to Cadence—minus the bit about trespassing onto CHS, of course.
Cadence listened without comment until Twilight was done, before drawing her into a hug. “I’m sorry, Ladybug…I wish you had called me when it happened.” 
She leaned into the embrace. “Thanks, Cady…when it all happened, I…had a lot of thinking to do. And after my most recent conversations with Wallflower, while I don't want to break off our friendship completely, I feel like I need to seriously reevaluate and consider how close a friendship I desire to maintain until she does some emotional growing.”
“That’s a good way to look at it. It can be hard to find out someone you think of as a friend holds views that are biased and even bigoted. I’ve had it happen more than a few times in the past, especially in high school and college.” Cadence sighed. “But…who knows? Maybe she’ll come around, and realize that it's just who you and Sunset are. That Sunset is a nice person, despite what Wallflower has heard…and until then, maybe a little space would do some good.”
Twilight’s face twisted into a grimace as she went back to digging through electronics. “…I…don’t necessarily disagree, but it is not exactly feasible to put actual physical distance between us at school for the foreseeable future.” At the confused noise from the woman, she elaborated. “Principal Cinch elected to offer Wallflower a position as my assistant and is allowing her to do her own project as well, so we are sharing the laboratory space at school for the rest of the semester.”
Wincing, Cadence made a face. “Oh. I can see where that would be a problem.”
“Indeed. Particularly since she has decided that being my project assistant means she can help herself to my samples, findings, and research for her own project, without even so much as asking me. It is throwing off my organization and her careless disregard for lab protocols has already invalidated an entire collection of samples!” Twilight shook her head, setting another laptop and three two-way radios in their cart. “Yet she fails to see that what she is doing is wrong!”
A hum of understanding escaped from her sister-in-law. “And you can't really say anything to the principal because things there are already tense enough, and it would make the issue with Wallflower worse, not better, right?”
“Yes! That's it exactly!” Twilight rubbed her face. “So all I can do is put my all into this project and finish it as soon as possible. Until then…I just have to deal with it.”
There was a moment of hesitation, before Cady said, “I’m worried about you, Twilight…is the stress you're under really worth what you're getting out of all of this?”
Pulling away, she turned her back to Cadence for a minute, wrestling with her own thoughts. Maybe she would understand when no one but Sunset seemed to grasp it at all. “I have to keep going, Cady. I have to prove I can do this, that I can hack whatever the world throws at me. I’m a woman who wants to go into STEM fields…the most misogynistic ‘old boys club’ in the world of academia. I have to be tougher, stronger, smarter, work harder, and have thicker skin than all of them or I’ll never make it. Especially because there will never be a ‘husband’ in the picture to act as some kind of checkbox of femininity that will make me acceptable. If I give up now…how do I know I wont always give up the instant it gets tough?”
Cadence stepped back to rest a hand on her shoulder. “It's not quitting if you're removing yourself from an abusive, hostile environment that’s impacting your mental health, Ladybug. Especially if there's a healthier environment you can go to.”
Twilight flinched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Lu is the Vice Principal at another school in the city,” Cadence explained. “It's not a private prep school like Crystal Prep, but it is a good school, with a nicer environment. And while it doesn't have the upper class social clout that CPA does, Lu and her sister are members of a very old family and have their own sort of influence in the academic world. If you chose to leave CPA, you wouldn't be hurting for letters of recommendation when you choose a college.”
Her stomach twisted. “I…I don't know. I know I don't want to quit in the middle of the year. I need to at least finish the year. Which means finishing my project…”
“Which means sucking up the things CPA, Cinch, and Wallflower throw at you,” her sister-in-law acknowledged. “Just…think about it…and if you need someone to vent to, you can always call me. I’m here to listen.”
She gave the pink skinned woman a watery, grateful smile. “Thanks, Cady…”
“Now come on, let’s find the rest of the things you wanted for your lab, and then see about finding you some new clothes.”
The teen found herself being pulled along to a clearance bin full of bargain priced kitchen appliances. 





Twilight stepped out of the changing room for what felt like the hundredth time—okay, so it was really only the twenty third, but after an hour and a half of picking out and trying on outfits, she felt like she was entitled to a little bit of self-pitying hyperbole—and held her arms out. “It's comfortable,” she told Cadence. “I think I like it. Does it look okay?”
The woman looked her up and down and had her do a slow turn in place. “Hmm…you know what, I think it looks cute. It falls well, the colors look good on you, and it makes you look pretty without being revealing. I bet Sunset will like it. You said it feels comfortable? Not pinching or rubbing weird? No odd or itchy textures?”
Lavender fingers smoothed the soft fabric of the skirt down as their owner flexed and bent and stretched. “No…I really like the way it feels to wear it, and it's something I could wear out but also at home...and it's the right type of thing that I could be not too hot or cold for a good bit of the year.” She bit her lip, and looked up at her sister-in-law.  “This might seem silly, but do you think we could buy it and I could wear it for the rest of today?”
“Absolutely, Ladybug!” Cadence hugged her. “You still have to try on those fun shirts, so take it off and I’ll go get it rung up by itself so you can just change back into it before we leave.” She pointed a finger at Twilight. “No less than six of those fun t-shirts, young lady. I know you love sleeping in your brother’s dorky hand-me-downs, but a lot of those are reaching a state where they need to be retired to a quilt square or Mom’s rag bin.”
Ducking back into the changing room, Twilight was quick to hand the outfit over the top of the door to Cadence, and busied herself with sorting through a dozen and a half or so t-shirts they’d picked out from the extensive offerings of geek paraphernalia. Some had a texture she didn't like, and others on a second look didn't really make her laugh. The remaining ones she tried on, looking at herself in the mirror; by the end, she had a selection of nine of them that she could use to replace her night shirts and her ‘super casual outing’ shirts, including a periodic table one and a programming one that sent her into giggles every time she read them.
“All taken care of, Twily,” Cadence’s voice interrupted her laughter. “Also, what do you think of this shirt for your brother on his birthday?” Black fabric draped over the door, allowing her to read the words written on the front of the t-shirt.  Once again, Twilight succumbed to laughter. “I’ll take that as a yes. I figured I’d get this one to go with it for me…” Another shirt was draped over the first to show off what it had written.
Twilight snickered. “Absolutely! Those are hysterical, Cady!”
The shirts disappeared, pulled back by her happy sister-in-law. “Perfect. Now, we’ve gotten you all the basics for outfits, so is there anything else you want or need in clothes before we hit the bookstore?”
Looking down at the neat pile of clothing that she was going to be taking home, Twilight considered. “Shirts, skirts, pants, pajamas, a light jacket, two new pairs of sneakers…I should probably pick up a package of socks to replace the ones that have holes in them…” Was there anything else she needed? She and Cadence had even managed to find her two or three fairly formal outfits that she could use for fancy events—like the next family New Year’s Party.
As she looked everything over, an idea occurred to her. Chewing her lip, she said, “There is…something. Maybe. I…could use your opinion, I guess?”
“On what, Ladybug?”
Swallowing, Twilight pushed the words out before she lost her nerve. “Glamour and her girlfriend are coming down, and Sunset and I are going on a double date with them!” It came out in a bit of a jumble, the words almost running together at points.
Silence reigned for several seconds, long enough that Twilight began to wonder if her sister-in-all-but-blood was preparing to unleash a squeal that would achieve frequencies normally considered the purview of dog whistles and the echolocation of bats. …but she was wrong, and Cadence surprised her with a soft intake of breath and a sniffle, before answering in a quiet, serious voice, “…I would be honored to help you pick out your first true date outfit, Ladybug.”
Twilight let out a relieved sigh, glad she didn't have to spell it out. “Thanks, Cady. I…I think I’m hoping this double date, even though we’ll be a couple of hours away in Glamour’s girlfriend’s hometown, will…get me that much closer to being able to tell Mom and Dad.” She hugged herself, rubbing at the goosebumps prickling her arms from the cool air. “…I want to be able to tell them by summer break.”
“Of course, Twilight…you know I’ll always be here to help and support you. That's what sisters do.” Cadence was right on the other side of the flimsy door. “In fact, would you like me to take some pictures of you in the outfit we pick out, to hold onto so that when you do come out to Mom and Dad, you can share the moment with them too?”
Her heart ached—she knew that things like this, with Cadence, were more traditionally something a girl was meant to go to her mother about, and some part of her felt guilty that she typically sought Cadence for help instead. Maybe…this was a way to bridge some of that unintended gap.  “I think I would like that a lot, Cady.”





Purple eyes pulled themselves away from reading the spines of the books on the shelf. “Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing them?” she asked hesitantly.
Cadence smiled. “I’m sure, Twilight. This is important—I know Mom has yours ready, but I also know she wants to give them to you herself, and if she knew she would. This way, I’m helping carry on the tradition, since she gave me mine for my first date with Shining.” She hugged Twilight around the shoulders. “And then, after you tell them, Mom can give you yours and you can wear those on your first real ‘out to the family’ date with Sunset.” 
The teen leaned into the hug. “Thank you, Cady…that…means a lot.”
“I just want you to have a great time out with Sunset. Do you know what you guys are going to do for the day?”
She shook her head, going back to running her fingers along the book spines. “No, but I’m guessing that Glamour's girlfriend has some ideas? Or we’ll talk about it the night before—they're coming down that Thursday, having dinner with us at the house, and spending the night so we can get up early and go.”
Nodding sagely, her sister-in-law tapped her chin in thought. “Doesn’t Dad have to go to the big fundraising event at the university on that Friday? The one that ends in the big dinner and awards thing? Sort of an all day event?”
Twilight shifted evasively, pulling a book of Mesopotamian myths off the shelf. “….yes?”
“And Mom always volunteers to help out at the bake sale booth in the quad, since we all know college students love homemade baked goods?”
“…yesss…?” The teen’s voice was even more forced.
“Which means they’ll both be out of the house nice and early, and gone until really late…meaning you likely can avoid them seeing you before you have a chance to change.” Twilight could feel the force of Cadence’s stare.
Giving a half hearted shrug, Twilight caved, knowing that the woman saw right through her. “That’s basically it. If they don't see me, they won't ask questions or suspect anything.”
“Twilight…”
“I know!” she exclaimed, grimacing as she heard her own voice edge into whiny. “…I want to tell them, I do! I promised Sunset I’d deal with this, and I’m trying…but it's hard…and after Wallflower found out, it's even harder…”
Cady’s voice softened. “Because she pulled your confession from you without you really wanting to tell her. You weren't ready for your friend to know, and she manipulated the conversation unfairly.” Twilight nodded. “Twily, that's one of the most awful ways a conversation about sexuality can go. I can tell you one hundred percent that Mom, Dad, and even your brother won’t react negatively.” She ran her fingers through Twilight’s ponytail lightly. “Look at what they said to Sunset on Valentine’s Day…and they didn't freak out when I expressed my attraction to all kinds of people, male, female, and otherwise. All Mom did was give me a hug and Dad?” She laughed. “He just sort of looked up over the top of his glasses, and asked me what I thought of that actress from Lord of the Rings, and if I thought they could have cast her better.”
It was something she could see her father doing, Twilight acknowledged privately. “Intellectually, I know that…well, about them reacting positively. Not the bit about the actress. That’s new.” Shaking her head, she forged on with her actual point. “It’s…it's not them. It's me. I want it to be perfect—I only get one real chance at this—and I want it to happen when I’m capable of saying it, when Sunset is there, and when I’m in the right mindset to answer questions that I know they’ll have about our relationship…it’s not as simple as saying ‘I like girls,’ and walking away. I’ve kept this whole side of my relationship with Sunset away from them, and they love her as much as they love you and me. They are going to want to know…and they deserve to know. Part of me wishes I’d found a way to tell them earlier because I wish I could have included them from the beginning…but I can't change the past unless I build that time machine idea I came up with in seventh grade.”
Her sister-in-law chuckled. “We talked about how you shouldn't mess with temporal physics, Ladybug.”
Blushing, Twilight joined her in laughing. “I know, but you get my point, right?”
“I do…but remember…no moment is ever really perfect,” Cadence cautioned. “It's the memories and our attitudes that make them special. And I just want you to know you have more support than just Sunset. I’m here too.”
Twilight let the words sit in silence as she flipped through the book in her hands, reading the titles of the various myths, some of which she recognized, all of which were accompanied with beautiful illustrations by someone who had done at least a modicum of research into the historical cultures involved in the myths. There was a version of the creation myth involving Marduk and Tiamat, pieces from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the stories of Adapa and Etana, the post-flood story of Atra-Hasis, Ishtar’s Descent into the Underworld—a rather interesting one to compare to other similar myths in other cultures—half a dozen stories of the various gods, including some she’d never heard of, and at least as many on various mortals—usually kings—who sought out something mortals weren’t allowed to have. Like immortality.
She was pulled from the splash page illustration for a story called ‘The Long Shadow of King Simush’ by Cadence clearing her throat. “Sorry…I…I know, Cady, and you’ve been the best sister ever with all of this…and not just with me, but Sunset too. I would have messed this up a long time ago if it weren’t for you to give me perspective.”
“That’s what sisters are for. Besides, you and Sunset really are good together—anything I can do to promote that kind of healthy relationship is part of my job as both a sister and Canterlot’s own Goddess of Love!”





Twilight eyed the store that specialized in women’s intimate apparel. Intellectually, she knew a properly fitted bra was a wonderful, comfortable thing, but like the girl’s locker room, there was something about the store that made her feel like an intruder doing something wrong. “…let’s make this quick please?” she pleaded quietly with Cadence. “I always feel so weird about being in here.”
“We’re not here to ogle the models in the catalog or peek into the changing rooms,” was the response, Cadence patting her shoulder in solidarity and understanding. “And if there are some cute ladies in the store, there's nothing wrong with appreciating that as long as we don't act like drooling idiots.”
She rubbed her neck awkwardly. “I guess. I still don't want to linger—you said the Galaxia marathon starts at six? And we should probably eat before then—breakfast and those pretzels are not going to last me that long.” Her stomach offered its input with a low growl. “See?”
That got a snicker. “Curse that teenage metabolism?”  The dark haired girl nodded sheepishly. “Don't worry. We’ll head to the car after this and pick a place to eat.” Then her sister-in-law rubbed her hands together. “Now, I do have one question before we get started.”
The excited gleam in Cadence’s eyes and bubbly manner set off a warning alarm in Twilight’s brain. “What…?” she asked worriedly.
“Well…we got you date clothes, and I know you and Sunset have been…getting more frisky as of late, so…did you want to maybe pick out something pretty to wear that only Sunset will get to see?”
The air in Twilight’s lungs turned into a solid in a nanosecond, and her face felt like it was about to achieve nuclear fusion all on its own. Was Cadence really asking if she wanted to buy se—no. Her brain shied away from even completing the words in the space of her thoughts. Twilight Sparkle and fancy undergarments didn't belong in the same paragraph let alone as a single idea…
Then her mind wandered back to the night before, and the way Sunset had tugged her shirt up and off with quiet fascination. She shivered at the recollection of amber hands running over her skin under that heated   gaze…and she wondered. What would Sunset think of something designed for form as well as function, something pretty and accentuating her body—not that Twilight felt she had that much to accentuate, especially compared to her drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend. Would she appreciate the effort, the attempt at…seduction…was not the right word…but… Twilight searched for a word that felt right, and came up a little short on finding the right terminology. Perhaps…attractive presentation? Effort at her appearance? Whatever the word was, she…wasn't sure. Sunset barely seemed to notice physical parameters—she had admitted as much, on her own, that she was less focused on physical attraction…
By the same token, though, Sunset had also confessed to finding Twilight attractive in all sorts of ways…and the way their explorations had gone verified that Sunset wasn't immune to physical attraction. Like last night, when she had—
Anyways. Did…Twilight want to brave the embarrassment of the shopping aspect for the potential but unknown reaction her girlfriend would have?
A husky voice seemed to murmur next to her ear. “It's kind of adorable to see you worry so much about whether or not I want to see you in lacy nothings, but you're really over-stressing, Sparky,” Mental-Sunset told her with a smirk. 
She barely registered that her rising anxiety had conjured her latest favorite coping skill. Was she over thinking?
“Absolutely.” She could practically see the older girl winking at her. “It's not some big question of if I would like it or not—I’m happy with whatever you want to wear, because it's you, Twilight Sparkle. You’re magic to me, no matter what you wear. The more important thing to ask is if the panties with pink fluffy unicorns dancing across rainbows is fitting the mood you want to establish the first time your girlfriend takes your pants off?”
Oh no. She could see it now, Sunset, kneeling on the bed, having hooked her pants with dexterous fingers, pulling them down…only to come face to face with the aforementioned underwear—in her defense, it was cute when she had picked it out at thirteen—and stopping cold. She could even picture what would follow, of one eyebrow arching upwards, even as blue-green eyes sought purple. Sunset would give her that amused look, mouth turned up in that crooked smile as she fought the urge to start giggling. 
That was, without a doubt, not the reaction she wanted when under those circumstances. She wanted more of last night, of what she saw in her dreams in a Sunset that had glowing eyes and sharp teeth and those adorable, fuzzy ears like some kind of fan service-y anime version of her girlfriend…where her Sunny looked at her with raw Desire and carnal hunger that made Twilight go weak in the knees.
Swallowing and hoping she wouldn't find a way to defy the laws of physics and spontaneously combust from embarrassment, Twilight nodded to the patiently waiting Cadence. “….yes…but I…don't know…” The words trailed off.
Her sister-in-law smiled reassuringly. “It's okay to not know, Ladybug. I’ll teach you the basics, and you can narrow the specifics down with future experimentation.”
“I’ll help too,” the construct provided by her less than helpful subconscious offered with a smug smirk. “You try stuff on, and I’ll let you know which one is going to completely ruin my underwear.”
Twilight really needed to mention her concerns about her subconscious to her therapist.





They were waiting on dessert at a quiet little eatery that Cadence had stumbled across at one point, when Twilight’s phone buzzed insistently on the table.  The pair were seated outside at one of the tables arranged on a cute little patio that benefited from being warmed by its proximity to the kitchen. Cadence grinned at her. “I’m surprised it took this long for Sunset to message you.”
“She was extremely busy today—she’s been planning this thing for months with one of her friends.” Twilight flicked her finger over her phone screen to reveal the message and a selfie of a sweaty, tired looking Sunset with her hair tied back from her face flashing her a peace sign.
-We survived, nerd, and the park looks great! Your lists were the real mvp of the day!-
She tapped a quick response, smiling at the knowledge that her attempt to contribute to Sunset’s efforts had proven valuable. -That’s great! You look exhausted though—you didn’t overdo it, did you?-
-No, I’m OK. Had to call CCPD on a Bob-Cut tho. That was fun. It’ll be storytime next Friday. How was your day with Cadence?-
Her surprise must have shown on her face, because Cady asked, “Is everything okay?”
“She says she had to call the police on someone,” Twilight explained, sending a series of shocked and worried emoticons before she asked, -The police?! No one was hurt?- She really hoped it had been for someone throwing a verbal tantrum and not assaulting people.
Then she read the second part of the text, and wavered on what to say, initially only sending an image of a blushing smiley, before attempting to compose a response. -…Cady took me shopping in Everton. Clothes shopping…among other things.- That was informative without delving into the details she wasn’t comfortable sharing over something as unsecured as a cell phone owned by a teenager who went to a public school full of other, often nosy, teens.
In the meantime, she told her sister-in-law, “I don't think anyone was hurt. It sounds like a Bob-Cut wanted to speak to someone’s manager.”
Snorting, the pink skinned woman shook her head, just as their server returned with two old fashioned diner style milkshakes for them. “Oh no…I’ll have to ask Shining later if he heard anything about it.”
“She said she’ll tell the story next Friday.”
The phone buzzed again as Twilight sipped at her shake. -Cadence wanting you to kiss and tell? I hope you told her that I’m amazing at it.-
-…-
She considered the text, and thought about a response and realized she was feeling suddenly emboldened. “Cady?”
“Yes, Ladybug?”
“Sunset thinks I should tell you she’s an amazing kisser.”  A pause. “Which she is.” Then she responded to the message.  -…I did…because you are. She decided I needed some new additions to my wardrobe. Especially when I told her we’re going on an outing with my cousin.-
Twilight could almost hear the smirk in the next message—though the smilies with the waggling eyebrows helped set the tone. -So do I get to see what you bought?-
Her cheeks warmed, and she bit her lip a moment. “Cady? Can…you help me take a picture? I want to show Sunset my new outfit.”
Grinning, the pink skinned woman plucked the phone from her hand and gestured to the nearby half wall. “Go lean up against that. Take your milkshake with you, yes, like that. Now make it look like you're taking a sip from the straw. Smile a little, Twily, and look at the camera.”
Following the instructions, Twilight felt a little silly, but after she could see beyond the afterimage of the flash, she realized that it was a cute photo. Cadence did have an eye for photography. “Thanks, Cady…” she said, as she sent the image to a certain redhead. -Hows this- she fumbled nervously, hitting send before she could erase the question and type something more complex. While she and Sunset had sent images back and forth plenty, few of them had been anything more than candid shots—this was the first time she’d sent the other girl one that was quite so deliberately posed to be attractive.
The response wasn't long in coming. -Wow. It looks great on you, Sparky. I like it…- 
-…you think so? I thought it looked okay, and Cady says it looks cute, but…-
-Sweet sunfire, yes, Sparky. If the rest of what you got looks even half as good on you, I’m in trouble. I won't be able to stop kissing you.- 
Twilight felt her ears go hot as she processed the words, sipping fast enough on her shake to risk a brain freeze in an attempt to cool down. 
“Soooo?” Her sister-in-law was grinning like a loon from the other side of the table. 
“…she says the outfit looks good.”
One eyebrow arched up. “Just good, huh? If that's how you react to ‘just good,’ you're in trouble when she really turns on the charm.”
“Shut up!” Twilight retorted with more embarrassed laughter than anger. Her fingers flew over the screen. -…we might both be in trouble then, because I already don't want you to stop kissing me.- She hesitated, then with a burst of confidence that came from somewhere she couldn't explain, she added hurriedly, -maybe i can model soem otthem next weekens foryiu?- Okay, maybe not a lot of confidence—her hands were shaking so bad she typo’ed everywhere in the message, and mashed send in her haste to keep from once again deleting it.
She didn't have to wait long for the response. -I’d like that, if you want to- she told Twilight. -gotta go though—the girls are ready to head to Rarity’s. Oh, and Lyra said she’s good for milkshakes on Tuesday, around 4.-
By the time Twilight had recovered enough to finish her milkshake, it was half melted. It was worth it though—the smile on her face stayed with her the entire rest of the night, even when she and Cadence drove home at some awful hour in the middle of the night.
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty: Ties That Bind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset held the door open for her girlfriend, the other hand holding Twilight’s helmet out to her. “Figured if we have a little time we could hit the used bookstore for a few minutes. If traffic isn't too terrible, that is.” The grateful smile the younger girl flashed her spoke volumes about how nervous she was about this meet-up with Lyra.
“Please be safe,” Velvet said from the front hall. “Traffic can be bad, and this time of year the roads are almost more dangerous than the dead of winter, since the temperature has been so erratic lately.”
Smiling, Sunset quipped, “We’ll be safe, Mrs. Velvet, and I’ll get her home by dinnertime—wouldn't want to miss the best part of her daily schedule. Sparky would never speak to me again if I did that.”
Her girlfriend gave her a mock glare from inside the star marked helmet. “I would not!”
“Sparky, the last time I disrupted your schedule, you were grumpy at me all night.”
Velvet laughed lightly. “She’s not entirely wrong, sweetheart. You are very particular about schedules.” Then she looked at Sunset. “Are you joining us for dinner tonight? I’m making a spin on a breakfast casserole, so it wouldn't be hard to make a small pan and put spinach and zucchini and maybe some bell peppers in it instead of bacon and sausage.”
Sunset brightened. “…that sounds amazing—I’ve been living off take-out and delivery all weekend.”
“Yes, Shining mentioned your weekend had been a little eventful.” Velvet patted her shoulder. “Stay for dinner tonight, and we can hear all about why he had to ask a patrol car to pop over.”
Shaking her head, the former unicorn chuckled. “That wasn't even the weirdest part of the day,” she admitted. “That honor goes to this friend of my friend Fluttershy…I’m still not really sure what she was saying half the time.” She flipped the visor down on her helmet. “We’ll be back for dinner and stories then.”
“Have fun, girls!” the woman called as Sunset swung a leg over her bike and waited for her best friend to climb on behind her. 
There was more than a little bit of guilty pleasure in feeling Twilight press close against her leather clad back and snake arms tight around her middle….especially now, when the girl took a brief second to let her hands move higher than strictly necessary. “Sparky…” she teased as they backed slowly out of the drive. “…those aren't handles.”
She felt the helmets tap together, and the two way communicators that they had rigged up using some modified radio transmitters and a pair of bluetooth headsets inside the helmets so they could talk while on the road clicked. “…but Sunny…I feel safer this way…” 
“Nerd. You know I can't focus when you do that. In the interest of doing like your mom said and driving safe, those greedy little hands of yours need to be lower.” She paused for effect. “…not much lower, of course…”
Twilight obliged by reluctantly moving her hands down until Sunset felt safe enough to drive. As she turned out of the neighborhood onto the regular roadway, she asked, “You okay? You're pretty tense.”
“…just nervous. What if Lyra’s upset that I stopped talking to her?”
The redhead made a thoughtful sound in her throat. “I…didn’t get that feeling from her. If anything, she seemed…more concerned about how you were doing at Crystal Prep with it just being you and Wallflower these days.” Sunset was proud of herself for not hesitating or putting negativity into how she said Wallflower’s name. 
Twilight was quiet for several red lights, processing that. “Oh,” she responded at last, fingers twitching restlessly against Sunset’s stomach. “That's…I didn't realize I’d made her worry.”
How to phrase this without triggering Twilight’s need to defend her school? “She…is pretty aware of the school environment of CPA, and how hostile it was for you,” she began hesitantly. “She said that it…wasn't a setting that encouraged a lot of healthy friendships, and that since your social circle was…small already, losing a good bit of it would leave you open to some pretty unpleasant people who might want to take advantage?” At least, that was the impression Sunset had gotten from reading between the lines in the two conversations they’d had about Twilight and CPA.
“…now I feel even more terrible for never really trying to keep in contact,” Twilight said softly. 
Putting as much reassurance as she could into her voice, Sunset responded, “I’d say the more important thing to focus on is that you're making the effort now, Sparky…you can't change what’s already done, but you can decide how to do things differently now—you taught me that, remember?”
Sheepishly, the other girl sighed and answered, “l…you're right, Sunny…on both counts.”
“Look, as far as I can tell, Lyra reached out because she misses you as her friend, and you're willing to meet her in that, even if you are worried about it. If she was upset I dont think she would have been so concerned about what was going on with Wallflower, and she wouldn't have wanted to get together to catch up.  I really do think you're going to be okay. And if you want to try and go in best foot forward, maybe you can find her a little something at the bookstore?”
Again, silence other than the roar of the engine and howling of the wind whipping at them persisted for several turns and stop lights, as her girlfriend processed her words and her suggestion. Finally, as she eased into a spot against the curb about halfway between the bookstore and milkshake place, Twilight answered her. “I think that sounds like a great idea, Sunset. She was always a fan of cryptozoology…maybe they’ll have something on that.”
Dropping the kickstand and taking off her helmet to shake her hair out, Sunset chuckled. “They might, Sparky. We can look—we’ve got about fifteen minutes until Lyra’s supposed to be here.”
Once the helmets were stowed in the bike, the couple stepped into the familiar bookstore, waving at Quill behind the counter, and ducked into the stacks. Sunset glanced around, and determining they were alone, reached out and slipped her hand into Twilight’s.
Purple eyes met blue-green, and the younger girl gave Sunset a soft smile, squeezing her hand. “Help me look for a good gift book?” she asked softly.
“Of course I will…” Sunset bumped her shoulder to Twilight’s and they shared a giggle as they began picking through the non-fiction section on everything from space aliens to ESP to werewolves to things like bigfoot. Likely nonsense, most of it, by Sunset’s measure—there were very few hard facts, instead relying on folktale, anecdotes from questionable sources, and religious superstitions to flesh out the texts. 
While skimming over Twilight’s shoulder as she flipped through a book on a giant reptile called the ‘Mokele-mbembe,’ Sunset pressed her body briefly against her girlfriend’s back, pressing a light and brief kiss to her ear. “Maybe something a little closer to home?”
Twilight shivered, and set the book back on the shelf. “Like…what?”
Sunset scanned the shelves, and reached out to pull it out. “What about this one?” she asked. 
Lavender fingers brushed hers as Twilight took the book, and the pair shared a smile. “Oh! Cryptids of America, a Comprehensive and Historical Encyclopedia! Sunny, this is perfect!”
The former unicorn grinned crookedly. “Glad I could help.” Another kiss was stolen, her lips brushing Twilight’s cheek. “Now c’mon. Let’s pay for this so we’re not late.”
A few minutes later saw them stepping into the little shop that sold sweets, desserts, and beverages (hot and cold) of every descriptor. Sunset was holding their purchases with one hand and holding the door for her girlfriend with the other. They were barely inside when Lyra’s voice called out, “Sunset! Twilight! Over here!”
The bubbly girl was practically bouncing as they wandered over to the booth she had gotten for them. “Hey, Lyra,” Sunset said casually, setting their bag of purchases on the table.  “Sorry we’re a little late. We got here early but made the mistake of killing time in the used bookstore.”
“It’s fine! I get it! Bonny and I have the same problem in the games store!” Then she turned her attention to Twilight, and Sunset could practically feel the giddy joy rolling off her in waves. “Omigosh, Twilight! It's been too long, and I’m so glad to see you again!” Bouncing a little in place, she looked a bit uncertain. “…would it be alright if I hugged you?”
Twilight’s face lit up at the words, and Sunset could almost feel the tension drain out of her. “…you remembered,” she said, almost too quiet to hear, before clearing her throat. 
Lyra’s smile only grew wider. “Of course I did. We’re friends, even if it's been a few years. It's not like we had a big fight or anything.”
“I would definitely welcome a hug right now, Lyra…” The dark haired girl took a step forward, opening her arms for said hug. “One of your real, proper hugs.”
As Sunset watched, Lyra gleefully gave Twilight a hug that lifted her clear off her feet..something she’d only seen her do before when she greeted Pinkie or Flash. “I’m so glad to see you!” Lyra exclaimed as she set Twilight back on her feet and slid into one side of the booth. “You look great! How have things been going for you….?”
The lavender skinned girl slid into the seat on the opposite side of the table. “It's a mixed bag,” she confessed. “Suri is still making my life miserable at school, and…”
Sunset smiled, and slipped off to the counter to get their milkshakes while the two friends caught up. She watched them while she waited in line, less trying to listen in and more focusing on Twilight’s body language in case her girlfriend needed something. What she observed told her it was actually going well, even when the subject matter was less than pleasant—from the snippets she could hear, it sounded like Twilight was catching her up on the happenings at Crystal Prep. Something that might offer useful insight if she said anything in passing to the former CPA student that she wouldn't think to mention to Sunset. 
Speaking of…
It was a bit awkward, extending her senses while waiting in line, but necessary, as she swept them both for any hints of the dark magic that seemed to be originating from CPA. Lyra was clean—but after being exposed two or three times to the Rainbow of Light (Sunset wasn't sure if the impromptu one in their research room during her vision counted or not), Sunset was not surprised by that. Not much she knew of could handle being exposed to the full power of the combined Elements, not even beings like Nightmare Moon or Discord or the worst beings in Equestria stood a chance once the Elements called down the Rainbow. As for Twilight…she seemed free of any malignant magic…but Sunset had learned not to trust it, and as she paid for three milkshakes and a couple slices of chocolate cheesecake, she pushed a probing tendril of magic at both of them. 
Her magic passed over Lyra without issue, but when it brushed Twilight, she could feel something ignite and shrivel up, a horrible twisting feeling on her senses. Tirek’s teeth chewing on Grogar’s bells!  When she figured out the source, she was going to have the girls shove a rainbow laser up their sun-forsaken backside and—
“Two double chocolate and strawberry, one mint chocolate, and three slices of chocolate cheesecake?” The server offered her a tray that balanced their goodies. “Enjoy, and thanks for choosing Caramel’s Delights.”
Nodding in thanks of her own, Sunset took the tray and headed back to the table, sliding in next to Twilight in the middle of a talk about their other mutual friend…Moonprancer? Moonracer? 
“…got a letter from Moondancer a week ago,” Lyra was saying. “She sent some gorgeous sketches of some of the statues in town! There was this one, that was supposed to be…”
Right. Moondancer. Sunset should probably remember that name at some point before the girl came back from her year abroad. It would be a little rude to mess it up since she was one of Twilight’s friends…even if Twilight had very little to ever say about her.
She wordlessly slid her dork of a girlfriend her milkshake and dessert treat, which was accepted with a genuinely happy smile. The smile made the redhead feel even better for encouraging this meeting—it was going a hundred million times better than her first meeting with Wallflower, and ironically, Lyra was someone who had seen her at her absolute worst. It was something Twilight needed, both to reconnect with an old friend, and to see that Wallflower was the exception, not the rule.
So for now, Sunset sipped her milkshake, listened with half an ear—an old skill learned from many years of formal dinners and parties where nobles and dignitaries prattled pedantically about things that would only interest a bureaucrat, not a teenage filly who would much rather be studying magic—or getting a painful and embarrassing medical procedure with no anesthesia—than listen to the inane details of how construction mortar needed the right balance of ingredients to deal with both the rigorous winters of the Luminary Range and the horrendous summer storms that always seemed to target Mount Canter and the terraces of the city specifically. Much of what was being discussed was related to mutual experiences the other girls had had at Crystal Prep, with classes, teachers, or classmates, and she had little to add and almost no frame of reference outside of how much it reminded her of CSGU. 
Until Twilight brought up something Sunset did have a vested interest in.
“…so…Sunset mentioned you had talked to Wallflower recently…?” Twilight toyed with the remnants of the cheesecake on her plate.
Lyra rolled her eyes. “If you can call it that,” she complained bitterly. “I’ve barely heard from her outside of email and instant messages all year, and now all of a sudden, she’s calling all the time…but not to talk to me about anything. She’s just trying to dig up dirt, and bad mouthing Sunset.” She sighed and sipped her milkshake. “I know part of that is because I used to complain a lot about how big of a bitch you were, Sunset—no offense—”
Sunset sighed. “None taken,” she managed without grimacing. “It's not a lie, and when you were talking about it, it was the truth. I was a bully and a total bitch to everyone, and I was an awful person. You had every right to complain about my behavior to your friends.”
“Right…but you’ve changed. You're not that person anymore, Sunset. And I’ve told her that…that you realized what you were doing was wrong, and have worked hard to be a better person.” 
Twilight made a frustrated sound. “I’ve told her the same thing, but she doesn't want to believe me either.”
Lyra’s expression turned serious. “And she won't likely change that opinion anytime soon, Twilight.” She rubbed her temples. “Wallflower doesn't like change…and she’s always been very standoffish with people outside the friend group. That's just who she is—she isn't the most welcoming person in the world, and she can be abrasive. For whatever reason, she has decided that Sunset is her nemesis in some way.”
Slinging her arm around Twilight’s shoulders, Sunset hugged her girlfriend. “And that's not your job to change her mind, Sparky. She has to make her own choices…just like I did. It’s okay if she doesn't like me—I’m sorry that it didn't work out, having her and I be friends, but we just need to let it go, and realize there will be other opportunities for us to have mutual friends in the future.”
Her brows furrowed, Twilight glanced between the two of them. “…I…know you’re right. I just really wanted it to work with Wallflower.”
“And you tried, Twilight,” Lyra said. “You and Sunset both tried…but friendship is a two way street. Wallflower wasn't wanting to meet you halfway, either of you.” She reached across the table to pat Twilight’s arm. “But it's not the end of the world—I have a lot of friends I’d love to introduce you to, that I think you’d really like, and a lot of them are Sunset’s friends too. Like my girlfriend, Bon-Bon! She’s awesome, but super understanding of even weirdos like me, so I know she’d like you! Oh, or Fluttershy, who is super sweet and nice, and she’ll love talking about Spike! She loves animals, and knows a whole lot about them. Or…” 
As the conversation turned to Lyra listing all her various friends and acquaintances that she wanted Twilight to know, Sunset let herself go back to skimming the conversation. She gave Twilight one last shoulder squeeze, before removing her arm back to her own space—too long and it would be entering into ‘more than friends’ territory. It didn't stop Lyra from giving her a not so subtle grin and wink when Twilight had turned her head to look out the window for a moment, thinking about how to answer a question.
Great. She’d probably have to explain it later like she did with Flash. 
Thankfully, for Twilight’s nerves and Sunset’s sanity, Lyra didn't say anything. Which was good, because the one thing she wasn't prepared for was Twilight having a panic attack if someone else pushed her into admitting that she and the former unicorn were dating. She may not have witnessed the Wallflower thing first hand for that, but she’d been dealing with the fallout since Twilight had told her, and a part of her really wanted to dig into some of the old Sunset’s tactics to get even and teach the little plant obsessed bi—
Breathe, Shimmer. Just breathe, she told herself firmly. You don't do that anymore, as tempting as it is. Yes, she really has hurt Twilight, but you shouldn’t go Queen Bitch on her. You’ve decided that’s not the way anymore.
Exhaling slowly, Sunset forced those thoughts down and away. She could rant and scream into a pillow at her loft later. Right now she was here to be Twilight’s moral support—not that the younger girl really needed it as she was shyly offering her gift out to Lyra with a sort of apology, her face lighting up in delight when Lyra got super excited over the book. That was okay though. This was the best sequence of events she could have hoped for, and seeing her best friend so obviously happy made every other bit worth it. Sunset smiled and leaned back sipping her drink and just let the world around her flow over her like water…
Until she thought her eyes caught a glimpse of frizzy, ugly colored yellow hair that reminded her of old mustard. Jolting forward, she focused out the window, searching the people on the street…
…to find nothing. No one familiar. Just random people on the street.
She really needed to get more sleep. Her mind was starting to make stuff up. First her own nightmares with the demonic version of herself, now fleeting glimpses of Adagio. What was next? Nightmare Moon’s shadow threatening to cover the world in darkness? …wouldn't that be a real Diamond Dog in the treasury? 
Sunset shook herself out of her own thoughts when she heard the opening bars of a rather aggressive song start playing.  Lyra gave them both an apologetic smile. “One sec—that’s Bonny.” She answered the phone. 
Taking the chance while Lyra was chatting with her girlfriend, Sunset checked up on her own. “How you doing, Sparky?”
Twilight beamed up at her with one of those bright smiles that never ceased to make Sunset feel all warm and satisfied inside. “Really good, actually. I…I needed this. Thank you, Sunny.”
“Anytime, nerd.” Sunset reached out and tweaked her nose. “It's what best friends do, remember?”
That got the laugh she wanted, and a hug. And if they were still a hug tangle when Lyra hung up and apologized again, well, Sunset really couldn't find it in herself to care.
“I’m sorry about that, but I’m going to have to head out—Bonny is picking me up and I’m eating at her house tonight. Mom’s on this super vegan diet kick, and doesn't seem to get that I’m allergic to soy.” Lyra rolled her eyes. “Sunset, you ought to give her pointers sometime about how to eat a restrictive diet and not be a dick to everyone about it. Someone needs to—I’m sooooo tired of the diet fad of the month. I’m seventeen! I like pizza and fast food and eating my weight in sugar at sleepovers with my friends! How is that hard to understand?!”
Sunset frowned. “I’m not sure she’d listen to me, but…Lyra, if it gets bad, and Bon-Bon can’t always let you eat at her place, tell us. If you don't mind regular vegetarian, Twilight’s mom keeps filling my freezer, and I’m happy to share. Or I can float you some extra cash and help you grocery shop on a small budget—there's this local grocer a few blocks from my place that's great for fresh foods and while it's…not my thing, they get their meat sourced from the local butcher. I can introduce you to Mr. Yama and his wife—they own the grocer and they're very sweet people.” Memories of gnawing hunger so consuming that even the smell of cheap hotdogs had made her drool and fishing things out of the trash behind more than one restaurant made Sunset shudder. “I won’t see a friend go hungry, and neither will any of the rest of our friends.”
Lyra had gotten up to leave and she leaned into the booth to hug Sunset tightly. “Thank you, Sunset. I’ll be okay for now—Bonny’s dad loves cooking, and he likes me—but if it's ever an issue…I’ll remember that.” She let Sunset go and looked at Twilight. “Don't let Wallflower’s bad attitude poison you.  You could have done a lot worse than Sunset as a best friend, Twilight. I hope you know how lucky you are.”
The redhead couldn't see it, but she could hear the warm affection in Twilight’s voice when she answered her departing friend. “I do…Sunset’s the best friend I ever could have asked for.”
Sunset could do nothing to hide her blush, or the pleased smile tugging at her lips.
> Interlude XXIX: Lost in the Echo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





When Indigo was in middle school—a private school that had been a hell of a lot better than the absolutely toxic hellhole that was Crystal Prep—her dad had talked all about how he didn't care what career she and her siblings pursued, he was going to make sure they had the best chance at it through a good education. That was why he was paying for CPA, and why Indigo had spent three years busting her ass to get solid A’s and B’s; not as part of some contest to beat the rich trust fund kids, but to make her family proud, continue the legacy her dad started by being the first person in their family to go to college (even if it had been on a sports scholarship), and make sure that the money he spent wasn't a waste. She was the oldest, and with her brother coming in next year as a freshman, she was setting the precedent for the others to follow. So she’d done her best to keep her head down, study hard, and blow off steam on the girl’s basketball team and during track and field.
But after everything she’d seen this year, and after several weeks of helping Twilight Sparkle dodge her bullies, Indigo Zap was beginning to wonder if her dad’s money had been wasted after all. Not because of Indigo’s actions, but because no education was really worth the garbage that the other students got away with because money made teachers look the other way.
It was this thought that made her drive an aggressive elbow into the guy who’d almost knocked poor Twilight over on the track as they ran laps. “Asshole!” she hissed at him as he wheezed in pain and staggered to a halt. Then she caught up to the smaller teen who looked like she was on the verge of tears. “You okay?” she asked, feeling concerned. 
Twilight gave her a look of pure frustration and she held up her hands. “Sorry, standard question.”
“…I’ve had better days,” Twilight complained. “I wasn't even supposed to be here today, but after the fight with Polaris, I had to be. I can't risk anything else on my record.”
Confused, Indigo tilted her head as they jogged along. “Why weren't you supposed to be here?”
The dark haired girl’s mood improved fractionally. “…my older brother finally got engaged over the winter to his girlfriend, and she’s always been like a sister to me, since she’s practically lived with us for as long as I can remember. And they're looking at wedding venues, and it was supposed to be this family outing, with all of us, because Mom and Dad are helping pay, and I’m Best Girl for my brother since he doesn't really have a lot of guy friends that he’s close enough to ask to stand up for him at the wedding.” Then her shoulders slumped. “But I’m here. All because of that stupid fight that wasn't even my fault.”
If Twilight sounded whiny, Indigo decided it was probably earned. Her new friend was not having a good day. Or a good week really. Their efforts to deny Suri and her clique their victory meant the school was now acting like it was open season on Twilight Sparkle. Shoving in the hall, things being thrown at her—Indigo had been deflecting balls during gym for the last week and it was starting to piss her off—and now they were hassling her whenever the Coach wasn’t looking. Poor Twilight had already been tripped twice today alone, her knees turning a lovely shade of violet bruise against lavender and her hands raw and a little scraped from catching herself.
“That sucks, Twilight. At least gym’s almost over though. You sure it's cool if I spend study hall and lunch in your lab again? I’m getting tired of Jasper poking me in the back with his damned pen. What an asshole!”
Twilight shrugged. “As long as you understand I’m working on my project and not likely up for conversation unless you have a homework question. I’m really behind, and I can't fail this.”
“And the plant girl isn't making it easier.” Indigo didn't care for the girl who shared Twilight’s space. She was abrasive and hostile, just like the rest of the school, and she treated Twilight like a misbehaving pet that wasn't quite smart enough for the current trick she was trying to teach. And she definitely didn't like Indigo being in the lab space at all.  Not to mention she couldn't seem to remember what sports Indigo played in, despite being reminded every time she got catty over Indigo's presence.
Shoulders slumping further, Twilight answered, “…yeah…”
Shit. Indigo was trying to make things better, not worse. “Sorry…” she offered. “Come on, let's finish our run, so we can go cool off.”
Twilight took a breath, managing a thin, tired smile at Indigo that seemed more for the athlete’s benefit than any actual feeling on Twilight’s part. “…thank you…it should be me that should be apologizing. Wallflower’s behavior is not your fault, and I shouldn't…” She stopped there, shaking her head. “Anyway,” she continued, picking up the pace with a little grim and dogged determination, “…honestly, of late your presence has made this part of the school day the only truly tolerable part. Thank you for that.”
Indigo jostled her a bit with a shoulder—even she had picked up that Twilight Sparkle didn't like to be touched too much unless she invited it. “No sweat—that's why friends exist, right? To make shitty places suck less?”
It got a tiny laugh, so Indigo figured she’d take it. The day was pretty much already lousy, but they only had one more to tough out and then a three day weekend. She was going to enjoy that too—her family had plans to order stupid amounts of pizza and play video games all weekend long, interspersed with a few pickup games in the backyard or whatever. Thankfully, gym class was just about over, and Coach was still happy with her and Twilight’s work in preparing for the Games, so their grades were good. It was about the only thing that had been good lately: her grades. Hanging with Twilight had meant help when she didn't get something in math or chemistry, and the girl had figured out a way to make it make sense to her. 
As the gym teacher sent them on their way to get changed, Indigo was almost thinking the day might be looking up. Until Suri opened her big fat stupid mouth. Holy shit, did Indigo just want to punch her hard enough to ruin that orthodontist-assisted row of perfect teeth. 
“Running off to your secret clubhouse to change clothes, Princess? Still too good now to use the locker room like everyone else?”
Indigo growled. “Oh fuck off, Polomare. Everyone knows the reason we stopped coming in was the permanent reek of cheap perfume and low tide that rolls off you like you're some kind of Halloween fog machine.”
“You should really learn to mind your own business, ‘kay? We were talking to the princess here, not you.” Suri stared down her nose at Indigo—though she had to tilt her head back pretty far to do it and Indigo thought it made her look even stupider than normal.  
“And you should learn to shut your mouth before someone who doesn't care about your mom’s money beats the shit out of you,” Indigo shot back. “No one actually wants to hear your voice. It's like speaker feedback on the soul and it smells just as bad as the rest of you. Learn to use mouthwash after you get done gargling whatever boy you're paying for this week.”
Suri turned a rather interesting shade of…well, actually Indigo wasn't sure what color that was. Something ugly, just like the rest of Suri. “I was going to let you off easy, because you’ve always known your place, Indigo, but if that's how you want to play, ‘kay. You’ll be sorry.”
“Maybe she’s just desperate for a girlfriend, and Princess Twilight’s the only one at the school willing to put out for her.”
Twilight went about four shades paler and was starting to look a little ill. Indigo didn't know why, but the words hit the girl hard, and that wasn't okay. As far as she’d ever seen Twilight never did anything to any of her bullies other than avoid them until she couldn't. Drawing herself up to her full height and looming over the other girls, Indigo gestured coldly. “Look, just because the rest of you have tastes that run towards whatever’s cheapest on the nearest street corner doesn't mean the only thing the rest of us are interested in other people for is their tongue game. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I hang with Twilight because she’s the only one in this school who isn't a massive bitch with her head up her own ass? Because seriously—get a damned life, and maybe a personality while you're at it, Suri, cuz you're about to age out of this school and your mom and dad aren't so rich that they can pay men to overlook the one you have.”
While Suri stood there, gaping like a fish, Indigo nudged Twilight gently. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before the stink makes me lose my appetite.”
In the quiet of the halls as they headed for the library, Indigo watched Twilight. The younger teen was still shaken and a bit too pale from the hostile encounter; she looked a bit wild around the eyes, like a frightened animal seeking  an escape.  Indigo wasn't sure what about it had rattled her so badly, but she felt bad for not ending it sooner. “…you gonna be okay?”
The eyes staring at her through thick lenses were on the verge of tears, and the voice came out with a tremor, tongue stumbling over words like there wasn't enough air behind them. “…I…it's…no…y-yes…I n-need my m-meds. In…in my b-bag.” 
Frowning, Indigo hurried her along. She hadn't known the genius girl took meds. Couldn't be asthma—anxiety maybe? She seemed like the type to maybe need meds for that. What the hell were you supposed to do for someone freaking out? She had no clue—panicking over stuff was not something her family did. They tended to get shouty instead, or did like her aunt and got quiet and stressed out. Was she supposed to hug her? Not touch her? Help her get her meds? Ugh. She needed a playbook for how to deal with high-strung smart people!
Okay, Indigo, think. She said she needs her meds, so let's get her to them. Worry about the rest after.
It didn't take much encouragement to get Twilight to speed walk to the library, though it was strangely quiet when they entered. Normally, the librarian was seated at the check-in desk when they got back, and had a smile and a wave for the two girls. She wasn't there, and Indigo felt an uncomfortable prickling at the back of her neck. Something was off. Wrong. Like ‘going past an alley at night and knowing you're about to get mugged’ wrong.
Her instincts were right on the money when they rounded the desk to enter the librarian’s small office. She could see the devastation right away in the form of torn papers and scattered textbooks. “Aw, shit…” she moaned, knowing that this was going to take forever to pick up.
What she didn't quite expect—though she probably should have, with how agitated the other girl already was—was how Twilight let out a sharp, loud sound of distress and ran into the small room, dropping to her knees. “No!” she whimpered. “Nononononononoooo…” Desperate hands scrabbled for the backpack that had been ripped open, searching frantically for something. 
Indigo followed, surprised to learn that only Twilight’s bag had been ripped apart and gone through by whoever had done this. It angered her, the level of bullying that was going on, and she squatted down to start picking up the papers that had been violently ripped from the girl’s neat notebooks, or from the well loved paperback novel that had been in the bag. “I’m sorry, Twilight…this has never happened before. Ms. Stacks is always here to watch the stuff.”
There was no answer other than some stressed breathing that was picking up speed, and a stuttering, incoherent whine. 
Her head whipped around. Twilight was on her knees, rocking slightly, clutching her inside out bookbag. “Twilight?” Still no answer, other than a choked breath. What was—her medicine, Indigo realized belatedly. She had been talking about it in the hall, and she wasn't holding any kind of pill bottle yet. “Your meds were stolen.” 
A jerky nod, and then eyes widened, looking around wildly. “…p-pho…ne…” she hiccuped. 
Honey colored eyes started to help her look, and she spotted it under an open text book, not far from a pretty shattered laptop. “Here,” she said, grabbing the phone…only to realize that it looked like someone had stomped on it, hard. “…I think it might be broken,” she finished lamely.
Snatching it out of her hand, Twilight started trying to make it work with hands that were shaking worse and worse as gasping sobs ripped free of her. “Nononononono…” she babbled, before dropping the phone from nerveless fingers and curling up into a hyperventilating, crying ball.
Now Indigo was starting to freak out a bit herself. What could she do? Grabbing the phone, she began trying to see if she could even turn it on. A few hard presses of buttons and holding it just so, she managed to get the screen to come on…not that she could do much with it. 
She could, however, make out part of a recent message through the cracks on the screen. The name and contents of the message were undecipherable, but the number was clear to read. She pulled her own phone out of her bag. Twilight’s phone might’ve been busted, but Indigo’s was working. Maybe she could let Twilight’s family know things had gone wrong, before she tried to get the girl to the nurse. It wasn't like the nurse would be any help—that bitch was an entitled Bob-Cut who thought all the kids who came into her office were faking it for attention. She would never call Twilight’s parents for anything, and Indigo’s gut was telling her that her friend’s parents needed to know as soon as possible.
“Don't worry, Twilight,” she told her. “I’ve got your back, like I said.” 
Resolutely, the blue haired girl began to enter the number in her phone, hoping the recipient would be someone in Twilight’s family.
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty One: Into the Silence, Will You Answer? Before the Chaos, Will You Come?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The morning was dragging on painfully in Sunset’s opinion. She was stuck in history, watching the clock tick at what felt like a glacially slow pace, pencil tapping restlessly on the one hundred and fifty question multiple choice test that she’d still managed to finish with almost half an hour to spare. Restless and twitchy and wishing she could do something, she turned the test sheet over and put the booklet on top of it. It kept her from doing like her girlfriend might and check her answers for the fourth time.
Instead, she pulled out a notebook and began puzzling through a song she’d finally gotten around to finishing after months of agonizing over the lyrics. It was a deeply personal piece, a musical reflection on her journey to being a new, better mare, and the people who helped her get there. She had gotten Fluttershy’s help on the parts for Pinkie’s drums and Rarity’s keytar, and she was satisfied with the main guitar part, but she was struggling with how to work in AJ’s bass. 
Maybe she could—
Her phone began vibrating in her pocket. Sunset frowned. Everyone she knew that might message her knew she was in class, and most of them were in class themselves. One hand fished into her coat’s inner pocket where she kept her phone, keys, and wallet to retrieve the device and surreptitiously check to see who was sending her a message. It could have been Twilight—she was upset the night before and before school about being left out of the family trip to check out wedding venues for Cadence and Shining. Sunset had done her best to cheer her up, but the former unicorn could still pick up on the bitterness in the replies.
She swiped her finger across the lock screen to unlock it and saw a message from an unknown number. Snorting, she figured it was spam, but decided to check anyway—sometimes it was messages from her utility company or bank, or from her finance guy, who had about four different work numbers at his office. It could also have been in regards to a package she was expecting to be delivered the next day.
Her blood ran cold at the words she saw.
-Plz dont delete! My names indigo & im twilights friend at school. Her phones busted this is the only # i saw. I need to call her parents its an emergency. Can u help? Plz?-
Sunset was on her feet and halfway to the door before her history teacher could object to the sudden flurry of movement. She could feel her whole class staring at her, wondering what was going on….saw Fluttershy starting to get up, mouthing a question at her: Magic?
“I need to go! I feel like I’m going to be sick!” she yelled out the first excuse that came to mind, before bolting out the door. She needed to get to her library sanctum….no. The magic study room. It was closer. The redhead took the hard left at full speed, nearly crashing into one of the janitors. “Sorry!” 
Slamming the enchanted door open, she was relieved to find the room empty. Shutting it behind her ensured privacy and she skipped texting the mystery number back in favor of calling it directly.
Ring. Ring. Ri—click. “Hello?” came a strange girl’s voice. 
“Is this Indigo?” Sunset demanded, barely managing to check herself to avoid sounding like an angry bitch. “You messaged me about Twilight?”
“Shit, you're fast. Yeah. I’m Indigo—are you like…Twilight's sister or cousin or something? She’s pretty messed up right now.” The girl sounded a bit agitated.
“Her best friend. What happened? Is she hurt?” Sunset felt her heart twist, because faintly, in the background, she could hear the sound of her nerd choking and gasping for air.
“Not hurt—freaking out. Like a panic attack. But…we were in gym and someone got into her stuff while we were there and trashed everything and stole whatever meds she kept there. Her phone’s fucked, and the school nurse is a total asshole who won’t call her folks.” Indigo’s voice turned angry. “They tore her backpack apart, and there's stuff everywhere.”
Moonlit madness and blazing sunfire, if Sunset ever got her hands on the people responsible, they would regret the day their great-grandparents even met. “She has panic attacks. That’s what her medication is for…ponyfeathers…okay. I can call her parents—are you able to at least get her to the nurse’s office safely?”
“Uhhh…” There was an uncertain pause. “Twilight? Can you hear me?”  This was followed by an even longer pause. “…she’s not really responding to anything. Is it safe to touch her right now?”
Sunset rubbed her face. “No. It's not. That’ll make it worse. Okay…um…can you put me on speaker, and close to her so she can hear me? I might be able to get her at least moving with you.” 
“Sure. And while you do that, I’ll try and repack her shit so it’s not left for anyone to find. Its a mess, but she’ll at least have it.” The audio changed. “What's your name, anyway?”
“Sunset. Sunset Shimmer.” She leaned against the door, hearing the sound of Twilight’s struggle to breathe and cry at the same time. “Twilight? Sparky, it's me. It's Sunset. I know you can hear me, even if you can't talk right now. It's going to be okay. Indigo called me, and I’m going to call your mom and dad, so we can get to you. But I need you to listen to me and do something for me too. Can you do that?”
Silence but for the sound of hiccupping and sobs, and the background of papers and books shuffling. Then…a weird feedback sound that Sunset realized was Twilight tapping once on the phone.
“Right. Once for yes, twice for no. Indigo is there. She called me. Do you trust her?” She hoped so or this wasn't going to work.
Crackle-tap.
Thank the stars. “Good. She’s going to take you to the nurse. I’m calling your mom after this. I want you to stay with Indigo, do what she says. She’s going to help you until someone can get to you. If not your folks, then me. I’ll sign myself out and drive to your school if I have to, okay?”
Pause. Long pause, and a few quieter hiccups. Then…Crackle-tap.
“Alright. I need to call your mom. I will call or message Indigo back when I know more about what's going on. Is that okay, Indigo?”
The phone shifted, moving around. “Yeah, I’ll turn the ringer on, and next period is a study hall for me anyway.” The girl sighed. “They really did a lot of damage—I think someone kicked her laptop into the wall…it's in about six pieces. I’ll finish packing up here and get her to the nurse’s office.”
Sunset chewed on her thumbnail, something in her core gnawing at her like a dog with a bone.  It…it might not do much of anything, but…she had to try, because she really didn't like the bad feeling rising up her spine at the thought of Twilight being without any defense against anything predatory or potentially magical in her school.  “…this is going to sound strange, and you can tell me it's crazy if you want, but…can you stay with her until her parents get there?”
“I sure as hell am not leaving her alone with the nurse,” Indigo answered tightly. “All she’ll do is send her back to class and tell her to stop wasting her time.”
The feeling urged her onward, and magic pushed at her under her skin, burning like lava in her bones. She could almost hear it in her voice, when she spoke, making her shiver with how much it sounded like she had at the Fall Formal. “Promise me, Indigo Zap…promise me you will not leave her side until she’s safe with her family.”  There was something in the air now, wrapped in her magic that sparked with red flames across her vision as she stared hard out the window on the other side of the room.
Indigo exhaled sharply. “I promise. They’ll have to have the police take me down first. I don't ditch my friends.”  There was another sound, and Indigo added, a little defensively, “And she is my friend.”
Sunset flexed her fist, trying to put out the flames that wreathed it. “I believe you, Indigo. I do. But Twilight is my best friend, and things haven't exactly been great at your school lately for her. I don't trust most of the students, and I definitely don't trust the people who work there. That’s why I need you to stay with her…because she trusts you, and for reasons I can't explain, I do too.” She did, she realized. 
“….yeah…I get that. This school sucks.” Indigo took another breath. “Okay. I’m finished, but I wanna wait until the bell rings and the halls are clear before I take her out into them. You sure you can get a hold of her folks?”
Humming in her throat and giving up on putting the fire out just yet, Sunset drew serpents in the air with it, realizing that it responded to her will sluggishly. “I have their numbers all programmed in as emergency contacts for when we’re out. I’ll update you after I talk to them.” Her biggest concern was that they would be somewhere with lousy reception. If that was the case, she’d try the CCPD, and see if they had an emergency way to contact Shining. “Let me go so I can make that call.”
With one parting goodbye directed at Twilight, Sunset ended the call and started to go through her contacts, only to realize the group text chat with the girls had exploded.



Fluttershy: Sunset? Is everything okay? Are you sick? Or is it magic stuff? Should I follow?
RD: Magic shit? Oh plz say its magic so I can get out of math. I h8 this class.
Fluttershy: I don't know. Sunset left really fast. Said she was sick.
Rarity: Sick? Oh dear, darling are you alright?
AJ: if shes sick she prolly wont answer til shes dun pukin
Pinkie: [an unreadable and indecipherable chain of about thirty emoticons.]
AJ: Pinkies right.
RD: still dont know how u can read that.
AJ: dunno but i can. She says we should wait for sunset to tell us if its puke or magic.
Pinkie: [more emoticons, including an open mouthed face and a rainbow.]
AJ: ….right. Or magic puke. 



Glad that her fire seemed uninclined to burn her own things, Sunset tapped out a quick response. 



Sunset: Its not puke, but right now theres not much you girls can do. If that changes, I’ll tell you, so be on standby in case I cant figure this out.
RD: what happened?
Sunset: it’s complicated. 
Rarity: Your magic?
Sunset: well, I am a little on fire again and I cant get it to go out. Thankfully its not burning me or my stuff…yet. 
AJ: Yikes.
Pinkie: [more emoticons, including a line of campfires and a sun wearing sunglasses.]
AJ: Like Pinkie says, maybe try relaxin?
Sunset: I’ll do my best. I’ll keep you girls posted.



Sighing, she went back to her contacts and found Velvet’s number. One finger hit the button, and she waited for the woman to pick up.
It didn't take long. “Sunset?” came the concerned tones of her girlfriend’s mother after the third ring. “Sweetie, is everything alright? It’s the middle of the school day.”
Guilt that she was about to ruin what had likely been a nice day made her stomach churn, but anger and her own worry at what was happening to Twilight squelched it. “I’m fine, but no, everything's not alright.  Something has happened to Twilight at CPA.”
Velvet’s response was immediate. “What happened to Twily? Why are you calling and not her?”
“At this point, I’m not sure her school admins even know yet.  I just talked to this girl she’s mentioned from her gym class, Indigo…someone got their hands on Twilight’s bookbag and trashed everything in it, and Indigo was pretty sure they stole her meds. Twilight’s having one of the biggest panic attacks I’ve ever heard her have.”
There was a long moment of stunned quiet from Twilight Velvet—enough that Sunset could hear the rest of the family asking worried questions in the background. This was followed by the first time the teenager had ever heard Velvet swear, a string of profanity that made Sunset's eyebrows shoot up almost to her hairline and the fiery serpent on her hand explode in a shower of crimson sparks.
Well…at least she wasn't on fire anymore.
“One second, Sunset…I need to update Night on what is going on.”
She could hear rapid-fire conversation away from the phone’s speaker, and Night Light’s very agitated voice speaking faintly. “…don't like…at all…one day that…and…one day…go critically wrong? Something…rotten…”
To be fair, Sunset agreed with that. More so because of her sensing dark magic in things as associated with the school. She could feel the unease in the pit of her stomach grow, and she began to pace restlessly back and forth. If they were outside of town, that meant they were at least a half hour or more out, and Twilight couldn't wait that long. 
Sunset made up her mind: she had a couple of doses of Twilight’s meds stashed in the little first aid kit in her bike. She would bring it to her. The principals would just have to understand it was an emergency.
Velvet’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Sweetheart, are you still there?”
“Yeah…sorry, I’m still here, Mrs. Velvet. What's up?”
Her girlfriend’s mother let out a frustrated sound. “We’re heading back in just a few minutes, but we’re over an hour away.”
Breathing deeply, she said, “I can get to her, Mrs. Velvet. I have some of her meds in my bike. I’ll sign myself out for a family emergency or something, and I’ll go over there.”
The older woman made a sound, and Sunset could feel her indecision. “As much as I don't like the idea of you missing school,” she finally acknowledged, “in this case…that may be our best, most expedient option to helping Twilight. I hate asking it of you—Twilight’s mental health is not your responsibility.”
“You're not asking,” Sunset practically growled, feeling the gnawing pressure of her magic and the underlying need to protect Twilight digging into her soul painfully, like when a pony was denied doing what their cutie mark was telling them. “I’m going. I can help. I need to help. I can't really explain it, Mrs. Velvet, but I have to. Let me do this. Please.” Her voice cracked at the end.
Speaking in that warm, encouraging way that made Sunset feel warm and at peace in a way that was almost foreign, Velvet said, “Take some deep breaths for me, Sunset, please?” She obeyed, and felt some of the agitation level off as Velvet continued talking. “I’m not saying no—we both know I cannot legally or physically stop you, and it means a lot to us all that Twilight is that important to you.”
Cheeks flushed, Sunset mumbled an apology. “You don't have to apologize, sweetheart. Your words are coming from a good place and a good heart.” The woman let out something like a soft chuckle, if one that seemed a bit strained. “We are, however, going to try and arrange things so that you do have some form of quasi-legal backing…that way the administration of Twilight’s school will not attempt to deny you entry and have the law on their side.”
“Oh.” The former unicorn hadn't considered that part—she was too busy focusing on the magic aspect of the problem and had completely forgotten that CPA was a Tartarus-touched pit of stuck up, spoiled, upper class entitlement and an attitude that came with phrases like ‘don't you know who i am?,’ ‘wait until my lawyer hears,’ and ‘I’m calling the police.’ They would not want her coming in the doors and since it was technically a private facility, she could get charged with all kinds of things. 
Not that she cared, if it came to that. She had the funds for a lawyer or three of her own if it came to it, and there wasn't anyone in this world with enough power and authority to keep her away from her Twilight. She’d go through them with fists ablaze if she had to. A low, harsh sound burbled up from somewhere in her chest. She needed to get moving.
Once again, Velvet’s voice grounded her, her voice sounding a little angry and brittle. “I agree with how you feel, Sunset, but please…let’s try this the easier way first, sweetie. If that doesn't work, then I give you my full permission to do what you need to do to help my daughter, to hell with whoever thinks they can get in the way. If that means a little legal trouble, we’ll make sure that any repercussions will not come down on you.”
Sunset exhaled, trying to bring her emotions under control and her magic with it. “Okay, Mrs. Velvet.”
“Before you leave the school, please go to your principals. Tell them what's going on, so it’s officially documented, don't just leave out the nearest side door. We’re going to be contacting Luna, and Night is going to be making some calls as well, starting with our lawyers.”
She could do that. Miss Luna already knew she had a friend at CPA, and she had talked to Mrs. Velvet before on the phone. She would understand that it was an emergency, and potentially a magical one as well. “Okay. I can do that. I’ll message you when I get to CPA.”
Velvet might have started to talk again, but Sunset was already ending the call as the pressure against her mind and heart became too much to resist. She was running down the empty hall at full speed to the office before she had even registered that her phone was no longer at her ear.
Get to Miss Luna.  Get to Twilight. 
It was a mantra now, pounding in her ears with every heartbeat, with every thumping sound of her boots on cheap tile floors. Twilight needed her and she’d taken too long already.
The former unicorn skidded to a halt as she careened around the corner into the office’s open doorway, practically taking out a parent and the attendance lady. “Sorry!” she panted, before launching herself at the Vice Principal’s open door. “Miss Luna!”  One hand was held up as she came into the dark skinned woman’s line of sight—she was on the phone. 
“I’ll take care of it, don't worry. I need to go though. Duty calls.” She hung up, tucking the cellphone into the purse that was sitting on the desk. “You need not yell, Miss Shimmer,” she admonished. “Despite my appreciation for heavy metal, my ears do still work.”
“I’m sorry,” Sunset said quickly, “but it's an emergency. I need to sign myself out for the day.” She pushed the office door shut so that the parent outside wouldn’t overhear her. “It’s my friend. The one at CPA? Someone vandalized her stuff and stole her medication, and her entire family is out of town for the afternoon…she needs help now!” Her hands fisted automatically as she paced the length of the tiny room. “I have some of her meds in my bike for emergencies and I need to leave so I can get them to her…and it has to be me because I think there's dark magic involved—I think it's related to what I saw that day, when I triggered the rainbow and the Elements…” It all came out in a babbling rush, but Sunset didn't have time, and the administrator needed to know why she was doing this.
Miss Luna interrupted. “While I was unaware of the magic involved, I have been notified by your emergency contact about a family emergency, Miss Shimmer. I have no grounds to deny you your right as a legally emancipated minor to sign yourself out of school for the day. However, I am concerned about allowing you to drive when it is very apparent that you are in a dangerously charged emotional state, particularly when you claim magic may be involved.”
Fire made her blood boil in her veins, and her shoulders stiffened. “I’m not changing my mind. She needs help, and I'm the only one close enough before things get worse.” She glared at the woman in open defiance. “Don't try to stop me.”
“I am not trying to stop you. Just the opposite. I am offering my assistance to you and your friend’s family—you are not a legal adult, despite your emancipation. The school would be well within its legal right to deny you access without the proper paperwork. I, on the other hand, can act as an intermediary, a sort of in loco parentis situation, given that I am your principal, and in contact with the parents of the child in question, who I have been made to understand are…at odds with Abacus and her methods of handling their daughter’s needs.”
It took the redheaded girl a minute to process what she was hearing; she hadn't expected anything like that response. That left her with her mouth working and no sound coming out, looking for all the world like a stunned fish. “Uhhh…you…but…how…I didn’t…” 
“Miss Shimmer. Breathe and try again.”
Stopping her rambling mouth, she forced herself to push down the disbelief and shock, taking several deep breaths. “You’re…going with me?”
Retrieving a ring of keys, her vice principal nodded. “We’re taking my car. It will be a more comfortable ride, and less likely to be stopped by police at ten AM than a teenage girl on a motorcycle.” Luna zipped up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “I also feel it might be safer, Miss Shimmer, given your hyper agitated state and the presence of magic—you did indicate before that you have extreme negative reactions to darker energies, which I feel is safe to assume this is?”
Sorting her thoughts and adjusting her plan with the same rapid-fire mental gymnastics that had served her well right up until the variable of Princess Twilight Sparkle came into her life, Sunset decided this could work. “If it's what I’ve encountered already, or its source, it's worse than the sirens by a large margin, Miss Luna. Way worse.”
Luna paused in her trek across the office, staring hard at Sunset, expression something the former unicorn couldn't quite place. “Miss Shimmer, if you are correct, and pair that knowledge with what I know and have heard from others, we are on our way to walk into a lion’s den. I have no intention of letting one of my best students make that journey alone—quite frankly, if there were a plausible, legal way to allow you to bring your entire magical girl troupe without arousing suspicion, I would encourage just that, because it seems to me your little rainbow laser light show solves most magical issues. As it stands, however, all I can offer is myself and what legal authority I can muster that I am all too happy to use to slap Abacus Cinch.”
Sunset considered the words as they left the office and then the school—after she’d done the required sign out, citing ‘family emergency’ as the reason. When they stopped at her bike to retrieve Twilight’s medication, she finally said, “If it comes to it, the girls will come to us, Miss Luna. I want to avoid involving them if we can, but if the source of the magic wants a fight, then the six of us will give it one, to Tartarus with any consequences.” Her voice was a low growl as her fingers closed around the small pill bottle with her girlfriend’s name printed on it. “I won't let it have her without a fight.”
The administrator raised one eyebrow. “Hmm…if it comes to that, I suppose it will be a case of ‘Save the girl, save the world’ now, and ‘be concerned with collateral damage later.’ It seems there are a few things Hollywood gets right.”
Cheeks heating, Sunset followed the woman to the jet black SUV, waiting until she slid into the passenger seat to answer.  “…something like that…” She tucked the meds into her inner jacket pocket, alongside her wallet, and pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call her other friend back to let her know what's going on.”
Indigo answered on the third ring, her voice a bit echoey and distant from the mic. “Please tell me this is good news?”
“Kind of.” Sunset sighed. “Her folks are close to an hour away, but they're heading back now.”
The girl on the other end swore. “I don’t know if Twilight can wait an hour—she was doing better after you talked to her, but then the nurse decided to open her big fucking mouth and that all went out the damned window!”
A frown crossed her face. “What do you mean? What did the nurse do?”
“Not her job, that's for sure!” Indigo’s voice seemed momentarily directed at someone else. “Yeah, I’m talking about how useless you are, you wrinkled old hag! What are you gonna do about it? Call my parents? Oh right, you don't do that!”
Sunset could hear an arrogant, reedy voice in the background arguing with Indigo now. “There is no reason to inform Miss Sparkle’s parents; there is no medical emergency, only a spoiled little girl throwing a temper tantrum when she can't have her way. I refuse to pander to such immaturity and entitleme—”
Indigo’s voice was dripping with derision and anger. “It's not a temper tantrum, you washed-up incompetent cunt! She’s having a fucking panic attack!”
Holding the phone a short distance away as Indigo argued with the Crystal Prep School nurse, Sunset glanced over to Luna. “The nurse is refusing to believe it's a panic attack,” she explained. “She’s trying to send them both back to class for ‘wasting time’ and claims it's just a tantrum. It's a good thing that I have numbers for Mrs. Velvet and that Indigo could call me…the nurse is refusing to call them herself.”
As they passed through an intersection, the dark skinned woman’s angry scowl deepened. “That—Legally, she can't do that. If it’s significant enough to bring a student to the nurse’s office, and the nurse lacks the means to treat the problem, she needs to contact the parents or guardians of the child in question, even if she has to do it after calling an ambulance!”
The redhead twitched in agitation. “I don't know if you heard that…”
“Sure did, and I’m guessing it's an adult that knows her ass from a hole in the ground?” came the sarcastic question.
Rolling her eyes, Sunset acknowledged her statement. “I’d say she is. That's my vice principal. Which brings me to the better news. I had some of Twilight’s meds in my bike, and I’m bringing them to her. So I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Luna gave Sunset a curious look, but she was too busy on the phone to pay much attention. Indigo had let out a nearly explosive sigh of relief. “Maybe you can get her to calm down then…she’s gone back to curling up on one of the cots in the corner and mumbling to herself. I thought she was gonna pass out for a few minutes there.” There was another pause, then Indigo continued. “I’m blocking the door so the nurse can't get into the room with the cots and make it worse again.”
Her own relief was practically tangible. “Thank you, Indigo.”
“I promised I’d stay with her. Twilight’s my friend too. I won't abandon her, not when she needs someone. I don't care what they threaten me with, I’m not moving.”
Magic humming under her skin, Sunset said softly. “Twilight’s lucky to have a friend like you. We’ll be there soon.” She raised her voice, hoping it might get through to her girlfriend. “You hear me, Sparky? I’m on my way. Just hang on.”
The call ended and she sagged back against the seat.  “I’m beginning to understand why our school hates CPA,” Sunset told her vice principal. “That nurse sounded horrible.”
“What she’s doing is also highly illegal. The instant she realized that she had a student who needed help she couldn’t give, she should have picked up the phone to inform parents. Why she is refusing is a mystery.” Luna’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. “She could lose her job and her license. Is this the doing of some evil magician?”
The use of the word ‘evil’ caught Sunset by surprise.  That was not a term often used to describe magic…or much of anything in Equestria. “I…don't know, but it is possible it is connected to the dark magic I’ve picked up on…it did cause a massive fight between members of the family. I’m not even sure if the source is something you could call evil—I just don’t know enough about it…but either way, we should be careful.”
Pulling into a parking lot, Luna set her jaw. “I will not argue semantics with you, Miss Shimmer, as we have more important things to do, but I…appreciate your candor on the matters of magic. Your insight has…proven more helpful than you know, and you have my word I will tread as carefully as possible.” She pulled the car into a parking spot close to the front. “Now, I realize you wish to get to your friend quickly, but perhaps we should stick together until we at least announce ourselves to the office.”
Sunset exited the vehicle, squaring her shoulders. “I’ll try not to run off,” she said, the humor a poor attempt to rein in the jittery agitation she felt, not to mention the magic that made her bones burn, and a sense like molten glass stewing in her gut. The former unicorn swallowed, looking up at the campus of the infamous private school that was causing her girlfriend so much stress. It was…something. Tacky, she decided, with all the accents on the building and the fancy pathway. “It certainly doesn’t look like anything other than another school—CSGU was much fancier to look at,” she commented to Luna.
Then she stepped onto the path before the fancy, open gates, and she was almost driven to her knees. Only Luna lunging and grabbing her arm saved her from a painful meeting with hard stone.
Not that she was aware of it at that moment.
Black agony raked over her senses, magic so twisted and dark that it made the sirens into slightly grumpy kittens by comparison, attacking her very being at her deepest core. It was inside and under her skin—
—a million white hot hooks burrowing into her flesh and peeling her apart—
—It burned. Sunset burned, inside and out, scarred soul writhing in torment—
—something rose like bile in her throat, a dark, choking lump of something—
—lava in her veins, fire crawling along her skin, it burned. She burned, the pressure of the magic assaulting her threatening to crush her battered, still healing soul into a million million jagged shards of suffering and despair.
Twilight’s face swam before her mind’s eye, and a whisper of words made it through the haze of pain. “…would do anything in your power…if I needed you…”
Twilight. Twilight, her Sparky, her very best friend, who trusted her…needed her. She wasn't going to fail her. She couldn’t. She’d promised.
Sunset Shimmer screamed her defiance to the magic suffocating her, reaching deep inside for the rage and stubbornness and raw refusal to ever surrender that was as deeply a part of her as her cutie mark, letting the burning magic surge forward, filling her blood, her bones, her muscles with pure fire, and pushed back, throwing off the dark power that had almost overwhelmed her. Where it touched her presence, now it burned, shriveling and recoiling from her to hover ominously just out of her personal space like a dark cloud.
Her vision cleared, and the ringing in her ears passed, allowing her to breathe and assure her worried vice principal. “…I’m alright…but I…I stand corrected…” Chest heaving like the former unicorn had just run several miles at top speed, she straightened. “…this…this is bad, Miss Luna…very bad…”
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Two: Carry Light Into the Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset caught her breath, her brain sorting information now that she was not being assaulted by the darkest, most malevolent ward scheme she had ever encountered. It was a completely alien form, made of magic that felt nauseating and warped almost beyond recognition, but she could see, inside the dizzying, almost putrid darkness, spellforms that were similar enough to some of the oldest Equestrian wards to be identifiable, even if she couldn't decipher all of what they were designed to do. Although, given how she had been assaulted and Vice Principal Luna had not, it probably had something to do with her SET level.
She was certainly thankful for her SET level now—had it not been as high as it was, she would have been unlikely to be able to counter the wards’ violent assault. More than that, her reaction had…broken…some kind of illusion that had been able to fool her senses. Not entirely—she was now subjected to two overlapping viewpoints that seemed to phase in and out, making her stomach churn and her bones burn hotter.
Swallowing bile, she forced her gaze to take it all in. The first image was the illusion she had seen before, of pristine, expensive, if tacky buildings and overpriced paths, precisely manicured lawn and deliberate and tended decorative plants only just starting their spring growth…an epitome of wealth and privilege in architectural form.  The second, underlaid visual, one that fritzed in and out of being like an outdated recording format…it was like the Nightmare had infected the place. Gone was the carefully kept grass, replaced by an eerie, damp, and dying moor-like terrain, the pretty trimmed trees now crooked, aged, but sick things in the twilight of their lifespan, heavy with fungal shelves and lichens. It felt like a place that had not seen summer or the sun properly in decades.
Then her eyes found the buildings, and her head swam, vision confronted with geometry that didn't quite match what was possible, angles and curves and joints that should never have stood, with too small windows and slanted doors…the clean brick structure replaced by stones that had no business being so old in this place, ancient in a way Sunset was familiar with, a way that was physically impossible in a mere century or two, and required maintaining a structure for millennia against the elements. Her Canterlot had buildings like that—most of the Upper Terraces were that way, having been built more than four thousand years in the past when Princess Celestia and her sister had set the seat of governance there for the new Equestria built following Discord’s defeat. Breathing out in a shaky way, Sunset wondered for the first time if she was in far over her head.
“Are you alright?” 
Taking a breath, Sunset forced herself to straighten, knowing that she had tripped the wardline and that anyone who was tied to them would be searching for the intruder. The last thing the former unicorn could afford to be was weak or vulnerable. “I’m fine,” she said, forcing her expression into the one she had practiced for years as the student of the princess. “…but this is bad, Miss Luna. The school grounds are warded, and they attacked me. They’re dark, very dark…this whole place is…and…” Sunset swept her gaze around again. “It’s under an illusion.” She described what she could see, in quick, brisk detail.
Arching a brow, the woman glanced at Sunset then back at the building, reciting something in another language from memory.
“‘Per me si va ne la città dolente,
per me si va ne l’etterno dolore,
per me si va tra la perduta gente.
Giustizia mosse il mio alto fattore;
fecemi la divina podestate,
la somma sapïenza e ’l primo amore.

Dinanzi a me non fuor cose create
se non etterne, e io etterno duro.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate’.’”
Sunset blinked. “Um…what?”
“Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Canto III, in the original Italian. It's an inscription the titular author describes as being engraved upon the gates of Hell when he and the character Virgil arrive there. It describes Hell as a city of woe,  a place of eternal suffering for those eternally lost to the goodness of a…greater light…I suppose…and entreats one to ‘Abandon all hope, you who enter here.’” She paused, thoughtful and concerned. “It came to mind with your description of the reality of this place, and I could not help but make the comparison. Which I must freely admit unsettles me.”
A shiver crawled up Sunset’s spine. “…that’s…not something I would call inaccurate, Miss Luna. This place is wrong. Twisted to the point where even the magic is in agony…” She hugged herself. “Something bad has happened or is happening here. I didn't know any place in this world could feel like this…there are places, sometimes, in Equestria that feel this way, but they're always old ruins, from the Warring Tribes Era, ancient places where something terrible happened and magic was used in hate and anger by creatures driven mad by the Windigo…” Exhaling slowly, she set herself to be prepared for anything. “…maybe you were right when you called it evil magic.” 
Luna stared up at the building and the gates before slipping her fingers up to her neck and freeing a necklace hidden previously in her shirt, the gold cross now hanging openly. As she did, she uttered something that might have been a prayer, and seemed to gather her own courage, as if Sunset’s words had shaken her. “Once more unto the breach then?” She made to step forward.
“Miss Luna, wait.” 
She hesitated, long enough for Sunset to say what she needed to. “If…if I tell you at any point, to leave, I need you to do just that. Turn around and walk out. Don't look back, and don't run--it would attract attention you don't want--come to your car, go back to CHS, and tell the girls they need to contact Princess Twilight immediately, that it's an emergency, and the Elements are needed. Do not try and wait for me, don't try to help me, don't question me, just…go.” 
The vice principal stared at her hard, before nodding. “I do not like it…but under those circumstances, I…understand. My lack of magic would be a detriment, and I would better serve getting help.”
Sunset met her gaze a moment, and nodded. “…yes…and be careful here. Take nothing, touch nothing. Not food or drink or objects. Watch yourself. Anything could be imbued or enchanted…” She could still feel the darkness all around them, pressing in, trying to crush her, even as her magic pushed back and burned it away again and again like a cleansing flame.  Idly, Sunset wondered if pure sunfire would destroy the darkness. The radiant golden flames were normally the purview of Princess Celestia, but she had figured out as a teenager in Equestria how to cast them herself, albeit, not efficiently or without risk.
So warned and alert, the two of them continued on the way to the front doors, and Sunset watched as the shadows seemed to pull away like living things, leaving a trail behind them…it reminded her uncomfortably of some of her nightmares, and she wondered, distantly and not for the first time, if this is what she had been dreaming of. It made sense, since Twilight had to go here daily, and it even matched with the dark, insidious power that had affected the family on several occasions…and why it seemed to keep coming back on her girlfriend. She’d only ever been to a location that felt like this one time in Equestria, a year or two before she ran away through the mirror. It had been a very carefully supervised expedition for students seeking their Archmagus certifications, a form of cautionary tale on what unscrupulous magical actions could cause if a spellcaster was careless or ignored warnings set forth by the Thaumic Ethics Board…and they’d been hit with some strong monitoring spells before going in, their duration in the border zone of the ancient ruins very short to avoid the risk of the magic affecting them negatively. Everypony knew extended exposure to dark magic had consequences…
The unknown factor was whether or not this was like those half buried ruins northwest of Canterlot, a place where the darkest of magic had left its eternal mark, thrumming through forgotten wards that only targeted those with a significant amount of their own magic, or if this was an active site, overseen by a practitioner darker and more vile than any Sunset could have imagined. Eyes darting around the dim hall with its harsh yet somehow weak fluorescent lighting, the former unicorn kept her head high and shoulders back, intent on giving no sign that her bones were so hot they felt like they were melting. 
Luna steered her down a hall and up a flight of stairs to the office…though the hand on Sunset’s shoulder served more to keep her at the dark skinned woman’s pace than anything. Her own stride kept trying to speed up as the pulsing need to get to Twilight tried to override anything else. They entered the office and garnered the attention of a rather pinch faced secretary who started violently when the door shut behind them. “Ms. Solare, what is the meaning of this? You don't have a scheduled meeting with Principal Cinch this week…and certainly not one in the middle of the school day. And who is this…riff raff…with you? Not one of ours—we have standards here…”
“I will get to that in a moment,” Luna said firmly to the secretary, before addressing Sunset. “The nurse’s office is down that hall there, fourth door on the left. If you reach a left hand turn in the hall, you have bypassed it.” Then her flinty gaze turned on the receptionist. “As for the purpose of my visit, get Abacus down here from her ivory tower, NOW, if she does not want the police to show up and start investigating her staff for criminal negligence and her students for a potential felony.” Her voice was positively glacial, and though she never raised the volume of her voice, it held all the authority of her sister’s solar aligned counterpart. Sunset briefly wondered if this was what Princess Luna sounded like.
Only briefly. The directions to the nurse were a dismissal that she had been needing, and she stopped fighting the need to get to Twilight. She broke into a run, her boots thudding loudly on antiquated wooden floors and leaving more than a few black marks behind in her haste. Sunset counted doors in her head and charged through the fourth one, finding herself in a sterile little exam office, blue-green eyes searching.
The woman who was obviously the nurse was arguing with a blue haired teen that could only be Indigo. The girl looked about the same age as Sunset herself, if an inch or two shorter, with wild hair that looked frazzled and windblown. She was still wearing a gym uniform and had an athletic build that hovered somewhere between Rainbow’s wiry frame and Applejack’s sculpted physique. Her hands were clenched as she stared daggers at the nurse, a plump, older middle aged woman with cherry colored skin and hair that was graying despite desperate attempts to dye it back to a dark brown. “I must insist you return to class,” she hissed, and Sunset could just barely feel the dark energy that hovered around the woman like a miasma—it was hard to pick up anything other than that in the foul magic of the environment itself.
“And it'll be a cold day in Hell before I’ll do that,” Indigo sneered. “I’m not moving until Twilight’s family gets here. What are you gonna do? Expel me? At this point you’d be threatening me with a good time!” She settled herself more firmly in the doorway he was blocking.
“When Principal Cinch—“ the woman shrilled, only to abruptly stop mid-sentence as Sunset stepped into her space bubble from behind. She whipped around to glare at Sunset. “Who are you? You can't be in here. What do you want?”
Sunset was as polite as she could be under the circumstances, as the dark magic trying to press in from all sides, the fiery burn of her own magic, and the agony of her scarred psyche’s reaction to this dark magic vied for supremacy in her awareness. “I’m here for Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice level and even. “I was closer than her parents and I have some of her medication for emergencies.” She dipped a hand inside her jacket to retrieve the small pill bottle.
Glowering, the nurse raised a hand to point at either Sunset or the pill bottle. “I have never—”
What it was she had ‘never,’ Sunset would never know, not when dark eyes with irises that were far too large met hers squarely. In that moment, her own magic flared defensively, just like it had when she’d gotten between Shining and Velvet…and the nurse went just as ashen as he had, reeling like the redheaded teen had physically punched her. Sunset took advantage of the sudden deathly silence. “I am here for Twilight Sparkle,” she said, putting every ounce of authority and conviction she had into her tone, just like she’d learned from Princess Celestia, unable--or unwilling--to stop the magic leaking into her voice. “Unlike you, I called her mom to tell her what was happening. Unlike you, I care about her well being. Unlike you, I’m going to go in there and help her…and I will not let you stop me.” 
The power she was fighting to control pulsed with her words, washing over the nurse and the room, driving the skittering darkness away to writhe and undulate just out of sight, and when Sunset took another step forward to go around the nurse, the woman broke and bolted for the door like a pack of ravenous timberwolves was howling at her heels. “Principal Cinch will deal with you!” she called out as a parting shot.
Sunset snorted. “Bring it on,” she murmured, then looked at the somewhat awestruck and bewildered Indigo. “…Indigo, right? We talked on the phone. You…mind letting me by now?”
“Holy fucking shit,” Indigo managed. “What did you do? I've been trying to shut her up since we got here. That was amazing.”
Shrugging uncomfortably, Sunset made a vague gesture. “I was in the right, she was wrong, and I am here with more than a little authority from people who have a bigger say about Twilight than a school nurse. And I was serious—she wasn't going to stand between me and Twilight, not when Twilight needs me.” 
Indigo shook her head. “No wonder Twilight’s been fighting back this year. With a best friend like you, I’d do the same thing.”
Flushing, the former unicorn did her best to deflect. “I’m nothing that special,” she said as she slipped past the other teen. “I’m going to get her these and see if I can calm her down. You…good to keep standing guard or do you need to get back to class?”
“Are you kidding? After that, I’m here 'til this wraps up—I kinda wanna see if you can do that scary face thing to Principal Cinch!” 
…which was really the last thing Sunset wanted, all things considered, especially if Cinch was as affected by the dark magic as everyone else seemed to be…even Indigo, though she as she checked the other girl over she could see where her magic’s touch had burned away the dark tendrils just like it did for Twilight’s family…and possibly the nurse. “Right…then…keep an eye out and let me know if anyone else shows up?”
She barely waited for the confirmation of her request, before she turned to where she could practically feel Twilight’s anxiety and panic and knot of thoughts that never seemed to let up. There, in the darkest corner of the already dim room, she could see her girlfriend huddled in a ball of misery, sobbing and hiccupping, dark magic latched into her like parasitic roots.
Blue-green eyes narrowed, and Sunset let her magic have more free reign, faint flickers of red and the crawling sensation of her ears not staying entirely human tickling her skin. It rolled through the room, and the dark, slimy pressure on her body pulled back even further, away from not just her, but Twilight. For a fleeting moment, she would have sworn she saw a reflection of glowing eyes in a bit of crystal, but by the time she focused on what she thought she saw, it was gone. 
Pulling the magic back under her skin, Sunset scanned the room with her senses once more, grunting in satisfaction when she determined this room, at least, was free of the dark magic entirely, even if she could still feel it around her, smothering and claustrophobically close. Her feet carried her to Twilight’s side, and she sat on the uncomfortable cot next to her, one hand gently reaching to touch dark hair. “Sparky?” she murmured. “I’m here.”
In an instant there was a sob of relief and a body clinging to her for dear life. She pulled the younger girl into a full body cuddle, humming the princess’ lullaby into dark hair, in between affectionate nuzzling and soft words just barely loud enough for Twilight to hear. Twilight, for her part, was burrowing into her until she was practically inside Sunset’s jacket, repeatedly mumbling, “You're here…you came…” in between ragged breaths.
Sunset gave her a minute or two to relax enough to be able to hear her words before she sought to accomplish what she came to do. Getting one of the pills into her hand without letting go of Twilight was quite the exercise in creativity, but she managed, finally tugging Twilight’s face out of her boobs. “Sparky?” the redhead entreated, voice firm. “I have your meds. I need you to open your mouth for me. Can you do that?”  There was something like a short, jerky nod, and Twilight opened her mouth, reminding Sunset of when she had taken care of the hatchling Philomena. Deftly, she popped the quick-dissolve tablet under her girlfriend’s tongue. “Okay, Sparky. We just have to let it work now.”
The other girl returned to pressing her face into Sunset’s shirt. She had stopped sobbing and her breathing didn't seem like it was as much of a struggle, but the former unicorn suspected that she wasn't going to be much in favor of doing anything or interacting with much of anyone for the rest of the day. Not that she was too bothered by that—she personally wanted to get Twilight away from the grounds of her school and go over every inch of her essence with her own magic to purge any lingering darkness.  Until Twilight’s parents got there, though, all she could do was hold her girlfriend close and protect her from the darkness.
Time crept by, and eventually it felt like Twilight dozed off in her lap, her breathing finally slow and even, the trembling in her limbs abating in favor of the little movements Sunset knew from when she was asleep. She smiled faintly and kissed her forehead. “Just like I promised,” she whispered. “You needed me, and I’m here. You're safe with me…” She fell back into humming, working her way through Friendship Through the Ages, Shine Like Rainbows, and even through a piece or two of her own design that were incomplete, hovering just at the edge of a Pony-Up and letting her magic fill every inch of the room.
“…catchy tunes,” Indigo’s voice broke the shell of near-quiet.
She glanced up from Twilight’s hair, seeing the Crystal Prep girl in the doorway, looking their way now. “My friends and I have a band,” she offered as a way of explanation. “It started out as part of a fundraiser thing, but it's…turned into kind of a group hobby.”
“That’s…pretty cool. Is Twilight part of it?”
Sunset adjusted Twilight’s position in her lap to be somewhat more comfortable. “I haven’t introduced her to the girls yet—they can be…kind of a lot…and I’m not sure she’s ready for the ‘hundred and fifty percent friendship a hundred and fifty percent of the time’ vibe they emit. So I’m trying to ease her into meeting my friends…slowly.  Eventually though? I think they’d be good for her, just like they’ve been good for me.”
Indigo watched her for a long time, before nodding. “…Sparkle could really use some better friends,” she said quietly. “This…this is my fault. Some friend I am.”
That made the redhead raise an eyebrow. “How is this your fault?”
“I told her our stuff would be safe if we left it in the librarian’s office. It's my fault something happened to it. I should have known somebody would want payback after the Polaris thing.” The girl’s shoulders slumped.
Motioning her into the otherwise empty room, Sunset said, “That’s not your fault, Indigo. You didn’t advertise where your stuff was, did you?” When she shook her head, Sunset sighed. “Then it wasn't your doing. I don't blame you and neither will Twilight. You're only responsible for your choices and actions. Today? You didn't fail. You were the friend who was there for Twilight when no one else was. You messaged a stranger on her behalf, you risked trouble for yourself to protect her against adults, and you care enough to feel guilty that it happened in the first place.” She could hear the echo of her own friends’ advice in her mind, different moments in her own friendship lessons where they had soothed doubts just like Indigo’s.  “That makes you a really good friend from where I’m sitting.”
A snort of laughter escaped her. “Wow. You really are her best friend. She gets the cheesy friendship speeches from you.”
“Hardly,” Sunset countered with a dry chuckle of her own. “I can assure you that the ‘you can't stop me, we’re friends now’ thing? That's all Twilight. I learned all my friendship lessons from her and the girls.”
Quiet resumed, before Indigo reached for a familiar backpack. “Don't panic…I want to take pictures of all Twilight’s vandalized stuff to send to you, so there's proof. Things like this have a weird habit of disappearing here.” She started laying all the torn paper and broken things on the cot, spreading them out so she could take pictures with her phone from different angles. “Who’s the woman you brought with you? She’s out there tearing strips off Principal Cinch and the nurse so loud I could hear it.”
“My vice principal. She’s not the biggest fan of this school.” Sunset couldn’t help but smirk at the thought that Miss Luna was giving the other principal a serious dressing down.
“Well, she’s not happy, and the weirdest part is that it's working. I’ve never even heard of anyone taking Principal Cinch down like that, and she’s just fucking swallowing it like Suri Polomare on a Friday night!” Indigo’s expression was one of delight as the flash from her phone camera went off repeatedly.
It took Sunset a minute to realize what Indigo meant, and she made a face. “I've never even seen what your principal looks like, and that was still a mental image I could have done my entire existence without.” Then she frowned. “…and if you think my vice principal is bad, I’m actually more concerned about what’s going to happen when Twilight’s family gets here. Her mom and dad are really upset lately with this school, especially after your principal suspended Twilight.”
Indigo was repacking Twilight’s bag, and she looked up at Sunset. “…you think they're going to pull her?”
“…they want to, I think.”
The other teen frowned. “Would they send her to your school?”
Chewing on her lip, Sunset hesitated. “…that's very likely,” she hedged. “I’m already there, and so Twilight wouldn't be alone.”
Running a hand through her hair, Indigo asked, “You…think CHS would be interested in taking on one more Shadowcolt washout?”
She chuckled, shoulders shaking enough that Twilight grumbled softly. “I don't see why not—they let me stay, after everything I did.” Indigo looked at her curiously, and she explained, “I used to be Queen Bitch of Canterlot High. Then I got knocked off my pedestal last fall at the Fall Formal. Totally and completely humiliated myself, almost got myself and others killed in the process. They’ve forgiven me enough that they fought the principals on my being included in the Friendship Games. So…I think you’d be more than okay.”
Silence again, thoughtful more than anything, and then Indigo said, “…I think I need to talk to my dad. I don't know if it's worth going to this school any more…especially if Twilight leaves. I’ll stay while she’s here…I don’t want to ditch her here…but if she leaves, I don't wanna stay.”
Sunset smiled. “For what it's worth, Indigo, I think you’d make a great Wondercolt.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Three: Find Hope Alive Among the Hopeless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





For the thirtieth time in the last twenty minutes, Sunset’s phone buzzed. The previous messages had all been the group chat with the girls, who were worried because Sunset had failed to appear at lunch. It had taken some time for her to convince them that things were…not better…but settling. That she’d had to deal with something extremely personal—if magic related—and that Vice Principal Luna had given her a ride to ensure her safety. She promised to talk to them the next day.
Sunset wasn't looking forward to that talk.
Or the one she now owed Miss Luna and Principal Celestia.
“You sure are popular,” Indigo joked. “Friends again?”
The redhead flicked her thumb across the screen to bring it up, fully expecting another offer from Pinkie to bring her cupcakes at home…which worried her, because Pinkie had no way to know where she lived…and yet, some part of her knew that was not a deterrent to a determined Pinkie Pie.  It wasn't her friends though. It was Velvet.
-We just arrived at Crystal Prep. Are you still here, sweetheart?-
“Twilight’s mom,” she mumbled, texting as rapidly as she could with one hand. -With Twilight @nurse office. Meds helped. Shes Zzzzz.-
-We’ll be there in just a minute. Parking the cars.-
They would be entering this pit of dark magic. “Ponyfeathers…” she muttered. She wasn't about to leave Twilight vulnerable, but she needed to keep the ambient darkness that she could feel boiling and seething just beyond her presence from trying to get their hooks into the rest of the family. “I need to meet them in the main office, and Twilight’s out, and I refuse to leave her alone here…”  Looking down at her sleeping best friend, Sunset made a decision. It would mean even more questions from her principals later, but she wasn't sure the cat hadn’t already been let out of that bag already. 
Standing up was an awkward experience that required her to twist in a few ways that made her thankful for the gymnastics routine she’d taken up practicing again in her attic. Soon though, the redhead was standing with Twilight carried in her arms, face still tucked against her collarbone. She flicked her eyes to the quietly watching Indigo…dragon droppings…that was another conversation she was not sure about. “You…mind carrying her bag for me? My hands are a little full.”
“Sure thing.” A pause. “…and ummm…?”
Sunset arched a brow questioningly.
“Your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell anyone about…”  One hand made a gesture towards Sunset. “...you know...your feelings and stuff. Not my business or theirs. That’s between you and Twilight.” The girl slung her own backpack on, before picking Twilight’s up by the strap.
“Uhhh…” That…was unexpected…but she wasn’t about to correct the girl’s assumption—it wasn’t a hundred percent wrong, after all. “…thanks, Indigo. You’re a good person and I know I appreciate what you did today.”
“Twilight’s my friend. She didn't have to be, but…she wanted to be friends, and I don’t have so many of those these days. I stick by my friends…and my promises.”
There was something heavy in the air again, this time from Sunset’s magic, and she felt along it, trying to decipher the odd tug on her soul, like a nudge from her mark. It…was….she pushed more power into the instinct, and sensed her magic settle lightly over Indigo, creating a faint shimmering barrier around her invisible to the human eye. Almost like a ward, or a form of protection spell, Sunset realized, but one that didn't feel entirely like Sunset herself. A closer study, and threaded into the fiery energy she associated with herself were faint strands that felt like her friends and the Element magic they wielded. 
Indigo preceded her out the room, and to her perceptions, the thin barrier rebuffed questing tendrils of darkness from the teen…
Fascinating…
Yet when Sunset tried to repeat the gesture over Twilight, she couldn't seem to call up the energy to do what she wanted. Growling under her breath, she held her girlfriend tighter and followed Indigo out to the main office.
There she saw the proud form of her own Vice Principal staring down an older middle aged woman and the cringing nurse. From the severe bun and lined scowl, coupled with the professional attire, she was fairly certain this woman was the infamous Abacus Cinch, Principal and Headmistress of Crystal Prep. She also looked like she sucked on lemons as a hobby to perfect her scowl. 
Sunset was not impressed.
Her magical senses still open, she scanned the Principal…like everyone else here, darkness coated her, but in her case it was so thick and choking, it was like the woman had been soaking in a pool of tar. Though…if she remembered correctly, Night had mentioned her being principal when he was in school…which meant a great many decades of living on the property, given its status as a boarding school as well as one that accepted local day students. Pulling her senses back away from the nauseating darkness, Sunset gave a mental sigh. There was nothing she could do at the moment—it was taking all she had to push the dark magic away from herself and Twilight, and after nearly an hour, she was struggling. Even she wasn't a bottomless font of magical energy.
Their presence was noticed, and both administrators turned in the direction of the three teens. Sunset saw the moment Luna’s eyes widened in recognition of just who was in Sunset’s arms. Yeeeah, that was going to be an awkward talk later. The reaction that surprised her more, however, was Cinch. She went pale, eyes widening behind the tiny gold rimmed spectacles that sat perched on her nose, and Sunset felt a queer twist in her gut as she realized that something about the three of them standing there together scared the woman. It rolled off her, sending the warped, twisted energy around her into a near frenzy.
Sunset’s own eyes narrowed, and she fixed the woman with a defiant, furious glare of her own. This sour woman was the reason her Twilight was stressed and tying herself up in mental and emotional knots. She let her own fury and protectiveness of the girl in her arms rise to the surface, and just a touch of her magic, and felt extremely satisfied when Abacus Cinch flinched and looked away first. Then she turned to her own Vice Principal. “Miss Luna? I just got a message from Twilight’s mom. They're here.”
Luna gave her a smile that had a touch of visceral smugness. “Thank you for letting us know. Is…Twilight…alright?”
She caught the hidden question in the words. “She’s…exhausted from it, but I got her meds into her before it got too bad. It…took a while to calm her down.”
“No thanks to Nurse Ratchet over there,” Indigo muttered sarcastically. 
Humming in her throat, Vice Principal Luna commented, “Indeed…but with great thanks to you, I surmise.”
Running her free hand through her hair, the athletic teen shrugged. “Just doing the right thing, ma’am.”
“Perhaps, but—”
Hurrying steps and a blur of pink cut Luna off by colliding with her at top speed. It caught everyone by such surprise that for a second, Sunset almost thought the girls had found her and was about to be the second one receiving a Pinkie-missile…only for her brain to catch up to what her eyes were seeing.
“Lu!” Cady said as she hugged the dark skinned vice principal in a bear hug. “Thank you so much! You are the absolute best best friend in the whole wide world!”
And promptly derail completely, careening off the tracks to slam into a rock wall at full speed, exploding violently into pure confusion.
This was only added to when Luna returned the hug with genuine warmth. “Cady,” she said, “I would never have said no. We have been friends for far too long for me to not help you in an emergency.” She gave the pink skinned woman a playful wink, and a nudge. “And later, we can talk all about the venues you did get to see.”
Anything else exchanged between the two women was lost when Velvet and Night saw Sunset standing there with their youngest child. They hurried over, and Sunset couldn't help but feel relief—the dark magic had left them alone so far…and now they were inside her bubble.  “Mrs. Velvet,” she started to say. 
The woman didn't wait. She just hugged her and Twilight both, tight enough that Sunset couldn't quite get a full breath, but…it was kind of nice, and something about the gesture made her feel less tired, more energized. Her flagging magic flared, and she saw over Velvet’s shoulder the nauseated look on the principal’s face. A satisfied feeling crept over her—while some of the woman’s problem might have been the dark magic, Sunset still couldn't shake the sense that she was responsible for a lot of Twilight’s troubles in the last few months, if not years. So if the open affection and short term exposure to Sunset’s magic made her uncomfortable, she hoped the woman spent the night with a stomach ache.
As Velvet released her, Sunset realized Indigo was standing there awkwardly, still holding Twilight’s bag. The former unicorn cleared her throat, interrupting Velvet’s fussing over Twilight, who whined in her sleep and clutched Sunset tighter. “Mr. Night, Mrs. Velvet, this is Indigo. She is Twilight’s friend who messaged my phone to tell me something had happened. She also took pictures of all the damaged stuff in Twilight’s bag, and stayed with her the whole time.”
Her girlfriend’s parents studied Indigo a moment, before Night offered the teen a warm smile. “We owe you a thanks then, Indigo. You went above and beyond for Twilight today.”
Principal Abacus Cinch decided at that moment to interject, as if she wanted to recover some control over a situation that had been taken out of her hands. “Noble as Miss Zap’s intentions may have been, she has skipped almost two full class periods and deliberately refused to follow the order of a member of staff…there will be consequences for that—rules are not to be broken lightly.”
Sunset frowned, remembering when Rainbow Dash had been punished for skipping over the MyStable page. That had made some measure of sense—the situation had not been an immediate emergency, and had Dash waited to do it the next evening or a day later not much would have been different for Sunset—nor had Principal Celestia done it for personal reasons. The principal had clearly done it as a gesture of fairness, which allowed her to also punish the people who had been involved with the webpage. Yet as blue-green eyes watched the stern visage of Cinch, she became acutely aware that this had nothing to do with fairness or the rules. This was about power and control; the dark satisfaction in the woman’s seemingly soulless eyes was at being able to wrest control back over at least one of her students and punish them for their part in the day’s events.
That made Sunset angry, angry enough to challenge the woman on her own turf. “Indigo Zap did exactly what I asked her to do,” she declared hotly, shoulders back and head high, every inch the mare who had been raised by a princess--a goddess, a part of her mind added--and had grown up interacting with creatures belonging to a social strata that this private school principal could only dream about meeting. “She gave me her word to stay with Twilight until her family arrived, because everything I’ve heard and seen about this place makes me trust the staff here less than I would a starving lion not to eat me.”
Silence fell, so total a person could have heard a pin drop.
Then Cinch focused on Sunset, a faint flicker of a grimace crossing her features before it was schooled into an expression she was used to seeing on sycophants trying to suck up to their betters. “…I…am afraid my hands are somewhat tied,” she murmured. “There is a need to maintain discipline in my school, and rules are rules, no matter the circumstances. I am certain you can respect and understand my position, Miss…?” 
The former unicorn met her gaze unflinchingly, and her lips twitched into a frown…but she did not offer this woman the courtesy of her name. It was…perhaps…a bit petty, but it was a calculated insult. A way of showing both mistrust…plus, she didn't want her name coming out of Abacus Cinch’s mouth—something about the very idea of it made her feel the kind of primal revulsion that made her want to shower in scalding water and scrub her skin red and raw.
At her unspoken refusal, those eyes darted to Luna, who stood next to Cadence—the pink skinned woman had one arm looped through Luna’s and the other through Shining Armor’s—as though hoping Luna would give her what Sunset would not. The dark haired woman’s eyes narrowed and her lips twisted into a stern frown; Abacus Cinch would gain no help from that quarter.
Cinch moved her attention again, to Velvet and Night, but Velvet was, at present, ignoring her pointedly to take Twilight’s bag from Indigo with loud thanks. And Night Light? He turned on the principal with a thunderous anger on his face.
“Respect? Discipline? Are you really going to stand here and try to hide behind that, Abacus? Particularly when my daughter has cried herself to sleep from anxiety and stress, while the very girl you're talking about disciplining had to do the job of the insensitive and callous subordinate you just claimed you were placing on suspension pending an actual investigation into her negligence of her duties—not to mention an egregious violation of the Hippocratic oath—all because she had the mental aptitude and foresight to realize before you did that said subordinate was in the wrong?” His voice was stern and scathing. “More than that, you are now trying to brow beat a teenager who isn't one of your students because she called attention to your failures as an educator, all while my wife is collecting a bag of destroyed property—an act that was perpetrated by your students. Where is the disciplinary action against those who committed an active crime? You’d best hope that the value of property destroyed is less than the total required for it to graduate from misdemeanor to felony, Abacus Cinch, because I can't imagine that police investigation being good for your schools…reputation.”
Clearing her throat, the principal backpedaled, trying to assuage Night’s fury and Sunset’s icy stare both. “Of course not, but I was just trying to be fair all the way around. I would hate for anyone to cry favoritism during any investigations that might…affect the outcome of guilty parties being punished for their actions.” Her eyes flicked to the pale and cowering nurse, who looked like she wanted to throw up. “But…since the young lady seems willing to vouch for Miss Zap’s actions, I suppose I can…allow leniency in this case. Perhaps…a few detentions after school?”
A low growl threatened to burble up from Sunset’s throat, and Night pressed a warning hand to her shoulder to keep her from telling the woman what she thought of the idea. 
Night turned towards Indigo. “Indigo, do you happen to know if your parents are available? I’d like to speak to them on a personal matter—and to relay the truth of today’s events to them. I feel it will come better from an adult to counter whatever narrative the faculty here decides will best serve their reputation.”
Indigo, who had been watching the exchange with a mixture of emotions, held up her phone. “Actually, I was just about to call my dad. He works from home—it's easier on his bum leg. I’ll talk to him and then pass it over.”  She punched in a number, put the phone to her ear. “…hey, Pops…no…not exactly. Some shit went down, and I need to come home early.”  She listened to the person on the other end. “…it's too much to explain, Pops…no, less Devil Bounce, ‘92, and more like Red Runner and ‘76… yeah.” More talking from the other side, Indigo listening patiently and scowling. “No…yes…yes…my friend, Twilight? Her parents are here to get her. Yes, she was involved. Her dad was hoping to talk to you. Yeah. Okay, one sec.” The teen offered the man the phone. “Pops wants to talk to you.”
Twilight’s father took the phone and stepped into a nearby alcove to talk quietly to Indigo’s father. It wasn't a long call, and he was turned in such a way that his words were muffled. Sunset watched the rest of the room warily, pushing her magic out as far as possible to fill the office, stripping a layer of darkness off Cinch and the nurse in the process. The clear discomfort and way the nurse grabbed a nearby trash can to vomit into did a lot to run interference for Night and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.
It wasn't more than a few minutes and Night was holding the phone back out to Indigo. She spoke to her father again, mostly nodding and looking pretty grim faced. “Sure thing, Pops. I’ll see you in a bit.” She hung up after that.
Not more than thirty seconds later, the office phone rang, and the secretary slowly reached for it as though she were half afraid it would transform into a venomous snake and bite her. “Hello, Crystal Prep Academy, how may I help you?” A pause, and her eyes darted towards Indigo, before she pressed a button. “Would you repeat that for record purposes, sir? Yes sir, it's school policy.” Silence. “Yes sir. I’ll inform your daughter right away, sir.  Have a nice day, sir.” She set the phone back in its cradle, paling when Principal Cinch glanced at her….though she addressed Indigo instead. “Indigo Zap? That was your father…you are being picked up and taken home by Mr. Night Light and Detective Armor of the CCPD…”
“Which would be me,” Shining said, finally speaking up. “Do I need to show you my badge again, Principal Cinch?” The words were almost a challenge.
Looking for all the world like she wanted to say anything but what came out of her mouth, the principal swallowed her pride. “No, Detective. I am well acquainted with both your identity and…integrity.” Cinch smoothed some wrinkles from her shirt. “And since this is all well in hand, if there is nothing else, I have…an investigation or two of my own to start as a result of today’s events. There are still those in need of a firm hand and some unpleasant reminders that certain standards are held for those here, and that today’s…events were…unacceptable.” Hard eyes turned to the nurse. “Nurse Cherry, my office.” With that, the woman swept away, and with her, a portion of the darkness in the room.
Sunset exhaled. “Bitter, pinch faced daughter of harpy and a three legged yak…” she muttered, making Velvet and Indigo both laugh.
Shining stepped over to her, holding out his arms. “Did you want me to carry Twilight? She must be getting heavy.”
Panic edged her brain from her very soul, and Sunset recoiled from him, feeling her grip tightening on the girl in her arms. As she did, Twilight whined and shifted until the redhead felt a hand scrabbling for purchase under her shirt, fingers finally curling around part of her bra. “No!” The word was loud, and harsh, practically snarled, and Shining backed off immediately, raising both hands placatingly. Forcing herself to calm—with her magic running so hot underneath her skin here a surge would be devastating—Sunset shook her head. “Sorry…no. I've got her, and…she's kind of got me in a death grip. It's okay. She’s not heavy.” It was a poor explanation for the near primal fear that coursed through her at the idea of anyone taking Twilight away from her in this dark, tainted place, as if relinquishing her hold physically meant removing the magic that protected her sleeping girlfriend. That was irrational, Sunset knew, but still she held Twilight possessively tight, unwilling to even entertain the chance.
He nodded. “Okay…let me at least walk down the stairs ahead of you just in case though. That way, if you trip, you won't break both your necks.”
The group of adults surrounded the three teens after Night signed a sheet on a clipboard for the two girls he was responsible for getting home. Sunset caught her vice principal’s eyes and she nodded carefully; this was acceptable to her because it kept the whole group inside the bubble created by her magic pushing out. Despite the way she felt revitalized, Sunset was leery of  having to stretch her magic any further…she could feel the pressure on her, the strain and struggle from the dark magic that surrounded her in this place that still wanted to crush in and flood her with that addictive, hungry, choking void. The mere thought made her stomach churn and her head throb, and she gritted her teeth. 
 Just a few more minutes, Shimmer, she told herself. And then you’ll be out of this place.
The journey down the hall was arduous—Twilight was not quite as light right now as Sunset had pretended, not after standing and holding her for a while and with a lot of her focus and energy going to her magic…and the stairs were a nightmare of pain in her back and fire in her bones, each trembling step half blind because she had to lean back to compensate for Twilight’s weight at her front. By the time she reached the bottom, she was sweating and shaking, still refusing to give up her grip on the girl in her arms even after Night, Shining, and even Luna offered to take her. 
“No,” Sunset growled out each time. “I’ve got her. I promised.”
As if sensing her weakness, the shadowy essence that permeated the building to its very foundation—what horrifying atrocity of ancient magic had happened here to corrupt it?—renewed its attack, until Sunset’s every breath was labored and her head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. Several times, her magic faltered, like a sun fighting gravity but running low on nuclear fuel…each time, she stopped, taking a breath, and then forced herself to keep going, gritting her teeth and pushing her magic out with sheer willpower.
She was Sunset Shimmer, Magus of Equestria and Former Student of the Princess of the Sun, and she would not allow something like this to win. She would not fail Twilight, and she would not fail her family.
A hissing noise at the edge of her hearing made her jolt, which turned into a stagger that ended when her shoulder came into contact with one of the small alcoves along the wall.
Pain.
Oh bright moonlight, the pain.
It was unlike anything she could ever describe—not her first trip through the portal, not her demonic transformation at the formal, not the way this place’s wards had attacked her…not even how her own soul had felt like it had gone through a cheese grater after she ate the Rainbow of Light could compare to the information bombarding her brain. Sunset’s soul felt like it was being choked and squeezed by a boa constrictor, turned inside out and upside down in the process, and she pushed back against the awful sensation, against lightning agony that burned the surface of her again and again, every nerve ending and neuron registering utter agony that seemed endless… She struggled through the haze of sheer mind numbing agony until she could see it, on the wall, some kind of spell matrix…a ward or a ritual or something foul…and then she found the dangling end, a piece of it that she could grab and pull with the magic inside her…
If the formless and metaphysical could be equated to a physical thing, the act of undoing the magic she’d come into contact with was best compared to that moment when one popped a huge, horribly painful and infected abscess, where there was both a wet rupturing sound and the feel of pure relief as the core and a stream of pus and blood shot like a rocket out to splatter nearby surfaces. Something burst, and Sunset felt the pain abruptly stop—it wasn't her pain she had been feeling all along, some part of her supplied—and something soft, featherlight, wounded and timid, brushed against her awareness with a moment of such gratitude and relief that the teen had to blink back tears.
And then whatever it was was gone, whisked away somewhere she could not see or follow, fading with a burst of joy and bright energy that soothed the lingering tremors in Sunset’s limbs.
As she straightened upright, the hand that steadied her was Vice Principal Luna’s, and a voice murmured, “I trust this is where we walk quickly and do not look back, Miss Shimmer? Even I felt…whatever that was.”
Sunset exhaled, and cast her somewhat tender senses wide, surprised by what she found. The whole area felt…lighter. Not cleansed by any stretch of the imagination, but it was as if whatever Sunset had done had scrubbed a sizable portion of the darkness away in the building, and made what was left retreat away from the group. “Yeah, Miss Luna, I’m okay,” she said, loud enough to reassure the rest of the family. “Got a muscle cramp in my back from carrying Twilight down the stairs.”
“Are you sure you don't want me to carry her the rest of the way?” Shining asked again.
Stubbornly, the redhead shook her head. “No, it's not much further. I’ll manage. She’s…not going to want to let go anyway…”
Cadence leaned over and studied her for a moment. “I’m not sure she’d want anyone’s hands reaching to untangle where Twily has a grip anyway.” She made a face. “That’s going to leave a bruise.”
The woman wasn't wrong, Sunset decided with a wince. Twilight might have had one hand death gripping her bra, but the other was now clenched tight on one breast. “It’s a best-friend merit badge,” she quipped with a wince, quoting a line Applejack had said to Dash once when one of her shoulder punches had been a little too hard.
“Is it now?” Cady glanced over at Luna. “How come we never got that one?”
It was hard to say who felt more embarrassed in that moment: Luna, whose face had darkened to a near midnight shade at the obvious implication in front of one of her students, or Sunset, who really, really, really did not want to focus on the knowledge that Cadence had let slip before, or think too deeply on what her assistant principal might have drunkenly done in college with her girlfriend’s sister-figure…or maybe Shining, who had just clued in on what Cadence was talking about, and refused to look anyone in the eye.
Stiffly, Luna said, “This is not the place or time for that, Cadenza. Particularly in front of one of my students, whom I must keep at least a semi-professional relationship with. I am sure that learning I am the best friend of her best friend’s sister is already a little more personal than she expected to be with the same person that gives her detention.” She grimaced. “Not to mention I still have to return to work and finish doing my job for the day, now that I have done my due diligence for an emergency.”
Cadence flinched, as if realizing that maybe she’d overstepped. Sunset decided to lighten the mood by snorting. “Yeah…the whole pink hug missile caught me by surprise. I thought I was the only one with a friend like that.”
It did the trick in softening the dark skinned woman’s tense expression into something more neutral, and she patted Cadence’s shoulder lightly as the group stepped into the fresh air. “Yes, well, I suppose you could say my time rooming with a certain someone prepared me for what I would face at CHS in a few years.”
Sunset stared at her. “Nothing prepares you for that,” she deadpanned. 
Her vice principal considered that. “Perhaps not entirely, no.”
Once they passed beyond the wardline, Sunset felt like she could breathe easier, and she said, “…thanks for everything today, Miss Luna. I…couldn't have done this without you.”
“Of course.” Luna took a deep breath. “I must return to work, and I assume you are taking the rest of the day.” She glanced at her watch. “I shall endeavor to tell your friends that you are home safe, as they will undoubtedly be haunting the front desk when I return. Come by my office in the morning early, and I will give you a pass to show your teachers so you do not get punished for disappearing before lunch.”
She could read between the lines readily enough. The woman would run interference for her friends, and Sunset would have to come clean in the morning to both her and the principal.
Sunset was not looking forward to that conversation.
> Interlude XXX: Winterborn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The office door slammed behind the Principal of Crystal Prep with a sound of terrible finality, the lock clicking a moment later to ensure that there would be no outside disturbance until such time as the occupants were ready for it. Both figures that had entered the room found seats—one behind the enormous desk, the other in a lone chair before it—collapsing with a weariness neither had wanted to show to prying eyes. A wavering breath escaped the being called Abacus Cinch, and with it, the tenuous threads of magic still holding their glamours about them collapsed into a shimmer of dust that then ceased to exist.
Beneath it, both looked awful.
Described by the fanciful tongues of poetic mortals, the sidhe and their kin were painted in vivid color as shining, ethereal beings, humanoid but not human, with gleaming hair that flowed like liquid metal and felt like the finest of gossamer and silk, with pale, milky skin free of blemish and age, shining eyes that seemed to glow with charisma and power, and elfin features far too delicate and perfect to ever be found on a mortal…
That illusion had been stripped away with part of their essence, by dangerous and furious power wielded so casually by the unNamed invader. Now, high cheekbones and pointed chins were little more than withered death’s heads with papery, dry skin stretched over bone, and dry, lank hair that looked brittle enough to break off at the slightest touch. Even their hands looked gnarled and bent, like the roots of an ancient tree.
Nothing was said for the stretch of several breaths as both of the fae attempted to steady themselves. Finally, it was the elder of the two that broke the pained silence.
“I cannot save you,” Itheadair said, studying the one who had served under their hand for more than fifteen hundred years. “Not this time…”
Cànanach had always been…worth more than others, with a cunning and loyalty far superior to most of their kin, from the very beginning. It was intrinsic to the stern faced sidhe’s very nature, as immutable and permanent as the stars in the sky, and from the very first, that loyalty had belonged to Itheadair. Even now, wounded deeply, they sat straight and did not debase their impeccable record by wailing or pleading or blustering. Instead, eyes like large, dark pools on frost touched moor started resolutely straight at the older fae, waiting for the rest of the decree.
“He would never allow it.” The words came almost unbidden, a lapse of control and judgment brought on by something that Itheadair might almost call regret, if one of their kind was privy to such mortal weaknesses. “Not with potentially costing Him His prize.”
Those eyes remained without the rage so many others, much younger, might have exhibited. “I know,” Cànanach responded, voice rough. 
There was another, tight, heavy silence that stretched between old allies.
And then…
“My essence will never touch the Dreaming, nor the wheel turn for it ever again.” It was not a question, but a surety.
“No.” The answer to the statement that was not a question was short and cutting in its finality, but spoken with a brutal, curt honesty that belied the respect Itheadair had for Cànanach. They rose from their seat behind the desk and moved to a locked, polished cabinet in the corner, near the carafe of water from their former realm. “Such a thing is deserved least by cunning Cànanach, out of all here. It…should not have come to this.” Long fingers opened the cabinet and selected two fine goblets of purest gold and silver, studded with a fortune in precious gems, and a crystal bottle.
Still those dark eyes watched—even with back turned, Itheadair knew that they waited only for a word, a signal.  
Instead, the sidhe placed the goblets and bottle on the desk, and did the same with a platter of fruit, bread, and honey, and the carafe with its empty crystal glasses. “Our first meeting was done with broken bread, milk, and honey, Loyal Cànanach. Let our parting be savored but bittersweet, in bread and honey, with the wine and water of the foreverlost.”  It was the only way to appropriately prepare for the inevitable, a rite older than even them, to send a valued companion—never one who was just a servant, no—to the final days of their winter. And even if this was an end come early at the behest of their master, Itheadair would ensure that Cànanach went to oblivion knowing they had earned the elder sidhe’s respect.
Those eyes, for the first time, showed a hint of something more than acceptance. “As seasons turn, so does the wheel,” they responded in the old tongue. 
“What was carried up is now to be cast down, dissolved to make dreams anew,” both intoned as two sets of hands broke the bread and selected pieces of fruit, letting sparkling golden honey paint each piece in turn.
“May the memories be savored by your dream and mine,” Cànanach said, pouring water and wine into glass and goblet.
“And both the bitter and the sweet carry to the Dreaming with you,” Itheadair returned, mirroring the gesture. “Loyal and Cunning Cànanach…Once well met, and now fare well. You shall be long remembered, and I shall honor your loyalty with blood.”
With great solemnity, the two fae creatures, inhuman and ancient, exchanged both the plates of food and the paired drinks, before dining upon that which each had gifted the other in the quiet of the office, knowing that soon, their Master would come to collect what He was owed…
It was halfway through the ritual meal that it happened. Cànanach had just set the crystal glass down when they began to seizure, mouth open in a soundless scream as their body twisted and bent and jerked in impossible directions. The room grew darker, shadows hissing as they slithered across all manner of surfaces, angry, gleeful sounds; the encroaching void stole all the heat from the room until the fae expected to see hoarfrost forming on the desk’s surface. 
Cànanach slumped forward, still for some few suspended moments before jerking unpleasantly upright again like a marionette. Dark eyes were pits of blackness now, and liquid shadow oozed from the corners of their lips like spittle, dripping without sound to vanish before it ever hit the floor. With a somewhat disgusted sound, a hand was slowly lifted to be stared at, as if the owner of it were trying to decide if it truly belonged to them or not.
Those fingers closed stiffly around the goblet again, raising the finely crafted gold and silver piece up as if to contemplate its existence. “Itheadair…” came the deeper voiced rumble from Cànanach’s throat, dripping with condescension and reprimand, followed by a level of displeased annoyance, “…Would you care to tell me what happened here today?” The Master stared hard at them through borrowed eyes.
Itheadair tensed, searching for the words to answer. “…initially, all was progressing according to plan, my Lord. The girl’s alchemical remedy was stolen and her paltry possessions ruined, as you requested. She even reacted as we anticipated…”
Eyes weeping liquid night at the corners gave the sidhe an arch look. “And then?” He asked, much like disapproving parents did when they dragged a story from their recalcitrant spawn.
“…her latest companion dragged her to Cànanach’s rooms, where Cànanach was poised to see to it that her mental state was appropriate to accept your influence, Master…” Itheadair swallowed hard. “…but there was an unforeseen complication that occurred to disrupt the events.”
It proved to be the exact wrong answer. “Complicationssss?” He hissed, his words echoing from a dozen tenebrous shapes around the room. Smoky miasma created a haze in front of the borrowed face briefly. “Complicationssss are exactly why you and the resssst of your glorified cradle robbing ilk are here, Itheadair!” He snarled over the rim of the goblet. “Were you really sssso incompetent and usssselessss assss to be overwhelmed by ssssome big breasted ssssuccubus!? A ssssuccubussss, you overblown night terror! Not even a demon worth mentioning, but a lusssst addled piece of trassssh who doessssn’t deserve to be called a demon, in the body of ssssome half grown harlot, and you act assss though Pazuzu himself came through the doorssss for all the fight you put up!” He took a long drink from the goblet, and the face twisted in fury. “Asssssh!” He spat, control over the body wavering as he hurled the whole thing at the wall in contempt.
Succubus? A shiver went through the ancient fae. The thing wearing the skin of some teen couldn't have possibly been one such, not with all she had done even before she set foot on the grounds. “A succubus, my Lord?” Itheadair uttered in pure disbelief. “She could not have possibly been one of the concubi breed—their kind never have that much…focus…and the magic…” Over the centuries, they had encountered a dozen handfuls worth of distinct demons—the Master’s army of shadow things did not count—and among that number had been a few of the aforementioned ones whose abilities lay wrapped up in the baser urges of humans. Not a single one had ever carried within the kind of discipline and raw magical power that had been behind those glittering, baleful eyes turned upon them in the office earlier.
The Master stared a moment, as if digesting the fact that Itheadair had challenged His assessment. “It was a ssssuccubussss, Itheadair,” He said pointedly. “Unlessss you have ssssuddenly become a greater expert on ssssuch matterssss than the King of Demonssss?” 
This was dangerous territory, and not meant to bring into question Him. “No, Master…I only thought that…perhaps you had not witnessed all of her activities…”
His voice became edged and deadly. “Explain.”
Fear clawed at their senses, but… “Concubi, my Lord…they are weak, beneath notice. Their fixation on the baser urges and desires of their selected prey means they lack foresight, and operate entirely on their own hungers. They very rarely expend power over more than one or two mortals at a time, because they lack the ability and discipline to do so.” As the stare grew more intense, Itheadair gripped their own goblet tightly. “This she-demon…was not that. She had bound one of the students to her will in a way that escaped notice of all Your servants, Master, and when she arrived…”
The arrival had been felt across the entire property by every shade and fae on the grounds. Even the shackled souls, endlessly trapped in their own misery, had felt her entrance.  “She tore through the wards that should have kept her at bay as easily as one might wave away a troublesome insect, and sent magic like I have not felt in a thousand years back through them…there was no fear in her…only rage, and she thought nothing of destroying anyone that attempted to stop her. Your shades learned this lesson the hard way…as did You, Yourself, Master, when she broke your connection to this realm for a time.”
Silence, and one hand raised imperiously to gesture at the sidhe to continue when they hesitated to keep going. 
Steeling themself, the fae did so.  “Cànanach attempted it as well—confronting the intruder—standing between her and both the she-demon’s marked student and the girl You have Marked. The demon tore a portion of their essence away and proclaimed her intent with all the power and authority of one who expects to be obeyed and feared, as if she were a Queen herself, and not in the body of a scruffy teenage peasant…”
Cànanach’s possessed form stiffened, a sign that the Master was tearing through their memories to find the event. When it passed, the being that went by the name Abacus Cinch continued. “She was there for the girl, and the chambers that were once Cànanach’s are now no longer usable by any of your servants—the magic she used in them prevents any of us from entering now. Moreso, her power did not include only the one student under her aegis—she has somehow enchanted Twilight Sparkle’s entire family and one—if not both—of the last remnants of the Solare line.”  
A bitter draught that had been—confronted by Luna Solare and realizing that the line curse laid upon her ancestors for challenging the sidhe hundreds of years ago had been purged from her blood. That, if nothing more, convinced Itheadair that this could be no mere succubus. That line curse had been ancient magic, a powerful rite that took a fae lord’s full court to cast, not once but thrice for it to take hold. Nothing so weak as a succubus could possibly have undone it—even Itheadair would not have been able to cast the counter rite anymore—their court of followers was too weak and too few in number.
Still the Master did not react. “Issss that all, Itheadair?”
“The soul, Master, at the end. It was not enough that she made the wards falter, she plucked a soul from its bindings…took the pain from it…and released it to its final fate….and still had the strength to walk from this place under her own power, carrying the girl she came for and her own glamour in place. Surely no succubus could do all of that?”
Steepling long fingers, the Master let out a heavy sigh, and spoke as if trying to explain something to a very young and particularly dim-witted human child. “Sssshe could if sssshe has been feassssting on the very girl who is meant to sssserve My ends, you ignorant, sssshort ssssighted fool! The girl who issss meant to have been under my control before now, if it weren’t for your bumbling incompetence, Itheadair. Insssstead, My prize issss now in the filthy, dissssease ridden clawssss of a former peassssant trollop, the power that issss desssstined to be mine allowing gutter trash to put on airssss and insult me within my domain instead of pleading for my indulgence of their very exisssstence…” His voice trailed off and He leaned forward. “Which raisessss a very, very interessssting quesssstion, Itheadair.”
“My Lord?”
He stood abruptly, talons snagging the sidhe by the throat and lifting them into the air. “You brag sssso often about knowing everything that goessss on in thissss city, and yet thissss sssshe-demon ssssomehow esssscaped your notice? How did you missss another demon traipssssing around My territory, Marking humanssss for herself, and whittling away at land that issss Mine?” His voice was low and deadly, almost an animal-like growl. “Either you have grown far more incompetent than issss acceptable, or you chosssse to keep thissss knowledge from Me…”
Already wounded from the earlier assault by the intruder demon, the sidhe had little defense from the power in that grip or the terror it evoked. “I…I swear, Master…I had no prior knowledge! None of my informants and spies ever mentioned anything—the she-demon was completely unknown to me until she overwhelmed the defenses!” Itheadair swallowed, trying not to consider how the talons around their neck could end their existence. “If I had, I would have told you, so that they could be strengthened—they were meant to keep such things out!”
He released them, the sidhe dropping unceremoniously back into the high backed chair. “Which they would have, if they were properly maintained.” His voice was icy calm again. “A failure on the part of you and yourssss. I told you to bring me more ssssoulssss, and every time, you have whined and mewled about the feelingssss of the humanssss. Now your failure hassss cost me a ssssoul and allowed a ssssuccubussss to believe sssshe can challenge My might…perhaps even My crown.”
The air in the room was so thick with shadows it was hard to breathe, and Cànanach’s form that contained their Master loomed impossibly large over the desk, pure void pouring from every orifice like a waterfall of tar, running over the desktop as a smoky miasma before melding with the red eyed shadows closing in around the desk and threatening to put out the light overhead. “An error you WILL rectify, Itheadair.”
“I….I live to s-serve you…my Lord…” Oblivion licked at the sidhe’s calves as waves on a shore, brought by the shades trying to climb their legs. Was this to be their end as well, then? came the stray thought as pain gave way to numbing cold, creeping higher inch by inch.
He sneered down at them. “Yessss, you do.” A gesture was made with one hand. “Even you are not irreplaceable, Itheadair-Anam, and your repeated failuressss of late mean your exisssstence hangssss by a thread…and at my longanimity, which issss quickly reaching itssss end.” The subtle insult was a slap to the face, but the cold froze breath and prevented speech as surely as any gag, so all that Itheadair could do was seethe in silence. “Your grossss negligence allowed an enemy to waltz into My domain, and tear free one of My ssssoulssss that powered the magic and defenssssessss here. And sssso thissss precioussss Cànanach of yourssss will take itssss place to repair the damage.”
Itheadair felt a shudder pass through them at the decree. It had been bad enough to know that the Master would consign Cànanach to nothingness, denied the Dreaming that had long fled with the magic of the world to somewhere the fae could no longer reach. But to use their essence in place of the soul of human cattle…? To commit them to what would be endless suffering until the very magic of the wards finished dissolving them into itself, chewed apart slowly for what could be centuries? 
It was a fate Loyal Cànanach did not deserve, an agony and an indignity all at once…but what choice did either of the sidhe have?
Unless…
“My Lord?” The query was forced out of a throat that still felt stiff and chilled, everything from the stomach down numb. “…might I…suggest an alternative? One that may grant more power to the wards in the long term than Cànanach’s magic?”
From the abyssal pits that Cànanach’s eyes had become, the Master scrutinized them for several frigid minutes as that cold crept ever higher. Finally he raised a hand and the shadows melted down and away, allowing feeling to return to Itheadair’s extremities. “You may sssspeak,” He said flatly.
It would have to be done carefully. The Master was no fool, and it would need to appeal to His deeper desires, rather than seem like a way to circumvent His wishes. “…there may be…more suitable sources. Among the knowledge we brought with us from the old homeland, were many elder rituals of power from my kind and from others even older than they. There are…several rituals of sacrifice meant to do exactly what you seek to do, to empower or bolster protection to a demesne.”
“I ssssee. And what makessss you believe thissss ritual would be more potent than your underling’ssss essence?” He asked.
The sidhe forced their voice to remain level, practical, calm. “Numbers and intent, my Master. It would still sacrifice all of Cànanach’s magic and being, but such a ritual also requires at least two others of age and power to pour a considerable portion of their own magic into it. It will leave them weakened for a time, but the magic created would be of a magnitude greater than Cànanach’s being alone.”
Fingers tapped an absent pattern on the desk with long nails. “And…how long…would they be weakened for, Itheadair?”
Keeping their expression schooled to careful neutrality was a battle against a faint sense that they might convince Him after all. “A moon, my Lord. Two at most, given the lack of magic in the world.”
His voice became deadly and intense. “And in two moonssss you expect nothing of conssssequence to happen? That thissss ritual will make this place ssssomehow…invulnerable to another assssault?” He did not raise his volume, but the sidhe still fought rising terror at his tone. “Never mind that in just one moon, we have planssss for a ritual that cannot be posssstponed, the key to My resssstoration in the world that issss rightfully Mine?”
Cracks appeared in ancient fae’s carefully controlled mien as the power of the even more ancient Master they served pressed down upon them. They struggled to speak, aware now that any misstep might prove their undoing. “T-that is my sincerest d-desire, my Lord. It should be more than enough t-time to discern more about this intruder and how to dispose of her,” they dissembled.
The darkness and shadows swirled around the possessed form of Cànanach, until the being on the other side of the desk swelled into apparent immensity, towering over Itheadair. His voice echoed from a thousand places around the room, overlapping again and again until it was a multitude.  “Your dessssires and My reality have differed assss of late….” He growled with scorn, “…and now you sssseek to reduce our forcessss by three of our most powerful, with the belief that nothing further will occur? That thissss…interloper…will not take that weaknessss assss an opportunity?”
 “Master, I—”
He interrupted, voice scathing. “Have you completely taken leave of your ssssensessss?”
For the first time in centuries of dealing with their Master, the sidhe had miscalculated. Badly.  “N-No, my Lord. I had merely thought to offer a more effective alternative to repair the damage done by the intruder…”
“I ssssee.”  That shadow covered face, almost impossible now to see any features of as it devoured all light that reached it leaned close enough for Itheadair to smell sulfur on each word. “You would do well to remember that blind faith and trusssst are not virtuessss of My kind or yourssss,… however…I am amenable to an…exchange…”
Breath struggled amidst the frigid cold that had returned. “An exchange, my Lord?”
“A deal, assss it were.” For a moment, He turned, pacing a few paces in the longest part of the room, night swirling around him like a cloak. “I will be willing to take your ssssuggestion….and even allow you to pick another to be ssssacrificed in Cànanach’ssss place, provided you can meet your end of the bargain….” He began, pausing pointedly.
It was a pause that did not bode well. Itheadair knew this, even as the response fell from numb lips. “W-what…would that be, Master?”
The suggestion of his horns brushed the ceiling of the room, and smoky wings flared aggressively. “What, ssssidhe? …,the girl and the ssssuccubussss both, before the ssssun ssssetssss on thissss day, that we might rectify all that hassss gone wrong.”
It rang with dreadful finality, like a terrible tolling of some ancient bell, and whatever faint delusions the creature feared and respected as Abacus Cinch, Principal of Crystal Prep had were scattered as ash before a stiff wind. Admitting it was sour and bitter on the tongue, poisonous and infuriating all at once—no fae being ever liked having someone beat them at their own game.
“Well?” The Master turned back, and they could hear the arrogant sneer in the tone. “Your answer?”
Fingers gripped the arms of the high backed chair tightly, though they could feel almost nothing except winter’s chill in their essence. “You ask for the impossible, my Lord.”
Palms came cracking down on the desk’s surface with a horrid crash and the smell of sulfur and heated wood stain. “Then I expect you to do assss I have already commanded and sssstop quesssstioning my orderssss, you pressssumptuoussss sssspawn of a lowland baen ssssidhe!” He roared, His power—though currently weakened—driving pure terror into Itheadair, making their vision gray out at the edges, eclipsing even the indignation created by the deliberate insult.  “Or the next ssssacrifice I require will be yourssss!”
Silence became a deafening thing.
Then He straightened, His voice once more firm and commanding rather than on the verge of rage. “And when you get done with that, I expect you to find out everything about thissss thrice damned ssssuccubussss who thinkssss to challenge my ssssovereignty—am I abssssolutely clear?”
“A-as crystal…my Master…”
All of that coalesced darkness exploded violently from every inch of Cànanach’s body in an instant, choking and blinding the elder fae with primal emotions their kind were not made to feel. By the time Itheadair’s sense had returned to some semblance of normal, all that remained was a pale, gagging, ragged Cànanach, trying to recover from the possession with the knowledge that what awaited them was infinitely worse…
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Four: Eye of the Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“….can you pass me the water?”
Sunset smiled affectionately down at Twilight and pulled her fingers out of dark hair so she could grab the bottle of water on the desk next to the bed. “Here,” she said, passing it to the girl that was stretched out, laying half on top of her under a blanket.
Twilight sat up just enough to take a long drink, and hand it back, eager to cuddle up close and not move from where she’d pretty much spent the last several hours. Sunset polished off the water and returned to stroking her fingers soothingly through Twilight’s hair. “You sound like you're feeling a little better.”
Purple eyes looked up at her, but the other girl remained laying with her cheek pressed to Sunset’s chest comfortably. “…the nap helped,” she admitted, her voice still sounding rough from her earlier panic attack. “…but I think having you near helped more…” The arms encircling her hugged tighter. “…when I realized you came for me…it was like I could remember how to breathe…”
“I promised, Sparky…when you need me, I’ll be there.” The redhead dipped her face down to kiss her girlfriend’s nose. 
The arms shifted until the younger girl was hugging her around the neck. “I thought I was imagining your voice talking to Indigo…especially when it kept happening, but then you were there, and real…thank you for coming for me.”
Her own arms squeezed back, and she twisted a little so she could hook her long legs around Twilight’s, feeling the intense need to surround the smaller form entirely, to keep the rest of the world out. “Wild monsters couldn’t have kept me away,” she murmured. “I will always come for you.”
Silence fell over them for a long time, the couple content to bask in quiet closeness and soft brushes of their lips against each other’s. In between the kisses, Sunset found herself humming music that she thought of as calming.
Sunset knew Twilight needed time, but they…needed to talk too. So she decided to go with a safe topic. “…I like your friend Indigo.” 
“You do?” Twilight asked, the hope in her voice digging into the former bully painfully.
She nodded, nuzzling into her hair, resisting the urge to lip playfully at dark strands. “I do. She…reminds me of my friend Rainbow…she was willing to blind text my number to get help for you.”  Pausing, she considered her next words, before forging ahead with what she was thinking. “And she was willing to stay with you until your family showed up, because I asked her to.”
The other girl was quiet for a long minute. “…so when I thought I heard you talking to Indigo a bunch of times? I thought I was just imagining what I wanted to hear…”
“I was on the phone with her twice, and then I talked to her in the nurse’s office too,” Sunset confirmed. “She told the nurse off more than a few times…and I think your principal is going to end up firing the nurse to avoid some lawsuits.”
Twilight made a distressed sound, burrowing her face back into Sunset’s chest. Amber fingers resumed their gentle stroking through midnight colored locks. “Hey…what happened wasn't your fault, and if the nurse gets fired, it's because she broke the law. My vice principal told me that a school nurse has to call your parents when something happens—her refusing to do that was a huge deal that had less to do with you and more with people that even your principal has to answer to.”
No answer, other than a low sound that she felt through her shirt more than she heard it. “Sparky…” she murmured, cuddling her close again. She really didn't know what else to do at this point other than be a giant body pillow for her girlfriend and offer emotional support, but deep down, she knew that wasn't enough. Not for Sunset, not after feeling how tainted and twisted the grounds of Crystal Prep really were, and certainly not after observing how both her girlfriend and Indigo were treated by the staff. She had thought it was like CSGU…but she couldn't have been more wrong—it was far worse than CSGU could ever hope to be. “…I know you don't like hearing this, but…your school is awful and toxic—what are you actually getting out of it that makes it worth being attacked in the halls or having people ruin your possessions?”
Twilight tensed, but then sort of slumped in defeat. “…it’ll help me get into a good college.”
Sunset sighed, rubbing her girlfriend’s back. “Sparky…you’re brilliant. You blow every test you take out of the water, you're so above high school that you finished the advanced math and science courses they offer in your freshman year…Colleges are going to be begging you to grace their halls, and…” She hated to call it out, but… “…and your family can afford to pay for your college without going into debt. You're pretty much guaranteed a spot anywhere you want to go after graduation. You don't need CPA. CPA needs your test scores to look good, to offset the spoiled rich brats who use gold to pave their way in life rather than work.”
More quiet, and it made Sunset uneasy. “Look, I’m not telling you what to do. It just seems to me that you aren't getting as much out of going to Crystal Prep as you keep saying you should be…and the rational, logical response to that would be to reevaluate whether you want to continue attending school there.”
Twilight made a soft sound of frustration. “I…I realize you're probably right, Sunset, but…can we not talk about it just yet? My parents are probably going to bring it up too, and I can't deal with having the conversation twice, not tonight.”
The former unicorn mulled that over with a thoughtful expression, and decided to draw a little bit on the diplomatic tactics Princess Celestia had used. “I can respect that, Sparky…but can you promise me that in return you will really listen to everyone’s thoughts too? No one believes you aren’t capable of succeeding or even surviving what Crystal Prep is throwing at you…none of it is an attack on you. They're worried. I’m worried—Indigo was there today, and I managed to get to you after she let me know, but…” she left the thought hanging pointedly.
Lavender fingers gripped her shirt tightly, and Twilight pressed deeper into her embrace. “…I…I know that, but…” She made a muffled whining noise into Sunset’s cleavage. “Why can't this just all go away? I don't want to talk about it, or think about it, or argue with Mom and Dad about it because I know this is way bigger than how any of us feel about my school!” 
Her voice hitched in the beginnings of a sob, and Sunset immediately tried to soothe her. “Hey, hey…it's going to be okay, Sparky.  We don't have to talk about it right now…” She could feel her magic pulsing under her skin, itching to help, but she was wary of using it now with Twilight wide awake.
“I know I’m going to have to,” Twilight sniffled, “but it's too much right now and I can't think straight…” she lifted her head, turning her face up towards Sunset, her eyes pleading with the redheaded girl. “…can you…just hold me? Kiss me like you do, and make everything in my head go quiet? Please, Sunny? I…I need to be in that place where nothing else matters except you and how safe you make me feel.”
Sunset sucked in a breath, possessive hunger igniting in her veins at the plea, and she couldn't have stopped herself any more than she could have chosen to have been born something other than a unicorn. Her hands slid lower on Twilight’s back, until they found the girl’s rounded rear; using both hands on it to tug Twilight higher up elicited a surprised but not distressed squeak. That put her girlfriend’s mouth close enough now to capture with her own. Twilight wanted to clear her mind of anything but Sunset? She was going to make sure that was exactly what happened.
Lips met, searing heat and needy fervor accompanied by roving hands breathless sounds that held no real words yet communicated eager want and needy desire. Sunset made a low, burbling growl in her throat as she conquered the now familiar territory of Twilight’s mouth, one hand tangling in dark hair.  Amidst it, she could feel the dark, furious emotions that had given her strength earlier, when the stuffed shirts and dark magic thought they could keep her from her Twilight, and beneath that, a desire to leave a mark on Twilight that could not be denied.  Her magic pulsed, not unlike it had when it had moved to protect Indigo, and following that feeling, Sunset let it seep into Twilight where skin touched skin, leaving a tingling trail of magic behind where her fingers blazed a path under her girlfriend’s top.
Purple met blue-green, and Sunset’s thought’s crystallized into a single idea, one that thundered across her mindscape. Mine, it growled, in passion and fire. 
Twilight pulled back from the kiss to catch her breath, and her fingers brushed along Sunset’s cheek, pushing hair out of her eyes, her face flushed and lips kiss bruised. “…yes…” she murmured, before closing the distance again. “All yours, Sunset Shimmer…”
It was exactly the right response, and the redhead painted Twilight’s skin with magical afterimages, instinct urging her as she drew ancient spellforms and sigils her magic knew was protective, even if she didn't quite remember in the lust haze what they stood for. And with each completed shape, the power filling the room grew, Harmonic magic and Sunset’s crimson energies reaching for some kind of crescendo as one girl pressed the other into the mattress, their eyes closed and their breath mingling together.
SLAM! 
SLAM!
The sound of car doors shutting loudly in the driveway below cut through the intimate bubble, breaking the spell that kept them from the world beyond. Sunset’s magic fell away, leaving only lingering, unfinished traces, and a sense of frustration at not succeeding at her goal. She flopped her head back on the pillows, hands resting on Twilight’s hips, and chuckled breathlessly. “How's your head now?” Sunset asked, pushing her magic back down along with the sense of annoyance. It was probably good they got interrupted before any clothing got tossed away this time—she was fairly sure neither of them had locked the door.
Her girlfriend stared at her, expression a bit dazed, and with a smile tugging at her mouth. It took her a full fifteen seconds to register what Sunset had said, and she pressed back close with a dreamy expression. “…head’s good…everything’s good…you're good….and warm…” Her hands had found their way under the redhead’s top and were pressed to her sides, soaking in the heat radiating from amber skin. “Mmm…” she murmured, nuzzling into Sunset’s neck.
Another chuckle escaped her, and she sat up against the pillows, tugging the hands out of her clothes. “Not quite what I meant, nerd,” she teased, kissing her forehead. “And my eyes are up here.”
“But your boobs are down here…” came the muffled voice as Twilight buried her face into Sunset’s chest once more. “…bury me here…”
One eyebrow went up. “That would make the funeral very awkward, Sparky. For me and for your parents. Not to mention your brother.” She considered it. “Cadence would just laugh at me though.”
The dark haired teen burrowed her face further onto the soft fleshy ‘pillows’, and Sunset let out a noise of pain when she found the sore spot left behind from earlier. Twilight immediately jerked her fully back to reality. “Sunset? What's wrong?”
One hand tugged up her shirt to show the discoloration on her flesh that would look pretty ugly by morning. “You were pretty grabby when you dozed off earlier. One hand got my bra, but…”
“Oh, Sunny, I’m so sorry!” she apologized, leaning in to kiss the tender spot. 
Sunset laughed. “You’re adorable, nerd…I’ll be okay. I told Cadence I’m calling it a ‘best friend merit badge.’” Even if she was never a foal-scout, or whatever humans had. Kid-scouts? Child-scouts? The ones who sold cookies and popcorn. 
Twilight giggled. “I’m fairly certain neither of us was ever a Girl Scout.”
“You got me…” Sunset’s grin was unrepentant as she straightened her clothes. “But you laughed, and that's what I was hoping for. Now how are you feeling? Seriously.” 
The other teen sobered quickly at the question, but Sunset recognized it as ‘Twilight.exe is processing’ face. So she waited, giving her the time she needed to do some self analyzing. At last, Twilight took a breath. “…I am…more clear headed, yes, which has helped reduce my anxiety levels,” she responded in the clinical tone she used when she was falling back on logic to help manage emotions. “…but I am…not in the best headspace at present. Today has been…too much…for me to hope for that.”
Reaching out, Sunset brushed knuckles against her cheek lightly. “I didn't expect you to be—today was a bad one, probably the worst I’ve ever seen you have.”
Her girlfriend drew in yet another breath of the kind that preceded bad news. “…I used to have ones like that a lot before you met me. Sometimes I would spiral for hours…sometimes days when I was little. I think my parents would almost be relieved when I finally snapped and went into the hysterical part and then cried myself to sleep.”
Sunset closed her eyes for a moment, her heart twisting from the raw pain underlying Twilight’s detached tone that she could almost feel, empathy for her best friend dredging up old memories of a similar grief in herself. Her volatile magic and the temper tied to it were different from Twilight’s panic attacks and anxiety, but the shame, guilt, and frustration had been the same for a long time, and it had been part of what made her hateful and bitter. She could remember the looks from other foals  and teachers at CSGU, the servants, passing nobles…but most of all, she could remember Princess Celestia and the tired disappointment on her face every time Sunset lost control. In the end, she’d become a surly shut in to avoid it all as much as possible, focusing on her studies and then later Ascension. 
So she knew exactly what Twilight was feeling.  Even if they both knew that Velvet and Night did not resent their youngest child’s difficulties, Twilight had met plenty of others who had, and the shame-guilt-hurt from that was hard to dispel. The former unicorn tossed her head to shake free of her own memories, and wrapped her arms around Twilight in a hug that Pinkie would have been proud of. “Doesn't matter to me,” she said gruffly, “how good or bad it gets. I’ll always be here to make sure you come out the other side, even if the only way I can help is by being a snot rag and a body pillow. You’re my first friend, my best friend…and you can't chase me off that easily.” She leaned her head down and tipped Twilight’s chin up to kiss her sweetly. “That's why I will always come for you when you need me…because you taught me that being a friend means being there at our worst, not just our best. And if it means I get to scare the horseapples right out of your principal, then I will even break a few speed limit laws to get there in record time.”
Twilight didn't laugh this time, but her lips did turn up in a smile so Sunset counted it as a win. “…thank you, Sunny…but please don't go terrifying school administrators on my behalf.”
“I mean, it was sort of on Indigo’s behalf and I didn’t mean to scare them? I just wasn't going to let her get away with punishing Indigo for doing what I asked her to do—what I made her promise to do. She kept her word…and that…that means something to me, Sparky. She protected you until I got there.” She sighed, cuddling her girlfriend tight. “But I’ll try to be good, even if your principal is a lemon sucking harpy with all the disposition of a yak with half a tree branch stuck up his rump.”
“Sunset!” Twilight chastised her, shocked but also trying not to laugh.
The redheaded girl grumped, “It’s true! It's like someone forgot to tell her that the lemon in the water glass is to clarify the water, not to eat.” Then she gently redirected the conversation. “That was probably your dad and brother getting home, and it's getting close to dinner time. Are you going to be okay to go downstairs? To eat, at least, even if you're not ready to talk about today?”  As if in response, Twilight’s stomach let out a long gurgling growling sound that made the teen flush a little, especially when Sunset chuckled, “I see your stomach has cast its own vote.”
“…I am hungry,” Twilight sighed.
Sunset nodded. “Probably because we both missed lunch, and you skipped breakfast again, didn't you?”
Looking a little sheepish, Twilight wouldn't meet her eyes. “…I was looking over the latest readings from my equipment,” she admitted. “I didn't have time to eat.”
Amber fingers tweaked her nose. “All the more reason to go eat dinner. If I know your mom, she's either been cooking all afternoon or had someone pick up enough take out for a small army.” 
“…yeah…” Shoulders slumping, Twilight stared at the wall. “I know they're going to want to talk about today and my school…”
Time to try this again then. “Sparky…look at me.” When the smaller girl focused on her, adjusting her glasses, Sunset said, “I’m here to support you, Twilight—I’m not your enemy in this, but I am worried. You're my best friend, my girlfriend, and where I am sitting, you are being bullied and taken advantage of…and if there’s something I’m familiar with, it's what bullying looks like, since I was a bully for a very long time. Which is why I’m asking you to be willing to listen to what your parents have to say, and all the worries they have too. None of us believe you aren't strong or capable enough to handle yourself—we just believe you shouldn't ever be in a position where you feel like you have to, because what is going on is wrong. None of this is an attack on you.” She leaned forward and touched her forehead to Twilight’s gently, letting just a little bit of magic rise up where skin touched, willing the faint warmth to carry with it the concern she felt. “Can you please promise me you’ll listen with an open mind this time…and maybe be willing to consider a compromise?”
She could feel the deliberate, slow breaths Twilight took to match her own breathing. “…I…yes…Sunny…I promise to do my best to keep calm and try to listen to what they say rationally…” Twilight said after a minute. “It’s…it’s not the conversation I want to have, and I still don't think I could do it more than once right now, but…” Her arms snaked around Sunset’s neck and she clung to her, trembling slightly. “…maybe it's because I know you’ll be with me, or maybe because you helped get my mind off it all for a while or maybe you're just some kind of magic, but whatever it is…I feel like I can handle it now.”
“That’s my nerd,” Sunset encouraged. “I’ll be right with you if you need a hug or to see if you can break my fingers—maybe go easy on leaving bruises in public places though? I don't think anyone will believe I fell off my bike. As it is, I’ll be dressing out in a bathroom stall for a few days.” When Twilight tried to apologize again, Sunset put a finger to her lips. “I’m teasing, Sparky, relax.” 
Twilight climbed off her, stretching the kinks out of her muscles from several hours of cuddling and a nap. “If you want to head downstairs, I think I want to wash my face and fix my hair. Just because everyone knows I had a huge panic attack today doesn't mean I want to look like I spent the afternoon crying.”
Impishly, Sunset poked her side where she knew Twilight was ticklish, making her yelp. “Probably a good idea. You've got my lip gloss all over your neck and face. It's nothing like that lipstick Rarity wears, and I don't mind it, but…your folks might ask questions.”  She rose and sauntered right by her somewhat dumbfounded girlfriend to look herself over in the mirror, making sure she didn't have any visible marks from their heated make out. She didn't, and a quick finger combing settled her curls enough to be presentable. 
The redhead went to leave the room, pausing to lean down and kiss Twilight’s lips. “Don't be too long, nerd, or I’ll come back up and get you.” With that, she left the room with all the confidence she’d once used to command the halls at CHS, stifling the giggle at the squeaky, flustered noise that escaped the girl she left standing red faced in the bedroom.
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Five: Jericho
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight made her way to the bottom of the stairs, hearing voices in the living room, the scent of fried food tickling her nostrils. Sunset met her in the doorway, pulling her over to the couch with a grin. “Your dad hit the fried food place,” she said with excitement. “You have to try some of these fried veggies.” 
Before she realized it, Sunset had tugged her down, so that Twilight was sandwiched between her and Cady on the couch. Her brother chuckled from the floor where he was leaning back against his fiancée’s legs. “I have never seen someone get so excited over deep fried zucchini.”
“Excuse you,” Sunset said haughtily. “I’ll have you know that where I’m from, deep fried vegetables are something to get excited over.” She plucked some battered kind of fried vegetable slice from one of the containers in front of her and bit into it. “Mmmm….”
The faint sound of pleasure sent a thrill up Twilight’s spine, and she hid it by accepting the container Cady handed her way, finding all of her favorite treats from the restaurant inside. “It smells good,” she said quietly, glancing over at where her parents sat in their favorite chairs. 
Night smiled at her, "I thought we all deserved unhealthy comfort food after today." His smile turned to a chuckle when Sunset made the weirdest sound and promptly stuffed some kind of leafy vegetable coated in batter in her mouth and closed her eyes in bliss. 
Shining smirked slightly, "I told you we should have got a double order of the kale pakora, Dad.”
Curious, Twilight snitched a little piece of it from Sunset and nibbled on it…before promptly regretting it. She gave her girlfriend a betrayed look. “That is the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted. It's like someone put salt on the weeds Mom pulls from the garden, and then decided to batter and fry it.”
“It's delicious,” the redhead countered happily. “I just wish I had Lucky’s seasoning to go on it…” At the confused look, she explained, “It was a sandwich shop, and they did seasoned fries and potato wedges. The seasoning was amazing, but it was a secret family recipe from the original Lucky. Pri—” Sunset paused, then corrected herself. “My guardian had a soft spot for Lucky’s, and used to say that the seasoning was so delicious it would make paperwork taste good.”
Having watched all this, Twilight’s mother chose that moment to interject. “Technically, a fair number of what you call weeds, Twily, are actually edible in their own right. In fact, when I was looking into what I wanted to plant this year, I read an article on using uncommon edible plants in meals. I was actually considering incorporating some of the recipe ideas into meal planning.”
Shining turned a mock horrified face towards Twilight, before saying, “I think I’ll pass on the weed and dandelion salad, Mom.”
Her girlfriend chirped brightly, “I’ll take his share.”
Velvet laughed lightly. “I was actually going to ask if you would like to go with us on the day I pick out the seedlings for our garden this year, Sunset. Twily usually helps me pick out flowers, but I thought it might be fun to get your help in picking out vegetables, fruits, and maybe enhance my herb selection. Maybe we could even talk my daughter into researching which flowers are both edible and beautiful…”
That made Sunset’s whole countenance light up—whether it was from the prospect of a larger variety of vegetarian edibles or from the fact that the older woman was including her in something that sounded like a family activity, Twilight couldn't be sure. Either way, her girlfriend leaned forward and began talking excitedly with Twilight Velvet about vegetable gardens and vegetarian recipes, and Twilight was content to let the conversation go on without any real input from her. 
Instead, she nibbled on her food, her body far hungrier than her head wanted to be, and being far more insistent about that fact than normal. While she ate—and snuck peeks at Sunset’s happy smile—the dark haired teen let her mind wander, distracted for a time by  the mundane idea of whether or not they could build some kind of hothouse adjacent to her garage lab, allowing her to set up the equipment for a year round hydroponics garden. The hardest part would be the structure itself, what with construction material costs, blueprints, permits, actual labor costs since they didn't have anyone in the family with the time or expertise to build it…but for the internals… Twilight pondered the difficulty in writing software to control the lights and hydration levels of different common vegetables and herbs that she knew Sunset liked and decided it was well within the margin for acceptability with her current skill level. The hardest part would be programming the sensors in the nutrient trays to not only analyze but register a number of different potential inputs based on that data, since nutrient and fluid balance could be so much more finicky in a hydroponic setup than a traditional soil based garden bed.
It was soothing to focus for a while on the simplistic and familiar logic of coding languages and the rationale of numbers and hard, concrete, well defined sciences, further settling her nerves after a trying day. For a time, it let her completely escape thinking about the real reason her family was gathered in the living room, why not just Sunset but Cadence and Shining too were practically on top of her personal space bubble.
But they were, and it was the little details that kept pulling her from her thoughts of nicer things. Like how, despite the light conversations going on, there was a coiled tension in her family members, present in the set of her brother’s shoulders, in the way Cady kept leaning over to hug her shoulders, in the lines that marred her father’s forehead…and in the worried glances her mother kept sending her way. Her mother wasn’t alone in that either…each of them she caught flicking their eyes towards her. It made Sunset’s words come back to her.
“They’re worried about you, Sparky…”
Only Sunset seemed calm and relaxed, her body having lost the coiled tension sometime between their arrival home and coming down the stairs for dinner. Except, Twilight realized belatedly, that the seating was too deliberate, too thought out. It placed her brother closest to the front door, and Spike guarding the doorway to the front hall with his whole furry body…something that made her realize that her dog had been there, focused on the front door and not upstairs with her and Sunset. Strange, given he normally plastered himself to her side when she had a bad day…and he kept looking over, not at her, but at Sunset, as if waiting for some kind of signal… Sunset, who was currently the dominant force in the room, who had had some hand in the seating arrangements, and who, she realized, had placed herself with a clear, unobstructed view of the window, and thus the street and driveway in front of the house.
Her mind circled back to the talk with Sunset, and Twilight had to acknowledge her girlfriend was right. Everyone was worried and upset, not with her, but for her. The things that had been happening at her school had affected them almost as much as they had affected her…well…the things they knew about. The rational part of her mind then recognized that Sunset’s request was more than reasonable in light of this new understanding, and that things could not continue entirely as they had, because the situation at Crystal Prep had escalated beyond Twilight’s ability to manage…as much as she hated to admit the last part.
So she ignored that part of her mind that wanted to get angry and upset when her father finally set down his empty take out box and cleared his throat. “I know it has been a long day, but I would like to discuss what happened and where we go from here, if you are mentally and emotionally up for it, Twilight. If you aren't, we can postpone the discussion until tomorrow, since there are some things that we need to do before you can go back to school anyway.”
“Like replace your phone and your school supplies,” her mother added in a neutral way.
Twilight took a deep breath, and felt Sunset’s hand drop onto her forearm to squeeze lightly. “I…understand, but I believe I am able to have at least part of the conversation now. I already discussed a little bit of it with Sunset, and she helped me gain a bit of perspective I had been lacking.”
Night gave a slow nod. “Alright, if you’re certain.” He paused, then added, “We understand that this has been a tough day for you, so if at any time you need us to pause or take a break, you only have to let us know.”
The hand on her arm squeezed again, silent support from Sunset, and when Twilight glanced over, she knew her girlfriend would speak up if Twilight couldn't get the words out when she needed a break. It helped ground her emotionally when her anxieties started up at the mere thought of the impending talk. “Okay, Dad,” she answered, her voice shaking a little.
“I thought it might be best to start by recapping today’s events so we are all on the same page and operating with the same data set before we start discussing any decisions….particularly since no one person here was present for all of it.” He looked around the room, and, seeing only agreement, began, “According to your friend Indigo, the two of you left the gym and headed to the library, where you had been leaving your stuff with the librarian in her office. She explained that this was because some girls have been trying to corner you both in the locker-room as a bullying tactic. Is…this accurate, Twilight?” 
Night looked extremely concerned already, and Twilight struggled to defuse it. “It’s…it's just Suri and her followers. More of the same stuff—name calling, taunting, accusing me of having my parents buy my GPA. She’s been doing it since freshman year…you knew about her.”
Her mother tilted her head. “This is the same girl who was bothering you two years ago? Wasn’t she an upperclassman when you were in ninth grade?”
Grimacing, Twilight responded, “Yeah, that’s her. She’s attempting her senior year for the third or fourth year in a row, and she blames me for it because I blew the bell curve in the math class I took in ninth grade…not that we were even in the same class or anything. She’s had it out for me ever since, and this year has been the worst.”
Sunset arched an eyebrow. “Boy, she sounds like a real winning example of ‘Crystal Prep superiority,’” the redhead joked.
“It's mostly talk,” Twilight explained, “but after I fought Polaris, something set her off, and the rumor is that she wants to ‘teach me a lesson’ in the locker room. Indigo found out, and we’ve been changing in the bathroom across from the library instead, and having Ms. Stacks watch our bags. It’s been working fine for weeks…”
Her father nodded. “We’ll get back to the girls in the locker-room problem later. For now, we’re focusing on today. So after gym you returned to the library, found the librarian gone, and your bag in her office had been vandalized?”
“Yes sir.”
Still going through it methodically, Night ticked off events. “This triggered an anxiety attack, and you discovered your medication was missing, at which point Indigo decided to try and contact someone for you.”
That was when Sunset interjected, “That someone was me. She texted my number, since she managed to get it from Twilight’s phone. I bailed out of my class, and called her. Tried to help calm Twilight a little, got the story and told her I’d call you guys.” She rubbed her neck, and looked at Twilight. “I also made her promise that she’d stay with you, Sparky, until your parents got to you.”
Night waited to see if Sunset had any more to say, before he continued, “At which point Sunset contacted us, made plans to get you some of your medication, and we began heading home as quickly as possible.”
Next to her, Cady added, “I called Lu as soon as I found out what was going on,” she confessed. “That way she wasn’t blindsided by Sunset wanting to leave school for the afternoon…”
In bits and pieces, the family reassembled the timeline of events, with a good bit of input from Sunset. In fact, the redhead was particularly agitated with what she had seen. “The woman was trying to threaten Indigo for doing the right thing, and then she tried to threaten me with authority figures if I didn't do what she said,” she complained about the nurse. “I didn't much care for her attitude, and I told her off. Told her I was going to help Twilight, and she could get out of my way.” Or “According to Miss Luna, her refusing to call you about Twilight is illegal! Why would she do that?” It painted a very vivid picture for Twilight about what had happened when she had completely shut out the outside world and later after she’d fallen asleep in Sunset’s lap.
“After we saw you ladies to the car, Shining and I took Indigo home. That's where she explained everything from her side, and I had a long conversation with her parents, offering to connect them with the family lawyers in the event that the school tries to punish their daughter—I felt it was the least I could offer, given the circumstances.” Night paused to take a sip of his drink.
Velvet hummed in agreement. “Absolutely—Abacus Cinch was far too eager to punish the girl if you ask me, when it was her staff who had grossly mishandled the entire situation.”
The dark haired girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Hearing all of this negative talk about her school and principal made her anxious; she had grown up being taught to respect authority figures and be polite and respectful to them, even if you disagreed…that there were appropriate ways to handle such conflict. And while she recognized that her parents were the exact people in a position to criticize her principal and her school, it still made her stomach knot up. Sunset shifted her arm, moving her hand off of Twilight’s to pull her into a tight hug while the adults discussed what Indigo’s parents had said. 
“You okay, Sparky?” she asked in a low whisper.
Nodding her head slowly, Twilight still leaned into the embrace for as long as she thought she could get away with it. “Have I told you that you are the absolute best best friend in the whole world?” she mumbled into Sunset’s shoulder.
“Not today,” she said with a small laugh. “I learned from the best though.”
Warm affection settled over Twilight, like a cozy blanket that warded off everything from the cold to the bogeyman. It gave her strength in a way, made her feel far more able to deal with the knowledge stealing over her: her days at CPA were numbered. Her parents cared too much about her mental health and physical wellbeing to let her stay at the school, not with the ever growing list of problems and altercations. It was really down to a matter of when, and where Twilight would go next.
There were other private schools, of course, but the only other one inside the city was a Catholic school, and Twilight held little interest in going to a facility where part of the curriculum required her to pay lip service to a deity she didn't believe in for a religion that considered her a little more than a deviant animal. That left being shipped off to a boarding school, or going to one of the local public schools. As much as she would enjoy the accelerated learning, rigid schedule structure, and emphasis on self study at a boarding school, Twilight did not care much for the idea of being completely cut off from her family support for months at a time…and she didn't think her parents would care for it either.
As for public schools…
The closest one to her house was Canterlot High. Sunset’s school, full of people who watched the redheaded girl’s every move and judged her accordingly. These days they were apparently singing her praises, but Twilight remembered the cold November nights she had held her in the dark while she sobbed or writhed in the grip of terrible nightmares. She remembered in excruciating detail, the shattered, empty eyes and numb voice that had confessed to being some kind of monster, or the broken way she had talked about having several gallons of blood and offal upended over her.  She remembered watching this strong, marvelous, magical force of nature that was Sunset Shimmer cracking and crumbling under the combined weight of guilt, shame, expectation heaped on her, and how she had pushed herself to the brink of collapse to prove herself to them.
Twilight could recall with painful and precise clarity the way Sunset had sounded when she finally said, “I don't hate myself anymore…”
And she wondered if Canterlot High was really any better than Crystal Prep…
“…hey, what’s wrong?” Sunset’s voice intruded on her musings, and she blinked up at her girlfriend for a moment as the real world came back into focus on the other side of her glasses. 
It took a second to realize her thoughts must have shown on her face, and she sighed. “…just…thinking…about my alternatives to Crystal Prep. I know Mom wants me to transfer.”
Sunset nodded, rubbing her back lightly. “You know you’d be welcomed with open arms at CHS.”
Biting her lip, Twilight said, “I don't know…I know you've said your friends are nice, but the rest of the school seems so fickle…how are they really any different from Crystal Prep students? Look at what they did to you last fall.”
“Sparky, that’s different. What happened to me was a mess of my own making. Yes, some people took it too far, but it wouldn't have happened in the first place if I hadn't done my very best to deserve the title of ‘Queen Bitch of Canterlot High.’ And even then, as soon as the principals found out about it, they put an end to it—half the junior and senior class were suspended for like a week, and they did a big assembly to call everyone on it. That's…a lot different from what happened today at your school.”
Her fiery-maned paramour made some valid points from a logical standpoint, but that didn't assuage all of Twilight’s lingering mistrust of people who had, at one point, gone after Sunset in retaliation. She knew the older girl had been a bully, but she questioned if that could in any way justify what had been done in turn. Two wrongs did not make a right, and an eye for an eye tended to leave behind a lot of depth perception issues. “…maybe…” she mumbled.
“Girls?” her mother’s voice interrupted further discussion on the matter. “Is everything alright?”
The rest of the room was looking at them, and Twilight stiffened under the scrutiny. Sunset, however, gave her another open, friendly hug. “I was just checking to make sure everything was still good to keep going while you were discussing lawyers, Mrs. Velvet—I’m happy to talk to the ones looking into the stuff about Twilight and her school, by the way, if they want to know anything from me.”
Velvet nodded and looked at her daughter. “Do you need a few minutes, sweetheart?”
“No, Mom…I believe I am capable of continuing the conversation at present.” Part of her just wanted to get it over with, if she was being completely truthful.
Night Light cleared his throat. “Legal details aside, Indigo’s father was fairly displeased by what happened today and the faculty reaction to events. For the moment, he is not pulling your friend from the school…but only because she insisted.” He looked over the top of his glasses at the pair of them. “In her own words, she refused to ‘leave Twilight with the hyenas,’ especially after she told Sunset that she’d ‘stick with you.’”
That made her blink, and look over at her girlfriend. “You must have made a serious impression on her.”
Shrugging, Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “I was honest, that's all. She’s a good friend to you, Sparky, and she needed to hear it…and I wasn't going to stand there and let your principal or that nurse make an example out of her just to feel like they were in control. Not without saying something.”
Her father chuckled. “It seems to me that both of you have made an impression on Indigo Zap, but that's…her business to explain or not.” He took another sip of his drink. “After that, your brother and I went to the station to file a police report on both the vandalism and the stolen medication. Particularly the last, since your medication is a controlled substance, which is a very serious crime.”
“So is the vandalism,” Shining added. “Destruction of property in excess of a thousand dollars falls pretty solidly in ‘felony’ territory. That's jail time, not just a fine.”
There was an unpleasant weight to Shining’s words, as if they were an unintentional proclamation, and speaking them aloud crystallized the reality that Twilight found herself in. She was silent, but nodded in understanding, still processing everything.
Night gave her a minute or two, before clearing his throat again. “That leads us to where we are right now, which is trying to decide what to do next.” He focused directly on Twilight. “To start with, Twilight, I want you to understand that we are in no way angry or upset with you, and while your mother and I have some strong feelings about what has happened and is happening at your school, none of that is directed at you.”
Twilight fidgeted. “…Sunset was saying something like that earlier…” she admitted.
The adults looked at Sunset, and she smiled awkwardly. “I was telling her we’re not attacking her, that you guys are just worried like I am about the bullying and the school staff breaking the rules.”
“Sunset is right, Twily,” Velvet said gently. “We are very worried about what has been going on at your school. It has had a deleterious effect on your mental health, and the school has crossed the line from being difficult about your IEP to actively breaking the laws and rules the school has to follow.” She sighed. “And I cannot help but ask ‘if they’re breaking the law here, what other ways are they willing to sacrifice a child’s health and well-being to further their agenda?’”
When she didn't say anything, only frowned because her mother’s question made her reexamine things that went on at Crystal Prep from a new angle, her father picked up the conversation thread. “At the same time, you are old enough that it does not seem right or fair to leave you entirely out of the conversation, even if, from a legal standpoint, the final say belongs to us. So we want to discuss our options and take your feelings into account as much as we can.”
Furrowing her brow, Twilight sifted through potential responses, and settled on cutting to the heart of the matter. “I understand, Dad, and before you start, I would like to acknowledge that I have considered some of what you are about to say and I concede to the statement that CPA is no longer a viable educational option long term.”
Her parents looked a bit startled, but once again, Sunset put a hand on her arm. “Twilight,” she said, voice low but full of such firm authority that the dark haired girl immediately gave her her undivided attention. “You promised to hear them out and listen to what they had to say. Part of that is actually letting them say it, instead of jumping ahead and assuming you know it already.”
It was all said in that same level, firm tone with very little personal emotion, but regardless of that Twilight could feel the gentle rebuke in the words. “You're right, Sunny…” she said, earning an encouraging smile. She turned back towards her parents. “I…apologize. I should not have jumped to conclusions, not when you are trying to be fair and include me in the discussion.”
Night took a moment to respond, but when he did, he didn’t dismiss her initial statement. “In this particular case, Twily, you are not wrong. Your mother and I have thought for several months now that Crystal Prep was not the school that it markets itself as, and certainly not the school I remember graduating from.” He grimaced, rubbing his temples. “…or at least, that I think I remember it being. Some days I wonder if time has blurred the negative aspects of my years there.” Her father shook his head after a moment. “Anyway…we had planned initially to have a discussion with you, either over your spring break, or the beginning of summer, but between the suspension you received from your altercation with the Hyades boy, and what happened today, it is a conversation that can no longer wait.”
“In short, you have hit it on the head: finishing your high school education at CPA is no longer on the table. I know that you would have preferred to graduate from it next year…but…” Night Light trailed off with a tired sound. 
Twilight slumped a little bit—although she had expected that response, it was still a bitter pill. “…what are my options?” she asked, wanting all the data before she composed her response and any additional points that needed to be considered.
Velvet set her tea mug aside with a gentle click of the ceramic against a wooden coaster. “If you were interested in another private academy with high accolades, there is one outside Everton. It is a forty five minute commute, but at this point that is a sacrifice I’d be willing to make to see you in a healthier environment.”
She knew of it—if it had been closer, she would have wanted to go there, but at the time, the proximity to her house had been a big factor—younger Twilight didn’t like the idea of her mother being an hour away in an emergency…and she wasn't sure that had changed. “What else? The Brewster Educational Institution and Atheneum is a fantastic school, but I am not certain an hour commute is fair to you, Mom.” She made a face. “And please don't suggest the one connected to St. Francis Church either.”
“I would never, sweetheart, not after the last time your aunt and uncle were here for Thanksgiving.” At Sunset’s raised eyebrow, she explained, “My baby brother married a very devout woman. Twily spent an hour arguing with her, picking apart her beliefs with all the tenacity of a bulldog. It ended in a bit of a screaming match.”
Shining snickered. “Aunt Mahogany thought it was funny.”
“Your aunt is what I would call a ‘pot stirrer,’ dear.” She rolled her eyes. “I had not planned to suggest that, however. I also had not planned on suggesting any of the boarding schools either, Twilight. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with a situation that would remove you from your entire support network and isolate you far away.”
That had been a given, Twilight thought, and one she was okay with. Being away from her family meant being separated from Sunset too, and that didn't sit right with her. “I…agree that you are probably correct in that. So that leaves…the local public schools? Since it is too late in the year for me to consider early graduation—I have the credits, but all of the submissions for that need to be planned well in advance…and my current year is on the books as my eleventh grade year, not my twelfth grade one.”
Velvet picked her mug up, idly stirring her tea. “Yes. Now there are several public high schools in the area, and any of them are acceptable…but Canterlot High is the closest, has a surprisingly thorough curriculum, and Cady’s friend Luna is actually one of the principals. Of all of the public schools, I will admit that one is the most appealing to me, since Luna has made it clear that she would personally ensure you had everything you needed if we chose to enroll you there.”
Amber fingers curled lightly around Twilight’s wrist. “I’d help,” her girlfriend added quietly. “Since I go there…we’d probably be in the same classes…except maybe history and if you take a language.”
Tempting as that thought was, Twilight was determined to think rationally through the options. Not that there were that many, at least not as many as her mother made it seem like. It came down to the Everton school with a commute or one of the public schools in town…and really, if she was going to go to a public school, she would want one where she knew at least one person. 
“I believe,” she said at length, “that…among those options, Canterlot High would be the most appealing option…” Then she steeled herself for the part of what she had to say that she didn't think her parents were going to like hearing. “For next year though. I can’t transfer yet.”
Her parents exchanged a concerned look. “Twilight…” her father started, sounding concerned.
Blue green eyes were also scrutinizing her, Sunset’s brow scrunched up as she tried to add up wasn't making sense to her.  Abruptly, it seemed to click.  “You’ve thought of something the rest of us haven't,” she realized, eyes searching Twilight’s for something. “I’m right, aren't I?”
Now Cadence was staring at her too, and she tilted her head. “I think you are right, Sunset. What is it, Ladybug?”
Twilight grew fidgety again, and almost stood up to pace until Sunset’s hand pulled her back into her seat. “Sparky, just breathe and explain. It's going to be okay.”
“Right.” Settling back in her seat, Twilight started to explain her thought process. “My grades. I don't have grades yet in my math and science for the last few months. My grades only exist in the system for the first half of the year in two of the four core courses, because of my independent study projects. I don't get any credit for the semester at all until I submit the final project to be graded…by Principal Cinch.” She could see the understanding dawning on her family. “If I transfer before I submit my project for a final grade, what are the odds that Principal Cinch will send my transcripts with a failing grade for both my math and science courses for the year? And with it being most of the way through the year, there would be no chance to recover my GPA.”
Night Light looked disgusted and furious. “And she’d get away with it too,” he said tersely. “Because it would be within the rules, and with her recent behavior, it would be exactly her style to use it to get even for the ‘loss’ to her reputation.”
The dark haired girl hugged herself. “And that would affect my future, because competitive colleges do look at GPA when weeding out entrant applications. So I cannot transfer until my project is complete and the grades solidified as part of my transcript.”
“For the paper trail,” Sunset said. “So she can't change it later. Because if I was her, that's what I would do—set it up so you didn’t realize anything was wrong until it was too late to stop me.” Now it was Sunset’s turn to get up, pacing restlessly to the window to stare out at the lawn for a long minute. “The divide and conquer worked for a while,” she murmured, turning back, and the expression on her face was one that Twilight had never seen before, not even when they played chess. It was…distant…intense…and there was darkness in her girlfriend’s eyes that sent a shiver of a different kind down her spine. “Now she’s got you calling her on legal matters, and the police report is going to put pressure on her, unless she has a way to make them quietly lose that report or bury it under a mountain of bureaucracy. Blackmail would be my first guess, especially if there are more CPA alumni that she can manipulate in the CCPD other than Shining Armor. Perhaps a few pictures, or leaking some secret they don't want to get out--the kind of thing that would ruin social standing or make career advancement downright impossible. I’d wager she’s also got a Plan B, C, and D, using what she knows against you on a personal level. Like Twilight’s grades, or your emotions as her parents, or any ugliness from your history that could be brought to light and used to turn the narrative back around on you. Suspensions, job reprimands, any past legal trouble…” Then she gestured at Shining and Cadence. “With you two, I might look for a way to put pressure on you to encourage Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Night let it go—like threatening your jobs, or anything that could be classed as embarrassing or as a ‘indiscretion’ that would discredit you to your peers…you might want to think about if she has anything on you like that. Some kind of scandal in the police department, or having a rich alumni buy out the radio station, with the intention of ‘downsizing.’ She wouldn't even need to go through with it—I hardly ever did. Alternatively, she might try some way to set you all against each other or throw Twilight’s credibility into doubt…paint a picture of her as emotionally compromised or unreliable as a witness…maybe use the school’s long standing rumor mill from some of Twilight’s bullies as a way to show that Twilight has long caused trouble and had family put pressure on the administration in less than legal ways…”
It was then that Sunset seemed to register the way the family was staring at her. Her eyes went wide and the color drained from her face; Twilight saw her hands curl into awkward fists as she hunched in on herself. “…I…” she started, before she sought Twilight’s eyes.
Twilight reached out to pull her best friend back to the couch. “Exactly,” she confirmed, moving beyond Sunset’s dark description—she had long accepted that the redheaded girl had a rough history and a dark side that had gotten the better of her for a long time, and in the end, it had driven home her worries to her family, if perhaps a tad more viscerally than she would have communicated. “Principal Cinch and Crystal Prep have money, connections, and reputation, and I’m not willing to rule anything out or take risks. If I can work harder, I think I can finish my project sooner than the end of the semester…but until then, I am trapped with her having that power over me.”
Between her statements and Sunset’s insight into things Principal Cinch might do to retaliate or keep her at Crystal Prep, the room fell silent. It was the kind of heavy, unpleasant silence filled with dark thoughts and anxious worry, as each member of the family brooded separately, periodically glancing at her or Sunset.  She let it happen—she didn't know entirely how to navigate the situation this was going to put her in the middle of, and if they could come up with ways to mitigate the damage of her getting through the next eight weeks, all the better. 
It also concealed the other factor she was less inclined to voice...that on some level, she wanted to finish her year as a point of personal and academic pride. She didn't want it to look like she’d run off, unable to handle even just a few more months of the pressure—even if her family didn't believe that, Twilight would forever feel like a failure and a quitter. She needed to at least complete her project—which she felt she could probably finish by the end of the Friendship Games if she put in the extra hours after school and on weekends. It would mean less time with Sunset for a few weeks, but the benefits would make it worth it.
…and that was the other, even more private motivation. She wanted to resolve her issues with being open about her relationship, at least with her family, before going to a new school…Sunset’s school…because then she could walk in and feel confident about her place at Sunset’s side as at least her best friend, even if they didn’t advertise to Sunset’s other friends and peers that they were dating. Twilight wanted to be strong enough to be seen as Sunset’s equal, her partner in crime, the person who had her back, not as someone Sunset constantly had to defend. Especially when she did meet the rest of Sunset’s friends, who the redheaded girl made sound interesting and amazing to be around—if a touch…exuberant in some cases. She didn't want to just be “Twilight Sparkle, that girl who hung out with Sunset Shimmer,” but someone recognized for herself too.
Thinking of Sunset made her eyes drift towards her girlfriend, and she realized that Sunset was sitting with all the coiled tension of an overwrought clock-spring. It was bad enough that it pulled her out of her thoughts so she could scan the room, trying to piece together the problem. Everyone was still quiet and stuck in their own thoughts for the moment, so it couldn’t have been something one of her family said. Was it…their reactions to Sunset’s words perhaps? She searched each of their faces, trying to understand what they might have been thinking or feeling.
Her father’s brows were furrowed and he was looking at Sunset in a way Twilight might have called ‘speculative,’ while her mother just looked worried and concerned and a little upset—something Twilight chalked up to how agitated the CPA situation made her. Cadence looked like she’d had some kind of epiphany, though not a happy or exciting one…and as for Shining… His expression was one that immediately put Twilight on the defensive. It was the tight frown of a police officer in an interrogation room, picking apart a suspect’s behavior—it was an expression she knew well from years of trying to pull things over on her brother as younger siblings often do.
Twilight contemplated telling Sunset it was okay, that they were not upset with her, but she realized explaining what they were likely thinking wouldn't help, because it was not what Sunset was perceiving. Sunset had let slip a little glimpse into the person she had been before, the person she was trying so hard to never be again, and she was terrified that their silence, their reactions, were a form of rejection.
So the younger teen countered that fear in the only way she knew at that moment. She hugged her best friend. “Thank you, Sunny,” she said, loud enough to get the family’s attention. “It’s like you can read my mind when I don't know how to explain something, and you always say it in a way that makes sense.”
It seemed to work, shattering the tension filled moment that had hung frozen for far too long. Sunset hugged her back, making Twilight’s ribs protest from how tight she squeezed, and she could feel the faint hitch in Sunset’s breath as the older girl rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder. With her attention mostly now on her girlfriend, she heard more than saw her father’s response. He cleared his throat. “…yes, thank you, Sunset,” he agreed. “Some of those were scenarios neither I nor the lawyers had thought to anticipate…but all of them are absolutely plausible and well within the realm of believability for how Abacus might respond.” There was the sound of shuffling, as he reached for his phone. “If you don't mind, I’m going to jot those down so I can compose a letter later to the legal team so they can game plan contingencies just in case any of them are necessary.”
The chuckle that followed seemed a little forced from Twilight’s perspective, but as Sunset further relaxed, she wasn't going to question it too deeply. “We’ll have to watch out,” Night joked. “Or Uncle Stalwart is going try and talk you into considering a career in the legal arena.”
Sunset’s own laugh was weak and stilted. “…I’m not sure that would be a good idea…I don’t think I’d want that kind of power over anyone’s life…” She hesitated, then in a quieter voice said, “…anymore…”
That was when Velvet interjected, her tone the firm-but-loving one that Twilight recognized instantly. “Your ability to identify and see through emotionally manipulative tactics, and the ability to reasonably predict the actions of another person is not inherently a bad thing, Sunset. It's a gift that, like many, can be used for both good and bad reasons—the gift itself is neither good nor evil. What you choose to do with it is.”
Twilight let go as her girlfriend pulled half out of the hug to look at Velvet. “…I only ever did a lot of bad with it though. I don't want to fall back into that—it’s…it's not okay.”
“You are correct—using it to harm others is not okay…but you also recognize that, and you are keenly aware that you misused the ability in the past, with the intention of never doing that again. That takes a great deal of self awareness, sweetheart, and I’m proud of you for how far you have come and how hard you work to keep on the path you’ve chosen for yourself. Self improvement is hard, and you have done wonderful in what is, truthfully, a very short span of time.” Velvet smiled at her. 
Her girlfriend settled back on the couch, still looking a little pensive, but at this juncture, Twilight decided that probably meant she just needed time to sort the feelings in her head…which was something Sunset did best when she didn't feel under scrutiny from others. Therefore, as much as she didn't want to go back to the previous topic, she did, so that Sunset could have that few minutes where the attention was off her and on Twilight again.
“All of that means I still need to go back to Crystal Prep for the foreseeable future…but I assume you will want to have plans in place to hobble Principal Cinch from continuing her actions while I work to finish my project as expediently as I can.” She hated phrasing it that way, but the evidence showed that she was caught in between a war between her parents and her principal and at the end of the day, she knew her parents cared primarily about her health and wellbeing.
Twilight Velvet did not disappoint. She tapped her fingers on her knee and said, “I suspect your father will want some time to discuss things with your uncle and the lawyers, but I was going to have you stay home tomorrow so we can replace your things—particularly your cell phone. From now on, I do not want you going anywhere without one, especially at school. If your gym clothes do not have a viable pocket to store your phone in, we will buy you something acceptable to wear that does. That will buy us until Monday to have a better plan worked out.”  Her ice blue eyes turned towards Sunset. “Are you staying for the night, Sunset? Or do you need to get home before it gets too late?”
There was no hesitation in Sunset’s answer. “Staying. There’s ice cream in the freezer, right?” She didn’t elaborate further, but Twilight did wonder whose nightmares she was preparing for—Twilight’s or her own.
Cady laughed. “In this house, always!”
“Just making sure I don't need to go get some before I switch to pajamas.” She took a breath, and gave Twilight’s glance one of her lopsided smiles to reassure her. “I can’t play hooky with you tomorrow though. I’ve got to go in and make up the work I missed—Miss Luna said I’d be excused for the second half of the day, but I do have a math test to sleep through, and a science project I needed to ask questions about.”
Twilight couldn't help herself. “You missed a math test to help me?”
Fingers tweaked her nose. “Of course I did, nerd. My best friend in the world needed me—that was way more important than a test in a class I could teach better than my teacher.”
Her cheeks heated. “…oh…” Twilight made a mental note to reward her girlfriend with kisses when they were alone.
Something seemed to occur to Sunset, and she asked, “Are we still on for this weekend?” she asked worriedly. “We were supposed to hang out with your cousin and her friend. Are you going to be up for that still? Because they're supposed to be here tomorrow night.”
It was an out, and Twilight felt affection and gratitude that Sunset had thought to offer it.  To the dark haired teen, it was one more example of how Sunset cared, how she paid attention to Twilight and simply took into account Twilight’s struggles and flaws without making a huge production about it, and she always seemed to remember it, even when Twilight herself had forgotten or overlooked it. Sunset really was an amazing girlfriend and the very best friend she could have ever asked for. 
That gentle and steady support gave her spine steel she wasn't entirely prepared for, and Twilight was shaking her head before she could register that she was talking. “No,” she told Sunset firmly. “I still really want to go. I would like to get to know Glamour better—she’s trying so hard to reach out and make a connection, and she deserves for me to be willing to meet her halfway…” The younger girl locked eyes with her companion, willing Sunset to understand what she couldn't say in front of her parents. “And you’ll be there. I know I can handle it when I have the world’s greatest best friend with me.”
“If you're trying to flatter me, Sparky, it's working,” Sunset chuckled. The wink she sent Twilight’s way communicated what it needed to though—she knew what was unsaid.
Twilight nudged her with an elbow. “Your sarcasm is showing.”
“Doesn't it always?”
Sunset had a point. “I concede to that. The point I was trying to make, however, was that I have been excited about the day out with you…and them…and I’m not about to let some bullies ruin that for me.” Not when it was a date with the girl who was making her insides try to reconfigure to new and interesting shapes just by smirking at her with burning hunger in blue-green eyes. 
Oh yes, Sunset was definitely getting kissed when they went back upstairs. Twilight mused on whether she could kiss her thoroughly enough to earn some of those throaty moans that set her senses on fire.
In order to distract herself from the errant thought that she should just kiss Sunset right now, and add 'coming out' to the list of today's emotional overload, she cleared her throat and turned back to her parents. "I have also thought on your extremely valid points about the deleterious effect the environment and people at Crystal Prep are having on my mental health. I believe I have come up with a plan that will... mitigate some of that, as well as alleviate at least part of your worry."
Shining grinned a little at her despite the tension she could still see in his body. "Would you care to elucidate on that, Professor Sparkle?" he asked dryly. It was a touch of normality—teasing sibling banter—and it coaxed a laugh from her.
“I will have you know, big brother, that it is a perfectly valid use of rational speech. It allows me to convey information intellectually when the subject matter is emotionally loaded.” Twilight adjusted the glasses that had slid down her nose more than was comfortable, and returned to what she had intended to say.  "I thought I would try to arrange to see Dr. Soft-Spoken more regularly, perhaps upping my visits to weekly, depending on her availability. My intention was, use it as an opportunity to discuss the situation with someone who can give a balanced perspective without the emotional... pressure we all feel about this.”
Her parents exchanged a thoughtful look, and then Velvet smiled. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea, Twily. We can bring it up tomorrow with her when I take you for your regular session.”
Twilight took a breath. “I was thinking that, if she is amenable, I would ask Dr. Soft-Spoken to be an impartial and professional judge going forward—if she believes it has reached a point where the situation has reached a point where it is compromising my mental health beyond what she feels is both reasonable and acceptable, she will inform you as my parents. At that point, you can then go forward with expediting my removal from Crystal Prep, with or without my consent at the moment.” She gave her parents a wan, tired smile, feeling her energy flagging. “It would classify as an extension of the existing Parental Override, I believe, but as my therapist, Dr. Soft-Spoken has a neutral perspective unbiased by any personal emotional feelings that all of us have.”
Velvet studied her for a minute. “I think that idea has merit, sweetie, but we can talk about it more tomorrow, I think. It's growing late, both of you are going to want showers before bed, and Sunset has to get up for school in the morning. For now, we can table this, and you girls can go wind down.”
Next to them, Cadence grinned. “You know, there's a box in the kitchen that may or may not contain some of that double chocolate cheesecake that a certain bakery sells…we won't know until someone opens the box to confirm its reality.”
Sunset tossed her head back and laughed. The laughter didn't stop when Twilight jumped up and started pulling her towards the kitchen.  “Schrödinger’s dessert, huh? I guess we can be the ones to perform the observation, whaddya say, Sparky?” The sarcasm dripped from her tone, considering that Twilight had her by the wrist.
Oh, she had several things she could say in regards to the idea of having both Sunset AND that particular dessert, but that would have to wait. Instead, she turned back to look over Sunset’s shoulder to ask innocently, “Do you know if we have any chocolate syrup to go on top of it, Mom?”
It was worth it to see the way Sunset’s eyes widened and she turned red all the way to the tips of her ears.
> Interlude XXXI: Ephemeris
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Usually it was Mondays that Luna cursed the existence of, but this week, it was Thursday. A Thursday morning that she had pried herself out of bed for at an even earlier hour than normal, for once indulging in the breakfast her early-bird of a sister prepared. In her defense, it helped with the hangover—this year had certainly gone a long way to remind her that she wasn't twenty-three anymore, and that her body didn’t appreciate the sudden abuse. Maybe she should look into buying one of those stress balls or something before she became an alcoholic.
As it was, she dumped her things in her office, including some packages she knew full well were technically a violation of school policy—those she locked away in her cabinet in the corner, and hoped they would never be needed. Then she grabbed the sixty-four ounce jumbo coffee that was as black as her mood and as bitter as Abacus Cinch’s soul—if the old bitch had one—and made her way to Celestia’s office. Her sister looked up from the small handheld mirror, clearly having touched up the makeup she wore to conceal the fact that she too was more than a little sleep deprived and hungover. Luna was thankful her own darker complexion hid her state far better than her sunny sister. 
“Sunset Shimmer will be along shortly,” she told her sibling. “Cadence just texted me to say the girl left the house a few minutes ago, but she is walking, as her bike is still in the student lot.”
Celestia rubbed her temples. “Please tell me you brought the migraine medicine with you today. I have a feeling I’m going to need it before we even get to the morning announcements.”
Luna smirked and shook a pill bottle at her sister. “I already took some. Preventative maintenance on a day like today. You might consider the same, Tia.”
“To be frank, Lulu, when I went home yesterday afternoon, I didn't expect to learn that the rival school we’re allowing to visit in a month for an academic and sporting competition is located on some kind of real world Hellmouth.” Her older sister grimaced. 
She swallowed a mouthful of coffee before answering. “What did you expect me to do, Celestia? This is not the kind of secret I needed to be keeping from you….though the thought crossed my mind. You have been dealing with a lot because of the magic nonsense and how it has affected our school.”
It wasn't a lie. She had considered it during the entire drive home the night before, had been on the fence until she stepped up to the front door that had been their home for their whole lives, and remembered that while she had Cadence and Shining and other friends to watch her back, to confide in, and look out for her…
Celestia didn't.
Her sister had been standing on her own since their parents had been killed in the accident all those years ago. Even swathed in bandages and in a hospital bed, her indomitable older sister had taken charge of everything, including the sobbing teenager whose last words to their parents had been petty teen anger. She had worked so hard to be strong and independent that now, years later, she had nothing else besides her career, the students, and Luna.
And after all that had gone on, Celestia deserved to know. Maybe it would even help her focus, give her something she could fight, instead of the shadows that stalked her sleep, and the worried indecision that seemed to be eating her alive. 
That, more than anything, had been what compelled Luna’s response when she got home…





The door closed heavily behind her, and the scent of homemade spaghetti sauce tickled her nose as Luna hung her purse up and shed her shoes. “Tia? I’m home…”
Her sister managed a warm smile as she plated their food in the kitchen. “Perfect timing,” she said. “I’m glad we had the forethought to put sauce in the crockpot. Come sit down, Lulu. You look dead on your feet. Is Sunset Shimmer alright? And her friend?”
Luna looked at the spread on their kitchen table and gave Tia a strained smile in turn as she hiked to the liquor cabinet. She surveyed her options intently for a minute, before selecting the bottle of Father’s favorite top-shelf brand. “It is too early to know.  Tell me, sister…do you remember what Grandmother used to say about Crystal Prep?”
Worry flooded Celestia’s voice. “She used to tell anyone who listened that it was cursed. That the Devil himself walked its halls and touched those who entered. That her great-grandfather had challenged the Devil there and barely escaped with his life…Oh no…Luna, what happened?”
She poured two glasses of the scotch, before taking both and the bottle to the table. “It turns out, Grandmother’s story may not have been entirely fantasy. Sunset Shimmer was nearly driven to collapse crossing the threshold of the property, and she confirmed that it was so saturated with ‘dark magic’ that it was all she could perceive.”
The color went out of Celestia’s already pale features, and she took the second glass from Luna readily. “Is she alright?” she asked again. “Are you?”
Nodding, Luna took a bracing swallow of the alcohol, feeling the smooth burn of it going down. Father had always had good taste in liquor. “I’m fine. Sunset…I do not know. I cannot prove it, but I believe she expended a great deal of her own magic to protect us.” She shuddered. “Tia, I saw shadows moving like they were alive…shadows that had no body to cast them.”
Glancing up, she watched her sister shiver and cross herself reflexively. “And Sunset Shimmer has a friend going there daily? The one that’s related to your friends?”
“Not for much longer, if the family has anything to say on it…”





“Thank you all the same for being honest with me, little sister…no matter how troubling the news might have been, I am glad to be aware.” Celestia flicked her gaze over Luna’s shoulder and straightened. “Sunset Shimmer,” she called. “We are in here. Please join us and have a seat.”
The teenager from another world winced, but slipped into the office and shut the door behind her. “Principal Celestia,” she said awkwardly. “…I didn't know I’d be talking to both of you this morning.” Then she seemed to consider it, and added, “But I should have. This isn't exactly a small deal. What did you tell her so far, Miss Luna?”
Luna sat back on the small couch in her sister’s office. “The basics, Miss Shimmer. That we discovered, when I took you over to assist with an emergency involving a CPA student you are involved with at the family’s behest, that Crystal Prep Academy is a place of magic so dark and foul that it frightened even you.”
Celestia spoke up then. “Before anything else, Sunset…are you alright? Luna said that the environment had a strong effect on you.”
Sunset blinked, looking briefly surprised by the question. “I’m okay.” 
That earned the redhead led girl a long, searching look. “Are you certain? It's okay to tell us if you are not—there is no need to put on a false front.” Celestia exhaled. “Your well-being is important to us as much as it is to your friends…regardless of anything that has happened…you are still one of my Wondercolts first and foremost.”
Blue-green eyes went wide and the girl went far too still for a good ten seconds or so, making Luna believe that in that moment, her sister may have reminded the girl of a different Celestia…and exactly why the sisters had decided to let Luna field most of the day to day interactions with their otherworldly student. “I…I’m fine,” she finally answered. “Really, Principal Celestia, I am. It was bad at the time, because I accidentally tripped some kind of ward scheme and I had to use my magic to break it. That…took a lot out of me…and it was dangerous, but none of it was permanent. A good night’s sleep and a couple of good meals did a lot to restore my magic.”
“So it was more than just a place with ambient dark magic then?” Luna queried, making note of the reference to wards.
Here, Sunset frowned. “I…don't know. The wards felt…not new. It's hard to explain. They were…faded. Sunken into the earth in a way that says they had been leaving an imprint there a while, maybe a few hundred years? They didn't feel as old as the wards in the palace in Equestria, but that's…not really a fair metric when those wards are several thousand years old. What I can tell you is that they were there, which means someone put them there at one point, and the magic wasn't any type of Equestrian magic I know.” She ran a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture. “Whether that means there's an active source now or if the school is so dark because awful, terrible magic did something in the past, I can't say—there was so much ambient dark magic that I could barely tell the difference between the environment and the people, especially the ones who spend lots of time there.”
That was an unsettling thought. “I know,” Luna commented, “that I felt the same unpleasant…itching…in my mind that happened at both the Fall Formal and with the Battle of the Bands. However, it was as though it came from the other side of a door that I had the choice of opening or not.” Her smile was a grim, tight thing. “As you can infer, I chose to keep the door shut. That still did nothing to…prevent the feeling of needing a shower after, or the sensation of having passed through some kind of oily substance that very much stuck to my skin.”
Sunset tapped her foot restlessly on the ground. “I’m not sure if its because of repeated exposure to both mind altering magics and the power of the Elements, but that sounds like you've built up some defense to it….I wasn't able to push the darkness back as far as you when I was in the nurse’s office with Twilight and Indigo. There was too much there, and I was fighting it the whole time, trying to keep it from attacking Twilight, and I wasn't going to let it have her.” When she looked up at them, her eyes gleamed unnaturally bright, as though her magic was reacting to her emotions somehow. “I’m sorry about that…”
Luna waved off the apology. “Given the circumstances, Miss Shimmer, I can understand your choice perfectly well. I am an adult capable of standing on my own. Twilight Sparkle is not, and she was under assault by dark magic that she had no way of defending against. Besides, for all your statements about not being able to fight off the magic around myself once we separated, I suspect your power did have some kind of ripple effect. Abacus certainly seemed unsettled and borderline ill the entire time, and never have I known her to capitulate so easily.”
The unicorn turned teenage girl furrowed her brows at the description. “What do you mean? What happened before we came out to meet Twilight’s family?”
“I can assure you, I was in no mood to be trifled with after I sent you down the hall…”





“Vice-Principal Luna,” came the frigid voice of Abacus Cinch. “What is the meaning of this intrusion during the middle of the school day? And what's this I hear about you bringing some urchin to my campus?!”
Luna turned sharply and fixed the private school principal with a dark glare. “For once in your life, shut your fool mouth, Abacus!” she snapped, feeling anger rising at the mess this woman had likely caused with her rhetoric. It didn't help that Sunset’s departure had come with that crawling, itching feeling against her brain, like a thousand spiders chittering at her thoughts. “I do not normally put much thought into what kind of school you run or how you choose to operate, but you have officially crossed a line today, and you’ll be lucky to keep your job, let alone stay out of prison.”
There was something incredibly satisfying in watching the woman reel as if Luna had just given her a right hook to the jaw. She’d never liked the woman, or how she encouraged the cutthroat politics of her school, not to mention the family history of hostility against the school and the grounds it occupied and today was just the cherry on top of a generational sundae of spite that was over a century in the making. “…what are you talking about?” Abacus finally managed.
Shouting came faintly from down the hall, but Luna tuned it out. “I am talking about the fact that one of your students contacted one of my students so the two of them could do your nurse’s job—your administration’s job, really—for her. About the fact that at least one felony, possibly two, has been committed in this building, against a girl whose brother is a detective in the CCPD.” She pointed a finger at the sour faced spinster. “You screwed up, Abacus. Big time.”
She watched the woman’s bluish complexion go waxy and ashen gray, her eyes darting towards the hallway, where the yelling kicked up a few notches as someone—the nurse, Luna suspected—tried to take control of the situation—and Sunset Shimmer, which frankly, was an exercise in futility.  Even a magical princess and super-powered rainbow laser beam hadn't done that; Sunset had made her own choice to change course. Cinch’s jaw tightened, and the words she bit out seemed falsely conciliatory and a poor attempt at exercising her own control over events. “…I…understand that you believe you have reasons for concern, Miss Solare, however I must confess you have me at a disadvantage. I am completely unaware of what situation you are speaking of, and how my students are…involved.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed, and she refused to play the game the sour old harridan wanted. “And yet, this is your school, and the actions of students and the staff reflect upon you, Principal Cinch,” she pointed out scathingly. “A student in dire straits, beyond your nurse’s capabilities to treat or handle, and the state mandates that the parents be immediately contacted. Instead, your staff have decided that the appropriate response is to berate a child for something beyond their control, and attempt to force them back to class without even attempting to contact the parents. What does it say that the administrator of a school for which they have no children enrolled is more communicative to them than the one they fork out tens of thousands to?”
“I assure you,” Cinch began, taking a step back from Luna’s rising righteous fury, “that my staff are capable of assessing a situa—”
Running footsteps and the Crystal Prep nurse—a stern faced woman as unpleasant as Cinch herself, in Luna’s experience came huffing and puffing out of the hallway looking as though she was being chased by some terrifying monster. Luna couldn't help the faint smirk that tugged at her lips—that was a woman who had run afoul of a determined Sunset Shimmer and lost, and it was somewhat satisfying to know that it wasn't just her sister and herself who had failed to control the redhead when she put her mind to doing something. “Principal Cinch!” came the wheezy gasp from a woman who probably had not moved that fast since she was in high school herself. “There’s an intruder interfering with my work and Indigo Zap refuses to return to class.”
“That intruder,” Luna said while trying to contain her internal glee, “is authorized for exactly what she came here to do, by the parents of the girl whom you refused to contact when she was brought in by a friend with a severe anxiety attack and her medication stolen in an act of vandalism. That intruder, for the record, is my student, and I have been in contact with the parents myself.”
Abacus Cinch’s eyes studied the nurse, and then both of them looked back down the hall, looking even more unsettled by the moment. “Nurse Cherry,” she asked in a very low and shaky voice. “…which student did Miss Zap bring to your office?”
Defeat rang in the response. “Twilight Sparkle, Principal Cinch.”
Now it was Luna’s turn to try and cover her reaction—lucky for her, the two women were still staring pensively down the hall. 
Twilight Sparkle…
How had she never realized…?
Her mind sifted through her memories, looking for the time she had met Shining’s baby sister, back in their college days. Vaguely, her mind conjured up the images of a small, anxious child, with washed out lavender skin and dark hair that suggested she needed more time in the sun, peering nervously out from behind her father’s pants leg. She had barely said ten words, all of them in a whisper quiet voice, and had shied away from any contact. It coupled with that same child’s voice in later memories, coming over the phone, exceptionally polite and a touch nasally, sometimes tearful but always shy. And most recently, when the girl had been in tears, asking for Cadence and then pleading for Luna to just fill the silence while she waited…
And while it made a weird sort of sense—especially given Sunset’s apparent secrecy about the girl from her other friends—Luna found it hard to reconcile the memories she possessed with the figure in her mind that was Princess Twilight Sparkle, who had stood tall against monsters and magic to defy them and save the day twice over, who looked and acted more like a young adult than a teenager.





“After that, I spent about half an hour tearing down her excuses and blocking her attempts to go after you and interfere. To that end, I called Twilight Velvet’s number and let her make some not so idle threats.”
Sunset nodded, seeming to slot the information into what she already knew. “Thank you, Miss Luna…for all of that. It took me a while to get Twilight calmed down and someone yelling at us would have just made it worse again.”
Celestia had been fairly quiet. “I have some questions,” she said at last, making them both turn to her. “To begin with…Twilight Sparkle?”
…well, that was for Sunset to field. Luna was alright with letting the otherworldly teen have the first shot at being under her sister’s intense cross-examination. 
Sighing, Sunset shuffled in her seat awkwardly. “A lot of people here have Equestrian counterparts--Princess Celestia and Princess Luna aren’t the only examples.  I met this world’s Twilight the night of the formal…on my way home from here, actually. There were some guys in the park…” Her fists clenched in her lap and her expression grew dark, and she fell silent for a long time, enough for both sisters to exchange worried looks. Luna had an inkling after a night spent drinking with Shining a few months back, but to find out that such a thing had occurred the same night of Sunset’s demonic transformation was shocking.
“…anyway. After that, she decided that I was her new best friend, and it…kind of went from there.” The teen shrugged. “She’s not the princess, she’s her own person, and no, the girls don't know. I haven’t told Twilight or her family about magic…I need to, but it’s complicated and not entirely my decision, and…”
Luna chuckled, “And it is not easy to admit to the princess that you are dating this world’s version of her, which would definitely come up when you explain your desire to share what are probably state secrets with her.”
Eyes like polished turquoise darted up in brief shock. “How did you—” she started, only for the answer to come to her mid-sentence. “…Cadence. Right. I’m an idiot. Of course she’d tell you.” She rubbed her face with her hands.
“In her defense, neither of us realized you were my student when she first told me. It was not until she mentioned your name as more than ‘Ladybug’s girlfriend’ that I made the connection.” Luna took a long drink of her coffee savoring the bitter bite to it and the way it cleared her muzzy thoughts.
Sunset sighed again. “…good to know. It's…not something we’re wanting to become public knowledge, Miss Luna, Principal Celestia…so…if you could just…keep this between us? It’ll all come out eventually when Twilight transfers, but…it's a process, for so many reasons.”
Celestia leaned forward to rest a reassuring hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “We will do nothing to violate your trust, Sunset. I am just trying to understand what transpired, and what I need to be concerned about in regards to the school.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she glanced Luna’s way. “Although I am quite entertained by the fact that my sister never realized Twilight’s identity until now. How did you miss that, sister? You’ve known Cadenza for almost a decade.”
Flushing because she’d struggled to figure out the same thing, Luna groused, “A virtually non-verbal seven year old is a great deal different than a magical pony princess in the body of a high school senior, Celestia. And I only physically met the girl once before yesterday.”
“And the name? Twilight is not that common a first name.” Now her sister was openly needling her, and Luna fought the urge to stick her tongue out. “Especially because Cadenza tells you about her ‘little sister’ all the time.”
Salvation came from a surprising corner. “They…don't call her ‘Twilight’ most of the time,” Sunset explained. “They usually call her Twily, and Cady calls her ‘Ladybug’ sometimes. Plus I think Twilight is a family name on Mrs. Velvet’s side. Her name is Twilight Velvet, and I think Twilight’s grandmother’s name is Twilight…Twinkle? Something like that.”
After a generous swallow of coffee and a minute to squelch a few childish urges to get even with her sister’s teasing, Luna trusted herself enough to respond again. “Hence why hearing and seeing Twilight Sparkle caught me by surprise. Despite Abacus and the nurse saying the name, it was not until you carried her into the main office that it truly sunk in.”
The teenager made a face. “To be fair, Miss Luna, I was just as shocked to learn that the ‘Lu’ from the story about the…’lightsaber’…was the same person who put me in ISS.”
Lightsab—oh.
Rubbing her temples, Luna exhaled slowly. She and Mi Amore Cadenza were going to have a very pointed discussion about what stories were appropriate to share at family dinners and which ones needed to stay between them. “I apologize, Miss Shimmer. Cadenza sometimes fails to understand the concept of professional boundaries and the idea of ‘oversharing.’ I will be having a talk with her about that, now that there is no longer the separation of ignorance between us about my identity as her friend and former roommate.”
Sunset winced. “Boundaries would be good,” she said stiffly. “Cadence…tends to be extremely enthusiastic about the personal anecdotes…” She tucked some hair back behind her ear. “I think it comes from a good place, most of the time, but there's just some things…” The teen trailed off with a huffing snort that spoke volumes.
“I shall endeavor to do my best to remain professional, Miss Shimmer, despite my personal relationship with Cadence. I only ask that you do the same and that you not go…resharing any of her stories with your peers.” With hope, they could gloss over this without drawing overt attention to—
“Lightsaber story?” her sister asked with a note of amusement.
Oh, to have been an only child…that would have been glorious. 
She would have to settle for putting rubber snakes in her sister’s bed. Or maybe bribing one of the students into pranking Celestia’s car.  Perhaps young Mister Rover and his friends would be up to it…
Luna pulled herself out of her thoughts of abusing her authority for petty revenge to hear Sunset quickly say, “Don't ask, Principal Celestia. There are just some things I do not want to think about, especially involving my vice principal. What happened to her in college needs to stay there.”
There was that damned look in her sister’s eye again. “Ah, yes. Not many people appreciate embarrassing stories being known to many people…though I can say I have never had the opportunity to hear the aforementioned story from my sister. I will have to ask her later.” The long look sent her way told her that Tia would remember to ask later. Then she moved smoothly on to the more important topic. “What should we be doing now that we have confirmation of the dark magic at Crystal Prep?”
Sunset leaned back in her seat, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling tiles. “First…don't go to CPA. If you need to have a meeting for coordinating the games, do it here, or some neutral ground like wherever the school system has all their central bureaucracy…but stay away from Crystal Prep. I don't fully understand the magic there, but the fainter forms of it on people are practically invisible until they trigger, and by then, it's too late to avoid all of the nasty things it stirs up. Other than that…be on guard. Pay attention to what the people from there ask, and avoid giving them anything that could clue them in about the magic here, or about the girls and me. If there is some conscious mind behind it…”
Celestia frowned, and voiced the thought at the same time it occurred to Luna. “They will make their move at the Friendship Games.”
“That’s what I would have done,” Sunset agreed. 
Heavy silence, and her sunny sister straightened suddenly, a steel in her that had been lacking since the Sirens had broken her. “Sunset Shimmer,” she addressed the pensive teenager.
For the second time that morning, Sunset reacted, jolting in her seat from the commanding tone that would not be argued with or ignored. “Y-yes, Prince—Principal! Principal Celestia?”
“My primary concern is the well-being of the students in this school, be they Wondercolts or Shadowcolts.” Power and authority settled over her like a cloak, and even Luna was ready to jump if Celestia asked. “Therefore, I am making that the mandate here. Whatever you and your friends might need to do to ensure their safety against dark magic…you do, without hesitation.  Property damage, laws that do not account for magic, defying figures who would otherwise be considered authority…those are acceptable collateral damage if it means keeping students safe…” She exhaled slowly. “That includes the not so secret ‘Student Defense’ group that has been moving under the radar.” She flicked her eyes to Luna, then back to Sunset. “I would also like to meet with you weekly until further notice to be updated on the magic defenses and progress with your research on the subject. I have…wallowed…long enough.”
Sunset relaxed a fraction, but nodded jerkily. “I won't let you down,” she promised. 
Celestia reached out and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder again. “I am not worried about that, Sunset. You and your friends have proven yourselves, and I couldn't be more proud of all of you. I am telling you that you are not doing this alone—we are here to support you. I am here to support you.” She paused for effect. “Because you are also one of my Wondercolts, and that matters.”
Luna couldn't tell if it was a trick of the light, but there might have been unshed tears in Sunset’s eyes.
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Six: And I Cannot Lie…
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





One of the benefits to her library hideaway was that very few people knew it existed. The second floor of the CHS library was mostly a repository of forgotten reference materials and dead media formats, along with old records from the school and something like ninety years worth of yearbooks. That meant that few people ever braved the dust other than true bibliophiles and Sunset herself—not even the librarian went to the second floor any more than she had to. Which was fine with Sunset, because it was the place she retreated to when she needed to have space and quiet to sort her thoughts and emotions.  It had gotten less use over recent months, but the former unicorn still found its soft lighting—courtesy of a couple of desk lamps and a few strings of large sized Christmas lights—and solitude soothing. 
Which was why she was there right now, trying to cope with the emotions the meeting with the principals had stirred up…and figure out what she was going to tell her friends about the previous day, because she knew they would want to know. The former unicorn didn't want to lie to them…but she wasn't sure she wanted to tell them everything. Her two lives were on a collision course, and there was nothing she could do to stop it…but there was some, small, selfish part of her that just didn't want to share Twilight just yet. Not until she’d told her the truth about everything—Twilight deserved to be told first, when she was in a better state of mind,  so she could have time to process everything and prepare herself, not be thrust face first into a Pinkie Pie Party with no warning, surrounded by people who knew her name and were two hundred percent friendship by volume a thousand percent of the time.
Groaning in her throat in frustration, Sunset put her face in her hands, hunched up in one of the beanbags she had put in the room for when she needed a nap or to relax. It didn't help that Principal Celestia had stirred up memories and feelings and things she’d been trying so hard to put behind her…stuff she’d thought she was getting better about letting go, but one conversation with the principal and it was all there at the surface again, boiling under her skin. 
She belonged here, to this school, with the humans who had embraced her…even after they’d suffered under her ego. They trusted her, stood up for her…Principal Celestia was proud of her. Vice Principal Luna respected her. Her friends cared about her—Applejack had called her family at the New Years party. They encouraged her to be who she was, and accepted that Sunset Shimmer was a grumpy little unicorn from another world that messed up their lives with magic.
So why did it matter so much that it wasn’t Princess Celestia who said those things? That it wasn't other ponies who accepted her? That wanted her?  Sunset Shimmer was being offered everything she ever wanted, and all her stupid mind could seem to focus on was a childish reaction that it wasn't being offered by the right beings.
The worst part was, she didn't really get why it still mattered to her. She knew—had known since before she ran away through the portal—that the Princess did not see Sunset as family, and all of her belief that she could prove herself worthy had been wishful thinking that she could force an outcome of her choosing. She accepted that—she’d said as much to her girlfriend, and she really meant it…yet it didn't stop the longing ache that had risen when the principal had spoken, sounding so much in that moment like the Princess of the Sun. 
Principal Celestia was proud of her, even after all her failures and turning into a raging she-demon…so why had she been such a disappointment to Princess Celestia?
It could have been the lack of closure that was getting to her. Knowing she would never have the chance to ask the princess why her best hadn't been good enough…why she had never been enough. Like the secret of her origins and her birth parents, it was one more thing that she would never have the ability to answer. Maybe that was it, especially given how being in this world, finally taking the chance at opening herself up to others, and being accepted, despite all her mistakes and flaws and all the awful things she’d said and done, had drawn the lack of acceptance from anypony in Equestria into stark relief, and made her question it for the first time in her life.
Sunset scrubbed her face with the edge of her shirt sleeve, trying to wipe away the few tears that had managed to escape. She had more important things to do than running her mind in circles over and over about something that wouldn't ever have an answer. Like the questions about her parentage, it needed to go into the little box in the corner of her soul that she just avoided opening at all costs. Maybe someday, when she wasn't dealing with dark magic infesting a school and a potential attack on both CHS and the portal to Equestria, she could sort through some of the things she’d shoved in there, but for now…
For now, Sunset Shimmer couldn't afford to waste the time thinking about it. 
Which left her back at her square one, trying to decide what to tell her friends about yesterday. “Ponyfeathers…” she groaned, flopping completely back into the welcoming embrace of the bean bag chair. She could feel a headache coming on, and it wasn't even eight o’clock yet.
Footsteps caught her ears, and then a knock as the door was opening. Sunset tensed—it was too early for a lot of people to be at the school yet, and even fewer knew to look in here. Her suspicions were confirmed when Rainbow Dash stepped in and shut the door behind her. The athlete looked windblown and red faced from the early morning chill, and more than a little tired, but that didn't stop her from holding out a Dr. Pepper and a paper sack that turned out to contain half a dozen of Sunset’s favorite danishes. “Here. Didn't know if you ate since yesterday, so I grabbed breakfast on the way.”
The former unicorn took them with a surprised expression etched onto her features. “Dash…” she started.
“It's not a big deal, Shimmer, but I know you don't eat when you're stressed. You don’t usually sleep either. Wasn't sure you did either yesterday after you bailed from history. Figured I’d make sure you made up for it.”
Guilt ate at her. “…thank you, Dash,” she whispered, voice thick with emotion.
“It’s cool. You’d do it for me.” The colorful teen flopped backwards into the desk chair and spun to face Sunset, taking a long drink from her own soda bottle. “You okay after yesterday? Shy said you were super rattled when you ran out. Like something scared you…and then you said you were on fire but couldn't make it go out.”
Nibbling at a danish, Sunset sighed. “I’m better now,” she answered honestly. “There were a couple of rough moments though, and I was worried I was a fire hazard.”
Her friend nodded in understanding, and they fell into an easy silence as they worked on their breakfasts. Then, just as suddenly as she appeared in the library, Dash spoke again. 
“How about your friend? Are they okay?”
Sunset choked, soda threatening to backflush out her nostrils. She sat forward, hacking and coughing , trying to clear her various airways, before staring at Rainbow Dash. “What—?!” 
Spinning lazily, the soccer star responded, “That's what yesterday was all about, wasn't it? The friend you made a while ago, the one that doesn't go to our school, they were in some kind of trouble, right?”
Still gaping like a fish, Sunset stammered, “That’s…right…but how did you…?”
The spinning chair stopped, and her friend rolled her eyes. “It wasn't hard to figure out, Shimmer. I knew about your friend already—remember? Back before Thanksgiving?” She took another swig of her drink. “Fluttershy said you looked really upset, and then you said your magic was doing stuff…and it’s Friendship magic, right? So it had to be about a friend or family, and since you’re from Equestria and it was a message on your phone, it couldn't be your pony family, so it had to be someone here. And if it was someone at CHS, you would have just told us and we would've been called to help…so it had to be your secret friend who doesn’t go here…”
She had completely forgotten about that long ago conversation by her locker, she realized. Partially because Rainbow had just never mentioned it, and partially because after that point, the girls had seemed to come to some private agreement that they didn't make plans for Fridays, so she hadn't needed to keep evading the subject. Now she wondered—had Dash subtly discouraged Friday plans to cover for her? 
“…anyway, I decided since it's still a secret that I'd get here early and catch you alone, so I could ask. So is your friend okay?” There was such worry hidden in that raspy voice, care and concern for someone that she didn't even know, all because they were important to Sunset…and even now, Dash had kept her word. Not told anyone else…
Sunset felt the magic in the air around them, sky-blue wings framing Rainbow’s back, and the sudden weight of an extra eighteen inches of hair on her head, the rush of sounds suddenly coming into proper focus to pony ears, and fire dancing around her horn to cast flickering shadows on the walls. She opened her mouth to answer, and the truth came tumbling out.
“Twilight. Her name’s Twilight Sparkle, and she goes to Crystal Prep…”
Eyes widened, but Dash focused on the part she cared most about. “She okay?”
“…not really. She had nightmares last night, and she has to go back to Crystal Prep…” 
Another nod. “You wanna tell me what happened?”
Taking a deep breath, Sunset nodded, and what came out was everything. The whole story. Every sordid detail from their meeting in the park and the boys who Sunset beat the crap out of, to the awkward and shy friendship between the unicorn who never really had one and the nerdy bookworm who had never had many but was determined to be Sunset’s first friend, to even the awkward romance that had bloomed. Nothing was left out, not how Sunset had been welcomed by the rest of Twilight’s family, not how things had been going downhill for her best friend at CPA and with Wallflower, not even Twilight researching what she didn't know was magic.
She even found herself talking about why she hadn't told any of them, first out of fear that they’d take Twilight away when she was the only thing keeping Sunset going, then from worry and fear about losing her best-friend-turned-girlfriend if she wasn’t careful about how and when she chose to reveal the truth, to the realization that she would have to sooner rather than later…and why she still wasn't ready right now to let everyone know.
Rainbow blinked owlishly at her when she finally exhausted herself talking, and took another drink of her soda. “Soooo…let me see if I’ve got this straight. You met the Twilight that's human like us and not a pony like you, like, the same night you tried to barbecue the Princess version, except you saved her from dirtbag rapists instead. Then she did the Twilight thing where she decides you’re friends and she wants to help you, and she did what Princess Twilight asked us to do…except she goes to the shittiest school ever with a bunch of fucking assholes, and it turns out that school—our biggest rivals—has evil magic that’s hurting her, and that’s how you knew about it…and she’s gonna be transferring here as soon as she can do it without her bitch of a principal fucking her over?” 
“That's…the bare bones of it, yeah.”
One wing flexed and extended, pointing her leading flight feather like a finger at Sunset. “And somewhere in the middle of this you figured out you're gay? Bi? Wet for humans? Whatever. And now you are sucking face with her too and you bailing and have your magic go nuts was because your girl was in danger and you ran to the rescue again? And did some stuff to kick the evil magic in the face.”
Sunset pinned her ears back instinctively in both frustration and embarrassment. “We’re dating—I’m not using her to satisfy the weird monkey hormones in my body or whatever like you're making it sound.  I wouldn't do that to her. She’s…she's my best friend, Dash.”
The soccer star nodded. “…I get it. It's cool, Sunset. I have a couple of questions though.”
Sunset fought the urge to crib on a thumb, and nodded, half afraid of what Dash was about to say. “Okay…?”
“How the fuck were you ever evil? Like…what the hell!?”
What? Of all the things that could have been asked, that was one that had never crossed her thoughts. “Uhhh…”
Dash gestured at her with the soda and a wing. “No, seriously, Sunset—how were you ever able to act like a bitch?  Like…do the Elements…rewrite a person’s personality or something when they hit them with a rainbow laser? Because holy shit, dude!”
She shied back a little from the reaction. “I don’t—what are you talking about?”
The rainbow haired athlete just gave her a deadpan look. “Sunset. You just told me that less than a few hours after you went all ‘Rawr! I’ll get you and your little dog too!’…after being all fucked up by the rainbow thing, you jumped right into a fight against four dudes who were all bigger than you to stop them from raping a girl you didn’t know that looked just like the princess you had tried to turn into sidewalk pizza. And then you let her talk you into being friends. All in less than a day.” Rainbow made a face. “And it wasn't a fluke—you keep doing it. Like at the pep rally, or with the sirens—after we treated you like shit and didn't do what Twilight asked, and then really bombed it by only half-assing the whole friendship thing while the sirens were messing with everyone…you were sick that whole week, and you still stepped up to help save everyone. And this—you went alone into a place all messed up with evil magic for her, to protect her…” She locked eyes with Sunset. “This is you, Shimmer. The real you. And I don’t get how you could have been evil. It's not who you really are.”
For several minutes, all Sunset could do was sit in stunned silence, struggling to process her friend’s words. It was a lot to take in, especially all at once, and coming as the most recent thing in a morning that was already far too emotionally stressful made it even more so. Eventually though, she struggled to put her answer into words. It came out ragged, rough, and…maybe a touch hysterical, if she were honest with herself when she looked back later. 
“I…” she started, before her voice cracked. Sunset took a long drink of the beverage in her hand. “…I don’t know…”
Rainbow frowned. “…you don't know?”
Shaking her head, the former unicorn fumbled. “It's…not like it happened overnight. I didn't just wake up one day and decide to be a heinous bitch, and I still don't understand how I’m here and not still a raging, maniacal she-demon.” She closed her eyes, pressing the heel of her hand into the depression caused by the socket in some attempt to massage out the growing pressure in her skull. “Maybe I could tell you that when you have a little filly who is full of hurt and anger every day, who wants to belong but no one wants her, that that's what happens. Maybe I could tell you that the combination of my already overpowered, unstable magic, my rage, and the want to be wanted by somepony, anypony, worked together in twisting me up until that was all that was left inside me. Maybe I could tell you that it's because other ponies treated me like a dangerous monster my whole life and eventually I decided if they wanted a monster, I would give them one. Maybe I could even tell you that some of it was from the sheer terror of being completely alone in a world where I was surrounded by violent, insane predators that like to torment each other….”
Sunset exhaled harshly. “…but the truth is…I can't really point to any of those things because I don't really know. Looking back, it wasn't about one defining moment, or even a series of little steps. I’m not even sure this is who I was when I was a very young foal.” Her head ached and her eyes felt dry and burned at the same time. “Maybe you're more right than you know. I barely understand what happened inside the Rainbow of Light…but maybe the original Sunset Shimmer died inside there…and I’m what was left over after you get rid of the rot. I don't know…”
The quiet was deafening and she opened her eyes to see Rainbow frowning at her. It was enough that the redhead’s guts squirmed.  “…sorry…” she started, prepared to turn it into one of those self-deprecating jokes to diffuse the sudden tension.
Except Rainbow had other ideas. The athlete set her drink on the desk, and in the next moment abandoned the chair to flop on top of Sunset and the beanbag both. The words died in her throat as pale blue arms came around her and the former bully found herself enveloped in a full body hug.  Her breath caught on the lump in her throat, and she found herself melting into the embrace, magic flickering with little tongues of crimson flame that reflected off the barrier of feathery wings that shielded her senses from the outside world. In the end, she buried her face in Rainbow’s shoulder and soaked in the way the magic felt to her perception, like laying in the damp grass after a summer thunderstorm, the air smelling of ozone and earth and water and life, all the heaviness taken away with the clouds.
The hug lasted for a long time, mostly in that strange silence under a sky of feathers, before Rainbow said anything. “…and maybe none of that matters because this is who you were always supposed to be: our friend, Twilight’s girlfriend, and a super awesome person.”
It…felt good, the short, blunt support from a friend who didn't waste her time with flattery. Dash always said exactly what was on her mind and it always reflected how she felt, even if she downplayed it. “…Thanks, Dash. I…needed…all of this.”
“We’re friends, Shimmer. Maybe I didn't do the best in the beginning, but I’m gonna do my best now. Even if your girl is your bestie, we’re still solid.”
Sunset laughed, dropping her head back. “You know, maybe you should be careful talking like that and let me up, before I have to worry that Twilight has some competition.”
Pushing herself up, Dash swatted her shoulder with one wing. “In your dreams, Shimmer.”
“Hardly,” Sunset said with dry humor, batting the wing away gently with her palm. “We’d kill each other inside a week—not exactly what I’d call my idea of a fantasy romance.”
The other girl guffawed. “Too right,” she snickered as she shook out her wings and folded them against her back. “Besides, if we’re being real, that's the one kind of competition I’d rather not even be involved in. Totally not my thing.” 
Shuffling to readjust on the beanbag now that Dash was flopping back in the chair, Sunset shrugged. “I understand that; with the exception of Twilight—my Twilight, not the princess—humans just…don't do it for me. Your species is ugly, and you're all nuts.”
“You're just jealous because we have thumbs.”
Arching a brow as she fished out another danish from the bag, Sunset snarked, “Dash, fingers are the only thing humans have that I’m jealous of.”
Brightly colored brows waggled at her. “Your Twilight's got some good finger game then?”
Sunset choked with embarrassed laughter, face going red. “Rainbow!” she shrieked, tossing a balled up napkin at her friend. “For your information, I wouldn't know. We…haven't…”
“But you totally want to. I can see it in your face, Shimmer, don’t lie.”
Ears burning, she shrugged as an answer that wasn't an answer. Rainbow shook her head. “Hey, I get it. Just because I only care to rub one out like once a year doesn't mean I can't recognize that the princess is cute, and that means an even bigger egghead version probably has that sexy repressed librarian thing going on…plus youre smoking hot. I’m ace, not blind.” She winked at Sunset and shot her a pair of finger-guns.
The former unicorn groaned. “Please don't tell me this is going to be every talk with you now—it's still a secret.” Her shoulders slumped. “A secret that is making telling everyone about yesterday hard. I still feel like I owe her the whole story before I spill it to the other girls.”
Dash cocked her head. “So don't tell them the secret stuff.” She ran a hand through her hair. “You're allowed to have secrets, Sunset, even from your friends. It's okay, as long as the secret is something that won't hurt anyone or put anyone in danger. Far as I can tell, the important part is the evil magic at Crystal Prep that's attacking people, not that you know the human Twilight or that you guys want to play tonsil hockey on weekends. The magic part is the big deal, and that would be the same if the person who got attacked was some dude named like Number Cruncher or Yardline, and you guys were just bros who kick each other’s ass at Smash.”
Blinking, Sunset thought it over. “…that…maybe that could work…” then she grimaced. “Until Rarity decided she wanted to know more. She’s already tried to get nosy about my ‘love life’ when there wasn't one, and something like a friend I won't talk about is going to make her go right to the idea that it's some kind of illicit affair. Which it's not. Sparky’s not out, and I’m still trying to figure out how to prove magic is real and explain I’m a unicorn in a way that doesnt risk setting her house on fire.”
“Would you chill?” Dash rolled her eyes. “I got your back on this, Shimmer. You just focus on telling everyone the important parts, and I’ll handle my part. That's what you do when you're part of a team.”
Rubbing her face, Sunset started mulling it over. “…okay…” She started trying to piece together exactly what she wanted to say, falling into comfortable silence for a while. 
Until Dash broke it.
“…so I gotta know…your Twilight got like…a bubble butt? Since you said you're kind of an ass girl?”
“Dash!”
“What?! It's an honest question! You told us ponies like big butts!”
“…”
“Sunset? C’mon, I was just messing with you.”
“…”
“Shimmer?”
“…yes, okay? Her butt is super distracting, especially when she wears this one pair of pajama pants, and if you ever tell anyone I said that, they will never find your body.”
The sound of Rainbow’s laughter rang through the small room.
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Seven: Council of War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“…And that’s when we got out of there as fast as we could and not make it look like we were running.  I still don't know what hit me inside that wall, but it was some of the foulest, most corrupted magic I have ever felt, and it was definitely way older than anyone who goes there.” Sunset resisted the urge to crib on a fingernail as nine pairs of eyes stared at her, each one holding a different reaction.
AJ was frowning, the action setting deep lines in her forehead, while beside her, with one arm threaded casually through the farmer’s to rest a pale hand on her forearm, Rarity looked Sunset up and down, blue eyes calculating. Fluttershy was hugging a bunny, deeply distressed—though given the somewhat graphic description Sunset had given about whatever magic she had ruptured open, that was unsurprising. Pinkie was half heartedly doodling in a notebook, and seemed unable to really meet her gaze…there wasn't a positive spin she could put on this, and Sunset knew that despite Pinkie’s love of frivolity, the party planner knew when jokes were inappropriate. Dash fidgeted in her seat, before hopping up to fiddle with her guitar. Bon-Bon had her arms crossed—like Applejack, she seemed to be mulling over the information and what it meant for them. Flash and Lyra—who both knew exactly who her unnamed friend was—were clearly worried about Twilight, and fighting to hold their tongues. The wild card in this meeting, however, was Trixie Lulamoon; the stage magician was staring at Sunset with surprising intensity and actual worry…something that unsettled Sunset more than anything. Trixie had never dropped the ego before but the whole time she had recounted the magic she’d experienced, the latest addition to their magical defense meetings had grown progressively paler, until her skin tone nearly matched Rarity’s.
It was Applejack who spoke first. “Explains why ya lit outta here like yer tail was on fire. Magic visions and an someone in trouble, all comin’ together like that?” She took off her hat to scratch her head. “What a mess…”
Flash broke before Lyra. “Is your friend okay?” he asked.
“They’re…they’ll be okay, but it's going to take time. The good thing is that their family is on their side and want to get the police involved.” Sunset sighed. “Especially with how much the laptop was worth. It was a brand new, top of the line model. They got it at the beginning of the school year.”
Bon-Bon made a noise in her throat. “Good. Police breathing down the school’s neck means if there is some kind of evil magic user there, they’ll have to be careful or it’ll get found out. That might slow them down if they’ve got any kind of plan going on.”
“Or it'll make ‘em desperate,” Applejack said pensively. “Which could be good…or bad.”  The group fell into silence, each of them digesting what they’d been told more than they were the lunches that lay mostly forgotten on the table they sat at in what was becoming known as ‘the Magic Room.’ 
It was in this quiet that Rarity struck. “…so…Sunset, darling…I have to admit, I am curious. This friend of yours…when did the two of you meet? You never mentioned them before…?”
She was fishing, and Sunset focused as hard as she could on staying relaxed. “Rarity, they go to CPA—with how everyone in this school gets, and how things have been for me for most of the year, I didn't want to paint an even bigger target on myself…or give people here new reasons to despise me. Or worse, turn an innocent person into a target for something that had nothing to do with them.”
“But, darling, that was all months ago—things have been so much better since the Battle of the Bands, and we wouldn't have reacted with such negativity…” The pale skinned girl actually sounded a little hurt and confused, and Sunset felt guilty.
Dash, on the other hand, made a derisive sound. “So Shimmer’s got another friend. Big deal. Can we get back to the important part? The whole ‘Crystal Prep isn't just snobs, it's basically like some kind of…I don't know, Evil Wizard Lair,’ and they’ll be here next month for the Games? Which means monsters and magic fights again!”
A pencil tapped restlessly on Lyra’s open notebook, which had notes taken from the meeting thus far. “Hey, Sunset. You said the magic you found there was older than the students, right?”
The redhead thought back. “Definitely. I’m not an archaeologist, and I wasn't in a position to run some of the diagnostics that let me verify age, but this wasn't new magic. It was…too sunken into everything. And the wards…” she shuddered at the memory of it digging into her, trying to tear her apart. “…it wasn't old by any standard of measurement—maybe a century or two, but…it couldn't have been more than five hundred years old.”
There was a quiet throat clearing from Fluttershy. “A hundred years is pretty old…” she said softly. “And five hundred years is really old…”
She shrugged. “I guess by human standards, it would be…but…” Sunset made a vague gesture. “You have to understand, my bedroom as a filly was something like forty five hundred years old. Most of Canterlot’s Upper Terraces date back to the founding of the city after Princess Celestia ascended and reunified ponykind under one banner. The magics there were layered, and the oldest spells and wards were as old as the palace itself. A few hundred years is…not new, but it's not really old, either.” The former unicorn sighed. “The point I was making is that it's definitely older than any of the students or staff.”
Lyra frowned. “Then…if it's that old…it's not Equestrian Magic, is it? It didn't come from your world, and it didn't happen because of the Fall Formal.” She frowned. “Which means it came from here. From this world.” She tilted her head. “Right?”
“It's…it doesn't feel like Equestrian magic, so the only other option is that it originated here.” Sunset rubbed her temples—her headache had only worsened as the day had gone on. “Unfortunately, I’m still deciphering that weird journal that got left in Pinkie’s locker, and it doesn't have a lot for me to work with. It's all personal anecdotes, references to human superstitions, and transcribed conversations. The most useful part so far has been a bestiary and a botanical guide whose information just bridges the gap between Equestrian alchemy and apothecary practices, and human folk medicine involving so called ‘plant magic.’ There’s very little about how magic works here…no formulas or numbers, no accurate theorems or concrete measurements.”
Help came from a…well, perhaps not entirely unexpected corner…but one she had not expected to be so vocal so soon. “Trixie…might be able to help with that.”
Sunset relaxed a little, but waved at the magician to keep talking. Everyone else watched her curiously, some of them wondering if it would be useful or another dead end. Regardless, Trixie cleared her throat. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is a performer, not a historian, but she is also a descendant of the House of Lulamoon, one of the seven lines that can trace their lineage to the Ancient Line of Madji, the most powerful Sorcerer who ever lived!” The air flashed with bright sparks from the out thrown hands…and a little confetti provided by Pinkie. When no one said anything, Trixie cleared her throat. “Anyways. What Trixie can tell you is what her father told her: once, magic was everywhere, and powerful sorcerers could shape reality to their will…but as time passed, the magic…went out of people. Fewer could grasp its power, and eventually, even members of the seven lines had less and less, until magic was almost gone from everywhere. By the time of Trixie’s grandfather, magic was seen as…parlor tricks and sleight of hand, and many of the teachings of magic have been lost.”
Her voice grew quieter. “…were it not for Sunset Shimmer’s transformation, Trixie…would have given up on her magic even being more than her own wishful thinking.” 
That staggered Sunset for a moment. The other girl’s voice held a painful amount of sincerity and a touch of something she might have called ‘melancholy.’ And then her mind reminded her that once upon a time she had told Trixie that she was a charlatan and a hack who would never be a real magician. It had been back when she had exhausted her attempts to determine if there was real magic in the human world and decided all of what was talked about was fake…but that didn't make it right. “I…”
Trixie held up a hand imperiously, her ego covering the brief moment of vulnerability. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not require apologies at this time. Perhaps later, when there are not true problems with yet more foul magics afoot.” She continued, her expression darkening into a frown. “I was unaware of any places of such unpleasant evil,” she mused, dropping the act in her moment of worry. “My family has kept many records over the centuries of places of great power and great danger. I trust you have such places in your world, Sunset Shimmer? Where there is so much magic that everything is teeming with it?”
“We do,” she confirmed. “In Equestria, we have leylines—think of them as subterranean rivers, but for magic, instead of water. Places where they intersect…it can muddy the flows a bit and cause the magic to become more highly concentrated—again, like the currents in water can be disrupted when two flows meet, creating…whirls and eddies and saturation of the ground.  Some of the strongest places in Equestria with the highest naturally occurring SET levels exist at major leyline conjunctions where two, three, or sometimes more lines cross one another. I…can perceive what feels like proto-leylines under the school. It’s something that…well…before the formal, I honestly believed it was nothing more than excess magic leaked into this world by the portal in the statue, but…it's no longer the faint sense of lingering magic. Now it's much larger, very distinct, and it is growing stronger.”
There was a thoughtful nod from Trixie. “Your fights, here and at the amphitheater, plus the two times you Rainbooms have unleashed that Rainbow Wave thing…generated a considerable amount of power—your research concurs with this, yes?”
Sunset agreed readily. “On all counts. The Rainbow of Light—which is what that’s called, by the way—is estimated to have a SET in excess of fifteen or twenty. The one time we were able to measure it supports that estimation.” She thought of a comparison. “If I were to…compare it, the difference between that and the ambient energy levels of the world from what I’ve seen is like the difference between a candle and the sun.”
“…Trixie’s magic has…improved…in recent months. What was prone to failure is now easy, and there is magic that was inaccessible that seems possible. Each…burst of improvement…has followed Trixie coming into contact with your foreign magic.”
Rarity leaned forward. “Are you suggesting what I think, darling? That our magic might…infect others?”
She shook her head. “Not infect, and not anyone. But one of the…tenants of magic that the House of Lulamoon follows is that magic calls to magic. Trixie believes your magics are infusing more magic into places that already have magic. Such as Trixie and her father…” Her eyes met Sunset’s. “…or places with old spells that had been placed and then gone dormant when the magic was no more.”
The former unicorn’s eyes grew wide, “Discord’s laughing madness… which would explain why Crystal Prep’s grounds were powered up enough to catch me in wards.” She twisted and rolled her chair to the computer, where she brought up her spreadsheet with the various SETs she’d been tracking and her other notes. “The ambient SET level of the school has been gradually increasing, and by the measurements I’ve been tracking…but I didn't think…dragonfire and endless ice!”
She grabbed a notepad and furiously began scribbling out a complex formula, her free hand grabbing a heavy tome from the shelf and flipping through it for the theorem she needed. There was shuffling behind her, and a moment later Trixie spoke from her elbow. “Trixie’s theory has backing then?”
“More than you know,” Sunset sighed. “I think…it might be a little more complicated, but accurate.” She started crunching the numbers in what she had written, Equestrian glyphs sprawling across the crisp paper. “I think I can explain several things with it. The first is why the Harmonic energy didn’t purge something dark like CPA…why your magic is stronger, Trixie.” The answer staring back at her confirmed it. “And why the portal is here.”
“Well don't keep us in suspense, girl,” Applejack drawled.
Sunset dropped her pen. “I believe this world used to have magic. More than it does now…possibly a lot more, like Trixie said, and like the book from Pinkie’s locker talks about. It might even be why there’s so much human folklore about magic and monsters that Equestria has but Earth doesn’t now.  I don't know why it doesn’t anymore, but…if it did, then we’re sitting on a nexus of what used to be its leylines. In this world, it’s likely that only a nexus would have enough power to anchor a permanent portal to Equestria…which is why it's the statue here and a mirror on the other side. Equestria has enough raw magic and the materials naturally charged enough to act as an anchor if a unicorn or other active caster chose to transfer it to an object…” She ran her hand through her mane. “If that's true, then the energy of the portal has been…maintaining the leyline here, but at a slow trickle rather than a river. It builds up over a natural cycle until it reaches a critical mass…and bam! The portal opens for a few days, magic floods the leyline just enough to stabilize it, but then burns off most of the excess until the portal collapses as unsustainable.” 
She found the other formula she needed and began running the numbers. “But what we’ve done…we’ve increased the energy in that leyline remnant. First through a massive infusion that would have flooded it and then carried much farther and with more energy than has probably been seen in a while—like a flash flood in a dry riverbed—and then through several more infusions on top of the fact that I have a history of unstable magic and all of you girls have become a constant source of magic. And that’s not even accounting for the magic that comes through from Equestria every time Princess Twilight uses the quantum entanglement in the journals to force the aperture open from the Equestrian end.”
Pinkie Pie piped up helpfully. “Oh, so it's like trying to fill a pool at a big waterpark with all the cool rivers and slides! Except before it was like doing it with a garden hose while waiting for it to rain and so it took forever, but then we came in with fire hoses!”
Dash groaned. “Pinks, that made no sense. Besides, even I kinda got Sunset’s egghead speech. We’re making magic and it's making CHS more magical. Which, for the record, is awesome!”
“How does that affect Trixie though?” Fluttershy asked. “Or Crystal Prep being an Evil Wizard Lair?”
Grabbing a big sketchpad she used for technical drawings in the research, Sunset pivoted back to the table and began to draw a loose diagram on the page. “I don't know for certain, but my hypothesis is that if our magic is being dumped into the leylines under us first, that would turn it into a much more neutral form—Harmonic energy, according to Princess Twilight’s notes, seeks to heal and repair things that are not the way they were meant to be, whether that's scrubbing a corrupted soul, returning magic to ponies drained by a mad centaur, or, in this case, repairing damaged leylines and charging them. That energy, in turn, seeps naturally into the environment around it…and CPA is not really that far in a straight line: ten to fifteen miles at most.” 
“Trixie…is not certain she understands…”
Sunset laughed. “Trixie, you go to school here. You eat school lunches five days a week. You get peanut butter crackers from the vending machine outside the gym every day. You drink from the school water fountains. You are eating food that is soaking in magic all the time, drinking water saturated in it, breathing air charged with it. You may not need thaumic energy to survive like a unicorn does, but you still need magic to do magic. Until now, you've been running on a mostly empty tank, and now there's energy for you to access.”
A throat cleared, and Rarity asked, “And you believe then that the energy we released may have…charged the batteries on some dormant evil magic from this world then?”
That sobered them all very quickly. “It's a possibility—if there’s no conscious active user of dark magic involved, then it's the most probable. It’s happened in Equestria—powerful wards and ancient curses powered by ambient magic outlasting their creators by millennia.” A grimace crossed her features. “Archaeology is a very dangerous field in Equestria, and any intelligent dig team always includes at least two active spellcasters who specialize in spell-breaking. Usually with a minor mastery in abjuration.” 
“And what if it's not passive?” Bon-Bon asked. “What if there's a…person…or monster…behind this?”
Taking a deep breath, Sunset squared her shoulders. “If that's the case…then we need to be prepared—all of us.” She included everyone in her sweep of the room, even Trixie. “Because if there is a conscious mind behind it, whether that's someone using dark magic or just someone who has become twisted by it accidentally, then the Games is where they’ll make a move.”
“That means more training,” Dash said. “Think we can get the principals to give us access to the building later than normal? Or maybe on Sundays? We need the band practice.”
Applejack tapped a hand on the table. “If not, we kin practice with our music during free period and lunch, and stay late at the farm ta practice our new powers. Granny’ll understand, and with it bein’ early spring, there's no seasonal folk ta see us. We always do spring pruning and the family patch ourselves. Saves money.”
“Yeah, that’ll work—it gives us a short break after school for homework and an early dinner, or any after school commitments we have…like tutoring. We could probably use Sundays for practice at the farm too, I think,” the redhead said thoughtfully. “If it comes to a fight, the new powers we’ve all gotten are probably going to be useful, and we’ve learned from the Battle of the Bands that it's the friendship and connection between everyone in the group that makes the magic work, not how good we are at performing.”
Then she remembered what Celestia had said, and she turned to Flash, Lyra, and Bon-Bon. “As for you guys, I talked to the principals this morning about all of this. Principal Celestia has stated that as of now, safety of any student on campus is top priority in the event of a magic event. Every student. Whether they attend CHS or not. She’s given the go ahead for the ‘Student Defense Force’ to have leeway to prepare for doing just that. That means drilling people, just like we do for fire and tornados. Make sure everyone not only knows where the safe zones are, but have practiced them enough to do them without thinking. Rapid response time to a magical event will be critical for us to be able to protect the school and the students. Train them on the tools you have. Get them to practice hitting what they throw stuff at.” She hesitated, then forged ahead. “If you need any kind of supplies, bring me a list of what and how much, and I’ll order it. Thanks to Princess Twilight…” And her own accounts, after her call to her finance guy while Twilight was in the shower the night before, but she didn't need anyone to know that… “…we have a budget. A large enough one that it can absorb supply costs. I opened an account for it after I had the Equestrian bits converted.”
“Bits, darling?”
“Converted?”
“Budget?”
Sunset got up and went to the magical cupboard, reaching into the small bag that still held some of the bits from the Princess of Friendship. Retrieving one, she brought it over and placed the coin on the table, heads up so they could see Princess Celestia’s profile. “Equestria’s standard currency is the bit.”
Licking her lips, Rarity asked tentatively, “Is…is that a gold coin, Sunset?”
“Almost pure gold, actually. Magic in the earth and in the minting means the metal isn't as soft as it is here, but that minor enchantment is broken when the gold is melted down. Sold through the right people, every one of those coins is about twelve hundred dollars. I can't offload the gold too fast or I’d crash the market, but…a few dozen at a time every month adds up to a nice budget for our research. I donated most of my portion to the school because of how much my actions at the formal cost them in damages, but the research budget is in the account, and what's left is actually to pay my research team.” She looked around at them. “Which would be the nine of you, at present. It’ll have to wait until probably summer before I can start to pay that part out though, and I need you guys to not go crazy with it. We can’t draw attention to ourselves. The plan is to set it up with the same budget account under a small start-up research company, with all of you listed as part time employees. Then there’s a paper trail, you’ll pay proper taxes, and I can give it out in reasonable amounts either through bank transfers or a ‘company check-book.’”
Applejack’s brows furrowed. “Ah don't really need charity, Sunset.”
The redhead had anticipated that. “It's not charity. You're earning it with all the hours you are putting into practicing magic and protecting people. If this gets…not worse…but stronger…then most of us won't have time for a regular summer job. This will offset that for you girls, and pad things for the rest of you. What you use it for is really up to you….though with the economy, you might want to save it as a college fund. By the time we graduate, it should be enough to mean way less in loans.”
Letting that sink in, she turned to Trixie. “…your help would be appreciated in understanding how native magic works here. Unicorns have a completely different arcanobiology, and it sounds like humans lack the tools or the arcane theory backing enough to take proper measurements.”
Trixie considered that for a long time. “There are many things that are secrets to the House of Lulamoon,” she started, “but The Great and Powerful Trixie is willing to collaborate…provided her father agrees. If magic is returning…” The magician trailed off, then changed thoughts. “In the interest of that, Trixie would ask a question. You spoke of the magic’s shape you encountered, as if it were a design. Can you reproduce it on papers in parts, so that Trixie may bring it to her father’s attention? He may know what it is, allowing us to better know our enemy.”
She nodded. “I can do that. I've got a pad of tracing paper, and I can do it in layers on that. Do you have a light table? Like for art? It makes it easier to see the complete image after.”
“Trixie will acquire one.”
The bell rang, signaling the end of the meeting. “Okay. We have our game plan. If there's any issues, I keep my phone on and charged at all times, and if not me…Rarity, Flash, I’m putting you two in the position of being the next people on the list to contact.” Sunset rubbed her neck. “I’m going to be out of the city tomorrow—I have some things I need to do, but I should be back by late evening. I’ll leave the book with you, Rarity—if an emergency crops up that can't wait for me to get back, do what I showed you to call Princess Twilight for immediate help.” She scanned them all one more time. “Any questions? No? Alright…I’ll see you guys later. Girls, we’ll start the new practice schedule Monday.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Eight: A Moment to Ourselves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset swung her leg over her bike, glad that the day was finally over. Her headache had finally cleared up in her art class, after AJ had convinced her to visit the nurse for some Tylenol at the beginning of gym…but band practice had run long and there had been the issue of Sunset almost melting her guitar. Her poor instrument was going to need some serious TLC, but Vinyl had promised her that she’d take good care of it. Sunset was just going to need to use one of her other ones for practice for a week or two. Lucky for her she had two others, even if she didn't like them as much as the one she’d paid to have done in a custom design.  It meant she was looking forward to the long weekend, even if she no longer felt like someone had taken a hoof to her skull right at the base of her horn. As she grabbed her helmet, she heard a voice calling her name.
“Sunset!”
Resting her helmet on her lap, she twisted to see Flash and Lyra jogging over to her. “Hey…” she responded as they got close. “What’s up? I thought you’d have both gone home already.”
“We were gonna, but we saw you,” Flash said, rubbing his neck. “And we…wanted to catch you alone.”
“Is Twilight going to be okay?” Lyra asked in a rush.
In hindsight, she should have expected it, she realized. “I…” she started, then sighed. “It's complicated. “I think she will be, but it's going to take time, and it won't be all better until she transfers here.”
Lyra gasped, and Flash went wide eyed. “She’s transferring?” 
Tapping idly on her helmet, Sunset nodded. “Even she recognized she can't stay at CPA anymore…but…she can’t transfer until she can make sure Cinch can't ruin her grades for the year, because she’s…not really in regular math and science classes. She does these projects instead…and that's part of what complicates it.”
“How so?” Lyra wanted to know. “I mean, she always did the stuff that made my head hurt trying to understand but it was usually on space or physics or chemistry.”
“…because she’s trying to study magic, but she has no idea it's magic.” The former bully sighed. “And I can't just…you know…demonstrate. You saw what happened today—I almost torched the magic room. We’re just lucky that the weird rainbow surge warded it, or I’d be responsible for property damages. Again.”
Flash hummed in his throat. “So you have to figure out how to tell her first and then show her safely? Without involving the girls first?” He winced. “I do not envy you.”
Her eyes rolled. “Thanks,” she told her ex. “You're such a supportive pal.”
He had the decency to look a bit apologetic. “Sorry, but I’ve been in the doghouse with an upset girlfriend before.” The look he gave her was pointed and it was her turn to look abashed. “But I’m sure it won't be as bad as you think. Twilight cares about you too much to be too angry or stay that way for long.”
Sunset tried to smile, but it felt like a grimace. “I hope you're right…” She still had to talk to Princess Twilight, and she wasn't looking forward to that conversation either. She wondered in part if it would be easier to have that conversation in person or over the journal. “Anyway…she and I are going out tomorrow with her cousin to get away for a day. I’m hoping that by removing her from the vicinity of the magic for a while, I can destroy any lingering dark magic—that seems to be the one major use of my magic I can do without needing a fire extinguisher.”
Lyra jumped forward and hugged her. “Pass that to Twilight for me, and tell her I’m glad she’s okay. Now get out of here—you said you're running late and that girl gets twitchy about tardiness.”
She didn't have to be told twice, popping her helmet on her head and making sure it was secured. Giving them a thumbs up, she revved the engine and gunned it out of the parking lot.
Fifteen minutes and more traffic than she really wanted to deal with later, she pulled into the driveway, walking her bike until it was pulled up close to the house. Velvet’s car was in the driveway, as was Shining’s. Good. Sunset wanted to see if she could fish for updates from him about what the police were going to do…and that would determine what she could do to help. If she could. 
Sunset opened the door, and the absence of Spike told her that Twilight was upstairs in her room. She waved at Shining as she passed by the living room for the kitchen and the delicious smells emanating from it. “Hey, Mrs. Velvet,” she said when she poked her head in.
“Welcome home, sweetheart—how was school?” Velvet turned from the stove where Sunset could see she was finishing up some kind of chicken and veggie dish so it could go in the oven. Next to it was a second, smaller tray that Sunset knew was her meat free portion, packed with a much more complex array of vegetables—she could pick out zucchini and tomatoes, peppers and a few mushrooms, and it made her smile.
“It went okay. I got caught up on what I missed.” She hesitated, then asked, “How’s Twilight? I tried not to wake her when I left. She had nightmares all night.”
Velvet took a moment to slide both dishes in the oven. “It's been a very long and trying day for her,” she admitted, taking a minute to sit at the table. 
She looked tired too, Sunset noted, and she retrieved a container from her bag. “Maybe these will help. My friend Pinkie sent them and said she hopes everything gets better.” Inside were chocolate cupcakes topped with cheerful sprinkles shaped like stars—she’d pressed them into Sunset’s hands in art and told her that it was for her friend so they’d feel better after the dark magic. Even without trying, Sunset could feel the faint magic in it that felt like Pinkie.
“Oh!” Velvet perked up noticeably. “Your friend who helped you make those tarts?”
Fetching a plate to bring one up to her girlfriend, Sunset nodded. “That's the one. These are just as tasty—she’s a great baker.”  She breathed out a low sigh, then asked, “Guessing she’s upstairs?“
The older woman helped herself to one of the cupcakes. “She has been up there since the detective investigating the vandalism left. He needed to interview her…and that was difficult for her.”
Her heart sank, and she tucked a second cupcake on the plate in her hand. “I’m going to go see if I can cheer her up.”
“I have every confidence in you, Sunset. I’ll call you girls when it is close to dinner or Glamour and her friend arrive.”
Sunset hurried up the steps, worried and wanting to check on Twilight for herself. Had she missed some of the dark magic last night? Maybe she should try and use what she could to make sure she had gotten it all.
She knocked on the door. “Sparky? Can I come in? I come bearing chocolate.”
She heard Spike whining and rapid steps, before the door opened in a rush. “Sunny?” Twilight’s voice trembled, and Sunset’s chest hurt at the stress in it. 
Gently, the former unicorn slid an arm around her and walked her back in the room. She nudged the door shut with her heel, and kept moving them until she could set the cupcakes down on the desk. That freed up her other hand and allowed her to pull the shorter girl into a tight hug. “Hey…I’m here…”
Twilight collapsed against her, trying to climb inside Sunset’s skin with how she clung to her. Her breath kept catching, like she couldn't get her diaphragm to do its job properly. Sunset tucked her girlfriend’s head up under her chin. “I’ve got you, Sparky. Let it out…”
It wasn't quite crying…just hiccupping breaths and a shaking series of distressed whimpers. Sunset held her the entire time, rocking back and forth in something that might have been mistaken for an intimate, slow dance under other circumstances, especially because Sunset was soon singing “Shine Like Rainbows” in a low voice, letting her magic bubble up carefully, until the energy filled the room around them. Slowly but surely, Twilight calmed, until her breathing was normal, but…Sunset could feel it now, a faint tendril of something, hiding in her girlfriend’s essence like gum stuck to the bottom of a desk, trying to fight back against her. She switched to humming the intro to the song from the Battle of the Bands, trying to recapture some of the emotion that let her burn out the siren's influence from her friends, but something was missing…
An idea came to her, and she pulled back a little so that Twilight looked up at her. “I know I’ve sung this one enough that you know the words by now,” she teased, resting her forehead to Twilight’s. “Sing it with me?”
Purple eyes were still watery behind her glasses. “…I don't know. I’ll sound bad…my nose is runny and my throat…”
“It's not about sounding good…it's about pushing out the bad feelings for some good ones…and this song is great for that…” Still rocking to the beat in her head, Sunset tried to coax her with the opening lyrics. “…You’re never gonna bring me down…” Twilight’s indecision wavered, and Sunset pressed again. “You’re never gonna break this part of me…”
Hesitantly, Twilight croaked out the first few words of the next line with her, and while it was as bad as some of the Princess’ initial attempts at the counter-spell song, that wasn't the point. It was the missing component needed for the magic in Sunset to respond to. As she drew her companion further into the music, she could feel the conviction and anger again, like she had that day, could feel her magic responding, and the dark thing attached like some kind of parasite to Twilight writhed and dissolved as they reached the chorus…and by the time the last lines of the song faded away—along with the faint, almost Pony-Up that the close proximity had concealed—her girlfriend was even smiling. She could feel the heat left behind by her magic where her horn would be, where her forehead rested against Twilight’s, and the faint sensation of the magic she had let seep in wherever skin touched skin. Twilight shifted, pulling away to rub her forehead with an odd expression on her face. 
Sunset was concerned for a minute. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing. I just felt weird for a second…” The younger girl lowered her hand and pressed back into Sunset’s embrace.
Lips were pressed affectionately to Twilight’s forehead, an apology and attempt at soothing the reaction she was having from Sunset’s magic. “Better?” she asked after, giving the dark haired girl a lopsided smile. “Or do I need to kiss elsewhere too?” 
Lavender fingers slid from her shoulder to the back of her neck, tugging just enough to make her desires clear even before Twilight responded, “…I wouldn't say no to that…we haven't said hello yet…”
“You're right…” Sunset teased, letting Twilight pull her head down enough that their lips brushed. “Let’s fix that.” 
It wasn't one of the electrifying kisses they had had a lot of lately, but that didn't mean it wasn't the best thing Sunset had done all day. Even Pinkie’s cupcakes paled next to that familiar mouth working against her own, the faint taste of Twilight’s toothpaste on her lips when the other girl snuck past them with her tongue, and her nostrils inundated with the scent of honeysuckle and old books. Fingers tangled in each other’s hair, they lasted as long as they could, finally parting when the desire to breathe eclipsed the desire to not let anything come between them, not even a pesky thing like air. 
Twilight let out a breathless giggle. “…hi…” 
“…hey, nerd. How was that…for a real hello?” Sunset rubbed noses with her affectionately. “Satisfactory? Or should we keep trying until we get it perfect?”
Purple eyes gleamed, and she could tell her girlfriend was a little flushed. “…it's always good to practice a skill,” she murmured, toying with a few fiery curls near her fingers. 
Practice it was then.
She lost herself in Twilight for several minutes, magic enveloping her senses outside their little shared personal space bubble. Hands wandered, and Sunset started trying to maneuver them to the bed, wanting to get into a position where she could attack the sensitive spots on her neck and ear—she wanted to get Twilight to really relax, and she had learned a number of methods over the last few months to turn her to putty. The added bonus of some of those cute little sounds was just a plus.
In the haze of emotions and teenage hormones, however, Sunset had forgotten about the third party in the room: Spike. Spike, who was not happy about being ignored by his human’s companion, and decided that now was the perfect time to try and rectify that. As Sunset was blindly guiding them towards the bed, Spike yipped and scampered in between their legs, trying to jump up and get Sunset’s attention. What he got was a startled yelp and a squeaky shriek as they tripped over one another and the two teens tumbled onto the bed gracelessly.
They lay there for a bit, at least until Sunset’s brain unscrambled itself. She had ended up on the bottom, and it felt like Twilight’s knee was digging into her leg. “…that was not how I intended to get us on the bed,” she chuckled. “You okay?”
Her girlfriend pushed herself up on her arms, and tried to straighten her glasses. “…I’m not hurt, but I wasn’t expecting that. What happened?”
“Spike,” Sunset jerked a thumb off the bed to where the dog was wagging his tail and trying to jump up. Then the amber skinned teen reached down, hooking her digits into the belt-loops of the jeans Twilight was wearing, and used that to tug her up and into a better, more comfortable position for them both. “Like the outfit, by the way. You look cute. That one of the ones Cadence helped you pick out?”
Twilight nodded, her cheeks darkening. “…you…really think it looks cute?” she asked.
Sunset let her eyes wander, a slow and deliberate up and down as she drank in the sight of the only human to ever make her heart do a gymnastics routine in her chest. There was something about the way the clothing looked that made her girlfriend look…cute. Definitely cute, but in the way that was…enticing, not the kind of cute that one used when referring to animals and children. “Sure do,” she responded with that lazy, crooked smile still on her face. Her back arched a little to lift her up so she could peck Twilight’s lips with a kiss. “Makes me want to kiss you more, just like I said before.”
“I’m not going to stop you…” Twilight leaned closer, until she was almost back to laying on Sunset.
That was invitation enough, and then Sunset discarded thinking for a bit in favor of kissing the girl on top of her. They started out fairly innocent, but it didn't take long for that familiar heat to start building and growing more intense. She nibbled on Twilight’s lower lip, earning an eager little moan from the younger girl. “Sunny…” 
Letting go of Twilight’s jeans, she playfully slid her hands up under the hem of Twilight’s shirt, her palms and finger-pads sliding along the skin of her stomach, before breathing in one lavender ear, “More?” 
Her girlfriend whined. “…please, Sunny…” she could feel the shiver that passed through her, feel the pulse racing under her lips as she lipped and nibbled her on a lavender neck, the way Twilight’s hands gripped her shoulders for support far more than any kind of control.
She teased higher, touch featherlight and gentle, still exploring and learning this new part of Twilight’s body. Her fingers finally worked high enough to encounter her bra, but instead of soft cotton, she found a silkier textured fabric…and was that lace on the outside? Pulling back in puzzlement, she cocked her head.
Twilight made a disappointed noise. “What? …why’d you stop?”
Smirking faintly, Sunset hooked a finger under the shoulder strap. “…Sparky…what’s this?” she asked, playfully tugging and letting go so the strap snapped lightly against the younger girl’s skin.
A squeak of surprise escaped her girlfriend, and she blushed to the tips of her ears. “…um…I…took some of Cady’s advice when we went bra shopping?” Twilight explained, nervousness making it come out more question than statement. “…do…” she bit her lip. “…do you…like it?”
That got a raised eyebrow, and Sunset sat them both up into a sitting position so she could hike Twilight’s shirt up enough to get a good look. It was still fairly comfortable looking, but the cut was…more like the stuff the redhead had seen on mannequins in the upscale lingerie store Rarity had dragged her into back in December, designed to draw the eye along the curved, rounded flesh, and the fabric—a very pretty dark blue that reminded her of an early evening sky—was soft and covered with lace in a delicate pattern, was far more…visually striking than the plain cotton affairs that Twilight normally favored. So…why…?
The reason came almost as soon as the question, and the former unicorn felt…both awkward and stupid. This lace touched undergarment wasn’t acquired with Twilight in mind. It was meant for Sunset’s enjoyment. What had Rarity said? A different bra for a different purpose? Something like that. And this one, was meant for Sunset’s interest and approval.
To buy herself time, Sunset made a show of running her fingers curiously over the fabric that covered lavender skin and concealed the darker nipples from her vision. “Mmmm…” she hummed in her throat, as if she were studying the whole affair.
It was a strange concept to the former pony—underwear in general was…alien. They didn't have breasts—the teats weren't even in the same location on the body!—and with a lack of thumbs, a completely differing arrangement of certain portions of their anatomy, and the passive magic combined with certain natural…design features…that concealed the intimate details of that anatomy, underwear and bras just didn't really exist. However…as her eyes wandered again over that pretty skin and the fabric that looked nice against it, she was starting to understand…if not the human perspective…then at least a way that she could find it enjoyable. 
“…Sunny?” came the anxious voice, breaking through her musings. “…oh, I knew this was a bad idea. It looks stupid, doesn't it? I knew I shouldn't have listened to Cadence, and just stuck with a few more colors of my normal styles rather than think I could ever pull off something that's meant for pretty girls and not someone like me…”
Sunset jerked herself out of her thoughts to deal with the impending spiral her silence had triggered. “Sparky,” she interrupted, cupping the younger girl’s face in her hands. “It doesn't look bad at all—I like it! Really! It looks good on you…”
Twilight trembled under her hands slightly. “…you mean that?”
“I do…I’m sorry I took so long to answer…” Sunset looked away, a tad uncomfortable now. “…this is…you have to understand, a lot of this is new to me…even newer than it is to you. You had Cadence and your mom to talk to…I had…biology and health textbooks. Maybe the occasional scene in a novel…but since I don't read a lot of romance…that’s…less common than you think. There’s…not a lot of fancy bras in mystery novels, you know? Tartarus, I didn't even know there were that many different styles of underwear until Rarity helped me buy new clothes in December and practically had manticore kittens when she realized I just sort of…guessed…at the store and bought the cheap three and six packs to save money.” She laughed a little. “I think the phrase she used was ‘bargain bin Walmart hooker panties.’”
The joke had the exact effect she hoped for. Twilight looked somewhat aghast, but a small giggle still escaped—for which she then looked ashamed. “She said that?”
“Oh yeah. Rarity has some…very strong opinions about clothing,” Sunset said, smiling now. “Though, if you ask me, she’s allowed—her work is beautiful and creative, and she has a fantastic eye for color. I trust her opinions on clothing far more than I’d trust my own, and I could fill a book with all the things I’ve learned from her in six months.” Cuddling Twilight close, she continued her previous train of thought. “The point is…this is something I’m new to, and I…I want to know how I really feel about it so I can answer you truthfully, instead of just guessing at what you want to hear. Sometimes, it might take me a minute to sort it out in my head and find the right words, but I won't lie about something like this. If I don’t like it, I’ll tell you, I promise, okay?”
She nodded slowly, still sounding anxious. “Okay…”
Sunset let her fingers brush along the lace again, drawing an intake of breath from the smaller form in her lap. “I…don't know the word I’d use to describe it…it’s…” She tilted her head down for another look. “It’s…I wouldn't say ‘cute,’ because it's more than just that…but I wouldn't say ‘sexy’ either, because there is something about it that is cute…maybe flattering? Enticing?” She shook her head. “I don't know the word I’m looking for, but it looks good on you…and it makes me feel…feel…happy? Warm? Special? …that you’ve done something like this just for me, wanting to make me feel…good? I guess?” She blew air out her nostrils in frustration at her struggle to articulate exactly what she was feeling. 
Twilight smiled shyly, then reached up to slide her fingers into Sunset's hair, the gesture full of tender affection. The redhead leaned into it the touch, and allowed her girlfriend to gently pull her head down until their foreheads were touching again. Even though they had been dating for months and Twilight had copied the gesture that Sunset used fairly readily these days, something about her doing so still caused a rush of heated sensation to course through the former pony, and she let out a throaty nicker from both instinct and habit. 
Her girlfriend smiled and pecked her lips briefly with a kiss. “…I…think that makes me feel better than if you said it was sexy,” she whispered, “or hot, or any other description using synonymous adjectives, Sunny.”
One brow arched in curiosity. “I’m glad I said the right thing then, but…why do you say that?”
“Because…” Twilight nuzzled into her, arms draping around Sunset’s neck and hugging her tight. “…me wearing this for you makes you feel good…and that's the best possible outcome. I wanted it to be something that made you feel that way, which is why I picked this with you and only you in mind.”
Humming thoughtfully, Sunset took the chance to kiss Twilight, wishing she could convey what she was feeling through touch alone. “…which means a lot, Sparky,” she said softly, her hand coming up to press to her cheek. “…and it's not just this…I had the same feeling when you sent me that picture of your new outfit. I know you're not usually one for posed shots, or even a lot of selfies, so…that's a pretty special picture to me.”
Silence fell between them, the comfortable, content kind of quiet that was only broken by soft breaths and the rustling of clothing, as they cuddled together and basked in the shared joy of being intimately close and emotionally connected. Sweet kisses were exchanged, wordless affection left behind wherever they touched that left both girls with bright smiles. Sunset found the stress of the day melting off her like snow under warm noonday sun.
Eventually, Twilight let out a happy little sigh. “…That makes me feel better about the outfit Cady helped me pick out for tomorrow,” she confessed.
Sunset made a noise of interest and curiosity. “Oh?”
The dark haired girl nodded against her shoulder. “…it's nothing fancy, since it sounded like we’re just going to have a day out…but technically this is the first date I knew was a date before it was almost over.” 
“…I’m not sorry for that—not with how well it went,” Sunset responded, running fingers through Twilight’s ponytail. 
Her girlfriend smiled. “I’m not complaining, Sunny. That night was beautiful and it will always be a treasured memory… It's just...this is kind of our first official date, and I wanted to wear something nice for it. I’ll probably do it again for the first official date we go on after…after I tell Mom and Dad about us…but…”
Chuckling, Sunset sat back against the pillows. “I get it, Twilight. You're not the only one who decided to wear something nicer tomorrow.” Amber fingers trailed along a lavender forearm. “Do I get a sneak peek? Or do I have to wait until morning?”
Twilight hopped up, almost tripping over Sunset’s bag in her haste to get to her closet. She glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll show you mine if you’ll let me see yours too?” she asked with barely contained excitement.
One eyebrow arched up, and Sunset was unable to resist the smirk that formed on her face. “Are we still talking about the outfits?” she asked teasingly. 
It took about fifteen seconds for Twilight’s expression to go from excited to confused and then from confused to sudden realization…followed of course by her blushing so hard she practically glowed. Twilight started to stumble over an explanation about the accidental phrasing, but couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and burst into giggles. It proved infectious, and soon both of them were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes.
Once they calmed down, Twilight wiped her eyes. “The phrasing was…perhaps unintentional, but…I would love to see what you picked out for tomorrow.” She retrieved an outfit on a hanger and held it out in front of her. “This was what I planned on wearing.” It was a pair of new blue jeans paired with a t-shirt cut in the style meant for female bodies that Sunset could never get away with wearing—her bust was just too large, and getting one big enough to fit her there meant it was too loose everywhere else—and a short jacket made of a material that Sunset couldn't name, but had a loose spring-like floral pattern to the fabric.  “Isn't it cute?”
Sunset pictured it on Twilight and smiled warmly. “It's going to look cute on you,” she agreed. Then she winked, and commented impishly, “I guess this is where I show you mine?”
Her girlfriend blushed again but nodded. “Yes, please?”
Still grinning, Sunset grabbed her bag off the floor and fished inside, retrieving her clothes for the next day and laying them on the bed. “I was going to wear this, with my boots and jacket over it,” she told Twilight, gesturing. Her own choice had been kind of fun to pick out. There was the pair of black jeans she’d bought that Rarity had described as “hugging and accentuating all her curves without looking like they were a size too small” and a top that her fashion-minded friend had actually hand made for her recently, a prettier, not quite dressy number that was in a shade that made her eyes stand out, as opposed to colors that normally called attention to her fiery hair and warm skin-tone. It felt particularly appropriate because Rarity had given it to her with the excuse of it being good for more formal outings or for if Sunset ever decided to try dating again...wearing it on a date with her girlfriend, even if Rarity didn't know that she was doing so, definitely fell under using the garment for what its creator had intended. “My friend Rarity actually made the shirt for me as a gift,” she added. 
“That’s your romance obsessed friend, right? The one who keeps dreaming up weird ‘love at first sight rom-com’ scenarios for you to have? The one in your Honors English class?” Twilight asked curiously. 
She rolled her eyes. “That's the one. I honestly prefer listening to her talk about sewing and clothes to trying to get me to ‘put myself back out there.’ Took me over a month to convince her that Flash and I were much happier with the friendship we’ve developed and that it’s completely platonic. Then it was another month of her trying to helpfully suggest different guys at school she thought I might enjoy going out with before I got her to give it up.” Sunset huffed. “…and Applejack had to help get her to stop.”
The younger girl wrinkled her nose. “That doesn't sound like a friend who listens to your feelings.”
Shaking her head, Sunset sat back down on the side of the bed. “It's not like that—Rarity means well, and it's because she wants me to form more healthy connections with people. After everything I did, and all of the fallout, she…wants to help me, and this is an area where she’s kind of the only one of my friends with both interest and experience…there’s Applejack, Lyra, and Bon-Bon, but…they don't think about that kind of thing often.” She flopped backwards. “Of course, she’s started up again in the mornings because I let slip some things in a conversation about…well…attraction. So now she’s trying to suggest girls I might want to ask out and try dating.”
“Would…would it just be easier to tell her the truth?” Twilight asked softly, moving the clothes over to sit beside the redhead. 
Sunset put her arm around her girlfriend. “Maybe, but probably not. If I told her I was seeing someone, she’d go all ‘Shadow Spade’ trying to figure out who. You should have heard her fishing for details today, when I explained that I ran out of class because I have a friend who had an emergency…and well…she’s…a biiiiiiit melodramatic when it comes to romance, as you can guess.”
Twilight winced. “I can. I have a few cousins like that…and then there’s Glamour’s mother, Summer Breeze. She’s focused on…the more financial aspect of romantic relationships than anything and is constantly giving unsolicited advice on how to ‘snag a rich man.’ She makes a production of everything.” She was quiet for a minute, then leaned against Sunset, peering up at her. “…she’s going to know eventually—I don't want to keep us a secret from everyone forever—and…I think…I would rather have you tell the truth if you need to, rather than be forced into a lie or an uncomfortable situation.” 
The former unicorn kissed Twilight on the top of her head. “I appreciate the thought, Sparky, but…it's okay…I can put up with Rarity’s antics for a few months, until we’re ready…”
Her girlfriend sighed. “But Sunny, you shouldn't have to hide things from your friends…not because of me.”
“It's…not just because of you,” she confessed. “I…have reasons for not telling them. Part of it is because…we talked about how you don't think you’re up for the sheer amount of overwhelming friendship they bring to everything they do. And…I’m still working up to…” Sunset hesitated, looking for the words to explain it. “…letting them know about this part of my life. In the beginning, I didn't know if I could trust them with knowing, because I half thought they’d try to take you away from me. And…I guess I’m still a little afraid of what will happen when those two halves of my life crash into each other full on.”
She could tell that Twilight was thinking intently about something—her eyebrows were doing the little scrunchy thing they did when she was analyzing a math problem or a chessboard—so Sunset waited it out. Twilight would talk when she was ready.  It didn't take long; not more than a minute or two had passed by when the other teen met Sunset’s eyes again. “…maybe…we can consider a plan to inform your friends…over the summer? That way, I can tell Mom and Dad first, but your friends will still have time to…adjust to the concept…before we start a new year and I’m a student at CHS?” It came out as more a question than anything, her uncertainty obvious, though whether it was about Sunset’s response or just the plan in general was hard to say.
Sunset hugged her against her side. “That actually sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Are you sure though?”
Shrugging, Twilight said, “I’m…I don’t want us to be a secret from everyone forever. That's…not fair to you or to me or to us.” She sniffled a little. “And you’ve been so understanding and patient with me for months about this.”
The redhead tugged her companion into her lap so she could hug her properly. “I’m just doing my best to be a good friend…like I’ve been shown. You’ve respected all of the weird hang-ups and baggage that I came with, and never once pushed me when I wasn't ready to talk about something…” 
Twilight turned into the embrace and wrapped her arms around Sunset. “…is it…weird…if I say that you having problems like that actually makes it easier for me?” She bit her lip. “N-not that I’m glad you struggle…but…some of those things you struggle with are things I can help you with, which is not something I’ve ever been able to say before…and…it helps. For the first time, I don't feel like I’m constantly trying to play catch up. I feel like I contribute as much as I take from our friendship.”
“Sparky…” Sunset nuzzled into dark hair. “You have given so much to me since we met. I can truthfully say that if it weren't for you and the support you have given me as my best friend, I’m not sure I’d still be here. You have been my light when I needed one the most. Don't ever believe that you have not given equally to our friendship.” 
She nodded, face half smooshed into Sunset’s chest. “…I’d be lying if I said it was hard. Being friends with you…even dating you…sometimes it feels so easy that I worry that I must be dreaming. That I’m going to wake up one day and realize it's still last October.” At Sunset’s curious sound of encouragement, she took a few slow breaths and kept going. “…we click., Sunny. I can understand you without having it explained, and there's so many things about you that just seem tailor made to make my heart jump. Even traits I’d never thought about before…not to mention you are extremely physically attractive, but also smart enough to challenge me intellectually…and we have this relationship where it doesn’t feel like you're doing all the work. It feels like a real partnership, instead of being…lopsided, like all my other interpersonal relationships.”
Laughing softly, Sunset squeezed her. “I can assure you, I don't stop existing when you leave the room.” Her fingers rubbed up and down her girlfriend’s back. “…I think for me…it's easy because I don't worry that you have any issues with the old me. I've told you about how awful I was…but you never saw it. I never hurt you like I hurt every other person I’ve ever known. I can…just be me, and I don't get the painful reminders, or comments that I can't get angry over because they're true. Besides, I seem to recall that someone told me that we were friends and to just accept that.”
“I did not!” Twilight protested half-heartedly. “I just said I was only willing to believe hard data, not anecdotal evidence!”
A smirk played onto her face. “You were also very insistent that you wanted us to be friends.”
She could hear the pout. “…you could have said no.”
More laughter, and she poked teasingly at Twilight’s ribs, making her squirm. “I really couldn't have, Sparky. You were…very set on it. Besides…I needed the push, I think…and I’m glad you did. You're the best friend I could have, and you have been exactly what I needed in my life this year.” Sunset pressed her face into dark hair, still smiling. There were no words to really express just how much she had needed someone like Twilight—and by extension her family—in the aftermath of the Fall Formal and the Rainbow of Light to help pick up the pieces that were left and put some of her back together.
“It's something that I will never forget, Twilight, no matter what happens. The girls may have stopped my reign of terror at the formal, and I may have chosen to turn my back on what I used to be…but you’ve been here to help me figure out who I want to become.”
> Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Nine: Anchor Chains
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight exited her closet, arms held out as she did a slow little spin, showing off another of her new shirts for Sunset’s approval. This one presented an alternative dictionary definition of ‘programmer’ as ‘an organism that magically turns caffeine into software.’ The redhead burst into laughter. “Where do you find these?” she asked.
“Different stores,” Twilight answered, leaning against the wall next to her closet door. “They're honestly easier to find online though.”
Sunset stood from the bed where she was being treated to an impromptu fashion show, and padded across the carpet, in a slow, deliberate stalk towards her girlfriend, trapping her against the wall. “I like the new wardrobe,” she teased, leaning down to kiss her.  “It's all very you, Sparky…”  Her hands found Twilight’s hips, and she pulled the smaller girl flush against her.
Lavender skinned arms wrapped around her neck as their lips met, heat and hunger and more than a little tongue involved in the kiss. Sunset growled as she pushed Twilight harder up against the wall, lifting her up an inch or two off the ground with hands that had migrated to her backside. As Sunset moved her lips down to nibble on Twilight’s throat, her girlfriend threw her head back and let out a soft moan. “Sunny…” she gasped. “…please…don't stop…”
The former unicorn was happy to oblige, panting in Twilight’s ear and clenching her hands slightly. “Sparky…” she breathed, tongue flitting out to trace the curve of that ear and then down her jaw. “My Sparky…” One hand hooked the other girl’s leg higher, until Twilight wrapped it around Sunset’s thigh. 
Unfortunately, the rest of the universe had other plans, and whatever Twilight was going to say was interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming. Both girls froze, Sunset’s mouth still on her girlfriend’s skin, Twilight’s mouth open with another moan half on her lips. Their eyes met as they stayed motionless for almost a full minute, before they both broke down into breathless, flustered giggles.
“…I guess we should go down and say hi,” Sunset said after the laughter ended. “I still haven’t officially met your cousin—though she sounds like some weird fusion of Rarity, Pinkie, and Cadence…which is not the strangest thing I’ve said all week.”
Twilight giggle-snorted. “I’m afraid to ask what else was in the running.”
Thinking back to a few conversations she had with Pinkie at lunch or in art, Sunset made a face. “Trust me…sometimes it's just better not to ask.”
Rolling her eyes, Twilight opened the bedroom door to let Spike out. “I can imagine,” she said sarcastically, watching the dog race out and down the hall. “Come on.”  The two teens continued laughing and chatting as they made their way towards the stairs. 
It was Sunset who picked up on it first, foot pausing just above the second step from the top. She frowned, holding out a hand for Twilight to indicate that something was off. Instead of the happy chatter of greetings and family reunion, there was the familiar noise: the kind of suppressed whimper and too fast, harsh, short breathing of a person on the edge of panic.  Exchanging a worried look, both teens hurried down the steps. 
In the front hall, Velvet and a young woman that had to be Wildsong were bracketing another young woman with dark amethyst hair that had streaks of gold going through it. To her eyes, it seemed like they were the only thing keeping her together, and as Sunset studied trembling features, she could pick out physical traits shared by Twilight and her father, confirming that this was Glamour Shot on the verge of a full fledged hysterical meltdown. Velvet looked up at their arrival and asked, “Sunset, can you be a dear and make a cup or two of that tea blend of yours? I think we could use some.” 
“Sure thing, Mrs. Velvet,” she responded, glancing back at Twilight as her girlfriend made a distressed sound of her own upon seeing her cousin’s state. “Sparky? I think there's a small container of some homemade cookies left in my backpack—can you go get them for me while I brew some tea?” The definitive task would take a few minutes, and give Twilight something to focus on so she could manage whatever was going on with less anxiety.
Turning back once Twilight raced back up the stairs, she met Wildsong’s eyes, recognizing the helpless fury in them for what it was. “Hey,” she offered, “Wildsong, right? It’s…it’s going to be okay—whatever it is, I’m sure there's a way to fix it.”
Velvet hummed in agreement as Sunset slipped by them to head to the kitchen, and Night voiced his own warmly. “Well said, Sunset…and she’s right, girls. You're both here and in one piece, so no matter what is wrong, we’re here to help—that's what we do in this family. Come sit down in the living room…”
With her back to the door and her steps carrying her into the kitchen, Sunset couldn't see it, but she could feel the relief that took away a portion of the anxious tension that had filled the front hall like a choking cloud. She held onto that feeling as she found the pretty, well-used tea service Velvet kept for everyday usage; something about the familiar actions of measuring out the loose tea for the pot both sharpened her focus and soothed her nerves. Sunset enjoyed soda and cider and coffee well enough—the fizz of a freshly opened bottle of Dr. Pepper in particular was a guilty pleasure for the former unicorn turned teenager—but there was something about real tea that filled her with the comforting sense of nostalgia and the times when she had been happy in Equestria. 
She could remember, with clarity, the meticulous way Princess Celestia had made their evening tea when she was a filly, and how hard she had worked to quietly memorize the measurements and the steps without letting on what she was doing…step one in a master plan that she executed on the princess’s birthday when Sunset was six. The look on the Solar ruler’s face had been one of happy shock, when Sunset had presented her with a prepared tray with teas that she’d made herself, and plate of dessert goodies that the unicorn had pilfered from the palace kitchens when the cook was…busy…chasing down the group of chickens that had…maybe…kinda…sorta…found their way into the pantry…
With a little help from a mischievous little filly and a guard who’d been easily bribed with two slices of raspberry rum cake, of course.
A faint smirk tugged on her lips—stolen palace cake had always been the best cake, and even now she stood by that.
But all that aside, she could remember the several failed batches of tea before she’d finally managed to mimic the steps perfectly, and the surprise on the princess’ face when she’d taken that first sip only to find it exactly to her liking. After that, they would take turns making tea, and Sunset had been introduced to the subtle art behind different blends and styles, different cultural variations, and even a few more formal ways of serving tea to guests. It had been among the lessons that she’d gotten that had nothing to do with magic or academics that she had thrown herself into with ready abandon, a form of bonding with the mare she had seen as the closest thing she would ever know to a mother; even after the lessons themselves had run their course, Princess Celestia always made time in her day to have tea with Sunset.
Shaking herself out of the memories, Sunset checked the tea and determined it was ready, and let her gaze wander over the tray, a critical eye checking it over to ensure it was as it should be.
“…I’m not sure which of you is more of a fan of tea,” Twilight’s voice came from next to her. “You or Mom.” When Sunset turned her way, she offered out a small container. “Here’s the cookies you asked for.”
Noticing a smudge of chocolate on the corner of her mouth, Sunset chuckled. “I see you found the cupcakes I brought up earlier too.” A quick glance showed them alone in the kitchen, and she bent close even as she took the cookies to kiss away the chocolate. “Did they help?”
Twilight kissed her back, tasting of chocolate and sprinkles. “Yes…thank you.”
Sunset shook her head with amusement and began arranging the cookies on a little plate on the tray. “Anytime, Sparky. Now…you want to help me get this in there? I think your mom is right—it’ll help calm everyone’s nerves.”
Together they carried everything out into the living room, where Glamour and Wildsong had been placed on the couch, with Velvet still on Glamour Shot’s other side. Night was in his customary armchair, and Shining had taken to leaning against the wall near the big window, his arms crossed and the way he kept shifting his weight suggesting to Sunset that he was fighting the urge to pace. The redhead set the tray on the coffee table and began the work of serving tea to everyone who wanted a cup. The low murmured questions she asked and the actions that accompanied them gave her a chance to really study both the new arrivals and read the room. 
She wasn't sure what shade Glamour’s skin normally was, but even she could tell that the young woman was pale and washed out looking from anxiety and stress. Her hands trembled when Sunset pressed the cup into them, and amber fingers had taken a moment to press Glamour’s tighter around it so she wouldn’t drop it on her lap. Watery eyes had focused on her long enough for Sunset to smile encouragingly, and a little coaxing from Velvet had her sipping slowly at the calming infusion a minute later. It was very reminiscent of some of Twilight’s more anxious moments.
Wildsong was a different story entirely. Her short hair had alternating stripes that made Sunset wonder if her Equestrian counterpart was a zebra…or at least part zebra. The black stripes contrasted with the rainbow of color that was the rest of her hair, but also with the honey colored skin that was flushed with anger and agitation. She had one arm curled around Glamour’s shoulders, her fingers tapping a restless pattern on her upper arm, and she took the tea from Sunset distractedly. 
Whatever had happened, it had to be serious but in a way that neither of them could fight easily.
Her eyes checked in on the rest of the family. The atmosphere was one of concern and comfort, even as Velvet thanked her for getting the tea. Sunset settled Twilight into Velvet’s normal armchair, before perching with her own tea on the arm of it, hoping her protective actions would be overlooked in favor of the immediate crisis. 
For a while, no one said anything. The only sound was the sipping of tea, a few sniffles, and Glamour’s breathing slowly returning to a normal rhythm. Eventually though, the silence had to come to an end, and it was Night who broke it. “Glamour,” he began, “it is very apparent something happened. We want to help, but we need you to tell us what it was so we can.”
Sunset watched an expression of panic come over Glamour’s face, and Velvet took the shaking cup from her gently to prevent her dropping it. Wildsong let out a slow sigh, and got her girlfriend’s attention. “You told me this was the part of your family that cared,” she reminded Glamour. “You need to tell them, Angel, or I’m going to, because it will be a frigid day in Hell before you go back to that bastard or his control after what he said to you today!” 
The anger in her voice made Sunset tense—it was a kind of righteous fury, not the same as the former unicorn’s own searing flame but akin to the way she’d felt when Twilight told her about the encounter with the creep over New Years. It filled the large living room with its presence, and she could almost taste the coppery tang in the back of her throat, her stomach twisting with a faint sense of nausea. Her free hand immediately sought Twilight’s shoulder, needing the contact to stabilize her own emotional response to a scene she was mostly a spectator for, and she felt a shaky lavender hand come up to grip it. Across the room, she caught the motion of Shining Armor becoming even more tense, saw his face take on that calculating, intense look she knew meant he was thinking hard. 
She could understand why; at first glance, it sounded as though Glamour had some kind of abusive boyfriend…but Sunset was fairly certain that she was remembering the conversations correctly and that the only person Glamour was actually seeing was the woman next to her doing the talking. So who could Wildsong possibly be talking about?
And then Glamour broke under the mix of peer pressure and gentle encouragement, starting to speak around hiccups and choked off sobs, her sentences broken and full of false starts…and Sunset felt her confusion morph first into shock and numb horror, before that gave way into a fury so deep that she could feel herself shaking and her magic screamed within her for a violent release against the perpetrator.





Laughter echoed in the narrow stairwell as the two girls headed back up to their dorm room after lunch. Glamour was excited to finish packing and get on the road—they were both looking forward to the weekend away, and she was desperate to be able to just be out of easy reach of her parents' social games, if only for two or three days. She’d long gotten used to them dragging her to fancy dinners and parties hosted by the wealthy elite, but in the last year, they had taken an unpleasant turn. Instead of encouraging her to mingle with other children of the wealthy in her age bracket, it was becoming more and more about her mother introducing her to specific rich bachelors—some of then as old as thirty five!—and her father expecting her to engage with and entertain the sons of his business partners and clients as some thinly veiled ploy to get more concessions from them in a deal.
Lately it had seemed like they were accosting her every week, sometimes two or three nights, sending couriers to deliver outfits for her to wear to whatever they were demanding she attend. Plus her mother had started lamenting her “pickiness about men” over the phone, telling her repeatedly that if the money was good enough, she could work around any flaws…and that nothing was stopping her from having a cute personal trainer or ‘driver’ on the side. The whole thing upset her, to the point where she had started screening her calls and only answering her mother if the woman called more than twice in a ten minute window.
It made her Song angry, an impotent fury that had nowhere to go, other than to run it off or go to the gym to work herself to exhaustion to burn it off. The prospect of spending the weekend down at cousin Night’s house had them both excited, as did the upcoming double date with her sweet, shy cousin and the girl who was responsible for bringing Twilight out of her shell. They would be able to sleep in a bed really meant for two people, not cram themselves into a tiny single bed really meant for one person, converse with people and not worry about policing their language, and would spend a whole day being allowed to be together, in love…just like a normal couple.
Plus she’d be able to gush with Twilight about their girlfriends! Her cousin was turning out to be every bit the mix of friend and little sister Glamour had always wanted when she was younger—at least until she’d been old enough to recognize that she wouldn’t wish what she had to deal with on anyone, especially not a shy and soft spoken girl like Twilight had been. Being pushed towards guys was taking enough of a toll on her own psyche, and she was glad that Cousin Night and his wife were nothing like her own parents.
Still…for one or two wistful moments, she allowed herself to imagine what life would have been like if she had been born to different parents, if she’d grown up as Twilight’s sister with Cousin Night as her dad instead of her actual father, with a mother who didn't measure every relationship in dollar signs…to have parents that loved her like Twilight’s so clearly did… Even as an errant train of thought more than any concrete fantasy it almost brought her to tears.
Then a niggling thought intruded, sinister in its simple truth. If she’d had different parents, a different family, would she still be her? And more than that…would she still have her Song?
Was this stolen, secret love worth the hard parts she had to deal with?
Glamour froze for a few seconds, her brain shuddering to a halt, refusing to address the question, and when her girlfriend paused next to her, a worried touch against her back registering to her nerves, she almost threw herself into a warm body, hugging Wildsong for all she was worth. Arms of corded muscle folded around her a moment later, squeezing her close. “Not that I’m objecting, Angel, but…what brought this on?”
Her response was a shrug, still unwilling to touch the question her mind had put forward. It was too much, too painful and bitter, and it would sour her for the day. She did want to waste time thinking about her parents now. So she plastered as real of a smile on as she could. “You looked especially huggable right then?”
Wildsong rolled her eyes. “Goof,” she teased. If she knew Glamour’s smile was faked , she didn't call attention to it. Her Song was good about that when it was something she really wasn't ready to talk about.
Then fingers poked at her ribs, aiming for her most ticklish spots. The young woman let out a squeak, trying to get away from being tickled, but those fingers followed. She squealed with laughter, bringing her own hands up to retaliate in kind. “Oh! It is on!” The two of them began chasing each other down the hall of their floor, weaving around bodies, furniture, and the odd misplaced sock on the floor, laughing loudly. Despite the childish nature of the impromptu game, there was another layer to the way those hands touched her that made Glamour’s nerves tingle, and one look into her partner’s eyes told her Song felt it too. They might be getting a bit of a later start than intended…and Glamour was okay with that.
She fumbled with the doorknob to the room, all while she had Wildsong’s arm around her shoulder, acting as though Glamour was carrying her weight. It meant she was bent forward a little as she finally managed the feat of unlocking their door with her key and pushing it open. “I swear, Tiger, you're going to get it!” Glamour Shot threatened playfully.
“Dear,” came a voice from within the room. “You shouldn't play such games or slouch so much—you might end up with scoliosis.”
Jerking like someone had electrocuted her, Glamour  stared at the sight of her mother sitting placidly on her bed, taking a file to one of her long, manicured nails. “Mom?!” the young woman yelped, her voice a strangled squeak. “What are you doing in here?”
Another new voice answered. “Since you refuse to answer your phone as is proper, young lady, we came to find out why.” Her father gave her a disapproving frown from her desk where he sat, hand resting on Glamour’s open laptop. “And we find you shouting and carrying on in the public spaces of this rat infested habitation with a member of the help like a drunken toddler.”





Sunset interrupted. “The help?” she asked, the control she had over her own emotions slipping, and the word came out of her mouth the exact same way she’d heard Canterlot nobles had used it in her hearing. “He did not seriously—?!”
“Oh yeah,” Wildsong responded. “Sure as hell did, kid...though I kinda expected worse. People like him? I usually hear things like ‘nappy haired bandy.’ Being called a servant was actually pretty tame.” Everyone else in the room looked sincerely uncomfortable, and Sunset was smart enough to figure out it was a slur…probably akin to ‘mudpony,’ ‘featherduster,’ or ‘ringer.’
The redhead’s face twisted up. “But to assume you were, what? A maid? Because…what? No designer jeans? No gaudy fake rocks set in pretend gold?”
A shrug was given as part of her reply. “Who knows? Could have been that, could have been my stripes, my haircut, my clothes, the fact that I’m butch…shit, maybe I just didn't have enough carats hanging off me? Maybe he just figured his money meant that his kid had a live-in maidservant? Don't worry, I gave as good as I got.”





Glamour Shot’s insides felt like the heart of a glacier: frozen, dark, and bitter as she took in the sight before her eyes. The refuge that she and Song had crafted, a slice of privacy away from judging eyes and expectations had been invaded, violated. Her desk, where her father Lucky Shot sat, had been gone through, most of the drawers half open and her laptop open and on and pulled up to one of his many accounts. Her neat stack of notebooks with her homework and projects had been shoved to the side in favor of his briefcase, and he appeared to be using her favorite mug as an ashtray for one of the foul scented cigars he loved to smoke. That of course meant that their dorm now reeked of fancy male cologne, her mother’s perfume, cheap tobacco, and the open thing of nail polish her mother was using now on her nails. Nail polish that the young woman realized was hers, taken from the beauty kit that her mother had apparently pilfered from their bathroom and helped herself to. 
She felt violated. Was there nowhere that she was safe?
 Wildsong snorted, and stepped into the room. “Real original, Thirsty Howl. I wasn't aware B&E or petty vandalism were now part of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”  She went to move by him, plucking the cigar right out of his mouth on the way and dropping it in a half empty water bottle from a vending machine to douse the end. “And no smoking in the dorm rooms.” 
Oh no. This was bad. Her father was going to lose it.
“Just who do you think you are!?” Lucky Shot began to heave himself from the chair.
Panicking, Glamour intervened. “Daddy, she’s like, my roommate, and she’s totally right! We could get in serious trouble—there's a big no smoking rule and they kick you out for breaking it!”
Her mother frowned at her hand as she painted her nails carefully. “She has a point, Lucky. A black mark on her record would be a bit unseemly—what would your grandmother say?” Her eyes flicked up to meet Glamour’s and the young woman could tell her mother was trying to help deescalate the situation. “Though I’m not sure why you insist on staying here, dear.”
Bracing herself for what she knew was coming, Glamour said, “I like being able to connect with my classmates, Mom, and it's a lot easier to get involved in group study sessions in the common room here. Besides, I totally have the best roommate!”
“I understand you're happy to have such a good friend and that you're serious about your grades, but you could still have that if you were to join my old sorority.” Summer Breeze gave her daughter a warm smile and then turned the expression on Wildsong. “I’m sure I could even get them to give you an invitation too,” she told the wild haired young woman. “Then the two of you could be roommates and study buddies in someplace a little less…on the edge of being condemned as a biohazard.” She set the polish on the nightstand. “Especially if you were to offer your assistance to any of the sorority sisters who needed tutoring.”
Wildsong let out a slow, deep breath, a sign that she was trying to resist saying something without thinking. “I appreciate the offer, but it's a little bit late in the year to think about uprooting our accommodations,” she responded, managing to keep her voice level. “Maybe I’ll think about it over the summer.” 
“You really ought to,” Glamour’s mother gushed. “It would present you with so many wonderful opportunities! Especially if you grew your hair out in a more even style—Glamour or the sorority sisters can show you how to really make yourself stand out as an even more exotic beauty, and I’m sure they could introduce you both to some nice boys from very good families!”  She turned back to her daughter, who was trying to keep her expression vapid and neutral. “I know you're a little uncomfortable by yourself with some of the young men your father and I have introduced you to, but maybe having your friend with you on a double date will help you break the ice!”
Summer meant well, but it didn't help her feel any better. Particularly when her father interjected. “Stop coddling her, Summer. She needs to get over this hang-up of being distant and frigid to her dates, before she starts to gain a reputation.” His face twisted in anger. “No daughter of this family will be thought of as being like one of those people.  Tranquil Dancer has brought enough shame on the family with his inappropriate behavior.”
It felt like her heart had completely stopped, transformed into pure ice that was so cold it burned even to breathe…so she didn't. Song’s knuckles were white from where she gripped her own desk chair, biting her tongue to keep from exploding at the balding man with the world’s worst comb-over. Even her mother was coming as close to frowning as she got, and that said something. “Lucky,” she challenged her husband, “while we both want Glamour to find a nice match from a good family, you should also completely respect her desire to finish her education for a career of her own—it means she can be much more selective about which suitor she decides to pick since she won't be entirely dependent on an allowance to be happy.  If she wants to put a little more focus on that for a few years, and engage in more casual meet and greets to gain a wider feel for her options—”
“Enough! Her attitude has already offended half a dozen clients, and cost me the Luxurious accounts! And now she’s packing her bags to go who knows where when she is supposed to be preparing to play her part in tomorrow’s charity gala. It took me months to plan this and even longer to convince Blue Oryx to attend!” He whipped around to his daughter. “Pack your things—you're coming home for the weekend, and we’ll have a service move your things to the sorority house for when you come back. It's time you start acting like a proper member of this family and doing what you're told—this low class teenage rebellion ends, and it ends now.”





“After t-that,” Glamour sniffled, “I snapped a little. I t-told him I couldn't…that I had plans here…” she trailed off.
Wildsong picked up the story for her when it became clear Glamour couldn’t continue. “She spun a complicated lie about going to a fancy party as your guest, sir,” she addressed Night, “as the date of an Italian cousin of someone named Cadence? It was enough of a story that her mom played middle man again and told him that Glamour could come home and play next weekend, and suggested he offer up his assistant or something to be arm candy for some rich creep. Then we packed as quick as we could and came here…I told her we needed to tell you, since…it feels like there’s no way what he’s threatening is legal—she’s twenty, not ten or fourteen…and she said you're reasonable and pretty chill.” She fell silent, hugging Glamour tighter around the shoulders. There was worry, but from where Sunset was sitting, she was hiding it well.
At that point, the room was so deathly silent that Sunset was fairly sure she could actually hear the sound of her heart pounding with magic and fury. She forced it down—the worst thing in the world right now would be if she caught fire, but the emotions didn’t stop. Not when the story that Twilight’s cousin was telling struck deep in direct opposition to the Equestrian native’s cultural sensibilities.  The fire inside only cooled when Twilight squeezed her hand, though Sunset was not sure if she was seeking or offering comfort. Regardless, it served to remind her that she needed to get her emotions—and by proxy, her magic—under control, before they got out of hand.
She forced herself to breathe, slowly, a steady in and out of air that she could hear Twilight copy, even as she clutched Sunset’s hand like a lifeline.  The former unicorn tuned that out for a moment, focusing on why she was so angry on Glamour’s behalf. The first part was obvious—her father was little better than the scummy would-be rapists that Sunset had attacked in the park. He treated Glamour and her body like a commodity for him to use in his business dealings, the way another person might use a fancy office or a gift or an extra item in the purchase bag ‘thrown in’ to ‘sweeten the deal.’ Even the most unpleasant of nobles didn't do that, even the most xenophobic of tribalists—sure, maybe they deliberately made sure their foals’ friend circles were entirely ‘the right kind of pony,’ or encouraged them to keep their partnerships to their same social strata, but that was a far cry from this…nopony would ever treat another’s body like that. Only a few treated their own bodies like that, and they were few and far between because it didn't get them far. Most ponies just didn't have the interest for such to be an effective method of manipulation.
The deeper discomfort took longer to recognize, but when Sunset realized what bothered her so badly, she actually felt part of her anger drain away like water in a sink once the plug was removed. It wasn't something that would ever sit right, but as far as she knew, humans were much less at risk of being driven to madness if someone prevented them from following their passion, the way it did for ponies. What Glamour’s parents were doing, and how her father at least seemed to be pushing her in directions away from the education and career she wanted, all to make her do what he thought was her obligation and duty…it was wrong, even for a human…but it wasn't the jarring, soul-deep anathema for them that it was for a pony. It would never elicit the same kind of anger, fear, and disgust as it would in Equestria. Sunset exhaled, reminding herself of some of the princess’ lessons on interspecies diplomacy.
“Remember, little sun, these aren't ponies, and they don't have the same traditions we do. They eat different things, view their families in a different way, and have their own language and holidays. As long as no creature is being harmed or forced against their will, we need to respect that their ways are not wrong. Only different, and that differences have no bearing on whether they are capable of being our allies or not…”
Sure, Princess Celestia had been talking about Hippogryphs and some of the more baffling aspects of their culture at the time, but the lesson…it wasn't a bad one, she admitted privately.  It made her feel more than a little guilty about how she had behaved in regards to humanity…now that she’d actually gotten to know some humans closely, and started to see them more as beings instead of intelligent monsters. Way to act just like the Canterlot traditionalists, Shimmer, she grumbled bitterly to herself.
It didn't stop her from feeling a deep seeded sense of offense and fury on Glamour’s behalf that her father was trying to dictate her life’s path, of course. Especially because it was a violation of both the ‘no harm’ and ‘consent’ clauses. Glamour had tried her best to be friendly and kind to Twilight, and she didn’t deserve to be driven to being on the verge of tears and panic because her sire was a terrible man.
Twilight made a distressed sound, and her grip tightened further, pulling Sunset out of her thoughts. Blue-green eyes looked down at her girlfriend, whose face seemed to switch rapidly between anger and worry. Spike had crawled into her lap, and she was hugging the dog tight with her other arm. The redhead followed both their gazes and realized that while she’d been lost in her own thoughts, wrestling with her rage—and the magic that still buzzed like a hornet’s nest under her skin—Glamour had finally given in to tears, sobbing into her hands. Despair hung about her like a cloak, and Wildsong had pressed tight to her side, looking about on the edge of furious tears herself.
Velvet was the first member of the family to move, enveloping both young women in one of her ‘mom hugs’. She murmured reassuring words into Glamour’s hair, alongside gentle praise for having the courage to tell them what was going on. Glamour collapsed brokenly into the embrace, weeping in a way that Sunset remembered doing herself on more than one occasion…and she felt her own eyes well up as Twilight Velvet weathered the storm and provided comfort to both a relation and a total stranger. 
“You girls did exactly the right thing, coming to us…I just wish you had told us sooner,” she soothed. “Don't worry…it's not the end of the world, and it's going to get better. You both have a right to be angry and hurt—what Lucky and Summer have been doing are wrong, and you don't have to put up with it.”
Wildsong spoke up again. “I’ve been telling her that for a while,” she said, voice rough and thick. “But she was afraid they’d disown her like they did her sister, taking away the money she needs to finish her degree, and cut her off entirely from the rest of her family.”
Night stilled. “…is that what Lucky told her?” he asked, his voice low and frosty. When Wildsong nodded, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 
“Oh, sweetheart,” Velvet said, her voice filled with heartbreak that Sunset could practically taste in the air, even from across the room. “…your sister was never disowned from the family, even if your father cut her out of his life.”
Glamour hiccuped and stared up at Velvet with something like faint hope and trepidation. “What? But…Daddy said…and she never wrote…or called…and she just went away…”
Taking another one of those deep breaths, Night pulled his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. “He lied then, and if he did that, I wonder if he had a direct hand in cutting contact between you and her. Your sister is part of Doctors Without Borders—she’s been traveling the world for years as a surgeon…” He settled his glasses back on his face. “Your father cannot cut you off from the family educational trust, Glamour, nor can he remove you from the family. Only Stalwart Veracity has that power, and it's one he has never exercised, regardless of how unpleasant some members of the family can be.”
She dissolved back into tears at that, though these seemed to be tears of relief. For a long minute, it was the only sound in the room, and Sunset moved so that she and Twilight were squished together in the armchair, her arm going around her girlfriend’s shoulders as they watched events unfold. Twilight pressed into Sunset’s side, hugging Spike tightly now with both arms, her face buried in his fur. Across from them, Velvet was now rocking Glamour gently, soft apologies joining her litany of reassuring words.
Night focused on the less agitated Wildsong, his expression having hardened into a stern frown, so cold that Sunset half expected hoarfrost to start forming on the lenses of his glasses. “You both have my word that this situation will not be continuing as it has been, nor will either of you suffer academic consequences because of my cousin’s overblown ego.”  Sunset shivered—the icy rage in his eyes actually made it feel as though the room’s temperature had dropped ten or twenty degrees, and part of her wanted to recoil when he rose abruptly to his feet. “If you will excuse me,” he continued, “I have some calls to make and people to inform of the situation. I assure you that this will be dealt with swiftly; Stalwart will be exceedingly upset to learn what cheap games Lucky has been up to…” Golden eyes flicked to Glamour then back to Wildsong. “If you wish it, it will be arranged so that neither of you has to suffer his presence in your vicinity ever again.”
Wildsong’s lips twisted into a feral expression. “You’d better damned well believe ‘I wish it.’ He’s made her cry too many times.”
As he nodded and began making his way out of the room towards his office, Shining spoke up from the window, adding his two cents. “It's more than just a restraining order he’s looking at,” he stated, and Sunset recognized Shining Armor, Detective of the CCPD in his tone and posture. “What he has been doing can—and often is, for investigation purposes—considered a form of prostitution or trafficking. Given the behavior you described, and the ease with which he has been trying to push his own daughter into the arms of strange men in exchange for financial gain, it is very likely that this is the least of his transgressions. Say the word, and I will happily contact my superiors at the station to file a report, as well as have my partner contact the local FBI liaison to give them a tip.” His mouth was set in a grim line, and Sunset realized she could entirely see how his counterpart had become Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot Castle.  “Between that and Uncle Stalwart’s connections, that will have people crawling up his backside with a microscope, looking for every misdeed he and his ‘associates’ have ever even thought about doing.”
Twilight’s cousin raised her face away from Velvet’s shoulder to stare at Shining. “…y-you mean y-you think he’s d-done this to o-others? Is…is that why Dia l-left?” 
“I don't know,” Shining admitted, “but with your permission, I can get the ball rolling to find out…and if he has, then he’ll have to face the consequences.”
Her brows pinched, but she nodded. “D-do it.”
He reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll take care of it. You ladies worry about having a good weekend. We’ll fix this.”
After Shining went to join his father in making some calls, Sunset found herself falling back into thought from her position as an outside observer. With the knowledge that action was being taken, her own rage had cooled to a low simmer, and she could take in what was going on with a much more level head. This was a family dealing with an internal crisis…but…they were just as focused on Wildsong as they were on Glamour—even now, Velvet still had both of them in her hug, despite Wildsong being more calm and mostly attending to her partner. Night had addressed both of them, and had asked Wildsong what she wanted. 
And with a very eye opening jolt, Sunset realized that it was exactly how they’d treated her when she had a crisis in their presence. Like the night she’d woken up screaming from a nightmare…or…back when they had barely known her for more than a month or two…when she’d come in after the prank in the locker-room. Not only had Twilight spent two nights and a whole day trying to put her back together, buy Velvet had cleaned her clothes without question—including her battered jacket, going so far as to even stitch up the worst of the tears in the old leather, cleaning its surface with leather soap that Sunset knew they had no reason to have ‘just laying around the house,’ meaning they had bought it just for the purpose of cleaning her jacket.  On top of that, they’d made her favorite foods, and provided her with reassuring hugs, and Night had picked up a gallon of her favorite ice cream for the inevitable nightmares she suffered. At the time she’d been so out of it, she barely registered it, and by the time she’d been in a place to reflect on everything, she had avoided thinking too deeply. 
However, Sunset couldn't deny it now, not watching how they reacted and cared for Glamour and Wildsong in this moment. They really had been treating Sunset like family the entire time…it wasn’t an illusion, or a delusion, it wasn't the wishful thinking of the lonely little filly locked away inside her who had only ever wanted a family…a place to belong. Her eyes burned with the tears that filled them and her throat constricted tight around an aching, painful lump lodged in it. The former unicorn could feel it…the subtle ties that had been weaving around her for months, anchoring her reformed, reinvented self to this world and people in it. 
Twilight was the strongest among those anchors, a chain wrapped willingly around her heart, but she was not the only one. Each of the people in her life she had forged a relationship with was a connection binding her to this world, the life she had here, and to the person she was becoming…and each of them had taught her something about herself along the way.
Applejack, dependable and true, who had been the first of those she’d harmed to reach out a hand to help her up and not knock her down…It had been the blonde’s firm strength and blunt, honest nature that helped Sunset make sense in those early days of her own emotions, of what was okay to feel and want, and that she could be true to who she was deep down. That real friends were those she could trust to accept who she really was. Applejack, who told them all at New Years that they were family without the need for the bond of blood, who cared enough to ask about the world Sunset had left behind, and worried about whether or not the unicorn-turned-human had food to eat and a warm bed to sleep in…she was the roots of a great tree—not unlike the ones she cultivated so carefully—dug deep into the earth and preventing the ground from washing away even in the worst storms of Sunset’s life.
Never far from the farmer was Rarity, whose selflessness and giving spirit could see through her, who had put aside her own feelings, her own lingering resentments, her own wants, to reach out and give Sunset the chance she had not earned…who showed her by thought and word and deed that giving her best without expecting anything in return touched and inspired those around her in turn.  She was always there for advice, or to lend an ear, and even the smallest request for aid would mean a hundred and ten percent of Rarity’s attention to the task, as if she were incapable of half measures and care little for its detriment to herself. For all her flightiness, there was something grounding in how readily Rarity was there when Sunset needed her, even if she didn’t know what it was she needed her for.
Crazy and chaotic Pinkie Pie, with ability to help her find the silver lining on the worst of days, always ready with a smile or a joke or an observation that lifted Sunset’s soul, no matter how much life weighed it down. Pinkie, who was joy unfettered, and brought with her her own family that, in spite of some of their equally odd quirks,were endlessly supportive in their own ways…whether that was Marble’s slight smiles and soft words, the firm unyielding presence of Maud and their parents, or even Limestone’s sour grimace as she held Sunset to her word to be a better pony. The avalanche of pink that lifted up everyone around her had taught Sunset to look for the little joys in life, and to help others find it…If Rarity and AJ grounded her, then Pinkie was a life preserver in stormy seas, keeping her from being swept away in the tides.
Her thoughts drifted to the most unlikely of her friendships…one that the old her would have scoffed openly about: Fluttershy.  The animal lover was practically a spirit of mercy and compassion, who showed by example that balance was possible, that even Sunset could temper her fury with understanding, her frustration with patience. She had forgiven Sunset for not just individual episodes of ugliness but for a long, drawn out, concentrated campaign of abuse and malice designed to wear her down and isolate the shy girl…and then gone beyond forgiveness to reach out and offer succor. In Fluttershy, Sunset had learned not just forgiveness and kindness, but that she could heal and move beyond her scars…that she could learn from the past…and eventually she would be able to free herself from the hurt that past had left behind. Without that, Sunset was not sure she would have been able to let go of enough to form any of the ties that bound her to anyone other than her Twilight and Twilight’s family… In a way, that meant that Fluttershy was responsible for her ability to form friendships and find an emotional anchor in any of her friends. It was a sobering realization.
Then there was Rainbow Dash. Loud, brash, and more than a little obnoxious, Dash had surprised Sunset with her conviction and devotion.  Sunset had never lacked in the first herself—even as a filly, her drive to succeed at a task meant she found ways to do so, even against the most frustrating of obstacles or limitations. It was at least half the reason she’d stolen the crown from Princess Twilight, and why she had an entire host of contingency plans as one after another her plans failed. But…loyalty…devotion…reliability in another…that had been something that was in short supply, with far too many other ponies trying to play head games with her until she grew too wary of all of them and just isolated herself. After years and years of pushing everypony away and then years of being a bully, Sunset had…lost…much of her ability to believe any being would actually stick to their word with her…or that she was deserving of anything other than the inevitable sting of betrayal. Rainbow had changed that, when she had stood by Sunset against what felt like the entire school, even getting herself in trouble just to ‘make things right’ when she didn't have to. 
And it wasn't just her—Principal Celestia had, perhaps without realizing it, stood up for Sunset in that same dark moment, something the princess…hadn’t. She hadn’t assumed that it was immediately Sunset’s fault, even though given the events of the formal and her sophomore year she would have been well within her right to. Instead, she gave Sunset a chance and held all of the students accountable, not just Sunset. It…was a sobering revelation that maybe Princess Celestia…was not perfect…and made mistakes that had hurt Sunset, even if that wasn't the alicorn’s intention. Seeing her former mentor’s counterpart make different choices, and explain those choices rather than answering with some cryptic riddle…. Knowing that, she decided that maybe what had happened between her and the princess wasn't one hundred percent Sunset Shimmer’s fault. More than that, between Dash and the Principal, they had made her realize she deserved the loyalty of the people she cared about, that cared about her…and that she had every right to expect a bare minimum amount of reciprocity when it came to loyalty. That the former unicorn should be able to count on her emotional anchors not giving way at the slightest hint of trouble.
The principal’s choices paired with Vice Principal Luna turning out to be a person who placed a high value in fairness and justice meant that Sunset had adult authority figures that she not only had come to trust but knew her history in its entirety and still gave her a chance. Miss Luna was honest without being cutting, and she wasn’t afraid to point out mistakes—hers as much as Sunsets or anyone else’s—but she was always fair about it, looking at as many sides of the problem as possible. Some part of Sunset wondered if the Lunar Princess was the same way, and if so, had she not fallen to the Nightmare…would her presence have made things better for a young Sunset Shimmer? It was certainly a possibility, though there was no real way to know.  Regardless, the human woman had provided someone who Sunset had come to trust to be truthful and fair with her, while providing an adult perspective someone like Applejack or Rarity lacked…and she had proven just how far she was willing to go to have Sunset’s back. Sunset couldn't think of many beings in Equestria who would willingly follow another into the kind of dark magic soaked area like Crystal Prep, after all—what did it say that some humans were more loyal and steadfast than her own species when it mattered most?
Sunset’s mind continued to mull over the people she had in her life, that tied her to the here and now, to this world. Like Flash—next to Fluttershy, she had wronged him the most out of anyone, had broken his heart and wounded him deeply…and he had not only forgiven her, but forged a friendship with her and kept her secrets. Or Lyra and Bon-Bon, who she wasn't close to, but had shared a measure of mutual respect and trust as they helped in every way they could to make sure that the students and teachers of Canterlot High would be safe during the next inevitable magical showdown that occurred. She was even starting to form something of a professional working relationship with Trixie, of all people, though she wouldn't call that a friendship just yet. Trixie’s ego was still a bit too much for Sunset to handle, even with being friends with Rainbow Dash for months. 
All those people, plus Twilight and Twilight’s family…they had bound her more and more to this world without her realizing it…and now that she had, Sunset Shimmer was confronted with another, very sobering fact. 
The fact that she had more connecting and binding her to the human world than she had ever possessed in Equestria. Sunset had more of a life here in less than a year…than she had from almost two decades in the world she’d been born to. She still missed her real body, her horn and hooves and the easy use of her considerable magic, and some part of her would always miss her favorite foods…but with every passing day, the part of her that ached for Equestria was being supplanted by the attachments to this world and its inhabitants…
And the most terrifying thing about it was that that thought no longer terrified her.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty: Into the Stillness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Twilight stirred, feeling consciousness steal over her in a slow and deliberate fashion—something that rarely happened to a teenager often woken abruptly by an alarm clock. She snuggled deeper into the warm softness of her pillow, trying to decide if she could go back to sleep for a little longer. Though, she thought in the detached fashion of early morning grogginess, that would be easier if her pillow stopped moving. Then her brain caught up with her, and her eyes snapped open because pillows were normally inanimate objects that didn’t breathe.
It was dark in her room, that odd pre-dawn grayness that was slightly better than pitch blackness but leached all the color from the world, and without her glasses everything was blurry when it got more than a few inches from her nose.  Regardless, she could translate the washed out curves and form close by into Sunset’s body, and that while her face might not have been resting on her normal pillow, the ‘pillow’ under her cheek was almost better despite it rising and falling steadily with every breath the sleeping redhead took. She shifted a little, worming deeper in the arms holding her, a tiny thrill running down her spine from the sensation of skin on skin contact, even as she tilted her head to observe her girlfriend.
In truth, it was mostly a study of contrasts rather than details—red and gold hair translated to a tangle of darker and lighter grays against the pale off-gray of amber skin, and how all of them stood in sharp relief against the dark midnight of the bedsheets and blankets. One hand slid up to gently trace along the contours of Sunset’s face, over her brow and cheeks, and brushing over the lips that had left trails of fire on her skin hours before.
She let out a little sigh of relief at finding Sunset’s features completely relaxed in sleep. After the emotionally stressful explanation of what had happened to Glamour, Sunset had…not withdrawn, exactly, but faded into the background. She still participated in the big family dinner, and moved to help wherever it was needed, but the bright presence had been…shuttered…like the sun behind the clouds or one of those old fashioned lanterns with the cover that let a person adjust the light they gave off. That quiet had persisted even after they’d come upstairs to get ready for bed, but Twilight had been hesitant to address it then, between the long day, how they were both at the ends of their individual emotional ropes from a stressful week, and the fact that neither of them had seemed to feel much like talking. Instead, Sunset had sought and offered wordless comfort, and Twilight had latched onto that, allowing herself to be dragged down into a world that was made up of soft instrumental music played over her laptop, breathless whispers, calloused fingers, wandering lips, and the leather-and-summer-sunshine scent that was Sunset Shimmer, drowning out all the external stimuli as well as her own racing thoughts that were worrying about a thousand and one things.
Now though, in that soft space between sleep and truly awake, Twilight could assess the situation without having to go right into uncomfortable questions. She felt relief in knowing that Sunset still felt safe enough to sleep deeply and relax utterly at her side. The lines and tension were banished from her face, her brows smoothed and lacking the little furrow that meant she was dwelling on something, her lips no longer pulled into a slight frown.  She still worried about what had made Sunset retreat emotionally, but that would have to wait until the older girl was awake and ready to talk; she made herself a mental note to try bringing it up before the weekend was over.
Exhaling slowly, Twilight shifted again, trying to get comfortable enough to doze back off for a while longer. Just as she was starting to relax and feel like she might be able to, she realized that Sunset’s whuffly snores had stopped. She glanced up to see that her girlfriend’s brow had creased.
“…it's too early to raise the sun, Princess…five more minutes…” Sunset mumbled.
Stifling a giggle, Twilight wondered what the other girl had been dreaming about. That seemed to register with Sunset, and one eye pulled itself halfway open to peer down at her. “…Sparky…?” came the husky murmur in a voice still muzzy with sleep. 
She smiled and teased lightly, “Yes, it's me. Why? Were you expecting someone else?”
That blue-green eye was joined by its partner in peeking out from under half closed lids, both bright and distinct in her otherwise washed out field of vision. “…never know…with Pinkie…” she answered. “…no concept…of personal space…”
Twilight frowned. “I’m not sure I’d be okay with your friend ending up topless in bed with you.”
Sunset let out a husky, sleepy chuckle. “If she ever does…you’ll know, because you’ll be there…beside me…don't sleep like this just anywhere…” One hand came down to run through dark locks. “…what time is it?”
That necessitated rolling over and fumbling out for her glasses to check the alarm clock. She squinted at the glowing numbers that reminded her of Sunset’s eyes in the dark and in her dreams. “Five forty.” Then she rolled back over to wiggle back into her spot against that warm body; sleep might be proving elusive, but that didn’t mean she was ready to leave that warm cocoon under the blankets yet.
“….’s early…even for you,” Sunset said, nuzzling into her hair. “….you okay?”
She was silent for a long time, listening to Sunset’s heartbeat and slow, steady breathing. “…not really?” she admitted. “…This week has been…a nightmare. I was just starting to find my equilibrium with what's been happening at school and that I’m being made to transfer and all the work I have yet to do on my project, especially since the energy source is the most frustrating and uncooperative scientific phenomenon I have ever encountered…and then Glamour showed up last night and…”
The hug tightened, and Sunset kissed her forehead. “Her story was pretty terrible.”
“It's worse than terrible! I always knew Lucky and Summer were shallow and self absorbed and fixated on money to an unhealthy degree, but…practically…selling Glamour as some kind of escort during big important dinners is…something I can’t believe they would stoop to!”  She pressed into her girlfriend’s warmth. “And she was so upset and I couldn't do anything to help, not even say anything to make her feel better…”  Tears welled in her eyes, frustration and pain bleeding out of her into her physical reality.
“Shhhh…” Sunset soothed her, humming softly, the soft lullaby-like tune that she always started with whenever she did that, something that Twilight always felt reached down in her soul.  “…know it's hard—I couldn't do much to help either…but it sounds like your dad is fixing it…and you did help…You were there.  You listened…You validated how violated she and Wildsong felt.” Amber fingers brushed her hair back from her face. “…and right now, you're crying for their suffering…hurting because they are…and it's all we can do.”
Through her tears, she could see moisture tracking down Sunset’s face too, even as the words drilled right through the lump in her throat to pierce her heart. Twilight pressed her face into Sunset’s collarbone and cried. She cried for herself, for her cousin, for Wildsong, for Sunset. She cried because of the stress that felt like it was eating her alive. She cried over the cruelty and unfairness of other people, over the way the worst things always seemed to happen to good people while bad people got away with their actions. She cried for her own helplessness…
The entire time, she could hear Sunset again, singing while tears dripped onto Twilight’s hair. It was that same song, but this time with lyrics she had never heard before, lyrics in a language she couldn't even begin to place.  Something about it was strangely melancholy but also soothing, and it pulled her from her own tears to listen in silent rapture. Sunset’s eyes were faraway, shadowed and pensive like they had been the night before.
As the song trailed away into silence, Twilight reached up and cupped Sunset’s cheek. “…I didn't know it had words…”
Blinking, the redhead was brought back to her, and she gave a wan, crooked smile. “I…don't actually remember all of it. She…didn't sing the words often. Usually…midsummer…midwinter…and…Nigh—Halloween…but it was a lullaby she used when I was little.”
“It’s beautiful…Do you know what the words mean?”
Someone shrugging while holding her felt…weird, but she ignored it. “Kind of. Dead languages are a bit cumbersome to translate, but she taught me the meaning of some other songs and literature in the same dialect. I can try, if you want? Might have to take a lot of poetic license though.”
Twilight nodded timidly. “…if it's okay with you? I’d love to know what it’s about?”
Sunset’s expression was still dim and lacking its light, but she obliged.

“Destiny cruel, Harmony lost,
I did not wish you away…
Bearing wounds for a failure all mine,
The music is silent this day.”

“Yet into the still night, I sing you a song
In hope your company it keeps,
Until your weary eyes and my lullabies
Carry you softly to sleep…”

Several verses of the original language followed, places where Sunset could not translate or recall the exact wording, along with at least a verse worth of humming, before she shifted back to English.

“….there was so much more love for you than you ever knew,
May it take the hurt away from your mind,
Please forgive me for being so blind…”

“Centuries stretch out before us,
Full of fear and rife with the unknown,
In all my darkest moments I never dreamed
I’d face each one alone.”

“May all the lonely winters
Swiftly fly, I pray…
I lo-love y-you…I m-miss you…
All these m-miles away…”

Sunset’s voice had started to falter in the last verse, and then she stopped singing abruptly, curling forward to let tears soak into Twilight’s hair. “Oh, Sunny…” she whispered, shifting their positions so Sunset could tuck her face into the younger girl’s neck.
“…’m sorry…” Sunset mumbled. 
Twilight rubbed her back gently. “Sunny, no… you don't need to be sorry. It’s okay to be hurting…you loved her so much, and that kind of hurt lasts a long time.”
Shaking her head, Sunset choked a little on her sobs. “…but your family wants me. My friends want me…she didn’t. After everything I’ve done…people here want me in a way she never did…and I’m happy, and I want to be happy here, have a family, a home, you…I can belong here. Have a life here...so why do I keep thinking about her?! I don't even miss anyp-anyone else, so why can't I let her go?! Why am I letting this hold me back?!”
Holding her girlfriend close, Twilight tried to be as gentle as she could in her reply, biting back the unpleasant things she felt about the woman who had been Sunset’s guardian. “Because she is your mother.”
“…but she’s not…” came the immediate retort. “I was her ward, out of necessity. She never asked for me.”
That made Twilight’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she filed it away for another time. Sunset did not need the ‘Twilit Inquisition’ right now. “That doesn't matter. What matters is that she raised you. You lived with her from a very young age, she was the primary authority figure in your life above all others, and she obviously spent time with you when you were little, teaching you things and modeling behavior for you—like manners, or how you bring gifts to a host, or even how you carry yourself in public. Whether she intended it or not, she stepped into the role of a parent, and that is exactly how you viewed her…exactly how any child in your situation would have viewed her.”
The older girl didn't answer, even when Twilight left a deliberate and extended pause to let her, so she continued. “It doesn't matter if a piece of paper said ‘So-and-so is the legally adoptive parent of one Sunset Shimmer’ she was the one you saw as your mother, the one you wanted to be proud of you and love you and make all the bad things go away when they happened…” Her hand was still rubbing up and down Sunset’s back. “…and her rejection wounded you deeper than anything else—you told me that. That her love and acceptance drove every little thing you did, right up until the night we met…which is normal, Sunny. No matter who we are, our parents and our relationship with them…especially with our mothers…is something that impacts people their whole lives, and it's something that is…perhaps not impossible, but extremely difficult to excise completely.” Twilight tried to keep her breathing slow and even. “Did you know that one of the most common individuals someone who is gravely wounded cries out for is their mother? It does not matter the circumstances, or how old they are, or even what kind of relationship they have with their mother…they still call out for ‘Mom.’”
More silence, but it was the kind of silence that told her Sunset was listening. “So you…not being able to let go of her…that’s normal. That's…very human…and it's okay to feel that way. You don't have to let go if you don't want to or aren't ready. You may never be ready…and that's okay too.”
Sunset’s shoulders slumped, and she went more than a little limp in Twilight’s embrace. “…but what if I want to?” she bit out, sounding somewhere between angry and more tears. “I have so much here—people who want me, who respect me, who are proud of me…who care about me…and…”. Fingers gripped Twilight’s arms tight, almost painfully so. “…and I…I want to try. I want to embrace everything I’ve found, everything I’ve earned without her and everything about the place I came from and who I used to be…” She pulled back, and the only word Twilight had for the emotion etched across her face and in gleaming eyes was anguish. “…but how can I if I'm still holding on to the past?” 
Twilight reached out, letting her hands follow the contours of cheek and jaw until her palms rested lightly against amber skin. “You don’t have to cut yourself off completely and cast away everything and everyone, Sunset. Your life doesn’t have to be divided into ‘Before’ and ‘After.’ You can embrace your life here while still having things from your past you aren’t ready to let go of or that you still need closure on.”
“…but…how is it fair to be part of everything here if I’m not willing to…” The redheaded teen’s words faltered as whatever she was trying to articulate fell drastically short.
Biting her lip, Twilight tried a slightly different approach. “Sunny…no one here expects to replace her…or anyone else from your past. Mom and Dad definitely aren't. Finding home, finding family…isn't subtracting your old connections and relationships from your life and overwriting them with new ones. It's about adding on to it. You can accept the friends you've made and all the changes in your life without removing anyone from it that you don't want to remove.”
She could feel more than see Sunset’s brows furrow, before her girlfriend reached out and pulled her back into that warm hold. “…I…want to…” Sunset mumbled, trailing off again into that pensive silence, as if the weight of the world was crushing down on her.
Resting her head against smooth skin was soothing. “Are you up for going on this date today, Sunny? I’ll understand if you aren't.” There could be other dates, but Sunset deserved the chance to sort her thoughts and feelings out.
A humorless chuckle escaped the older girl. “I was actually planning on asking you the same thing.” 
Twilight had not composed a response for that question yet. She had been fairly excited the night before, but everything just felt…heavier now. Full of a weight and expectation and stress that hadn't been present before, as if the world itself was holding its breath in some…indefinable and irrational way, waiting on the next thing to happen.
The words hovered in the early morning quiet long after they stopped vibrating the air, before Sunset shattered it again. “…maybe the question should be: are we up for going on a date today, or is it going to be too much on top of everything else we have yet to deal with?”
“I…don't know,” the dark haired teen found herself answering. “…if you had asked that last night, I believe the answer would have unequivocally been yes from me. Despite—or perhaps because of it—I…was looking forward to a day where all I had to worry about was you and me.”
Sunset shifted positions, and Twilight could feel the kiss she brushed against her ear. “I know what you mean. The last few months have been…stressful…even with things going so much better at my school for me. I've got so much I’m trying to do—band practice, making time for the girls, running that weekly tutoring that now has like a hundred people showing up every week—we actually had to take over the cafeteria because they wouldn’t all fit in the library—the big group project, the upcoming Friendship Games…I have less time than ever and more people that want part of it, and its cut into the time I used to spend with you…” A frustrated sigh escaped the redhead.
Making a humming sound of agreement, Twilight added, “It's not been much better on my end. This project is driving me insane—normally I’d be pretty much done by now, and I’m not. I feel like I’m not any further than when I started. Plus the trouble with my school and Principal Cinch now…I mean, the family lawyers and Great Uncle Stalwart are involved—that's bad and huge and I didn't ask for any of it and I don't know why it's all going so wrong…” Air ran out and she had to force herself to breathe. “…plus the troubling revelations about my friendship with Wallflower, and all the work I’m doing to prep for college applications, not to mention trying to work on my plan for coming out to Mom and Dad…it feels like I barely see you anymore other than Fridays and I miss you…so I was really excited for this. I was hoping it might help me with coming out to Mom and Dad sooner.”
Then she hesitated, chewing on her lip. “But then…”
Her girlfriend understood where her thoughts were going. “…but then your cousin showed up, and you're asking yourself if it's fair to expect her to still want to go out today after everything she’s been through with her parents?”
Twilight found herself nodding silently, acknowledging that Sunset had voiced exactly what she had been thinking. Her eyes fell, finding the dark vagueness beyond the older girl’s shoulder to be a fascinating place to focus so that she wasn't looking into bright, knowing, blue-green irises.
“Sparky?” The word was barely more than a whisper, and full of concern.
She couldn't keep the edge from her voice as guilt weighed her down. “…that's not even accounting for whether or not she even wants to associate with me any longer.”
Amber fingers turned her back to face Sunset. “Why do you think that?”
The dark haired girl frowned. “…I…can't help but think…if I hadn't spent years dismissing her as vapid and shallow…if I’d done something other than look for the quickest possible exit to any and all conversations and actively avoiding her…and…maybe tried to be a friend…then this would have come to light sooner. She could have been around my parents and she would have trusted them with this when it started, instead of putting up with it for years and she could have had a chance to reconnect with her sister years ago and—”
“Twilight, stop and breathe for a minute, okay?” Sunset sat completely upright, pulling Twilight with her. A warm hand moved soothingly up and down her back. “You are not to blame for what has happened with your cousin. Could you have done things differently? Sure, but she could have too…and who is to say it would have made much difference in the long run?”
Sunset had a point, something she couldn’t deny from a rational perspective. “I know…but it might have.”
Sighing, the older girl pulled her into her lap so she could enfold Twilight in her arms. “It might have, but you can't know for certain and unless you’ve got a magic spell or a time machine, what's done is done. And I don’t believe Glamour or her girlfriend blame you in any way for anything, because there’s nothing to blame you for.” She nuzzled into Twilight’s hair. “I do agree that we need to ask them if they are still interested in continuing with today’s plans or not, but we need to assess ourselves first. There’s no point in even bringing it to them if we come to the conclusion that we don’t want to go out today or we’re going to be unable to really enjoy our date…so let’s finish talking about that first.”
Twilight was silent as the words tumbled around in her mind. Was she up for this? Did she still want to? Could she handle it and still enjoy herself, despite how stressed and anxious she was already? And was it fair to even be dismissing Glamour’s feelings, even for just a few minutes? Wasn't that selfish?
Yet the more she thought it over, the more she realized Sunset had a valid point. Yes, she felt awful for Glamour and what had been happening to her, for what she and Wildsong had been putting up with for months…but…she still needed to be honest with herself and consider her own feelings too. Twilight’s own school year had been terrible, growing even more so since the start of the semester, and she felt more stressed and anxious now than she ever had, overloaded with responsibilities and fears and the pressure of her project and trying to escape Crystal Prep with her GPA intact…it wasn't fair to expect her to deal with other people’s problems on top of everything in her own life…even if her knee jerk reaction to that thought was shame, shame and guilt over how petulant and childish it sounded.
Her girlfriend must have read something in her body language, because she nuzzled into Twilight’s hair. “It isn't wrong to take time to consider your own needs, Sparky, remember? That’s what you keep telling me.”
It was something she had said to Sunset more than once…and something she suspected her parents had also tried to reinforce to the redheaded girl. 
…and it was as true for her as it was for Sunset. 
Going back over her own thoughts, she acknowledged her sadness at Glamour’s treatment by her own parents, but set it to the side to consider herself and what was right for Twilight Sparkle. 
She wanted time with Sunset to help forget, even if just for a little while, all the awful things going on that were threatening to drag her under. Twilight had been looking forward to this date and day out—she’d carefully planned as much as she could, looked up the town they were going to to get an idea of potential places they could go and made sure to have a map handy on her phone, opened up a brand new SD card for her new phone so they could take all kinds of pictures and store them on there for when they didn't have to hide anymore…she’d even had her date outfit organized and ready to go, along with a secret plan to wear one of the more…enticing and daring sets of underthings Cadence had encouraged her to purchase, just in case things went in the direction she was hoping for. More than that…Twilight realized that she didn't just want the day with Sunset…she needed it, with the same urgency as food or water or even air. Some part of her craved the attention and connection with her fiery maned best friend, knowing instinctively that it would help ground her and soothe frayed and shattered nerves.
Words burst out of her then, as she clung to the girl whose presence enfolded her like a blanket. “Oh…you are going to think I am a terrible and insensitive person, but I really do want to go, Sunny! I’ve been looking forward to this, holding onto this weekend to get me through the worst parts of the week…through the talk with Mom and Dad, through the stress of this project, all of it…I…”
“Hey…” Sunset murmured. “It’s okay. You're not insensitive. It’s been a hard few months, and it's okay to want to do something for yourself.” The taller girl nuzzled into Twilight’s hair, inhaling through her nose. “If I’m honest, I want to be selfish too. I’m exhausted, and tired of being pulled in twenty different directions. I need a break, where all I am doing is something that makes me happy, makes me feel good…something that doesn’t have baggage or a past I can't really forget…and for me, that’s spending time with you. With you, I can just be Sunset, and not constantly second guess if I’m going to remind you of some awful thing I did to you as a bully.”  
Her hands rubbed over Twilight’s arms. “I need a day that's just us. Whether that's out on a double date with your cousin, or just the two of us driving to the next town over and forgetting everything for twelve hours while we go to a museum and dinner and maybe a movie or whatever, or drive out to the beach and just enjoy the fresh air and majesty of the sun on endless waves before stargazing on the sand, or maybe one of the million and one ideas I know you can come up with with a location, five minutes, and Google maps…I don't care. I just need time where all I have to worry about is seeing you smile, and whether or not I need to stop and breathe or I can keep kissing you for a bit longer...a day to forget about your school and my friends or our various projects and responsibilities…”
Twilight sighed softly, feeling some of the stress melt off her. “It sounds like we feel very much the same way about the situation then…that we both need a break from everything.” She cuddled deeper into the warmth her girlfriend gave off to chase away the cool air that made goosebumps prickle at her exposed skin. “Maybe it is insensitive, maybe it's not, but…I think if Glamour and Wildsong don't feel up to going out, then I’d like to take your suggestion for the two of us to go do something ourselves.” Trying not to grimace, she added, “Last night was intense, and a little too much on top of everything else and I don't think I can manage a whole day here where it's just…omnipresent…”
“The manticore in the ballroom, you mean? Yeah, I’m not sure I could deal with a whole day of that and not be a bitchy mess by the end of it.” Sunset rested her chin on Twilight’s shoulder. “How about we get up, go take our showers, and go down for breakfast. After we get food in our stomachs, Glamour should be awake, and we can talk to the two of them then? See what they want to do so we know how to plan our day going forward?”
Twisting a little, Twilight pulled her girlfriend in for a brief kiss. “Ten minutes? I want to start our day with a proper good morning…”
“I can agree to that…” Sunset purred, before capturing Twilight’s mouth with her own…





Dawn was underway by the time the two girls had showered and dressed, the first rays of golden sunshine sneaking into the house through east facing windows and warming away the coolness of the early spring morning. They came downstairs and passed the living room where Night was already relaxing, smartly dressed and reading a book. “Good morning, girls,” he greeted. “Your mother and I will be leaving soon for the day, and probably won't be home until late. Cadence said she’ll pop by after work to collect Spike and take him to her place for the evening—that way, you don't have to worry about cutting your own plans short. Just let him out before you leave and make sure you put a fresh pad down for him in the laundry room just in case.”
Sunset canted her head. “You look like you're going to a ball,” she commented, the question in her eyes obvious.
“I wish it was a ball—at least I could talk Velvet into going with me then.” He shook his head. “Every year a few of us get tapped to schmooze the big financial donors for the university, and as you can imagine, I get to be one of the faculty go-to’s when dealing with upper class snobs—apparently my family ties impress them.”
Wrinkling her nose into something like a sneer of disgust, Sunset offered her sympathy. “Ugh. Those kind of ‘parties’ are the worst.  Business meetings without a boardroom, all of them, and full of beings who strut around like peacocks showing off how much more important their family is than anypo—anyone else’s.”
Night arched an eyebrow. “I see you have experience.” He didn't question further, but Twilight could see him taking mental notes.
“More than a little. If there's one thing I don't miss living here, it's that.” Sunset gave a full body shudder. “Good luck in the peacock garden, Mr. Night.”
He chuckled. “It feels more like a shark tank, most of the time.”
The redheaded girl shrugged. “That's because you’ve never been pecked by a horde of peacocks,” she countered, before heading for the kitchen. Twilight exchanged a bit of a bewildered look with her father before hurrying after Sunset. Her girlfriend had never been so casual in admitting to her guardian’s upper class status in front of her parents before, and she really wanted to ask what was up with that.
It would have to wait, she determined, as she heard the soft sound of voices in the kitchen as she caught up to her fiery maned paramour. Sunset looped an arm through Twilight’s and pointed through the doorway as half muffled but genuine laughter trickled through it. There she could see her cousin and Wildsong at the table, both looking a bit tired but otherwise happy, with a stack of papers and a manila envelope on the table in front of them. Glamour was pushing her girlfriend’s shoulder, protesting half heartedly, “Tiger! That’s terrible! Just think for a moment how those poor fire ants would feel! That's cruelty to animals!”
Twilight exchanged a look with her girlfriend. The good mood seemed to her to be a positive sign, and it was with that in mind that she let Sunset tug her into the kitchen. “I’m afraid to ask what you are doing to those insects that constitutes cruelty,” Sunset said dryly as the pair at the table looked up at them.
Glamour giggled. “You should be—it was terrible!”
As Sunset slipped away to make herself a cup of coffee, Twilight dropped into a seat across from her cousin. “You sound like you're already having a better day,” she ventured carefully. 
“We are,” Wildsong answered with a bright grin. “Thanks to your dad, and this.” She tapped a finger on the paper stack. 
Her cousin nodded in agreement. “It's great—Twi, I’m free!” She gestured at the papers. “A courier showed up a few minutes ago with these—Great Uncle Stalwart must have pulled some strings—and I’m free of Daddy’s games!”
Padding back over with a steaming mug of coffee and Twilight’s orange juice, Sunset squinted at the papers. “What is it?”
“Restraining order, copies of papers drawn up against the school—someone had to unlock and let him into our dorm-room, which is a huge no-no, apparently? Your parents volunteered as my emergency contacts when I need someone over twenty-one, as well as a temporary mailing address for important papers from…well…everywhere…until I either get done with school or get a PO box.  A completely new bank account from the bank, with all my spending money transferred into it, along with extra in case I need it for school, and all the cards and a checkbook for it…and also the paperwork for an apartment in a building owned by a friend of Stalwart’s that he offered to pay for while we’re in school to keep Mom and Daddy from trying to surprise us again…if we want to do that. The building has security, and according to his note, if we take the offer, my parents' names and photos will be on the ‘No Entry’ list.” Glamour looked like she was about to cry. “I…I’m a little overwhelmed,” she added quietly as Wildsong hugged her around the shoulders.
Twilight could understand that. “It is a lot to take in…it explains why Dad was on the phone so long last night…but I’m glad that they could help.” She hesitated, then asked quietly, “…did you want to cancel our plans for the weekend?”
Sunset added, “We understand if you do—like you said, this is a lot to have to deal with all at once, and it wouldn't be fair to ignore how you feel and expect you to just go ahead with the original plan.”
Wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes, Glamour managed a real smile. “You’re both super sweet and considerate…and it means a lot that you're worried about me.” She leaned into Wildsong’s hug, even as she reached across the table to squeeze both Sunset and Twilight’s hands.
“We’re still planning on having our ‘day out,’” Wildsong confirmed, her free hand making air quotes at the end of the sentence and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as if to imply something much more scandalous than just a date day. “I refuse to let something little like this ruin the weekend for any of us!”
Glamour Shot bit her lip to stifle her laugh and failed. Then she recovered enough to address Twilight more directly. “We want to do it for two reasons, really. One…” she lowered her voice a little as she glanced down the hall, “I know how much you two were looking forward to this after we talked last week, Twi…and I know you’ve had a pretty lousy month too, even if it is for different reasons. You two deserve a day out and away from all that stress.”
At Twilight’s side, Sunset made a noise of agreement. “We were going to take the day for ourselves either way,” she admitted. “We talked about it when we woke up…but we didn't want to push you into feeling like you had to cater to us.”
The two young women smiled with what Twilight thought was gratitude, before Glamour turned serious. “And that's the second reason, really. This is the first day of freedom in my whole life—in a way, it's the first day of the rest of my life! Maybe that’s corny but…I feel…liberated. Mom and Daddy can't use me as a dress up doll anymore, and I can make my own future that I want, and I have people who will support my choices about what I want, even if it's not the biggest moneymaker.” She let go of their hands to wipe her eyes again. “I’m free, really free, and I want to celebrate, to do things that make me feel happy and good, and not dwell on just how much my parents have taken from me…And that means I want to spend the day with the woman I love and get to know my favorite cousin better! I can be sad and hurt and upset about what my parents did later, like…when I talk to a therapist.”
“Which we’re gonna do,” Wildsong interjected. “Therapy, I mean. Not just for Glamour, but both of us together, as a couple. Your mom recommended it, actually.”
Twilight nodded. “I’ve seen a therapist since I was little and I know Mom and Dad have had therapy from time to time with traumatic life experiences. The value of good mental health professionals and the tools they provide you with cannot be overstated. It really does help provide an unbiased understanding of what is going on in your head and why.”
Wildsong nudged her partner pointedly, and Glamour stuck her tongue out at her childishly. “Yes, Tiger, you made your point, you can stop beating the dead horse now. Before you accidentally turn it into one of those creepy zombies from that show you like.”
“Please,” Sunset added dryly. “I happen to have a personal attachment to equines, and I’d rather not deal with one that spontaneously reanimates to file a complaint with the manager.”
There was a brief breath of silence as the other three stared at the redhead before they lost in, breaking down into laughter that Twilight thought might have carried with it a touch of hysteria—a release of some of their stress and trauma with the ridiculous visual Sunset had provided. At the very least, she felt a touch better once she had managed to regain enough control that she didn't worry she was going to shoot orange juice out her nostrils. Sunset, for her part, just smirked at their reactions—she knew very well what she had done and radiated all the smugness of a satisfied cat.
Shaking her head, Wildsong chuckled, “Okay, kid, that was a good one. Now I’m just picturing a horse with a bob haircut dyed a hideous shade wearing yoga pants that are one size too small and more make-up than a streetwalker shrieking in a loud voice about how she wants me fired from a place I don't work from. Thanks for that—that’s gonna live rent free in my head until the end of time, right next to a few catchy theme songs and childhood trauma.” She ran a hand through Glamour’s hair, addressing her girlfriend playfully. “Still…babe, you won't let me indulge in venting what I’d love to say about and to your old man. I gotta let the feelings out somehow—y’know, the whole ‘repression is bad’ and all that. It's also not considered arson.” 
Sunset didn't miss a beat. “I’m not sure setting a person on fire is counted as arson,” she countered. “Also, people on fire tend to scream a lot.”
Twilight arched one brow. “I’m going to avoid inquiring too deeply into that and just go with continuing to advocate for therapy as the healthiest option, while ensuring that going out is something you're certain you want to do for yourselves and not because of Sunset and me?”
Her cousin ignored the way Wildsong and Sunset were cackling over their bad jokes. “I’m sure, Twi. Song and I talked about it this morning too. I don't want him to ruin this too, for any of us. We’re going to go out, we’re going to have fun, and we’re going to spend the day free from the shackles other people have put on both of us.” She beamed at Twilight, happier and more relaxed than the dark haired girl had ever seen. “I haven't been able to just be me in so long…”
The words struck a core in Twilight, and she found herself agreeing, aching for the freedom Glamour was describing, and her own chance to throw off the chains her own anxieties and other people’s expectations had bound her with. 
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty One: Double Date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It took them a full fifteen minutes away from the Sparkle house before Wildsong flicked her eyes up to look at Sunset and Twilight in the rearview mirror.  “Didn't get to ask before with everything else going on, but how long’ve you two been together?”
“Since...early November?” Sunset answered, glancing at Twilight for confirmation.  “We were friends before that, best friends. We ended up talking about it, and decided to...try, because...there was something there that was...special.”  She didn’t want to go into the personal details, but that much felt safe to say.
The young woman laughed. “That’s way better than the awkward crush on your straight best friend, let me tell you! You want to talk about uncomfortable times? Shit. My best friend in sophomore year couldn’t look me in the eyes for two months.”  Wildsong laughed. 
Glamour Shot giggled. “At least you all knew!  I dated so many boys in high school—they were nice boys at least, interesting and funny and friendly—and I couldn't figure out why I never really clicked with any of them!” She shook her head. “It never occurred to me to even look at girls.”
“Not even a little?” Twilight asked curiously. 
“Not even,” her cousin confirmed, her whole mien becoming quiet and serious. “You know how my mom is, Twi. Always going on about how to attract and win the perfect rich boy? She never ever even mentions anything even remotely resembling an alternative to heterosexuality. It never really crossed my mind that I could look at girls until I was at college, and even then…I…fought it, pretended it was anything else—this one’s make-up, that one’s fashion, anything that didn’t mean admitting that it was the girls themselves I was drawn to.”
The dark haired girl frowned. “I...always kind of knew,” she admitted, leaning her head against Sunset’s shoulder.  
“Oh yeah?” Wildsong chuckled. “Who was your first girl-crush?  Mine was this singer, Pink Lemonade. I had it baaaad.”
Twilight blushed. “Cadence,” she confessed. “When I was younger, she was the only one really outside my parents and brother who I felt comfortable around—plus she was my babysitter.  And she’s just...so pretty, and I loved spending time with her.  But...she was dating my brother, and I got over that childish infatuation super quick.”
“Oooo...crush on the babysitter. Yeah...that happens more than you’d think.  What about you, Sunset? Got a stereotypical ‘baby-dyke’s first crush?’”
Sunset blinked. “Um...no?” she ventured hesitantly. “Wasn't really my thing. I...had a lot of trouble with fo—kids my age when I was young and...mostly I stayed in my rooms and studied.”  She nuzzled her face into Twilight’s hair, inhaling the familiar honeysuckle scent. “The only other person I dated was this guy at school, but it was entirely for the sake of popularity, back when I was the Queen Bitch of CHS.” She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t get me wrong—Flash is a nice guy, and one of my best friends now, but kissing him was...something I had to force myself to do, and I hated it. It felt…wrong. Dirty. It's why I only ever did it when it was absolutely necessary for public appearances.” The former unicorn tried not to dig too deeply into it, and part of her wondered how much of what she had felt had come from her lack of attraction to humans in general and how much had been from the remnants of her conscience railing at her for using her body to manipulate a good person for her own gain.
Glamour sighed from the front seat. “It does feel weird and off, doesn't it? Kissing a guy, I mean. I always thought maybe I was doing it wrong, but the first time I kissed Song it was...” she trailed off, hand waving loosely as she tried to find the words.
“Different,” Sunset supplied, thinking back to the first kiss with Twilight, how she had compared it to kissing Flash and learned that was almost impossible. “It just...was...you can't compare them because it's not even the same thing. Feels different, tastes different, is different.” She found herself kissing Twilight on the cheek before she could stop herself, murmuring for her girlfriend’s ears alone, “For me, it is better in every way...”
Twilight blushed. “Sunny!” she whispered back,  flustered.
Oblivious to the private exchange, Glamour responded to Sunset’s statement. “That’s it exactly. It's so different and it makes me feel different, feel something instead of nothing at all, like I found something I never realized I was yearning for.”
“You're getting sappy again, Angel. Try to rein in the bodice-ripper speak.” Sarcastic as the words were, Sunset saw Wildsong reach across between the seats to squeeze her partner’s hand affectionately.  “Especially around the kids. They don't need to know what kind of trashy literature you indulge in.”
“It’s not trashy! It's romantic!”
Laughing eyes look in the mirror at the couple in the back seat. “The covers are riddled with nearly naked women half a breath from a nip slip, and half naked, oiled up men with bulging expanses of rippling muscle.  It's basically porn written for desperate housewives.  And lonely college girls who haven’t managed to realize they’re gay yet.”
“So...basically you and your mom, Glamour?” Twilight offered with a straight face, though Sunset could see the humor dancing in purple eyes.
Silence lasted for ten or fifteen seconds before Wildsong burst into laughter amidst Glamour Shot’s incoherent sputtering. Even Sunset found herself smirking at Twilight’s playful dig, and secretly she felt that Rarity should be added to Twilight’s list—she’d seen some of the covers of the books Rarity read, and outside of her penchant for noir detective novels, most of them looked exactly like what Wildsong had described.
The laughter died down after a few minutes, and they rode in companionable quiet. The former unicorn indulged in lacing her fingers with Twilight’s and bringing their linked hands up so she could press affectionate kisses to lavender knuckles. It was nice to be able to do this without worrying that someone from Canterlot High might see her with someone who looked like the Princess they knew, to not have to consider proximity to where her classmates were likely to go in their free time, and to just be able to relax totally with Twilight somewhere other than her loft.
It didn’t hurt that her girlfriend was pressed into her side, watching her, her face lit up with one of those brilliant smiles that sent warmth all the way to Sunset’s toes and made the magic inside her thrum in response.  Grinning back crookedly, she nuzzled the hand she was holding, trying to communicate without words what she felt.
When Twilight tugged her hand free, Sunset opened her eyes in confusion, trying to figure out why the smaller girl had pulled away. Twilight’s fingertips brushed some of her hair back, tucking red and gold strands behind one ear, before she leaned up to press their lips together in one of those soft, sweet kisses Sunset couldn’t get enough of.  She sighed happily into her girlfriend’s mouth, slipping an arm around her shoulders to hug her even closer, wanting to enjoy the moment of intimacy before they were interrupted by the other occupants of the car.
Sure enough, it wasn’t more than a few minutes before Glamour let out a squeal Rarity would have been proud of.  She and Twilight broke apart, and the nerdy girl straightened her glasses, cheeks flushed. “Glamour...”she grumbled in annoyance.
“I'm sorry, Twi, it's just so neat to see you so happy!  It's so different from any other time I've ever seen you! You always look so tired and frustrated at the estate, just...miserable and lonely.  Seeing you like this makes me so happy, because you deserve to be happy and smile like that all the time!”
Sunset kissed a lavender skinned temple.  “She’s right, Sparky,” she murmured. “Your smile makes me feel like nothing else.  It’s like the Sun: it makes the world brighter and beautiful, and when it's not there, everything feels a little grayer and more lifeless.”   She wasn’t sure what drove her to voice the thought aloud, and in front of two people she’d only just met, but something in her needed to say it so Twilight could hear. 
Twilight’s eyes went wide, and the smile that had faded into annoyance with Glamour’s interruption came back full force.  The former unicorn ducked her head down to rest their foreheads together, reinforcing her sincerity with the gesture that had come to mean so much to both of them. “I mean it,” she breathed, audible now only to the girl who was gripping her arm tightly. “…you and I might be named for the end of the day, but for me, everything began the night I met you.” 
Somehow, despite being tethered by a seatbelt, Twilight managed to wrap her arms around Sunset’s torso in a bearhug tight enough that the redhead wondered briefly if there was any kinship between her girlfriend and the Apple clan.  The smaller girl didn’t offer any verbal response, beyond a tiny sound in her throat and a sniffle from what Sunset thought were happy tears, but the hug and the way her body quivered said more than words could have.  From the front seat, Glamour let out another one of those gleeful noises, which finally prompted a response from Wildsong, who had been focused on driving.
“Okay, kids. Try and keep it PG-13 in my backseat, alright?  I’m open to a lot of things, but watching Glamour’s cousin and her girl get busy in my rearview isn’t one of them, sorry. Besides, I wanted to have a serious talk before we get into town, so…gonna need your focus for a few. You too, babe.”
Sunset felt Twilight let go reluctantly, and they both sat back normally in the seat.  Wildsong had sounded far more serious than they had expected. “Um…Sure,” Sunset began. “…We’re listening, Wildsong. What’s up?” Her hand rested over Twilight’s, calming the rising nervousness she could feel in the air.
“Cool. So you girls are all used to being in the closet. That’s not what today is. Today, all of us are out. We’re almost a hundred miles from where you two kids live, and after everything, Angel, you don't have a reason to hide anymore. No one knows any of you here, and more than that, my town is big on Pride. We’ve got a large queer community, and even most of the straight folks here support us.  A lot of places are super open and accepting, and no one there looks twice. More than that, I know a lot of the safe places for us to go, where we will be with other people like us, and we all understand the closet. Most of us have spent time in the closet, a lot are still in, and we know. We know how hard it is, we know about that constant fear of discovery, and we take care of our own. You’re all safe with me today, and I want all three of you to just…be yourselves. Enjoy being in love, enjoy yourselves, and don’t worry about being anyone other than who you are today.” One hand ran through striped hair. “…Its okay to love and be loved today, even if that love is with another girl.”
The whole speech evoked that surreal disorientation that Sunset experienced every time she was reminded of the glaring and harsh differences between her culture and the one she was trying to blend into. The concept of concealing one’s affections towards their Special Somepony was still alien to her, at least, it was if it was based on something so trivial as gender—the only reason she had wanted to keep her relationship a secret had had nothing to do with being ashamed of dating Twilight Sparkle, and everything to do with protecting her girlfriend from the level of paradigm shattering weirdness that came from the ‘whole other worlds, magic, and princess doppelgänger’ thing.  It was present in her life—Twilight’s anxiety over their relationship being public had become a more and more prominent issue as time had gone on, and they did discuss it, but at some point Sunset had filed it in her mind as a Twilight thing, more than as an actual human cultural thing. Especially since it was something that just didn't crop up elsewhere in her immediate social circle, despite people like Lyra and Bon-Bon or Rarity and AJ; no one at school mocked them and they didn't seem to have issues with their families being judgmental.  To hear it this way, from someone’s else’s mouth, as if it were the standard of normal rather than the exception or the rarity was more jarring than she had expected, and reminded her once more that she was an outsider and a pretender…and that Twilight really deserved to know the truth if they were going to make this relationship work long term.
The other two were silent, so Sunset took it upon herself to speak first. For her, the simple act of being far enough away that no one here would know who she was all she really needed to be able to just relax for the day. There was no magic here, no people who knew her as the horrible tyrant or the she-demon, no monsters or mayhem, nothing to interfere with her spending time with her girlfriend, nothing to worry on or fret over, not school or magical defenses, or balancing the busy facets of her newfound social life and responsibilities.  She hugged Twilight. “…I like the sound of that,” the redhead said with a grin, before she nuzzled into dark hair affectionately. “…nothing matters today but us, Sparky, and she’s right, we should enjoy this—who knows when we’ll have a chance again?”
She could feel the tension in Twilight, the way her breathing sounded, the way her pulse had quickened, all signs of the rising anxiety brought up by the subject. Nuzzling her again, Sunset tipped her chin up. “Hey,” she murmured. “It’s going to be okay, Sparky. I’m here, and I’ve got you. You’re safe. Anyone tries to bother you, bother us? I’ll teach them not to mess with a girl who wears boots.” Kissing her lips teasingly, Sunset winked. “I know you. You’ve got this, Twilight. There’s nothing we can’t do, as long as we do it together.”
Twilight exhaled, nodding. “You’re right. I can do this. We can do this. It's going to be a great day.” She snuggled closer. “Thanks, Sunny. You always seem to know just what I need.”  Purple eyes looked towards the young woman driving. “So…where exactly are we going today? Besides your hometown?”
“Well, for starters, I thought we’d check out the local museum—it's mostly about the town, but a little bird told me you like things like that, and I thought it might get you into the groove of just relaxing. After that, I thought we could hit the park—it's actually really pretty this time of year, since everything is starting to bloom, but not so badly that you choke on pollen. For lunch, I know this cafe—at night it's a queer bar (Drag Competitions on Thursday nights)—but during daylight it's a restaurant, basically. Thought all of you could benefit from really being among your own kind for a change. Besides, Mama Orchid and I go way back. She marched with my uncles back during the early Pride events decades ago.”  Wildsong laughed. “I think she’ll like you, babe. She’s been after me to ‘bring home a decent girl’ for years!”
At the word ‘museum,’ Twilight had gone starry eyed, which made Sunset laugh. “...probably a good thing we’re doing the museum first,” she told the other two. “I have a chance of actually getting her back from Nerdvana before the day is over with.”  Twilight pouted at her, which made Sunset reach over and tweak her girlfriend’s nose. “Such a nerd. You’re lucky it's cute.”
Glamour had been strangely quiet for a while, but cleared her throat. “There’s something I want to do today, if it's okay with everyone…”
Twilight flashed Sunset a concerned look, but took it upon herself to answer her cousin. “What is it?” she asked.
“…I’ve talked about it before, with Song…about how when I was finally able to be free, I wanted to get a tattoo—Mom and Daddy would never allow that either, of course. ‘Proper ladies’ don't get tattoos or piercings anywhere other than the ears…” She took a shaky breath that sounded more than a little teary, and the air of bittersweet melancholy hung around her like a cloud before it was forcibly dispersed by something that Sunset could only classify as a desperate hunger,  need that could not be silenced until it was sated. “And now…now I am. Free. This is…my life has changed forever. I doubt I’ll ever speak to Da—to my father—again, and I’m not sure about Mom...but it means now I can live my own life, be who I am instead of who they tried to make me into. I…do you think it would be okay if I did that? Today?”
Sunset understood the tremor in her voice, and the hungering desire that drove her to the brink of tears—how could she not, when it was an old friend? And the catharsis of a mark sunk into skin and hide, something unique that cried for all the world to see ‘This is me!’…any pony could grasp that instinctually. Combined together it was something the former unicorn could empathize with, and she was the first to speak. “Absolutely.” She couldn't deny something that came far too close to getting a cutie mark; the very idea of doing so made her feel ill inside.
Wildsong hummed for a moment. “There’s a couple of parlors not far from the park. We could do it after, if you guys didn't mind a later lunch. Or I could go with her while you two are enjoying the sunshine—it takes a bit and if you aren't getting ink done, it's boring to sit and wait.”
The dark haired girl at Sunset’s side looked thoughtful, and shared another glance with her. “Why don't we do that? This is your day too, Glamour, as much as it is any of ours.”
**********
“Oh! Look, Sunset!” Twilight grabbed her hand and tugged her over to another exhibit, eager to study everything written on the informational displays, before launching into an expanded explanation on the subject in that adorably dorky way of hers, eyes bright.  Sunset didn't have the heart to stop her, even if she now knew more about nineteenth century seafaring vessels than she had ever wanted to know or thought possible for a single person to cram into a ten minute lecture.  She couldn't—Twilight loved learning, but more than that, she loved sharing her knowledge with others, especially Sunset; the redhead suspected that stemmed from the fact that she was one of the few people who actually listened and engaged Teacher-Twilight on the level of an intellectual equal.
“Sparky,” she laughed, “there’s no rush! We have time!” She tugged her hand free so she could snag her companion around the waist, pulling her back against Sunset’s chest for a tight hug. “The exhibits aren't going to run away—I’m fairly certain those animals are all stuffed.”
The shorter frame tensed a moment, then relaxed back against her, Twilight leaning her head back. “There’s just so much to see, and I don't want Glamour and Wildsong to get bored,” she protested.
Sunset couldn't help but snort. “Twilight, they are bored, trust me. I looked back a minute ago and they were extremely invested in kissing each other. I think it's fine.”
Twilight glanced behind them and flushed. “Oh,” she responded, looking forward again quickly.  “I...suppose you're right.”
She let Twilight go, looping their arms together instead. “Now c’mon, nerd. You can tell me all about these freaky looking dead animals that can't have possibly looked like that in life.  I've seen a fox before, and it didn't look like that.  That looks like a nightmare from a video game I saw on Youtube!”





Glamour Shot giggled again, watching the younger girls head for the next display arm in arm. “This was a great idea, tiger,” she gushed.  “Look at Twilight! I've known her since she was a baby, and this really is the first time I’ve seen her actually act like the person I knew was there! She never laughs this much, or is this excited about anything, but with Sunset? She’s a whole new Twilight! It's beautiful to watch!”
Leaning over to kiss her cheek, Wildsong shook her head. “She seems like a sweet kid, Angel, but she’s got her own struggles. They were never yours to help her with.  She needed someone like Sunset to balance her, to challenge her, to love her, and to make her feel like it's okay to be herself.”
She sighed, knowing instinctively that her partner was right. “Just like I needed you, tiger, to get me out of my own ego and realize I was a shallow, pushy bitch?”
“Babe, I love you, but we’re putting that in the past where it belongs, remember? You've changed, you learned what not to do anymore, and I'm proud of you. No more calling yourself names, no more self negativity. Brighter future, remember?” Song stared at her until she relented. “Speaking of futures, they look pretty serious for a couple of high schoolers.”
Rolling her eyes, Glamour made a put out sound. “Ugh. I think it's something about that part of the family. Her father and grandfather were the same way, finding true love on the first real try, and I swear, Shining Armor has been engaged to Mi Amore Cadenza before they were even old enough to know what that was.”
“…Wait.” Wildsong stopped cold. “…Your cousin is engaged to Mi Amore Cadenza? Twilight’s brother—the cop from last night? The Cadence she was talking about earlier is the same person, right?” She went a little cross-eyed, and Glamour felt concerned.
“…Yes? Tiger? What’s wrong?” She curled her arms around her partner’s body in worry.
Song shook her head. “…How is that girl still afraid to tell her parents? Her brother is engaged to Cadenza? That woman is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a patron saint for anyone under the rainbow flag!  She’s very openly pan, she’s a huge name in advocacy, she’s got one of the most comprehensive blogs on the web for sexuality, gender identity, romance, equality, you name it, and she’s a smoking hot bombshell that makes every lesbian in a five hundred mile radius weak in the knees?” She whistled. “…Damn. No wonder she was your cousin’s first girl crush. If someone like that had been my babysitter, I would’ve figured out I was gay that early too. Shit.”
“Cadence is that famous?” she asked. It had never occurred to her that the perky, pleasant woman that always accompanied Shining Armor was someone that her girlfriend would know by name. Glamour had always just thought she was a radio DJ.
“…Oh yeah. She’s a major advocate for all kinds of causes, is the co-founder of a non-profit for queer runaways, marches in Pride parades every year, signs petitions, joins in protests, helps raise money for like…women’s shelters and halfway houses, writes all these really well researched articles on sexual health, mental health, all kinds of stuff like that. She even did a series on stuff like depression, trauma, and anxie—” Wildsong stopped, her head turning to stare at where Twilight was eagerly regaling Sunset with something about the bird skeleton in the glass case they were looking at. “…Suddenly the article on anxiety and panic attacks makes sense.  So does her article on coming out.”  
Glamour considered it. “Yeah, Twi does have bad anxiety. Super bad. She had a major panic attack at New Years. I ended up hanging out outside the study she hid in—I thought about getting her parents, it was so bad, but…I…heard her talking to someone towards the end.” She tilted her head. “…Now that I think about it, I bet she was talking to Sunset.”
“Probably. Look at what happened in the car. She calmed your cousin down in less than a minute. Useful skill to have if that happens a lot.”  Wildsong gave the younger pair a last glance to make sure they were staying in one spot for a few minutes, before pulling Glamour closer. “But enough about your cousin, Glam…”
It felt so liberating to be able to tilt her face and kiss her partner right there that Glamour didn’t even hesitate.





“I’ll be right back, Sunset. I’m just going to hit the ladies room.” 
Twilight slipped her hand free and ducked through the door, giving Sunset a chance to wander back to where the older girls were standing. “…Hey,” she started, trying to get their attention. “Can I ask a tiny favor?”
“Sure!” Glamour said brightly, snuggled up to her girlfriend’s arm.
“…If you’re going to talk about Twilight, could you…keep it down? She was too busy with the exhibits to overhear, but I did. The whole ‘coming out’ thing really winds her up badly, even though her parents are super nice and kind.  It really makes her upset, and today is supposed to be all about…well, leaving all that behind and just enjoying being on a date. She can’t do that if she’s stressed about something like her parents finding out.”  She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on the pair, but it wasn’t her fault they were talking so loud where she could hear, and she meant it. Today was supposed to be a good day, and she was going to do her best to make sure Twilight didn’t have anything to end up having a panic attack over.  After everything, Twilight desperately needed the time to relax and just have some fun, without thinking about what was happening at school or her dangerous attempts to figure out magic.
The effect on Twilight’s cousin was immediate. Glamour’s bright expression fell away, and she twisted her hand on Wildsong’s arm anxiously. “…Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about that!” she whimpered. “Are you sure Twi didn’t hear? I don’t want to ruin her day—this is supposed to be about having fun…”
“Hey, look, I think it's okay. I only barely heard you, and I have really good ears. She was also listening to one of those recorded spiels at the exhibit. I just…wanted to put it out there,” Sunset hasten to assure Glamour Shot.  “Even I can’t talk to her about it. She just gets all wound up and freaked out.”
“She’s right, Angel. Relax.”  Wildsong ran her free hand through her wild hair, blowing a bit of one of the black stripes out of her eyes. “…and I’m gonna be honest, kid.  Her parents? After seeing them in action last night, I’d wager they already know she’s gay. Parents like that? Parents that care, that pay attention to their kids? They usually know all kinds of things the kids think are secret. My mom and dad sure as hell did. If it's that big a stress for her to try and come out, then maybe the normal kind of coming out isn’t what she needs.”  She shrugged. “Not every coming out has to follow the stereotypical formula. Shit, you could test the waters for her, come out to them yourself, or find out if they know, and if they do, they could, ya know, come out to her that they know.”
Sunset’s brows furrowed. That was something she hadn’t considered—the possibility that Twilight Velvet and Night Light already knew about her girlfriend’s preferences had never even crossed her mind. While she herself had…said and done things that might have given away her more-than-platonic feelings for her best friend, it had always been one directional, and not anything that indicated Twilight might have felt that way about her.  Twilight had seemed extremely convinced they had no idea, and she’d taken that information at face value, particularly because they hadn't said or done anything to suggest they suspected.  
Now that it had been pointed out to her, though, she had to wonder. Neither of the adults were stupid, and she did spend a lot of time over there with Twilight, and they did act on some of their feelings in the house…Had they ever implied that they had some inkling of what the two of them felt for each other?  The more she turned the concept over in her mind, the more she realized that it was very possible—if nothing else, she concluded that Night Light, at least, was probably aware of how Sunset felt about his daughter, and if he knew, he had likely told his wife. “I hadn’t thought about that,” she acknowledged. “…I just assumed that they had no idea, because Twilight said they didn’t.” She shrugged. “I…don’t exactly have any comparable experiences.”
“You don’t?” Glamour asked, confused. “Why not?”
The former unicorn snorted. There were so many ways to answer that, but she settled on the one that would still work for a normal human. “…Experience with parents kinda requires a person to have them. I don’t, and even before I ended up in Canterlot, my guardian and I weren’t exactly on the best terms.”  It came out far less bitter and angry than it would have even six months prior, and Sunset realized talking about the Princess hurt a lot less than it once had.
Wildsong nodded in understanding, elbowing Glamour gently before the other girl could open her mouth. "How long have you been on your own, kid?"
She shrugged a little, finding to her surprise she didn't mind the older girl asking, "For the last five or six years, really."
“Oof. That’s rough.  You fixed okay for funds and stuff now?” Wildsong hugged Glamour close to dispel the distress the bubbly girl was radiating.  
Another shrug noncommittal shrug.  “My finances are pretty decent—I get by okay, and manage to have money to spend on silly stuff. Or on Twilight.”  She thought back to the discussion. “I never considered that her parents might already know.”
“Well, for what it's worth...I bet they have some idea. Especially if she’s always preferred other females. Parents like hers pick up on those kinds of things.”
Sunset shook her mane out. “I believe it’s definitely possible, now that you've pointed it out. I’ll have to think about what you’ve said...but not today. I have a nerd to make smile today.” She turned just in time to see Twilight walking towards them, and couldn't help the crooked smile that tugged at her own lips.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Two: Rainbow Connection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was a surprisingly warm day for so early in the year, Twilight noted absently as they wandered through the park, at least eight degrees warmer than the average day for this part of March. Perhaps it was because they were a little over an hour further south than Canterlot, but that was a very large discrepancy for the seventy-four mile distance. It might be fun later to look up the long term annual temperature variations for the region and compare numbers. There might even be a correlation between the temperature difference, unusual weather, and the strange energy going on in her hometown? It was something to consider...
...but not right now.  Sunset had been right—she needed this day off, this weekend off, after the week she’d had. Plus, she was on a date with her gorgeous girlfriend, no parents, no Shining, no familiar faces in sight besides her cousin, and Sunset had never acted so loving and demonstrative before, not anywhere that wasn't the quiet privacy of the loft. Twilight felt her breath catch a bit when she glanced at the girl walking hand in hand with her—the sun caught Sunset’s hair just right, making it look like flowing, living flame cascading around her shoulders and brought out the warm undertones in golden skin.  She looked like a goddess, her face turned up to catch the sunshine, her eyes closed and a lopsided smile on her lips. It was enough to make Twilight eager for warmer weather, when it would be too hot for the long jeans and heavy leather coat.  
“Sparky?” 
She jumped a little, pulled from her fantasy of Sunset in a swimsuit by the real thing nudging her. “Sorry, Sunset. I...guess I zoned out a little.  What is it?”
Her girlfriend made a face at her. “Still in museum heaven, Sparky? Am I going to get you back before the day’s end?”
“Sorry, Sunset,” she apologized, feeling her face flush.
“It's okay. You like stuff like that—I don't mind. Museums are interesting and fun, after all.” The hand holding hers tugged her closer, so Sunset could draw her into a hug.  “I just wanted to ask you something.”  
Twilight could feel Sunset’s arms around her waist, holding her close, and she couldn't help but rest her cheek against her collar.  “Mm?” she asked,  savoring the feeling of safety and contentment surrounding her like this. 
“Your cousin and her girlfriend are going to be busy at the tattoo place for a while—at least an hour or two, they said—so we have some time for just us,” Sunset murmured, kissing her forehead. “And there's a nice spot over there, in that group of trees that looks fairly private and cozy...I thought maybe you’d like to sit there with me?”
The group of trees did look nice. They were on a side path, deep in the park, and no one was around. The trees stood a ways off the path, surrounded by some low shrubs on all but one little break on one side. The time of year meant the center of it was still dappled with the warm sunlight, and the grass had already grown in lush and green. It would be a perfect place to sneak in some kisses with Sunset Shimmer, Twilight realized. “I like this plan,” she responded. “Lets sit.”
The two of them tripped and giggled over to the sheltered spot, neither wanting to let go of the other. In the end, Sunset had simply tightened her arms around Twilight's waist, and lifted her up off the ground so the redhead could walk them into the perfect place.  Twilight got her revenge by pulling them both to the ground once her feet hit the earth again, and they ended up in a laughing, tangled heap of arms and legs, their faces close together on the grass.
It didn't take much for Sunset to close the distance between them, kissing her softly while sunlight danced across them and a gentle breeze stirred their hair.  They were deep enough in the park that all Twilight could hear was the occasional bird, leaving her with the sense that they were the only two people in the world. That sense of isolation made her normal fears about getting caught lose their voice, and she found herself pressing Sunset for more, deepening the kiss and feeling those familiar, wonderful hands rubbing up and down her sides. Her own hands snuck inside dark leather, palms flat against Sunset’s back, fingers digging into her shoulder blades. 
They parted for air but came together again, and Twilight reveled in how good it felt, to be kissed and held while outside, in the beautiful light of a gorgeous day instead of hiding their romance away in a dark room in fear if being judged. She felt...alive...in a way she never had before, with an energy in her veins that left her giddy and lightheaded...and when Sunset, her Sunset, broke away from her lips to leave a trail of damp fire along her jawline and breathe hotly in her ear words of possessive affection, she discarded all rational thought just to label this moment as magical.
“Sunny,” she whispered into fiery hair, inhaling the smell of Sunset’s shampoo and clean scent, touched by the green odor of the grass and the way sunshine left its mark in more than warmth. “I...” she trailed off, the words not quite formed enough to give utterance to. “I’m so glad we came today,” she finished instead. 
“Me too, Sparky...I needed this.  You needed this.”  Lips brushed teasingly along the hollow of her throat.  “It’s been so hectic...I didn't realize how much I've missed our time together until now.”
“We still see each other on...ooooh...Fridays...” She sighed in pleasure as a shiver went through her.
“It's not enough, Sparky. I miss...going out for milkshakes, or afternoons at the museums, and whole weekends with just us...” Sunset laughed. “Maybe it sounds dumb, but I can't get enough of you.” Twilight could feel Sunset’s fingers slip up under her shirt, tracing along her stomach.
She whimpered, shifting against her girlfriend’s body, rubbing their legs together, as she arched into the touch. “....it's not dumb, Sunny...Spending time with you...is amazing...” Twilight tugged Sunset’s face to hers so she could get another kiss. “…no matter what we’re doing.”
Lips pressed to hers curled into that crooked smile she adored. “…What if I had something we could do I know you’ll love?” Sunset murmured against her mouth. 
Twilight pulled back, curious. “What?”
Sunset adjusted them, wriggling until they were partially propped up by a tree trunk, Twilight tucked against her snugly. Her hand dipped into one of the inner pockets of her jacket, and she pulled a battered paperback from it. “…I happen to have this. It's unabridged…” She wiggled the text temptingly in front of Twilight’s nose. “Thought maybe I could read to you this time.”
That got her girlfriend another happy kiss, and it was another five minutes before either of them remembered the book lying forgotten by Sunset’s side.





Twilight couldn't say how long they had been laying there, alternating between Sunset reading aloud and exchanging affectionate kisses while they enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. The shadows had definitely moved since they had arrived, the sun climbing higher into the sky, but neither of them had bothered to check the time until Twilight’s phone chirped at her,  interrupting Sunset from nibbling on her ear. 
“That’s probably them,” Sunset said, nuzzling her before nudging her to sit up properly. 
With a disappointed sigh, Twilight read the message and confirmed her girlfriend’s guess. “Yeah. They're wanting to meet us at the fountain.”
Sunset hauled her up as she stood, giving her a last tight hug to help her push past her clear reluctance to move. “C’mon. Our date isn't over yet—we haven't even done lunch yet…and I’m curious about your cousin’s new tattoo.”
There was something about the way she said the last that made Twilight pay close attention to the taller girl. She threaded her fingers through amber ones as they started to walk. “Sunny?” she asked with concern. “Are you alright?”
A crooked smile was sent her way. “I’m…I think I’m okay. Just…thinking about what we talked about this morning…and all that's going on with your cousin…”
“About your mother?”
“Yeah.” Sunset turned her face into the sunshine, chin tilted up as she regarded the bright blue sky. “Your cousin’s whole life has been completely redefined in less than twenty-four hours. She’s commemorating it with a tattoo—an open declaration of who she is and the life she wants to make for herself. She’s stepping out of the shadows cast over her by her parents and into the light…” 
She scrutinized the redhead’s body language and thoughtful expression. “And you're thinking of the similarities to your own situation, particularly your attachment to your mother-figure that you are struggling with.”
Sunset chuckled softly. “You know me all too well, Sparky.” Blue-green eyes drifted shut as she tilted her head to turn her face directly at the sun that was nearly overhead. “I've been away for years, but the princess has the longest shadow I’ve ever known, and it's always been there, for as long as I can remember.” She ran her free hand through flame colored tresses, and Twilight saw a hint of moisture reflecting the sunlight at the corner of her eye. “…and here I am, acting like a frightened foal when I realize I can finally step into the sun on my own merits.”
There was less shock and more a sense of triumph in the back of her mind about the revelation that Sunset’s guardian had been not just nobility but royalty—Twilight’s guess had been right. Schooling her features and suppressing the urge to ask questions about that, the dark haired girl focused on the more important part of the conversation. “Everyone is afraid of the unknown, Sunny, of the future that they can't see and only hope for.” She released her hold on Sunset’s hand to put an arm around her in a hug. “But you don't need to be afraid—you're not stepping completely into the unknown, because your friends will be here in the sun with you…and so will I.” Twilight could feel the faint tremor in Sunset’s frame. 
Taking a deep breath, Sunset returned the sideways hug. “I want to. I’m trying…I guess in some ways I’m still trying to figure out who I really am, and who I want to be…” Her free hand fell to her hip, rubbing absently at the dark denim. “…that’s always been a struggle for me.” Then she chuckled. “I’ll get there…eventually...now come on, I think that's them.”
Laughing, she let her girlfriend pull her along to where Wildsong and Glamour Shot were.





“So where did you say we were going for lunch?” Sunset asked casually, holding the hairbrush Glamour had loaned Twilight as they left the park. Twilight was in the process of fixing her ponytail, a hairband held momentarily in her teeth as she adjusted her gathered hair.  Rolling around in the grass with the other girl had caused twigs and leaves to get caught up in their hair, but while Twilight had had to take hers down to brush out the debris, Sunset had simply tossed her head, shaking out anything clinging to red and gold curls.
“It's a cafe—during the day, anyway. Queer friendly place, has been for decades, all the way back to when there just weren't places for people like us to go.  It used to be run by a couple of guys back when it opened, but after they passed away when I was really little, Mama Orchid inherited it.” Wildsong had a spring in her step now. “It's the best lunch date spot in town, hands down.  Mama has some great recipes, and while she doesnt turn anyone away, it's almost entirely queer folks who go there, so you never feel like you stick out...especially if you're a teenager and it's your first date.”
Taking the brush back from Sunset, Twilight brushed out her ponytail and then passed the brush back to Glamour.  “That’s actually fascinating. Canterlot has a few bars and clubs that cater to the non-heterosexual portion of the population, but the bulk of those are ones that serve alcohol and you have to be of legal drinking age to get in. Nothing like what you are describing.”
Sunset draped an arm around her shoulders, letting Twilight lean into her side.  “Yeah, Sparky and I just usually go as ‘friends’ to restaurants and stuff. Casual places, nothing too fancy. There's this place near her school that does great milkshakes.”
“Song and I do the same thing. No one pays any real attention to a girl who gets dinner with her best friend. Especially in a college town.” Glamour had threaded her fingers through her partner’s as they walked along.
“Well today, we’re on a double date. We are, each of us, on a date with our girlfriend, not having lunch with our best friend. Remember that.” Wildsong very openly stole a kiss from Glamour, making Twilight’s cousin flush.
“Speaking of remembering...” Twilight fished her phone out and turned it so she could take a photo of Sunset and herself. “Smile, Sunny!”
Sunset grinned, and just before the flash went off, pulled Twilight into a kiss, making her nearly drop the phone in surprise. When she managed to pull back, ready to scold the taller girl, she realized she couldn't, not with how Sunset’s eyes sparkled with delight. “What was that for?” she asked, secretly enjoying the way her lips could still feel the kiss.
“Making some good memories for today, look.” Sunset turned the phone to show her the picture, which had somehow captured their lip lock without any blurring.
“Oh...” Twilight felt her heart lurch with emotion. It was the perfect photo, and she could see in it the affection and feelings between her and the girl who was both her best friend and her girlfriend. “You're right,” she said softly.  “It's perfect...and only the first of many.” She frowned. “Now I wish I had taken some at the museum.”
Glamour glanced back. “Don't worry, Twi! I've got you covered! I took a whole bunch! I can send them to you when we get to the cafe!”  Her grin couldn’t have gotten any bigger if she’d tried. “I even got a few of you two in the park!”
She would have normally been upset at being photographed like that, but today, all she felt was gratitude that her cousin had captured more of the day for her. “Thanks, Glamour,” she mumbled, casting a glance at Sunset and meeting her eyes.  She could feel her own desires mirrored there—they both wanted to capture and remember as much of this day as possible.
“And here we are, ladies!” Wildsong called, getting their attention, releasing Glamour’s hand to spin around and face them all, doing a theatrical presentation of the building that they were now in front of.  
Twilight stared at the cafe, not sure what to think or how to react. It was set back from the sidewalk and the buildings nearby, and the area in front of it was scattered with outdoor seating like one might find at any similar location. The door to the place itself had a flickering “OPEN” sign, and a list of hours, and the standard addition of extra information printed out and taped to the glass. What she could see inside showed more tables and what looked like a long bar-counter.
All of that was fairly mundane, fairly commonplace, nothing that made this eatery stand out from any of its ilk. Until she looked up and saw the name, the lights of the large logo over the front done in a bright array of color. She looked at Wildsong and in a sarcastic deadpan said, “A gay cafe and bar called ‘Rainbow Connections?’ Really? Dont you think that’s a little on the nose?”
“Kid, youre talking about the community that includes drag queens, leather bars, and the most ostentatious flag colors in history.  We are not exactly the height of subtlety when we aren't in the closet.” Wildsong laughed. “Now c’mon, ladies. Allow me to introduce you to your people!” She tugged the door open and motioned them all in, bringing up the rear.
The lighting inside was dim, and one color, for which Twilight was thankful. It made up for the steady buzz of conversation and the surprisingly crowded interior. She must have tensed up, because Sunset hugged her closer, kissing her ear. “Hey,” she murmured. “You okay?”
Nodding, Twilight tried to not cringe from the sudden stares being directed their way, years of paranoia creeping up on her again when Sunset kissed her with strangers watching.  “Just...nervous. Still not used to people seeing me...seeing us...like this.”
Sunset nuzzled her hair. “They're just jealous that I’m with the best girl here,” she murmured, making Twilight’s face flush.
“We don't stand on ceremony, ladies, so you just find yourselves a seat. No one here is gonna bite you,” called an older woman, her voice husky and surprisingly soothing. “I’ll have someone come get your drink orders in a hot minute, once Baby Song remembers her damned manners and comes to give Mama a hug!”
Wildsong was all smiles as she threw her arms around the heavyset woman in an exuberant hug. The woman had skin in a beautiful shade of dark blue, which paired nicely with her hair in tri-tones of silver, white, and ice blue.  “I’m sorry, Mama Orchid,” she told her. “I just wanted to let the girls take it all in. It's their first time out without stressing over being outed.” Turning a grinning face back to them, she offered introductions. “This is Delicate Orchid—we all just call her Mama—and she owns the place. Mama, this...” she stepped out of the hug to tug Glamour Shot forward. “This is my girlfriend, Glamour, and that’s her cousin Twilight and Twilight’s girlfriend Sunset.”
“It's about damned time you found a decent girl. Caramel and I had just about given up hope! Well, c’mere, girl, let Mama get a good look at you.” Glamour seemed suddenly shy, hands twisting together nervously as she was given a once over by a stern faced Mama Orchid.  The inspection lasted a long half minute, and seemed so tense that Twilight felt her own anxiety rising on her cousin’s behalf. Then the woman broke back out into a broad smile. “Oh, aren't you just precious?! Come here and give me a real hug—Baby Song’s girl is family, and in my family? We hug.” 
“Oh! Um...” Glamour didn't seem to know how to react, and Twilight couldn't blame her. Glamour Shot herself and Twilight’s immediate family aside, most of their relatives weren’t touchy feely people, and that definitely included Glamour’s own parents. For all that Summer Breeze inserted herself into everyone’s business, she very rarely touched anyone, even her own daughter.  Twilight’s brows furrowed—she’d never considered before last night how sad and lonely her cousin must have been growing up, and the parallels to the redhead who was still nuzzling her hair stood out sharply. She turned away from where Glamour was being enfolded by large blue arms to burrow her face into Sunset’s neck, hugging the taller girl tightly.
“Sparky?” came the soft question, a hand stroking along the top of her head. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, unable to really explain her emotions in any way that made sense. “…nothing. I…just wanted to hug you.”
Sunset chuckled, adjusting her hold to press them close together. “…I like your hugs,” she responded in that quiet voice for Twilight alone. “It feels good, in that way I only get with you.”  There was a pause, and Sunset’s next words were directed away from Twilight. “…What?”
Lifting her head away from amber skin, Twilight looked back to realize her cousin, Wildsong, and Mama Orchid were all watching them.  She hurriedly let go, straightening her shirt. “Sorry…Um…”
“Oh honey, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of here,” the older woman assured her. “Love is always welcome here, no matter what form it takes.  None of us have any room to judge you, and we don’t want to. This is our space, our haven, away from judgment and disapproval, where disappointed parents and angry churchmen have no voice, where love is celebrated and cherished, where we can all be ourselves, free and open and unfettered, instead of suffocating in whichever closet life puts you in.”  She nudged them as a group towards a booth and out of the main walkway. “And we all understand what it means to hide part of yourself, so I promise, no one here will out you to anyone else. What happens here stays here, always. While you’re in Mama’s house, you can be true to yourself.”
She wasn’t sure how to feel, beyond overwhelmed. It was too much to process all at once.  Her fears hadn’t been so bad in the car with her cousin—their mutual situation and bonding since New Year’s Eve meant Glamour was safe, that the secret was one they shared in keeping from their families.  It had been fine in the museum, because the museum wasn’t crowded, and mostly, she’d just pulled Sunset along to look at exhibits, just like they had done before in museums in Canterlot, no romance involved.  Even their intimacy in the park hadn’t agitated her anxieties, because they’d been alone and secluded, away from prying eyes and ears…but here, here in this crowded cafe, surrounded by noisy strangers, being looked at…it made all the discomfort and fear and anxious worry claw itself up. Even if it wasn’t entirely rational, it felt like they were watching her, scrutinizing her behavior, the way Sunset was touching her and holding her and everywhere she looked she expected to see disapproval and mockery in their faces. Little Twilight Sparkle, a deviation from the norm in yet another way.
And somehow, the constant reassurance and encouragement to not worry, that that wasn’t what was going on—that was making it worse. It felt the same as when someone at school was overly pushy in telling her that they were sincere in their behavior, when really it was an attempt to make her let her guard down and fall victim to whatever nasty social manipulation or harassment they had planned.  The more this woman or Wildsong tried to help her feel safe, the more panicked and trapped she felt.  It was hard to breathe, like the walls were closing in on her, and the crowd pressing in tight, the sound of their voices digging into her eardrums like wicked talons.  Even the smells were getting to her, the various perfumes and colognes mixing with sweat and the scent of food and drinks in a noxious, cloying odor that she could taste as much as smell.
Twilight knew Sunset was worried about her—she knew it in the same way that she could always understand what Sunset was trying to communicate to her, as if the information passed between them through simple touch. The hands suddenly on her shoulders, guiding her to a seated position in the booth, squeezed, breaking through the claustrophobic haze, and she opened eyes that had clenched themselves shut to block out the stares, to find that blue-green gaze and fiery hair and dark leather filling her vision, blocking out everything else in the room.  She lunged forward, needing that safe embrace more than she feared what others might think, clinging to Sunset like a lifeline that might pull her from the emotional morass sucking her down.  Twilight buried her face in soft breasts, surrounding herself with the scent of Sunset and leather, while lips kissed the top of her head and murmured soothing, caring words, coaxing her to breathe, pushing back everything threatening to overwhelm her synapses.
She heard a voice talking, someone other than Sunset, and a moment later, an amber skinned hand gently turned her head so her ear was pressed to fabric, the sound of Sunset’s heart reminding her of falling asleep during their sleepovers.  Something cool and damp wiped the tears away from her face—it took her some time to realize that her girlfriend had a damp napkin in one hand and was cleaning her face with it, still smiling down at her, holding her close. “It’s okay, Sparky, I promise,” she murmured. “…Just keep breathing for me, and take your time.  We’ll stay right here as long as you need it.”
How long they sat there, in the corner of that booth, Twilight couldn’t say. It felt like hours before her heart no longer raced so fast it hurt, and she found herself enjoying the body heat she was soaking up from her girlfriend rather than hiding in her arms to feel safe. She sat up a little, seeing her cousin and Wildsong sitting across the table, concern on their faces. “…I’m sorry,” she apologized in a small voice. 
“You’ve not got a thing to apologize for, honey.” Mama Orchid set a glass of ice water in front of her. “It happens to all of us at some point.  Even ones like Baby Song, the unafraid ones who were raised around us, who seem like they’ve never been there, have times like that, that moment when they realize they can first be seen for who and what they are and they realize how nerve wracking it can be to confront that fear, even if they never realized they had it.”  She smiled. “You’re in like company, dear, and you’ve got one hell of a lady to help you through it.”
Sunset leaned even closer to Twilight’s ear, whispering jokingly, “She’s saying I’m amazing.”
Twilight actually managed a giggle, turning her head to rub noses with her girlfriend. “…She’s not wrong. You are amazing.”  Then she looked at the older woman. “…everyone feels like this? Like people are…staring?  Like they’re going to point and laugh or give you a nasty look any second because you’re not…not like everyone else?”
“Pretty much, honey, maybe not always for the exact same reasons.  I remember the first time for me, years ago. It was the most stressful thing I’d ever done…but a little advice, from an old woman who has helped blaze that trail? The worry and fear and stress of being the real you in front of others is better than living a lie forever.  Even if you have to wait for a time when coming out is safe for you to do, you’ll be much happier if you tell the truth about yourself. You can't learn to love yourself if you feel ashamed of who you are inside.”  Mama Orchid gave her an encouraging smile. “Now. Baby Song said you girls are here for a lunch date. So let’s get some food in you—my treat, since it's your first time with us. I’ll send Ruby over to get your orders in a few minutes, but the menus are right here.”
After the woman walked away, Twilight sighed deeply and shifted against Sunset. The redhead rubbed her arm lightly. “You feel any better?”  Across the table, Glamour and Wildsong tried to look like they weren’t really listening in.
“…I…I think so,” she said quietly, her eyes finally looking beyond her girlfriend and the booth they were in. Now that she was more in control of herself, she could actually see that the other people in the room weren’t paying them much attention at all, not anymore than one might when taking stock of a room.  “…Yeah. I am.” She sat up a little further, more in her own seat on the bench. 
Sunset smiled at her, giving her hand a light squeeze. “Okay, but if you need another hug, or some air, say so.” Her head tilted slightly, teeth worrying at her bottom lip for a moment. “You’re having a good time today, right? Because…if it's too much, we can just be like we usually are in public. I don’t mind, Twilight, really.”
“No!” Twilight gripped the hand in hers tighter, afraid Sunset would pull away. “No,” she repeated, not quite as harsh. “…I want this. I want to be with you, even if just for today, without pretending you’re just my best friend. I want to be able to show how happy you make me, how much I love being with you, no matter what we are doing.”
There was no doubt in her mind that her answer had been exactly the right one—Sunset’s whole countenance brightened, and she brought their joined hands up to rub her cheek against Twilight’s knuckles, nuzzling the skin before leaving a few light kisses there. “You make me happy too,” she responded with a goofy grin.
They stayed like that for a while, before Sunset reached over and gathered up the damp, wadded up napkins off the table, and started to slide out of the booth. She paused, halfway out, and leaned over to kiss Twilight’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, Sparky. I’m just gonna toss these and hit the restroom.”
Twilight gave her a smile and nodded, watching as her girlfriend headed across the large space, weaving deftly between other patrons and the tables.  The smile on her face grew as she found herself entertaining a daydream or two…at least until Wildsong’s voice interrupted the mental image of Sunset Shimmer in an incredibly short skirt strutting across Twilight’s mental field of vision.
“Holy shit, Sparkle, I seriously hope you plan on putting a ring on that, because…wow.”
Her head snapped around so hard she was worried she might’ve pulled something. “What?!” she squeaked, the word warbling badly in the middle.
Wildsong seemed unfazed by her reaction, sipping on her drink.  “Look…when Glamour told me about you guys back in January, I honestly figured it was a high school fling. Teenage girl’s first same-sex relationship. They’re fun, but they are usually more about figuring out the details of what kind of person you’re really attracted to.” She blew a bit of striped hair from her face. “Pretty much like any high school romance, except double the amount of tits. That’s what it was like for me, for my friends, for pretty much everyone I’ve ever talked to.”
That thought didn’t sit well with Twilight, and her brows pinched together. Sunset was her best friend first, and the idea of just…using her like that to explore what she liked in a partner felt…wrong…somehow. Not to mention, as Twilight had pointed out to Sunset already, the amber-skinned girl was pretty much everything she’d ever wanted in a girlfriend. “…It’s…I wouldn’t have wanted to do that to Sunset. She’s my best friend, and that means everything to me,” she countered, a touch defensive.
“Believe me, I can tell.  Like I said, I was expecting some goofy high school fling.  That is not what you’ve got going on.  Look at her. That girl is so in love with you that it's amazing she even realizes there’s anyone else in the room when you’re around.” She nodded her head, towards where Sunset was actually talking pleasantly with what seemed to be one of the waitresses, making a series of hand gestures.  While her expression was friendly, she didn’t seem to respond to the very interested way the waitress was eyeing her curves, instead pointing back towards the table with the group. 
As they watched, the waitress ducked behind the bar and started filling two drinks, and rather than enjoy the show of the girl bending over rather deliberately to fill the cups with ice, Sunset’s eyes immediately shifted back towards the table where they sat, meeting Twilight’s gaze and smiling in that way that only Twilight ever got to see.  
“See what I mean?  Ruby is practically begging your girl to take a peek, and Sunset couldn’t  care less. All she sees is you.  When you started to get a little shaky there? It was like everyone else stopped existing. Sunset only cared about making you feel better. Sparkle, you are the envy of half the women in this room, and some of the boys too, because not only is she hot as hell, she looks at you like you’re the reason for the sunrise.”
Glamour giggled. “Don’t you mean ‘the reason for the Sunset?’” she commented slyly. 
Twilight felt her face heat to dangerous levels. “…I…” Words failed her. Her mind was racing too fast, seeing Sunset as if for the first time, the way others saw her. Watching how she got two drinks from the flirty waitress with a friendly smile, how other people turned their heads when she passed, checking her out, how all Sunset was looking at as she moved gracefully between obstacles was their table where Twilight sat. “…Oh…” she murmured, as it all came together in her mind, the missing pieces clicking into place.
Sunset finally returned, leaning over to slide one of the drinks to Twilight before she slid into the seat next to her. “Got your favorite, since we were busy when drinks were ordered,” she explained. “…You okay, nerd? What’d you two say to her? Please don’t tell me you broke her.”
“I’m…fine, Sunny. Just thinking about some things.”  And for the first time in a long while, it was the truth.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Three: Carnevale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Festive, bright music drifted on the early evening air, reaching Sunset’s ears long before they reached their destination, and the sounds reminded her of a Summer Sun Celebration in a small town when she was a filly, tagging along with the princess.  The wave of nostalgia was bittersweet, and the former unicorn blew air out her nostrils in a sigh, turning her attention to the arm looped through hers and the way Twilight was leaning against her side. That was enough to bring her mood back from its momentary descent.
“So…what did you call this?” she asked Wildsong.
“Pride Picnic at the Pier. I totally forgot that it was this weekend, but we do it every year here. Its a lot of fun—local businesses put up booths, and there’s all kinds of fun, food, games, souvenirs, activities, performances, not just on the pier and the boardwalk, but on the beach too. There’s usually a big bonfire too, and sometimes they get fireworks.”  The older girl was grinning from ear to ear. “We get people from all over the area, from neighboring towns and stuff, and a portion of the money—including the admissions money—is donated to charities. I’m just glad that Power mentioned it, or we would’ve missed it!”
…Mentioned it. Yes, that was one way to describe the conversation that had happened in the café, Sunset mused with more than a touch of mental sarcasm. 





“…Okay…This place lived up to your hype,” Sunset conceded, leaning back against the seat.  “I’m so stuffed I’m not sure I can move.  I’ve not had something like that since—” she broke off, then continued, “…for a long time, well before I moved to Canterlot City.”  From one Canterlot City to another, at least, she thought with a chuckle.
Twilight leaned against her with a sigh. “You are not the only one. That was the best gyro I’ve had since we went to this one place on a family vacation when I was eleven. I probably shouldn’t have eaten so much. Are you sure you don’t want me to pay for mine, Sunny?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I’ve got it. You can pay for our next date. I’ve got today.”  
Wildsong squinted at her partner. “…forgot to ask, Angel. You wanna go dutch or you want me to cover today?”
Fingers played with the long part of Wildsong’s hair. “…I can get my own, Tiger, but if you wanted to treat me, I wouldn’t say no.”  Glamour Shot shifted closer to whisper something in an ear studded with piercings, making Wildsong sit up straighter, a smirk coming over her face. “Sound like a good idea to you, Tiger?” she teased, winding a bit of multicolored hair around a finger.
“…Yeah that sounds—”
“Song! Sweetie, is that you? Oh its been way too long!” 
Four heads turned to see a young man with an extremely chiseled physique heading for their table like a man on a mission. Song stared at him, surprised, but recovering. “Po? What are you doing back in town? Thought you were in LA!”
He pulled her into a bear hug. “Oh I am! But I couldn’t miss the festival! You know I go every year, and this time, I had someone special to bring.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Just like you, huh? Maybe we’ll see you there?”





What had followed that was a confusing amount of gushing as Wildsong’s old friend had, in Sunset’s mind, firmly earned a spot in her mind’s competition for most piercing squeal, right behind Glamour Shot but ahead of Pinkie Pie.  Rarity was still the winner there, of course.  He had reminded her a great deal of Pinkie Pie, except male, and not pink, his joyful exuberance and cheer translating to extremely touchy-feely, trying to hug even her and Twilight, all while making exclamations of joy. She’d barely managed to get between them with her most dangerous looking glare, making it clear that Twilight was not to be randomly grabbed by someone she didn’t invite to hug her.  It had made things awkward for all of ten seconds before Power Lifter’s natural happiness reasserted itself and he moved on to another topic and hugged Wildsong again instead.
Still, his chatter about the festival had reminded Wildsong of its existence, and she talked them into going there for the evening. Sunset couldn’t say it was a bad idea—it actually sounded like a fun way to spend the rest of the day. The former unicorn wondered if she and Twilight could get some form of trinkets to remember the day with. A keychain or something?
“Oooh…” Twilight murmured from next to her, distracting her from her thoughts. “…This is…bigger than I expected…”
The dark haired girl was not exaggerating. Sunset had expected to see a series of booths and stalls set up down the pier. Not a sprawling carnival that had taken over the boardwalk, the pier, several huge parking lots, and a stretch of beach for a half mile in both directions. “…Yeah….Wow.”  Flag poles flew flags and streamers in bright colors, and everywhere she looked, there were more rainbows than could be found in Bow and Windy’s shrine to their only child.
It was strange, Sunset decided, to see a celebration that looked like it belonged in Equestria, not the human world.  At the same time it felt…good. The atmosphere was charged with positive energy that felt almost like a kind of magic in and of itself, and just getting close to it was making her feel a strange excitement that she could only recall feeling once before… Memories of a Crown landing in her hands made her shiver, and she shoved it to the back of her mind, pushing down the feeling until she had it under better control. This was completely different than that night, in every possible way, and she wasn’t about to let memories ruin it.
“It's a big deal here,” Wildsong confirmed. “…Everyone really gets into it. C’mon. Admissions are usually this way.”
Sunset let go of Twilight’s arm to fish out her wallet and pay for their admission. A rainbow stamp was pressed to the back of their hands and they stepped through the turnstile into pandemonium.  Lavender hands grabbed her arm again, and she turned her head questioningly. 
“I…don’t want us to get separated,” the smaller girl said, further tucking herself up against Sunset’s side.  
The redhead grinned, kissing her girlfriend’s cheek. “Stay close then, and let’s see what there is to do.”





Twilight fought her laughter at some of the slogans on the t-shirts they were looking through, many of which were brightly colored. Sunset had an arm comfortably around her waist, more bemused by her reactions than by the t-shirts themselves. 
“See something you like? Seems like it with you laughing like that.”
She shook her head. “No, I can't buy any of these. They're too obvious, and Mom and Dad would ask questions...” Her eyes lingered on a shirt that made a science joke that had managed to make her giggle. “As much as I might want a shirt, I can't risk it.”
Sunset nibbled on her ear lightly, sending a tingle down her spine. “...idea...what if you kept it at my place as a sleep shirt? They’d never see it, and when you're finally able to tell them, you can take it home.”
That was an idea she hadn't considered, and Twilight thought it over, trying to figure out any way it could go wrong.  When nothing glaring jumped out at her, she reached out and ran her fingers down the sleeve of the shirt that she wanted. “...I suppose...it would be prudent to start keeping a set or two of sleepwear at your place, in the event we do any spontaneous sleepovers,” she agreed.
Laughing, her girlfriend hugged her tight. “Then why don't you pick out two t-shirts you like to sleep in?  And I’ll find one for me too, so we can both have some fun new sleepwear for the next sleepover at my place.”  Lips pressed to her neck, a tickly, light kiss that made her shiver in delight. “And don't worry about cost. It's my treat today, Sparky. I can afford to spoil you on our first full blown not-hiding-as-just-friends date.”
“Alright,” she acquiesced, sliding out of the embrace and away from the mouth that was threatening to compromise her ability to think straight. The science shirt was one she wanted—periodic table jokes were great!—but there were others that had piqued her interest with equally funny puns.
Sunset started looking through the racks of shirts while Twilight found her first choice in her size, and a moment later let out a sharp surprised laugh. “Okay! I found my shirt,” the taller girl called to her, holding up a black t-shirt with a rainbow banner across the front that had an equine silhouette across it, and the words “Proud Unicorn” below it. 
It gave Twilight an idea...one that under any other circumstances she would have never had the courage to go through with. Feeling emboldened by the day and by Sunset’s unflagging confidence, she found a shirt that she wouldn’t have looked at twice before. “Only if I can get this one so we’ll match.” And before she could combust from embarrassment, she held up a similar shirt with a colorful horned equine on it wearing a saddle and the slogan “So Queer I Ride Unicorns.”
The redhead’s answering grin was wicked, with just a hint of sexiness to it. “Oh absolutely,” she agreed.  “We can even wear them at the same time.” Checking to make sure the shirt she had was the right size, she tossed it over one arm and moved back to Twilight’s side. “Besides the shirts, did you want anything else? They’ve got a bunch of little stuff near the register.”  
Twilight kissed her cheek. “Maybe? Can we go look?”
Sunset grinned and offered her arm, and escorted her giggling girlfriend up to the front to find out.





Her eyes spotted a booth among the many games that she might’ve had some chance at actually winning. “Hey, Sparky,” she murmured to the girl tucked up against her side as they walked along, her whole body suffused with warmth and happiness.  “Wanna see if I can win you one of those cliched date prizes? Could be fun.”
The dark haired teen gave her a long look, arching a brow. Sunset snorted. “Yeah, I know they’re usually rigged, but I dunno. It could be fun to at least try? Unless they are glued together, I can usually knock down a few  bottles. Besides, when are we going to get another chance to do silly date clichés like this?”
Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “Okay, one round, but if physics doesn’t beat out the rigged carnival game, then we go find something else to spend money on.” Purple eyes danced. “I heard someone talking about bumper cars a minute ago...”
The thought of a challenge made her grin. “Oh, you’re on! I bet I can cream you in bumper cars!”
Fingers played with the sleeve of her jacket. “Or...if they’re two-seaters, we can cream everyone else...” Twilight suggested.
“Even better. But first, let's see about me hitting things.”  She pulled Twilight over to the game booth, handing her girlfriend the bag with their souvenirs in it, and paying the operator a few dollars for a chance at a prize.  
The objective was fairly basic, hurling a lightweight rubbery ball at a stack of plastic bottles, with the goal to knock over as many as possible with only three shots.  Sunset felt the ball in her hand, getting a judge for its weight and density, her mind crunching the same physics problem she would have used to hurl it like a projectile with her telekinesis, and gauging how much weight they had used in the bottom of the bottles to make the game difficult. Then she was left deciding how much she wanted to leave to chance. An easier throw with more likelihood of hitting would guarantee a smaller prize, but a riskier throw with more power gave her a chance at a larger prize. Eventually, she decided to split the difference, using her first throw to get a feel for the wind affecting the ball. As expected, it went wide. Smiling Sunset adjusted her aim with her second shot. It flew true, smacking right into the desired spot with just enough force to send about half the bottles scattering. 
Victorious, she pumped her fist in the air. “Ha! Take that!” She turned to Twilight with a cocky smirk on her lips. “Pick your prize, Sparky.” She eyed the operator. 
“Any of the ones on the middle shelf, right?” Twilight asked with a light blush on her cheeks and a smile on her face. When the young man nodded, she looked over her choices and then pointed. “That one. The one with the wings.”
Sunset grinned as the girl hugged the small plush owl to her chest.  “Knew I could win you a prize,” she murmured. “Sorry it's not the biggest one, but...I didn’t think I could get enough force to win one of those.”
Twilight’s eyes shone behind her glasses, and she threw her arms around Sunset, hugging tightly. “It's perfect, Sunny. It's not about the prize anyway—it's about you being sweet enough to want to do something like that for me.”
The former unicorn wrapped her arms around Twilight in return, holding her close. Honeysuckle scent tickled her nostrils as she rested her face against Twilight’s shoulder.  The contagious positive energy of the crowd was making her feel downright giddy, and the magic that was singing in her veins was only making it worse.  Holding Twilight grounded her, gave her energy and mind focus, as she turned it towards making sure the other girl had the best date ever.  
Glancing around, she spotted a little alcove between two nearby booths and tugged her girlfriend into it so they weren’t in the way of the crowd. This gave her the chance to cover Twilight’s mouth with her own, the want in her soul craving more than just the feel of a hand in her own or a friendly hug. 
Twilight went still in her embrace, her arms loosening enough that Sunset started to end the lip lock, only for the dark haired girl to make a small sound and push further into the kiss, her tongue flitting along Sunset’s lip, begging access.  She drew Twilight deeper into the alcove, completely out of sight of prying eyes, all so they could spend a few minutes getting utterly lost in each other.  When they came up for air, Sunset touched her forehead to her girlfriend’s, finding comfort in purple eyes.  “Still interested in wrecking people in bumper cars, Sparky?” Her hands slid down to rest on Twilight’s hips. “Or...did you wanna stay here just a little longer where no one can see us?” She smirked, before capturing Twilight’s lower lip with her teeth, nibbling playfully.
She smirked when the shorter form pressed closer, Twilight murmuring against her lips, “…What if I want both? Do I have to choose?”





Twilight was pulled to a halt when Sunset stopped walking, face turned up and sniffing the air with obvious interest. She inhaled through her nose, trying to figure out what had Sunset’s attention. That’s when her cousin popped up out of nowhere with a squeal of glee. “Twi! Sunset!” A paper plate was thrust at them, piled up with several sweet smelling treats. “Look what Song and I found! I bought you guys some too!”
Blue-green eyes zeroed in on the plate. “Is...is that funnel cake?!” Sunset practically snatched it from Glamour’s hands. 
It did look like funnel cakes, Twilight decided, if a single funnel cake had been made using several different colors of batter, creating what resembled a collapsed rainbow dusted with sugar.
“Yup!” Glamour said cheerily. “That ones for you two to share. Song has ours...” she handed the funnel cake off to Sunset, before snuggling back close to Wildsong.  The older girls exchanged a sweet kiss, before starting to pick at their funnel cake, engrossed once more in each other and paying Twilight and her girlfriend little mind. 
A small piece of the festival food appeared in front of her nose, surprising her. Twilight jumped, only to realize Sunset was offering her a bite with two sugar dusted fingers. “Want some?” came the husky purr from the redheaded teen.
Twilight licked her lips, looking between those hungry eyes and the food being held for her to take. “Yes...” she whispered back, but instead of taking it with her hands, she leaned forward slightly to take it with her mouth—drawing the two fingers holding it past her lips as well. 
Sunset’s eyes went wide, sucking in a sharp breath, especially when Twilight used her tongue to clean the extra sugar off those digits. A shudder went through her when Twilight pulled her head back to reveal two clean, if saliva-damp fingertips. “O-o-ooh,” she managed, her voice raspy with a hunger for more than funnel cake.
There was a saying that came to mind, in regards to turnabout and fair play, and Twilight broke off a piece of funnel cake, holding it up to Sunset the same way that her girlfriend had offered it to her, smiling at her. Then it was her turn to shiver in delight when Sunset took her time sucking the powdered sugar off her fingers, the sensation of the other girl’s tongue twisting itself around the end of her thumb sending a bolt of electricity right to her center.  
A look was shared, and they stepped out of the main thoroughfare to spend the next fifteen minutes feeding each other the funnel cake, periodically sneaking in sugary kisses as well.





Glamour and Wildsong had found them again—somehow, Twilight’s perky cousin appeared to possess the unerring ability to hone in on her and Twilight, despite being in a moving crowd of a few thousand people spread out along most of a mile of beachfront in the gathering dusk. “Sunset! Twilight!” she called, like some freaky fusion of Rarity and Pinkie Pie (now there was a nightmare!). She had managed to locate the two of them exited a funhouse—they’d spent some time getting “lost” in the dark, in what was meant to be some mind of freaky hedge maze. Mostly that meant she’d taken every dead end corner as a chance to tease her fingers over Twilight’s stomach and sides.
“Hi, Glamour,” Twilight greeted her, smiling happily. Sunset had given Twilight her jacket, and she was happily wrapped up in the black leather, her arm looped through Sunset’s, head resting against her shoulder.
“So I checked—the Ferris Wheel line is actually super short right now, and its the perfect time to ride it, if you and Sunset wanted to go up before it gets super dark.  Song and I were gonna go so we could watch the sun set out over the water—its super romantic! I thought we could wait in line together if you wanted?” Glamour gave Wildsong a look of utter adoration.
A giggle escaped the former unicorn at the unintentional symbolism and play on their names. “Could be fun,” she murmured in Twilight’s ear, “watching the sunset move into twilight.” It was far more forward and laden with meaning than she’d normally be comfortable with, but today? It just seemed right, and it was worth it to hear the sound that Twilight made and see the way her cheeks reddened.
“O-okay,” her girlfriend managed, voice practically a strangled sound. 
Wildsong smirked knowingly, her arm around Glamour’s waist. “Then let’s hit the line before we miss our chance.” She kissed her girlfriend’s neck. “C’mon, Angel.”
Sunset and Twilight followed the older pair, and the redhead was a tad bemused at how Twilight’s cousin had also seemed to open up and relax over the course of the day, just like the nerdy girl tucked against her. This day really had been a good idea, she decided, for all of them.  Glamour and Twilight were clearly enjoying being able to be more open, Wildsong was pleased to be out and about with her partner, and Sunset herself? She was finding herself watching humans acting more like ponies than she’d realized they could in a public setting, without that constant undercurrent of behavior that always left her constantly on edge and wary of danger, instincts screaming at her that she was surrounded by predators. The former unicorn wasn’t sure if it was the nature of it being a festive event, or if it was the portion of the human population being represented, or even this town itself, but she had never been quite so calm in the presence of any humans besides the girls and Twilight’s family.
The line for the Ferris Wheel was short, as Glamour had promised, and in only a short time Sunset was sliding into the seat next to Twilight.  The bench was narrow enough to squish them together, but the redhead didn't see that as anything to complain about, especially when a lavender hand fell on her thigh, giving a squeeze. She covered the hand with her own, wasting no time in leaning her head closer, rubbing her nose against the rounded curve of the shorter girl’s ear.  “No one will be able to see us once we’re above the crowd,” she teased. 
The fingers on her thigh clenched, and Twilight turned her face so they were looking at each other. “That’s...a very good point...and Glamour was right that this is...considered an exceptionally romantic activity,” she noted nervously. “So perhaps...some more...romantic gestures would be perfectly acceptable given the atmosphere and privacy?”
“If you wanted me to kiss you, Sparky, all you had to do was ask,” Sunset teased, brushing her lips against Twilight’s briefly, before trailing more light kisses down the line of her jaw to her neck.
“I am asking,” came the whispered response. “Please, Sunny...” 
Her innards squirmed at the plea, and she couldn’t resist the nickering sound that escaped her throat—it wasn’t perfect, but it was as close as a human could make, and it felt good to do.  Twilight responded with a whimper, tilting her head back to give Sunset better access to her purple skinned neck. She nibbled lightly, carefully, with human teeth in the same way she would have with a pony partner, something she had teased her girlfriend with only briefly before. 
She was not prepared for Twilight to let out a quiet moan, or for one of Twilight’s hands to wind its way into her hair, tugging her closer. “...Sunny...” she breathed, squirming in her seat.
It did wonders for her confidence, and with another soft sound, she bit down with just a little more force, less afraid of causing damage or upsetting Twilight.  The fingers against her scalp tightened, nails scratching against her skin in a decidedly pleasant fashion. She moved along exposed lavender skin, until she could nip at Twilight’s ear. “This okay?” she murmured, feeling her heart racing.
Twilight exhaled a shaky sigh. “Yes...it's you, Sunset. Everything you do feels...” She giggled. “...like I never want it to stop, even if it means we miss the view...”
Sunset let a smirk play across lips that rested against Twilight’s cheek. “Speak for yourself...I’m enjoying my view, and look, it's even the same colors as  the view over the water.”
“A superstitious person...might see that as a sign we were meant to be together,” the shorter girl commented.
That got her to chuckle. “And what does your impeccably rational and logical mind say about it?” Sunset asked, her fingers teasing along Twilight’s stomach.
Biting back a whimper, Twilight kissed her, an eager, hungry kiss that left her lips tingling. “That on top of having complementary personalities and comparable levels of intellect, visually we look good together...”
As she returned her attention to Twilight’s neck, Sunset couldn't help but agree.





Now that dark had fully arrived, it was time to light the big bonfires that had been set up along the beach. Glamour shivered in the cool night air, using it as an excuse to huddle further in the circle of Wildsong’s arms, soaking up her lover’s warmth. She wasn’t going to complain about that though—being able to be in her arms somewhere besides their tiny, cramped dorm room was beyond compare.  The two of them were a bit away from the blaze, shrouded in shadows while they watched people around them.
“This was an amazing day, tiger,” she said, looking over at Wildsong with a smile. “I was scared earlier, about people seeing us, but...for the first time...I felt normal.  No Mom on my case about how I should act to be in a relationship she thinks is successful, none of my family telling me about how I don't act like a proper lady should, no one judging me for loving you...part of me never wants this day to end.”  
Song kissed her forehead. “First day of the rest of your life, Angel…you’ve got support from good people in your family who will love you regardless of which way you swing…you don’t have to deal with your folks anymore, and now you can focus on your schooling instead. Soon, you’ll get your degree, get your business started. You’re free to be who you are now.”
They cuddled together in silence, letting that thought and the warmth of their closeness seep into their souls.  Around them, other couples took advantage of the darkness to steal kisses and intimate conversation, and even in the light of the blaze, affection ran rampant. She could even see her cousin, seated in Sunset’s lap, the two of them looking through pictures on Twilight’s phone from the day.  It was a beautiful sight, seeing the painfully awkward, ever introverted member of her family come out of her shell, laughing and smiling and displaying the brilliant, vibrant and happy personality that Glamour had always known lurked under that anxious exterior.  As she watched, Sunset said something, her eyes gleaming, and Twilight burst into laughter, bumping her shoulder into the fiery haired teen in mock chastisement.
“The picnic has really exploded this year,” her girlfriend commented. “I've never seen it so alive and active, not with this many people being quite so open.” Glamour could feel the hand at her waist hook fingertips into the top of her jeans and run lightly over the skin.  “Reminds me why I’m out and proud, and why we advocate so strongly.”
Those fingers were distracting, but Glamour managed to make a noise of understanding that coaxed the other to continue.  “Look around you, baby. Nothing has exploded, no one has been smote by an angry god, children aren’t in danger of corruption, and society isn’t collapsing because two girls are kissing or because two men are holding hands. All I see is a celebration of love and family and community, whatever those words mean to a person. It didn't start out this big, or as well loved and accepted a celebration, but people like Mama, and my uncles, and our families and friends, they didn't give up. They just kept standing up, saying, ‘we are people too, just like you!’  And look what it's done.”  
Glamour shivered again, but not from the cold this time, and she stilled Wildsong’s playful explorations with a hand on her wrist. “Its...I’ve never seen anything like this before. I don't have words for how it feels to be here, tiger, but I love it.”
“And that's it exactly. That’s why I do like those before, standing up and saying as loud as possible ‘we are people, and our love is valid.’ Because I want this feeling everywhere all the time. Look at your cousin, how stressed she is about being caught, being found out, and how she is right now. They're looking at pictures from today, and I’d wager, the two of them are talking about how to hide the files at Sunset’s place, just like those pride shirts they bought.”  Wildsong growled in exasperation against her neck, which had the side effect of making Glamour melt a little. “They should be celebrating how they love each other, not about how many layers of encryption should be on a hard-drive containing pictures of their first real date. People in love shouldn't have to hide or lie because it will affect their future careers or sabotage their chances at success in life.”
Glamour snuggled closer, tracing her nails along the back of her girlfriend’s hand. “Tiger, you make more difference than you know. You changed my life, and you helped give my cousin something special today.”  She turned in the embrace so she could loop her arms around Wildsong’s neck. “Both of those are things I intend to show you my appreciation for later, when we’re back home...” Glamour Shot grinned into a kiss a moment later when her lover purred into her mouth. Oh yes, this was a wonderful day.





It was getting late, and the group was making their way towards the exit, but it was a slow and meandering trip, neither couple wanting to end the night just yet. Twilight couldn't remember the last time she had felt this  good, this relaxed, even with the warm desire that had simmered in her core all evening, fueled by Sunset’s constant touch and open affections.
As they neared one of the parking lot areas that had the gate to the outside, they found a crowd gathered around a small stage with a sign that declared ‘Open Mic! Musicians welcome!’ and a man on the stage playing a guitar, singing a rather pleasant cover of a popular rock song from her parents' college days.  Sunset’s eyes lit up, and she tugged Twilight with her to get closer to the stage. “Oooh! I like this song!”  Twilight followed, amused—it was something else to see her girlfriend so bouncy and excited over anything.
They watched the singer play another song or two, before he stepped down to take a break. By that point, her cousin had managed to make her way over, grinning from ear to ear. “So, Sunset’s into music, hmm?”
“Yeah, she plays guitar.” Twilight wondered briefly why the question had been directed at her and not her girlfriend, only to realize Sunset was no longer standing next to her. “Sunset?” She began scanning the crowd in concern, because she hadn't even registered the redhead moving away from her.
“Um, Twi?” Glamour said, touching her arm.
Twilight turned towards her cousin. “What?”
“You might want to look at the stage.”
Curious, she turned her eyes towards the empty platform...only it wasn’t so empty anymore. A familiar figure was up there, a borrowed guitar in hand.  She stepped up to the mic, a smile on her face. “Hey, everyone...so, none of you know me, but...I’m Sunset, and I just...wanted to play a little something I’ve been working on—I think it's finally ready to be heard by someone other than the walls of my house. Hopefully it’s not totally terrible.”  That got a chuckle from the crowd. 
Sunset bowed her head for a moment, her fingers already strumming over the strings—something Twilight would never get tired of watching her girlfriend do—and her foot tapped out a beat on the wooden floor of the stage.  Then she raised her head and she started to sing.
Glamour put one hand to her mouth, eyes wide and startled. “Oh my,” she managed before falling silent, entranced. It was something she had in common with a number of people nearby, as the chords of the guitar blended with the clear voice that filled every ear nearby with something that was less a song and more an experience.
The emotion in the song was almost tangible, cast over the crowd like an enchantment from folktales of old; with each measure and syllable tugging on memory and heartstring, until music and emotion blended into one, seen and felt and heard in the growing crowd.  Twilight could see the old pain rising up in Sunset as she sang, sang about a past when all she sought was power and control, and the way it had nearly destroyed her, painting a picture of a girl who had been in a very dark place when it all came down around her head. It made her breath catch and her heart ache, even as a deeper part of her cried out for Sunset that she was there—had been there, every step of the way—and if Sunset Shimmer would just look at her, she would do her best to banish that pain.  She tried to move, wanting nothing more than to push through the crowd and climb the stage, but the press of bodies was packed too tight the closer the sea of humanity got to the stage…and her feet were frozen to the floor, refusing to answer her brain’s command that they move.
Twilight could only watch, and ride the emotional wave that crashed into her like a tsunami. Some part of her realized she was crying—and that she was not alone. The people around her teared up, and some among them…like her cousin…wept with her. She railed at that, for how could any of them truly know? For them, there was a distance, a disconnection. They didn't know her Sunset, didn't know the depths of the pain and anger there…not like Twilight Sparkle did.
Memories of Sunset sobbing into her shoulder on the floor of the loft, broken and battered and filled with self hate….memories of the haunted eyes of someone unable to sleep under the weight of their guilt, and alone in the world for so long that she had no idea what to do with kindness…fear and shame and confusion in a thousand moments where Sunset did not know how to feel or act when shown that people did, in fact care for her, about her… Twilight remembered them all, seared into her mind with utter clarity for the rest of her natural life—the blessing and curse of someone with near perfect recall—and the emotions they stirred in her now were as powerful as they had been when the events in question had originally occurred.
And when the notes of the song picked up, describing how in her darkest hour, she was buoyed by friendship and love, Twilight remembered the light in those eyes that had finally started to overcome the shadows when she had gained friends—first in Twilight, then in some of the people at her school…the first shy kisses and building emotions in their hidden, ongoing journey from best friends to something so much more…the way Sunset had tried so hard to change, to overcome her own past and the walls she had built to protect the heart of who she really was…the indescribable joy from the way Sunset had been drawn in and enfolded into Twilight’s family and how much it had meant to the redheaded teen whose entire life had been utterly defined by loneliness and the desperate need for someone to care…it transformed the agony that kept her frozen to the spot into a relief so powerful her knees threatened to give out.
The air that left her lungs was so much more than a sigh, full of the feelings the music was making her relive, and in that moment, it felt as though the crowd sighed with her, teary faces and watering eyes transforming into smiles as the song rose towards a crescendo and drug the audience along for the ride.
It was more than a little appropriate, Twilight decided, that Sunset compared herself to a phoenix in the song, standing there under the golden spotlight in the otherwise dark night.  Her girlfriend was always like a being borne of elemental fire: passionate, intense, full of a drive and a vibrancy of existence that could easily overwhelm the unprepared, but never had she looked more like the embodiment of flame than she did right then.  The illumination over her was at just the right angle that it turned red and gold curls into living flame cascading around her shoulders, and the way it reflected off the surfaces made it seem like Sunset’s entire body was alight with a faint glow.  Standing there under that spotlight, fingers strumming confidently over the guitar strings, her shoulders back and head held high, Sunset Shimmer had an undeniable and powerful presence, a majesty that blazed outward and touched every person in the crowd with its inner light.  In that moment, Twilight couldn't help but stare, unable to even breathe as she realized exactly how the girl she cared about could have held dominion over an entire student body as its queen—in that breathtaking moment, Twilight would have done anything Sunset asked of her without question or hesitation…
Some of that fiery hair fell forward as Sunset turned her head to lock eyes with Twilight, casting Sunset’s face in shadow. Despite that, Twilight found herself ensnared even further by the glowing of blue-green eyes right out of her most intimate and passionate dreams, eyes she would never mistake for anyone else’s. A shiver of want crawled up her spine, making her mouth go dry and her body feel like there was an inferno in her soul, even as the song reached its ringing climax.  She had already been Sunset’s best friend, her girlfriend, her confidant…but right then, it was like she could feel Sunset’s very soul calling to hers, begging her for more, and all Twilight could think and feel and focus on was Sunset Shimmer, and how much she needed her.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Four: Sweet Surrender
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Twilight’s hands were wandering again, making Sunset grateful for the darkness as they traveled along the highway, back towards Canterlot. Those deft hands kept slipping their way up under her shirt to rove along her abdomen and sides, occasionally braving a little higher to brush against her breasts. She kept drawing them out from under her shirt, while trying to distract her girlfriend with kisses, but they kept making their way back.  “Sparky,” she breathed against the other girl’s ear. “Your cousin and Wildsong are right here...can’t this wait until we get home and are alone in your room?”  
That seemed to cool some of the fire in Twilight’s blood, hands returning to outside Sunset’s shirt. “I'm sorry...” she apologized, looking out the window. 
“Hey...it's okay. We’ll be alone in a little bit. Besides, I don’t think it's just you.” Sunset nodded towards the front seat, where Wildsong kept having to remind Glamour Shot that she was trying to drive.  “I don't know if you noticed, but after we stopped for gas, and they hit the restroom...your cousin came back with her shirt on inside out.”
Twilight’s eyes grew wide behind her glasses. “Nooo...” she whispered, squinting at the front seats. “Omigosh,” she squeaked. “It is...” 
The backseat was soon filled with shared giggles, enough to make Wildsong glance in her mirror. “That better be from a bad joke. PG-13, remember? Clothes stay on.”  
“We remember,” Sunset snickered, “but maybe you should remind Glamour to put her shirt back on right-side-out the next time you guys take a bathroom break.”
Glamour Shot made a strangled sound of mortification. “Tiger! You let me go out with my shirt like this?! Why didn't you say something?”
“Probably because she was busy noticing other things,” Twilight murmured in Sunset’s ear. That earned a snort from the former unicorn.
A few minutes later, Sunset was pulled away from kissing by Wildsong getting their attention. “What was that?” she asked, a little out of breath.
“Look...I know we were supposed to crash at Twilight’s place and head back to campus tomorrow, but...would you guys be offended if we dropped you off and headed back tonight?” Wildsong had lifted a hand off the gearshift to run her fingers through Glamour’s hair in an intimate caress.  “We have a lot to talk about, to start with, and well…”
Sunset and Twilight looked at each other—even though Sunset was fairly certain her girlfriend could see very little—and they seemed to be on the same page.  Twilight laced her fingers with Sunset’s, leaning into the redhead’s side.  “We wouldn’t be offended at all,” Sunset answered diplomatically for both of them. “I can understand wanting to get back home to your own bed.”
“We’ll probably do that then...but we’ll have to do this again sometime,” Wildsong smiled. “I had a pretty good time today—what about the rest of you?”
Twilight rested her head on Sunset’s shoulder. “I couldn’t have planned a better day if I’d made a list,” she confessed. “Thank you, all of you, for that.”
The former unicorn nuzzled her face into her girlfriend’s dark hair. “It was a great day, wasn't it? I’d be up for doing it again sometime, maybe during summer? Maybe make a weekend of it?”  She knew it was the right answer with how tightly Twilight was hugging her in response.
Glamour giggled from the front seat. “Oh that would be amazing! I’d love to spend more time getting to know you, Sunset! And if you were interested, I’d love the chance to do your hair! It's just so gorgeous, and that curl! Do you know how hard I have to work to get my hair to have that look?”
She snorted. “My friend Rarity says that a lot. I could be convinced, I guess.” Hair and makeup and the like were not really something she fixated on, but like with human fashion, it meant a lot to one of her friends.  In the last six months she’d been learning to at least be a good sport and appreciate the results when Rarity got into one of her ‘inspirational’ fits.  She could do the same thing to bond with the one cousin her girlfriend had managed to find common ground with.
“It's gonna have to wait until next time,” Wildsong interjected. “We’re here.”  The car pulled into Twilight’s driveway.
They climbed out of the back seat, where Glamour intercepted Twilight with a tight hug. “…I’ll text you when we get back to the campus, Twi! And we’ll talk soon, okay? …Especially if Song and I decide to get that apartment that Uncle Stalwart suggested.”   Releasing the dark haired girl, she swept Sunset up into an embrace next. “Get my number from Twilight and text me, Sunset! I’d love to be able to talk to you too!” Then, like a whirlwind—or some form of abrupt natural disaster that was over almost before you realized it had destroyed everything in a hundred miles—Glamour had let her go and was back in the car, waving vigorously out the window.
Sunset watched as the car backed out of the driveway and drove off, before scuffing her foot awkwardly. “…so…it’s not late yet…any ideas what you want to do tonight, since it's just us?” She set the bag of their day’s purchases down on the asphalt so she could drape an arm around Twilight in a hug.
Her girlfriend leaned into it. “…Movies maybe? Maybe we could order a pizza or get take out too?”
“You know, I did pick up that batch of old sci-fi movies we were talking about last month. They showed up at my place the other day in the mail.  I could go get them and we could have a marathon of making fun of how bad they are. Throw popcorn at the screen and everything.” She nudged the bag at her feet with one boot. “I could use it as a chance to drop our shirts off too, so that’s out of sight of your parents and Shining.”
Twilight cuddled closer, pressing up against her side. “…Can…I go with you?” she asked, a strange note of longing in her voice. “…I…I’m not ready to be away from you yet.”
It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to process and consider the request, before she squeezed Twilight’s shoulders and let go. “Alright, nerd,” Sunset said with affection. “Let’s go then.” Scooping up the bag, she headed for the bike, retrieving their helmets and storing the goodies in the compartment.  The smaller teen settled behind her on the seat quickly, helmet in place and arms snuggled tight around Sunset’s middle. The redhead glanced down, then over her shoulder. “You know, Sparky, if you’re going to interfere with my driving like that, at least buy me dinner first.”
Her girlfriend at least had the decency to look embarrassed as she lowered her hands to be around Sunset’s waist instead.





After reaching Sunset’s loft, the pair had decided to stay there for the night, and Sunset had ducked out to the pizzeria next door to get dinner.  “Hey, I’m back. Two pizzas, one mushroom, one extra cheese, and I’ve got a bottle of soda here too.” Sunset nudged her front door shut with her hip, hearing it click. “Old man Asiago upsized the pizza, so I hope you’re hungry, Sparky. You figure out which movie we’re going to make fun of first?” Twilight took the soda from Sunset, and the redhead got a good look at what her girlfriend was wearing.  Day clothes had been exchanged for one of her new t-shirts and a pair of sleep shorts that had been in the pile of things that Sunset had outgrown that winter.  It showed off lean lavender skinned legs that had just a hint of muscle definition where the thighs disappeared into those shorts, and Sunset swallowed reflexively. “…New shirt looks cute on you,” she managed, tearing her eyes away from Twilight’s legs.
Twilight beamed at her. “You think so? I love it!” She set the soda on the coffee table, where she’d cleared space for the pizza boxes. “I figured I’d go ahead and get ready for bed, in case we fall asleep on the couch…again.”  She wrinkled her nose. “We have a really bad track record of doing that here.”
Sunset laughed, reaching out to tweak her nose—it was just too adorable not to. “It's because the couch is comfy and we’re together, nerd. I’ll go change too—we have to match, right?” She nodded towards Twilight’s shirt. 
That got a giggle from her girlfriend. “I’ll set up the movie and the food then.”





Twilight shifted, leaning back against Sunset, snuggling more into her arms. A horrible sci-fi film played out on the screen, one they had been laughing at for almost an hour. The pizza had been decimated and the soda bottle had been tossed in the trash, casualties of two hungry, thirsty teenagers.  The body she was resting against was warm, and Twilight found herself acutely aware of her girlfriend in ways she’d never thought about before. Being held by Sunset had always felt good, and always made her feel safe, even in her worst moments of panic and fear, but she’d never realized how well they fit together…how Sunset’s soft curves and lean muscle combined in just the right fashion to mold perfectly to her own body, no matter how they were positioned. Even the way that amber skinned arms fit around her, holding her with her hands lightly brushing along her skin where her shirt had ridden up a few inches felt right, and she savored the not-quite-ticklish sensation of calloused fingertips against her stomach.
The fiery haired girl was also the reason the day had felt the way it did, she realized.  Sunset had gone out of her way to make the day a good one, and every time Twilight’s anxiety and fear threatened to overwhelm her, Sunset had been right there, bringing her back down and letting her know she was okay, that she was safe, that she was with someone she could trust.  That had given her the courage to try, to be herself in a way she never had before, to be open and expressive about parts of herself that she’d kept secret for years…and no one had said a word to her. She hadn’t been stared at, mocked, or treated like some kind of anomaly to be studied or avoided—she hadn’t felt like some kind of freakish outsider, too other to fit in properly.
That too, was Sunset’s doing. Even Twilight’s other friends—with the exception of Moondancer—had always struggled with some of the more extreme parts of Twilight, whether it was her tendency to go off on long, extended, highly informative tangents, or her bad habit of fixating on her project of the moment, or simply trying to keep up with a hyperactive intelligence that far exceeded most of those around her, and that always left the dark haired girl feeling a little awkward and out of place, and when one added her own difficulties with trying to wrap her mind around social cues and boundaries and how to properly interact with her peers, Twilight had always believed she wasn’t really meant to belong to any kind of social circle.  And then she’d met Sunset Shimmer, and the redhead had shown those fallacies for what they were—false assumptions made on incomplete data.  Sunset got her, understood her in ways that no one else had ever managed, and none of the things that made Twilight different ever seemed to phase her or even give her pause.  Sunset took everything in stride, a smile on her face and arms always open to offer a hug and reassurance, and some days, Twilight would swear that Sunset knew what she was feeling before she did—and much to her joy, it went both ways. Sunset was the only person she’d ever met who she could read like an open book, whose words and feelings and body language all matched with what she had had to learn intellectually instead of through an instinctive knowing like most people were born with.  With Sunset, Twilight Sparkle felt like she belonged, and even when other people were added to the mix, the presence of her girlfriend grounded her.
Her thoughts wandered, her brain supplying an intriguing hypothesis: Was today an example of what a future with Sunset would be like?  Could every day be like this one?  That was an answer she wanted to find out, and her mind began to follow those potential outcomes, paths of ‘what might be’ in increasingly painstaking detail, until she lost track of the outside world in favor of the one in her head, where she and Sunset were blissfully happy and together in a thousand imagined lifetimes.
She was brought back to reality by lips ghosting over her neck with little featherlight kisses that evoked shivers of delight. “You still awake, Sparky?” came the breathy voice in her ear a moment later. “Or did the movie just shatter your ability to function with its terrible pseudoscience that violates everything we know about physics?”
Twilight turned her head, sealing her lips to Sunset’s in response, unable to articulate the emotions and thoughts going through her head at that moment, but wanting…needing…to try anyway.  It was probably the most aggressive kiss she’d ever given, willing Sunset to be able to read her emotions in that amazing way of hers, to know just how much Twilight was feeling for the redheaded girl in that very moment.
It didn’t take long before Sunset’s hold on her tightened and she pushed back into the kiss, taking control in the way that Twilight secretly loved. A little noise escaped her unintentionally, and she raised a hand up to tangle it in that wild mane, wanting to keep them like this as long as possible.  
All too soon, they had to come up for air, and Sunset tucked her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck, panting heavily, but still placing little kisses along the skin. 
“Sunny...” Twilight whispered, angling her head to give her girlfriend more access to her neck. 
The kissing paused. “Yeah?” a breathless, husky voice asked against her skin.
Twisting in Sunset’s arms so she could look her in the eyes, Twilight smiled. “...I wanted to say thank you...today has been special and it means so much to me...but it was only special because of you.”
Sunset exhaled, resting her forehead against Twilight’s.  “You deserved a good day, Twilight, one with no bad stuff, no stress...just you and me, being happy doing things together. I wanted to make sure you got that, and I’m glad I succeeded.” She teased Twilight’s lips with her own, barely brushing them together long enough for it to register before she had pulled back.
"You really did, Sunny," she murmured. "If I had to pick a single word to describe today, it would be ‘magical.’” She reached up, running lavender fingers through the forelock that always fell down across Sunset's face, "You are magical.."
Blue-green eyes grew wide and startled by the declaration, searching her face with some undefinable emotion in their rich depths. There was a vulnerability there that Sunset rarely showed, a glimpse at the soul inside that was capable of tremendous love, compassion, and empathy, but was still so very afraid of being hurt again. Twilight found herself tracing her fingers along Sunset’s hairline, then down her cheek to soothe her fears, her own smile feeling awkward and shy.
Drawing courage from the day and the feelings warming her, Twilight continued, her voice soft.  "You wanted to know what I was thinking of before?  It was us, Sunny, how amazing today was, how wonderful I felt, just how...free I felt.  How much I want to feel like that again, with you. How much I want more magical days, spent with you. A-as many days as..."  Twilight’s courage ran out, and she trailed off, not quite able to articulate the rest of the thought.  Instead, she tilted her head up to press her forehead back to Sunset’s, letting the gesture speak for her.





Sunset’s breath caught in her lungs, her whole body frozen from one heartbeat to the next, time seeming to stand still. Emotions warred within her for supremacy, fear and trepidation against hope and happiness, as she tried to figure out exactly what Twilight meant, particularly since she was struggling to separate it from the aching want in her soul that had been growing steadily for months.  She knew what she desperately wanted it to mean, what it would have meant, coming from another pony…but Twilight was human, and for all the similarities between their species and cultures, the differences were profound, and that was only compounded when navigating the frustrating subtleties and subtext of language.
Was her Sparky saying what she thought she was hearing? The subject of their intimacy and attachment was something they’d discussed before…but always in terms of their ‘friendship that had progressed to something more,’ and rarely about the ‘something more’ by itself…and Sunset had avoided ever voicing the depths of her own emotions on the subject.  Was Twilight admitting to what it seemed like she was? That the feelings and affections between them that had grown out of their friendship meant as much to her as it had come to mean to Sunset?  That it was more than just an exploration, more than just a ‘try and see where it goes’ experiment between two high schoolers to the dark haired girl?
Hope grew, a fragile little thing that she was almost more afraid of than anything else.  After so long of warring with the question of that in her own heart, of realizing that what she was feeling was making her seriously consider a future with the human Twilight Sparkle, of how deep her own emotions ran…to hear the other girl give voice to everything she felt in such a way…it was both a thing of wonder and a source of a familiar fear.
That fear was an old friend as much as it was an enemy, a nagging form of trepidation and negativity that whispered to her that such things wouldn’t last. That as much as she…cared...for the lavender skinned girl, with emotions that surpassed any she had ever known, Twilight couldn’t possibly feel the same way. It tormented her with the knowledge that it couldn’t possibly mean the same thing to the human girl, that eventually, she would grow apart from Sunset and move on, in that way that seemed so common for humans, leaving behind a lost little unicorn in the wrong body and nowhere to call home, discarded by yet another being that she had hoped would love her. 
Yet as she searched Twilight’s face, looking into those shining purple eyes, the fear lost ground. She could see in her girlfriend her own emotions reflected back, and that knowledge burned through her veins like cleansing sunlight, filling up even the darkest corners of her heart and soul with a brilliance beyond the dawn. This was happening, and it was tangible and real, and her eyes were wet with happy tears.  Her hand found the back of that dark haired head, bringing the smaller form as close as possible, so she could seal their lips together in a blistering kiss that put every one before it to shame with its intensity.
Twilight went rigid for long enough that Sunset almost broke the kiss, but then the dark haired girl melted into her embrace, a whimper escaping her as the redhead plundered her mouth hungrily. Her hands found a resting place on Sunset’s chest, fingers curling into the shirt there while she tried to press herself even closer to the taller frame.  When she finally allowed the kiss to stop, Twilight let out a protesting sound, nuzzling against Sunset’s neck. “….Sunny…” she whined.  “…Do you have any idea how incredible you are?” She pressed soft kisses to the skin there. “…gorgeous…sexy…intense…all passion and charisma and fire…you’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a girlfriend…and you could have anyone at all…but you’re here…with me and kissing me like this and holding me like that…”
A tingle ran up Sunset’s spine, half emotional response, half magic that she pushed back down in order to respond to her girlfriend.  “…Sparky…” she murmured, tipping Twilight’s face so she could lock eyes with her. “…I don’t want anyone else…” she confessed, her voice so thick with emotion it threatened to get stuck in her throat.  As it was, it sounded odd to her own ears. “No one else has ever, in my entire life, made me feel the way you do, made me want them like I want you…I’ve never needed anyone like I need you.” She stroked over a lavender cheek with her fingertips. “…it's only ever been you…and I never want it to be anyone else…”  
The words…they felt so good to say it almost hurt, making her heart race with anticipation and her lungs struggle to bring in enough air.  Fire burned in her core, that aching heat and simmering desire she’d been struggling to contain for months, reminding her that the words she had uttered had layers of meaning and the time to make her choice was fast coming due.
They also had a noticeable effect on the girl cuddled up against her.  A slight shiver ran over her skin, and Twilight’s hand slid down Sunset’s front to the bottom of her shirt, fingers slipping just underneath the edge to brush over amber skin.  Purple eyes stared from behind lenses, large and with a hint of what Sunset fervently hoped were happy tears at the corners.  “…Sunny…” she whispered, voice almost pleading. “…Please…I need to hold you…feel you against me…” Those fingers traveled higher on her skin, pushing her shirt up and bunching it under her breasts, palms pressing to the smooth skin of Sunset’s stomach and making the former unicorn’s innards squirm pleasantly.  “…Please?” her girlfriend asked again, pecking her lips with several soft, short kisses. 
Sunset let out a shaking breath, taking Twilight’s hands away from her body in a firm grip. The other girl whined in disappointment—at least until Sunset let go of her hands so she could peel her own shirt off, then divest her nerd of her own top, leaving them both bare from the waist up. Lavender arms snaked around her in a tight hug, pressing their bodies back together with the delightful sensation of skin on skin. Twilight nuzzled into her, a happy smile on her face. Sunset tugged her girlfriend’s dark hair free of its ponytail, so she could run her fingers through it in an affectionate caress. “…This what you needed, Sparky?”
Twilight nodded, resting her cheek against Sunset’s collarbone. “…I can feel your heart,” she offered as an explanation. Her hands rubbed up and down Sunset’s back, the touch sending more warm tingles into the redhead’s center.  Sunset kissed the top of Twilight’s head, burying her nose in her hair and inhaling deeply, nose filling with the well known scent, this time touched with a hint of sun and sea from their day. Contentment filled her, and she held Twilight close, closing her eyes to revel in the sense of being with the most important person in her life.





How long they lay there on the couch, Twilight couldn't say. She’d lost herself in Sunset’s words, in more fanciful imaginings of what the future might hold for them, in the soft breasts pressed against hers, in the steady heartbeat and clean, mild scent that she associated with her companion. The contact between them was intimate and tender, loving touch that was more about the emotions that had been aired than physical desire—not that that wasn’t very much present.
Twilight was not ignorant of her own body, nor was she oblivious to the way Sunset responded to her on a physical level.  She was familiar with the heat that pooled low in her belly, and the delightful shock of pleasure when Sunset shifted position and she could feel their nipples rub against each other in passing in a way that made both of them gasp. She knew how her hands traversing up and down Sunset’s bare back made her girlfriend feel, and the way her own body reacted to being held was a welcome sensation that was part of her most erotic dreams. For all that part of their relationship developed slowly compared most of their peers, she never doubted that they were physically attracted to one another.
She felt Sunset shift again, and tilted her head up. “Everything okay, Sunny?”
The redhead smiled crookedly. “Not the most comfortable position for me,” she admitted sheepishly. “Its putting a weird pressure on my hip....but I...” A faint flush colored her cheeks. “This feels nice and I don't want to stop.”
“We could...move to the bed?” Twilight suggested. “It's bigger and more comfortable than the couch, and you won't be crammed back into the cushions like that.” She slid her arms free and sat up, trying not to feel self conscious about her state of undress—and to not stare too much at Sunset’s breasts, as much as she really wanted to ogle.
Sunset’s eyes wandered over her, but the motion of her fingers tweaking Twilight’s nose playfully put the dark haired girl at ease. “Good idea, but you have to let me up first.”
Scrambling to her feet, she picked up their discarded shirts, draping them over her arm. Sunset turned the tv off, then held out a hand for Twilight. Curling her fingers around it, Twilight let herself be pulled gently up the stairs to the bed, pausing only a moment to hang their shirts over the railing before sliding under the covers with her girlfriend.
The taller girl tugged her close once more, tucking her face into the crook of Twilight’s neck, nuzzling and kissing.  Her hands were drawing random patterns on the small of Twilight’s back, making her squirm, half from pleasure and half from how it tickled a little. “Sunny!” she giggled. “That tickles!”
Lips murmured an apology close to her ear, and then Twilight’s laughter turned into a low moan when Sunset nibbled at the sensitive spot where neck and shoulder met. In the months since they had started dating, the redheaded teen had figured out all of the places on her neck that got the strongest reaction, and she wasn’t shy about evoking those responses whenever they had time alone like this.  It felt so good, but it also drove her crazy, making her want to beg Sunset to keep going, to never stop touching her like that. 
“....oooooh...” she panted, feeling one of her girlfriend’s hands wander to her stomach. “...Sunset...please...”
“‘Please’ what, Sparky?” came that husky voice in her ear.
Twilight whimpered when the fingers of that hand dragged fingernails carefully against her skin. “...That...” she managed. “...do more...like that...”
A warm, happy laugh, and Sunset was kissing her on the lips again.  That hand on her stomach crept higher, until it rested between her breasts, calloused fingertips and short nails teasing over her skin.  She could sense it more strongly now, the tinge of desire rising in both of them, but it wasn’t the frenzied fire that authors penned in romance novels, or the all consuming race to a climax seen in movies and television. This need was different than anything she had ever imagined in any of her fantasies or dreams, slower, deeper, and yet...somehow she knew it to be more powerful and intense than any solely sexual urge could ever be.
Her own hands, needing to find purchase on something, found their way to Sunset’s shoulders. It gave Twilight the leverage to deepen the kiss, a ripple of delight going through her at the playful taunt of Sunset’s tongue wrestling with hers.  She had been wrong earlier when she thought watching bad sci-fi cuddled up on the couch had been the perfect end to the day. This was a much better way to end it.





The noises Twilight was making were addictive, and Sunset found herself wanting to hear more of them. She had returned her attention to her girlfriend’s neck some time ago, getting lost in the nibbling and kissing that was so integral to pony intimacy that for a while she forgot her ‘Special Somepony’ was in fact, a ‘Special SomeONE.’ It wasn't until she dipped lower to run her tongue over the hollow of Twilight’s throat and a  hand tangled in her hair tightly that she remembered her companion was a human. 
“Sparky?” she questioned. “Everything okay?” 
Purple eyes opened, and their owner smiled at her dazedly. “...yeah...just...feels really good. Don’t stop?”
“Mmm, alright.”  The former unicorn pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s collarbone, completely unprepared for the way Twilight gasped and arched against her.  A thrill went through her, the same kind she used to get when she learned a new spell, and she kissed the same spot again, this time scraping the edge of her teeth along lavender skin. Twilight made an incoherent sound and those fingers on her scalp tightened their grip.
Sunset smiled wickedly, an idea building in her mind. She started at Twilight’s throat and ran the tip of her tongue down the exposed skin until her head was level with her girlfriend’s breasts. Once there, the redhead started leaving featherlight kisses against her chest, listening to the way Twilight’s breath caught and feeling how her heart was pounding in her ribcage. 
There was something about being the cause of those sounds that resonated with Sunset, filling her with a heady sort of euphoria....and so she decided to indulge.  She remembered what Twilight had done to her a few weeks prior, and how Twilight had responded to just the touch of her hands. Those memories guided her actions in the here and now, her lips kissing a path across one breast, eyes flitting up frequently to watch Twilight for any sign of discomfort or distress.  
Then, with a smirk still on her face, Sunset dropped a kiss on the perky nipple that was a few shades darker than the surrounding skin, pleased with the whimper that came from her companion. Another kiss, then a flick of her tongue to trace the sensitive flesh, filing away just what kind of cry each act coaxed out of Twilight.  “Remember, Shimmer,” she reminded herself, “more sensitive and thin skinned than on a pony...” as she captured it between her teeth with a careful nibble.
Twilight bucked on the bed with a sharp cry.  “Sunny!”
The former unicorn immediately let go, sliding back up in concern, resting a hand on Twilight’s cheek. “Hey, hey...did I hurt you?”
Her girlfriend shook her head vigorously. “...no, it didn't hurt,” she assured Sunset. “It felt...amazing...”  She pecked Sunset on the lips, quiet for a minute before offering a more helpful response.  “...if it's something you're comfortable with...I would be very okay with saying that you have my permission to use your mouth like that anywhere on me you want to...”  The dark haired girl looked away nervously. “You know, add it to that list of ‘touches we’re okay with?’”
The former unicorn knew she was operating mostly blind now, delving like this into unfamiliar territory. Ponies and humans were different, not just from a biological standpoint.  Popular media and culture portrayed human intimacy as having a focus on sex, and even the books that Cadence had loaned her had made it clear that a large part of most humans’ romantic intimacy tied back into sexual intimacy…or at least physical. And that was not even delving onto the way movies and media and literature portrayed sex as the entire reason humans engaged in intimacy at all.
It was a far cry from the pony way…where intimacy was an extension of deep, abiding emotional ties. Ponies saw most kinds of intimacy as simply one of the deepest demonstrations of those bonds, of trust and care.  For Sunset, there were the physical desires, true, but so much more of it was wrapped up in behaviors and instincts which centered around wanting to make Twilight happy, make her feel loved and wanted and cared about.  It was a way to express her deepest, most intense emotions without having to say them out loud, something that made her tremble when she glimpsed the depth of what she felt and shied away from a truth she still wasn’t quite ready for.
Coupled with the biological differences—many of which she still only understood in a clinical, textbook fashion—reading on a subject could only impart so much knowledge after all—and she found herself floundering.
Her hesitation lasted long enough that the hand in her hair relaxed and moved to rest against her cheek. “Sunny?” Twilight asked softly. “What’s wrong?”
Sunset leaned into the contact, exhaling slowly.  “...I...don’t really have any idea what I’m doing,” she confessed, feeling her cheeks flush. “...This is...new territory for me, in so many ways...and I don’t want to mess it up.  You’re too important to me, and—”  Words failed her, and she had to look away from Twilight, staring off towards the wall.
Twilight was quiet, thoughtful for a minute or so before she responded. “...relationships like ours are not...often portrayed favorably, in terms of media and popular culture, and this extends to helpful guides and recommendations on engaging in physical intimacy,” she started, a hint of ‘Teacher Twilight’ coming to the fore.  “...and...intimacy is a complex and complicated subject, where no two individuals are alike.” She stroked her thumb along Sunset’s cheek.  “...in the end, it’s okay, Sunny, if you have to learn.  I don’t want you to be perfect…I just want you to be you.” She paused, then added, “Everything else, we can figure out together. We’re both intellectually gifted, after all, and a lack of experience shouldn’t hinder us for very long.”
Oh. Oooh. For some reason, that caused a very strong reaction in the redhead, a wave of heat and want sweeping over her so powerfully that it took her a handful of heartbeats to remember how to breathe.  “O-oh...o-okay...” she managed to get out, before that feeling urged her southward on Twilight’s body again.
This time, when she closed her lips and teeth on Twilight’s breast, she didn’t jerk away at the rising cries that filled the air.  They actually served to spur her onward, giving her the courage to suck and nibble and play to a wonderful litany of sweet sounds, Twilight writhing against her on the bed until Sunset was forced to pin the smaller girl down.  When she finally drew her head back with a wet pop, Twilight’s chest was heaving from exertion and the hand that had returned to Sunset’s hair trembled. “Still good?” Sunset asked, getting a shaky nod in return.
Using Twilight’s responses to her touch as a guide, Sunset worked her way lower, taking the opportunity to enjoy not only kissing Twilight’s stomach, but to playfully tickle her, sending the dark haired girl into a fit of laughter and leading to the two of them wrestling on the bed. Sunset came out the winner, sprawled out on Twilight’s legs, face nuzzled against her stomach.  Her hand had fallen on Twilight’s knee during their tussle, and she bit her lip, letting her fingers trace along towards the outside of her girlfriend’s thigh, following the line of the lean muscles as they gave way to softer flesh the closer she got to the shorts Twilight was wearing. 
She turned her face into the other girl’s skin, inhaling the mixture of scents that she automatically registered as ‘Twilight’, taking the moment to once more gain some control over the sharp pulse that went through her whole body as Twilight arched her hips up off the bed, pressing herself against Sunset with a whine. It proved harder to do than it had in months, and she struggled, her body crying out with how badly it craved that physical affirmation of the way her heart felt.  Panting, she couldn’t stop herself from peppering Twilight’s stomach with kisses and love nibbles, a surge of pleasure jolting through her every time the smaller girl’s knee inadvertently pressed up against her groin. 
Sunset could sense it, the way something in the air changed, something ineffable that had been building for days and weeks and perhaps even months shifting into something more, and she knew, in that same way she knew when her cutie mark was driving her to act, the same way she understood Twilight without the need for words, that they were approaching a point of no return.  It should have terrified her, made her pull back, stop this before then, because there was still so much hanging unsaid, about herself and her origins, about magic and the monster she had become...but this time, none of that felt like it really mattered. What mattered was the feelings between them, the soft admissions spoken in the privacy of the loft, and her best friend who was so much more than that, laying pinned under her and looking up at her with absolute trust and open desire.  
In that moment, something gave way inside her soul, and Sunset dropped a near reverent kiss on the quivering skin just below Twilight’s navel. “...Sparky...” she whispered, unable to say more, but putting her heart, her very being into that single word.





If Wildsong’s words in the café had opened her eyes to the possibility that Sunset Shimmer was in love with her, the look in blue-green eyes staring up at Twilight drove the fact home like the impact from an asteroid.  Sunset had always treated her as someone special, and freely referred to Twilight as her best friend, but Twilight had never seen her eyes shine with so much emotion before. Her heart had been beating fast before, but now it was racing. Sunset loved her, was in love with her, even if she hadn’t yet said it aloud, and it nearly brought tears to Twilight’s eyes.  The beautiful redheaded girl could have had anyone she wanted, but she had picked Twilight. “I’ve never needed anyone like I need you...” she had said earlier, “...it’s only ever been you…and I never want it to be anyone else…” 
It had meant so much when Sunset had said it before, but it meant even more now that she had seen the other girl looking at her as if she were the only other person in the world.  Her cheeks hurt from how much she was smiling, and she realized she could be happy if only she could spend the rest of her lifespan having Sunset look at her that way—even if everything else in her life crashed and burned, to be loved by the girl she loved in return would soothe the pain and anxiety of even the worst failures.
Twilight’s brain stuttered to a grinding halt when her own perceptions caught up to her train of thought. She analyzed it carefully, turning it over in her mind, comparing their relationship and her own emotions to what she knew of love and those who had happy, healthy relationships—notably her parents and Cadence and Shining—and with a sort of building, happy wonder, she realized she had meant the thought. She loved Sunset Shimmer.
Her gaze refocused on her girlfriend, who had moved down further, her hands running up and down the outside of Twilight’s thighs, her face nuzzling affectionately against the skin above her knee. “...Sunset...” she breathed, wanting to say something, knowing on some level just how much it would mean for the redhead to hear a declaration of love, “I lo—oooooh!” 
The words were lost when Sunset’s mouth pressed a kiss and a nibbling bite to the inside of her thigh, a few inches higher than her knee. What came out instead was a long, low sound of pleasure that accompanied a hot bolt of lightning that traversed her nerve endings to the lust in her core that threatened to overwhelm her. 
In her somewhat addled state of mind, she thought she saw Sunset smirk at her, before she repeated the gesture, just an inch or so higher. Twilight gasped and moaned again, her hips coming instinctively off the bed.  And then she did something she could almost never do, something utterly alien to Twilight Sparkle: she stopped thinking, as her girlfriend’s mouth and hands led an assault on her thighs.





There was something heady and intoxicating about the way Twilight was responding to her touch, squirming and twisting while making a vast array of breathless sounds. It fed into that buried part of her that thrived on control and her ability to make someone do exactly what she wanted and how…there were no words to describe the rush that she felt now, from being in control, of being responsible for Twilight’s state of existence, the knowledge that she could read the other girl well enough to know what she had to do to wind Twilight up and push her to the brink, knowing that she use a kiss here or a nip there or a whispered word at the right time to get the reactions she wanted...but instead of using that part of herself for selfish reasons, she was turning it towards making her Sparky feel good.   
Sunset found herself drunk on the feelings it triggered, ripples of pleasure going through her with each moan, each cry, each mewling, incoherent gasp, and she found own breath coming in harsh pants.  She needed more.  She hungered for more, to wring every last drop of ecstasy from Twilight until the other girl collapsed in a barely conscious heap—that thought brought with it burning in her blood and her bones, and it felt so good it almost hurt.  
With a nickering sound burbling in her throat, she levered herself up long enough to roll Twilight over, giving her unfettered access to the back of those lavender thighs.  Her lips and teeth found new skin to explore, her tongue following suit, slowly working higher, finding that oh so delectable spot where the lean muscle gave way to a softer bit of padding...only to find fabric barring her access to her partner’s flanks. She slid her hands higher, trying to push the fabric up and out of the way to no avail. 
Frustrated, she nipped as high up as she could reach, before moving her fingers up to hook into the waistband of those shorts. She felt Twilight move, could see her twist to watch Sunset briefly, and then the dark haired girl lifted her body up, nodding to Sunset. Tugging, Sunset drew that fabric down and away, tossing it at the railing and missing.  That didn't matter though, not with the smooth, rounded curve of Twilight’s hindquarters on display for her now.  She nuzzled into the spot where a cutie mark would go, kissing and nipping the soft flesh, before using the tip of her tongue to draw in the six pointed star that her girlfriend was so fond of using onto her skin.
Time lost all meaning, as did anything but Twilight Sparkle and making her feel like the most important being in the whole universe. The air around her was filled with those beautiful sounds of her Sparky’s pleasure, and Sunset couldn't stop herself from making the low, throaty, nickering noises in response.  Fisted hands curled around Twilight’s thighs, holding her where Sunset wanted, how she wanted, feeling the lean muscles flex under her touch.  
The fire that had been smoldering in her for months flared into an inferno as she rolled Twilight back over, driven back to the soft skin of her inner thighs. She traced out Equestrian glyphs with her tongue in between heavy, whuffling breaths that made her companion shiver when the air traveled across her flesh. Every inch of flesh she marked sent a pleasurable tingle to her groin and without thinking she squeezed her thighs together to ease the tension there. 
Her eyes slipped shut, cutting off vision so she could savor touch and scent and sound, her mouth moving progressively higher, hearing the cries take on a needy, pleading edge.  She inhaled through her nose, nostrils filling with a scent unmistakably Twilight, but laden with something new, something enticing and undeniably female that made the former unicorn’s lips curl into a smile.  Sunset switched to light, little kisses, moving at last from inner thighs to the place she knew Twilight wanted her badly.  
The first of those kisses made Twilight’s body jump, then sigh happily as Sunset nuzzled her in affection.  It was unfamiliar territory, and yet not.  It was still her Sparky, and she had spent months learning to read her in ways no one else could.  In a fashion not that dissimilar from the way she’d mapped the sensitive places on Twilight’s neck, Sunset made another sound in her throat, licking and nibbling and exploring this new area with a dexterous tongue, savoring the way that her girlfriend’s scent was translating into taste, memorizing not just the shape and texture and taste of every inch, but which spots coaxed the most response.  Twilight gave her plenty of subconscious input: little gasps made it clear when she’d found a pleasure spot, whines that suggested the touch was too much on sensitive flesh, and breathless moans and whispered pleas for more were what she needed to drive her onward.  Teasingly she ran her tongue over the entrance hidden within Twilight's folds, and when the other girl gave another long moan, hips flexing upward, Sunset responded by dipping her tongue within, and testing out her responses to the same exploratory touches inside, filing the knowledge away with everything else she knew about her girlfriend.
Sunset was burning up from the inside out—and it was intense and right in ways she couldn't explain.  This was everything she wanted, everything didn't know she had needed, and it filled a hollow space in her soul she hadn't realized was there.  Her face pressed closer to her companion, filling her senses with “Twilight,” drowning in how it felt, how it made her body throb and ache.  Nothing in her life had ever felt made her feel like this, and the former unicorn never wanted it to end.
Eventually she drew her tongue upward in a slow trail, her mouth settling on the hooded bud that had caused such a strong response from Twilight in her exploration.  She knew, in a dim sort of intellectual way, what it was and why Twilight reacted the way she did when Sunset tested running her tongue over it, but knowing something out of a book did not impart any practical knowledge on what to do with it.  That left her once again, with experimentation, letting her girlfriend’s sounds and behavior serve as a guide.  That yielded very quick results and she found herself brushing just the very tip of her tongue against Twilight—anymore and the reactions told her it was too much stimulation—making use of skills learned as a filly to be far more capable with her tongue than the average human.
As she traced the shape of the hood, Twilight cried out louder, her hips bucking again.  At this point, she seemed entirely nonverbal, reduced to instinctive sounds of pleasure, her cry becoming mewling whimpers that seemed to beg for more.  Sunset finished tracing an outline and on a whim, decided to start drawing Equestrian glyphs with her tongue like she had on Twilight’s thigh.  At first it was just whatever symbols came to mind, random and teasing...but as she felt the heat in her own center rising, she switched to specific words... Twilight’s name, a few adjectives... 
The fire inside her was paired with the growing sense of her magic, the soft warmth of power that manifested when she ponied up.  Hesitating just a moment, she got an idea, one of those eureka moments that used to come to her at CSGU, though she wasn't sure it would work.  Using what remained of her willpower, Sunset focused on her mouth and her emotions, doing everything she could to try and combine that with the tiny trickle of magic, as she spelled out the words she couldn't bring herself to say out loud, needing Twilight to understand how she felt.
She wasn’t sure it was doing anything at all at first, but she could feel that power pulse abruptly, and Twilight’s voice changed mid-moan. Lavender fingers tangled tightly in her hair and Twilight’s legs hooked around her, pulling her even closer, until Sunset could barely breathe.  The lack of air didn’t make any difference, however, as she finished tracing the last few glyphs on her girlfriend’s flesh.  Twilight’s whole body arched and thrashed on the bed, and Sunset pricked her ears forward to catch every last nuance and fluctuation in the wailing scream that filled the loft.  And then nothing mattered at all as the pressure and heat and sensation that had been building inside her own nethers crashed into her, waves of pleasure like she’d never felt in either world wracking her body.
Somewhere in the midst of Twilight’s release and her own pleasure making her see stars, Sunset lost all connection with the real world.  She wasn't Sunset anymore…She was flesh and blood and bone, but she was also fire and light, spirit and soul…she was the universe burning and fading to darkness only to be born anew from the ashes of the old, she was destruction and creation and healing…she was the endless hunger that never stopped in its Desire for more, even as she was the fulfillment and satiation that filled that nagging internal void…She was incomplete, she was whole, she was a multitude thrumming in Harmony, and for a moment that lasted an eternity, she was everywhere and everywhen at once, a heart beat shared by a billion billion souls and every star in the cosmos, before she crashed back into the organic shell of mortality and the knowledge was whisked away from her as it it had never been, leaving behind only the faintest sense of having glimpsed something important and profound and the darkness of her inner eyelids.
Sunset couldn't be sure how long it took her to come back to awareness, but given that Twilight was still panting for air, it couldn't have been that long.  The former unicorn felt shaky as the full impact of what had happened finally registered, but strangely warm and content as well, settled in her human form in a way that she had never felt before.  She placed a soft kiss to damp flesh, before slowly crawling her way back up Twilight’s body on trembling limbs. Collapsing on her pillow, Sunset curled her arms around Twilight in a hug, trying to process what she had just done.
On some level, she had known what she was doing...but now that she lay in her bed, holding Twilight’s form close to her own as they both came down from the high, she realized the full measure of her actions with crystal clarity... that they had crossed the final boundaries into physical, sexual intimacy...and by all rights, Sunset thought she would be upset or bothered—after all, she hadn't planned on it going that far.  Yet, thinking about it, she found she wasn't even slightly distressed or even worried...the feelings, the words they'd shared and the way they’d clung to each other, even the way she had practically worshiped Twilight’s body with her mouth...it all felt...right. Like everything was exactly as it was supposed to be with the two of them in her bed, skin pressed to skin with the signs of intimacy and lovemaking marking them both.
Twilight twitched in her arms, managing to roll onto her side despite uncoordinated limbs.  Purple eyes shining with emotion and still have glazed from pleasure, she kissed Sunset sweetly. “...Sunny...” she breathed, shifting to be as close as possible to the redhead. Sunset tightened her grip, nuzzling into sweat dampened dark hair, and felt Twilight pepper her jawline and neck with more kisses, in between contented little sighs.  Lavender fingers stroked over her arms, her back, her shoulders, gentle touch that carried affection from one girl to the other.
Sunset luxuriated in the sensations she was experiencing, her mind absently trying to draw a parallel between how wonderfully and totally right this moment felt and any other moment in her life—in either world.  After searching through her memory, she could find nothing that matched—the closest she could find came from a long ago and deeply treasured memory from a time when she had been young, before CSGU, before she’d realized that the white alicorn she idolized and adored was not the mother she saw her to be.  She had been five, maybe a bit younger, still prone to those wild and uncontrollable magic surges that only the Princess could halt in their tracks, and in an effort to help her get a handle on her power—and some of her emotions, Sunset realized now—Celestia had spent several days coaching her through a very basic task that would give her some active control: controlling a feather with her telekinesis.
The former unicorn burrowed her face more fully into Twilight’s hair, a rueful expression on her lips. That had been a frustrating three days, filled with anger, tears, and more than one magic surge that incinerated the delicate feathers, until Celestia had supplied one of her own wing feathers which had the benefit of being immune to the fire that seemed to so often come with the turquoise colored aura.  In that moment, when she was no longer trying to worry about so many things at once, Sunset had succeeded, taking the shimmering white feather from the golden aura with her own.  She could remember prancing in place, ready to burst from joy that she had finally managed to do something other than start fires, and the look of pride on Celestia’s face had been worth the three whole days of misery.  Especially when the Solar Princess had swept her up in those wings, held her tightly, and touched the tip of her horn to Sunset’s the way unicorn parents sometimes did. “I’m so proud of you, my little sun,” she told her then, words that only added to the euphoria of mingled magical auras and pure happiness.
That was the closest she could come to how she felt in the here and now, curled up with Twilight in the darkness of the midnight hours.  Despite the lack of magic in her Sparky, and her own extremely limited powers—which seemed to do very little beyond threaten to surge at the worst times and make her pony-up with the other girls—there was a sense of something far greater than either of them, a kind of magic of its own, that filled her body and soul with pleasant heat and an inner peace she had never known.
Hands tugged her head down gently, bringing the redhead out of memories.  Twilight kissed her lips again, murmuring something Sunset couldn't make out and then pressing their foreheads together. Sunset smiled. “Hey,” she breathed.
Her girlfriend giggled, the sound colored by sleep. “...that was...the best way...to end the day...” Twilight managed around both a yawn and a bit of returning shyness. “...thank you, Sunset...for making it everything I’d ever imagined and more.”  She hesitated, biting her lip nervously. “Was...did you like it?”
Sunset brushed their lips together, a soft, brief touch. “I...I never imagined anything could be like tonight has been, Sparky...it wasn't planned, and I never thought it would turn out like this...”  Another kiss, meant to reassure, and she continued.  “...but for all that, nothing has ever felt so right.”
Twilight hesitated again, a faint blush staining her cheeks. "That's how I feel too." She took a breath, then continued, "Stay like this with me for the night?" Fingers caressed Sunset’s bare shoulders and down her back, and lean legs tangled with hers. “I want to...to feel you like this for as long as possible...I’m not ready for it to end just yet...”
“I think I can manage that,” the former unicorn murmured, sitting up just enough to retrieve the blankets to pull over them.  “Come here...”  Laying back down, she tugged Twilight back against her, shifting the smaller teen until they were in her favorite position for sleep. She tucked her face into her girlfriend’s neck, leaving a goodnight kiss on bare skin. “G’nite, Sparky.”  Twilight whispered something back, but sleep had already stolen over Sunset’s awareness, meaning the words hung in the air unheard.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Five: Morning Sunlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Something was tickling her nose, drawing Sunset from the deep reaches of contented sleep and back towards the waking world. She fought it at first, not wanting to be drawn out of the warm and happy bubble her mind had been drifting in between dreams, but the sensation would not go away.   Blue-green eyes drifted open, squinting against the early morning sunbeam that was falling across her face—she really ought to get some sort of curtain or shade for the windows to stop that happening, she mused for probably the hundredth time since she’d moved into the loft—and realized that the source of the tickle was some of Twilight’s dark hair brushing against her nose. 
Sunset carefully smoothed down the sleep-tangled hair, not wanting to wake the other girl, a soft smile finding its way onto her face.  Twilight was curled up against her, snuggled happily into Sunset’s bare chest like an oversized kitten, her legs tangled with Sunsets further under the covers.  In the drowsy afterglow the night before, she’d forgotten to take off her glasses, and they rested crooked on her nose as she rubbed her face against amber skin. It was, the redhead decided, the most adorable sight she had seen in a long time, and she wasnt sure how long she lay there, drinking in the sight of her companion with a goofy smile on her face.
She felt...good, she realized some indeterminate amount of time later, a sense of sated contentment having stolen over her.  All of her fears, all her worries, all the things that had been dragging her through an emotional wringer seemed so far away and insignificant now that the very choice she’d been agonizing over had been made. Looking back at her memories of the night before, she found no regrets, only affection and wonder for the girl curled up in her embrace.  Sunset dropped a kiss onto the top of Twilight’s head, one hand running lightly down her side and over the curve of her hip, reliving the intimacy they’d shared.
The former unicorn would have been utterly content to lay there, cuddling her girlfriend until Twilight woke up, but her stomach had other ideas, growling its annoyance.  Squinting at her bedside clock, she realized it was after ten, and that food was probably a good idea.  Sunset started to move to rouse Twilight, but stopped, remembering how positive the reaction had been a few weeks ago when she brought her breakfast in bed.  Shifting away from her girlfriend carefully, she managed to slide out of bed without waking the still sleeping girl.
After a quick stop in the bathroom to wash her hands and face, Sunset stared into her refrigerator, contemplating what she could make fairly easily.  Spotting a carton of eggs and some veggies that could stand to be used up, she got to work on making omelettes.  Cooking was a task that left her free to think, and she found her thoughts turning to the one thing her choice last night had meant that hadn’t yet been addressed: telling Twilight the whole truth about who and what she was.  She had to tell her—for this to work, for there to be any hope that they would last, she had to tell her everything.  
It wasnt something she could just blurt out over breakfast though. Sunset needed time to plan what she wanted to say, how much detail she was going to give, and when she would do it. For starters, Twilight was a scientist at heart, and that meant Sunset would have to provide a logical explanation and hard proof that her adorable nerd would want to test.  That was something she wasnt quite sure how she could do without the girls—while most of them had had magic manifest individually as well as with the group, Sunset’s own pony-ups seemed entirely tied to the group and their friendship. The only other time her magic did anything was too dangerous to try and use as a demonstration—with her history of magic surges equaling fire and explosions…which had been reinforced with her recent expressions of power being brilliant crimson flames—she wasn't about to use that to prove its existence to Twilight Sparkle.  Sunset grimaced as she finished dicing some onion and a bellpepper up to toss into a frying pan on her makeshift stovetop, alongside some thin sliced mushrooms.  She would need to take some definite time to figure out a form of hard proof that didn't rely on the girls or risk blowing up. 
Leaving the veggies to sizzle and cook in a thin coating of oil, Sunset started whisking the eggs in a  bowl to get them nice and fluffy like the Princess had shown her years ago, adding a little bit of shredded cheese to the bowl. It took a lot more effort without magic, but the end result would be worth it.  As she considered other options for how to prove magic to Twilight, her mind presented her with another concern: how Twilight would react to learning that she was from another world and wasn't human.  Sunset wanted to believe that it wouldn't matter, that her Sparky would accept it the same way she had accepted everything else, but there was that fear that she wouldn't.  
She didn't know what she would do if telling the truth drove a wedge between them—after so many months of having the dark haired girl as an integral part of the life she was building for herself in this world since the Rainbow of Light and Elements of Harmony had knocked some sense into her, the thought of not having that singular bright presence who did her best to not judge her for who she used to be was something that left her stomach twisting unpleasantly.  Sunset pushed the worry down savagely—after the words they’d shared last night, she just couldn’t believe Twilight would be turned away by even something as outlandish as Sunset’s origins and the revelation about magic.  Her fingers closed around a spoon to stir the veggies in the pan, adding a bit of baby spinach and some diced tomatoes, letting them sit on the heat just long enough to add a few herbs and spices give them a good stir to mix them all up thoroughly, all while trying to find a positive thought.  Twilight was already trying to study the magic, even if she didn’t know thats what it was exactly—she might be a bit put out over Sunset not sharing the details before, but then maybe they could work together on it, away from Twilight’s nasty schoolmates and that overbearing principal who actively seemed to encourage the toxicity at the school.
Sunset found herself smiling at that thought, a fanciful daydream of herself and her girlfriend in the lab, wearing lab-coats and bent over equations and thaumaturgical diagrams, puzzling out the intricacies of mana flows and adapting Equestrian spell matrices for the human world.  They would sneak kisses and plenty of touches, she decided as she dumped the veggies into a bowl so she could reuse the pan for the eggs.  In the daydream, the redhead ponied-up for her partner, all so Twilight could run her fingers over the thin, sensitive skin of her real ears.  Sunset really wanted to know what it would feel like to have them touched and played with by human fingers, but it was too intimate to even consider for anyone but her girlfriend to do.
A blush warmed her cheeks as the unicorn-turned-girl let the fantasy play out and daydream Twilight’s fingers went from her ears to her horn, those familiar fingerpads tracing the groove of the spiral. Sunset bit her lip, feeling the want rise up in her soul, and tried to focus on not burning breakfast.  Her body throbbed with every heartbeat, crying out for her to forget the food in favor of returning to the nude form curled up in her bed.
“Down, Shimmer,” she mumbled to herself. “Food first, and see how she feels.”  She licked her lips, realizing that the desire was nowhere near as overwhelming as it had been in the last few months, more a smoldering hearth-fire and not a raging inferno.  A slow smile, cocky, smug, tinged by hunger and desire, crept its way onto her face.  This feeling inside her at that moment felt as right as the night before, and the magic inside her seemed to agree, a thin tendril of it mixing with her emotions without causing a surge.
Basking in her newfound surety and confidence in her choices, Sunset hummed to herself, hips swaying with the beat in her head, oblivious to the shadowy wings that flared open from her bare back before caping themselves as they dissolved into nothingness.





It was the delicious smell that tugged Twilight away from the dream she was having, Dream-Sunset’s glowing blue-green-on-black eyes going hazy and indistinct as the laboratory setting dissolved into nothingness.  Twilight whined in protest, not done enjoying the view of her sexy girlfriend in nothing but a lab-coat, but Dream-Sunny gave her a wink. “Wake up, nerd.  You won't be disappointed.”  And then she too was gone, leaving Twilight staring at the inside of her eyelids.
She sighed softly as her body shifted from asleep to awake, snuggling more into the thick, soft quilt that smelled faintly of apples and cinnamon, the texture of it wonderful against her bare skin.  The afterglow from the night before hadn’t entirely faded, leaving her brain to wake slowly and without the usual deluge of thoughts that made her unable to laze about most mornings.  It let Twilight drift briefly into her memories, of Sunset’s mouth on her and the look in those eyes as they met hers, reliving how wonderful it had felt.  She’d had plenty of fantasies over the last few years, both before and after Sunset came into her life, but none of them had come close to the real thing.  Not even the few romance novels she’d delved into had managed to paint a picture even remotely close.  Being with Sunset...it had been an unquantifiable experience; the gorgeous girl had made her feel like nothing else existed or mattered beyond the two of them.  
Twilight stretched and sat up slowly, reaching up to fix the glasses she had forgotten to take off the night before, cleaning the smudges off them with a corner of the quilt before resettling them on her nose. The bed was empty, but the sound of humming and smell of food told her that her girlfriend was down below.  The dark haired teen sat there, taking some time to just enjoy the morning.   Footsteps on the stairs got her attention, and she turned to see a wild, sleep tousled mane appear.  
Then she forgot how to breathe properly. Sunset’s eyes were focused on her as she came into view, lips quirked into a sexy smirk. She moved with all the fluidity of a predatory feline, balancing two breakfast plates easily...and she was still completely bare from the waist up, her breasts bouncing slightly with every step she climbed.  Twilight’s mouth went dry, but nothing would tear her from the pleasure of this moment.  As much as her stomach was hungry for food, she found she was craving something else.
“Morning, Sparky,” Sunset greeted her, voice sending a tingle down Twilight’s spine. “I made omelets.” She offered Twilight one, before sliding back under the covers while holding her own plate.
Twilight found herself grinning back. “Morning, Sunset,” she replied, scooting close to the amber skinned girl. “It smells great.” 
Breakfast was a short affair, but Twilight used every chance she had to initiate some form of physical contact with Sunset, from leaning against her side, to touching her knee under the covers to finding spots on her shoulder to kiss.  Her girlfriend seemed unfazed by it at first, at least until she’d finished her food. Once the empty plate was on the nightstand, warm hands began running over her neck and shoulders, and the same lips that had worked magic on her were back at it, leaving a line of burning kisses across her collarbone.
Twilight almost dropped her fork when lips tugged on her earlobe, and Sunset’s breath ghosted over her skin. “After you eat,” the redhead murmured between nibbling kisses, “I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a shower?”  Sunset’s tone was soft, and there was an almost hesitant note to her voice.
A shiver went through her. A shower with Sunset, one of the few fantasies that she’d indulged in that didnt involve books, science, or astronomy? “I...I’d like that!” she blurted out before her brain could compose a much more intelligent reply.
Sunset nuzzled into her neck, even as one arm curled around Twilight, leaving amber fingers pressing warmly to her stomach.  She could feel every breath pressing Sunset’s chest to her back and shoulder, making it a struggle to finish her food instead of crawling into Sunset’s lap to beg for more of her touch.  It felt like an eternity before she finally set the fork onto an empty plate, her own voice sounding shaky.  “...d...done...Shower?”
Arms closed around her in a hug. “Hey...you sure you’re okay with it?” Sunset asked gently. “We don’t have to if you’re not up for it, Sparky. I just thought...” The taller girl trailed off.  “It doesn’t matter what I thought. If you’re not ready, you’re not—”
Twisting in the embrace, plate practically hurled onto the nightstand, Twilight lunged at Sunset. Lips met in a sloppy, heated kiss that quickly deepened as they fell back on the pillows.  The arms around her tightened after the initial surprise wore off, and what had started as Twilight’s frantic need to communicate how much she wanted that shower and the intimacy that came with it became an exchange of passion. Sunset rolled them so she was on top, the kiss breaking to become smaller kisses, ones with teeth and tongue involved as much as lips, until every breath was a whimpering plea for more.  Twilight dug her fingers into amber skinned shoulders, wanting her beautiful girlfriend pressed against her.  She arched and bucked and writhed under the body that pinned her, trying to find an angle that put pressure right where she needed it...and when she found it, right when Sunset was worrying the spot where neck and shoulder met with a hungry mouth, Twilight saw stars, and time itself seemed to stand still.
When she came back to herself, Sunset’s lips were pressed to the hollow of her throat, the touch electrifying enough to send aftershock-like tingles through her nerves.  It didn’t take long for blue-green eyes to be staring into hers again, a slight smile on her girlfriend’s face. “…so…was that a yes on the shower?” the redhead asked, her voice still soft but touched this time by mirth.
Nodding, still breathless and panting, Twilight brought her hand up to tangle it in fiery tresses. She kissed Sunset again, this one a brief brush that lasted only a few seconds. “You…have to let me up though,” she managed, cheeks hot as she glanced downward.
Sunset chuckled, before rolling off the bed and onto her feet. Seemingly without thought or care, the redhead shed her sleep shorts, stepping lightly out of them and arching her body into a stretch that made Twilight’s breath catch. Turned as she was, the smooth curves of her hips and backside were on near full display, while the way she raised her arms over her head called attention to the lean muscles of her back and shoulders. The nerdy girl drank it all in, her hands itching to touch the newly revealed parts of her companion, restraining herself only barely—even as much as theyd done last night, she still didnt want to push too hard, too fast.
Her staring must have lasted too long, because Sunset half turned, that sexy smirk on her face again. “You coming, Sparky?” she teased, even as she turned back to start down the stairs. 
Twilight scrambled after her, her brain still half fuzzy from endorphins—she was amazed she made it down the stairs without tripping.  
Sunset’s bathroom had been an oddity from that first night in the fall.  Accessible by way of the door that also led to the unfinished area that held things like Sunset’s heating and air conditioner, as well as her washer and dryer, most of the bathroom itself was fairly utilitarian, with a sink, medicine cabinet, toilet, and even the cabinet for towels being durable but budget models.  The shower though? The shower wasn't just nice, it was a top of the line, expensive shower, the kind with all manner of ‘bells and whistles’ that even her parents thought was too much when they’d redone the upstairs bathroom when she was eleven.  The shower was perhaps the most incongruous thing about the loft—though the refrigerator and Sunset’s computer came in close second—and was one of the things that had helped Twilight make some educated guesses about her girlfriend’s previous guardian.  
At the same time, she wasnt going to complain, especially when Sunset leaned in to fiddle with the shower, turning on the water and adjusting the settings. The painful, harsh white noise of the water shifted into a pattern and frequency that didn’t make her teeth itch, and as she closed the door behind them, she took the chance to step forward, until she was up against Sunset’s back, arms going around her in a hug. She pressed her nose into red and gold curls, making a happy sound in her throat, while they waited for the water temperature to adjust.
A hand came back, fingers stroking over her hair. “Hey,” came the affectionate murmur.  Sunset turned her head slightly, still smiling, and her other hand rested on the hands around her waist, squeezing lavender digits. She grinned back goofily, resting her cheek against Sunset’s shoulder and enjoying the close contact.  
They stood like that for several minutes, as steam curled around them. Then the redhead tugged free of the embrace to offer Twilight her hand, stepping into the shower.  Twilight followed, feeling warm water cascading over her head and shoulders as the taller girl  guided her under the spray and plucked her glasses off her face to place them on the nearby counter.  Sunset’s form became an indistinct, amber-and-reddish blur, but as fingers began massaging her scalp, Twilight stopped caring.
It didnt take much for her to be willing to let Sunset take charge again, as the massaging fingers moved from her scalp to her neck. Pure bliss rippled through her, escaping as a low moan she couldnt stop, especially when those thumbs found a knot of tension that the right pressure and friction undid, relief and pleasure coming on the heels of a slight pain. Her head lolled forward, coming to rest against Sunset’s collarbone. “...mmm...Sunny...that feels...ooooh...” 
“You’ve been way too stressed lately, Sparky,” came the soft response. “I wish I’d thought to do this sooner. You need to relax.”  Twilight felt her girlfriend kiss the top of her head. “Let me help you?” 
Something deep inside her fluttered at the words, and Twilight found herself nodding against Sunset. “...okay.”  Her arms wrapped themselves around the other girl’s body in a tight hug.
Another kiss was dropped onto her head, and those amber skinned fingers stopped their ministrations briefly. “Tilt your head a little to your right? Straighten your neck?” When Twilight did as she was bid, Sunset started working away at another muscle knot. “There we go,” she murmured with playful affection. “Good girl...”
The words washed over her the same way the water was, soothing and warm, leaving a sense of comforting contentment behind.  Her anxieties and stress, which had already been banished to the far corners of her mind, dissolved away, leaving behind a sense of rightness. Here, with her girlfriend, standing under the hot water and blanketed by steam...this was exactly where she should be, where she needed to be.  Twilight gave a happy sigh, melting under Sunset’s touch as weeks and months of frustration and strain fell away. Nothing else mattered right then, not school, not her peers, not the project or the energy that kept eluding her...only the two of them and the feelings they shared meant anything in that moment. 
Twilight let her consciousness drift, eyes slipping shut while she basked in the sensations: Sunset’s fingers working over her neck and shoulders, the water and steam and heat around them, the way their bodies still fit together perfectly, even in the shower, the way she felt so safe and happy in the intimate space, away from questioning eyes with the person she cared about more than anyone else in the world. It was as close to perfection as was humanly possible, and it was hers.





Another happy sigh escaped from Twilight, making Sunset smile. Ten minutes under the hot water and a massage for her neck and shoulders had left the shorter teen slumped against her bonelessly.  The former unicorn let her hands slide back up into dark hair, before gently maneuvering them both, putting her back to the water so she could wash Twilight’s hair.  Purple eyed blinked up at her in brief confusion, until her girlfriend saw her retrieve the shampoo.
Sunset worked the shampoo into a lather, but took her time, fingers and fingernails massaging Twilight’s scalp as much as she was shampooing her hair, slow circles that worked their way from the base of her neck to her forehead, savoring not just the contact, but the intimacy of the moment, especially because bathing for humans was almost exclusively a solitary activity.  That made this moment, with Twilight cuddled close, all the more special, maybe even more so than the night before.
She reached back to rinse her hand before grabbing the showerhead and detaching it from the mount in order to rinse the shampoo out of her girlfriend’s long, dark mane.  Special care was taken to avoid getting water in her ears, and then Sunset repeated her efforts with conditioner. Twilight kissed her skin. “Mmm...Sunny...that feels wonderful....” she managed, sounding half drunk on pleasure.  
“Glad to hear that,” Sunset responded, working bodywash into a soft cloth and then running it over Twilight’s back and shoulders.  The smooth movements—similar to the massage she’d given—elicited an even deeper sound of enjoyment, and gave the redhead the confidence to continue the action over the rest of Twilight’s form.  She wasn’t a hundred percent sure if human couples commonly engaged in this more intimate type of bathing or not, but from the flush on her cheeks and the way her girlfriend was responding, it at least wasnt a completely unheard of endeavor.  
Once the soap had been washed down the drain, Twilight kissed her, hands sliding down Sunset’s sides to rest on her hips.  “Sunny?” she asked shyly.  “...would it be okay if...if I did the same for you? Or is that too much touch for you still?”
Any lingering doubts Sunset had about her choice the night before melted away as happiness bubbled up from inside her, escaping as a soft chuckle.  She pressed her forehead to Twilight’s, smiling with tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.  “…oh, Sparky,” she mumbled, hugging her companion as tight as she could. “…yes, yes, it’s okay…after last night, after this morning, I’m okay with this, with all of this.  That includes your touch.”  The former unicorn stared into purple eyes. “…I meant what I said last night—nothing has ever felt so right as this, with you.”
It was apparently the exact right thing to say, and pretty soon, Sunset wasn’t thinking about anything but the girl in her arms amidst water and steam.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Six: Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






Twilight watched as Sunset’s bike revved once she was back on the street, her own hand raised in a farewell wave at her girlfriend. Sunset gave a parting wave of her own before she drove off into the sunny afternoon.  The dark haired girl lingered on the porch until the leather wearing form on the motorcycle disappeared around the corner, her lips turned up unconsciously into a smile. Only once Sunset was completely gone from view did she turn back to enter the house amidst the eager barks of her dog whose tail was wagging so hard his whole back half wiggled.
She closed the door behind her, leaning back against it with a soft and happy sigh after she picked up her dog. “Oh, Spike,” she whispered, hugging the furry body tight mostly out of a raw desire to have something warm and alive in the circle of her arms again. “…I miss her already…” 
Which was the truth. Despite everything bad that had happened, the last two days had been unimaginably wondrous and she hadn't wanted it to end, hadn't wanted to leave the warmth and intimacy they had achieved in the privacy of Sunset’s loft. Neither of them had, really; Sunset had lingered in the shower with her until the hot water ran out, and there had been little resistance when Twilight had practically tackled her to the couch for another round…or two…
Though the third round had been initiated by her Sunny, when she’d flipped them and pushed Twilight into the couch cushions. Not to mention the way Sunset had interfered with the process of finally getting dressed, all wandering hands and heated kisses.
Real life had intruded all the same as the afternoon ticked away, however, and with reluctance, Sunset had brought Twilight home. It didn't stop the dark haired girl from reliving the memories, letting the night before drift across her thoughts with a faint flush on her cheeks. Things had changed between them, not just because of  their physical encounters—Twilight felt like she was floating, buoyed up by the knowledge that whispered in her ear with the memory of blue-green eyes staring up at her: Sunset loved her, and she loved Sunset in return, even if neither had spoken it aloud yet. Perhaps it had been there for a while, but now that she had acknowledged it in her own mind, she could feel the way things arc’ed and buzzed between them, thrumming like an electrical current fashioned from emotion rather than energy, coating every interaction and word. If nothing else it made their current separation that much more tolerable and gave Twilight something to look forward to when they reunited next…
It had another benefit she had not realized until after the fact, but it was a benefit that the teenager hoped would continue and not wear off after a day or two. For the first time in her life that she could recall, her mind was tranquil and quiet, completely lacking the constant noise of a thousand trains of thought coming and going at all hours and endless scenarios painted in vivid color for her to see. Instead there was only Sunset, her touch, her voice, and the way she made Twilight feel, the ghost of their night together running along every nerve ending in time with the memories. Twilight let out a soft and contented sigh, basking in the stillness and light within and savoring the crystal clarity of the world that had been lacking for years. She had no idea if this was normal, or if it was something unique to her because nothing Cadence had ever spoken of had mentioned anything like it, and for all the books she had read could be both graphic and fantastical in the narrative of the love lives of characters, they too had failed to paint a picture that matched her experience.
Twilight had been so lost inside her own head that she hadn't paid much attention to Spike, and only belatedly realized that the dog in her arms had quieted. She glanced down to find him staring at her almost quizzically, ears akimbo, even as he sniffed her shirt. It struck her as funny for reasons she couldn't explain, and she giggled before kissing the top of his head. “She had to go home, Spike. I wish she didn't, but…” she sighed, before setting him down.
“The date went well then?” Cady’s voice broke through the quiet of the house. When Twilight jumped, staring at her wide eyed—she hadn't heard Cadence enter the room, for all she had noticed her car was the only one in the driveway. Her sister-in-law giggled, before she was in motion, pulling Twilight first into a hug, then unceremoniously pushing her up the stairs. “Girl-talk time, Ladybug!” the pink skinned woman informed her cheerfully, opening the door to her room.
Bewildered and unprepared, Twilight allowed herself to be directed to the space decorated in soothing colors  that featured heavily in a lot of her memories of safety and sisterly companionship…but also in memories where Cadence plied her for embarrassing secrets or listened to her talk about her struggles at school or with her peers. Her current state of mind left her more than a little unable to process Cady’s excitement.
Closing the door behind them, Mi Amore Cadenza bounced over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Sooo…spill!” The grin on her face was wider than Twilight would have believed possible.
“I…it…we had a good time?” Twilight sat down nearby. “Glamour got a tattoo…we went to a big local Pride festival that was going on for the weekend.” The dark haired girl bit her lip. “Sunset bought me a couple of shirts…but I’m keeping them at her place until I tell Mom and Dad.”
Her sister-in-law nodded along with her description of events, before giving her a long, appraising stare that made Twilight more than a little twitchy. “Mmm…sounds like a good day then…but that's not what I meant.”
Lavender fingers tugged nervously on the messy ponytail. “I…don't understand?” she squeaked out—a small lie, as the answer started to dawn the instant the words were out of her mouth.
Cadence failed at restraining her laughter, and she reached over to rest her hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Twily, I love you like a little sister, but that means I know you and all of your tells, and right now you couldn’t advertise any louder that you got laid if you used a megaphone to announce it to the whole neighborhood.”
Twilight squawked, turning bright red, and she stammered out a long string of nearly unintelligible denials.  Cadence never wavered in her amused expression, and eventually she wilted when it became evident that none of the attempted denial or deflection was working. “How could you tell?” she asked in surrender, hoping to figure out damage control to avoid outing herself to all and sundry.
“Twily, do you own a hairbrush?”
The abrupt non-sequitur confused Twilight.  “Yes,” the dark haired girl answered slowly, puzzlement leaking into her voice, “but what does that have to do with—”
“You should get an extra one and keep it in your bag with you.”
She was completely lost now. “Why does that matter?”
Cadence gave her a wicked grin that would have been right at home on a Cheshire Cat. “So you don’t come in the door with ‘she fucked me’ bedhead,” she pointed out, seemingly enjoying watching the myriad of reactions that Twilight could feel playing out on her face as the words sunk in and then were mentally evaluated on a second, third, and even fourth pass, her eyes widened with each subsequent review.
Hands darted up to her hair, feeling over the ponytail that had been fine when she’d first put her hair up after the shared shower. “That’s a thing?!” she yelped in dismay.
“It sure is, Ladybug, and you’ve got a serious case of it right now.” Cady’s eyes were bright with mirth. “That and you need to start keeping concealer either in your bag or at Sunset’s, not just here at the house…” She tipped Twilight’s chin up and turned her head slightly to get a better look at her neck. “Or you need to convince her to leave bite marks somewhere much more discreet, because no one is going to believe a mark shaped like human teeth is a bug bite.”
A part of Twilight had blown right past embarrassment into pure mortification, but a larger and growing part of her was just upset. She knew Cadence didn't mean anything bad or demeaning with the playful, sisterly teasing; such things were just part of having a sibling, regardless of gender, and Cadence was never one to be cruel or mean spirited with any of her actions.  Quite the opposite, when it came to “Girl Talk” moments between them…while it had never been stated aloud, Twilight had put together years before that this was Cady’s way of filling in both as the blood-sister she lacked and all of the female friends she didn't have to talk about personal things with, giving Twilight an aspect of social interaction and development she couldn't get anywhere else that she needed for her own mental health.  However, the young woman’s good natured ribbing was missing its mark today, leaving Twilight feeling as though the intimate moments of the night before and earlier that day were being belittled or made light of, when to her they were something special.
“Cady…” she started, watching as her sister-in-law took notice of her tone of voice. “…I know that you mean well…but…can we talk without teasing, just this once?”
The results were immediate and visible. Cadence dropped the playful grin in favor of a very worried and concerned expression and she scooted so she could sit next to Twilight and put an arm around her shoulders instead. “Twily? What's wrong? I thought from the way you were acting that things must’ve gone really well.”
“They did,” the teenager responded, leaning into the hug. “Even with my considerable vocabulary in several languages, I lack the words to accurately articulate my feelings.” Just talking about it made that blissful happiness and warmth steal back over her. “…but that’s why…it's too special a memory…does that make sense?”
She glanced over when Cadence did not respond right away, and saw her frowning in the way she did when she was upset. “I’m sorry, Ladybug,” she said, voice gone quiet and contrite. “I didn't mean it in a negative way, or mean to make it seem like I was making fun of you—I can't tell you how happy I am that you and Sunset are so good together…I want to see you happy. You deserve all the love in the world, from a woman who cherishes the real you, flaws and all.”  Fingers combed through Twilight’s ponytail lightly. “And if that woman is Sunset, then I’ll be the first one to toast at your wedding, because she deserves happiness just as much as you do.”
Twilight let out a slow exhale that wasn't strong enough to be called a sigh. “I…think I want it to be,” she confessed softly. “I…love her. Sunset, I mean. Not like a best friend or as a family member…but…like you and Shining love each other. I…realized it last night, and I think she loves me…even if we didn't say it to each other. It’s…part of what made it mean so much. It wasn't j-just…s-sex…I felt alive and wanted and special in a way that I never have before…”
Cadence rested her cheek against the top of Twilight’s head. “First times are different,” the woman murmured understandingly, “especially when it's with someone that’s special to you.”
“It was…nothing like what books make it sound like…”
Laughter made her sister-in-law’s shoulders shake gently. “Because the people who write those books have never experienced it, Twily, or if they have, like you, they can't put it into words that do it justice…”
There was something reassuring in knowing that Cadence understood what she was feeling, and could verify that Twilight wasn’t alone in her experience. Although, if she was honest, she had no interest in the details of her sister-figure’s personal encounters, nor did she have any want to discover what intimacy would be like with anyone other than Sunset. 
In any other circumstance the reliance on a single case study or data point was a foolish error, in this case, Twilight felt she could draw a satisfactory conclusion to a long held hypothesis. Though…if Sunset was interested in…repeating the experiment…perhaps under a variety of conditions…she wouldn't be opposed to that.
She could see it now: Sunset dressed in a lab coat and little else, leaning forward across one of the tables in her lab to grin at her with a smug, sexy expression. “Glad to hear you find my skills in this area so…satisfying…” Sunset’s voice purred in her mind. “Now, Dr. Sparkle…what variable are we testing for next?”
Swallowing, Twilight tried to push the mental images away, and could almost hear Mental-Sunset chuckling at her. This was not the best time to be beset by part two of that morning’s steamy romantic lab fantasy.
“Right…so tonight then? Say…bedtime? It's a date!”
That mental facsimile of her girlfriend’s voice was going to be the end of her.
Cadence’s voice broke into her thoughts. “I’m glad it was a positive experience for you, Ladybug…and while I’m not teasing, there's a couple of things you are probably going to want to do to help make sure that you aren’t inadvertently advertising to the public any more than you want them to know.”
She bit her lip. “…like the hairbrush?”
“Yes, like the hairbrush, but also a small bag of the little wet wipes—the ones like you get at a barbecue place or fried chicken restaurant? Little things you can pack in a purse or backpack to clean up from any spontaneous encounters. Its less messy in some ways with another girl than with a boy, but not always.”
Twilight fought the urge to whine and bury her face in her hands. On second thought, perhaps having the lab fantasy at an inappropriate moment was the lesser of two evils.





Sunset reentered her apartment with a lightness to her steps and a smile on her face that she couldn't seem to get rid of, despite having dropped the source of it off at home. She found herself humming as she shed her jacket and wandered to the fridge for a drink, body swaying to the beat once she had a chance to turn on her music.  It was almost shocking, how much of a difference twenty four hours could make, she marveled as she unpacked the groceries she’d picked up for the week and retrieved one of the multitude of frozen meals Velvet had filled her freezer with, setting it atop her microwave to thaw.  Or maybe it was just a testament to how much of her stress had been tied into worrying about her double life and the human girl who had ensnared her so completely…
Sparky…
The images danced across her mind’s eye with barely any effort, and Sunset could see the other girl the way she had looked that morning, skin touched with moisture from the shower and raw desire in her eyes when she’d pulled the redhead into a heated kiss and another round of steamy lovemaking, right there on the couch. Sunset could still feel the fingers against her inner thighs, as if Twilight’s touch was permanently branded into her  flesh. She wasn't entirely sure if the noise that had torn from her in climax had been entirely possible for her throat—the faint scratchy ache suggested it wasn't—or entirely human…
Good thing her only neighbors were separated by some alleys…and that renovations to the building before she moved in had included new insulation with good soundproofing. The former unicorn was not particularly keen on Mr. Asiago knowing about her intimate life. As funny and charming as the wizened old man was, she wasn't sure if he would chastise her or offer her a drink in celebration. Probably the latter. 
Shaking her head to clear it, Sunset flopped bonelessly onto her couch. She still had to figure out a solid plan and a few backups to tell Twilight about the magic, but with her decision made, she was no longer hovering in that in-between space. The decision itself was somewhat bittersweet—she loved her magic and being a unicorn, but…this world wanted her as she was…and more than that…she wanted this world, this life, and the people in it that had found their way into her heart.
Like Twilight Sparkle, her adorably dorky human girlfriend, whose voice and touch made her battered soul sing.
She wanted to see what their relationship could be in ten years or thirty, to let the feelings between them blossom and grow into their own. When she pictured her life going forward, it was her Sparky that formed the center of the image, by her side every step of the way, a partner and best friend in good times and bad. Everything else was vague and suggestive at best: college and career, home, hobbies, even friends…but Twilight was in focus and high definition, giving her that smile that said everything would be okay.
“Sun and stars, Shimmer,” she chastised herself. “You’ve become such a sap.”
It didn't help that she was cuddling a couch pillow that held a lingering whiff of their scents, and air that was touched with the night’s passion. Maybe she should open a window so she could think clearly without the hormones muddling her senses or fueling her own desire to drive right back over to Twilight’s house and continue where they had left off on the couch.
—Someone’s randier than a deer in rut. Must’ve been some good sex. Certainly a change from all your denials and moping, horn-head.— It almost sounded like praise and approval.  —You’re welcome, by the way.—
Whatever thoughts she’d had ground unceremoniously to a shrieking halt at the sudden reappearance of that sarcastic and somewhat dry toned inner voice that had been missing for months from her inner monologues. 
—Awww, did you miss it that much?—
That would be pushing it, Sunset decided. Though she might have appreciated being able to use the inner voice as a sounding board for the things that had been weighing on her….Although that did beg the question of how a part of her own psyche could just disappear for months without a trace, even when she was actively trying to trigger what Twilight would call ‘a coping mechanism.’
—Not sorry. You had it under control, and there were bigger problems to worry about.—
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “If that's what I sound like when I get sarcastic, I owe a lot of people apologies,” she muttered to herself. Stupid little voice.
Laughter, a touch darker than expected, drifted up from that corner of herself. —Sarcasm is a natural defense against gross stupidity. We’ve mastered that.— 
Sunset curled into the pillow, trying to tune it out. Focusing on memories of the night before and earlier in the day were much more satisfying than getting mocked by herself. She indulged in playing back the way Twilight had looked on the couch, eyes dilated and hungry as she’d parted Sunset’s towel from her hips.
—Sparky’s going to be an insatiable little minx now you know.—
“Like I am really going to mind,” Sunset countered with her own snark. “The sounds she makes are worth a little more exercise and a little less sleep.”
—…again, you're welcome. You two didn’t exactly make it easy.—
Something about that statement made the former unicorn stop and really focus on what was going on. She’d assumed that the voice was simply a repressed corner of her own mind…like her subconscious or her own personal ‘devil’s advocate’ as the human term would describe it. That, however…there was something there that unsettled her, and she couldn't quite pin it down with a hoof. “What?” she whispered, speaking to the voice directly now.
It sounded mildly amused and a little frustrated. —You both have been panting at each other like cats in heat for months, but at every turn you fought any encouragement. Both of you. You should get a medal for self control, horn-head.—
Her mouth was dry and her stomach dropped unpleasantly into the vicinity of the local sewer system to hang out with alligators, rats, and discarded goldfish bodies. “You? But…you’re…” Sunset paused to take a deep breath and collect her scattered thoughts. “You're just me. My own mind.”
Even as she said it, doubt filled her. The voice had been something she never actively controlled, and when she had tried, it failed to make an appearance, even in situations where she was mentally mocking herself. And the last time she had heard it was…
—The Battle of the Bands, because that needed all of us to put those shrieking, scaly, walking sushi platters down hard.  Between that, your gaggle of new apprentices, and keeping the filth from getting too into Sparky’s head, all of you has been spread too thin, and comparing notes has been difficult at best, especially since you're afraid of parts of yourself.—
That was way more to unpack than she was prepared for, but she fixated on the part that mattered. “What do you mean, keeping filth out of Sparky’s head?”
The voice—which was becoming less stupid and little by the second—sighed heavily. —You're smarter than that, horn-head. You know already—you were just there last week...and Sparky isn't theirs to have. You knew it was bad news before too, and you wanted to protect her. So you did.—
Sunset bit back an unpleasant laugh. “By…what? Sending a detached portion of my own subconscious brain to fight dark magic? Newsflash, it wasn't working—she keeps coming home with it hooked into her.” 
—It would have been worse if you hadn't.—
“I find that hard to believe.” Sunset rubbed her face, wondering if she was just going mad. 
—You know better,— the voice in the back of her mind chastised and in that moment, everything froze for Sunset Shimmer.
Because she’d heard those words before, in that exact tone…in her nightmares, from the fanged mouth of the demon she’d once become…
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Her mind echoed with those same words, spoken again and again in different hellish dreamscapes of crawling shadows and desolate darkness. All along, she’d been looking for signs that the demon was still present…had it truly been right there in front of her from the very beginning? Whispering in her ear, goading her, pushing her towards her best friend, commiserating with her woes…and then just…disappearing for months? 
None of that made sense, and it was that that got her breathing again. Sunset needed answers, something to bring clarity to a scenario that…didn't match up with what she knew. At the formal, she’d been consumed by her anger and desire to prove herself, to show she was worthy of Ascension, of Celestia’s love and attention, and she’d been willing to murder, torture, and enslave any being necessary to accomplish that goal. If the voice in the back of her mind was whatever was left of the monster she’d transformed into, then why in the wide world of Equestria was it fixated on encouraging teenage romance or providing her with an outlet for her frustrations with the growing pains of new friendships? Or…somehow…trying to protect Twilight—the counterpart of the pony who’d defeated it the last time that part of her was in control and free—from dark magic…if that part was to be believed, and not some kind of lie to earn her sympathy.
—No point in lying to yourself, horn-head. Doesn’t serve much purpose.—
That still didn't explain why it would want to encourage her relationship with Twilight. 
Another sigh echoed up from the back of her mind. —It's not that complicated, you know. Why? Because it's what you Desired…and honestly, the little pushes were what you both needed. Now you’re happy, and you can plan how to do your big reveal to Sparky, and the two of you can live happily ever after in nerd paradise, inventing all kinds of new technologies, researching magic, and having lots of wild sex. Everybody wins.—
Sitting up on the couch, Sunset squeezed the pillow in a death grip. “Now I know I’m being lied to,” she hissed. “What are you really after? Who else have you targeted? What’s your game?”
—Paranoia isn't all that attractive a feature, you know.—
“Neither is being a demonic abomination, so I guess we’re even.”
If there was the auditory equivalent of an eye roll, the voice managed it. —And things were going so well. Fine. If you must know, there was some consideration for turning Abacus Cinch into a greasy smudge, and maybe Wallflower ran away that day because we were fed up with her threats about Sparky, but other than that, nothing you haven't secretly wanted.  Why work against yourself?—
Sunset fought back a growl. “I don't believe it.  The old me always had a motive. I was nothing but manipulative schemes, lies, anger, hate, and full of the desire to crush my opponents by any means necessary. Hurting others was part of establishing my own superiority, and destroying competition. And when I put the Crown on, all of those things were magnified a hundredfold. I wanted to kill Princess Twilight, I enslaved half the school. I was a monster.”
—We’ve been over this. Last time, you were filled with hate, with a lust for something that wasn’t yours to have, and so we became those things. It’s different now. You don't want those things anymore—you are not who we used to be!— The voice, or demon or whatever it really was seemed agitated and almost pleading. —All that matters here is what you desire…what Sparky desi—
Anger boiled in her and her magic throbbed warningly against the inside of her skull. “No!” the redhead barked out. “You…you don't get to touch her—stay away from Twilight! She's the only thing in my life you never corrupted and twisted!” She felt like she was wrestling with a piece of her own essence as she zeroed in on the stupid voice. “I won't let you hurt her, or anyone else, ever again!”
—If there’s one person above all others that is in no danger from any part of you, Sunset Shimmer, it is Twilight Sparkle. You know that—all of you would do anything for her, even the parts of yourself wish didn’t exist.—
She clenched her hands tightly, knuckles white, and vaguely registered the tearing of fabric under her fingertips. “I can’t believe that—you stay away from her!”  It hurt, and for the first time in forever her magic burned her as she fought a part of herself, crimson flames along her arms and hands leaving the skin tender and even blistered in places.
The smell of charred fabric filled her nostrils as the voice answered with a bit of tart petulance, —You don't want to do this, horn-head. It's only going to make things worse.— 
Sunset ignored it, grimacing through the pain as she worked to build a cage of will and defiance around the whispering monster in her mind that had revealed itself. Never again, she told herself, holding onto that thought like a mantra, giving her the strength to blink back tears. She would not allow it to take her over again, or to bring harm to the people in her life, even if she had to beg the girls to hit her with the Rainbow of Light a few more times just to be sure—that had to be what weakened it at the Battle of the Bands and driven it to silence for months. 
—You're making a mistake,— it warned her testily as she slammed the cage shut and sealed it tight with magic and something not unlike a prayer.
“I’m finally doing…something right…about one thing I can control,” the former bully bit back. “I won't be you…again…” Her magic guttered out, and her vision grayed from the effort it had taken to lock the monster away. The walls of her loft swam dizzyingly, in time with the pain in her head, and she decided that maybe laying back was a good idea with how light-headed she felt.   As she did, she cursed her body’s inability to work with her magic properly…
And then she didn't think of much else as the cool darkness of unconsciousness claimed her. Her body settled into the couch cushions and the arms drawn tight to her relaxed, one falling towards the ground and spilling the charred, tattered pillow from a blistered hand and fingers tipped in black claws…
> Interlude XXXII: Umbrage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adolescent mortals scurried to and fro like frenzied rodents in a grain silo, as oblivious to the eyes watching from the clinging shadows and crystal accents as the aforementioned rodents were to the farm cat lurking nearby. The comparison was apt, He sneered—they were little more than annoying vermin or cattle, only tolerable as long as they served His purpose. Once He no longer needed them, He would be as happy to crush them under His hooves as any other annoying insect.
For now though, they were a necessary irritant.
Ignorant of how close they were to their own demise, the humans were entirely caught up in the drama of their own little lives and the incessant theatrics that seemed to choke them in the halls of the so-called school. They bit and snapped at each other, laughed at the misfortune of others amidst their small divided social groups, and jockeyed for better positions in the social hierarchy through any means they had to. A lesser being would have been disgusted at how they turned on each other so easily, but He merely felt contempt. It was an illusion, the power they believed they had or could attain when compared to True Power…to the fae that manipulated them with centuries of skill and inherent magic…or to Him, an imprisoned God who would soon be free once more.
As He slipped His sight from one flickering shadow to the next, He spied the telltale glamour of one of Itheadair’s underlings, clad in the guise of one of the very adolescents they tormented. This one was mid-torture, trailing after one of the female humans like a hound after a rabbit.
“Where ya’ going, Pacific?” the changeling called mockingly, prompting the prey’s distress to ratchet up enough to start crying. It was a weakness that was leapt upon eagerly. “Aww…gonna go cry in the bathroom again?” The loud vocalization drew attention from the unruly crowd of onlookers, and cruel laughter rippled through the masses adding to the fleeing female’s suffering.
It was not hard to see why she was a target, even for Him. While she wore the same uniform as her peers, her satchel was a lurid mix of hues that were eye-catchingly painful to look at for long, and adorned with a plethora of decorative patches and hanging trinkets.  This was paired with a shock of red-pink hair worn in twin tails and held up with equally brightly colored ties. Topped off with still more color in the form of bangles around her wrists and neck—pushing the limits of the strict dress-code He knew that Itheadair enjoyed enforcing—the loud visual look made her a target for predators, human, fae, or otherwise.
She fled to a bathroom, still pursued by her tormentor, and He chose to follow, wanting to savor the misery and fear. It was all too easy to take up a new vantage point in a darkened corner, spotting the victim huddled in one of the stalls like a trapped animal while the changeling kicked at the door.
“What’s wrong? Why’re you hiding? I just wanted to help you out, give you a little haircut!” They laughed nastily at their own twisted joke and struck the door again with a carefully measured amount of strength. After all, it was not about breaching the small space, but rather about causing more suffering to their young victim. “You know what the boys all call you, right?”
Silence but for the sobbing, and the fae’s guise sneered. “Handlebars. They call you handlebars, because that's what your hair is good for! Sounds like those pigtails of yours are reeeeal popular with them!”
The petty spite and childish antics exemplified the very problem that had become something He could no longer ignore. Itheadair had outlived their usefulness to Him. Too many decades of playing petty games with children and vermin had dulled the fae’s edge and turned the remnants of the once proud and powerful race into little more than the very immature vermin they watched over. Now, the mistakes were mounting, and had crossed the line into unforgivable—their failure could have cost Him His sacrifice and the powerful magic it held. 
A replacement needed to be found, and the sooner the better.
For a moment, He considered promoting one of the other fae to their leader’s position, but as He watched the tableau before His gaze, He discarded that idea. The underlings were no better than their leader—many of them were far worse. 
The crying continued, overlaid by the regular banging, and the harsh voice digging into the mortal’s insecurities.
He drew back into Himself for a time, mulling over his options. A decision made in haste would be a mistake, and lead to greater problems He could ill afford. The fae could no longer be relied upon for anything, that much was abundantly clear…He needed someone new, but the mortals were no more useful to his ends than the fae.  They were too young, too fragile, and most importantly, lacked the magic to accomplish critical tasks…
And they were the only other option available at present.
The watching shadow hissed a curse in a long forgotten tongue. It was suboptimal, but He might have to make do until He had a body again, and could range further afield than this small square of territory awash with His power. Still…He was confident He would determine a solution, given time. He just needed to find it.
His eyes were drawn back to the events in the material, as the banging stopped and the glamoured fae spoke again. “What’s wrong, Handlebars? Don't you think you’d look better with short hair?  I’m sure my friends and I could give you one that suits you so much better!” The fake adolescent cackled viciously. “Or maybe you like when the boys use them as handlebars? Is that it? Because I’m sure that some of them would be happy to take you off for a ride!” 
There was a calculated escalation of the verbal abuses going on, and while it was effective for what it was, He curled His lip in distaste. Where was the manipulative finesse? The clever and cunning wordplay? The backhanded compliments and subtlety that were meant to be hallmarks of the fae, especially from those who had once been the upper echelons of their people? This was base, like watching filthy peasant children jabbing a pathetic wounded animal with a stick until it cried out in pain, or gutter whores completing over a laborer’s meager coins.
As He grew sour and contemplated finding another place to brood and watch over His domain, the door opened and in wandered an answer to His previous dilemma, in the form of the female made of shades of green wearing the uniform in such a way that the clothing appeared dull and shapeless, uninteresting to such a severity that most eyes slid right over her. He could sense it as she gauged the situation she had walked in on, and moved to clean her hands rather than draw attention by immediately fleeing; there was a faint magic clinging to her, similar in kind but different to His chosen sacrifice.
He could use this, and when she made as if to leave a sharp pulse of His power instead directed her to the stall closest to the door and farthest from the abuse going on on the other side of the room. The green child muttered something under her breath as she huddled in the toilet, confusion rolling off her at the change in plans that had little to do with her need to empty her bladder, that kept her there well after that animal need had been satisfied. Confusion turned to frustration as she fidgeted in place, wanting to leave but unwilling to do so.
Now that there was a potential witness, the changeling gave up their game, stomping out on costly footwear with one final jibe at their victim. “We’ll be waiting, Handlebars! See you after class!” The door slammed on the end of that painful promise.
Quiet after the obnoxious braying of the moor-born waste of good magic was almost a relief, and He took several minutes to organize His thoughts for His next action, leaving His current target to squirm as the sobbing faded into sniffling. She dared not go—a touch of terror against her primal hindbrain kept her in hiding, left wondering if the victim in the far stall was even aware of her presence…and if she muttered under her breath? It was still less grating to His senses than the chittering of a Nightmare gone beyond seed into dead chaff to be tilled under.
If memory served—and these days it certainly served better than Itheadair—the plain and ghostlike waif was His sacrifice’s sycophant, riding her coattails to higher status and selfish gain. It put her in a position perfect for His use, though he despised having to lower Himself to such lowly, unrefined, and pugnacious tactics as forcible possession. A body gained in such a way deteriorated quickly, lasting only a few moons as a soulless puppet husk before it expired completely and began to rot.
Beneficial then, that He only needed it for a single moon, until the day of His release from the foul prison that fought to contain Him and strip Him of His essence like it had so many others. Then the puppet would be easily disposed of. It would give Him several weeks to search out a true replacement for Itheadair.
With that decided, He focused His essence through shadow and crystal, seeping unseen into the green female, beginning to invade her thoughts and tear at the edges of her soul…
Her thoughts were open to Him as she fell into a coughing fit, unable to catch her breath as her soul fought back against the intrusion and her body manifested the assault in a very physical way. Her fear and pain as she couldn't breathe, couldn't stop coughing and gagging, to the point that she pivoted and retched into the toilet, vomit and mucus streaming from mouth and nose yet doing nothing to clear her airways. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled for control of her body, adrenaline surging and a forceful push from her soul granting her a reprieve enough to draw a breath and growl out, “Dammit, Handlebars! Help me!” towards the fellow occupant of the washroom.
It was futile, of course, He noted with dark humor. The bullied female no one had helped was too busy fiddling with devices in her ears and one in her hand to pay attention to the coughing or the raspy cry for aid. He pressed harder, feeling the edges of the soul begin to stretch and tear from their flesh housing—
“Where do we go? Every day’s the same…”
His senses caught the flicker of new magic in the room, but it took some moments to catch up to His awareness. He was too busy fighting His quarry on the battleground of the soul, and feeling the satisfaction of finding a solution to His problem. He would soon no longer have to rely on Itheadair or their ilk to maneuver His sacrifice and He could use it to locate replacements.
“Did we lose the magic…magic…magic…”
He snapped away from the attempt at possession as foreign magic filled the room, new and yet kin to His chosen sacrifice and to the power that had been released in the last half a year…and to that damnable succubus. The green child was dropped, unceremoniously as He searched for the source of the magic—she had mostly given up struggling by now, and He could conclude His efforts at any point. This new magic was more important.
His search turned up nothing but the colorful victim turning the audio up on her device, the echo of a recorded performance vibrating the air with the ghost of magic.
Within His prison His eyes widened and then He began to smile. This was true magic, weak though it was in the recorded song. What must it be like at the source? And the longing for magic, for power, in the music was tangible, a hunger He could exploit. He just needed to know the source.
A quick scan of the victim’s thoughts gave the answer. Good. Now He could finish possessing the other female and search down this group of musicians and their magic.
Fury tickled faintly when He returned to the first stall and found it empty, the door still swinging. Somehow, the mortal had managed to flee without Him realizing it! Growling, He chased, leaping from shadow to crystal and back again, trying to locate His quarry! He refused to be thwarted so close to His goals.
He caught up just as she entered a pristine room, the very vault of machinery that she often met His sacrifice in to work, and He felt a hint of gleeful anticipation at being able to get right to work with His new puppet once He could finish the possession. With the revelation that there was more magic than the sidhe has sensed…magic that tickled a memory blasted indistinct by centuries of fighting His prison’s attempts to scour His essence to shreds…
Still, things were progressing apace, and now evolving in a fortuitous way that would allow Him to shed the dead weight of the corporeal Nightmares who had persisted long beyond their time and outlived their usefulness to Him. 
Possibilities lay before His mind’s eye, many and varied, dozens of paths He could choose to get to His true end goal. When He possessed the human who reeked of dirt and leaves, not only could He ensure the sacrifice’s readiness for the ritual, but He could use the body to seek out the other sources of magic…perhaps more exposure would knock the memories loose. There was also the chance that He could entice the source to His side…with a little observation, it shouldn't be hard to discern what they would sell themselves for. Mortal beings were predictable like that.
He grinned. Patience was already paying dividends.
Shadowy tendrils were just starting to dig into flesh gone ashen and pale when the door opened and His sacrifice stepped in, His possession attempt interrupted for a second time. Snarling unseen, He whipped his attention around to stare through the darkness under a countertop at what had intervened to grant the green human more life.
He smelled it first, a wave of stench that rolled off the mortal girl in waves, a disgusting reek of pheromones and magic that no amount of water could hope to wash off, the strongest clue to any other demon that a concubus of some description had used their foul, stinking, infuriatingly potent yet conceptually limited powers to claim a soul as their own. Resisting the urge to lash out violently, His focus narrowed in on the source: His sacrifice, entering the room with a carefree, lighthearted bounce to her step, swirls of magic and power painted on her skin like glowing red flames to His sight, visible even through the starchy stiffness of layers of clothing. It was mocking, a challenge, and a complete dismissal of His authority and sovereignty, from the same arrogant succubus who had strutted into His domain like she owned the place.
And now she had dared to go so far as to claim a soul He had marked, that had signed itself over to Him? That was beyond brazen—it was an insult of the highest order, and a declaration of war…
No lesser demon had dared, not in a thousand years or more, to challenge Him for His crown…and certainly none of His prior challengers had been concubi. They lacked the stomach for such a confrontation, and the power to do much more than make mortals dance to their tune.  
Yet this one had…which suggested she honestly thought she had a chance to win. Which in turn suggested that she had a plan or some way that she believed would outwit Him and overcome His power…like a weakness she could exploit, or allies against Him.
Or a traitor who had betrayed Him.
White hot fury coalesced into a single name, and he roared into the aether of His prison so savagely that the walls trembled. He lost connection briefly in His tirade, as He vented His spleen to the rocks, crystals, and shivering shadows that lurked in the prison with Him.
“ITHEADAAAAAAAAAAIR!!!”
Drawing in as much of his magic and power as He could, He dove back into the connection to the material realm, ripping through the halls and from focus to focus, birthing hissing shadows in His wake that immediately sunk into the ones attached to mortal bodies. The building around Him shuddered, and every denizen of His domain, mortal, fae, and shadow alike was filled with an inescapable sense of creeping dread.
There was no subtlety, no finesse, no sadistic calculation as he filled the office claimed by the Lord of the sidhe. Only raw fury, black hatred, and darkness so total that the void between stars was a brilliant and dazzling dawn by comparison. His essence coated every available inch, choking and all consuming as he bellowed a Command with the traitor’s Name, one that could not be ignored.
“ITHEADAIR-ANAM, PRESENT YOURSELF BEFORE ME!!! NOW!”
The sidhe arrived quickly—they could do little else when He invoked the full breadth of their Name. He could see, in eyes and manner, that the being who had been His majordomo for over a thousand years was rattled and on edge, clinging desperately to some measure of their normal dignity and regal hauteur in order to conceal their deeper emotions.
Like fear.
For the moment, He allowed them the delusion and savored the fear…and the shame that accompanied it. It left Itheadair’s normally organized essence open to Him, and He rifled through its contents in search of overt proof…yet He did not find it. Fear aplenty, and ripples of unease that echoed up through the rest of the dirty island spawned moor-trash, and a twinge of something that had no name to Him…but no overt evidence as He had sought.
As soon as the door clicked shut, He made His move, bringing as much of His power as He could to bear. The shadows deepened, intensified until the room itself was a true void, darkness swallowing every last speck of light and closing in on Itheadair like a devouring wave. “For your loyalty and sssservice,” He hissed in fury, “power was granted. I lifted you above the rabble, Itheadair-Anam…and now I take back what is rightfully Mine. Return it.” His voice echoed from the darkness, issuing from a million places and more until He was a legion, the earlier fury cooled to a frigid iciness, one that cut as sure as any knife.
 That was when the shadows fell upon the fae, withered arms and grasping talons tearing away magic housed inside like a skilled butcher carving away pounds of flesh. Itheadair collapsed in a heap under the assault, unable to even manage the pretense of kneeling. They resembled a puppet whose strings had been cut, glamour of the haughty Abacus Cinch dispelled as they withered, clutching at the carpet with gnarled, claw like fingers, sucking in air as a wheezing rattle that was laden with sounds of agony as centuries of dark magic returned to its true Master.
When the harvest ended, Itheadair was a trembling mess, unable to stand and clinging to existence with what vestiges of their own magic remained. He drew closer, until the impression of teeth and glittering eyes was in their personal space and too close to their face for comfort.  “For centuriessss, I have allowed you and your misssssbegotten brood to run rampant, granting the lot of you leave to drink of My majessssty to ssssussssstain yourselvessss…” The shadows around echoed and hissed their displeasure, and He paused for a few seconds before continuing. “But no longer, ssssidhe. That endssss now….becausssse you have turned againsssst Me. You have broken Our deal and forssssaken your oathssss to Me. There can be only one punisssshment for Oathbreakerssss, and once I have taken back what issss Mine, I will do thissss without you.”
Terrible confusion broke through the haze of pain and fear that choked the weakening fae-creature, and Itheadair struggled to answer. The sounds were barely more than pitiful, animal whimpers, struggling to refute the condemnation of the words. It was enough that He stayed the executioner’s proverbial blade. Instead, the impression of heavy hooves clopped close to them, and then their whole upper body was hauled backwards and upwards, the same way an animal would be hauled up by the scruff.  “Sssspeak!!” He commanded, power threaded through tenebrous form so deeply that hellish heat leaked through from His prison.
“Ma…ster…” Itheadair protested feebly. “…I…swear…I am no…O…Oath…breaker…” Agonized indignation that could not be feigned leaked into the desperate words at the gravest of sins for the creature’s kind. “…how…have…I…be…tray…ed?”
It was almost laughable, the degree of deluded ignorance. “You allowed a ssssuccubus to run unchecked through My domain, ssssnatch My prize, and free a ssssoul that belonged to Me!” He snarled, the bass rumble reverberating through the void. “And now, you have allowed a glorified prostitute to put on airssss and Mark My ssssacrifice with itssss dissssgusting taint!”
Sunken eyes widened. “My liege…I never…before this…past week…the…concubus…was unknown…to me…” Each word was wrung painfully from the sidhe’s skeletally thin and twisted frame, as if they had been bound to one of the laughable human attempts at a torture device inventions that were but a pale mimicry of demonic artistry.
He released His hold contemptuously, letting Itheadair crumple to the floor once more, and then pressed the suggestion of His hoof in shadow to its brittle chest, threatening to stave it in. He spoke over the pained gasp. “Are you telling me that thissss creature hassss not only been wandering thissss city for who knowssss how long, but it breached the wardssss under your very nosssse and dissssassssembled the defenssssessss like a child destroyssss pottery, and yet you were completely ignorant and helplesssss, too incompetent to even protect your own interesssstssss, let alone Mine? And now…you have allowed that ssssame filth to not only touch the girl, but to imprint itssss foul Mark on her after it rutted her like a common animal?”
“Master, I—”
Looming over Itheadair, He thundered, “Do you mean to claim that you are sssso incompetent that you didn't even think to have the thrice-damned ssssuccubussss followed and watched, to prevent thissss very outcome and gain information on the foul, loathssssome little cockroach that daressss to Challenge My sovereignty?! Because it is one or the other, you crussssty relic of a dried out moor! Either you have betrayed your oathssss to Me, or you have become worsssse than usssselessss in your ssssheer incompetence!”
Another rattling wheeze, and the fae struggled around the crushing pressure against their body. “…I…tried…Master…but…the shadows were…destroyed…and…following undetected…only…Can…anach…could…”
Disappointing. Even in the face of annihilation, the sidhe made excuses, thought Him a fool. His power flexed again, and the nothingness exerted itself on reality in the small space, until that reality creaked warningly from the strain. “Your sssswiftnessss to blame otherssss for your failuressss isssss tiresssssome, Itheadair…” He remarked flatly.
Then there was silence, as the room fell still, as the true Master of the domain decided His vassal’s fate. At long last, He receded from the fae, bringing that terrifying void back into the confines of His self.  “You ssssold yoursssself and your people to Me, Itheadair-Anam, bound yoursssselves to My Will.”  A thread of power—not all of what he had snatched away, but enough to prevent the creature beneath him from gasping its last—passed back into Itheadair. “I grant you one lasssst chance to honor that…” The shadow of His hoof ground down just a fraction. “Take care to remember that My patience and mercy are…a finite ressssource.”
Still helpless and trapped like the insect they were, Itheadair abased themself before Him, fully aware of how close they were to being snuffed out. “…I swear…my liege…I have done nothing that would dishonor my oaths…I swear it…Master…on my magic and my life! I am…no Oathbreaker!”
“Your life issss Mine, Child-Sssstealer!” He roared. “And it wassss already forfeit—I have sssstayed My hand to grant you one final chance to enssssure My Will issss done!” Shadows lashed, catching the sidhe in the torso and flinging them hard enough into the nearby furniture that the heavy oaken desk slid several inches back. “The ssssacrifice is inchessss from ssssslipping from Me forever, and you have allowed a rival to Me to grow unchecked in my Exile. You are a failure…and you are not indisssspenssssable, Itheadair! I do not care by what meanssss you bring the girl back under our control, but you will do it and do it immediately, or it shall be YOU who layssss upon the altar assss the ssssacrifice!”
Pride stripped away by suffering, poise ground down to nothing in the face of the same damnation they had believed was a fate meant for lesser creatures, the ancient fae cowered. “It shall…be as you decree…Master…” They spoke with the bleakness of a man facing execution.
“Enssssure that it issss.”
With that, He retreated to His prison to recover the energy expended, leaving the room as it had been before. Only the slow, slight turning of the desk chair belied the fact that another presence had been in the room…and it was a very long time before the sidhe even attempted to drag itself into that seat, inhuman features twisted up further by emotions that had never been meant for their kind to experience.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Seven: All This Burning in My Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Crystal Prep Academy had a reputation for a lot of things. It was a school for the elite, a place where the best of the best in society sent their offspring.  It was a place where every student was to strive to be the best, to compete with all the others for academic standing. Most of its students were picked up by chauffeurs, the rest either had their own vehicles paid for by their parents or lived within walking distance, so the unfamiliar rumble of a motorcycle caught everyone’s attention.
It was a sweet ride, a sleek, well maintained vehicle with a custom paint job in shades of red that made it look like it had captured fire in the frame. It rumbled like a beast, sliding into a parking space out in front of the school, the engine ramping down to a thrumming purr. More than one young man with an interest in motor vehicles found themselves staring at the bike, taking in its unique design.
For the bulk of the students leaving the school, though, it was the rider that drew their eyes. Curvaceous, with long legs that the comfortable jeans did nothing to hide, the figure moved with an easy confidence as she parked the machine and dropped the kickstand. With the fluid grace of a tigress, the rider swung off the bike, giving anyone in the right place a view of her denim clad backside.  Amber skinned hands stretched upwards to grab her helmet and pull it off, the owner shaking out a mane of wavy, red and gold hair. Coupled with a leather jacket, she oozed the vibe of a ‘sexy bad girl,’ one that all of those watching were suddenly insanely curious about. 
She set her helmet on the seat, opening up the bike’s storage to retrieve a second helmet when Blueblood, a city Councilman’s son, came up behind her with every intent on getting her number, if not a date. The other boys ground their teeth—the insufferable blond was wealthy and very few girls said no to a first date, even if most never said yes to a second.  Blueblood’s delivery and charming smile were on point, but the rider merely chuckled and patted the second helmet, shaking her head.
Blue came storming back to his friends. “Apparently,” he sneered, “she’s here to pick up a friend.”
A ripple of curiosity spread through the collection of students. Who was this girl and who at school could she possibly be here to retrieve?  Jealousy and speculation ran through the crowd as the mystery rider got back on her bike, helmets stacked in her lap as she took out her phone.  
The tension rose as no one stepped forward for several minutes, the redhead ignoring the well dressed children of the rich and famous to tap away on her phone. And then someone gave an excited call from the doors of the school, garnering the rider’s attention and a smile all at once.
“You made it!” 
With an amount of coordination that bordered on unholy, the student body turned to see the one student most of them despised: Twilight Sparkle, certified genius prodigy, top student in every academic area of the school, and huge, socially awkward nerd who did everyone a favor by not speaking to them anymore. Her face was lit up with joy, and she was already jogging towards the bike.  The students parted away from her slightly, sheer confusion overriding their normal inclination to shoulder the girl about roughly. 
About half of them expected the rider to give the dorky girl with glasses the brush off, only to gape when she pressed the purple helmet into Twilight’s hands.  “Get on, nerd,” she teased, putting her own helmet back on, scooting forward so Twilight could get on behind her, the motion of mounting the bike and wrapping her arms around the redhead’s waist practiced enough that this clearly wasn't the nerdy student’s first ride.
A large portion of Crystal Prep’s population was left with their mouths hanging open as the bike and its rider peeled out, accompanied by the most unpopular girl in school. Gossip started soon after...what possible reason could someone like dorky Twilight Sparkle have for being associated with someone like that?





Twilight let out a soft moan under her, fists gripping the back of the sofa tightly. “Sunny…” she mewled, pleading for more, unable to do much more than that with the way she was kneeling on the cushions, trapped between the piece of furniture and her girlfriend’s body.
The former unicorn pressed affectionately against her back, lips trailing down the back of her neck and over her shoulder in intimate kisses. Their heated kissing had left most of Twilight’s Crystal Prep uniform scattered on the floor, from the nerdy looking vest hanging off the edge of the coffee table, to the short trail of shoes and socks leading away from the front door, to the tie that was half undone that Sunset was grasping in one hand so she could tug on it any time she wanted to get Twilight to shift her position. It paired well with the mostly unbuttoned dress shirt and pretty bra that stood out against lavender skin…
She curled her arm around the smaller girl’s frame burying her face in dark hair.  “…Sparky…” she breathed out in response, savoring the sensation of skin on skin. Sunset let out a breathy whicker, her nerves buzzing as her fingers trailed down her girlfriend’s stomach to tease along the waistband of her skirt, testing both of their reactions now that she done her best to lock away what she now suspected was her inner demon.
Mercifully, her desire for Twilight seemed to be her own, a hot and pulsing need to twine their bodies together and explore with hands and lips and fingertips, something she gave into as she let go of the tie to run a hand over the curve of the other girl’s rear, squeezing the soft flesh as she did. Twilight pressed back into the touch, raising herself up more fully on her knees and arching her body against Sunset with another moan…cementing the idea that her girlfriend was no less eager a participant than she had been before.
—Of course she is. You can't encourage something that isn't there in the first place, horn-head,— came the sarcastic bite from the cage of magic and willpower she’d formed around her personal tormentor. —You're good, but not that good.—
Sunset did her best to ignore the taunts, but the voice was never far from her mind. As much as she could tease and play with Twilight, she had to make sure she kept her own head or risk it breaking out of her control. It was hard—the memory of what Twilight had made her feel just a few days earlier on the very same sofa danced like a ghost across her nerve endings, a wispy song that beckoned with the promise of how good it would be…the building of tension from some unexplainable, indefinable place inside her, little flames and shivers wracking her…culminating in what felt like her very soul shattering apart and collapsing back in on itself.
There was no way she could ensure the demon stayed suppressed if that happened. Though to be fair, Sunset was not sure how often she wanted to experience that moment of communion with the color of Eternity—which turned out to be a pleasing mix of blues and purples…funny how that worked out, wasn't it?  The way it left her energized and sated and tingling all over was heady, and the redhead was afraid she’d become addicted to it.
—Looks like Sparky might already be addicted.—
Blue-green eyes took in the way Twilight had tossed her head back, glasses askew and face locked in a panting, open mouthed expression of pleasure and begrudgingly admitted that the stupid voice may have had a point, much as she hated conceding even that much. Her hand slid to where Twilight was pleading for it to go, and for a little while, Sunset found herself ignoring the voice in favor of something much more important.





The bike made noise as she whipped it into a space as close to Crystal Prep as she could without getting close enough to trigger the wards. It was rough, bailing out of school to do this so she could be there before Twilight exited the building. Thank the sun, moon, and stars for Miss Luna, and the pass she wrote to get her out of art ten minutes early for the foreseeable future. This was a little more important than still life techniques.
—Sparky would have opinions on you deciding that finger practice is more important than your classes.—
Exhaling an annoyed sigh, Sunset rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had been referring to her reconnaissance of the area full of foul magic, and her attempts to determine if there was a mind behind it or just an unlucky location.
At this, the sarcastic voice in her head scoffed derisively. —There’s no need for this then. The answer is yes, there's a mastermind, and Abacus Cinch or whatever it calls itself is so much its little bitch that it's more bowlegged than a knock-kneed minotaur sky-pirate with tinnitus and vertigo.— A long pause made Sunset think the voice was done, but then it added, —Us being here is going to make it mad if it sees us, after what happened last week.— 
Savage glee burned strong enough that Sunset felt her lips fight the urge to smirk. Good. If there was someone using Cinch like a puppet, she hoped they got mad enough to make mistakes. That had always been her undoing, so it would be nice to see the shoe on the other hoof for once. This whole school offended her on some deep seeded level, and not for the first time since she’d breached its wards did the former unicorn give serious consideration to how to get away with burning the whole campus to cinders, crooked stone buildings with their freaky angles and all. 
If she could use her unicorn magic, it would be all too easy. She’d have to modify a spell of course…Maybe her Pirouetting Pyromantic Protoform spell? That had been her Magus project for Spell Construction…and earned her the certs towards what she had hoped might eventually be an Archmagus title in Elemental Mastery. It was certainly big enough and powerful enough to spread over the campus on a weekend when most of the school was empty except for the boarding students, and if she started with the far corner of the property, people could evacuate with plenty of time. She’d have to tweak the spell to make it hot enough to melt metal and stone though. Maybe borrow from the welding spell used by artificers? Though she would have to figure out how to invert the power flow to fill the dancing flame shapes rather than compress and concentrate the flame to a tiny point…without accidentally creating a solar flare or nuke. And that wasn't even getting into what shape she’d let the flames take. Dragons, maybe? Or a phoenix, to honor Philomena?
—A hound, in purple. Spike would love the chance to get at the place that makes Sparky so miserable. Also, look alive. Sleaze alert.—
Jerking herself out of her musings, Sunset realized the voice was right. A presence was getting too close for comfort, and she twisted to catch a muscular arm by the wrist as it descended towards her shoulder. The athletic boy was taller than she would have been if she was standing, so she had to look up at him from her bike seat. The uniform shirt he wore was probably a size too small on purpose, giving the almost-assuredly-a-senior the appearance of being so muscular he was straining the seams of his clothing every time he flexed.  The redhead held his arm firmly despite that, and pushed against his strength to get him to take a step back.
“Whoa! No need for hostility, beautiful! Just wanted to ask you a question.” He held up his hands as she let go, as if to sue for peace.
One eyebrow arched upwards. “Talking doesn't require touching,” she pointed out, then sighed internally. She had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to ask her, but a tiny part of her hoped it would be something else. Like where she got her bike painted, or where she bought her jacket. “If you can handle asking without bringing your hands into it, then go ahead, ask your question.” Sunset wanted to tell him to go leap into a nest of sandmirks, but she was better about coming off angry and bitchy out of the gate these days.
“So…I was wondering if you have a boyfriend…” He glanced away, and she could see him glancing at a group of what was probably his friends. 
Another sigh escaped, this one blown slowly through her nostrils. “No, I do not have a boyfriend, and I’m not in the market for one any time soon,” she said diplomatically, trying to get this disaster over with quickly.
Gray-green eyes sharpened. “Maybe I could change your mind? I know this place, does live music on weekends and they don't card…”
Sunset shook her head. “No thanks. I’m sure it's great, but like I said, not looking to date anyone new. I’ve got too much else on my plate and that wont be changing for the foreseeable future.”
He slumped, but before he could say anything, he was jostled out of the way by another guy. “As if she’d be taken in by a meathead like you, Fast Break. You should stick to lacrosse and the cheerleaders. They’re more your type.” The new fellow smiled at Sunset in that way that made her skin crawl and her instincts want to plant a hoof so hard into his apples that he’d spend the rest of his life coughing them up in installments. “Silver Pocketwatch,” he introduced himself. “And you are?”
“Beyond done with this conversation,” she deadpanned. 
The former unicorn enjoyed about twenty seconds of blissful silence as the young man tried to recover whatever his pitch had been about to be, while the first guy tried to stifle a laugh. Then it ended, as he tried again. “I get it, a gorgeous girl like you probably gets asked out by every guy you meet…but how many of them can offer you a first date to the finest French restaurant in the city? The lamb is exquisite.”
And now Sunset wanted to vomit. She wondered if zucchini and eggplant lasagna would be an improvement on this Silver Pocketwatch’s appearance, and decided that it probably would be. Sure, sheep in Equestria were…not the most intelligent of species—it varied by type of sheep and region, same as with goats—and the common belief was that it was a lingering curse by Grogar, but they still fell under the loose definition of ‘people’ in her mind…and the thought of someone chowing down on their young like a depressed Rarity with a tub of her favorite ice cream was enough to put her off eating for the week. 
Shuddering with revulsion, she let a bit of the old Sunset creep into her expression and voice. “Not even if you were the last option available on Earth. I have standards, and they are way higher than ‘a mouldering pile of manure left behind by a centaur with the green apple two-step that somehow attained the ability to walk and talk.’ Now go away before I feel forced to make my point in a much more unpleasant manner—these boots have reinforced steel toes.” 
Sunset rubbed her face as both of them found other places to be—the first young man was now regaling his friends with how she deflated the second one, and as for the pompous one, she didn't care where he went as long as he wasn't breathing her air and undressing her with his eyes.  Seriously, first the human version of Prince Blueblood, and now this? She wished Twilight would hurry up and come out so they could leave.
Footsteps and a softly cleared throat alerted her to yet another approach, and it took everything she had to resist the urge to glare at what was probably some poor freshman. “Can I help you?” the former unicorn managed with more than a touch of exasperation. 
The freshman boy shook his head. “Wouldn't dream of it after watching that trainwreck,” he said with a cheery grin. “Besides…” Brown eyes looked at her speculatively. “You're no more my type than I am yours, know what I mean?”
It took a few seconds but as she studied his body language and analyzed the stress he put on ‘type,’ the answer lit across her synapses like lightning. It made her snort back a laugh. “Ah,” she offered noncommittally. “Nothing personal, but that's kind of a relief.”
“I get it. I actually wanted to thank you for putting both Blueblood and Silver into their place. Both of them tried that same thing on my older sister and she fell for it, both times.” He made a face. “Not enough girls ever say no and they tend to be…insistent with the ones that try.”
She rolled her eyes. “And that would be why I wear this brand of boots. Nothing says no quite like a swift kick somewhere painful. Maybe I deflated their egos a bit, enough for them to realize girls are not a menu item.”
Running a hand through shaggy purple hair marred by streaks of black and bright green, he laughed. “Yeah, we can hope. If nothing else, it was worth it to see them both crash and burn before a few hundred witnesses.” He bit his lip. “By the way, I’m Razor Wing.”
Her mouth had opened to instinctively respond, but the demon she had caged inside her mind slammed itself sharply into the restraints with a surge of its own power, catching her with the way it sent a shock of pain through her. —Don't!— the voice yelled. —It's not safe! Look at him, horn-head! He’s asking for his master! Your Name is what they're looking for!—
The warning came with a spike of fear, enough that Sunset opened her senses to look. Sure enough, faintly threaded through this boy was that increasingly familiar, foul taint that pervaded CPA, in concentration enough that it looked like sickly veins of black under teal skin. Keeping her face as normal as possible, she waved off his concern. “Sorry. I think I’m getting a headache.” One amber skinned hand extended purposefully, as she settled on an alias, one she’d used a few times back in Equestria but never here. “You can call me Misty Morning.” Sunset wasn't sure if she could trust the voice even that far, but considering how Abacus Cinch had also been intent on her name and the unease she felt at that information being given over…she wouldn't rule it out just yet. It made her doubly glad she hadn't gotten around to washing the dried mud off the bike’s license plate after she’d accidentally gone through a puddle Sunday at the farm.
“I get headaches like that sometimes. They suck so—” Razor Wing started to shake her hand, and her magic leapt erratically at the darkness in him through where their hands touched. Sunset could feel it as searing heat in flesh still tender from her episode the other day, and the boy yelped in pain and pulled away sharply. He backed up, holding his hand to his chest defensively, but not before she caught sight of skin that was already starting to blister.
Sunset flinched, blue-green eyes hoping to convey some small bit of apology; if he was anything like Twilight or Shining, he was an unwilling accomplice to the dark magic and any potential ‘mastermind,’ and he had genuinely seemed nice. The redhead curled her own hand up against her body, gripping her elbow with the opposite hand, as she pushed her magic and the demon both into submission. She hadn't meant to hurt the freshman, only get rid of the darkness inside of him…it hadn't burned anyone else before when she did that, not her friends or Twilight or Twilight’s family…
Was she losing what little control she had over her magic?
Shuddering, Sunset hugged herself and watched as Razor Wing fled completely, and the various students lingering in the area whispered conspiratorially among themselves. By Discord’s missing tooth, she was really starting to hate this school! Between the way the magic grated against her senses to the interactions with the various people who went here to the fact that proximity to the place was making her magic almost hostile, to the voice who she more than suspected was the demon she had been, she felt like she wanted scrub the top layer of her hide off with a wire brush and some industrial grade cleanser, just so she’d feel clean again.
Twilight’s arrival a few minutes later was a welcome thing. She hadn’t had anymore wannabe suitors approach—though the intense glare and sour frown might have contributed to that, but the former unicorn was a hundred percent done with the day, and wanted the hour or so to unwind before she had to go right back out to the Apple family farm for evening magic training.  The girls needed her on top of her game to instruct them, now that they’d progressed beyond the basics and could activate their powers at will. 
Her girlfriend saw her expression and slipped right onto the bike, barely waiting until their helmets were all the way on before asking over the internal radio, “Are you okay? What happened?”
Kicking off once lavender arms were tight around her waist, Sunset exhaled. “Your school has a lot of desperate creeps looking for sex,” she complained, deciding to stick with the simple explanation. “One of the ones today tried to bribe me with the promise of an expensive dinner.”
There was more than a touch of frost—not directed at Sunset so much as the boy—in Twilight’s response. “Someone propositioned you?”
“In not so many words. He mostly addressed his spiel to my chest rather than my face, and it wasn't too hard to figure out what he was hoping for in return for buying me dinner. Of course, he probably shouldn't have led with the fact that the restaurant is famous for its lamb dishes.” Her face twisted back into a grimace.
“Oh, Sunny…” the chill was gone in favor of sympathy, and slim fingers were rubbing along the skin of her stomach just under the hem of her shirt, sending tingles through her. “Can I make it better?”
Chuckling and pressing one hand on top of Twilight’s as they lingered at a red light, Sunset murmured flirtatiously, “Without a doubt…though right now I feel like I need a shower…”





Laughing so hard it became a snort, Twilight stumbled out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and her hair in soggy disarray. Sunset tripped after her, half heartedly tying her robe shut. “That was not quite what I had in mind with my suggestion,” Twilight informed her.
With a shake of her head, Sunset used a towel to squeeze the water out of her hair. “…I think I need to get some of those no-slip things for the shower before we try that again,” she replied with an amused expression.
“Are you okay?” her girlfriend asked.
Sunset rubbed her backside with a wince. “Only bruised my pride, I think. How about your shoulder? You hit the wall pretty hard.”
The other girl stepped into Sunset’s personal space, leaning up to peck her lips with a kiss. “Lucky for me, you broke most of my fall…but yes, let's not do that again until we take anti-accident precautions. The last way I want my parents to find out about us is because we had to go to the emergency room for a sex-related accident.”
Arching a brow, Sunset poked her with a finger. “Definitely not something I’d want to have to explain. ‘Oh, the broken wrist? Made the mistake of moving wrong in the shower while trying to get a better angle for my girlfriend. No, not for washing her back.’”
That set Twilight off into another round of giggles. “Cady would never let us live it down.”
“Yeah, probably not.” Sunset pulled her over to the couch and flopped down onto it, barely noticing when the robe came undo in the process. “She is way more invested in our relationship than I would have expected.”
Discarding the towel in favor of the blanket on the couch and cuddling into Sunset’s warmth, Twilight curled up half on top of her.  Lavender fingers traced over skin that prickled with pleasurable goosebumps. “I think it's because Cady knows just how lonely and awful things were when I was little. I wanted to make friends so badly, but it was hard when you're five and talking like a miniature adult and your peers are still playing house with dolls…not to mention crippling anxiety and my tendency to get overwhelmed in social environments.” She tucked her face into Sunset’s neck and sighed contentedly, prompting the former unicorn to nuzzle into her hair. “She’s always wanted me happy, and gone the extra mile to help me because…she’s the closest thing I have to a sister. Plus, she likes you, and she’s…big on encouraging romance.”
Humming in her throat, Sunset curled her arms loosely around her girlfriend. “That makes sense…and she is right about one thing.”
“What?”
She tilted Twilight’s chin up so she could kiss her. “That you deserve to be happy.” Sunset smiled crookedly. “I'm just glad you seem to be happy with me.”
Twilight melted into her when their lips met, making a soft sound that Sunset felt as much as heard. It sent a shiver down her spine as it traveled through her where skin touched skin, an odd contrast to how she felt like she was on fire inside. Her hands slid up the smooth skin of her girlfriend’s back to pull her as close as possible, knowing the clock was ticking down to when she would have to take Twilight home and head to the farm, and not wanting the moment to ever end.
The other girl seemed to be of the same mindset, and by the time they pulled apart, both were panting heavily and clinging to each other. Twilight gave her a warm smile, her eyes full of soft affection. “How could I not be?” she murmured. “…Sunny…you have been everything I ever dreamed a partner could be…and so much I never even considered was possible. Maybe there's someone out there that could make me happier among the nearly seven billion people on the planet, but I’m not sure anyone could measure up to you and how you make me feel just by saying my name or giving me a hug.”
Blue-green eyes had to blink back the hint of tears caused by the rush of emotion. “…ponyfeathers…we’re turning into a couple of saps, Twilight,” she laughed, fighting for composure. “You're making it hard for me to take you home in a half hour.”
“You could keep me here…” Twilight offered, nuzzling along her jaw with light kisses. “…and we could spend the night continuing this discussion on happiness…”
Sunset snorted. “Clothing optional?”
The dark haired teen shrugged. “Pants are overrated?” 
At that, both of them dissolved into giggles against each other. The redhead pressed her face into Twilight’s hair, shoulders shaking as she held her tight. “…I see more than just my sarcasm has been rubbing off on you,” she teased, deliberately raising her leg slightly, feeling the smaller form twitch with pleasure as well as mirth. “Pants are very…very…overrated…when it's just us.”
It didn't take much to turn Twilight into a limp and boneless shape on top of her, one that giggled goofily in between panted breaths against Sunset’s collarbone. She smiled, absently running fingers through dark hair, before an unwelcome thought disrupted the aura of bliss and satisfaction. “…I have tutoring tomorrow after school,” Sunset stated quietly. “…did you want me to cancel?”
Silence met her ears as Twilight retreated into herself to process the request. The former unicorn waited, keeping her girlfriend close and never stopping the light touch in her hair. Finally, Twilight let out a shuddering sigh. “…no. Go ahead and do your tutoring thing. Your friends need your help, and people are relying on you to oversee it.”
“Are you sure? They’ll understand if I need to take a week or two off.”
Nodding against her chest, Twilight answered with a little less waver to her voice. “I’m sure. I’ll use the time to work on the project—I feel like I’m close to a breakthrough…and I’ll arrange for Dad to pick me up on his way home.” She tried to give Sunset a reassuring smile, but to the older girl, it just looked slightly nauseous. 
Privately, she hoped things would be as fine as Twilight was trying to pretend they would be…
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Eight: Monsters Hiding Deep Inside Your Own Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Sunset patted Flash on the shoulder. “Do the rest of the homework problems from that section just like that, and then I’ll walk you through the second batch and how to do them.” Then she stepped back to survey the cafeteria.
The unofficial tutoring she and her friends had started had grown into a huge hit after school, with students coming in for help but also offering it, leading to small clusters at different tables where the tutors held court over the handful of people needing their help, or pairs and trios of kids going through their homework and taking turns helping each other. Even though it was only once a week, many of the regular attendees had bragged about drastic improvements in their worst classes—like Dash, who had gone from almost failing to a solid B+ in her math class. It certainly had helped Sunset’s own history grade where she had even managed to get an A (if barely) on her last essay. She would never be top of the class in the subject, but it was better than the C she had been struggling to maintain since she started human school.
One hand slipped into her pocket to retrieve her phone, checking worriedly for a response to her earlier text. Twilight had been quite chatty that morning and at certain points during the day, but had gone fairly quiet after school let out. Sunset hoped it was just that her nerd had gotten invested in working on her project and nothing more sinister. Her phone showed no new messages, which made her crib her thumb in order to resist the sudden urge to hurl the phone at the wall. 
It didn't help that her agitated worry was being paired with the burning hum of want and desire that lay just under her skin and craved privacy and Twilight’s touch. The mixture was leaving her on edge and ready to crawl out of her own hide at the slightest provocation. She’d nearly melted another guitar during lunch practice when Pinkie had startled her and three separate times during the day she’d accidentally set things on fire, leaving her hands reddened and slightly painful from minor burns. Each time, that stupid little voice had mocked her from its cage, even as it tried to talk her into letting it out.  Sunset wasn't sure she’d make it to afternoon the next day before she combusted, and was already planning for a very long shower when she finally got home.
As she slid the phone back in her pocket, she happened to gaze out one of the windows, her eyes sliding across the lawn and parking lot, past the trees that were only just starting to blend in with the foliage in the surrounding neighborhood as spring was coming into full swing everywhere else. It was a rainy day, but the sort of warmer rain that made it clear winter was over for good, rather than the icier varieties that plagued them over the colder season.
Then her eyes found a color and pattern that shouldn't be there, a pattern she almost overlooked because she was used to seeing it on her best friend’s slight frame. For a minute, she was worried something had happened to drive Twilight to CHS for help.
Except that wasn't one person, it was two, and one of them was clearly a boy. Both were Crystal Prep students, dressed in the uniform, lingering on the sidewalk outside the school and staring right at her from under their shared black umbrella. “What the—?” she managed, trotting to the window to get a better look. This had the side effect of alerting the entire room to something going on. 
A rush of air and Dash was at her side, looking out across the school yard. “Oh hell no,” she hissed. “Not on my watch! There’ll be no mascot statue vandalism this year! Flash, grab Teddy and Curly and tell them to meet me by the statue! Flitter, Kicks, you're with me!”
Before she could storm off, Sunset grabbed her elbow. “They may not be here about the statue, Dash. Don't give them anyone’s names, and don't answer any questions that might be about the magic.”
Her friend nodded and took off, two of her teammates on her heels. They hit the side door exit a few heartbeats later, and Sunset could see them heading across the grass right towards the pair of CPA students. What followed was a tense exchange with Dash clearly giving them an open challenge and the pair finally backing down when half the boy’s lacrosse team showed up right from the practice field, caked in mud and all carrying their sticks.
“Guess they didn't want to face down an entire sports team,” Bon-Bon observed idly. 
Sunset snorted. “I’m not sure I’d want to face down five to one odds against a dozen big guys all armed with metal staves either, and I can set things on fire,” she pointed out wryly.
Laughter rippled through the room, cutting some of the tightly wound tension in everyone but Sunset herself. She refused to look away as the CPA students vanished from sight, or as Rainbow held a brief discussion with the various athletes, sending them scattering to search the school yard for any other lurkers. Her stomach twisted when Dash finally turned back towards the school, meeting her eyes with a grim expression that told her everything she needed to know.
It had never been about the Wondercolt statue at all. They were watching for her, trying to spy for their principal.
—For their master,— the voice within corrected. —Don't be fooled into thinking that thing that calls itself Principal there is in charge of anything. It’s a slave…one just as sick and twisted as its master, but still bound in servitude.—
A shiver went through her. This was bad.





Dash’s words played back through her mind as Sunset headed for the office. 
“They were looking for you, Shimmer. Described you and everything. Tried to say you got into a fight with one of theirs. Total bullshit, and I told them off.  No names, like you said—they didn’t like that.  And I could feel it—the evil magic. It was like being covered in diesel exhaust. No wonder it makes you puke.”
There were magics…old ones, sympathetic ones, that could affect a pony if you had something of theirs: blood, hair, saliva…even deeply personal objects or anything imbued with their magic. A lot of families had magic like that, tied to blood and kinship, especially the old unicorn ones. There were even theories that you could use a cutie mark in some way to connect you to a specific pony magically for a spell or ritual—something Sunset suspected was more than supposition, given Princess Twilight’s notes on cutie marks.
It made her wonder…could names be used the same way? The stupid little voice seemed to think so.  A shudder went through her. That was a terrifying thought.
Either way, the principals needed to know that she was being stalked now, by CPA students. That Cinch might be…fishing for information. So she had left the tutoring in Rarity’s hands and headed across the building. Now, as she neared the office, she could hear a raised voice, one that sent even greater shivers down her spine. Principal Celestia was very upset at someone.
“—have about had it with your overblown sense of entitlement and self-aggrandizement, Abacus,” the principal barked sharply, her voice carried into the main part of the office through a partially open door. “You are a high school principal, not some ancient feudal queen or oil baroness from the nineteenth century!”
In the space of heavy silence, Sunset crept into the main office, where Raven Inkwell and Vice Principal Luna both stood in uncomfortable and somewhat dumbfounded disbelief, staring at the door to the principal’s office. Her arrival netted a quick glance from Luna and a motion for continued silence.
“The last time I checked, your authority extends the edges of the schoolyard and until the moment school lets out for the day,” Celestia countered whatever had been said. “And only for those students whose parents made the mistake of entrusting an arrogant witch like you with them. There is no policy or rule of law that says a student from another school cannot come to the parking lot of yours after school has ended to provide one of your students a ride.”
Sunset felt the urge to bang her head into the nearest wall. This was getting ridiculous.
“No, I absolutely will not divulge that information to you! You heard me! N. O. No. A statement to the negative. A denial of your request. A student parked after school for ten minutes in your parking lot with a legally owned and operated vehicle is perfectly allowed within law, and you have no justification for demanding personal information about one of my students who just happens to be friends with one of yours.”
Her vice principal turned towards her with a raised eyebrow and made a motion towards the door, then towards Sunset questioningly. Sunset nodded and mouthed, ‘Picking up Twilight,’ at her. Luna rolled her eyes in response.
“At this point, I grow weary of your whining, Abacus. Were it my choice I would have canceled the Friendship Games my first year in this position, solely to be able to minimize the amount of time I am forced to spend listening to the incessant whining of an arrogant, self centered egomaniac like you. And while I lack the political capital in the city to talk the board into completely eliminating this farce of a competition, I do have some influence of my own. You will stop attempting to dig into any of my student body, and cease whatever campaign of harassment you’ve concocted to get even with a teenage girl and my sister for having to come to your campus and do your job for you, or I swear to God, I will be on the phone to the FBI and the state to report your sudden and unhealthy fixation on a high school student who doesn’t even attend that Hellhole you have the audacity to refer to as a school. Have I made myself perfectly clear, Abacus?”
Silence, expectant and pointed.
And then, “Unless there has been a law broken or it's in regards to the Games, do not call me again. I neither need nor want your advice on how to run a school. Given that none of my students are currently looking at potential felony charges for theft and vandalism, I would say I feel pretty confident in Canterlot High’s methods of dealing with student behavior.”
The phone was slammed into its cradle with the sound of heavy plastic, and Principal Celestia let out a noise that was practically a growl. “The nerve of that woman!”
“That makes three calls since last week’s incident,” Luna observed casually, pushing the door open to the principal’s office all the way. “She is getting desperate for some reason.”
Principal Celestia turned and jolted at the sight of Sunset standing there. “I apologize, Sunset, if you overheard any of that. I should have shut my door, but I was not expecting the call.”
Gripping her elbow awkwardly, the former bully shook her head. “It's fine, Principal Celestia—I was actually coming here to warn you about pretty much the same thing.” She paused, grimacing. “At least, if that was Principal Cinch calling about me.”
A frown marred the woman’s features. “It was. She was…demanding to know your name and information because of your trespassing and assault of students at her school.” Her eyes met Sunset’s and she hastened to add, “It was very apparent to me that it was a complete fabrication—even when you were troubled, you did not make a habit of attacking other students.”
Sunset sighed. “I’ve been picking Twilight up from CPA this week right after school. I told Miss Luna about it, so I could get permission to leave a few minutes early from my last class.”
“I am aware,” Principal Celestia responded with a gentle smile. “Luna told me on Monday at lunch, and I am very proud of you for going out of your way to support someone in need, Sunset. Are you willing to come into my office and tell us what actually occurred?”
When she nodded, the three of them convened in the principal’s office with the door shut. Sunset then outlined the previous two days picking her girlfriend up from school, and all the different people—mostly boys—who had approached and tried to chat her up, who she had realized were fishing for her name, or where she lived, or anything else that could be used against her. She talked about her magic’s negative reaction, how she had somehow accidentally burned one of the nicer people to talk to her when she shook his hand…and then graduated to explaining why she was even there that day.
“Rainbow and the lacrosse team chased them away, but Rainbow said that they were trying to get my name.” The redhead sagged against the wall, hugging herself. “I’m sorry, Principal Celestia. I know the magic is part of why she’s looking into me, but I didn't realize she’d be this intent on finding out who I am.”
The two women exchanged a long look, and her principal folded her hands on her desk. “Sunset, you have no reason to apologize. You did not do anything wrong. It is Abacus Cinch who has crossed just about every conceivable line possible, and what she is doing is towing the line between unpleasant and illegal levels of harassment and abuse of her position. If there was no magic involved, her behavior would be extremely suspicious—she is not your principal or guardian, and her abrupt interest would be downright unacceptable and inappropriate.”
Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Actually, I would go so far as to refer to the behavior as predatory,” she remarked. “Removing our knowledge of magic, Miss Shimmer is a legally emancipated minor—children with troubled backgrounds are considered vulnerable and at risk for predators, because of the lack of adults invested in their safety and wellbeing.” There was a shrewdness there in stormy eyes. “Maybe we should add some more pressure from an external source by doing our due diligence as mandatory reporters and tip off someone higher than the local branches of the right Alphabet Soup Agencies.”
At this point the conversation was going over Sunset’s head. “Um…what? Are you saying you can get her in legal trouble for being nosy?”
Principal Celestia watched her for a minute, then seemed to come to some sort of realization. “That is a simplistic way of explaining it, yes. As educators, Luna and I are trained in recognizing behaviors that indicate a child may be in some kind of dangerous situation, such as abuse from a parent or guardian, and part of our jobs is being what is called a ‘mandatory reporter.’ That means we are required by law to inform the appropriate authorities if we even suspect a child is being targeted or harmed in some way by an adult, or we could lose our jobs and be investigated ourselves. This is true for teachers and principals, but also medical professionals, emergency service personnel, law enforcement, and anyone involved in social welfare organizations.”
The gears began to turn. “Would they investigate me?” she asked warily. She was certain her identity would hold up to most scrutiny, but she wasn't sure about how well it would do with being picked apart by a government agency. “I don't want to risk exposing myself and Equestria to the human government. We would never survive an invasion by your species. I might be an exile but I have to protect my homeworld.”
Principal Celestia frowned. “I don't think so, no. Other than taking a copy of your information for the file, the investigation would be against Abacus, since your first interaction with her was barely a week ago, in an emergency situation that your vice principal was present for. At most, you might be questioned by someone for your side of events…” She sighed. “I will not file such a report without your consent, Sunset, but only because I am aware of magic and the extenuating circumstances, but I am concerned with the level of interest she is showing. Can you think of why the magic there would need your information so badly?”
Tension that had begun to fade with the knowledge that her identity as a fairly illegal alien was safe returned with a vengeance at the new question. She wasn’t certain how much she wanted to believe what the voice inside had to say. “…it’s possible that if there is a mastermind behind all the magic there, they could be trying to figure out about our magic. Or they could be looking to use human means to remove me from the picture—there is something there targeting my Twilight specifically, and I’ve been trying to keep it away from her.” The former unicorn began to pace along one side of the room, scouring her brain for everything she could remember about sympathetic magic or attuning spells to a specific individual. “There are ways to use somepony’s identity to target them with spells or rituals, but those methods usually require something of the pony’s, like hair or blood or some object that they imbued with their magic or have a deep attachment to…”
She hesitated, then asked, “Is there a human belief in magic associated with a human’s name? That seems to be the one thing that keeps getting asked, and she was not happy when I did not offer my name last week—she even tried to get it from Miss Luna.”
The dark skinned woman’s brow furrowed. “I’d almost forgotten about that,” she commented. “…now that I think about it, some sort of nagging feeling told me not to use your name in the building.”
—Yeah, there was a reason for that,— came the snarky remark from Sunset’s internal peanut gallery. —And before you ask, yeah, it was a nudge to her from us. You knew then it was bad news to let them have your name.—
Feeling nauseous, Sunset ducked her head. “I felt the same way…and I’m beginning to think my magic has been reacting in ways I can't control and was completely unaware of, to combat whatever the source of the dark magic is.  I’m sorry! I’m not trying to use magic to control minds again, I promise!” Her breath caught, as she recalled the way it had felt to dominate minds at the formal, enslaving them to her will. “I don't ever want to be that demon again!”
Luna stopped her with both hands on her shoulders. “Sunset Shimmer, look at me.”  When she did, shaking and afraid of anger or reprisal, the woman squeezed her shoulders and fixed her with a firm stare. “It kept us safe, and you were the one who came out of the whole thing much worse for wear.  If your magic had to influence me to not give the enemy an advantage, I can understand and respect the necessity—I could have chosen to ignore the feeling at any point, but I did not, because I have long learned to trust my instincts. At no point was I unable to act and think on my own. I was not enslaved or controlled.”
Sunset let out a low sound in her throat. “But…I didn't ask. My magic could have been making you feel and do things without permission. Just like the Sirens or at the formal when I turned into a demon.” 
“It is not the same thing, Sunset,” Principal Celestia said gently. “Last week, your sole focus was on protecting Twilight Sparkle from both mundane assaults and magical ones. You did your best to keep that same twisted, evil magic away from her, from my sister, from Twilight’s family, at what sounds like a considerable cost and risk to yourself. It sounds to me that your magic may have reacted to a perceived threat with the best of intentions to protect the people you cared about to the best of your abilities. If part of that was your magic keeping those people from inadvertently opening the gates and letting the enemy inside the gates, then it did the right thing. There’s a very big difference between that and removing someone’s free will and right to choose. It’s certainly not what the Dazzlings did to the students and staff here—as one of their victims, I can speak from experience on that, and so can my sister. Do not punish yourself.”
She didn't have a response for that, and her innards churned. It still felt wrong, the idea of her magic pressing on others like that, even if it was to protect them. “…I still don't want to be doing that,” she mumbled, gripping her elbow tight. “And it doesn’t answer why the name thing is such a big deal.”
Principal Celestia glanced at a stack of books on a nearby shelf, one of which was a brand new hardback fantasy novel. “I do not know if it has any bearing on real magic, but in a number of tales from folklore and myth the concept of having a magical being’s True Name gives a person power over them. It sometimes appears nowadays in fiction. Could that be it?”
“True Name?” The former unicorn searched her memory. 
“It stems from the idea that certain beings, unlike humans, have multiple names, and the one that is their truest identity is a very closely guarded secret. Faeries, some gods, demons, nature spirits, underworld guardians…” The vice principal had paced to the window to stare out at the statue. “Do you suppose such a legend might have originated in fact?”
—No, of course not,— snarked the stupid little voice rudely. —Clearly the warnings were just rampant paranoia and delusions of importance. What is it with no one wanting to believe two plus two equals four without four pages of citations?—
Maybe people—herself included—would be more inclined to actually believe such things if they didn’t come from what was either an abomination against the natural order lingering like a bad smell inside her thoroughly messed up soul or an extremely complex manifestation of a mental illness that did not bode well for the state of Sunset’s sanity.
—We really need to work on this self-loathing of yours, horn-head.—
“…in Equestria, most legends have a kernel of truth to them, so I don't see why that might not be true here too.” Sunset frowned, trying to ignore the voice. “We don't have…fairies, and gods…are a bit different, because ponies don't do religion. Princess Celestia actively discouraged that sort of thing, because it made her uncomfortable…but…” Her mind dug up some of the oldest legends. “There are stories…old stories, ones that are too old to prove, ones that are more fantasy than fact.  Like Grogar, the Nightmare King, or the fox-folk story about how Inari bound their sibling to a form through a name…and it’s not names, but there are suggestions in a few books I…wasn’t technically supposed to have read about binding souls or imprisoning by their true essence, which I figured was about spell forms and getting a piece of them.”
Luna rested her palms on the window sill. “Then perhaps whatever is behind the magic at Crystal Prep believes you must operate under those rules. That may be to our advantage, because it leaves them scrambling in the wrong direction for a weapon against you and your friends, Miss Shimmer. It suggests that whoever or whatever is running the show—whether that is Abacus or someone else—is ignorant of your magic and how it works. That provides a tactical advantage.”
“And I dare say we can use every tactical advantage we can get.”
Despite her misgivings, Sunset couldn't help but feel her vice principal was right.
> Chapter One Hundred and Forty Nine: Crawling In My Skin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Her desk was in utter disarray, with half a dozen Equestrian tomes scattered and open on a hastily cleared surface, alongside the diary from Pinkie’s locker, one monitor on her computer showing a google search, the other with an academic archival database digital library on mythology and folklore—not just first hand sources, but various translations, research papers, texts and cultural information on the societies that created the folklore. Sunset was scouring through them, trying to find anything that would help her figure out what Cinch was up to…or that would help her with her own problem prisoner.
—Really feeling the love here, horn-head. And a prisoner is inaccurate…that implies unwilling incarceration. Roommate is better, but that’s still got a degree of separation that's lacking.—
Unhealthy manifestation of a magical demonic transformation that she couldn’t be rid of, then.
—Rude. You really need to learn a little self love that doesn't involve that thing Twilight does with her middle finger.—
Did it really count if it was Twilight doing it?
—It would if you’d relax enough to go with it.—
Sunset resisted the urge to grind her teeth, and turned her attention back to the texts in front of her. “I’m not interested in giving you any opportunity to take over,” she hissed. “Now, unless you are into giving me straight answers, shut up—I’m trying to figure out what is really going on at Crystal Prep, and why whatever is there wants Twilight so bad.”
The voice was silent, but the redhead could practically feel the judgment from it as she skimmed through the texts and hunted for any human folklore that might’ve matched what she saw and felt. Stupid voice…is it any wonder she didn't trust it? It was all too willing to spew things when it wanted to give her a kick to the jaw, but when it might actually be useful? Of course not.
Shaking her head she turned her attention to the database and her good friend Google. There had to be something… Sunset discarded most of the things she found attached to any human religions newer than a hundred years, and anything so obscure and far away that it was unlikely that any magical beings or spellcasters would have traveled that far. It ruled out Australia, South America, and the remotest parts of the various tiny island cultures in the Pacific, at least. That still left all of Europe, anything native to North America, a good portion of mainland Asia, and parts of Africa, she noted sourly, before buckling down and getting to work. 
She hated pure text research.
Two hours later, she groaned and sat back, frustrated beyond all measure. “This is getting me nowhere…”
—It’s not. You don't need to be doing this. You already know everything you need to protect her. Why won't you listen?!—
“Listen? To you?” Sunset pushed to her feet and began to pace in the open space near her couch. “You want me to spell it out for you in bright, bold glyphs? Maybe because a demon who represents the worst, most violent, angry, and hateful parts of me is the one offering the advice? A demon whose entire purpose for existence was to dominate, enslave, and conquer two worlds? How about the fact that that same demon has been tormenting me with nightmares for months?” She ran both hands through her hair, tugging painfully on the curling locks. “Or the fact that not once since I’ve accused you of being the demon I became, have you denied or refuted the accusation!”
—Because that’s not how this works, and deep down, you know that too. Just like you know those weren’t nightmares, or hallucinations. They were warnings.— The voice somehow managed to sound hurt and offended at the same time, and Sunset found her ire rising, her hands beginning to grow hot.
“Warnings? A bunch of shadows, a Twilight who was possessed by some kind of evil magic that gleefully murders me, my own demon just standing around and letting it happen? The world, burning in shadow and flame, no one left alive? Turning back into you and seducing Twilight?” She sneered at the air, and clenched her fists by her sides, struggling to contain the  magic rising with her temper. Crimson sparks flickered into being, and she rushed to the bathroom, plunging her hands into the sink under icy water. “If that's your idea of warning me, don’t. Try plain Ponish instead. Tirek take me, I’d even settle for Old Ponish—at least I could use a translation guide if I didn’t know the dialect!!”
Sunset made the mistake of lifting her gaze from where blood colored sparks and flames were violating the laws of physics under a deluge of water, and had to resist recoiling from the sight that stared back. Her eyes were glowing brightly, her pupils reduced to catlike slits in a field of blue-green, set against a sclera that was as black as the cold void of a bottomless pit. The skin around them was no longer the sunny, warm shade of the rest of her, having darkened to a terrible red-amber that brought back flashbacks of the night of the Fall Formal, and the dreadful reflection the Elements had shown her, and over her shoulders, the faintest hint of wings hovered, molded from darkness and flame.
A low, agonized whine escaped her throat, like a wounded animal.
—There weren’t exactly a lot of options,— came the snippy response. —It’s a case of working with what we have. There wasn't another way besides dreams at the time. You burned everything we had against those seaside karaoke bar rejects, and it took months to recover. Especially with a good part of any energy gained going to protect Sparky. Which, frankly, was a lot more important than you getting a full night’s sleep.—
Her hands were stinging and throbbing with faint pain now, feeling like they were sunburned from the wrist down. Steam billowed up from where fire and water waged war, neither side giving an inch, and Sunset was thankful for it, because the thick white clouds cut off her view of her reflection. “What part of protecting her was seducing her?” she demanded.
—Maybe you should ask yourself that. It was what you wanted…and also what she wanted. She’s a frisky little monkey.— There was smugness in that tone. —And it gave us a way to protect her, a connection that our magic could use to keep them away from her.—
Sunset seethed at the answer that told her almost nothing, and cursed under her breath in seven different languages. “Yeah, because it was working so well, given all the times I had to get rid of dark magic on her.”
That stupid voice snarled irritably back at her, —It would have been a thousand times worse!—
“I’m sure,” she retorted. “Here’s this awful dark magic tainted place and people, and they're after Twilight for some reason—hey, I’ve got an idea, let’s just delve into dark magic of my own to keep her safe!” She slammed her fist into the sink’s stone countertop, pain of a different kind lancing up her arm. “You’ve got more than delusions of grandeur if you think I’m going to trust her protection to the worst decision I ever made.”
For a long, uncomfortable moment, there was nothing but spitting flames, splashing water, and the hissing of steam. At last, that little corner of her mind sighed heavily. —Even if you can’t believe there is no ulterior agenda, you have to realize, deep down, that no part of you could ever hurt her…can't you trust yourself?—
“No!” It came out in an explosive rush, on the edge of furious tears, and the intensity of it shocked both of them to silence. Sunset gripped the countertop, the sparks having guttered out with her admission, and she refused to look up and see the demon staring back at her. 
“…no,” she repeated, feeling tired and wrung out with her anger’s real target achieved. “…I don’t. How can I possibly trust myself—nopony knows better than me just how easily I turned into you…how easy it would be to become you again…” Her hands were red, burned and painful from her own magic—at least, she hoped that it was her magic and not because of the demon.  “I can't risk that…I won’t put all the people in my life at risk by taking the easy way out. I told you before, I have to do this in a way that won’t undo everything…a way that Twilight will be proud of me when it's all over.”
Sunset hugged herself, ignoring the way water soaked into her shirt. “I have to find a way to make everything okay and protect her and everyone without having to sacrifice who I am now. The ends don’t justify the means anymore, not for me.”
The voice made a thoughtful sound, as if it were actually listening to her for once. —If that’s what you really want, horn-head…— it said dubiously. —But real life is a lot messier than some story…what will you do if it comes down to an impossible choice? Will you sacrifice your friends? Sacrifice Sparky? Just to be able to avoid ‘the worst decision you ever made?’—
With that, the presence locked away inside her settled and went silent in its prison, leaving that final query lingering in her mind for the rest of the night.
And the worst part was, she wasn't sure she liked the answer.





The whispering was driving her to distraction, even when she was firmly ensconced in the laboratory space. Part of that might have been from Wallflower’s insistence on repeating every hint of rumor and speculation from the halls, complete with an undercurrent of ‘I told you so,’ in her retellings, but just as much was from what she heard, or from people stopping her in the hallways. 
Twilight wasn't even sure where some of them acquired their ideas. Like the girl in her Italian class who had demanded to know who the ‘yellow skinned bitch making eyes at her boyfriend’ was,’ like it was Sunset’s fault some boy had tried to ask her out. The girl had detailed exactly how she planned to get even, and still expected Twilight to give up her best friend’s name! Or the smug expression from Suri’s cackling pack of hyenas in gym, as one of them asked if Sunset was paying her to do her homework for her, while another had suggested Sunset was just ‘a dyke who had a thing for future librarians.’
Other whispers in the halls had ranged from suggesting that Sunset was a Canterlot spy, trying to help the public school students cheat their way to victory, to a future transfer student, to Twilight’s attractive cousin from New York. It was all rampant speculation with next to no facts, and about someone who had picked her up from school twice. Twilight thought the whole thing was ridiculous…
In addition, it was clashing harshly with the emotions she really would have preferred to bask in as much as possible. Her weekend with Sunset had surpassed any expectations or fantasy, and sneaking away in the afternoons to the older girl’s loft to engage in more intimacy had reinforced the fluttery feelings and the quiet, private realization that she was in love with Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips with just the thought alone. There was no other way to describe what she felt, even after several nights laying awake in bed long after the bedtime schedule she did her best to keep to during the school week, turning her feelings over in her mind. It hadn't been an impulsive decision, even if it had occurred during a highly charged moment where people were often prone to declarations in ‘the heat of the moment.’ Her conclusions had survived into the light of day, and withstood careful analysis and mental dissection when she was in the quiet dark solitude of her room with only Spike for company.
She loved Sunset Shimmer, was in love with the fiery girl who exuded charisma and passion from every pore. Certainly, she’d loved her as a friend for a while now—friendship was its own form of love, after all, one rooted in common bonds and camaraderie and equitable social standing—but this surpassed that, in a way that bore very little resemblance to the love she felt for her family members. What she felt for her mother and father, or Cadence and Shining, or even for her various cousins…that was solid, steady. Dependable in the sense that it was always there, even when things were at their worst…but it also didn't ask anything of her. Familial love…supported her unquestioningly, unwaveringly…and it went both ways, of course, though she’d only recently experienced the giving instead of the receiving, with what had happened with Glamour.
Her feelings for Sunset weren't any less…dependable…but they challenged her. Not in a negative  fashion—Cady would say that would be a sign of an unhealthy relationship, most likely. No…they challenged her to be better, to strive and push herself beyond her comfort zone. With Sunset in her life, it was no longer about the drive for perfection for the sake of ‘doing things exactly right’; instead, it inspired her to become her best self, which included tackling challenges that always seemed like insurmountable mountains, while Sunset murmured encouragement and walked with her every step of the way. It paired with a desire to see Sunset grow into the best person she could be, the person Twilight had caught glimpses of from the very night they had met. Together they drove one another to do more, to be more.  Sunset made her feel alive, more than she ever had; the redhead’s own fire kindled a spark inside Twilight Sparkle that had only just started to catch, yet already it held within the promise of a future that was greater than she had ever imagined.
The reminder on her phone tugged her out of her thoughts, and she glanced down to see the screen flashing at her. <Appt. w/ Dr. Soft-Spoken. 3:30PM. Mom at 3PM.> She sighed, and began packing her things, fiddling with the removable drive she was using to carry data during school, her thoughts wandering absently back to Sunset.
There had not been a good moment to reveal her feelings to her girlfriend. The week had been stressful and their stolen moments had been spent tangled up in physical embraces… none of them appropriate for something so huge as telling Sunset that she loved her. Love was a word Sunset seemed to actively avoid using, and from the conversations about her guardian and struggles…it was something that the older girl had heard only rarely, if at all. Dropping the words offhandedly in a conversation, or breathing them in her ear while she was making use of those magnificently talented fingers to—
Laughter from the hall and the sound of the senior bell ringing reminded her that such thoughts did not belong in the here and now.
Anyway.
It needed to be special, said with sincerity at a moment where Sunset would not see it as being tied into some sort of giving action. Twilight did not want to reinforce her girlfriend’s subconscious belief that love, affection, and acceptance were contingent on Sunset performing some service. Love was not a currency or a commodity.
Which meant she had to watch for an opportune moment to capitalize on, and her brain was all too eager to map out potential scenarios where it would be a good time to tell Sunset…and that was made exceptionally difficult when she could barely hear herself think with all the whispering.
Or worse, the questions.
Like the one confronting her now, as she left the lab space to go meet her mother in the parking lot.
“Excuse me!?” Twilight asked in utter disbelief, only barely managing to keep the hysterical edge out of her voice.
The boy standing in front of her was in her year…or the grade below her, she couldn't remember anything besides that they shared a history class. He shrugged and repeated himself. “Look, it's none of my business who you wanna go down on, Sparkle. What I want to know is how some mousy little dork who never looks up from her books scored a smoking hot college girl. She’s got to be what? Twenty-three, maybe twenty-four? Not to mention way out of your league. So what's your secret?”
Twilight kept herself from rolling her eyes so hard Sunset would have been both proud of her and concerned for the amount of ocular strain.  However, after a few milliseconds of consideration, during which her brain suggested several much more unpleasant scenarios that would have been much messier and catastrophic and make her already uncomfortable legal situation that much more complicated, she decided the eye rolling was probably the safest course of action…no matter how much some part of her wanted to perform a battery of very painful experiments on this drooling imbecile and his stellar example of why inbreeding was not just a problem in pedigree dogs and some lines of racehorses…as a way to alleviate her rising anger and frustration over this entire situation and all the whispering she’d had to put up with for almost an entire week.
Summoning up a measure of control and channeling the casual courage Sunset brought to interactions like this, her voice was cold and clipped, with the same frosty edge to it that had worked so well on Silver Dollar. “If there is some secret to having positive verbal discourse with a aesthetically attractive older female, perhaps it can be found in the fact that making assumptions and asking questions in an invasive and derogatory manner is an exceptionally expedient manner to rouse anger and remove any desire to see if there is anything more under your cretinous exterior and oral sewage.”  She watched with a measure of chilly satisfaction as he tried to parse out what all the large words meant, going from confusion to offended after almost half a minute. Definitely not the sharpest scalpel on the operating tray then.
She continued before he could open his mouth and allow more stupid to fall out at her feet. “She happens to be a friend, one with whom I share a large number of intellectual interests with—and I am not sorry if that punctures your salacious daydreams with basic factual data, since I find the idea of you having such things nausea-inducing and offensive on every conceivable level. Now,” she said, so frigid that the boy shivered and the temperature felt like it plummeted twenty degrees, “if you will excuse me, I have an appointment to get to.”
He recoiled as she brushed by him, still stunned by her reply to his query, and before he could put his thoughts back together, Twilight had successfully turned a corner and taken a stairwell to the ground floor, wanting to get out of the school as quickly as possible. She could still feel the eyes on her, hear the whispering voices full of speculation, but she held onto that icy demeanor, and it seemed to deter any more answer-seekers.
The teenager hit the front doors of the school with more force than was necessary to open them, a part of her surprised by the anger that enveloped her thoughts as she hunted for her mother’s car in the parking lot. That enraged section of her mind proposed a suggestion that she didn't like in the slightest: her principal was smart enough to see the writing on the wall, that Twilight was going to be finishing her education somewhere else…was this the result of what Sunset had been warning them about? Things orchestrated to punish and manipulate Twilight and her family, to make the situation so bad that Twilight would have some kind of psychological break or her parents would be forced to pull her before she could finish her project, thus ruining two of her core grade point averages for the year…for her high school transcripts? It seemed a little far-fetched to the analytical portion of her, but…there was the fact that Sunset had been able to lay out something akin to it in barely two minutes flat. If her girlfriend could figure it out that quick, what could a cunning and experienced woman like Principal Cinch do?
She had to acknowledge that the sheer number of people this week who had succeeded in jabbing their verbal barbs far too close to the truth was exceedingly high, even with altered odds from Suri’s posse to target her in the rumor mill.
Anger swirled in a maelstrom around stress and anxiety as she dropped into the front passenger seat of the car next to her mom. Velvet looked over, her smile fading to an expression of worry. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
It was unintentional—her mother was not the cause of her foul mood—yet the words formed and escaped before she could reevaluate them, tinged with the same frost that had been directed at the boy in the hall. “The story of my life; what else is new? This time the school has taken offense to something other than my breathing. In this instance, my supposed peer group does not appreciate the fact that someone like Sunset picked me up from school. They have taken umbrage with the fact that a physically attractive girl had formed a friendship with the reclusive, dorky, unattractive brain with legs that ruins the bell curve for all of them, as if friendship operates in weight classes like some sports. It is somehow inconceivable to them that she might actually be my friend and they are putting their time and effort into discussing how I have trapped her into interacting with me, while simultaneously attempting to rescue her from my unwanted company by providing her with suggestions that she would prefer the company of the right boy,” she seethed. “It's gone beyond insulting at this point.”
Her mom reached over and gently tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Children—especially teenagers—can be cruel and selfish, Twily, especially to those who don't follow the crowd. But you know Sunset, and they do not, and you know for yourself that she spends her time with you because of how deeply she values your friendship, not based on something silly like how you would score in some silly magazine quiz about appearance.”
Twilight sighed in annoyance. “I know that, Mom,” she responded, still bitter. “It doesn't make it any more bearable. I understand intrinsically that I am not in the same physical category as a supermodel or a girl like Sunset, but to have people I have never even met using it to tell me why I have no place being her friend or that I must have cheated somehow to force her to be around me…” She searched for the right word.
“It sucks,” her mother offered. “Though I would remind you that physical standards of beauty are incredibly arbitrary. You are not an unattractive person, sweetheart, and you have a lot to offer others, including a beautiful smile and good heart. Try not to let the words of shallow people convince you otherwise.”
Scowling, she bit back, intellectually realizing her mother was not at fault and that she didn't deserve the coldness, but unable to stop what she was feeling from taking control of her tongue. “That’s a little difficult at times when it seems like every person I encountered today had an opinion on the matter—including two teachers who decided to ‘warn me’ about the dangers of associating with ‘criminal riff-raff’—and were not subtle about their need to air their viewpoints at me being seen with someone that they did not deem suitable for one reason or another!”
Velvet frowned. “Your teachers are a separate matter, and one I want to talk about later when you’ve had a chance to calm down, Twily. Right now, I think you need to do your breathing exercises, and consider discussing this today with Dr. Soft-Spoken…perhaps she can offer you some strategies to help cope with the verbal offenses and gossip mongering. At least until we can get you out of there.”
Her mother was nice about it, but Twilight could hear the gentle rebuke in her words, and she deflated. It wasn't fair to take her anger out on her mother, she noted, and forced herself through the careful breathing she had been taught. With each breath, she could feel some of the unpleasant feeling in her chest ease, and felt some of the ice melt away. As she settled, she half expected an appearance from Mental-Sunset to have some kind of witty commentary on the afternoon…yet there was only the sound of her own thoughts. Which was how it had been all week. Somehow, her coping mechanism had failed right when she needed it the most…something else to mention to her therapist at her appointment.
Twilight was beginning to wonder if she could fit everything into her allotted hour time slot.
> Chapter One Hundred and Fifty: And You Became My Favorite Drug...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Pulling into the driveway, Sunset looked around in confusion at the complete lack of cars. Taking off her helmet, she twisted a little to look behind her at her girlfriend. “Where is everybody?”
Twilight sighed and fixed her glasses once she was free of her own helmet. “Mom and Dad had a meeting with the lawyers today, and both Cady and Shining are still at work. Shining and his partner have apparently been handed a pretty big case and he's pulling some very long hours because of it, so we probably won't see him much until they get a break in the case.”
Stowing the helmets and shouldering Twilight’s bag as well as her own, despite the nerdy girl’s protests, Sunset arched a brow as a thought came to her…along with a renewal of the heated buzzing under her skin that had been plaguing her since Wednesday morning.  “What time will they be back?” she asked.
“Probably in time for a late dinner, why? Mom said something about picking up pizza on the way home.”
Stepping inside, Sunset rested their bags on the floor and pulled off her boots, giving Twilight time to enter and close the door entirely…before pulling her into her arms and pressing both palms to that cute rump and squeezing. “Well…I haven't seen you since Tuesday,” she teased, “and I was wondering if we had the opportunity here for a little alone time…” 
The shorter girl squeaked in surprise and went up on her tiptoes to kiss Sunset, arms going around her neck. “…Oooh!” Her lips turned up in a smile that the former unicorn had started to realize spoke to arousal and interest; it was an expression that Sunset had also started to think of as sexy, something that was more than a little disorienting but so very right.
After all, if there was any hairless primate on this nearly magicless dirtball that she would want to think of as sexy, it would be the one in her arms right now that was kissing her with such interest. Flicking her tongue playfully against Twilight’s, she reluctantly pulled back to ask, “So…is that a yes?”
“It's the best kind of yes,” Twilight responded with that smile again, body pressing flush to Sunset’s, rubbing up against her like a cat. “My room?”
Sunset felt a smirk playing on her own lips and she swung the smaller form up into her arms. “If that is what you desire,” she purred, watching with satisfaction as Twilight gasped and let out a low whimper of pure carnal want. 
The best part was, this…this was all herself. That stupid voice had been silent all day, and the feeling of pleasure that tickled her when her girlfriend responded so ardently to her actions came from her own self…not the toxic remnant of her past mistakes. Buoyed by that, she hopped over Spike—who gave them a doggy huff of annoyance—and took the stairs two at a time while  Twilight held on for dear life, squealing out, “Sunny!” 
Sunset kicked the bedroom door shut behind them with a heel, before tumbling them both onto the bed in a delightful tangle. “C’mere, nerd,” she growled, tossing jacket and shirt over her shoulder as she stripped them in one smooth motion. “I missed you,” she whispered against Twilight’s neck as lavender fingers fought to get rid of that pesky sweater-vest…thing, and then the shirt underneath. “Once you've had your last day in that pit of a school,” she promised, lips brushing lightly against Twilight’s ear, “I am going to enjoy getting you up here and tearing this uniform right off you. Forget all those stupid little buttons and consideration for that itchy wool—just grab the front of it and pull with my hands until the buttons pop right off.” 
She couldn't say where the thought came from, or why even the image of destroying the hideous outfit was so viscerally satisfying, but from the way Twilight frantically managed to get out of the offending garment and throw herself into Sunset’s embrace, her girlfriend liked the thought as much as she did. Amber skinned hands slid down working to get the skirt out of her way as well—anything to end up skin to skin with Twilight as soon as possible. Sunset found herself aching for the contact.
Her wish was granted not long after, when her own jeans and underwear joined her jacket on the floor. She pressed her body to Twilight’s and hugged her tight. “Mmm…” she hummed happily, nuzzling into dark hair. One hand soon wandered southward, tracing a line down Twilight’s stomach while Sunset spent some time reacquainting herself with the other girl’s mouth. Even though they had a limited window, the former unicorn was content to take her time, brushing her fingerpads over soft skin in a series of intimate caresses that made her lover sing her pleasure to the old glow-in-the-dark stars scattered across the ceiling.
Just as she was intending to take her exploration further, starting to press kisses down Twilight’s front, her girlfriend stopped her with hands in Sunset’s mane. Blue-green eyes blinked up at the other girl. “What’s wrong, Sparky?” she murmured, resting her cheek on one breast.
“Nothing at all,” Twilight said, smiling as she brushed red and gold strands back from Sunset’s face. “I just wanted to see if you were interested in doing something a little different. As much as I like what you were about to do—and please believe me when I say I really like it—I thought it might be fun to explore what we can do together…”
Licking her lips, Sunset nuzzled against her. “Of course, Sparky…I’m okay with trying new things with you.” She let a slight smile play across her face. “What did you have in mind?”
She could feel the way Twilight’s fingers trembled as they ran over the skin of her bare shoulders and down her arms. “…I…noticed you like…taking the lead…that is…doing things to me…and it's wonderful…but I’d like the chance to find out what feels good to you? The way you have been doing for me? Like I did last week after the shower?”
Memory of those petite, slim fingers dancing between her legs until she saw stars made Sunset’s breath catch. “Oooh…” she breathed. There was no doubt in her mind that it would be fantastic to let Twilight do exactly what she was suggesting….but her fear lingered. What if the demon took advantage of her state of mind? Sunset prodded the awareness in the corner of her mind, and got no real response—the voice had been…sulking…in silence since their argument the other day.
Maybe it would be okay? She didn't want to disappoint her girlfriend, who was looking at her so eager and hopeful…and a big part of her wanted to feel Twilight’s touch like that again. 
Temptation won the day. “…okay…” she murmured, shimmying up to peck Twilight’s lips with a kiss. “I’m all yours to memorize, Sparky,” came the teasing jibe, even as she rolled off her partner to sprawl comfortably on the pillows in a comical spread eagle pose. 
It broke any tension that had built up from Twilight’s nervousness about asking the question. The dark haired girl giggled, before shyly leaning over to kiss Sunset. “Thank you for trusting me, Sunny…and if you don't like something I do, it's okay to stop me and let me know. I want you to feel as good as you make me feel…”
“Sparky, it's you. If there’s anyone I trust, it’s you.” She reached out and tweaked Twilight’s nose. “And I’ll speak up if something hurts or feels weird…but I’m not worried. Relax, okay? You're not going to hurt me.” To prove her point, Sunset snagged Twilight’s hand and pressed it just above her breast, close to her heart, knowing that the steady—if slightly elevated—pulse would reinforce her words. “See?”
Fingers curled slightly, tips pressing into her skin in a way that felt good. Twilight hovered over her, leaning close; her lips met Sunset’s briefly, before she moved, leaving a trail of kisses down the redhead’s jaw and throat. Her nose bumped briefly to Sunset’s collarbone, and she whispered in a voice somewhere between fascination and curiosity, “…you always smell like sunshine…”
“Do I?” Sunset wondered, amused. “What does sunshine smell like to you?” She knew what the concept meant to her, of a white stone balcony overlooking palace gardens, golden magic, and a warm alabaster coat that always smelled clean, buzzing against a filly’s senses in a way that felt right, smelled good and safe.
“Mmm…like a summer picnic under a tree,” came the response from her chest between tickling kisses. “Warm grass and summer flowers and green, growing trees, but also this smell that…just is from the sun itself somehow…” Twilight flicked her eyes up to look at her. “You're like the sun, Sunny. It’s in…every part…of you…” The kisses changed from light on her skin to more intense, mingling with the damp heat of the other girl’s tongue flitting out to draw patterns and lines on her skin, sending Sunset’s pulse skyrocketing until she couldn't hear Twilight’s murmurs over it pounding in her ears.
Sweet sunfire… Her thoughts spun dizzily, and she struggled not to pant at the surge of unfiltered desire now crawling up through her veins. A low, needy groan worked free of her throat and she clenched her fists into the comforter under her—it was either that or bury them in that midnight hair, freeing it from the rather severe bun her girlfriend wore to school. 
Twilight smiled against amber skin and took that as her cue to really make Sunset’s nerves thrum with pleasure, mouth and fingers finding their way to her breasts. Coherent thought scattered utterly to the winds when her devious, adorable nerd began humming, even as she brought her teeth and tongue to bear on the nipple in her mouth. While the vibrations might not have normally done much at all, any time the teeth worried at the sensitive flesh, those vibrations were transmitted right into those sensitive nerve endings…
What would that be like somewhere even more sensitive?
…oh stars…maybe this was a bad idea…
Thankfully, Twilight didn't linger on her chest too long, and the moments where she chose to place more of those feathery, soft kisses on a lean stomach gave Sunset a chance to catch her breath and attempt to bring her thoughts back together in some semblance of order…albeit, a loose one. She could feel the ache in her core, the way her body didn't just crave but demanded more of her dark haired lover’s attention. Her magic tingled in warning, and what control she had left went to grasping her power and keeping it contained…
She really should have found a way to say no. This was a terrible idea…
“Sp-spar…ky…” Sunset started to say, the husky, throaty half moan of sound almost unrecognizable as her own voice to her ears.
And then she stopped caring about anything other than how this was the best idea Twilight had ever had, because that questing mouth had gotten between her legs without her registering it until it was too late. She bucked wildly, body arching with a startled cry of pleasure that no amount of insulation would have dampened, and the hands that had been gripping the bedding under her jerked free to dig into her girlfriend’s hair, pulling her against heated flesh and where her lips and tongue—and oh by the dark side of the moon were those her teeth?!—were sending pure pleasure right to her brain. 
Traitorous hands. 
Or were they the best hands? 
Besides Twilight’s, of course, since those hands were touching her intimately, rubbing over her skin and squeezing her hip…
Why had she insisted on waiting so long again?
Sunset tossed her head back against the pillow, every breath a litany of desire and encouragement for what Twilight was doing to her. Fingers tugged insistently on that bun until the hair came free, tumbling down in a dark cascade over eager amber digits and bare lavender shoulders.  And that was before she was able to look down the length of her body and watch what her girlfriend was doing.
Deep inside, her control had been steadily fraying in the face of a consuming hunger and rising arousal…and in that moment, seeing Twilight’s tongue flit out before she could feel it drag over her in the world’s most intimate kiss, the thin, ragged thread of control snapped like a bad rubber band.
Twilight let out a startled squeak when Sunset let out an aggressive noise and sat up. The redhead was tired of being on her back, and looking at her girlfriend, lips wet and eyes a little hazy from her own desire, she knew Twilight would enjoy what she was about to do. Hands reluctantly let go of her hair in order to push the other girl over on the bed, guiding her onto her back firmly. “We’re not stopping,” she assured her, her lips tugging into that confident, cocky smirk from the bad old days…before she swung her leg over and straddled Twilight’s head, her own palms grabbing the headboard for support as her hips rocked and rolled against her companion’s renewed efforts.
Sensation exploded behind her eyelids, making her squeal one that was more pony than human.  Why had she been avoiding this? It felt amazing…and Twilight was definitely having her own brand of fun, if the sudden addition of her fingers slipping into Sunset and the other hand latched into a death grip on one amber thigh were any indication.  She found herself trying to utter encouragement and praise, but it came out as a garbled mess that might have been smattered with Old Ponish, Gryphonic, and a few curses in ancient Minoan, all stumbling over each other and woven into the English and modern Ponish. 
The first climax that hit her made her muscles jerk and spasm, her hands clenching hard enough against the wooden headboard that the boards creaked warningly under her fingers. She ground herself against the source of the feeling between her legs, chasing it as it rose, crested, fell, and rose again…she wanted more, she wanted it to never stop…she wanted Twilight to touch her like this forever…something her girlfriend seemed in agreement with. 
With each subsequent peak, Sunset’s magic rippled under her skin, filling her as if it were part of the physical pleasure Twilight was inflicting on her body. As she cried out again, feeling the magic twining with the stew of emotions swirling in her brain, something clicked in her addled mind. The magic was responding…to her feelings for Twilight, just like it did for her friends…the magic felt stronger because her feelings were that much more powerful…
She also realized that she didn't need to fight it quite so much—it was related to the Elements and Friendship magic, surely…and Twilight couldn't see her if she Ponied-Up right now. Sunset couldn't help herself; it felt so good, and Twilight was the one she wanted to be with for as long as possible, her best friend, her girlfriend, her lover…as close as she would get to a Special Somepony in the world of humans. 
Sunset shuddered, and as her body tensed for another wracking spasm of bliss…
She surrendered.
Magic burst within her and out, the Pony-Up happening so fast her ears popped painfully, and she dug her nails into the soft wood under her fingers. Her horn was a beacon of magic, red light and blazing crimson flames that made it hard for her to see, magic that finally rushed outward when Twilight’s fingers curled just right inside her body, timing it with a swipe of her tongue. 
The former unicorn came apart completely. Magic flooded the room in a brilliant flash of light, the only part she perceived before all external thought and perception was driven from her mind. She opened her mouth, aware on some level that she must have screamed…but she didn't care if it was heard by anyone… Not when every part of her was melting and being reborn in an instant, at the mercy of ministrations by the only other individual in the universe that mattered right then.
When it finally ended, Sunset was boneless, her upper body slumped against the headboard her hands had locked themselves into gripping. She was covered in a sheen of sweat, muscles trembling with aftershocks and her heart pounding in her chest. The magic faded, dispersing from her and the room and leaving only the faint feeling of its presence behind. Her brain struggled through the fog of satiation, contentment, and lassitude that had enveloped it, only barely doing so when the hand on her hip tapped a bit insistently and gained her attention.
Grunting with the effort it took, Sunset attempted to lever herself off her girlfriend, only to realize her limbs felt like limp noodles and none of them were responding quite right. The nerves were still tingling and it made it hard to not have her legs go right out from under her again, even when all she was trying to do was get up on her knees. In the end, she resorted to falling to one side in a heap, mumbling something that might have been an apology.  Twilight grinned dazedly at her, hair mussed and skin flushed. 
Sunset lay next to her girlfriend as she recovered from the overload of both her central nervous system and her thaumic one. As she did, she grew increasingly concerned that Twilight had done little but smile and make little humming sounds in her throat. It dawned on her—now that she was back in control of herself—that in her enthusiasm, with her superior strength and greater mass, she could have actually hurt Twilight with her actions. “Sparky?” she ventured, starting to feel that sickening twist in her guts.
“Mmm-hmm?” was the response.
The older teen reached over and cupped her cheek gently, afraid she had hurt her in some fashion. “Twilight, please, are you okay? I didn't mean to lose it like that—”
A little giggle escaped and Twilight nuzzled into her hand. “…’m okay…sooo very okay…” she murmured. “…you taste good…” the dark haired girl added as an afterthought, licking her lips.
Frowning, Sunset began looking her over. “I’m serious, Twilight. Does anything hurt? Did I push down too hard?” One hand raked through sweat soaked hair. “….I shouldn't have lost control like that. I should have stopped you, or said no…” 
Purple eyes blinked, their owner finally registering that something was wrong. Twilight sat up carefully, taking Sunset’s hand in both of her own. “Sunny?” she said gently, squeezing amber fingers. “Sunset, please, look at me.”
Swallowing down a lump and a bit of nausea, Sunset forced herself to meet those eyes, terrified of finding pain or distress there. She found only confused concern. “I’m sorry…” she whispered. “I could have hurt you with what I did. I wasn't thinking…”
Twilight shook her head. “Sunny, I’m not hurt. You didn't hurt me, or scare me, I promise.” She kissed Sunset’s knuckles. “In fact, I really liked what just happened.” Her eyes lit up with delight as she leaned close to breathe in Sunset’s ear, “I meant it when I said you tasted good.”
Sunset leaned into her lover’s body, curling arms around her in a tight hug. “…I could have, though. I…I don't think I could have stopped, even if I wanted to.” Whether she could have stopped if Twilight wanted her to, she didn't know, but that was something she didn't like thinking about. 
—You would have, if she’d needed you to.— 
Great. Now the stupid voice was done sulking and back to offering unsolicited advice, opinions, and feedback. Just what she needed.
—It seems even a tail curling orgasm wasn't enough to sweeten your disposition any.— There came the long suffering sigh Sunset was half expecting. —You need to stop worrying that every little thing is going to go bad, and stop worrying that you are some kind of unexploded bomb waiting to go off. It's about your choices, horn-head. It's all about what you want.—
“But you didn't need to stop, Sunny,” her girlfriend said, kissing her cheek. “I didn't want you to stop. I…mentioned this before; it feels good to me when you take charge like that, even if I had been initially wanting to do things to you.”  She shifted until she was curled up in Sunset’s lap, cuddled close and nuzzling into amber skin. “It's not just about what makes me feel good, Sunset. It's about what you want too.”
The fact that her girlfriend echoed the voice’s words made her immediately suspicious. What did you do?! she demanded internally of the demon. I told you to stay away from her!
—Nothing, horn-head. Don't get your tail in a twist.— There was a pause as she focused her attention on it and its cage. —Look, Sparky matters—no part of you could or would hurt her.  We want her safe. Is it too much to hope you might just be learning to relax a little and be a little less uptight? And that maybe that's why you reacted like you did? Suppression isn't healthy, you know; even Celestia knew that, and that mare is the most emotionally constipated being you know.—
The barb about the princess did not sting like it might have once, but it did set her mind on her magic. Had the demon done something there to coax her into releasing her magic? Or was it telling the truth this time, and had it all been her? 
Either way, it was dangerous. She was lucky that it had been the Harmony-flavored power the girls granted her, and not her normal magical energy. She couldn’t guarantee that would be true if it happened again. Sunset pressed her face to Twilight’s shoulder. “What I want is for you to be safe. I don't want to hurt you, and I very much could have.”
Twilight sighed, pulling back from Sunset but not leaving her lap. “I’m not made of glass,” she pointed out, frustration and hurt leaking into her voice. “I know I’ve had a tough time this year, but I’m not fragile or helpless, Sunset.” Her hands made Sunset meet her gaze and kept her from turning away. “Do not think I have no agency, no say in what happens to my body—you know damn well that’s not true, not with everything you’ve spent the last half a year teaching me!”
—Oh…you just stirred the Fire Bee nest, horn-head. Sparky never swears.—
“I…didn't mean it like that,” Sunset tried to reassure her. “It's just—”
The younger girl sighed again, calming slightly. “I understand that you may not have, but that's not really the point. You made sure that I can never be a helpless victim again…that I can at least put up some resistance. I’m not fragile or alone anymore—I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been, and not just physically.” She brought her forehead to rest against Sunset’s own, fingers tangled in red and gold locks. 
Reaching up to curl her fingers around those skinny wrists, the former unicorn tried to choose her words carefully. “I know you are, Sparky. You handled that senior all on your own, and you survive daily in that awful school.” She searched for a way to explain it, because how could she explain that there was a difference between a high school boy and her, when she had enough magic inside her to level a dozen city blocks in every direction with pure fire and rage, in less time than it took to blink? “It's…not the same though. I’m not a stranger, and I hurt others when I’m not careful.”
Purple eyes stared into hers, and Twilight tugged her hand free of Sunset’s grip to press a palm to her cheek and kiss her lips. “I understand that you are physically larger and stronger than me. You have close to four or five inches of height and probably about forty pounds on me, which puts you in a different weight class in a one on one fighting match. I also recognize that you are far more trained than I am in physical fighting arts…but those people are wrong. They’ve always been wrong.”  Her thumb brushed along the skin of Sunset’s cheek. “I know you’ve been told for so long by so many people that you are this dangerous, horrible, violent monster that hurts others by existing…but that is so far from the truth. You are loving and kind and caring, and I do not believe for a single instant, that even in the height of passion or the throes of anger, that you would hurt me.”
She paused for effect, then added, “What I need you to believe is that not only are you not a danger to me, but that I would not just be a doormat in the face of your whims and urges. I’m your girlfriend, and I’m just as invested in every little thing we do, whether that’s kissing, or cuddling, or very, very enjoyable sex.”
Sunset sagged against her, unable to explain further. “But I have hurt people,” she protested.
“Yes, you have. So have I. So has every person you've ever met…what you need to understand is that that doesn't mean you are some kind of monster or unstable psychopath. It just means you're human, and you messed up in life a few times. The fact that you are so afraid of hurting me tells me you never will. I trust you, Sunny...please, trust me?”
“I do…” she whispered, voice catching. “I trust you more than anyone else in this world, Twilight.”
“Then please…trust me now,” her girlfriend pleaded. “You have never treated me like I was broken, Sunset Shimmer…please, don't start now. Everyone in my life has looked at me that way at some point or another, except you. Even when things have been at their worst, when I was an anxious mess or a victim you had to save, you have always treated me like I’m just Twilight, and I can't lose that.”
The redheaded teen could feel the distress coming off the body in her arms, and she hugged her tightly. “You're not broken, Twilight…you’ve never been broken,” she murmured, heart aching even as her stomach twisted into unpleasant shapes. “You're so strong, in ways I can’t even explain, stronger than anyone I know. Being different or having different problems than most po—people doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.” She laughed softly. “At least you’ve never lost your temper and set your classmates on fire.”
There was a sniffle against her chest, and Twilight’s muffled, disbelieving voice, “…you set your classmates on fire?”
“…it was a long time ago, and it's a rather complicated story,” Sunset confessed. “I…feel bad about it now, but…at the time I wasn't thinking of much besides how angry I was.”
Her fingers moved to run up and down Twilight’s back affectionately. “The point is…this…its not about you, or what I think of you in any way.” It really wasn't, since the problem at hand was her own magic and the monster caged inside her.
—Rude much?—
Ignoring the voice was easier this time, and she turned her mind to what she was saying…and the plan she’d been roughing out during the last week to come clean to Twilight and her family about herself and her origins. “…a few weeks ago, you called something ‘a you problem.’ This…this is a ‘me problem.’ I…need to feel like I’m in control of myself, because…loss of that self-control has always been followed by bad things happening. I’ve trained myself to remain in control as much as possible, and as wonderful and good as it felt, I can't do that again right now. I can't say that wont change, but…for right now, I have to be careful until I learn my limits with this.”
Twilight was quiet for a long time, long enough that Sunset almost broke with the need to reassure her.  Anything to fill the silence that was becoming uncomfortable.  However, she held off once she pulled back enough to get a good look at her girlfriend’s expression; Twilight had that look on her face that said she was analyzing something mentally.  It was normally safest to let her reach a conclusion without interrupting.
It gave Sunset a chance to refine her own plans. She needed to try again to talk to Princess Twilight, because she needed the other pony’s insight as well as permission for her plans to go through. She couldn't, after all, tell Twilight and her family about being a unicorn and having magic without discussing Equestria.
Finally Twilight spoke, pulling Sunset back to the present time and place. "If I am understanding what you said, then...what you mean is that being in a situation where you feel like you have lost control over yourself causes you anxiety?” At Sunset’s nod—that was close enough to the truth to work for the time being—she took a breath and continued, “As a result, you are requesting time and opportunity to learn how far you can push yourself in an intimate situation before it triggers that anxiety.  What we just did was too far over your current threshold, too quickly... and while pleasurable, the aftermath when the anxiety hit is too uncomfortable for you to want to repeat it right at this time? Is this an accurate assessment?"
“Pretty much,” Sunset agreed. 
The dark haired girl kissed her. “Is it safe to assume that sexual activity as was conducted earlier this week and last weekend is still acceptable?”
“Sparky,” she responded with a laugh, “if you keep making that moaning sound when I curl my middle finger, then you can assume that it’ll never not be ‘acceptable.’”
The color Twilight turned was worth the pillow to the face that Sunset got, as well as the mad chase through the hall to the shower.





“I still can't believe you did that,” Sunset complained, using the towel to squeeze excess water from her hair. “I can still taste the soap in the back of my throat.”
Twilight laughed as she brush the tangles out of her hair so she could put it up after. “All’s fair in love and war, Sunset,” she countered. “It's your fault for tickling me while I was holding the shampoo bottle.”
Her girlfriend made a face at her, sticking her tongue out childishly. “I didn't know you were going to explode shampoo all over my face when I did it!” 
“And I didn't possess foreknowledge that you were going to tickle me when I picked it up to wash my hair,” she responded back primly, before dissolving into giggles at Sunset’s expression. “The look on your face though!”
Finishing with the towel, the older girl ran her hand through clean and tousled curls, finger combing them into some sense of order in a way that Twilight never could with her own hair. “I’m so happy to have provided you with entertainment through my suffering,” was the dry response as she tossed the towel on the end of the bed and bent down to retrieve her clothes.
That’s not the only thing you’re providing me with, Sunny, Twilight thought as she paused what she was doing to openly ogle the curvaceous amber backside pointed in her direction, feeling a stab of disappointment when Sunset finished pulling her underwear up. Part of her wanted to say something flirty about it, but she wasn’t really good at that sort of thing…and she wasn't sure how Sunset would react to the somewhat blatant comment in her head—they hadn't done much flirting overall, and most of what had occurred had been accidental or at least born out of the sexual tension between them. 
Chewing her lip, she weighed the options, then decided that she wouldn't know unless she gave it a try. At least Sunset would never be angry at her for it, even if it was a disaster, and the older girl had never demanded perfection of Twilight. 
Twilight took a breath and then the proverbial plunge. “…wow, Sunny…do you have any idea how attractive and distracting you are when you do that?” When her girlfriend paused in pulling up her jeans to look over her shoulder with interest and curiosity, she forced herself to keep going in a rush. “It's…something about the way your muscles flex and just how smooth and perfectly your…” She blushed. “…butt…curves, when you bent over…and with just a hint of…” Her courage failed her but she gestured pointedly down to get her meaning across. 
Sunset’s face lit up with a pleased smile, and she deliberately took her time in pulling her jeans up the rest of the way, looking over her shoulder at Twilight, while the dark haired girl could do nothing but stare as the denim whispered its way up those curves and hugged the body that she was enamored with. “Like what you see then?” Sunset teased, finally turning around and sauntering over to Twilight, still bare from the waist up.
Face hot, Twilight nodded. “…yes…” she squeaked.
Amber arms snaked around her, and she found herself hugged to Sunset’s front—if she tilted her head down she could happily press her face into soft breasts to hide her awkwardness…though she didn't this time. Not when Sunset was nuzzling a cheek against hers in blatant affection. “You’re allowed, Sparky…I don't mind you looking at me like that. It’s…flattering and makes me feel good when you stare, nothing like when boys at school or worse, strangers on the street do it.” 
“O-oh…”
Soft lips with just a hint of teeth caught her ear in their grip, just for a moment, and then Sunset whispered in that husky voice that left her weak in the knees, “If it helps any, I am not above some longer looks at you. You’ve got a really nice backside—just the right mix of lean leg muscle and padding on your rump…you do things to me, Twilight Sparkle, like no other human being ever has.”
Leaning into the embrace and sensations of skin on skin, she let out a quiet laugh. “You're way better at this than me.”
“At what?”
“Flirting.”
Sunset gave her own laugh, kissing Twilight before she answered. “I’m not though—I was just telling you the truth. I enjoy the way you look, Sparky, with or without clothes.” Her eyes flicked downwards. “Though I should probably let go so we can get those clothes on before your parents get home. Don't want to ruin the good feelings we’ve got going here by having to explain to your parents why your pants are inside out and my shirt’s on backwards.”
She wanted to protest, to snuggle deeper into the warm embrace holding her tightly and spend the rest of the night there in Sunset’s arms.
Or the rest of forever. That would work too.
Which was why she made herself let go and step back. “…you're right.” She stole one last kiss, before sitting on the bed heavily.
“Sparky?” Sunset tilted her head, worry in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said, smiling up at her best friend and wonderful girlfriend. “This week was amazing, despite everything, and it's because I got to spend time with you. Intimate time alone, with just us, I mean. Being with you is indescribably wonderful.”
The redhead studied her. “Then why are you upset?”
Twilight twisted her hands together anxiously. “…because as much as I want every week like this, it's too much of a distraction. I barely got anything done on my project this week, and I can't afford to keep doing that.”
Sunset frowned, and sat on the bed next to her, pulling her into a sideways hug. “Oh,” she said, subdued. “…yeah, that makes sense.” 
Leaning into the embrace and the body heat that came with it, Twilight felt Sunset nuzzle into her hair. “I want nothing more than to spend every week like this, with as much of my free time spent with you as possible, Sunny,” she whispered. “…but it has to wait. I have to finish this project, so I can leave Crystal Prep with my grades intact, and on my own terms.”
“I know,” came the quiet response. “As much as I hate it, I do understand, Twilight.” Soothing fingers rubbed at her bare shoulder. “It's okay. You're smart, and you’ll finish your project in no time, and then you can be done with that place forever. And I’ll be okay if I have to wait until Fridays to see you—I have a few projects of my own I need to work on, plus tutoring—can you believe my history grade has gone up twelve points in a month?—and the girls and I are enjoying having a band together.” 
Her head tipped back with a sigh, her eyes closing in some desperate attempt to shut out the world. “…does life ever feel like some kind of joke the universe is playing? I have something…someone…that is all I’ve ever wanted and dreamed of, I’m finally happy…you're the best friend in the whole world, an amazing girlfriend, and my family adores you…and…” 
“Sparky, you have no idea. I’m Sunset Shimmer. Anytime a good thing happens it usually just means I’m being set up to have further to fall.” The older girl rested her cheek to the top of Twilight’s head. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure that I didn't just dream the last half a year.”
She pressed closer into the hug. “…If it's a dream, Sunset, we’re both having it….and if that's the case, don't wake me up.” The unfairness of it all hit her hard, and she found herself in the unfamiliar position of wanting to both cry and hit something. “It's not fair. I just want to spend my time with you, and not have to worry about this petty, underhanded bullying and manipulation tactics,” she groused, putting all her annoyance into her words, “all from someone that I thought was better than that.”
Sunset pulled her into her lap, and hugged her close. “That’s how life is sometimes. People can be awful…but we’ll get through this, Twilight. Together.”
It was childish and silly…and maybe more than a touch needy, but she found herself wanting the reassurance. “Promise?”
“I promise. I’m here for you, Twilight, just like you have been here for me. We’ll get through this, and when you come to CHS, I will personally show you around the school on your first day and introduce you to the best quiet spots in the library.” There was teasing and light in her voice. “I even promise to show you my private study room in the library—it has a door that locks and it’s soundproofed too…” 
Suddenly Twilight found herself motivated to finish her project more than ever. Sunset was right too—they would get through this. She would get through this, and the girl holding her would be cheering her on every step of the way.
> Correspondence VI: Objects In Motion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







Twi,

Sorry I haven't had a chance to update you in over a week—things have gotten crazy here. Thanks again for the books. Light reading they certainly aren’t, but at least I can search for some answers. Please convey my gratitude to Princess Luna for the information on Nightmares and Fearlings as well—her insight, I suspect, will prove invaluable in the long run.
As always, updates first.
The biggest and most important one is that I’ve confirmed the source of the dark magic, and…
Tap-dancing Tirek in a turquoise tutu, Twi, it's BAD. 
The school my other friend goes to is a corrupted forsaken pit of the darkest magic I have ever felt in my whole life. The whole place is saturated with it, and while I’m not a hundred percent certain if the original creator is still around, it's not accidental. I had to go there to help her, and the wards almost killed me. If I was a lesser unicorn, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And while I was inside, I saw…I can't call them spellforms, because they aren't Equestrian magic the way we think of it. I’d at best classify them as a cousin to some of our earliest magic, before magi started getting fancy with how they constructed spells…but these were…beyond dark. Vice Principal Luna referred to them as evil, and I think her belief is correct. This magic isn't just dark, Twi, it's evil beyond anything I’ve ever heard of. 
Thankfully, my friend…her family is trying to remove her from that school for good, but in the meantime, I’m watching over her as best I can.
The other concern is that this is the same school that will be sending members to CHS for the Games. I suspect that if there's going to be a conflict between our magic and whatever is at that school, it will be then. I’m going to recommend that as we get closer to the Games, you move the mirror to a secured room under guard, just to be safe.
At this point, I’ve got the girls on an accelerated curriculum to master their abilities. Time is not on our side.
I’ll be honest…I don't even know if I’m handling this all in the best way. I keep second guessing myself, and the girls can only help so much. They're human, and this is still new for them. What if I make a terrible mistake somewhere? What if I get my friends hurt…or worse? I’ve already proven I can't be trusted with power and authority. 
Which brings me to the important bit of this letter. I need to talk to you about something urgent, but…it's a talk that needs to be had face to face, not over the journals. Are you willing to come through and meet up as soon as possible? It's…not something that can wait.
Please let me know as soon as you can.

Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer






Sunset,

I’m so sorry for reading your letter to Twilight, but she has asked all of us to check on the journal when we come over, and it was glowing. She’ll be back shortly—she had to go to the train station for a big book delivery from Canterlot.  This is Fluttershy, by the way. I’m sorry, I probably should have led with that.





It's okay, Fluttershy. Thanks for telling me. Could you definitely make sure she knows I need to speak with her?





Of course, and it's lovely to meet you, Sunset. Are…you okay? You seemed a little upset in your letter.





Stressed more than upset, honestly. There's a lot going on, and I’m trying to oversee all of it. There's not a lot that can be done to help that though.





…oh…well, please remember you have friends here in Equestria who will help too, if you need us. I…don't know much about magic like Twilight, but…I can help you with something.  You…said you’re afraid of making a mistake…





Because I don't have the best history with being in charge and not making things worse for everyone around me. I’m sure Twilight has told you what happened after she followed me through the mirror.





…she did, but…she’s also told us about the kind and good pony you’ve become since then…which is something you need to remember. You might have been bad before, Sunset, but you’ve changed and you don't WANT to be that pony anymore.

  



…I really don't.





Then you won't be. Trust the good pony you are now, and do your very best to just be good and kind.  It will be okay as long as you do your very best to be the pony you’ve become. The same goes for your worry about making mistakes. 
Nopony can ask you to do anything but your best effort, and to do what you think is right. It won't always be the right choice, because sometimes bad things just happen or other creatures make bad choices of their own…but that's okay too. Just do your best, and your friends will support and love you no matter what.

Sunset?





…sorry, Fluttershy. I…did anypony ever tell you that you're really good at putting things in perspective? 





I don't do anything special, Sunset, but if it helped, then I’m glad I could help. Spike just came back by the way, so I’m going to have to leave you with him. Rainbow Dash is getting a little impatient, and I promised her we’d go check on Tank today. He sprained a leg a few days ago, and she’s worried about him.





Oh! It's fine, Fluttershy. Go see to Dash’s pet—I know I used to worry about Philomena when I was a filly and she even molted funny before her burning day.





You know Philomena? I guess that makes sense…Princess Celestia’s former student knowing the princess’ pet phoenix. She’s a very pretty bird, even if she did play a mean trick on me.





Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix? The princess kept her?





Yes? Sunset, is something wrong? 





No, Fluttershy…it's just that Philomena was…she was my pet, back when I lived in Equestria. I was surprised to hear she’s Princess Celestia’s now. Makes sense, I guess. I left, so somepony had to look after her. Is…she happy?





I think so, but I only met her once, just before she immolated. I thought she was sick, and I didnt know she was a phoenix, so…I thought I killed the princess’ pet. Except it was apparently a joke by Philomena.





…yeah, that sounds like ‘Mena alright. We used to prank the palace staff a lot. I’m sorry she pranked you, though.





It's okay! I learned a valuable lesson that day, and I think Philomena is a sort of friend now. But I do need to go—Rainbow is getting antsy. I hope things get better for you, Sunset!





Thanks, Fluttershy.






Hey Sunset, it's Spike. Fluttershy caught me up—Twilight should be back soon. She was getting more books for the castle library from Canterlot. Lots of research and reference materials. This whole project to study the Elements and Harmony magic is becoming a huge deal on this side too. Especially with them being returned to the Tree but the Elements and the Tree creating this castle and Twilight going back to study the Tree.





Well, if anypony is qualified to study the Elements of Harmony and Harmonic magic, it's Twilight. I’m trying to do what I can, and I’ve ended up with more questions than I’ve managed to answer. 





I don't understand a lot of it, but Twilight was talking about testing your theory about the Elements having the ability to think? Like a pony?





…not exactly like a pony, but yeah. I…encountered something in my Rarity that was part of her magic and it possessed some kind of thinking awareness. Emotions, maybe? They weren't words as much as feelings, memories even? And since the only powerful magic any of them have been exposed to was the Elements…I thought maybe that would be a good idea. It might explain how they choose Bearers, at the very least.





That is not how Twilight put it.





Let me guess, she used a lot of big words and didn't stop to breathe between them.





Oh yeah. I see you’re familiar with it.





More than you know. But she wouldn't be Twilight if she didn't have these traits…and I kind of like her how she is.





I guess you're right.
Are you okay, Sunset? The dark magic thing sounds like it's gotten really dangerous, and I know I wasn’t allowed to go with Twilight on the trip to see the ruins of Moongale because Princess Celestia didn't think it was safe for me. She almost didn't let Twilight go. And you’ve already got that bad reaction to dark magic.





…I am not going to lie to you, Spike…it was awful. The wards there tried their best to kill me, and I think I did some real damage to them. That place is horrible and that's not even counting the fact that the school itself is like CSGU—all the bad parts of it. You know the parts. The entitlement, the arrogant noble foals who only like those with the right pedigrees? That treat anypony different like they are beneath them?





The parts that wanted me banned from campus when I was a hatchling? I know them. The bullies and the ones who used to make fun of Twilight for having a baby dragon when she couldn't hear them.





I see some things never change, if they still have it out for orphans.





Is that what they targeted you for? 





Among other things.
Point is, the school here is toxic like that, but the magic makes it worse. I think it's…feeding on the dark emotions that it encourages. I think that's what sustained it before the magic I brought here and that keeps triggering in the girls gave it more power. I’m okay, but it wasn't fun. I'm more worried about my friend who has to go there every day.





I don't blame you—I wouldn't want any of my friends or Twilight going someplace like that every day. Which includes you, Sunset. 
And you didn't answer my question. Are you okay?





I’m…okay.  It was bad at the time, but a weekend off and time spent with friends has made it better. The one benefit to being exposed daily to the Harmonic magic the girls produce means that any nasty magic I run into doesnt get a chance to stick around.





…that's good. I’ll lead with that when I tell Twilight about your letter. Otherwise, she’ll panic and be through the portal before she even finishes reading the letter.





Please. I don't need her rushing through in a panic.





Don't worry. I've got a lot of practice with how to handle Twilight.  
…she just walked in. Let me go prep her before I let her at the book.


> Chapter One Hundred and Fifty One: As the Boundaries Start to Blur...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






“…That’s when Long Shot was up my ass about who was picking you up after school, and I told him in no uncertain terms to get wrecked, because it's none of his business. It's not my business either, but I’m not gonna go running my mouth on something you didn't seem to want people to know about.”
Twilight observed Indigo for a long minute. The athlete was flopped into one of the chairs, leaning back slightly and seemingly relaxed, despite her complaints about the student population. “…thank you. The rumors are already bad enough, and all because Sunny picked me up two days in a row.”
Indigo snorted. “I don't see what the big deal is. People get picked up by strangers all the time—family, friends, that boyfriend they dont want daddy to know about because he's from the wrong side of the tracks—so why they care so much is stupid, and probably just because Suri is looking for dirt. She’s the one behind the bulk of the rumors if I had to guess.”
Sighing, Twilight loosened a screw on her last failure of an energy detector. That particular iteration had actually been a few steps backwards in her efforts, since it had been defective, going off crazily whenever she turned it on, but never pointing her in a particular direction, no matter where she was. “I wouldn't be surprised. Suri has made it her personal mission to make my school life here as miserable as possible. This is just the latest round in three years worth of attacks.”
“Why’s she got such a hate-on for you anyway? It's like it's personal with her.”
The dark haired girl made a face. “It shouldn’t be…according to Wallflower, it was because of my math midterm freshman year. I aced the test and beat the next highest scorer by seventeen points. It blew the bell curve and the teacher decided that because I aced it, the test wasn't the problem, the students were. So she blames me for her not passing the class that year.”
Her friend rolled her eyes and munched on a protein bar. “What’s her excuse for every other class and every other year? She’s about to age out if she doesn't pass this year. Ugh. She’s such a petty bitch. Is it okay if I say I hate her?”
There was such a disgusted honesty in the question that Twilight couldn't help but smile. “I certainly won't stop you,” she responded. “I can say with absolute confidence that I dislike Suri a great deal, and would be extremely happy to never have to see her again.”  
Laughing, Indigo tossed her food wrapper in a nearby trash can. “All the more reason to finish this weird project of yours and get us both out of here, Sparkle. Anything I can do to help? I'm no genius, but I can follow instructions pretty well.”
“Not at the moment, unfortunately. I’ve run into a roadblock with my tracking devices that are meant to detect this anomalous energy that seems to crop up in the area, and all I can do is test different iterations until one seems to work.” She gestured to the disassembled device in front of her. “It sounds insane, but at this point it almost feels like the energy doesn't want to be found and studied.”
The other girl frowned. “Not crazy…have you considered that maybe there's a reason for that though? That maybe if it's gone unseen for so long, that maybe looking into it is something you shouldn't do?”
Twilight hesitated, before sighing. “Several times, but at this point I’m committed to this project. I can't back out or change it, and this is the only thing keeping me in this school. As soon as I’m done and I get a project grade, my parents are pulling me out of here.”
With a roll of her eyes, Indigo pointed out, “That can't happen soon enough. Can you…I dunno, fudge something for the project? Pretend you’ve got answers or provide some conclusions that are vague enough that you can just use it for the grade and get out?”
Could she? It would be lying…but not much more than she already was, since she’d deliberately kept the bulk of her findings solely on Artemis in her home lab, and only very superficial data on her official project. That itching, nagging compulsion to keep her real data from Principal Cinch had only grown stronger as weeks passed. She was already doctoring her project to allow her to pass without giving any real information away…was it much of a step to falsify a conclusion?
It bothered her, the idea of lying in the face of real science…but what would the Principal of CPA do with the knowledge of such a truly powerful energy source?
Foreboding stole over Twilight, a certainty that welled up from her core that said she would not like the answer to that question one bit. That it would be something completely opposite her own ethics and morality.  —Don’t give it to them…it will be Our undoing…—
She jolted, barely able to keep from looking for the voice of her inner thoughts, one that for once, wasn't the mental facsimile of her girlfriend she’d conjured so often, but rather a whisper that sounded like herself at her most emotionally detached, heard through a recording underwater.
“I…” she looked at Indigo, biting her lip. “I wouldn't normally. Science is about a hunt for answers…for truth…”
“But…?” Indigo pressed. “I can hear the ‘but’ in there.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Some feeling I can't explain is telling me your suggestion has more merit than I would consider under any other circumstance.”
Indigo sighed, looking almost relieved. “You feel it too then. I thought I was the one losing it, Twilight.”
Twilight looked around, lowering her voice, “…the sense of disquiet here? Like there is a game afoot of which we are only peripherally aware? ….yes. It is something I have…become more cognizant of in recent weeks.”
“That…and the way some things just feel wrong. People. Parts of the school. Even just the way the windows look or the way shadows fall. Ever since…” Indigo hesitated. “…ever since your friend talked to me, I can't unsee it. It's happening right now. I don't even want to say her name, like…like if someone hears it, they’ll do something bad with that information.”
Humming an agreement in her throat, Twilight mulled over the information being presented. When it was just her, she could dismiss it as stress or an overactive or overtired mind, or even a touch of paranoia…but Indigo had none of those reasons to be pointing to the exact same sensation, which lent credence to it not being some kind of product of Twilight’s mind. “…I believe I would like to discuss this at length with you, Indigo, but not here, not now. Perhaps one day after school this week, you and I could—”
SLAM!  SLAM!!
Both teens jumped out of their seats in surprise and more than a touch of fright, turning to see a seething form of green that had slammed the door to the lab twice, once upon entrance and then again upon getting fully inside. It did nothing to hide the short bit of mean-spirited laughter from the hallway outside that made it into the room in the short span between slamming sounds.
“Wallflower?” Twilight ventured. “Are you alright? What happened?”
The green skinned girl was soaked to the skin, by what appeared to be muddy water…except the odor that clung to her suggested some manner of…animal based fertilizer…had been mixed into whatever had been slung on her. “Do I look alright, Twilight?” came the bitter response.
Indigo jumped to her defense. “Whoa, relax. She didn't mean anything by it. It's a standard question. So is asking what happened.”
Wallflower glared at Indigo and then turned her expression on Twilight. “What happened is exactly what I warned you would happen, Twilight!” she hissed, dropping her backpack—the one part of her not dripping mud and manure—onto a clean section of countertop. “You couldn't keep your head down and your mouth shut for just another year and a half, could you?”
Twilight had been concerned, but her back stiffened at the blatant accusation in Wallflower’s voice. She narrowed her eyes and asked in a frosty tone of her own, “And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, Wallflower?”  It was a thin, vain hope that it wasn’t intended as she perceived it, but judging by the fact that Indigo also looked incensed, that hope was about to be left broken on the floor like a dropped beaker.
“Exactly what I said,” Wallflower retorted. “You’ve been mouthing off to Suri for months, you were absolutely stupid enough to beat up a senior instead of running away or screaming for help, and now you’ve been having the biggest bitch of CHS pick you up on that tacky piece of noisy junkyard trash she drives in front of the whole school!” She gestured wildly. “And your friends are suffering for it!”
“You, you mean,” Indigo cut in. “You're finally having to put up with a small taste of what your so-called friend has been putting up with for years.”
Brown eyes cut to the lean athlete. “This doesn't concern you. Why don't you go chase a ball or something?”
Indigo Zap slid fully from her half standing pose in her chair, meeting Wallflower’s gaze steadily. “I think it does. See, I’ve watched and listened to you for a while now, Blush.  You talk a big game here, behind a closed door, about being Twilight’s great friend, but out there?” She pointed to the door. “Out there, where your support would matter a helluva lot more, you’re invisible.”
The green haired girl went completely rigid, fists clenching in what could only be fury. “How dare you—”
“Because I’m not a spoiled coward like you, Blush,” Indigo shot back. “I’ve seen it.  You watch and smirk at what they say about Twilight, listen to the awful rumors, and you’ve not once stood up for the person you claim to be friends with. You're only saying something now because it's inconveniencing your life.” She pointed at her. “Youre a shitty fucking friend at best, and a toxic, two-faced, lying, stuck-up rich bitch no different from Suri Polomare at worst.”
Wallflower looked like she’d swallowed something foul.  “And like you're any better? A meathead like you? You’ve been in this school all along, and you’ve never stopped Suri before this year. Not only that, what could you possibly have in common with Twilight? I highly doubt the two of you can share intelligent conversation—so what's your sudden interest all about? A passing grade? Or are you hoping for a pity date?”
Rolling her eyes with a laugh, Indigo shook her head. “Wow, do you just repeat whatever you hear in the halls, Blush? Congratulations, you're aware of the ‘Zap’s a dyke’ rumors, but you're about two years too late for me to give a shit about those. I study and work for my grades—have every other year…but I guess if anyone in this school would know about riding the coattails of Sparkle’s lab coat it’d be you, so I’ll bow to you on that.” She indicated the side of the room that Wallflower had overtaken without ever bothering to ask Twilight.
It was getting out of hand, and Twilight stood up herself, holding out her hands. “Okay, stop! Both of you!” She rubbed her temples, feeling her own anxiety starting to rear its head. “This arguing is getting us nowhere.”
That drew Wallflower’s ire from Indigo to Twilight. “Isn't it? I don't exactly hear you disagreeing with the jock, Twilight.”
Taking a deep breath like Dr. Soft-Spoken had taught her, Twilight responded as levelly as she could, “I have yet to voice an opinion on the matter one way or the other, Wallflower…and while I can understand you have just gone through an extremely stressful and unexpected situation, taking it out on Indigo and myself is not a healthy or appropriate reaction. I recommend cleaning up and taking a few minutes to calm down before we continue this discussion.”
It didn't help. “Not everyone can turn themselves into a robot at the drop of a hat,” she sneered back. “I think I have every right to be pissed off at you for painting a target on my back and at your new minion for talking shit to me.”
“It's not shit if it's true,” Indigo murmured quietly, arms crossed over her chest. Wallflower either didn't hear her or chose not to react, but Twilight did…
And she didn't entirely disagree with the sentiment.
“I am not a robot, nor do I turn myself into one. I only seek to prevent emotional over responses by relying on logic and rational thought. Rational thought which, for the record, tells me you are out of line blaming me for the actions of others. I am allowed to defend myself, and I have every right to refuse to be a whipping girl, emotional punching bag, or doormat to the rest of the school just because I’m smart…” She paused for a moment to let that sink in, before adding, “That includes you, Wallflower. Friends don't treat each other the way you're treating me right now.”
Wallflower stared at her, expression twisting incomprehensibly as she went through a myriad of unidentifiable emotions. “So you do agree with her,” she bit out, pointing at Indigo. “You think I’m a bad friend because I don't want to pay the price for you challenging people who can make all of us miserable for the rest of our high school careers.” 
“That is not what I said, Wallflower.”
“Isn't it?” Expression angry and her voice low and terse, Wallflower reached into the pocket of her backpack, retrieving something in a plastic ziplock bag. “But answer me this: if I’m such an awful friend, Twilight, why do I care so much that you might be being used by a public school bully who is likely some kind of gang member? Why would I spend the last month tracking down information and trying to make sure you're safe? Do you have any idea some of the places I’ve had to go, the gutters I’ve had to crawl through, and the people I’ve had to talk to in the slummiest parts of this city to make sure you're not being set up?”
Not this again. Twilight bristled, an icy fury building. “I am not disparaging your concern, but I am tired of your persecution of someone who has never done anything to you. I already told you that I acknowledged your words, was aware of her past, and that I was choosing to pursue my friendship based on my own personal observations. I also told you that this was a boundary I would have respected. Stalking someone to dig up dirt on them and harassing the people they go to school with is not what I would call respecting my boundaries.”
Wallflower glared. “Because I knew something fishy was going on, and guess what, Princess Sparkle? I was right. You sit there on your high and mighty horse, talking about how you know your carpet-munching ‘BFF’ so well…and she’s been lying to you as easily as breathing from the moment you met! And I can prove it!”
Indigo snorted derisively at the green skinned teen. “Turning into one of those crazy overprotective stalkers is not helping your case, Blush. Not to mention, anyone can fake ‘proof’ with good editing software, some pics or video and a bit of cash.”
“No one asked you,” the other teen countered, then stared hard at Twilight, holding up a USB drive. “You think you know her, that you can trust her. Maybe you should think about asking her about this energy that you're so fixated on, that's all over her school…and why she’s not given you the answers about it you've wasted time hunting for. I wonder what your super best pal ‘Sunny’ would have to say about where this energy comes from.”
Something about Sunset’s nickname coming from someone else’s mouth made that icy anger deepen, and having it twisted with such disgust by someone who had been her friend made Twilight snap. “You don't get to call her that name,” she practically snarled. “That’s my name for her, and you don't get to turn something precious into something hateful. Which is what this is all about—it's not about you really caring about me as a friend, or being concerned I might get hurt. It's about the fact that you cannot let go of your preconceived notions of who my best friend ought to be based on third and fourth hand information. It’s about you being petty, homophobic, and spiteful, and doing anything you can to ruin a relationship that is important to me because you don't like that I’m not the same neurotic, anxious, fearful little girl you’ve known for the last few years.” 
Straightening her shoulders and trying to draw on everything Sunset had taught her, Twilight met that angry gaze with her own. “I warned you once, Wallflower, in the interest of our friendship, that I had boundaries you would respect.  Boundaries that weren't even that complex or severe. You have broken both of them here several times, all in the name of some petty crusade to make me choose you over Sunny.” She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly as she prepared to put the final nail into the coffin of what had been a friendship.
“Well guess what? You half succeeded. You’ve pushed me to choose, and I’m choosing. The problem for you is that I’m not choosing you. Now get out. I have work to do and you're interfering with my lab space.”
Wallflower had gone from angry to stunned. “You can't be serious.”
“Deadly so,” Twilight said tightly. “Take your things and go. I have nothing further to say to you—besides ‘leave my botanical samples behind.’ My project materials are not for your personal use.”
It took a minute to truly sink in, but when it did, Wallflower was back to cutting and spiteful in a way she had never seen before, making Twilight wonder if this was the Wallflower that Sunset had seen. Wallflower hurled the USB at her, only to look even more upset when Indigo caught it before it hit Twilight in the face. “Fine! But don't come crying to me when you learn just how wrong you are, and that you're nothing but a bed warmer for a psycho who isn't quite bored of you yet!”
Then she swept up her things and stalked out with all the air of a scalded cat, leaving Twilight and Indigo in awkward silence.
After a minute, Indigo cleared her throat. “No offense, Twilight, but where did you find someone like that? That girl needs some serious therapy. Mierda...”
Twilight sank back into the chair in front of her new laptop. “She didn’t used to be like this. She was always cynical and sarcastic,” she acknowledged, “but never hostile and cruel.”
Indigo looked down at the thumb drive in her hand. “…think we should see what's on this? It sounds like she dug up blackmail material, if it's not all just fake.”
She nodded at her friend and held out a hand. “I want to scan it first, make sure it's not loaded with malware or a virus.” Once the small storage drive was in her hand, she plugged it into the computer via a device of her own design, one that immediately quarantined the drive and put it through several layers of antivirus scans, including one of her own design. It came up clean, and Twilight worked up the courage to open the lonely file folder that was on it.
It contained only three files, all videos.
“You know, for attempted blackmail, these are either so damning that Blush didn't need anything else, super fake, or as deluded as she is. Which one should we check first?”
Purple eyes read the filenames, and deduced the dates from the string of numbers at the end. “Probably this one. It's the first in the chronology.” She double clicked it.
Immediately a low fidelity video taken from some kind of shaky cell phone with a scratched lens began to play. A raspy girl’s voice could be heard a bit tinny and touched by mic feedback. “Move it, losers. If there's a fight going on, I want front row seats. People will pay good cash to see Shimmer get into a throw down with the new golden girl…” The video shook worse as the holder of the phone jogged and pushed through a crowd of fancy dressed teens in a hallway full of lockers towards an open rotunda…
Then everything went screwy as the entire front section of the school was ripped open in a screech of tearing rebar, breaking glass, and crushed concrete… 
…to admit a figure Twilight had only ever seen before in her most intimate of dreams…or at least, very like her. It was supposed to be Sunset, she could tell instantly. The fiery—in this case quite literally—hair in shades of red and gold, glowing blue-green eyes, and the way the figure carried herself as she hovered with lazy wing-flaps in the air…it was all her Sunset, even hidden behind fangs and wings and red-amber skin that looked burned, and buried under a voice full of mocking. 
“And you WILL be loyal to ME.”
Screaming and more running jostled the camera, and then a turquoise light that made the video go to static, before the phone fell and landed camera down on the floor, the screen going black. The screaming slowly died, replaced by groaning sounds, and a muffled voice commanding sharply, “Round them up and bring them to the portal.”  Then there was about a minute of blackness, muffled sounds, groaning, and incoherent yelling before the video ended.
“Um…” Indigo glanced at Twilight. “What the hell did we just watch?”
The dark haired teen shook her head. “…I…am uncertain…it…seemed like an amateur movie project.” Thinking hard, she pieced it together with things Sunset had made reference to. “…I think that might have been an…alternative interpretation of the events of Canterlot High’s Fall Formal. It was a pretty defining moment for Sunny…changed her life, according to her.”
That didn't explain how the Sunset in the video appeared with something close to her sexy and alluring transformation from Twilight’s dreams. She had told no one of those dreams, not even the girl who starred in them.  Something wasn’t adding up and her stomach twisted in agitation.
Indigo shook her head. “Right. Try the next one and hope it's not another movie project?”
She considered it, then decided that was probably a safe course of action. She clicked and braced herself for the worst.
However, the second video was…disappointing, at best. It showed a distant view of the local amphitheater, with two groups of teens on the stage, before one of the teens from the smaller group did something that opened the trapdoor in the floor, dumping the larger group and their equipment into the black pit beneath their feet. A cocky voice off to the side sneered, “See? I told you someone would give them a shove.”
It was answered by someone who sounded…like they were more than a bit ditzy. “She didn't shove them though. She pulled a lever.”
A third voice deadpanned, “Ugh.  Go back to sleep, Sonata. So this is your great plan, Adagio? Trap them under the stage and hope that it's enough to be able to drain them? And what happens when it doesn't work? We won't have enough power to control more than a stupid high school.”
Growling, and a scuffle made the camera point towards three new teenage females, one of them watching the other two have some kind of…grappling match…that the mustard colored one seemed to win. “They are already on the verge of cracking. Didn't you see Sunset Shimmer? She’s so miserable that it's coming off her in waves, and it's absolutely delicious. I can't wait to feed on the rest, if just one of them tastes that good when full of despair.” She was practically salivating, and Twilight frowned. It was creepy and disgusting, considering this ‘Adagio’ was talking about her girlfriend like she was a menu item.
“Ugh. Fine. Whatever. Let’s just hope this doesn't blow up like all your other plans, Adagio. I want to have a real meal.”
“It will. And you! Turn off that stupid camera and carry this stuff!”
The video ended, leaving them even more lost. “Okay… don't know how it's supposed to be blackmail if the person Blush wants to blackmail is barely in the video.” Indigo shook her head. “Did she maybe give us the wrong drive?”
“…I don’t…” Twilight shook her head, frowning. As much as she wanted to decry these videos as nonsense like Indigo, something about them felt…important. Like there was more truth to them than she wanted to admit… “Maybe we should watch the last one before making a final judgment?” It sounded weak and tremulous to her ears, but the other girl nodded.
“Alright. Play the last one. Maybe it’ll make this all make sense.”
Biting her lip, Twilight clicked the last video, trying to avoid holding her breath. The video was the longest of them all, lasting almost a good ten minutes, and it opened up on the very stage of the amphitheater they had just seen in the previous clip from a distance. The mustard colored girl with the frizzy hair—Adagio, she reminded herself, able to at last put a face to a name Sunset had mentioned a few times when talking about the mayhem from December that had brought her to Twilight’s doorstep looking like death warmed over and allowed to congeal—was front and center, dressed and made up to look like a punk rocker from another decade. “Make sure you’re recording this,” she snapped tersely. “I want to be able to watch my victory in the future.”
“You got it, Boss-Lady,” came the raspy voice from the first video. “Not like Shimmer and the Sunshine Patrol don’t deserve what's coming.”
“Exactly…” Adagio was looking right at the camera, and her eyes were catlike, the pupils narrowed to bare slits, and Indigo let out a yelp when some kind of…inner eyelid blinked over the inhuman orbs.
“Okay, that's freaky! What the hell was that?! What is wrong with that chick’s eyes?”
Twilight frowned as the blinking happened a second time. “It's an inner eyelid…like some animals have. You see it like that in crocodilians, actually.” There was an unpleasant itching between her shoulder blades. “For an amateur movie project, they have exceptionally good quality make-up effects.”
Several sharp orders later and the camera woman was in a position to see the whole of the stage while also being able to pan the view towards the audience. The feed went a little green and staticky along the bottom, but what caught her attention was the trio of girls and their reactions. They all breathed deeply, hands resting against large, identical gemstone pendants that seemed to be…the focus of a faint glow and misty distortion.
“Feel that, girls?” Adagio said smugly, her sharklike smile even more unsettling than the eyes had been. “Do you know what this is?”
The one with the blue ponytail tilted her head. “Uh…magic?”
“Dinner,” the dry voiced girl suggested. “Duh.”
“No, you idiots!” Adagio snapped. “It's the taste of victory and my plan coming together. Their magic is ours now, and with it, this whole world will soon bow down to us…” Fingers caressed the gemstone resting at her throat with all the intimacy a normal person might show a lover. “It's so powerful too…like no magic I’ve ever tasted before….who knew the Elements could be used like this? By us?” 
The air around the trio shimmered, and the glowing, mistiness became gossamer wing…fin…protrusions… and animal ears—horse ears, her mind noted, somehow still able to categorize such things regardless of how ludicrous this situation was becoming. “Come on, girls. We have a show to do, and we wouldn't want to disappoint our fans.”
As they took center stage and the music began, Twilight realized that…somehow, there were no instruments. This group was either using some kind of background track that was pre-recorded…or the strange harmony was being done a cappella…an impressive feat if it was the second. Twilight assumed the pre-recorded track was more likely. 
Indigo pulled up a chair, sprawling in it. “Okay. So the music is catchy. Like…hypnotic catchy, but…what does this have to do with—” she started, then broke off as a strange red light began to emanate from the singers, and the cheering crowd suddenly went still, as if they were statues of people, rather than a rowdy crowd of teenagers. “…that's…freaky, right?”
“…it is certainly unusual, and seems to cast these three girls as the villains in…whatever this is.”
“…feel the wave of sound as it crashes down…”
It was also familiar. Weirdly so.
It wasn't until they were interrupted by a drumbeat and a strummed chord that made the camera holder pivot towards the crowd, and a voice rang out over an amplified sound system. Twilight knew this song…had sung it just recently with Sunset in the privacy of her bedroom…
“Don't need to hear a crowd cheering out my name.
I didn't come here seeking infamy or fame…”
They jolted in shock as Twilight’s own voice came pouring out of the laptop speakers, slightly distorted by the fact that it was a second hand recording of a concert performance, but still recognizable as her. It drew the dark haired girl’s attention to the intruding group on the hill, lit up by mobile spotlights. It was too far away to make out any real fine details at first, but she picked out the familiar red-and-gold-and-black of her girlfriend’s signature appearance, standing a bit away from the group as the song swelled through the first verse and into the chorus.
“Just so we’re clear and I'm sure I’m not hallucinating, that's you singing, right? Is that you in the video?”
That got her to look away from Sunset’s image. “What? Where?”
“Front and center, Twilight. Man, I wish the camera would zoom in some.”
Twilight followed the description, and saw a person that looked…vaguely like her. If Twilight was Glamour’s age and about six inches taller. And a bit more physically developed. At least, if Sunset was a proper metric here to measure the girl against. “That did sound like me, but…no, that is not me. She’s too tall, and…” She made vague motions about her chest.
“Her tits are too big.”
“…yes. That.”
“But that's definitely—”
“Yes, I’d know Sunny anywhere. And I think these are her friends from school. She’s mentioned them a few times.” She frowned, watching as the camera finally zoomed in, following a wave of static that made the audience come to life again and the camera shake briefly, and tried to put names to faces. Pinkie was probably the girl at the drums—the frizzy, manic hair matched Sunset’s descriptions too well to be anyone else in the group, and she was willing to hazard a guess that the amazonian blonde girl with the cowboy hat was the “AJ” who lived on a farm. Likewise, the very colorful girl was most likely “Rainbow,” but of the other two she wasn't sure which was the shy girl who liked animals and which one was “Rarity,” aka “Coffee House Romance Girl.” 
She wasn't including the girl who looked like a cousin to herself.
Then the video took another turn for the bizarre, as the six girls performing began to glow, each one a in a different shade of brilliant luminescent color, a transformation overcoming them. Ears found perches on the tops of their heads, fluffy and definitely equine, hair grew long and free, while some grew wings or a spiraled horn, and all were awash with color and power that even a grainy cell phone video couldn't hide.
She noticed the one that looked like her had acquired both wings and a horn. For some reason that she couldn't explain, that bothered her. A lot.
“So the Rainbooms want to turn this into a real Battle of the Bands?” Adagio sneered, her voice popping over the loud volume of the mic. “Then let’s battle!”
Twilight shivered. It was ominous…threatening…and so familiar…where had she heard…?
The amphitheater. The view was a bit to the left but…she had seen it before. When she was hunting for readings and her detector had been adamant that the location was a massive hit for the energy readings…but she had fled because she had heard…voices…
…and music.
This music.
These voices.
On screen, now flying, glowing hippocampi—that explained the fish fin-wings and the horse ears, she supposed—were having some kind of epic battle against stars and butterflies, crystals and rainbows, set to conflicting pop-punk rock music. It was like watching someone bring to life the album art from an 1980s rock band.
“If this is what being on drugs is like, I think I’ll skip the ‘experimenting in college’ phase and go right to being old and boring,” Indigo said from beside her. 
Twilight nodded, focused on what was playing out before her eyes, as the hippocampi seemed about to claim victory, sending the band of six sprawling with a screech of feedback. Her eyes were riveted on Sunset as the redhead bent down to pick up the microphone that landed at her feet, anticipating the cry from her memory, of hearing her own voice filled with desperation.
“Sunset Shimmer!”
There it was. Exactly as she remembered it. Her voice, but not from her throat.
“We need you!”
And Sunset stepped up, tossing her jacket to the side and staring defiantly at the stage, even as she swayed. Which made sense, if this was the musical event from December. Sunset had come to her that night, about to collapse from stress, hunger, and exhaustion.
Her voice rang out strong and clear though, as she gripped the mic in her hands like a lifeline, finding strength once she started. She helped the lookalike to her feet, and with voices rising in harmony, created a rainbow that washed over the crowd. 
It was something else to watch.
Especially when Sunset began to glow too, a rippling, pulsing crimson light that undulated like flames, carrying her into the air and transforming her the way it had the others: equine ears, a spiraled horn that belonged on a creature of myth, and even longer waves of fiery hair that was barely contained by a hair-tie as it reached the backs of her knees. Her eyes were practically glowing themselves when she opened them with a smile on her face that made Twilight’s heart ache with joy. 
And from deep within, as the group of seven girls hovered in the air, creating a glowing rainbow of brilliance, a little voice inside, one that was her and not her whispered, Oh…There You are. It was like a heartfelt sigh, one that carried away stress and worry to leave behind a sense of contentment that was not unlike how she felt waking up in Sunset’s arms.
The feeling distracted her for a minute as she tried to place it, but couldn't quite pin it down. In the end she attributed it to some part of her subconscious, and resolved to study it more later.
“…you know, if this was an anime, I think I’d want to see more,” the girl sitting beside her said with a laugh. “Flying fish horses? Magical animal girl transformations? Musical numbers to save the world? Giant glowing winged unicorns made of stars and rainbows? Sign me up! It's like Sailor Moon on steroids and less shrill voiced crying.”
The glowing unicorn…pegasus…fusion was impressive, she had to admit. Apparently, Adagio thought so too, because the video picked up her fearful whisper of “…Grogar’s Bane…” right before the beam of light encased her and her fellow singers, causing the poor camera to lose its ability to compensate for the scintillating energy.
When the flash faded, the singers were in shock, their voices warbling out of key. They fled from the jeers of the crowd and the approach of a fully human group of teen girls. The camera operator had shied back, half hidden behind the curtains, but still kept the footage rolling.
Sunset led the group, squatting down to pick up something left behind on the floor of the stage. “Huh. Guess that explains why these were so special to them…” she mused, turning towards the lookalike. The object in her hand sparkled in the lights as she let it fall back to the ground with a sound similar but different to broken glass.
“Without those pendants,” Twilight’s double spoke excitedly, “and the magic you brought here from Equestria, they're just three harmless teenage girls.”
“Rainbooms rule!”
A blur of blue hair and golden skin practically tackling her lookalike in a big hug, coupled with a voice Twilight knew as belonging to Sunset’s friend Flash suddenly galvanized the camera operator to flee, and the video ended on about twenty seconds of them not realizing their camera was still on as they booked it for the parking lot.
Silence fell over the lab, as both teens processed what they had seen. Finally Indigo sat back in her chair. “Just to make sure, at no point in that video was that you. Just some girl who looks and sounds just like you.” 
“Correct. I do believe I would have recalled participating in such a public fiasco, but while the song was familiar, the only place I have done any singing is in the privacy of a home. Mostly my own.” She sure would have remembered an amazing public duet with her gorgeous girlfriend that…summoned magical rainbow unicorns?
Her friend shook her head. “Riiight. So…what the hell was Blush running her mouth about?” She frowned.  “…because she talked about two things: you being lied to, and your research project.  And unless she really expects you to believe that what you’re researching is magic—which, gonna be honest, is total bullshit, Twilight—then it's got to be about lying.”
Twilight let out a laugh that sounded forced to her own ears. “Magic?” she said incredulously. “I will admit that the energy anomaly is unusual, but that's a bit…presumptuous, I would think. With all the people over the centuries out there who have wanted magic and ghosts and gods to be real, who have actively searched for it, if there was anything considerable that even approximated magic in the world, someone would have found it by now.” Even as she said it, the teen realized she didn't quite believe her own words…and was at a loss for why. The videos were clearly the product of clever and talented video editing—impressive, but a technological answer all the same. So why was she not as eager to dismiss the possibility as Indigo?
Because you wished for magic once, a traitorous corner of her mind reminded her. Which…she had, as a little girl. A little girl who saw the world with curiosity and had wished for unicorns and dragons and faeries to exist, because maybe then she wouldn't feel like such an outsider. 
Shaking her head, Twilight sighed. Those had been the irrational dreams of a six year old girl who had been unable to make friends her own age, eaten up with loneliness and frustration at the things that made her different. She wasn’t that girl anymore…hadn't been that little girl for a very long time.
Indigo flicked a bit of string with a finger. “Not to mention, look how many people were there. No way that many people keep that a secret. There would be other videos and they’d be all over youtube. Someone would blab. Even if no one believed them, someone would still talk.” She tilted her head back to look at the ceiling tiles. “So that brings us back to her trying to show you that you're being lied to…but about what?”
She puzzled over that herself, musing aloud, “From the first time I mentioned having made another friend, Wallflower was very demanding about who it was and how we met, and if I could trust Sunny. It got worse when she realized who my friend was, because a mutual friend of ours who had to transfer after ninth grade, had been complaining about a bully from her new school…and…” Twilight found herself pulling the key on its lanyard from under her shirt to toy with it. “…Sunny was that bully. I know about all that though. I have from the beginning, and I’ve never hidden from Wallflower that I knew what she used to be like.”
“But she’s harped on the whole bullying thing?”
Skin warmed metal had familiar ridges under her fingertips that soothed her agitation as she let herself turn it over and around again and again. “Excessively. Wallflower is under the perception that I need some kind of minder because I completely lack the ability to properly judge someone’s character…which is untrue. I can judge someone’s actions just fine, but I prefer to base my thoughts on what I have personally seen and witnessed, not second or third hand data, and I believe in giving people a chance.” Twilight found herself smiling faintly. “My mom taught me that.”
The other girl nodded, running a hand through short blue hair. “Maybe Wallflower is trying to prove she’s lying about being a bully still?” Then she shook her head. “…no, that's too basic and doesn't mesh with the videos…unless…” Something seemed to click for her.
“Unless…?”
Indigo looked her dead in the eyes. “I’m going to ask a question first, Twilight, and please don't freak out on me, okay? I know this is not the way it's normally done, but…just know I’m not as dim as people think. I remember the hickey, I was in the nurse’s office that day, and Wallflower wasn't exactly subtle a few minutes ago. Who all knows that ‘best friend’ is code for ‘secret girlfriend?’ Does Wallflower know for sure, or was that a shot in the dark?”
Twilight went still, fingers freezing on the key. Her eyes searched Indigo’s face, as she struggled to process what she had said. Dismay coiled in her guts, along with the petulant, frustrated question of if she would ever be allowed to come out to someone in her life on her terms. At least Indigo seemed to be handling it better than Wallflower had…at least, if the relaxed way she lounged in the chair was anything to go on. “I-I…” she stammered, trying to form words.
Indigo grinned and leaned over to slug her lightly in the shoulder. “Relax, Twilight. It doesn’t really matter to me who you date—if you guys are happy together, good for you. Just because I don't swing that way doesn’t mean you can't…besides, I’ve got more important things to worry about than talking about boys or girls or whatever with you.”  Then she sobered. “The reason I’m asking is because I’m trying to figure out Wallflower’s angle here. So just tell me…does she know for certain or was that just her taking a shot in the dark?”
“…she knows,” came the half whispered response. “…I didn’t mean to tell her, but I thought she had guessed. I was wrong. She thought Sunny was my drug dealer.”
Honey colored eyes stared blankly at her. “She thought what?”
“That I was smoking marijuana.”
The other girl rolled her eyes. “Wallflower is an idiot. Ignoring that though, is it possible she's trying to imply your girlfriend is cheating on you? Or that you're some kind of stand in for the girl that looks like you?”
It was a probable explanation—the law of parsimony did state,  “‘Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem,’” after all.
“What?” Indigo asked. “I don't speak Latin, only kitchen-Spanish. Which, honestly, is mostly dirty words and talk about food.”
Twilight realized she had spoken aloud. “Sorry. Just thinking aloud. You would know it better as ‘the simplest solution is most likely correct,’ though that's an inaccurate paraphrasing of the actual rule. And that would be a fairly likely answer to her actions…” She frowned. Something about it didn't sit well with her—sure it was more likely than any convoluted connection to the anomalous energy, Twilight couldn't shake the sense that the energy was connected to this whole mess. 
There was no reason she couldn't entertain the thought experiment however. “It is definitely a possibility. A silly one, considering that I am fairly certain the girl from the last video who looks like me is the same girl who challenged Sunny at their Fall Formal. The resemblance is perhaps a bit more startling and severe than I realized, and I may owe her an apology for not quite grasping that when she tried to explain it, but her existence and her current status as a friend who has since moved away is not a secret from me. More to the point, I have already settled my insecurities in regards to her with my best friend, and I feel no threat to my position from her.”
Her friend’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “Duh. Of course you have,” she laughed. “You have more intelligence in your left pinky that Blush has in her whole skull. Where did she even get her ideas, anyway? One of those trashy teen movies where everyone is a walking cliche that’s been smacked in the head with the idiot stick because no one working on it had any idea how actual people function?”
A snort escaped Twilight before she could stop it. “Maybe they were a CPA graduate. I've read a few books like that, and they easily could have changed the school’s name to Crystal Prep and been on point.”
The pair of girls dissolved into laughter, discussing the finer points of how an entire genre of media was a gross disappointment and barely concealed disaster, but even as they ripped into the plot for the latest popular teen vampire romance series, Twilight’s mind was elsewhere. She couldn't shake her desire to verify that the energy was uninvolved, and made plans to go to the amphitheater later in the week…
Maybe seeing for herself that it was ludicrous would put the uncertainty to rest.
> Interlude XXXIII: Patchwork
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Rarity hummed pleasantly to herself while she sketched out some new design ideas in her shop. It was by appointment only today, and her next one wasn’t due for another few minutes, so she had some time to work on a few things. 
The bell to her shop tinkled pleasantly a short time later, and she could hear a group of female voices. 
“Can you believe Jet’s nerve?! He was actually talking about whether or not that redhead was single! He’s dating me, and he’s advertising his thoughts about the availability of some leather wearing hussy? The absolute nerve!”
“Tasteless!” agreed a second voice. 
“And probably pointless—she turned down Blueblood entirely! Blueblood, one of the wealthiest boys in school! The odds of her taking a date from anyone else are low.”
“With all that leather and the bike, she’s probably a dyke,” the first voice said with a nasty undertone that immediately set Rarity’s hackles up.  “That would explain why she picked up the most unpopular nerd in school. Low hanging fruit.”
Just as Rarity was about to say something scathing and curt, a voice she did recognize interrupted with a sigh. “Ladies, it's incredibly unbecoming to spew such vitriol in public, and whatever reason she has for turning down Blueblood or showing up at the school is not reason to be so ugly. About her or Twilight Sparkle. It certainly isn't their fault that most of the boys are being so inappropriate and unsavory.”
The words died in her throat. There really was a Twilight Sparkle in this world? She had dismissed Pinkie’s offhand comment from months ago as little more than Pinkie being Pinkie. If this was true, Rarity couldn't wait to tell the girls!
Fleur De Lis shook her head as she shut the door firmly on her associates, turning an apologetic face to Rarity. “I am so sorry you had to hear all that. They are not usually so vicious and ugly, and I am actually a little ashamed to have been seen with them today.”
The designer moved over to give her friend and longtime customer a warm hug. “Fleur, darling, no need to apologize. We’ve known each other long enough to realize that sometimes we must keep company with those who do not deserve the status they have. Though, I must admit, I am curious as to what that was all about?”
Fleur took off her coat and draped it over a chair. “The latest gossip at CPA,” she said with a laugh. “The whole school has been abuzz with it since last Monday.” At Rarity’s questioning eyebrow while they moved into the back room for the dress fitting, the pink haired girl explained.
“Last Monday, about the time school let out, a very attractive redhead showed up outside our school on a motorcycle, catching the eye of most of the boys present, as you can imagine. But it seems she was only there to pick up the school’s academic front-runner.”
“Would it be safe to assume this academic is the ‘Twilight Sparkle,’ I heard you mention?” Rarity was starting to connect the dots, and if what she suspected were true, then she and one Sunset Shimmer needed to have a conversation.
“It certainly is. I don't know her at all myself, but I do not quite understand the hostility of many of the other students. She is very quiet and shy and mostly keeps to herself. She used to have some friends that she spent time with, but they all moved away, so I always thought she was very lonely.” She smiled. “I am actually glad she seems to have a friend—especially one who doesn't go to CPA. You made a smart choice, Rarity, sticking to public school. I wish Mother and Father had let me do the same.”
Rarity helped her zip up the dress, before walking around her friend in a slow circle, making slight adjustments here and there. “So you don't know anything about this mystery girl that rides the bike?”
“Nothing at all. She showed up several times last week, and a lot of boys—and a few of the girls—have tried to talk to her, ask her out, but she seems only really interested in getting her friend and leaving.  I think she’s close to your height, and I freely admit that I am jealous of her figure.” Fleur De Lis shook her head ruefully. “Not to be crass, but she’s got the body of a gymnast with curves most girls would kill for. Other than that she reminds me of fire—golden skin, red and gold hair, red motorcycle.” A pause, and Rarity found Fleur studying her. “Does anyone like that go to your school?”
The designer gave a bemused chuckle. “That could be several people at my school, darling.” She was lying, of course, and she mentally apologized for her dishonesty. There was only one girl it could have been, and it presented an even bigger mystery to Rarity than it ever could to Crystal Prep. “You’ll have to keep me in the loop about it though. Now, something so much more important! How are you and Fancy Pants doing? He is the one escorting you to the party that will see this masterpiece, isn't he?”
The other girl giggled, and the gossip fell into more safe territory, about parties and boys and high society.





Bustling around the store and picking up the various items after several days of fittings and fits of creative design frenzy allowed Rarity to sort her thoughts and feelings, even as she prepared to receive a particular friend in her store for the very first time ever.  The initial invitation had been genuine—she had very much intended to do it long before this, having Sunset over so she could get some precise measurements and test some styles against the other girl’s build and complexion. One could only guess so much from memory, and fashion had more nuance to it than most realized. Just a half inch or so change in ratios or proportions could turn a style from flattering to disastrous, and even a few shades or an undertone difference meant a color that might have been complementary became something that made a person look unwell… 
Her thoughts drifted for a moment into a realm of fabric textures and shades before she forced herself to refocus on the present dilemma. Her invite had originally been genuine without any ulterior motives, but recent events had made it an opportunity to discuss things in private with Sunset Shimmer. Like the nature of her friendship with Twilight Sparkle of Earth…and why it was such a secret from her friends. Especially if it was as important a relationship as Rarity suspected, given the way their friend from Equestria had flown to her side the instant she was in trouble. 
Yet now she was faced with a deeper problem. Sunset hadn’t quite been herself, ever since her weekend sabbatical…and all of her friends had noticed. Even Rainbow Dash, though she had kept her own counsel…strange for the athlete, which made Rarity wonder why…
Everyone else, though…they were worried. Sunset was having issues with her powers, and had grown increasingly restless and agitated as the days passed. It was enough that there had been conversations about it, culminating in the talk the tailor had had the evening before with her partner after they’d enjoyed a quiet dinner together while their sisters were at some event for the middle school students.





“Pinkie came ta me today,” Applejack said as they curled up on Rarity’s sofa, content to indulge in some quiet cuddling while their meal digested. 
One eyebrow arched, and Rarity sipped at the glass of wine they would never risk drinking in front of Granny…or where their impressionable sisters could see. Granny would turn them both over her arthritic knee just like she had when they were little girls, and Applebloom and Sweetie were trouble enough without alcohol.  Not to mention she didn't want it getting out to anyone—not with her and her sister’s situation being as precarious as it was, from a legal standpoint. “What ever about, dearest?” she asked, lips pulling into a slight frown.
Green eyes were troubled as they stared at the ceiling, the blonde head resting back against the couch and her well loved hat resting on one knee. “Sunset. Pinkie said…well. It was one o’ them Pinkie things, where she says something that sounds crazy, but ya know she’s right and tellin’ the truth? She said that Sunset’s got some new kinda hurt that wasn't there before and that its bleeding lava into her until her magic boils. Or something like that. Might been a cooking analogy or three in there somewhere too.”
“Fluttershy expressed a similar worry. That Sunset has apparently had to be doused with water three times already this week because she almost caught her desk on fire. And the fire alarm that went off—it wasn't a chemical fire in the science room. Several students in Sunset’s science class let me know they were worried about her after she had some kind of magical meltdown and triggered the suppression systems that are part of the science wing.” Rarity made a concerned sound. “I also don't feel inclined to disagree. Something is wrong.”
Quiet hovered between them, soft, serene, until Applejack broke it. “….eyuuup,” she agreed, the single word conveying far more than just simple consensus between them. The quiet returned, but less relaxed, as the acknowledgment left them both thinking on the problem.
“…how do we handle it? Hammer or needle?” 
Rarity considered the question, and the deeper meaning in its simplicity. Which approach would work better this time, her subtle probing or her other half’s more brutally upfront method? She weighed it against the way things had been of late, of Sunset’s slow release of years of secrets and sordid history, of what she was beginning to suspect was several types of abuse and neglect that had been going on since well before their enemy-turned-friend had ever had feet to step into the human world with. “…As cagey as she has been, and with how…” she paused, searching for the word.
“Spooky.” When she looked at Applejack askance, the farmer made a careful gesture with her own wine glass. “Not like Halloween spooky. Horse spooky. When they get twitchy cuz they smelled or heard something that might be dangerous, but don't know where it is. Instinct is tellin’ ‘em that something’s about to pounce on them.” Those deep emerald pools turned towards her, and she could see herself reflected in them. “Think this one’s gonna have ta be you or Fluttershy, Rares. Dash seems ta be close-mouthed right now, Ah’m the hammer, and Pinkie…if Pinkie were right fer the job, she’d’ve just done it instead of saying something ta me.”





Which was how she found herself in her present predicament. Rarity had wanted so badly to try and coax Sunset into talking about Twilight—if there was anyone in the group she could hope to be able to engage in girl-talk with, it was going to be Sunset. Out of all the girls, Sunset was the one who had an appreciation and understanding of the finer things in life, who not only listened and understood her when she tended to prattle on about fashion and design and artisan craftsmanship, but actively took time to invest in the conversation with thoughts, questions, suggestions, and more. And while it was clear there was a definite cultural difference between them, even that had become fascinating to the designer. 
Really, if she wasn't in love with her knight in a battered stetson, there would be a great deal about Sunset Shimmer that Rarity would have found appealing, regardless of the lingering baggage left from a less than stellar history between them. Even with Applejack in her life, she was woman enough to admit that Sunset was a gorgeous young woman with a very attractive personality now that she’d mended her ways. 
Hence why Rarity enjoyed their friendship so much and why she wanted to find some more ways to connect with the redhead, ways that made it even more unique. She wanted to help Sunset create stronger bonds with others and give her the stability that it seemed like her life had been lacking on both sides of the portal until the night of the fall dance. 
…and maybe, a little selfishly, she wanted a close friend that she could bond with the way Applejack had bonded with Rainbow Dash. As much as she enjoyed her time with Fluttershy, they were very different and had very different interests. 
Rarity sighed, and set about making a pot of tea—she had noticed that Sunset seemed to prefer that as a hot beverage, and the day had been rather rainy and unpleasantly chilled. As much as she did want to broach the subject of Twilight, the other was a thing that was more important in the long run…
She heard the bell chime as someone entered the shop in a rush, but it lacked any sort of greeting she would have expected from Sunset or her friends.  Frowning, she stepped out from the back room to identify them, the polite explanation that she was closed dying on her tongue as she realized that not only was it definitely Sunset, but that her friend looked positively dreadful. The rain had soaked her hair through, and with a bit of surprise, she realized that there were traces of…make-up? running down Sunset’s cheeks, washed away by the deluge that had picked up outside. It revealed the dark circles under bloodshot eyes that the other girl had apparently been taking pains to hide.
 “Sunset, darling,” Rarity murmured in concern, hurrying over to pull the redhead further into the shop—into her back room—so she could put her into a chair and get the dripping leather coat off her. “Sit down—you are absolutely soaked to the bone!” 
“…Sorry,” came the response, “I didn't mean to get water all over your floor.”
Waving it away, the tailor used a hand towel to dry her friend’s much loved jacket of the worst of the water. “Think nothing of it, Sunset, truly. I’m more concerned about long term damage to your coat…and your health!” Once the coat was dry, she hung it up and moved on to squeezing the worst of the water out of fiery curls.  “I apologize—had I realized it was going to rain so heavily this afternoon, I would have offered to give you a ride after school.”
Eyes that reminded her of finely polished turquoise barely glanced up from the table as their owner gave a smile that Rarity could tell was faked. “I’m okay. I like riding on my bike—it's…freeing. Reminds me of being a pony in Equestria, you know?”
Proximity allowed her to move from Sunset’s hair to her face, carefully wiping away the runny make-up. “Darling, you’ve been wearing concealer to hide these terrible dark circles. Saying you are ‘okay,’ is not going to work with me.”
Sunset still refused to meet Rarity’s gaze. “…haven’t been sleeping well. Encountering the magic at Crystal Prep…dug up memories I’d…rather not think about,” the redhead said quietly. “In my case…that means nightmares.” She paused, then sighed. “More nightmares,” Sunset clarified.
With a thoughtful sound in her throat, Rarity set the now damp and dirty towel to the side and retrieved a hair dryer and a brush from the small bathroom in the shop. “Are you certain that’s all it is, Sunset? You seem to be having a lot more trouble than just nightmares.”  She tipped her chin up briefly, forcing the other girl to meet her eyes. “I am perfectly willing to listen without judgment…if you would like to talk about it.” Then she let go, setting to work on a simple grooming routine with damp hair the color of flame. It effectively trapped Sunset there, but the noise meant it put off conversation, giving her time to decide if she wanted to talk…and it gave Rarity time to observe her.
A sharp eye for details immediately noticed several things, some amusing, some concerning.  Sunset’s clothes were rumpled, in addition to being dampened by the rain, and the shirt looked like she needed to wash it before she had put it on that morning. Her hands, especially her fingers, looked badly sunburned, and there was a large band-aid on one finger that she could just barely see the hint of a healing, scabbed over blister peeking out from one edge. The sunburn seemed to fade as it got past her wrists, but without the sharp line one might expect from where clothing lay or how the arm might have been resting; instead, the marks had inconsistent edges, like she had sunburned herself repeatedly in a short span, never quite giving her skin time to heal. Higher up, where Rarity was working with her hair, the designer could see a few darker marks on her neck normally hidden by said hair…a few were definitely hickeys and love-bites, and they paired with the faint ends of scratches from someone’s fingernails that she could see at the edge of the shirt collar. Rarity also detected the faintest odor of smoke and matches, but it lacked the stink of burned tobacco, so it wasn't a case of her friend taking up an unhealthy hobby…
Rarity took more time than necessary brushing Sunset’s hair until it shone in the lights of the shop, a fiery halo of loose, natural curls that she was willing to admit she was at least a little jealous of, before setting the brush and hairdryer aside to retrieve the makeup bag she kept in her store for emergencies or design assistance—some outfit styles looked better when paired with the right kind of makeup.  After a moment of searching its contents, she found what she was looking for—tones that matched the warm amber complexion of her tired looking friend. While she was concerned about Sunset hiding troubles from her friends, she still respected her choice to put on a strong face to the public.
“…my magic…” Sunset said, almost too quiet to hear, as Rarity began applying the makeup.  
“What about your magic, darling?” she asked gently, keeping her tone neutral. 
Sagging a little, the redhead gave a half hearted shrug. “…something is wrong with it. It's…going crazy. I…thought I had it…but then…it's like…” She closed her eyes. “Like a foreign thing instead of part of me, which has never happened before.”
The pale skinned tailor furrowed her brow. “Not the surges you keep cautioning us about then?”
“Not exactly, no. That's always more like…” Sunset considered, then offered an analogy. “Like a pressure cooker. Too much energy and it has to get out or you’ll explode. And when you explode bad things happen. This is…different.”
Considering the information at hand and thinking back to when Sunset had first begun acting off, Rarity frowned. “Correct me if I am wrong, darling, but this all began after you assisted your friend at Crystal Prep, yes? Is it possible that you are having some kind of…magical allergic reaction to the magic that attacked you there? You did mention you had a severe reaction to the power the Dazzlings used.”
Sunset got quiet and introspective at the suggestion. “Maybe?” she ventured after a minute or two. “…it was the darkest magic I’ve ever encountered—comparable to what I became at the formal in terms of just how twisted and wrong it was…and the way it attacked me could have left some residue or minor damage behind. My essence is already thaumically scarred…”
“Is it something you can check? It sounds like something we should be very concerned about, darling. A bit bigger than a broken nail or a bad hair day, at the very least.” Rarity paused in her delicate work a moment to meet her friend’s eyes. “Making the fact that you have hidden it even more worrisome.”
She couldn't look away with Rarity working on her face, but her eyes looked at some point past Rarity’s shoulder. “I didn't want to make you worry about something that's my problem.” Sunset exhaled slowly. 
One eyebrow arched pointedly. “Sunset, dear, I do not know if it is still something that is sinking in or we aren't making it clear…but we want to help you with your problems…or, barring that, support you through them. That's what friends do for one another…what we’d like to do for you as much as we do for each other, and as you have been trying to do for us.” She tucked a loose curl behind Sunset’s ear. “Like with this. I imagine it is somewhat difficult to inspect yourself magically, yes? You’ve implied that in the previous discussions.”
“….yes…?” 
Rarity set the makeup down and carefully took Sunset’s hands in her own, mindful of the bandages hiding blisters. “Then allow me the chance to help you with that. I may not be an expert, but I am certain you can walk me through it well enough that I should be able to sense if something is truly awry, wouldn't you think? At the least, I should be capable of feeling something as dark and evil as you described if it has latched on to you.”
The redhead seemed to mull that over, before she nodded. “…I could try walking you through it—out of the five of you, it's you and Pinkie who have come the furthest in feeling your magic…although I’m beginning to think Pinkie should never be used in any kind of data set because she’s Pinkie.”  
Humming in her throat, Rarity squeezed her hands lightly. “Let me finish redoing your makeup, and you can talk me through the process over a soothing cup of tea. Does that sound acceptable to you?”
Laughter, weak but still genuine, escaped Sunset. “I could really go for a cup of tea right now.”
“As could I, darling. It's dreary and dreadful outside right now…but makeup first, as I’m just about done.” She scrutinized the area around Sunset’s eyes, touching up a few spots where the dark, bruise-like discoloration was still visible. “It's not perfect,” she apologized, “since there is little I can do for your actual eyes…but I do have some eye drops that I use for when I am suffering through creativity induced insomnia. It should relieve at least a little of the irritation if you want to use them.” 
Sunset blinked, like she hadn't considered such a thing. “Eye drops?”
“Yes, Sunset. One of the numerous products humans have invented to overcome poor decisions, bad habits, or symptoms of other problems. Do ponies not have things like that? I had rather assumed your medicine was rather like ours, since you and Twilight speak of your culture as advanced and modern.” She busied herself with repacking her makeup bag.
The shrug Sunset gave was awkward. “Some things are, some aren't. We don't have mass production like humans—factories and assembly lines are pretty singularly a human invention. The only thing that comes close to that are societal infrastructure, and that's all commissioned by the crown.”
Humming thoughtfully, Rarity searched through the bag for the eyedrops. “I suppose medicine uses a lot of magic too, rather than chemistry. Healing spells and the like.” Getting her to talk about Equestrian society was reducing the visible tension in Sunset’s face, so Rarity pursued it for the moment.
“No, actually. Despite lots of research, nopony has ever discovered magic like that. There's a few spells for…setting bones or sealing minor cuts, and a few for things like pain management…but most of our medicine does use alchemy or physical cures. It's just…we don't really mass produce the kind of things you see on pharmacy shelves.” Sunset tipped her head back. “Something like what you're talking about would mean a trip to the apothecary for a specially made concoction that doesn't have the months long shelf life you find here.” She laughed softly, at herself. “You’d think, having discovered the wonder of ibuprofen, q-tips, and maxi-pads, I’d’ve perused the pharmacy for other useful things.”
Rarity offered her the small bottle of drops. “I’d be more than happy to organize an informational shopping trip for you, Sunset. I’m sure Fluttershy would be willing to assist. Now, with this, just take the cap off, tilt your head back and squeeze two drops into each eye. It should help the gritty, sore feeling and prevent further irritation.”
Following her instructions, Sunset looked up at the ceiling once more. “…maybe we can think about that over spring break or this summer. Everything is so hecti—ahh! That’s cold!” she complained, before doing the same to the second eye. “Warn me about that next time?”
Rarity was ready with a cotton ball that proved unnecessary—Sunset’s eyes were apparently dry and irritated enough that only the faintest bit of moisture touched her lashes. “Why don't you keep the drops—put some more in before bed tonight,” she suggested, growing more concerned by the minute about Sunset’s health.
“…Thanks, Rarity,” she responded in a rough voice. 
Smiling faintly, the tailor bustled over to get their tea. “They're just eye drops, darling.”
Her one-time adversary shook her head. “Not that.” There was a tiny quiver in her voice. “For…being here…for doing…all this…”
Oh. Pouring the tea into two cups and bringing the tray over with real cream and sugar—Sunset was the only other person in their friend group who drank tea in any manner close to how it was meant to be done, so Rarity indulged whenever she could—gave the pale skinned teen a minute to organize her thoughts. “Sunset…you are one of my closest friends,” she said softly. “Whatever may have been in the past, that is the truth now. Seeing you so obviously suffering, how could I do anything else?” She set the tray down and presented Sunset with her cup. “You need someone in your corner, as it were, and I am in the position to help. Everything else is immaterial—despite Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s childish competition, there are no ledgers or balance books between friends. What I give, I give freely, and your smile is gratitude enough.”
“It still…” Sunset shrugged. “Thank you.”
Rarity hummed, taking her own seat and spooning a bit of sugar into her tea. Silence, this time comfortable and more relaxed, fell over them while they sipped their drinks, and she was loathe to break it, but getting answers to some of her questions about what was happening with Sunset and her magic was necessary. “On the topic of your misbehaving magic, darling…does it happen every time? Or just sometimes when you use it?”
Sunset stared into the depths of her cup. “…it's…becoming more frequent. It was sporadic when it started, but now…now it's more than it isn't.”
“What about when you aren't trying to use your magic—like in the science lab? I can't imagine you were attempting to pony up and use magic there…unless perhaps you wanted to practice lighting Bunsen Burners.”
Shaking her head, the other girl confirmed what Rarity had suggested. “I wasn't. It just…happened, and trying to keep it in…hurt, not like a surge but…” Sunset trailed off.
“…but…?”
A shiver passed through her. “Like hooks were trying to pull my soul in separate directions.” Blue-green eyes glanced her way, and Rarity could see how haunted they were as Sunset whispered, “It reminds me of that night. With the crown.”
That was a terrible image—Rarity had spoken of it to no one, not even Applejack, but she had caught a glimpse of Sunset’s face before the light had become blinding and concealed her demonic transformation behind its brilliance, and she could not remember a moment in her whole life where she had seen someone in that much agony. “…Sunset…” she said quietly. “Is that what’s causing your nightmares? You said before that you feared becoming the demon again…”
The empty teacup was left on the table and Sunset crossed her arms, one hand gripping the opposite elbow in a white knuckled grip. “…I…It's worse than that,” she confessed. “…Rarity…I don’t think…I don't think the demon part of me was destroyed. I…when the Elements let me go…They…It…told me…I was at a crossroads. That I had to decide who I wanted to be…and then I was falling…I had to be over a hundred feet up…” 
Horror was starting to bloom in the tailor as she listened in shock to what she was being told. Those eyes never looked away from hers as the awful confession continued. “…I wasn't just falling, it was like I’d been launched from a cannon…I thought I was going to die…I tried to slow myself down…with my wings.”
Wings? The realization hit her like a roundhouse kick to the jaw, and Sunset nodded in confirmation. “…I transformed back into a human after the Rainbow ended…while I was falling…I hit the ground so hard I blacked out…but…the crater I woke up in…wasn't caused by the Elements or the Rainbow of Light.”
“…Sunset…” she breathed. “Are you saying that terrible hole was caused by your body impacting the ground?”
Sunset nodded her head. “Yeah. I made that crater. Explains why I hurt for the rest of that week.”
Her stomach clenched, nausea making her swallow hard. “Darling…an impact like that should have killed you.” It was a chilling statement, one that made her feel like her body was encased in ice. 
“If I was human. Or a unicorn.” Her expression was grim. “But…a demon…isn't fragile like a mortal.” Those eyes became somewhat distant. “I’ve taken…a few hits…since then. Hits that should have hurt. They didn't. And…I…” Those fingers squeezed even harder on her elbow. “I can see in the dark. Pitch dark. Like it’s daylight at noon. Like under the stage at the Battle of the Bands…” A shudder went through her. “…she's in my nightmares…and now…I…I thought it was the sarcastic bitch in me…a snarky part of my subconscious talking…when I couldn't say what I wanted to out loud because…I…it would be mean…or upset someone…but its not. I…she’s that part of me. The demon…she’s still in here.” Sunset’s voice cracked. “I’m still a monster.”
Rarity found herself out of her chair and rounding the table to pull the redhead into a hug. “You are not a monster, darling,” she soothed, letting her friend rest her forehead against her shoulder. “You may have fallen into darkness, but you have become a light, a force of good. You prove that every single day.”
There was a noise of protest, of denial, and Rarity shushed her, firmly, before pulling back to lock eyes with Sunset. “Do you trust me?”
“…yes.”
She squeezed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Then trust me now. You are not a monster. You were once before, for a short time, but you, of free will and conscious choice, turned your back on that identity. You have become more than the demons of your past.”
The way those eyes were fixed on her told her she had Sunset’s full attention. “I do not know how it is for ponies other than you, but for humans, all of us fight against the darkness inside of us. That darkness may take many forms, as many forms and shapes as there are people…but it is there. In me, in Applejack, even in Fluttershy.” She smiled encouragingly. “The important part to remember is that as long as you choose to fight against that darkness, it cannot consume you. Evil is a choice, Sunset. Doing evil, surrendering to the impulses to cause harm…that is a conscious choice…”
“And so is good. You have chosen to be good, Sunset. As long as that is true, then even if the demon is still inside you…it has no power over you. One has to choose to sell their soul, after all.”
She could feel the way her friend trembled, a faint, periodic shiver that communicated through her hands on Sunset’s shoulders.  Biting her lip, Sunset was searching her face. “…why…why aren't you more bothered by this?”
Rarity smiled again. “Why aren't I freaking out or afraid, you mean?” When the fiery head nodded jerkily, she told her the uncomplicated truth. “I am…highly concerned, and very worried, Sunset…but not about you. I'm worried for you.” 
Sunset trembled more violently, then lunged forward, hugging Rarity so hard that she felt the air squeezed from her lungs. It was nothing on Applejack’s tightest hugs, of course, but it was enough that she could feel the way those arms compressed in on her with every breath she took. She wordlessly patted her friend on the back, offering silent comfort and support as Sunset mumbled something indistinct into her shoulder.
Once the arms loosened, allowing her to straighten her spine with a masterfully suppressed wince, Rarity cleared her throat. “Now, I do believe we are at the part where you walk me through sensing your magic and looking for unpleasantness that has latched onto you, correct?”
Rubbing her eyes, Sunset nodded. “…right.” She cleared her throat, and shifted to the instructor ‘persona’ that she used in magic lessons—Rarity had privately wondered if it was a subconscious channeling of the princess who had been Sunset’s own teacher, since some of it reminded her a great deal of how their principal carried herself. “The beginning is the same as I’ve already shown you, where you let your own magic sit just under your skin after you Pony-Up. You're still sensing my magic, but you’re going to be going deeper than just recognizing that it exists in your vicinity.”
Worry and concern for her friend made it all too easy to Pony-Up and call her magic forward. She could feel it flowing under her skin and in her veins like water that wasn't water, seeping into her lungs and being exhaled amidst the swirls of air. She could feel how it buzzed anxiously, but held it, inclining her head to Sunset to let her know she was ready. Already, she could feel the vibration in the air that she associated with Sunset, like a warm and cheery hearth in one of those historic Victorian era manors…except it was…lacking? Dim? As if the fire had been banked or allowed to burn down.
“Right. Well this is normally where I have you draw your power in and look in yourself…but this time, you're going to take my hands…”
The words became a background buzz, instructions followed but not in focus to her consciousness, especially once her magic, mind, and entire awareness sank into the presence of Sunset Shimmer.  
As her initial estimation had observed, the bright warmth of Sunset’s power had gone dim, weak, and off in some way… but it wasn't until she was inside the sputtering, wheezing flame that she began to understand why. She felt nothing that could be identified as ‘dark magic’…nothing greasy or oily or in any way jarring to whatever perception this sense could be classified as. What she did find was Sunset herself…or what her brain was interpreting as Sunset’s…core? Essence? Soul?
Had Rarity been asked to describe it, she would have likened it to a very strange patchwork quilt, unlike any she had ever encountered. The elements that made it up were disparate, unalike…translating to her mind as rough, dark red leathers, golden silks, cottons and wools in shades like autumn leaves, matched together as best as ill fitting and irregular puzzle pieces could be the gaps filled in with glowing crimson jewel shards and stitched into place by magenta light that should have clashed horribly, but somehow…its presence dancing in and out of a sea of fiery shades felt…
Like it belonged there.
Curiouser and curiouser.
With a thought that became action, Rarity brushed mental fingertips against what, to her, seemed a battered and threadbare piece of silk that had been through some hard use.
FLASH!
She was staring up at a towering white form, clad in golden regalia as it stretched brilliant, enormous wings and pointed its spiraling horn towards the horizon, golden magic mimicking the light of the sun that seemed to follow the horn’s trajectory in a sunset far faster than ever happened on earth. Childish excitement and joy flowed through her, wrapped up in love for a beloved parent, and she felt herself drum hooves on the white stone of the balcony. “Will I be able to do that someday, Princess?” The question was squeaked out in a little girl’s voice, slow and careful to avoid slurring sounds wrong.
And then the being—Princess Celestia, with her impossibly flowing mane and the principal’s voice—smiled back at her. “I do not know, my little sun,” she said in a voice overflowed with a mother’s love for Rarity's hearing, “but won't it be wonderful to find out?”
FLASH!
Memories, Rarity registered as she wrenched her perception free of the images of being in Sunset’s own past. 
If they were memories…then…tentatively, she touched her mental hand to one of the dark red leather.
FLASH!
She was looking at Princess Twilight, who seemed uncertain. “I could try to write one?” she offered hesitantly.
It could work, Sunset’s voice echoed from around her, like a television voice over. The girls’ magic does feel like Harmony magic, and she does know Friendship Magic, what with being the Bearer of Magic…
Still… Sunset’s voice continued, and worry flickered in her chest. Writing a spell from scratch is hard. Yeah, I’ve done it, but…I’m good enough to make it my Archmagus Mastery…even if I used it for petty reasons.  Most ponies aren't…and Twilight’s better at theory than she is at something that requires flexibility and outside the box thinking. I dont envy her here…but…will she want my help?
Then Spike spoke up, and she felt cold all over. “Totally! Twilight can write a spell like it's nobody’s business! That's pretty much how she got to be a princess in Equestria!”
What?
She earned Ascension how??
“Technically, I helped finish a spell…”
Fury like Rarity had never felt before exploded inside her, the edges of her vision turning red from the effort it took to restrain herself. It burned, to the point that her bones felt like they were melting—was this what her friend lived with? Emotions that caused physical agony? 
Of all the moon-banished, yak-brained, half-baked, diamond-dog rutted piles of minotaur shit…Ascension. Because she finished a spell.
Rage and hatred choked her, black and clawing until she thought she was going to cry…she couldn't breathe as Sunset’s echoing voice raged around her, competing with the way Princess Twilight argued with Spike, and it took her forever to pull back from the memory fragment that was so very different from the one in her own recollection.
FLASH!
Rarity felt her body shudder in the outer world, and Sunset trying to pull her hands away. Grimly, she held on and reached for one of the autumn leaf shades. She had to know this was all Sunset, because she knew that reassurance would matter to her friend…knew her need for it was greater than the guilt of this somewhat intentional invasion of privacy.
FLASH!
She had braced herself for another memory that jarred her, but this was…nothing like that. She dimly perceived cold air at her face, but she was warm, with a slighter form pressed close under a blanket on a hilltop. It was night and the sky filled with stars, including plenty that shot across the smokey void in a dazzling light show. The sweet taste of berries lingered on her tongue, and her nose was full of the scent of honeysuckle and old books—strange combination, but one that filled the memory with a fluttery lightness. The person with her was a happy ball of energy, making use of a complicated telescope setup to enjoy the heavenly light show, and it made her lips curl into a happy smile.
Rarity understood now what Sunset had meant about the night vision, with the desaturated colors…not black and white, but definitely not the brilliance of the previous memories or her own sight. Her eyes were turned skyward to observe the stars, her throat making a noise that was one of pleasure and joy. The moment was perfect and wonderful, and Rarity knew she would feel guilt later for peeking in on something so clearly intimate.
And then the girl in the memory leaned close just as her head turned, and she knew what it felt like to kiss Twilight Sparkle as Sunset Shimmer.
FLASH!
It took Rarity a moment to reorient herself after that memory, to remember who she really was. Sunset’s emotions—even the positive ones—were intense and overpowering. She loved Applejack dearly, but what she had felt from the memory of what was clearly a date with the human Twilight Sparkle…
That was the all-consuming passion and burning intensity poets and lyricists had been trying to capture with words for thousands of years, and experiencing it, even second-hand for a bare minute had left Rarity feeling… exhausted. 
One more, she decided, and then she would have enough to confirm that Sunset was not infected or influenced by something dark or evil. With determination, she touched a glowing crimson shard.
No flash. No memories to experience. Only magic, warmth, and…something about it all felt…familiar. Her own magic brightened, and Rarity knew in a way that went beyond instinct that this was no evil thing.
Was this Sunset’s magic? The magic that let her pony-up with the rest of them? 
Yes…
Yes, it was. 
Exhaling a breath held far too long, Rarity broke the connection and opened her eyes to the real world, feeling even more exhausted than she had thought, staring into frantic and distressed eyes. “I’m…alright, Sunset,” she assured, before the other girl could speak. “Just…more tired from it than I thought I’d be.”
Despite the attempt at soothing Sunset’s agitation, her friend checked her over thoroughly. “Are you sure? No headache or pain? Your hands were like ice and you went…gray. Like you were going to be sick.” She chewed on her own thumbnail as Rarity shooed her hands away and sat up straighter. “Anypony who tried that before got hurt, somehow…I shouldn't have let you…I don't want to hurt my friends!”
“Sunset,” Rarity said with more bite than intended, shocking the unicorn-in-human-form into silence. “I am unharmed—what I saw was…disorienting, and perhaps a touch overwhelming, but it caused me no pain. Your magic did not attack me.” She offered a tired smile, already starting to feel a little better. “I do believe our supposition from when we discussed this before may have been correct.”
Blue-green eyes blinked at her. “What?”
“Some time ago, when we discussed the subject of how your magic typically reacted to intrusion…it was suggested that perhaps the reaction was not a case of unstable magic, but trust.” Without thinking, Rarity took her purse off the nearby counter and dug into it for some of those magical energy bars that Princess Twilight had given them. Unwrapping one and taking a bite, she gave that a few seconds for Sunset to absorb. “Your trust, darling. You trusted me—you said yourself, we are friends, and that you do trust me. That was the deciding factor, I suspect—I found your magic and it did not assault me. It treated me as a welcome guest…our magic recognized each other, and offered strength and support, not violence.”
Sunset settled back into her chair, relief etched on her features. “…thank the stars…” she sighed, shoulders going from hunched to slack and slumped. “I tried to break the connection, but you…you wouldn't let me.”
Rarity nodded. “Because I was still investigating, and I did not wish to leave without the answers you needed.” She took a deep breath. “I do want to apologize for a bit of breach of privacy while I was looking for dark magic on your person. In the process I was…privy to snatches of your memories and emotions.”
Shoulders stiffened and Sunset sucked in a breath. “What did you see?” she asked warily. 
“Some brief moments from your early life and your perspective of some recent events…” She frowned. “To which I feel I must apologize—I was a poor friend to you during our issue with the Dazzlings. It never occurred to me that you would have such a deep struggle with Twilight and how we acted towards her.”  The tailor weighed whether or not to address the final memory she’d encountered, but the expression on Sunset’s face told her that it was perhaps best to broach that subject at a later date. “Though perhaps, given what you have told us about your time in Equestria, it should have.”
Looking away, the other girl sighed. “…I’m sorry you had to see that. I never wanted anyone else to know. It's why I went back to my place for a bit that first night. It helped me put my head on straight.”
One hand reached out to squeeze an amber skinned forearm. “Sunset, darling, you have no reason to apologize. You also had every right to be upset, since it seems to me that Equestria and your own people never treated you fairly. It has certainly left me with…opinions…on your native society and culture.” A grimace pulled at her features. “That being said, I do apologize for the violation of your privacy—I wished to make sure all of what I was…perceiving…was you.”
Eyes narrowed at that. “What do you mean?”
Exhaling, Rarity did her best to describe the patchwork quilt nature of Sunset’s inner magic and self. “It…was beautiful in its own way, darling, and very you, but…so many unrelated seeming pieces stitched together like that, and your concerns about your personal demon being present…I wanted to make sure that it was truly all you.”
Sunset rubbed her face. “I guess it shouldn’t surprise me to learn my soul and my magic are both as much a mess as it sometimes feels like I am.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “I wouldn't say ‘mess,’ really. Some parts were…marred by damage—I suspect that is the ‘scarring’ you referred to caused by your past transformation—but…Sunset…for all it was like a quilt of many pieces, the whole was truly beautiful and good, and the magic in it was bright and warm.” That got Sunset’s focus, and Rarity patted the arm under her hand. “I found no trace of anything I would call dark or evil. Not clinging to you…or as part of you.”
Disbelief and self-recrimination colored the snort that Sunset let out and was laced through her words. “I know what I’ve been fighting against, what I’ve been hearing,” she countered.
“And I believe you, darling, I do…but I also believe that you are thoroughly in control of it, and less at risk than you believe yourself to be.” Rarity gathered her thoughts into some semblance of order. “If I may, Sunset, I have a theory of what is happening and why, and a suggestion for helping to alleviate some of it.”
The redhead was back to gripping her elbow. “…guess it can't hurt. What’s your theory?”
Rarity sighed. “That you are trying to do too much.” At the somewhat frustrated expression, she held up a hand. “Let me explain. You have a great deal on your shoulders right now, and you have been trying to do it all yourself since the Battle of the Bands. Some of that is understandable, given your unique…qualifications. But when was the last time you really took a break for some self-care? Had a day where you did not do anything for anyone but you? Where you weren't working on one of the myriad projects involving magic, or the homework I know you are loaded down with, being in AP courses, or supporting the efforts of your friends…and also not engaging in the managing of your finances and investments? When was the last day where you were able to sleep in and do nothing but relax?”
Silence, uncomfortable and strained. “…I had a day on the weekend I left town,” she finally said—somewhat evasively.  Rarity wondered if she had spent the weekend in question with her secret paramour, and decided that it was a likely explanation.
However, that was not the point of her questioning, and she let the opportunity pass by with some restraint. “And before that, darling?”
Sunset didn’t answer for a long time. “…I don't know,” she said at last. “Maybe New Years?”
“Darling…I know you have many reasons for driving yourself like this, not the least of which is your passionate, determined personality…but you need to take a break. Being on a hair trigger, overworked and overstressed…it's not healthy, Sunset, and I cannot help but wonder if a good part of what is happening to your magic is because you have stretched yourself too thin.”
Shaking her head, Sunset argued back. “Rarity, I can’t take a break now. The Games are in less than two weeks, we still don't know what might happen there, and on top of protecting the school, I have to train you girls.” There was no heat in her words, only a touch of the exhaustion Rarity could see, and a hint of anxiety and frustration that bordered on tears.
She took shaking hands in her own. “Sunset,” she said firmly. “You are on the verge of physical collapse and an emotional meltdown. You need to let yourself rest…what good will you be to all of us if you do collapse at the Games? You won't be able to fight with us, to defend the school and our classmates while they get to safety if you can barely function. You need to stop burning the candle at both ends and recharge, before you hurt yourself.”
“But…”
“No buts,” Rarity reinforced. “The other girls and I will be fine practicing what we already know how to do without your instruction for a few days. Applejack and I are perfectly capable of overseeing that…and I will call Flash to let him know that he and Bon-Bon are in charge of the defense group for the rest of the week. I’m also canceling tonight’s group practice, so I can see you fed, watered, and back to your place without making you drive in the rain. I can bring you back tomorrow to retrieve your motorcycle.”
Defeated and exhausted, Sunset sagged into the seat. “…fine…” she sighed. “For tonight only though.”
Rarity shook her head. “For the rest of the week. We can begin final preparations for the Games on Monday.” At the sound of protest, the designer shushed her. “Have a little faith in us, Sunset. We will be ready, and we will not let you down…but we will not let you destroy your health to get there. There will be no repeats of the Battle of the Bands.”
Blue-green eyes just stared at her, a stubborn tightening to them, but Rarity refused to back down. “I will have your promise on this, Sunset. Monday, no sooner.”
It was a battle of wills, but Rarity had grown up intimately close to the most intractable person on the planet as her best friend and partner. Sunset was good, but she was no Applejack. It was Sunset who wavered first. “…I…promise…” she said, and both of them shivered a little as magic hummed in the air at the declaration.
“…are magical vows a thing in Equestria, darling?” She asked her friend in concern.
Sunset shook her head. “…no. That was weird…probably just in response to the emotions. It got…pretty heavy in here for a bit.” She crossed her arms. “I won't go back on my word…and I hope you're right about this, Rarity.”
“Good. And I must admit, it’s a theory, darling…but unless there's some key detail you aren't telling me, I cannot think of what else it could be.” She smiled encouragingly. “Now, think about where you’d like to order dinner from, while I make a few phone calls. Price is no concern, since I’m paying. And maybe after, I can get those updated measurements from you whilst we wait on the food. I do have some designs for you I wanted to show you…”
With that, Rarity gave Sunset another hug and swept off to make sure that her friend could have a few days to recover before all Hell inevitably broke loose.
> Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Two: Where the Silent Voices Whisper...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Twilight sighed and snapped open the slim binder. “Can you hand me the print-outs?” she asked Indigo without turning from where she was placing a divider marked with the date for the week. 
“No problem,” her friend said, glancing around the room and lowering her voice. “You sure you don't want me to walk with you to the office? I promised Bacon-head I’d watch your back.”
“Bacon-head?” That did make her turn to Indigo, baffled. “Indigo, she’s a vegetarian. She doesn't eat bacon.”
A grin spread on Indigo’s face. “Her hair looks like bacon in the right light. And since I still don't like the idea of using her name where the Crystal Prep Goon Squad might be listening in, I’m sticking to random nicknames. Otherwise, it'll get confusing with any conversation about more than one case of she/her.”
Shivering at the reminder, Twilight hummed. “I suppose you have a point. I don't like how intensely fixated everyone is on her…”
Indigo adjusted the collar of her shirt. “I’m actually surprised your ex-pal hasn't spilled her guts yet. She seems the type.”
She actually found herself agreeing with Indigo. Why hadn’t Wallflower spilled everything she knew over the school after the fight? Or had she, and was behind the rumors in the first place, dropping the information subtly and in ways that couldn't get traced back?
You're being paranoid, Twilight, she told herself.  “I am not certain…though I cannot help but wonder if it ties into her somewhat ‘us versus them’ mentality in regards to anyone outside our initial friend group.”
The athlete nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Or maybe she wants to get even herself? Some people do that kinda thing.”
That thought wasn't any better than her own, and it hung around with the rest of the anxious what-ifs crowding her mind. “Maybe. I don't know Wallflower as well as I thought I did, so I can't really explain her motives.” Her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her forehead, feeling pressure that implied a migraine was coming her way. Probably from exhaustion and eye strain, seeing as how she hadn't slept the night before. There had been too much work in fabricating false results to put in her progress report and lead Principal Cinch on a believable diversion. “I suppose, in the end, it matters little, since I have not confided in her for months…not that I ever confided that deeply in her. She always seemed fairly dismissive of my problems or concerns if it didn't have to do with bullies here.”
“I’m still not sure how you two managed to stay friends this long. Feels like this should have blown up sooner.”
Twilight exhaled slowly. “…my relationship and the individual I’m with proved to be an unpleasant catalyst for her worldview. Said relationship has built my confidence and allowed for a measure of self-growth that was lacking in my adolescence.”
Indigo snorted. “Yeah, well if I was dating someone with that much force of personality who was a total hottie, I’d probably be motivated to be a better me too.” She laughed. “Which I think is partly why the rumor mill is so stuck on your bike riding lady friend. First look puts the two of you in totally different worlds, and no one can understand how the two of you could ever be in the same…” There was a pause. “place, I guess. Like how a lot of people look at my dad when we go to a pricier store to buy appliances—we don’t look like we belong with people who can afford it. Seeing you two together without talking to you, it's bizarre.”
“The tough girl from the wrong side of the tracks and ‘Princess Twilight Sparkle’ strains their brains, hmm?” The irony was hilarious, though Twilight couldn't make herself laugh.  Sunset was the one raised in a palace, not her. And it was totally irrelevant to their relationship.
“More like the tough badass with a personality that smacks you in the face from half a court away without a word, and the quiet, introverted genius who has turned the school upside down because she finally started defending herself with both words and actions.” Indigo shook her head. “Plus none of their rich trappings seem to impress someone they figure should be tripping over herself at the sight of them. It's stupid, but…honestly? Rich people are stupid…no offense.”
She waved the apology away. “I am perfectly aware of what my extended family is like, and I agree. Something about extensive, generational wealth seems to make the bulk of people excessively stupid and ignorant in the worst ways.” Then she sank deeper into her chair. “I’m so tired, Indigo…” 
It was true, and not because she’d missed a night of sleep. Twilight was mentally and emotionally exhausted…at this point, she would even be willing to say she was spiritually exhausted too—not in the religious sense, but in terms of her normal level of sensible optimism and her…sense of self, perhaps? The months of stress and growing agitation over the project, over her school, over the friction and growing pains with her family, it was all getting to her.
The other girl was watching her with a worried expression. “You…sure you don't want me to go with you, Twilight? You…honestly, you look like shit that the dog tracked in.”
That was a rather apt description of how she felt physically, she decided. Like some giant had stepped on her and then dragged her around on the bottom of its shoe for a while. “I’ll be fine, but thank you, Indigo. I’m glad to have you as my friend…having you here has helped me know it's not just my brain making things up all the time out of anxiety.” 
Indigo patted her shoulder carefully. “It'll be over soon, Twilight. Just…remember, it’s like lying to your parents—keep it simple, don’t volunteer information, and stick as close to open ended, vague statements close to the truth. Someone like Cinch can smell lies and will talk you in circles until you crack. Don't let her.”
Twilight made a face. “…I…don't really lie to my parents.”
Her friend let out a laugh. “Bullshit! Everyone does. ‘Oh yeah, mom, I’m just having a few of the girls over for a sleepover.’ ‘I’m fine. Just didn't sleep well.’ ‘Of course I didn't steal the key to the liquor cabinet and drink half a bottle of dad’s whiskey.’” 
“I really don't though.”
Honey colored eyes bored into her. “I suppose then that you tell your folks everything you get up to in private with your leather wearing bad girl? Hmm? All the naughty little details about where she’s left hickeys—speaking of which, she…might want to go a little higher on your thigh next time. The edge of it is just visible when your gym shorts ride up.”
Heat rushed to her face and she dropped it into her hands with a distressed noise. “You saw? Oh no…”
“Relax. I doubt anyone else really noticed. It just happened right in front of me when you picked up that basketball earlier.” Indigo chuckled. “My point is…be careful, okay? Maybe think about secretly having your phone recording things from your pocket? Or…do you have anything like what the cops use to bug stuff?”
Twilight pushed her embarrassment down—a struggle, but Indigo had pointed out some much more important matters she needed to focus on. She could worry about accidentally fueling the rumors later, after her meeting with Principal Cinch. “…I have a tiny wireless camera for my phone,” she murmured after considering. “I usually use it for recording things from my experiments, especially small details I might miss with my eyes. Perhaps that as well as audio? As…insurance?”
“I think you should. Your parents are pretty pissed off at the school, but I think Cinch is mad at us too—I’ve gotten detention four times in the last two weeks when I didn't have that many in two and a half years. Plus Coach is talking about my place on the team, and how I need to think about if I wanna keep it.” The other girl shrugged. “I’d wager they are looking for reasons to get us in trouble.”
Indigo was right, and Twilight was quiet as she set up the tiny camera before searching for a place to hide it where it would be invisible. Once again her friend had a suggestion. “Use your bra.”
“What?”
“The space between your tits can hide the camera, Twilight,” Indigo said with a laugh. “You aren't flat chested. Hide it there, and poke the lens through the gap in between buttons, so it's up against this crappy knitted sweater vest. Knitted shit is full of holes by design. Should be enough to see something. And it'll still pick up audio.”
She stared blankly at her friend, before considering the suggestion. It…did have merit…she supposed. Her hair wasn't voluminous to conceal it and it would either be reduced to only audio or obvious anywhere else. “…I suppose that will have to do.”
What followed was an incredibly awkward few minutes of getting the camera in the right place where it would not move and was fairly unnoticeable, while still picking up a decent visual of something besides her left boob or the inside of her sweater. This was exacerbated by Indigo making her walk and stand and jump around a bit while laser focused on her chest to see if the little device was noticeable. 
“I think you're good to go, Twilight,” Indigo said at last. “Those little clamps worked. There's a bit of fuzz at the edges from the sweater vest, but…most of the picture is clear.”
Twilight picked up her project binder. “Thanks, Indigo. I still want to get your thoughts later…and there's a few places I wanted to check over for some potential evidence. Maybe you could go with me? So I’ve got a friend and a second set of eyes?” She wanted to prove she wasn’t hallucinating…or maybe that she was, at the amphitheater…and maybe she could find some trace of what had been in the video, even if it was proof that it was just a school project.
“Oh yeah, sure!” Indigo grinned at her. “Am I gonna need to bring like…bolt cutters and gloves, or is this the kind of research that doesn't involve a little B&E?”
“Um…” The dark haired girl found herself at a loss for how to take that. “It's a public space?” she responded hesitantly. “We wouldn't be trespassing technically.”
Indigo laughed. “Noted, Sparkle. My lips are sealed.” Then she sobered, and squeezed Twilight’s shoulder. “Be careful, and watch what you say, okay? …I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this, and Principal Cinch is at the heart of it. If you have to, you cut and run outta there and you call me, or you call your bitch-boot wearing badass for backup.”
She straightened her shoulders, struggling to draw on the confidence Sunset had helped her to find. “I will, but I really believe it will be okay, Indigo.” That was the hope, anyway, but the gnawing anxiety in the pit of her stomach felt like part of her was on the same wavelength as her friend. “I’ll see you after the meeting? For lunch?”
“I’ll be here as long as Mr. Moor doesn't bore me to death in history. It’s Magna Carta week, fun.” There was a rolling of eyes to accompany the sarcasm as Indigo shouldered her bag.
Once in the hall, Twilight locked the lab door and headed for the office, Indigo keeping pace until she was forced to peel off at her class. The last third of the journey was made alone, with a stream of hostile students around her, some of them trying to stop her with questions, and even more whispering just at the edge of her hearing…
Twilight entered the office with short lived relief, the kind felt by the primitive hindbrain after escaping one deadly situation only to realize that it was facing an even more dangerous one. She informed the principal’s secretary of her arrival and sat to wait, going through the calming exercises that Dr. Soft-Spoken had taught her.
They didn't work. As the minutes stretched on, it felt like the flow of spacetime around Twilight had slowed to a snail’s pace, with each tick of the second hand on the outdated analog wall clock feeling as though it lasted an hour. In desperation, she tried some of the techniques Sunset had shown her, before and after their self defense lessons, then moved to just recalling memories of Sunset talking to her, looking at her with love and desire, of the feeling of just being with her girlfriend to try and push back the jittery agitation in her nerves.
It helped, at least until her mind flitted to the Sunset of her dreams, the fanged, dark eyed version whose voice was filled with seductive allure, who whispered heady words and enthralling promises in her ear before filling her with ecstasy. In an instant, she was thinking of Wallflower’s ‘evidence,’ of the demonic figure with red-amber skin and flaming hair and eyes that she would know anywhere.  As much as she wanted to believe it was some kind of video project mocking her girlfriend, something in her said that it wasn't fake…that the terrifying spectre with the rasping, furious voice was Sunset Shimmer, not someone pretending to be a caricature of her at her worst. 
She wasn’t sure how she felt. How she should feel. It wasn’t identical to her dream Sunset, but the fangs, the claws, the red-amber skin…even the presence of wings and glowing eyes were the same, and that dream-apparition had been stoking the coals of her physical desire for months…yet its actions in the video were undoubtedly wrong…violent, angry…and they didn’t make sense. None of it did, by any scientific rationale.
Sunset wasn’t a monster, or some kind of winged demon—she was just a girl who had been a bully and had an eye opening experience. People didn’t undergo transformations into giant monsters, or summon magical flying unicorns made of stars out of weird colored rainbows by singing. They didn’t have eyes like a crocodile and a clear inner eyelid. They didn’t use magic gemstones to summon giant fanged fish-horses.
Magic…wasn’t real.
Was it?
Was…was that what the energy was? Some hidden power that could be likened to the magic of fairy tales? 
Or was this just a hoax, a project to paint Sunset as a monster in retaliation by the very teens she had once bullied? A farce that Twilight was overthinking because she lacked critical context?
The door creaked open, dragging her from her thoughts. Principal Cinch stared down at her a moment before opening the door wider. “Come in, Miss Sparkle.” Then she turned sharply and was gone from the doorway, leaving behind expectations and implications in the shadowy portal.
Twilight forced herself to her feet, trying to ignore the unpleasant prickling along the back of her neck and trailing down her spine like icy talons, and gritted her teeth when she put her hand to the door to push it open enough for her to pass through. The hinges protested the motion, a faint creaking that echoed in a fashion that brought to mind horror movie sound effects, of wailing wind and distant, inhuman screaming that was abruptly cut off by some sinister force. 
…and she really needed to stop letting her imagination run wild. First she was entertaining magical nonsense, and now this—Twilight Sparkle was too rational to get caught up in silly fantasies. 
The office, as it always was, was dimly lit, with only the windows and a single overhead light doing anything to push back the gloom. Principal Cinch stood behind the monolithic oak desk, one hand on the high backed chair as she surveyed the view out the window, ignoring Twilight’s presence for a time. When she finally broke the silence, it had been long enough that Twilight had begun to fidget, her heart starting to pound in her ears.  “You may sit, Miss Sparkle.” Light caught her teeth and glasses as she half turned, a bit of reflected brilliance that left spots in her field of vision.
Still, Twilight sat, knuckles tightening on her folder of falsified data, trying to calm her heart rate and prepare herself for the meeting that had only just begun. She did her best to mask the fact that her stomach was tying itself in anxious knots, and that she wanted to be anywhere but here, even as her principal finally turned and slid into the seat that was much higher than the low, uncomfortable, wooden one she was in. 
“Your continued promptness is…encouraging, despite recent…unfortunate events. There are several matters we need to discuss today…assuming, of course, that you are…comfortable…making considerations…on your own?”
Her jaw clenched, swallowing her immediate reaction. Both Sunset and the family lawyers had warned her about this. “Question everything, Sparky,” Sunset had advised. “Ask what the real motive is, because it's never what it seems with a lindwyrm.”  The teen exhaled slowly through her nose, letting her defensive response go with it, and ran through the list and examples the lawyers had given her to watch out for…right at number four was “Implications of maturity: Either suggesting parental figures are incapable of recognizing maturity or that only the person in question can recognize an above-peer-average level of maturity.”
What the principal had said certainly qualified, and her knee jerk reaction would have seen her forging ahead in frustration and upset, which did not allow her to think logically. Twilight drew in a slow breath before she answered carefully, “I am here to discuss the weekly status of my project, Principal Cinch.” One hand proffered the binder of project notes. “I was unaware of anything beyond that needed to be discussed, though if there is a question about my performance in one of my other classes, I suppose that would also be appropriate use of this time. Was there some kind of concern?”
The principal’s features were a carefully schooled mask, giving nothing away, even as she took the project binder from Twilight. She did not answer immediately, choosing instead to read carefully through it. “There is very little here that has changed from your last few reports, Miss Sparkle,” she said at last. “I am…growing concerned with the clear lack of progress as of late.  Care to explain?”
Indigo had helped her brainstorm several deflecting strategies if Principal Cinch attempted to dig deeper into the data, and she seized on one of the more basic, truthful ones. “There have been some unfortunate setbacks with sample collection integrity, Principal Cinch.”  When the woman arched one eyebrow and made a motion for her to continue, Twilight sighed. “With such an unknown as the energy, proper procedure in sample collection is paramount to avoid contamination of any results. This is something I am accustomed to in my preferred fields, which involve adhering to tightly controlled conditions and the removal of as many variables as possible in any study…however, the unfortunate truth is that this is less true in other fields, such as my assistant’s preferred field of botany, and due to the difference, several batches of samples have been rendered unusable for my work, necessitating new samples and my personal efforts to catalogue them on my own to ensure procedure is followed. It has…dramatically slowed progress.”
Uncomfortable silence stretched, eyes boring into Twilight intently, as if weighing and measuring her explanation. At last, the woman arched her brow. “I see. Perhaps I was hasty in assigning your…friend…as a project assistant.” She smoothed a hand over the binder as she set it on the desk. “It is a relief, Miss Sparkle, to learn that it is a problem with conflicting research methods and not the result of you becoming distracted from your work to a detrimental degree.”
Swallowing a retort, Twilight decided to feel out what the principal was implying. “I’m afraid I don't understand, Principal Cinch. Distracted?”
The tone in Abacus Cinch’s voice felt…wrong, somehow, like honey over moldy fruit to try and conceal the taste of rot. “With your…association with the juvenile delinquent from Canterlot High…what was her name again? Misty…Dawn?” When Twilight did not correct her or protest, she continued, “She has been causing quite the uproar in the student body of late, with her…behavior.”
"I wasn't aware of that,” Twilight responded, hoping she didn't sound as guarded as she felt. It wasn't really a lie—it was not her girlfriend’s fault the students at Crystal Prep were fixated on Twilight’s academic and social lives to an unhealthy degree. They did that all on their own, no direct behavior or action from Sunset Shimmer necessary. Anything else had been heard second hand from Indigo…or Wallflower, before the fight. 
“It has reached such levels that the faculty is now broadly aware of the events and student reactions.”
Twilight kept her tone clinical and level. "I find that paying attention to such things is a detriment to focusing on what really matters...like getting this project back on track so I meet the projected outcomes within the allotted time. I have no desire to turn it in for my final grades at the last second.” Her face twisted unpleasantly into a polite smile that made her nauseous, even as she followed the instructions of the lawyers to ‘be polite but don't give her any information that isn't about the data in your project.’ “I was made to understand it's a good form of preparation for the real world,” she continued, “and refusing to allow myself to be distracted by engaging in childish games of rumors and social posturing. Particularly after you advised me last year that such behavior is immature foolishness and to rise above it was a mark of maturity.  You do have my…appreciation…however, for your kind gesture of concern about how the actions of my peers may be influencing my mental state.”
There was something darkly satisfying about the way her principal seemed taken aback for several seconds, as if Twilight’s reply had dealt a physical blow. She recovered after a moment’s pause, clearing her throat. “…of course, Miss Sparkle, of course…it is important that the students of this school continue to meet our standards of excellence, and it is my duty as the principal to investigate when something may be interfering with that.” One fingernail tapped steadily against the folder. “It is…pleasing…to hear that you are learning to put such things into practice and not allowing yourself to be led astray by the masses…” She paused, then continued on with some delicacy, “However, I would caution you to perhaps…take care that your own choices are not inadvertently fueling said ‘immaturity’…or engendering a different kind of unpleasant rumor…that would mean unfortunate long term repercussions for your…personal reputation.”
Her gut twisted at the words—it didn't take an IQ of over two hundred to grasp what the woman was alluding to with the statement—but Twilight did her best to not react, to remain logical and calm. “I’m not certain I understand, Principal Cinch.”
Distaste flitted across lined features so fast she almost thought she imagined it. “Surely you are not…unaware, Miss Sparkle…that your Canterlot High associate’s appearance and behavior are such that they will be making a very loud and specific social statement to the more discerning members of society? While I am certain her predilections matter little in the working class sphere to which she is most likely accustomed, when viewed in conjunction with her haphazard and dangerous choice in transportation, assumptions will be made when she steps out of that bubble. I would not wish to see your prospects tainted by your choice in a companion for your experiments into the rebellious dalliances so common in adolescents of your age.”
Hearing the bigoted rhetoric being presented as some kind of concerned plea by an authority figure would have made anyone angry in her place, but for Twilight, whose loving, supportive relationship this woman was likening to painting her nails black or getting her lip pierced, it felt like her veins had been injected with ice. It took everything she had to swallow the urge to verbally eviscerate her principal and her hidebound views. She let out a slow, carefully controlled breath, and stuck to the plan. “I am afraid I fail to grasp how a friend’s wardrobe choices or economical choice in personal transportation has any bearing on my schoolwork or the opportunities presented to me in my education…and I feel our conversation has deviated beyond the parameters set forth by my parents and my family’s retainers. As such, unless you can demonstrate a link I am unaware of between the subject and my active schoolwork, I believe it should be tabled until my parents can be present to discuss your concerns with them.”
It had been Indigo’s idea to ‘play dumb’ if Sunset came up, and Twilight was glad that it seemed to be an effective tactic. “With how she harped last year about deplorable behavior in the stairwells after a teacher caught Ruby Broach and Heliotrope Sky in one, she’ll probably try to bring up the rumors. You should just pretend not to ‘get it,” the basketball player had said with an impish smirk, one hand passing through the air over her head. “Just whoosh! Everyone always assumed before that you were oblivious to social things like that. Play it up. ‘Twilight Sparkle is far too naïve and innocent and she doesn't care about anything outside of the wonderful world of exams and a four-point-oh GPA, let alone something silly like dating.’ Be that Twilight, and pretend that your knight in bitching leather on a mechanical steed is just your bestest friend in the universe—like a sister to you.”
She had been briefly bothered by some of what Indigo had said, but having put the suggestion into practice and watching the way it had once again completely put the brakes on whatever angle her principal was trying in the meeting, the dark haired girl was starting to see the benefit in playing up some of her social flaws as a smoke shield. It wasn't all that different from her avoidance of any discussion of dating or crushes to prevent from outing herself…just…more direct than passive silence had been.
Principal Cinch could not hide the faint frown. “…I doubt it has reached a critical point worthy of involving your parents, Miss Sparkle. Consider it merely a tidbit of advice and concern from someone who has seen such things do irrevocable damage to young women like yourself in the past.” With that she turned her focus back to the binder, flipping it open again to read more meticulously, one hand absently fiddling with a bracelet Twilight had never before seen the woman wear.
It was pretty, in an old-fashioned sort of way; polished bits of gem set in antique silver, creating a series of hemisphere-like discs the size of large coins, with thickly braided metal connecting them and containing smaller stones. It was the kind of thing that wouldn't look out of place in a number of fantasy video games or movies, and it made a pleasing sound as it shifted on the pale blue wrist, catching the light periodically in sharp flashes and sparkles.
The woman was talking again, calling up a particular piece of data Twilight had falsified and comparing it to one of the earlier reports from before Twilight had become cagey with the information. Twilight found herself giving noncommittal answers, distracted by the bracelet and a growing sense of disquiet in her gut.
Focusing on that, the teen realized the air felt…off. Like there was a change in air pressure, pressing down on her and making the air in her lungs feel heavy, thick, and harder to push in and out or pull oxygen from. It was similar enough to some of the symptoms of her normal anxiety that she could analyze it without panicking, and in doing so, discovered how disturbingly different it was from normal. This pressure felt external, like the shift in pressure during take-off in an airplane, and it came with a tingling buzz at the edge of her senses, an almost electrical hum at the edge of her awareness, never quite actually impacting her nerve endings.
With every flash of light against the bracelet, Twilight fought the urge to wince. It was starting to irritate her eyes, and coupled with her high stress levels, lack of sleep, and the strange pressure, she was starting to get a headache. Closing her eyes briefly helped, and she let herself breathe slowly to push back the pain building in her temples and behind her eyes. 
“Miss Sparkle,” the principal’s voice interrupted her breathing exercise, “I expect your attention in these meetings—my time is valuable and I am not doing them to hear myself speak.”
Cheeks heated and she snapped her eyes open, but found herself focusing neutrally on the woman’s forehead rather than her eyes. It was a tactic she had used when she was a lot younger and felt uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact with some people. “I apologize, ma’am. I was listening, but the lighting in here is bothering my eyes.”
There was a long pause and the woman finally nodded. “Then I will endeavor to make this quick, Miss Sparkle. I was looking at this map you included with notations of various detections of the anomaly, and I cannot help but notice how many are in close proximity to Canterlot High School.” One finger traced across the most prominent of the bracelet’s discs, the nail sliding smoothly over the surface. 
Twilight forced her gaze back to that point on the lined forehead to avoid looking distracted again. “I had noticed that myself, but…while some of it is close, there are enough data points outside the radius—some of them considerably distant and one of them what I have labeled a Type A Event—which is enough to discredit the theory that the phenomenon is originating at Canterlot High.”
Even with her eyes fixed on the principal’s forehead, she could see the way her eyes gleamed. “And have you questioned any of the Canterlot students?” she practically demanded. “Since you seem to have made inroads there despite their lower class population and underachieving ideology of social egalitarianism, I assume you have had the chance to get more information?”
Irritation flickered, but it was less than the suspicion rising as Principal Cinch focused once again on the students of CHS—or more specifically, Sunset. “From the students I have engaged in conversation with,” she said evenly, “nothing unusual or out of the ordinary is occurring at the school itself. As almost all readings in proximity have been outside the building or off the campus proper, I am inclined to stand by my statement that there is not enough evidence to say that the phenomenon comes from the school itself.”
One brow arched upwards. “And how can you be certain that the students of Canterlot High have not deceived you?” Principal Cinch inquired. “There is, after all, a great deal of animosity between Crystal Prep and Canterlot.”
Her stomach twisted, and she felt nauseated at the question. “I have no reason to believe that what I was told is a lie, and given that my evidence corroborates their stories, I felt no need to look further in that direction. It felt like a waste of time, which is already a precious commodity for me.” Twilight hoped that her clinical tone was enough to sell the outright lie she was telling now. 
It was a lie, she knew that. Between her principal’s unhealthy fixation on Sunset, the way she was reacting to the project, the data she was keeping back or altering in her project reports, and now the unanswered questions created by Wallflower’s video ‘evidence,’ Twilight knew she didn't have the entire story of everything that had been going on at Canterlot High, and how the strange energy played into it…and how deeply involved Sunset was with all of it.
Principal Cinch scrutinized her, frowning. “While the desire to be fair and impartial is admirable, Miss Sparkle, I do question your trusting nature in this instance. Canterlot High students have a reputation of hostility to members of this institution, a reputation that is, at its heart, propagated by the women in charge. They have a familial history of antagonism with Crystal Prep going back to the school’s founding, when a member of the family was forcibly ejected from the grounds.” One hand smoothed a wrinkle in the papers of the binder. “It is entirely possible—even likely—that the students of Canterlot are involved in their own experiments with this energy, and keeping that information from us with intent.”
Twilight had to fight the urge to scoff at how over the top and ridiculous the accusation was. From what she had seen and experienced, Sunset and those around her couldn't care less about the school rivalry most of the time. If anything, it was Crystal Prep students who relied heavily on the Games and defeating CHS to perpetuate their sense of superiority. “While I admit to not always being the best at peer based interactions, Principal Cinch, I did take the liberty of asking some rather direct questions of a friend who was forced to transfer from Crystal Prep to CHS for familial reasons about the school and its differences from here. I believe, given the quantity of information immediately offered without reservation, that were there any occurrences that could be considered unusual, it would have been at the least mentioned during that. I feel that you are reading too much into a situation and that following that line of thinking will ultimately set my project back an unacceptable amount.”
The woman was right about one thing—people were not telling her everything. And Sunset was also right. This energy was something she was starting to regret having put forth as a project topic, because it was drawing attention she didn't want. Twilight listened with half an ear as Principal Cinch continued making noise about not trusting CHS attendees about the energy, her brain working on a deeper problem. Somehow, there were answers she needed about the energy being kept from her, but they were tied to the strange videos, the amphitheater, and the Sunset in the footage who had been casually discussing magic, of all things, with a woman who had looked like Twilight’s older, bustier twin. 
She was going to get some answers, one way or another, she decided, but not for Principal Abacus Cinch and Crystal Prep. These answers were for Twilight Sparkle, to make sense of the circus her life had become.