> Maybe Someday
>  by CousinBraeburn00
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She really shouldn’t be here. This was not her scene in the slightest. What had she been thinking all those hours earlier when answering that text from Rarity? The answer should have been no, it should have been a very hard no, but for reasons she hadn’t quite yet worked out, Twilight had agreed to come. She had agreed to come to a house party, of all places. A house party thrown by and for teenagers. Teenage parties meant a number of distasteful things, if her - admittedly vicarious - knowledge was anything to go by; underage drinking, loud music, and worst of all, unruliness. God, the unruliness.

Yet here she was. Something had pulled within her after seeing Rarity’s invitation. Something that she could not quite place. Something that would later need to be analyzed and studied.

As soon as Rarity had pulled them into the winding dirt drive leading to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight was regretting her compliance. She had thought of asking her friend to just turn around and take her home, but hadn’t. They had gone clear out of the city limits, they had already arrived at the location, for crying out loud, so that would have been terribly inconsiderate of her. Twilight was not comfortable being inconsiderate, especially towards one of her only friends. 

Now, as she stepped out of the car and onto the grass, Twilight was filled with a feeling of impending disaster… although that was not exactly out of the ordinary for her, truthfully. She took in several dozen other cars parked haphazardly across the large lawn, and the handful of people still milling about between them. She recognized plenty of them as her fellow classmates from Canterlot High, but there were also plenty that she did not. 

Twilight adjusted her glasses, the nervous habit being hard to resist. Immediately, a white hand laden with jewelry slapped her wrist down. 

“Honestly Twilight, how many more times are you going to do that tonight? I’m sure I counted at least ten just on the way here.”

Rarity was smiling at her though, despite the teasing reprimand. 

“Sorry, just a little anxious.”

“Of course, I understand, darling. We’ll just take things slow, shall we?”

Rarity linked their arms together as they turned towards the large red barn, where a thumping bass line could be heard from inside. 

“Thank you so much for coming with me, though. It’s too bad Fluttershy had other plans tonight. But, perhaps while we’re here, we can get you to loosen up a little? Come out of your shell? Ooh, maybe even find you a sweetheart? I do know how much you adore the pretty ones.”

Twilight blushed hard at the comment, but Rarity continued on.

“Dear, I know how much you love your study sessions and experiments, but it’s not good to be cooped up all the time.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, though with a smile. “Thank you, mother.”

The fashionista scoffed, and swatted the nerd’s forearm playfully. 

Twilight began to settle slightly at the proximity of her best friend, and allowed Rarity to tow her along through the barn doors. The pounding music slammed against her eardrums immediately, and she flinched. It was dim inside, though there were twinkling blue and white Christmas lights wrapped around the railing of the loft, which someone had programmed to blink along to the beat of the music. She spied a stack of large coolers in one corner, the open lids exposing the slowly melting ice and the tops of bottles and cans. Beer and cider most likely, considering who was hosting the party. Rarity patted her excitedly on the arm to grab her attention, pointing to the other side of the barn, where the DJ was nodding her head lazily. Twilight recognized her as Vinyl Scratch, the CHS resident music enthusiast extraordinaire, and usually the one throwing these parties, or so she’s heard. 

“I’m so glad Vinyl is here. I swear, if these Apples were in charge of the music, there would be nothing but country line dances all night.” Rarity frowned then. “Oh, I shouldn’t say that. Applejack and her family are nice people.”

Twilight didn’t answer, she was too overwhelmed by the mass of people crowded into the barn. The majority of them were dancing out in the center of the floor. There were groups perched on and against the bales of hay around the floor, while others were simply leaning against the walls. She could see a smaller door towards the back wall that was open, so most likely there were people outside, as well. Twilight was startled out of her examination by an almost screeching voice.

“Well hey there, you guys!”

A bouncing ball of pink, pink, and more pink was coming towards them. Pinkie Pie, another of her CHS classmates. Though Rarity knew her rather well, Twilight could really only call her an acquaintance. She was holding an open bottle in her hand nearly sideways, sloshing the contents upon the floor with every movement.

“Pinkie, of course you’re here,” Rarity laughed. “Never far from the fun, are you?”

“Pfft, definitely! I just love it! The Apples, throwing a party?! It’s great, we’re way out here in the country, so no noise complaints this time!” She giggled, ending it with a snort. “And guess what? I heard they only got to do this because their Granny Smith is staying in the city with her boyfriend. Gross!” Pinkie’s nose scrunched up. 

“Oh Pinkie, I think that’s very sweet, actually.”

Twilight, who had yet to include herself in the conversation, once again became distracted by the activity in the barn while the two girls continued talking. Some slower hip hop song that she was unfamiliar with started blasting through the place, and so she saw many people begin to slow their dances, coming closer and touching each other in ways that caused Twilight to blush. She watched one couple as the boy moved his hands down to the bottom of his partner’s rear end, cupping it tightly and pulling her hips into his own while grinning devilishly. Twilight quickly averted her eyes. This was not dancing, this was sex with clothes on.

“Twi, did you hear me?”

“Huh?” 

She glanced over to see Rarity looking expectantly at her. 

“I said I was going to go with Pinkie to speak with Vinyl for a minute. Will you be alright by yourself for just a little while?”

“Oh, um….” Twilight contemplated her answer. She very much would not be alright by herself. But she didn’t want to sound like a baby, and cling to Rarity the whole night. She didn’t want to be annoying. “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Rarity smiled at her and squeezed her upper arm before turning to walk away with Pinkie Pie, who waved happily at Twilight. 

Great, now I’m stuck here alone. Why did I do that? …Maybe I should just call Shining Armor to pick me up - no! That would be so rude! Rarity was so happy that I came with her. I’ll just… stand here and… wait for her to come back….

And so she did. Twilight wrapped her arms around herself and gently swayed to the music, so as not to seem too horribly awkward. She wasn’t entirely convinced that it worked. However, no one had approached her or even really given her a second look yet, so she once again began to relax. She kept her eyes to the ground, but couldn’t help sneaking curious peeks toward the dance floor.

I’m probably just jealous because I have no one to dance with. Not that I’d be any good at it. …But maybe just observing wouldn’t be bad.

So Twilight watched as couples groped and grinded on one another without shame. The two she had initially seen were still together. The boy’s hands were laced with the girl’s now, raised above their heads, as they moved their bodies easily to the music. Then, casually, he let go to trail the backs of his fingers down her arms to her sides. Twilight swallowed hard but didn’t look away (she couldn’t) when his fingers glided over - and lingered at - the outside swell of the girl’s breasts. 

Holy crap, it’s like tasteful porn!

She flicked her eyes to another pair of dancers. The girl had her back flush against her partner, her arms lifted back to tangle in his hair. His hands rested against her lower abdomen, while the two moved their hips together in a way that Twilight was sure would get them both arrested for indecency if they were anywhere but here. Still, she couldn’t stop the shiver that coursed through her. 

Then she froze. 

There was no way she was getting hot and bothered by people dancing. And she was definitely not thinking of that girl dancing dirty with Twilight herself. She bit her lip and tried to focus on calming thoughts. 

Books, math tests, the History Channel, uh… more books!

But her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden commotion behind her. Someone seemed to be pushing quickly through the other party goers. A male voice broke out over the music, words slurring together just shy of incoherency. 

“Oh behby, I miss’joo!”

And suddenly, Twilight was folded into strong arms from behind without any warning, her own arms trapped at her sides. A frightened yelp escaped her as warm lips touched her neck, kissing her skin hotly but quite sloppily. The hands around her middle gripped tighter, fingers digging into her skin.

Just what the hell was happening? Who did this stranger think he was? 

She curled her hands into fists, ready to break free, turn around, and knock this guy’s block off, despite never having actually thrown a punch in her life. Before she got the chance, however, he was pulled away from her roughly, and Twilight could breathe again.

“Dude, get off of her!”

Twilight wiped a shaking hand against her neck, and could feel her pounding pulse beneath her skin. That sudden stimulation had done nothing good for her semi-aroused state. She fixed her skewed glasses and looked up to see who had come to her rescue. 

Her heart beat even faster at the sight.

I’m gonna go into freakin’ cardiac arrest tonight!

The tall girl’s fiery red and gold locks were thrown back over a shoulder, and trailed half-way down her leather jacket clad back in a waterfall of loose curls. Twilight’s eyes didn’t stop there and shamelessly wandered along her long, shapely legs, dressed in tight blue denim, to her calf-high boots, and back up again, over the plane of her stomach, and the appreciable cleavage held in the embrace of a black tank top. They finally rested on her rescuer’s face, which was commanded by a biting glare, her turquoise eyes flashing dangerously in the pulsing lights.

She’s… she’s gorgeous.

“Flash, really, what the hell are you doing?”

After a moment, the drunken fog seemed to lift from Flash Sentry’s eyes and he took a look at just who exactly it was in front of him. Not entirely who he had been hoping for.

“Oh… shit! I’m suh sorry!” He slurred. “I thought yo’wer Mystery Mint! Ya gotta believe meh, it was an assident!”

Twilight didn’t have a chance to get a word in before the redhead pushed Flash back by his shoulder.

“For real, get out of here. You’re making things worse.”

Flash nodded dumbly and stumbled back the way he had come, shooting another apologetic glance at Twilight. The girl, shaking her head and sighing, turned back to Twilight and peered at her with a look of concern.

“Flash is drunk off his ass, and so he becomes ten times the idiot he is when sober. But seriously, are you okay?”

“Y-yes, I….” She trailed off, blinking stupidly.

“You look, like, really flustered. Don’t tell me you actually enjoyed that.” The girl laughed huskily.

“O-of course not! I was… I was preoccupied beforehand.”

“Oh. Were you planning on getting handsy with yourself in front of everyone?”

She flashed a cheeky smile that made Twilight’s breath catch. Then her words registered and she flailed in indignation.

“N-no! I was just watching people dance and I - n-no! I mean! I-I wasn’t… doing that….” She gave up and buried her face in her hands.

The girl looked over the dance floor and nodded appreciatively.

“I get it. People like to get pretty filthy at these things. Hey, don’t sweat it, it’ll be our secret. Name’s Sunset Shimmer.”

“Twilight Sparkle.” She muttered from between her hands.

Sunset reached out to pry said hands back down. She sniggered softly at the very prominent blush crossing Twilight’s cheeks.

“What did I just say? Don’t sweat it.”

Twilight allowed the redhead to lower her arms, hoping and praying she couldn’t feel her shaking. After Sunset released her wrists, Twilight could still feel her touch on her skin like a burn. Who was this girl, to make her feel such a way?

“So, Sparkle,” Sunset leaned back against one of the loft beams. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at one of these before.”

“I-I don’t usually come. Like, ever. But my friend invited me tonight and I suppose I felt… sort of obliged to go?”

“Well, I’ll have to meet this friend of yours so I can thank them.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly and steepled her fingers in front of herself shyly. She stared back until it all became too intense, and broke away to look at something very interesting on the ground instead.

If she wasn’t mistaken, Sunset was flirting with her. How in the world did one flirt back?

Out of the corner of her vision, Twilight spotted her dipping her head down to catch her eye. When she timidly reconnected their gaze, Sunset shrugged noncommittally and nodded her head toward the dancers. 

“I was thinking, if you wanted to dance so badly, I could take you for a quick spin.” She cocked a brow mischievously. “Or grind. Whatever’s your style.”

Twilight bit back a squeak, trying not to envision any such thing, which made Sunset laugh loudly and touch her elbow in apology. 

“Wow, you’re so easy rattle. I love it.” She sighed. “Although, you don’t look like you’d be particularly comfortable out there. Maybe next time we can get a few drinks in you first, huh?”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer but Sunset suddenly pulled out her ringing phone and frowned down at the screen. She took a moment to reply, and Twilight found herself enraptured just from the way the redhead’s fingers moved across her phone. 

…Stop this!

“Listen, I hate to cut this short, but Flash is causing chaos again. I better go and make sure he isn’t gonna pass out in the driveway or something. But, maybe I’ll see you around, Twilight.”

And just like that, she was gone, weaving herself through the dancing crowd. Twilight, despite herself, attempted to follow but quickly lost sight of her and so swore under her breath. She laid a hand over her chest and leaned herself against the loft beam so as not to fall. She felt rather faint, which she blamed on the past few minutes of her rapidly fluctuating breath rate. She desperately willed her heart to still. She hadn’t experienced such a rush of emotions in that short amount of time before in her existence, and she was completely overwhelmed. 

Who in the everlasting hell was that girl?

Sunset Shimmer. All alluring smirks and intense eyes. Twilight had been in her presence a mere five minutes, but she knew she wouldn’t be forgetting her for some time, if ever.

A hand clamped down on her arm and she was startled even further. Rarity was in front of her now, brow furrowed. 

“Are you alright? Darling, you’re absolutely flushed! I’m sorry, was I gone too long?”

Twilight’s face indeed felt as if it was on fire, she could only imagine how horribly red she must be. Thankfully, she had the opportunity to play it off as anxiety. 

“Well, I thought I’d be alright. I’m sorry. The noise and the people must have gotten to me, that’s all.” 

“Oh, Twilight,” Rarity grasped her hands. “That wasn’t thoughtful of me. I know how you are in crowds. I won’t leave you like that again tonight.”

Twilight smiled gratefully. Truthfully, Rarity’s words did reassure her. Now, most likely, there would be no more incidents, like with the drunkard, Flash. She scowled at the thought of him; he was a face she’d be happy not seeing again anytime soon.

“Alright, now it’s time to dance, darling!”

Twilight immediately turned pale.


~……~


Two hours passed more peacefully than Twilight had anticipated. Rarity had pulled her in among the other dancers and began moving to the beat, gracefully and beautifully as always. Twilight had meekly tottered in place.

Now Twilight rested on a hay bale, waiting for Rarity to return from the restroom so they could leave. Then a sudden commotion caught her attention. 

A muscular blond boy she vaguely recognized was standing with Vinyl Scratch, seemingly arguing with her about something. The girl waved her hand dismissively and went back to bobbing her head. After a moment more, the blond threw himself across her set up, cutting off the music with an ear-piercing screech so that everyone in the barn turned their attention to the scene, though Twilight still couldn’t make out the words being said, but Vinyl looked livid behind her shades. And the party host, Applejack, was involved now. Finally the boy threw his hands in the air and shouted out.

“Someone ratted us out! Cops are coming! Let’s bail!” With his piece said, he turned around and ran.

A hush fell over the barn. Applejack stared after him, eyes wide and mouth agape. When she recovered from the surprising news, she hurriedly turned to the party goers and pointed at the exit, after the fleeing boy. 

“Well?! Y’all heard him! Y’all best get outta here now!”

Immediately, there was a scrambling for the barn doors. Twilight got caught up in the stampeding crowd and was pushed and pulled from every direction. Panic surged through her as she was painfully herded along. Once she was shoved through the doors, however, the party goers dispersed every which way, and she was able to free herself. 

The sound of sirens could indeed be heard in the near distance, prompting everyone to move all the faster. She stared around, wide-eyed and at a loss, as teenagers began piling into cars and the beds of trucks, and engines revved and tires skidded, all in a desperate attempt to escape before they could be caught. She saw Rarity no where among the chaos, and the panic truly set in. 

What am I gonna do?! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…!

The bespectacled girl rushed to the side blindly and smashed into another body, then stumbled back and fell to her ass in the dirt. No one apologized or attempted to help her up, so she concluded the person must have rushed on. Twilight crawled to her hands and knees and took cover behind one of the overly large flowerpots in front of the barn. She was shaking; she couldn’t get caught, her parents would kill her!

Where is Rarity?! 

She stuck her head out and looked around again for her friend, but there was still no sign of her. She could see the flashing red and blue lights now, and she accepted that she’d be caught and arrested and charged with underage drinking even though she hadn’t touched a drop and she’d be put in juvie and her parents would never visit and -

“Hey, you! Twilight! Hurry up, get in!”

Twilight snapped her head up to see Sunset Shimmer gesturing to her wildly while hanging out the driver’s side window of a black Camaro. Without thinking, or much caring, she scrambled to her feet and sprinted to the car, threw open the rear door, and dived inside. Sunset immediately hit the gas, throwing rocks and sand until the tires caught and they sped down the driveway. 

“Yo, heads up!”

Flash Sentry, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, leaned forward and pointed out the police car heading at them.

“Hold on!” Sunset yelled.

“Don’t wreck m’car, girl!” Flash yelled back, hands flat on the dashboard.

She swung the car out of the driveway and into the lawn, where the rear tires slid along the slick grass, bypassing the cop and speeding them towards the main road. The car slammed down into the shallow ditch, catching the front bumper, which pulled a highly distressed shriek from Flash, before skidding out onto the pavement. Luckily, the second police cruiser was just pulling into the path of some other unfortunate teens and didn’t give chase. 

A good half minute of acute silence ensued, then Sunset and Flash broke out into boisterous laughter. Twilight gaped. 

“Sunset fuggin’ Shimmer!” Flash slapped her on the shoulder. “I didn’t know y’had it in ya!”

The redhead looked at him skeptically, a fine eyebrow raised high. “You’re acting like this is the first time we’ve lost a cop.”

“I meant th’part where ya rescood this damsel n’ disturss. Twice now, I guez.”

Flash rolled his head onto his shoulder and grinned drunkenly at Twilight, who was holding the backseat in a white-knuckled grip. Never in her life had she encountered such wild characters as these two. 

“Ah, that’s right. You okay back there, princess?”

Sunset caught her eye in the rearview mirror and winked. Twilight giggled in spite of herself, and blushed at the corny pet name, but didn’t shy away from her gaze this time. 

“Ugh, getta room, wouldja?” Flash scoffed.

Sunset turned her eyes back to the road, with a smirk playing at her lips. Twilight twirled a lock of purple hair around her finger thoughtfully. She hadn’t expected to see Sunset again, let alone jump into a car with her to avoid being arrested. In truth, she was more surprised that Sunset had even taken much interest in her; bland, boring Twilight, who could count the number of girlfriends she had had on one hand (spoiler alert, it was zero), and who spouted off science facts at the exact moment that nobody asked for it. Twilight, who was awkward in nearly every respect. Who was friends with the amazing Rarity only because the fashionista had been totally dorky in grade school and they had easily bonded while discussing the nuances of the history of silk. 

Sunset was definitely not awkward. Her body language screamed confidence, and her aura, assertiveness. Twilight had no trouble imagining her commanding a room with ease. Not to mention how outrageously gorgeous she was. How captivating her turquoise eyes. 

“Yo, lez get smm’ food at Shergercube Corner. M’ totally starvin’.”

Twilight broke from her reverie to see Flash tugging on the sleeve of his friend’s leather jacket, who attempted to swat him away.

“I guarantee you’re gonna be passed out before we even get there, but alright, fine, whatever. Let me make you happy, Flash.”

Twilight could see the city lights coming into view out the windshield. She briefly wondered if she should ask the two to drop her home, but she remembered she was supposed to be staying the night with - 

Oh no, Rarity!

The nerd pulled out her phone to see four text messages and two missed calls from her best friend. She had momentarily forgotten they had even been separated. She opened the most recent message to reply.

[Rarity 11:21pm] Twilight Sparkle unless you are dead, answer me right now. If you’ve been arrested your parents won’t love me anymore :(

[Twilight 11:46pm] I’m so sorry! I made it out safe! Meet me at Sugarcube Corner ASAP!


~……~


Flash Sentry had his cheek smashed against the window while snoring obnoxiously. Sunset stared at her friend with a deadpan expression. 

“Every single time, I swear. I’m not letting that boy drink ever again.” Sunset turned to address Twilight. “Oh well, might as well grab some grub while we’re here.”

The girls climbed out of the car, leaving Flash to sleep off his drinks in peace. As they approached the cafe, Sunset squinted at the doors, and drew her head back in realization. She turned around wearing an apologetic grimace.

“They’re closed. I guess I didn’t realize how late it is. We can head somewhere else.”

As the girl passed by, Twilight lifted a hand to stop her, but paused short of touching her shoulder.

“Um, actually… I told my friend to pick me up here.”

“Ah, okay. That’s cool.”

Sunset reached the car and turned to rest against the hood, folding her arms. Twilight hesitated briefly.

“Um, what are you doing?”

“Waiting for your friend to get here, obviously.” She waved her hand with a grin.

Twilight returned the smile, though with an obvious nervous tinge to it. Sunset was going to wait with her? What a sweet gesture. Then she patted the space next to her. Twilight shuffled forward awkwardly and sat, wrapping her arms around herself with a visible shiver.

“Are you cold?” Sunset nudged her with an elbow.

Am I, or is this just nerves?

“Um, yes, actually.” Twilight pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I left my jacket in Rarity’s car.”

“Take mine. I don’t mind the cold. Also, I warmed it up for you.”

She leaned forward and shrugged out of the light leather, then draped it around Twilight. The nerd felt her pulse flare a little. The jacket really was comfortably toasty as it slipped over her shoulders. Over the obvious leather, there was also what must be the smell of Sunset herself, an almost citrusy scent mingled with the tiniest whiff of tobacco, which was actually pleasant. 

“Thank you so much.”

Sunset snorted and said, “It’s just a jacket.”

“No, I mean… thank you for not leaving me there at the party. I was freaking out and overthinking. …Like usual.”

“Yeah Sparkle, I could tell.” She laughed to herself. “It’s no problem. You’re lucky we saw you.”

“Oh,” Twilight unconsciously rolled her eyes toward the front seat and glared. “I guess I should thank him then, too.”

“Easy, there. I already ripped him a new one for that idiotic stunt he pulled. And, I mean, I’m not trying to make excuses for him, but you and Mint do look similar from behind, especially to a guy as drunk as Flash.”

Twilight didn’t answer, but settled back again on the hood. She would just have to take Sunset’s word for it. Obviously Flash was a good friend. 

They settled into a comfortable silence - at least for Sunset - for awhile. Twilight fidgeted anxiously, searching her brain for anything half-way intelligent to say. All she could focus on, however, was the weight and warmth of the jacket, so she tugged it tighter around herself. Twilight stole several glances at the other girl from the corner of her eye, quietly taking in everything from the gentle curve of her jawline to the length of her lashes. Her eyes easily raked over the now bare skin of the girl’s shoulders, until Sunset caught her staring and looked down at her with a knowing smile. Twilight’s eyes immediately dropped down to her lips and she sucked in a slow breath. 

“See something you like?” Sunset asked quietly.

Twilight’s tongue ran over her own lips at those words.

Yes. Good Lord, yes.

Slowly, painfully slowly, Sunset leaned toward the other girl and tilted her head, eyes trailing lazily over her face. Twilight kept her own eyes locked on Sunset’s lips as she drew near, her heart pounding not-so-steadily in her chest. She was sure Sunset could hear it, and probably Flash, too. Then she could feel her warm breath across her face, could smell the light trace of alcohol, but also something sweeter, not unlike the citrus of her jacket, and she finally let her eyes drift closed, and then -

A sharp car horn pierced the air, startling the girls apart. Twilight’s hand flew to her chest as she exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She saw Sunset wrinkle her nose in annoyance. 

Yeah, great freaking timing, Rarity.

The fashionista practically sprang from her car once she was parked. The relieved expression covering her face made Twilight feel a twinge of guilt at her thoughts. 

“Oh, Twilight! Thank goodness! I’m so sorry! Oh why did I have to go to the bathroom then?! After I promised I wouldn’t leave you again!” She said in a rush.

Rarity pulled her friend into a tight embrace, but hurriedly pulled back to cup her face in her hands.

“You must have been so terrified, darling. Will you ever be able to forgive me?” 

“Rarity, stop. There’s nothing to be sorry about. How were you supposed to know that would happen? I mean, just from a brief analysis of the situation, the statistics that you -“

“Yes, yes,” Rarity shushed her. “That doesn’t stop me from feeling like a terrible friend. I’m just so relieved you were able to get out of there.”

“Yeah,” Twilight pulled her friend’s hands from her cheeks. “I was fortunate enough to be seen by -“

“Oh, yes! This must be who helped you.” She turned. “Thank you so much - you?”

Rarity instantly fell into an offensive stance, and glared hard at Sunset Shimmer, who raised her eyebrows indifferently, but folded her arms across her chest nonetheless. Twilight looked between the two in confusion. 

“Do you… know each other?”

Sunset chewed her tongue for a moment, looking Rarity up and down almost disdainfully. “We’ve met.”

“At least you did something useful for once by getting Twilight out of there. Now let’s go.”

Rarity flipped her hair over her shoulder sharply and grabbed Twilight’s arm to steer her towards the car. Twilight sputtered, confused beyond words. 

Sunset shrugged. “Whatever, I better get Flash back home anyway. …See you around, princess.”

Twilight looked over her shoulder one last time at the redhead, who tossed her another wink and flirtatious grin, before Rarity all but shoved her into the car.


~……~


Sunset stood and watched the taillights of the car until they blended with the other traffic and she lost sight of them. Then she slowly sighed and lifted herself from the hood of Flash’s car, making her way back to the driver’s seat. Once she settled in, she put a hand to her mouth and allowed her mind to wander for a moment. 

Twilight Sparkle was an undeniable cutie. And Sunset already had her in her grasp, if the nerd’s nervous demeanor was anything to go by. If she were to be honest, it had been too long since she had given a sweet girl a run for her money. Too long since she had indulged in a bit of playtime. 

Twilight definitely seemed like a fun toy.

Sunset felt eyes on her then and looked over to see Flash awake and squinting at her through bleary eyes.

“Oh shit… tha’ chick totally stole yer jacket.”


~……~


The car ride to Rarity’s house was awkward, at least from Twilight’s perspective. Rarity hadn’t had much to say, and what little she had gotten out was terse. Twilight could only assume she had done something to upset her friend, though she was having trouble pinpointing that something. The last hour of events had been completely out of her hands. 

Rarity couldn’t be angry with her for getting lost at the party, right? 

For panicking and not attempting to search for her? 

For… jumping into a perfect stranger’s car…?

Of course not. 

The fashionista hadn’t wanted her to be arrested, she had said so herself. Twilight’s escape had been logical, had been the best thing to do. 

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

Maybe, though, Rarity was just worked up about her odd confrontation with Sunset Shimmer. Truly, she had changed instantaneously; worried for Twilight’s wellbeing one second, then on edge and bristling the next. The nerd could not work out how Rarity and Sunset would even know each other. 

Glancing towards the driver, Twilight saw that Rarity was looking at her rather hard from the corner of her eye. She held that angry gaze for only a moment before turning to stare down at her hands in her lap. That prompted Rarity to finally speak.

“I don’t know what to make of this.”

Twilight frowned. “Make of what?”

“You,” Her nose crinkled. “And Sunset Shimmer.”

So Rarity’s mood did pertain to the redhead, after all. What exactly did Twilight have to do with it?

“Me? What are you talking about?”

“You were rather breathless when I got there. The reddest I think I’ve ever seen you.” She threw Twilight a look of concern. “I know I told you I hoped you’d meet someone, but not like this.”

Those words threw Twilight for a loop. Getting to the bottom of this quandary was now a priority.

“Rarity, it is true that I’m gifted in the areas of science, but that doesn’t mean I’m a mind reader. Elaborate?” 

“You don’t know Sunset Shimmer.”

“And you do, apparently. Except you’re not telling me how.”

Rarity let out a long, slow breath, but didn’t answer. Twilight pondered the sudden silence as she turned back to settle in her seat. She knew not to push Rarity at certain times, and this seemed to definitely be one of those times. 

Rarity pursued her silence for the next few moments, as she turned the car around the corner onto her street, and then into the driveway of her home. After the car was shut off, rather than moving to get out, she turned fully towards Twilight, who raised her eyebrows and did likewise. The nerd waited patiently - as patiently as she could at the moment - for her friend to speak. 

“Listen, Twilight, it’s not my place to tell you the whole story. I’m not one for gossiping about my friends, you know.”

“Of course, Rarity. I would never accuse you of -“

She held up a hand to silence Twilight.

“I just want you to know that Sunset Shimmer used to date a good friend of mine.” The fashionista lifted her eyes to meet Twilight’s. “And she utterly broke her.” 

Twilight frowned in obvious confusion, but remained quiet, waiting for Rarity to continue. 

“Sunset is….” She fumbled here, searching for words. “She’s a terrible person, who does terrible things to other people. Yes, she certainly plays the part of charming well, but she’s sly. She gets people under her spell with ease. Please don’t give in to her.”

Rarity reached forward to grip one of Twilight’s hands, giving it a squeeze. 

“I want you to be careful, Twilight. I don’t want to see another of my friends get hurt.”

Twilight nodded solemnly while sucking in a shaky breath. She had barely said anything at all, but the tone of Rarity’s voice and the serious vibe emanating from her told Twilight that her friend truly meant it. Twilight said the only thing she felt was appropriate.

“Of course. I’ll be careful.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next several days passed slowly and uneventfully for Twilight. Sure, she was able to breeze through the biology exam, and receive top grade on her history essay (10, 812 words, thank you very much), but her mind had been elsewhere during it all. 

Was it true what Rarity had said about Sunset? Twilight, though she wouldn’t call herself a perfect judge of character, hadn’t sensed even a hint of deception from the redhead. In fact, all of her actions had seemed genuine. Dealing with Flash, the escape from the police, lending over her jacket.

Her jacket.

Twilight allowed herself a small smile. She had been surprised, after stepping out of Rarity’s car that night, to find herself still wearing Sunset’s citrusy jacket. Her fashionista friend had heartily suggested she throw it away, or better yet, burn it, but Twilight had fibbed and said maybe she’d give it to Shining Armor because, after all, it was a nice jacket. Rarity hadn’t commented on how the jacket was obviously too small for the man in question. 

As the nerd collected her thoughts and looked up, the front lawn of Canterlot High came into focus. It was swarming with students mingling while waiting on first period to begin. Twilight, however, was not known for mingling. She was sure that even if she tried, she would be ignored, or, maybe worse, told to go away. It was a particularly common trend for her. Usually, she would make her way to the large equine statue in the middle of the lawn, whip out some homework to triple-check, and attempt to become as invisible as possible while she waited for any of her friends to show up. 

Now, however, Twilight’s mind was preoccupied. She was at war with herself over Rarity’s words and Sunset’s contradictory actions. She knew she should believe her best friend without a shadow of a doubt, and felt guilty that she didn’t. Indeed, the redhead had her under her spell, just like the fashionista had said. But Twilight was just thrilled that she had been noticed - and spoken to - by a pretty girl for once. A freaking gorgeous girl. A girl that she could picture now, in fact. The smooth outline of a collarbone, a nice expanse of beautiful tan skin, that lovely bit of cleavage. 

“Yo Sparkle, my eyes are up here.”

The nerd jumped back at the voice, startled, and cracked the crown of her head against the side of the statue. She slapped her hand to the injury, which only shot another wave of pain through her skull. 

Son of a…! Now I’m hallucinating?!

Except she wasn’t. 

Sunset Shimmer hurriedly leaned down and lifted her own hand to Twilight’s head, checking for any bleeding. When it came away clean, the redhead grinned at her in bewilderment. 

“Holy shit, are you okay? Did I scare you?”

Twilight shoved her glasses back up her nose and looked up to Sunset. 

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Y-you surprised me, yeah.”

“Not sure how,” Her smile turned teasing. “You were checking out my chest.”

“…I thought I was imagining that.” She mumbled.

Sunset laughed quietly and gently brought the other girl to her feet. She swayed momentarily but Sunset steadied her with a hand to her side. Twilight’s heart jumped dangerously at the proximity and the pain in her head seemed to quickly dissipate. Finally, with some effort, she was able to break the intense eye contact with Sunset and back away to a more respectable space.

“So, what… I mean, what are you doing here?” 

Sunset wasted no time stepping forward to close the distance between them again. She angled her head towards Twilight, coming close enough that her warm breath played across the girl’s cheeks. Her eyes roamed slowly over Twilight’s face.

“I wanted to see you again.” 

Twilight attempted to swallow but found that her mouth had become suddenly dry. Her mind seemed to have dried up, as well. 

Sunset wanted to see her again. And she had found her on her own initiative.

It seemed that maybe the world wasn’t entirely out to get her, after all. All she could discern from her fluctuating emotions was astonishment and overwhelming embarrassment. What if someone was seeing this? Were people looking? She cast her eyes down and to the side to see that, yes, indeed, a number of people were looking curiously at the two. 

This is too much attention for one morning.

Sunset backed away then, though not because she was bothered by anyone staring. She placed cool fingers to Twilight’s neck, feeling the pounding pulse there.

“You don’t have asthma, do you? Your breathing is really ragged, I wouldn’t want to throw you into an attack.”

Finally, the nerd was able to find her voice. “Oh, no, I’m fine. J-just nervous.”

She raised a hand to encircle Sunset’s own that was still at her neck. It was funny how comfortable she was with touching, and being touched by, this girl. She wasn’t particularly a touchy-feely type, but with Sunset she found it exhilarating. 

Sunset grinned almost sheepishly and gave the girl’s hand a squeeze. 

“Sometimes I have that effect on people.”

She turned then, attempting to pull Twilight along with her. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. What do you say?”

Twilight froze. Get out of here? As in, leave school grounds when class would be starting in a few minutes? As in, bail on her teachers? As in, dare she say it, play hooky?

“Uh.” She started lamely. 

Sunset looked over her shoulder expectantly. She raised a brow, prompting Twilight to continue.

“I-I can’t. I have class starting, like, now. And my homework is due and I have a presentation today in English and I have to meet with the student council and I -“

“Whoa. Slow down there.” The redhead lifted her hands to silence the rambling. “What I’m hearing is that you’re afraid to skip a day of school. Am I wrong?”

“Well, I’m not sick, so I don’t have any excuse -“

“Okay, I’m not wrong.” Sunset interrupted with a small smile.

She reached for Twilight’s hands, who, instinctively, reached for Sunset’s. Tangling their fingers together and pulling the other girl to her, Sunset allowed herself a moment to take in the flushed face before her. Inwardly, she smirked; this was exactly what was expected. She had little doubt this next play would do the trick.

“Haven’t you ever been a little rebellious in your life?”

Sunset leaned in close enough that the two girls’ noses were touching. Her next words were considerably lower in volume.

“Won’t you do it,” She brushed her lips over Twilight’s. Not a kiss, just the lightest of touches that hardly registered for herself, but that she felt pull a sharp, shaky exhale from her target. 

“For me?”

Her turquoise eyes snapped up to bore into shining violet ones. 

She had her.

“Yes.” Twilight breathed.


~……~


Rarity was hurriedly making her way across the school lawn to the statue, the usual meeting spot among her friends. She was looking down at her phone, finishing up her morning post for her blog. When she had finished and finally looked up, she found herself not far from the statue, but immediately did a double-take and stumbled to a halt at the sight before her. 

Sunset Shimmer pulling away from Twilight Sparkle with a satisfied smirk crossing her lips. 

Rarity blinked; once from shock, again from disbelief. Had there been a kiss between these two that she had not quite seen? More urgently, was Twilight an idiot?

Rarity mentally smacked herself for thinking that way about her friend. Perhaps she was just reading the whole thing wrong.

She watched them, as the two made their way off of campus, hand in hand. Worry caused her brow to furrow, and she resisted biting her lip so as not to smudge her lipstick. She couldn’t stop Twilight, as it wasn’t her decision to make. She could only hope that her friend could see that she was being played for a fool before she found herself in too deep.


~……~


A little chorus of cheers went up as Sunset and Twilight entered the backyard of one Flash Sentry. Twilight clung awkwardly to the redhead’s arm as she took in the scene. Flash was sprawled out in a huge pink inner tube, floating lazily along in the sparkling water of the pool encompassing the majority of the yard space. Three strangers sat together on the pool steps at the shallow end, passing around a blown glass pipe resembling a unicorn. Yes, despite being - what Twilight herself considered - a master when it came to the fine art of being a nerdy goody-two-shoes, she could recognize a pipe. She had an older brother who enjoyed experimenting, after all. She also noted a number of empty beer cans strewn along the grass and even floating next to Flash in the water. 

She hadn’t been particularly thrilled to learn this was the place Sunset had wanted to bring her to. Twilight was still sore towards Flash. 

“Sunset! We missed you!” The blue-haired boy yelled.

“I just saw you a few hours ago. How messed up are you? It’s ten a.m.” Sunset drawled.

“Is it…? I guess we lost track of time.”

Then, doing a double-take, as if noticing Twilight’s presence for the first time, Flash lifted his sunglasses to the top of his head and raised a brow.

“Oh, who is this lovely specimen? C’mere baby, have a seat.” He patted his lap, alarmingly close to his crotch.

The nerd sputtered and attempted to hide herself further behind Sunset. Did this idiot really have the audacity…? 

“Fuck off, Sentry. You’ve already assaulted her once.”

At her words, he drew his head back and scowled in confusion. A faraway look came over him, as he began to search his brain for any such memory. Slowly, that look turned more and more horrified, until he looked again at Twilight and bowed his head.

“I am so fucking sorry. That was really stupid of me. Shit, I’m embarrassed. You can like, slap me or punch me or something if you want.”

“Please do.” Sunset said under her breath.

That caused Twilight to giggle lightly and slightly relax her shoulders, though she stayed tucked behind Sunset’s arm. Flash smiled in as friendly a manner as possible, but his embarrassment still shone through. 

“So… what brings you to my lovely abode?” 

“Not you.” Sunset answered.

Flash scoffed and rolled his eyes. Sunset, grinning unapolegetically at her blue-haired friend, tugged Twilight along by the hand to the farther corner of the pool and promptly started kicking off her boots. She sat down, leaned back easily on her elbows, and plopped her feet into the water. When the redhead saw that Twilight was still standing awkwardly off to the side, Sunset raised an eyebrow at her teasingly. 

“C’mon, sit with me. Put your feet in. Let’s get pruny toes together.”

“My toes are super pruny!” Flash said.

“Dude, go away.” Sunset deadpanned.

Flash rolled his eyes again, drawing out the motion so that his eyelids fluttered. But he turned in his tube and paddled his hands clumsily through the water, making his way to the opposite end of the pool and his three other guests.

Twilight finally cracked a small smile and dropped down next to Sunset, slipping her shoes and socks off and setting them neatly to the side. She saw Sunset trying to hold back a smile.

“What?” The nerd asked almost defensively.

“Nothing. Your orderliness is cute, that’s all.”

Twilight felt a blush cross her cheeks. Her penchant for being neat and tidy had never been called cute before. It was annoying, according to her brother. She could name a few things about him that were equally bothersome. 

Putting thoughts of her irritating yet doting brother aside, the nerd sat next to Sunset and dunked her own feet into the cool water. It was late August, the time of the year where the weather was a bit crispy in the mornings and evenings but almost hot by afternoon, so the water was just chill enough to make her feet tingle.

The two girls sat in silence for a time, swirling their feet through the water. Sunset’s head had dropped back and she closed her eyes against the sunshine. Twilight, her mouth suddenly dry, swallowed at the sight and tried not to stare, but she failed miserably. Her eyes dropped down to Sunset’s hand and she couldn’t help thinking it was just sitting there for the taking. She turned away though; she was too self-conscious to actually make a move.

A shout followed by a peal of snarky laughter rang out from Flash’s side of the pool. From the looks of it, a small argument was starting.

“There’s no way that’s true! No way!” Flash was saying.

“It is! I saw it on ClipClop!” A girl shouted back, indignant.

“Like that’s supposed to make it any more believable.”

Twilight tilted her head, studying the girl who had spoken. She looked very familiar, and it took the nerd awhile to realize where she knew her from. With a gasp of recognition, she turned again to Sunset.

“Is that Trixie Lulamoon?”

Sunset lifted her head to peer across the pool. She nodded.

“Yeah, that’s her. She’s a total idiot, but we hang out sometimes,” Sunset frowned then. “You know her?”

“She goes to CHS. I don’t really know her know her, but we’ve talked a couple of times. Figures she would be some delinquent who skips school.”

Twilight stopped then and looked at Sunset in embarrassment. The redhead simply raised an eyebrow.

“Not that - I mean - if somebody wants to skip school, then they should, I mean, personally I would never - you know, I’m not one who tells people -“

“Twilight.”

Sunset reached over to grab her hand with a smile, effectively shutting her up.

“Calm down. I’m not offended, if that’s what you’re getting at. In all honesty, I dropped out last year, so skipping doesn’t really apply to me.”

Twilight looked down. 

Oh.

Maybe Sunset really was bad news? Her whole life, her parents had drilled it into her that education was everything. High school dropouts were troubled people with no future and would only serve to bring down the people around them. Twilight wasn’t so sure she believed that. There wasn’t just a one-size-fits-all reason for dropping out of school. The nerd would choose to see the good qualities in everyone.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Can I… ask why?”

The redhead shrugged. “I don’t know. It wasn’t really my thing? I wasn’t doing good in any subject and I was just tired of trying. …Wow, that probably makes me sound like an idiot, huh?”

“No, no it doesn’t.”

Twilight grabbed for Sunset’s other hand and held it tight. 

“Being bad at school doesn’t mean you’re an idiot, Sunset. I mean, Albert Einstein dropped out of high school at fifteen.”

Sunset looked down at Twilight’s hands holding hers for a long moment before glancing back up with a quirked eyebrow.

“Sure, but he went back not long after, right?”

Twilight’s cheeks flushed lightly, and Sunset’s grin only grew at the sight.

“Oh. Right.”

“I’m messing with you. Your sentiments are sweet.”

They looked at one another for a moment; Twilight unable to keep her eyes from continually dropping down to Sunset’s smiling lips. The redhead seemed to notice, for she rolled her tongue along her bottom lip in a drawn out movement, making the nerd blush furiously and immediately look away. She heard Sunset snicker softly.

“Hey, I have a cool party trick to show you. Wanna see?”

Twilight nodded, still too flustered to look Sunset in the face again. She felt as Sunset flipped her captive hand over and began to gently trace the lines of her palm with a finger. 

“I’ll give you a quick palm reading.”

Twilight was immediately intrigued. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Sunset slowly followed each line carefully, sometimes allowing her fingers to linger before easily moving on to the next. The act felt extremely intimate, which only made the nerd’s heart beat erratically.

Twilight had never been for a palm reading, once again courtesy of her parents. They were adamant that such a thing led to trouble, along with tarot cards and Ouija boards. There was an interesting looking shop on the boardwalk by the beach, nestled in among a secondhand bookstore and a cafe that Starlight Glimmer loved, that offered palm readings and fortune telling. Rarity had once tried to drag her inside just for fun, but ultimately Twilight had chickened out, her mother’s warning voice at the back of her mind. 

With a jolt, Twilight realized that some time had passed and Sunset was looking at her, head tilted and a lopsided smile on her lips. It took the nerd a moment to orient herself. 

“Well, I have good news and bad news.” The redhead breathed, her eyebrows dipping.

Twilight nodded, urging her to go ahead.

“Bad news first.” She threaded her fingers with Twilight’s. “I can’t read palms.”

The nerd blinked stupidly. She dropped her eyes again to Sunset’s mouth, where she had pulled her lip between her teeth in order to bite back a wider smile. 

“However,” Sunset leaned closer to whisper. “The good news is that I got to hold your hand for a few minutes.”

Twilight blinked again as a bashful smile began to overtake her own lips. Sunset grinned openly then, obviously proud of herself.

“You’ve been bamboozled, Sparkle.”

She lifted her shoulders and ducked her head, hoping Sunset didn’t see the blush she felt billowing across her cheeks. Bamboozled, indeed.

“Clever.” She muttered, making the redhead laugh. 

And still, Sunset hadn’t released her hand, not that Twilight wanted her to. 

“Do you use that trick on all the other girls?” Twilight asked before she could stop herself. She didn’t want Sunset to think she thought her to be some kind of player.

Don’t be jealous.

But Sunset wasn’t perturbed. She raised an eyebrow and eyed the nerd up and down slowly, running her tongue along her teeth before answering lowly.

“What other girls?”

Twilight sputtered out a nervous giggle, which only served to further embolden the redhead. She tugged Twilight closer by their entwined hands, til their sides were flush and their feet were brushing in the water.

“You’re adorable.” She said quietly.

Twilight watched as it was Sunset’s turn to drop her eyes to her lips. Her heart stuttered nervously when she realized just how close their faces were. All she need do was lift her chin an inch and she could be kissing the beautiful girl before her. If that briefest of touches earlier was anything to go by, she knew Sunset’s lips were invitingly soft. 

An outrageously loud splash pulled their attention, and Twilight breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to lock lips with Sunset yet - not without utterly embarassing herself somehow. 

Flash had been unceremoniously flipped out of his inner tube and was now flailing about in the water as the other three laughed way too hard for the situation. Twilight grinned as well; she figured they were high as kites, but she couldn’t begrudge them a good time. Besides, it was nice to see Flash get a little comeuppance. 

“My hair! You assholes ruined my hair!” He yelled, throwing his soaking blue locks out of his eyes. 

“Want to get out of here?” Sunset whispered in her ear, still alarmingly close. 

Twilight shuddered as the redhead’s breath tickled her neck. She turned to meet her eyes.

“Where to?”

“Away from these losers.” She rolled her eyes, though with a note of humor. “Have anywhere in mind?”

Twilight shook her head, still mesmerized by Sunset. She blinked hard, trying to get a grip on herself. A part of her still wasn’t sure that all of this wasn’t just a dream. 

“Well, skipping school isn’t really my thing, so I don’t know what to do.” She grimaced apologetically. “I don’t really know how to rebel.”

Sunset smiled wickedly, her nose crinkling, once again causing Twilight’s breath to catch.

“Then I’ve got plenty to show you.”


~……~


As it turned out, being rebellious included swiping Flash’s car keys and wallet from his discarded jeans while he was still verbally attacking his other guests for ruining his hair. It also included hitting the local Mexican food joint drive-thru and ordering an outrageous amount of food, which Sunset paid for using Flash’s credit card. When Twilight quietly voiced her unease over that, Sunset assured her the boy was insanely spoiled and got such a large allowance from his parents that he wouldn’t even notice a mere thirty dollars missing.

Twilight wasn’t sure if parking in an empty lot and sharing tacos while she and Sunset talked about whatever subject came to mind was also a part of being a rebel, but it was nice anyway. She got lost in the way that Sunset seemed to hang on her every word, despite her talking about the most mundane of topics. The redhead never rolled her eyes, or giggled inappropriately, or even lost interest, as Twilight found most people doing when she rambled on. She definitely tripped over her words more than once under Sunset’s heavy gaze. 

Before she knew it, the day was all but gone. Twilight wondered if she had been under a trance or something similar - but then immediately trashed that thought; Rarity’s warning about Sunset putting people under a “spell” was just lodged in her subconscious. The fact of the matter was simply that she meshed with Sunset, maybe perfectly. The only other person Twilight had ever hit it off with right from the beginning was Rarity, though no romantic intentions were involved, and they were children at the time.

Sunset… she was no child. She was like something out of a dream. She was tall, and tan, and freaking hot. She made less than decent thoughts invade Twilight’s brain every time she flashed a charming smile. So yes, maybe Twilight was under a spell in a manner of speaking. But a much easier term would be infatuated. 

As Sunset pulled the car up to the curb in front of the nerd’s house, Twilight was relieved to see her parent’s car missing from the driveway. Her thoughts had been so consumed with the redhead that she hadn’t stopped to think what her parents would say should they see Sunset. 

Sunset was not exactly the sort of friend her parents would approve of.

That’s putting it lightly, Sparkle.

“So….”

Sunset drew out the word as she lifted a hand to softly mess with the hair at Twilight’s temple. 

“So…?” Twilight attempted to do the same, though she didn’t come off nearly as smooth.

“Am I allowed to see you again?”

“Wh-why wouldn’t you be?” The nerd bit her tongue. Even after a whole day’s worth of conversation and closeness, she still found herself stuttering nervously.

Sunset shrugged, trailing her eyes slowly over the bespectacled girl’s face. She swiped a tan thumb along the deep blush on her cheek and smiled smally.

“Thought you might be sick of me by now.”

Twilight watched, enraptured, as a tiny pout crossed the girl’s lips and her eyebrows dipped cutely. 

“No way.” She whispered.

Sunset scooted closer, leaning over the center console a little to enter Twilight’s space. The nerd sucked in a shaky breath when Sunset’s hand slipped down the side of her neck.

“Okay, cool. I’m not sick of you either, just so you know.” She laughed.

I can’t imagine why not.

Sunset sobered then, staring deeply into the violet eyes before her. Twilight stared back, holding her breath in anticipation. The redhead frowned, just slightly, as she brushed Twilight’s long ponytail back over her shoulder.

“Are you feeling this?” She asked, voice low and rather husky.

Twilight blinked. “Feeling what?”

“Whatever is going on between us. Because whatever it is, it’s fucking intense.”

The nerd swallowed. She wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. But her voice seemed to have escaped her, so she just nodded her head lamely, still hopelessly lost in the girl in front of her. 

Her gaze dropped - once again - to Sunset’s lips, the ends up which were gently curved up into an irresistible smile. Looking back at her eyes, she saw that Sunset was watching her expectantly, her eyes slightly narrowed. 

Twilight wanted to kiss her, of course. She wanted to maybe even do more than that, and immediately blushed that such a notion would even come to her. But at the same time, she didn’t think it was a good idea. The logical, sensible part of her brain was telling her to back away, that things were moving too fast, that kissing Sunset now would be a terrible idea. The much less sensible and - dare she say it - horny part of her brain told her to get it while the getting is good. Kiss Sunset Shimmer with all her being and maybe even cop a feel. 

Twilight snorted in embarassment. She would be mortified if Sunset knew what scenarios were playing out in her mind. But the redhead was still in front of her, now wearing a questioning look, no doubt wondering just what Twilight was thinking. 

“Um, I better get inside.” She said softly, unable to bring much more volume to her voice. 

Sunset’s expression changed, only slightly and only for a fraction of a second, to what Twilight believed was annoyance. But she thought perhaps it had been a trick of the light, because when Sunset pulled back to settle once again into her own seat, she looked unbothered. 

“Okay. I won’t keep you anymore.”

Although Sunset’s tone was light, Twilight still felt a pang of guilt. She immediately leaned forward into Sunset’s space to place a kiss against her cheek.

“Let’s get together tomorrow. I mean, if you can, you know, if you’re not busy.” She giggled quietly. “Call me. O-or text me, whatever works for you.”

Sunset nodded, a wide, amused smile now on her lips. “I definitely will.”

Twilight once again found herself caught up in the redhead’s eyes. Sunset ducked her head, staring back hard, and it startled Twilight out of her fixation.

“Okay, awesome. Um, bye then.”

Sunset, still extremely amused, waggled her fingers in a wave. “Bye.”

The nerd reached for the door handle then without looking, and fumbled for a moment before she was eventually forced to tear her eyes away and watch what she was doing. She heard Sunset’s small snicker as she finally got the door opened and stepped out. She turned to toss her own wave back at Sunset, cringing a bit at her own awkwardness. The redhead merely winked before pulling away from the curb, leaving Twilight breathless as well as speechless. 

As she made her way up the porch steps and in through the front door, Twilight began to breath easier, even though her nerves were still sky-rocketing. As soon as the door was closed, she had to lean against it in order to steady her heartbeat. It was worrisome, the things Sunset did to her.

“Hey! Where have you been?”

The nerd jumped in surprise and looked up to see Shining Armor standing across the way, staring at her through the kitchen’s cutout window. It was a humorous sight - at least to Twilight and her giddy, near delirious brain - the man standing with a pair of tongs raised in one hand and his eyebrows lifted high, framed by the window. Twilight looked away before she began laughing, because she feared such laughter now would be hysterical in nature.

“Um, student council meeting ran late.”

She didn’t lie. It was something she didn’t like to do, and she never did anything that even warranted needing to lie. But she didn’t want anyone finding out about her blowing off school or what she had been doing all day.

It should have been who you were doing all day.

Twilight gaped at her own lewd thoughts. She had been in a state ever since she watched the dirty dancing at the Apples’ party.

But her lie now didn’t matter, because from the skeptical scowl crossing Shining’s face, he didn’t believe her anyway.

“Okay.” He said doubtfully. “And is the person who dropped you off a fellow student council member?”

“Yes.” More lies.

“Okay.” Shining said again, just as doubtfully. 

But then he smiled in a knowing manner, and Twilight hoped he kept his mouth shut about whatever ideas he had. 

“Where are mom and dad?” She asked quickly in order to change the subject.

“It’s Tuesday.” Shining drawled, now watching her strangely. 

Of course. Tuesday was their parent’s designated date night. It had been that way for years now, since Twilight was twelve and deemed old enough to stay home alone without someone to watch her. She vividly recalled Shining Armor never being appointed babysitting duties.

“Well, I made dinner if you’re hungry. You know, unless you and your student council friend already ate.”

Twilight ignored the man’s grin and attempt to draw information from her. “Knowing you, it’s probably corndogs.”

“Good guess!” He said brightly.

“It’s an easy guess, Shining. You make corndogs whenever you get the chance.”

Shining placed his free hand over his chest in mock offense, gasping with much flair. 

“I love them, Twily. My soulmate is a corndog.”

The nerd rolled her eyes. If that were true, he would be calling Cadance a corndog. She smirked at the thought; Shining probably did call her corndog as a term of endearment. And Cadance probably loved it. She couldn’t help but wonder what terms of endearment Sunset might use for her. She felt her cheeks heat as she recalled the name “princess” used once or twice. Her father used to call her that as a child, but when it came from Sunset’s lips, she felt that the redhead meant it more as a title. Like she would grovel on her knees before Twilight.

Stop! God, I’m out of control.

Yes, she was in Sunset’s grasp hook, line, and freaking sinker. All thoughts of her promise to Rarity to be careful had flown out the window. She wasn’t sure how to be careful anymore. And truthfully, she didn’t really want to be.

Her phone buzzed then, and she felt ashamed at how quickly she was to look down at it.

[Sunset 6:31pm] Hey. I know it’s not tomorrow yet but I couldn’t wait to talk to you.

She barely resisted kicking her feet in glee.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning found Twilight nearly late - or at least, late for her. In actuality, she had a good ten minutes before the first bell. She had been up late into the night texting Sunset. The nervous, giddy energy filling her chest kept her full of adrenaline.

As she approached the equine statue on the school lawn, she saw that all of her friends were already waiting for her. Despite the three of them just standing there, her stomach wanted to turn sour. What were they thinking? She couldn’t help but think that they knew exactly what she had been doing yesterday. Did Starlight and Fluttershy also know about Sunset Shimmer? Did they feel the same way as Rarity about her?

“Hi.” She offered lamely, fighting hard not to look guilty.

“Twilight!” Rarity hurriedly pulled her into their huddle by the elbow. “Where were you yesterday?”

The nerd had trouble meeting her friend’s eyes. She had a feeling that she was about to engage in an awful lot of lying. 

“Oh, I wasn’t feeling too great yesterday and took the day off.”

The other three girls shared a look among themselves and Twilight didn’t miss it. 

“You look pretty good now.” Starlight offered, eyeing her up and down in search of signs of illness.

Twilight shrugged. “It must have been a twenty-four hour bug or something.”

Rarity eyed her a little too closely for her liking, but smiled after a moment. 

“Of course it was, darling. I think it’s been going around. Anyway, I’m glad to have you back today. I missed you in Chem.”

Twilight smiled back, though it felt tight and unnatural on her face. She sensed Fluttershy shuffling next to her, folding her hands in front of herself one way and then immediately switching - right on top of left, then left on top of right. Twilight felt cold sweat beginning to gather at the back of her neck.

They know. They know and they hate me.

Twilight’s mind was racing with questions. Like, how did they know she had been with Sunset Shimmer? Did they really know at all? Of course they did, they had to, why else would things be so horribly awkward right now? 

Did they see me yesterday morning? Oh God, oh no… oh no!

There was always the possibility that they had heard about it from someone else. After all, a number of people had been watching her interaction with Sunset. Twilight wasn’t sure which possibility was more preferable. If her friends had seen it themselves, then they knew how close Sunset had gotten and it would be next to impossible to convince them that nothing was going on. On the other hand, if they only heard about it, someone could have easily exaggerated and made it much more than what it really was.

Why weren’t they confronting her about it? Could it be that her friends really didn’t know?

All this guilt you’re feeling is telling you that seeing Sunset is wrong, Twilight. Rarity told you she’s bad news! She pouted softly. Is she really? Sunset is so sincere….

The nerdy girl looked again at Rarity, who was now typing furiously on her phone in what Twilight hoped was just her regular morning blog post, and then over to Starlight, who had her arms folded across her chest and looking like she hadn’t slept well. 

“And I missed you too. I got partnered with Rainbow Dash in gym.” Fluttershy brushed her long hair from her face and huffed a small sigh. “It was intense, I’ll just say that.”

Twilight patted the girl’s shoulder in apology. The awkward silence ensued again and Twilight could feel the walls closing in. Their mornings were usually filled with chatter; Rarity going back and forth quick as a whip between complaining and boasting about her work, Starlight comparing notes with Twilight about whichever project they were cooking up, Fluttershy not-so-loudly but still happily talking about being hired at the animal shelter instead of just volunteering. There was no way the slow conversation of this morning was just a coincidence. They know.

She had to get out of here before it all came rushing out.

“Um, well.” She started, prompting the others to look back at her. “Uh… I’m going to head to homeroom. I’ve got… something… I’ve got to finish - I mean, uh….”

No one said anything, but Starlight and Fluttershy peered at her curiously. 

“See you in class.” She said, the words coming out in a pathetic squeak.

Rarity watched as her friend turned on her heel and all but ran across the lawn and through the front doors. She finally heaved a sigh as Starlight waved her hands through the air in frustration.

“Okay, Rare. Are you going to tell us what that was about?”

The fashionista frowned. “What do you mean?”

“How we more or less blew Twilight off. Are you seriously mad at her because she got sick?” 

Rarity nodded to herself, still staring off in the direction Twilight had gone. Breaking the news fast and easy would be best. 

“She wasn’t sick.”

Starlight scowled and shook her head to signal her confusion. Fluttershy stepped forward and quietly offered her own input. 

“I kind of thought she was lying about that. But why?”

“She’s been with Sunset Shimmer.” Rarity said quickly.

Fluttershy gasped in realization but Starlight continued to look confused and even a bit put off. The girl stared off to the side as she wracked her brain for what this could mean.

“Sunset Shimmer…? Isn’t that….” Then it hit her like a train and she stared at Rarity in shock. “That’s…! Why though? Didn’t you tell her what that bitch did?”

“It’s not so simple.”

Starlight went to argue, because yes it was, but Rarity held up a perfectly-manicured hand. Fluttershy simply stared in horror between the two.

“Of course I told her what Sunset did. Not in detail, because it’s not my place to run my mouth about that and it’s not yours either, Star. But you didn’t see Twilight that night.” Rarity shook her head, worry overcoming everything else. “Sunset Shimmer knows what she’s doing. And we know Twilight. What do you think Sunset’s attention would do to her?”

Starlight chewed her tongue and sighed, because that question didn’t even need an answer. She knew exactly what Sunset’s attention would do. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows before pursing her lips. Fluttershy only grimaced as she understood the implications too.

“Exactly,” Rarity deadpanned. “Twilight doesn’t draw much attention, and to suddenly be noticed by someone like Sunset Shimmer? She’s already in so deep that Sunset was able to convince her to skip school. To skip school, Starlight.”

“Then I’ll tell her the story anyway! What are you going to do, sit back and watch as she gets toyed with?” Starlight spread her arms, angry now at Rarity’s reluctance to gossip. Truly, it wouldn’t even be gossip. Rarity already knew the details, and to pass them on to Twilight would only stop a bunch of inevitable heartbreak. 

“Twilight is smart, but academically smart. She couldn’t see someone playing her from a mile away. We have to tell her.”

“So she can resent us?” Rarity argued, stepping closer to Starlight. “We can warn her all we want, but ultimately this is up to her. Yes, darling, I’m upset with her, of course I am. She’s smarter than this, but like I said, she’s never had this before and I’m not going to take it away from her, no matter that it’s going to end badly. So stop giving me your frowny eyebrows and let’s get to class.”

Starlight scoffed, not quite ready to let this go, but then her shoulders dropped in resignation. Fluttershy continued to stare between the two with comically large eyes. 

“Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way. But you better apologize to her later for being weird. She definitely picked up on that. She looked like a deer in headlights.” 

As the three began walking towards the school building, Starlight wrapped an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulders.

“No offense to you, Shy.”



~……~



The day passed fairly normally, much to Twilight’s surprise. Granted, she didn’t have any classes with her friends until after the lunch hour, so in retrospect, it shouldn’t have really been a surprise that the day had gone normally. Then again, perhaps “normally” wasn’t the right word. During history, the nerd caught sight of two students - two girls that she recognized as having seen her and Sunset yesterday - casting her furtive glances and giggling quietly. She ignored them with all of her might, but it didn’t stop her traitorous brain from once again filling her up with doom-laden thoughts. Rumors about her existed, and here was the proof.

Twilight grimaced and blinked several times, her eyes suddenly bleary and cheeks hot. She was starting to think about this way too hard, as she had been over and over again all morning. 

Needless to say, she was now dreading the next meeting with her friends, which would be happening any minute. Usually she would be meeting the girls in the cafeteria, but on Wednesdays they went off-campus for lunch. So Twilight found herself standing near the east entrance of the parking lot, twiddling her thumbs and shuffling to and fro intermittently. Surely by now her friends knew she had lied. She would be facing the music soon.

“Twilight! Yo!”

Twilight discreetly let out a sigh through her teeth at that voice. She looked up from her feet to see Timber Spruce headed her way. He was a tolerable nuisance in the way that he constantly - but politely - vied for her attention. He was completely barking up the wrong tree, but only because Twilight was too much of a people pleaser to tell him she was by no means interested. And now he was cornering her once again when her friends weren’t around.

“Hey, Twilight!” He called again unnecessarily, waving way too enthusiastically for only being a few yards away. 

“Erm, hi.” She didn’t wave back but it didn’t deter his bright grin.

“Hey, I didn’t see you yesterday. Were you out sick?”

“Yes.” An automatic answer. 

Timber’s eyebrows dipped in sympathy but otherwise his expression didn’t change. Twilight breathed a quiet sigh of relief; at least she was safe from this person’s inquiries.

Regarding Sunset, at least. Timber will have a million other questions, I’m sure.

“Aww, that sucks. But you look amazing today,” He winked and Twilight tried not to cringe. “If you hadn’t told me, I would never have known.”

The nerd adjusted her glasses and tried to smile at his compliment, but like every other time she had smiled today, it felt unnaturally forced. 

“So, uh,” He reached up and nervously brushed some dark green hair from his eyes. “I don’t know what you have planned for lunch today, but I was kinda wondering… or more like hoping, I guess, that maybe we could go out together?”

This time Twilight did cringe, but caught herself just in time to make it look like her nose  simply itched, swiping a hand across her face in quite an unattractive way. Timber watched the motion, his lips still parted and quirked up in a smile, seemingly unbothered. 

Figures he would be the type to think a girl wiping away snot is awesome.

Twilight hurriedly looked away, wracking her brain for a plausible excuse. Sure, she could just say that she was already meeting her friends, but she could see Timber attempting to tag along and Twilight being nice enough to let him. It would be a different story if her friends were already present. Rarity, or more likely Starlight, would tell the boy no way and that would be that. 

“Uh, well….” She stammered as Timber continued to smile at her expectantly.

She exhaled, long and slow, attempting to control her breathing. Telling Timber no should not be as hard as she was making it. But he was intimidating, at least to her, with his overflow of self-confidence and lack of awareness of personal space. True, Sunset Shimmer possessed those same qualities, but Twilight was unabashedly attracted to her. She was not, and never would be, unabashedly attracted to Timber Spruce.

Just as she was about to tell him no, sorry, not today, even though she had yet to muster up the courage to do so, she caught a jarring sight from the corner of her eye and whipped her head around to do a double-take. She even reached up to rub at her eyes, to make sure she wasn’t just seeing things.

What was this? Every time she thought of the redhead, lo and behold, there she appeared. 

Sunset stood at the other end of the parking lot, arms folded across her chest and leering in her direction. Her lips held a self-assured smile that set Twilight’s heart thumping. 

“Twilight? Are you feeling okay?”

The nerd came back to herself at the touch of Timber’s hand on her shoulder. She sucked in a breath so sharply, she choked, which only made Timber come closer and run his hand across her back.

“Still sick? Should I take you home?” He asked, voice dripping with concern.

Twilight reached out blindly to push him away an acceptable distance, still coughing lightly. 

“No!” She wheezed. “I’m fine!”

Her assurance didn’t do much. She could still sense the boy standing close, although he had stopped touching her. A soft chuckle sounded out, one that definitely didn’t come from Timber Spruce. Twilight looked up and wiped the tears that had collected at the corners of her eyes.

“Why do I keep catching you at your worst?” Sunset teased.

Oh, cheese and fries!

Sunset frowned, but it was obvious she was trying to hide a smirk. 

“I just, uh, choked on my own saliva. Typical me.” She laughed a little too loudly, nervously running her hands along the pleats of her skirt. 

Sunset reached up to gently push the girl’s glasses back in place where they had become skewed before tapping the end of her nose with a finger. Twilight giggled stupidly despite herself.

“So, you want to head out?”

Twilight processed that question a few seconds too long, giving Timber time to step forward and try to stake his claim.

“Uh, no? Twilight is going out with me for lunch today.”

Sunset’s eyes darkened over as she slowly blinked and turned to fully face him. Her face quickly dropped into an unimpressed scowl.

“Oh, is she?” A glance to Twilight. “Are you?”

The nerdy girl hunched her shoulders and opened her mouth to speak, looking between the two unsurely. She still wanted to say no, but couldn’t find her voice. Finally, she settled with a shake of her head, unable to meet Timber’s eyes.

“Huh, looks like you’re not going with her. Whoever you are.”

“Timber Spruce -“

Sunset held up a hand and shook her head. “I don’t actually care, dude.”

Timber’s mouth snapped shut and he silently seethed, the fury shining brightly in his eyes. Twilight wasn’t sure she liked the way this confrontation was going, but she had no idea how to step in. She was definitely not used to people fighting over her affections, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. She was a bit flattered, however.

“Why don’t you fuck off and find some other girl to bother? This one is taken.”

Twilight’s heart leaped gleefully at those words. It was a rush. Timber scowled, disbelieving. He glanced to Twilight for some kind of confirmation, but she only sidled closer to the redhead, trying to look apologetic and guiltless. 

“Yeah, okay,” He mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Whatever.”

Sunset didn’t wait to watch him walk away, and turned back to Twilight, a lazy, carefree smirk already back on her face. 

“Well, thank you for that. I mean, maybe you didn’t have to be so… blunt, but thank you anyway.”

“Sure. And yeah, I did have to. Guys like that, you have to put them in their place or they’ll just keep coming back. Something tells me he hassles you a lot.”

Twilight shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. But he’s not pushy.”

“Yet. Trust me, he’ll get there. And if he bothers you again, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

Truthfully, Twilight didn’t know what to make of that. She wasn’t sure what Sunset meant by taking care of it, but she had a few guesses and they weren’t exactly above board. 

“Anyway, how about it? Want to get going?”

Twilight chewed her lip. Could she really do this again? Looking at Sunset’s alluring self, she had no doubts about leaving school again. She had to mentally smack herself to keep the Sunset Shimmer-shaped cloud of distraction from taking over her mind.

You’re not a delinquent, Sparkle! Don’t disappoint your friends!

Yes, her friends. Her friends who would be showing up any time now. They would catch her and chase Sunset away. Did she want that? A small yet incessant, nagging, sane part of her that sounded an awful lot like every authority figure she knew truly did want her friends to chase the redhead away and shield her from Sunset’s irresistable lure. She needed to get back on track before she was completely derailed and unable to make her way back at all.

But then Sunset’s hand was on her cheek, tan fingers lightly scratching at her hairline, and Twilight made the mistake of meeting the turquoise eyes before her. A mistake because she immediately got lost and subsequently lost her resolve. Sunset smiled at her gently.

“Well?”

“O-okay,” She nodded, quickly reaching up to snatch Sunset’s hand and thread their fingers. “But just for the lunch hour. I have to be back for class.”

“Whatever you say, princess.”

There it was. Twilight’s mouth went dry at the name and another ridiculous giggle bubbled forth. She was still reeling and allowed Sunset to lead her across the lot, where she expected to find Flash Sentry’s Camaro waiting. She stumbled to a halt when the redhead began approaching a motorcycle. 

It was a small motorcyle, but a motorcyle nonetheless. Not that Twilight had never been on a motorcycle. Several years ago, when Shining Armor was her age, he had nearly given their parents a heart attack when he came home one day astride a hulking bike. Twilight, being only fourteen at the time, had been plenty excited to go for a ride with her brother. Their mother was very thankful when Shining decided to trade his motorcycle in for something more practical a few months later. 

Sunset’s bike was a baby compared to Shining’s monstrosity, so Twilight didn’t know why she felt so alarmed. Perhaps because it was just another reason in the growing list of reasons that her subconscious was dutifully keeping for why she should not be hanging around with Sunset.

But damn, did she look good swinging a leg over that thing. Twilight couldn’t help but blush.

“Hop on.” Sunset prompted after Twilight had yet to move.

The nerd took one more lasting look at Sunset astride the bike - mostly to appreciate how freaking good she looked there - and her brows cinched when she found an important element missing.

“No helmets?” She asked, folding her hands to her chest.

Sunset shrugged, glancing back to the empty saddlebags. “I haven’t gotten around to it, I guess.”

Alarms blared in Twilight’s head, once more courtesy of her parents and her upbringing. Safety first in all things, especially when those things involved potentially injuring your head. She felt a small pang of envy that Sunset was so carefree that she couldn’t even be bothered by something like that. Twilight had to worry (too much) over everything.

“I’ll have one for you next time, I promise.” 

A flash of that charming smile and Twilight thought she would believe anything that came out of the redhead’s mouth. With a small huff, she relented and hopped on behind Sunset, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

All thoughts of meeting her friends were gone by the time they left the parking lot.



~……~



“Did Twilight message you, too?”

Rarity looked up from her phone where she had been sending off a reply to Fluttershy’s text about running late. Starlight was circling aimlessly and glancing around the parking lot. 

“No. Why?”

Starlight whipped back around to the fashionista and scoffed, spreading her arms to indicate the area around them.

“She’s not here. You know she’s punctual.” 

Rarity stopped, letting that sink in. She heaved a very heavy sigh when she realized what Twilight not being here could imply. There were really only two options. One, Twilight was avoiding them. Or two, Twilight had already left, and more than likely she hadn’t left alone. 

Rarity would bet everything she owned on the latter.

“If you’re looking for Twilight, she’s gone.”

The girls turned to see Timber Spruce slouching against the hood of his car. Rarity hadn’t noticed him before and fought down the flare of annoyance that his presence caused before his words registered.

“Did you see her?” She asked quickly.

“I’m guessing you guys didn’t know she had other plans.” He mumbled, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the sidewalk.

“Spit it out, Spruce. What happened?” Starlight asked, growing impatient.

“She left with that other girl.”

Rarity and Starlight shared a look, Starlight beginning to shake her head in annoyed disbelief. 

“What other girl?” Rarity prompted, though asking was quite unnecessary. It could only be one person.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen her before. Red and gold hair, leggy, a knockout actually.” He pouted, folding his arms in a sulking manner.

Rarity rolled her eyes, she couldn’t believe Timber would be jealous right now. She knew he had no idea Twilight was not interested in boys - though if that was because he was too self-absorbed or simply ignorant remained to be seen - and continued to pine after her. Rarity almost felt embarrassed for him. If he hadn’t gotten the clue after today, he never would.

“There you have it. She’s gone off with Sunset again.” Starlight said, frowning.

“Yes,” Rarity agreed, cocking an eyebrow. “The least she could have done was sent a text.”

“So then that’s it. She’s trying to hide this from us.”

Rarity shook her head, signaling that she didn’t know. It wouldn’t be coincidence that Twilight had failed to mention Sunset twice, but then again, Rarity hadn’t either. Perhaps they would treat the issue as the elephant in the room until either side finally broke. 

“We’ve already had this discussion. How this plays out is all up to her.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed, but nodded and raised her palms in acquiescence. 



~……~



As she sat tucked away in a corner booth with Sunset, Twilight couldn’t stop the nagging worry at the back of her mind. Worry was an everpresent emotion for her, so ignoring it wasn’t very difficult. Deep down she knew being with Sunset was the root cause of this particular worrying, but at the same time, being in such close proximity to the redhead was helpful to ease the worry down. 

Sugarcube Corner was a popular spot for a lot of CHS students, Twilight and her friends included. Thankfully today there weren’t many students that she recognized among the small crowd, so likely there was no one to spread more gossip. No one had looked twice at the two of them, huddled together as they were sharing a basket of fries. Sunset had one arm draped across the back of the booth and Twilight rested her head against it, close enough to smell the citrusy scent of the girl but far enough away to see all her features in a single glance. Twilight watched, nearly entranced, as Sunset absentmindedly tapped a fry against her lips, pondering the nerd’s question. 

Slipping back into conversation with Sunset was just as easy as it had been yesterday, maybe even moreso. 

“Yeah, Flash is definitely my best friend. We’ve known each other for years.”

“How did you meet?” Twilight asked quietly, grabbing a fry for herself.

“Okay, don’t laugh, because what I’m about to tell you is so on brand for the two of us that it’s not even funny.” 

Sunset’s tongue darted out to swipe salt from her lips, a motion that Twilight didn’t miss. She smiled and nodded, urging Sunset to continue.

“Ten years ago our friend groups ran into each other out on a bike ride. Me and Flash butted heads immediately, and I couldn’t even tell you why.”

Twilight smirked, because she could picture such a thing perfectly.

“He got mad about something I said and challenged me to a game of chicken. But we were so headstrong neither of us bowed out and ended up crashing into each other pretty damn hard. He broke a wrist and I knocked out three of my top teeth.”

She laughed, and tapped a finger against said teeth as Twilight gasped.

“Thank God they were my baby teeth or I would have been super screwed. So Flash and I have been friends ever since, continuously getting up to stupid shit together.”

She laughed again, seemingly remembering all those stupid things. Twilight simply shook her head as she smiled fondly. Apparently the redhead had forgotten the rule about not laughing. 

“Oh my God! Is that Sunset Shimmer? It is!”

Three girls approaching their spot caused Sunset’s laughter to slowly peter out into a groan. Twilight looked back and forth between Sunset and the girls, particularly the one who had spoken. The girl gave off such powerful leader energy that Twilight almost flinched. She was beautiful in a sharp kind of way, with wild orange hair and piercing eyes that Twilight didn’t have the confidence to meet. The other two hung back, one with hands on her hips and looking completely uninterested, the other threading her fingers through her ponytail and bouncing on her heels.

“Adagio. Hey.” Sunset drawled, drawing out the word sarcastically.

Adagio didn’t seem bothered, in fact her smile only grew at Sunset’s annoyance. With a flick of her wrist, Adagio directed her minions - that was the first word that popped into Twilight’s mind - to squeeze into the booth alongside Twilight, while she herself sidled up next to the redhead. An uncomfortable pang of jealousy shot through the nerdy girl’s chest as Adagio’s hands settled easily along Sunset’s arm.

I thought Sunset told you there were no other girls? She bit her lip hard, trying to banish that voice. Shut up!

“It’s been a long time, Sunny,” Adagio purred. “Why don’t you ever call me?”

Sunset attempted to pull her arm back, but the ginger’s grip was too tight. “Why would I?”

Adagio laughed, and Twilight startled as her minions laughed with her.

“Yeah, it’s not like you even have her number.” The girl with long blue hair said, smiling brightly. The last girl nudged her hard with her elbow, causing her to yelp.

“I don’t have any interest in calling you. Or seeing you, for that matter.” Sunset said, still trying to pry the girl’s fingers off of her. 

“Who is this?” The last girl asked abruptly, a sneer on her face and a disgusted tone to her voice.

Twilight attempted to make herself as small as possible and shrink down into the seat when all three girls’ eyes landed on her. 

“Aww, she’s shy!” The blue-haired one giggled. “I’m Sonata and this is Aria. Don’t let her mean mug scare you, she’s super nice, really.”

Aria eyed Sonata in a way that Twilight considered the furthest thing from “super nice.” Feeling eyes boring into her, she turned back to find Adagio glaring at her hard before a smile snapped into place a split second later.

“Yes, who is this?” She asked, and even Twilight picked up on the mock politeness to her voice.

“Oh, um, I’m Twilight Sparkle -“

A peal of snarky laughter cut her off and Adagio swatted a hand through the air. 

“How adorable! Is this a date, Sunny? Are we interrupting a date?” 

Sunset rolled her eyes at Adagio’s ear-piercing tone and finally succeeded in peeling off the deathgrip on her arm. 

“No, we’re just hanging out. But you did interrupt.”

Twilight felt disappointed that Sunset didn’t think of this as a date. Or was she just saying that to keep from pissing off Adagio? The girl pouted apologetically and lightly tapped her fingers against Sunset’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” She whined, not sounding sorry at all. “I was just excited to see you again.”

Her eyes flashed towards Aria and Sonata, communicating something so quickly Twilight couldn’t pick up on it. Sunset sighed and drew her hand back from under the ginger’s touch. 

“I’m hungry.” Aria said, folding her arms.

“Yes, we’re starving,” Adagio agreed. “Sunny, do you think you could order us something? Please? I’ll pay you back next time.”

Adagio leaned in, looking up at Sunset through her lashes with a pout on her full lips, and even Twilight felt her heart stutter at how appealing she looked. The nerdy girl thought she saw a ghost of a smile playing at Sunset’s lips as she met Adagio’s gaze.

“Yeah, sure, fine.” Sunset said, sounding annoyed.

She waited a beat, as Adagio had yet to slide out of the booth to make room for Sunset to exit.

“Let me out.” She said, even more annoyed.

Adagio grinned in a snarky way and shrugged. “I guess you’ll just have to climb over me.”

Twilight saw Sunset’s jaw clench and she figured the redhead was about to tell her off. But to her surprise, Sunset simply lifted herself to scoot across the ginger girl’s lap. Adagio placed her hands at Sunset’s hips to guide her along - though Twilight knew that was entirely unnecessary - and, as Sunset’s backside slid across her thighs, Adagio bit her lip and deliberately met Twilight’s eyes with a vicious glint in her own. Twilight wasn’t strong enough to hold that contact for very long. 

Adagio and Sunset obviously had some sort of history, maybe even recently. Deep down, Twilight knew it was petty of her to be jealous. But Adagio was outrageously beautiful, and the girl obviously knew it. She had confidence to match Sunset’s, and she wasn’t afraid to initiate intimate contact (lewd contact). From the very beginning, Twilight constantly questioned what Sunset saw in her, as she was meek, and nerdy, and extremely self-conscious in everything. She knew Sunset could have anyone she wanted, and couldn’t comprehend why she would settle for Twilight.

“Well, what do you want?” Sunset asked after she had finally extracted herself from the booth - and Adagio’s possessive hands.

“Ooh, nachos!” Sonata piped up, practically bouncing in her seat. 

Sunset nodded and threw a quick regretful glance at Twilight, a quirk of her lips and roll of her eyes. Twilight knew the other girls must have seen it, but she didn’t dare look at Adagio again. She was suddenly full of dread at being left alone with these three, trapped between them so she couldn’t easily escape.

“And get them with extra everything!” Sonata called again at Sunset’s retreating back.

Silence took over the booth then, except for Adagio’s fingers tapping against the tabletop. Twilight folded in on herself, hands tightly clenched in her lap and head down. Perhaps she could get lucky and the others would just talk amongst themselves.

“Where the hell did Sunset find you? The secondhand bookstore?”

Or perhaps not. Peeking from the corner of her eye, she saw Adagio glaring nastily at her.

“I didn’t realize they were having a sale on miserable skanks.”

It wasn’t really funny, but Adagio’s minions snickered. No, it wasn’t funny at all, but it still managed to hurt Twilight’s feelings. She was used to being giggled at in the hallways, or shot dirty looks, but never outright mocked and teased. CHS was good at keeping bullies at bay - a shock, actually - so the most Twilight had had to endure was mild compared to what she knew was coming from these three girls.

“She must have felt sorry for you,” Adagio continued, her tone light now. “I mean, look at you. Do you honestly think you’re Sunset’s type? Because believe me, sweetie, you aren’t.”

“Yeah, because Adagio is totally Sunset’s type!” Sonata giggled.

The smirk dropped from Adagio’s face quickly and her biting glare turned on Sonata. Aria jammed an elbow into the girl’s side again, effectively shutting her up. 

“Honestly, you’re kind of pathetic. Didn’t you notice how Sunset didn’t even call this a date?” She laughed lowly and mock-pouted. “Poor thing.”

Twilight said nothing. She knew whatever she said would only serve to further provoke Adagio. Yet at the same time, what could she say? It wasn’t as if Adagio was lying. 

“Tch, you can’t even stand up for yourself? Yes, you’re very pathetic.”

“I’m starting to feel sorry for you now.” Aria said, sharing a look with the ginger.

Adagio shoved Twilight in the shoulder, hard enough to knock her off balance. Sonata barked out a laugh as Twilight barely caught herself on the table. 

“Listen,” Adagio started, her tone now dripping with venom. “You should fuck off and stay away from Sunset. You know, before you get hurt.”

Twilight swallowed. Adagio did not have to elaborate. 

“Besides, she’ll grow bored of you soon enough. And when she does, she’ll fall back into my lap as easily as she did just a few minutes ago.”

Her minions giggled again, getting a good kick out of Adagio’s innuendo. The ginger leaned in close enough that Twilight could feel her breath in her hair.

“Sunset will forget your name when she’s screaming mine.”

Twilight couldn’t take anymore. She had to get out of this booth, out of this diner. Just as she was about to push her way out by any means necessary, even crawling beneath the table if she had to, a plate of loaded nachos thunked down in front of her and Sunset was looking between the four girls in confusion.

“Is everything okay over here?” She asked.

“Of course!” Adagio beamed and wrapped an arm around Twilight’s shoulders, pulling her close. “I would even say we’re besties now.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, showing that she doubted that, but didn’t inquire further. Twilight blinked rapidly to fight back the tears pricking the corners of her eyes, and she hoped Sunset didn’t notice. 

“Here’s your nachos. Now let me back in, I’m not crawling over you again.”

Adagio flicked her wrist again, and her minions shuffled back out of the booth.

“Actually we have to get going.”

Sunset scowled and sighed as Adagio also slid from the booth. The ginger stepped into Sunset’s space and flashed a flirtatious smile. 

“Thanks for everything, Sunny. Hopefully you’ll come see me soon, but if not,” She slid a hand up Sunset’s chest to her neck, and finally under her chin, where her fingers lingered. “At least I’ll see you in my dreams.”

With one last biting glance in Twilight’s direction, Adagio turned on her heel and sauntered away, Aria right behind her. Sonata smiled and swiped up the plate of nachos before hurrying to catch up. Sunset stood there a moment longer, chewing the skin of her cheek and looking irritated. Then she turned back to Twilight and leaned over, palms flat against the table.

“Were they rude to you?”

Twilight, who had yet to come out of her defensive curl, sat up straighter and attempted a smile.

“N-no, they were great.”

Sunset smiled sympathetically. “You don’t have to lie for them. They’re the perfect trio of bitches. Don’t let them get to you.”

Twilight nodded, wanting to say no more on this subject. Adagio’s words struck hard, but true. The nerd would have to say goodbye to Sunset today for good. Not simply because of Adagio’s threat, but because Twilight couldn’t continue to fool herself. It would be best to stop things now, before Sunset could grow bored of her.

You knew this all along. Why were you stupid enough to let yourself get in so deep?

Sunset tapped the table to get Twilight’s attention. She flashed a grin, seeming to have already forgotten Adagio and the others.

“Ready to go? You said you had to be back for class.”

Twilight nodded, still silent. But as she walked out of Sugarcube Corner arm in arm with Sunset, she realized something. She was going to say goodbye to Sunset today, but it didn’t have to be so soon. Couldn’t she at least have the rest of the day with her? Was that too much to ask?

“Actually….” 

Sunset looked at her expectantly. She cocked her head. “What is it?”

“I was thinking that we could spend the day together again?” She asked quietly, her confidence melting away with each word. 

What if Sunset didn’t want to spend the day with her? She was being selfish. Sunset probably had her own plans for the day, and she was about to reject her, because why would she waste another day with Twilight when she could -

“Hell yeah. I’d love that.” The redhead laughed, drawing Twilight in for a hug.

The nerdy girl found herself clinging to Sunset, pressing her face into the front of her shoulder to inhale her lovely scent. Sunset held her for several moments, smoothing one hand across her back and threading the other through her ponytail slowly. 

“You alright?” She asked softy.

Twilight pulled away, embarrassed, and quickly swiped at her eyes where more tears had collected. She smiled in a sheepish manner, unable to meet Sunset’s eyes.

“I’m fine. I just… I wasn’t sure you would say yes.”

Fingers gently prodding under her chin prompted Twilight to lift her head, where she found Sunset watching her with another lazy smirk. 

“Sure I would. I’ll always say yes to you.”

Twilight’s brain had trouble processing that. Sunset took the opportunity to swoop in and place a kiss against the girl’s forehead, mussing her bangs cutely. 

“And you’ll always say yes to me, right?”

Twilight held her breath a moment as she and Sunset looked at one another, the redhead with that slight narrowing of her eyes that Twilight couldn’t quite decipher yet. She nodded her head adamantly.

“Of course. Always.”



~……~



They spent the majority of the day cruising through the city on Sunset’s bike, the redhead pointing out her favorite hangouts, promising to take Twilight there sometime. Twilight, meanwhile, struggled with her own mind, going back and forth between putting a stop to things with Sunset and throwing caution to the wind and continuing right along despite the consequences. Rarity’s words seemed to align with Adagio’s - Sunset Shimmer was stringing her along for personal reasons. 

But that was ridiculous. 

Wasn’t it?

Hours passed in a blur for Twilight, wrapped up in her own head as she was. Riding with Sunset, the girl’s back flush against her front, long hair whipping against her cheeks, it felt like a dream. She could barely recall what they talked about when they stopped to stretch their legs. She was simply going through the motions. So much for enjoying her last day with Sunset. 

As six o’clock drew near and Twilight suddenly jolted back to awareness at the thought of her parents beginning to wonder where she was, the nerd reluctantly directed Sunset to drop her at home. She begged the redhead to park several houses down however, because she did not want her family to spot her on the back of a motorcycle and have to face the corresponding questions that came with it. Sunset happily obliged, and Twilight felt another pang of shame heat up her cheeks. 

Sunset was sincere, and that was that. Any faults in this relationship (though Twilight hesitated to use that word) were entirely Twilight’s alone. She was the one second-guessing, she was the one afraid of every next step. Sunset was doing nothing bad and Rarity and Adagio were wrong. But still, it ate at her.

“Sunset?” She asked quietly once they had pulled up half a block from her house, Sunset killing the engine and dropping the kickstand.

“Yeah?”

“Why aren’t you with Adagio?”

The question was met with silence. Sunset stared over her shoulder at her in bewilderment, and Twilight raised a hand to nervously twirl a tendril of hair around her finger. Maybe she had been too forward. 

“What? You mean, like, dating Adagio?”

Twilight nodded, chewing her lip. Sunset fell silent again, and Twilight took that as a need to elaborate.

“She’s very pretty, and she’s confident and sure of what she’s doing. I-I don’t know, it just seemed like you two have… a connection.”

Her words hung in the air, but she was too nervous to look at Sunset to see her reaction. Twilight clambered off the bike, ready to run for her house when Sunset inevitably agreed and kicked her to the curb. But amused laughter surprised her.

“Adagio?” Sunset asked again through her laughter.

Twilight nodded again, shifting her eyes to the side awkwardly. She was unsure what else she should say. How was Sunset not comprehending what she was saying? 

“I’m… I’m nothing like her. She just seems more your type.”

Twilight cringed as she used the words Adagio had. 

“Shut up,” Sunset said playfully. “You’re joking, right?”

Twilight snapped her eyes up to look at the redhead, who was smiling. It only served to confuse the nerd. She shook her head, not knowing if Sunset’s question was rhetorical. 

“I don’t have a connection with her, no fucking way. What did she say to you?”

Sunset leaned over to grasp Twilight’s hands and tug her close again. Twilight now stood several inches taller, as Sunset had yet to stand up off of the bike, so she was unable to stare down at her feet to avoid the other girl’s eyes.

“N-nothing,” She shrugged. “I just thought you two had history together, the way you… interacted.”

That word is definitely a choice.

Sunset wrinkled her nose, not in disgust but in embarrassment. She scratched at the back of her neck.

“Okay, yeah, you got me there. We do, but not in the way that you’re thinking.”

Twilight lifted her head, curiosity beginning to overpower her self-consciousness. Sunset tugged her even closer, so that their legs bumped together.

“We were in a band together about a year ago. Adagio was into me, and I admit, I did lead her on a bit, but in the end I told her in exact words that I wasn’t interested. But she’s fucking stubborn. And maybe a little delusional, too.” She chuckled. “She still thinks she’s going to win me over. It’s not happening, ever.”

That did make Twilight feel a bit better. It didn’t change the fact that Adagio’s threat of Twilight getting hurt still stood, not that she would ever mention that to Sunset. She didn’t think she had any right to ask for her protection. Ending things with the redhead was her best option for self-preservation. As it was, she stood to lose too much no matter which way things went. She knew this, and yet she was reluctant to step away. 

She looked back into Sunset’s eyes, not sure what she wanted to find there but searching anyway. She still wanted to kiss her, more than she ever had. Doing so would either make or break her next decision. 

“What is it?” Sunset asked, noticing the internal struggle playing out on Twilight’s face.

“I….” She trailed off.

Do it, you coward. 

“I really want to kiss you.” She muttered, her cheeks instantly flushing at the admission.

Sunset’s lips curled up in a smirk, and Twilight didn’t think she had ever seen anything sexier. Turquoise eyes trailed her face, lingering at the blush threatening to fog up her glasses, before dropping down to her mouth, and finally back up to her own eyes.

“What’s stopping you?”

That was the question, wasn’t it. Twilight could probably name a number of things stopping her, but in the moment, none of them seemed all that severe. Those earlier thoughts of self-preservation had disappeared into thin air when Sunset looked at her like that. Sucking in a shaky breath, nearly choking on her spit again, Twilight leaned closer to breathe one word.

“Nothing.”

With that, she closed the distance before the logical part of her brain could take over again. In her eagerness she nearly fell into Sunset, who caught her round the waist and pulled her in close. She was pleasantly surprised; that briefest of touches yesterday had nothing on the true touch of Sunset’s lips. She slipped her hands up the redhead’s cheeks, some newfound assertiveness allowing her to draw Sunset in deeper.

Is this heaven? Am I dead and this is what heaven is like? Because I’ll gladly stay here for all eternity.

Twilight was on cloud nine. Sure, she had kissed people before - if a nervous wreck of a kiss with Fluttershy during an out of control game of Truth or Dare sophomore year counted. She could still hear Rarity’s maniacal laughter. She worried that maybe Sunset thought her kissing technique wasn’t up to par, but when time had passed and the other girl hadn’t pulled away, Twilight relaxed a little.

But when Sunset’s tongue prodded against her lip, Twilight broke the kiss, far too nervous to even go down that road. She couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t accidentally bite her tongue off from nerves. She giggled smally, breathing harder than she probably should from such a short kiss.

“S-sorry. I just….”

“Ah, you want to take things slow?” Sunset questioned, an eyebrow cocked and a teasing tone to her words.

“Um, yeah,” Twilight blushed, nervously adjusting her glasses. “I mean, unless that’s not okay. Because a part of me really wants to go fast but then again I don’t know how you feel and I wouldn’t want to -“

“You’re rambling, Sparkle.”

“Oh. Right. I am.”

A beat of silence fell over them as they reveled in each other’s proximity. But then Twilight was surging forth again to all but crash their lips together, kissing Sunset more fiercely than she thought herself capable of. But Sunset didn’t complain, and Twilight could feel her lips curve up in a smile against the kiss. Then Twilight was pulling back again quickly; she was having quite a time fighting off her damn nerves. 

Sunset watched her, clearly amused, but ready to receive however many kisses Twilight was willing to lay on her. 

“You good?” She asked, laughter evident in her voice.

“Yes. Better than ever.” 

Another moment of silence as Twilight swooned. With another jolt, she remembered what she was doing here, that she needed to get home. She reluctantly pulled Sunset’s arms from around her waist and backed up a step.

“I have to go. My parents are probably waiting for me.” 

Another step back.

“But I’ll text you! Or you text me. Whatever works.”

Another step back. A hand reaching up to twirl her hair.

“Okay! Goodnight!”

A turn on her heel. A handful of steps away from Sunset. Then an overwhelming urge to turn around and race back into the redhead’s arms to place one last lingering kiss against her irresistable lips. Sunset snickered quietly and pulled back to tap Twilight’s nose.

“Goodnight, Twilight.” And though her voice was light and almost goading, Twilight heard the finality behind it.

Disentangling herself once more, she quickly made her way down the sidewalk to her house. Of course, she cast one last glance over her shoulder to find Sunset still watching her, arms folded and leaning against her bike in such a way that made Twilight’s stomach dance with butterflies. When Sunset swiped her tongue slowly over her lips, Twilight felt her cheeks heat up and her insides churn with more than just butterflies. To know that Sunset wanted to savor the taste of her was mortifying, but a major turn-on at the same time. She had to look away before she couldn’t stop herself from returning for more. 

Saying goodbye to Sunset was now out of the question. She was in it for the long run, no matter what she stood to lose.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight decided to rein herself back in for the rest of the school week. Her perfect attendance record - which she had proudly held since the first day of freshman year - was now broken, and the last thing she wanted was Principal Celestia contacting her parents to question them about her absences. Absences that, in turn, her parents would question her about. She would prefer not to admit that she had been hanging out with a high school dropout who rode a motorcycle with no helmets and encouraged her to skip school. No doubt they would ask what this “hanging out” consisted of, and Twilight was less than stellar at lying under pressure. 

She just wasn’t ready to come out to her parents yet. She didn’t doubt that they would wholly accept her and not make a big deal out of it, but she felt it wasn’t the right time. She would get around to it. Eventually. Someday.

The situation with her friends was still awkward. That was really the only word Twilight could use. She knew that they knew - they had to. Yet no one said a word from either side. Twilight wasn’t exactly content to keep it that way, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject without pissing someone off, somehow. So for the rest of the week, they all continued to tiptoe around each other, attempting to make things as normal as possible. Though Twilight knew they were far from normal. Why couldn’t she just muster up the courage to talk to them? They were her friends, after all. They would understand. Friends were supposed to understand!

But what could she say? 

Oh, by the way, I’ve been seeing that girl that you warned me to stay away from because I didn’t believe a word you said about her. I’m too selfish to heed the advice you gave me, even though you did it because you care about me and my wellbeing. I’m paying you back by sneaking around and hiding things from you. Sor-ry!

That would be utterly ridiculous. A part of her wished someone else would initiate the conversation so she could just get it over with. She knew the longer this went on, the harder that conversation and the repercussions would be. She was on a road to self-sabotage, but she didn’t seem to be in control of the wheel.

As Saturday evening came around, Twilight was lounging on her bed, rifling through the schoolwork that she had missed, when a text came through.

[Rarity 6:20pm] Twi I know things are weird right now but please come hang out with us tonight? We’re ordering sushi!! :D

Twilight smiled wistfully. Usually she would reply with an instant agreement, but now she wasn’t sure if she should; she felt too ashamed. Perhaps this was an opportunity presenting itself for her to come clean to her friends. 

Well… YOLO. Or whatever.

As she began typing out a reply, considering every word probably much too hard, her phone buzzed again and she nearly dropped it onto her face. She was expecting a follow-up text from Rarity. 

[Sunset 6:23pm] Hey cutie

[Sunset 6:23pm] Tell me you aren’t busy so I can take you out.

The nerd halted her reply to Rarity mid-word as a delighted gasp escaped her. It had been a day since she had seen Sunset. Immediately, she blushed. Was she really so obsessed that she thought one twenty-four hour period was a long time to be away from the redhead?

I’m no better than a character in those gaudy romance novels Fluttershy likes.

Almost as if she had been possessed, Twilight’s thumbs were already flying across her phone, typing out the fastest reply she could manage. She barely stopped herself before hitting the send button. 

She had already made plans with Rarity and the others. 

But no, she actually hadn’t. She had yet to finish that message. So in actuality, she wasn’t busy. And her homework was not imperative, it could wait another day. 

She chewed her lip, tearing at a piece of chapped skin with her teeth, the sharp pain grounding her for a moment. Right then she knew she was a bad friend, because deciding between these two options shouldn’t even be happening.

But her fling with Sunset was this new, exhilarating experience that she didn’t know how long would last.

But Rarity was her best friend in the whole world who she didn’t want to hurt.

But Sunset was someone she didn’t want to hurt either.

But Rarity would never do this to her if the situation was reversed.

But. 

But. 

But.

Twilight hurriedly sent off her messages before her mind could change course again, the first to Sunset.

[Twilight 6:29pm] I’m not busy. Where are we going?

And the second to Rarity.

[Twilight 6:29pm] Sorry I’ve got a lot to catch up on tonight. You girls have fun without me!

Sunset’s near instantaneous reply filled Twilight with nervous energy and kept her from falling into a pit of guilt.

[Sunset 6:30pm] Be there in 15. Be ready to party ;)

Hopefully her friends would forgive her.


~……~


Half way through her descent of the staircase, Twilight caught sight of the living room and its single occupant and came crashing back down to reality. Her father was home for the night, as he usually was on Saturdays. Her mother may be home as well, or was tonight that event she was attending with her colleagues? Twilight couldn’t remember, as her mind had been too preoccupied with… other things. 

Night Light sat on the sofa, studying a few papers. Typical of him to bring his work home with him, though Twilight didn’t have much room to talk. As she tiptoed into the room, rubbing her hands together uneasily, she wondered what she could say. 

Night Light looked up when he noticed her presence and smiled. “Hey there. Oh! You look nice. Are you going somewhere?”

Twilight felt her cheeks heat up. Perhaps she had overdone it if even her father noticed. She was finally finding the courage to wear a dress that Rarity had pressured her (with the best intentions) into buying - a dark navy and white number with a high low hem that managed to just push her out of her comfort zone. The high part of the hem went above the knee, which was part of the reason Rarity had been so persistent on this one. She always said Twilight had great legs, much to the nerd’s embarrassment. 

“Um, yes,” Twilight started, fiddling with her glasses. “Rarity invited me out and I thought I’d go. If that’s alright, of course.”

Even though Twilight was newly eighteen and considered an adult from a legal standpoint, she still lived under her parents’ roof and respected their authority.

Apparently you don’t respect him enough to not lie to him.

If her father wasn’t comfortable with her going out tonight, then she would stay home and face the disappointment. If Night Light knew the truth, who she was really going out with, he wouldn’t hesitate in putting his foot down. But her parents knew Rarity - loved Rarity, trusted Rarity - and wouldn’t bat an eye.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Be back by two, unless you’re staying over. Fair?”

“Fair.”

Twilight had trouble meeting her father’s eyes, but he had already gone back to perusing his papers. She was aware of the influence Sunset was having on her.

Sunset isn’t to blame. I’m perfectly in control of myself. She isn’t holding me at gunpoint, forcing me to lie like this.

Shaking her head to dismiss those thoughts, Twilight checked the time and found that it was ten minutes past the time Sunset had said to be ready. Worry began to worm its way into the nerdy girl’s mind. Perhaps this meant that Sunset wasn’t coming? Was this part of a cruel joke? Was Adagio right, was Sunset already bored? Was it because she hadn’t -

A sharp buzz from her phone startled her.

[Sunset 6:58pm] Finally here. Flash wouldn’t get his ass in gear.

With that, Twilight’s worry settled back into a far corner of her mind. She spared a quick glance at her father, who was still engrossed in his work. Hopefully he would stay that way until she was gone. If he were to look out the window and see the unfamiliar car - or, God forbid, a motorcycle - the jig would be up. 

“Bye, Dad!”

“Mm-hmm. Sounds good.” He murmured.

Twilight sighed. He was wholly concentrated on those papers. At least she knew she wasn’t adopted. Her studious nature had very obviously come from her father. 

As she stepped out onto the front porch, squinting against the last rays of the sun, she found Flash’s Camaro pulled up alongside the curb. She fought down the little wave of dislike that reared its head as she caught sight of the boy in the passenger seat. Flash was Sunset’s best friend, and despite his horrible blunder, the least she could do was be friendly with him.

Would she do the same for your best friend? Twilight grimaced. Shut up already!

Twilight’s self-consciousness flared as she neared the car. She was too overdressed, she knew it. She should have just wore what she had been wearing all day, she didn’t need to change, especially not into this dress. They hadn’t seen her yet, maybe she still had time to turn around and run upstairs quickly -

But then Flash was turning his head and looking right at her, blinking several times in surprise. His jaw dropped, and Twilight bit her lip, coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the sidewalk. She didn’t much care for Flash’s opinion about her, but was gawking like that a good sign? The boy reached back blindly to slap his hand along Sunset’s arm and shoulder, and also her face accidentally. The redhead snatched his wrist with an annoyed scowl before looking out the window at what had grabbed his attention.

Sunset’s gawking was definitely a good sign. Granted, she didn’t gape as stupidly as Flash, but the widening of her eyes and parting of her lips had Twilight’s self-consciousness receding back to acceptable limits. She looked okay then. The dress was worth it, if it meant Sunset would continue to look at her like that. 

“Sexy!” Flash called, only to be immediately whacked upside the head by Sunset.

Twilight hugged her arms to herself and shuffled her feet. Sunset sprang from the car and hurried to her, an annoyed dip to her brow. Taking Twilight round the waist, she pulled her into a gentle embrace, and Twilight instantly relaxed.

“Ignore him.” Sunset whispered. 

The redhead pulled back and let her eyes roam the other girl’s form appreciatively. Twilight giggled stupidly, twirling a lock of hair around her fingers. She couldn’t keep the bashful smile from overtaking her lips.

“This is… you look fucking amazing. Flash is right, but don’t tell him I said so.”

Turning back, Sunset offered her arm which Twilight easily took. Flash was still eyeing her as they approached the car, until Sunset shot him a glare. He blinked several more times and snapped his mouth shut with a wet smack. If he had been drooling, Twilight would be mortified beyond words.

“Backseat, dude.” Sunset said.

Flash frowned. “But this is my car.”

“I’m not making her sit in the back with Trixie,” She turned. “We’re picking up Trixie, by the way. If that’s cool.”

Twilight was surprised. She had no problem with Sunset picking up another of her friends, but she wondered what would happen if she were to say no. It was an interesting potential experiment, but she would save it for another time.

“Of course. You’re friends, after all.”

Flash, with an overly dramatic sigh, extracted himself from the front seat to the back, where he crossed his arms in, what Twilight thought, was a mock-pout. 

When everyone was settled and they were pulling out onto the street, Sunset kept shooting Twilight furtive looks, making her blush even harder and want to squirm in her seat. When Sunset reached over and rested a hand on her bare knee, Twilight felt an electrical pulse rush through her body. 

Over the past couple of days, Twilight had come to a realization about herself. When she was around Sunset, her brain seemed to split into two very different things that constantly warred with one another. She had categorized them, as she did. The logical part, which she had dubbed Sane Brain, fought tooth and nail to keep her grounded and sensible. It was the owner of the tough love voice in her mind that she often dismissed, even though she knew it to be right. Sane Brain drove her mad, but she knew heeding it would keep her head above water. 

The other part was much easier to give in to and much harder to fight off. This was the impulsive, base part of her, the vile, primal part that she hadn’t even known existed before meeting Sunset. This was the beast known as Horny Brain. And Horny Brain was trying to take the reins now, with Sunset’s warm hand settled on her knee, fingers absently tapping against her skin. Twilight pulled in a shaky breath between her teeth, hoping the radio was loud enough that no one would hear it. She was so intently focused on the feel of Sunset’s hand that she hadn’t noticed they had come to a stop in front of another house. 

Twilight blinked, the rest of the world coming back into focus. Sunset was shaking her head as she looked out the driver’s side window.

“Oh my God.” Flash mumbled from the back seat. 

Twilight wasn’t sure what had them so flummoxed until the rear door flew open and an alarming amount of cleavage and thigh entered the backseat. Twilight attempted to keep her eyes on the newcomer’s face, which proved difficult, as Horny Brain was still at the helm.

“What’s up, bitches? Trixie has arrived!”

The car stayed silent as Trixie settled into her seat. After a moment, she noticed everyone’s eyes were still on her and she shook her head with a scowl.

“What?” She asked, growing defensive.

“What’s with the leather? Did your BDSM order arrive?” Flash asked.

Trixie swatted the blue-haired boy on his shoulder. “Don’t you try to slut shame me, Flash Sentry. It’s a bathing suit.”

That did little to clear things up. Flash and Sunset still stared at their friend skeptically. 

“Hello, I’m hanging by the pool all night. I want to draw in some Crystal Prep hotties. They won’t be able to resist me.”

Sunset smirked. “Sure, until you open your mouth.”

Trixie scoffed as her other friends laughed. Twilight did as well, a small subdued laugh escaping her lips. It still managed to draw Trixie’s attention. 

“Hey, don’t I know you?”

The nerdy girl didn’t have time to reply before Trixie was nodding her head and pointing at her, recognition crossing her features.

“That’s right, you’re Starlight Glimmer’s friend. Funny,” Trixie’s eyes darted doubtfully between Twilight and Sunset. “I didn’t peg you as the type to hang around with a loser like Sunset.”

The redhead rolled her eyes and turned back forward in order to put the car in drive.

“Really, Trixie? But you’re so good at pegging people.”

The magician looked indignant for a moment before a mischievous smile slipped across her face. 

“Maybe. Just ask Flash.”

Flash spluttered, his face turning red. “Uh, no! Hell no! Don’t even joke like that or she’ll think you’re serious.”

The girls shared a laugh at Flash’s expense, even Twilight. She was glad to see that these three ragged on each other much like her own friends, though admittedly in much more vulgar terms. She began to relax as the others continued to poke fun at each other. She was definitely growing to like Sunset’s friends, even Flash.

Without her notice, Sunset’s hand had slipped higher up her leg, leaving her knee and beginning to encroach on dangerous territory - that is, the hemline of her dress. Twilight didn’t stop her, even as her hand slipped under the fabric an inch or two. This was the sort of thing her parents had warned her about boys trying to do and how she should not give in and be strong enough to resist the temptation. Of course, she had only been thirteen or fourteen during that awkward talk, and it hadn’t involved the possibility of a beautiful girl reaching under her skirt. If only her parents could see her now.

You’re so easy. What next, spreading your legs for her? There was Sane Brain, fighting back with a guilt trip.

She was suddenly finding it hard to breathe and swallow normally. Sunset’s fingers tickled her skin high up on her thigh, making her head swim. She couldn’t look in the redhead’s direction, or get out a word, or really move at all. She was paralyzed, not in fear but in anxious eagerness. She tried to focus on the conversation happening in the backseat.

“I’m up to three thousand views, not to brag or anything. Trixie is graciously humble, you know.” Trixie was saying.

“Is it the disappearing carrot trick? That one really disturbs me.”

But Twilight wasn’t really hearing the words. Her pulse pounded loudly in her ears as her blood rushed to her head… and other parts. Sunset’s hand felt almost unbearably hot as it slid tantalizingly slowly along her skin. Twilight wasn’t sure if the girl would try anything totally indecent with her friends in the car, but at the moment she wasn’t even bothered by the idea, which scared her. But the fear was beaten back quickly to be replaced by head-spinning delirium when Sunset’s finger brushed the apex of her thigh and a horrendously embarassing noise escaped her. She immediately slapped her hands to her mouth, almost knocking her glasses off her face. The car grew deathly silent for a moment. 

“Oh my God, Sunset!” Trixie snapped. “I really don’t want to see the passenger princess get finger-fucked while I am right here. Not again.”

“Yeah, please don’t ruin the leather.” Flash added, a hint of laughter behind his words.

Sunset pulled back to Twilight’s knee and shot her a wicked smile that had the nerd’s heart racing all over again. She placed her own hand on top of Sunset’s, telling herself it was to keep it safely settled on her knee. Horny Brain immediately kicked back with indecent thoughts of guiding that hand right back to where it had been. She rolled her eyes; she wouldn’t have the courage to do that even if she wanted to.

“Check it out. These kids are even richer than me.” Flash said, leaning between the front seats to point out the windshield.

They were entering one of the most - if not the most - affluent neighborhoods in Canterlot City. Twilight recognized it because she had been through it before, many times. Crystal Prep Academy was several blocks down to the right. Her brother had attended, and Twilight nearly had too, but ultimately she chose Canterlot High instead. She hadn’t wanted to start over socially, attempting to make new friends and find her place. Her mother had been disappointed. After all, Crystal Prep was an exemplary school that would get her far very quickly due to her academic aptitude. Her mother couldn’t understand why she would choose friendships that might not last over an education that would last all of her life. 

But Twilight wasn’t worried about her future. She had been scouted by universities since sophomore year. Though statistically speaking, she knew schools only scouted above average students for their own gain, in order to raise their likely-to-be-successful student body percentage, and Twilight on her own would make no substantial difference -

She stopped thinking along those lines. The point was that she wasn’t worried for her educational future as much as her mother was. Besides, if she had attended Crystal Prep, it was inevitable that students would have found out about her relationship with the principal, Cadance, who had been Shining Armor’s on-again, off-again girlfriend all throughout high school (they were currently on-again and it seemed longterm because she was his corndog soulmate after all). Surely people would have found that to be an unfair advantage, which was humorous coming from the type of people who attended CPA. Everyone had an unfair advantage of some caliber. 

“Look at Sunny Flare still wearing her school uniform,” Trixie snickered. “She looks stupid.”

“As opposed to your outfit?” Sunset said under her breath.

So it was another house party. Twilight tried not to look unhappy as they approached a cul-de-sac filled with people and parked cars. From the looks of it, two side-by-side houses were both hosting one party. She couldn’t believe that the other neighbors weren’t complaining, especially in this neighborhood. The hosts must be exceptionally bougie.

“Oh no!” Flash exclaimed suddenly, startling Twilight because he was still leaning between the seats.

Sunset flashed him an annoyed frown as she pulled into an empty spot along the curb. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled at the fabric of her jacket frantically. 

“Dude, what?” She asked, roughly shrugging him off, only for him to come right back.

“It’s Diamond Tiara! She bullied me at the mall today.”

He pointed out a small girl in a sparkly gold jacket. Twilight recognized her by the jacket alone, since Rarity had commented on it before. It was apparently a very expensive article of clothing. Diamond Tiara was a freshman at CHS, despite being the daughter of a well-known business magnate. 

Sunset turned in her seat to look at the boy in total bewilderment, and Twilight caught sight of Trixie doing the same. 

“That girl looks like she’s fourteen.” 

“So? She’s vicious.” 

Trixie burst out in unbridled laughter and Sunset quickly joined her. Flash pouted angrily, looking to Twilight for help. She could only smile at him pityingly.

“I think me and her would get along,” Trixie said, still giggling as she opened the door to step out. “I might introduce myself.”

“Really? No one is going to help me?”

They all filed out of the car, leaving Flash to linger in the backseat.

“Bulk Biceps is literally right there.” Sunset called back.

The muscular blonde boy that Twilight recognized from the Apples’ party was doing pushups on the grass while two pretty girls sat on his back giggling. Flash perked up at the sight. 

“Bulk is soft,” Sunset whispered as she wrapped an arm around Twilight’s shoulders to pull her close. “He’ll get bullied right along with Flash.”

Twilight thought that was rather mean of Sunset, but then again, if those two nearly grown men allowed themselves to be hurt by a fourteen-year-old, she wasn’t sure if there was any help for them. 

Oh please. Rarity has told me how awful Diamond has been to Sweetie Belle. I wouldn’t be able to take it either.

“Now you’ve done it. Flash will be hanging with that guy all night. Watch him push those fangirls out of the way.” Trixie quickened her pace to walk along the other side of Sunset.

Twilight briefly imagined the blue-haired boy sending the girls flying and climbing onto Bulk’s back instead, and laughed quietly to herself. Sunset heard it and tossed her a wink, turning her light laughter into a pathetically girlish giggle, which then turned into a squeal of delight when Sunset swooped in to nuzzle her cheek. Trixie scoffed in a loud, over-exaggerated manner. 

“Alright, I’m off to the pool before you guys get so flirty I gag. Au revoir!” Trixie waggled her fingers in a wave before hurrying off in what Twilight assumed was the direction of the pool. 

“I would never get so flirty.” Sunset mumbled. “It would tarnish my reputation as a badass.”

Twilight snorted despite herself. She wasn’t sure if that claim held up under scrutiny - after all, Sunset had done nothing but flirt since they had first met. The redhead narrowed her eyes in mock-challenge.

“Okay, enough out of you.”

She steered them towards the porch steps and the party waiting within the house. Twilight wasn’t really looking forward to this, it had been established already that unruly house parties were not her scene and that hadn’t changed in the last week, but being with Sunset might make things more bearable. It was the hypothesis she would be testing, anyhow. Already more people were looking her way than was normal, but she attributed that to being in the company of Sunset. They wouldn’t be looking otherwise.

Twilight frowned. 

Then she looked again at the people glancing her way, seeing that some were giving her double and even triple looks. It was just because they couldn’t believe someone like Twilight was on the arm of someone like Sunset, right? Even though on the outside their faces seemed appreciative, deep down they were really scoffing in disbelief, weren’t they? What was she even doing here - who was she kidding, why and how had she ever believed Sunset Shimmer liked her? Adagio was right, Sunset felt bad for her and was sympathetic enough to take pity on her. She knew this already, but still she held on to a tiny sliver of hope.

Turn around, get out of here right now -

“Wow babe, looking good!” 

Twilight came back to herself at the sudden voice. A girl she didn’t recognize was smiling brightly at her from her place between two others on the porch. The nerd blinked in surprise; the smile pointed her way seemed entirely genuine.

“Oh, um, thank you.” She offered awkwardly.

The girl laughed and nodded, and her friends flashed friendly smiles as well. Sunset’s arm tightened around her shoulders as she pulled her closer.

“Glad I’m with the hottest girl at the party.” 

Twilight blushed as she slipped her own arm around the other girl’s waist. 

“I-I wouldn’t say hottest.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I would.”

Twilight was sure that was just a biased opinion. But then she saw the compliment girl nodding along in agreement and shooting her a wink. She blushed even harder and hurried along. Could Rarity actually be right? She always said something as simple as an outfit change could be the turning point in a person’s social life. Twilight thought that sounded absolutely ridiculous but she was beginning to see that her friend may have a point. She made a mental note to do a bit more research on the subject. 

For now, she took a breath as she stepped through the door and the booming beat of the music made her flinch. It was already congested with people and they were only in the foyer. She and Sunset had to release each other in favor of linking hands. Twilight was appreciative when the redhead’s fingers threaded with hers and gripped down tightly. 

At least she would be in her preferred company as she descended into this unlawful pit of teenage debauchery.

Good Lord, the unruliness!