And They Were Sharing A Bed
It was always so confusing.
That’s really what Sunset Shimmer had gathered from this world in all her years of living there. It was confusing. All the new rules, the customs, the… the everything.
But the most confusing thing? Meeting Twilight Sparkle.
No, not the Twilight Sparkle that saved her from the horrifying winged she-demon she became at the Fall Formal. The Twilight Sparkle that Sunset herself saved from a similar demise. But even at her worst, Sunset had to admit that the glasses-wearing Twilight was just… beautiful.
It’s not that she thought she couldn’t like her. In fact, everyone she knew who was in a similar situation was always very open about it. Her schoolmates Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon came to mind. They never said anything, but they also never hid their special bond with each other. Everyone knew, and nobody really seemed to care.
But when Sunset started imagining her and Twilight together? That was weird. They were friends! Best friends! Friends who saved the world from evil magic creatures and who danced together and teased each other and…
“Oh boy,” Sunset muttered out loud. She looked to her right. Sleeping next to her was the aforementioned lavender-skinned girl. Sunset bit her lip and realized the predicament she was in. “Oh Celestia, of course this would happen to me.”
She must have been too loud, for Twilight woke up and rubbed her eyes. It had been long enough since they had acquired the geodes that it was second nature for Twilight to use her magic to lift her glasses to her face instead of reaching for them with her hand. She didn’t turn the light on, though. Sunset thought it was for the best; the other girls were still sleeping in various spots around the room, and Sunset thought she might die if she actually saw Twilight’s face.
“Sunset…? What’s wrong?” Twilight mumbled, her words trailing off into a yawn.
Sunset sat up, not wanting to actively lay down anymore. She leaned against the bed frame, Twilight copying her. As Sunset’s eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see Twilight’s groggy expression and couldn’t help but smile. “Well...” Sunset bit her lip. She wasn’t even thinking about what she was saying as nervous hands grabbed at the blanket on top of her legs. “I… I think I’m bi.”
Twilight was silent for a moment. Sunset wasn’t worried about her reaction; she knew some of their own friends weren’t straight, and Twilight herself had mentioned being unsure once. She was just… really sleepy, Sunset assumed. Finally, the words seemed to process in Twilight’s head as she reached her hand to push her glasses up even though they weren’t slipping. “Oh, really?”
Sunset nodded and sighed in relief. Saying it out loud definitely helped her be more sure of herself, especially now that she realized what exactly she might have been feeling for her closest friend. Her lips curled up into a pleased smile as she closed her eyes. “Yeah, really. I couldn’t sleep… so I got to thinking.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to that conclusion?”
Now, Sunset was always very open with Twilight. But this? How would she explain this? She chuckled nervously, making sure to keep her voice at a whisper so as to not wake anyone else up. “You see, the thing is…”
Sunset shook her head and placed the palm of her hand against her forehead. She squinted tightly until her eyes fully closed and balled her fist to match. Was it a big deal? It definitely wasn't not a big deal. How would Twilight take it? She was always so analytical. Would she think it was weird? They were friends. Just friends. "I… I don't know, Twi."
Sunset didn't open her eyes, but she could feel Twilight shuffle next to her. "You don't know?" Twilight whispered. The confusion was evident in her voice.
"No, it’s just—I… I don't know how to tell you," Sunset muttered. She kept her eyes closed for another moment, but when Twilight didn't reply, she opened them. The room was still dark, but she could tell that Twilight was looking at her by the way the moonlight from between the blinds reflected off the frame of her glasses. Sunset's breath caught in her throat. "Twilight?"
Twilight adjusted her glasses again. "What do you mean you don't know how to tell me?" Her question hung in the air for a heartbeat. "There must be a reason you think that you're bisexual," she prompted quietly. From another corner of the room, Rainbow Dash let out a snore.
Sunset cringed. Twilight sounded so… matter-of-fact. And the worst part? She had a point. She did have a reason. But how could Sunset ever tell Twilight that she was that reason? She certainly couldn't do it in her room. Twilight was prone to freaking out when trying to process information that involved her, and Sunset didn't want her friend to wake anyone up.
She looked down at the blanket that she had started gripping again. It was covered in stars and judging by the fact that Sunset could recognize a few constellations, she figured that it must be covered in more like them. She's such a nerd, Sunset thought warmly.
And she deserves to know.
"Can… we go outside?" Sunset asked with a sheepish smile. "It's… kind of warm in here, and I don't want to wake anyone up."
Twilight cocked her head but nodded regardless. "Yeah, sure. Although, it's always a little colder here at night." She looked down at the blanket that haphazardly covered both of them. "Do you want me to bring this blanket?"
Sunset exhaled softly. "Sure. You're right, it might be chilly outside." She lifted the blanket off of herself and helped Twilight fold it into a tight square.
Twilight took the blanket and carried it in her arms as she shuffled off the side of the bed. Sunset followed, making sure to not bump her feet into anyone as she and Twilight headed out her bedroom door. The way down the stairs was surprisingly quiet, although Sunset remembered Twilight saying that this was a newer house at some point, which would explain that.
At the back doorway, both girls slipped on their shoes. Had it been daytime, Sunset might have felt a bit strange heading into Twilight's backyard in nothing but her pajamas and sneakers, but they were under the cover of darkness and the only thing Sunset could feel strange about was Twilight herself.
As she laced on her sneakers, Sunset thought about what she was going to say. Maybe she should be direct. But then, if Twilight takes it poorly, there's no time to adjust. Sunset frowned and pulled on the laces roughly. She'd have to ease into it and watch Twilight's reaction carefully. Sunset stood and noticed Twilight, who simply wore a pair of lavender bunny slippers that Sunset didn't even know her bespectacled friend owned. Cute.
"Should we go outside?" Twilight asked, resting her empty hand on the doorknob. She spoke a little louder now that they were alone on the ground floor, but still kept quieter than usual. She seemed afraid to get caught, her eyes darting from side to side. Although, Sunset knew her parents wouldn't be mad. They weren't even home.
Sunset grinned at Twilight. She was just… adorable. "Yup, let's uh… let's go outside." She pointed awkwardly to the door and snapped her fingers into a finger gun, then blinked and put her hands back down at her side. Twilight just giggled and opened the door.
It was a little bit nippy, but Sunset desperately needed the wake-up call. The slight breeze made the skin on her bare legs erupt with goosebumps, and Sunset wished she hadn't brought shorts. Twilight went ahead to the edge of the deck.
Sunset glanced at Twilight. The lavender-skinned girl leaned on the wooden banister, keeping the blanket folded and tucked neatly under her forearms. She stared straight ahead, although Sunset knew she was curious but too anxious to say anything. She could tell from that gleam in her eye. The way she looked distant, almost zoned out.
"There's… this girl," Sunset finally murmured, breaking the moments-long silence. Sunset fell into place next to Twilight, leaning on the banister too. She held her gaze on her friend before averting it to the fence in the far back reach of Twilight's yard. On it grew a jasmine vine, just starting to bloom its white flowers. She didn't know much about plants, but jasmine was always her favourite.
Twilight shifted her weight slightly. "Yes?"
Sunset bit her lip. Twilight had given her no indication, which was a good thing, but also maybe a bad thing. She was always good at reading people, but Twilight was special. Sunset curled her fingers between each other and tapped them absent-mindedly. "She's… she's really great. She makes me really happy without even trying and I just… I feel like I matter when I'm around her.
"I… I really care about her and being around her makes me gleeful, I guess." Sunset chuckled a bit and looked down at her hands. "Look, you know I like guys. That’s pretty obvious, I mean I dated Flash… twice. But this girl? I think I like her. I mean… really like her. More than I’ve ever liked a boy, even."
Twilight cracked her knuckles. It was a nervous habit she had probably picked up from Sunset herself. "Well, if you think you like her, then you probably do. Although, maybe I can help you figure it out for certain," she offered. Twilight raised a hand and rested it on one of the hinges of her glasses and pushed them up. She turned to look at Sunset with a giggle. "There's no definitive checklist to know if you really do like someone, though. Trust me, I've looked."
Sunset turned to Twilight and smiled. "Well, sure. You're the smartest person I know, after all. What do you propose?"
It's not that she needed the help. She knew she liked Twilight. She was more certain of it the more time that she spent with her, but she thought she might as well humour her. Besides, Twilight always looked so cute when she got into her science-y mode.
Twilight looked down at her blanket and hummed. "Okay, well, you told me what she makes you feel. What do you like about her?"
Sunset crossed her arms and leaned on the banister with her hip. She glanced at the blanket, then at Twilight. Sunset exhaled softly. Her skin began to grow a little colder. "Well, she's… she's really pretty, first of all."
Twilight nodded slightly. Sunset could tell she was chewing on the inside of her lip, probably making a mental note of what Sunset was saying.
"I mean, she... she reminds me of the sky.," Sunset started. "She reminds me of those very first moments when the sun begins to rise. Those purples and blues and—" Sunset stammered a bit "—um, the way I know she's going to brighten my day. L-like a sunrise.
"She's also… really smart. I like that about her. She takes passion in anything that she pursues," she explained. Sunset glanced at Twilight who nodded absently again.
Twilight tapped her finger against her chin and hummed in thought. After a moment she dropped her arm to her side. "You talk about her like a friend. If she's already one of your friends, then you might be able to talk about it with her," Twilight pointed out. "After all, it kind of seems like you do like her. Do you talk that way about your other friends?"
Sunset blushed a little and reached up to play with a lock of hair. "No, but—"
"Then I can say with about ninety-five percent certainty that you probably like this girl," Twilight stated. "At least, from what you just told me. I might not have been able to find a list detailing everything about liking someone, but the common factors I found during my research and the things you explained seem to correlate with each other.
"It may not be a big help, since it is just a hypothesis on my end, but I'm usually right when there's logic to be applied, and while emotions have many human variables that you can't account for, you can take still take raw data from that to come to a logical conclusion with a pretty good amount of certainty."
Sunset stared at Twilight.
Twilight blushed and twirled her finger in her hair. Her demeanour changed entirely, going from almost professional to entirely nervous. Her cheeks darkened and she laughed awkwardly. "Um, but I might be wrong… Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on like that."
Sunset blinked and shook her head slowly with a smile. "It's okay, Twilight. I think it's… uh… really c-cool when you get all caught up in the science of things," Sunset reassured her.
Twilight nodded meekly but still seemed to grow smaller as she rubbed her arm. Sunset noticed that Twilight was starting to shiver, so she stepped a little closer to her. "Hey, you look cold. How about you use the blanket we brought? Or we can go inside, if you prefer," Sunset offered.
Twilight placed a hand back on the blanket and unfolded it carefully. "I think I'd rather be out here for a little bit," Twilight said as she held out the blanket. "Do you want some of the blanket? It's too big for just me."
That would be nice. Maybe Sunset could actually tell Twilight if she warmed up a bit. She flashed her a thumbs up. "Yeah, sure. I'm getting kinda cold, too."
Twilight offered one end of the blanket to Sunset. She took it and wrapped it around herself, but there was still a lot of uncovered space in front of them where the blanket didn't quite reach. If they got closer, then maybe…
No. Sunset still had to tell Twilight, and she didn't want to get closer to her until she did in case Twilight took it poorly. She glanced at Twilight, who was already looking at her. Sunset raised an eyebrow, wondering why Twilight was staring at her, but before she could say anything, Twilight spoke.
"Is it Rarity?"
Rarity. Sunset had to take a moment to think about the implications of that. Sure, Rarity was really nice, and a great friend, but Sunset didn't like her like that. She was pretty sure she and Applejack had a whole… weird thing going on, anyway. Sunset shook her head with an amused laugh. "No, it isn't Rarity."
Twilight frowned and looked up at the sky. There was too much light pollution to see very many stars, but there were still a few. "Not Rarity?" she mumbled to herself.
As always, Twilight tried to be analytical. Why couldn't she ever bring herself in as a factor? Sunset looked back at the jasmine vine and rested her chin on the palm of her hand.
She always liked coming to Twilight's house, especially when the jasmine vine was in full bloom. Sunset thought it was really pretty. They actually had a photo shoot in front of the tree once as a friend group. It was the screensaver on Sunset's phone but if she was being honest, she mostly wanted it for Twilight.
Sunset sighed and looked back down at her hands. She was fiddling with her fingers again. "Twilight, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak out."
Twilight turned to look at Sunset, who returned the favour. Twilight cocked her head a bit. "Well, you know I can't promise that, but I can try."
Sunset pursed her lips. She had to do it now, there was no turning back. "Good enough," she mumbled. Sunset took a deep breath to steady herself. She wasn't counting on it being so hard to say, but she almost wanted to just run away. Twilight kept her grounded though, so she exhaled softly. "Well, that girl I like? It's… It's you, Twi."
Sunset opened one eye, then the other. Twilight seemed to be staring right at her, toying with the geode around her neck. She didn't usually wear it as a necklace during the day, but she did at night, like the rest of them. Sunset cringed and turned back towards the tree, shuffling just a bit farther away from Twilight.
"M-me?" Twilight finally asked. It was just one word, but her voice cracked as she practically yelled it. Sunset was glad they went outside.
Sunset nodded weakly. "Yeah," she confirmed.
"Oh."
"I know."
There was silence. The only noise was the faint wind and Twilight's nervous humming. Did she know she did that? Despite herself, Sunset managed a tiny smile. She didn't want to be outside anymore. Sunset unwrapped herself from the blanket and took another step away from Twilight, and another.
Before she could get too far, she felt Twilight grab her hand. Surprised, she stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her blushing friend.
"Please don't go," Twilight whispered. She pulled on Sunset's hand, effectively bringing her back. When Sunset didn't close the distance, Twilight brought it upon herself to do it. Magenta magic brought the blanket back over Sunset's shoulder. Twilight stayed quiet but didn't let go of Sunset's hand.
Sunset cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh, I—"
"It's your fault," Twilight interrupted.
Sunset turned to Twilight, who still didn't let her go. "What?"
Twilight giggled a little bit, but then went back to that nervous seriousness from before. "When I told you that time I wasn't sure if… if I was bisexual, it was b-because of you," Twilight explained. Before Sunset could say anything, she continued. "I'm pretty new to having friends, so I wasn't sure what I was feeling. And-and that whole thing with Timber made it more confusing.
"And even though I was confused, it-it always seemed so clear with you." Twilight's hold on Sunset's hand tightened a little bit. "But I still wasn't sure what that meant. Hearing you… um, describe that just now… I feel like I could relate. A-and when you said it was me, I was really happy. Uh, but a bit confused because… I…"
Twilight was growing increasingly anxious, judging by the amount of stuttering she was doing. She even cut herself off mid-sentence which was something Sunset knew she only did when she was really nervous. Sunset turned so they were both looking at each other. The blanket didn't fall but it finally covered them entirely.
"Hey," Sunset murmured. She brushed a stray lock of hair from Twilight's face. "Relax, I get what you're trying to say. Take a deep breath, you're getting yourself worked up," she instructed quietly. She rested her other hand on Twilight's shoulder as she did as she was told and rubbed up and down her arm in the way that Sunset knew Twilight liked.
Twilight steadied herself and exhaled slowly. "Thanks."
Sunset nodded, keeping her arm on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight brought her hand up to Sunset's and slid it down so she was holding that one too. The blanket fell to the floor, but it didn't matter. Sunset felt as warm as she would on a bright sunny day.
"Sunset?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I… try something?" Twilight looked at Sunset with an awkward smile. "I, um, I think I do like you, but according to my research, there is one way to know if you like someone with near-perfect accuracy."
Sunset's heart raced, but she tried to keep calm as Twilight took a step closer. "Uh, yeah. I'm always down to… help for science," she joked.
Twilight flashed a nervous smile before tugging on Sunset's arms a little bit, causing her to slouch down. Sunset knew this. She knew what was happening, so she closed her eyes and went with it.
If Sunset wasn't sure before, that kiss really solidified it for her. They both pulled away, each one sporting an intense blush. Sunset looked at Twilight, who bit her lip with a smile.
"So?" Sunset asked. "What are your findings from that experiment?"
Twilight pulled Sunset into a tight hug and wrapped her arms around her neck. Sunset could feel her heartbeat; it was going just as fast as her own. Sunset wrapped her arms under Twilight's and completed the hug, which got Twilight to squeak happily. They both shut their eyes, and Twilight hummed a bit.
"A hundred percent certainty now," Twilight stated as she tightened her hug. "I really do like Sunset Shimmer."