Shadowbolts Adventures: Desperate Hearts

by DragonShadow

Rating: teen
Tags: Equestria Girls, Comedy, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Shadowbolts (EqG)
Length: 5415

When Sunny Flare hears that Twilight Sparkle is lonely, she decides to find her somebody to love.

Ever since joining her friends, Sunny Flare has devoted herself to being there for them and helping them. So when she hears that Twilight is feeling lonely on those long, cold nights, she decides to help her find love... by taking her to a day spa that doubles as a dating service.

Rated T for mature subject matter.

Published 2015-11-16 22:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-16 22:20:01 UTC

01 - Dreaming a Little Dream

Chapter 1: Dreaming a Little Dream

The bus was strangely empty as Twilight Sparkle entered with her backpack clutched against her chest. It felt for a moment as if she was the only person in the world, before she noticed a friendly, welcome face sitting in his usual seat against the far side window. A wide smile spread across her lips as she made her way down the aisle to join Starswirl, sliding into the seat beside him. She let her backpack slide to the floor at her feet.

"Whew, you wouldn't believe the day I had," Twilight rubbed her forehead with one hand. "So many tests all in one day!"

Starswirl's eyes twinkled with a mixture of pride and mischief. "You passed all of them, I imagine."

Twilight couldn't help but grin as she adjusted her glasses on the edge of her nose. "Well, I gave it my best, and the teachers seemed pleased."

"That's my girl..." Starswirl lifted his hand to her shoulder, giving it a powerful squeeze. "You're just like me."

"Thank you..." Twilight stared up into his eyes deeply. "You're the only person who really understands me..."

"I do understand you, Twilight... people like us need to stick together." Starswirl's hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek, cupping it gently in his palm. "Nobody can really understand us the way we understand each other."

"Yes..." Twilight leaned slightly closer to him, feeling her cheeks flushing. "I know exactly what you mean..."

"Twilight..." His hand slid around her waist slowly, pulling her up from the seat to bring her closer to his chest. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he pulled her close, his eyes staring into hers with something new... a passion she had never seen in them before. "You are the most precious girl I've ever met in my life..."

"Staswirl..." Twilight cooed as she moved closer, her lips nearing his as his hand stroked down her back. "Yes... yes..."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes snapped open, staring at her ceiling sharply. She could feel her breath coming in deep gasps, while her mind whirled in shock and confusion. She had had erotic dreams before, of course. It was a natural part of growing up, after all... but having it about someone she knew in real life was a new experience for her. She wasn't able to wrap her head around it. Was she crushing on Starswirl? That was positively silly... he was over fifty years older than her. How could she even consider it?

She lay in the darkness and silence, letting her mind tug at the questions until morning came.

***

"Heave!" Indigo Zap's voice was cut off by the sound of five girls straining against the thick length of chain. It moved slowly with each massive grunt of collective effort, pulling back towards the street as the engine block lifted distressingly slowly from the driveway in front of them. Inch by inch, pull by pull it rose toward the winch connected to the heavy duty steel on wheels. "We're.... almost there! Just a little more!"

Sunny Flare felt like her arms were going to collapse from the strain, but finally Indigo Zap gripped the smaller line in her hand and tugged on it, a latch on top of the winch to lock it in place.

"There! that should be high enough!" Indigo grinned.

"Ugh!" The other four girls all collapsed to the pavement in unison, leaving the engine dangling from its perch beside the car.

"Why do engines have to be so big?" Lemon Zest ripped off her gloves. "My hands still hurt through the gloves."

"They have to pull an entire car, Lemon. You can't do that with a double-a." Indigo reached up to lift her safety goggles from her eyes, perching them on top of her head.

"Well I sure hope this is worth it, Indigo." Sugarcoat climbed back to her feet, adjusting her glasses which had fallen askew on collapse. "You've spent so much money on parts for this thing. It wouldn't cost much more to get a used car that already works."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have this baby in it." Indigo patted her brand new engine with an almost affectionate smile. "There's enough horsepower in here to put a magic pony princess to shame."

"Hardy-har..." Sour Sweet grumbled, flat on her back on the pavement with her chest heaving.

"Besides, this is a matter of pride, too. Dad gave me a challenge to get this thing running, and I'm gonna do one better. I'm gonna make this the best car we've ever had."

"I for one applaud your ambition." Sunny Flare rose to her feet slowly, brushing down the overalls she borrowed from Indigo. "But I think we could all use a short break before we put it in. That really took a lot out of us."

"Yeah, relax, I got you girls covered. I'll go bust out the sandwiches I made earlier, as thanks for helping me out so much today."

Sugarcoat rested her hands on her hips. "Doing hard labor, getting paid in sandwiches. Living the dream."

"I owe you a sarcastic comment." Sour Sweet lifted one hand tiredly from the pavement, then let it flop back down again. "I'll think of one when I'm not dead tired..."

"Sandwiches will be fine, thank you." Sunny gave Indigo a friendly smile.

Once their friend had gone inside, Sunny turned back to the others, but paused when she saw Twilight Sparkle approaching from further down the sidewalk. She was waking right past them, her head down and her eyes looking thoughtfully intense. It wasn't an unusual look for her, and it always meant that something was on her mind.

"Hey, Twilight." Sunny waved across the yard and moved to intercept. Twilight didn't look up from the sidewalk, a sure sign that something was bothering her. Sunny picked up her pace and ran ahead of her, standing on the sidewalk and waiting for Twilight to run face-first right into her side.

"Gah!" Twilight looked up in shock. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sunny! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sunny gave her friend a reassuring smile. "You look kind of distracted, though. Are you okay?"

"I'm..." Twilight blushed. "Maybe not so much... can you keep a secret?"

"I may have one or two rolling around my head." Sunny winked.

"I kind of had a weird dream last night..." Twilight's blush grew unusually deep, and she seemed to be avoiding Sunny's eyes. "A... sort of maybe... erotic dream?"

Sunny stared at her friend for a moment, then let out a light chuckle. "Twilight, that's hardly something I'd call weird. We all have those from time to time."

"I know, I know, but this one was different. It was about someone specific."

"Oh?" Sunny cupped her hands in front of her, fixing Twilight with an attentive, but non-expectant look. "Is that so?"

"Yeah... it's kind of embarrassing... I don't even know what it means." Twilight was nervously fiddling with her glasses so much that she looked like she was trying to bury them in her eyes, with her hands in just the perfect position to block her view of Sunny. Sunny reached out with both hands to take her wrists in a gentle grip, pulling them away from her face. At last Twilight met her eyes again, seeing her patient, bright smile, and finally relaxing a little. "It... it was about Starswirl. My friend from the bus."

"I see." Sunny was careful to keep her reaction perfectly neutral aside from the smile on her lips. "Twilight, can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course."

"Have you ever dated before?"

"Dated?" Twilight's cheeks flushed brightly. "N-no, I can't say I have. The boys at Crystal Prep were never any nicer to me than the girls..."

"How about at CHS? Has anybody caught your eye?"

"Not really." Twilight shook her head. "There's this one boy who's nice to me, but he's not my type. He's rather... loud, for me."

"You'd prefer a boy who's smart, calm, quiet, and intelligent... like you."

"Maybe." Twilight sighed. "And Starswirl is all of those things... do you think I'm crushing on him? Am I that weird?"

"Twilight." Sunny put her hands on her shoulders with a firm grip that wouldn't be denied. "You're not weird, I think you're just lonely. You met a man who's a lot like you, and who likes you. There's an attraction there. That's not wrong... but there are other boys more your age you could connect with. You just need to get out and meet them."

"Lonely? I'm not lonely, I just have bigger priorities than that."

"Twilight..." Sunny's expression grew worried now. "If that's true, then I'll drop it right now. But as your friend, I don't want to see you repress your natural need for companionship just because you're afraid to put yourself out there. It's not healthy for you."

"Do... do you really think I'm repressed?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way... but you're having erotic dreams about seventy-year-old men. In my opinion? You could use someone to connect with."

Twilight's face turned thoughtful again as she stared into Sunny's sincere face, then nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll... I'll give it a try. But, um, how?"

Indigo's voice interrupted from the lawn. "Hey, are you two coming? There's enough sandwiches for both of you!"

Sunny glanced back, then turned back to Twilight, holding her open hand out to her. "I'm sure we could come up with a way to get you out there, if you want us to."

Twilight nodded more quickly this time with a warm smile as she placed her hand in Sunny's. "Okay, let's do it."

Sunny squeezed her hand and pulled her back to the others, approaching the tray Indigo had set on the grass, while the rest of the girls lounged around it.

"Hey Twi, help yourself." Indigo gestured to the tray with one hand while the other held a bologna sandwich near her lips. "When we're done you can help us get the engine in."

"Thank you. I could try..." Twilight plopped down on the grass between Indigo and Sunny with a soft blush. "But I'm not as strong as you all are."

"You don't have to, Twilight. We got it up, we can put it in." Sunny glanced around at the others. "In the meantime, we have things to discuss. Twilight Sparkle wants us to help her find a boyfriend."

Lemon Zest perked up. "A boyfriend, eh? That sounds cool, I know some of the best dance clubs in town!"

Twilight squeaked. "I'm not really one for dancing..."

Indigo shrugged. "That's cool, we can hit the park, see if there's anybody using the sports fields you can get to know."

"I'm not one for sports..."

Sunny Flare chimed in next. "We can go to the beach."

"I'm not a strong swimmer..."

Sugarcoat folded her arms. "You don't go to the beach to swim. You go to make yourself visible."

"I'm not good at being visible..."

Sour Sweet chimed in. "Then let's just post an ad online! It can say boring nerd who doesn't do anything seeks companionship!"

Indigo patted Sour Sweet on the back. "Glad to have you back."

Twilight winced and lowered her head. "I'm sorry... I'm making this difficult..."

Sunny Flare stroked her chin. "She has a point, though." When she saw Twilight's wet puppy-dog eyes turn on her she raised her hands disarmingly. "Not the boring nerd part, the placing an ad part. If you're uncomfortable going out and meeting people, why don't we try an ad? You can find someone like you without weeding through the ones who aren't."

"Do those things even work?" Sugarcoat asked. "They've always seemed kind of dodgy to me. As if people can be boiled down to numbers and mathematics."

"Maybe it's not perfect, but it's a place to start, and there's no immediate pressure." Sunny smiled. "In fact we could all take out an ad. It might be fun, and who knows, it could lead somewhere."

The other girls all exchanged curious glances before Indigo spoke up. "Heck, I've done crazier things before. Sign me up!"

Lemon Zest nodded. "I'll have to ask Vinyl if it's okay... but if she says yeah, I'll totally go for it!"

Sugarcoat smirked. "This isn't going to work. But heck, I'll join in anyway. It might be worth a few laughs."

Sour Sweet grinned. "That's exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend! Pleading with strangers I don't even know to give me a date I don't even want!"

"I'll take that as acceptance." Sunny turned back to Twilight. "There's a studio in town that helps people recording dating videos and load them to their site. We can go tomorrow, if you don't have any plans."

"I don't." Twilight was smiling broadly as the others all turned toward her. "Thank you, girls. This means so much to me."

Sugarcoat smiled. "It'll all be worth it when something goes terribly wrong."

02 - Getting Out There

Chapter 2: Getting Out There

Getting the entire group together was a bit like herding cats sometimes, especially when Lemon Zest broke out the roller skates, but Sunny Flare managed to get them all moving in the direction of the dating service slash spa she found on the edge of town, The Love Spa. The place looked clean and inviting on the outside, which she took as a good sign, and her impression only got better when they walked into the lushly decorated lobby. Already there was a thick carpet just beyond the shoe rack by the door, where many pairs of shoes sat behind locked glass.

"Welcome!" A sensual voice with a hint of an accent called up to them as a woman slightly older than them swept toward the door, bowing graciously at their entrance. "My name is Aloe! What can I do for you?"

"We're here for your dating services," Sunny gestured to her group of friends. "You know, those ad videos for your website."

"Ah, wonderful! We're always here to help precious young ladies seek love!" Aloe grinned a toothy grin.

Sour Sweet grumbled. "Is she gonna help us find love or eat us...?"

Aloe continued on. "Would you like to freshen up with our spa services first?"

"A spa before the videos?" Sunny asked curiously.

Aloe nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! We want all of our lovers to be at zeir best for zee videos! You can freshen up in the spa, and be ready to knock zem dead with your charm!"

Sunny Flare considered this for a moment, then turned back to her friends. "What do you say? I have a few hours to kill."

Sugarcoat stepped forward. "I think I speak for all of us when I say spending the day getting pampered sounds pretty good after all the manual labor yesterday."

Indigo Zap snorted. "Are you ever gonna get over that?"

"Maybe."

"It's decided. Let's do it." Sunny turned toward Aloe. "Six for the full treatment."

"Wonderful! I'll take your shoes, and my sister will show you into the back where you can prepare for ze hot tub."

"Hot tub? Heck yes!" Sour Sweet grinned.

After removing their shoes and locking them up with the rest, they charged toward the back, where they met another woman who looked nearly identical to the one by the door, and in fact even her voice was nearly the same.

"Good afternoon. My name is Lotus Blossom, please feel free to make use of our lockers, and here are your towels." She moved behind the counter to pull six thick towels up and hand them to Sunny.

Lemon gaped in awe. "Are you two twins? Did you like, use your twin mind powers to know we were coming back here?"

Lotus just smiled. "Yes, we are twins. And no, she radioed ahead."

"Awww..." Lemon's shoulders slumped.

"The truth is out there, Lemon." Indigo patted her back and headed into the locker room.

As the six girls undressed at separate lockers, Indigo Zap called across the room. "Hey Lemon Zest, did you seriously get Vinyl Scratch to let you come do this?"

"Um, yeah." Lemon replied. "I think her exact words were 'good luck, babe'."

"Oh." Indigo fell silent for a moment. "Lemon, you have the best girlfriend in the world."

"Yeah, I know."

"Like, I'm going to turn gay just so I can steal her from you."

"You can try, but I'm not letting go without a fight." Lemon Zest was practically beaming as she continued to change.

Sunny Flare cast a quick glance as Twilight Sparkle in front of the locker next door, who was looking over her shoulder at Lemon Zest. There was a trace of sadness in her eyes as she watched the look on Lemon's face. The look of a girl undoubtedly in love.

"Looks pretty nice, doesn't it?" Sunny Flare asked softly.

"She looks so happy." Twilight turned back toward her locker.

"That's why we're here, Twilight." Sunny Flare took the smaller girl's shoulder in a firm, comforting grip. "It might not be immediately, but we'll find you someone. Heck, maybe I'll find someone too."

"Yeah? You're looking?"

"I wouldn't object." Sunny lifted her towel to tie it around her chest with practiced ease, then closed her things away safely in her locker. "Come on, let's go relax."

The Love Spa was a really nice place, and Sunny Flare couldn't help but release all of the tension of her schoolwork and the previous day's labor. The hot tub was first, where the girls soaked in the warm waters in the soothing ambience of warm lights and soft string music. Sunny Flare let herself sink in up nearly to her shoulders and gave a deep, relaxed sigh. The others weren't all so relaxed, though. Lemon seemed to be stalking Indigo around the water, only to turn away when Indigo looked back, and Twilight was sitting rigid with her back against the wall of the tub and her arms tightly wrapped around her chest.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Sunny asked in a worried tone. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"N-no, of course not." Twilight smiled sheepishly. She was sunk into the water up to her neck. "I just don't want to be groped from behind."

There was silence for several moments before Indigo finally asked the question. "Why would one of us do that?"

"To compare size," Twilight replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The silence reigned again, this time broken by Sugarcoat.

"Twilight. I'm saying this with love. Stop watching anime."

Next up was a massage from a small gang of masseuses. Sunny could feel her already loose muscles being kneaded underneath her skin, spread and relaxed to a degree she wasn't sure she had ever felt in her life. She'd never considered herself the kind of girl to make frequent spa trips, but if they were able to accomplish this every time, she may just consider making a habit of it. But then, that really did depend on what the bill came out to. If she tensed up again right after she finished, then the massages were meaningless.

Once the massages were done they made their way around to a sauna, where Indigo did nothing but complain. "Are we really paying them to make us sweat? We could be working on my car right now and sweating just as much."

Sugarcoat smirked. "That requires effort. And not everybody will do it for sweat and sandwiches."

"Oh for Pete's sakes, I'll pay you in money next time, okay!?"

"Promises are lies until you make good on them."

"I will, I promise!" Indigo paused, speaking before the giggles could begin. "Oh shut up..."

A brief stop in some showers for a rinse, and then their final stop in a salon where they received manicures, pedicures, and had their hair styled at the same time. There were so many employees working on them Sunny was sure she was going to have to beg her mother to pay all of this off, but she refused to ruin the moment with such thoughts.

At last their day at the spa was nearing its end, and the girls emerged, fresh, relaxed, and with a light coating of makeup provided by a professional stylist. Lotus Blossom was waiting for them right outside their room.

"I hope everything was to your liking."

"I never thought I'd say this..." Indigo stretched skyward with a serene smile on her lips. "But I could get used to the spa..."

"You said it..." Even Sour Sweet had a relaxed smile on her face.

"I'm glad, you'll be at your most relaxed and beautiful for your online profiles. We'll set up your accounts once ze pictures are taken, of course." Lotus Blossom smiled brightly. "We have a couple of different backdrops for you to choose from. A view of the ocean through a window, a bedroom with soft lighting, a crackling fireplace, ze choice is yours." Lotus held out a small pamphlet. "Whichever of you wishes to go first, of course."

Sunny Flare glanced down at Twilight, but the smaller girl didn't volunteer. "I'll go first," Sunny took the pamphlet to look it over. "I think the fireplace will work for me."

"Come right zis way." Lotus led them back through a long hallway lined with rooms, each with a different motif, until they turned into one that was decorated like a log cabin, with a crackling fireplace burning against the far wall, in front of which sat a sturdy oak chair with a thick comfortable cushion on the seat. "Have a seat. Do you know what you want to say?"

"Hm, I'm not entirely sure." Sunny took the proffered seat, turning toward the video camera set up in front of it. "What sorts of things to people usually talk about in these things?"

"Say a bit about yourself. Who you are, what you like, what you're looking for. Things zat will help others decide if zey would like to get to know you better."

"Alright, sure." Sunny flare cleared her throat.

"When you're ready, darling." Lotus Blossom gave her a thumbs up, looking down at the view screen on the camera to center the girl.

Sunny focused on the camera, putting as bright a smile as she could on her lips. "My name is Sunny Flare. I'm eighteen, on my last year of high school, and plan to go to college with a major in medical science. I like walks, taking care of my family, and spending time with my friends. I like guys who are honest, dependable, and kind. Um... I think that about covers it."

"Short and simple. I like zat. Who is next?"

"Me-me-meeeee!" Lemon Zest rushed toward the chair, nearly shoving Sunny out of it with a bright grin. "I'm Lemon Zest! I'm eighteen, Aquarius, and love meeting people! I also love music, dancing, exercise, and puppies! So if you're interested, ladies, give me a call. I'm looking for a cool chick with a hot butt." She pointed at the camera with a wink, clicking her tongue enticingly.

Lotus Blossom chuckled under her breath and shook her head. "Brilliant. Who's next?"

"I think I can take it from here." Indigo Zap approached the chair and plopped down as Lemon Zest moved out of the way, taking a deep breath as she faced the camera. "I'm Indigo Zap, I'm eighteen, I like working with my hands... and I'm really good with my hands... heh... heh, see, that's a, uh..." Indigo trailed off with a cough. "Can we start over?"

"As many times as you want."

"I'm Indigo Zap. I'm eighteen, I like building stuff, and I need a guy who can keep up with me. If you think you're that guy..." She put her hands on her hips cockily. "Hit me up, and I'll be the judge of that."

"Oooh, very feisty." Lotus Blossom nodded in approval.

"I guess it's my turn." Sour Sweet approached the chair as Indigo moved out of the way, sitting and putting her hands in her lap. "I'm Sour Sweet." There were several long minutes of silence.

"I think they need more than that," Sugarcoat pointed out from the sidelines.

"Oh, do they? Well maybe I'm not going to jump through their hoops like a little monkey!" She jumped to her feet, glaring at the camera. "You wanna know me? Hit me up and I'll get you real well acquainted with me! If you're not the spineless wimp I think you are! You jerk! Making me sit here and audition for you! I hate you!" She whirled to march away from the chair and marched out the door.

"Um..." Lotus looked up in confusion.

Sunny Flare smiled apologetically. "She'll be okay, she can be like that."

Without batting an eyelash Sugarcoat took the seat in front of the fireplace. "Are we ready?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Lotus resumed her place behind the camera. "When you're ready."

"My name is Sugarcoat. I'm eighteen, and if you go on a date with me, it might be the worst experience of your life. I will watch you, I will judge you, and I will let you know if you don't meet my expectations. If you're not prepared to discover your true worth as a man, don't even think about asking me out."

Lotus Blossom looked up over the camera blankly. "You know you're paying for zis video, right? Are you sure you wouldn't like one more... enticing?"

Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses with one hand as she stood up. "Oh yeah, I'm sure."

"Well." Sunny Flare moved across the room to where Twilight was still watching from the door. "There's only one left."

"Heh... yep..." Twilight wrung her hands together in front of her. "One left..."

"You've come this far. You can do this, Twilight. Just sit down and talk about yourself. It's not that difficult, is it?"

"I'm not really one for making myself sound great..."

"You don't need to sound great. Just be honest, and people will see how wonderful you are."

Twilight Sparkle gulped, then took a deep breath. "Okay, okay you're right. I can do this... I will do this." She moved to sit down in the chair, smoothing down her skirt and adjusting her glasses very carefully before facing the camera head on.

"When you're ready." Lotus angled the camera down slightly for the shorter girl. Sunny Flare gave her an encouraging thumbs up from behind their camerawoman.

Twilight took several deep breaths before speaking in a somewhat quiet, but firm tone. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm eighteen, and currently a high-school student... and while I haven't chosen a college major yet, I've been told my academic scores are such that I should be able to find something relatively easily... I just haven't found what really drives me yet, you know? And while I guess there are some obvious choices I could make... I'm just rambling, aren't I?"

Sunny twirled her hand behind her, mouthing the words keep going.

Twilight looked at the camera again. "And... and I may not have much to offer somebody... my body isn't great, I don't get out much, and I barely even know how to talk... but maybe you don't mind a girl who's a little bit of an eccentric genius. If you don't mind that... I'd really like to meet you." Twilight forced a meek smile onto her lips as she stared into the camera.

Sunny moved in front of the camera and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "That was beautiful, Twilight. Straight from the heart."

"Oh come on, I was just rambling..."

"Yep." Sugarcoat nodded. "But it was adorable."

Lemon Zest nodded in agreement. "Totally! If you were a puppy I would hug the crap out of you right now!"

"Yeah, don't sell yourself short, Twi." Indigo gave her a thumbs up. "I think we're about all wrapped up here."

No sooner did she speak than a thunderous crash echoed from the next room, followed by Sour Sweet's voice screaming "%^$# this place!"

Sugarcoat folded her arms with a subdued smile. "I'm satisfied now."

"And that's my cue..." Sunny Flare rushed toward the next room to calm her rampaging friend.

Thankfully, Sour Sweet's damage was minimal, and Lotus Blossom agreed to let it slide, once Sour Sweet had been calmed down by hugs. The end of the day only got better when she found out that the spa wasn't nearly as expensive as she had expected.

"We believe zat having guests come back is more important zan taking money from zem immediately," Aloe explained at the front desk.

"Then come back we shall, I think." Sunny smiled in relief as she forked over the money they pooled together to pay for it. They finished setting up their online accounts they could check at home, then left the building in high spirits. Even Twilight, as nervous as she'd been throughout the day, looked more relaxed now than she had right after her massage.

"So who's optimistic about our chances of bagging good ones?" Indigo Zap asked. "I think we have a better chance of getting landed on by an X-Wing."

Sugarcoat shrugged. "I think that was a waste of time... but the spa treatment was nice, at least."

Lemon grinned. "Yeah, I'm not gonna be leaving Vinyl any time soon anyway, but I had a good time."

Sour Sweet's shoulders were slumped as she grumbled, "I don't care, I have a headache..."

"I haven't done any research on the statistical odds of dating services leading to lasting relationships..." Twilight commented. "But at least I can look forward to trying."

"That's the spirit." Sunny winked and nudged her shoulder.

Twilight giggled softly. The two of them were walking a bit ahead of the others, so she could speak softly without them hearing. "Sunny, thank you... not just for today, but it seems like you've been helping me, and all of the others constantly since we became friends. I hope you don't think I haven't noticed, or that I don't appreciate it."

"Have I?" Sunny thought about it for a few moments. "I can't say I noticed... I guess this is just how I do things. But thank you for saying so, Twilight. I'm glad to help make your lives a little easier."

"And we'll help you too, if you need us."

Sunny nodded. "I'll keep it in mind." She looked up as they approached her driveway, stopping to turn back to the others. "Well, I'll see you girls tomorrow. Make sure you take your medicine tonight, Sour Sweet. You'll feel better."

"Yeah, yeah..." Sour Sweet grumbled.

The girls all said their goodbyes, and Sunny Flare made her way up the driveway to her door, heading inside. The house was quiet, though there was a pleasant breeze moving through the front hallway. She slid off her shoes, set them by the door and took off across the cushiony carpet. As she made her way down the hallway, her feet sank into the carpets several inches, giving the impression that she was walking on a cloud.

She stopped at one of the doors on her way and gripped the ornate knob, pushing it open. The room inside was dark, with the only light coming through the thin curtains on the windows overlooking a bed. The light silhouetted several tall machines, whose hoses were trailing down through the air and underneath the bedsheets, where a small figure was lying on his back, covered up to his neck. His eyes were closed, but she could see his shallow breathing from here.

Sunny Flare slipped into the room and closed the door quickly to block out the light. She approached the bed and leaned down, running a hand over his forehead. He felt a little warm, so she reached up to pull the blanket down a little past his chest. Her lips pressed against his forehead and she leaned back to take a seat in the small wooden chair beside the bed, her hand snaking over to the nightstand to pluck a book from the top of it.

"Daring Do approached the wicked looking creature, her eyes searching for sign of its intent, but it wasn't long before she realized that it just looked lonely..."