Chapters You Can Lead Your Bacon Horse to Water...
"Good news, y'all!" Applejack sat down at the cafeteria table, a smile plastered across her freckled face. "Granny Smith gives it the green light!"
"Mrmmmfff?" Pinkie Pie looked up while munching through a mouthful of salad. "Griff whdff dff greef liffd?"
"The sleepover at my place, ya silly varmint! We talked about it yesterday after class. I told y'all I'd get right on it, remember?"
"Oh!" Rarity clapped her hands together. "That's absolutely splendid, Applejack!"
"Hey! Awesome!" Rainbow Dash smiled.
"Oh yay!" Fluttershy looked at the others. "Applejack has such a big house at her ranch, too!"
"Darn tootin'!" The blonde winked. "With plenty of land for Rainbow Dash to practice soccer and a whole bunch of livestock for Fluttershy to pet."
"That's right!" Fluttershy cupped her hands around her rosy cheeks. "You're always talking about the lovely horses you have stabled there, Applejack."
"Heheh... right on." Rainbow Dash smirked across the table. "Bet you'll get a chance to catch up with your own kind." A wink. "Eh, Sunset?"
Sunset Shimmer looked up from a sheet of math homework she was working on. "Heheh... very funny, Rainbow." Nevertheless, she smiled at the rest of the table. "I think that's great, Applejack!" She tucked a luscious lock of shiny red hair behind her ear. "It's been so long since we had a sleepover."
"Indeed!" Rarity nodded, casually touching up her eyeshadow. "And the last time we did, it was in the middle of a crisis." She clasped her compact mirror shut. "A siren crisis." Her eyes rolled. "Oh , what a relief it will be to just relax together without some impending magical doom scenario..."
"Ulp! " Pinkie Pie swallowed her last bite of salad and blinked at the others. "Aren't we forgetting a really big thingy?"
"Big Macintosh?" Fluttershy said. Upon an emerald death glare, she sank deeper in her bench seat. "Erm... or not..."
Pinkie waved her hand wildly. "This will be Twilight Sparkle's very first time doing a sleepover with us! I mean our Twilight Sparkle!"
"Oh hey!" Sunset's turquoise eyes widened, bright and glistening. "You're right, Pinkie!"
"Why," Rarity stammered, a hand over her chest. "I cannot believe I hadn't thought of that!"
"Of course yer invited too, Twilight," Applejack said. "Assumin', of course, that yer up for it."
Twilight Sparkle sat pensively at her bench. Her food remained untouched. All the while, the girl's four-eyed stare rested on Sunset Shimmer's hands... at the yellow-toned fingers that were grasping the notebook paper and pen. Twilight bit her bottom lip. A slight shiver rolled through her as she clasped her own delicate fingers together and—
"Twilight, darling?" Rarity spoke.
"Uhhhh!" Twilight jolted so hard that her thick-framed glasses nearly flew off her nose. She pushed them back into place, grimacing slightly. "Huh? What?"
"My my... so skittish." Rarity smiled. "You don't have to feel obligated if you're uncomfortable with it, darling."
"I'm n-not uncomfortable with it!" Twilight blurted. A beat. She blinked. "Uhm... uncomfortable with what? "
"Didn't you hear a single word that was said?" Rainbow Dash droned.
"Erm... so s-sorry. I was... uhm..." Twilight's eyes traveled back down to Sunset's wrists across the table. "...fiddling... mind fiddling..." She grimaced again, suddenly sitting on her own hands. "Sorry."
"You don't have to keep apologizing, Twilight," Fluttershy said. "You're not doing anything wrong."
"We know you're very new to this school," Sunset Shimmer said, her voice like church bells breathed over shiny satin. "As well as to having lots of friends. But, even still." A hint of a giggle escaped the corner of her smooth lips. "We would love to have you join us."
Twilight's lungs emptied instantly. In place of oxygen, there was a pounding heartbeat, shaking the tonality of her dainty voice as she squeaked. "Really?" She smiled, feeling the pulse in her own hands from the pressure of sitting on them. "You... you would love to have m—?"
"WAIT ." Pink skin and even pinker fuzz suddenly exploded in Twilight's face. Pinkie's bright blue eyes blinked, reflecting a new student's frightened expression. "Have you ever... ever been to a sleepover before?!"
"Uhhhhhh..." Twilight leaned back. "...no?"
"Omigosh omigosh omigosh!" Pinkie yanked Twilight's hands out from underneath her. "Thisissomindexplodinglyincredible! " She looked over her shoulder while she squeezed Twilight's reddened fingers. "Applejack! We absolutely positively have to make Twilight's first ever slumber party beyond fantastic! "
"Ow ow owwwww..." Twilight winced, squinting one eye shut as her wrists trembled.
"Pinkie..." Sunset frowned. "Take it easy. Her hands. "
"Ahem ..." Applejack reached over, pulling Pinkie Pie back so that she released her grip of Twilight. "Of course we'll make it a real whizz-banger of a get together for ya, Twilight." Applejack smiled. "So long as yer willin' to tag along."
"Oh do say 'yes,' darling," Rarity said.
"We would very, very much like for you to join us!" Fluttershy said.
"Oh please oh please oh pleeeeease!" Pinkie squealed.
"Uhm... so long as I can still get my homework done in time for Monday morning..." Twilight Sparkle nodded while rubbing her hands. "Sure thing!" She smiled rosily. "I'm... as one would say... 'game!'"
"Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie pumped a fist in the cafeteria air.
"Fabulous!" Rarity cooed.
"Cool beans!" Rainbow Dash smirked slyly. "You're totally gonna dig it, new Twi. Heck... maybe I'll get to test your skills in soccer." She yawned lazily. "The old Twi wasn't so very good at it. But that's probably 'cuz she's used to having hooves."
"Uhm... sure." Twilight continued rubbing her wrists, wincing slightly. "Soccer is the game where you kick things, right?"
"What's the matter, Twilight?" Sunset asked. She cocked her beautiful head to the side. "Are your hands aching?"
"Oh... uhhhhh..." Twilight breathed evenly, fighting the urge to blush.
"My goodness!" Sunset leaned across the table. "They're red as beets ." A hand lifted up from where she sat. "Maybe you should have those looked at."
"Well... th-they're just a little bit sore, I guess." Twilight exhaled. Something twinkled between her eyes and her glasses. "But st-still..." She reached one wrist out, trembling slightly. "If... if you want to look at them..."
Sunset's hand raised towards it.
Twilight held her breath—
BRIIIIIIIIING! The bell sounded off the end of lunch.
"Yo!" Rainbow Dash shot out of her seat, bumping into Sunset. "Fourth period! Time for P.E!"
"Ooomf!" Twilight careened sideways, her violet tresses flouncing. "Uhm... g-good luck?"
"Fourth Period?!" Sunset Shimmer suddenly gasped. "Ah jeez! I forgot!" She threw her things into her bag. "I've got to meet up with my study group and compare notes for debate class!"
"You..." Twilight sat up, adjusting her spectacles. "You h-have a study group?" A blink. "Sunset?"
She was gone—along with half the students who had been sitting in the cafeteria.
"See ya later, Twilight!" Applejack waved from a distance. "Oh! And we'll be meetin' up on the front lawn of the campus at the end of sixth period! Friday afternoon! My big brother's gonna drive us to Sweet Apple Acres!"
"Uhhhh... s-sure thing! See you all..." Twilight shuddered, sitting alone at the table. "...there." She gulped, then picked her bag up. As students continued clearing out around her, she paused where she stood, glancing down at her fingers. With a sigh, she wrung her hands together while shuffling out into the school hallways.
You Can Lead Your Bacon Horse to Water...
The van hit a bump, and everyone inside jostled.
Up in the front passenger's seat, Applejack held onto her hat, then looked towards the rear compartment. "Sorry for the cramped ride, y'all!" She bore a freckled grimace. "This here gas guzzler ain't exactly a seven-seater." She smirked to her left. "Right, Big Mac?"
"Eenope." Smiling, the young man gripped the wheel in strong hands. He turned the vehicle down a country road, kicking up dust and leaves.
"Ooomf!" Rarity winced, brushing scrunched shoulders with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. "Well, while it's not exactly comfortable , I've certainly tolerated far worse."
"I dunno what you're talking about!" Pinkie Pie giggled and wriggled in place. "This brings back memories of sharing a sleeping bag with my sisters!"
"All four of you to a sleeping bag?" Rainbow rasped, being pressed tightly against the van's right sliding door.
"Hehe! Yeah! We liked to pretend we were making a pie sandwich! Haha! Get it?"
"Yes, well, thank goodness we all brought our own sleeping bags," Rarity exhaled.
"We'd have a lot more breathing room if you brought even less stuff with you!" Rainbow grumbled.
"Oh!" Rarity huffed, bumping elbows with Rainbow Dash. "Well, excuse me miss Soccer Queen ! Just who was it that brought an entire bulging cargo net full of balls that took up half the trunk space?"
"Those are dodge balls , Rarity!" Rainbow smirked. "I wanna teach you gals how to play for keeps! Just in case the school board makes it a competition for next year's Friendship Games!"
"As if I'll ever be caught dead playing such a brutish sport!"
"Hey, either you toss 'em or you eat 'em!"
"Ugh! Rainbow, honestly!"
"Yeesh..." Applejack glanced back with a wry smirk. "Simmer down, y'all. Am I gonna have to fetch the hose when we reach the ranch?"
"Heheh... eeyup."
"Yes," Fluttershy breathed. "Let's calm down. This is a beautiful day, and I'm glad to be spending it with my friends."
"Heeeee..." Pinkie smiled across the cramped van, bright-eyed. "Same here!"
"Twilight?" Fluttershy looked to her left. "How are you doing? Are you comfortable?"
Twilight could barely breathe. It was not for lack of room, although she was in a tight space. Rather—every breath she took was inevitably filled with the intoxicating scent of jasmine perfume...
Perfume... that was wafting off of Sunset Shimmer's womanly shoulders just centimeters away from Twilight's quivering nostrils.
Fluttershy blinked. "Twilight? Everything okay—?"
"YesI'mFineThanks." The girl sat tight like a lavender pillar, hands folded in her lap, tiny fingers interlaced with one another. Every jolt and bump of the car ride caused her left shoulder to rub soft and softer against Sunset's short jacket sleeves. "Mmmmmmm -how long until we get there?"
"Hehehe..." Pinkie Pie winked. "Does somebody need to use the little girl's room?"
"... ... ..." Twilight's cheeks flushed even harder. "Something like th-that..."
"Wow, Applejack..." Sunset's face was practically pressed to the other sliding door's window. She brushed her crimson bangs out from before her eyes and smiled peacefully at the passing scenery. "I never realized it before... but this land of yours is amazing ."
"Heh! Ain't it the truth?"
"It's just so... serene and beautiful." Sunset glanced to her right. "Don't you agree, Twilight?"
Twilight Sparkle blinked, her glasses resting crooked on the bridge of her nose. "...yes..." She breathed, forming a delirious smile as she gazed at her friend. "Absolutely... b-beautiful..."
"It almost..." Sunset sighed, a contemplative look settling delicately across her feminine features. "...almost reminds me of home."
"That... that's a good thing, right?" Twilight stammered.
"Heh..." Sunset smiled. "It is now."
Twilight smiled too. Her eyes traveled down.
Sunset's right hand rested on her right knee.
Twilight bit her lip. She glanced up at Sunset, then down at Sunset's hand. Nervously... daringly... the girl reached her lavender wrist out. It snaked through the air, paused, delicately kneading the air with pensive fingers. Then—as Twilight felt a thick thunder pulsing against her eardrums—she lowered her hand stealthily towards Sunset's—
Just then, the van veered to the right.
"Whoah!" Rainbow's voice cracked.
"Gah!" Rarity yelped.
"Weeee!" Pinkie cheered.
"Oooomf!" Twilight's face was smooshed against Sunset's right shoulder. Seconds later, the van jolted to a stop. Twilight adjusted her glasses in time to see the edge of a barn and a two-story farmhouse. The smell of hay and apples filled her nose. "Huh?"
"We're here!" Applejack jubilantly proclaimed. The van's interior instantly cooled from a crisp breeze as both sliding doors swung open. The girls stumbled out.
"Ah!" Rarity gasped. "Thank goodness! Breathing room!"
"Omigosh! Omigosh! " Fluttershy's voice squeaked. "Look at the pretty, pretty horses!" Her light footsteps scampered across the crunchy grass.
"Dun get too close to 'em, now!" Applejack called out. "And keep yer distance from the one with a red coat! He's a real kicker!"
"Hey, Pinkie Pie," Sunset spoke, stretching her limbs as she stood outside the van. "Want to help me carry the sleeping bags in?"
"I was born to carry sleeping bags!"
"Heheh... sure thing." Sunset made to walk away—but she scuffled to a stop upon seeing that a wilted, breathless teenager still remained inside the van. "Oh. Hey. Twilight. You okay?"
"Uhh... y-yeah!" Twilight nevertheless winced. "Guess my legs are a little stiff from sitting cramped for so long."
"Need a hand getting out?"
A lump formed in Twilight's throat. "Mmmm... m-maybe..." With her four eyes locked on Sunset, she reached a dainty hand out... waiting with bated breath... trembling—
"Httt!" An athletic blue arm reached in, grasped Twilight by the hand, and hoisted her swiftly out of the van. "Gotcha!" Rainbow Dash smirked. "There ya go, girl!" She smirked, ruffling Twilight's violet updo. "I never leave any of my friends hangin'!"
"Uhm... no." Twilight gulped, standing pigeon-toed besides the van. She watched with sad eyes as Sunset walked towards the Apple Family ranch-house, carrying four bags in her strong arms. "You wouldn't be loyal if... you d-did."
"Dang straight!" Rainbow spun around and ran to the rear of the van. "Alright! Where are my balls?"
"Hey Twi-Twi!" Pinkie chirped from the trunk. "Wanna help us carry our stuff into the house?"
"Sure..." Twilight Sparkle sighed, adjusting her glasses. "Sure thing, Pinkie..."
"Here! Think fast!"
"Huh?" Twilight turned around—only to have a pair of large, fluffy sleeping bags launched into her bosom. "Whoah!" She fell back in the grass. "Ooomf!"
"Heeeeey! Nice catch!"
You Can Lead Your Bacon Horse to Water...
"Mrrmmmfff..." Rainbow Dash swallowed a cheesy morsel of pizza and gestured across the bedroom floor. "So... like..." She wiped her mouth with her blue wrist. "I was reading an article on the Internet... and it was claiming that girls aren't commonly proficient at guitar-playing because they have smaller hands on average than guys."
"Seriously?" Fluttershy blinked, petting Winona in her lap.
"Eugh..." Rarity rolled her eyes, braiding Fluttershy's hair from behind. "That's sexism for you. Just when you think old prejudices have shriveled up and died, someone invents a digital medium to spread ridiculous ideas far and wide."
Sunset Shimmer nibbled a broccoli topping off her pizza slice and glanced over, eyebrow arched. "What kind of article was this supposed to be? Opinionated or fact-based?"
"I dunno. Both, I guess?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Like... it had a list of supposed scientific statistics to back it up."
"Well, that doesn't necessarily mean anything," Twilight Sparkle said, sitting cross-legged while carving a pizza slice into neat quadrants with a plastic fork and knife. "I mean, statistics can lead to gross inaccuracies that seek to prove any point."
"That's not the big deal here!" Rainbow's voice cracked. She frowned across the sea of sleeping bags and blankets. "What I'm trying to get at is that I have small hands!"
"Super small," Fluttershy said, stifling a giggle. "You can barely hold one of my baby hamsters with just one palm."
"Heehe... yes ." Rarity bore a coy grin. "I daresay you could get away with joining the peewee soccer league, darling."
"Hey! Hush! " Rainbow frowned, then smirked slyly. "Point is—I can thrash a guitar super well . Doesn't matter the size of my hands!"
"Just how small are your hands, anyways?" Sunset asked, sitting up straight. "I can play a mean guitar too, and I've never noticed the difference."
"Well, you wanna compare?"
"Sure." Sunset leaned forward.
She and Rainbow Dash pressed yellow-and-blue palms together.
"Heh..." Sunset smirked. "Wow. Fluttershy and Rarity are right."
"Eugh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Rub it in, why don'tcha?"
"Are your hands bigger, Sunset?" Rarity asked.
"Seems like it." Sunset glanced at her own fingers, flexing them. "I... don't know if that's a side effect of being born on the Equestrian side of the mirror or..." She grimaced slightly. "Egads... they're not too big , are they?"
Twilight gasped. "No, Sunset!" A delicate smile. "In fact, I think that they're just per—"
"Here, darling." Rarity scoot-scoot-scooted across the sleeping bags. "Let us compare."
Sunset pressed her palm to Rarity's.
"Hah!" Rarity giggled, smiling. "Heaven help you if you ever have to work a needle and thread someday, darling!"
"Oh come on..." Sunset rolled her eyes. "So I'm no surgeon. Big deal."
"Here." Fluttershy motioned over. "May I?"
"Sure." Sunset held her fingers up against Fluttershy's. "Hey! We're about the same!"
Fluttershy winked at Rarity. "And I can sew a skirt just fine ."
"Puh-lease." Rarity waved her wrist. "I was only teasing, dear."
"Hey." Rainbow slid across the floor on her knees. "Lemme compare." She entwined her fingers with Fluttershy's. "Yeesh! I'm almost scared to arm wrestle you, girl!"
"Well... I don't quite have the same muscular strength as you, Rainbow."
"Pffft! Muscular shmuscular. It's all about dexterity!"
Sunset chuckled. "Well, we all know you can rise above anything, Miss Rhythm Guitar."
"Heh! You bet your bacon hair!"
Twilight chewed on her bottom lip. She touched her fingers together, squirming noticeably. Her eyes darted across the room, sliding over Sunset's pastel pink curves as the teenager knelt a few breaths away in her two-piece pajamas. At last, Twilight's eyes fell on a pair of yellow wrists—
"Hey Twi! You wanna?"
"Uhhhh!" Twilight fell back, hugging herself. "No! I really don't! Honest—" A jolt. "Erm..." She sat back up, blinking. "What was the question?"
Rainbow Dash knelt down next to her. "Let's compare."
"Oh. Sure. I guess—guh! " Twilight winced as Rainbow's fingers grabbed hers.
"Whoahhhhhh..." Rainbow chuckled raspily. "Yeesh, girl! You're even smaller than me!"
"She is?" Rarity leaned in, holding her dainty hand up to Twilight's. "My stars!" she gasped. "Rainbow's right!"
"Really?" Fluttershy compared her fingers with Twilight. "Awwwwwww..." She giggled. "No wonder the pencils you use are so tiny."
"They're... uh..." Twilight brushed a violet bang over her ear, only for it to cascade back down again. "...a special brand." A gulp. "Dean Cadance buys them for me."
"They can't be that small," Sunset said with a yawn.
"Pffft." Rainbow Dash motioned. "Come see for yourself, Sunset!"
"Sure." Sunset's eyes glistened like starlight as she drifted closer. "Twilight?" a voice like angel song.
"Oh... uhhhhh..." Twilight gulped, smiling crookedly. "Well... if you insist ." The girls all watched as she raised her hand.
Sunset raised hers.
Twilight held back panting breaths as her fingers arched through the air, wriggling, coming within a feather's sneeze of Sunset's—
"Guess what, everybodyyyyyy!" Pinkie Pie's voice hollered into the room, followed by the scrumptious scent of apples and cinnamon.
"The apple cobblers are done!" Applejack triumphantly cooed, her gloved hands holding up a baking sheet full of the delicious, sprinkled desserts. "Grab a plate and eat up!"
"Killer!" Rainbow Dash jumped up, her scampering feet sliding a sleeping bag out from underneath.
"Waaah!" Twilight was thrown off balance, falling on her pajama'd rump. "Ooomf!"
"Oh how marvelous!" Rarity and Fluttershy rushed up to the dessert tray. They dragged a frazzled Sunset along. "I've been looking forward to this all evening!"
"... ... ..." Twilight lay on her back. With padding paws, Winona wandered over, barked, and licked her cheek. "Unnnngh..." Twilight reached a trembling hand up and scritch-scratched Winona's fluffy ear. "None for me, thanks. I'm... full." With a sigh, she rolled over and stared into the carpet with dull eyes. "Absolutely... full of it."
You Can Lead Your Bacon Horse to Water...
It was the dead of night and...
Twilight Sparkle could not sleep.
There was no point in even trying.
She lay in her sleeping bag, staring... glaring into the fuzzy darkness of Applejack's bedroom.
The girl's breaths came in deep sighs. She hugged herself, nuzzling her cheek into the glossy fabric of her sleeping bag, searching for comfort.
It would not come.
So—stifling a groan—the teenager sat up, fluffed her pillow, fluffed it some more—then resorted to an angry grunt as she punched the stubborn thing. Within seconds—"Owieee..."—Twilight rub-rubbed her aching wrist, kissing the tiny knuckles before shaking the sting off her fingers.
The air of the room was filled with the hushed, wheezy breaths of her friends sleeping all around her.
Twilight exhaled out her nostrils, blinking blearily. She tilted her head to the side—only to catch a fuzzy blue shape and a fuzzy orange shape lying close to one another. The girl blinked curiously. Fumbling around, her hand found where her glasses were lying on the floor next to her sleeping bag. She placed the spectacles on her nose and squinted across the room.
The bed came into focus. Applejack lay on her back, goofily sprawled out with her mouth hanging wide open. Curled up next to her, clingy and petite, was none other than Rainbow Dash. The athletic teenager engulfed Applejack's entire left arm with a full-body hug.
"... ... ..." Twilight blinked. She looked at the floor—at Rainbow's empty, abandoned sleeping bag. She looked back up at the bed. "... ... ..." The girl shrugged.
Too lazy to strip her glasses off, Twilight deflated back to her mat. She found herself staring across the carpet at a hot pink sleeping bag that encased an angelic figure with flaming red-orange tresses and a golden complexion—
"Eeep! " Twilight squeaked, instantly covering her lips as her eyes went wide.
Just two feet from her, lying on her side, was Sunset Shimmer. The girl was draped in the placid throes of of blissful slumber. Her lithe body—usually proud, strong, and majestic—was now a bosomy bag of limp noodles. Her mouth was a tiny thing, breathing softly through pursed lips. To top it all off, a limp arm stretched outward, with a curiously dainty hand hanging unconsciously off the side of her sleeping bag...
...and within centimeters of Twilight's panting breaths.
"... ... ..." Twilight slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. She weathered wave after wave of quivers from deep within her lungs. By subconscious habit, she raised her fingers to adjust her glasses.
The heavenly image of Sunset's slumbering figure did not go away.
What's more... Twilight's hand didn't lower from her glasses.
The girl bit her lip. Swallowing a lump down her throat, she shifted her body... and reached her hand out.
Violet eyes locked on Sunset's wrist... and soon something else would too.
Twilight bit down on her lip. Hard . Her hand slithered across the carpet, rustling lightly. A tiny set of fingers crawled through the fuzz, kneading the upholstery one thread of a time... then slid up until each digit hovered just above Sunset's knuckles.
"Mrmmmfff..."
Twilight froze. Her eyes twitched.
Sunset's lips were moving. Her forehead tensed, and soon another sound limped out from her soft throat. "Mmmmmmfff... thhhelestiaaaa..."
Twilight Sparkle stared at her. Shivers rippled through her body. Suddenly, her vision went foggy, and there was no stopping the sniffles. She clenched her eyes shut... then tightened her hand into a tiny fist. With torturous grace, she retracted her arm, then rolled over until she was facing away from Sunset.
She lay there for a few agonizing minutes, fighting the urge to sob. Failing.
So, with a dull shudder, the girl finally unzipped her sleeping bag. She stood up, stretched her stiff legs, and carefully hobbled over the slumbering bodies all around her. Pausing at the door, Twilight leaned weakly against the frame. She stared back with a sad expression. Once her eyes found the fiery color of Sunset's hair, they blurred yet again. With a sniff, Twilight rubbed the tears dry beneath her glasses, then stepped into the second story hallway outside...
You Can Lead Your Bacon Horse to Water...
Twilight wasn't certain just how long she had spent sitting inside the Apple Family bathroom. The girl squatted on the edge of the tub, her head in her hands, sighing into the linoleum.
At long last, her eyes were tickled with a hint of sunlight bleeding in through the translucent bathroom window.
Morning had arrived, and Twilight was still restless.
There was no sense in wasting around any longer.
With a sigh, the girl rubbed her eyes, then stood up. On limp limbs, she walked out, opening the door and shuffling into the hallway. The floor of the second story was constructed out of varnished wood... and one of the boards was looser than the rest.
Clunk!
"Aaaaaugh!" Twilight teetered, flailed, and fell hard on her belly. "Ooomf!"
With a rattle, her glasses flew off and went sliding across the floor, clear out of view.
"Ohhhhh..." Twilight groaned, pushing up off the floor and squatting on her knees. "Ah jeez..." Squinting thinly, she felt and fumbled around the hallway. "Stupid... stupid ..." She gnashed her teeth, brushing her hands left and right as she struggled to find the lost spectacles.
There was a creaking sound, followed by swiftly shuffling feet.
"Twilight...?"
"Mmmmfff..."
The voice came closer. "Twilight, is everything alright?"
"My glasses," Twilight muttered through clenched teeth. "Can't... can't f-find..."
"It's okay! I see them! Hang tight!" Feet shuffled away... then shuffled back. Warm fingers gently slid the article back over Twilight's face. "There. Can you see now?"
"I..." Twilight blinked... then blinked some more. "I think so."
"Here..." A hand reached down and Twilight took it. "Lemme help you." Twilight felt herself being lifted swiftly up to her feet by a strong grip. "Are you okay, Twilight? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"
"I..." Twilight looked at the fingers encircling hers. In the early morning light, their unmistakable yellow color yanked a tender gasp from her throat. "...!!!" She stared up, four eyes wide.
Sunset Shimmer stared back, her face full of concern. "What's the matter?" She gave Twilight's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Twilight, is something wrong?"
"S-Sunset...?" Twilight mewled. A panting breath melted into rapid hyperventilation. She glanced feverishly at their hands entwined. Her face contorted into a sobbing grimace. "No... no ... n-not like this..."
"Huh?"
Whimpering, Twilight yanked her hand away from Sunset's. She clutched her fingers around her shoulders, shuddering... heaving. "Not like... like..." Her eyes brimmed with tears, fogging the glasses. "Oh gosh..." She rubbed her nose, crying in squeaky little octaves, higher and higher pitched. "So pathetic... so very p-pathetic." A sob. "I'm sorry..."
Sunset winced, stretching a hand out. "Twilight..."
"I'm sorry!" And Twilight spun around, running down the hall, leaving a trail of tears.
"Twilight! Wait!" Sunset stood breathless in the middle of the hallway. Her eyes curved in mixed worry and confusion.
"Hmmm?" Pinkie Pie rubbed her eyes as she leaned out the bedroom door behind her. "Fuzzawhut?"
"What's wrong, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked.
Rarity stumbled out, raising her sleeping mask. "Is... is Twilight okay?"
Sunset hugged herself, gulping. "I... I-I'm not sure." A shudder. "But I don't think so."
Meanwhile, from inside Applejack's room: "Huh?! Rainbow?! What the hay are ya doin' in my bed?"
"Mmmmmm... buh? Bed...? "
"Get the buck out ya little varmint!" Thwap!
"Wh-whoah!" Thud!
You Can Lead Your Bacon Horse to Water...
Several yards west of the Apple Family farmhouse...
Positioned atop the crest of a green hill...
A wooden gazebo stood in the soft morning light. A dewy mist hung gray and gleaming above the wet grass.
Twilight Sparkle sat on a wooden bench, curled up and hugging her knees to her chest. She shivered in the moist air, staring tearfully across the distant apple orchards.
She had almost calmed down—heaving lungs cascading into dull shudders—by the time someone else strolled up to the gazebo. Soft feet crunched across the wet lawn.
Rubbing her eyes, Twilight adjusted her glasses and looked over—and immediately winced, looking away.
"Twilight, what's gotten into you?!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed. In spite of her own shivers, she shuffled up the steps of the gazebo and wrapped a familiar-looking jacket around Twilight's shoulders. "It's super cold out here before the sun's fully risen! You'll get a cold by running out here in nothing but pajamas!"
"Mmmmm..." Twilight barely let loose a trilling sound. She clutched the edges of the dark jacket to herself, continuing to stare away from Sunset.
Sunset gazed down at the girl, blinking. With a deep sigh, she paced around, then sat on the bench beside her. Folding her arms, she squinted at her friend. "Twilight, talk to me." Her brow furrowed. "Ever since this weekend at Applejack's started, you've been a total basket case."
Twilight winced.
"I mean... more of a basket case than normal," Sunset clarified.
Twilight winced harder.
"Erm... what I mean is..." Sunset rolled her eyes. She facepalmed with a groan. There was an air of silence, and then: "Twilight, you've been... acting all nervous and jittery and... downright squirmy for the last few days. Heck ... the last few weeks! I mean ever since you came to Canterlot High! And... and I need to know what's going on." She gulped, looking up. When she next spoke, there was a shakiness to her voice, soft and fragile. "I need to know if... if I've been a terrible friend ."
"... ... ...?" Twilight silently looked up, eyes glossy. She sniffled once, gazing at Sunset with sudden concern.
"Right before you were transferred here, I... I-I made a promise." Sunset swallowed a lump down her throat. She nervously kneaded her knees with guilty fingers. "I promised to teach you everything I knew about friendship... everything that the other Twilight taught me and more ."
Biting her lip, Twilight gazed at the wooden floor of the gazebo.
Sunset continued. "I promised that I would show you a better way ." Her eyes hardened. "A better way than Crystal Prep. A better way than just... letting science and books be your only companions." A slight smirk. "I mean, besides Spike of course... but you know what I mean." She nevertheless sighed.
Twilight fidgeted.
"Please, Twilight. I... I need to know if this is turning out to be a rewarding life for you after all," Sunset said. She held a hand over her heart. "I need to know... personally ... if... if we're making you rush things. If... if maybe you're not ready for socializing like the rest of us. And... you know... if you want to take things even slower... that's p-perfectly fine! I mean... the girls will miss you. I ... w-would definitely miss you." She gulped. "But I understand that you're very... very new to friendship and the last thing I wanna do is make you feel uncomfortable."
Twilight shivered, clutching the jacket tighter.
"So please, Twilight," Sunset spoke. She pivoted until she was facing the girl completely. "Help me help you. Tell me what you need. I'm here for you." She smiled tenderly. "We're all here for you."
At last, with a nervous shudder, Twilight looked up. She cleared her throat, then spoke in a tiny voice: "You... want to help?"
"Yes. Yes, Twilight." Sunset leaned forward. "Just tell me what you need, girl."
Twilight's eyes fell down. "Would you... mmmm ... hold m-my hand?"
Sunset blinked. With a firm nod, she obliged, reaching her hand out.
Twilight held her breath as she lifted her wrist. Within seconds, a warm set of fingers clasped around hers. Just like that, Twilight exhaled with a gunburst. All of her shivers stopped, and the girl's heartbeat slowed to rhythmic, pounding thunder. She felt her skin melting under a cocoon-like touch, softer than soft... gentler than gentle. And yet—all the while—Sunset's grip was strong, protecting, loving .
There was no stopping the tears. Twilight sniffled, feeling as the moisture cascaded over a pair of blushing, curved cheeks.
Sunset Shimmer winced. "I... I don't understand." She gulped. "I... I thought this was supposed to h-help—"
"It does help," Twilight murmured. Her other hand clasped around Sunset's, securing the grip they both shared. "More than you know. More than..." Her shoulders buckled, and the jacket slid off her back as she heaved and shook a few times.
Sunset blinked. She shifted nervously. "Twilight... why... why are you so sad? "
"It's not sadness," Twilight cooed. "I'm h-happy." She looked up, eyes tearing above a tender smile. She squeezed Sunset's hand as she said, "I'm always... always happy when I'm around you, Sunset."
The other girl leaned back, her turquoise eyes narrowing. "Twilight...?"
"Each and every day... in every class period... at home or on the bus..." Twilight encircled her fingers with Sunset's, and her smile only grew. "Just so much as thinking about you." She gulped, sniffling. "And the time we first met. And you took my hand in yours... just like this. You..." She looked up, eyes darting about. "You saved me, Sunset Shimmer. You saved my life. All of this... all of everything is because of you."
Sunset exhaled. She murmured in a dry voice: "But... b-but the girls—"
"I like them too. Each and every one of them. But... b-but..." Twilight took a deep, tight breath. An explosion: "I only love one. The one who makes me feel so safe... the one who showed me that there's a better way. Just like sh-she's showing me right now."
Sunset squirmed. "Twilight, I... I don't think—"
"Pl-please...!" Twilight whimpered. "You can feel whatever you need to feel, say anything you need to say. But... b-but if I don't get this out now, then... I never will." She shuddered. "There's no place I feel happier than when I'm around you... when I feel your warmth... your hand . I... uh..." She brought a trembling hand up and brushed a strand of violet hair around her ear, only for it to fall again. She didn't care; she only smiled. "I sometimes hug myself in bed at night, thinking that it's you holding me instead. That's how much... h-how much I..."
Sunset's lips parted. She sat there, anchored by Twilight's grip of her hand.
"Well..." Twilight sniffled. "Th-there you have it." She sucked her breath in, avoiding Sunset's stunned expression for a brief moment. "Sooner than you know it, I'll be back to my clumsy... klutzy self. The silly girl who c-can't... just can't grasp that which she knows will make her complete, even when it's right in front of her. Especially if... I m-mean..." She sniffled, biting her lip as she stared at the floor of the gazebo. "It's okay, Sunset, if you d-don't feel the same way. It's... it's a lot to take in. After all, you only ever asked for a friend. And... and here I am dumping all of th-this on you." She clenched her eyes shut. "So stupid , I swear."
There was no response.
The silence went on for over half-a-minute.
Twilight was more curious than alarmed. She tilted her head up, and her eyes widened at what she saw.
Sunset sat in place, trembling. Her face was flushed. It was her turn to avoid Twilight's direct gaze.
"... ... ...Sunset?"
"Twilight, I..." The girl shuddered, her hand trembling within Twilight's grip. "I care about you. I really do." A gulp. "Mmmm ... m-more than you pr-probably know."
Twilight's eyes twitched beneath her glasses.
Sunset continued—or at least tried to: "You are so... so precious . So gentle ... so fragile ." She clenched her teeth, gazing at the grass and the orchards beyond. "I knew from the moment that uncontrollable magics overtook you that you weren't anything like I imagined. You were something special ... a treasure that only this world could hold. And... and yet you were in such a bad place ... surrounded by mean, nasty people. What you needed was friendship... companionship. And... and at last I was f-finally in a position where I could provide that to somepon—er... to someone . I c-could make a difference in somebody's life. In your life, Twilight."
"And you have, Sunset." Twilight leaned forward. "And you continue to—"
"Don't you get it?!" Sunset suddenly snapped, frowning. Just as quickly, her face stretched into something painful. "I... I-I got full up on that feeling... of being needed . Of being a good and positive influence in someone's life for once, instead of... of..." She shuddered, eyes moistening. After a hard gulp, she stammered, "Anyways, my bad side nearly tore you to shreds at the Friendship Games. And... and I-I don't want to do that again."
"Sunset..."
"You're in such a tender, fragile pl-place right now, Twilight!" Sunset sniffled, rubbing her eyes dry. Her hand began to tug away from Twilight's grip. "I... I don't want to wreck it! Not when you need comfort and security more than anything! You don't need me taking advantage of th-that! And all for what? Just because I'm some lonely, selfish jerk who feels more for y—"
Twilight suddenly lifted Sunset's hand so that her yellow palm was cupping her face.
Sunset gasped, eyes finally lifting to meet Twilight's.
Twilight smiled back. Softly, lovingly, she nuzzled her tear-stained cheek against Sunset's palm.
Sunset's lips quivered.
"Tell me, Sunset," Twilight murmured, smiling warmly at her. The same rosiness in her face spread to Sunset's own wrist and forearm "Do you feel like you're wrecking me now?"
Sunset gulped. "I... I-I..."
"Does it feel selfish?" Twilight exhaled, teeth showing beneath her smiling lips. "Or... maybe... just maybe ... it feels like I'm helping you... the same way you're helping me."
Sunset was trembling uncontrollably at this point. "Twilight, it's just..." She gulped, shaking her head. "We've b-barely known each other! Everpony will think—I mean... everybody will think..." She gnashed her teeth. "You're so vulnerable and... sweet and... intelligent and... goddess ..."
"Hmmm...?" Twilight smiled, her dimples brushing up against Sunset's palm.
Sunset blinked, then rolled her eyes. "Unnnnnnnngh..." She drifted forward. "C'mere, dammit." She hugged Twilight close.
"Eeee... " Twilight squealed breathily, clutching Sunset's shoulders as she happily nuzzled her violet hair into the other girl's neck.
Sunset sighed long and hard. She rested her chin atop Twilight's head. "This is crazy."
"Mmmhmmm..."
"We're out here in our pajamas, freezing our flanks... butts off beneath a gazebo on an apple farm ."
"Mmmmhmmm..."
"You... you've never had a girlfriend." Sunset gulped. "And I've been through one boyfriend and a very, very disappointed Princess."
"Uh huh..." Twilight nevertheless nestled herself tenderly in her arms.
Sunset felt Twilight's tiny heartbeat through her chest, and that's probably what elicited the groan from deep within her. "Mehhhhhhhh... buck it ." She parted the hug, leaning back with a lazy smile. "So... you wanna... like... go on a date or something next weekend?"
Twilight gasped. "Yes! " She jumped to her feet, clasping both hands together. "Yes to the Power of Googol! "
"Heh... a first googolplex together it is, then."
"Heeeeee!"
Author's Note
For more Skirtsian Sunsetsparkle, check out fluff one and fluff two
