Sunset Shimmer: Student of Magick

Sweetie Belle returned to school the next day. She showed some reticence starting as the teens prepared for bed, but she said nothing then or over breakfast. The only verbal cue was her lack of chatter, which was disconcerting for someone who was normally such a chatterbox.

Even with the quiet, Sunset did not need magick to see that the girl offered many nonverbal cues. The most profound, at least to Sunset's Awakened eyes, was the constant placement of Sweetie Belle's hand over her stomach. Whenever she did not need both, she would have one - and only one - hand over her womb. She did not rub it, nor did she give any other sign that she felt anything more than an irritated stomach.

Her emotions each time were almost identical. A hint of regret made itself visible, but it was to be expected; Sweetie Belle may have already loved her child, but keeping it had also upended everything. It may have been there, but the love that made the girl willing to abandon her life was far greater. Fear and anger mixed with hope and joy, none of them gaining or losing ground to control her.

The many conflicted feelings kept Sweetie Belle's eyes in a downcast spectre. From what little they discussed it, she was as excited about sharing the news with her beloved friends as she was afraid they would reject her. Sunset had doubts that the teen would be able to keep the news a secret when she saw her friends at school again, but she reported that - upon their enquiries - she had only given the response "I'll explain on Saturday."

With Sweetie Belle's permission, Sunset invited the older girls individually. She would tell the older group while Sweetie Belle was with the Crusaders. The official story was that the girls would be there to help Sweetie Belle catch up on homework. The problem was finding an excuse for each of the older girls that would ensure none of them would mention it to Rarity or to each other. Some were easy: Applejack was happy to visit to help Sunset plan a small garden of her own.

It was entirely possible Rarity was the only rotten member of their circles. Sweetie Belle may have been accustomed to the way her family wore masques at all times, but Sunset was not. If one of her friends could be a monster living in plain sight, she could not help wondering if any of the others were the same.

Friday's hurdle was arguably the highest remaining, however. Being rejected by friends would devastate her, but having the baby's father or his family refuse involvement would be an even greater wound that Sunset was certain would leave the greatest scar on Sweetie Belle's psyche.

The government insurance included some psychological help, which she planned to suggest after the weekend. Sweetie Belle may have been used to taking pills to 'fix' her, but Sunset hoped to arrange for the girl to meet someone who would actually help her.

When she picked up Sweetie Belle, Sunset was also playing host to Button Mash. He had been told that he was visiting was to help Sweetie Belle catch up on her homework after being sick. He did not question why Sunset was their ride, but he had to know that she was usually Sweetie Belle's tutor.

Though she normally rode in the front, Sweetie Belle sat in the back with him. If he noticed the tense atmosphere, he said nothing as he cheerfully regaled them with stories from his latest game sessions. Button tried to get Sweetie Belle interested in an app called 'Oceanhorn', but she only gave one-word replies. Her lack of enthusiasm did not curb his fervour.

Though she did not know Button Mash well, Sunset could see what had drawn her friend to him. The two shared many similarities: He wore his emotions on his sleeve and he talked almost as much as she normally did. Even his voice was much higher than average. They were both quirky, but that applied to all of their friends, supernatural powers or not.

Normally, the two were simply close friends. Even knowing what they had done, Sunset felt merely friendly affection between them, not the romantic love she had expected. It was something she mulled over as she drove, unable to stop herself wondering what had caused them to make the particular choices they had. Sweetie Belle had mentioned being angry; using that as means of acting against her family was understandable. Sunset only hoped that Button Mash had not been taking advantage of Sweetie Belle's deep-seated frustrations.

Though Sunset had expected the drive to feel longer than normal, her mental activity helped it pass quickly. As she parked, she glanced into the mirror to see Sweetie Belle wearing the grimace of one heading to the gallows, though the girl cleared her expression with a smile that did not reach her eyes. Button hopped from the car and followed them, bemoaning the amount of work they had to do.

He then followed his complaint with "At least I'll get to hang out with you" and a friendly pat to Sweetie Belle's shoulder. Instead of boosting her spirits, Sweetie Belle became further mired in dread. Sunset almost worried that she would exclaim then and there the truth behind her invitation, but the girl controlled herself with a steadying breath before following Button Mash up the stairs.

Sunset had promised to remain in the shared bedroom to give the parents-to-be privacy to talk. Despite the excellent construction and the solid walls, she would likely hear some of the conversation. It would at least be muffled, though, and she would be available if things turned ugly. She found it hard to imagine that someone like Button would thoroughly reject his child or his friend, though she merely had to remind herself of the shattered image of Rarity. Even if he accepted it, there was no guarantee he would not react negatively at first.

Not wanting to waste time, Sunset disappeared as soon as they entered the flat and tried to distract herself from the conversation. She missed any initial words and Sweetie Belle's admission, but she heard Button's reply.

"Huh? What ... but we ... o-okay. I, uh, I guess I need to tell Mum." There was a pause, which was followed by, "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Sweetie Belle opened the door before throwing herself at Sunset for a hug. She had tears in her eyes, but they were finally happy ones. "He's not mad."

"That's great. What next?"

Button Mash was just visible in her line of sight, his cheeks scarlet. He was unwilling to meet Sunset's eyes, though he did meet Sweetie Belle's gaze when she left Sunset's arms. His brown spark was riddled with embarrassment, but he was also happy with a little excitement growing. There was no anger or resentment, the two emotions Sunset had most feared seeing in him.

"I guess I should tell Mum. And dad and Gibson, since they're home." He winced, a bit of fear rearing its head. It was nothing like what had plagued Sweetie Belle when she contemplated telling her family. He was a bit subdued as he added, "I hope they don't ground me."

Sweetie Belle giggled. "I'd try to stop her. If you're grounded, we won't be able to talk about names for the baby and all the other stuff."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. I bet we can come up with the perfect name. Hey, if it's a boy, how about Link? Since he's so cool and a hero. What do you think?"

"Uh, let's talk about it later."

Sweetie Belle hesitated, her terror not yet gone, even if it was diminished. "Is it okay if I go so we can tell your family together?"

"Sure."

'Aw, young sweethearts. Makes me want to puke. Gods, Shimmy, why do you enjoy this crap?'

'What, you wanted him to reject her? That they'd hate each other?'

'No, but it would have been so much more fun to watch. Then again, at least she won't be all mopey. I guess I can live with this.'

On the way to the car, Button took Sweetie Belle's hand. They both displayed the same friendly affection for each other in the act as they usually did. Nothing about their feelings were any different from those the Crusaders displayed when they were together. Regardless of her exact feelings for Button Mash, a bit of warm contentment flowed into Sweetie Belle's soul and disrupted the fear.

Sunset drove them to Button's house, where she would remain near Sweetie Belle as she had during the first public announcement. After all, a negative reaction from Button would have been fairly easy to handle. Two adults as well as a young man around Sunset's age could be much more vicious, whether purely verbal or not.

Sunset lacked experience with abused children to be able to know if Button was hiding anything. He was nervous about telling his family, but he lacked the stark terror Sweetie Belle had shown. During the few interactions Sunset shared with him, he never displayed any hidden issues. She desperately wanted to believe that his family would be different, that their love was genuine.

As they followed Button Mash into the house, Sunset gave Sweetie Belle a small hug.

Love Tap and the rest of the family were in the living room, where Gibson, Button's older brother, was showing them his guitar skills. They were surprised to see the guests, but welcomed both teens into their home. According to Button, Love Tap always enjoyed having Sweetie Belle visit with or without her fellow Crusaders; she was normally surrounded by boys, after all, and loved 'girl time.'

"Hey, Mum, Dad, can I talk to you for a sec?" Button asked. His voice was rising in pitch as he spoke. "Gibson, too? Please?"

"Of course, sweetie," Love Tap replied, a little worry appearing at his tone. "What's wrong?"

Sunset did not know Gibson very well, having generally only seen him in the halls when they both attended CHS. He was one year ahead of her and too obnoxious to be tolerable to use for her rise to power. Like Button, though, he was fairly laid-back and had not really bothered Sunset. He flirted with her once or twice, but the old Sunset had viewed him with such contempt that she never bothered to do more than to ignore him. As Sunset ran through through all of her history with that family, Button Mash and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, offering each other support.

She was glad that her past would not antagonise anyone and thereby marring her own supportive role.

"Uh, guys, Sweetie Belle is going to have a baby, and it's my fault." Button's voice continued to rise, much as Sweetie Belle's would, throughout his exclamation. He ended nearly in tears. Now he was genuinely scared, though it still was not soul-crushing dread.

None of his family immediately responded, though it looked as though Love Tap glared at Gibson when the older boy opened his mouth.

Husband and wife looked at each other. When Chip nodded, Love Tap took the lead.

"Thank you for telling us, Button. Have you each decided what you're planning to do about it?"

"I'm keeping the baby," Sweetie Belle declared. Her brief courage flickered, and she wilted before the adults' gazes.

"And I'm going to help take care of it," Button added, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I guess that means our Button is going to be a daddy," Love Tap said, a bit of soothing cheer in her voice.

Sunset tested the emotions in the room and found that while Button's parents seemed a little disappointed, they were also pushing it down to make room for happiness. She knew people could suppress visible emotion, but - to the best of her knowledge - they could not hide their true feelings from her unless they also had some form of magick. That they were contesting their initial reactions to the news to remain positive caused Sunset to relax, though only a little. There could still be something horrible to come.

"So, wait, I'm gonna be an uncle? Righteous." Gibson played an impromptu tune that may have been meant to show his enthusiasm. Instead, it sounded as though he needed to restring his guitar.

Chip kept his face neutral as he leant forward to look at his younger son. "You and I are going to have some talks over the next few weeks." He grinned, ruffling the boy's hair. "I have to teach you everything I know about how to be a good dad."

"Why don't you guys get a start on that? That way, we can have some girl talk."

"Of course, honey. Come on, boys, let's go throw the ball around while we talk."

Button cheered. He was completely happy, now that the initial reactions were out of the way and no one had started shouting. He grabbed his brother's hand to yank the older boy into the back yard after their father.

When all the testosterone was out of the room, Love Tap gestured for Sunset and Sweetie Belle to sit, drawing the latter to her side where she could place an arm around the girl.

"How are you doing so far?"

"It hasn't really been bad, I guess. I only found out this week, and a lot of other stuff happened, so I've been thinking about it, but not at the same time."

"I understand. How far along are you now?"

"About sixteen weeks, I think."

Love Tap's eyes widened. "And you just found out? Has your mother taken you to a doctor yet?"

"Not exactly. More like kicked me out. That's why Sunset came with me."

Sunset expected any number of reactions from the woman, but a sad nod was low on the list. Outrage had been her guess; it was present, but Love Tap suppressed it as she had any upset over the news of her grandchild. It seemed to Sunset that Love Tap preferred to focus on the important things, as Sweetie Belle was clearly depressing herself simply by mentioning it.

"Okay, well, as long as you're somewhere safe, I'm just going to roll with that for now. The first thing we need to do is get you a good doctor. I'm pretty sure the doctor I saw when I was expecting the boys is still practising. I can tell you that he's a wonderful doctor, but I'd understand if you'd rather have a female doctor. What do you want?"

"You'd never recommend a bad doctor, and I guess it's not as embarrassing when you're dealing with a professional."

"I'm glad you feel that way."

Their girl talk covered several more maternal care topics, which included Love Tap insisting on regular updates, giving her number to both teens. Sunset was a little concerned she was going to push for Sweetie Belle to move into her home, but Love Tap accepted Sunset's guardianship after grilling the young woman with many questions to ensure Sweetie Belle and the baby would receive proper care. She did not ask for exact numbers but did want to know that Sunset could afford to care for three. Even with insurance for medical bills and government assistance for everything else, a child would be expensive.

"This baby is going to part of my family. I might be a little young to be a grandmother, but I'm planning to be a good one. Sweetie Belle, you're part of our family now, too, so we'll be helping to make sure both of you are okay."

Sweetie Belle was unable to respond through her tears, hugging Love Tap to communicate.

"Sunset, I wouldn't mind if you'd like to consider yourself part of the family as well. You're willing to step up and help, even though it isn't your problem, and that tells me a lot about you. You've obviously changed."

"You did hear about that?"

Sunset felt herself grasping an elbow with the opposite hand, something she had not done in months.

"I'm not deaf. Gibson and Button may not have had a problem, but I heard Sweetie Belle talk about you. I'm just glad to see how different you've become. Come on, get over here."

Sunset joined the others on the couch, forming a group hug with Love Top in the middle. She was becoming a member of a family, one of her choosing, and that did not bother her in the least.