The rain fell heavily as the students of Canterlot High filed out of school after another day of classes. Many were hiding under hoods, holding umbrellas, or sharing with their friends.
Twilight Sparkle however, wasn't so lucky. She had rushed out the house this morning and didn't hear that it was going to be a dreary, rainy afternoon. To make things worse, most of her friends had things to do. Rainbow had to babysit her stepsister, Rarity wouldn't be caught dead in the rain, Pinkie had to stay after school, Applejack had left early, and Fluttershy was home sick with a cold.
Which meant her journey home would be a lone and very, very, wet one. That is, until she felt someone plunk a helmet onto her head.
“Huh- Wha?” She asked, turning to face the mystery person.
“It looks like you need a ride home,” Sunset told her grinning.
“Uh, yeah,” Twilight responded, blushing.
Sunset grabbed Twilight’s hand and let her to her bike. The motorcycle was a little old, probably not one of the latest models from this decade. It had charm to it though, with its fiery red color and worn features.
Twilight had learned a long time ago that Sunset had rebuilt the bike herself. She had bought it off some former biker and spent most of her time when she was dating Flash in his garage fixing it up.
When she had first gotten to this world, Sunset had no idea what cars or bikes were in the slightest but if there was one thing about her it was that she was a fast learner, and once she got the hang of it, she was on the road.
Twilight on the other hand could care less for cars or bikes. Especially bikes. They were dangerous, and Shining Armour had shown here enough pictures of accident scenes he had responded to to know what could happen when you get on one.
But she had no other choice. It was either ride with Sunset, or walk in the cold ran alone. As she got on the bike it purred to life under her, giving her a weird sense of warmth between her legs.
Instinctively, her arms wrapped around the older girl in front of her, who chuckled at her nervousness.
“Relax, Twilight. You're not gonna die. I've been riding this thing for months.” Sunset assured her as she kicked off and revved her engine.
“That doesn't exactly make me feel better!” Twilight shrieked over the sound of the bike’s roaring as they took off down the street.
The world soon streaked around her, rain flying in her face, getting her glasses wet. She would have to wipe them as soon as she got off if she wanted to see where she was going.
She was still getting wet herself, but she would be home sooner on Sunsets bike than walking alone.
Sunset was saying something to her, but Twilight, not used to going so fast without a seatbelt was too terrified to answer. She heard something about ‘my place’ and ‘shower’ but honestly the only thing she cared about right now was making it home in one piece.
Twenty minutes later, they stood at the door of Sunset’s apartment, and Twilight finally understood what the older girl was trying to say. She was shivering, and the former Crystal Prep student assumed she probably looked like a drenched dog.
Sunset unlocked the door, and threw her bookbag on the couch. “Make yourself at home. You can take a shower first since you look like you need one,” She chuckled.
Twilight nodded and headed into the bathroom, thanking the gods that Sunset was one for hospitality. She quickly undressed, and hopped in without a second thought.
Her shower would have been longer, but she didn't want to use up of all of her friend’s hot water. Especially since she hadn't gotten in herself.
When she got out, Sunset was sitting on the couch doing her homework and watching something on tv.
“There's some clothes set out in my room,” She called out to her. “You're welcome to stay until the rain stops. And then I could take you home,”
Twilight was glad for Sunset’s generosity, but wanted to object to another ride on her death machine. Before she was even able to come up with a compelling argument, she sneezed, which meant her attention was needed elsewhere.
She nodded to Sunset, even though the bacon haired guitarist couldn't see, and headed into the bedroom down the hall.
It was...underwhelming. She had expected Sunset’s room to be more...rebellious. But rebellious it was not. In fact it looked more like her room, just more, bare. There wasn't anything of substance to it, just the basic necessities like a bed, a dresser, and a bedside table on which the journal that was used to talk to the other Twilight sat.
Twilight looked down at the clothes splayed on the duvet in front of her and smiled. It was a shirt Sunset had worn at Camp Everfree and a pair of pajama shorts.
She began to undress when she heard the door creak open and immediately whipped around to see who it was as she covered herself.
Sunset stood in the doorway with a strong blush on her face. “I uh, I came to get my towel, I'm sorry I should have knocked!” She blurted, grabbing what she had came in for and abruptly leaving, slamming the door behind her.
Twilight released a shaky breath as she pulled the shirt over her head. With her back turned to the door there's no way Sunset hadn't seen it. Seen what proof was left of the monster she had become in a time that seemed so long ago.
On the other side of the door, Sunset was trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Was that what she thought it was? She wasn't going back in now to check. The atmosphere was much too awkward. She would have to wait until after her shower.
The air between them was unbearable after that. They sat on Sunset’s couch, staring at a TV show that didn't interest either of them.
Sunset kept stealing glances at Twilight, but said nothing. She didn't know how she would react to the subject. Midnight Sparkle was a touchy conversation in itself, and the last thing she wanted to do was make one of her best friends uncomfortable. But she had to say something. To let Twilight know that she saw what she was hiding. Or, what she assumed Twilight was hiding since her reaction to her walking in on her was so flustered.
“Twilight...” She started, still staring at the screen blankly. “How did you....where did that come from?”
The frown that formed on Twilight's face let Sunset know that she knew exactly what ‘that’ was, and that she still wasn't ready to talk about it.
“My...Her wings.” The younger girl answered softly. “I didn't know there were any other lingering effects of Midnight besides the magic until one morning I woke up and...and it was there...”
Sunset put a hand on Twilight's. “Does...does it hurt?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, but, I really wish it wasn't there. I thought I was over this whole Midnight thing, but then when you have something like that on your back it kind of makes it hard to forget,” She laughed dryly, adjusting her glasses.
“Do the girls-”
“No!” Twilight snapped before Sunset could finish. “No, they don't. And I'd like to keep it that way,”
Sunset frowned. “Twilight you can't honestly think you can go on living you life like that. Eventually one of them is going to find out. How will you change after gym? Go to the beach over spring break? Eventually someone is going to see those marks on your back!”
“I'll deal with it when the problem presents itself!” Twilight shouted, a sob forming in her throat. “You may have been in the same position as me once, but you don't have a huge reminder painted on your back like a target!”
Sunset’s nostrils flared. She stood up angrily. “Do I Twilight?! Do I?!” In one swift motion Sunset’s shirt was off her body. She turned, and heard Twilight let out an audible gasp.
Across Sunset’s back was gnarled scars in a criss cross shape where her wings had been. It looked like she had been beaten by a whip over and over. It was disturbing to look at, but in that moment, Twilight could not look away.
Sunset turned back around to face her and stared at her with soft eyes. “Twilight, when I say we're alike, I mean it. We've been through so much that I think that if it wasn't for the support of our friends we’d have gone insane.” She sat back down next to her friend after putting her shirt back on.
“You may see that scar as a huge target on your back, but I see it as a symbol of your strength. You beat her. You beat Midnight. You're in control now. Not her. She can never hurt you or anyone ever again because you took charge and proclaimed that she wasn't you and that you were your own person. Own that. Own your scars.”
“I'm sorry,” Twilight sobbed. “I had no idea that you even-”
Sunset shushed her by putting a finger on her mouth. “Like I said, it's okay alright? That's what we're all here for, Twilight. To help you. You can come to the girls, and especially me for anything. Okay?”
Twilight nodded, thankful.
Sunlight shone through the window above their heads as the rain outside had stopped.
Sunset stared out of it, an idea coming to her. “Why don't I call up the girls and see if we can all drown ourselves in some ice cream at Sugarcube Corner?”
Twilight giggled, feeling relief wash over her. “That sounds amazing.” She said, smiling brightly.
Author's Note
This is...wow. This is my first story in months. I don't know what to say really except that I'm really really sorry I just disappeared like that. I've been going through a lot and I wanted my comeback story to reflect that. What better way than a Sunlight comfort story? Anyway I'm grateful to you guys for being so patient with me and putting up with my leave of absence. If you've read any of my blog posts, me and my mom are going through a really tough time and need 861 bucks to help pay the rent this month. If you want to help, please do not hesitate to donate to my paypal Here or by signing up to be a patreon on my patreon. Thank you for all the continued support, and I hope you guys enjoyed this.
