Sunset examined herself in the oval vanity mirror in her room. She wore a light blue blouse, her red and yellow mixed skirt and a pair of blue jeans. Not everyone could pull off jeans in a skirt, and if she was honest she looked amazing. Then again human fashion still flummoxed her, as did the idea of clothes still being a necessity instead of a quality of life good. Nevertheless, she has made leaps in improvements over the years.

The fake leather jacket, as she wasn’t a barbarian even when evil and rebellious, hung to the side of the mirror. It would complete her ensemble, but the connotations attached to the jacket kept her wary of it. She found it silly; it was just a piece of clothing. She reached for it, paused and headed for the door. She glanced back into the apartment, grabbed her shoulder bag and closed the door.

A brisk walk later Sunset was nearly at the bus stop. The schedule had it arriving in several minutes which was plenty of a safety window for her not to miss the public transportation. That would have been embarrassing to explain to Twilight.

“Sunset!” yelled a hooded figure under the bus stop’s shade. Not just anyone either as Sunset saw her friend waving all too eagerly.

“Heh, hey Twilight. You, uh, got to say I wasn’t expecting you,” said Sunset gesturing at Twilight. “Especially not bogged down. You know it’s almost eighty degrees out today, right?”

Twilight was nearly completely covered head to toe with her purple ankle-length long skirt, dark blue hoodie and pink backpack on her back. Her hair was set in her usual bun, but the weather had frizzed it out of its normally perfect style.

“Yes, that it is. It’s supposed to be colder tonight, and I was prepared for any abnormalities in the weather. You can’t trust the local news for accurate reports anymore. A backpack is absolutely needed for any outside excursions as I have prepared numerous nutrient bars, a safety kit, and survival needs. It doubles to have room for anything I am to collect along the way,” said Twilight is a satisfied nod.

Sunset spied the outline of several books stuffed in her bags and smirked. “Survival needs, huh? Glad to see you again. So, uh, what are you doing here? Not that I mind, beats riding that smelly bus alone, but, well.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I thought that it would be more than the two of us, most likely the whole group and figured it would be easier if we all met up at the same point and time. I didn’t account for everyone having plans for today. Guess I forgot friends normally plan ahead of schedule for events like this, huh?”

She patted her backpack proudly. “And yes, survival needs. A good book can make hours fly by in no time.”

Sunset’s smirk shifted as she glanced between Twilight and her backpack. “Twilight. How long have you been waiting?”

“Oh. Not… long. Since I called? Really, it isn’t a big deal. I had books prepared for just the occasion.”

“Yes, yes you did.” Sunset shook her head as the bus pulled up. “Next time? Please come over to my place. You don’t need to wait around if you’re waiting on me.”

“Y-your pla—oh I couldn’t impose. I mean, the heat isn’t all that bad and sweating is supposed to be good for your skin and random passersby giving you odd stares is a worthwhile life experience.” Twilight bit her lip. “Okay. Next time then.”

Twilight boarded the bus with Sunset following behind her. She led the pair to the very back of the bus, something Sunset noticed but said nothing about. The two sat down and got comfortable as the bus roared noisily and began its trek to the city.

“So.”

“So.”

A minute of awkward silence between the two as they looked at everything but each other. Sunset wasn’t sure why there was ice to break, they had just gotten on a bus and sat next to each other, but decided to break it anyway.

“Excited about this robotics fair? I am even though I have very little idea what to expect.”

“Yes, very much so. There are a lot of experimental displays and individual developers reaching out for a sponsor that are catching my interest. I was there last year in their shoes hoping for the same thing.”

“Last year? Not showing up this year, huh?”

“Well, between leaving Crystal Prep to transfer over to CHS, dreading over the entire Friendship Games fiasco and that ordeal at Camp Everfree I haven’t had time. That and this whole magic business.” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck then looked at it in mild embarrassment as it was sweaty.

Twilight looked at Sunset unsurely, her eyes moving to her neck. “I notice you’re not wearing your gem.”

Sunset was about to respond before Twilight continued. “I’m not wearing mine either.”

“Yeah, I love magic, but wearing it lets me harness it fully. That comes with a bit of uncontrollability. It was interesting seeing the store clerk’s past day when he handed me change the first time but seeing everyone’s private moments at a finger’s touch? I felt like I was invading privacy,” said Sunset. “Not to worry though as it’s safely packed in my bag.”

“Yes, mine as well. I understand what you mean. Without wearing it I can do a little telekinesis, but wearing it? It can get out of my hands at times and is a little bit scary. I can only wonder how the others manage to wear theirs all the time.” Twilight frowned. “That and I can’t help but feel when I’m wearing it…”

“What is it, Twi?”

“No, nevermind.”

That was worrisome to Sunset. The feeling that Twilight gave, the tone of her voice, it reminded her of how she was acting back in Camp Everfree. Sunset put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, you can tell me, Twilight. We learned not to bottle up these kinds of things, remember?”

“You’re right, Sunset. It’s just, I think you would be the only one to understand, but… when I’m wearing the gem I feel powerful. Like I’m in total control of something beyond myself. But I’m not and that scares me. It makes me think of her. Midnight Sparkle.” Twilight sighed. “I know she’s not there, and it’s completely illogical but it’s how I feel.”

Twilight looked nervous and quickly waved a hand. “Not that I’m saying that the others wouldn’t understand or that you only would because you once turned into a crazed demon! I didn’t know you then, and only heard about it from the girls, but—”

“Twilight, it’s okay. I,” started Sunset. She hesitated when she thought of her past and her morning. “I understand about fearing your past. I mean, I live with it over my head every day. The girls are wonderful, they really are, but I can see it when the other students look at me. Most forgive and forget, but the few who don’t? Even myself.”

“What?” asked Twilight.

Sunset stared at her hands. “I still have these dreams. Nightmares really, of things I’ve done, of things I didn’t do or things I could’ve done. Of me being a true demon. It’s... I don’t know. Sometimes I wake up just as it gets bad, other times I’m reminded of all my friends and we beat back the darkness, but others? Just, yeah, I understand what you mean.”

A moment of silence passed between the two. Sunset looked up to see tears in Twilight’s eyes. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry, Twi. This was supposed to be a fun day, just us and some robots and I made it about myself. I thought I was past this.”

Twilight embraced Sunset is a hug. “No, no no don’t be sorry. I know we didn’t know each other in your past, but you aren’t like that.” She pulled away to lock her teary eyes with Sunset’s. “The Sunset Shimmer I met was courageous, brave and loyal. She stands up for her friends, supports them when they’re scared over something, and you saved me from myself when I was in a bad position.

“Even now you, you helped me. I too have nightmares about Midnight Sparkle. Sometimes she beats me, waging her terror on the world and other times it’s you. You, Sunset Shimmer, who comes out in a ray of golden light with wings aflame and rescues me. Never forget that.”

“Okay, okay,” said Sunset “You’ve convinced me to stop feeling sorry for myself. Thanks, Twi.”

Twilight wiped her eyes, jumped that she was still holding onto Sunset and released her before scooting away quickly. Sunset laughed, her negative feelings banished by her friend’s support. “You’re pretty slick yourself, Sparkle. Don’t you forget who saved the day versus Gaia Everfree. We can’t let our pasts define our future, right?”

“Heh heh, right.”

“So.”

“So.”

“If you were here… what was that about Spike walking himself?”

Author's Note

The adventure begins soon enough! After all, this isn't a slice of life fimfiction.