Acting Like You’re Happy
Sunset breathed out a huge sigh of relief as she stepped through the threshold of the coffee shop, glad beyond words that it was Friday at last. Monday morning started out disastrously, salvaged only by the support of her friends, and the stress continued throughout the week as the teachers started to pile on the homework in preparation for the mid-quarter tests to come. The whole thing had been a nightmare, but at long last it was finally over and she could just take some time to relax and not worry about anything.
At least, anything school-related. There were still her worries about the portal, worries about magic leaking out from Equestria, worries about the geodes that had melded with her and her friends, and the fact that yet another person had been taken in by too much magic and corrupted into something dangerous. This was the fourth time such a thing had happened in this world, only one of which was ever intentional. Her own…
Sunset shook her head to clear out those ever-returning thoughts and just focus on her relaxation day. It was Friday, she had no school projects, no plans with her friends. Just herself and all the rest of the day to veg out and do whatever she wanted. And that pointedly did NOT include stressing over and over about things she couldn’t change. She and her friends had handled all the issues so far, even if by the skin of their teeth a few times. Surely they could manage whatever else happened, right?
She sighed as she stepped to the end of the line in front of the counter, both annoyed and resigned to the same mental circle she’d been trotting for ages now. Her friends had told her time and again that she shouldn’t be such a worrywart about it, but again and again magical stuff sprung up out of nowhere causing an issue, and even when none of it was her fault Sunset still felt a bit of guilt. It had all started with her after all, and even with all the changes she had gone through since those days, she still didn’t feel like-
“Sunset?”
Sunset jumped in place, coming back to reality and realizing the line ahead of her had vanished, leaving the path to the cashier open. A cashier she was surprised to say she recognized.
“Juniper?” she asked in shock. “What are you doing here?”
Standing behind the counter, Juniper smiled slightly and gave Sunset a little wave. Her hair was done up in her standard twin ponytails, but instead of the strange movie reel hat she’d been wearing at the theater she had on a simple white cap.
“Well obviously I work here,” Juniper responded. “I kinda lost my job at the theater after being really jerky with my boss. That and tearing up part of the mall as a giant crazy lady…”
Sunset winced in sympathy for her. “Sorry about that.”
Juniper shook her head at that. “Don’t apologize, it wasn’t your fault. Everything that happened was because of me and me alone. Thankfully my uncle offered to help pay for most of the damage… under the condition that I provide a part of it myself. He didn’t want to add too much to my other punishment since there were ‘outside forces involved’ as he put it.”
“But he did add to it?” Sunset asked.
Juniper nodded. “Yeah, and I can’t say he’s wrong to. I mean, I could have stopped using the mi… that thing at any time. The only one pushing me to keep going was myself.”
“I know the feeling,” Sunset offered. “The important thing is that we learn from what happened, right?”
Juniper’s shoulders sagged as she said, “Easier said than done… But hey, not everything is bad. I mean, I have this job now and I gotta tell you, I much prefer it over working at the theater.”
“Good to hear,” Sunset said with a smile. “Though I’m kinda surprised I haven’t seen you in here before. I come here every day before school for some pick me up juice.”
“I tend to work the later shifts,” Juniper said. “Only just got put up front today.”
“Oi, Juni, what’s the hold up!”
Juniper quickly turned around to the voice that called her name and Sunset saw a tall, heavy set guy step out from the back, his dark brown hair constrained by a hair net.
“S-sorry Dark Roast. I was just talking with my friend here, I’ll take her order right away.”
Roast lifted an eyebrow at her then let his expression soften a tad. “Well alright then, but don’t start slacking just because you’ve got your girl friend here, eh? Your shift maybe be almost up but that ain’t an excuse to lazy about.”
Juniper nodded stiffly. “Yes, of course sir.”
The man gave Juniper a final look before stepping back into the kitchen, at which point Juniper let out a sigh of relief.
“Hard nose boss huh?” Sunset asked.
“Hard but fair,” Juniper answered. “He already knew me before I came in from all my trips here to get my uncle’s coffees back when I was working at the movie set, so he knew I could work hard when I have to. And he makes sure I always am. Thoroughly. So… what would you like?”
Sunset smiled and put in her usual order of a french vanilla iced coffee and an apple fritter - AJ got her hooked on them a while ago - and went over to her usual spot over by the window to wait for it to be ready. Instead of looking out at the street and sky though, this time she watched Juniper bustle around the counter as a new rush of people stepped in.
Sunset wasn’t sure what to think of the girl, in a number of ways. After the events with the magic mirror Juniper had obtained - which there was still no explanation of where it had come from and why, which was highly irksome - she had seemed rather rightfully upset and depressed, but her mood had been lifted by Sunset and her friends’ efforts to include her and she left for home that day happy. Sunset had made several attempts to reach out to Juniper since then with phone calls and each time Juniper had been receptive enough, but Sunset felt that she was holding back somewhat. It was hard to point to any one thing that proved her theory, but she felt that she was right all the same. It reminded her far too much of how she’d acted around her friends sometimes to be anything else.
Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted when she saw Juniper heading her way, her cap removed and a pair of trays in her hands.
“Hey, Sunset,” she said as she sat down across from Sunset, placing one tray in front of each of them. “Since my shift is basically over anyway Roast told me I could leave a bit early so I could talk with you.”
Sunset picked up her coffee, gratified to see it was mixed just the way she liked it. “That’s nice of him to do that for you.”
“Like I said, hard but fair.” She lifted her own drink and took a long, loud slurp. “I like him waaay more than my old boss, plus working at a coffee shop is lots of fun for me since I like coffee. I mean, I like movies too, but being in a theatre isn’t nearly as involving as being on a set. Plus it was just a constant reminder of what I had lost out on doing and… You know what, I’m going to drop that topic before I make myself sad.”
Sunset frowned, hiding her thoughts for a moment behind her drink. While Juniper was acting much more upbeat than Sunset could remember feeling after her own brush with magical power, she could sense that there was more going on.
“Well, you won’t be barred from movie work forever right?” Sunset said. “You might need to work elsewhere for a while, but the option will still be there in the future.”
“True,” Juniper admitted. “Plus, my uncle said that I could use a little ‘growing up’ before I’m really ready to work in the industry, so I guess that taking a few years off for that to happen can’t hurt right?”
Sunset shrugged, unsure of what she could add to that, and instead reached for her fritter. Just as she took a bite she looked up at Juniper’s drink and had to restrain herself from spitting out the treat.
“Um, Juniper… what in the world are you drinking?”
“My personal mix,” she answered simply. “Why?”
Sunset tilted her head at her in confusion. “It’s green.”
Juniper shrugged. “It’s very unique. I’d tell you how I stumbled on the recipe, but that would take a few hours.”
The internal debate between curiosity and concern waged in Sunset’s head while she just smiled and nodded, going back to her pastry. The two enjoyed their meal in silence for a bit, Sunset trying and failing to not look too much at the emerald tinted liquid in her companion’s drink.
“So,” Sunset said as the last of the mystery coffee disappeared through Juniper’s straw, “aside from the new job, how are you doing?”
“Mostly fine,” Juniper answered. “I’ve got my job here which keeps me busy and gives me enough money to pay back the mall and keep me afloat, and I’m still doing stuff with my uncle, even if I can’t work on the set itself.” She smiled sadly. “Life’s still going on.”
Sunset grew still as she heard that phrase, that sentiment that she’d echoed herself so many times. The way she’d tell her friends she was fine because she didn’t know how to tell them otherwise. That feeling that she could never shake off no matter how much she told herself it wasn’t true anymore. That she didn’t deserve all the good that had come to her.
But this time, Sunset was on the other side, and she’d be damned if she just let it go by.
“Do you have any plans later today?” she quickly asked.
“Um…” Juniper tapped her chin in thought for a moment before shrugging. “Not really. Today’s a short day cause I was training on the register, and my uncle is busy with other stuff today so he’s got nothing for me to do…”
“Then you’re hanging with me today,” Sunset stated.
Juniper looked at her with a tilted head. “I am?”
“Yep,” she said firmly. “I’d like to spend some more time with you, we both have clear schedules, so why not right?”
“Weeeell,” Juniper said slowly, “I guess there’s nothing wrong with that. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you one on one. With all the others there there wasn’t much time for personal conversation and stuff…”
Sunset flashed a brilliant smile at her. “Perfect! Let’s go!” She leaped out of her seat and grabbed Juniper’s hand, dragging her towards the door.
“W-wait, Sunset! I left my cinnamon roll!”
The last thing the restaurant saw of the pair was Juniper being pushed out the door of the shop by Sunset, a cinnamon roll pressed firmly into Juniper’s mouth while Sunset was still munching on her fritter.
***SSJM***
Juniper huffed and puffed to herself as she climbed up the front steps to Sunset’s house. Despite only being two blocks down from the coffee shop, Sunset’s breakneck pace to get here had been more exhausting than she’d like to admit. Juni knew she was no slouch in the exercise department herself, but there was a difference between jogging that distance and sprinting/hobbling that far while being pulled along by the arm, while trying to not drop a treat from the mouth as well!
Well, this has been about fifteen times more exciting than all of work was today. Now let’s just hope that my heart can take it.
Finally she managed to stagger up the last steps, trying hard not to wheeze and cough up the remains of her - admittedly rather delicious - cinnamon roll as she caught her breath.
“And here we are!” Sunset announced, flinging her arms up dramatically. “Wow, made it back in record time too, bet even Rainbow would be impressed with that speed. Nice job keeping up… Juniper?”
Juniper leaned hard against the low wall next to the steps, waving her hands weakly in front of her. “Yaaaay… go us…”
Sunset winced, moving her arms back and forth as she tried to decide whether to reach out and help or just stand back in shame. “Um… I didn’t push you too hard did I? I was… kinda tunnel visioning a bit there.”
Juniper shook her head, glad she didn’t see spots in her vision anymore as she did. “No, it’s fine. I’m just… just a wee bit winded. I’ll be good in a second. Been awhile since I took P.E. at CPA you know?”
Sunset started to nod, then blinked and looked at Juniper in surprise. “You were a Crystal Prep student?”
“Uh huh. All four years. My dad and mom put me through with the expectation that I’d use it to get into a good college.” She sighed and looked away. “They weren’t too happy when I told them I wanted to be in movies instead, but hey, my uncle was supportive at least.”
Sunset felt another pang, immediately seeking to change the topic. “When did you graduate?”
“Last year,” Juniper answered, finally having the will to stand back up again. “As soon as I was done I jumped into my internship with my uncle. He wanted me to get a taste of what real film-making is like before helping me get into film school. Course, that plan’s on the back burner for a while…”
She sighed again, only to pause when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Sunset giving her an encouraging smile, even as her eyes reflected a level of sadness Juniper didn’t understand.
“It’s not forever, you’ve gotta remember that. No matter how far away all that stuff seems right now, you’ll get there soon enough. You’ve just gotta stick to it, and never, ever lose hope.”
Juniper’s mouth flapped open and shut for a moment as she tried to find words to respond. Eventually she settled for a slight but earnest smile. “Wow, that sounds like a like right out of a movie.”
Sunset’s smile weakened. “Was it that corny?”
Juniper quickly shook her head and said, “Oh no, no, not at all. Okay, well, maybe just a little. But it was a good corny, you know? The kind of thing that people like to hear, even when they tell themselves it’s just something people say because they know they should. Because it still means something… especially when you’re hearing it for real.”
Sunset’s smile returned just as bright, and Juniper felt a flutter of something down in her gut.
Then she felt the urge to burp, and she remembered it was probably just her roll.
Ooooooh wow what a way to ruin the moment. 10 outta 10 Juni, the critics are loving you right now.
“So, um…” Sunset said, looking around the street awkwardly. “Maybe we should actually go inside?”
Juniper smirked. At least I’m not the only one who’s awkward around here.
“Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I’m actually kinda curious to see the inside of your house, especially since you were so eager to get me here.”
Chuckling weakly, Sunset drew out her keys and went to unlock the door. “Yeah, sometimes I get carried away when I do things, especially when I’m thinking too hard. But anyway, welcome to my home!”
Sunset flung the door open, hard enough that it bounced off the wall stopper and nearly back into her but she stopped it with one hand, her smile frozen on her face.
“What was that you said about getting carried away?” Juniper teased.
“Let’s just… go inside please?” Sunset asked weakly.
Juniper smiled at her and walked in, flashing an amused grin Sunset’s way. As soon as she stepped over the threshold though her amusement fell away as she took in the looks of the house. If the outside’s plain auburn brick construction was to be believed the house ought to have been simple but what Juniper saw was anything but. Each wall of the house was painted in some different primary color, each just muted enough to not clash with each other but still casting the whole place in an almost surreal light. By contrast the furniture was seemingly normal, but there were so many disparate styles between them all that they were still a confusing mishmash that twisted her mind just to look at. She spent a full minute just taking it all in before looking back at Sunset with clear bewilderment.
“What?” Sunset asked defensively. “Is something out of place?”
“In a place like this, what would out of place even mean?” Juniper asked almost rhetorically. “I’m going to hazard a guess that interior design isn’t one of your strong suits…”
“Well, to be fair, I did run away from home when I was still in school so I wasn’t really taught anything about setting up my own house. Plus, with how drab this world sometimes looks compared to Equestria, having all these colors helped it feel almost like home.”
Juniper paused at that, then looked back around the room more speculatively. “Huh. I guess that would be nice to have, reminders of home. I’ve got some stuff in my room at my uncle’s house that reminds me of times when I was still a kid. Nothing wrong with nostalgia right?”
“You live at your uncle’s?” Sunset asked, hands on her hips. “What about your parents?”
Juniper shrugged and folded her arms over her chest. “Remember when I said they weren’t happy about me wanting to go into film? Well, that was part of it. My parents and I… don’t really get along much.”
Sunset nodded. “I know the feeling. My parents didn’t know how to deal with me all that well, and I wasn’t very inclined to try and understand them at the time. Prin… my personal teacher ended up doing more raising of me than my actual parents did.”
“Guess sometimes who your family is is based more on who you relate to more than who you’re related to,” Juniper said.
“True,” Sunset agreed. “My friends are proof enough of that, accepting me when nobody else would.”
And when I wouldn’t accept myself…
“And you accepted me too, even after I almost…” Juniper trailed off, staring off to the side rather than look towards Sunset. “Thanks for that by the way.”
“Anytime,” Sunset said seriously. “Really, I’ve been exactly where you were, and I know how much I needed the support and attention of people who cared about me. Being able to provide that for somebody else… that’s the best thing I can do to make my own mistakes right.”
Juniper smiled at the words but appeared to shrink down a bit, keeping her gaze turned away. “So… what do you want to do now?”
Sunset looked about the room to see if anything stood out as an activity idea but come up short-hoofed. “Um… I don’t know. You wanna just hang out? I’ve never really had anybody over at my house before, don’t really have much for group entertainment…”
Undeterred by Sunset’s declaration, Juniper’s eyes were slowly drawn over to large TV that sat across from a small but comfy looking couch, colored a vibrant green of course.
“That’s a pretty nice TV,” she complimented. “Got any movies to watch on it?”
Sunset shrugged and said, “Not really. I haven’t really seen very many movies yet, aside from the ones I’ve watched at my friends houses. I mostly just use it to watch the news or documentary stuff so I can learn more about this world.”
“Does it have an internet connection at least?” At Sunset’s nod Juniper grinned broadly. “That’s not a problem then. We can just download my Webflicks account and watch movies from there. If you haven’t seen any great movies then I’ve got a boatload to show you that I think you’ll enjoy.”
Sunset smiled back at her, saying, “Sounds like fun. While you do that I’ll get us some popcorn to snack on. How much should I make?”
“Depends. Have you seen Galaxy Wars?”
Sunset shook her head no, to which Juniper blanched.
“Any of the Bat Mare movies?”
“Nope.”
Juniper’s face grew strained. “Any of the Marevel movies?”
“I think I saw part of one at Pinkie’s, but I was kind distracted with school work at the time.”
Teetering on the edge of panic now, Juniper tried one last time. “Please tell you’ve at least seen Shark Jaw!”
Sunset gave her a weak grin and a shrug. “Never heard of it?”
Juniper’s mouth fell agape in sheer horror. “We need to fix this. All of this, right now, soonest thing possible!”
“So… how much popcorn exactly?” Sunset asked.
Staring her host straight in the eyes Juniper spoke with dead seriousness. “All of it, Sunset. All of it.”
***SSJM***
When Juniper had seen the utter mountain of popcorn Sunset had come into the living room with, along with who knew how many other assorted snacks and drinks, Juniper thought that maybe she had over-sold how much she’d asked Sunset to make. Looking at the table now, five movies and most of the night later, she was left wondering just where it all had gone.
My body is going to hate me for today all weekend, I can already tell.
Still, she would be willing to deal with an upset stomach as a worthy trade for what had to be one of the best days she’d had in a very long time. Sitting back and watching movies was by far her favorite pastime, but she rarely had anyone to share it with aside from her uncle, who was too busy to share in the fun most days. Doing it alone was still enjoyable, but felt kinda lonely with nobody else to talk to, to share her thoughts or insights with.
Sunset though had turned out to be a latent movie fanatic, immediately diving into the flicks Juniper had picked out and quickly catching up with Juni’s directions and observations. By the time they’d started on Batmare Begins Sunset was already dissecting things for herself, pointing out aspects that Juniper hadn’t really noticed, all with a passion and energy she usually only saw in herself. The fact that all the movies were amazing in and off themselves was just a nice bonus compared to having somebody who enjoyed them just as much as she did.
Around the time the sun set - heh - they’d both relaxed a bit and decided to just sit back and watch the movies quietly, preferring to sit in their own thoughts and feelings. Juniper had felt… calm, more quiet and centered then she’d been in weeks. Not stressing over how to pay back her debts, or how to keep up with her uncle’s hectic work schedule. Or hiding her sabotage of the movie set, seething with hidden jealousy and desire, frustration at the slow pace of her advancement. A rising need to be noticed and loved…
Juniper sighed to herself as the credits began to roll on the latest movie she’d picked out, Sunset smiling eagerly next to her as she talked about what she’d enjoyed. Juniper spared the other girl a look as she spoke, watching Sunset’s animated face with a nagging feeling of some kind. She was so active and alive, brought into the moment so brightly by what she loved, it made Juniper glad she could bring this side of Sunset out by something as simple as sharing her own likes with her.
But at the same time, part of her felt like Sunset was too happy. Shouldn’t she be more reluctant to be around her, after what she’d done to them at the mall. Why did she immediately trust her after she’d trapped them all like that? How could she forgive that easily?
I just don’t understand. Why take the risk on me? Why am I worth trusting…
“Juni, you okay?”
Juniper blinked and shook her head, brought back to attentiveness out of her mental wanderings. “What? Um… yeah I’m fine, just thinking about… Wait, did you just call me Juni?”
Now Sunset was put on the back foot, sheepishly smiling and rubbing the back of her head. “Uh, yeah, I guess I did. Just, um, felt natural you know? I mean, I have short nicknames for a lot of my other friends too, so why not you right?”
Juniper’s shoulders slackened and she couldn’t help but grin right back. “Thanks. That… means a lot.”
Sunset nonchalantly shrugged at her. “No problem.”
“Although,” Juniper said, her smile growing sneaky, “that does beg the question of what your nickname is.” She leaned over, her face poking deep into Sunset’s personal space. “Care to share?”
Sunset smirked back at her, entirely unimpressed with the attempt. “Well, depends on who you ask really. Most of my friends just call me Sunny when they want to be casual, but RD sometimes calls me Suns or Sets, Pinkie occasionally uses Shimmy, AJ uses Simmer when I get snappy or snarky, Rarity will prod me with ‘Lady Shimmer’ when she wants to drag me over for a new dress, and Fluttershy… Fluttershy doesn’t actually use nicknames at all.”
Juniper slowly fell back against the couch as the list continued, alternatively confused or amused at the names, but also started pondering something to herself.
“But yeah, I have a load of different names,” Sunset said. “Some of them kinda annoy me just a little bit, but they just tell me that my friends care, even if in their own ‘personal’ ways.”
“Could I make one?” Juniper asked. As soon as the words left her mouth she froze, wondering where the impulse had come from and hoping she hadn’t overstepped her bounds.
Sunset blinked for a moment in surprise but quickly smiled at her. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Good luck coming up with one that’s unique though, my friends have taken a lot of those spots already.”
“Oh, I think I’ll do alright,” Juniper said with more confidence than she felt. She sat back against the couch and pursed her lips in thought, Sunset looking on with an amused grin.
Okay, so what do I have to work with here? ‘Sunset Shimmer’, a pretty great name all around really. Sounds better than mine does at least… But how do I shorten it? She said ‘Sunny’ is already taken, so that’s out. Shimmy just sounds dumb, and Set… What do you even do with that?
Juniper glanced at Sunset through her peripheral vision and noticed the confident but encouraging look she wore, giving Juni a bit of hope.
Alright, so ‘Sunny’ may be taken, but what about something similar? ‘Sunne’? Nah. Jeez, compared to my name this is a lot more dif- Wait… what about my nickname? Juni…
“What about Suni?” she finally said.
“Suni?” Sunset asked. “Where’d you get that from?”
“From my own name, or my nickname, the one you gave me earlier. I mean, I’m glad you gave it to me so I kinda wanted to give back to you somehow and… yeah.”
Sunset smiled brilliantly at her. “Sounds great, I really like it. It’s definitely unique, and it’s something that ties to you personally. Perfect for a nickname.”
“Thanks. You’re too kind…”
“Don’t mention it,” Sunset said, waving the words away.
“No, really,” Juniper insisted. “You’re… you’re being so nice to me, so much nicer than…” She trailed off, her voice faltering as her emotions caught up with her.
“Nicer than what?” Sunset asked. She had a feeling she knew the answer, but she needed to hear it from her all the same.
Juniper stayed quiet for a bit, her eyes trailing back to the TV screen, which had long since gone back to its menu. She wrestled within herself for a while, trying to find the courage to speak, while also attempting to put voice to the lingering thoughts staining the back of her mind.
“Nicer than I deserve…” she finally said. She looked over at Sunset, noticing the stricken look her friend wore. Friend…
“No, I’m not,” Sunset said sternly. “I’m not being nicer than you deserve. You do deserve me being nice to you, no matter what you did. You’re my friend, and that’s what counts.”
“But why?” Juni asked plaintively. “Why did you forgive me so easily? I threatened your lives, acted so selfishly, caused all that damage…”
Sunset stopped her by laying a gentle hand on Juni’s shoulder. “I’ve done the same thing, only worse. I know what it’s like, to have a desire that you want to fulfill so badly that you’d do anything to get it, no matter the cost.”
Juni shook her head viciously, unwilling to listen. “You didn’t know what was going to happen, but I should have! I should know better! I mean, with all the damn movies I’ve watched you’d think I’d know not to mess with the weird magical artifact that grants wishes that came from nowhere! I knew what I was doing was a bad idea, was probably dangerous and unsafe, but I kept going anyway, just because I was that bloody selfish! How could you understand that at all!”
By the end of her rant, Juniper was up and shouting, her arms waving as she stomped back and forth in front of the couch, all thought of her surroundings forgotten. But just as she was about to whirl around to stare down at person who dared to think she hadn’t made a massive mistake, she felt a warm weight crash into her, arms through around her to pull her into a firm embrace.
“Wha… what?”
“I know exactly what it’s like, Juni,” Sunset whispered in Juniper’s ear. “I know… because I did exactly the same thing. Only what I did… really was worse.”
Hearing the deadness in Sunset’s voice, the ocean of regret and sorrow housed within, Juniper’s mind could not voice against her. Instead, she asked, “How was it worse?”
She knew the instant she asked she should have stayed silent, because Sunset shook against her frame, the embrace tightening so that she could barely move. She was about to apologize and retract her words when Sunset spoke.
“It was worse… because I did know better. I knew that what I was doing was ‘wrong’ according to every rule that Celestia ever taught me, every law of the land I lived in. I knew, from day one, that achieving my goals would require me to break everything about the society I grew up in… and I didn’t care at all. All I wanted was the power I felt I deserved, and I would do anything to get it, no matter what, or who, got in my way.”
Juniper was stuck, torn between wanting to say something, anything to contradict what was being said and disbelief at hearing it. How could Sunset, this selfless person who forgave her faults when she had acted horribly and did everything to welcome her act at all like the history she was describing? It didn’t make sense to Juni, but the way Sunset was talking, it was impossible to deny.
“As a result of my selfish need for power, I nearly caused a disaster that would have damaged this world and my own, and ruined the lives of who knows how many people. Only Twilight, the one from my world, was able to stop me, together with her friends. And when she’d undone what I did to myself, she didn’t blame me at all. Instead, she gave me a second chance, a chance to learn the lessons I’d ignored for so long.”
Juniper felt herself being released from Sunset’s hold, allowing her to turn around and face her friend. Sunset stood there, tears leaking slowly from the corners of her eyes but a slight smile on her face all the same, and Juniper felt her heart breaking at the sight.
“I know exactly what you’re feeling, Juniper, because I felt it myself. You feel like you don’t deserve a second chance, that your mistakes are too much to just forgive and let go. That you need to make up for what you did. But let me tell you this, this thing I learned from my own experience.” Sunset reached out with both arms and planted her hands on Juni’s shoulders, steadying them both as they shared a combined gaze.
“You are worth a second chance, because you were willing to take it when offered. You apologized, you begged for forgiveness, and we gave it to you. Because we don’t want you to be our enemy. We want you to be our friend. I want to be your friend, because I know where you are right now… And I know that I can help you avoid what I had to go through.”
Sunset fell quiet at last, looking deeply at Juniper with a gaze more earnest and kind than any Juniper had ever seen. Juni felt her own tears growing, clouding her vision, but she could still clearly see this girl, her friend, who was offering her more than anyone had ever done before, even her uncle.
She was offering understanding.
“Thank you…” Juni said in a tiny voice, barely audible. “You don’t…” She choked on her words before chuckling. “Actually, I guess you do know what this means to me. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?” She took a moment to wipe the tears out of her eyes, then mimicked Sunset in placing her hands on her friend’s own shoulders. “Ever since the mirror broke and you guys… saved me, I’ve been feeling like… like I betrayed everything I ever dreamed of doing. I did it first with my sabotage of the movie set, but I was too angry at losing my chance to feel guilty like I should have. Then after what happened at the mall, I guess I just couldn’t avoid the reality of what I’d done anymore, and it was weighing down on me a lot.”
“That’s why we spent that day with you,” Sunset said. “To show you that it wasn’t the end, that you still had people who cared about you.”
“You did.” Juniper face finally broke out into a smile and she moved forward and hugged Sunset herself this time. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.”
Sunset returned the hug immediately, saying, “Being your friend is thanks enough, Juni.”
Juniper’s heart felt light as she moved deeper into the hug, a weight in her mind falling away, replaced by the warmth and comfort emanating from Sunset. She’d never felt this loved before, not even on the day she’d left her parents behind and moved into her uncle’s home. Here and now, she knew that she was with someone who cared about her enough to risk their life for her, who would support her even when she made mistakes that hurt them. What more could she want?
To be this way forever, she immediately answered in her mind, only to pause as she thought the statement through more deeply.
***SSJM***
Sunset sighed happily as she left herself relax into the embrace. She’d been worried for hours in the back of her mind about how to find a way to address the issues she’d suspected Juni had, hoping that she’d be able to react appropriately when the opportunity arose. She had definitely not expected it to happy today, but couldn’t disagree with the results, even if she had dug a bit deeper than she’d planned to settle the problem. It hurt, remembering just how horrible she’d been back in those days before she came to understand friendship, but it had been necessary to show Juniper that she wasn’t alone with her feelings, that Sunset understood her. The fact that she felt that little voice nagging her at the back of her mind going silent during the whole thing was a nice plus.
Eventually she made a hint that she wanted to pull out of the hug, and for a brief instant Juniper seemed to resist letting go but Sunset was swiftly freed so she could step back and fix Juniper with a smile.
“Well… I’m, uh, glad we had this talk Juni. I’m really glad I could help you feel better.”
“You did way more than just that, Suni,” Juniper said with a small smile. Her expression was happy but she seemed unsure about something, though what it was Sunset couldn’t guess.
“I did what I could,” Sunset told her, “and whenever you need my help again, I’ll always be there for you.”
Juni fixed her with a strange look and Sunset felt a weird leap in her chest. “I know you will. That’s what I l-… like about you.”
One of Sunset’s eyebrows lifted slightly at the wording but before she could say anything Juniper quickly spoke up.
“Hey Sunset, I have a… question for you. Kinda personal one really but after what we just went through I think we can handle personal.”
“Uuum okay?” Sunset shrugged and said, “Ask away then.”
“Alright, great.” Juniper rubbed her arm awkwardly, keeping her eyes trained away from Sunset’s as she spoke. “So… do you have a… that is to say, are you dating anyone right now?”
Sunset, completely bewildered by the question, cocked her head at Juniper. “Not… really. I haven’t been for a while at this point, to be honest. The last boyfriend - and only boyfriend actually - that I ever had was Flash last year, and even that wasn’t really dating. I was just… using him for popularity points.” She admitted this with a hapless expression on her face.
Juniper just smirked and shook her head in amusement. “Oh gee, sounds like half the relationships at CPA. You know I was actually asked out for just that reason once, but I knew the girl was just trying to use me so I told her no way. If I’m going to date, it’s going to be because I like the person as a friend, not just because they’re pretty and they ask.”
Sunset was momentarily surprised by the revelations, and felt a brief pulse of something else that she couldn’t identify, but shrugged the feelings off. “Wow, that’s too bad. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Even though my relationship with Flash was fake, I still liked the guy, mostly. Whoever the girl was sounds like a jerk for wanting you around just as arm candy.”
“She kinda was,” Juniper agreed. “So… sounds like neither of us have ever had a real relationship with anybody.”
Sunset blinked and thought about it. “I guess you’re right. I suppose it’s just because I never felt attached to anybody like that. Back when I was… well, a jerk like that girl was, I didn’t care about getting close to anybody. I was too focused on getting what I wanted to care about other people. Ever since I made friends though, I didn’t really feel like I needed to have anybody close to me like that when I had them.”
Juniper’s face fell fractionally but stopped when Sunset continued.
“Now that you bring it up though, I guess I wouldn’t mind having a boyfriend again. It would be kinda nice to have somebody I could confide in like that. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends, but sometimes I feel like I have a hard time connecting with them on certain things, mostly stuff relating to magic and my worries about it appearing more and more in this world. Having somebody to talk to about that would be a real help… but I don’t have very many friends who can relate to that kind of thing.”
Juniper had stayed quiet, taking in Sunset’s words as she considered what to say, but now she made her move. “And… what if that friend of yours was a girl? Would you still be willing to date them?”
Sunset paused, mind sent churning at the question. Would she be able to date a girl? She’d never thought about it before, but considering it now, the answer seemed to surprise her. “I guess I wouldn’t mind…” she said slowly, as if tasting the idea on her tongue to feel out if it felt right or not. “I can’t say I’ve ever really been attracted to mares, or girls here in this world. I mean, I always thought Celestia was very beautiful when I was young, and I can certainly say my friends are all pretty in their own ways.”
Juniper shuffled in place, her hands clasped behind her back as she mustered up the courage to say her next part.
“Do… do you think I’m pretty, Sunset?”
Sunset turned to look at Juniper as the words were spoken, and unbidden her view of Juniper seemed to change in her mind. Juniper’s hair was something of a mess, having been thrown all about in the run here all those hours ago, and little effort had been made to make it more orderly since. Juniper’s minimal mascara was running slightly at the corners of her eyes from where her tears had fallen, and her face was flushed with leftover emotion from the talk they’d had before.
And yet, Sunset had to admit that, despite everything, Juniper still looked amazing to her. Her sapphire eyes were shining in the dimmed light of the room, gleaming with what Sunset could tell was hope and longing. Her face was set in a small smile, the same encouraging grin Sunset had borne earlier reflected back at her. For all her flaws, all her weaknesses and worries, Sunset could see something deeper within Juniper. She saw a girl much like her, who’d had ambitions she sought to fulfill at cost to herself and others, had learned the dangers of that path, and been given a new chance to do better, just like Sunset had. And beneath the disheveled look she wore from a long and exhausting day, Sunset could see that Juniper was beautiful in her own way.
Sunset looked at Juniper and smiled. “You are very pretty Juniper. Without the mirror, without the Daring Do costume. You, as you are, are beautiful.” In a moment of daring Sunset stepped closer to Juniper, eliminating the distance between them while grabbing her clasped hands and bringing them up to her chest. “And I get the feeling that there’s even more beautiful things about you waiting for me to see.”
Juniper was frozen like a statue in the moment, wanting to wait with bated breath for Sunset to continue, but she forced herself to act. “I hope you will see them. And Sunset? I think you’re very beautiful too.”
“Thank you,” Sunset murmured quietly. “So…” she smiled, “is this the part where one of us asks the other out like in that movie we watched?”
Juniper snorted in both surprise and glee. “You catch on really quick dontcha?”
Sunset favored her with a grin. “I had a good teacher.”
In that instant, both had an urge to act, spurned on by their half-joking mention of the movie they’d seen earlier. Maybe it was too soon, too quick, too rushed to be safe, but neither of them cared. By the time their lips met between them, all thought of hesitance had long since disappeared.
The kiss was short, inexperienced, but Juniper swore that she felt lightning coursing through her veins as she felt Sunset’s silky lips on her own. She squeezed Sunset’s hands tightly, trying to unleash the sudden rush of energy she felt in a way that could express her excitement to her partner. Her girlfriend.
Slowly but surely, the two drifted apart from each other, lips separating to allow them to breathe deeply once more. Green eyes met blue for a moment before both blinked in time with the other.
“Wow…” Juniper almost whispered, heart beating faster than her hardest ever sprint.
Sunset nodded in agreement. “Yeah, no kidding.”
The two stared at each other in silence for a bit, looking around the room as if expecting their surroundings to have changed as much as they did in the past minutes.
“I guess… we’re girlfriends now, right?” Juniper asked.
“Definitely,” Sunset confirmed. “Although… I’m kinda clueless on how an actual relationship goes. Me and Flash didn’t exactly go on many real ‘dates’ as it was.”
Juniper shrugged in response. “I’ve never dated anybody either. All I’ve got to go on are romance movies and, well, I don’t think they’re always the best basis for relationship advice…”
Sunset laughed as she moved her hand onto Juniper’s arm. “I guess we’ll just have to wing it then. Can’t be that hard right? We’re both smart, intelligent girls. I’m sure we can figure it out.”
“Yeah,” Juniper said. “We’ll get it working easy enough. I mean, it’s like being friends only more right? I’m already learning more about friendship with you, so why not have us learn relationships together?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
The two girls huddled close to each other then, content to just be near and welcome with their new partner. Gradually, Sunset led Juniper to sit back down on the couch, the two collapsing onto the cushions together as their energy left them in a rush. Juniper leaned into Sunset’s side, laying her head on Sunset’s shoulder and Sunset resting her own head on Juniper’s.
“It’s been a really long day hasn’t it?” Juniper said, suppressing a yawn.
“Oooh yeah,” Sunset readily agreed. “Very long.”
“Do… do you think I could stay over here tonight?”
Sunset wrapped her arms around Juniper and said, “Of course you can. And before you say anything silly about staying here on the couch, my bed has plenty of room.”
Juni felt her cheeks heat up as her mind inevitably went to naughty places. “Just to sleep right?”
“Just to sleep,” came the confirmation. “I think we should wait a while before even considering that other stuff.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Juniper smiled as she snuggled tighter to Sunset’s side. “At least I don’t worry about pajamas or anything. I usually just sleep in my day clothes.”
“You do?” Sunset asked in shock. At Juni’s nodded she snorted and said, “That’s weird.”
“Says the girl who lives in the technicolor house.”
“Says the girl who wears movie reel hair ties.”
“Says the girl who is literally a horse person.”
Sunset paused as she tried to come up with a reply. “Okay you’ve got me there.”
“Yay!” Juni mock-cheered. “1 point for Juni, 2 points for Suni.”
“Wait, 2 points for me? What’d I do to earn those?”
Juniper sat up and smiled at her. “1 for agreeing to be my girlfriend, 1 for the kiss.”
Sunset couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow at Juniper. “How are those worth a point each and so is winning a tiny little argument?”
“Because I’m the one scoring,” Juni said smugly. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re always in the lead.”
Sunset laughed. “Oh gee, thanks. Nice to know you’re totally unbiased.” Her eyes wandered over to the TV and she almost fell off the couch when she noticed the time. “Oh wow it’s super late. We really should get to bed soon. Should you call your uncle to let him know you won’t be home?”
Juniper waved her concerns away. “Nah, it’s fine. He’s away from home at the moment. Had to go Las Pegasus to talk to his studio heads about… stuff. Won’t be back for a few days.” Her eyes stopped and became unfocused as a thought occurred to her. “Ooooh, I’m going to have to tell him about our relationship! Oh man, what am I supposed to say? He’s going to be so confused about me suddenly getting a girlfriend who he doesn’t know, and he’s going to worry and maybe freak out and he panics when he freaks out and-”
Sunset grabbed Juniper firmly by the shoulders and leaned forward to kiss her. Juni’s lips quickly stopped fluttering as they were captured by Sunset, all the tension in her frame melting away in moments. When Sunset released the kiss she made sure to keep Juni’s eyes on her as she spoke.
“Juni please just relax. We’ll deal with telling your uncle about… us when the time comes alright? I have to tell my friends about this too you know, and they’re going to be just as surprised as he will be. Heck, as we are if we’re being honest. I’m sure we have nothing to worry about, and no matter what we’ll be there for each other like good girlfriends right?”
Juni, still a bit starstruck by the sudden kiss, merely nodded and said, “Yeah, right.”
“Okay. So we’re agreed then? No worrying about stuff we can’t control until it comes up right?”
This time Juni’s nod was more firm and attentive. “Right. I guess that includes random magic stuff that’s probably going to happen in the future?”
Sunset blinked but found she couldn’t ignore the point. “Yeah. Yeah it does. We’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Reacting as we can when things happen and working from there.”
Juni smiled in agreement, then wryly noted, “You know, that’s usually what heroes in movies have to do when the bad guy’s smart and stays out of the fight. Does that make us the heroes in this story then?”
“Sure it does,” Sunset said. “Besides, everybody loves a villain turned good guy, right?”
Earlier that same day, Juniper probably would have felt sad about being reminded of her actions. But here and now, coming from Sunset? She couldn’t agree more. “Definitely.”
Suddenly, a pair of yawns attacked both girls out of nowhere, echoing around the room with their size and loudness.
“Okay, I think that’s enough romantic bonding for one night,” Sunset said, trying to blink away the bout of sleepiness that had quickly struck her.
“Aaaaaaw, and here I was hoping for just one more kiss,” Juniper said while fluttering her eyelashes at Sunset.
Sunset smiled, leaning out to kiss Juniper on the forehead instead. “Maybe one more before we fall asleep, but first, bed.”
“Okay,” Juni agreed without complaint. “What about the mess down here?”
Sunset took one look at the huge pile of empty bowls, dishes, and wrappers strung all over the table. “Yeah no, buck that. That’s a ‘tomorrow Sunset’ problem. ‘Today Sunset’ is going to bed ASAP.”
She paused as she turned to see Juniper snickering into her hands. “Did you honestly just say ‘buck that’?”
Sunset’s face burned as she rubbed her hair. “It’s an Equestria expression. I… don’t really care much for human swears. They’re so much more… crass.”
Juniper’s snickering turned into full out snorting and laughter. “Oh gosh, you are going to just love my uncle then. When he gets frustrated I swear he goes off harsher than a veteran sailor. And trust me, I learned everything he had to offer over the years.” She finished with a saucy wink, causing Sunset’s skin to ignite even stronger.
“Just… just follow me to bed please?” she asked weakly.
“Oh?” Juniper said with an excited grin. “Propositioning me so soon Suni dear? My my, it seems someone is quite eag-”
Sunset felt an immense amount of satisfaction in shutting Juni up with a quick kiss, deciding there and then that it was the perfect tool for keeping her girlfriend’s teasing to a minimum. “Come to bed please dear?” she asked with excess sweetness.
Juniper mumbled some kind of affirmative and shuffled along after Sunset towards the stairs, not even commenting on the fact that the walls of said stairs were painted lavender with pink highlights. Several minutes of slow and tired hiking and plodding later and the pair collapsed into Sunset’s bed, Juniper making semi-intelligible rumblings about it being ‘the softest bed she’d ever felt’.
Wait til she gets a load of cloud-beds in Equestria, she remarked to herself as she set the covers over the pair of them, then found herself struck with the thought of bringing her new girlfriend across the mirror to her old home. As the steady sounds of Juniper’s light snores appeared next to her Sunset slowly thought herself to sleep, dreaming not of worries unshaped but rather a future she could mold with a clean mind and heart.
As she drifted off with a smile on her face, Sunset found that she was happier than she had been in many years.
Author's Note
For the record, the coffee shop's name is still Starbucks. See if you can figure out where the pun is... 
