Sunset sighed heavily as she fell into the seat next to her best-friend, Fluttershy. "Looks like everyone made it out except for us, Shy." she grunted.
Fluttershy simply smiled. "Well, at least our friends made it home." she said, her voice at its usual whisper-like level.
"I don't mind being stuck here," Sunset sighed, "it's not like I've got anyone waiting for me at home anyways." A year or so before that statement would have brought her to tears, however Sunset had grown accustomed to the fact that she had no family in this world aside from the six girls that had saved her life. "I'm just worried about you. Didn't you say your parents and brother were waiting on you?"
"They were, but I sent them a text." Fluttershy's grin widened. "Besides, if I'm being honest, my brother is one of the only people capable of making me angry. I prefer not to spend happy times, like holidays, with him."
"That's fair." Sunset yawned. "Well, since we're probably going to be alone here 'till new-year's, why don't we go to the dorm."
"Alright." Fluttershy mumbled. "Should we try ordering something to eat, or do you think the roads are too slick?"
"Well, the snow isn't bad now." Sunset said as she turned her gaze to the window. At the moment, the snowfall was slow and beautiful, but according to the air-port a blizzard was rolling in that would swallow the town. "We have enough food around here to last until the storm passes, but this might be our last chance for some good Chinese food." Sunset laughed. "We should at-least give it a try."
"How did you know I wanted Chinese?" Fluttershy asked as her cheeks darkened slightly.
"We've lived together for a year now, Shy. I've gotten pretty good at figuring out what you want." Sunset smiled and clapped her shorter friend on the shoulder. "Besides, it sounds good to me too."
"Alright, will you please call and order it when we get back to the room? I can pay for it." Fluttershy mumbled. College had pulled her out of her shell a bit, however she was still terrified of talking on the phone or ordering food.
"Of course I will." Sunset smiled.
With that both girls walked to their room in comfortable silence. As they walked, Sunset marveled at how large their campus was when it was completely empty. Usually there were no less than eight-thousand students on campus at all times, running to class, or to their dorm rooms. However, now it was empty save for the two girls who had missed their plane.
"I'm sorry..." Fluttershy eventually mumbled.
"For what?" Sunset asked quietly.
"It's my fault that you're stuck here on Christmas Eve..." she sighed.
"You can't help that they cancelled our flight, Shy. The blizzard is moving in too quickly, they told me over the phone."
"But that wouldn't have been our flight if it hadn't been for me." Fluttershy scrunched her face up and stomped her foot. To an outsider, this would have looked childish, but Sunset knew that this was the start of Fluttershy's constant self-loathing.
Sunset sighed and gently grabbed Fluttershy's hand, slightly startling them both. Sunset's face grew warm, however she calmed herself and spoke. "It's not your fault that we had to reschedule. We both slept in, it's on both of us." Weird, Sunset thought, I've never gotten embarrassed grabbing Shy's hand before. Maybe it's because we're alone.
"But, we slept in because we stayed up to watch the movie I wanted to see." Fluttershy's hand gripped tighter.
"What?" Sunset laughed quietly. "Did you think I didn't want to watch that documentary about baby pigs?"
"But it was my idea."
"So?" Sunset snorted as she gripped her friend's hand tighter. "If I hadn't been dying to see those cute little baby pigs bouncing around, I would have rolled over and gone to sleep on the couch. Like I said, we both goofed, but it's alright. We'll just spend Christmas together this year."
"You promise you aren't upset?" Fluttershy asked, finally un-scrunching her face, those big crystal-blue eyes turning to face Sunset.
Sunset smiled a large warm smile. "I couldn't be happier right now. I promise." she said.
Fluttershy smiled and relaxed her grip on her friend's hand, however Sunset noticed they she did not let go until they arrived back to their dorm. Fluttershy released her grip on Sunset to fumble with her keys and open the door. "Home sweet home..." she hummed as she entered their living room.
Most of the dorms on campus were one room with two beds, however the larger dorms were the size of two-bedroom apartments, and courtesy of all of Sunset's scholarships she and Fluttershy could stay in one for the same price as the smaller dorms.
Fluttershy pulled off the yellow sweater she had been wearing previously, revealing her white tank-top underneath. "I'm glad we didn't turn the heat off before we left." Sunset laughed as she removed her own black jacket.
"Me too." Fluttershy mumbled as she entered her own room. She emerged shortly wearing black pajama pants. "Are we just going to get our usual?" she asked as Sunset dug in her jacket pockets for her phone.
"Unless you want anything different, yeah." Sunset said.
"No, I'm fine with the usual." Fluttershy sighed as she fell into the couch.
Sunset quickly ordered their food and went to her own room to change. By the time she returned to the living room, Fluttershy had the television on a program about kittens. Sunset simply stared at her best friend as she watched. Whenever Fluttershy was looking at animals, she seemed totally relaxed, as if she did not have a care in the world. Her face was calm and peaceful and she had her head resting on the arm of the couch with her legs spread across the cushions.
Sunset walked to the couch and gently lifted Fluttershy's legs to sit before placing them back in her own lap. Besides the quiet and the snow, it was beginning to feel like any other weekend the two had spent together. They sat and watched the program in silence before a knock at the door announced the arrival of their meal. Fluttershy handed her wallet to Sunset before running to her room. She did not like for the delivery guys to see her in her pajamas, however her roommate felt no such shame.
Fluttershy had grown into an attractive woman, with curves and only a tiny amount of belly, but Sunset put that down as the late night study sessions and stress eating. Once they graduated, Sunset believed that her friend would be back at her goal weight in no time at all.
Sunset paid and tipped the delivery guy before placing the food onto plates and calling Shy from her room.
As the two ate, Fluttershy spoke again. "What are we going to do for dinner tomorrow?" she asked as she spun her fork in the noodles. "I mean, they're closed tomorrow, but we don't have any Christmas food that I could cook here."
"I dunno." Sunset said. "In Equestria, during Hearthswarming Eve and Hearthswarming day we ate oats and sweets for two days." she laughed. "But, I don't think that's a healthy diet here."
Fluttershy laughed. "No, I don't believe it is. But, then again, neither is Chinese five nights a week."
"Touche." Sunset smirked.
"So, what is the tradition on drinking in Equestria for the holidays?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"A lot like it is here." Sunset shrugged. "Some ponies don't because they think it devalues the holiday, but a lot of them do, because it's nice to unwind and laugh together and ponies don't really care how it gets to that point." Sunset blinked. "Why do you ask?"
"Well..." Fluttershy mumbled. "Before I got back from class last night... I may have bought a few bottles of wine..."
"I didn't even know you drank, Shy." Sunset said.
"Not often, no." Fluttershy said. "But, they had this really nice red wine on sale while I was on my way back and I thought that one night, you and I could have a drink together."
"Are you wanting to drink tonight?" Sunset asked.
"If... if it's alright with you... could we?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm down." Sunset laughed. "I've never actually had a drink before. I'd like to have one or two with you."
Fluttershy beamed. She quickly grabbed both of their plates and ran to the kitchen. Sunset would have mentioned that she wasn't done eating, however she could not bring herself to interrupt her best friend's spontaneous excitement. She merely chuckled as Shy practically skid to a stop in their living room with two glasses and a bottle of red wine. The bottle read Pinot Noir aged Ten years.
"You said this was on sale?" Sunset asked.
"Mh-hm." Fluttershy nodded as she poured two glasses. "The guy behind the counter said that they actually had a lot in stock so they needed to clear the shelves for the new batch."
"Well then," Sunset said as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "I think we can afford a couple glasses each."
'A couple glasses' soon found the pair on their third bottle. Sunset was merely tipsy, but she could feel the pleasant buzz in the back of her head as she listened to her friend tell stories from her childhood.
Fluttershy, however, was obviously and heavily inebriated. Her face was red and her words were slurred, however she smiled so brightly and laughed so loudly that Sunset dared not mention her friend's clear drunkenness. "I love my brother, don't get me wrong," she slurred, "but, where does he get off thinking that he can keep mooching off my parents. I thought that when he finally got his degree in cosmetology, that he'd finally move out and do something with his life, but noooo, he'd rather keep eating my parent's food."
Sunset giggled slightly. "Well, some people are like that. At least your parents can support him."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he should keep bein' a frickin' bum." Fluttershy grumbled.
"Maybe we should talk about something else." Sunset smiled. She was enjoying Fluttershy's infectious good mood, and did not want to see it dissolve over her brother.
"There is somethin' I've been wonderin' 'bout for a long time, but I've never had the courage to ask." Fluttershy slurred as she leaned closer towards her friend.
"What's that?"
"Why me?" Fluttershy asked.
Sunset chuckled nervously, worried what this question could imply. "What do you mean?"
"Well, ya know I forgave you for the way you treated me in middle school and high school a long time ago, right?" Sunset nodded. "But, I never could figure out why you always picked on me. Like, everyone else made sense." she sighed. "Rainbow Dash was the head of every sports team, tactically speaking, it made sense to put her in her place. Then you didn't have to worry about any of the sports kids fighting back."
"That's what was going through my head at the time yes." Sunset nodded, fighting the uncomfortable feeling in her gut.
"Keep in mind, I'm not judging you or anything, I'm just trying to figure it all out." Fluttershy said.
"Okay."
"Then Applejack made sense, cause she's a big strong tough farm-girl. If she wouldn't mess with you, that meant lots of people would be too scared to try." Fluttershy met her friend's eye and waited for a nod before continuing. "Pinkie was a good choice too, cause everyone knew her and liked her. If she had banded everyone together they could have stopped you."
"Yeah, I didn't really realize that at the time though, Shy." Sunset sighed.
"Twilight was obvious."
"Yes." Sunset nodded. "She had the magic and the know-how to stop me... cause she did." Sunset chuckled. "I'm glad she did too."
Fluttershy smiled. "I'm incredibly happy with how that turned out too." she slurred as she briefly hugged her friend. "Then Rarity was obvious too. She was, and still is, one of the most gorgeous people I've ever seen. When she walked through the hall every guy and most girls turned their head to watch her."
"But you're wondering where it was smart, tactically speaking, to torture you every day?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah," Fluttershy sat up too quickly and fell against the far side of the couch from Sunset before continuing. "I felt like you gave me special attention. Like, you wanted to hurt me worse than everyone else and I don't get it. I mean, I wasn't as popular as Pinkie or Dash. I wasn't as tough as Applejack and I wasn't as smart as Twilight or as beautiful as Rarity. Why me?"
Sunset sighed. She knew the reason she had given Fluttershy special attention all those years. She knew exactly why she had constantly bullied and tortured the poor girl who had never done anything wrong to anybody, but she feared what saying it out loud could mean for their friendship. So she simply said, "I don't know. I guess I was just a mean little bitch."
"Don't say that." Fluttershy said as she rested her tired head on Sunset's shoulder. "I've never thought that way about you, even before you were my best friend."
"Thank you..." Sunset whispered as she leaned her head atop Fluttershy's.
"But, I still don't buy that you don't know." Fluttershy mumbled. "You were and are, incredibly smart. You had a reason for every move you made before. You know why you picked me."
Sunset sighed, leave it to Drunker-Shy to see right through her. "You're right..." she admitted.
"I promise, I won't be upset no matter what your answer is." Fluttershy said.
"Well," Sunset sighed. It was about time the truth came out, "You're wrong." she said bluntly. "You were the biggest threat out of everybody. You're way stronger than you give yourself credit for and tougher too. You are so smart and funny and you may not have been popular, but no one person in the entire school had a negative thing to say about you. You were a threat, but you didn't realize it because you were shy... I tore you down all of the time so you never would realize just how amazing you are... I think that's what I regret most from that time of my life."
"There's more... isn't there?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
Sunset nodded. "Yeah... you're beautiful..."
Fluttershy laughed so hard she snorted and pulled her head away from her friend. "You don't mean that." she chuckled.
Sunset sighed. "Yeah... I do... Rarity was noticed because of the make-up and the style, but you are so beautiful. You're that beautiful where you don't have to work for it. You never wear make-up or wear any fancy expensive clothes... and whenever I walk in a room you're still the first thing that stands out to me, because you are just so damn beautiful..." Sunset sighed. "I wish I had been a good enough person to let you realize that growing up."
"You're... serious?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah... if everyone saw even a tenth of the beauty I see when I look at you... no one would even look at someone like me or Rarity again." Sunset felt the heat rushing to her cheeks at every word, but she meant them all. "When I first arrived in this world, and I made my fake I.D. and enrolled in school, the first thing that caught my attention was this beautiful girl, sitting in a corner, reading a book about squirrels. I knew then, that if anyone was capable of catching the whole schools attention and stopping me, it'd be her. But then I found out that nobody even knew who she was. No one noticed this radiant girl..."
"So if nobody knew me, why bother?" Fluttershy asked, her expression empty of anger or judgment, merely curiosity painted her features.
"Because I didn't know how to talk to you..." Sunset shrugged. "When I was a foal... a kid... I was so full of anger I couldn't have a kind conversation with anyone, not even Princess Celestia... the only way I could spend time with you was to torment you... I was such a sick twisted little deviant that I enjoyed spending time with you, even if the only thing you did during that time was cry and beg me to stop." Sunset finally took a deep shaky breath and turned to face her friend.
Fluttershy had buried her head in her hands and her entire body shook.
Sunset, upset to see that her friend was crying rushed to her immediately. "I'm sorry, Shy." she pleaded as she tried to pull her friend's hands away from her face. "I just wanted you to know the truth..." It was too much, she thought, I should have stopped while I was ahead...
Fluttershy finally pulled her hands from her face with tears rushing down her face, however she wore a smile. Sunset froze as she realized that Fluttershy had been laughing.
Silent little squeaks of laughter began to escape from Fluttershy as she continued to laugh at her friend.
"That's frickin' great..." she slurred. "You liked me so much at first sight that you just wanted to spend time with me and you didn't know how to make friends..." she laughed louder. "You had a frickin' crush on me." her laugh grew from their, swallowing any sound that Sunset would have made.
Sunset made no sound. The heat in her cheeks had grown unbearable and she felt a burning in her eyes as she realized that her best friend had almost hit the nail on the head.
"I can't believe that the great 'Sunset Shimmer' had a crush on a little nobody." Fluttershy laughed.
"It wasn't a crush." Sunset defended, albeit a little too quickly for her own liking.
"Right!" Fluttershy barked with a laugh. "It was love at first sight, wasn't it?"
"Fluttershy..." Sunset mumbled, the burning in her face and eyes only growing at her friend's laughter. Logically, she knew that Fluttershy was drunk. She obviously wasn't trying to hurt Sunset, but it didn't stop the pain that grew within her at every laugh.
"So, you're still in love with me, huh?" Fluttershy giggled. "You asked me to move in with you so you could be close to me, I bet you've been tiptoeing around talking to me about personal stuff because you were scared that I'd figure out how you feel."
"Fluttershy!" Sunset finally yelled. Fluttershy's eyes finally met with Sunset's just as her tears began to slide down her cheeks.
"You- You aren't joking..." Fluttershy sighed. "Sunset, I-"
The larger girl had enough. Sunset jumped to her feet and ran to her bedroom before slamming the door.
Merry Christmas, Sunset... she thought as she dove in her bed and threw her covers over her head. You just managed to mess up everything...
Sunset awoke later. She hadn't realized that she had cried herself to sleep, and she did not know what time it was. What she did know is who the tiny footsteps towards her bed belonged to.
"Sunset, I-" Fluttershy began before Sunset cut her off.
"Can we forget that any of that happened, please?" Sunset asked from under her blankets.
She felt the weight shift on her bed as her best friend sat on the edge. "I ate bread and drank water... I read online that it was a fast way to sober up..."
"Seems like it worked..." Sunset mumbled.
"It did..."
There were several minutes of silence before Fluttershy spoke again. "I'm sorry, that I laughed at your feelings... I honestly thought you were joking around..."
"I know." Sunset grunted. "That's what hurt the most..."
"What do you mean?"
"I spent so much time when we were kids tearing you down and belittling you, that when you found out I have feelings for you... you thought it was a joke. You thought there was no way I could actually have fallen in love with you... that's on me..."
"But it's not..." Fluttershy sighed. "I've always felt like I wasn't good enough... long before you came into my life... and for better or worse, that's just who I am as a person, but you've got to understand, Sunset... I never meant to hurt you."
"I know, Shy." Sunset mumbled as she finally pulled her head from the blanket. "That's on me, too..."
"Do you... do you still care about me... like that?" Fluttershy asked.
"I do." Sunset responded automatically. "I guess it's best to just get it all in the open. I did fall in love with you at first sight, and I did want to be your friend. I did ask you to move in with me here because we don't have any classes together and I still wanted to be around you... I didn't know how to tell you, or even if I could so... so I was just content to have you near..."
"Oh my..." Fluttershy mumbled.
"And I really enjoy having you here." Sunset continued. "I like seeing you all bleary-eyed and tired in the mornings, stumbling around, trying to cook breakfast in your pajamas. I like when we watch movies together, and when you fall asleep on the couch, sometimes, I just like to sit and watch you sleep. When I throw a blanket on you... sometimes... I'll kiss your head, just cause I want to... I do care for you, Shy. But, it scares the hell out of me..."
"Why?"
"Because... I don't know how you could ever return those feelings... I was so bad, and I know we've mended fences. You all forgave me, and I promised you that I would forgive myself, but... how could you ever love someone who ever treated you like that?"
Sunset stared at her pillow and said nothing after that. She simply hoped that Shy would leave and be too drunk to remember what she had said in the morning.
However, Fluttershy did not leave. She laid down on the bed and pulled Sunset's blanket around herself and wrapped her arms around the larger girl before burying her nose in the crimson locks before her.
"I didn't like you at first..." she whispered. "For obvious reasons... but when you became my friend, I liked you so much. I enjoyed spending time with you and it didn't matter what we were doing. I could have dug a ditch with you and been happy so long as you were there..." Fluttershy sighed. "I do care about you. A whole lot. I've just always been scared to say anything, because I didn't know what it meant. Sunset... I have feelings for you..."
Sunset laid still and quiet. Fluttershy tensed up, worried for whatever would be said next. However, nothing was said. Ten minutes passed and neither girl had spoken a word. After fifteen minutes, the anticipation became too much for Fluttershy. She opened her mouth, ready to just beg Sunset to forget what they had talked about when a noise filled the room. It was quiet, but still audible.
Fluttershy froze and listened closely. The sound resembled a cat purring, but it sounded too large to be a cat. After a moment, she realized that Sunset was snoring. She had fallen asleep with her head buried in the smaller girl's chest.
Fluttershy smiled a released the tiniest giggle she could manage before deciding that the night had been dramatic enough. The two would just speak in the morning when they woke up. She pulled Sunset closer to her and closed her eyes before sighing happily. If nothing else, the two would at least share one more happy experience as friends.
The bed was cold when Sunset awoke. Her head was fuzzy from the night previously. She did not remember much, but she remembered the key points. Lots of wine, laughter, and tears. She also recalled a particularly pleasant dream where she had fallen asleep in an angel's arms.
The sound of movement in the kitchen drew her focus as she sat up in bed and debated on whether or not to face her friend after the night they had had.
"Sunset..." Fluttershy's voice sang in the crisp Christmas air. "Breakfast..."
Sunset sighed and knew that no matter what, she could not resist the siren's call of Fluttershy's cooking. Especially not on Christmas.
Sunset entered the living room and was greeted by a rather odd sight. Christmas lights had been hanged around the apartment. A stocking with the letter S on it and another with F rested over the arms of their couch. Fluttershy hummed happily as she stirred a pot and checked the oven.
"What?" Sunset mumbled.
"After everything that happened last night, I thought a good breakfast was in order." Sunset said as she hummed around the kitchen, placing bowls and plates on their table. The bowls were full of oatmeal and smelled of cinnamon and apples, and the plates were stacked with freshly baked cupcakes. An Equestrian Hearthswarming breakfast sat upon the table.
"Fluttershy, where did you get all of this?" Sunset asked, knowing full well that none of the ingredients were in their pantry.
"I can't answer that question without my lawyer." Fluttershy sang as she put icing on the cupcakes.
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." Sunset shrugged with a grin. The burning in her eyes had returned in the best way possible.
"That's probably for the best." Fluttershy giggled. "Come look at the design." she said with a gesture to the cupcakes.
Sunset walked around the table and sobbed a quick laugh as she looked at the pastries. The icing was a swirling crimson, coral, and yellow. In the center of the swirl was a single red heart atop every cupcake.
"Fluttershy, this is-" she had no words. She knew what the design implied, and the effort that Fluttershy had put into their Christmas morning.
"I wanted you to have the best Christmas I could give." Fluttershy whispered as she stared at her feet.
"Thank you." Sunset whispered as the tears fell from her cheeks.
Fluttershy stepped closer and balled a fist in Sunset's shirt before looking deeply in her eyes. "Can I kiss you?" she asked, her voice smaller and more hesitant than normal.
Sunset sobbed again and nodded as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.
Fluttershy's lips met hers with a small chaste peck of a kiss, but it was more than enough for Sunset.
Fluttershy pulled away, her eyes misting over as she smiled. "Merry Christmas..."
Sunset smiled as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and held her tight.
"Merry Christmas..."
Author's Note
This one is for the love of my life. I've been having a lot of writer's block lately and she's been pushing me to write, even if she doesn't realize it. I hope you guys enjoyed the story, just a warm fuzzy Christmas story that I've been swearing I'd eventually write.
Feel free to leave any thoughts and comments.
