Chapters It’s 2:34 am, and Twilight can’t sleep. She knows this because she has been staring at the glowing, neon digits on the bedside clock for a solid ten minutes. She has been willing the numbers forward with her mind, but she hasn’t had much luck. Time is determined to pass at a constant, achingly slow speed.
But Twilight doesn’t want to close her eyes, because she can still see the darkness behind her eyelids. She can still feel her heartbeat thudding restlessly in her chest, can still hear the perpetual buzz of her thoughts in her head. She rolls over on to her side.
She is tired. It’s more than that, though, and if Twilight had a thesaurus she would point out the exact words needed to explain the heaviness of her bones and the weight at her temple. But she’s far too tired for that.
Twilight hisses out a breath between her teeth, letting her gaze fall across each of the girls spread out on the floor. She has an advantage point as the only one on a bed. Applejack is the closest to the door, and lies propped up against the frame with her hat tugged over her face. Rarity, who had started out quite put-together and reservered, has her cheeks squished against Applejack’s thigh, with the rest of her body spread out like a rag doll. She snores in her sleep. Rainbow Dash, in the corner, seems to have gotten into a wrestling match with her sleeping bag, and her pillow is by her feet. Fluttershy is a straight, dark shape at her side. Sunset lies in the center of the room on her back, making the occasional horse-sounding noise. Twilight supposes that, if she had the time and desire, she could write a piece on exactly how sleeping positions characterize certain people.
Twilight pauses in her jumbled musings. She scans across the dark room again. She’s missing— “Hey.” Twilight stops breathing for a second, going absolutely still. She hadn’t expected anyone else to be awake. She leans over the edge of the mattress with her heartbeat thudding in her ears.
Pinkie looks up at her with half-lidded eyes from where she is tucked up against the side of the bed. “Twi,” she whispers, and Twilight blinks.
“Yes?” She wants to ask Pinkie Pie why she’s awake, and why she’s breaking the thick quietness. But Twilight wouldn’t want Pinkie to ask the same of her.
Pinkie wriggles violently on the floor and manages to get herself out of what appears to be a cocoon of blankets. “Can I sleep with you?”
Twilight doesn’t answer, to busy swallowing away confusion and exhaustion—and hope? Pinkie takes her silence for an answer, and clambers over Twilight to the other side of the bed. She, with a great deal of huffing and groaning, settles under the sheets, and suddenly, there is a wonderful solid and warm form along Twilight.
Pinkie snuggles further in the pillow, her legs curling up around Twilight’s. “I had a bad dream,” she whispers, tucking her face in Twilight’s neck. Curly hair dances in front of Twilight’s vision.
Twilight waits until she hears Pinkie’s breathing even out, before she releases her tension and melts. A wave crashes over her, and it’s safe and good and warm. She sinks into the pillow that now smells of vanilla.
Just as she’s drifting off, Pinkie mumbles, “My dream was that you couldn’t sleep,” and Twilight smiles.
“Fluttershy, come on, you’re not even trying!” Rainbow groans, gesturing wildly at the TV screen. A number at the top of Fluttershy’s screen flashes a large 12.
“I am,” Fluttershy protests, but it is weak and she knows it. She wrinkles her nose, glancing over at Rainbow even as her friend’s eyes never leave the screen. “Besides, I thought you liked winning.”
Rainbow Dash lets out a whoop as she reaches her final lap. “Of course I like winning,” she scoffes. “But this is easy winning. I’ve seen you drive to school better than this. Give me a little competition, ‘Shy!”
Fluttershy readjusts her grip on the controller and squints at the game. It’s a simple racing game, nothing she hasn’t seen before. “Are you sure?” she asks, biting over a smile.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Rainbow jostles her on the couch. Well, Rainbow Dash did ask for it. Fluttershy squares her shoulders and presses down on the gas button.
At first, Rainbow only eggs her on as she passes each player. But as Fluttershy catches up to 3rd place, she starts to side-eye her. “Uh, ‘Shy? How the heck are you doing so well?” By 2nd place, Rainbow is cursing and squawking. “Hey! You’re cheating!’
Fluttershy can’t stop the giggle she lets out. She inches in front of Rainbow’s race car just before they cross the finish line. The music blares and the crowd cheers as the rest of the winners finish, and Rainbow Dash is left gaping. She splutters and turns to Fluttershy. She isn’t trying to hide her laughter anymore. “Why didn’t you—how did you—that’s not’’—“ Rainbow cuts herself off and flails helplessly. As much as Fluttershy loves seeing her friends happy, victory may be the tiniest bit sweeter. (She’ll have to thank Zephyr for his teenage years of video games later.)
Rainbow Dash pokes Fluttershy in the side, a well-known ticklish spot. “Oh no, wipe that grin off your face this instant. I demand a rematch! Rematch!”
“Twilight, you look fine .” Twilight doesn’t turn to face Sunset, but she eyes her in the mirror. She bites her lip and fingers at the hair curling at her shoulders. Sunset has never actually seen Twilight before with her hair down; it’s always been up in a dorky bun. And she has to admit, while it’s still wonderfully dorky, it does look really nice.
Twilight huffs. She smooths down her dress, all billowing stars and soft purples, and reaches for an eyeshadow brush. “Ah, ah, no,” Sunset says, darting forward to catch Twilight’s hand in hers. “We gotta go right now, or we’re gonna be late.” Sunset pries the brush from Twilight, and then stands back and looks the girl up and down. “And trust me, Twilight, you look absolutely stunning. And if I wasn’t tragically straight...” she raises her eyebrows meaningfully and lets out a soft whistle.
Twilight snorts and shoves at her shoulder. “Shut up, Sunset,” she laughs, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. (No contacts for her. She says they’re icky and weird.) “You and I both know you’re way out of my league.” She says it with a teasing smile, but her eyes shine with something deeper.
Sunset whirls around on her friend and grabs her arms tight. Oh, no way. “Are you out of your mind?” She gives Twilight a good shaking. “You, Twilight Sparkle,” she begins, “Are an absolute goddess. A goddess, you hear me?” She makes to slap Twilight on the cheeks, but then boops her nose. “And I am honored that I was chosen as your escort this magical night.” Just because neither of them have dates (boys are overrated, anyway) it doesn’t mean they can’t have fun.
Twilight covers her face. “Thanks, Sunset,” she says quietly. Then her nose wrinkles up. “But don’t say escort. That’s another word for prostitute.”
Sunset sticks out her tonuge and winks. “Well, we’ll have to see how the night goes...”
Twilight groans, almost avoiding Sunset’s skillful hip-check. “You’re unbelievable.”
Sunset grins, throwing an arm over her friend’s shoulder as they walk out the bathroom. “Yeah, but you love me.”
Author's Note
i’ve never written Sunset before, but she’s fun. Maybe I could write a full length fic with these two cuties ^^
”Hey, ‘Dagi?”
Adagio didn’t answer. She stayed as she was, fully clothed and wide-awake, tucked under the thin, stained bedsheets. She knew her sister would continue anyway.
“This place sucks.” Ah, eloquent as always. Adagio stared up at the broken lightbulb hanging from a broken ceiling fan and swallowed hard. But, then again, her sister wasn’t much for words. This was about as close as she got to spilling her guts.
“I know,” she said back. Her voice was hoarse and ragged. Stupid . She finally turned to Aria on the couch a couple feet from her, who was sitting up against the moth-eaten pillow. Aria’s face was haggard with shadows and the dusty light from the streets outside, and her lips were pressed into a straight line.
“I hate this,” Aria hissed. Her eyes were like moons. “I really do.”
Adagio gritted her teeth until it felt like her jaw was about to break. “You think I don’t know that?” she snapped, but her voice lacked any malice. She was far too tired to be angry.
Aria’s gaze softened as she leaned back against the couch and fell silent. Adagio watched her for a moment, the awful feeling that had been following her all day clawing back up her throat. She was their big sister; their guardian—God knows Sonata needed one—and what had she done for them? She glanced down at her youngest sister, blissfully asleep by her side. She had let them lose their amulets and their voices, and watched their life go staright down the drain, that’s what . After they couldn’t control anyone anymore, the homeowners had snapped and kicked them out on the streets, with only the clothes on their backs and a couple 20s to their name.
And now they were here, in this shit-hole of a hotel—where the shower was overrun with roaches, the walls were cracked and dripping, and the bed was moldy and rotted. Adagio, loathe as she was to admit it, was scared. She just wanted to go home. (And home? Where was that? None of them knew.)
“I know,” she repeated. Softer. She reached out a shaking hand to Aria. Her sister curled up around her lone pillow, her eyes squeezed shut. She took Adagio’s hand ever-so-gently. “We’ll get through this.” Adagio settled herself on her back again, tightening her grip on Aria’s hand. She didn’t know how, or when.
She looked out the window where she could see the faintest glow of moonlight on the floor. But, hey, they were the Sirens; they’d manage.
When the librarian comes over and shushes them for the fourth time, Applejack can’t find it in herself to care anymore. She clamps her hands tighter over her mouth under the woman’s bespectacled glare, but as soon as her back is turned a loud guffaw slips out and sends Applejack back into a fit. She slaps her fists down on the table and rocks back and forth in her chair.
Rarity is much quieter in her laughter, but she can’t stop her giggles this time. Applejack glances over at her and immediately regrets that decision. Rarity’s normally pale complexion has gone completely bright red, and her face is twisted up at an absolutely awful attempt to gather herself. Applejack jerks her head away and bites down hard on her tongue. She hears a loud, hearty snort. Dangnabbit , she thinks, and then loses it all over again.
Rarity has started crying, and her tears are trailing mascara all down her cheeks. “Applejack, stop, stop, please ,” she wheezes, grabbing her stomach and hunching forward. Applejack has half a mind to whisper ‘raccoon’ into Rarity’s ear, but she can’t get past the ‘r’. She knows that everyone in the library is staring and that any minute the librarian lady will be back to scream at them. Rarity will be absolutely mortified, if she isn’t already. But this feels too good.
“Applejack, the papers,” Rarity tries, gathering up the things on the floor, and shoving them at Applejack. Right . They were supposed to be studying for their math exam, not laughing at the fact that Rarity had named her boobs . Rarity must understand what Applejack’s thinking, because she covers her chest and gasps dramatically. “You heathen,” she screeches and rips the papers back. “That’s it! I’m telling everyone about your crush on Cheerilee—“
Applejack almost tackles her in an attempt to cover her mouth, falling heavily on top of Rarity’s lap. “Missy, I’ll kill you right here, right now, along with ‘Sandra ’ and ‘Daisy ’,” Applejack threatens, her fists raised and her body trembling with laughter. Rarity pushes at her with feigned outrage, but they both end up sliding to the floor in a pile.
“I hate your boobs,” Applejack cries. Rarity makes a strangled noise.
“I’ll tell Miss Cheerilee that you positively love my—“ she doesn’t get to finish, because the librarian is towering over them and shouting something about ‘detention’.
Applejack never liked studying.
