The Cello and The Guitar

Sunset recrossed her legs as she leaned against CHS’s horse statue, giving a slight shiver as the cool breeze fluttered past her.

The week had passed without any major incidents, well… life threatening incidents. Sunset had subdued the attention of any of her classmates who tried to get her attention, regardless of who they were, and eventually the rumour mongering about her breakdown the other weekend passed on, replaced with some other juicy morsel for the students to whisper about.

Mainly being Sunset’s now constant bouts of random blush ridden giggling or daydreaming in class. She didn’t mean to make a doofus of herself, it was just that her mind was so ungodly focused on Octavia, a blush coming to her face whenever an errant thought of the ebony haired beauty passes through her mind.

More than a few times she had been reprimanded in class for randomly starting to giggle, a blush on her face as she sat there thinking about the cellist in one form or another. She had even been called out for daydreaming, the amber skinned girl shooting to her feet and declaring proudly “I love her!” in Equestrian.

At least now people were trying to figure out what it was that was occupying her mind, instead of why she rolled up in a ball on the floor of Sugarcube corner to cry her eyes out.

She couldn’t help but give a goofy giggle as the idea of Octavia dressed up like a punk rocker as she quietly played her cello, drifted pleasantly through her mind.

Her sleep pattern had finally fixed herself, the girl no longer a grumpy, sleep-deprived mess as she tried to spend as much time around Octavia as she could without being reduced to a blubbering mess of giggling and blushing by the near proximity of her school girl crush.

She was in her late twenties for Celestia sake! Why was she acting like a chicken with it’s head cut off! Maybe it was the hormones of her younger body? But she remembered reading-

“O-O-Okay, careful now. Just hold onto me- There we go…” Sunset jumped to attention as she heard the calm yet uneasy voice of Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Princess Twilight!” Sunset beamed as she rounded the corner, just in time to see a woman with violet, pink, and yellow hair almost trip face first onto the concrete, before being caught by the shorter Princess Twilight.

“W-Woooaah…” came the uneasy voice as the cerise skinned woman slowly stood up, holding desperately onto the shorter purple girl. “O-Okay, maybe you were right.”

“I told you so.” Twilight chuckled as her guest finally stabilized, turning to greet her friend. “Sunset, so good to see you again! Though, please respond sooner next time…”

“Heh, sorry Princess…” Sunset chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head, a sheepish blush spreading across her face. “I didn’t know just how crazy of a drug “love” could be.”

“Well that’s why I enlisted the Princess of Love herself.” Princess Twilight beamed proudly as she stood aside, letting go of the taller woman who struggled to keep balanced.

“Nice to see you again, Sunset.” Princess Cadance said once she steadied herself, smiling warmly.

“You too. Well, I mean at least not when I’m stealing something from your castle.” the trio laughed at Sunset’s response. “Why don’t you two follow me? My apartment isn’t far from here.”

~Later~

“So let me get this straight.” Cadance sat at the edge of Sunset’s sofa, staring intently at the girl sitting on the floor. “You, Sunset Shimmer, a unicorn mare from Equestria, are beyond smitten with one Octavia Melody, a human girl from here on Gaia.”

Sunset nodded.

“You are conflicted because one; you have never truly been in love before, as far as you can tell.”

Another nod.

“Two; you feel inferior to her, given your status as a being from another world, financial differences, and finally the differences in your age, though that last one is subjective to the magics of the mirror.”

A third nod.

“Well your feelings aren't that odd in that regard.” Cadance chuckled as she looked at Sunset’s ceiling. “Love doesn’t care about things like that, and you’ll learn to see that.”

“But what am I supposed to do?” Sunset asked, getting onto her knees. “I can’t keep doing this!”

“Tell her.” the alicorn gave a lazy shrug, bursting into tittering giggles at the dumbfounded look Sunset was giving her. “Really. Just take her aside and ask her. Don’t make it complicated. Tell her you like her and would like to go on a date.”

“B-B-But…!” Sunset’s face went flush as she started to trip over herself trying to talk. “Whenever I even think of her I go full on stupid! If she’s in arms reach I turn I to a babbling buffoon!”

“All of which is quite normal, even for older ponies.” Cadance smiled softly as she watch Sunset scrambled over herself. “Please, Sunset, just take a deep breath and relax.”

“But what if she says no?” Sunset whispered softly, tears building in the corners of her worry stricken eyes.

“Then she says no. Life will go on Sunset, and you will certainly find another.”

“But I don’t want another…” Sunset pouted quietly, before a light bulb went off in her head. “Tell me how to woo her! What can I do to help swing the odds in my favour!?”

“You really are desperate.” Sunset’s blush deepened at the blunt statement. “All I can say, and this is the best advice, is just be yourself. Show her what you are like to be around.”

The room grew quiet, Sunset swore she could hear a fly sneeze a mile away.

“That’s it?”

It was Cadance’s turn to nod in response.

“Well, I mean… I guess I can try that.”

“Just promise me that you will keep in touch with your endeavours. I do so love hearing stories about young loves.”

It was Twilight’s turn to blush.