*WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE USE OF AN ABLEIST SLUR*

Chapter 5 - Alone Together

SUNSET! Luna told me what happened, please respond! Oh goodness I’m so so sorry Sunset, please respond. I should have come over. I should have taken this more seriously, I should have done SOMETHING! I truly thought that they’d listen to you! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…

Twilight scribbled anxiously in the journal that linked her to Sunset. Tears dripped onto the pages, blurring her writing in places. If Sunset didn’t respond soon, she would hop across the portal and find her. “Please respond, please respond, please respond,” she repeated to herself, nervously shuffling her hooves. She reread a few of her previous unanswered entries. They were just as desperate and scared as this one.

A mug of hot chocolate appeared on her desk, next to the book. Twilight looked down to find Spike giving her a sympathetic smile. “You looked like you could use some comfort food. Er, drink, whatever.”

Twilight gave her assistant a worn smile. “Thank you, Spike.” She magically lifted the drink to her lips, taking a few sips. She set down the mug with a sigh. “I’m just so worried about her...”

Spike gave her a soothing pat on the back. “She’ll answer soon, I’m sure of it,” he lied.

Suddenly, the book started its telltale vibrating. Spike blinked at it in surprise. “Huh. Good timing.” Twilight jumped up and grabbed the journal with her magic, reading the words as they appeared across the page.

Hey, calm down Twi. I’m fine It doesn’t matter, you couldn’t have known. I’ve made a new friend, so things are a little better than before. I won’t lie, I still feel awful, but you don’t have to come marching across the portal. I’d rather just keep this on the down-low. I don’t want to attract anymore attention to myself, and I doubt the Rainbooms would listen to you, anyways; there’s no concrete proof that I’m not Anon-a-miss. I appreciate the concern, but please- for my sake- just leave this alone.

Twilight stared at the journal in shock. She read the entry again. Then again, and again, trying desperately to find words that weren’t there. Spike leaned over her shoulder, reading Sunset’s cold words for himself. “Ouch,” he said.

“What do I do, Spike?” Twilight whispered, tears stinging at her eyes again. Spike was quiet for a moment.

“I think the best thing you can do is wait,” he eventually responded. “Sunset’s right, there isn’t really anything you can do. Plus, you can’t just drop all your Princess duties for who-knows-how-long.” Twilight sniffled. She knew that Spike was right, but she hated being helpless in the face of a friendship crisis. She pondered the situation for a few more minutes before finally sighing and dipping her quill into the inkwell and starting to write.

...Okay. I’ll back off for now, but please keep me updated. If things get worse, I’m coming over. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I’m here for you.

On the other side of the portal, alone in her room, Sunset cried silently, slamming the journal shut.

***

Trixie walked through the school with her usual air of confidence. It had been a month since the end of winter break, and she and Sunset had become practically inseparable. The scowls and insults she was met with were nothing compared to what Sunset was dealing with, but they were vicious nonetheless. Trixie, however, was not troubled by the school’s reaction to her and Sunset’s friendship.“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not bothered by the actions of these ruffians. They are foolish for blaming Sunset and they are foolish for targeting me as well.” She had dealt with plenty of bullying before she openly sided with Sunset on the Anon-a-miss incident, so the backlash did not phase her at all, but that did not stop her mind from wandering.

Rotten fruits and vegetables were launched onto the stage as Trixie tried to continue her magic act. A mushy tomato hit her straight in the chest, splattering across her light blue blouse.

“Ha! Not so ‘great and powerful’ now, are you?”

“I’m surprised anyone even showed up to her freakshow.”

“Fucking retard.”

Trixie fought to keep an indifferent expression on her face, gripping her wand tightly. That last word hit her harder than any mouldy apple or gross tomato ever could. She was usually able to ignore the other student’s laughs and jeers, but that word in particular never failed to get under her skin.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s magic is incredible! You imbeciles could never understand!” Trixie tried to retaliate, but was only met with more laughter and biting comments.

“Loser.”

“Wow, she really is full of herself.”

“What a weirdo.”

Trixie stormed off the stage, grabbing the bag that held the props for her magic show and fleeing the school’s auditorium. Principal Celestia had been nice enough to let her use the space for her magic show after school that Friday. Not that it really mattered, seeing as a mere two people actually showed up to watch; the rest were only there to make fun of the magician.

Hot tears ran down Trixie’s cheeks as she walked home, muttering to herself angrily. “Trixie doesn’t need them. She is just fine by herself. Trixie is better than them anyways.” The sad girl tried to comfort herself, but her words felt empty. “...Why do they hate Trixie so much?”

Trixie arrived at her final class of the day, astronomy. She shook her head to rid herself of the memory from her junior year. “Trixie,” she didn’t bother correcting the verbal tic before continuing her thought, “does not need to think about that right now.” The third-person talking was something she mostly did when she got excited… or anxious and upset. It was something that the hurtful words and behaviour of her peers encouraged her to stop, but Trixie was not the kind of person to change herself for the sake of others.

“Besides,” she thought, smiling at Sunset and taking her seat next to her. “Now Trixie has a friend that likes her just the way she is.”

***

Sunset sucked in short panicked breaths as the locker was slammed shut, leaving her trapped in the dark, cramped space. “Have a nice lunch, Anon-a-miss!” Spitfire cackled as she and her posse laughed. Rainbow Dash was among them, snickering and joking at Sunset’s expense. The ambushed girl slammed her fists against the cold metal door, letting out terror-filled pleas as tears poured down her cheeks. Rainbow Dash ignored her as she and her jock friends walked away. Susnet’s shrieks devolved into terrified sobs, but her hands never stopped beating against the locker. Sunset’s scrambled mind didn’t contain any coherent thoughts, nor did it register the buzzing of her phone in her pocket; the frightened girl’s claustrophobia was too intense.

She continued her attack on the metal as the minutes passed with excruciating slowness. Finally, just as Sunset was about to give up, a voice called out her name. “Sunset? Sunset, can you hear me?” A light tapping against the door accompanied Trixie’s question. Sunset only whimpered in response.

Trixie’s gentle voice met her ears again. “Hey, hey Sunny it’s going to be okay, I’m going to get you out of here, alright?” The blue-haired girl tried to sooth Sunset while she fumbled around in her backpack, finally succeeding in pulling out her wand. “Reserare,” she whispered, and she heard the combination lock give a soft click.

The door swung open and Sunset tumbled out into the arms of a worried Trixie. Her wand fell from her hand as she tenderly enveloped Sunset in a hug. The two girls sank to the floor. Sunset sobbed freely into her friend’s shoulder while the magician held her. “Sunset, breathe with me, okay? Deep breath in...” Trixie guided Sunset until she was no longer hyperventilating, holding her close and rubbing the panicked girl’s back. Anxiety attacks were, unfortunately, something that plagued Sunset frequently. Trixie had quickly learned how to bring the girl out of her panicked state.

Eventually, Sunset calmed down enough to stop crying, her tears slowly turning into small hiccups. The two remained on the floor, Sunset still wrapped in Trixie’s warm embrace. Trixie brought one of her hands to Sunset’s face, wiping away the remaining tears. She gave Sunset a sympathetic smile. Sunset shakily returned it, then wordlessly tucked her head into Trixie’s shoulder. After a few more moments in silence, Sunset spoke, mumbling against the fabric of Trixie’s shirt.

“It seems like I’ve been thanking you a lot recently,” she joked, though she was still shaken from the ordeal.

Trixie laughed. “Ha, well,” she responded bashfully before summoning up her usual braggadocio. “The Great and Powerful Trixie never lets her friends down!” The use of her verbal tic betrayed her distress. She was dismayed to find that the bullying Sunset was experiencing was only getting worse.

Sunset noticed Trixie’s worry. She had asked about Trixie’s third-person vocal tendencies a while back, and Trixie trusted her enough to reveal the reasoning behind it.

“Hey,” the red-head spoke softly, shifting so that she could look Trixie in the eyes. “It’s fine, okay? I just got a little nervous. I’m okay, really,” she weakly tried to dispel Trixie’s concern.

Trixie gave her a look of disbelief, sassily raising her eyebrows. “Lying doesn’t look good on you, Sunset,” she chuckled cheekily. Sunset's unconvincing tone and her nervous habit of pulling at her long-sleeved shirt gave her away. Trixie’s expression sobered as she continued speaking. “Trixie just wishes people would leave you alone...” She trailed off.

Trixie could deal with the bullies just fine, but Sunset… “Not only is she more vulnerable, but the bullying against her is so much more brutal.” Trixie thought with a frown. “She had the protection of the Rainbooms after the Fall Formal. But now, everyone gets to take out over three years of pent-up anger on her.”

Trixie’s contemplation was interrupted by a finger lightly booping her on the nose. Sunset laughed at Trixie’s startled expression. “You were getting that deep-in-thought look on your face,” she explained.

Trixie gave a genuine giggle, meeting Sunset’s impish gaze. The two simply looked at each other fondly for a moment, a mesmerizing haze falling over them. Trixie noted how Sunset’s aqua eyes held small flecks of magenta in them. Sunset studied the depth and intensity of Trixie’s dark purple eyes. Trixie’s arms were still wrapped around Sunset’s torso, and the fiery-haired girl own arms were slung around Trixie’s shoulders. Their faces were very close together.

Suddenly, they both realized the position they were in. The girls simultaneously jumped apart, swiftly standing and brushing themselves off awkwardly as they both tried to hide a blush. Luckily, the bell announced the end of lunch, saving the girls from the tension that had settled around them. Sunset gave Trixie a nervous smile and a hasty farewell, gracelessly rushing to escape the situation so she could ponder what exactly just happened… and what she was feeling because of it.

***

Trixie was still blushing by the time she reached her next class. “What the fuck was that and why are her eyes so pretty?!” Her traitorous thoughts kept reliving the moment that had occured between the two in the hallway. Sunset’s sincere gaze. Her shallow breath that tickled Trixie’s cheek. The light spattering of freckles across her nose. Every detail was ingrained into Trixie’s mind.

Her attempts to focus on the lesson failed colossally. Her mind always seemed to drift back to Sunset and “her stupid pretty face.”

Deep down, Trixie probably knew what she was feeling, but she was far too stubborn to admit it so easily. She was no stranger to having a crush; acknowledging it, though, was another story. “It didn’t mean anything, I was just… shocked, that’s all,” Trixie managed to delude herself.

***

Sunset floated through the rest of the day in a cloud of absent-mindedness. As the day came to and end, the red-head tried to shake herself from the smog that her mind had settled into. “This is ridiculous, why am I acting so weird? Nothing happened, I’m just over analyzing things.” Sunset was able to placate her thoughts for the moment, but she knew she’d be up that night ruminating on what had occurred.

Neither girl brought up the incident when they met up afterschool to walk to Trixie’s house. The awkward tension around them soon dissipated as they fell back into their usual comfortable dynamic, though Sunset found herself glancing at Trixie a bit more than usual.

“Daaad, we’re home!” Trixie shouted as she opened the door, kicking off her shoes in the entryway.

Trixie’s father called out to them from the kitchen. “Hey, girls! I just finished making some brownies, if you want any.” Sunset chuckled to herself as Trixie ran from the room with an excited squeal.

After grabbing a plate containing several brownies, the girls made their way up to Trixie’s room. The light blue walls were covered with posters of famous magicians, and gave the room a cozy feeling. Trixie took a seat on her bed, which was covered in a navy blue comfortable. Sunset sat at Trixie’s desk and pulled out her calculus homework, grinning as Trixie groaned and did the same. The two had frequent study sessions, where they helped each other with homework and exchanged lighthearted banter. They shared some of the same teachers, though they didn’t have the same class period- except for astronomy.

Trixie only got excited about a few specific topics: astronomy, cooking, and magic. When it came those subjects, she could study and learn and ramble on about them for hours. She made her dislike of any other school work very clear every time she and Sunset got together to do their work, but Sunset noticed that the blue-haired girl never turned in an assignment that wasn’t perfect.

“Sunset, do we have to do the math stuff? It’s so easy, and I’m bored,” Trixie complained after only a few minutes of work.

Sunset rolled her eyes and responded with a playful lilt to her voice. “Yes, we have to do the homework, Trix. You know how Mr. Doodle gets if we don’t turn homework in on time.” She laughed at Trixie’s pout. “Okay, fine,” Sunset said. “If we finish this part we can take a break and go get some more brownies.” She gestured to the nearly empty plate. “Sound good?”

Trixie nodded fervently and began diligently scribbling at the math worksheet. Sunset smiled fondly before turning back to her worksheet as well. However, she found herself sneaking looks at Trixie as she assiduously completed her homework, motivated by the promise of brownies. Her brow was furrowed and her lips pursed, contorting her features into that cute “deep-in-thought” face that Sunset liked so much.

“Wait hold up, hang on, where did that come from?” Sunset snapped her head back to her homework, trying to fight a blush. Another thought invaded her flustered head before she could stop it. “Okay maybe it’s a little cute…”

She tried to turn her mind back to the worksheet and away from Trixie and her adorable habits. “Alright, Sunset, tone down the gay and focus on your work.”

Author's Note

Hey there! Sorry this is going up so late today, it's been a busy day

Additionally, I'm going back and fixing the format of the previous chapters- don't worry, the content isn't changing, I'm just breaking up big blocks of text and separating out speech so that it's easier to read. Thanks to XIII Hearts for pointing out my mistake!

As always, I hope you all enjoy, and comments are always welcome!

~Bitty Bug