“Mmmmh! Popcorn’s done!” Pinkie Pie cheered, hoisting the large bowl of popcorn above her head for all to see. She hopped, skipped and jumped over the other girls who’s sleeping bags lay scattered across the floor. After doing a little dance of sorts, she threw herself onto the couch beside Sunset, who was currently half-way through having her hair braided.

“I must say darling, you did a wonderful job cleaning up.” Rarity smiled from behind the red-head, “the place looks simply marvellous.”

Sunset laughed awkwardly. “Haha, yeah! Is that why you girls headed over here? To mess it up again?”

“Now, now, Sugar cube,” Applejack chuckled. “We’d never do such a thing like that. Right Dash?”

Rainbow Dash peeked up from her collection of candy wrappers that had begun to pile up at her side, mashing the buttons on Sunset’s gaming controller as she tried her best to stay focused on the game. “Uh, yeah, sure. Pepperoni’s fine.”

The girls shook their heads and laughed.

Sunset had to admit, it was nice to hang out with the girls. It had honestly been a while since they had all gotten together like this, thanks to finals being just around the corner. As well… other things. She relaxed her shoulders and closed her eyes, letting herself be soothed by the gentle workings of Rarity’s fingers in her hair. If she concentrated hard enough— and ignored the obnoxious way Dash slurped up her soda— she could almost imagine someone else was playing with her hair. Someone like—

“So, when did Starlight head home?” Twilight chimed in, setting her controller down to grab a handful of popcorn from Pinkie’s bowl.

Sunset’s cheeks flushed and she opened her eyes. “Huh?” There was an awkward beat before her thoughts caught up to her, “Oh! Uhm- she left not long before you guys got here, actually. I’d just hopped out the shower.”

“And why were you in the shower while Starlight was here, Sunset?” Rainbow Dash quirked a brow, leaning her elbow back onto the couch to throw a shit-eating grin Sunset’s way. Sunset’s eyebrow twitched.

“Well, Dash, if you must know,” she said through gritted teeth, hoping to Celestia none of the other girls would pick up on her animosity. She knew that was just being hopeful, though. “She told me I could hop in a shower and she would finish up the cleaning. I spilled bleach on my legs and I needed to wash it off before it started to burn.” It wasn’t that Sunset liked lying; but with years of practice, it was like a second nature.

The pale-skinned girl behind her narrowed her eyes and puckered her cheek, not quite convinced. Rarity gasped, finally finishing off Sunset’s hair with a hair-tie. “Oh, my! You must be careful with those kinds of products, darlings. It can cause permanent damage to the skin if left untreated! I do hope you take more care in the future, Sunset.”

“I will, Rare.” The red-head nodded and adjusted herself on the couch to face the TV screen now, tucking her legs into a basket and playing with the curl of hair by her face.

“So!” Pinkie cheered, throwing an arm around Sunset and spilling some popcorn onto the floor, “what games should we play! Oh, oh, oh! Truth or dare? No, no- clue- oh, oh-!”

“Hows about giving someone else a chance to decide, Pinkie Pie?” Applejack chuckled, adjusting the rim of her hat to tilt the curve out of her eyes. Pinkie Pie paused and before giving an awkward smile and nodding frivolously. “So… anyone else got any ideas?”

The girls all murmured between themselves for a few moments, rubbing their heads in thought. Dash was the first to raise her hand, beaming in Sunset’s direction the entire time. “What about Never have I ever?”

Sunset was going to kill her.

“Never have I ever… skipped class,” Sunset shrugged, scanning the room and waiting for someone else to put a finger down.

She was the only one, it seemed, until Fluttershy cleared her throat and put down a finger. The room collectively gasped. “Fluttershy?!”

The girl in question peeked out from behind her hair before shifting it out of her face. “I don’t know if I’d exactly call it skipping. I was called down to the animal shelter in an emergency when one of the baby goats got loose. They needed my help to put them all to sleep again.”

The girls collectively hummed, as if debating whether it was worthy of the game. Rainbow Dash shrugged, “I mean… you missed class, so, I think it counts.” The girls murmured in agreement.

Twilight was next and puckered her lips, looking up to the ceiling as if to find a ‘good one’. She smiled after a moment, cheeks tinted in a blush, and smirked devilishly to the rest of the room. “Never have I ever kissed anyone before.”

The girls all seemed to be caught off guard, mouths dropping open as they watched Twilight giddily put a single finger down.

They all looked between themselves for a moment before each of them all, similarly, put down a finger.

Twilight’s proud smile dropped into an immediate frown. “W-what!? All of you!? When!?” She gasped.

Applejack started the round off. “Kin-de-garten. This little feller picked me a handful ‘ah daisies from the playground,” she chuckled, “came right up tah’ me ‘an gave me a big ‘ole smooch. Hoowee, Big Mac didn’t much approve of that.”

Rarity nodded. “Summer Camp; fourth grade; we were to be the next power couple of the fashion industry.” She let out a deep sigh and leaned against Applejack for dramatic affect, draping her arm over her forehead and clutching her shirt. “Alas, there was another… just as he had kissed me behind the tire-swing tree, so too did he have his way with… her.” She glared daggers at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie choked on her popcorn and pounded at her chest, Sunset aiding her by patting the small of her back. “He kissed me!”

“Of course that’s what you’d say— boyfriend stealer!”

“Ugh! He wasn’t even that good of a kisser anyway!”

Rarity gasped. “You take that back!”

The group of girls laughed amongst themselves as the two continued to bicker, throwing insults here and there; something about lop-sided ponytails and ugly, clashing cargo shorts. Things from a simpler time; mundane and nostalgic.

Sunset snorted in a quiet laugh. Twilight smiled and scooted closer.

“What about you, then, Sunset?”

“Hm?”

“When was your first kiss?”

Suddenly, all twelve eyes were on her, the argument dying out immediately as each girl leaned in expectantly, desperate to hear the mysterious tales of Sunset’s love life. She’d honestly rather eat a bullet.

“Oh, uhm,” she rubbed at her head awkwardly. “You guys don’t know them.”

“Oh?” Rarity piqued a brow, polite smile spreading into a mischievous smirk. “And older man?”

“Or woman?” Rainbow Dash snorted.

Rarity shrugged. “Yes, yes, the drama’s all the same, darling.”

Sunset swallowed and dropped her eyes. “N-no, uhm. They just don’t… they aren’t from here, if you get what I mean?”

“You kissed someone from Crystal Prep?!” Twilight clapped her hands over her mouth in horror, eyes wide as she sucked in a breath.

“No, no!” Sunset frowned. “I just mean that-” she sighed, “I had my first kiss when I was a filly- er, uhm. Before I came to this world.”

“Oooooh,” the girls let out a relieved breath.

“And what was that like?” Twilight blinked, seemingly genuine in her curiosity. The other girl’s teasing stares all seemed to mirror the bookworms, now, filled with well-intended curiosity and wonder.

Sunset cleared her throat again and tugged on the collar of her shirt. “Well, uhm. It was a mare. Uhm- I mean- a girl. It wasn’t romantic or anything like that-”

“-fillies with benefits?” Dash snorted.

Applejack punched her arm.

Sunset rolled her eyes and fixed her jaw. “She was an older student of Celestia. She didn’t have a lot of friends, so we sort of gravitated towards each other, I guess; in a melancholic, depressing kind of way. Pony culture is super different from how it is over here and we- I guess technically- mature faster.” She wrung her hands together and adjusted her position in her seat. “We would like… you know, kiss and stuff.”

“And stuff?” Applejack raised a brow.

Sunset’s heart thumped. “N-nothing like-! Not like that kind of stuff. Well, I mean… I don’t really know what I mean…” She ducked her head and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “You can’t exactly hold hands over there, so you sort of just… it’s substituted. Things like that.”

The group exchanged awkward glances before Twilight gave Sunset’s hands a gentle squeeze, pulling them apart to stroke the back of Sunset’s hand with her thumb. “You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to, Sunset.”

“Yeah. That’s, uhm. Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make things awkward. It was a weird place in life and I was figuring stuff out, I guess. It’s just kind of embarrassing to talk about.”

“That’s okay!” Pinkie smiled, wrapping her arm around Sunset’s shoulders to pull her into a tight hug. “We all have stuff we don’t like to talk about, Sunshim! Like how Rainbow Dash is secretly afraid of silly-straws!” She slapped her hand over her mouth, “oops. Sorry Dashie.”

“Pinkie Pie!” Dash blushed, furrowing her brows with a frown.

The girls lit up in a fit of giggles and laughter again and Sunset settled into her skin, content with the gentle warmth of Twilight’s hand and the tight embrace that Pinkie kept held on her.

Sunset waved the girls off the next afternoon, the morning filled with sleepy shenanigans and Pinkie Pie’s “world famous triple-stack, chocolicious flap jacks”. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the coffee, Sunset probably would have vomited. The bitterness was a nice balance.

“Well, looks like it’s just you and me,” Twilight smiled, teetering on her heels as both she and Sunset stepped back into the apartment. “Shining should be here to pick me up soon, though.”

“Sounds good. Feels like it’s been ages since we got to hang out,” Sunset blushed, twirling a lock of hair before smoothing it behind her ear. “Just the two of us, I mean.”

Twilight nodded and stifled a giggle. “I know. We haven’t really studied much for the finals, either. Well- I have. I can only assume that you haven’t been up to much studying.” The shorter girl folded her arms.

“Oh? And what gives you that impression?” Sunset mirrored her, offering up a challenging grin in response.

“You’ve been too busy hanging out with your new friend.”

Sunset’s stomach dropped. How did she- did Dash-

“Well, I know she isn’t a new friend, but none of us have really spent much time with Starlight Glimmer since the mirror incident.” Twilight wandered over to the couch and sat down, curling up against the arm and leaving plenty of space for Sunset to join her. “I think it’s still bizarre to the other girls how active your social life is.”

“A-and it isn’t to you?” Sunset sat beside her.

Twilight shook her head with a hum. “Nope. Not at all. I just always pegged you for the social butterfly type, anyway.”

“Oh, well… that’s a relief, I guess.” Sunset chuckled.

“What is?”

“That you don’t think I’m just some shut-in who only goes out for groceries or when the girls want to hang.”

Twilight snorted and adjusted herself to shift closer. “I think you’re interesting.”

“Interesting?”

“Mysterious.”

“M-mysterious?”

“Mhm,” Twilight nodded again, “You’re probably the most interesting person I’ve ever met; and I’ve met an astrophysicist before.”

Sunset’s cheeks were taken in a fiery blush and she rubbed the back of her neck again, ducking her head to avoid Twilight’s eyes. “That’s… really nice of you to say. I think you’re pretty cool, too.”

Suddenly, Sunset was all too aware of just how close the other girl was and she felt a familiar yearning ignite within herself. She swallowed thickly and stood from the couch to make some distance. Laughing nervously, she wandered over to her mini fridge and pulled out two cans of soda. “Y-you want one? Or, uh- it’s a nice day out! Want me to walk you home? That way your brother doesn’t have to rush over from work.”

Twilight seemed taken aback, but she nodded with a smile regardless. “Sure, that sounds like fun.”

Sunset sat leaning against her desk as she watched Twilight gather her things from about the living room, tucking her sleeping bag into her bag and slipping it onto her shoulders. She swallowed thickly every time the other girl would bend down, drowning herself in her lemonade as a distraction; anything to tear her eyes away from the rim of Twilight’s skirt-

“All done!” Twilight smiled and wandered over to collect her own can of soda.

“G-great!”

Sunset opened the door for her and closed it behind them both, pausing to pat herself down in search of her key. When she came up short, she grumbled. “Oh, shoot… uch,” Sunset bent down to peek under the doormat, clicking her tongue when nothing was there, before turning her attention to the large potted plant by the doorstep.

Twilight watched as the older girl plucked a spare key from the dirt and locked the door, only to slip the key into her pocket once she was done. “Huh? What was that about?”

Sunset chuckled and jogged a bit to catch up after Twilight had started walking. “Forgot my key inside and I couldn’t be bothered running upstairs to get it. I keep a spare in the pot, just in case of emergency.”

Twilight snorted. “You, being smart for once?”

“I know! There’s a first time for everything,” Sunset chuckled.

As they walked, both girls kept the conversation light- cracking jokes every once in a while to make the other laugh. Sipping their drinks. It was nice. Sunset loved spending time with Twilight. She loved making her laugh even more.

“So, who’s ‘Fish emoji’ on your phone?” The smaller girl teased.

Sunset’s blood ran cold and she coughed awkwardly, tugging at the collar of her shirt. “Why do you ask?”

Twilight shrugged and stretched out her arms as she tightrope'd along the raised curb. Sunset held her free hand to keep her balanced. “I didn’t mean to snoop I promise. Your phone woke me up this morning with a text saying they’d forgotten their jacket at your apartment. I’m just curious, is all. You don’t need to answer.”

Sunset pursed her lips for a moment and thought about how to answer. She didn’t want to lie but she knew she couldn’t tell the truth, either.

“I’ve started giving singing lessons.” Nailed it. “I told them they could come by later and I’d let them know when you girls had all gone home so they could come back for it.”

“Ah, I see.” Twilight smiled, seemingly pleased by that answer. “I thought you’d gone out and made some more friends.”

Sunset chuckled nervously. “Something like that.”

“Well, we’re here.” Twilight smiled as she hopped down from the curb, Sunset dropping her hand and slipping her own into the pocket of her jacket. Twilight stopped just shy of her driveway and turned once again to teeter on her heels.

The bookworm nibbled her lip, as if debating whether or not to say something. Sunset supposed she voted against it as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear instead. “I had fun, thanks. I liked spending time with you again. I missed you, Sunset.”

The older girl felt her throat tighten and suddenly her clothes felt all-too constricting. “I-I missed you too, Twi. See you in school?”

“Mh,” Twilight nodded, “see you in school.”

Sunset watched as Twilight walked up the path to her house, stopping in the doorway to give her a bright smile and a wave goodbye. She felt her heart palpitate.

Once Twilight was gone, she stood there for a moment as if waiting for something else to happen. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. But, when nothing did, she turned on her heel to head back home; alone.

Author's Note

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