The Dream Ends

Chapters

The Real Me

The Real Me

The Dream Ends

It was a peaceful night in Canterlot city. It wasn't particularly late but still oddly quiet for this usually bustling part of town. Most of the cities workers have went home to their families and humble abodes to get ready to do it all again tomorrow, closing out the end of their day. Traffic was beginning to thin out as time progressed, along with street lights flickering to life to light up the ground below, and shops started to close their doors to pack in for the next morning of business surely to come. Canterlot was finally settling down. Well, except for a certain back ally karaoke bar. For it, its time to shine starts when everyone else falls asleep.

This said bar, known simply by the name "PON-3's Karaoke" usually didn't attract much attention during the day. Mainly do to how out of the way it was and the lack of advertising for the establishment from the owner. However, at night it always got enough business to keep itself up and running. Vinyl Scratch, the aforementioned owner, used to be a hit DJ a few years ago rising up in the entertainment industry. Her name was well known and adored by everyone at her old high school. Yet despite her recognition, it didn't help her go full pro dubstep goddess, how she once dreamed. Financially, she just couldn't keep up. Not wanting to fully give up on music, Vinyl used the last of her savings to buy the space her karaoke bar now resided in out of the hopes she might make it big again someday.

Yet, as much as Vinyl has made over the past few years, she couldn't really bring herself to stop running the place, and eventually decided to settle for it. Her name alone, brought in alot of new and old faces from just the fact of her owning it. It gave Vinyl a sense of pride seeing her customers enjoy themselves here on weekends or Friday evenings. She even went out and eventually applied for a liquor license just so she could give her guests something else to enjoy. She's grown close to many customers over her years working here, but there's always been this one girl, ever since Vinyl opened the doors for the first night, that always came in pretty much every day just to sing by herself in the furthest room in the back of the building. Well, more like scream. Vinyl knew her well enough by name, Sunset Shimmer.

A young woman with many stresses and hardships in her life, Sunset always came to the bar as her means to escape her own life for a couple hours every night. Whenever she'd walk in, Sunset usually had this determined look on her face, and always asked Vinyl for the same karaoke room with the same amount of time each night she arrived. As soon as she was left in that room alone, it sounded like a wild animal was set lose inside, singing deathmetal karaoke about her life, job, her boss, anything that remotely pissed that girl off she would always have something to sing about. As time passed, Sunset eventually began bringing along two of her friends, Rarity and Applejack, to witness her unleash the torrent of stress and hatred she sang.

Tonight, was a different night. Sunset didn't come in to sing, although her friends did and were currently occupying her usual room. Sure, sometimes Sunset didn't come in for various reasons like certain plans or being held back late at her job, but it wasn't like the firey haired girl to not come for an entire week. Recently, Sunset has gotten back together with an old ex boyfriend of hers and since then, she hasn't exactly been herself. It's like her personality has completely changed, and she no longer puts as much effort into the work her job gives her as she usually did. Lately, it's been worrying her friends and co-workers. Including Rarity and Applejack.

"Before the sun comes up, you gotta start your rocket boosters! Rise and shine, I'm feelin fine, wake up Mr. Rooster!-"

"Ok I think I'm done. Applejack, darling, why do you always insist on only singing country whenever we're here? You know there's more genres, right?"

Applejack immediately stopped singing, a slight look of annoyance plastering her features as she scowled at her friend.

"First of all, yes I do know that. Second of all, I just like this alot better then that dang K-pop you screeched outta your windpipes earlier, and third of all, never, under any circumstances, disrespect country." She stated before taking a drink.

"Well excuse me for trying something different for once, unlike you and Sunset." Rarity then commented with a huff. Her face soon after softened, as she sighed, thinking about their third karaoke trio member.

For the past week, the two of them have been coming to PON-3's and inviting Sunset to join them how she usually would. But each day either Applejack or Rarity would make the offer, she refused them politely, saying she had other plans or was busy with Flash. The only times this week they've even seen her was either walking the halls of the office building they all worked in, or at their weekly yoga classes.

Applejack put her glass down, looking over at Rarity with a more sympathetic expression. Realizing they were both bugged by the same issue. "Ah crab apples, It's bothering you to ain't it? Well, now that Sunsets all head over heels, we're the only ones who can sing for ourselves now."

Rarity looked back over to her, relaxing as she looked down at her tea. "To be fair, it's not like anyone said we had too. We don't have to take responsibility for Sunset's er, hobbies. Besides, I don't really enjoy country. Nor do I really know alot about it." She finished, taking a sip of her own drink.

Applejack almost did a spit take after hearing her say that last part. "What in the what! You don't like it?! How could you even say that? I wrote that song myself!" She stood with a shameful look, placing her hand on her hip as she eyed her now 'debatable' best friend.

"Darling, I'm not saying your song was bad it's just the genre isn't my taste. No one in my family ever really enjoyed it when I was a little girl either, and even now the only one I know with any interest in country is you." Rarity got up from her place on the sofa with her purse and shuffled over to the door, putting her cup on the table as she went by it. "Maybe we should just give it a rest and go get something to eat." She stated, looking over to her friend.

Applejack paused, thinking over Rarity's offer. She looked at the mess on the table they've left for the past hour and a half, then sighed, seeing as they've been at this long enough for one evening. She put the microphone she was holding down and grabbed her things. "Oh, alright." she drawled out, walking over to meet the fashionista at the door.

When they both had everything they needed, Rarity pulled the door open for the both of them as they began walking down the long hall towards the lobby. While walking, Applejack spoke up again. "Oh, do you think we can go try that new steakhouse? I heard their dinners are really cheap and they apparently have great desserts too." She suggested, earning a scoff from Rarity. "You wouldn't happen to want to go there because of a certain apple fritter they have for dessert, would you?"

"Oh I know you're not apple shaming me right now" Applejack replied. Rarity could only giggle as the pair made there way out the main door. As they exited the ally, Rarity realized something odd. "Applejack, dear? Am I crazy or did our karaoke machine start playing death metal as we left?"

Ahhh me and Flash, nothing in the universe could possibly ruin this moment.

It was a beautiful, sunny day today. The sky was as blue as the ocean, the food at Sugar cube corner tasted amazing as always, it was just to perfect of a day for Sunset to be on a date with her boyfriend. She hasn't felt this good about herself in a very long time, and Sunset was savouring every second of it. Despite all of the stress she's been dealing with over the past month, she really feels as if this one week with Flash has made up for all of that.

I mean yeah, Flash certainly has changed alot since we dated all those year ago, but something about his new business-serious attitude and the way he carries himself just makes him so adorable. The way he eats, his little mannerisms, how he speaks, ohh I just can't help it! He's so cute!

To Sunset, she couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. For far to long, so much of her life just kept going wrong at every given opportunity. Even before she graduated, it was like everything only went down hill for her with every magical mishap that happened around Canterlot. Thankfully, that all stopped after she and her friends left school, but it still had its toll on her. Now, all of this responsibility, her job, the corporate, sexist pig of a boss she has. It all seemed hopeless for her to turn things around. At least, until she got back together with Flash Sentry.

A couple weeks ago her co-worker, Vignette Valencia, invited her and her office friends out to a party her and some of the guys from the sales department were hosting. Sunset wasn't really interested at first but after some convincing, figured it might be fun. Her office friends, Lyra and Twilight weren't really interested either, at least until Sunset changed her mind. That was when Lyra joined her. She wondered what made her decide to go but Sunset never dwelled on it.

That party was where Sunset caught up with Flash. Nowadays, he's alot more reserved, talking with not much volume in his voice and taking his job rather seriously. Funny thing, the night when they saw each other again, the table was so loud from Lyra and Vignette flirting with the other guys, Flash actually had to give Sunset his number just to text her because of how quiet he is now, even though he was across the table from her. It was strange at first but after some thought, Sunset found it kind of charming in a way. Even afterwards, he took care of Sunset when she had one to many beers that night and brought her home.

Since then, Sunset made many excuses at work just to see him. When she was able to, she'd always buy him his favorite drink, which oddly enough was canned coffee. She never knew before they even sold the stuff that way but it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered to her anymore, it was like all the things she was so worried about over her time working at her job and living life in general just evaporated off of her shoulders. When she was with Flash, nothing or no one ever really bothered her anymore. At least, that's what she thought for awhile, anyway.

On one of their outtings, Sunset started wearing a pair of heels. Normally this wouldn't be a huge deal, even though she usually wouldn't be caught dead wearing them unless it was a special occasion. Sunset always wore boots that'd make sense to the leather jacket, punk look she always went for when she wasn't working. But after the date she first wore the heels, Flash actually complimented them. Saying they really suited her. Just from him saying that, those became the only shoes she would wear around, just to make him happy. No matter how uncomfortable they felt after long walks or despite the amount of bandages she had to wrap around her ankles from the bruises that formed, she still put them on each morning just because of how he felt about them. Not for anyone at work, not for anyone of her friends or neighbors, hell not even for herself. Just because she wanted to make Flash happy, and regardless of how much her feet protested them, she was fine with it.

"MISSTAAAAAAKE!!!!!" One of Sunset's rather unpleasant co-workers, Abacus Cinch, screamed in her face after handing in her work for the day.

Normally, if you ever asked Sunset about her work life, she'd always tell you that accounting for Carrier Mare Trading Co. had to be the worst place to work in the entire city. Her boss, Filthy Rich, was a disrespectful and self centered prick that came straight out of the Eighties. His assistant Micro Chips was just as much of a jerk that kisses Rich's ass all day just to stroke his ego enough so he never actually has to work. Pinkie Pie was still Pinkie Pie, but has turned into a heavy gossiper that can't really seem to keep her mouth shut. Everyone else, save for Sunset's two office friends Lyra and Twilight, had their own sets of annoying traits that made them generally difficult to work with. Including Abacus Cinch.

How that woman ever got a job here, of all the places in town she could've chosen to work at was beyond Sunset. After the Friendship Games, where she met the former head of Crystal prep academy for the first time, Cinch sort of disappeared for awhile. From what she's been told, apparently Cinch actually did try to bring up the magical catastrophe that occured at CHS with the school board to maybe get some support on her side. But, rumor has it, they thought she was insane and had her committed to an asylum for a few months. Which would explain her crazy outbursts in the current day.

But even though this middle aged woman was berating her right now, Sunset just stood there. Her eyes lightly shut, a smile tugging at her lips as a blush burned up her cheeks. She was off in her own little rose tinted world, really only half concentrated on what Cinch was saying to her. Why should she be mad? She was in love, happy. Nothing in this world could bring her down now that she had someone special in her life. Not even a half insane, old school principal could ruin her spirits.

At this point, most of the office was staring at the scene, just amazed that Sunset hasn't said anything to interrupt her yet. While mostly everyone was watching them and waiting for her to explode, save for Filthy Rich and Micro Chips, who were just polishing Rich's golf clubs, one girl looked on with true concern. Twilight Sparkle watched Sunset, noticing for the first time that something was truly off with her friend. After some internal analysis of Sunset's features, she had a pretty descent idea of what was happening and deep down, she hated it.

"-and one here! And here! And there and there and there and there!!!" Cinch finally finished her full on rant. "How can there even be that many? My mind is just stunned at the sight of it! Just when I thought your work couldn't get any worse." she added, fixing Sunset with an annoyed look, just waiting for her to retort with some smart ass remark she usually has. Yet, it never came.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll fix it right away." Sunset for the first time replied, without a hint of malice behind her words as she continued to stand there with that look on her face.

Cinch was slightly taken aback by the unexpected niceness in that comment. Sunset could usually be a bit of a push over in the office, as if she had much choice anyway. But Sunset would never let a screaming fit like that slide without saying something snarky or having a look of irritation on her face. Now however, if wrongly mistaken, it could easily look like she enjoyed being chewed out like this normally.

The former principal sighed before looking up to speak again, eyeing Sunset suspiciously. "Not that I'm really concerned about you or anything but, lately it's like something is really off with how you're acting and I can't work out what it is. What's up with you?"

Sunset still just stood in front of her, not shifting her expression or seeming fully focused on what was happening in the world around her. A few seconds later, Sunset looked up again after thinking of something to say before finally replying simply. "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." With that, Sunset gently took the folder with her work in it out of Cinch's hands and turned to walk back to her desk. Leaving her co-worker in a stunned state that could be more akinly described to petrified horror.

Mean while, Twilight looked on, her hand slowly balling into a fist for a second, before she breathed out a quiet sigh to herself after unclenching it again, and getting up to go take her lunch break.

Most days, Twilight would have lunch with Sunset and Lyra, but today wasn't most days. Lyra was the only one in the lunch room other than herself, making the room rather quiet and peaceful. Admittedly, part of her was kind of sad that Sunset wasn't here. But at least Twilight had the chance to confirm some suspicious she's been having about her recently. Bracing herself for the inevitable conversation she was going to have, Twilight began her trek over.

"Hey Lyra, still hanging in there?" Twilight greeted, walking up to the usual table they'd always sit at. Lyra looked up from her phone, casually waving to her.

"Oh you know, other then Rich being the asshole he always is and Pinkie Pie in my ear every five seconds about some form of gossip or government conspiracy, yeah this fox is still on the tree branch." Lyra replied as Twilight sat down, shutting her phone off to talk with her. It wasn't that Lyra was a social butterfly, rather it was sort of the opposite. She only browses her phone to stalk the the social media pages of her co-workers, mainly Vignette. Despite this, she's still somewhat of a maven in terms of how each platform works and the precautions people take to be popular on them. She had it down to such a formulaic science that it even scared Twilight.

"Uhm, I'm pretty sure the proper analogy your looking for is this 'kitten' is still on the branch, you know? Like the poster?" She corrected, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

Staring, Lyra then took a bite of her sandwich. Thinking about Twilight's words for a second."Eh, I think I like my version better. Foxes are cuter to me, especially the Fennec ones with the big ears? Ahh they're the cutest things alive!" She sighed, checking her phone again, Probably looking at MyStable or Snapgab.

Twilight lightly scoffed, rolling her eyes."Knowing what you're like, I can understand why that particular species of fox appeals to you." She smirked. Knowing full well what they were like thanks to being around Fluttershy for so long. Animal know-how certainly paid off in moments like this.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyra piped up again, looking up from her phone.

"Oh nothing important. Hey, can we talk about something?" Twilight looked to her friend, instantly taking on a more concerned and serious expression. She figured she stalled for long enough.

Lyra paused, slightly worried now about what exactly was on Twilight's mind. "Uhm, I-I thought we were already talking about something, heh." Lyra joked, trying to feebly dodge her question.

In turn, Twilight was not in the mood for any games. Especially when Sunset was involved. "Ughhh damn it Lyra, this is serious! Do not mess with me right now of all times."

Reflexively, Lyra pushed back in her seat. It was pretty rare when Twilight raised her voice like that, she figured this must be pretty important to her."Huhh alright, what's up?"

Twilight sat for what seemed like minutes, slowly working up the nerve to ask the question she knew she'd despise the answer to. When she did, she got up and stood by the window. "Lyra, who's the one dating Sunset?" Twilight finally asked, looking out over the city away from her friend.

At the table, Lyra tensed up, scolding herself internally, knowing full well Twilight would've wanted to have this conversation sooner or later, she just didn't want to be the one to tell her. She decided to keep playing dumb, hoping her nerdy acquaintance would just drop the subject. "Pfft, wh-what? Sunset isn't dating anyone, what gave you that idea?" She finished, looking away herself.

"Lyra. You and I both know I'm not stupid. I see it on her face, the way she's been acting, how her work has been slipping recently, it's obvious. Just... tell me." Twilight said, slightly straining to finish her demand. She looked down, her heart on the verge of shattering inside of her as she forced herself to keep her composure on the outside. "You must know something about who it is." she added nonchalantly, crossing her arms.

Over the years of being around her high school friends, Twilight has learned alot about social interaction since her old days of being a teenage introvert. But most importantly, she also learned fairly quickly how to read people. Including Sunset, she knows alot about the way she acts, and recently she's been acting the complete opposite of normal.

Finally, Lyra let out a long sigh of defeat, turning only to look at her unfinished meal. "Alright. It's her ex, Flash Sentry. I never even thought while we were there that, those two out of everyone would hit it off, I'm sorry, Twi. I tried."

Twilight looked back slightly, wearing a somewhat sad smile as she spoke again. "Hey, you don't need to blame yourself for my mistakes. After all, it's not your fault I waited to long to tell her how I feel." She said, looking back out the window with a forlorn look. With a heavy sigh, she continued. More to herself then to Lyra. "I want to strangle him..."

Later that evening, Sunset was at one of her weekly yoga sessions. She didn't always like this sort of thing, if anything she really hated exercise. But in her recent attempts to make herself look more attractive and appealing to others in order to find someone she could marry, she decided losing some weight could do her some good. After awhile, Sunset really started enjoying it, despite how hard it was in the beginning. It was a nice alternative for her to relieve stress instead of singing till her vocal chords caught on fire in the back of PON-3's.

Heh, good times. But, I don't need that anymore. I'm happy now and besides I have nothing I need to sing about anyway.

While in the locker-room shower, Sunset reminisced about all the nights she could remember singing karaoke there. The first night she ever went when she was just getting over everyone of her friends leaving her for college and she really needed a place to let off some steam or the first time Vinyl opened the bar, and she got so wasted from singing about the landlord she was living under that Vinyl actually had to drive her home. Sunset giggled lightly at that one, she ended up getting banned from the bar for a month, after one night of drinking.

There were plenty of moments Sunset could easily remember from her sad, lonely nights in the back room of that place. But she figured her favorite night was when she caught up with Rarity and Applejack. They were all out for dinner and on the way home, Rarity spotted PON-3's and suggested they should try it. Sunset at the time was keeping her regular nights of karaoke a secret from everyone before that, afterwards, two others knew about her singing and Sunset couldn't have felt any better for them knowing.

I'm glad Vinyl gave us a free night for that. Guess she figured I was gonna need it.

Sunset lightly sighed to herself, her thoughts quickly switching back to Flash, pulling her out of her little trip down memory lane. As much as she misses going to PON-3's, she equally loves going out on dates with him, not having things to stress about instead of going out only to relieve pent up problems she's been having. Now she felt like nothing could possibly stress her out enough to make her need to sing.

Then, as if on queue, a particularly hot droplet of water slid down the back of Sunset's leg towards her ankle, riding right over one of the many bruises that have appeared there over the last week and a half. The water stung one of her more recent cuts, causing Sunset to clench her teeth, trying her hardest to not scream out in pain. She stomped her foot lightly, a tear escaping her eye as she held in her discomfort.

Ahh, ohh come on Sunset, it's just fucking water, you've been in much worse pain then this. Get a hold of yourself.

With a shaky breath, Sunset calmed her nerves, and won over her body's cries of anguish. Once she composed herself, she immediately turned off the water and stepped out of her shower stall, drying off and wrapping the towel around herself in the process. She looked over and saw a scale in the middle of the room. Figuring it'd be worth the look and something to get her mind off her stinging foot, she walked over and stood on it. After a few seconds, the scale beeped, showing her what she currently weighed. When Sunset looked down, seeing the results instantly changed her demeanor as she perked up.

"Oh, wow! I lost six and a half pounds? I didn't even realize. Could the yoga finally be paying off? Or maybe It's because I've been in love? Or both?!" Sunset announced out loud to herself, excited about the new found progress she's made.

Shortly after her little outburst, both of the shower curtains on the left side of the one Sunset was using opened simultaneously, revealing Applejack and Rarity with unamused faces.

Applejack spoke first."For cryin out loud, It's not from the damn yoga!" She cried, followed soon after by Rarity. "It's because he's wearing you out, dear."

Sunset didn't even acknowledge her two friends, she was already stuck inside her own head again as she thought about what Flash would think about her new accomplishment. She quietly exited the shower room to get changed, ignoring Rarity and Applejack's protests on her way out.

Once she was changed and done saying her goodbyes for the night to the rest of her classmates, Sunset stood on the curb outside of the yoga studio, her friends arriving shortly after outside with her. She supposed they at least deserved a goodbye as well.

Sunset turned to them with the look she wore similarly to the one she had earlier that day at work."Well, this was definitely a great session, I'll see you girls tomorrow at work, or at next week's sessio-"

"Now hold on just a minute there Sunset. I think we all need to have a little chat." Applejack interrupted her, a stern look on her face, Rarity appeared at her side, nodding to Sunset in agreement.

Shit. Guess I should've assumed they wouldn't let me off the hook that easily.

The night was calm and unmoving, not a single breeze blowing through the air as the tension between the three friends inevitably began to simmer in silence. Sunset scolded herself internally, yet nevertheless, turned to face them and replied."What's there to talk about? Everything is fine." She stated, her tone dripping with acidic happiness and boiling annoyance burning the ground below her.

Applejack spoke again, deciding to stay true to her element for once and be the one who was honest with her. "No, you're not 'fine' Sunset. If anything, you're actin the complete opposite of it. Look, I'm just gonna come right out and say it, this happy girlfriend shtick you're playin at isn't the real you. Ever since you started going out with Flash again you've been constantly avoiding us, you haven't showed up at PON-3's in about a week, and those fancy heels you've been wearin are clearly hurting you. Have you even looked at your ankles lately?" She paused, taking a second to breathe before continuing. "We're just, worried about you, Sunset. It's like, whenever you're at work and you pretend none of the stupid stuff you go through bothers you, It's almost like you're not the real Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset was, admittedly surprised to hear that come from the country girl. Applejack's honesty was usually the solid truth to her. But a part of her still didn't want to believe that. Of course she was still the same old snarky Sunset, doesn't give two fucks, Shimmer, that'll never change. She was just happy that she had a boyfriend now, so what if she's acting a little more carefree then usual and wearing different shoes? She's still Sunset.

After a minute of silence, Sunset finally decided to reply. "Well, what if it is?" She stated, again in that deceptively happy tone.

When Applejack had nothing to say to that, Rarity figured it was time to add in her input. "Darling, everyone wears masks at some point or another." She said, but before she could continue, was interrupted by Applejack.

"Rarity! That ain't what she needs to hear right now!" She yelled at her, but Rarity put her hand up, giving the country girl a reassuring look.

Only when Applejack nodded in understanding was when she kept going. "Many people act all the time for various purposes Sunset, especially in relationships. Sometimes, that's how they keep their partners happy... However." Rarity turned to face Sunset directly. Locking eyes with her. "If the both of you are always having to act around eachother, you should ask yourself if the mask you're wearing is a good fit for you...Think about it."

With that, Rarity turned and began walking away, motioning for Applejack to follow suit. After watching them leave, Sunset stood on the sidewalk for a minute longer, processing what Rarity had just told her in her head. With a sigh, She herself turned around, walking in the opposite direction of her friends. Still contemplating her words, Sunset thought to herself.

But, y-you're not acting, Sunset. I mean yeah, maybe I've been a bit happier lately and sure I've changed around parts of my attitude and wardrobe but there isn't anything wrong with that. That doesn't mean I'm not me anymore. Right?

The next day, Sunset decided to have another day out with Flash. After what Rarity told her last night, she just desperately needed a reason to prove her reasoning wrong in her mind. Anything to show herself that not only was she still her, but also that there was nothing wrong with her and Flash's relationship.

Today, Sunset thought a nice trip to the Canterlot mall would help take her mind off of things, and she also thought it'd be a nice place for her and Flash to spend some more quality time together. It was one of their favorite places to hang out when they were younger. She even bought another can of coffee for him to drink on the way in. The interior hasn't really changed much since Sunset used to work here as a sushi waitress. Nowadays, she'd give anything to have that job back, but sadly the restaurant slowly stopped doing alot of business, eventually having to lay her off and close down. That was a sad day for Sunset, and it made one hell of a song that night as well. Since then, many stores have come and gone throughout the last five years. Yet the large crowd of customers never seemed to change. It made Sunset smile, watching everyone enjoying themselves and seeing this place so full of life.

Sunset walked alongside Flash down the long isle of stores. Casually taking in the sights and looking around at all of the new places that weren't here when she was in high school.

"Wow, this old place sure has changed alot since we were teens, huh?" Sunset looked over to Flash, who seemed like he was staring off into space, not really paying attention. Finally, after a few seconds he realized Sunset was speaking to him..

"Huh? Oh uh, yeah." Flash replied simply, not even looking in her direction.

"I mean, isn't it just crazy how much can change in five years?" Sunset added, again looking to her boyfriend, awaiting a response.

Flash, once again took a bit of time to reply. "Uh, yeah." He said, not really trying to add anything to the conversation.

Bugged by this, Sunset looked away, disappointment written across her face. Silence enveloped the two as they kept walking, Sunset growing a bit more anxious with each second they weren't talking to eachother. She decided maybe changing the subject might help.

Getting excited, Sunset turned to Flash once again. Hoping this time she'd get a more meaningful response from him. "Oh, last night while I was at yoga, I weighed myself and learned I lost some weight, isn't that great?" She finished, smiling brightly, sure he'd be proud of her for such an accomplishment.

Yet again, Flash gave a fairly mediocre answer to his girlfriend, practically devoid of any emotion. "Mhm."

Oh give me a break, now he's not even using words!

Taking a long and steady breath to herself, Sunset kept her outer composure under control. It didn't help that her ankles were aching again either. But, it was ok. After all she was here, out with the love of her life in a nice place she was happy with. This was totally enough to keep her in a good mood anyway, why wouldn't it?

Out of the corner of her eye, Sunset spotted an old clothing store she used to love shopping at. "Hey, do you maybe want to go look in the American Pegasus with me? I need some new tops and I'd really love your opinion on the ones I pick out." She asked, hoping maybe this could help the two of them bond and maybe open up her stubborn date.

Flash slowly turned to look at the store and, for the first time since entering the mall, looked back at Sunset. "Ok." he stated in a monotone voice, as he then made his way over to the store, taking a sip of the Canned coffee Sunset bought him earlier.

Sunset paused for a second behind him, then shook her head, following next to him again. The store itself was nothing fancy, but Sunset remembered she always liked the jeans she got in here and most of the tops she got, she still had to this day. She wished she could wear them at work but her department has a pretty strict dress code. She figured each of the racks and sections have probably changed spots plenty of times since the last time she's been in here.

"Hi, welcome to American Pegasus Outfitters, let me know if I can help you with anything." A girl by the counter greeted, giving them a small wave before going back to helping another customer. For Sunset, it felt amazing to be back in here. She instantly felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as soon as she set foot in the entrance way.

It didn't take long for Sunset to walk over to a rack of overcoats, seeing something she already liked. "Ohh, now this is pretty." She pulled out a rather nice looking black coat with orange stripes tracing the arms. She took it off its hook and showed it to Flash. "What do you think of it? Pretty, right?" she asked him with a smile.

Flash looked over the coat in her hands. Simply looking back up to her, only nodding as a response this time.

"Well, what do you think about this one then?" Sunset pulled out another coat with a different color scheme then the first, smiling to Flash again as she waited for another answer. "Think It's cuter then the first?" She added.

"Mhm."

"Oh, but then I think I like first one better, you know?"

"Mhm."

"On second thought, maybe both of these aren't really that nice."

"...Mhm."

At this point, Sunset had enough. It took all of her mental strength to keep her eye from twitching out of control at that very moment. She gently placed the two coats back on the rack, and began making her way towards the exit.

Flash looked over to her again, speaking up. "Are we leaving?" He asked casually.

Without turning around or stopping, Sunset answered him. "Just need to use the bathroom..."

On her way there, she was going over every little thing wrong with that entire situation in her head.

He barely even acknowledged me being next to him the whole time, what the hell is wrong with him today? The least he could've done was tell me which shitty jacket he liked! Also seriously? Nothing about the yoga made him say anything? That was important to me! He didn't even thank me for the coffee either, who does that?

While the inside of her mind was currently a war zone. Her outside demeanor remained the happy, bubbly looking facade she's been putting on for the last week. She continued walking to the bathroom, but on her way, the strap of her heel dug into a new cut on her ankle she hadn't had the chance to bandage yet, causing the guitars in her head to start playing at a deathly low tone in the background of her mind.

Endless suffering....

Not wanting to have a complete mental, karaoke breakdown in the middle of the food court, Sunset quickly found the rest rooms down a side hall, practically bulldozing a poor girl out of the way just to get inside, rushing into the nearest stall and sat down. She took heavy, labored breaths to calm herself down, still refusing to sing out her frustrations. Instead, she tried something different, something that used to work for her back in Equestria before she came here.

"Huhh, When I count to ten, I'll be a happy unicorn. When I count to ten, I'll be a happy unicorn. When I count to ten, I'll be a happy unicorn. When I count to ten, I'll be a happy unicorn."

Over and over she repeated that phrase to herself. She was determined to keep saying it as many times as she needed for her to get the pain in her ankles to disappear and until she got over herself being pissed off with Flash. It sounded slightly childish out loud but Sunset didn't care, No matter how long it'd take her in here or how many times she'd have to say it, she wasn't leaving until she was back to being happy.

That night, the weather in Canterlot shifted from the beautifully peaceful calm it had been for the last week, to a thunderous storm that shook the homes of each resident with every bang. The only other thing lighting up the streets of the city besides the viscous lightning was the soft glow of neon emanating off the many window signs of businesses that lined the sidewalks of Main street. Rain poured from the sky, creating mini streams, puddles and rivers that rushed along the curbs of the roads below. Anyone would think twice about walking out in this kind of storm. Unless said individual happened to be a nerdy office girl going home half drunk because of her relationship problems.

Twilight Sparkle trudged on through the cold showers and loud gunshot like cracks of thunder above, not particularly caring for the current weather conditions around her. There was a time when she was prepared for situations like this, but now she's not exactly as versatile as what her younger self once was. Her boots splashed tiny pools of water onto her legs and into various different directions as she made her way home to her apartment.

As she walked, Twilight thought alot about her life up to this point. Dropping out of college, the disappointment on her family's faces after learning about it, why she thought taking an accounting job was a good alternative idea for her when she was majoring in quantum physics, her bottled up feelings for Sunset she's had since high school. Twilight paused after that thought came up.

It, really has been that long since I've started feeling this way for her, hasn't it?

It was shortly before the weeks leading up to graduation that Twilight remembered feeling the first signs of love for her firey haired best friend. She figured it was because of all the time she spent with Sunset back then and the times she was there for Twilight when she needed it most. She remembered all the butterflies, the constant blushes she had to hide around Sunset everytime she laughed or smiled, how she always had this way of setting Twilight's soul on fire just talking with her, basically every time Twilight turned into the equivalent of a Japanese anime school girl while her senpai was around. For the past couple of years, she's learned to keep her feelings under control around Sunset while they're at work. The first day Twilight learned she was going to be working with her after three years of not seeing each other, she swore she almost overheated hotter then her old lab equipment on science project nights. That was the best thing to happen to her in years and now because of it, she was sulking like a back ally drunk.

If there was one thing Twilight never usually did, it was drink. But after learning about Sunset's new boyfriend and that being the reason as to why she was acting abnormally lately, she figured she needed something to take the edge off, plus she was desperate. Twilight didn't even get driven to this point when Timber Spruce broke up with her, then at least she still had her friends to comfort her. Though as time went on she slowly grew more distant from them and now she was paying the price for it.

While walking, Twilight absentmindedly kicked a can. Normally this wouldn't mean anything to her but when she caught a glimpse of the label, her heart skipped a beat. Donut Joe's Canned Coffee. Flash Sentry's favorite drink. The same drink she always saw Sunset spending countless dollars on at the office vending machine just to give away to that selfish asshole she's going out with. Twilight was losing it, her eye twitched as her hands balled into fists. There was no breathing this one out, no getting control over her emotions this time. She was through suffering in silence like this for so long. The love of her life was in the arms of someone else who doesn't even appreciate her and she couldn't accept that. Twilight finally snapped.

"AAAAAHHH DAMN IT, IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" She screamed, marching over to the can to kick it even harder.

Once she readied her leg there was no stopping her. But as she connected and sent the object of her frustration flying, her other foot slipped on a stray puddle from the sheer momentum of her kick. Causing her to fall backwards right onto her back. Twilight, didn't scream out in pain, she didn't clutch her spine in discomfort or even attempt to sit up. She just laid there, staring up at the stormy night sky as rain trickled down her face. Tears slowly began sliding down from her eyes to join the wetness already dripping from her cheeks as she quietly sniffled to herself, questioning how she could've sunk this low. To trying to drink her sorrows away like her deadbeat ex, walking out in dangerous weather, well laying out in dangerous weather now she supposed, and kicking a tin can hard enough to knock her on her ass in an attempt to work off her pent up anger towards her crush's boyfriend. This was all just one night in the life of Twilight Sparkle.

"Cou-Could I be any more pathetic?"

"Arggh are you kidding me!!! Ugrh." Filthy Rich Screamed into his phone from his desk, instantly gaining everyones attention. Mostly.

Today was a loud day in the office. Everyone was working double time as the end of the fiscal quarter is drawing near. Putting everyone and Rich on edge. Filthy Rich is usually hard on everyone, except for Micro and Vignette who constantly tell him what he wants to hear, so to say he was angry about his situation right now was an understatement.

"What's wrong Mr. Rich? You sound pretty stressed out? Are we still going out for golf tomorrow?" Micro Chips piped up, seemingly appearing out of nowhere next to his boss' desk.

"Golf is cancelled until further notice! Forever!" Rich shouted, slamming his phone back in place in the process before speaking again, this time for everyone to hear."The end of the quarter is right around the corner, and we're not even working with a full crew! He announced in utter annoyance."First there's Twilight, ended up in the hospital last night with a fracture or some crap, like that's any excuse."

"The nerve, such a slacker!" Micro Chips spoke up, in between Rich's rant.

"Then you have Cinch, tried breaking into that damn high school again and as she was being arrested, the cop snapped her wrist like a twig."

"See what happens when you seek long standing revenge?"Micro spoke a second time, further laying on the point.

"Even Pinkie Pie is out, she got locked up for espionage, she called me from her cell!" Rich finished finally, taking a breath as Micro started talking once more."Does that woman even have a real identity? Listen, By my calculations the only way we're going to make up for missing three people is if everyone kicks it up a notch and gets to work right now!" Micro stated.

"Idiot...we're really missing four." Rich spoke, earning a surprised expression from his lackey as he stood up and walked over to Sunset, who was back to her cheery and carefree demeanor, watching in an uncomfortable innocence.

Rich looked his employee over, then scoffed as he opened his mouth once more."You're useless to me like this Sunset, just keep the coffee coming and stay the hell out of everyone's way." With that, he trudged back to his desk, pulling out and dusting off an old abacus before sitting down, ordering the rest of the room back to work.

It had been a long and grueling day for everyone in the accounting department. The worst part was that it wasn't even over. People were tired and ready to pass out all around the office. One person was half asleep at his desk, another couldn't stop chugging down mugs of coffee just to stay focused. Almost the entirety of the department was ready to call it quits. Except for Filthy Rich, who was working with just as much electricity as he had once he sat down. Only using an abacus to work off of while the rest of the office were on computers. It almost seemed superhuman at the rates he was working, picking up the slack of the entire department.

Meanwhile, Lyra and Sunset watched, the former of the two more entranced at Rich's speed the the latter. "Wow, I've never seen him work this hard, especially that fast either." Lyra quietly commented. "He's quicker with an abacus then I am using my computer. How dose he do it?" She asked herself. But before Lyra had any time to think, Rich started screaming at her from across the room.

"Hey Lyra! Look at these again, the entire page is all wrong. Give me something I can actually work with, would ya!!!" He practically roared while holding up a binder with her recent progress in it.

Lyra instantly stiffened up, going back to work."R-Right sir!" she answered, sighing to herself as she opened up a fresh page. "Man.. Just when you thought you've seen it all, guess even this place is still full of surprises." Lyra finished, typing away, not wasting any time.

"Nobody in here sleeps until we crunch these numbers! If you are now then you'll be fired by morning!" Filthy Rich announced, immediately fuelling some of the previously exhausted workers with a new found vigor.

Sunset looked on, still with that same smile without faltering all day. A pang of guilt rang through her heart, but she quickly squashed it. Feeling a need to do something instead of just sitting at her desk."I guess I'll... Go make some more coffee." Sunset said casually, getting up to go head to the kitchen area.

It didn't take her long to walk over and get started on a pitcher, already bubbling and gurgling off in the corner. Sunset stared into the glass, watching drops of black liquid drip into the bottom. Her mind wandered to how she was behaving as of late, what Rarity told her, her day out with Flash yesterday, having a hard time falling asleep because of her ankles last night, everything. It didn't take long for Sunset to start questioning herself.

Maybe..I really haven't been myself. But, I'm doing this because I am happy. I'm making Flash happy because that's what makes me happy, Thats how it should be...right?

Before Sunset could contemplate a real answer to that question, someone walked into the the room. Putting on her happy go lucky smile, she turned to see that it was Rich. He looked burnt out and alot calmer then what he usually was, his expression one of deep seriousness.

Filthy Rich, began to speak. "I need a cup of coffee..." He stated, causing Sunset to look up at him fully.

"Oh, here let me, I already brewed a pot for the rest of the office but I don't mind making you a fresh one." She said nonchalantly, already grabbing out another filter.

Rich waved his hand."Nahh, I'll make it myself, I'm in a hazelnut mood anyway." He replied, knowing full well everyone else preferred vanilla. Rich pulled out the creamer he liked from the fridge, setting it on the counter as he prepared to make his own brew. Replacing the filter and beans, Rich shut the top of the coffee maker and switched it on for probably the hundredth time today.

Silence fell over the room again. Sunset stood next to her boss, feeling that guilt burning at the back of her throat again. Filthy Rich, regardless of being an ass, was still a human being with a lot riding on his shoulders right now. After some debate in her head, Sunset decided she had something she needed to say. "I'm sorry...Mr.Rich. I know everyone else is working hard, and I'm kinda just useless at the moment." She said, the smile still plastering her face even after saying such a harsh truth about herself outloud.

Filthy Rich pulled the pot from the machine, pouring out a reasonable cup for himself as he then added his desired amount of creamer. Silence fell inside the kitchen once more as he stirred his cup, taking a sip from the still steaming mug once he finished. He sighed as the cup left his lips. "You know, I know this wasn't exactly your first choice in a career but, do you know what accounting is truly about?" He asked, not even looking over to Sunset for an answer. She in turn, chose to say nothing. Prompting Rich to continue.

"It's about calculating how much is coming in and what's being spent. Every, last, penny. People in this business, who half ass their numbers never do it only once. The mistakes they make pile up, and it hurts the company. It hurts other people too." Rich paused his miniature speech, then finally turned to look at Sunset, who turned away from him. He kept speaking. "How much longer are you going to keep half assing your own nunbers huh? If you continue to give out more then you're getting back for yourself, sooner or later there'll be nothing left. You get what I'm saying Sunset?"

For the first time in the past two weeks, tears started falling from Sunset's eyes. Not tears of sadness or even joy, but more like tears of understanding. She finally heard what she already knew deep down, she just needed someone to say it. Now that she has, Sunset knew what she had to do. She knew she wouldn't enjoy it, but it was necessary. She was just somewhat surprised that the one person she hated the most turned out to be the one to snap her out of her delusion. After another long pause of silence, Sunset spoke again. "Yeah...I think I do. You know, for being an asshole, you really are a good person." She stated, tears still streaming down her face as she giggled quietly from her own forwardness.

Rich only smirked at that comment, taking one last sip of his coffee, setting it down on the counter after emptying his cup. "Hm. You tell yourself that." He paused, turning on the kitchen faucet to rinse out his mug. "I'm just an old bastard who doesn't dance around the obvious." He said flatly, before turning to leave.

As he passed Sunset, she looked up to him, calling out with a new found fire blazing within her. One she hasn't felt since her days in Canterlot high when she was working to atone for her past misdeeds. Sunset felt like she needed to do the same here. "Mr.Rich wait! Please, I want to help too. I don't want to be useless anymore, I swore a long time ago to myself that wasn't what I wanted to be."

Her boss paused in the doorway, his back turned to her as he thought. Finally speaking again. "You know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that?" He asked, confusing Sunset slightly. She was somewhat offended by that, but as Rich started chuckling she instantly understood. "Haha, ahh consider that payback for your smartass comment earlier." He finished laughing, earning a few giggles from Sunset afterwards. "Eheh, noted." She replied, feeling the last strings of weight lifting from her shoulders. Rich spoke once more. "Well, come on then Shimmer. That's why we go to work, isn't it? To kick more ass together then we ever could by ourselves." He finished.

With that, Sunset and Filthy Rich went back to work at their respective desks, nodding to each other in confirmation before blazing through their work. Both of them working faster then the others, completing ten times the amount of work anyone else was able too. Lyra just gawked at her friend, slackjawed. "Sunset, holy hell you too? What happened in there, did he probe you or something?" Lyra asked, amazed at the speed Sunset was working at. Not looking away from her laptop, Sunset replied. "No Lyra, Rich didn't probe me. Let's just say he gave me some advice that I really needed to hear." She said, still working overtime to make up her share of the workload. The rest of the night went like this till everyone crashed at the first signs of daylight.

After a couple hours of sleep later, morning poured in full force through the windows, heating up the entire room in a warm glow. Everyone was sound asleep, snoring or breathing peacefully to themselves. At the back corner desk, Sunset slowly stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes as she yawned, being the first of her fellow co-workers to be awake, evidenced from Lyra softly snoring next to her. Once she was finished stretching, she paused as she gazed at an unconscious Filty Rich sleeping soundly in his chair. Sunset remembered what Rich told her last night, that memory alone was enough to paint a clear picture of what she needed to do.

Later that evening, after a long power nap at her apartment, Sunset was out with Flash again. Only this time, she had a different place in mind for the two of them. Together they strolled down the back alleys of Main Street, approaching an all to familiar blue and purple neon sign Sunset has seen over a thousand times. PON-3's entrance was always bathed in the glow of that sign every night, shining brightly as the number one source of advertisement saying it existed. Before entering, Sunset stepped in front of her boyfriend, dramatically posing with her arms open.

"Surprise!! I thought we could maybe sing tonight, like old times." Sunset said, genuine happiness in her tone for the first time since last week. "It'll be great!" She added turning to him for his reaction, which as expected was as dry and dull as usual.

"Cool." He simply stated. Sunset just ignored it this time, choosing instead to pull open the door to the karaoke bar. The main lobby of PON-3's wasn't particularly crowded like Sunset expected, but she wasn't complaining about it. The walls of the entrance over time have worn and withered over the long life span of this place, no one really ever protested to Vinyl about it so she never bothered fixing them. Speaking of, said owner was currently occupying the counter on the other side of the room, looking at her phone clearly listening to music. Vinyl's appearance has really only changed slightly in her clothing since her CHS days, still sporting her electric blue hair and magenta shades she refused to take off or part with. As Sunset approached, Vinyl looked up at her, almost falling out of her chair at the sight of her favorite regular.

"Holy shi-!?! Sunset Shimmer? Is that really you? Damn sweet heart where have you been? It's been forever since I've seen you!!" Vinyl said, almost tripping just trying to get around her desk.

Sunset giggled at her friend's frantic attempts at making her way over, once they finally met, Sunset opened her arms, gesturing for a hug. "Aha, hey, It's only been a couple weeks Vinyl, but yes I know that's still a while." She stated, smiling sheepishly from a combination of guilt and Vinyl basically strangling her. Vinyl piped up after wrapping her arms around her. "You're damn straight it's still awhile, You know how much of pain in the ass it is to keep Rainbow Dash out of the booze when you're not around? A pain. Least you could've done was called." Vinyl let go of her, placing a hand on her hip as she gave Sunset an accusatory gaze.

The only thing Sunset could really do then was look down, feeling ashamed of herself for ignoring one of her closest friends. Vinyl had been there for her for probably the longest out of all of the people she hangs out with, especially since graduation. When everyone else was off to their own adventures in the world, Vinyl was really the only one she knew still left in Canterlot. Her and this place alone was enough to get Sunset through those long, lonely years without her other friends until she was able to reconnect with them again. Sunset sighed. "I'm sorry, I know that was stupid ghosting you like that. Let's just say the reason I've not been around so much is because I haven't been myself lately, but I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere ever again. Think you can forgive me?" She looked up, giving her friend a pleading look.

Laughing, Vinyl walked back over to the counter, leaning against it. "Well that was sappy, relax. You can quit the puppy dog eyes, you're forgiven. Besides It's not like this is the worst thing you've done to me." Vinyl replied, pushing her shades down to eye Sunset again with her blood red irises.

With a sigh of relief, Sunset spoke again. Slightly spooked by the deathly gaze of her friend, she chose her words carefully. "Awesome, thank you so much. You're the best Vinyl-"

"Yeah I know I know, save your ass kissing for your boss. Now obviously you came in here for a reason, so whatcha need hon?" Vinyl interrupted her, figuring she should just cut to the point as she pushed her glasses back in place.

Sunset blushed, shaking her head before continuing. "R-Right, you know how I said I haven't been myself? Well, I have one last loose end I need straightened out and I really need to get something off my chest." She stated, slyly pointing over her shoulder at her date, who was currently busy with a drink menu.

Noticing this, Vinyl only smirked as she reached behind the counter for a shiny blue key, spinning the ring of it on her finger idly. "Say no more, I've gotcha covered. Back rooms all yours, just remember, if you blow out the amps back there again I'm posting that video I have of you whinnying on Snapgab." She finished teasingly, tossing Sunset the key to the room.

Blushing even harder, Sunset sputtered to call Flash over to follow her. "C-Come on Flash... And thanks Vinyl. I'll keep that new tid bit of information in mind." She commented with a huff, making her way down the hallway of familiar rooms with Flash in tow, Vinyl cackling to herself as she got back around the counter.

Once inside, Sunset shut the door behind them. As Flash looked around, she took the time to take her leather jacket off and lob it onto the sofa, sitting down next to it. "Welcome to my favorite place in Canterlot. Heh, you could say It's sorta like my sanctuary." Sunset spoke out of nowhere, pulling the song pad over to her.

Flash took his own seat opposite from her. "I guess you really like singing, I didn't realize you still enjoyed it." He replied to Sunset, with his first full sentence in three days. Sunset wasn't really focused on him as she found her favorite song. Only then choosing to speak again. "Flash...I'm sorry. Since we've started dating, I've been lying to you. The girl I've been acting like, the one who's always smiling while you're around and wearing fancy heels just to impress you...isn't the real me." As she finished, she hit enter on the pad, instantly filling the room in a heavy blanket of death metal guitars and loud drum rifts. Sunset cranked the dial on the master machine, bobbing her head to the weighted beat of the song she chose as she kicked off the torturous shoes that have been causing her so much pain over the last couple weeks. Sunset then walked over to the console again, picking up the microphone on top as she couldn't bring her own along tonight. The guitars were building up to what was going to sound like a momentous drop, causing her to stand up onto the couch on her side of the room, putting the mic to her lips as the song stopped dead. When Sunset opened her mouth again, it could only be described as hell breaking loose.

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! TIME TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT SUNSET!!! TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD, OK!! EXILED FROM EQUESTRIA ONLY TEN YEARS AGO!! DISAPPOINTED MENTOR!!!!!"

The room blew up in deafening roars of anguish and a haunting guitar solo, Sunset's eyes practically glowing as she screamed her heart out into her microphone, singing true to herself as she went on.

"NOT A FANCY GIRL, I JUST PREFER THE SIMPLE THINGS!!! MY LEATHER, FRIENDS AND BIKE ARE ALL I REALLY NEED IN LIFE!!!! YOU'RE THE ONLY THING KEEPING ME FROM BEING ME TONIGHT!!!!"

After Sunset screamed out a few more obscenities, the song finally ended, leaving Sunset panting on the couch. Once she caught her breath, she looked over to Flash who was quietly clapping. He then laid back in his seat after pulling the song pad over to himself, giving Sunset one last shred of hope that this may still be salvageable.

"You're still a good singer. You go again, I'm not good at this anymore." He said.

There it was, the last nail in the coffin Sunset was waiting for. Her heart instantly sank as she slumped back down to her seat, her face falling as she lost her composure. Tears started falling down her face as the last bits of reality finally popped back into place for her. No longer was everything happy with sunshine and rainbows shooting out of every dark crevice, Flash wasn't as cute looking as he once was to her at the start of all this either. Now it all just hurt. It hurt for Sunset, yet she found herself smiling because she truly felt like herself again.

It's over...

At the entrance of the room, the door opened, causing Sunset and Flash to look over to it. Rarity, Applejack and Vinyl were all standing there wearing sympathetic smiles, ready to support Sunset when she needed it. "Figured you could use the extra company, welcome back hon." Vinyl put in before leaving the two girls to join her. "Better late then never, darling. We'll be out here when you're finished." Rarity said next. "Heh, missed ya Sunset." the farm girl replied last as she crossed her arms. Sunset could only smile at her friends, tears still lining her face. "I'm back..."

The girls then shut the door, leaving their friend alone again with her soon to be once more ex. Sunset turned back to Flash, who was looking at her with slight confusion on his face. She sniffled to herself as she prepared for what she was about to do. "Flash...we need to talk. Th-This isn't working out..."

The next morning was thankfully a day off for Sunset and the rest of the office, which after the events of last night, she was thankful for. Even though Sunset felt great after returning to her former self, it was still tough for her cope with the harsh reality of being alone again. For once in her life Sunset just wanted something to work for her. She eventually got so desperate to find happiness for herself in this world again that when she finally got it she was terrified of losing it, so much so that she was willing to put up with all of the bullshit she's been dealing with just to keep hold of it. That aspect alone terrified Sunset but she couldn't think about that now.

When she woke up this morning surrounded in mounds of tissues, Sunset was surprised to check her phone to see a message from Lyra. She said she was going to visit Twilight in the hospital and asked if she wanted to go. Completely blanking on the fact that one of her best friends injured herself a couple days ago, Sunset immediately replied agreeing to meet her there.

That had been two hours ago, now Sunset and Lyra were walking down the fourth floor hall of Canterlot General Hospital together on the way to see Twilight. As they looked for their friend's room, Lyra decided to break the silence. "Sooo, might be a touchy subject buuut, how'd last night go?" She asked innocently enough.

Sunset turned to her with a surprised expression. "Wha-? How did yo-" Before Sunset could finish, Lyra held up her phone, showing a lengthy text chat she apparently had with Vinyl. "Ah. Guess I should've seen that coming. Well, if you have to know, despite the late night crying from me realizing I'm officially on my own again and that relationship being added to my long list of things that didn't work out for me, I feel ok." Sunset replied, giving her a sad smile.

Out of nowhere, Lyra jumped in front of her, wrapping the red head in a tight hug before she could protest. "Hey, listen here chick. You're the furthest thing from being alone alright? You've got Vinyl, and me. Twilight too. We're all here for you. But in terms of your love life? Well you might find the answer to that's alot more simple and obvious then what you might think." Lyra stated, letting go of Sunset as she noticed the room number. "Oh look, were here. Better not keep sleeping beauty waiting." Lyra added, giving her a wink before turning the knob. Sunset tried to contemplate what she meant by that, but chose to ignore it as she walked into the room.

Inside, the interior was as white and sterile as a hospital room usually was, save for the purple and pink plants on the bedside counter along with two conveniently placed chairs. Stirring, Twilight groaned as she attempted to sit up and see her visitors. "Guhh Lyra? Is that you, and...Sunset!-Owww!" She moaned in pain, jerking upright then back into bed from surprise. Twilight had apparently fractured her tail bone pretty badly the night of her fall and she's been recovering ever since. She was lucky Lyra called to find out she was out in the storm and needed help. Sunset felt terrible about not being here sooner, she wondered why Twilight was out in such bad weather in the first place. It was really unlike her. Sunset then did a double take in her head.

Then again, says the biker girl who's been acting like a high school cheerleader for the last two weeks. I've got zero room to talk.

Lyra went over to one of the chairs as she piped up again, interrupting Sunset's thoughts. "Hey! Geez Twilight you should be taking it easy, just relax before you break something." She said as she sat down, Sunset joining her in the seat next to her. "Yeah, Lyra's right. You didn't hurt yourself just now did you?" Sunset asked, genuine concern in her words.

After Twilight was able to resettle in her bed and get comfortable, she spoke again.
"Ahh...well obviously I hurt myself Sunset, but I'm ok. I just wasn't expecting you of everyone to walk in. I told Lyra you girls didn't have to come in to see me." She said rubbing the back of her neck.

Sunset and Lyra butted in together. "Are you kidding? Why wouldn't we? Besides we missed your nerdiness at work." Sunset replied first. "Yeah you slacker." Lyra then teased.

Her friend's concern for her almost had Twilight blushing, it coming from Sunset caused her heart to nearly melt. "Heh, thanks you guys. Oh, I heard about that quarterly deadline, that sounded pretty crazy." Twilight commented. Sunset lightly scoffed at that remark. "I think crazy is a bit of an understatement Twi." She replied, causing Lyra to talk again. "Totally wasn't like we needed you there or anything, but honestly I think Sunset and Rich had everything covered." She said with the utmost sarcasm, lightly jabbing Sunset with an elbow as Twilight just rolled her eyes at her friend's antics.

Silence filled the room as the three girls thought to themselves for a minute. After a short time, Lyra stood up and grabbed the vase of flowers next to Twilight's bed. "I think these could use some fresh water." She suddenly said, sliding past Sunset and out the door. "You kids have fun while I'm gone." she sang out, visibly making a thumbs up for Twilight to see before sauntering down the hallway.

Twilight blushed slightly being left alone with Sunset. She cursed Lyra in her mind but thanked her all the same.

Damn it Lyra! You know those flowers aren't real! Huhh, but I appreciate you for this, anyway.

After a few more seconds of the two girls sitting in the quiet, Twilight worked up the nerve to break it as she turned to Sunset. "Sunset...are you doing alright?" She asked timidly, shooting Sunset straight out of a reverie she was stuck in as she focused on her old high school friend again. "Huh? I should be asking you that question, you're the one who fractured her tail bone here." Sunset replied, smiling brightly to her.

Twilight looked away nervously, rubbing her left arm lightly. "Heh, I know that silly. I just wanted to know how you were doing after...well, you know....Flash." She replied, looking back to Sunset with her own face full of concern.

After a moment to herself, Sunset played with her thumbs as she spoke. "Ah...Lyra told you, huh?" She asked looking down, focusing on the boots she was wearing. Twilight turned away from her, thinking about what she wanted to say. Sighing, Twilight decided she might as well be honest with her. "It's just.... I know I technically haven't known you as long as he has but, I know in our time together, I've grown so much closer to you and learned so much more about you then he ever could." across from her, Sunset slowly looked up into her eyes as she spoke, staring in awe at what Twilight was saying. "So...how in the world did I lose to him. Heh." Twilight paused, turning back to meet Sunset's gaze. "That's, what I wanted to say. But when I think about it, I really don't know you. At least not how I used to, the truth is the Sunset I know is a combination of an idealised one in my head and the one I was best friends with back in high school." Twilight stopped again, nervous about the next thing she was about to say, the very phrase that could ruin everything with the one person she felt for most. "Huhhh, I guess...what I'm trying to say is....aghh...oh you know what I'm trying to say!!" Twilight finished, blushing profusely while having a hard time admitting to her feelings.

Sunset only looked to her with a soft smile of encouragement. "I do. But, if you don't say it for real, I can't really give you an answer." She replied gently, trying her best to offer as much comfort as she could. Twilight rubbed her arm anxiously, still blushing like a school girl. She couldn't believe herself, this didn't feel real."R-Right. Yeah... That's fair I suppose. Oh boy... Here goes nothing..." Twilight paused for one last breath before finally confessing. "Sunset Shimmer, I love you. I've felt like this ever since before we graduated. Every night we studied together for finals, all the parties and sleepovers we and the girls had. When Timber left me...you were always there. You always gave me the shoulder to cry on when I had no one else to lean on, even when the rest of our friends drifted away from us, you stuck with me for it all. I'm sorry I lost contact with you when I left for college, if I'm being honest those were the worst two years of my life. I slowly got so depressed without you around I actually began slipping badly in my work. That's why I dropped out and came back home. Not because the work got to boring and hard, but I wanted to try finding you. I wanted, so badly to just run to your house, bash down your door and tackle you. When I applied for the accounting job, I almost had a panic attack when I learned I'd be working with you. So much so I.. Kinda bottled up my feelings for the last three years. I was so scared of losing you like when I did leaving for college. You mean, so much to me Sunset. You know why I ended up here? It's because I was walking home drunk, trying to accept you being with Flash. I got pissed off at a can on the sidewalk and, well you know the rest... I'm sorry, I held off from telling you for so long, I was just so scared. I didn't want to drive you away from me again..." She finished her monologue.

Twilight, expected many different outcomes to this. She's had enough time to think of them, however no response she came to expect ever came. Instead, all that she heard and saw was Sunset quietly sobbing to herself. Frantically trying to wipe her tears, Sunset struggled to speak her mind coherently. "I'm...Twilight.. I had no idea you... Fuck." She cursed, looking into her friends lavender eyes once more as she lost control of her emotions. "Twilight, I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were suffering so much. I basically ruined your whole life! How the hell am I going to live with myself, knowing I did that to you?" She paused, sniffling to herself loudly."I-I missed you too. You know? Every night for these last couple years now, I've been going to Vinyl Scratch's karaoke bar just to sing about how shitty my life has been. Especially when you left. It broke me worse then any of the other girls, but out of the ones I'm happy I caught up with... I'm glad I found you again the most." Sunset replied, barely keeping herself together as Twilight started crying with her, knowing now that they share the same pain.

The girls sat with each other in silence once more, being the shoulders they needed right then for the suffering they shared for so long, just like they used too. With a few final sobs, Sunset spoke again, getting to another matter at hand she felt needed to be addressed. "So...you love me? I honestly never would've expected you to be, especially after...everything I've put you through." She said, causing Twilight to turn away timidly. "Huhh, I'll be honest. After everything that happened with Flash, I don't think I'm ready for another relationship right now... I'm sorry." Sunset stated. Twilight's heart was on the verge of disintegrating inside of her chest, tears welling up in her eyes again as she prepared for the worst. "But...that doesn't necessarily mean I'm rejecting you..." Sunset stated coyly, scooting her chair closer to Twilight.

Eyes widening, Twilight looked back at her after that comment, to shocked to believe what she said was real at first. "Wh-What? But...But wait?! You just said-" Twilight was cut off from a hand wrapping around her's, It's fingers intertwining with Twilight's. Looking down, she noticed it was Sunset who had indeed grabbed her hand, smiling her bright smile once again reassuringly. Twilight felt her entire body warm to her touch, the pain in her back now nonexistent. "I know what I said. I told you 'right now'. Buut, maybe once you're feeling better enough to leave, and after a few dates together with some nights alone to snuggle, I'll change my mind." Sunset said, rubbing the back of Twilight's palm with her thumb. Twilight was stunned to silence, only left staring at her. Sunset giggled slightly at Twilight's now fully exposed blush as she stood up next to her.

Processing what she's just been told, Twilight looked up with tears welling up in her eyes. "Y-You're...You're being serious?" She sputtered out, eliciting another giggle from the firey haired girl currently hovering over her. "Of course I am. But maybe I need to be more, convincing..." Before Twilight could question her further, Sunset leaned down and kissed her.

Twilight's mind went completely blank. Her thoughts only focused on the electricity she was feeling in this one moment. The flame in her soul was now practically a bonfire as the new heat from Sunset clashed with her own. For so long Twilight has waited to finally feel this, after all the years without her, after trudging on day by day just trying to find happiness in her life, she can now rest easy knowing she finally has it. She'd make sure it wouldn't go anywhere ever again either. Twilight didn't have to suffer anymore.

Sunset, in need of breath, broke the kiss, much to the lavender eyed girl's displeasure. "Heh, by the way, I didn't even do that with Flash, so I'd say you're off to a great start Sparkle. Plus, you'll also be happy to know that this girl hasn't changed a bit since you first met her." Sunset whispered in her ear before pulling away, turning for the door to leave. Before going however, Sunset looked back to Twilight one last time, the poor girl still lost in pure ecstasy. "I'll call you later Twi, hopefully to hear about when you're getting out of this dump so we can plan our first date. See you soon." Sunset purred, Twilight blushed again as she was finally able to speak. "Yeah, I'll... talk to you later." She said, unable to keep the smile on her face from forming when Sunset looked at her again. Sunset waved goodbye before disappearing around the corner, shutting Twilight's door. She couldn't help smiling to herself either as she went to find Lyra, her thoughts wandering.

Yeah Sunset, I think you're gonna be ok...

Two Months Later

It's been some time since Twilight has been laid up in the hospital and slowly things have begun reverting back to normal around the accounting department. Cinch and Pinkie Pie got released from prison, Micro Chips and Vignette continue to kiss up to Filthy Rich, who is also still a pain in the ass, constantly to this day and Sunset is back to being her snarky yet helpful self around the office.

"Shimmer! I thought I told you to get me the figures for the meeting? Do you have them or not?!" Rich yelled across the room.

"Yup! Maybe try saying 'please' and they might get to you faster!" Sunset replied.

"Could you open this jar for me Sunset?" Cinch asked, her wrist still in a cast do to her accident.

"Sure, no problem!" Sunset said as she effortless poped off the lid of the former principal's lunch.

"Great, now feed me!" The old woman demanded as Sunset was already walking off to another part of the room.

"Sorry! I'm a bit busy, you have two hands for a reason you know!" Sunset called back just in earshot.

"Sunset! The phones are blowing up over here, deal with it already would you?" Micro Chips practically screeched at her.

"On it, don't worry."

"Sunset! Oh my gosh, guess where I've been on vacation?! Which was totally a vacation and not time in federal prison for acts of espionage against the government, it was super nice and I met a whole bunch of new friends-" Pinkie Pie motored on into Sunset's ear as she multitasked.

"Hey, Sunny. Can you be a dear and staple these for me? Plus bring them over to Rich, as you can see I'm incredibly busy." Vignette prodded in with her cell phone in one hand, handing her a whole stack of forms with the other.

"I can do that, wouldn't want to keep you from posting your thirst pics on Snapgab for attention would I?" Sunset shot back as she casually grabbed a nearby stapler, sending the the social media butterfly away with a blush and a huff.

Sunset's life has really turned for the better as time went on. She may still be a smart ass around her co-workers but that was who she was, and she'd be damned if she let the people in this office walk all over her without a few choice words to send them on their way. Also, Sunset's mood has really lighted up ever since she started dating Twilight. After the nerdy girl was discharged from the hospital, the two of them have went out on multiple occasions, sharing their time together and eventually making it official in the last month as they're now each other's girlfriend. This may not solve Sunset's problems by putting her in a state of perpetual happiness like she figured love would, but it sure does make tolerating her daily life a little easier knowing she doesn't have to be vulnerable alone.

Especially when life throws a curve ball at her. That's when she pulls out the big guns.

"Here you go, the figures you requested earlier and Vignette's work as well, organized and stapled." Sunset explained, handing in the two pieces to Filthy Rich. As she turned to walk away, He spoke up in an irratated voice. "What even is this? You call this done?" He called before she walked to far.

In a single instant, Sunset's blood began to boil inside of her as she held her composure, her back turned to her boss as the familiar riffs of electric guitars filled her mind.

"What the hell did you just hand to me? Look at you smiling, proud of this garbage you just put on my desk, do you always make a habit half assing your work?" Rich continued, only making the death metal playing through Sunset's head crank up. Meanwhile, at their desks, Lyra and Twilight watched on as the latter of the two braced herself.

Ohh this can't end well....is it bad that I think Sunset's hot when she's angry?

Sunset, still not turning to Rich, replied to his complaint. "Oh, can you tell me what I did wrong?" She asked in such a sickly sweet way that it even made Lyra's skin crawl. The entire time, the music in Sunset's head only got harder and louder.

With a scoff, Rich opened his mouth again, clearly unaware of his employee's current mental state. "Seriously, you don't even know what you did wrong? You're clearly not working with much of a brain in your head if you forget something so common place as this." Rich pressed on, Sunset blazing hot enough to melt through the floor at any second. "You see this?" He asked, pointing to the top left corner of the page. "If you're going to staple anything together... Everyone knows you at least do it at a fourty-five degree angle!!!!!"

Sunset, finally snapped. After Rich finished his rant the firey haired girl's head was practically set on fire. Her eyes glowed with seething hatred as she turned around, and exploded as she roared with deafening volume at him in pure rage, knocking everyone in the room out of their seats as she sang her heart out.

The End.

Author's Note

"If I've learned anything. It's that life doesn't always go the way you expect. There are surprises, good and bad, and sometimes you fall on your face. But even when It's awkward. even when it hurts. you keep moving forward, because when you do. You're already a little stronger then yesterday."-Retsuko, Aggretsuko 2018