come on!

“Dude, come on!”

The exclamation echoed through the massive library, disturbing small things that skittered about in the dark. Eventually, the sound faded, leaving behind an all-encompassing silence… at least until Twilight responded.

“SO MANY BOOKS!” a faint voice called from deep within the bookshelves. “HOW DO I DECIDE?”

“I don’t care!” Sunset called back, groaning into the saddlebag she’d been using as a pillow for the past few months. It was weird… she was finally leaving the library. After six months of being down here, and learning all she could.

Ah well.

“Just get out here!”

The silence dragged on for a few minutes, and Sunset was just about to call out for the excitable young girl when she heard a soft grunt… followed by another… and another…

Almost a quarter hour later, Twilight emerged into the light, trying her best to carry her bulging saddlebags and rucksack. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead with sweat, and there were huge dark stains all over her shirt.

“Finally done?” Sunset quirked an eyebrow. “Or are we staying down here-”

“DONE.” Twilight wheezed, apparently unable to respond in anything over monosyllables. “LEAVE.”

The other girl shrugged. “Alright. Let’s move out!”

And with that, she attempted to don her cape, failed due to her wings, shrugged, grabbed her bag, and set off for the door. As she did so, she held her index finger up and set it ablaze to provide light.

“WAIT.”

Sunset paused, flicking her ear to indicate she was listening.

It took about a minute for Twilight to get enough air into her lungs to speak, but once she managed it, she raised an arm that was trembling under the weight of her bags, and pointed at Sunset’s luggage.

“THAT’S IT?”

The other girl took the time to inspect her one bag, which was mostly empty judging by how flat it was.

“Yes. I don’t have much… stuff.”

“…”

“…help. PLEASE.”

“Oh, alright!”

Sunset grabbed two of the bags from Twilight, hoisting them onto her shoulders in such a manner that they didn’t catch on her wings. “I’m only doing this to get us out of here faster. Capiche?”

There was no answer. When Sunset turned to demand that they get a move on, she found that Twilight had passed out in a puddle of her own sweat.

“Aw, shit!”

Twilight made a surprisingly good sledgehammer.

Those zombie illusion things never stood a chance.

“…ake u…”

Twilight frowned, unable to discern what was being said.

“…ake up!”

She strained her ears to listen more closely-

“WAKE UP!”

She screamed, scrabbling at the ground with her hands as she tried to throw herself into a sitting position. “Wh- what?”

As she readjusted her glasses on her nose, Sunset Shimmer swam into focus. From the angle that she was looking up from, all Twilight could see was Sunset’s upper torso and the dense, grey clouds, tossing up snow in swirls around the two.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” she said, offering a hand to her to help her up. “We need to get going. I’d like to get this shit over with before sundown.”

“Ummm…”

Sunset rolled her eyes and yanked Twilight to her feet. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn’t prepared for the sudden change, and ended up falling into the other girl’s arms.

“…hot damn.”

Twilight blushed, biting down on her lower lip. She hadn’t meant to say that.

Sunset flashed her a predatory grin. “Well… if that’s what you think we could-”

“Spike’s still on the ship!” she yelped. “They needed someone to command the vessel in case the winds from the blizzard got too strong and they had to evacuate and I trust him! And he’s probably worried and oh god we should get going-”

Twilight was a blur as she shot off into the trees- and then immediately stopped.

The snow crunched under her feet as she turned to face Sunset, the expanse between them not unlike the no-man’s ground of a battlefield.

“…so, where’s your house?”

They had been trekking through the darkness for approximately forever. And then some.

Nothing around them changed. It all looked the same- trees, snow, trees, snow, trees, snow; snow and then trees?- they were spicing it up!

Twilight groaned, dragging a trembling hand down her face. Though Sunset had assured her they were heading in the same direction as the town, and that this was a shortcut… she couldn’t help but be a tad sceptical.

It didn’t help that the tonnes of tomes weighing down her bag were so excruciatingly heavy she couldn’t even focus enough to cast a locator spell. And that was after Sunset had taken about half the load!

Speaking of the other girl, she had long abandoned her cloak… and what was left on her body was once more distracting Twilight. There was a long-sleeved shirt that was mostly in tatters, leaving lots of skin exposed… and her pants, though they didn’t have any holes in them… had burned off just above her thighs.

Also, they were form fitting, which meant that each movement was accentuated with rippling muscles and sashaying hips and round-

She slapped herself.

“Are you staring again?” Sunset called. “Because I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

Twilight shook her head, trying to disperse the images running through her head. “Just wondering why your pants are burned.” she panted.

Sunset pondered the question. “I don’t exactly remember. It was either a spell that went wrong, a side-effect of me sleeping too close to the fire, or they’ve always been this way and I never realised. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s probably the fire.”

Twilight shuddered. “Wouldn’t your leg be burnt too?”

Sunset shook her head, tapping her wrist with her finger. “I fireproofed my entire body the instant I learned how to. It’s a useful thing to have as a pyromancer.”

“Oh.”

And so they moved on. Twilight was still incredibly exhausted, but she kept putting one foot in front of the other. It seemed that everything was working against her; her back was drenched in sweat because of the exertion of carrying the books, but the front of her body was freezing because of the opening in the cloak. The ground was uneven, with twigs, rocks and dead leaves hidden under the snow throwing off her gait. And of course, it didn’t help that Sunset was their only source of light, and her blazing hand cast undulating shadows that made her look much more… alluring.

A howl from somewhere in the distance did wonders to distract her.

“Hey, Sunset?” she called, glancing at the darkening woods with apprehension. “Are you sure it’s safe out here?”

“Nah.” Sunset responded. “But if it’s any consolidation, if something does attack us I’ll probably be able to handle it.

“…probably?”

“Hey, I’m not perfect.” she grinned cockily, flicking her hair back. “Just damn close.”

Twilight blushed, averting her gaze.

“Speaking of being damn close, look!”

Twilight strained her eyes to see what Sunset was gesturing towards, but her eyes failed her. At this time of the night, anything that wasn’t directly illuminated by Sunset’s fist was pitch black void.

“…I can’t see, Sunset.”

Sunset grimaced. “Oh. I’d forgotten about my night vision. Anyways, follow me!”

As they walked, Twilight began noticing a few changes in their surroundings. There was less snow piled up on the ground, and the number of trees per unit area was going down.

And that was to say nothing of the fence.

“Are we on your property now?” she panted.

Sunset’s grin widened. “Absolutely! In fact…”

She picked up the pace slightly, and suddenly two double-doors heaved out of the darkness. They were flanked by a white wall, but Twilight couldn’t see much more than that.

“Here!”

With reckless abandon, Sunset flew up and threw open the doors, strolling inside with her arms outspread and eyes shining like stars in the night. She darted forward once they had passed the threshold, leaving Twilight to follow.

As Sunset disappeared through the doorway at the end of the entrance hall, Twilight dropped the bags, wincing as they hit the ground. After a few seconds to catch her breath, she picked up her pace to match Sunset’s. “Hey, wait-”

She entered the atrium and her jaw dropped.

“…”

Sunset grinned, perched as she was atop the bannister of the staircase in a Slavic crouch; arms spread outwards as she gestured towards their surroundings.

“Welcome to my crib!”

Twilight found herself at a loss for words. It was a ‘crib’ in the same way that Canterlot castle was a ‘cottage’. A chandelier that was at least thrice her size hung from the ceiling, adorned with murals and long sheets of gossamer. The staircase led up to another set of huge double-doors, and the atrium itself was enough to fit the entire library inside.

The entire floor was carpeted in a lush material that felt as though she was walking on clouds, and there were massive windows everywhere. In truth, it was a residence fit for a queen.

“Though it isn’t really mine.” Sunset mentioned, jumping down. “I donated the place to the city a… few years ago, I think? I dream-visited the mayor, you see. I just asked them to keep my belongings somewhere safe.

“That’s…” Twilight paused to think about what she should say next. “…awfully opulent and generous of you.”

Sunset snorted. “I don’t need this place anymore, dude. What the hell else d’you expect me to do with it? Let it gather dust as a symbol of my insane power?”

The younger girl sighed. “Fair enough. Let’s just go get your other stuff.”

They ran into the warden, a greying bat person who didn’t speak much, almost immediately. He’d recognised Sunset, and had directed her towards the closet where they’d kept her stuff.

Which had been interesting.

“So… this is it?”

Sunset held up her rucksack, which had been gathering dust in a closet for almost a decade. “Yup. It’s got a change of clothes in it, and that’s basically all I need right now. Thanks, Joe!”

The warden tipped his wide-brimmed hat, flapping his wings powerfully and propelling himself down the hallway in an instant.

“He’s efficient like that.” Sunset mentioned before Twilight could get a word in edgewise. “Now, I’m going to cut my hair, and then I’m going to have a warm bath. You’re welcome to join.”

Twilight let out a small ‘eep’. “Actually, I don’t-”

“Actually, it wasn’t a question. Come along!”

So apparently, Sunset had done that just for laughs. Which was a relief, to be sure, but Twilight couldn’t help but be a tiny bit disappointed.

She didn’t understand it.

She was actually helping Sunset style her hair right now; making sure the cut was level and whatnot. Apparently, the girl had had to advertise the fact that she was a pyromancer with her appearance- and that involved drawing circles and squares of gold into her already red hair, and cutting it so that it looked like a burning flame.

It was creative. And looked pretty awesome. Especially compared to her own bangs, which were styled that way because all she needed to trim them was a bowl and some scissors.

“Right.” Sunset pulled the remaining vestiges of her hair into a… she couldn’t really call it a bun- it was more of an explosion of hair barely contained by her hairband. Finally, she picked up her locket- a choker with cubic runes attached to it. It… really went with her look.

“Now get out. Unless you want to-”

“Nope!” Twilight squeaked, almost leaving a hole in the wall as she made her escape. Sunset grinned before getting back to work. It was almost too easy…

Meanwhile, Twilight was gasping for air on the other side of the door. Though her mind was jumbled to hell and back, there was one thought that truly reigned supreme.

…what was that?

And that wasn’t just referring to Sunset’s promiscuity; Twilight was already getting used to those. Her beef was more with… Sunset herself.

From the way Celestia had been acting, Sunset was some sort of unreasonable monster who was almost completely irredeemable. And she… wasn’t that. Sure, her morals were a bit shaky, and she was a bit rude… but that didn’t explain Celestia’s actions.

“Alright!” Sunset called from behind the door, her voice muffled by the dense wood. “I’m done!”

Twilight turned away from the door just as Sunset opened it, revealing herself to be wearing a white shirt underneath a form-fitting full-sleeved leather jacket. There were leather buckles on the wrists, presumably to make sure the sleeves didn’t slip down and reveal her perforated limbs.

Considering Twilight’s own wardrobe- a purple t-shirt, jeans and a thick cloak- she wasn’t sure whether to feel underdressed or overdressed.

Along with all of that, Sunset was wearing fingerless gloves that looked like full gloves due to the colour of her skin, and jean shorts that came down to only about four inches above her knees. Below that… stockings…

Good lord…

“Wh- why are you wearing those?” Twilight stuttered, trying to keep her eyes off Sunset’s legs…

“Because of that.”

Once more blushing, Twilight forced her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead. “Oh, right. You eat emotions.”

“We have a winner!” Sunset announced, grabbing the other girl by the arm and dragging her down the hallway. “Your lust is enough to keep me going for weeks!”

“Isn’t it cold?” Twilight asked. “You’ll get frostbite!”

“I’m made of tougher stuff than that!” she responded dismissively. “Besides, I guarantee you that carrying my stuff to your airship or whatever is gonna make me sweat like a pig.”

“…could we stay here for a while before we go? I’m not eager to go out into the… cold so soon.”

“Oh?” Sunset asked. “And it has nothing to do with your luggage?”

Twilight shook her head, plastering a rather fake grin across her face. “Nope!”

Sunset tapped her chin, considering the best course of action.

“Hmmm… it’s been a while since I’ve had coffee. Hey, could you get started on that, Joe?”

Twilight sighed. “He’s not-”

The curtains behind them rustled as Joe emerged. He tipped his hat, flapped his wings, and retreated rapidly in the direction of the kitchen.

“…well, I’ll be damned.”

“Espresso for me, please!” Sunset called into the dark hallway, the sounds echoing off the arched ceiling.

“Whipped cream and sugar on top!”

The night was still. The blizzard howled in the distance, depositing inches of snow on the frozen ground. In the sky, the moon shone like a half-lidded eye. And the trees, with their bare limbs and tall bodies, stood as silent guardians against the creatures in the forest.

“….woooooooOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Twilight was almost vibrating with pent-up energy as she escaped from within the mansion, doing cartwheels on the front lawn as she screamed in joy.

“COME ON!” she yelled, running back to the entrance where Sunset was dallying and picking her up bridal style. “Hey, did you know that I’m not allowed caffeine after the infamous ‘Breakfast Massacre’ of o’five? Guess I should’ve mentioned that earlier, right? Let’s go!”

Sunset groaned, almost regretting her choice. The girl had had three espressos before Joe had decided to cut her off, and that had apparently been enough to get her bouncing off the walls.

At least all that extra energy meant that she could carry the books again.

“…and actually did you know that my big brother’s getting married? Ohmigod, he’s getting married! And he’s getting married to my babysitter, no less! We should be back in time for the wedding, but I’m still worried, you know? Nah, you probably don’t. You’re so cool! I’ve known about the wedding for a few months now, and I was so sure he was going to announce it sooner, but nooooo, he had to do it just as I was leaving on an important mission behind Celestia’s back! Hey, do you have anything we can get him as a housewarming gift? Wait, actually, do they even have a house yet? A new one, I mean. They definitely still have the old one. Actually- wait a second.”

Twilight paused to take a breath, and then continued blabbering. Sunset tuned her out, for both their sakes.

“…so it starts raining chocolate milk, and I’m like what? and my friends are like what? and Discord is like haha I’ve got you now! and we’re like…”

“Twilight?”

With a woosh of air, Twilight set her down and stood in front of her. “Yes, Sunset? Do you have any questions? Hey, maybe-”

“Ummm, no.” Sunset pushed the girl away with one finger. “Actually… I was wondering if I could get a few minutes out here. Alone.”

“Oh.” that took all the wind out of Twilight’s sails. “How’re you going to get to the airship?”

Sunset grinned. “It’s kinda hard to miss the massive airship hovering over the town, y’know? I’ll be a few minutes.”

“But-”

“I’ll be a few minutes, Twilight. Please.”

With remarkable self-restraint, considering how hyper she was, Twilight turned to leave, hoisting her bags more cleanly onto her back. The ease with which she walked was commendable, considering how heavy all her stuff was.

After a hesitant glance backwards, the girl raised her hood and skipped away. Within seconds, she was lost to the heavy snow and the dense tree-trunks.

Sunset stayed.

Within seconds, the woods fell silent. The blizzard that was moving in on town was still a few miles off, so the wind didn’t disturb her solace either.

Gasping in some of the sharp air, Sunset spoke.

“You would’ve loved this… right?”

She hugged her knees, resting her head against a greying trunk as she stared up at the sky. The soil stained her legs, and the roots would probably leave scuffs in the denim… but that didn’t really matter, did it?

“And then you would’ve gotten a cold because you stayed out in the snow for too long, and I’d stay up all night taking care of you or something…”

Sunset stuck her tongue out, catching one of the falling snowflakes on the tip. It melted almost immediately, the refreshing sting leaving her longing for more.

…she ran her hands through her hair, tucking most of the overhang behind her ears, and then wiped at her eyes. Sighing, she let a long, shuddering gasp escape from her lips, and slammed her hands downwards… rooting herself to the world.

And then she tilted her head upwards, loosing herself to the feeling of the rough bark against her back, and the numbing snow against her thighs, and the heavy cloak on her shoulders, and the dry dirt clenched tightly between her fingers, and the tears mingling with the flakes settling on her cheeks.

She was going home.

…

…

…

She was finally going home.

…

…

“…I wish you were here.”

Author's Note

A/N: I’m really fucking proud of the fact that I'll be putting my OTP on a ship.