Sunset stared at the empty doorway, bewildered and stung. This conversation had not happened at all like she’d anticipated, and now Twilight had—

Hugging herself, the redhead cut the thought off. Twilight had done the right thing, stopping the argument before either of them lost their tempers. She certainly didn't want to run that risk, not with how her magic had been behaving recently. The knowledge didn't make her feel better, but it did mean she didn't feel any worse…

She pushed herself off the bed, and shuffled towards the door, then down the hall towards the stairs. The former unicorn had been looking forward to the night, but now…with how the uncertainty and hurt made her stomach churn and her chest feel tight…maybe it would be better if she went home. Facing Twilight right now was not a prospect that she was looking forward to—she needed time to sort through how she felt and what she wanted to say. With how Twilight had snapped at her and thrown her bullying, friendless history in her face, her emotions were a wreck. Of all the people she knew, the one person she had truly believed would never hold that over her had been Twilight Sparkle. It was an illusion that had been soundly shattered now, and it hurt more than Sunset wanted to admit.

The redheaded teen grabbed her boots from by the front door, glancing down the hall towards the kitchen, where she could hear Velvet moving around. She debated with herself, before creeping into the kitchen with hunched shoulders; Twilight’s parents at least deserved to know she was going to head home. They would be worried if she just vanished, and after all they had done, she didn't want to worry them.

“Mrs. Velvet?” Sunset said hesitantly, gripping her elbow with her other hand.

Velvet turned, her face creasing with concern as she took in the sight of the teenager standing in the doorway, boots in one hand. "Sunset...I thought you'd gone with Twily and her father to pick up dinner?" She seemed to look her over a second time, with more scrutiny, and immediately set aside the dishcloth she’d been using to dry a drinking glass. Her footsteps carried her across the room quickly, reaching out with a gentle hand to touch Sunset’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, are you alright? You don't look well…”

She shook her head. “…she…went without me…I…we…we had a fight…and she said she wanted space…” Shying from the touch a little, she dropped into a kitchen chair to start putting her boots on.

Her girlfriend’s mother frowned a little. “Why are you putting your shoes on?”

Sunset pushed her hair back from her face. “…I was…going to head home…since Twilight wanted some space…”

The frown on the older woman’s face deepened. “Did Twilight tell you to leave?” Some part of Sunset’s mind noted that Velvet had dropped the shortened form of the girl’s name, and seemed more than a little upset at the very idea.

Cribbing her thumbnail out of habit, she shook her head. “…no…but…I made her mad at me, and I…thought it might be best…” She cringed inwardly when concern became disappointment—she had never wanted to disappoint Twilight’s mother…but that was something that had been bound to happen sooner or later. “I’m sorry…” she mumbled.

"Sweetheart, can you look at me?" The gentle tone was at odds with the darkening expression on the woman's face, and an equally gentle hand reached out to guide the abused digit away from Sunset's teeth.

Belatedly, she realized there was a foul, coppery taste on her tongue—blood, she realized, her stomach threatening to rebel over it. She’d bitten her nail down to the quick and then some. Sunset swallowed, trying to settle her guts, even as she raised her eyes to meet Velvet’s, her boots forgotten for the moment.

Pulling a chair closer with her free hand, Twilight Velvet sat down, still holding onto Sunset’s hand and rubbing soothing little circles on the back of it that felt extremely comforting while she doctored the injury with supplies from a nearby kitchen drawer. “If you want to go home, Sunset, you can, but I would prefer if you’d let either Night or myself drive you home. I’m worried about you being on that bike of yours when you're upset like this…”

Sunset was quiet while Velvet finished wrapping a band-aid snugly around the end of her thumb, before she gave a slow and jerky nod. “If…if you’d rather, Mrs. Velvet, I…” She had to swallow several times when the words got stuck in her throat, hung up on what felt like a boulder lodged there. As Velvet smoothed back a lock of hair that had once more fallen into her face when she looked at her toes, she managed to get her voice to work. “…I don't want to make more problems for you…”

“You are never a problem for us, Sunset. Not now, not ever.” Despite the firm, fierce tone, the fingers now running through her hair were caring and comforting. “You are welcome in this house, with this family, even if you and Twilight are having a disagreement over something right now.”

The former unicorn let out a shuddering breath, but was unable to stop the flow of words that spilled out. “But she’s your daughter…and I—”

Velvet interrupted smoothly, “You're an intelligent and exceptional young woman, Sunset, who has, in the months we’ve known you, always conducted yourself politely and respectfully. There’s no reason to think otherwise of you, despite a fight with Twilight.” She continued carding her fingers through red and gold curls. “Everybody fights, Sunset, no matter how close they are. Even Night and I fight sometimes. It would be silly of me to expect different with you and Twilight, or to automatically assume you were somehow in the wrong without knowing what happened.”

She paused for a moment, giving a chance for Sunset to absorb those words, before adding, “Though I’m here to listen if you want to talk about what happened?”

Indecision waged a war in her head. She wanted desperately to talk about what has happened, but she didn't want to betray any confidence or seem like she was somehow ‘tattling’ on her girlfriend to the younger girl’s mother. Finally she sighed, leaning into the hand stroking her hair. “…okay…”

Once the choice was made, the story spilled out of her: agreeing to a joint outing with Twilight’s friend Wallflower, the awkward and uncomfortable meeting, how the girl had been…catty and unpleasant, how she doubted her own reactions until the end confrontation, how she’d felt at the end, and then the subsequent argument she’d just had with Twilight when she tried to explain her hesitation on meeting Wallflower again…laid out as honestly as she could recount it. Her memory was nowhere near as precise as Twilight’s, so she summarized several points and bits of dialogue, but tried to keep it as close to what she could recall as possible.

Velvet listened, making the occasional encouraging sound whenever Sunset’s words faltered, giving the redhead the courage to keep going. When Sunset finally finished the recount of events—even the conversation with Flash because she had wanted an outside opinion—she sat for a few minutes in one of Velvet’s hugs, fighting back tears out of sheer determination. It was a losing battle as a few escaped to make damp tracks down her cheeks, followed soon after by more of them. A box of tissues was passed to her without a word, allowing her the chance to wipe her face and blow her nose without overt attention being called to it.

When she’d put herself back together, unable to really look her girlfriend’s mother in the face, Velvet resumed the soothing motion of fingers in her hair. “For what its worth,” the older woman began, “I am proud of you for how you handled all of that, Sunset. Considering the circumstances, you acted in a very mature fashion.”

“Y-you are?” she croaked in disbelief.

A motherly kiss was pressed to the top of her head. “Yes, I am. You maintained a polite disposition in a very unpleasant and confrontational situation, took time to work through your thoughts, and sought an honest opinion on whether or not your reaction and feelings were appropriate for the situation. I am proud of you for that…and not particularly pleased with my daughter at the moment for how she responded to you.”

Fingers caught her under the chin, making her meet Velvet’s gaze. “Sunset, I want you to understand something. You are allowed to say no to anyone when they demand something of you that you are not okay with, even if that someone is your best friend. I understand that you want to be a good friend, but when it is something that is causing you distress, it is perfectly healthy and acceptable to refuse.”

“Then why’d she get angry with me?” Sunset needed an answer to that, because she still wasn't sure what had sent the conversation off the rails. “When I told her, she…” She hunched her shoulders. “…she didn't believe me. She said I must have misunderstood Wallflower, and I should just try harder…”

Lips thinned at the question, before Velvet shook her head. “I…do not agree with Twilight in this case, Sunset. It seems to me a pretty hard thing to misunderstand when someone openly says ‘I don't like you’ and ‘I don't trust you not to be a terrible person.’” She closed her eyes for a few heartbeats. “Now, I will admit, I barely know Wallflower—I have met her a few times, back when Twily had more friends at her school, but not often and never for very long. However, her actions are hardly the kind of behavior I would want to see in a person either of you was associating with…”

While her words trailed off, Sunset got the impression that there was more she wanted to say, but had decided against voicing it in front of a teenager. The former unicorn worried at her lip with her teeth. “…then why did Twilight say I did?”

Velvet was quiet for a minute or two, as if considering her response. Finally, she replied, “While I believe I can make an educated guess, it would be just that—a guess. It's a question I would very much like to ask Twilight myself, in addition to several other questions. I am not particularly pleased with her behavior as of late, and this is yet one more example of her acting in a fashion that is unacceptable.” She gave Sunset another hug. “I’m sorry that you two had a fight, sweetheart, but I really do not think you should take the blame for it all on yourself.”

Sunset sat there for a time, trying to sort out and untangle the emotions roiling and twisting in her guts like a swarm of Abyssinian Firebees. Twilight Velvet sounded…almost like she was angry…at Twilight over the whole thing. Which…while it made sense for the woman, it…felt jarring and out of place to the former unicorn. She was not accustomed to parents siding against their own offspring in her defense. It…just didn't happen. It certainly had never happened back in Equestria, and it hadn’t occurred in the human world either in the few instances of people getting parents involved over the years.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a concerned, “Sunset?” from the older woman. “What’s wrong?”

She floundered, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy. “I…” Blue-green eyes made the mistake of meeting Velvet’s, and she found the truth, though carefully worded, spilling out. “…just…I’m not used to…to…well…this!” She made a gesture in the air.

“What do you mean?”

Sunset closed her eyes, seeing again the angry faces of teachers and parents, taking her to task for confrontations with her peers. “…taking my side,” she said at last. “Whenever…someone was angry with me, and…adults found out…especially parents…they always blamed me. I’m…not used to someone saying their…child…might’ve been wrong.”

The arm hugging her tightened, and with her eyes shut as they were, the noise Velvet made was one she could pretend came from a mare instead of a human. “A lot of parents do not like to acknowledge that their children are anything less than perfect,” she murmured, kissing the top of Sunset’s head again. “I have no such illusions—both of my children have their faults, just like every other person who has ever lived, and I am all too aware of what those faults entail for both of them.”

“Because of that, I can plainly see you are trying your best to be fair and truthful in what you’ve told me, and I can see where some of Twilight’s faults could create a situation very like what you’ve explained. It would be entirely unfair and wrong of me to do exactly what Twilight is doing and putting the whole of the blame on your shoulders when it is not yours.”

A rattling, rough sob escaped before Sunset could stop it, her eyes squeezing shut against more tears. “…thank you…” she rasped.

“Any time, sweetheart…” There was a pause. “…and thank you, for trusting me enough to tell me all of that.”

She nodded into Velvet’s shoulder, and they sat there for several minutes, Sunset drawing comfort from the warm motherly hug that soothed that old ache. Her girlfriend’s mother eventually broke the silence again, just about the time they heard someone pull into the driveway. “I know you were thinking about going home, and I will still respect that choice, but I’m hoping you will at least stay for dinner, even if you aren't ready yet to patch things up with Twilight.”

Twilight barely restrained the urge to slam the door of the car when she got in the front seat next to her father. It wasn't his or his car’s fault that Sunset was being ridiculously difficult, after all. She settled for stewing in silence for a minute or two before she realized he hadn't started the vehicle. Turning her head, she realized he was looking over at the front door with a concerned, confused expression, and it dawned on her that he was waiting on her girlfriend to appear.

“Just go, Dad,” she bit out in a huff, her voice sounding more petulant than the firm-but-calm tone she’d been aiming for.

Night frowned, starting the car. “What about Sunset?” he asked curiously.

“She’s not coming.”

He arched a brow, but began backing out of the driveway. “Wanna talk about it?” her father offered a minute later.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Twilight responded tersely, annoyed that her tone still possessed more than an acceptable level of petulance to it. That irritation merged with her frustration at Sunset’s pigheadedness, and, in doing so, prodded her to keep talking despite her decision to leave it at that. “Sunset is just being unreasonably childish is all. She took something Wallflower said in completely the wrong way, and is now acting like it's a huge problem…but she’s upset over nothing!”

Her father said nothing, and she took it as a cue to keep going. “When I explained that to her, that she had clearly taken things in the wrong way and misunderstood Wallflower’s intentions, and then pointed out that she was being exceptionally rude to be so hostile over a misunderstanding, turning down the social outing I was trying to organize to help them sort through their misunderstanding, she dug her heels in, becoming even more obstinate in her refusal!” She scowled out the window. “Someone with her obvious upbringing should have a better grasp of proper etiquette and social niceties than that—I shouldn't have had to explain it!”

Twilight blew out another breath in a huffy sound, glaring into the evening gloom. “So she can just stay behind and think about it until she’s ready to apologize for her ridiculous behavior and act in a more reasonable manner.”

More silence, and the teen felt the urge to fill it with more sound, more words. Besides, getting it all off her chest had helped a good bit. “I’m doing my best to handle this in a mature fashion, Dad…removing myself from the situation until Sunset decides to come around and get over this snit about Wallflower.” She considered for a moment, organizing her thoughts. “Dr. Soft-spoken would probably say it's a result of insecurity on Sunset’s part, or maybe from jealousy over me having another friend…What do you think?”

A small smile tugged at her lips while she waited for her father to confirm what she’d hypothesized about the whole situation…only to fall away when she registered that her father was not responding with the expected alacrity. Twilight stole a glance at him—instead of nodding and agreeing, or even being overly focused on the road, Night’s expression was the worryingly neutral one he wore when he heard something he didn't like the sound of, but was holding back until they had finished.

She didn't know how to feel about that look being directed at her, particularly in this situation. As a result, her attempt to prompt a response came out smaller and weaker than she wanted. “…don't…I mean…that was the mature and reasonable way to handle it, wasn't it? I thought that space and a time out to think until she understands how badly she’s been acting over this is the proper way to deal with this whole mess…that's what you and Mom do, after all…”

At that, Night did respond, his tone that very mild and neutral one that suggested he was incredibly unhappy. “I do believe, Twilight Sparkle, and I am quite certain your mother would back me up on this, that I have never ‘put your mother in time out until she apologized’ for disagreeing with me. Not once, in the entire history of our thirty-plus years of knowing each other.” There was a crisp snap to the end of his words that made the dark haired teen twitch.

For a brief few seconds, she considered protesting, but her father continued, and what he had to say made her mood sour even further.

“I am going to be completely frank with you, Twilight,” he said, his voice firm. “I really don't care for this new attitude you’ve affected over the last month. It comes across as arrogant, spiteful, and is downright unpleasant to interact with. I understand you have been extremely stressed with your schoolwork, and that this year has had several large changes, but that’s not an excuse for it, and it's not a flattering persona you’re projecting. What you were just saying, a minute ago, about Sunset, who you claim is your best friend, was cruel, mean spirited, and derogatory—you sounded like Alabaster and Jade, sneering down your nose at someone who was less than you…” Golden eyes were hard and his expression had turned stern. “It is most certainly not how your mother and I raised you to treat others.”

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but as they were idling at a red light, Night held up a hand to forestall whatever she’d meant to say. “Let me finish, please, and then you can respond.”

The teenager made a face, crossing her arms over her chest again. She’d expected her father to see the logic in what she had done and agree with her steps to handle the whole disagreement without screaming and yelling. Instead, here he was scolding her about a completely unrelated, irrelevant point that had nothing to do with that night and everything to do with the fact that her parents were leery of her desire to assert her independence, or even about her mother’s mistrust of her looking to Principal Cinch as a mentor figure.

In the end, she tuned most of what he was saying out, in favor of mulling over it herself. She could get the general gist of what he was saying to her, and mentally ticked off a number of items on a mental list. Twilight had not been wrong. He didn't care for her standing up for herself, or making decisions on her own, or trying to handle these things by herself. Basically, Night didn't care for Twilight doing anything that showed that she was an intelligent young adult on the cusp of adulthood, instead of a dependent child who relied on Mommy and Daddy to make all her life choices. It wasn't fair, either—didn't he realize that she needed to do these kinds of things now so she could survive as an adult without having an overly emotional meltdown every time life got stressful?!

At some point, Twilight realized the car had stopped, and her father was looking at her expectantly. “Yes?” she asked, her tone short and sharp—even she recognized she was being snippy with him, but she felt vindicated since he’d just seen fit to dress her down like a recalcitrant toddler. Besides, she couldn't bring herself to let go of the sense of injustice that coiled in her guts at the way no one ever seemed to actually listen to her.

A small voice in the back of her mind, sounding wounded and huffing a little at the direction of her thoughts, retorted in a tone Sunset had never used to her knowledge, “I listen, Sparky. I’m just less inclined to listen when you're acting like the north end of a southbound mule.”

Twilight pushed the voice away. Well, I don't want to listen to you right now, she thought back. It was nigh on intolerable, she decided, when even her own mind refused to back up her own decisions.

“Were you planning on coming in with me to retrieve the food?” Night asked coolly.

The dark haired girl shook her head sharply. “I’ll stay with the car,” she said irritably. “You should go get it though—the app says it's ready for pick-up, and it's no good cold.”

Night Light watched her for a long minute or two, and she did her best to remain impassive, despite how it made her feel. “Very well, Twilight….but this conversation is not over yet. I will be right back.”

It was fairly obvious that her father hoped she would spend his absence thinking on his words, but Twilight felt little inclination to do so. Instead, she mulled over her indignation at his complete and utter dismissal of both her points and her struggles to grow as a person, viewing the latter as some kind of…attitude! Worse yet, he compared it to the mannerisms of…of… One eye twitched just a little. She was nothing like Alabaster or Jade, and she would never be! The whole point of pushing herself so hard with her project, with her grades, with her academic achievements was to prove that the beliefs about her from family members like that were wrong!

“Are you really sure about that, Sparky?” whispered that part of her that sounded like her girlfriend. “Maybe you should really think about what you’ve been spouting off this afternoon…it's…not like you at all—it sounds like you’re repeating what someone else has told you…”

Unbidden, a scrap of her conversation…such as it had been…with Wallflower floated up from her memories.

“Look, Twilight, I get that you're not the best judge of character, and you're a pushover, but even you have to admit it's not a great decision here. Why in the world would a public school kid be trying to hang around with people from a private school like CPA—they’re different worlds!” Wallflower was looking at her with a severe frown—from her, that was practically a scowl, Twilight noted absently.

Still, she tried to counter the point. “When we met, she had no idea what school I went to! There wasn't any kind of weird ulterior motive that you keep suggesting. Sunset and I have a lot in common!”

A snort escaped her friend. “I have a hard time believing that someone who probably lives in a leaky apartment or a dingy trailer has a lot in common with the smartest girl in Crystal Prep. You’re better off not getting too chummy with public school kids…but it's your funeral when the truth of what they're really up to all comes out. Just leave me out of it.”

“…could’ve called that one. I’m surprised she didn't give you the speech about how ‘while you can make allowances for those of lesser breeding, it doesn't do to let their kind of people too close. It gives them ideas, and your expensive cutlery goes missing.’ Really, Sparky, how do you put up with that?”

Twilight shoved the rest of the memories down, uncomfortable and starting to question both herself and the little voice in the back of her mind. Sure, it was pretty harsh, and she was as unhappy with Wallflower as she was with Sunset, but to be fair, Canterlot High did have a bit of a reputation for the way they handled problem students—everyone knew it was where the kids in the area who had run out of schools to get kicked out of ended up.

“That's just a rumor and you know better than that.”

A sound escaped her and she buried the voice. This wasn’t supposed to be how her night went, but Sunset had thrown off her carefully scheduled evening. Why did she have to turn this into an overly dramatic mess! Twilight took off her glasses and rubbed her face, trying to relieve tension and relax. The last thing she needed on top of the rest of the evening’s disastrous events was a headache.

When she lifted her head and put her glasses back on, she spotted her father exiting the restaurant. Her stomach twisted at the stern look he gave her—it felt like he was even more displeased with her than he had been when he’d left the car. For once, the smell of stir-fried meat and vegetables, along with the delicious tang of soy sauce and ginger, failed to make her mouth water. In a curiously distant and numb way, she found herself wishing that her mother had opted to cook dinner instead.

Night started up the conversation again once they were moving, and Twilight could see how angry he was—a rare sight, but one that had been happening more since the beginning of the new year. It was something that made her squirm a little in her seat, as it was directed at her…just like it had been the night she and Shining had gotten into it with their mother.

“Maybe there’s a reason for that,” the traitorous voice she’d tried to bury whispered sarcastically.

It made guilt twinge, the memory of shocked hurt and betrayal in blue-green eyes feeling like a knife to the heart.

Still, despite the fact that he was angry, her father managed to keep his voice level and at a normal volume—in some way, she was grateful for that, because she didn't know how she would react if he had actually been angry enough to raise his voice. In all of her life, she couldn't remember a time when he had yelled in anger…it just wasn't who he was. At the same time, him being outwardly calm left her with nothing to rail against, leaving her riddled with impotent frustration and forced to listen to what he had to say so she could prepare a counter argument.

“Alright…since I’m fairly certain that you were choosing to ignore me when I was talking before, I would like to start this conversation over again.” As the car stopped at a red light, he took a moment to pin her with a gaze that made her face heat with embarrassment. “And just so you understand, if you attempt to ignore me again, I will lock your laboratory down for the rest of the weekend. I do not care how old you are—deliberate disrespect of a family member comes with consequences. Do you understand, young lady?”

Twilight squirmed in her seat but nodded reluctantly. She didn't really want to listen to the lecture all over again…but she definitely didn't want to lose access to her laboratory for the whole weekend, not when she had so much work she needed to do. That would put her behind schedule. More behind schedule than she already was, anyway.

“Verbal acknowledgement please, Twilight." Her father wasn't giving one inch, and the dark haired girl wondered briefly if this had been what Shining faced, after he'd yelled at mom that night. If it was, it was understandable why he'd been so subdued since then.

“I understand, Dad." Her voice was shakier than she liked, wavering a little in the middle. Night Light was not a harsh or even stern man—he didn't do something like this over trivial matters. That he was doing it here spoke volumes about his seriousness, and that he meant every word that was about to come out of his mouth.

“Maybe you should listen properly this time, Sparky, and consider the points he makes. If you don't, then how are you any better than those scientists and researchers you complain about—you know the ones who twist the facts to match their hypothesis rather than admit they were wrong?”

Her father nodded, satisfied with her answer, and continued, “I am well aware of the fact that right now, you are extremely stressed with the school project you have taken on, and that, at the same time, you are also trying to explore what it means for you to make the transition from a dependent child to a more independent teenager in preparation to eventually become a fully independent adult. The truth is, Twilight, neither your mother nor I are unsympathetic towards the fact that such a transition is a tough time of trial and error for you, even more so than many of your peers, and we understand that you will not always get it right on the first attempt. We are also acutely aware that this may mean you might wish to make choices that are different from ours, to try things we had not considered you might desire to try, and we know that such a thing does not necessarily make those choices wrong…merely different.”

The teen’s stomach twisted and contorted until it felt like her guts were trying to impersonate a möbius strip. That….was not what she’d assumed her father was going to say before…now she felt like a fool.

He wasn't done, continuing his lecture after a handful of heartbeats to let the first part sink in. “However, part of being an adult is the ability to stop and reconsider our choices and actions, when we see that what we are doing is causing unneeded harm to someone.” Golden eyes flicked briefly to her, a look that left her no doubt that he was talking about her behavior, not his….especially when she had a mental flash of the way Sunset had flinched, her face crumpling with hurt and betrayal.

Hanging her head, Twilight hugged herself as her heart sank further. Her mind had decided to dredge up an older memory immediately following the one from a short time ago, from one of Cadence’s more important discussions with her in sixth grade.

“While consent is usually spoken of in regards to sexual conduct, Ladybug, I want you to understand that it's actually super important and applies everywhere and everywhen, not just for you, but each and every person. It doesn't matter what its about, the second someone asks you to stop or tells you no, you need to stop—I don't care what it is you're doing or how much you want it. You put it on hold and you listen to what they are saying. It's not okay to tell them they're wrong, or to argue about it. You listen, respect their no, and talk about the situation with concern for their wants and needs, just like you would want someone to respect yours.”

Twilight blinked at her sister in all but blood. “But what if they are being stupid and their reason is irrational? Do I still have to listen even when they are wrong?”

Cady rested both hands on her shoulders. “Yes, Twily. You don't have to believe them or agree, but you need to respect their right to choose and their right to say no, just as other people need to respect those things for you.” Her tone was firm but gentle when she asked, “For example, someone else might think your reason for not wanting to date a boy because you like girls is stupid and irrational, but you’d want them to respect your decision and not be mean, wouldn't you?”

Blushing horribly, Twilight nodded and looked at her toes. Cadence tipped her chin back up. “Then you need to give other people the same respect.”

She took a breath to steel herself, then quietly said, "Do you think that is what I did earlier, Dad?"

Night was silent for a moment. "In my opinion, having heard your rendition of what occurred, and having received a text from your mother, who is seeing to Sunset…” He paused, and she bit her lip, wondering about his final verdict. “….yes, Twilight, I do believe you did that, even if it was accidental and not deliberate." His voice had started to thaw, just a little, but was still far too stern and flat, making her fidget with the sleeve of her sweater.

“Oh…”

A heavy sigh escaped him. “Wanting your friends to get along is not a bad or wrong choice, Twilight…but attempting to force them into each other’s company and socialize when one or both of them have expressed discomfort with that is a bad choice. It would be the same as if I decided you had to spend time with Silver Dollar just because I suddenly developed a friendship with his father.“

The utter absurdity of that scenario made Twilight choke on a laugh. "Dad...no, you'd never make me do...do..." Realization hit her like a brick. "Oh..." she whispered again, and her laughter cut abruptly.

“Yes." Night said, aware that what he’d been saying clicked with her. He made a face. “Obviously, this is a hypothetical, since I’m well aware that he’s the definition of a creepy cad, but my point remains valid. How would you feel if I ignored how you felt or anything you said about him or his behavior or how he made you feel? Especially if I told you that how you felt about Silver Dollar was just a misunderstanding, and you needed to get over it."

Twilight felt legitimately sick now. Was that what she'd tried to do to Sunset?

“Pretty much. It's me, Sparky,” mental Sunset chipped in, leaning forward from the backseat. “Have I ever been this adamant about something like this for no reason? Or been a bad judge of someone’s feelings and motivations towards either of us? Do you really believe I’d lie about something important like that? You know me.”

It was really hard to ignore the facsimile of her girlfriend making reasonable arguments and backing up what her father was saying. It certainly didn’t make her feel any better about what she’d said and done to Sunset, and how she had been so fixated on what she wanted that she hadn't cared that she’d hurt the one person who mattered to her more than just about anyone…

"I... need some time to think, Dad…Is that alright?"

Night nodded in acquiescence. “I think that is a very good idea, Twilight. Take some time to think about your actions, and if the way you’ve been acting of late is really the kind of person you want to become.” He paused, then added, “And maybe think about what you need to say to Sunset, because I think at the least you owe her an apology.”

The rest of the drive home was silent, as Twilight was left with only her own thoughts, uncomfortable as they were. Particularly one that rose up again and again as she struggled to analyze the interpersonal interactions she engaged in in the last two months.

Why does this have to be so difficult for me?

Author's Note

And here we have a demonstration of what happens in a universe where the adults are not complete morons with no situational awareness. Hooray for competent parental figures!

Neither parent seems happy with Twilight's behavior, do they?

Mental Sunset is not happy with Twilight either.

Also, you guys. You really aren't happy with Wallflower, are you? What are you gonna do when she does something more terrible than just being a bitchy teen girl with a chip on her shoulder? Lol.

*rubs paws together wickedly*