Author's Note

I hope everyone has a good weekend. Enjoy the chapter. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lies and Cute Puppy Dog Eyes

At CHS, Twilight Sparkle was sitting in Ms.Coral’s class, her mind racing with thoughts about the girls. She had already finished the class assignment and her homework for the night. However, with nothing to occupy it, her mind started to wander to last night’s events. Looking down, Twilight saw that her hand – the one she had used to throw the punch at Sunset Shimmer – was beginning to bruise slightly. Flexing her hand, she found that it still ached from the impact.

Twilight hadn’t expected herself to punch Sunset, let alone with that much force. And seeing Sunset fall from it was even more shocking. Although, deep down, she wished that she hadn’t thrown the blow. Nor did she like the fact that she had acted on her anger physically towards Sunset. And when her hood fell as a result of her falling, Twilight saw what the girls called Demon Shimmer… again.

As if last Monday’s events weren’t enough, Twilight had to see Sunset’s appearance a week later. And she also had to sit there in the barn, listening to the redhead drone on. Yet, when the kids started to question her about why she didn’t stick around, she only saw her leaving, not caring that the girls had gotten severely injured. And hard as she tried, she couldn’t forget that Sunset had also admitted that she wouldn’t have brought up her past if none of this had happened on the same night. All of that was pure torture for Twilight, mostly since she was still emotionally torn about Sunset.

“Why Sunset…? Why couldn’t you listen to what I asked of you?” thought Twilight Sparkle as she doodled random lines on her notebook – a habit she had picked up these days when her mind got too overwhelmed.

“Excuse me? Sunset was trying to be a friend. You were the one who punched her, unprovoked,” said Twilight’s conscience.

“Unprovoked? Sunset came up to me when I told her not to do that,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

“And that justifies you punching Sunset? Wow, I am shocked that you can’t see how wrong that is,” said Twilight’s conscience.

“What? How is that wrong? I told Sunset to avoid me, and she didn’t listen,” said Twilight Sparkle, fighting back.

“Yet, all the redhead was trying to do was support you. Yes, you did tell her to stay away. However, are you going to punch Rarity or someone else if they decide to make sure you’re alright?” asked Twilight’s conscience.

“No…” replied Twilight Sparkle.

“Then, don’t think you’re in the right because Sunset chose to ignore your boundaries. While she shouldn’t have done that, it doesn’t give you a pass for your actions,” said Twilight’s conscience, growing quiet after that.

The ringing of the school bell made Twilight Sparkle jump as she got jolted from her thoughts. Looking at the clock on the wall, she realized that she had gotten lost in her thoughts for 20 minutes. And for her, that was a bit shocking. Sure, Twilight knew that she could get lost in her experiments and the hypotheses that surrounded them. That was a fun pastime for her, so it was understandable. However, for her to get so lost in her thoughts about Sunset Shimmer was unusual.

“I guess my feelings for Sunset won’t leave me alone…” mumbled Twilight Sparkle as she gathered up her stuff and walked out of Ms. Coral’s classroom.

Twilight walked down the halls, passing by groups of students staying at school for some of the clubs. She got a few stares, but they were mostly just out of curiosity. These days, she seemed to have it easier than she did two weeks ago. And to her, that was good news. She didn’t want to worry about getting attacked every day. As Twilight turned right down the next hallway, she saw the school entrance in front of her. However, just as she got to the door, she saw Fluttershy running towards her.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“Hi, Twilight. I am glad that I got to you before you left.” Fluttershy took out Sunset’s letter and a piece of paper from her sketchbook that she held in her left arm. “I wanted to give these to you. I saw that you were looking at one of my drawings last Tuesday.”

Twilight Sparkle took the papers from Fluttershy. When she looked at them, she saw that one of them was a picture of her and Sunset. However, the drawing wasn’t a typical portrait. Instead, it was of her and Sunset… as ponies sitting together under a tree. The sun was setting behind them, giving it an ethereal feeling, which Twilight liked. Even their muzzles were touching slightly as if in a friendly, welcoming gesture. It was cute in an adorable way. However, seeing that, it reminded Twilight that she had feelings for the redhead who had lied to her. And that only made her mind, which was already swarming with thoughts, swim even more.

It wasn’t that Twilight didn’t enjoy the picture – she did a lot. It had gotten very well drawn and colored. Yet, it only served to make her thoughts about Sunset Shimmer worse. And while she understood that Fluttershy wasn’t aware of that, it didn’t make it any easier to look at it. Still, Twilight decided to take the photo, finding it pretty, even with the emotional problems.

“Thanks, Fluttershy. I like it,” Twilight Sparkle said as she looked up from the drawing.

“Really? I wasn’t sure if you would like it because it is different from the one I had of just Sunset.” Fluttershy looked at her sketchbook for a moment before returning her gaze to Twilight. “I hope you don’t mind that I drew you two together…”

Twilight Sparkle gave the animal lover a warm smile. “It’s fine, Fluttershy. That’s part of why I like it.”

“Oh, and the envelope is a letter from Sunset. She wanted to give it to you yesterday, but you had left before she could,” said Fluttershy as she opened the door. “Well, I have to go now. Bye, Twilight.”

“Okay, bye, Shy.” Twilight Sparkle waved goodbye to her as she left.

Still carrying the photo and letter, Twilight walked out of the front doors of CHS. Thankfully, her wings were small enough to go through the entrance when tucked against her body. She didn’t want to imagine having them banging around and injuring herself more in the process. It was bad enough that they were a part of her. Twilight could feel when certain things or people touched them, and she was pretty sure that they would bleed if injured as well. Once she made her way down the stairs, she saw her mother pull up.

“Hey, sweetie, how was your day?” asked Mrs. Velvet as her daughter opened the car’s passenger side door.

Tossing her backpack in, Twilight Sparkle got into the car and closed the door. “It was good, mom, just like usual.”

“That’s good to hear.” Mrs. Velvet started to pull out of the school’s entrance. “Did you see your friend Sunset today?”

Twilight Sparkle, who was busy struggling to get the seatbelt around her wings, cringed as she heard the redhead’s name. She knew that her mother meant well, but it was still hard to even think about her. And that was apparent every time she looked at the drawing Fluttershy handed to her. Sighing, Twilight decided to answer her mother’s question, not wanting to be rude.

“No, I didn’t. Sunset didn’t even show up to Miss Cheerilee’s class today,” replied Twilight Sparkle as she clicked her seatbelt into place. “Though that might have been because I told her to give me my space.”

‘Why did you do that?” asked Mrs. Velvet. “Did something happen between you two?”

“Yes, and I’d rather not talk about it right now, mom,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“Okay, honey,” replied Mrs. Velvet.

*** *** ***

After that, the car ride back home was silent. Twilight didn’t feel like talking. And it seemed that her mother picked up on that as well. So, on the way back to their house, no one dared to speak. However, that was fine for Twilight. It gave her time to try and calm the storm inside her mind. She had placed the drawing that Fluttershy had given her into her backpack. Right now, Twilight didn’t want to see it. Not until she could sort out her feelings about Sunset. After a half-hour, her house came into view. And standing by the door was her father and Spike.

Once her mother had parked the car in their driveway, Twilight Sparkle got out with her backpack slung over one shoulder. “Hey, dad,” she said as she slammed the door shut.

‘Hi, sweetie. Did you have a good day?” asked Mr. Light, giving his daughter a wave as she approached him.

“Yeah, I did,” said Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight Sparkle opened the front door and walked into the house. Following behind her was her mother and father. Spike pushed his way past her and was already ahead of her, waiting on the stairs for her to go to her room. “I am going to take a shower now, okay, dad?”

“Okay. Just make sure you finish in time to have dinner,” said Mr. Light as Twilight stepped onto the first step.

“Alright, dad. I will,” shouted Twilight Sparkle as she made her way up the stairs, behind Spike as he bounded up them.

Twilight walked into her room, setting her bag down by her desk as she did so. As she sat on her bed, she noticed that Spike was seated by her room’s entrance. His tail was happily wagging behind him. Twilight figured that he wanted to see how her day went, which he always did, especially now that he could talk and comment on certain things. Patting the bed, she invited Spike to join her. Like usual, he jumped and made himself comfy by her side. He was even nuzzling her wing so she would know to wrap it around him.

“I’m glad you are home, Twilight,” said Spike as he stretched out and leaned against Twilight’s one wing.

“Yeah, I am sure you are. You just like cuddling with my wings, don’t you?” asked Twilight Sparkle, raising an eyebrow at Spike as he took his time to relax from stretching.

Stifling a yawn, Spike said, “Well, your wings are very comfy.” He let his body relax from stretching. “But I also missed you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I do, Spike,” said Twilight Sparkle as she gave him a small scratch behind his ears. “But, I am glad you enjoy cuddling by my wings.”

“Do you have to shower now? Your wings are so… comfy…” Spike licked a few of her feathers affectionately. “I don’t want you to leave…”

Twilight Sparkle shook her head, chuckling softly. It was cute that Spike found her wings comfy, probably even more so than his bed, even if he wouldn’t admit it. However, they were a hassle. The number of loose feathers she had kept finding in her bed was beginning to increase. And that was the sign that told her she needed to take a shower. Pulling her wing back from around Spike, Twilight got off her bed.

“I know you don’t want me to leave, but my wings and I need to take a shower. Otherwise, I will lose enough feathers to make a pillow.” Twilight Sparkle took off her shirt, tossing it into the hamper, causing a few more feathers to fall. She picked them up and looked at Spike. “See what I mean?”

“Okay, yeah. I do see what you mean,” said Spike, lifting one of his back legs to scratch at an itch on his shoulder.

“Well, I have to get ready to shower now. So, I will be back out in a bit.” Twilight Sparkle pulled off her skirt, putting it into the hamper basket alongside the shirt.

“Alright, I will be here,” replied Spike, pushing his body into the pillows.

Twilight walked into her bathroom, closing the door behind her. She stood by the sink counter as her eyes drifted to her arm and the bandage on it. Although it was only three days ago that it had gotten changed, it had begun to get stained with blood. However, this time, minimal amounts were speckled all over. It was clear that the lacerations were finally starting to heal. And for Twilight, that was a great sign. The less time she needed to have the bandage on, the better. It was seriously beginning to annoy her.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight peeled off the tape that was keeping the gauze on her arm. With the tape now removed, the gauze padding fell off. And what she saw underneath made her gag reflex kick in. Covering her mouth, Twilight fought the urge not to throw up at the sight. Although not as deep as they were before, the lacerations had now gotten covered in a yellowish layer of new skin. The view made her injuries look like they were oozing pus, which didn’t make it any easier not to vomit.

“Okay, Twilight. Just turn the water on and dab some soap on your skin, and that’s it,” Twilight Sparkle said to herself, attempting to get over her squeamishness.

Twilight Sparkle took a slow deep breath in and turned the water on. She squeezed the soap pump, making a small glob of it appear. With the blob of soap on her hand, she slipped her lacerations under the running water. The feeling of the cold liquid running down her cuts was weird. And with her skin being so raw and fresh, it was a foreign feeling to have water on it. Pushing forward, Twilight lathered the soap onto her arm. As the suds built up, there was a mild stinging sensation. However, she did her best to push through it and wash her lacerations. A few minutes of enduring the pain later, she washed the soapy suds off, getting relief from the pain. Twilight turned the water off and dried her arm a little bit.

With her lacerations now cleaned and dry, Twilight undid her bra clasps and set the garment on the sink counter. Slipping out of her underwear, she opened the door a crack and tossed them into the hamper as well. After that, she stepped into the shower stall, closing the glass door behind her. Twilight reached down and turned on the hot water then turned on the cold so she wouldn’t get burned. Turning around, she let the water hit her wings and back. As the liquid hit her feathers, she felt them getting heavy. It seemed that they lacked the waterproof layer most birds could add to their feathers and absorbed the water. However, Twilight didn’t care at the moment. The feeling of the warm water streaming down her bare skin felt good. She rubbed her hand down her arm, wiping off the water droplets that had formed, thinking about the drawing that Fluttershy had given her.

“Was Sunset actually a pony – a unicorn to be precise – and I never noticed until now?” asked Twilight Sparkle as she stared at the wall in front of her.

Twilight’s tail flicked, sending some water flying against the shower door. Reaching down, she wrung her tail out, despite the uselessness of the action. She sighed and turned around to let the water hit her abdomen and chest. The warmth felt good on her skin, but her mind seemed not to care. As Twilight stood there, water streaming down her stomach, her thoughts wandered back to the one day she had visited the stables to see Sunset Shimmer.

*Flashback*

The smell of horses and hay hit Twilight Sparkle as she walked towards the stable where Sunset supposedly was. Sounds of horses either nickering or snorting filled the stables. Looking around, she noticed there was a horde of riders and horses coming and going out of the stable. Twilight stepped back as someone on their horse walked past. Getting that close to an animal that was taller than her made her heart race.

As Twilight made her way down the long corridor, she noticed that some horses were still in their stalls, their riders next to them. She looked away and kept her head down. Eventually, after a few minutes, she found Sunset Shimmer in the furthest stall. The red and yellow hair made her easy to spot in the brown and white stable. Twilight walked up to the stall, keeping a few feet between herself and the door.

“H-hey, Sunset.” Twilight Sparkle waved to the redhead.

Sunset Shimmer’s hair was in a loose ponytail because it was hot that day. Her leather jacket hung on a hook inside the stall. It was the one with the orange chevron stripes on the arms. She didn’t feel like wearing her “Fall Formal” jacket, as it now had gotten dubbed. The tears and scratches would’ve caused suspicions in the stables. And Sunset didn’t feel like lying about what caused them. The ranch was the one place she could go to escape the memory of the Fall Formal. Turning around, she stopped grooming Sunblaze. When Sunset saw that it was Twilight who had spoken, she smiled warmly.

“Hey, Sparky. What do I owe this visit for?” asked Sunset shimmer as she walked over to the stall door.

Twilight Sparkle adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. “I just wanted to see you.”

Sunset pushed herself off the stall door, stunned. It had surprised her to hear that Twilight just wanted to see her. Sure, she had been helping her to adjust to CHS and getting past what had occurred at the Friendship Games. However, to see Twilight come by just to hang out was something she hadn’t expected. But, she wasn’t opposed to it. If anything, Sunset was elated to see that the bookworm was here. It finally gave her a chance to show her what she did on the weekends. She rubbed the back of her head, unsure of what to say to her. Sunset wasn’t sure if she should admit that she was happy to see her. Or if she shouldn’t say anything in case it made Twilight feel nervous.

“Oh? You just wanted to see me?” Sunset Shimmer picked up the brush and started to groom Sunblaze again.

“Yeah… I hope that is okay.” Twilight Sparkle gripped her arm as she bit her lip.

Sunset Shimmer felt Sunblaze nudge her arm as she started to move to the other side. “Come on, say something! Twilight feels like you don’t want her here.”

Stealing a glance at Twilight, Sunset Shimmer said, “What do I say? I can’t just say, ‘Twilight, I love you’.”

“I don’t know, Sunset. Just say anything,” said Sunblaze, tossing her head up a bit. “The poor girl is looking upset now.”

Sunset Shimmer looked at Twilight Sparkle, wanting to make sure she was okay. However, just as Sunblaze said, the bookworm was looking down, seemingly uneasy. That made her realize what the mare said was true. She had made her uncomfortable. Sighing, Sunset set the brush down and opened the stall door. As she stood next to Twilight, her pulse raced in tune with her heartbeat.

“It’s okay, Twilight. I am happy you came by,” said Sunset Shimmer as she lifted Twilight’s gaze to meet hers.

‘R-Really?” Twilight Sparkle stuttered, her voice suddenly becoming shakier as she stared at the redhead’s cyan eyes.

“Yes, Twi.” Sunset Shimmer smiled. “Want to meet Sunblaze?”

Twilight Sparkle gulped. Looking at the tall, massive horse standing in the stall was terrifying. The mare stood at least a foot or two above her. Her head stood a few inches above the horse’s shoulder, whereas Sunset stood a bit taller than her. And she could feel the vibrations in the ground as the horse approached them. Additionally, the mare weighed quite a bit, which only made her fear worse. Stepping closer to Sunset, Twilight gripped her arm tightly.

“Um, Sunset? I am not sure I want to meet Sunblaze,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

Sunset Shimmer looked at Sunblaze then at Twilight. “Twilight, are you scared of horses?”

Twilight Sparkle nodded.

“Why is Twilight scared of me?” asked Sunblaze as she lowered her head. “Doesn’t she know that I won’t hurt her?”

“I don’t know!” hissed Sunset Shimmer as she turned to the horse.”Why don’t you ask her that for yourself?!”

“Sheesh, you don’t have to yell at me.” Sunblaze snorted, slamming her muzzle into Sunset's arm.

“Ow!” Sunset Shimmer rubbed her arm, knowing that there would be a bruise there later. “What the hell was that for?”

“That… was for being rude to me,” replied Sunblaze.

Twilight Sparkle, who was still standing by the door, stared at the redhead. It was weird to catch a glimpse of what would typically happen when she wasn’t there. And to her, it seemed like the redhead was having a real conversation with her horse. Yet, how could that be so? She was sure that the horse couldn’t talk, not like Spike did with her. So that eliminated the possibility that equestrian magic was behind this. But what did that leave? The redhead couldn’t talk to animals, not like Fluttershy could. So, what was behind her “talking” to her horse?

“Could… Sunset be a pony? Like Princess Twilight is…?” thought Twilight Sparkle as she let her mind toss the thought around.

Sunblaze looked over at Twilight and realized that she and Sunset were getting watched. “Um, Sunset?”

“What, Sunblaze?” asked Sunset Shimmer, sounding more annoyed than she meant to. “What is it now?”

“Twilight has been watching us talk. I think she is starting to wonder what is going on,” replied Sunblaze with a soft nicker.

Sunset Shimmer’s gaze shifted from Sunblaze to the bookworm. As she met her violet eyes, she could see the suspicion. And that made her heart thunder in her chest. If she found out that Sunset was a pony – or rather, to be precise, a unicorn from the same world as Princess Twilight – it could cause her to lose Twilight’s friendship. Okay, she had handled the situation when she realized where Princess Twilight was from and what she was. However, Sunset couldn’t be sure that the bookworm would have the same reaction to her. After all, she did faint when she learned the truth about the Princess at first. And Sunset didn’t want to lose her because she was a bit… different than the other humans in this world. Especially when she cared for her in a lover kind of way, sighing, she walked towards Twilight.

“Twilight, how long have you been watching Sunblaze and me?” Sunset Shimmer leaned against the stall door.

Twilight Sparkle gulped. “Not long.”

“Just long enough to see me talking to Sunblaze?” asked Sunset Shimmer, glancing up at Sunblaze.

“Yeah… sorry.” Twilight Sparkle looked down at her shoes, not wanting to meet the redhead’s gaze.

Sunset Shimmer rested a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Do you want to know why I talk to Sunblaze like that?”

“Yes,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

Walking towards Sunblaze, Sunset Shimmer said, “It’s because it helps Sunblaze stay calm. I could see that you were nervous, and I didn’t want her to become nervous because of that.”

Twilight Sparkle looked up at Sunset, sensing something wrong in the redhead’s voice. To her, it seemed that she was lying. And what she saw didn’t look like she was comforting her horse. Instead, it appeared that Sunset was carrying on a conversation with the mare. However, Twilight pushed past her doubts about Sunset’s answer and smiled.

“Ah, okay,” said Twilight Sparkle, trying not to let Sunset know that she had doubted her.

“Would you like to take a chance and meet Sunblaze, Sparky?” asked Sunset Shimmer, holding out her hand for Twilight to take.

Twilight grabbed Sunset’s hand, ignoring the flurry of butterflies that grew in her stomach. As she got closer to the stall door, she felt the ground vibrate beneath her as Sunblaze approached her. Swallowing hard, she saw the mare lower her head, allowing Twilight to pet her muzzle. She glanced at Sunset and saw her give her an encouraging smile. Turning back to the mare, she closed her eyes and took her free hand, placing it on its muzzle. And to her surprise, the fur was soft and silky smooth. Twilight found herself getting lost in stroking the mare’s muzzle. It was just so fluffy, like petting a living, breathing stuffed animal.

“Uh, Twi?” asked Sunset Shimmer as she waved a hand in front of Twilight’s face. “Are you okay?”

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and looked at Sunset. “Yeah, I am sorry. I just got lost in petting Sunblaze. By the way, how did you get her fur so soft?”

“Oh, I just use a good shampoo and wash her regularly. It helps to have a horse who doesn’t like to get dirty all that often,” replied Sunset Shimmer. “Plus, I have had some personal experience.”

“What?” asked Twilight Sparkle, caught off guard by the last sentence. “How could you have had personal experience? I thought you didn’t have Sunblaze until about seven or eight months ago.”

Sunset Shimmer gasped and looked away. “Oh, yeah. I just meant that I um… never mind. Let’s just forget that I said that.”

Twilight Sparkle furrowed her eyebrows. Why was Sunset lying to her? Was there something she was hiding? And if so, what is it? All those questions swarmed inside of Twilight’s mind, making her grasp the stall door for balance as she got a bit dizzy. Combined with the heat of the day, she almost felt like fainting. But, the feeling of a firm hand wrapping around her waist made her look down. Twilight saw that it was Sunset’s hand that was holding her up.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Twilight? You look like you will faint soon,” said Sunset Shimmer as she stepped closer to Twilight, helping her balance herself.

The bookworm shook her head, clearing away some of the dizziness. The questions she had been thinking about receded to the back of her mind. Looking at Sunset, she remembered the real reason why she had come. Aside from wanting to see the redhead, Twilight had also wanted to talk to her about something. Or rather, ask her something. She had been curious if Sunset had ever gone through something similar to what she had gone through at the Friendship Games. And today, she finally had enough courage to ask her.

“Yeah, I am okay, Sunset,” replied Twilight Sparkle as she felt the redhead let go of her. “But, I uh, didn’t just come here to hang out with you.”

Sunset Shimmer stepped back, surprised by what Twilight said. “Oh? Then why exactly did you come here today?”

“I came here partly because I wanted to see you. However, I also came because I have a question that I've wanted to ask you for a while,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

Sunblaze nickered, getting Sunset’s attention. “Go, talk to Twilight. I will be here when you two lovebirds get back.”

Sunset Shimmer nodded and turned back to Twilight, not caring that the bookworm would've seen the suspicious nod. “Follow me, Sparky.”

Twilight Sparkle followed Sunset Shimmer as they walked down the long corridor. Stall after stall, they passed every single one until they reached the end of the hall. She looked around, noticing that no one seemed to care that she and the redhead were going to a room together. Not that she suspected anyone would notice. However, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t care. Walking through the screen door, she realized that they were in the tack room. The smell of leather and saddle cleaner hit Twilight immediately, making her cough in the process. As she looked around the rows of saddles, she felt herself getting pulled away. And within seconds, she found herself in a small room with what appeared to be a saddle rack.

“Sunset, why are we in this strange room?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she sat down on one of the hay bales that lined the right side of the room.

“So we can get some privacy. I figured you wouldn’t want anyone to hear our conversation,” replied Sunset Shimmer, sitting next to Twilight.

“Oh, okay,” said Twilight Sparkle, adjusting her glasses. “Well, my question is pretty simple. Did you go through anything similar to what happened to me at the Friendship Games?”

As Sunset heard Twilight ask that question, she froze. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as her panic began to rise. That was the only sound she could listen to as she struggled to think of an answer to Twilight’s question. She wasn’t ready to admit what happened to her at the Fall Formal. And for the last few months, Sunset had been doing pretty good at keeping it hidden from Twilight. Attempting to murder the girls – who were now also Twilight’s friends – was not something that she wanted to admit just yet. Clearing her throat, Sunset tried to ignore the growing lump.

“Uh, no, I haven’t,” lied Sunset Shimmer.

Twilight Sparkle looked at Sunset, her eyes wide. “Oh… okay. I just thought from what you said to me at the end of Friendship Games that you had been through something similar.”

Sunset Shimmer cringed as Twilight reminded her of what she said at the Friendship Games. It was true, but she didn’t expect to have Twilight asking about the Fall Formal. At least, not right away. Sunset wasn’t ready to let the bookworm in on the real truth. She worried about how she was going to react if she knew about it. So, here she was, lying to Twilight because she was too frightened to admit that she had gone through something similar. Taking a deep breath, she looked away as she spoke.

“It’s fine, Twilight.” Sunset Shimmer stood up from the hay bale she was sitting on. “So, shall I show you how I groom Sunblaze?”

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the redhead. It was shocking how quickly she changed the subject after she had asked her the question. And from what she saw, it seemed that it made Sunset very uncomfortable. Almost as if she was possibly hiding something, and she didn’t want her to get close to it. That bothered Twilight. Why would Sunset do that? Couldn’t she see that she was willing to accept whatever happened to her? As those thoughts ran across her mind, Twilight felt like asking Sunset the question was not the right choice. Shaking her head, she cleared her thoughts and decided to take Sunset’s offer, leaving the conversation that they just had behind.

“Sure,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

*End of Flashback*

Twilight blinked, realizing she had zoned out while standing in the shower. Her body had become numb to the water droplets pelting it. Thankfully, she had turned around, or her wings would have become heavier than they were earlier. She stretched them out and found that they had become stiff from getting cramped into the small shower stall. Turning off the water, Twilight opened the shower door. Her skin was hit with a cool breeze as she stepped outside. Having gotten used to being in a warm shower for a while, she immediately got chilled as her body moved. That made her shiver as she made her way over to where the towels were. Twilight grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her chest, making sure to be careful with her wings. Now that she was covered, she walked over to the mirror.

“Wow, I must’ve been in the shower for a while,” said Twilight Sparkle as she wiped some of the steam off her mirror.

As Twilight Sparkle stared at her reflection, she thought about Sunset Shimmer. The memory of the day that she had asked the redhead if she had gone through something similar played over and over in her head. However, there was one thing that stood out to her, and that was what Sunset had said. At the time, she had wholeheartedly believed it. Now, it was clear that she had gotten played by the one person she had come to lean on.

“Why did you lie to me, Sunset? Why did you have to betray me like this….?”

*** *** *** ***

Meanwhile, at the animal shelter, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were cleaning up the kennel area. All the dogs had gotten let out into the back area while they were busy tidying up. The sound of their barking and yipping filled the air. Fluttershy finished cleaning the last kennel on the right side of the room. Looking over her shoulder, she could see that Pinkie Pie was almost done with her final kennel as well.

“Thanks for helping me, Pinkie Pie. I don’t know if I could’ve cleaned these all by myself,” said Fluttershy as she tossed out her used gloves and paper towels.

Pinkie Pie smiled. “You’re welcome, Shy. I love helping you out at the animal shelter. It’s so fun to see all those cute little furballs.”

“Yes, they are quite cute. I always find myself getting distracted by it,” said Fluttershy as she walked over to the gate that separated the dogs from them.

Just as Pinkie Pie finished tossing out her used cleaning supplies, she heard the gate open. Before she could get out of the way, she immediately got swarmed by a cute, fluffy horde of puppies. She held up her arms to avoid her face getting injured by their claws. The party planner had two Pitbull puppies licking her cheek, three Chihuahuas sniffing her hands for treats, and one black labrador puppy sitting on her chest. However, no matter what she did, she couldn't do anything to keep herself from getting bombarded with puppy kisses and slobbered on. Looking around, Pinkie Pie noticed five Doberman pinscher puppies were missing.

‘Hey Fluttershy, where are the five-” Pinkie Pie didn’t get to finish her sentence as the five missing puppies ran up to her. They joined the two Pitbulls in the licking frenzy. Unable to move due to the puppy swarm, Pinkie Pie just laid on the floor.

Seeing that Pinkie Pie needed help, Fluttershy called the puppies over to her. “Charlie, Rose, Henrietta, Jimmie, Spot, Miracle, Tinkerbell, Willy, Frost, Ginger, and Mittens come here.”

One by one, the puppies came as their names got called. Each one sat down when they got the ‘sit’ command. And having gotten trained extensively by Fluttershy, they knew what to do. When each puppy sat down, Fluttershy gave them a treat. All the puppies each ate their treat immediately, except for two of them. The last two just sniffed their treats and looked at each other. And instead of eating them with the other puppies, the two took their snacks and sat together, away from the others. Fluttershy, wondering what was going on, walked over to the two puppies.

“Mittens, Miracle, is everything okay?” asked Fluttershy as she kneeled in front of them.

Miracle, still with half her treat in her mouth, answered. “Yeah, everything is fine. We just like eating together.”

“Oh, okay.” Fluttershy looked at Mittens. “Are you adjusting to being here?”

Mittens nodded, getting up and licking Fluttershy’s nose. “Yeah, thanks to you and the rest of the gang. I am so grateful that I have Miracle too.”

“I am glad to hear that,” said Fluttershy as she gave Mittens a scratch behind the ear.

In response to the scratch, Mittens let a small yip slip from her lips. It felt so good to her. And getting scratched was one of her favorite things. She leaned her head into Fluttershy’s hand as she continued to pet her. Closing her eyes. Mittens let herself fall asleep on the animal lover’s palm.

“Awww…” said Pinkie Pie as she saw Fluttershy gently rest Mittens head on the floor. “Mittens is so cute when she is sleeping.”

“Yep, but Mittens is also a bit rebellious as well,” said Fluttershy as she grabbed her phone. She opened her gallery and clicked on a video of Mittens. “Here, watch this.”

Pinkie Pie took the phone and stared at the video. In it, the little grey and white puppy was running around chasing Miracle. However, just as she rounded the corner, she saw Miracle's favorite toy and grabbed it. She ran off with it, and its owner was right on her trail. Unfortunately, Miracle lost her footing on the hardwood floor and slid all the way to where the puppy beds were. Mittens dropped the toy and ran over to her friend, allowing Miracle to recover the toy and run past Fluttershy, who was busy trying not to giggle. In the background, Pinkie Pie could hear Sunset and Twilight struggling not to laugh at the scene in front of them. Seeing that made her chuckle.

“Okay, Mittens is a rebellious little girl. But she is still a cute, fluffy rebel,” said Pinkie Pie as she handed back Fluttershy her phone.

“Yep. By the way, did you see Sunset today?” asked Fluttershy as she petted Miracle’s head. “I didn’t see her come into fourth period with me.”

“Come to think of it, no I didn’t.” Pinkie Pie got off the floor and walked over to where Fluttershy was. “Do you think Sunset is okay?”

“I don’t know. With all that has been going on with Twilight, Sunset hasn’t had an easy time. I think we should go check on her,” replied Fluttershy, grabbing the bag of treats.

Pinkie Pie grabbed a handful of treats and placed two inside each kennel on her side. The puppies, having been through the routine enough times, gravitated towards their kennels. As each one stepped inside to eat the treats, Pinkie Pie closed the door behind them. Once she had finished, she turned to help Fluttershy, who was struggling to get Miracle in her cage. The Pitbull puppy was whining, which made Mittens whimper in worry.

“It’s okay, Mittens,” said Pinkie Pie as she tried to calm the worried puppy. “Fluttershy is taking good care of Miracle.”

“Miracle, please get in your cage. I will let you and Mittens hang out later when I get back, okay?” said Fluttershy as she held onto Miracle’s hips.

“You promise?” asked Miracle, her voice sounding more like a whimper.

“Yes,” replied Fluttershy.

With that promise, Miracle finally allowed herself to get gently guided into the kennel. As she heard the door close behind her, she turned around to face Mittens. She saw her friend give her a wink. Smiling, she laid down and closed her eyes, awaiting the minute she would get to hang out with Mittens again.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie grabbed their car keys after making sure that the kennel doors had gotten secured. When they got to the front desk, Fluttershy grabbed the shelter’s keys. She walked out the front door after Pinkie Pie and locked the shelter up. After making sure that she had closed the doors, she made her way over to her van. Behind her, Fluttershy heard a car door slam shut, followed by the sound of an engine roaring to life. She got into her van and did her usual safe driving check-up to ensure everything was in good condition. Once she had finished that, she put her keys into the ignition and backed out of the parking lot. Fluttershy took a left turn, driving behind Pinkie Pie’s car to Sunset’s apartment.