Five Nights at Equestria Girls

*Present Day*

Finally, arriving at her apartment, Sunset Shimmer unlocked her door and let the girls in. Following behind Twilight Sparkle, she walked in and relocked her door behind her. Setting her keys down, she sighed, her exhaustion finally catching up to her.

"Make yourselves at home, girls," said Sunset, making her way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Twilight Sparkle made her way to the couch, her tired feet aching. Though the walk from CHS wasn't long, it didn't help her tired muscles. And because she was already sore, the trek only worsened her pain. But all thoughts about her sore feet or tired muscles vanished as she sat on the soft cushioned seats. A wave of relief washed over her, making her sigh and almost fall asleep right there. The sound of a drawer opening made Twilight Sparkle look in the direction of the noise. She found Fluttershy had grabbed a phone charger from it. With the mysterious sound solved, she rested her head on the back of the couch, her eyelids threatening to close on her.

Sunset Shimmer grabbed a glass of water just as Pinkie Pie skipped over to the kitchen. She smiled, Pinkie Pie's happy mood seemed to be infectious. It was good to see that the fight seemed not to have taken away her friend's cheerful disposition.

"Hey, Pinkie. What can I do for you?" asked Sunset as she set her glass down.

"Hey, Sunset. Got anything sweet in the kitchen?" asked Pinkie Pie, standing near the counter.

"Hmm, I have some leftover triple chocolate layered cake. That work for you?" asked Sunset, opening the small fridge and looking around.

"You have any whipped cream?" asked Pinkie Pie, leaning on the counter.

"Let me see…" Sunset Shimmer rummaged around in the fridge and found an unopened can of whipped cream she had bought a week prior.

"Yep!" shouted Sunset, turning around and showing the whipped cream to Pinkie Pie. "One can of whipped cream."

"Good. Now hand it over and that piece of cake, and we've got a deal," said Pinkie Pie as she grabbed a fork from a drawer next to her.

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes, smirking a little. It was always amazing how much sugar her pink-haired friend ate. There had been some days where she had seen her eat a dozen doughnuts, at least three cans of whipped cream, and a small cake all in one day. How her friend didn't have diabetes was a complete mystery to her. And one that the redhead knew she would never solve, even if she tried.

Pulling the saran wrap off the cake, she set it and the whipped cream down, Sunset said, "Here you go, Pinkie. Enjoy!"

"Thanks!" said Pinkie Pie as she opened the whipped cream and put a huge pile of it on top of the cake.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Rainbow Dash was sitting on the other end of the couch. Sitting back, she let her muscles relax. As she moved her feet around, she felt what were holes in her shoes. On a hunch, she took off her shoes and checked the bottoms of them.

"Dammit!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she saw the burnt soles which had been her shoes. "That's the second pair this month!"

As the polychromatic haired girl held up her sneakers, the girls saw the holes had gotten burnt into the heels of her shoes. The edges around the holes were burnt almost to a crisp and were black, contrasting against the natural white color of the rubber. There were a few chuckles. It wasn't unusual for Rainbow Dash to burn through her sneakers. Ever since she had received her geode, she would burn through shoes -literally- every month.

Applejack leaned against the back of the couch, next to Rainbow Dash. "Dash, you might wanna find a geode for your shoes. No shoes can handle your constant speedin' 'round."

"I wish! Buying shoes every month is taking a toll on my paycheck." Rainbow Dash sighed and tossed her shoes on the floor. "And I am trying to save up for a new video game console. I may or may not have busted my last one when I lost to Scootaloo."

"Doesn't surprise me. Just hope you'll remember not to hit your console the next time you go gettin' mad 'cause you lost," said Applejack, standing upright again.

Rarity walked over to the cowgirl, no longer able to ignore the torn sleeve dangling from Applejack's shoulder. As she walked over to her friend, she grabbed the shirt sleeve, examining it.

"Neither can your clothes, AJ. This is the fifth shirt you've ripped this week," said Rarity, as she tried to figure out a quick stitch to fix the sleeve. "You've got to slow down, or you'll be out of shirts by next week."

"No shirt can contain these muscles!" exclaimed Applejack proudly as she flexed her arm, showing off her toned biceps.

Rarity, admiring the cowgirl's toned physique, wrapped her hand around her friend's arm. She squeezed her bicep, smiling as she felt the strength of the muscle pushing against her gentle squeeze. Her cheeks felt unusually warm as she glanced at Applejack's green eyes. As their eyes met, she looked away, hiding a sheepish smile.

"Erm, Rare? Can you let go of my arm?" asked Applejack, her cheeks turning a bright red.

Rarity, finally pulled out of her thoughts and daydreams, let go of Applejack's arm. Her cheeks were now really hot and turning a pinkish color as she heard a few snickers coming from the group, but most of them were coming from Rainbow Dash.

"Sunset, do you still have your sewing kit?" asked Rarity, focusing back on fixing Applejack's shoulder.

"Yep. It's under my bed, on the left-hand side," replied Sunset Shimmer.

"Thank you, dear," said Rarity. Turning to Applejack, she pulled her towards the stairs. "Now, let's get this tear fixed for now."

As Applejack got pulled away, she saw Rainbow Dash waggle her eyebrows. That made the cowgirl glare angrily at her. But before she could do anything more, she felt another forceful tug on her arm. Deciding that if she couldn't talk Rarity out of fixing her shirt, she might as well go with her and let her do it. Besides, it would give them some private time, and she wouldn't mind staring at Rarity's radiance for a little while longer.

"Uh, am I missing something?" asked Sunset, walking in and sitting next to Twilight.

"Nope. Just that Applejack and Rarity were going up to your room. Maybe they'll-"

"Don't even think about sayin' that, Dash!" shouted Applejack, interrupting Rainbow Dash before she could finish her sentence.

"Or you'll what? Come down here and punch me while showing off your impressive muscles to Rarity?" asked Rainbow Dash, raising one eyebrow and looking at Applejack.

"Dash, why I-" Applejack stopped when she felt a hand resting on her leg.

"Don't, AJ. You know she was trying to push your buttons. Just ignore her and focus..." Rarity grabbed Applejack's cheek, pulling the cowgirl's eyes to meet hers. "On me."

As Applejack looked at Rarity's blue eyes, her anger slowly dissipated. As she grabbed her friend's hand, she felt her heart race at the touch. It was gentle, like a feather, and she never wanted to let go of her hand. Squeezing it, she allowed a small grateful smile show. After a few minutes, she relaxed and let her friend continue stitching up her sleeve.

"And...that solves that mystery," said Sunset Shimmer as she and Twilight Sparkle both snickered at the annoyed expression their rainbow-haired friend had.

"Whatever!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, clearly not happy. "I'm gonna grab a coke, okay?"

"Uh, sure. The cokes on the bottom shelf, in the back," replied Sunset Shimmer as Rainbow Dash got up and walked past her.

"Uh, what time is it?" Twilight Sparkle asked no one in particular.

"10:14 pm," said Fluttershy, turning her phone on to look at the time.

"Alright, we should eat and then get some sleep," said Sunset, getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

Once she was in the kitchen, she looked through her two small cabinets, which sat on either side of the sink. In the one were bowls, mugs, and assorted cooking utensils. In the other was a few boxes of pancake mix. Pancakes were Sunset's favorite breakfast food. Though she only made them on the weekends. Below the shelf of pancake mix, was two loads of bread, one looked like it was half-eaten already. The other one was untouched, a sign that it was recently purchased.

"Okay, so we have pancake mix, bread for sandwiches, or…" Sunset Shimmer opened her freezer door, seeing the freezer stocked with two stacks of frozen pizza. "Frozen Pizza. Any volunteers to cook?"

No one said anything. Exhaustion from the fight had worn all the girls out. Even Sunset Shimmer didn't fancy the idea of standing by a hot stove. She turned around, waiting for any of her friends to volunteer. As she saw the girls all look from one to another, she figured out what they wanted.

"Alright, frozen pizza, it is then," said Sunset, turning around and walking over to the oven.

"I'll help you, Sunset," said Twilight Sparkle, getting up and walking to the kitchen.

As Sunset Shimmer turned the oven on, Twilight Sparkle walked over to the freezer. As she opened it, there was a cold blast of air. She shivered for a moment before the warmth of the stove warmed her up. Upon inspection, she saw that was very little else but pizzas. It seemed to be all the freezer had, besides a few popsicles and a small container of chocolate ice cream sitting in the corner.

"Woah...that's a lot of pizza, Sunset," said Twilight in awe at the two shelves stocked from top to bottom with pizzas. She grabbed 4 of the boxes and closed the freezer door.

"Hehe, that's one of the perks of living by myself. Fewer dishes to clean," answered Sunset, grabbing two pizza pans and setting them onto the counter.

"How do you eat so much pizza and yet, still look so amazing?" asked Twilight as she opened the pizzas and removed them from their boxes.

Sunset Shimmer bit her lip and blushed at the compliment. As she looked at Twilight, their eyes met. For a moment, Sunset couldn't move or think. She just got lost in the endless sea that was Twilight's violet eyes. If it were possible, she would never look away. There was a glow, something that made her friend capture her heart and keep it. But the redhead was more than willing to let her friend have her heart, only if it meant that she could keep her close.

"Uh, Sunset? Are you alright?" asked Twilight Sparkle as she waved a hand in front of Sunset's face.

Sunset Shimmer blinked and looked away when she realized she had been staring at her friend.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I am okay, Twi," said Sunset, reassuring her friend.

Smiling, Twilight Sparkle gave her a small hug. "So, are you going to answer my earlier question?"

Sunset Shimmer gave Twilight a coy smile and winked. "That…that is just going to have to remain one of life's mysteries."

Twilight Sparkle gave her a full smile before turning her attention back to the pizzas. She unboxed the last pizza and tossed the boxes into the recycle bin near the fridge. As she walked back over to where Sunset was, she wanted to reach out and hold her hand. But she decided not to when the butterflies in her stomach became too much.

"Well, I envy you, Ms. Mystery," said Twilight, chuckling a little. "I wish I could have your appetite and still look the same."

"You look beautiful, Twi," said Sunset, unaware of what she just said. But the growing blush on Twilight cheeks made her realize, and she hurriedly turned away, opening the cabinet containing her glasses.

"D-do you mean that Sunset?" asked Twilight, trying to keep her cheeks from heating up.

After grabbing seven glasses, Sunset Shimmer set them down on the counter. She turned around and grabbed Twilight's hand as she saw her move it away.

"Yes, I do. You could eat as much pizza as you want and still look beautiful to me," said Sunset leaning closer to Twilight and squeezing her hand.

Twilight's blush grew even more. Having Sunset Shimmer so close to her and holding her hand was making her heart thunder. If she could have, she would've grabbed Sunset's shirt and pulled her into a kiss. There was a strong desire to do that. But she pushed it aside, reminding herself that Sunset Shimmer may not reciprocate her feelings. Despite enjoying the feeling of holding Sunset's hand, she pulled away.

"Th-thanks," said Twilight, looking away.

Sunset Shimmer grabbed the glasses and handed them to Twilight Sparkle. "Would you mind helping me carry these into the living room, please?"

"Sure, Sunset," said Twilight, taking some of the glasses and walking into the living room.

After a half-hour of eating pizza and making various jokes about the crazy animatronics they fought, the four pizzas were all eaten. Sunset and Twilight had decided to clean up while the rest of the girls got ready for bed. As Sunset walked into the kitchen carrying all four pizza pans, she saw that Twilight was behind her, taking four glasses in one and three in the other.

"Here, let me help you," Sunset Shimmer said, taking the three glasses from Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle adjusted the four glasses between her hands and said, "Thanks. I was getting a bit worried that I would drop them."

"You're welcome. And trust me, I have dropped a few glasses." Sunset set the glasses and pans in the sink. "That's why they are plastic."

"Wait a minute, what?! They're plastic?" asked Twilight, shocked. As she examined the glasses in her hands, she couldn't believe they were plastic. "Bu-but how…?"

"Don't know. Guess plastic is an excellent imitator of glass when done right," said Sunset as she took the four glasses from Twilight and set them in the sink, next to the other three.

"Guess so." Twilight yawned and stretched her arms. "Well, I am going to change into my pajamas."

"Okay, Sparky. Join me in the living room when you've finished. I will have some sleeping bags set up for us and the girls." Sunset said, trying to stifle her yawn.

"Okay, Sunset." Twilight Sparkle yawned again and made her way to the bathroom.

Just as Twilight closed the door, Rainbow Dash walked over to the kitchen. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and pants. On the front, her shirt had the symbol of a cloud and a tri-colored lighting bolt coming from it. Sunset wasn't sure if Rainbow Dash had just grabbed her pants randomly or if they went with the shirt. But either way, it always seemed out of place. Then again, all her pajamas were very similar, with the one difference being that she could do shorts or pants. Still leaning against the counter, she smiled at her friend.

"Hey Dash, you are probably looking for the sleeping bags, right?" asked Sunset Shimmer, raising her one eyebrow.

"Bingo! So, where are they?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Sunset Shimmer walked out of the kitchen, heading towards a large metal cabinet which stood near the bathroom door. It was a foot or so taller than the two girls. But it was large, nearly filling the space between the stairs and the bathroom door. On it was a single lock with a keyhole on the bottom. Leaning against the wall, Rainbow Dash watched as Sunset pulled a key from under a box. She raised both her eyebrows as she crossed her arms.

"Really, Sunset? Underneath a box?" Rainbow Dash's tone was almost mocking. "How predictable."

"What? It's the only place I have for it right now. Besides, I don't trust my new neighbors." retorted Sunset as she unlocked the lock.

"Okay, okay," said Rainbow Dash, holding up her hands. "Don't go getting all Demon Shimmer on me."

That earned Rainbow Dash a firm punch on her forearm from the redhead, who was now glaring at her. She flinched as her friend readied herself to make another strike.

"Ow, that hurt!" shouted Rainbow Dash, rubbing her sore arm.

"Don't bring that up when Twilight is here. I don't want her to know...yet." hissed Sunset, opening the doors to the cabinet and setting the lock on the floor.

In the cabinet were a row of sleeping bags sitting on the bottom shelf. Sunset had gathered them for some reason she couldn't remember. It might have been for a prank back when she was the bully of CHS. But she couldn't remember, nor did she care for the reason. They had a purpose now, and that was it.

"She'll eventually find out, you know that, right?" asked Rainbow Dash, pushing herself off the wall.

"Yes, Rainbow. I do know that." Sunset said, grabbing a sleeping bag and throwing it at the rainbow-haired girl. "Thanks for the reminder. I may punch you again just for that."

"Please, don't. For a pony from another dimension, you punch hard. Like, really hard. And I need this arm for baseball practice tomorrow." Rainbow Dash said as she caught her sleeping bag.

"Fine. But don't speak another word about...Demon Shimmer." Sunset Shimmer whispered the last words as she saw Applejack and Rarity coming down the stairs from her bed.

Applejack and Rarity joined Sunset Shimmer by the cabinet. The redhead looked down and noticed that the cowgirl was holding the fashionista's hand. A smile made its way to her face as she saw that. She was happy that Applejack and Rarity had each other. As her thoughts drifted from her friends to Twilight, she sighed. She only wished that she could do the same with her crush. But until she could admit her past, she knew it was never going to happen. Realizing that she was getting lost in thought, she shook her head, clearing her mind. Looking at the cabinet, she proceeded to get two more sleeping bags. Grabbing them, she walked over to friends.

"Here's your sleeping bags, girls," said Sunset as the two girls grabbed their bags from her.

"Thanks again, Sunset. We appreciate you letting us all sleep here tonight," said Rarity, giving Sunset a one-armed hug.

Sunset hugged Rarity back, saying, "You're welcome, Rare. It's the least I can do for you girls."

As Rarity pulled her arm away, she felt something ...bumpy. It felt like a scar of some sort. But why? Sunset didn't have any wounds like hers, not that she knew of anyway. She saw Sunset flinch a little, confirming her suspicion that she had you touched something, something that was very sensitive.

"Are you okay, Sunset?" Applejack asked, seeing Sunset flinch as well.

Sunset Shimmer stepped back and looked away. "Uh, yeah. Just sore from being slammed against a brick wall. It turns out they are pretty solid." Sunset lied, not wanting her friends -especially Twilight- to find out about her scars.

"Well...okay, dear. But if you need anything, just come to us," said Rarity, giving Sunset a sympathetic smile.

"I know, and I will if I need to," said Sunset, trying to change the subject. "Go ahead and find your spots to lay down. I will give Fluttershy and Pinkie their sleeping bags."

"Okay," said Applejack before she and Rarity walked over to the couch.

Sunset Shimmer saw Rainbow Dash walk up to where her bed sat. She figured that her friend needed to be in a less crowded area. And maybe...she wanted to give Applejack and Rarity their privacy. Sighing, she focused on grabbing two more sleeping bags from the cabinet. She walked over to where Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were. As she approached the couch, she found that Pinkie Pie was sleeping on the animal lover's lap.

"Shhh. Pinkie Pie's sleeping," whispered Fluttershy, holding a finger to her lips.

"Okay. Well, whenever you are ready, here's your sleeping bags. Sorry if they are kind of dusty. I haven't used them in a while." Sunset said, setting them down on the floor next to Fluttershy.

"It's fine, Sunset. It's more than enough that you shared your apartment with us, even though it's barely big enough for you," Fluttershy gave Sunset a small smile.

"I'm just happy to have you girls here. I love our sleepovers. Especially when Pinkie Pie plans them." Sunset chuckled. "She does go all out, doesn't she?"

"Yep. Pinkie Pie loves planning a variety of parties. But especially our sleepovers." replied Fluttershy, gently rubbing Pinkie's shoulder as she talked.

"Hey, have you seen Twilight?" asked Sunset, looking around the room. "I haven't seen her since she left to go to the bathroom."

"No, I haven't either. Twilight might still be in the bathroom," said Fluttershy, looking at the bathroom. "The light is still on."

That made Sunset Shimmer look behind her. As she looked at the bathroom door, she could see the light was on. But there seemed to be no one moving around. It was silent, making her worry that something had happened to Twilight.

Turning back to Fluttershy, she said, "I am going to check in on Twilight. Do you need anything else?"

"No. Go, make sure Twilight is alright," replied Fluttershy.

With that, Sunset Shimmer made her way to the bathroom door. As she got closer, she heard a faint sound. Stepping up to the door, Sunset tried to make out what the noise. After a few seconds, she realized it was someone crying. Leaning back from the door, she wondered what was bothering Twilight. She decided to make sure she was okay.

Knocking three times with the back of her hand, she said, "Sparky…? Are you okay?"

Twilight Sparkle, who was sitting on top of the toilet with her knees pulled to her chest, looked up at the door. Still crying, unshed tears blurred her vision. But as she blinked, her vision cleared up, and the tears fell down her face. She wiped the fallen tears off her cheeks. As she went to get up, she saw the mirror. She had her shirt off, leaving only her bra to cover her chest. But that did very little to hide the ugly scars which covered her shoulder blades. Taking a deep breath, she slowly got up from her sitting position, making sure to ignore her reflection in the mirror. As she gripped the doorknob, she heard Sunset step away from the door. She opened the door a crack and looked at Sunset.

"Y-yes, I am okay," said Twilight, hoping Sunset would see she wasn't okay without letting the other girls know.

Sunset Shimmer looked at her friend. She could see tears were dripping off her chin and jaw. It was clear she had just stopped crying moments ago. Twilight's eyes were also red and little puffy as if she had been crying for the last 20 minutes or so. By the sound of her voice, she could tell that she had been stifling her sobs, which made her voice sound weaker than usual.

"You don't sound okay, Twi," said Sunset, resting her hand on the door. "Can I come in?"

Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle opened the door, eyeing the others to make sure they weren't watching them. Stepping aside, she let Sunset Shimmer come in. Once the redhead was in the room, she closed the door quietly, not wanting to alert their friends to what was going on. After closing the door, she stood in front of the mirror, not wanting to see her teary-eyed reflection.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" asked Sunset, wiping a tear off Twilight's cheek. "You can tell me."

Twilight Sparkle lifted an arm, placing it on her shoulder. Her fingers barely touched the edges of the left scar. But what she could feel made her want to pull away. It was hard to see the injury, but feeling it was another experience. One she didn't need nor want. Standing in the silence, she looked down, unable to say anything.

As Sunset Shimmer saw Twilight Sparkle touch her shoulder, she looked in the mirror. Where her friend's fingers rested was one of two scars caused by becoming Midnight Sparkle. She had never seen them so close before. The most she had seen was glimpses as Twilight was careful to keep them hidden. But now, they were almost visible, with Twilight's bra straps hiding only small sections.

"It's…" Twilight began, but her voice cracked, and she struggled to continue.

"It's about your scars, isn't Twi?" asked Sunset, pulling Twilight's chin up, so their eyes met.

"Yes." The weak response was all Twilight could manage as she stared into Sunset's cyan eyes. They seemed almost to swallow her the longer she looked into them.

"Want to talk about it?" asked Sunset Shimmer, letting her hand fall away from Twilight's chin. Instead, she rested just above the right scar, hoping it would relax her friend.

"N-not really," said Twilight, trying not to flinch as she felt the tips of Sunset's fingers rest just above the scar.

As Sunset moved her hand, she felt Twilight flinch. She pulled away, worried that she had done something wrong. As she looked at Twilight, she realized that she had scared her by almost touching her scars. When she saw that, she remembered her wounds. And all the times, she flinched when Applejack or any of the girls hugged her or touched her shoulders in any way.

"Okay, Twilight. I won't push," said Sunset, leaning against the wall. "Should I wait out-"

"No!" shouted Twilight, cutting Sunset off. "I mean, I would like to talk about it, but I am scared. I still remember what happened at camp…"

"I know. It's been hard on you. I can see that. But..." Sunset stepped closer to Twilight, grabbing her hand. "You can trust me, Sparky."

"Sunset…?" asked Twilight, her voice cracking as she fought past her nervousness.

"What is it, Twilight?" Sunset said, looking into her friend's eyes, seeing that she was nervous...and vulnerable.

"Do you hate my scars? Or…" Twilight wasn't sure if she could finish her question. She didn't know if she could handle the answer if it were no. But she had to ask; she needed to know.

Sunset Shimmer didn't say anything. Instead, she slowly removed her hand from Twilight's, moving it up her arm. Letting her fingers trace every line of the girl's arm, she made sure to memorize them. Her fingers delicately made their way closer to her shoulder, slowing down the closer she got. As she got to her shoulder, she stopped for a moment. She waited to see if her friend was okay and willing to let her touch the scar.

As if Twilight Sparkle knew what she was asking for, she got a small nod of approval. Keeping a gentle touch, Sunset let her fingers touch the edge of the scars, not wanting to startle her friend. Still moving, she rested her hand over the surface of the injury. She could feel the bumpy skin underneath her fingers. It was still soft to the touch, almost as if a wing had never sprouted from it. Resting her hand down on the scar, she squeezed Twilight's shoulder.

"Sparky…"

"You hate them, don't you?" asked Twilight, not giving Sunset Shimmer a chance to finish.

"Twilight, look at the mirror, at me," said Sunset as she leaned closer to her friend.

Twilight took a deep breath and did as Sunset asked. As she looked at the mirror, she saw that Sunset's hand was still over her right scar. As she looked at the redhead, she noticed that she had a smile on her face.

"I don't hate your scars, Twilight." Sunset Shimmer gave Twilight's shoulder a firm squeeze. "I love them and...you."

"R-really?" asked Twilight Sparkle, shocked by Sunset's words.

"Yes, Twi. I meant what I said," replied Sunset, letting her hand fall from Twilight's shoulder as she walked around to face her directly. "They make you beautiful...to me."

There it was again — that nagging desire to pull Sunset into a kiss. The redhead was making it near impossible not to do that when she was standing so close. As she stared into Sunset's eyes, she felt herself wanting to be closer to her. Her mind wanted her to kiss the beautiful redhead. But her conscience told her not to as it was too risky. She looked away, afraid that she would give in to that desire and ruin the moment they were having.

"Th-thanks, Sunset," stammered Twilight, becoming flustered.

"You're welcome." Sunset Shimmer stepped back, hiding her flushed cheeks. "Should I let you finish getting ready for bed now that you're doing better?"

"Yeah," said Twilight, stifling a yawn.

"Okay. I will have a sleeping bag for you when you finish here," Sunset said as she opened the door. "I'm thrilled you're here."

"Me too," said Twilight Sparkle as Sunset Shimmer closed the door.

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

Three hours later, Twilight Sparkle was lying in her sleeping bag, her hands gripping the top of it tightly. Even though it wasn't cold, there was a chill in the air that made Twilight's skin form goosebumps as it touched her hands. As she shivered, she heard someone sigh softly, as if they were too afraid to wake her up. That made Twilight sit up from her position on the floor. She grabbed her glasses, which were sitting on the dresser. Now able to see, she saw it was Sunset who had sighed.

"Sunset...? What time is it?" asked Twilight, making sure to keep her voice low. She didn't want to disturb the other girls.

Sunset Shimmer blinked out of her daze, not expecting to hear a voice calling her name. She looked over to her left and saw that Twilight was looking at her, perched on her elbow.

Sunset gave her an apologetic smile as she said, "Sorry. Did I wake you, Twi?"

"No, you didn't. The usual me being cold did," said Twilight, moving from her elbow to sitting up. "Are you okay, Sunset?"

"It's nothing that you need to worry about," Sunset answered, giving Twilight a small but tired smile. "Go back to sleep, Twi."

Twilight Sparkle, not known for giving in, got up and laid in front of Sunset Shimmer. She reached a hand towards the redhead, letting her fingers rest on her forearm. Gently, she squeezed the girl's arm in a comforting manner.

"Sunset, please tell me what's going on." insisted Twilight, looking at the redhead's cyan eyes, hoping she could see she was genuinely worried for her and wanted to help.

Sunset Shimmer looked away, hiding her eyes from Twilight. She could see the worry, which darkened her eyes and diminished the violet color in them. She stared down at her hands, wondering if she should tell Twilight.

Seeing Sunset look away, Twilight's hand moved down to where Sunset's hands were. As she got closer to one of them, she intertwined her fingers with Sunset's, pulling herself closer in the process. As she rested her arm on Sunset, she used her other one to pull the redhead's eyes to her. She could see that Sunset was resistant to speak, something she had experience with. But she hoped that she could make Sunset know that she didn't have to hide anything from her.

"Please, talk to me…" whispered Twilight, her voice soft and calming.

Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, ignoring the part of her that didn't like being vulnerable. That was something she had always struggled with, even with the rest of the girls. The only person -well not person per se, more like somepony- she had confided in, was Princess Twilight. She was the only one that Sunset could talk to for the longest time. But here, in front of her, was her human counterpart. She was just as smart, if not more intelligent than the princess, yet she was so much quieter than her. That was one of the many things she had come to admire about Twilight. For all the smarts she had, the purple-haired girl seemed to be clueless about a lot of things, especially her feelings for her. Deciding that it was okay to let Twilight in, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"It's my fault," said Sunset Shimmer after a few moments of silence.

"What is your fault?" Twilight Sparkle asked, a look of confusion on her face. But no sooner had she asked that did she realized what Sunset meant. "Oh...right."

"Those robots are only here because of loose equestrian magic. Equestrian magic, which I brought here. And somehow...that magic got to my game and made all of...this happen." said Sunset, looking at Twilight.

Propping herself onto her elbow, she continued. "I mean, why me? I know I didn't choose this. All I did was get mad at a game. But I didn't want rogue magic to do something to it and make the characters come to life. Even if that magic was brought here...by me…"

Twilight Sparkle squeezed Sunset's hand, hoping to comfort her. Her other hand had begun to rub Sunset's one shoulder, almost instinctively. It was like some part of her wanted to comfort Sunset, as the redhead had done for her. As she continued to rub Sunset's shoulder, she saw her friend smile contently as she seemed to be enjoying the touch.

"The magic may have hit your game, but it wasn't your fault. Based on what I learned from the Friendship Games and what happened at Camp Everfree, the magic isn't completely controllable." Twilight stopped rubbing Sunset's shoulder. "You can't take responsibility for what the magic does on its own."

Grabbing a fistful of her hair, Sunset said, "But Twilight, I brought the magic here. I did that without even thinking about-"

"No, Sunset. You can't blame yourself. The magic chose to do this, not you." said Twilight, stopping Sunset from speaking.

"But all I seem to do is attract haywire magic. The Friendship Games, Camp Everfree, and the Battle of the Bands are good examples." Sunset's voice was weaker than before, almost as if she was struggling to speak.

"Hey, none of those were your fault. Especially the Battle of the Bands. You can't choose who does what with the magic. You also can't control what the magic chooses to do, even if you brought it here." Twilight felt her voice quivering as she spoke. "Please, don't blame yourself…"

"But none of this would have happened if I hadn't brought magic here." Sunset's voice cracked as she struggled to keep it from breaking down. "This...this is all my fault. Worst of all, I have no idea how to fix this…"

Twilight Sparkle couldn't stand to see her friend like this. Pulling her hand free from Sunset's, she adjusted her position so she could sit in front of her. Gently, she slipped her arms around Sunset, pulling her into a hug. As she slipped her arms around Sunset's waist, she hugged her tightly.

Sunset Shimmer, taken aback by Twilight unexpectedly hugging her, just sat still for a moment. But as she felt Twilight hug her tightly, she let herself relax and hug her friend back. Her head rested in the crook of Twilight's neck, the scent of lavender wafting up towards her. Lifting her hand, she gripped the hem of Twilight's shirt and pulled her closer to her.

"Thank you, Twi…" whispered Sunset Shimmer as she rested her head on Twilight's shoulder.

"We'll figure this out, Sunset." Twilight's voice was soft but firm. "We all always do. You have me...and the girls. Together, we'll fix this."

Sunset Shimmer took a shuddering breath, trying to keep herself from crying. She felt better knowing that Twilight was there for her. Feeling Twilight's arm around her waist, she felt safe. She felt secure. That was a feeling that Sunset wanted to keep. As she sat there in Twilight's arms, her breathing slowed down.

"Sunset…" Twilight Sparkle pulled back from Sunset, looking directly into her eyes as she spoke. "I know that you can't help but feel that you're responsible. Which...only shows that you have a beautiful heart. And that is something I admire about you."

As Sunset looked at Twilight, a smile made its way onto her face as she heard her friend's words. To learn that Twilight thought she had a beautiful heart, it made her blush.

"I think you have a beautiful heart too, Twilight," Sunset said, her smile widening.

"You know, Sunset, I don't know where...or who I would be if I hadn't met you and the girls. But especially...you. I have never met someone...so amazing." Twilight couldn't help but share her feelings when it came to Sunset. Something about the redhead made her fearless. But...only when she was around her.

"Thanks, Twi," said Sunset, leaning closer to Twilight.

As Sunset Shimmer leaned closer, Twilight felt herself doing the same. Staring into Sunset's eyes, she felt that desire to kiss her again. It made her heart thunder in her chest and her pulse race. The thought of kissing the redhead, of pulling her into a passionate kiss, made her body tremble slightly from the rush of pure excitement and adrenaline as it washed over her. Her eyes drifted to her friend's lips as she slowly leaned in.

Sunset Shimmer saw that Twilight Sparkle was leaning towards her. She realized what was possibly going to happen. That made her want to continue to let the kiss happen. But the sound of Rainbow Dash shifting in her sleep stopped Sunset. Turning to look at her friend, she could see that she was starting to stir. Deciding it was best not to let the kiss happen, she tilted her head to the side and gave Twilight a small peck on the cheek.

"Maybe next time Sparky…" thought Sunset as she sat back and laid down.

As she saw Twilight blush, she said, "We should get some sleep. We still have school tomorrow. And the job of dealing with those animatronics."

Twilight Sparkle started to remove her arm from around Sunset's waist when a hand stopped her. Looking down, she saw that it was Sunset who had stopped her. She felt the redhead squeeze her hand gently.

"Stay...please." Sunset's voice was soft and warm. "I know you're cold. I could keep you warm, I mean if you want me to that is."

Twilight Sparkle smiled and laid down next to Sunset. Her head sat just below the redhead's, allowing her to rest on her shoulder. As she laid next to Sunset, she felt an arm wrap around her, pulling her closer to the redhead. For a moment, a content smile appeared on Twilight's, showing that she was enjoying the feeling of her friend -and crush's- embrace around her.

As her eyes began to close slowly, she whispered, "Thank you…"

Sunset Shimmer smiled at the sight of her sleeping friend, enjoying the moment. She had never slept so well since her first sleepover at Pinkie Pie's house. As she felt her own eyes close, she rested her head near Twilight's, a peacefulness washing over her.

"You're welcome, Sparky…"

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

"No, no, no!" shouted Springtrap.

He was hiding beneath the gym's window, in a bush, concealing himself. He got a good view of the fight that went down, including when then four animatronics lost to the girls. He didn't know what was worse to watch, Freddy misstepping and falling after stupidly tripping over a basketball. Or the two idiots that stood still holding a bag of sugar that exploded on them. Either way, they didn't do what he wanted. And that had fucked up his original plan.

"Those children are fucking useless, just useless." hissed Springtrap, his hands balling into fists.

Getting up from the bush, he walked away from the window. He wasn't going to stick around and watch the aftermath of his failed plan. The girls could do what they will with the kids for now. Maybe they could even be useful to him getting his revenge on the kids, and getting rid of them once and for all. But that would have to wait to be seen. Still furious, he kicked a rock. It bounced off a tree and hit him in the face.

"Ow, mother-" He took a deep breath. "Okay, so no more kicking random shit. Got it."

He made his way back to the abandoned electrical building. Luckily, it wasn't too far of a walk. Though, the more movement he made, the better his joints seemed to be. So maybe it was a good thing. Walking in, he stood by one of the old desks, leaning on it.

"I can't fucking believe the shit I just saw. I thought four animatronic kids could beat seven puny school girls," thought Springtrap. "Guess that was wrong…"

Walking over to the control panel, he slammed his fists against it. The metal groaned and creaked under the impact. Lifting his fists from the metal, he saw the ident caused by his hit. The edges of the top panels moved upward as the middle was bent and warped, like wrinkled paper. Standing back, he felt his foot hit something. He spun around to see his prisoner was still there. Starting at the Marionette, he saw it lift its head.

"Well, well ...look who has decided to wake up." Springtrap approached the Marionette, kneeling in front of it. "Hmm, that is interesting."

The Marionette tilted its head at Springtrap. This animatronic was not one it had ever seen before. It seemed to be old and broken, not like the ones it had become accustomed to seeing. It looked nothing like toy Bonnie or any of the toy animatronics for that matter. So, who was this weird animatronic that it didn't recognize? It didn't know, but it hoped to find out soon.

"Who...are...you…?" asked the Marionette.

The Marionette's voice was staticky, like a broken radio or television. But it was also very robotic, sounding like it was trying to speak for the first time. The sound of it was very annoying on its own. Yet, as is if karma wanted to have some fun, the concrete building amplified it an even more annoying frequency.

"God, you sound so annoying. Maybe I should put you back to sleep," said Springtrap, covering his ears as he heard the sound.

That made the Marionette tilt its head, confused by what Springtrap said.

"What...do...you...mean?" asked the Marionette.

"What I mean," Springtrap gripped the Marionette's throat, lifting it off the ground, "is that your voice is annoying. And I don't think you should speak."

"What...do...you...mean?" asked the Marionette, repeating its earlier question.

"Great, you're broken," said Springtrap, dropping the Marionette.

Tired of its voice, he kicked its head into the wall. The collision caused the concrete to crack, sending bits and pieces down on it. Surprisingly though, the impact didn't make it shut down. Instead, it lifted its head and tried to stand again. But Springtrap wasn't having any of it. After having a brief, very irritating conversation with it, he wanted his silence back. Using his fist, he looked back into the wall. He repeatedly punched the animatronic until sparks started to fly out from its mask.

"This time, stay...the...fuck...down." Springtrap stopped punching the Marionette and walked back to the control panel. "Or I do something with your circuits that you won't like."

"Well, plan A didn't work," thought Springtrap. "I hope plan B works. Or this will get to plan F, and then it will stand for 'Fuck Me.'"

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

Freddy banged on the gym doors. But the metal doors held their own against his impacts. Surprisingly, the gym ropes also held firm, not giving way to his attempts either. Growing in frustration, he gave up. His efforts to batter the doors down were not working, even with his improved power. He stomped his way back to bleachers, making the floor crack and splinter under each step.

"Goddamn, those blasted girls! I knew they were working for the night guard," whispered Freddy, looking at the floor as he sat down.

While Freddy pondered on how they could escape, Foxy was getting ready to charge at the two doors. He wondered if combined with his speed, could his strength break down one of the doors. At the moment, it was just a theory. One that he hoped would work. Just as he knelt into the runner's position, Chica walked up.

"What the hell are you up to, Foxy? Doing more laps again?" asked Chica.

Foxy rolled his robotic eyes at her dumb question. They made a clicking noise as they moved around. His annoyance at the questioning was clear. Sure, his friend had asked many stupid questions before; it was her thing after all. But this had to be the dumbest one she'd ever asked.

"Dumbass chicken! That rainbow-haired girl was right – you're just a KFC wannabe." thought Foxy, thinking to himself.

Signing, he decided to finally answer Chica's question, despite the already clear answer being in front of her.

"No, you dumbass. I am going to see if I can break one of the doors with both my speed and strength," replied Foxy.

"But didn't Freddy already try that?" asked Chica, tilting her head.

"Ugh, yes! But I am still going to try, Chica." groaned Foxy, growing infuriated by the questions.

Without waiting for Chica to ask another question, he ran towards the doors. The slipperiness of the gym floor gave him less traction, allowing him to gain more speed. He held out his hook, lowering his head as well. Preparing for impact, he pulled his other arm to his side, going for a shoulder impact. He felt his head hit one of the doors, followed by the metal creaking as it bent.

Bonnie and Chica walked over to their friend, a mischievous look in their eyes.

"What?" asked Foxy, confused by their presence next to him.

As he stood up, he felt a tug on his one arm. Looking down, to his utter surprise, he saw that his hook had become embedded inside the metal of one of the doors. He yanked on his hook, attempting to free from its metal entrapment. But it was unsuccessful, making both Bonnie and Chica burst out in laughter, which echoed loudly in the gym. Turning, he glared at them, clearly angered by their laughing at his ridiculous situation.

"This is not funny, you two imbeciles! Help me get my hook unstuck," shouted Foxy, still trying to free his hook.

Freddy, tired of hearing the others argue, stood up and freed Foxy's hook from the door himself. That caused the red fox to fall back, not ready for the release of his metal hook. That only elicited more laughs from Chica and Bonnie. That time, both Foxy and Freddy glared at them. They stopped after that. Looking at the dent Foxy's collision made, a thought popped into his mechanical head.

"Hmm, the one door barely stood against Foxy's blow. Maybe…"

Turning to the others, he said, "Gang, get over here!"

All the others walked over to where Freddy was, circling him and the doors.

"We need to break down the doors. If Foxy's speed and strength combined could dent it, it shouldn't be able to stand against all of us," said Freddy.

As Freddy glanced at Bonnie, he caught a glimpse of something in the darkest corner of the gym. From what he could manage to see, it seemed to be a...golden version of himself. That was odd, especially as he had never seen that before. Why was it there? Was it there? He blinked, wanting to know if it would still be visible when he opened his eyes. But as he blinked, the golden version of him had disappeared.

Shaking his head, he thought to himself, "Must've been a hallucination…"

Turning his attention back to his friends, Freddy instructed Bonnie and Chica to lean against the door. As they leaned against it, the metal doors groaned, shifting slightly underneath them. Meanwhile, Freddy and Foxy gave themselves a running head start. At the same time, they ran, slamming their bodies on top of Bonnie and Chica's. Now with all their combined weight resting on the doors, it started to give way. The ropes which kept the doors closed begun to break apart as well, finally breaking with a loud snap. Seconds later, all the animatronics were on the ground, laying atop the doors.

"Get. Off. Me!" shouted Foxy, groaning under the weight of Bonnie.

Bonnie got off of Foxy, not wanting to be on him. Now able to stand on his own, he helped him up as well. Once Foxy was on his own feet, he glanced at Freddy, wondering what he had planned next. They hadn't caught the night guard. They were leaning towards seven girls that had managed to trap them in the gym. Thankfully, that part didn't succeed. Yet, that still meant the night guard got away. So, what exactly would be their next move?

Freddy, who was busy pacing back and forth, hadn't noticed that Bonnie was watching him. He was trying to figure out where the night guard could've gone. Something about them made him feel that they knew where the person who attempted to dismantle them was. But he wasn't sure, leaving him with the only option to track down the night guard. Making his choice, he turned to his friends.

"Gang, we're going to split up," announced Freddy.

"Wait a minute, what?" Foxy approached Freddy, raising his hook. "What do you mean split up? Freddy, we have no idea where we are or where the night guard could have gone."

Freddy looked at Foxy, raising one of his eyebrows. "And...you have a better plan, do you?"

That caught Foxy off guard, making him stumble over his own words. "Well, I-I uh...no, I don't," replied Foxy, looking down.

"Well then, we'll split up as I said. Chica, I want you to head west," said Freddy, pointing past the soccer field. He then turned to Bonnie, saying, "And you'll head east."

With their instructions, and their eyes glowing red, Bonnie and Chica headed in their respective directions. As Bonnie made his way further into the woods surrounding the school, he had a gut feeling that told him to look back. When he did, he spotted something, a golden something, hiding partially behind a tree. But as soon as Bonnie blinked, it disappeared. Deciding it was nothing but a trick of the mind, he continued.

Meanwhile, Freddy turned to Foxy. "I need you to head north while I head south, okay?"

"Okay," said Foxy.

With that, Freddy and Foxy walked in opposite directions of each other, heading away from one another. Freddy had managed to find some footprints left by the officer as he ran away. But they stopped after a few feet once they reached the leafy forest floor of the Everfree Forest. That was less than ideal. Yet, it was all he had to go on at the moment.

Freddy sighed. "Well, it looks like the damn idiot ran into the forest. I seriously hope that he hasn't landed himself dead or climbed into a tree. That would be hell," thought Freddy as he stepped foot onto the forest floor, his eyes glowing a bright red.