The Everton AU.by ssunsxtChaptersFinally home.Margins.The Sun, Moon & their Stars.Who drinks coffee in the forest?Written in the stars.Perfect Chemistry.CulaccinoChanging tides.Seven Minutes in Heaven.Hangover cure.Partners in crime (and sashes!)Finally home.ACT I the fall — ☼ — The morning of Moondancer and Sunset’s high school graduation was one of tight embraces, giddy laughter and warm words that dripped with pride. Or, at least, that was the case for one half of the dynamic pair. While Moondancer excitedly rushed into the backseat of her parent’s jeep, Sunset gave herself one more look over in the mirror. She leaned over the— now cleaned— sink and turned her head from side to side. Tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Untucked it. Combed the top down some more, and, once she was finally pleased with her handiwork, she gave herself a beaming grin, shot herself a pair of finger guns, and hurried back to her bedroom. It was a day of reflection; after this she would be moving to live at the University of her dreams— The University of Everton— with Moondancer as her room mate. Tucking her graduation cap into her backpack, she slung the straps over her navy-hued robes and began making her way downstairs to the front desk, where she was met with a collection of white balloons and a large banner with the word “Congratulations!” emblazoned across it in golden letters. Sunset hadn’t ever been particularly close with any of the support workers at Applewood Gardens Children’s Home— or any of the other kids, for that matter— but she had to admit she would miss the kind faces, the warm toast, and the cups of coffee that she would smuggle from the kitchen, with the help of the eldest carer in the sizely home. Things weren’t so bad, really; especially when she had a best friend who was as understanding and considerate as Moondancer was. They were like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde— as the older girl would put it, before Sunset would roll her eyes and swat her on the arm. As she hopped onto the last bus she would ever take to Applewood Senior High she recounted the warm summer days that had left her parched, and the sweet, sweet, lemonade that Moondancer’s mother would make for them— before Moondancer’s father would interrupt their peaceful afternoon, of course, with a Super Soaker, and leave the three women drenched from head to toe. Times had long since changed from when she would sheepishly hide behind Moondancer whenever she would visit the other girl’s home, refusing any kind of assistance from her parents, no matter how desperately she may have needed it. One of her fondest memories was their homecoming dance of junior year. Sunset had been stood up by her date, and instead of spending the night crying off the make up Moondancer had helped her apply, Moondancer’s parents had taken them out on a drive around town. The four of them had ended up in an old-style milkshake bar, appropriately fitted with a retro jukebox player, and she couldn’t stop the grin that took hold of her features whenever she thought about how Moondancer’s father had— very dramatically— asked her for a dance. She may not have had parents of her own, but she did have a family, and that fact alone warmed her heart. Once the bus had pulled up and she had hopped off, she decided to have one last adventure down the now-empty halls of Applewood Senior High, and stopped to rest her palm against her old locker. It had been home to so many science fair projects over the years. Homework; trash; Moondancer on the odd occasion. The old school smelled of nostalgia and time, and Sunset would’ve given anything to hold onto this moment for as long as she could. But, she had somewhere else to be. Moondancer had sent her a text to let her know that she and her parents would be waiting at the back entrance of the school for her, before they would all head over to the football fields for graduation. Her footsteps echoed down the hallways and she couldn’t hide the skip in her step. This was the beginning of the rest of her life, and she was doing it with her best friend at her side. It didn’t take long for her to spot the familiar black car and the bright-haired bookworm dressed in similar attire to her own. Sunset hurried over, ducking through the crowds of other graduating students and their proud parents. She clasped her hands over Moondancer’s shoulders and leapt onto her back, causing the other girl to stumble forward slightly in surprise. “Sunset— God you scared m— oh my god!?” After Moondancer had whipped around, it took her a moment to process the sight before her. She clasped her hands over her mouth, drawing the attention of the two adults who were busy getting their banners and camera from the trunk of the jeep. “What did you do to your hair!?” A pink blush dusted itself across Sunset’s freckled cheeks and she gave a timid smile, “I cut it. Last night.” Sunset shrugged and twirled a short lock of red that came just shy of her shoulders, around her index finger. “Does it look bad?” “Oh my! Sunset, honey, you look gorgeous!” Chirped Moondancer’s mother as she made her way over to hug the red-head, “you did this yourself? My, I should let you do mine!” The shorter girl chuckled as she returned the hug and shrugged once she had pulled away. “I was just looking for a change, you know? What better time than graduation, right?” “Absolutely right, firecracker!” Moondancers father gave a hearty laugh of his own as he ruffled Sunset’s hair. She swatted his hand away playfully and did her best to fix the messed strands back into place. Moondancer opened her friend’s backpack and pulled out her graduation cap. “Really, Shim? My Chemical Romance? God you’re such an emo.” “Ugh,” Sunset rolled her eyes and took the cap from her, “coming from the girl who put Hatsune Miku on hers? Please. I have to laugh.” “Whatever. You’re just jealous, clearly.” Moondancer’s father had set up a tripod on the grassy area beside the parking lot and led the two girls, as well as his wife, over for a picture. “Family photograph, everyone!” Sunset flashed a smile and moved back to stan behind the camera, readying her hands to snap the shot. “Uhm, Sunnybun? Why aren’t you getting in the picture?” “Wh- huh?” She stuttered, “I just thought-” The man shook his head and led her once again in front of the camera, to stand beside Moondancer. “But- I mean, it’s graduation. It’s a big deal and- y’know. It’s okay, really.” Moondancer’s parents looked between themselves for a moment before setting their gaze upon the red-haired teen who was sheepishly wringing her hands. “We were going to wait until after the ceremony, but…” Sunset glanced towards her best friend who looked equally as elated as her parents before her eyes returned to the older woman who was digging through her handbag. She pulled out a brown, weighty envelope and handed it to Sunset, who paused for a moment, looking over the three of them, before finally opening it up and pulling out the documents inside. No way. “We know it’s been a long time coming…” Moondancer’s mother began. No way. “But the process was so long.” Moondancer’s father continued, looping an arm around his wife’s waist and pulling her closer, “you have no idea how many nights we stayed awake thinking over if this was really the best thing for you.” “No way… A-are these?... Are you- are you serious?” Sunset looked up from the adoption certificate in complete disbelief, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at the family before her. Her family. “Welcome home, sis.” Moondancer wiped at her own eyes before wrapping her best friend in a tight hug. Sunset’s shoulders shook with each ragged breath she took and she buried her face into the crook of her sister’s neck as she returned the embrace. Her new parents stepped forward to join in the group hug, each of them sniffling and wiping their tears on the backs of hands and graduation robes. Their family portrait was filled with beaming smiles, tear wetted eyes, and Sunset holding up the most important sheet of paper she’d ever been handed in her life. She thought today would end like that; although, she had expected that sheet of paper to be her graduation certificate instead. Nevertheless, she was ecstatic. The two teens hurried off to the seats that had been set up on the field, along with the rest of their classmates, but Sunset’s eyes still tracked Moondancer’s— her parents as they found their seats on the bleachers. “I can’t believe this,” Moondancer whispered. “I know… We’re like, actually sisters now.” “No, I mean— you get adopted? Where’s my graduation present, huh?” Sunset punched her arm. The ceremony had gone by in a flash. Sunset, of course, had been crowned valedictorian; for her impeccable attendance, straight A’s in all of her classes across all years from freshman to senior, it was what she had always dreamed. She had never been very popular. She liked to stick with Moondancer; it had always worked out for them, and she was fine with that. She didn’t care that she hadn’t won Prom Queen— the entire thing was a superficial popularity contest, anyway— Moondancer had commented while drawing a moustache on the candidates’ faces. But she had worked for this, and it had all been worth it. To celebrate, they went out for ice cream, before heading over to one of Moondancers friend’s house for “The end of year party to end all parties!” as the host had exclaimed at least fifty times in the first hour. Sunset honestly was just there to supervise the other girl, not being much of a drinker herself, but the night had gone on without a hitch. The rest of summer was spent moving Sunset’s belongings into Moondancer’s room, finding summer jobs to kill time before they were to pack up once more and leave for University. It had been late, but Moondancer had gotten a graduation present, eventually. The family’s trusted old jeep was filled to the brim with boxes and suitcases, all packed with the teens’ entire lives. They’d pulled over at a gas station on their way to Everton and Sunset had indulged herself in the giddiness of the newest chapter of their lives by purchasing a pink flamingo, donning a bright pair of sunglasses, for the dashboard of her sister’s new car. “Oh, you are such a nerd.” “You’re just jealous he looks more stylish than you.” “Put him on the fucking dash.” Their road trip consisted of them screaming along to the lyrics of cheesy songs they had grown up with, their dad’s old CD’s, and chugging back energy drinks to keep the two of them awake as they drove through the night. It didn’t take long for them to settle into their new home and Sunset had packed enough band t-shirts to fill her closet and then some. Freedom for Moondancer was being able to happily relax in a candle lit bubble bath, accompanied by her reading tablet, a glass of red wine, and her phone playing Claude Debussy’s Claire de Lune Suite Bergamasque No. 3. Freedom for Sunset was… Not that much different than life back at Applewood Gardens. She liked it, though. She got to be with Moondancer, after all. She had already matriculated and visited her adviser of study to figure out her class schedule, and it was now just a case of navigating her way around the large campus’ map. Thankfully enough, however, there were many signs directing students towards their designated buildings, as well as a peppering of maps around the campus grounds. Sunset strolled into class and offered a polite wave to her instructor before taking up an empty seat near the middle of the large chemistry lab. “Good morning class; my name is Doctor Zecora.” The elder woman welcomed in a thick accent that Sunset couldn’t quite place, “and I’m sure being out of high school’s societal nightmare must be a euphora. I would like to welcome you all here, now, to Everton. Here’s hoping this semester’s classes will be such fun,” she finished with a gentle smile. Sunset piqued a brow and glanced around the class to gauge reactions, smiling when she caught the attention of a blonde girl who seemed to be just as confused as she was. “I must warn though, please don’t run for cover, but I’d like to take this first lesson to get to know one another. This subject will require a partner project, so down the line this partner, I will select.” The audible groans of the class didn’t falter the instructors smile or her shifting eyes as she scanned over the crowd, looking for her first random victim. She pointed towards a girl whose purple hair was tied back into a high ponytail, “Sorry to point but, you, lass. Please, introduce yourself to the rest of your class.” “Oh, uhm, of course,” she stuttered out with a smile. “Well, uh,” she began and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, and Sunset could only roll her eyes in sympathy for the poor girl. “This is my first time sitting this year. I’m 18, and I moved here from a little town called Sire’s Hollow. It’s really nice to meet you all! My name’s Starlight. Starlight Glimmer.” Author's Note I counter 32 "Moondancer"s in this chapter & honestly I hope that count only goes up. So! It's been a long time coming, but the first chapter is finally up! I'm so happy to finally be sharing this project. Most of the chapters have already been completed so I'll be trying to upload them bi-weekly! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it, these past two years. Thank you to all the friends who have continued to support me and push me to continue writing this story, even when I felt like giving up so, so many times. It really means the world to me. Find the artwork for this chapter here! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Margins.“No, that’s dumb.” Sunset grumbled, furiously erasing the pencil marks in the margin of her notebook. She drummed her fingers against her desk and chewed on the pad of her thumb for a moment before scratching at her hair with the eraser-end of her pencil. “Okay… the total number of events is…” she pinched her brows, “one.” Sunset blinked down at her paper, trying her best to ignore the faint remnants of previously failed calculations. “And it’s a one in two chance of success… so it’s 50%...” She groaned, “that’s not a high enough success rate.” “What was that, Miss Shimmer? Something to say?” Doctor Zecora peeked over her shoulder before stepping away from the whiteboard at the front of the class, “it’s so lovely seeing everyone so engaged today.” Sunset sat rigid in her chair, eyes scanning the board for any indication of what was going on. “Uuuh,” she swallowed thickly, “nothing, Doctor. I was just saying that I think your teaching methods are great!” She flashed a nervous smile, praying to whatever God above that the warmth in her face wasn’t bathing her skin, red. The older woman returned her smile and shot her a wink before returning her attention to the board. “Thank you Miss Shimmer, that is very kind; but do try to take control of your wandering mind.” She scratched the back of her head and gave a small thumbs up, shrinking back into her seat as she felt a room full of stares settle on her, igniting her blush with more gusto. She hadn’t meant to, but her eyes instinctively glanced toward the desk in the centre of the room, where her true subject of study had been this period. Starlight Glimmer grinned as their eyes met, and Sunset could tell she was chuckling. Fuck. An indignant squeak forced itself from her throat as she scrambled to pick up her pencil again, shielding her eyes with one hand as she rested her elbow on the table. She could feel how clammy her palms were. Her heated cheeks and neck weren’t making things any more comfortable, either. Has it always been so hot in this room? It was Monday. 2:32— 33pm. Final class of the day; and Sunset was sweating. She dropped her pencil again to rub her palms together, face contorting with ick at the feeling of slicked skin against slicked skin, before she resolved to wipe the sweat on the fabric of her skirt. Truthfully, she hadn’t been paying attention for the most part of this two-hour lecture, and there was only 27— 26 minutes left. No. Instead of dedicating her time listening to every word that her professor was saying; what she had worked so hard throughout her time at high school for; achieved a scholarship for; moved across the country for; she had spent it watching Starlight Glimmer twirl a lock of hair by the side of her face, doodling in her notebook, and trying to calculate the value of x if x = the likelihood that Starlight would agree to go on a date with her. No, no. Not a date, she shook her head, just an outing to a coffee shop between two, mutual, scientific prodigies. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and counted to ten in her head, praying to calm the ravaging butterflies in her stomach. One. She was only looking this way because Zecora called on me. It makes sense. Two. She wasn’t the only one, either. Everyone was staring at me. Three. She was laughing though. Did she think I was funny? Four. Unless she was laughing at me, she frowned. Five. Halfway there Sunset. Just calm down. Six. Halfway. Half. 50%. Seven. 50% chance she likes me. Eight. But also 50% chance she doesn’t. Nine. Oh for the love of God. Ten. Sunset let out a deep breath through barley parted teeth and shifted in her seat, glancing down at her notes once again to try and focus on today’s lesson; even if she had missed the majority of it. It didn’t matter. It was fine. She could still pick up from this. She could recover. She was a genius, after all. But even if she couldn’t, she could always ask someone to fill her in on what she had missed. Someone she could invite out for coffee as payment. Someone like Sta— “Starlight Glimmer! It is your time to speak. Will you tell us the answer that we seek?” Sunset’s eyes shot up from her third doodle of stick figures holding hands, to stare at the other girl as she cleared her throat and shuffled around her notes a bit. Wait. Her notes? Starlight was taking notes? Sunset blinked, mouth hanging a jar, only really half-listening to the answer Starlight gave. Something about oxidation and enzymatic browning. She felt like her brain was oxidising, because she couldn’t form a coherent thought. “My, my, that is quite right,” Zecora beamed, marking down Starlight’s answer on the board at the end of the equation. “I’m thrilled that this class is all so bright.” Sunset dug her nails into her palms and tore her eyes away from the purple-haired teen, not wanting to run the risk of being caught staring. Not like it would have been the first time. She, unfortunately, wasn’t exactly subtle. But she couldn’t help it! Starlight was just so pretty. Ba-thump. She clutched the front of her shirt and sat back in her chair, spine pressed against the solid plastic with an uncomfortable shift. She was only thankful that her bench partner had been absent today, lest she have to apologise for being so fidgety. Today was also one of those days when she was grateful that she and Moondancer had decided on different majors. Being caught staring at Starlight was one thing, but she knew her sister wouldn’t let her hear the end of it for spacing out, fantasising about how wonderful it would be to stroke through Starlight’s hair. She cleared her throat. Glanced at the clock. 15 minutes. She didn’t have a crush on Starlight or anything. No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. Sunset wasn’t the kind of person who fell in love with someone just because they kissed you; or, tried to kiss you; or, okay, maybe tried to kiss you— in a closet at a party. No, Sunset wasn’t really the kind to fall in love, at all. It wasn’t scientific. Or, actually, it was. Scientifically speaking, love was a mixture of different chemicals in the brain activating to release hormones throughout the body and thus eliciting reactions that people commonly refer to as butterflies, a pounding heart, lust— She cleared her throat. 10 minutes. Maybe that’s all this was. Hormones. When was the last time she’d had her period? Maybe this was all just mood swings, and she could simply explain it away. If X equals love, and the Sunset equals Y, divided by T which is Timber Spruce, then… Sunset groaned and ran a hand through her bangs, once again furiously erasing her mindless scribblings. She looked up to the clock. 8 minutes. “Ugh… X is undefined.” “Correct! You’re on fire today Miss Shimmer.” Doctor Zecora beamed, snapping Sunset from her day dreaming yet again as she finished writing up the final equation on the board. Sunset pursed her lips and drew her brows together, making sure to keep her eyes front-facing, save she go looking at… anything else. As the older woman capped her marker and began shuffling the papers on her desk, the restless class began packing away their own things; notebooks into backpacks, water bottles in hands; pencils tucked away into cases, and so on. Usually, Sunset would have chosen to stay behind after class to go over her notes and ask for advice from her tutor on anything she may have been struggling with. But today, she filed her notebook away swiftly, tucked her pens into the front pouch of her bag, and bounced her leg impatiently as she waited for the class to be dismissed. “Now remember students, this advice I ask you to heed; if there are any misunderstandings, the online slides I ask that you read. And if there is any panic that one might fail, never be shy to send me an email. Class dismissed.” She allowed a few of her classmates to leave before she moved to follow suit, sparing a glance over in Starlight’s direction first. The other girl was still packing away her own things and talking to the girl who had been sitting beside her, laughing at something she had said. Oxytocin made Sunset’s stomach tighten in a knot. Lips heavy in a pout, Sunset slung her bag over her shoulder and mingled with the exiting crowd, keeping her eyes low as she grumbled under her breath. It wasn’t like she had wanted to talk to Starlight. In fact, the exact opposite. The idea of attempting to hold a conversation with the other girl made Sunset’s head spin. She really was infuriating, if only for a whole new set of reasons than she had been previously. She was distracting, and cheeky, and endearing. She was annoying beyond reasonable comprehension; and despite Sunset’s expansive vocabulary, she couldn’t find any other words to describe her other than, just… pretty. She grumbled again, brows furrowing as her cheeks pinked. She pushed her way through the large, mahogany double doors of the chemistry lab’s main foyer and paced over towards the stairs to leave. She followed the main road that led up towards the campus library and looked past the wall of glass, into the study rooms on the large building’s ground floor. She let out a puff of breath, allowed her shoulders to sag, and went in through the main doors. It didn’t take long for her to find Moondancer, who was sitting at one of the many computers that made up the centre column of the library’s second floor. The other girl had a stack of books, three discarded cups of coffee, and a half-eaten tuna sandwich. “Hey. My class finished early so…” Sunset narrowed her eyes at the screen as Moondancer dragged a cut-out picture of her own head onto the body of an 18th century playwright of sorts. “What the hell are you doing? I thought you had an essay due?” Moondancer giggled, her own eyes narrowly blinking at the collection of tabs on her desktop, all titled with different variants of key smashes and abstract words. “Yeah, I did. I finished it.” “Riiiiiight…” Sunset gingerly pulled out another computer chair and set her bag on the floor before taking a seat beside her sister, leaning in closer to inspect her documents. “Do I even want to know what ‘Sunset.jpeg’ is?” Moondancer’s face split in a wide, shit-eating grin before she hovered her cursor over to the tab and opened it to reveal a picture of, well, Sunset. As a sunset. “Moon… are you, like, okay?” “I’m so fucking tired Sunset.” “I can… see that.” She pursed her lips. She huffed and sat back in her chair, swivelling on it a bit as her sister rubbed at her eyes with her knuckles, even taking off her glasses to readjust her gaze. “Do you want to go home and sleep?” “Mh, I can’t. I’m meeting Sunburst in like, an hour. We need to go over this one book our Professor gave us about—” Moondancer paused to yawn, “gender studies in early Victorian theatre.” “Well that explains…” Sunset motioned toward the computer, “that, I guess.” Moondancer hovered her cursor over the ‘x’ in the top corner before saving it first, flashing a smile in Sunset’s direction as the younger girl rolled her eyes playfully. The older girl took a sip from one of her coffee cups and held it to her lips for a few moments, narrowing her brows with a hum. “Wait. You just got out of Chemistry, yeah? Or was it your calc class?” “No, it was Chem.” Sunset leaned her elbows on the table and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, blowing another from her face. “I had calculus at noon, though.” “Yikes. That sucks. I know how hard it is trying to stay awake during my English Lit class with Ms Harshwinny, and that’s an afternoon period.” Moondancer logged her account off of the computer and grabbed her empty cups of coffee before rolling her chair over to the trash can and throwing them away. She rolled back over to the desk and munched on the remains of her sandwich as Sunset helped pack away her sister’s things. “Any news on thah pohec— ack—” Moondancer coughed, beating at her chest with a fist. “Maybe learn to not speak with your mouthful?” Sunset shook her head and handed the other girl her remaining, near-empty cup. Moondancer gulped it down and wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She chuckled with a roll of her eyes, lifting Moondancer’s satchel up onto the desk with a loud thud. “How many books do you have in there, anyway?” “Like six,” the older girl huffed, tossing the last cup into the trash and rising to stand. “To be fair, two of them are for class, three are for my own little side-projects, and the last one’s for personal reading.” “If you read too much your brain will melt.” Moondancer fixed her with a look, crossing her arms once she’d slipped her bag over her shoulder. “Coming from the girl who asked for a trigonometry textbook for her tenth birthday?” “Bite me.” “Sunset!” She gasped theatrically, pretending to check for eaves-droppers. “We’re sisters…” Sunset groaned and swatted her on the arm. “Shut up!” The red-head’s outburst was met with a symphony of “Shhh!” and people clearing their throats with a glare at the two of them. Sunset muttered out quiet apologies and dragged her sister out of the study room, making sure to shield her reddening face behind her hand. “You’re so annoying. I hate you. You’re a terrible child and you’re killing me. You’re killing your sister, Moondancer. I hope you’re happy.” Moondancer snorted and gave her sister a playful shove, one which she returned, letting out a breathy laugh of her own. “Want to stick around? Sunburst and I are gonna grab a bite to eat before studying?” Sunset hummed, narrowing her eyes at her two options in her head, and stroked her chin. “You know what? Sure. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I’m starved.” The older girl beamed. “Awesome!” Moondancer then paused for a moment, looking past Sunset toward something behind her, and her face lit up once more. But there was something behind her eyes. Something… playful. Something… Moondancer. “Hey Sunburst!” She reached her hand up to wave the boy over and used her other to cup her mouth slightly, as if that would make her voice any louder. Sunset had to scoff. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction that the other girl was waving to and sure enough, she spotted the tall, orange haired boy from the party the other night. However, Sunset’s blood ran cold. Beside him in all her glory, strode Starlight Glimmer, signature ponytail tied tightly against her head. She laughed and hid her mouth behind her hand, crossing the other over her torso to contain herself. Sunset gagged. “Actually,” the red-head’s lips tightened into a line as she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly toward the older girl in front of her, “I think I’m gonna have to rain check. I just remembered that Zecora gave us another essay to complete for next week today, so I think I’ll head back to the dorm and get that started instead.” Moondancer shot her a sceptical raised brow and folded her arms over her chest, leaning all of her weight onto one foot with a frown. Sunset rubbed at her sister’s arms and gave a half-apologetic frown of her own. “We should get lunch tomorrow though!” She glanced over her shoulder again, this time locking eyes with the purple-haired nightmare who was fast-approaching. “Love you soooo much but I’ll see you when you get home!” Moondancer opened her mouth to reply, but Sunset was already off, stomping her way down the side-walk in a desperate attempt to look casual; like she wasn’t totally running away from her problems. She didn’t want that running to become literal, and so she did her best to keep a moderate pace. Speed walking. She was speed walking away from her problems. There was a difference. “You’re a total loser, Sunset!” She heard her sister call after her, but she didn’t dare turn around. She was too scared of what she would see. Starlight, staring after her with a longing gaze; or looking her up and down judgmentally, chuckling behind that oh-so-tender hand of hers. She slapped both of her cheeks with a groan, keeping her head low. “Man you are a loser, Sunset.” Sunset Shimmer stretched out her arms, the tension in her shoulder blades popping as she melted into the curve of her mattresses edge. She blinked her strained eyes and rolled her shoulders as best she could, dangling from the side of a bed. Half-focusing on the game console in her hand, she furrowed her brows and belted out the next line of the song that was currently blasting from the CD player on her desk. Today had been intense and she deserved this; she finally had the dorm to herself; it was perfect. She could just lay back, relax, and play some video games in the comfort of her room. “You are the worst. You know that, right?” Moondancer said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the open door frame. “Can’t hear you. Listening to music.” Moondancer pinched her lips and bobbed her head, the way she always did before making another one of her teasing jabs. She furrowed her brows and clicked her tongue. “So, I see that essay is going really well.” Sunset didn’t reply. “You must really be on top of your work, actually! Since Starlight didn’t know anything about it,” she smirked. “You? Are a loser.” Sunset groaned and rolled her eyes. The groan more so due to the strain her current position was putting on her back than anything else. “Listen, I just--” She paused. “I got nervous, okay? How does that make me a loser?” “Mh, it doesn’t.” She dropped her arms and stepped into the room, “lying about having to write an essay just to get out of talking to someone, though? That makes you a loser, Shim.” Moondancer shook her head and gripped the back of the chair at Sunset’s desk, spinning it on it’s hind legs before plopping herself down. She raised a brow toward her sister before glancing over at the CD player, then back. “Really? Three Days Grace?” Sunset looked side-ward. “They help me relax.” “Yeah, I’m sure ‘I hate everything about you’ is real soothing.” “Whatever,” Sunset grumbled, pausing her game to awkwardly wriggle back up onto her bed properly before rolling over to lie on her stomach. “So…” She puckered her cheeks and blew a curl of hair from her face, “how did it go?” “Well, Starlight says you’re really cute.” The red-head perked up immediately, eyes twinkling in a bright grin. “Seriously?!” Moondancer scoffed, throwing her head back in a cackle. “No! God, your face.” Sunset’s shoulders slumped and her face twisted in a deep frown, cheeks igniting in a blush. “You’re an ass.” “Sorry, sorry,” Moondancer wiped a tear from her eye before leaning forward to cross her elbows against the back of her seat. “She did ask about you though. She said you seemed distracted in class today. Everything okay?” She seemed distracted? So Starlight had been watching her. Starlight was worried about her. Starlight asked about her. Sunset pushed herself into a sitting position and cleared her throat. “Ahem. Yes. Everything’s fine. I was just…” she paused, narrowing her eyes in thought. “Thinking.” “About Starlight?” “No.” “Sure. I’ll play along.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Y’know, Sunset, it’s alright to have a crush on someone. I mean,” the older girl chuckled lightly, “Starlight’s pretty cute. Plus you two seem to have a lot in common.” “Just because we both like chemistry doesn’t mean we’re soul mates, Moondancer.” “Woah there!” She held up her hands in defence, “who said anything about soul mates? I just mean that… well, we’re in University. What would it hurt to give dating a try? And even if you don’t want to date—” “I’m not having a one night stand.” Moondancer pursed her lips and held onto the backrest, allowing the plastic to creak under her grip. “Noted. But like I said, where’s the harm?” “The harm is I don’t have feelings for Starlight.” Moondancer raised a brow and fixed her with a sceptical look. Sunset rolled her eyes again and squirmed, rubbing the back of her neck with a clammy palm. “Okay, fine, sure, she’s pretty, whatever. But I don’t…” she shook her head, “I don’t want to. It’s that simple.” As the thrashing drum solo continued on, Sunset felt her heart beat match it’s pace. Maybe she should have taken up drumming in high school— or some other kind of physically-exerting extra curricular. She’d read in a study that exercise and controlled physical activities was supposed to be really good for your mental health, as well as a great way to vent out stress. There were only so many times she could recite the periodic table as a way to de-stress before she wanted to punch-out whoever decided it was a great idea to name an element 'Nihonium'. Try to say that ten times fast. Nihonium, nihonium, nihonium, nihonium, nihominum— regardless. It wasn’t that she’d preferred to have been a risk-taker, or regretted spending all of her youthful years memorising said table and it’s order— no, of course not. It wasn’t like chemistry was boron. Haha. Sunset smirked to herself with a meek bob of the head. Wait. What were they talking about again? Sunset shook her head and let out a huff of breath before rising from her bed. “In any case, I’m too busy with school. You know how important this all is to me. I don’t want to complicate things by trying to juggle a relationship.” Moondancer followed after her sister as she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen to pour herself some orange juice. “Alright, fine. You made your point,” she sighed, taking a seat at the breakfast counter as Sunset filled up and passed her a glass of her own. “I’ll stop pressing you on it. Still,” she paused to take a sip, “you should at least try to be friends with her. She’s actually super chill.” Sunset raised her cup to her mouth but paused halfway. Sure, a relationship in any kind of romantic capacity may have been off the table, but she hadn’t actually considered just… talking to Starlight. She took in a gulp of orange juice and let the bitter citrus bite at the inside of her cheeks as she swirled it around, mulling the idea over in her head. She swallowed. “I’ll think about it.” Author's Note Sunset continues to be a loser and Moondancer continues to do kick-flips on her Tony-Hawk-signed skateboard The Sun, Moon & their Stars.“I’m telling you! Romeo and Juliet is grossly over-hyped and Othello is a much more compelling story.” Moondancer rolled her eyes, almost too intensely, accompanying the motion with a loud and exaggerated scoff. “Look. We’ve had this conversation a hundred times. Stories can’t be ‘over-hyped’. They’re popular for a reason, and it just so happens that Romeo and Juliet is a classic because it appeals to a wide audience and tugs at heartstrings. You can’t get anymore romantic than star crossed lovers. Am I right, Sunset?” The girl in question adjusted herself on her stool and flipped through her textbook, taking down notes and pressing the blunt end of her pencil against her lower lip with a hum. “Mmmmh, I’m staying out of this one. Don’t drag me into your arguments.” Sunburst’s scowl widened into a pleased grin. “See! Even your own sister won’t back you up!” He stuck out his tongue and ripped open a sachet of sugar before stirring it into his blackened coffee cup. You know I’m right, right Starlight?” “I’m with Sunset.” Starlight said, “I’m not getting involved.” Both English students shook their heads in disappointment. “Science students,” Moondancer mumbled in fake disappointment, “I thought you guys were supposed to be smart.” “We are,” Sunset snatched her sister’s eraser from the table with a narrowed glare, “that’s exactly why we’re not getting involved.” Moondancer and Sunburst brushed off her dismissal with a wave of their hands before turning back to their debate, Shakespearean literature littering the coffee shop’s tabletop between the small collection of cups and saucers the four teens had accumulated over time. Sunset grunted and pulled back from her notebook to rub at her eyes, blinking away the strain a bit before running a hand through her messy tresses. “You okay there?” Starlight smiled politely from across the table, lifting her shoulders slightly as she clasped her hands. “What’re you studying?” The red-head tensed and fixed her posture once she remembered that she was actually in public, rather than holed up in her room like she usually would have been on a Wednesday afternoon. “Oh, uhm-” she fumbled with her pencil and banged her elbow against the edge of the table, letting out a sharp curse under her breath. Starlight instinctively reached for Sunset’s mug of hot chocolate to save it from spilling all over the other girl’s work space and sucked in a relieved breath of air. “Careful,” she chuckled, “I know it’s starting to get chilly outside but you wouldn’t want to take a bath in that.” “Haha!” The red-head’s laugh was painfully overzealous. She clapped a hand over her mouth as her cheeks warmed. “Sorry, uhm,” Sunset shook her head in an attempt to calm herself down. “Thanks. I’m uh- looking over the theory of dissolution. Like, what minerals dissolve most effectively in which acidic and alkaline solutions.” “That sounds… fun.” Starlight smiled again and leaned forward to get a better look at the textbook before settling back onto her stool. “Do you want a kiss?” Sunset felt her heart leap as her eyes widened, brows straining as they knitted into a twitching line. She could only stare at the other girl in sheer bewilderment as she opened her mouth to speak, however Starlight turned to rifle through her backpack and pulled out a smaller bag of chocolates. “I picked them up from this little candy store in town,” she pulled one out and plopped it down on Sunset’s notebook. “They’re so cute, and they taste really good.” “Oh!” Sunset half-yelled, blinking furiously in relief, letting out a large puff of breath and allowing her brain to cool down. “You meant— right. Right.” “Hm?” Starlight’s brow arched as she took her own chocolate into her mouth, after peeling off the silver wrapping. “What did you think I meant?” Moondancer leaned over and dug into the bag of chocolates, taking a couple and scattering them about the table in front of her. “Aw man, I haven’t had these in years! They sell them here?” The other scientist brightened up again. “Yeah! Canterlot mall has a ton of really cute stores. There’s this little candy shop near the food court that sells them in bulk for pretty cheap.” “That’s awesome,” Moondancer tucked the small treat into her cheek and nudged Sunset’s shoulder. “We have to head into town and pick up some. We haven’t actually been off-campus yet, have we?” “Wait… Seriously?” Sunburst’s face twisted. “I don’t know how you two have survived, living strictly on-campus. It’s been almost two months. Where do you two shop for food? There aren't exactly a lot of good grocery stores around here.” “Uhhhh…” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, eyeing Moondancer with the subtlety of a brick. “We usually just order take out.” “For two months?!” The other two teens almost shrieked, garnering the attention of more-than-a-few other cafe patrons. After a sheepish wave of apology they both exchanged a look and stared down the pair of sister’s with sheer, unwavering conviction. “That’s it,” Sunburst began. “We’re cooking for you two tonight.” Starlight concluded. Sunset put her hands up in defense. “No, no, you both really don’t need to do that. We can just hit up a supermarket or something and—” Moondancer clamped a hand over Sunset’s mouth and held her in a head-lock, to which the red-head struggled against furiously. “That would be great! We’d spot you for the groceries, obviously. What can you guys cook?” “I,” Sunburst smirked as he adjusted his glasses against the bridge of his nose, “can make a real mean casserole.” The purple-haired girl beside him nudged him with a snort. “I can make soup and tacos.” “Oh,” Moondancer grinned, “you like tacos?” Sunset bit down on Moondancer’s hand. The older girl yelped and pulled back immediately. “You both honestly really don’t need to.” The older boy reached across the table to set his hand atop Sunset’s reassuringly, fixing her with a determined stare. “Honey, you have the diet of an Ommatokoita.” “A what—” “So it’s settled!” Moondancer beamed, cutting her off with a satisfied stretch. “We can head back to the dorm and clean up a bit, while you two hit up some stores and pick up stuff for dinner?” “That sounds like fun,” Starlight smiled again, “we could maybe even pick up some dessert and make a whole thing of it. Do you guys have any good movies?” “Uhm,” Sunset mumbled gingerly, “we don’t really—” “I have a laptop and a long, long list of streaming sites in my bookmarks. We can just connect it to the TV and have a field day.” Sunset pursed her lips as the other three excitedly talked amongst themselves about movie nights, food, and other shenanigans they could get up to after a bottle of wine. She wrung her hands beneath the table and wiped off the sweat that clung to her palms against her jeans. The voices muffled as Sunset allowed her thoughts to wander, focusing more on the rhythmic clinking of spoons against porcelain throughout the small cafe. She could count, almost perfectly, the timing between each sound. The whirring of the coffee machine; the dinging of the register as the curly-haired barista politely accepted copper-coined handfuls of loose change. She swallowed and hummed as she shook her head to ground herself, chiming back into the conversation only as Starlight and Sunburst stood up to leave. “We’ll see you two disasters later then,” the much taller boy gave a salute and collected his coat from the free chair beside him. “Text us when you’re on your way?” “Sure thing,” Starlight nodded. She turned to flash Sunset a look and gave a small, polite wave, followed by an even smaller, politer, smile. “See you soon.” “Yeah. Uhm,” Sunset cleared her throat, “see you soon.” Sunset held her crooked smile and kept waving until Starlight and Sunburst were out of her line of sight. Once she was certain they were both far gone from the coffee shop, she swatted Moondancer on the arm with a growl. “Are you insane?!” “Ouch-!” The older girl rubbed her arm, “what the hell was that for?” “Inviting them over for dinner? I was fine with meeting up and having coffee— but dinner and a movie? What the hell are you trying to do here?” Sunset’s glare was unwavering, even as Moondancer began piling empty cups into each other and settling them onto the stack of saucers. “Chill out Shim,” her sister rolled her eyes, “think of it as like…” Moondancer puckered her cheek, searching for the words, “exposure therapy.” The taller girl clicked her fingers and shot Sunset a finger gun and a wink. “The more time you spend around Starlight, the less nervous you’ll be.” “I’m not nervous.” Moondancer shot her a look, “That’s a nice looking bruise on your elbow.” She gathered up her manuscripts and tucked her laptop into her satchel before pulling the strap over her shoulder and adjusting her blouse, “regardless: they’re right. I’m starting to gain weight from eating chinese three nights a week and the dorm reeks of pizza. We’re in University, Sunset. At least try to have some fun.” As much as she wanted to argue, she knew Moondancer was right. She fished for rebuffels in her mind but only came up short as she accepted her now-packed bag from her sister and slid her arms through the straps. Sunset sighed. “Fine. But that’s only because I’m sick of eating leftovers for breakfast.” She paused for a moment and bit her lip, giving her straps a little squeeze as she followed the older girl over to the tip jar. “And I guess you’re also right about having fun. I need to… loosen up, I guess.” Moondancer grinned and tucked her wallet into her skirt pocket before giving Sunset a firm nudge with her own shoulder, the other girl almost toppling over as she stumbled off of the curb outside. “That’s the spirit! I’m sure even Einstein knew how to have fun.” “Yeah, I’m sure when he discovered the theory of relativity he had a piña colada right there, beside his abacus.” “Well, you know what they say,” Moondancer slung an arm around Sunset’s shoulder roughly, “Fun = u and i paired!” Sunset narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her nose. “Please literally never say that again.” “Regretted it the moment it left my mouth.” “Can you— argh!” Sunset yelped, shoving Moondancer’s weight from her torso in order to climb off the sofa. Well, wriggle off the sofa and onto the floor, really. Starlight Glimmer stifled a laugh behind her hand as she watched the red-head furiously fix her mess of hair, face beaming just as bright. “Can you be any more annoying?” Moondancer flashed her a grin and arched her eyebrow, as if in challenge. “Oh, you know I can.” Sunset rolled her eyes with a grumble and fetched the pile of dirty plates from the coffee table as Moondancer adjusted herself across the length of the couch. Sunburst went to work, pushing stray locks of hair from where they had fallen loose from Moondancer’s bun and into her face after practically launching herself onto the couch and, ultimately, he and Sunset. “There you go.” “Keep acting like that and I might just fuck around and fall for you,” the older girl winked. Sunburst snorted and pinched her nose, causing her to exhale from her mouth. “Keep dreaming, sweet cheeks.” “Get a room you two,” Starlight whistled, giggling from where she was tucked up on the recliner. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say I was third wheeling.” Sunset grumbled all the way to the kitchen, dumping the plates into the sink with a resounding clatter. She winced. “You okay in there, Shim?” Moondancer called. “Yeah! Didn’t mean to drop them so hard.” After a few moments of quiet mumbling, Starlight rounded into the kitchen with a gentle smile. “You want some help cleaning up?” Sunset tensed and pulled her lips into a tight line. With her shoulders squared, she resolved to stare into the basin. “No, thanks. I’m, uh,” she pushed up her non-existent sleeves— out of habit— “fine.” She could feel Starlight’s watchful stare as she began to fill up the sink with water. She kept her eyes low. Her jaw clenched. Was it always this hot in here? Starlight let out a breathy chuckle and reached toward the other girl to fix a curled lock that had fallen out of place from her squabble on the couch and Sunset instinctively flinched. Maybe a little too hard. “Oh— sorry. I was just—” Starlight twirled her own hair, “your hair wasn’t sitting right.” Sunset blinked and flattened out her hair again; however, seeing Starlight so antsy, sighed in defeat. “Could you?” “Oh, thank you so much.” The other girl beamed and reached both hands up over Sunset’s shoulders to adjust the back of her hair, her tongue ever-so-slightly poking out from the corner of her lips. Sunset stared between their shoes, determined to keep her cheeks from warming any further. “Much better,” Starlight breathed. Sunset breathed. Starlight smelled of mint, underneath the wafting smell of gravy and stock-pot. There was a moment’s pause before the taller girl scratched the base of her head and stepped back, all too aware of their closeness. “Sorry about that.” “It’s… cool,” Sunset smiled. She turned back to the now-filled basin and reached for the dish soap, squeezing in a few droplets before scrubbing at the first plate with a sponge. Starlight hopped up onto the kitchen counter in one swift motion, kicking her legs slightly as she peered over Sunset’s work. She hummed. “Mmmmh… Lemon scented. You have taste.” Sunset scoffed. “Is there really any point in buying anything other than lemon scented?” “Sunburst buys cherry.” Starlight grimaced. “Sunburst is currently flirting with my sister in our living room. That alone should tell you that he doesn’t have any taste.” Starlight snorted and laughed, heartily, wrapping an arm over her stomach as she tried to stifle it behind her hand. Sunset perked up and let her shoulders relax a bit. She did her best to fight off her own grin. “Why’re you hiding your smile? You have a pretty laugh.” Starlight wiped a tear from her eye and sighed. “Nah,” she said with a shrug, “my laugh’s really goofy.” Sunset felt her chest tighten and she turned back to the sink, ready to rinse off the first plate. “Mh!” Starlight hummed as she hopped down, pulling a dish towel from where it hung over the handle to a kitchen drawer. “I’ll help dry. I feel bad about making a mess and then having you be the one to clean it up.” Sunset leaned closer to the counter as Starlight brushed past to fetch the first plate. “You’re our guests. Plus, you made dinner. I think the least we could do is clean up after ourselves.” The taller girl stuck out her tongue teasingly and turned over the dish in her hand before setting it down on the counter, now freshly dried. A loud cackle from the living room pierced the calm and Sunset rolled her eyes again. “Can you two chill out for like, five minutes?” She let out a frustrated huff, mumbling under her breath as she raised a brow, rolling her jaw and squaring her shoulders. “Although, it sure would be nice if Moondancer were the one in here helping.” Sunburst shimmied round the corner and danced into the kitchen, taking Sunset’s wet wrist to forcefully twirl her around with a light hum. “Where’s your glasses?” He sing-songed, letting her go only to rummage through the cabinets at the opposite end of the kitchen. The red-head bumped into Starlight, both dizzy and slipping on the water that dripped from her hands. She scowled and let out a flustered huff. Once Starlight had helped her find her footing Sunset stomped over to the fridge and pulled open the cabinet to the right of it, before returning to the sink. She didn’t spare a glance as Sunburst rifled, only pressing a damp finger to the centre of her forehead as she heard the glasses clinking and the cabinet closing once more. “You’re a gem, Shim,” the taller boy winked as he danced back to the living room. Moondancer cheered out of sight. Sunset went back to scrubbing the dishes. Starlight teetered on her heels and pursed her lips a bit. “Sorry… about— well, him.” Sunset’s frame was tense once more— agitated. She clenched and unclenched her teeth, digging crescent moons into her palms below the surface of the frothing water, grateful that Starlight couldn’t notice. ‘Hydrogen, lithium, beryllium, sodium, magnesium…’ she recited in her mind, allowing herself to cool down enough to speak. She let out an uneasy breath. “It’s fine,” Sunset sighed with a shrug. “I’m just not much of a people-person. But I mean, you kinda already knew that,” she chuckled sarcastically, raising her brows and shaking her head. She glanced over at the other girl and back as she rinsed the second plate. “Sorry about getting your shirt wet.” Starlight smiled. “Meh, it’s fine. Sorry about getting your floor wet.” Sunset handed her a plate. Starlight rubbed it dry. “Your sister’s kind of a live-wire, huh?” The taller girl chuckled. Sunset groaned and wiped along her brow with the back of her forearm. “That’s putting it nicely. She’s a pain in the ass.” Starlight smirked. “I know how that is. I don’t really know if you’ve noticed, but Sunburst is kind of a drama queen.” “What?” Sunset fake-gasped, sparing a glance in Starlight’s direction for a moment, “I never would have guessed.” Starlight turned a bit to lean against the counter as Sunset handed her the plate, “It’s cute though. How close you guys are, I mean. I haven’t ever seen siblings that like each other enough to be roommates.” Sunset tightened her lips against her teeth and clicked her tongue. “I mean…” she shrugged, “Moondancer’s a pain in the ass, but she’s still my bestfriend. She’s my sister. I know she’s always got my back.” She paused, memories flickering through her mind. A fight; a bathroom stall; and a small girl in horn-rimmed glasses telling her that things were going to be okay. She shook her head. Starlight smiled and set the plate atop the other, peeking around the corner at the other two teens who were currently fighting over which movie they should watch. After coming back down onto the flat of her feet, the taller girl let out a wistful sigh. “Yeah. That must be nice…” “Hm?” “Oh- uhm,” she snapped to attention, dropping the dish towel to adjust her ponytail. Or to find an excuse to avoid Sunset’s stare. Quid pro quo. “Nothing. Just thinking out-loud.” Sunset nodded, not wanting to press further and make the other girl uncomfortable. She always thought herself to be nice in that way. Never digging for other people’s secrets. If people wanted to spend their time making shallow conversation over a couple of glasses of rosé, who was she to dampen their fun. She remembered one angst-stricken night, curled up with one of Moondancer’s books by some Victorian romantic, where she found herself teetering on the idea of her own identity. Maybe one of the real reasons she hadn’t ever been big on parties was because life itself was one big masquerade: people wearing masks and dancing around as if nothing were ever wrong. She never read another one of Moondancer’s books again, after that. “So... “ Starlight mused mused, drying once more, “any reason in particular?” “Huh?” “You know, like… do you just not really get along with people or do you just have anxiety, or something like that?” “Oh.” Sunset paused and let the plate she was washing slide, back into the suds. She shrugged and pulled it back out to start again. “I mean, not really. I mean,” she puckered her cheek a bit and frowned, narrowing her brows in contemplation. “I guess that’s part of it, maybe? I just didn’t have a lot of friends growing up.” Starlight nodded with a blink, listening intently as she set the next plate down on the pile. “I was pretty much alone until Moondancer came along, and after that I just didn’t really see a point in looking for other friends, so.” Starlight blinked again. Then again. She narrowed her eyes. “Wait. I thought Moondancer was the older one— and even then, you two don’t look that far apart in age.” Sunset forced a small chuckle and began draining the sink after handing off the last plate to Starlight. She plucked another towel from one of the other drawers and wrung her hands dry. “We’re the same age. Well, she always holds it over me that she’s a couple of months older, but still.” Sunset smiled, “I’m adopted.” “Oh my g—” Starlight’s eyes widened and she clasped her hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry I— that was out of line—” she fumbled out an apology. Sunset found her smile falter a bit as she gently waved her off. “It’s fine. It doesn’t really come up in conversation so I’m not surprised you didn’t know. We don’t really talk about it.” Starlight set the last dish down and twirled a lock of hair around her finger, folding an arm over her stomach as she dropped her eyes. “I’m… really sorry.” She paused and looked askance before sheepishly peeking up at Sunset through her bangs. “Were you parents… Did they…?” Sunset didn’t let the question hang in the air for very long as she let out a choked laugh. “Die?” Starlight stiffened and pursed her lips. “No, no. At least, I don’t know.” Sunset shrugged. “They gave me up when I was a baby. I didn’t know them at all.” “O-oh…” The taller girl shrunk in on herself a bit and kept her eyes low— in embarrassment or remorse Sunset wasn’t sure. She just knew there was some kind of sadness to it. Her stomach started to churn. She was glad Starlight couldn’t look her in the eye. She didn’t want her pity. She didn’t want to taste venom. The purple haired girl opened her mouth to speak and in a quiet, gentle voice she said “My, uhm… My mom died when I was really young and my dad wasn’t ever really around, so…” The sentence caught Sunset off-guard. She had prepared herself to respond with the same, lame, explanations she’d rehearsed time after time. She’d prepared herself to deflect Starlight’s sympathy; to wave-off her shallow reassurances. What she hadn’t prepared for was for the other girl to share her own pain. She wanted to comfort her; to tell her that things were okay; but she knew that would just be hypocritical; she just couldn’t find the words. Only after a few moments of silence did Starlight raise her eyes and Sunset could see the sadness there, flickering beneath the violet. “It’s not the same but, I know how it can hurt. Not having your parents around, I mean.” Moondancer and Sunburst hollered from the living room, slurred jeers at some movie the two had finally picked out. Sunset bit back the urge to yell at them, to quieten down. Instead, she gave Starlight’s arm a gentle squeeze. It was wordless— the exchange between the two. They each shared a gaze that only a few would ever have the displeasure of understanding. It wasn’t quite pity and it wasn’t quite remorse. It was a sharing of wounds and bandaging them back up. A silent, motionless embrace. Both girls sighed, allowing their mutual pain to seep through until their chests were empty; and they could breathe again. “So… that ice cream you guys brought for dessert?” Starlight brightened. “I’ll get the spoons.” Author's Note WHEW this one was a doozey I really hope you guys are liking the dynamics between the characters! I always like writing little funny interactions to really see how each character banters off one another, so I hope you guys stick around for more! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Who drinks coffee in the forest?“And with that,” Doctor Zecora turned to the class with a bright smile, “class dismissed.” The older woman shuffled papers around her desk as the rest of the room slipped notebooks into bags, scuffing chair legs against vinyl flooring. “Please don’t forget that end of term projects will begin soon! Please find a partner by Monday, at noon!” she called after the teens that had already begun filing out of the classroom. Sunset, of course, was still firmly planted in her seat, determined to copy out the rest of her textbook page before moving onto the extra readings she had requested from Zecora at the start of the lab. “Hey there Red,” Starlight grinned as she approached the other girl’s table, nudging Sunset’s foot under the desk with her own. “Dismissed means we can leave.” Sunset mumbled the next line quietly, not raising her eyes from the text until she had marked it down perfectly. “Yeah, I-... just doing… something…” Starlight glanced toward the doctor, who flashed her a mischievous smirk in response as she collected her own notes and filed them away into her satchel. Doctor Zecora gave a polite wave, which Starlight sheepishly returned, the door clicking behind her as she left the two alone. “Can I sit?” “Huh? Oh-” Sunset finally looked up and scanned the room briefly. “Uh-” she fumbled with her paper as she cleared her throat. “Yeah, uhm,” she tucked a ringlet of hair behind her ear as she dropped her eyes again, nodding in response. Starswirl knew her words would fail her. Starlight smiled at her regardless and moved around the table to pull out the stool beside Sunset, settling into the seat with an unnerving creak of plastic. She spread her hands out flat in front of her with a deep puff of breath and tapped her palms lightly against the table-top. She pulled back and watched as the other girl intently flipped through the pages in her text book, cross referenced them with her notes, and nibbled on the end of her mechanical pencil. “You alright?” “Mh, yeah. I think there’s a problem with this book.” Starlight arched a brow. “You mean… the textbook? The University Officiated Textbook?” Starlight scoffed, leaning over to get a closer look. Sunset nodded and shifted in her seat, sliding the book over to show Starlight the table at the bottom of the page. “So it says here, in this example, that if you calculate the formatic breakdown of this solvent, that you should end up needing 250ml of liquid nitrogen; but,” she paused to wet the tips of her fingers with her tongue before flipping back a few pages to another section in the chapter. “It says here that you would use a different equation. It was either a typo or a human error with the experiment. Either way, the answer’s wrong.” Sunset let out a huff and sat back against her chair, allowing her shoulders to stoop in defeat. “That just makes things more complicated. I’m going to have to rewrite all the notes I just copied out and carry out my own calculation.” She ran frustrated fingers through her hair and sat forward, covering her face with her hands. “My eyes are killing me.” Starlight’s mouth was agape. She flipped between the pages Sunset had shown her and looked down at the other girl’s scribbled writing, then back. “I can’t believe you caught this? Should we tell Doctor Zecora? How many people do you think have failed this section because of this stupid miss-print?” “Mh,” Sunset hummed and dropped her hands to adjust the waistband of her skirt. “I’ll send her an email, but I doubt she’ll get back to me ‘til Monday. It’s just annoying.” Starlight nodded in agreement. The blinds on the far end of the room clattered lightly against the window frame as a gentle breeze wafted into the room. Summer really had come to an end, but both teens were grateful that the sun continued to blaze, well into the later months of the year. Starlight inhaled the crisp smell of warmed gravel and stone. “Wanna get out of here before the sun sets?” she forced her lips into a hard line, trying to hold back a snort. Sunset narrowed her brows for a moment before rolling her eyes. She shoved papers into her bag and slipped out of her seat with a forced, mocking laugh. “Hahaha, before the sun sets, Sunset. You’re soooo original! Never heard that before in my life!” Starlight couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry! I didn’t even realise until I’d already said it, I swear!” The taller girl attempted, trying to defend herself as Sunset tossed her hair over her shoulder. It was getting long again, she noted, I should cut it soon. Starlight giggled and followed her down the empty hallway toward the stairs. “Come on, you can make fun of my name if it’ll make you feel better.” Sunset tried. She really tried to think of something; but she just couldn’t. Her brain was fried. It was because of her studying! She was just burnt out. Sure. Burnt out. “Sorry, I wouldn’t want to stoop to your level, Glimmer.” “Oh pfft- cuh- uh!” Starlight grinned, fixing the other girl with a look before trying her best to subdue her smile. The best she could do was stretching her lips over her teeth, though. “Stoop to my level? Are you sure you’re tall enough to reach?” Sunset gasped and stopped in her tracks, racing after Starlight as she burst from the science building’s large mahogany doors, out onto the campus green. “You didn’t just say that! I’m only shorter than you by, like, two inches!” “Two inches is pretty much a mile, Sunset. That’s just basic math.” The red-head’s face twisted. “At least now we know who did the mathematics for the textbook.” Starlight punched her arm with an offended chortle. “You’re dead to me.” “Is that what you said to the calculator?” “Stooooop!” Starlight droned, letting out another laugh as she attempted to keep up pace with the shorter girl, as they both walked along the cobble-stoned sidewalk. It was nice, Sunset admitted to herself, to have a friend outside of Moondancer. It was nice to have someone who could keep up with her, mentally, about things that didn’t include contrived movie plots or— which anti-hero was the best portrayed in classic literature? It was nice to just… breathe. “So. Is Sunset your real name? Like… when you were dropped off as a baby, did your parents leave a birth certificate and everything?” Ever since movie night at her dorm, Starlight had seemed… fascinated by the concept of being raised in an orphanage. Her questions, originally, had been small. Was she close to anyone; was there a big difference between spending holidays without parents if everyone was like a family; was everyone like a family- and if not, why? And although she was apprehensive at first, Sunset also had to admit that… It felt oddly cathartic to actually talk about her childhood to someone who wasn’t Moondancer, or a therapist. Starlight didn’t look at her with pity— rather, it was sheer curiosity. Sunset loved watching the way the other girl’s eyes would sparkle whenever she listened. The way she let out little gasps whenever the red-head laid out explicit details about the foster system and all of the supports put in place for other people in her situation. “Yeah. It’s my real name, unfortunately.” “Why unfortunately?” “Because it’s dumb,” Sunset gave a half-smile. She held the door open for Starlight as they both entered the small coffee shop and bakery that Moondancer and Sunburst had taken them to before. Appropriately named ‘The Forest’, Sunset had commented with distinct interest, as long, plastic vines spread across the ceiling in criss-cross patterns, overlapping each other like a canopy until they met and tangled around the thick, brown, concrete pillars that dotted around the cafe like tree trunks. Tucked into the corner were singles and couples tables, just before the rows of bookshelves stretched far back into the rest of the large establishment. Her favorite part of all, however, was how the far end of the shop dimmed, illuminated by twinkling fairy lights that found themselves tangled amongst the make-shift foliage of, Sunset could only guess, the forest. It was fairly packed— seeing as it was a Friday, and most classes had just ended for the week— that was to be expected. Their usual spot was occupied. Sunset clicked her tongue with a sigh. “Should we go somewhere else?” She scratched her head and turned to Starlight who had already moved to join the shuffling queue. “We can just grab some to-go cups and head to the library. I-if you want, I mean,” the taller girl smiled and twirled a lock of hair beside her ear. “I know you still have some readings you wanted to do. I thought maybe just grabbing some coffee could help wake you up, since you said your eyes were tired. I could even keep you company.” Sunset blinked, heat rising to her cheeks as she swallowed the tightening lump in her throat. “Oh. Uhm. A-are you sure?” She felt herself mirroring Starlight, toying with a lock of her own hair before rubbing the back of her neck instead. “I mean- you probably have better things to be doing.” Starlight waved her off and stepped closer to the counter as the line moved up. She rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Trust me, grabbing coffee with you and studying beats literally anything else I could be doing today.” She counted off on her fingers, “Study alone. Go listen to Sunburst argue about the importance of art-history in his debate society. Watch my roommate gorge herself out on Froot Loops for the third time this week,” she rolled her eyes with an amused grin, “trust me, that last one isn’t as fun as it sounds.” Sunset’s forehead creased. “Froot Loops?” “Don’t ask,” Starlight said with a sigh. “So… hot chocolate again?” The red-head pondered for a moment, squinting up at the overhead menu boards and tip-toeing over the crowd to get a better look. “Mh… probably. Thought I might try being adventurous today, but I think I’ll play it safe.” The two settled into a comfortable silence amongst the chatter of customers, curiously glancing around the cafe until they both met eyes once more with sheepish smiles, each of them turning away from the other to hide their reddening cheeks. Sunset smoothed down her skirt as Starlight approached the counter once it was her turn and waited patiently to place her own order. Once Starlight had paid, she turned to offer Sunset one of her two cups. “Here you go.” “Wh- you didn’t have to-” Sunset followed her out of the line, the heat from the cup wafting up into her face and spreading warmth over her neck. Starlight waved her off and twisted her face with a small grin. “It’s nothing, don’t mention it. You can get it next time.” Next time. Sunset liked the idea of a next time. She liked the idea of this being a regular thing: grabbing coffee with Starlight. As Starlight led them back out of the cafe, she lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. “Blech-” Sunset’s face scrunched and she stuck out her tongue, as if to banish the foreign taste from her mouth. “This isn’t hot chocolate?” Starlight giggled and bounced in her step, swirling her own cup around a bit to cool it down. “It’s isn’t. It’s a mocha. It’s coffee with hot chocolate. You said you wanted to be adventurous, so I thought it was a good compromise.” Sunset pursed her lips into a small line and hummed, taking another sip. “I suppose.” It wasn’t long before they’d reached the library and, thankfully enough, the computer lab desks were relatively empty, once they’d swiped their student ID’s at the library’s reception. Sunset simply wandered over to the closest vacant table once they were inside and set her bag down on the chair next to her to rifle through her papers. Starlight took up the chair opposite, dropping her own backpack onto the floor and kicking it under the desk, out of the way. “The library’s bigger than I thought it’d be, wow,” the purple-haired teen said in quiet amazement, tilting her head around to get a better look at the large space. The library’s main area was for practical use: computer stations taking up the middle and left sides while desks and tables took up the far right. Along the left-hand wall spanned off three separate study rooms, separated from the main area by large glass windows. From there, the above floors were open-planned, with glass sheets acting as a banister, silver piping topped off as a railing. Starlight let out a small whistle. Sunset eyed her curiously, raising a brow ever-so-slightly at the implication. “You’re saying that as if you’ve never been in here before.” Starlight didn’t reply, sucking in her cheeks and looking askance. Sunset’s eyes widened as she narrowed her brows. “You’re unbelievable.” “What!” Starlight tried desperately, flexing her eyebrows upward in defeat. “I told you I’m no good at studying!” The shorter girl shook her head and pinched at the bridge of her nose. “I know, I know…” she sighed, sorting out her research papers in front of her and flipping her notebook open to the last page she had been working on in class. Sunset scanned over her writing, trying to focus on the words, but something was nibbling at the back of her mind. She drew her lower lip between her teeth and glanced back up at Starlight with narrowed eyes, folding her hands into the crooks of her elbows as she pulled herself closer into the table. “Say… I looked more into the local area and stuff- you know, places to go, restaurants to eat at and stuff, maybe-” Starlight looked up from inspecting her nails, pushing back her cuticles with her thumb nail, and straightened herself to attention once she realised Sunset was talking to her. “Oh- uh, yeah? What’d you find?” Sunset pinched at the skin of her arm. “Well, uh,” she allowed her eyes to drift, as if looking away from the other girl would stop her face from flushing, “it turns out that Canterlot has a Planetarium which hosts science exhibits. I thought it might be fun to check out, but I don’t really think Moondancer would be into it.” Starlight found herself smiling, fingers curling around the edge of her seat as she nodded, inviting the other girl to go on. “Well, uh,” Sunset pressed a hand to the back of her neck, “would you wanna go? Like, I mean, we don’t have to. I just thought it could give us something to do. You know, and still relate to class. I thought you might find it interesting. But, like, obviously if you have other plans or just think it’s lame we don’t-” “I’d love to,” Starlight beamed, and Sunset could swear her eyes were twinkling. “Would you want to go this weekend? I don’t have any plans.” Oh! Sunset tensed. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. She really hadn’t thought this far ahead. “U-uhm, sure!” She sputtered, an awkward grin splitting her face. She held Starlight’s stare for longer than she’d intended and ducked her head to pretend to read over her notes again. Smooth, Shimmer, she screwed her eyes shut. “Awesome,” Starlight sipped at her coffee, never drawing her eyes from the other girl as she watched her with amusement, trying her best to fight off her own grin. “So it’s a date.” Author's Note As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Written in the stars.Ah, Saturday. The best day of the week. For Sunset, it was a day that she allowed herself some time off. A day to rest her brain from study, to relax with some music, and to even enjoy a long, well-deserved lie-in in the morning. She’d spared no expense in creating the most comfortable sleeping arrangement for herself: her bed kitted out with a plethora of pillows, a weighted blanket, and even a fuzzy comforter Moondancer’s— her mom— had gifted her for Christmas the year before. She kept vanilla scented candles beside her bed atop her window frame, along with a dainty wind-chime that hung from her curtail rail; the same one she and Moondancer had made together in middle school. Yes, it was cozy. It was relaxing. What a perfect way to spend a Saturday: curled up in bed, warmed by the faint rays of sun that snuck in past her parted curtains, listening to light chimes and taking in the smell of vanilla. Paradise. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Sunset hissed into her mirror, desperately trying to apply the mascara she’d borrowed from Moondancer with a shaky hand. “Oh come on,” her forehead wrinkled for a moment before she pulled the wand away, leaned in closer to inspect her eyes, and gave up with a huff. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter- this is so stupid.” Sunset stood from her desk chair and used both hands to fan herself, repeating alchemical functions out-loud between deep, calming breaths. Really, she was being dramatic. There was no need for her to be putting this much effort into how she looked— she never had before! This was stupid, she repeated to herself, but widened her eyes to fight back the frustrated tears that threatened to ruin her makeup, anyway. She’d always hated skirts. Especially ones that constricted her movement to any certain degree— like the one Moondancer had helped pick out for her to wear last night— like the one she was now begrudgingly wearing. Again… Why was she going through so much effort to look nice? With a huff, she dropped herself down onto the edge of her bed to pull on the heeled, brown canvas boots she’d dug out from the back of her closet. She’d meant to throw them out honestly; she’d never even really worn them. Originally purchased for some student award night in Sophomore year, she was surprised they even still fit, albeit a bit snug; but they’d do for the day, she supposed. Sunset tied the laces and tucked her hair behind her ear as she rose to her feet, stepping back over to her desk once more to retrieve her knitted cardigan from the back of her chair. She paused, puckering her cheek and eyeing up the small, orange capsule container that sat on her bookshelf. She clenched and unclenched her fists, teetered her weight from foot to foot, and plucked it from the shelf to pop two little, white pills into her mouth. She swallowed them down without water, grimacing as she felt them at the back of her throat. It was nothing serious; just anxiety medication her doctor had prescribed to her after a series of panic attacks in high school. Really, it was nothing big. Just stress— everyone has stress. Everyone gets nervous and panicky. She wasn’t weird for it. It was just medicine. She tucked her phone into her handbag— yet another gift that Moondancer had let her borrow for the day— and adjusted her hair in her mirror once more, before making her way to the living room and out the front door, not so much as giving her sister the satisfaction of teasing her before her date— her hang out with Starlight. Sunset twisted her arm to glance at the watch on the inside of her wrist, nibbling on her lip a bit once she realised she was running late. Starlight had texted her the address of her dorm, and if she was wearing flats she could have made it there in no time, if she walked fast enough. She clicked her teeth and got to walking. It was a nice day, at least. That had to count for something. And seeing as how it was still early morning, Sunset was grateful that the campus was pretty much free from any gathering, smothering crowds. Only herself, the birds, and the occasional jogger who rubbed Sunset’s lack of athleticism in her face. The walk to Starlight’s dorm wasn’t that long, but it did give Sunset enough time to consider a few things. For one, just how big the University’s campus actually was, was a good start. Sure, Everton had always been her dream school in regards to the outstanding facilities and opportunities it granted in the scientific field, it’s reputation only preceded by some of the greatest scholarly successors in recent history. But she hadn’t ever stopped to consider the actual size of the place. It was grand, and admittedly, the architecture was gorgeous. She hopped down off the sidewalk to take the cobblestone pathway that led toward the Campus Green. Even now, fellow students were taking advantage of the large stretch of grass. Sunset had to admit, she never really did see the appeal of playing frisbee. If she was being honest, she didn’t really think that was something people actually did. She’d seen it in countless promotional videos for the different academic facilities that had reached out to her once she’d made the honor roll, sure, but she didn’t think it was actually real. Like how in movies cheerleaders are always dressed in uniform! Or how at every party, teenagers are always drinking from red solo cups! What was with that? She shook her head with a small laugh. Once she had found herself outside of Starlight’s dorm, Sunset fished her phone out from her bag and sent her a text, eyeing the front door for movement as she kept her position at the end of the pathway. She shifted her weight to lean on one leg and tapped her other foot. She squinted as she glanced up and down the street, the sun finally taking its position in the sky. What she noticed most was how quiet the roads were on the weekends. She’d gathered that most traffic to and from the University was due to the amount of faculty, or students that lived closer to the city and had to commute every day for classes; but even still, it was nice to hear the chirping of birds so early on a Saturday. Sunset turned her attention back to the front door of the dorm once she’d heard the handle’s mechanism jostle. After a few more seconds, out stepped Starlight Glimmer, phone pressed to her ear and looking… less than thrilled to be part of whatever conversation was currently going on. Sunset stepped away from the path to allow Starlight to meet her on the sidewalk, and hung around for a moment as the other girl tried to finish off the phone call. “Yes, yes. Okay. Right,” Starlight silently huffed, rolling her eyes deeply. Sunset only eyed her curiously. “Yes. I love you too. Okay. Talk to you later. Bye.” “Uhm?...” “Ugh,” Starlight’s face twisted as she hung up, slipping her phone into the pocket of her denim jacket, “my dad. I told him not to call me because I had plans today, so he called me before he knew I was supposed to be meeting with you just to ‘check up on me’.” She mocked with forced enthusiasm. “Honestly,” Starlight scoffed and adjusted the backpack strap that was slung over one shoulder, “it only makes me wonder why he wasn’t this invested in what I was doing when I was back home.” Sunset frowned as Starlight combed a hand through her bangs with a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to-...” Starlight cut herself off and bit her lip, “let’s just forget it. I want to have a good time today. Let’s go have fun.” Neither of them moved for a short time, a thin layer of tension hanging in the air, although Sunset wouldn’t ever address it, if Starlight didn’t want her to. “Right,” the red-head spoke finally, “let’s get going. We’ve… probably missed our bus, but that’s fine. It just means we need to wait about a half hour till the next one. Is that okay?” Starlight nodded with a grateful smile and rolled her shoulders. “Mhm, that’s fine. Lead the way.” Sunset clenched her fingers against her palms and began leading the way to the bus stop just outside of campus. Starlight kept pace with her but stayed quiet. Sunset stole a few glances in the other girls direction to see how she was doing. Starlight idly looked around herself, as if looking at the place for the first time. Or maybe it was just her consistent sense of wonder that made her look so lost, but not quite unhappy to be so. She just had a gentle face, Sunset allowed herself to smile, but quickly set her lips into a hard line once she realised she’d been staring at the other girl's hand. “So… I never thought I’d see you in boots. Did you really take the short joke yesterday that personal?” There she was again; back to being as charming as ever. “Oh, shut up,” Sunset snorted. It felt like no time at all had passed between them, when their bus finally came to pick them up. The journey had consisted of them teasing each other, pointing out landmarks or interesting looking buildings they passed. Places they vowed to visit before they graduated. Starlight had challenged her to make it their mission to visit every cafe in the area before the end of their senior year. Sunset had respectfully accepted. They stepped off the bus and walked a little ways down the street before they came to a white-bricked bridge that stretched over a gleaming canal. “Sunset, check it out!” Starlight beamed and quickly made her way over to the edge to look down into the water. “I’ve never seen a swan before!” Sunset sided her up and leaned over the side to get a better look at the family of swans that swam atop the rippling current. Starlight pulled out her phone to snap a picture, giggling to herself with glee. “They’re so cute. I’m having a great time already.” The red-head smiled as she watched the other girl, happy enough just to stay like this. But even so, they pressed on. “So you like animals?” Sunset asked as they began crossing over the bridge. Starlight's bright face never faltered as she looked up from her picture with a nod. “Oh, totally. I always wanted a dog growing up, but-” she cut herself off, biting her lip now and dropping her eyes. She laughed a nervous laugh, and Sunset frowned in understanding, tightening the muscles in her jaw. “Mh. Same. We couldn’t have pets at the foster home,” Sunset attempted to lighten the mood. Even if only a little. “That’s lame.” “Tell me about it,” she chuckled, “they couldn’t keep a dog in a home that would just have kids coming and going all the time. It would’ve been too stressful for it. Separation anxiety and all that.” “But it’s okay to have 20 kids running around each other then splitting them up? What about them?” “That’s different.” Starlight raised a brow. “And how’d you figure that?” “Humans can understand stuff like that. Dogs can’t.” “Humans can understand why some people just up and leave their lives?” Sunset swallowed and turned her face away once they’d finally crossed the bridge to look back at the swans again, splashing around together. “Did you know swans mate for life?” Starlight stayed quiet and followed Sunset’s eyes back across the water before looking at the other girl again, frowning at the way Sunset gave a squeeze to the strap of her handbag. “When they’re around 2, they choose a mate to spend the rest of their lives with. How sweet is that?” Starlight took her bottom lip between her teeth and ducked her head guiltily as Sunset began walking again. She wrung her hands for a moment, changing to fiddle with her bracelet, before finally clasping her hands and peeking up at Sunset from behind her bangs. “Sorry. That was really insensitive.” Sunset glanced back at her and gave a small, lopsided smile. She shrugged and looked ahead again. “It’s fine. You’re right, so. You should say it, I guess.” Starlight held onto her forearm and kept her eyes low. Before long, they came to a large concrete plaza. Long, identical pools of water stretched along each side in vertical strips. In the centre of the space sat a grand sculpture of the milky way, with arching water jets spraying water into the pool at the bed of the statue. Sunset had seen pictures of the plaza at night and knew that, if they stick around long enough, they’d be able to see the way the sculpture twinkled at night- the pools each lighting up, shifting in different hues over time. She glanced over at Starlight to gauge her reaction and was pleasantly met with the other girl’s mouth hanging agape, her wide eyes once again gleaming in wonder. “You like it?” “I-... wow. This place is gorgeous.” Starlight was right, it was gorgeous. The mouth of the building itself was carved to hug the plaza on each side, like a large crescent moon. “C’mon,” The purple-haired girl smiled, taking Sunset’s hand to pull her over in front of the sculpture. “Let’s take a picture.” Sunset barely had time to throw up a peace sign by the time she’d registered what the other girl had said, too preoccupied by the sudden feeling of Starlight’s hand in her own, and the sudden wave of heat that overtook her face thereafter. She swallowed sheepishly, straightening out her skirt and watching the other girl inspect their picture with a grin. Starlight giggled. “W-what is it? Did I look weird?” Starlight shook her head and glanced at Sunset for a moment before looking back down at her phone. She tapped the screen a few times and tucked the device into her pocket to hook arms with the red-head. “You looked cute.” Sunset clutched the fabric of her cardigan as Starlight led her inside, pursing her lips into a firm line to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She knew she probably looked like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Or constipated. Maybe both? Probably both. The planetarium was cool on the inside, figuratively and literally. In the foyer hung a large replica of a space rocket, with astronaut suits sitting on either side of a large span of glass which Sunset could only assume contained facts about space travel and how difficult it was. Sunset led Starlight over to the reception desk to wait in the small line and stretched her neck to peer round at the exhibits, to see just how busy the place was. She knew it had good reviews from what she had seen online, but she didn’t expect the place to be so crowded. She was pleasantly surprised. Always good to see people taking an interest in science. “Good morning girls,” the receptionist beamed once they’d strode over. “Two tickets?” Sunset nodded and smiled. “Yes, please.” “Paying separately?” Starlight opened her mouth and slipped her arm from Sunset’s to pull her wallet from the inside of her jacket, only for the red-head to cut her off. “No, no. I’ll pay.” Starlight looked to her with widened eyes, twitching her brows. “Are you sure?” She asked once Sunset handed over the money, grimacing at the price. “I can pay you back-” Sunset offered her a reassuring smile and handed Starlight her wristband for the day. “Mhm, it’s fine. You can buy the coffee.” The two then strolled into the exhibition space, taking in the appropriate space-themed decor: old, dusted helmets lining the wall against the far side of the room, murals of stars and galaxies painted in hues of golds and purple. There were statues of model rockets, the solar system that dangled overhead, all topped off with a narration of time and space that droned on over the sounds system. All in all, it was a planetarium, but it never failed to amaze Sunset just how far science had actually come in such a short amount of time. They’d been to the moon, dammit! How amazing was that? “Woah… check this out,” Starlight said with a sense of curiosity, garnering all of Sunset’s attention as the other girl wandered over to one of the glass cabinets against the wall. Inside was a small replica of a satellite, with an even smaller figma of a person. The information displayed next to the demonstration was an explanation of how radio and deep space signals were transmitted, and how large dish antennas were required to be in order to pick up such frequencies. “I knew they were big, but… woah. Imagine how awesome that would be to see in person. How exciting would that be?” As they moved on to the next display, Sunset gave a nod and walked backwards to better face the other girl. “I think that’s probably my favorite part about learning about space. Realising just how tiny we actually are in the grand scheme of things.” Starlight smirked. “Nothing you don’t know about already, short stuff,” she teased. Sunset gave a pout and opened her mouth to snap back at her, but felt her face flush as she bumped into someone. She immediately stepped away and turned herself around to utter out an apology, clenching her teeth once she met the other girl’s eyes. “Oh, sorry, I-” the bespectacled girl tensed, brows half-wrinkling for a moment as her mouth hung open slightly. “S… Sunset?” “Uh- uhm-” Sunset darted her eyes from side to side, “y-yes?” The smaller girl swallowed and straightened herself out, as if assessing the situation, eyes scanning over Starlight— lingering for a moment before she looked back to Sunset and forced a smile. “What’re you doing here?” Sunset looked toward Starlight who stood at her side now. “I’m, uh. Here with a friend?” She quirked a brow, “Do I know you?” The other girl paused and pursed her lips before exhaling through her nose with a shake of her head, dropping her eyes to the floor. Her shoulders relaxed and she raised her head to give a more genuine smile this time. “I guess not.” She offered her hand to shake, “I’m Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.” The name seemed… Familiar. She couldn’t tell from where, or when, but somehow the name rang a bell. Sunset did her best to remember as she shook the other girl’s hand, but surrendered with a sigh. “Right, uh. Nice to meet you? I think?” Just then, a green haired boy with a beanie wandered over and wrapped an arm around Twilight’s shoulder. “Oh, hey, Sunset! Loving the hair,” he winked and shot a finger gun. “When’d you get that done?” “Uhm-” Sunset opened her mouth, but Twilight turned to the taller boy with a deep frown, with glaring eyes and furrowed brows that begged him to keep his mouth shut. “Sorry for bothering you!” Twilight piped up, pressing her hands against the boy’s chest to push him as she began walking away, “we should get going, right Timber?” It was more a warning than a question. “Oh, uhm,” he looked between the smaller girl pushing him and the red-head, then looked toward Starlight who just watched the entire situation with a curious brow. “Y-yeah! We don’t wanna be late for… the second trip to the moon?” And as quickly as the awkward conversation had begun, it ended, with the other two teens quickly excusing themselves and dipping into the crowd of other space-lovers. Sunset and Starlight shared a look, just as confused as each other. “That was… weird, right?” “Uh,” Starlight blinked, “yeah.” For a moment she scanned the crowd for the other girl’s ponytail, squinting and giving up with a small exhale. She turned back to Sunset and nudged her with her shoulder, “But then again, you’re weird, so it’s normal for you.” Sunset grumbled and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. C’mon, we’re not going to see anything if we’re just standing here.” “Right,” Starlight nodded and hooked her arm with Sunset’s again as they made their way into the rest of the planetarium. Once they’d made their way around the crescent area of the entrance to the curves peak, there was a set of double doors that fed into a darker hallway, fixed with dim lights to highlight paintings and models of planets. As they travelled deeper into the building, the further along the line of the solar system they arrived at. Sunset noted that Starlight seemed to be more interested in the moons of the solar system than she was the planets, and even found herself paying more attention to them the more the day went on. “Did you know that astrobiologists have theorised for decades that liquid water is quintessential for the existence of life on other planets? Isn’t it also super interesting how studies have always found more habitable surfaces and subsurfaces on the moons of other planets, rather than the planets themselves?” Starlight bubbled, bouncing in place once they’d finally reached Neptune. “I always thought it was kinda narcissistic of humans to assume every life form needs to fit the same ‘survival criteria’ as Earth in order to survive.” Sunset mulled, “I mean, yeah. It is kinda silly to assume, right?” “Right!” Starlight beamed, “I mean, fish can live under water and we can’t. What’s to say that, with evolution, organisms couldn’t learn how to live in sub-arctic temperatures? Or not even need to breathe at all! Or-” Sunset chuckled. “You sure seem more interested in space than you do chemistry.” Starlight’s cheeks turned a rosy pink as she held onto her wrist behind her back with a small smile of her own. “Yeah,” she chuckled airily, “I guess you’re right.” “Then why didn’t you study that instead?” Starlight’s face softened as she drew her lips together into a line. She stepped up to one of the plexiglass covered sheets of information, more so to keep her eyes focused on than to actually read. Sunset watched her, her own mouth falling into a tense, crooked frown before she resolved to bite at her bottom lip instead. “When I was little, I really wanted to be an astronaut,” Starlight’s eyes crinkled at the edges as she gave a small shrug. “I remember my mom and dad decorating my room with glow-in-the dark stars. My mom was… kind of a genius,” she spared a glance in Sunset’s direction before she focused back on the black text in front of her again. “She bought a hula hoop from the store and painted it to match my room, then bought netted wiring to turn it into a canopy that she had my dad attach to the ceiling above my bed. She was an artist, and so she painted different constellations on the ceiling, too— all fanning out from the canopy. They both attached little shooting stars and rockets to the netting. When I looked up, there was a glittery moon directly above me whenever I slept. My mom always said she thought the moon was pretty.” Sunset nodded and dropped her head to clench her hands into fists. She looked back up at Starlight and swallowed, taking a moment to find her voice. “So-... your mom, she liked space?” Starlight’s eyes twinkled, wetted with memories as she gave a lopsided smile. “Well, I don’t think she called me Starlight for the irony of it. At least I hope not,” she chuckled. “How did she?...” “She got sick. She passed away right after I started elementary school.” Starlight paced away from the exhibit to hook her arm with Sunset’s again, keeping her head low as she spoke. Sunset could tell she was shaking. That the act was more for the support than anything else. “I realised that being an astronaut wasn’t ever going to help anyone. So, I wanted to go into chemistry to become a doctor.” “Starlight…” She shook her head and offered a pained smile. “I want to help people like the doctors did for my mom. I know they tried their best. And yeah, I know I’ll never invent the cure or- or anything to bring her back, but-...” She clenched her jaw and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. “I just wanna help people. Chemistry is how I know I can do that— medicine. I’m hoping to specialise in medical science.” Silence hung in the air between the cheers and laughter of children, excitedly tugging on their parents hands and hurriedly ushering them from exhibit to exhibit. Sunset’s mouth straightened into a tense line. She followed Starlight’s eyes as she watched families; parents and grandparents; friends and scholars. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Honestly, Sunset dropped her eyes to her boots, it was like she’d been spared a pain she hadn’t been aware of, until that moment. Sure, there was a pain in the dreaming; but there was a mercy in the not knowing. She let out a sigh, deep and shaky. She opened her mouth to speak; to apologise for bringing it up; to apologise for being insensitive about… everything, but she squared her jaw once she felt her stomach lurch, remembering the way she’d chewed Starlight out for not paying attention in class. Who was she to Starlight? Who was she to make a snap-judgement? To take one look at a spaced-out girl and think she had the authority to determine whether Starlight had the right to be there or not? She felt a familiar heat rise to her cheeks and spread throughout her face, burning her skin like a raging flame. Her mouth felt dry; so painfully dry. She felt her hands trembling, and clutched the fabric of her cardigan with the one Starlight left free. Sunset’s eyes stung with liquid guilt, and with every breath she tried to take in she felt her throat constrict, until she felt light in the head. “You hungry?” Came Starlight’s soothing tone, bringing Sunset back down to Earth. She turned to her with a bright smile, and Sunset felt her tension slowly melt away. “I could go for some lunch. Wanna head to the food court?” Sunset raised her eyes and looked in the direction of where Starlight had motioned with her head, and only now took in the scent of burgers and fries that attacked her senses. She swallowed, trying to find her voice, and cleared her throat. “Yeah,” Sunset nodded, “I’m starving.” Cruelty against animals was something Sunset was extremely passionate about: making sure they were kept in humane conditions, petitioning and even so much as organising campaigns against the testing of cosmetic products on animals. It was just something she cared about a lot, for as long as she could remember, and had decided to take up a vegetarian diet for just as long, too. Unfortunately for her, though, the planetarium’s… lavish menu did not contain a lot of vegetarian options, leaving her to dine on a small bag of baby carrots, some grapes, and a side portion of fries. She sighed and slurped at her lemonade dejectedly. Starlight munched on her hot dog with a bright hum, wiping away the sauce that gathered at the corner of her mouth with the pad of her thumb and licking it clean. Sunset narrowed her eyes, face twisting a bit before she stared down at her own meal with another heavy sigh. “I should’ve packed my own lunch.” “Mh?” Starlight arched a brow and swallowed, puckering her cheek as she glanced down at Sunset’s pathetic meal. “That really does suck that they don’t have more options. You’d think with all the attention to detail they put into the place that they’d at least carry a salad, or something.” Sunset frowned and plopped a baby carrot into her mouth. Starlight dangled her feet from her stool, kicking them absentmindedly as she finished off her own food, and swiped a fry from Sunset’s plate. “So, where to next?” “They have a lights show every hour and a half, but I think we missed the timing. We’ll need to wait for the next one if we really wanted to go, but I’m not sure if it’s like… You know, something you’d be interested in.” “Aw, what? C’mon,” The other girl beamed and took a sip of her own drink, “I thought you’d have learned by now. I love space.” Sunset pinched another carrot. “No, I mean- I’m not sure if it’s like, for grade schoolers or not.” “Not a fan of overzealous explanations?” “Not a fan of enclosed spaces filled with kids.” Sunset paused. “Or overzealous explanations.” “Mh,” Starlight nodded. “Okay, you have a point there.” She pursed her lips and rested her cheek in her palm, taking another long slurp of her soda. She kicked her feet again. “Well, I’m fine with whatever you have planned. I always have fun when I’m with you.” Sunset felt her cheeks warm and she dropped her eyes to drink her lemonade, hoping that the ice would help to cool her down. “Me, uhm. Me too.” Starlight beamed, and Sunset couldn’t tell if the other girl’s cheeks were dusted with pink, or if it was just the lighting. Probably just the lighting. “It’s a good thing you’re a vegetarian, because I think we make a pretty good pear,” She flashed a toothy grin, nudging Sunset with a wink, “don’t you?” Sunset rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Is that the best you’ve got? You’re not very good with jokes, are you?” Starlight smirked as Sunset took another long slurp of her drink. “You’re right. I tried to think of a chemistry joke, but all the good ones… Argon.” With that, Sunset snorted, and the liquid that filled her mouth went down the wrong pipe. Lemonade forced itself from her nose and she coughed, horrendously, pelting at her chest to dislodge the drink that cut off her air. Lemonade was everywhere, spraying all over the table and covering Starlight’s shirt in the process. Starlight’s face paled and she did her best to fight off another wide grin, even more desperate not to break out into howling laughter. Sunset Shimmer wanted to die. She let go of her cup to reach for the napkins but knocked it over, spilling the rest of the contents with it. She felt her eyes fill with tears as Starlight swiftly stood out of the way. The taller girl doubled over in laughter. Sunset let out a pathetic whine. “I-I’m so sorry-” Sunset coughed and wheezed, trying desperately to wipe up her mess. Starlight wiped a tear from her eye and blinked, all mirth slowly ebbing away as she began to stare at Sunset with concern. “Sunset- you’re-” She reached for the napkins herself, but Sunset held them out of her reach. “No! No, it’s fine! I’ll clean it up-” Her eyes darted around at the other customers who were all staring at her with mixed degrees of judgement, entertainment, and pity. Sunset’s lip quivered. “No, Sunset, that’s not-” “It’s okay!” She stood and scattered the paper towels all over the table, pausing for a moment only to use the entirety of her forearms against the blanket of napkins to mop up the mess. “Sunset!” Starlight snapped, setting a hand on the other girl’s shoulder to get her to stop. “Your nose is bleeding.” The planetarium gift shop had wonderful novelty t-shirts. Sunset clutched the strap of her handbag tightly with both hands, wringing it, never lifting her eyes for the entirety of Starlight’s transaction with the cashier. She hadn’t spoken the entire time from the food court ‘til now, either. Starlight had ushered her aside with a click of her tongue and a shake of her head as she finished cleaning up her mess. After that, she’d fetched more napkins to help stop Sunset’s nose bleed, brought on by the sheer force of her completely ruining any chance she had to impress Starlight. Oh, sorry, by the force of her life ending. Oh, no, sorry, by how hard she’d managed to squirt lemonade out of her fucking nose. Her white shirt had been stained with blood, Starlight’s cotton shirt had been ruined by her nose-hose. Sorry, her soda. “Okay,” the other girl turned to Sunset with a smile after tucking her wallet back into her jacket. “All better?” Sunset glanced up at her but dropped her eyes just as quickly. “Yeah.” Sunset swallowed thickly, “I-... I’m really sorry-” Starlight chuckled and clasped her hands behind her back. “Don’t be! It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. You had me worried.” “That was just so gross I-” “Shh,” Starlight pressed a finger to Sunset’s lips and then brought it back to press against her own. An indirect kiss. “It’s fine. Besides, we got these awesome new shirts,” she beamed and opened the lapels of her jacket to show off her new purchase. It was a simple pale blue t-shirt, but with bold obnoxious text that read ‘sa-TURN down for what’. Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Oh, what?” Starlight arched a brow and chuckled. “Like yours is any better?” She hummed. “Comet me, bro, is a lot more subtle.” “Oh, yes because you’re so subtle, Miss Shimmer.” Sunset pouted and folded her arms. Starlight moved and held Sunset’s wrists to unfold her arms before she took her hands and gave her a bright smile, ducking her head to force the other girl into meeting her eyes. “C’mon. You mentioned on the bus there was an observatory. Show me?” Sunset felt the warmth creep up her face as Starlight’s fingers held onto her own, and she couldn’t fight off the smile that tugged at her lips any more. She surrendered with a quiet nod and let Starlight lead the way, pulling her along with a tight grip on her hand. It was… weird. Sunset’s hands were always warm and clammy. She always hated the way they felt as she rubbed them off on her thighs or over her face once exhaustion set in during long study sessions. She’d been told before that her hands were rather chubby, and her fingers were like fat little stubs that each extended out from her palms. Granted, she had been twelve and she’d just won a game of kickball, so naturally the only thing for her opponent to do was to make her self conscious. Psyche her out. And it had worked, for a while. She stared at the back of Starlight’s head for a moment, enamoured, as she led Sunset through the crowds of people. She dropped her eyes to look at their joined hands and smiled, giving Starlight’s a gentle squeeze. Starlight’s hands were larger than hers, if only a little bit. But, to Starlight, that was everything. Sunset didn’t mind losing if it meant getting to hold the other girl’s hand. They were cold, and soft, and welcoming, and returned Sunset’s squeeze, with one a little more firm. Sunset smiled again. They both came to a stop as Starlight pondered for a moment, looking at the overhead signs and squinting against them in the dim lighting. Sunset had taken over with directions from there, and they’d only gotten turned around twice before they both resigned to ask someone else for directions. Of course, they’d walked right past it four times. They both shared meek looks and rubbed the back of their necks in embarrassment. Starlight dropped Sunset’s hand as they came through the double doors and into a much wider room. The ceiling was like a dome, covered in twinkling stars that shifted and changed, displaying the different constellations in the solar system and beyond. “Wow…” Starlight whispered, stepping into the centre of the space and gazing around in sheer wonder. “This is…” Sunset smiled. “It’s pretty cool, right?” “Sunset,” Starlight finally pulled her eyes from the fake-sky to look at the other girl with a wide grin. “This place is freaking awesome.” Sunset’s eyes crinkled, squinting as her smile widened. She clasped her hands behind her back and wandered over to the side of the room to read the information about some of the constellations being displayed. “Aquila…” “Oh!” Starlight followed after her, “That’s the eagle. We’re actually in the season for that one. There’s too much light pollution in the city to see it without a telescope, probably, but I’m pretty sure the school has some nice grassy hills you could go stargazing on.” She paused and scratched her cheek, “Uh- if that’s something you’d want to do, I mean.” Sunset contemplated for a moment and kept her eyes set on the wall. “Yeah. That sounds like fun. We could even ask Moondancer and Sunburst if they wanted to come.” “Oh. Uhm,” Starlight seemingly deflated, “yeah. I-I guess we could.” She paused for a moment before pointing to another constellation. “T-this one’s also in season. It’s called Cygnus. It has some pretty cool lore to it, too.” “And what’s that?” Starlight brightened again. “Well, it’s supposed to represent the story of Orpheus, from Greek mythology.” Sunset blanched and twitched her lips. “I must’ve missed that one.” “It’s one of my favorites.” “Tell it to me?” Sunset turned her head to meet Starlight’s eyes. The other girl swallowed with a small nod. “Right, uhm. Right.” Her cheeks reddened in hue. “So, Orpheus was a musician and a poet and he played a lyre. He’d recently gotten married to the woman he was in love with, Eurydice, but on the night of their wedding, she got bitten by a snake and died from the venom.” “Yikes…” Sunset clenched her teeth and looked back to the pictures on the wall. “Right? Well, Orpheus was distraught and so he descended into hell to plead with the Gods of the underworld to bring her back to life. The story says that his eloquence and the love he expressed for his wife melted the hearts of all the denizens of the underworld, and they all fell silent. The Gods agreed to return Eurydice’s mortality, but on one condition. Orpheus was to walk out of hell and not glance back to see his love until she was safely returned to the mortal world. If he failed to do that, then she would descend back into hell. They both began walking, and made it to the Earth’s rim. But, just before they managed to escape, Orpheus was overcome with anxiety and looked back. Eurydice whispered one last farewell before she died once more, finally. There was no disdain- no disappointment in him or his actions; because Eurydice now knew for certain that Orpheus loved her unconditionally.” The space fell into a silence, the lights on the ceiling above them changing to a dark, purple hue. Sunset felt a sadness in the pit of her stomach and a frown settled on her features. She took a moment to process the story before she turned her attention back to Starlight, who stared past her, tracing her fingers over the murals with an expression she couldn’t quite read. “That really… wow. I’ve never heard that story before.” “That’s one of my favorites,” she smiled, and met Sunset’s eyes finally as she straightened out her frame. “I always thought it was so romantic. It’s sad, but-... you can appreciate it for what it is.” Sunset glanced over Starlight’s shoulders to see that they were alone, and her stomach fluttered once she looked back toward the other girl, who was now staring at her intently. “Y-yeah. You’re really- er,” Sunset cleared her throat, “I mean- it’s really pretty.” Starlight’s face softened and she lifted her hand to cup Sunset’s cheek, brushing the hair away from the other girl’s face with her thumb. She began leaning in. Sunset’s breath hitched in her throat. “I think you’re really pretty, too.” Author's Note oh ho ho? what's this? developments? :3c Check out the art for this chapter here! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Perfect Chemistry.For someone with a 4.0 GPA, Sunset Shimmer was incredibly stupid. Yes, she may have been able to do most algebraic fractions without a calculator; recite the periodic table backwards; and find any Waldo based on the probability of positinable variants. But when it came to feelings? To understanding social cues and body language? Sunset Shimmer was an absolute idiot. She stared with blank eyes at the whiteboard behind Doctor Zecora, zoning the older woman out for most of the class. Unable to focus, she’d held her cheek in her palm and resigned herself to merely stare off into space. Better space, than Starlight. Sunset swallowed thickly as the girl’s name flashed in her mind, rose blooming in her cheeks as she pulled back from her desk to clasp her hands in her lap. She bowed her head, pinched her lips, and stole a glance in the other girl’s direction. Starlight sat slumped over her desk, chin resting on her arms as she focused her eyes toward the front of the class. Sunset’s eyes fell in shame. ‘What to say? How to say it? When or where or why?’ She swallowed again. If she were in a movie, the most romantic thing to do would be to stand up now and profess her love, right? The idea of romance is all dependent on how much you can embarrass yourself for the sake of the other person, right? That’s how it worked. Right? Sunset clenched her eyes shut and let out a sigh. The sound of shuffling papers drew Sunset’s attention back to the front of the class, where Zecora stood rummaging about her desk and adjusting her lab coat. “Now, class, before we end, I would like to know your new lab bestfriend,” The older woman smiled as she collected a clipboard from the table and dotted her tongue with the ball point of her pen. “Those of you who have already let me know, enjoy your afternoon; you are free to go.” Shit. The partner project. It had completely slipped her mind. Sunset clenched her jaw as other students began stuffing and filling things away into their bags. Her eyes darted around, searching the faces of her classmates who had actually taken the initiative to get in contact with the professor— something she hadn’t. Something she had been too distracted to do. Her stomach lurched. Zecora drifted her pen down her page, checking off the names of people who had informed her of who they would be partnering up with, and smiled once she came to her first blank. “Ah! Starlight Glimmer,” she beamed, looking up from the clipboard to meet the girl’s eyes, “and who might your partner be?” Sunset snapped her attention toward Starlight, who sat with eyes just as equally wide. Her lips parted for a moment and Sunset felt her breath hitch once the other girl looked her way— catching her stare— and just as quickly, she averted her eyes. Starlight cleared her throat and sat up straight, adjusting the hair from her face as she pursed her lips. “I don’t-” “Me!” Sunset’s hand shot into the air, a little too enthusiastic. She offered apologetic smiles towards her classmates, who had actually flinched. Sunset straightened out her skirt and swallowed the tightness in her throat as she fluttered her eyes toward Starlight, who was now glaring at her from across the room, eyes darting between Sunset and Zecora. “I meant to include it in the email I sent on Friday, but it slipped my mind. Sorry.” Satisfied, the professor smiled and scribbled down a note on her clipboard. “That is quite alright, Sunset. Make sure the deadline is something you don’t forget.” Sunset offered a small nod and, catching Starlight shoving her notebook into her bag, scrambled to gather up her things. Within just a few moments Starlight had already tugged on her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulders, disappearing into the crowd of students as they excused themselves from the class. Sunset tilted her chin upward, to get a better look over the heads of her classmates, as she tucked her chair under her desk, as quickly and quietly as possible. Starlight was fast, she would give her that; but Sunset was determined, and nothing could shake her once she’d set her mind to it. The redhead ducked and pushed her way through the hall, muttering and yelping out apologies as she forced her way between people. Occasionally, she would rise up onto her toes, hoping to catch a flash of— Purple and turquoise. Bingo. Sunset clicked her tongue and, with furrowed brows, turned herself to sidestep through the bustling crowd of teenagers. “Starlight!” She called out after her, grumbling under her breath when the other girl didn’t even stop to look at her. In fact, Sunset was sure she saw the other girl speed up. She rolled her eyes with a huff. Once they were finally out of the science building, Sunset bent over to press her hands to her knees to allow herself to breathe— but only for a moment. No, she couldn’t stop. She had a Starlight to catch. This was just like one of Moondancer’s cheesy old rom-coms, she shook her head, although, in those the guy chased down the girl as she was mounting a train or about to board an airplane— but she wasn’t one to complain. She glanced around the courtyard, heaving and panting the heat from her face, scanning the pathways and shortcuts for the other girl. Starlight was clutching her bag straps and dodging around the groups of teens that always walked far too slow in front of people, and for once, Sunset was grateful they’d held the other girl up— if only momentarily. She took off after her, holding the pouch of her satchel to her hip to stop it from sliding off her shoulder. She couldn’t stop now. She played it through in her mind— if she dropped her bag, she’d leave it; textbooks, laptop and all. They could be replaced. Her relationship with Starlight couldn’t. Sure, her parents would have probably killed her for being so careless but— but this was for love, dammit! “Starlight!” Sunset panted as she finally caught up to the other girl, gripping her wrist tightly to stop her from escaping. When the taller girl finally turned to face her, Starlight’s cheeks were flushed, her lips pinched, and her eyes wide. She was like a deer caught in headlights, and was just as close to breaking out into a run again. She pressed her mouth together into a wry line and did her best to dodge Sunset’s stare. “W-what do you want?” Sunset took a moment to collect herself, holding up a finger as she doubled over and heaved out a heavy breath. “One-... one second. Jeeze— I haven’t run like that since my Junior year.” Starlight adjusted her bag strap with the hand Sunset wasn’t currently holding in a vice grip and awkwardly looked around, puckering her lips and blowing air into her cheeks. Her brows twitched as she tried to keep them furrowed, fighting off the deep frown that threatened to give away just how crummy she was feeling. “Come… come to my dorm.” Starlight blinked. “What?” “Come to my dorm,” Sunset repeated and finally straightened herself out. She glanced down at Starlight’s wrist and quickly drew her hand away to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. “S-sorry. Uhm-” Starlight shook her head and folded her arms. “No. No, Sunset I don’t-... I can’t.” “Please?” “I-I’m busy,” Starlight shook her head and kept her eyes low. “Starlight you’re never busy on Mondays.” “Yeah, well-” the taller girl pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth and rolled her jaw, tapping her foot and drumming her fingers against her bicep. “Well I am today, so.” Sunset’s eyes strained and wrinkled at the ends as she clutched the strap of her bag between both hands. Her stomach felt hollow— like a deep, empty pit— and with every breath her throat felt like it was about to close in on itself. She tried her best to think of what to do— what to say, and all she could do was mumble out incoherent noises. “We can- I need to—… We really need to talk about—” “Hahaha,” Starlight forced an over-enthusiastic fake laugh, a plastic grin spreading across her face as she teetered on her heels. “No, no. No we really don’t need to talk about that. Or anything! I’d prefer if we just pretend Saturday never happened. I think that sounds like a good plan, don’t you agree?” Sunset wanted to shake her head but she didn’t. She wanted to take the other girl’s hand and tell her everything was okay, but she didn’t. She wanted to make Starlight feel better. But she didn’t. She sighed and dropped her eyes. Wrung her bag strap in her hands. Chewed on her lip. “Then… then let’s do that. If that’s what you want. But- we are partners for the project now and—” She paused once she heard the other girl suck in a breath, but continued after a moment, “and we still need to figure out what we’re going to do about that, so…” Sunset swallowed and finally lifted her eyes to meet Starlight’s, twinkling with… Sunset wasn’t sure. “So come to my dorm? Please?” The walk was brisk and was drenched entirely in a heavy silence, neither girl so much as looking in each other’s direction. Sunset was just glad Starlight had agreed to her invitation, and didn’t want to push it by attempting to make small talk on top of that. Plus, she knew she would just be carrying on a one-sided conversation anyway, and knew from experience that she should never be allowed to do that ever again. Starlight fell behind as Sunset opened the door and stepped into the dorm. She waited at the side for the other girl to follow in after her and quietly closed the door behind her, awkwardly dropping her eyes and stretching her lips over her teeth. “You can uhm. Just take a seat on the couch, if you want?” Starlight didn’t even bother a nod in response as she wandered over and plopped her bag down on the floor at her feet, keeping her eyes low as she clasped her fingers over her knees. Sunset hung up her jacket and rounded the recliner to sit down, mirroring the other girl’s posture, running her tongue over her lip as she tried to think of what to say next. After a beat, the door to Moondancer’s room burst open, and she shimmied out into the living room. “Hey, hey, hey! How did things-” Moondancer froze upon seeing Sunset’s heated glare, gesturing towards Starlight with a flicker of her eyes. “Oh, shit! Starlight! Whats- uh. What’s up.” Moondancer immediately recoiled in on herself, wrapping one arm across her torso and stroking at her chin with the other. “I uh-” she cleared her throat, “I was actually going to get something to drink but you know what!” She scoffed and pulled an awkward smile, “I forgot that I uh-” She narrowed her eyes, eyebrows arching upward as her lips shrunk into an awkward line. “I actually have to, uhm- go! Yup! I have to go feed my, uhm. Lamp.” Moondancer mumbled and looked, finally, back over to her sister, who looked so absolutely distraught. She mouthed out a “sorry”, before ducking quietly back into her room. Her departure was punctuated by an almost painful click, before silence settled between the two girls once more. “Do you want to do this in my room?” Sunset asked after a moment, rubbing her palms together before she wrung at her fingers. Starlight sighed and picked up her bag. “Not particularly. Let’s just get this over with.” Sunset collected her own things once Starlight had made her way down the hall and, seeing that she had taken the seat at her desk, she gave the other girl a nod before reserving a place on the floor. As Sunset dug through her bag for her textbooks and notes, Starlight Glimmer cursed inwardly, slipping a pen from her bag to jab the blunt end against her thigh. She turned away from Sunset to bite at her lip and hide the unease that no doubt had made itself home on her face. She knew it was inevitable; that she would have to talk to the other girl sooner or later. She’d just wished it had been later. Much later. Like, a couple of years from now at some party, later. She digressed. Starlight wasn’t sure what she hated more. The almost agonising silence, Sunset’s occasional attempts at conversation, or the unnerving way Sunset’s chair creaked under her weight as she shifted in her seat. No, yup, it was the chair. Definitely the chair. “Uhm, so,” Sunset piped up, curling a lock of hair behind her ear as she lifted up a well-highlighted handout from class. ‘Of course it was well highlighted’, Starlight let out a small scoff and was thankful that the sound had been hidden behind another infernal creak. “We could try testing the strength of acids on specific types of stone?” “Mhh, yeah. No. The last thing you need is to spill acid over yourself.” Sunset pursed her lips and filed the paper into her binder. “I’m not an idiot.” Starlight usually would have made some kind of playful jab, and she opened her mouth to, but the joke died on her tongue as she clenched her fingers around the pen in her hand. “I didn’t mean-... sorry.” If the tension hadn’t been palpable before, it was certainly strangling now. Sunset felt she might choke on it if she kept her mouth open long enough. Instead, she cleared her throat and held up another handout. “Catalysts?” “Isn’t that too easy? I would have thought you’d want to do something a little more out-there.” Sunset shrugged and filed it away again, fingering the edges of her dividers with a sigh. “I’m just trying to spit-ball. You could suggest some, too.” She mumbled. Starlight felt a white heat spread throughout herself and she bit back a retort, determined not to snap at the other girl. Things between them were already whetted to ignite, and she really didn’t want to blow up. She jabbed the pen to her thigh again and clicked the end to stab the ink to her skin. Sunset wasn’t any better. Every word that she spoke, dancing around what really mattered, made her chest heave. She should have taken her medication this morning. She bit her lip. She really should have taken her medication this morning. The redhead slipped another sheet of paper from her binder and pulled her knees to her chest to give it a read-over quickly. Lavender eyes watched as Sunset inspected the document in her lap, and Starlight’s chair creaked once more as she leaned her arms over the backrest, resting her chin on top of them with a tired sigh. As Sunset turned her attention back to the taller girl, their eyes met, and Starlight felt her stomach flutter— the most innocent of pleasures. Her face warmed in a blush. Sunset’s mouth hung open slightly as she paused, initially caught off guard by Starlight’s staring; however, she pursed her lips and cleared her throat in order to continue. “So, uh—” she began, holding the other girl’s gaze, but fumbled over her words and shook her head. This was silly, this little game they were playing. Pretending that nothing had happened. Pretending that they were okay. “Starlight, about what happened on Saturday—” “Mmmh,” Starlight hummed and turned back around to face the desk, “nope. Nope, nope. Nothing happened.” She pretended to scribble down notes in her notebook, “Can we just get back to studying?” Sunset rubbed at her legs to dispel the clamminess in her palms and to distract herself from her shaky breathing. She swallowed, hard, and tried to collect her words. “No. No, we can’t. Starlight we need to talk about—” Starlight swiftly stood from her chair, tossing her pen aside and threw her arms out wide. “Talk about what, Sunset? Hm? Talk about how I embarrassed myself? About how- how I tried to kiss you?” She nodded, forcing a pained smile as she glared down at the small girl, who only worked to make herself smaller. As Starlight began pacing, Sunset dropped her eyes to the floor and began picking at the lint of her carpet. She counted backward in threes, recited her table in her mind, and held her breath— at least that would stop her from hyperventilating. Her skin felt so unbearably hot, and she didn’t dare raise her eyes out of the fear of seeing the way Starlight was looking at her, with anger and disgust. But, that wasn’t the case. Not at all. Starlight cupped her hands over her mouth and breathed a steadying breath into her palms as she raised her head to the ceiling, cursing whatever God above for putting her in this situation in the first place. She stopped her pacing to run a hand through her hair and, only then, did she look down to see Sunset cowering on the floor. The taller girl knelt down to level with her and dropped her eyes guiltily, biting her lip as she watched the way Sunset’s fingers trembled as she picked at the carpet. “Sunset I-...” Starlight swallowed, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have just assumed that-... I’m-...” her mouth hung open, only a small whimper escaping before she caught it behind her teeth. She let out a breath. “I overstepped. I-... I have feelings for you and- and I shouldn’t have assumed that those feelings were reciprocated just because you wanted to spend time with me.” Starlight pursed her lips and adjusted the way she sat. “I just thought- I thought that maybe- maybe you liked me back and-” Sunset’s stomach was clenched in a vice and it took all of her strength to even look up from the ground, just in time to see the other girl wipe at her face with her fingers. “I just- I thought that- that when you’d asked me out, it was more than just… Just to hang out. I thought maybe this whole thing wasn’t one sided and- and that was really inappropriate of me, so- so I’m really sorry, Sunset.” Starlight bit her lip and kept her eyes low, but Sunset could see the way the other girl’s frame tensed as she held back another whimper. “When we were in that closet, at Sunburst’s party, you told me that I made you uncomfortable— and I just didn’t fucking listen,” Starlight caught a cry behind her hand as she clenched her eyes shut. Sunset felt like a prisoner in her own body— unable to move, or speak. She could only watch the way Starlight fell apart in front of her. She fought so desperately against herself— against the weight in her chest and the tar in her lungs. Her own eyes pricked with tears, but Starlight kept her eyes closed. “I know that- that Moondancer forced you to spend time with me. I know that she tried to talk you into hanging out with all of us all the time and I just- I wanted to think you were just shy and— and that was so, so selfish of me.” Starlight whined, trying her best to hang onto whatever composure she still had. “You don’t have to do that anymore. I can leave you alone- I won’t—” She shook her head, “I won’t bother you anymore.” Life is made up of defining moments. Moments that act as a crossroad to possibility. Moments that are so destructive; so monumentally important that it affects the path that we take for the rest of our lives. As Starlight Glimmer moved to stand— to run away— Sunset’s chest burst, and every bit of her bled out. Sunset Shimmer sprang forward and tackled Starlight against the frame of her bed, holding onto her face as their lips crashed together. The taller girl tensed below her, her pained grunt caught against Sunset’s mouth. Starlight’s wide eyes stared back at closed lids, her hands hanging awkwardly in the air. It didn’t take long for the pain to settle into her spine, but that didn’t matter. Starlight slowly wrapped her arms around the small of Sunset’s back to hold her in place. She ran a hand up, rubbing between her shoulder blades to sooth the shaky breath that Sunset let out against her cheeks, through her nose. Starlight smiled at the feeling of Sunset’s lashes as they fluttered, and grinned even more at the way the other girl adjusted her grip, slipping her hands to bury her fingers into the hair at the base of Starlight’s head. The kiss was clumsy. Sunset had bashed their noses together, pinched Starlight’s lip between their teeth, but both girls melted into it regardless. Starlight adjusted herself so that Sunset could settle between her thighs as she pulled back to go in for another kiss. They tilted their heads accordingly, and Sunset parted her lips to allow Starlight’s tongue access into her mouth. The smaller girl let out a noise and Starlight held her closer. Sunset’s thumbs stroked at Starlight’s jaw. They kissed again. Sunset’s heart was pounding. Moondancer’s romance novels may have always described the perfect first kiss, but they had nothing on the real thing. They also hadn’t ever explained how this was all supposed to work. Was she even doing this right? Could Starlight tell she hadn’t done this before? Had Starlight done this before? The impulsiveness of her decision was finally catching up to her as her mind began racing with questions, her breath catching in her throat as Starlight initiated their fourth kiss. Her chest was beginning to tighten, and she needed to breathe. She pulled back with a shuddered breath and Starlight’s half lidded eyes shifted from Sunset’s lips to stare back into her own. They held each other’s gaze before Sunset bit her lip and dropped her eyes, her blush heating the space between them. She ran her tongue over her teeth, trying to remember the way the other girl tasted. Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck and adjusted herself between Starlight’s legs. “Well that was, uhm-” “That was bananas.” Sunset lifted her eyes again and wrinkled her brows. She tried to hold back her laugh. She really tried. But Starlight had a way of making her laugh, even when she didn’t want to. Starlight smiled at the sound, satisfied and finally, finally, allowed herself to relax. “So... Do you wanna get back to studying now, or?” “Please shut up,” Sunset rolled her eyes and pulled Starlight in for another kiss, once more hooking her hands around the back of the other girl’s neck to hold her in place. Starlight shifted her hands from Sunset’s back to hold onto her hips, one hand rubbing along the length of her thigh. “So, are you guys hungry? I have some sna— holy shit!” Moondancer screamed as she stepped into the room, only to throw herself back into the hallway once she had caught sight of the other two girls. Sunset and Starlight shrieked and clambered off of each other to the opposite ends of the room, all three teens blushing furiously. “Moondancer—! What have I told you about knocking!” “You never told me anything about knocking! Plus, the door was wide open! I just came to see if you guys wanted some snacks, but I can clearly see you guys would prefer to eat each other! That’s cool, more Cheetos for me, I guess!” “Oh my god,” Starlight groaned as she covered her burning face with her hands. “I’m going to kill you!” Sunset scrambled out of the room and after her sister, who had already made her way down the hall, slamming her own room door shut as she laughed loudly from the other side. Starlight peeked through her fingers as she pulled her knees up close to her chest, and gazed up at the poster above her new girlfriend’s desk. ‘Think like a Proton. Be positive.’ “Oh, blow me…” Author's Note ugh FINALLY. It was a long road but these bitches finally kissed good for them. good for them. Honestly though, this story is just getting started! So I hope you all stick around for what's coming next :9 As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Culaccino“There is not a more tragic love than one that is star-crossed. Two lovers who cannot be together; not through lack of love, but because time itself has deemed it wrong. How cruel is fate? To tie souls together, only to rip them apart, leaving them reaching; grabbing; searching—” Sunset Shimmer scoffed, flipping onto the next page in the book she’d borrowed from the library shelf. “What happened this time? Did you meet some cute guy at the vending machine and couldn’t get his number because he was walking away before you had the chance to ask?” Moondancer’s face fell into a dead panned stare before she rolled her eyes. Sunburst and Starlight shared a look, giggling to themselves as they each sat beside their respective red-head. Although it was true that the four usually found themselves tangled up in the vines and fairy lights of The Forest, the campus library was fast becoming a secondary hang-out spot for the group. Third, if they counted the Dancer-Shimmer dorm; and they did, but that was mostly for Friday game nights. Despite loving the calming ambience that the clattering cups and hissing of the cafe’s milk steamer brought with them, the relaxing coffee-scented atmosphere was rapidly being overtaken by thirsty students, who were desperate to try the cafe’s seasonal pumpkin spiced lattes. And so, Sunset and Starlight took up position on the bean-bag chairs that were available in the library’s open-discussion section of the second floor, with Moondancer and Sunburst sitting only a ways away at the nearest desk, to look over their selected novels for that week’s class. Starlight had allowed the other girl to rest her head across her lap as she read quietly, and Sunset had let Starlight play with her hair in return. “I was reading aloud,” Moondancer pencilled something into her notebook and let out a sigh. “Ugh, please not Shakespeare again.” Sunburst’s face twisted as he pulled his coffee away from his mouth to shake his head. “I was tired of this conversation the first hundred times, I’m tired of it now.” Moondancer raised her brows and swivelled on her chair, tapping the length of her pencil against the side of her finger. She pressed her tongue against her cheek and brought it across her teeth before giving a shake of her head and a little hum. The Moondancer hum, to be exact; the sound she made before she came down on you with her massive intellect Sunset would have air-quoted. “I’m letting your wrong opinion slide today since I’m in a good mood, but if you bad-mouth my soulmate one more time it will be curtains for you Sunburst.” Sunburst raised his hands in defeat, ever-so-slightly edging his chair away from the red-head. “Yes, Miss Hathoway.” “Why’re you in a good mood?” Starlight looked up from her fingers, buried in Sunset’s hair, to tilt her head at the other girl. Moondancer’s face split in a grin that caused her eyes to crinkle. “Glad you asked, Glimmer.” She waggled her finger at Sunburst, then brought it around to point towards the two teens on the beanbags. “We are going to a party.” Sunset pulled her book down to narrow her eyes at her sister. “It’s Tuesday.” “Not tonight, smartass.” Moondancer clicked her tongue. “There’s a Halloween party at the end of the month and I got us all invites.” It was Starlight’s turn to squint at the other girl. “Invites? What kind of party is this?” “Oh, sweet little Glim Glam. This isn’t just any party. This is a Fizzlepop Berrytwist party.” Sunset slowly pulled herself to sit up and blinked, incredulously, mouth falling open as she tried to come to terms with... whatever her sister had just said. “I’m sorry… say that again?” Sunburst’s eyes twinkled as he bit his lip to stop himself from squeeing— something he wasn’t entirely successful at, as he fanned himself in an attempt to calm down. “You’re kidding! The Big Fizz is having a Halloween party and we’re invited? How the hell did you manage that?!” Moondancer pretended to inspect her nails, “Networking. I was scouting out potential partners for that team-up project we have to do with the theatre classes next semester. I bumped into her and we got to talking, she said I seemed pretty cool and that she’d love it if we came.” “Moondancer…” Sunburst held a hand over his heart and set his other on the girl’s shoulder, “I owe you my life.” “Oh, I know,” she smirked, “remember that.” Sunset and Starlight looked between themselves wordlessly before Sunset cleared her throat and piped up. “That’s really cool and all, glad you’re making new friends but- uh- who the hell is Fizzletwist Berrysnap-” “Fizzlepop Berrytwist is a senior in the theatre program and only, like, the most popular and well respected student at this school.” “I mean, I doubt that,” Starlight scoffed and twirled the hair beside her face, “if that’s true then how come I’ve never heard of her?” Moondancer and Sunburst sucked a breath between their teeth and glanced at each other, as if deliberating which of them should be the one to break the news. Sunburst stepped up to the plate, pulling himself against the desk to bring himself closer to her. “Glim, sweetie… how do I say this nicely… You’re kind of a loser.” Sunset’s jaw dropped as her girlfriend let out an indignant gasp, furrowed brows snarling at the boy. “Wh- no I’m not!” Sunburst hummed and puckered his mouth to the side. “Starlight, I love you, but you’ve only made two new friends this year; and that includes your new girlfriend,” he spared a glance towards Sunset and gave a shrug. “And the only reason you met either of them was because I finally managed to convince you to finally come to a party, instead of being holed up in your room— charting star maps, or, whatever it is you do in there all day.” Starlight stumbled over herself, flustered and red, looking between the two other girls before finally narrowing her brows at her best friend. “Th-that’s because I’m fine with my own company! I don’t-” she scoffed and pushed her bangs aside, finding anything to fidget with before she awkwardly settled on crossing and uncrossing her arms. “I don’t need to have a million friends or- or go to a party every weekend. That doesn’t make me a loser.” Sunset pursed her lips and dropped her eyes when she felt Moondancer look her way, all too familiar with the conversation that was currently transpiring. All too agitated, all the same. “Well, sure. But would it kill you to try and socialise more? Have you even hung out with your roommate yet?” “I-” Starlight paused, mouth hanging open before she brought her lips together to swallow heavily. “Well, she’s always busy with her other friends. I don’t want to intrude.” Sunburst sighed and leaned back against his chair, defeated. “You live with her, Glim. How much more intrusive do you need to be?” Starlight shrunk a bit under Sunburst’s raised brow. “I-... I just don’t want to seem rude,” she mumbled, “I can’t just invite myself along to their plans.” Sunburst turned to Moondancer and motioned with his hands before dropping them into his lap with another heavy sigh. “I rest my case.” If it weren’t for the fact they were still in a library, or that Sunset didn’t want to make Starlight feel any worse, she would have chewed the other boy out. Gave him a piece of her mind. But she didn’t. Instead, she gave Starlight’s hand a squeeze and searched for her eyes, to let her know it was okay. However, the little half-smile and nod that Starlight gave her didn’t stop Sunset from grinding her teeth at the way Moondancer rolled her eyes in Sunset's direction, and laughed along with all the things Sunburst was saying. No, instead, Sunset held Starlight’s hand tighter, tucked her borrowed book back into its place, and tugged on her satchel. “Where are you going?” Moondancer faltered, shifting her eyes between Sunburst and her sister. Sunset hummed and paused in her stride only to offer a bitter narrowing of eyes towards the corner of the room before they settled on the other two teens. “What? You think we’re just going to sit here while you bad-mouth us because we’re not a pair of ‘wild party animals’ like you two?” Sunset said in a mocking tone before scoffing and shaking her head, “call us when you’re done acting like a pair of stuck-up jackasses. C’mon, Starlight.” The other two teens looked at each other guiltily before meeting Starlight’s gaze, which she then quickly dropped to the floor, in favour of keeping up stride with Sunset as the shorter girl led the way towards the library exit. Although the open areas of the library allowed for more ruly chatter and gossip, the air hung silent as Sunset and Starlight made their leave, occupied only by the awkward way Sunburst and Moondancer’s chairs squeaked as they turned back to the desk in front of them. Likewise, Sunset kept quiet as she pushed open the door that led them into the stairwell, and gave another silent squeeze of Starlight’s hand. “Thank you…” Starlight spoke quietly. Sunset looked back at her and shook her head with a shrug, doing her best to curb her temper. “It’s okay. He had no right talking to you like that.” “But, still… Thank you for sticking up for me.” Sunset smiled as she felt Starlight interlink their fingers. “You’re welcome.” It had been a couple of weeks since the two had started dating. 3 weeks and 2 days, to be exact, but Sunset wasn’t counting or anything like that. She was just good with dates. Some dates better than others, she resigned. Still, getting to hold Starlight’s hand was something she felt she wouldn’t ever get used to. Or getting to kiss Starlight whenever she wanted. Or how the other girl would comfortably curl up in her lap whenever she came over to watch a movie. Or- “So, where should we go now?” Starlight asked, flexing the muscles in her jaw and neck rather than tensing up her shoulders. “Forest’s swamped- and no, that wasn’t a pun,” she smirked knowingly at the way Sunset’s hand twitched in her own, “plus we kind of just Cinderella’d the library.” Sunset hummed and traced over her lips with her finger and thumb. She was trying to break the habit of biting at the skin of her mouth and cheeks. She had a girlfriend now! She couldn’t have chapped lips. “Is it too late to head into town? Didn’t you say there was a new smoothie bar opening up?” “I did,” the taller girl nodded and hooked her arm around Sunset’s, snuggling closer to keep warm. “But you know, we could just head back to your dorm.” Sunset scoffed, her cheeks blooming a pretty pink hue. “Yeah, sure, and we can watch another movie,” she chuckled with a shake of her head. “I mean, it sucks to admit that they might be at least kind of right, but… Aren’t you getting bored of doing the same old things?” “Mmmh, well,” Starlight looked to the sky thoughtfully and puckered her mouth to the side before she leaned in to whisper into Sunset’s ear. “We could just make out in your room? That would be pretty fun.” Sunset flinched her ear away as tingles spread across her skin, over her shoulders, lighting her face with new heat. “U-uh-” she stuttered, clamming up a bit once Starlight began to giggle. “I mean, I-I guess that’s an option-” Starlight pulled away— but still held onto Sunset’s hand— to balance along the curb as they came up to the campus green. She offered her flustered girlfriend a reassuring smile, “It’s alright. We can stop at the student bar for something to drink if you want instead?” “Isn’t it a bit early?” Once again, Starlight snorted, and hopped down beside Sunset again to give her a peck on the cheek. “They serve coffee and soda too, Sunset.” “Oh!” She rubbed the back of her head, dropping her eyes and allowing Starlight to guide her inside, “right… I knew that.” The building itself was warm. Warmer than Sunset had first anticipated, and it only worked to highlight just how bitter it had become outside. She and Starlight let go of each other to tug off their coats and slung them over their forearms. Sunset lingered behind just a tad, taking in the decorative interior, before she followed Starlight up the stairs and into the bar itself. Sets of couches lined up against the left wall, with raised stools tucked neatly under the far-end countertops, that stretched the entire length of the room. The walls were littered with promotions: upcoming events, society and club meetings, even special lunch deals that Sunset raised a brow at. She really should spend more time outside of her dorm, that much was becoming more and more apparent the more time she spent with Starlight. Sunset watched as her girlfriend approached the bar, and smiled at the way Starlight’s face lit up as she ordered for them both. It was small and insignificant, sure, but the other girl just… glowed. She did to Sunset, at least. “Here you go,” Starlight turned to her with a glass of lemonade. “Try not to spill it this time.” Sunset pouted and followed Starlight over to a couples booth, where she sat across from her, mumbling and whimpering at the way her feet dangled from the edge of the stool. “This isn’t fair. I’m not that short.” Starlight held her cheek in her palm and pulled the straw from her drink to draw it across her lips, before she set it on the table with a hum. “I still think you’re cute, even if you are short.” The red-head narrowed her eyes. “So. That halloween party,” Starlight sighed and hooked her ankles under the table, lifting her glass to her mouth to take a sip, “do you want to go?” “Mh… not really. I mean, I won’t know anyone there and it’s just going to be loud and obnoxious. Plus,” Sunset swirled her own drink around with her straw and flexed her brows, “if this Fizzle… whatever the hell, is as popular as Moondancer and Sunburst are making her out to be, what’re the chances it's just going to be a bunch of self-righteous assholes going. I don’t really want to be reminded of all the reasons I hated high school.” Starlight watched Sunset take a hearty gulp of her lemonade and sighed as the other girl kept her eyes low. “You don’t really talk about high school all that often. Is it a sore-spot?” Sunset paused and adjusted herself in her seat, sliding herself forward to rest her feet against the bar that connected both legs. “It wasn't bad, but it wasn’t… you know, like…” “Good?” Starlight raised a brow. “Magical, I guess. Like, you know how movies always paint high school as ‘the best years of your life, you’ll miss it once it’s gone!’,” she swayed dramatically before rolling her eyes and swirling the ice in her glass, “I didn’t really feel all that sad when it came to graduation. Like, sure I was going to miss having fun and messing around with Moondancer, but most of the time I was alone.” She drew her lips into a line. “Maybe that was my fault. I didn’t really try to make friends. I was just so focused on studying and getting the highest grade that it didn’t really matter at the time…” Starlight reached out and set her hand atop Sunset’s with a small smile. “But now that it’s over, you can’t help but regret how you spent that time… is that it?” “Mh,” Sunset nodded, “yeah.” The taller girl pulled away to stretch out over the back of her seat, widening her shoulders until the tension popped, and she let her elbows lean against the table again. “I get it. I mean, kinda,” she played with a lock of hair by the side of her face and took another long drink of her lemonade. “Mh? And what were you like in high school, Ms Glimmer?” Sunset raised a teasing brow, grinning once she’d pulled her own straw from her glass. Starlight blew out a breath and gave an awkward laugh. “I… was kinda weird.” “And you aren’t now?” Sunset snorted. Starlight swatted her on the arm. “Hey!” She chuckled, “No. What I mean was we— my friends and I— we were like… literally known as the weird kids at my school.” “What? That’s kinda mean,” Sunset grinned. “Yeah, but they were right. We hung out under the bleachers, a few of us smoked—” “Did you ever smoke?” Sunset eyed her, absolutely fascinated. Starlight paused and puckered her lips, savouring her girlfriend’s twinkling eyes as she prolonged her admission by taking another generous drink of lemonade, finally finishing off her glass. “I did. Once. I coughed up my lungs though. Almost vomited,” she waved her hand with a scowl, “would not recommend it.” Sunset made a small gasp noise and covered her mouth with her hand. “So you were a bad-girl?” Starlight snorted and buried her face into her hands with a long groan. “Pleeeeease shut up. We were just like- we were weirdos, okay! I said that already,” she laughed along with Sunset as the red-head giggled and finished her own glass of soda. “What about you? What were you like?” “Mh, well… I wasn’t like- a stereotypical nerd, if that’s what you mean.” “Aw, no pens in your shirt pocket?” “Har har,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “No. I used to have longer hair, too.” Starlight’s eyes opened a tad as an intrigued smile tugged at her lips. “Uhhh,” Sunset’s fingers splayed against the table before she resolved to draw with the condensation that had dripped from their glasses. “I used to collect sticky notes. I used to leave myself little reminders everywhere; the bathroom mirror, my door, the ceiling— but that often resulted in me waking up covered in paper, so,” she chuckled. “That’s adorable,” Starlight tried to fight off her grin. She shook her head and flattened her hands out against her skirt, “So. Bigger question. When did you realise you were gay?” Sunset blew out a breath and then sucked in another through her teeth. “Uhh…” she half-laughed, “When you smiled at me in class at the start of the semester, I think?” The taller girl swatted her in the arm with a laugh, and only calmed down once she noticed the way Sunset was beginning to fidget. “W-wait… You’re not serious, are you?” “Haha…” Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck sheepishly, shifting her eyes from Starlight’s face to her stick-figure drawing of the girl on the table. “Funny…” Starlight fixed her jaw and swallowed before puckering her lips. “Wait, so… you really didn’t know?” “Uhm, I think maybe I did. I-I mean,” she fidgeted with her fingers a bit, starting to pick at the skin before she clenched them against her palms under the table. “It wasn’t something I ever really thought about. Plus- Moondancer came out as pan when we were sophomores, and her— our— parents were really cool with it, so I knew that if I was gay, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about, so-” “That’s so-” “-lame, I know-” “So you,” Starlight laughed. She wiped a tear from her eye and played with her glass between her palms, “I honestly don’t know why I was expecting anything different. I guess I just wasn’t expecting me to be your gay awakening,” she teased. Sunset rolled her eyes and gave a lopsided smirk. “Yeah, well, whatever. When did you realise you were gay?” “Freshman year. There was this insanely pretty girl in the year above us who was captain of a bunch of the school’s sports teams.” Sunset’s smile faltered as she tensed, a little caught off guard. She tried her best to look attentive though. Starlight sighed, dreamily, dropping her eyes to the table as she let out a small chuckle. “I’ve never spoken to her, and I don’t know what she did after she graduated, but it turns out her best friend is one of the barista’s at The Forest— so my life has really come full circle.” “O-oh. That’s pretty crazy,” Sunset tried to laugh. “So did you date a lot in high school?” Starlight, again, let out a small laugh and toyed with the strand of hair at the side of her face. The girl’s eyes looked as if they were staring at something within the table, rather than the tabletop itself; as if she was watching the past unfold before her. Reminiscing. Sunset’s stomach knotted. “Yeah. Well, I wouldn't consider a lot of it dating, per se. Me and my friends would-” she paused to glance around, lowering her voice, as if she were confessing a crime. “Mess around.” “Mess around?” Sunset asked, pretending like she wanted to know. Starlight rolled her eyes and faked a groan, pretending like she didn’t want to talk about it. “You know- we’d kiss, we’d cuddle, we’d…” she shrugged, “mess around.” “O-oh,” Sunset nodded, “I see.” Starlight leaned over and set her hand atop Sunset’s again, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay that you haven’t had any of that yet, though! Honestly, I wish I’d’ve known better or actually… you know, cared about the people I was doing that stuff with.” Starlight’s lips pursed for a moment before she collected both of their glasses. “I’ll get us some more drinks?” “Oh- uh. Yeah, sure.” Sunset shrunk into her chair as Starlight stood from the table. The other girl paced to exit their booth but lingered for a moment. She turned back to Sunset and offered her a small smile, almost pained in a way. “Sunset, I… You know, it really is okay. You aren’t weird for focusing on school or-... or for just not being interested in that kind of stuff.” She dropped her eyes and shifted her weight before she looked up again, clinking both glasses together in her hands. “I wish I’d saved those experiences for someone special.” Starlight shrugged, hoping that was enough to express what she was trying to imply. After a beat of holding her girlfriend’s stare, she turned again, and left. Sunset wrung her thumbs against her palms and swallowed past the regret in her throat. It had been a nice reassurance, but not enough to silence the voice inside Sunset’s head. The voice that told her that everything she’d done up until now had been pointless; she’d spent all of her time studying, to be the best, to excel further than her peers. But here she was now, second in her class, to someone who had had the social experiences she’d starved herself of. What had it all been for? What was the point in all of this? She wasn’t special. She could never be special. Her spiral was interrupted by the aggressive vibration in her pocket, that resonated through the wood of her chair. She allowed herself a steadying breath, flattened her hands against the table, and counted backwards in threes. Once she had calmed down enough, she plucked her phone from her jacket pocket and unlocked it to check her texts. It was from Moondancer. ‘Look, I’m really sorry about letting Sunburst just go off on Starlight like that. It wasn’t cool. I know how me saying that stuff makes you feel and I’m sorry about that, too. We’re leaving the library now if you guys are still on campus?’ Sunset paused, hovered her thumbs over her keyboard, and typed out a response. “Here you go,” Starlight smiled as she took her seat once again, just as Sunset slipped her phone away. “What’s up?” Sunset accepted her lemonade and kept her eyes low. “Moondancer asked us where we were and said she was sorry. I think Sunburst’s going to apologise to you, too.” “Mhhh,” Starlight hummed around her straw, “did you tell them we were here?” “Yeah. They’re on their way.” “Cool,” Starlight nodded. And that was that. They sat quietly in each other’s company, satisfied. Sunset watched as Starlight drank, pressing her knuckles into her pink cheeks as her eyes looked side-ward. Her face was so gentle, Sunset bit her lip, but how many other people had looked at her like this, too? Author's Note Culaccino; the mark left on a table by a cold glass. SO this took a while to come out, sorry!! I hit a bit of writers block when editing up some later chapters, as well as newer ones I needed to get ready. Thank you for being so patient though!! there's still a LOT more to come, so I hope you all stick around :9 As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Changing tides.Sunset narrowed her eyes and rubbed at her chin with the blunt end of her pencil before scratching at the side of her head with a contemplative hum. “Okay… I think that if we repeat the experiment a few more times, it should give us more reliable results.” “We’ve already repeated the experiment five times, Sunset,” Starlight Glimmer sighed into her palm, “As fun as it is spending time with you, I’d like it if we didn’t spend all of that time formulating hypotheses about the absorbent nature of pastries.” “Cakes,” Sunset corrected her, scribbling away in her notebook, “make sure you don’t write that in the final report.” The class had emptied out a little over twenty minutes ago by now, Starlight noted, glancing at the clock above the door. She had pulled a chair around to the other side of Sunset’s desk to face her as she worked. However, the red-head had spent the majority of their class with her nose stuck in her book, and Starlight could only shake her head inwardly at her expectation for things to be any different, once Zecora had dismissed them. She was Sunset, after all. Once she was focused on something, it was almost impossible to stop her. Almost impossible. Starlight smirked, deviously. “Hey.” “Hm?” “Look at me.” Sunset raised her head, but kept her eyes glued to the text in front of her. Starlight let out a small chuckle and leaned over the table to peck her girlfriend on the lips. Sunset’s cheeks warmed as she flinched, eyes snapping forward now to meet Starlight’s own. “There she is,” the younger girl smiled, “if you keep slouching like that you’re going to end up with a bad back.” “Right,” Sunset scratched at her cheek and sat against the back of her chair, “sorry. Uh- so what were you saying?” “I was asking if you wanted to get out of here. You’re adorable when you’re concentrating, but I’m getting kinda hungry, and we still need to go shopping for our Halloween costumes.” Sunset’s face fell into a weary frown, but she gave in with a small sigh. “Fiiiine…” she groaned, “but only because it’s your turn to pay for coffee.” “I’ll take it,” Starlight beamed. She waited patiently for the other girl to pack away her things and helped her slip on her jacket before she took Sunset’s hand to lead her out into the empty hallway. If she was alone, she probably would have thought it to be eerie; but with Sunset, the smell of dust and oak felt homey, and warm. As they left the science building, Starlight made sure to keep close to the other girl, hooking their arms together and giving her hand a light squeeze. The fall air was sneaking in with a chill, and both girls knew it was only a matter of time before the campus was covered in thick layers of snow and frost. “Maybe we should try different types of liquids and see how the cake absorbs those, too? Maybe pour some honey over them, some cream… You know, just to say we covered all our bases.” Starlight shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Okay. If it’ll help you feel less anxious about the project, fine; we can do a few more experiments.” She paused, “after you come back from your parents’ though.” Sunset let out a whine. “Oh- what? But-” “Ap, ap, ap,” Starlight held up a finger to silence her, “I won’t get to see you on your birthday, so I want to spend as much time with you until you go home. That includes the party, so yes, we’re going.” The smaller girl deflated by Starlight’s side. “Don’t think I didn’t know you were planning on cancelling at the last minute.” “Hmph,” Sunset grumbled, shoving her free hand into her pocket as a pseudo crossing-of-arms. “You know me too well.” “Yes, I do.” Starlight pecked her on the cheek. Buses into Canterlot were more regular during weekdays, and both teens were grateful that their only class for today had been Zecora’s noon tutorial. Unfortunately for Starlight, however, she had slept past her alarm and had to skip breakfast. A mistake that her stomach was now seeking vengeance for, her hunger making itself known in the form of a loud growl. She pursed her lips with a sheepish blush. “Lunch?” “Please.” The ride hadn’t been long. They watched as trees flickered past, turning into stretching fields, before they met the bridge that carried them over the Canterlot River and into downtown. Starlight smiled once they’d passed the planetarium, letting her eyes linger on the building as their bus pulled around a bend. She’d already been here a handful of times with Sunburst, but she’d never get over the way the buildings’ windows twinkled against the sun, even if the buildings themselves worked to block out the light. Canterlot was a lot different from home, she sighed, resting her head against the bus window, content with watching the buildings pass by. The buildings were much taller, sturdier, more industrialised than the old, worn architecture of Sire’s Hollow. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course! But it was a reminder that she was in a new place, far away from home; a welcomed reminder, at that. “You okay?” Sunset rubbed at her thumb, “next stop’s ours.” Starlight shook her head to clear away her thoughts. “Ah- yeah. Sorry, I was daydreaming.” Sunset snorted. “It’s not like you to space out.” “Oh whatever,” Starlight rolled her eyes with a smirk. Sunset waited for her once she’d hopped off the bus and instinctively sought out Starlight’s hand once she’d thanked the driver. “Okay… So, I’ll go to the party. But do we have to match outfits with Moondancer and Sunburst?” Starlight shrugged as she pulled Sunset along. “I mean I don’t really care. I just wanna have fun with you guys before you go home next week; and at least we get to choose the costumes to make up for them being assholes the other day. I say we take advantage of it.” Sunset couldn’t help but grin at the other girl’s mischievous smirk, that was paired with a wink. She rolled her eyes playfully. “Fine, I guess so. So what are your ideas?” The two girls slipped into a cafe off of the main street, Starlight holding the door open for Sunset to follow inside. It was a small establishment— smaller than their usual spot, that was— but Sunset eyed up the couches that warmed the front window. “I’ll be honest, it’s kind of hard thinking of a group costume. Most cartoons and books have groups of three or five… Finding something for four of us has been more difficult than I thought it’d be.” Sunset helped Starlight with her jacket and folded her own over her arm. She hummed in contemplation as she tapped at her puckered cheek. For an instant she brightened and opened her mouth, only to cut herself off with a shake of her head. “No… there’s five of them. Uhh…” While the red-head was deep in thought, Starlight ordered for them both. Sunset needn’t explain her order by now, she trusted Starlight to get her whatever she knew the other girl would like. Sunset kept her gaze on the floor as she followed Starlight over to the couches and took up the one opposite her girlfriend, thanking her quietly before she returned to staring off at the knots in the wood in front of her. “We could do the Wizard of Oz?” Starlight snorted and held her coffee away from her as she laughed, careful not to spill any on her new skirt. “And who would be the scarecrow? Sunburst?” Sunset smiled. “Well he is the dumbest in the group.” “He’s not dumb,” Starlight clicked her tongue, “just tactless.” Sunset shrugged and blew at her own drink. “You’d make a cute Dorothy.” “Stop being cute,” Starlight rolled her eyes and looked away, biting her lip as it stretched into a goofy smile of her own. “It’s a good idea though. I’ll keep it in mind.” “Hmm…” Sunset hummed and tapped a finger against the low table. “What about Heathers?” “And what? Make Sunburst Heather Chandler?” “He’s got the spunk.” Starlight’s eyes widened as she once again, choked on her drink. Sunset’s face ignited a crimson red. She sputtered and slammed her cup down on the table to wave her hands in defence. “T-that’s not! I didn’t mean it like—! You know what I meant!” Starlight couldn’t stop herself from laughing, even as the two of them began drawing the attention of the other customers. That just made Sunset shrink further into her sweater. Thankfully Starlight had calmed down enough to thank the barista once she delivered her bagel to the table, freshly made. Sunset grumbled and sipped at her hot chocolate. “Heh, anyway,” Starlight wiped at her eye, “You do make a point. I guess I haven’t been too open about whether or not the genders of the characters fit. I guess it doesn’t really matter.” “Can we be the ninja turtles? That way I can hide in my shell if I say something stupid again.” Starlight snorted and took a bite of her bagel. “But then how would I get to see your cute little face?” “Stop it.” “What? I’m just telling the truth.” Lunch consisted of Starlight trying her best to make the other girl blush between bites of her food and sips of her drink. Meanwhile, Sunset busied herself with brainstorming costume ideas, as well as eyeing up the counter for ideas on what other liquids to pour over their science project. She made sure to keep that part private though, lest Starlight grumble into her drink about how they were long overdue for a proper date. The other girl was right of course, and no matter how often Sunset reassured herself that they’d spend an afternoon galavanting in the park after their science project was finished, it didn’t make the redhead feel any less guilty. She stirred at her drink with a dejected frown. Starlight eyed her curiously. “What’s up?” Sunset straightened out her shoulders before she slumped back against the couch. “Oh, nothing. Still just coming up with costume ideas.” The other girl nodded. “My roommate and her friends were talking about going as those three vampire characters from that old detective cartoon with the dog?” The red-head pursed her lips, “Wasn’t the dog a really important part of the team though? That’s still a five man costume.” Starlight sighed and leaned into her palm, running a frustrated hand through her bangs. Then, she snorted. Sunset eyed her quizzically. “We could make Moondancer and Sunburst wear one of those two-people horse costumes and you and I could go as cowboys?” Sunset pressed her lips together tightly as she tried to fight off a grin, only to turn her head away when it split across her face. “It sure would be an interesting night.” “Sunburst can be the back end,” Starlight snickered, finishing the rest of her drink. “Because he’s such an ass?” “Oh,” the taller girl smiled, “you so get me.” The Autumn sun cast a calming warmth across everything it touched. Between chilled breezes that snuck out from side alleys and the orange and brown leaves that chittered against the sidewalk, the afternoon glow felt gentle against Sunset’s skin. She hunched her shoulders and drew the lapels of her coat closer, regardless. Starlight on the other hand stretched her arms out wide, balancing along the curb and humming quietly as she waited for the next opportunity to punctuate her step with a satisfying crunch. Sunset’s hands found solace in the depths of her pockets, but she still watched the other girl contently, smiling to herself from the comfort of her sweater’s neckline. “Aaaaand, here!” Starlight hopped back into place beside Sunset with a little twirl. “Nat told me this was a great place for costumes.” Starlight looped her arm around her girlfriend’s and pulled her into the store. Sunset paused, but let the taller girl lead her inside as she narrowed her brows a bit. “Nat?” “My roommate,” Starlight smiled, “it’s a nickname.” “Oh.” Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck with a small nod as Starlight dropped her hand to sift through the racks of sickeningly plastic-scented costumes and masks. “So you guys are talking now?” “Mh, kind of. Her friend’s have been busy with their classes lately so she’s been hanging around the dorm more.” She pulled a bag from one of the racks to hold it against Sunset’s torso. “Nah,” she returned it to its place, “I wouldn’t say we’re friends or anything yet, but it’s nice to finally have an actual conversation with her.” Sunset pretended to look through the costumes herself but kept a close eye on her girlfriend as she ventured further and further into the store. “Right. So, uh. What is she studying?” Maniacal laughter startled Starlight as a skeletal figure, dressed as a clown, popped out from behind a pop-up rack. The taller girl clasped a hand over her heart to calm herself down, and she glared a warning towards her snickering girlfriend— who promptly raised a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. “She’s in the theatre program,” Starlight replied, still leering at her girlfriend, “her friends are, too. She’s studying stage makeup and costume design. I’m not really sure what the other two are doing though.” “Wow, that’s kinda cool!” Starlight nodded as she plucked a foam sword from a shelf and ran her fingers along the edge, but her enthusiasm wasn’t all that convincing. “Oh, yeah, you say that now; but since Halloween’s coming up, Nat’s assignment has been to create a ‘monster makeup look’, so come back and talk to me after you wake up to a zombie sitting in your kitchen.” Sunset snorted and took the sword from the other girl to playfully stab it into Starlight’s back as she slipped past. “Fair enough. Oh, watch out!” Glancing over her shoulder to shoot the red-head a quizzical brow, Starlight allowed herself to crash right into a small child. Or rather, allowed the small child to crash into her. She paled, instantly reaching out to help the girl back onto her feet, uttering out babbled apologies and grimacing back in her girlfriend’s direction. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there—” “S’okay!” she dusted herself off with a polite smile, smoothing strands of pink hair back behind her ears, “I was the one who shoulda been watchin’ where I was goin’.” She accepted Starlight’s help and meekly scratched at her cheek, tucking her other arm behind her back, “I was just real excited an’ was goin’ a li’l too fast to stop myself.” Sunset puckered her cheek and folded her arms with an arched brow. “You should be more careful in the future. You could’ve hurt yourself.” The younger girl craned her neck to glance behind Starlight, who stepped out of the way, holding her forearm and trying her best to make herself smaller. The child narrowed her eyes up at Sunset with a hum, stroking at her chin as she tapped her foot, as if contemplating the red-head’s existence. Sunset swallowed nervously, pinching her lips and glancing over at her girlfriend. “Sorry,” she said finally, “I thought you looked familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it at present. But anyway,” she bowed her head towards Starlight once more, “sorry again for running into you Mrs Lady Ma’am, I’ll be sure to pay more attention in the future.” “Honey!” Called another woman’s voice from the back of the store. “Coming mommy!” The girl cupped her hand by her mouth to yell back. “I gotta go!” The two teens politely waved Honey off politely as she rushed past them, gathered a child-sized dog costume from one of the shelves, and disappeared back to wherever her mother had called her from. Starlight offered a wistful sigh. “Kids are cute.” “Not ‘til we’re married, Glim.” Darkness had long-since settled in once the two girls had finally left the city. Desperate to keep the cold out of her fingertips, Sunset had held her girlfriend’s hand tightly, tucking them both into the pocket of her jacket on the bus ride home. Starlight rested her head against Sunset’s shoulder, and Sunset had giggled at the way the other girl’s hair tickled her neck. Back on campus, the shorter girl still kept hold of Starlight’s hand as she balanced along the edge of the curb. Starlight smiled back at her, her eyes twinkling in the night. Sunset felt her chest tighten. “You’re so pretty.” Starlight giggled and turned her face away to hide her reddening cheeks. “You’re pretty easy on the eyes too.” Sunset bit her lip to subdue her grin, resolving instead to duck her head when that didn’t work out for her. Starlight chuckled and stuck out her tongue as she reached for Sunset’s other hand to twirl them around on the sidewalk. Sunset kept her eyes low as she surrendered herself to the bubbling laughter that forced its way up from her chest. As they slowed, Sunset’s hands found the other girl’s arms until they were slowly dancing— teetering, really— with the red-head trying her best to stop her world from spinning. “Dizzy?” “A little,” Sunset chuckled again. “You’re a dork.” Starlight beamed and lifted her chin in pride, “Maybe. But at least you’re having fun.” She paused and faltered a tad, “you’re having fun, right?” Sunset’s eyes flickered upward as Starlight leaned herself against a small fence and she held the other girl’s gaze for a few seconds, feeling brave. “I always have fun when I’m with you.” Once more, the taller girl grinned, and she leaned forward to peck Sunset on the nose. The red-heads eyes lingered on Starlight’s lips as she pulled back, wetting her own as she swallowed. “C-can I kiss you?” “You don’t need to ask, Sunset,” Starlight smiled gently. “Right. I-I know, but. Uhm. Right. Kissing you now.” Sunset nodded, furrowing her brows in her resolve. She slid her hands from Starlight’s arms up to her shoulders, lifting herself up a bit on her toes to press their lips together. By now their kisses were gentle, and practiced, and Starlight had all but memorised the tender fluttering of Sunset’s lashes against her cheeks as the other girl closed her eyes. Sunset felt Starlight chuckle. “What’s so funny?” She pulled away to frown. Starlight shook her head and reached for one of Sunset’s hands to interlock their fingers. “Nothing. I’m just…” she shrugged, “really happy.” As they began to walk again, Starlight swung their arms with a light hum. Sunset gave a small shiver. “You cold?” “A little bit.” “Mh.” Starlight puckered her cheek and moved a little closer. “Maybe we should stick close together. Y’know, just to be safe. Don’t want you catching a cold right before your birthday.” Sunset nodded and hummed, as if in thought, “Yes, to be safe.” “Of course. To be safe.” Both girls looked at each other for a moment before they broke out into a laugh, the empty streets around them echoing in their warmth. “I can just hear Moondancer in my head right now,” Sunset scoffed, giving a squeeze to her girlfriend’s hand. Starlight nodded, “She’d probably just call us gay or something. She’s pretty much used all of her material on us by now.” “I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit. Moondancer asked for a dictionary for her ninth birthday and a thesaurus for the next.” Starlight snorted and threw her head back in a laugh. “But we’re the nerds?” It wasn’t much longer until they found themselves at the door to Starlight’s dorm, the darkened windows were enough to indicate that Starlight would have the dorm to herself. The purple teen paused for a moment and held Sunset’s hand a little tighter before she raised it to her mouth to kiss her knuckles. “So… Do you wanna come in?” Sunset hesitated, a warm blush dusting her cheeks in a pink hue, “Oh, uh-” she stuttered as Starlight pulled her hands toward her hips and drew her forward. With her own hands now free, Starlight laced her fingers against the back of Sunset’s neck to hold her in place as she brought their lips together softly. Starlight stepped back and pressed herself against the door as Sunset’s tongue gingerly traced across her bottom lip. Her shaky hands awkwardly gripped Starlight’s hips. Sunset pulled away for a calming breath. “I-I’d really love to, Glim, but…” The taller girl rolled her eyes with a lopsided smirk, “You have plans with Moondancer?” Sunset nodded with a guilty frown. “She asked me to look over one of her manuscripts for class.” Starlight pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek. She cupped Sunset’s face in her hands to force the other girl to meet her eyes. “It’s alright, Red. I’m not going anywhere. You can… stay over some other night.” She shrugged with a gentle smile, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Okay?” “Yeah,” Sunset nodded, “okay.” The two stood there for a few minutes, simply holding each other’s hands and giving shy, small laughs before glancing away. Like middle-schoolers with a crush, they teased each other. The purple haired girl entered her silent dorm, alone, once Sunset had given her one last kiss goodbye. A small smile still warming her cheeks, she pulled her sweater closer to her nose and breathed in the other girl’s scent. Apricots and peach, Starlight sighed wistfully. She flicked on a lightswitch and took off her denim jacket to hang it on the coat rack by the door, the other empty pegs only confirming that she was, in fact, alone. Her lips fell into a small frown. Starlight rounded the breakfast bar, into the kitchen to make herself some coffee, perching herself atop the counter as she waited for the water to boil. She twiddled her thumbs, pretending like it was Sunset who was holding her hand. Groaning loudly with a blush, she buried her face in her hands and shook her head. With coffee in one hand and laptop in the other, Starlight finally wandered into her room and closed the door with her foot. She set her mug down on the bedside cabinet before finally dropping herself onto her mattress with a satisfied huff. Starlight didn’t bother tucking herself under the sheets; instead she propped her laptop up against her legs as she lay awkwardly against her pillows. She could practically hear her father’s condescending tone, chastising her on proper posture and how bad slouching was for her back, but quite frankly she didn’t care. The more pain the better, she smirked to herself. She opened up her social media tabs on instinct before she clicked her tongue and switched over to look at the spreadsheet Sunset had sent her for their project. She supposed she should at least get some revision done, as well as make the proper additions to their Chemistry Project plans. It gave Sunset one less thing to worry about. Refusing to sit in silence, however, she opened up her music app and hovered her mouse over her usual playlist for a moment. Narrowing her eyes at the screen and turning her head to breathe in the smell of apricots once more, she tutted to herself, and instead hit play on ‘recommended for you’ before shifting over to her work documents again. Starlight bobbed her head along to the song and tapped away at her keyboard, flashing her eyes to the bottom of the screen to catch a glimpse at the name of the artist. “The Rainbooms? Pfft, that’s kinda cheesy.” Author's Note I want to give a big thank you to my proof readers Sunsetslight and JSA, who also helped me with some edits to this chapter! Really appreciate it. As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Seven Minutes in Heaven.The first month of the semester had breezed by, and Sunset Shimmer absolutely adored her classes. That was, until, she had seen the results of their first practical test, and she had only scored a mesely 90%. Chemistry had been her best subject. Was her best subject. It was what she excelled at. In all of her years in higher education she had strived to be the best at everything she did, and she had always managed to succeed. She didn’t need to be perfect; she allowed herself that much, and so 90% would have been good enough. It should have been good enough. In all her years, Sunset had never once been toppled. That was, until now. “Starlight Glimmer!” She growled as she barged her way through the front door of her dorm, crumpled test results in hand. She threw her backpack against the wall before she began her episode of pacing back and forth. “I cannot believe this. How could she have gotten a perfect score? She doesn’t even pay attention in class! All she does is stare out the window or check her nails! Last week, she didn’t even bother taking a pen out of her bag,” Sunset growled, throwing her hands up in frustration, “I bet she doesn’t even revise the course materials! I don’t even think she owns a textbook, Moondancer. And I swear, if she spends one more period staring at me, I’m going to lose it.” “Sounds a little bit to me like you’re the one doing all the staring,” Moondancer replied, swinging her arm back to let her digital bowling ball make its way down the lane before she hit a spare. “Gotcha. Now, what did she do this time, hm?” She arched a curious brow and took a seat on the couch, entertained just watching Sunset continue her pacing. Sunset ran a hand through her hair and grunted. “We got our results back today for that test last week. You know, the one I spent the entire week studying for?” “It still confuses me why you had a test so early on in the semester but, yes, go on.” “Well. Basically, Professor Zecora made our results public for everyone, so that failing students could ask one’s with higher marks to tutor them if they want help— which in my opinion has both negative and positive aspects to it, but that’s besides the point—” Sunset mumbled. “And the point is?” “The point is, is that I didn’t get the highest grade in the class, Moondancer!” Sunset knit her brows together and threw her hands up once again in exasperation, “I’ve never not gotten the highest result. In anything! But here comes little miss brainiac with her stupid, dumb binder and her stupid ponytail and her stupid perfect grades— god I hate her.” The older girl rolled her eyes and undid the strap that was slung around her wrist before setting the Wii remote down on the coffee table in front of her, clasping her hands together. Elbows resting atop her thighs, she pursed her lips in thought, then brought her hands up to rest against her chin. “So, basically, you just hate this girl because she’s smarter than you?” With another heavy sigh Sunset picked up her bag and set it on the arm chair across from Moondancer. “No. I hate her because she’s getting better grades than me without putting in as much effort. She has to be cheating.” “Mh, think that’s kinda unfair to just assume, Shim. Have you, y’know, actually talked to her?” There was a pause before Sunset averted her eyes downward and mumbled under her breath. “What was that?” “I said no!” Moondancer narrowed her eyes and quirked a brow once more as she motioned for Sunset to continue. “I tried to talk to her but— when I went over to her she kinda smiled at me and I just couldn’t really blow up at her in front of the entire class. I didn’t want to make myself look bad, and I got really nervous about it.” Sunset’s face fell into a frown and she played with the bumps of thread on the back of the old chair absentmindedly. “Like— my chest started getting really tight, and my palms got really sweaty. I could feel my face heating up and— god she just makes me feel so gross. I think I might be allergic.” Moondancer’s mouth fell open in disbelief as she mirrored Sunset’s furrowed brows. “Sunset have you… Ever had like, an actual crush before?” The redhead fixed her sister with a look and blinked, “Uh, yeah. Don’t you remember that guy from summer camp when we were, like, twelve?” The other girl waved her hands in front of her as she rose to her feet. “No, no, no, that doesn’t count. We were kids. Getting butterflies because some kid named Timber Spruce,” she said in a mocking tone, “didn’t throw dirt in your face during camp activities, doesn’t exactly qualify as a crush, Shim.” “I don’t really understand why you’re even asking me this,” Sunset rolled her eyes and walked over to the kitchen area of their small dorm to collect a glass from an overhead cabinet. Taking a carton of orange juice from the fridge, she took a sip once the glass was filled enough. “What has me never having a ‘proper crush’,” she punctuated with air quotes, “got to do with me hating Starlight.” “Oh Sunset… Sunset, Sunset, Sunset.” Moondancer tutted, collecting her Wii remote from the table and lining up her bowling shot once more, “you stupid, stupid bastard.” “Whatever.” Sunset rolled her eyes once more and made her way into the living room again to set her bag on the floor, before sitting down on the arm chair. “Did you even go to class today, or have you just been playing video games the whole time?” “I don’t have class on Fridays, so, yeah. I’ve been trying to beat my high scores on all the Wii Sports games but— I hate to say it— I’m just too good.” “You’re such a geek.” “You have motivational chemistry posters in your room. Don’t think I didn’t see those.” “Hey, uh, you wanna maybe, I don’t know… Shut up?” Moondancer shot her a smirk before swinging her arm forward. Strike. “Bingo.” She sat back down and placed the remote on the table again, “So… I have this kid in my class who put in our group chat that he’s throwing a party tonight. I know you don’t really drink, but… Since your week has been so hard, I feel like it might be a good way for you to unwind?” “Mh… I think I’ll pass.” Sunset’s mouth fell into a crooked frown before she took another gulp of her orange juice, “I wanna go over the materials from class again and University parties are probably going to be a lot more… Intense than High School parties.” Her sister shrugged, “I doubt that. High School kids are immature and dumb. University is for mature adults, such as ourselves.” Sunset snorted, brow raising quizzically, “This is coming from the girl who, not only brought an replica anime sword with her to University, but has it proudly displayed in her bedroom?” “Ap, ap, ap-- enough. You’re coming. You deserve to have a little fun.” “Absolutely not.” Just how Moondancer had finally convinced her to come along to this, Sunset herself couldn’t find the answer. The way she managed to counteract all of her arguments, maybe? Moondancer did know all of her go-to excuses well enough to have her own counter arguments at the ready. She couldn’t stand it, honestly, but… she would just have to deal with it, she supposed. In all actuality the proposition didn’t sound so bad; have some fun and relax; wind down after such a stressful week of classes and sitting across from… Her. The redhead’s newest mortal enemy. The purple haired know-it-all who always managed to, without even trying, find just the right way to grind Sunset’s gears and make her blood boil. The girl who was now the utter bane of Sunset Shimmer’s existence: Starlight Glimmer. But, of course, Sunset knew no mercy when it came to the hands of cruel and ironic fate. No, instead of a classroom, the two were now sat across from each other at a frat party, the only obstacle that stood in Sunset’s way from completely murdering the other girl in cold blood being a spinning glass bottle between them. “I can’t believe you dragged me along to this— no. I can’t believe I let you drag me along to this,” Sunset grumbled to Moondancer, who was sat beside her, casually sipping at her drink. “Whatever. It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. Besides, it’s not like you had anything better to do; you’d just be sitting in your room sulking all night and you know it.” Sunset rolled her eyes and hugged her knees closer to her chest, her gaze now resting in the centre of the circle the party had formed on the floor. She couldn’t recall whose idea it had been, only that it had been stupid, but somehow they’d found themselves in a game of “Seven Minutes in Heaven” and Sunset was absolutely dreading her turn. She only knew two people at this party, and the last place Sunset should be allowed with either of them was a locked closet, alone. On top of that, Sunset was pretty sure she was most likely the only sober one here, and the idea of being in an enclosed space with any of these morons was enough to make her stomach churn. But, of course, her turn would come eventually. “You knew she’d be here, didn’t you.” “Come on, Shim,” Moondancer rolled her eyes with a huff, “how was I supposed to know Sunburst was friends with your girlfriend?” Sunset sent a heated glare in her direction, “She is not my—” A large collection of cheering and whoops cut her off as the bottle finally landed on one of the other girls in the circle, and she rose to her feet along with the boy who had been the spinner this time around. Sunset grumbled under her breath. “You know, she’s actually kinda cute,” Moondancer smirked as she took a sip of her drink, her eyes resting on the purple-haired girl across from them. “I might ask her out if you don’t.” Sunset felt her cheeks warm in a blush and she punched her sister’s arm. “Shut up.” “Awe, jealous?” She straightened out her legs and sent another fist her way, “Absolutely not.” Turquoise eyes flashed across the crowd to sneak a glance at Starlight, who was currently laughing at something the fiery-haired boy beside her had said. She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach and she tried her best to swallow down the thick lump that had stuck itself in her throat. Was that her boyfriend? They weren’t even that far into the semester, how could she have a boyfriend already? Was she just that sociable? Another thing she was better than Sunset at. No, wait. He couldn’t be her boyfriend. No, that’s right. This was the boy from Moondancer’s class. What was his name again? Starburst? No, that wasn’t it… Sunset pinched her lips, wrinkling her nose. Sun… beam. No. Sunburst. Sunburst! She blinked her eyes and nodded. From what Moondancer had told her about him, he wasn’t in any kind of committed relationship. Committed doesn’t mean they can’t fool around, Sunset frowned. “Why don’t you at least have a drink? C'mon, let yourself go every once in a while.” Moondancer nudged her with her shoulder. Sunset shook her head. “No, I…” Why was she even thinking about this? She grumbled inwardly; Moondancer had gotten inside her head. “I’m alright.” The boy and girl from before came back to rejoin the circle and the group of teens cheered at the dishevelled mess that the two had found themselves in. Sunset frowned, as this meant that it was now her turn. “Ew.” “Don’t be an egghead, Sunset.” With a roll of her eyes, Sunset shifted forward to reach for the bottle “Coming from the girl who bathes while reading Sylvia Plath?” She gave it a spin. She sat back again and crossed her legs into a basket. Like every other turn, the intoxicated crowd began cheering and hollering like idiots. How they had so much energy at this time of night, the red-haired girl wouldn’t ever understand. She let out a deep sigh and leaned back on her hands as she watched the bottle spin with mild amusement before it began slowing down in speed. Now came the time for the crowd to do their makeshift “drum roll”, which basically just consisted of everyone rapidly tapping and obnoxiously banging any surface that was readily available to them. When the bottle eventually came to a stop, Sunset’s eyes lazily shifted to follow where the tip was pointing, and— No. Absolutely not. Starlight sat awkwardly, fidgeting under the intense glare of the now enraged girl across from her. “U-uh- y’know, we don’t really-”she wasn’t able to finish her sentence, though, Moondancer cutting her off as she practically leapt across the room in order to tug the purple-haired girl to her feet. Despite her protests, Moondancer pulled her back over to where she had been sitting originally, and did the same to Sunset, who was all but screaming profanities at her best friend. Ex-best friend. Sunset hated this— hated her— and hated just how small this closet actually was. She hugged her knees to her chest just like she had before, and stared point blank at the wall across from her, completely refusing to even spare the other girl so much as a glance in her direction. The tension between them was suffocating, and the fear of drowning kept Sunset from opening her mouth at all. Not that she wanted to, of course; but apparently Starlight was far more brave than she was. “So… Sure is a nice... closet.” Sunset remained silent and tensed up when she felt the other girl shift a bit. “Ah— uhm. Sorry. It’s just kinda cramped.” “It’s fine.” Sunset swallowed and fixed her posture so that she had her back pressed against the wall, to allow Starlight more room to move. “But… Yeah. Sure is a nice… closet.” Starlight flashed her a smile. Sunset felt her chest tighten. “So,” the other girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear sheepishly, “how do you know Sunburst?” “I don’t, really. He’s in my sister’s class. She kinda dragged me along to this.” “Your sister?” Her lips puckered a bit before she beamed. “Oh! Is that the girl you were sitting with? Your sister?” “Yeah.” Starlight nodded. “Right, right.” Sunset drew her lips into a line and felt her brow crease as she did so. “So how do you know Sunburst?” Starlight paused. “He’s a childhood friend. We both just ended up coming here,” she chuckled a bit, but it seemed… a little forced. “I see.” A beat. “So are you guys like, together, or?” Starlight snorted and pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a fit of laughter. “Oh, God no!” She chuckled, more genuinely, “for starters, we’re both gay.” Sunset felt her face burn in a red blush. “O-oh!” She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and looked askance, “sorry for assuming—” “Pfft, it’s okay. Don’t sweat it.” She let out another small giggle before rubbing her hands over her jeaned thighs. “Honestly I assumed you were dating your sister, so, we’re both guilty.” It was Sunset’s turn to laugh. “Ew. No. Moondancer is an egghead.” “You don’t like eggheads?” Starlight teased. “I don’t like my sister,” She raised a brow. The other girl’s face pinched. “Oh- uh. Yeah. That makes sense.” She paused for a few moments, rubbing the back of her neck, “So… you’re Sunset, right? You’re in my Chemical Sciences class with Doctor Zecora?” “The one and only. You’re Starlight.” “The hydrogen and… Uh,” she pursed her lips, cheeks burning, “Sorry, that was… dumb.” “Were you… trying to make a chemistry pun?” “Please don’t make this more than it has to be.” Sunset snorted. Starlight busied her hands for a bit, kneading her palm with a thumb as she contently watched Sunset try to stifle her laughter. “There’s uhm,” she cleared her throat, “something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually.” Sunset tensed. She felt her stomach flip and her brain was foggy. Suddenly, she wished she could switch her major to language studies, because all words were failing her. “U-uhm,” she squeaked, “yes?” “Can I just ask… do you, like... hate me or something?” there was a small pause before she fumbled to continue, “I mean— I don’t think I’ve done anything to you— but if I have I want to apologise. I didn’t mean to do... whatever it was that I have, and— I’m sorry…” Sunset felt her brain crash and in her total system reboot, she could only blink in response. She felt her cheeks warm in a light blush, “I—” Sunset began, trying to find the right words to say. “I don’t hate you.” Sunset cursed to whatever God had forced her into this situation, to face her own words and feelings, “I barely know you, so, that would be kind of a bold statement to make.” The purple-haired girl shrugged, although Sunset couldn’t see it, and frowned awkwardly. “I just always catch you glaring at me in lectures. At first I thought maybe we’d met before, or that you were trying to get my attention or something, but whenever I looked over at you, you just always seem really… angry, I guess.” She rubbed at the back of her neck and mirrored Sunset’s posture, shifting so that her own knees were pressed against her chest. Sunset’s lips pulled into a tight line as she paused. “I guess you just… For lack of a better word... annoy me.” Starlight flinched away from the other girl, curling in on herself a bit. “Oh.” She said, quietly. She knitted her brows, “I— annoy you? What did I—” She pursed her lips, “how’s that?” A pang of guilt took hold of Sunset’s chest as her brows furrowed upward. Moondancer had been right. She only realised now, seeing the other girl wrap her arms around herself in a hug, just how unfair she had been, and she stammered for an excuse to try and de-escalate the situation. “I don’t… I don’t know, actually… you just—” she pursed her lips for a moment before she let out a frustrated huff, “you just make me feel weird.” There was an awkward moment of silence, then, before the tension began to slowly subside. Starlight felt herself able to relax slightly as she waited for Sunset to continue; only, she never did. The purple-haired teen raised a brow in confusion, not that the other girl would see it now, her eyes cast downward. “What do you mean?” “Well, I mean—” Sunset eyes flickered upward and Starlight felt her throat tighten. She looked like a puppy trying to own up to a mistake. Sunset shifted so that she was sitting with her legs in a basket once more, but stared at the floor again as soon as their eyes met. She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down. God, Starlight frustrated her so much. “You always make me feel so nervous. The only reason I glare at you in class is because I can always… feel you staring at me while I’m taking notes. It just… kinda makes me anxious.” “Oh. Sorry about that—” Starlight awkwardly rubbed at the back of her neck, a faint blush of her own dusting her cheeks, “I don’t really mean to, it’s just… You’re really pretty. I can’t really help it.” Sunset’s light blush intensified into a burning red and she let out an exasperated groan— however, it was more directed at herself rather than the girl in front of her. “It’s not just that, though. I’ve always been the top of the class— and sure that might seem super dumb and childish but— I’ve always had to prove that I can accomplish anything and you just come along and—” her fingers were practically buried in her hair the more she went on, her frustration building up as she tried her best to express what was on her mind, “you just— make it look so easy…” Starlight stayed quiet, but slowly shifted towards Sunset, making sure to watch her body language in case it became clear she was overstepping her boundaries. Starlight could see just how difficult this was for the other girl, and it was clear just how upset Sunset was becoming with each word she spoke. Embarrassment; anger; or something else entirely, it didn’t matter. All Starlight wanted to do was comfort her. “I always study like crazy, but no matter what, I just can’t ever seem to keep up with you. I don’t mean to put words in your mouth, but it just never seems like you pay attention in class. At first it was just kinda frustrating— we’re here to study— but after getting our results back and seeing that ‘some airhead who always seems to be staring off into space’ got a higher mark than me? I just— I hate feeling like— like I’m doing something wrong… Like I’m not good enough...” Starlight offered a sympathetic smile and leaned back against the wall, “I know how that feels. at least. Honestly? With Sunburst…” she let out a small sigh, “I just constantly feel like I’m living in his shadow.” Starlight straightened her legs out— as best she could, anyway— and rubbed at them through her jeans. “He’s always been the smarter one. He always gotten higher grades than I have; always had more friends than I do, and he’s never… been afraid to just be who he is, you know?” She pursed her lips. “So I understand. I just want to feel like I’m good enough, too. I didn’t mean to make you feel like that, Sunset. I’m sorry.” The red-head let out a small, dry laugh and leaned her own back against the wall before running a hand through her hair once more, “You know, actually saying it out loud like this, to you, it just sounds so… Silly.” “Hey… It’s not silly.” Starlight shifted awkwardly to sit beside the other girl and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t really know anything about you, but I can tell you’re really dedicated to your work. Honestly, I think I just got lucky with my scores on the last test.” She shrugged. Sunset cast her eyes downward and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “Sorry for being kind of a dick. I’m not really… the best when it comes to social interaction.” “That’s okay,” The other girl chuckled, “I’m not too good at that myself. Sunburst is honestly the only reason I’m even here.” The red haired teen paused, finally finding the strength to look at the other girl’s face. Her bright smile made Sunset’s chest tighten, and she could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. The closet was filled only with silence— but the tension from before had completely melted away as the two girls stared into each other’s eyes. Even in the dark, Sunset could make out the delicate curve of Starlight’s smile and her breath hitched in her throat as the other girl started leaning in closer… “Time’s up you two!” came a loud male voice from the doorway as the closet door swiftly opened, the next two players to enter grinning down at the two girls. Sunset felt like the air itself had been torn from her lungs as her body sprung to life. She scrambled to her feet, Starlight too dazed by her own alerted confusion to even react as Sunset pushed— nay, clawed— past the three teenagers blocking her exit. Starlight watched her back disappear into the rest of the party, staggered and embarrassed. She blinked and Sunset was gone, but the tight knotting in her chest wouldn’t fade. Author's Note :9 Find the art for this chapter here! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Hangover cure. — ✦ — The world was dark and bleary; the only real sense of light in the small room came from the moon outside, bleeding through the curtains, and the horse shaped night-light beside Moondancer's bed. She sat up and wiped her eyes before turning her head to look at her bedside clock, the lambent red numbers indicating that it was only 3 am. Although her vision was blurred, Moondancer could tell that her bedroom door was left open, which was odd, considering it had been closed over when she had fallen asleep. She shifted closer to her bedside table in order to feel around for the protective case of her glasses, which she then proceeded to take out and slide onto her face. The world around her came into focus and with a small hum she narrowed her eyes to try and make out any shapes in the dark hallway outside of her room. “Hey, Sunset? Are you awake?” She whispered, but when no answer came she instead shifted her gaze to where her best friend was sleeping on the floor. Had been sleeping. Instead of the red haired girl she expected to see tucked into her sleeping bag, Moondancer saw Sunset’s blankets scattered in a disarray across the ground. She pulled her own blankets from her body and climbed out of bed to maneuver towards the door, feeling her way through the darkness of her room until she came into the hallway. First she checked the upstairs bathroom, making sure to turn on the light and pull back the shower curtain to see if anyone was hiding there. “Sunset?” she whispered again, furrowing her brows as she switched the lights off once more and returned to the hallway. Moondancer paused and listened intently for any indication of movement throughout the sleeping house, and after coming up short once again she instead made a mental checklist of her friend’s usual hiding places whenever she did this sort of thing. She wasn’t in the bedroom, that was for sure; and the bathroom was empty, too. Her parent’s room was an automatic “red zone” since Sunset felt too sheepish to even go in there with permission. After checking the only closet upstairs and finding it empty, Moondancer quietly crept downstairs to begin her search of the bottom level of the small home. “Sunset?” she beckoned again, squinting her eyes to readjust to the darker lighting of the living room. She then heard her first sign— a hiccup— coming from the kitchen area behind her. She turned on her heel and waited for a moment to make sure it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her; but after hearing another small whimper she swifty but silently, moved into action. Her living room and kitchen was open plan and so she only had to round the breakfast counter to find her friend sitting huddled in a corner beside one of the kitchen cupboards, wiping at her eyes and shivering quietly. Moondancer let out a light sigh and gave a small smile in relief. At least this time she hadn’t actually left the house in the dead of the night, she noted to herself. That was at least an improvement. She wordlessly plopped herself down beside her best friend and wrapped her arm around Sunset’s trembling shoulders before pulling the smaller girl into herself, offering up gentle coo’s in order to try and calm her down. “Bad dream again?” Sunset gave no answer for a moment, only a small cough before she wrapped her own arms tightly around Moondancer. “I’m sorry—” Her voice was small and broken, and everything inside of the other girl just wanted to protect her friend; to make her feel calm and safe. “It’s okay Sunny, I’ve got you.” Moondancer couldn’t really understand it, and she knew she was lucky that way, but seeing Sunset so fragile like this always broke her heart. She wanted to understand. Wanted to know how to help Sunset understand that she wasn’t alone anymore. “I just— why did they leave me, Moondancer? Why am I not good enough?” Sunset buried her face into the friend’s shoulder as a small sob bubbled up in her chest and forced itself out of her throat. She didn’t want to wake Moondancer’s parents and inconvenience them more than she already believed that she had. “I’m sorry I get like this all the time, usually there’s no one to w-wake up back home,” she stuttered. ‘Back home,’ Moondancer thought to herself, ‘the home, more like.’ For once she was grateful for the dark as it hid the frown that settled on her features and the pained expression of sympathy she felt for the smaller girl in her arms. She knew Sunset hated that the most. The way people looked at her like there was something wrong with her. ‘Was there something wrong with her?’ the red-head would ask between swings at the park. Moondancer could only shake her head profusely and reply with a firm ‘Of course not, dummy,’ but even she was aware of how old that had gotten, and fast. Applewood Gardens Children’s Home always did their best to provide financially for the children in their care and Moondancer was especially grateful for their permission to let Sunset stay with her and her parents occasionally on weekends, should they both have their homework completed. But there was something that always itched in the back of the older girl’s mind. As far as Moondancer was aware, Sunset had simply been left in their care from a young age with no real trauma case in her stead. That was good news, of course, but that didn’t stop the tears; and the shaking; and the ragged, uneasy breaths that tore themselves from Sunset’s small frame whenever parent’s night was a topic of concern. Or when their school would perform a show, and she would be forced to stare out upon the endless sea of faces, with none of her own to search for. No eyes of her own to stare into as they congratulated her on a job well done. No warm arms to welcome her ‘home’. Another hiccup echoed in the quiet house and Moondancer hushed her once more by rubbing small circles at the base of her back. It worked to ease out some of the red haired girl’s tensions as her sobs soon turned into small yawns, and she rode out the rest of her relapse with her face buried into the older girl’s shoulder. “C’mon, Shim. Let’s go back to bed, okay?” The smaller girl gave a nod and pulled back silently to climb back to her feet. Moondancer joined her and cupped her face for a moment, tilting her own head in the darkness to see if there was any remnants of tears staining the usually charismatic girl’s cheeks. She ran her thumbs gently across her damp skin just to be sure before taking her hand and quietly leading her back up the stairs to her bedroom. “You need to stop being so silly, Sunset. I’m not going to make fun of you for crying. I will make fun of you for being a dummy and not telling me when you’re upset, though.” The smaller girl paused as Moondancer dropped her hand and then gave a small, sheepish nod. “Right… Sorry- ow—!” Moondancer cut her off with a flick to the forehead, and Sunset let out another small whimper, “Stop apologising, dummy.” They both stood in silence for a few moments, Sunset awkwardly rubbing her arm, waiting for her friend to say something else. “Sunny?” “Hm?” “Could you sleep with me tonight? I had a bad dream, too.” The room was dark, but Moondancer could see the smile that rose to Sunset’s lips as she gave another small nod and moved closer to Moondancer’s bed, stepping over her own sleeping bag on the floor. The two climbed onto the mattress and under the blankets before huddling closer together, Moondancer wrapping Sunset in a protective embrace against her. “G’night, Princess Sunset.” Sunset chuckled lightly, “Good night, Moondancer.” Sunset groaned and rubbed at her forehead as she struggled into a sitting position in her bed. She squinted against the harsh light of September as it intruded past her curtains, bathing her room in a warm light. She was going to vomit. She tore the restrictive sheets from her legs and made a break for the door, stumbling out and into the bathroom across the hall. She sunk to her knees, slammed the toilet seat against the tank, and released the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Just what had she drank last night? She groaned, resting her forehead on her arm as her body slumped against the side of the bathtub. She knitted her brows, trying her best to piece together memories of last night; beyond the rambunctious crowd, terrible taste in music, and the absolute garish wardrobe of the other girls who had been in attendance. Not that she really had any leg to stand on. She hummed. Who was she there with? Moondancer. Where even was she? Sun… burst. Star… light. Starlight. Starlight Glimmer, in fact. A closet. Starlight’s breath; all too close. Her eyes shot open as her stomach lurched. She leaned over the bowl again to let out another round of vomit, hacking up bile, and wincing as the stench stung at her nose. “Well good morning, Mr Bach. Seems you had a lot of fun last night,” Moondancer arched a brow with a sly smirk as she rounded the door and leaned against its frame. She sipped at her coffee and hooked one ankle over the other. “I think you might have overdone it Arthur.” “Painkillers…” Sunset groaned, “and a glass of water.” “Magic word?” Sunset groaned, louder, “Pleeeease…” Moondancer set her mug down on the bathroom counter and made her way down the hall toward the kitchen. Her mouth felt so unbelievably dry, no matter how much she tried to swallow or wet her lips. Sunset pulled back from the toilet seat, only to accept the chilled glass from Moondancer, and popped the two tablets into her mouth. “Gah…” Sunset’s face twisted as she swallowed down a gulp of water, “I don’t know if my throat burns more from the vomit or the vodka.” Moondancer nodded, collecting her mug before squatting to sit on the bathroom floor with the other girl, leaning her head against the sink cabinet and taking another drink of her coffee. “Yeah. Trying to do vodka shots without any preface will do that to you, babe.” Sunset stuck out her tongue and took a sip of her water. “You’re not a drinker, Shim. What did mom and dad teach you about peer pressure?” The red-head stared down at the ripples in her glass as she swirled it around a bit. She puckered her lips and let out the air from her cheeks. “I just-... I wanted to drink.” Moondancer rolled her eyes. “Then start on lighter stuff. You pretty much passed out thirty minutes after you started because you didn’t pace yourself.” She leaned forward to flick her sister’s forehead, “You’re just lucky I was there to take you home.” The younger girl’s brows squeezed into a frown before she fixed her jaw. “Well, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have been there in the first place.” Moondancer’s face pinched, lips stretching before she gave a lopsided, chagrined smile. “So what? You’re mad I invited you?” “Yeah.” Sunset paused, wrung the glass between her hands, and sighed. “No. Sorry.” She ran a hand through her hair and sipped some more water to cool herself down. “I just-... Starlight and I almost kissed.” “Yeah, no shit. That’s kinda how 7 minutes in heaven works.” She rolled her eyes, adjusting herself against the cold tiles of the floor. “I figured something happened, since you bolted out of that closet, at a speed the likes of which I’ve never seen.” It was Sunset’s turn to roll her eyes. “We were just talking and then she started to lean in. The door opened and I—” “You shit yourself and ran away.” “—I didn’t” “You tore ass, Sunset. Like, really. I haven’t seen you run that fast since they had a special vegetarian chili wrap day at school, and you literally tackled some poor girl on the way to the cafeteria.” Moondancer swallowed down the rest of her coffee, “there’s no denying it, Shim. I was there.” Sunset scowled. “Well, whatever. Point is, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” She shifted to sit back against the tub, rather than awkwardly propping herself up with one arm, legs tucked to the side. She sipped some more water, sloshed it around her mouth, and spat it into the porcelain. “Do about what?” “About Starlight!” Sunset shot the other girl an incredulous glare, “she tried to kiss me! How am I supposed to act next time we talk?” Moondancer clicked her tongue and sat cross-legged, throwing another eye roll in Sunset’s direction. “Yeah, cause you two totally always talked to each other before the party. Totally forgot that you two were bestfriends.” “Moondancer.” “What?” She held her hands up in defence, “I’m being serious. You’re freaking out over nothing. Look, she was drunk, you guys were playing a game, she probably wasn’t even trying to kiss you. She could’ve just been trying to get comfortable. That closet was cramped.” That… made more sense, actually, Sunset frowned. She wasn’t sure why that disappointed her. “Wait… how do you know how cramped it was?” Moondancer smirked, “You might have stopped playing, but I didn’t.” “Damn. So you made out with someone in a closet? Are you, like, thirteen?” Moondancer punched Sunset in the arm, hard. “On a scale from one to ten, yeah.” Sunset scoffed and let out a snort, before both girls erupted into a fit of giggles. “You’re a dork. You know that, right?” “How’s the headache feeling now?” “Mh,” the red-head hummed. “It feels a little better. Still a killer, and I definitely feel like I could throw up again; but, better.” Moondancer nodded and pulled herself to her feet using the bathroom counter, leaning over to ruffle Sunset’s already bed-messed hair. “If you need anything just gimme a call. I’ll pick you up some snacks when I go out later.” “Salted popcorn?” She gave a pleading pout. “Sure thing. If you want anything else though, just text me. Later alligator,” She gave a small salute and a wink as she rounded the door to leave. Sunset shot finger guns in response. “In a while, crocodile.” Once her head had stopped throbbing, and the dorm had settled, Sunset shakily rose to her feet, using the side of the tub for support. She leaned against the counter and the wall, making sure to keep her glass in a steady grip before she could set it down at her bedside. She flopped down with a relieved breath. Her body felt heavy and light all at the same time. Her pounding head was in the clouds, which was unfortunate, because every beam of sunlight caused her to recoil further into her sheets. “I’m never drinking again,” she groaned into her pillows, hugging the plush material tight. Visions of Starlight danced across her mind in a walts between foggy, alcohol-laden memories, and the fuzzies behind her eyelids. Her body rose and fell like a piston, her heavy breath entering and exiting her lungs through her barely parted mouth. Before long she resigned herself to the sweet embrace of sleep, allowing the gentle mistress to hold her tenderly. I wonder what Starlight’s lip’s would have felt like. “Aaaaand I’m vomiting again.” Sunset shovelled a handful of popcorn into her mouth, dismissing the kernels that completely missed altogether and tumbled down to join the small collection in her lap. She didn’t even know what she was watching. If she were being honest, she had tuned out for the first half hour and now was dissassociatively trying to follow the narrative. But even Goldilocks and the Three bears would have proved to be Shakespearean in her current state of mind. After throwing up— what she could only assume to be the lining of her stomach— she had tried to take a shower. Tried. She really tried. All she could recall was sitting in the tub, letting the water wash over her skin. Was that water hot, she couldn’t tell. She just remembered falling asleep and waking up around 40 minutes later, pruned and hungry. “Ugh,” she’d groaned, “this is why I don’t drink.” Currently, she found herself wrapped in one of Moondancer’s fuzzy blankets on the couch, gorging herself on popcorn and fruit juice. It was all she could stomach, if she were being honest. She shovelled another load of popcorn into her mouth. With an almost frustrated harrumph, she pulled at the front of her shirt to inspect the crumbs and salt that coated the fabric. She hesitated with a firm jaw. She plopped the fallen kernels into her mouth, one by one, an animated, cartoonish munching noise punctuating each bite. Sunset had allowed her hair to air-dry, but the dampness that clung to skin sent a shiver through her system as a weak draft breezed past. She snuggled deeper into her sister’s blanket. “Why are you watching…” Moondancer squinted toward the screen as she paced into the room, “is that… Dark Fowl?” Sunset shrugged, snaking her arm out to collect another handful of popcorn. “Mhm. Honestly I have no idea what is even going on.” “Have you gotten to the part where the main chick sleeps with the understudy?” Moondancer sat on the arm of the couch, eyes not leaving the screen. Sunset choked. Through a fit of sputtered coughs, she replied, “The who does what? I thought this movie was about ballet—” “Well, it is,” Moondancer leaned over to steal some of the other girl’s snacks, and held the kernels in her hand, picking at them one at a time. “But it’s also, like, a psychological thriller. It’s super interesting.” “Yeah. I bet. Nothing more psychologically thrilling than sleeping with another woman.” Sunset grumbled, blush faint on her cheeks. She’d blame her shower though. The older girl snorted and fixed Sunset with a look; not that she would have noticed as she kept her eyes forward. “Thrilling for you? Maybe you should call up Starlight and ask her to—” “Shut up!” Sunset swatted her, the heat spreading down her neck. “God you’re so insufferable.” “That’s what sisters are for. You didn’t read it in the fine-print? It was on the adoption forms.” “Ah, didn’t notice it. I knew I should have had a lawyer comb through it and look at the terms and conditions.” Moondancer clicked her tongue and slid down to sit beside her sister on the couch and nudged her playfully with her shoulder. “See. That’s why you gotta read those things.” “You sure got me.” “How are you feeling now?” Sunset let out a wistful puff of air, blowing a curled lock of hair from her face, only for it to fall back into place. “I felt better after having a shower and having something to drink, but you’ve just brought my migraines back. I hope you feel terrible.” “Oh, I do,” Moondancer held a hand over her heart and stole more popcorn with the other. “You’re almost out.” Sunset grabbed her bowl from the table and adjusted in place. “Yeah cause some asshole keeps eating it all.” “Now, Sunset. I know you have low self-esteem but calling yourself an asshole isn’t the way to go.” “You’re so annoying.” “Again, it’s my job.” “Well, you’re fired.” “I own the company, Sunset.” “I hold the majority of the shares.” “Damn…” Moondancer clicked her tongue and shook her head. “You got me there. I know when I’m beat.” “Mh.” Sunset pulled the blanket from around her shoulders and offered a corner to the other girl who then slipped in beside her, rubbing at her arms and thighs a bit as she adjusted to the warmth. “Cozy.” They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the plot flicker by on the screen. Sunset sat quietly as Moondancer made passing comments— sometimes about the narrative; sometimes about the characters; sometimes about the acting. But she always finished off with an airy sigh, “I wish I could write something this enthralling.” “Hey, moon?” “Yeah?” “Thanks.” “For what?” Sunset settled deeper into the couch. “I dunno. “ But Moondancer did. Author's Note Back with a new chapter! Things are about to get real interesting😏 As I said before, these chapters will be uploaded biweekly (but I might be generous and upload the odd chapter weekly instead) & there's still plenty of this story to come! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!) Partners in crime (and sashes!)She hated this. She hated this stupid, itchy uniform; these stupid, ugly shoes; and she hated this stupid sash that was supposed to showcase how ‘special’ she was. She hated Sunday afternoons and the horrible musty smell of the old community center, as she and her girl scout troop were made to stand in ordered lines and listen to their instructions for the day. She never asked for this. The only reason she was in this mothball-scented mess was because her third grade teacher had recommended to the support staff of her foster— right, children’s home— that Sunset make some new friends and widen her social circle; but all it did was give her one more thing to hate, and one less thing to look forward to. Well, to be specific, three more things. Torment took the form in Sonata Dusk, Ariana Blaze and last but certainly not least, Adagio Dazzle: three other girls in her troop. Sonata was the smallest of the three; her azure hair pulled back into a short ponytail; bright magenta eyes punctuated, almost, by a small darkened freckle beneath the left. As much as she hated to admit it, Sunset found her to be quite cute— if she wasn’t pulling her hair and calling her names, that was. Not that she liked cute things, anyway! Ariana’s bangs fell just short of the thick, black, horn rimmed glasses that sat against the bridge of her nose, with the rest of her hair tied into a neat braid that came over her right shoulder. She’d only ever seen Ariana by herself once, when Adagio and Sonata had been on a long weekend trip away with their mothers; but with the other two at her side, the purple-haired girl’s timid frame filled out— with fake confidence— and she crossed her arms over her chest smugly, taking up the other side of the leader of their small pack: Adagio Dazzle. Adagio was… Perfect. As perfect as any eight year old could be, that was. She was talented, wealthy, and she knew how to present herself well. She was confident, and bold, and all of the things Sunset would never be. She’d already been awarded with twelve badges this season— despite the troop only being formed a couple of months prior. Sunset sighed as the troop dispersed into their friend circles and clenched her hands into tight fists as she watched the three girls approach, just like clock work. “Alone again, Sunset Shimmer?” Adagio teased, causing the other two girls at her side to snicker, “don’t you ever get bored of looking so miserable?” Sunset furrowed her brows and tried her best to stammer out a witty come back. “Oh yeah? Well— you guys look dumb.” To no avail. Ariana narrowed her eyes from behind her spectacles, “We’re all wearing the same uniform, stupid. If we look dumb then so do you.” She jabbed a firm finger into the centre of Sunset’s chest, which then caused her to stumble back with a wince. “Yeah,” giggled Sonata, reaching forward to tug at Sunset’s hair, “and who did your pigtails for you? Your mommy?” Sunset bit her lip and swallowed past the bile that was forcing itself up her throat. Her face twisted into a scowl as her nails dug half moons into her palms, “S-shut up.” Her voice was weak and frail, but she did her best to hide the waver in her tone. But the smirk Adagio Dazzle shot towards her was enough indication that it hadn’t been enough. “Awe, is the wittle baby gonna cry?” Shut up. “Haha, look at her, she’s tearing up!” Shut up. “She’s such a baby!” “Shut up!” Sunset screamed. Her body whirred to life, pouncing onto the ginger girl in front of her and tackling her to the ground. Sonata let out a shriek of terror as Ariana did her best to pull the red-head from her friend. Adagio struggled desperately to fight back, but Sunset’s grip was firm on her wrists. “I’m not a baby!” Adagio kicked her legs frantically as Ariana wrapped her arms tightly around Sunset’s waist and tugged as hard as she could, but Sunset had already begun to dig her nails into Adagio’s skin, and the other girl whimpered out in a cry. Adagio’s resistance faltered for a moment as she recoiled, and with the older girl suddenly defenceless, Sunset pulled back a fist and aimed for her face. Before her clenched knuckles could make contact, a scout leader caught her wrist and firmly yanked her from the wriggling girl below. “Sunset Shimmer! Just what do you think you are doing?” Roared Ms Peachbottom, and Sunset flinched in fear. The older woman’s brows were furrowed sternly as she stared down at the red-head, hands now resting on her hips as she awaited a response. The small girl’s mouth hung open as she stammered for the words to say, her eyes flickering from the scout leader’s face, to the three other girls who were currently sobbing to her right. Sunset wrung her hands, her breath becoming ragged as she watched Adagio rub at her tender wrists, Ariana and Sonata having also sunken to their knees at her sides; the tapping foot of the older woman between all four girls wasn’t doing anything for Sunset’s anxiety, either. So, she cried. The tears that had threatened to spill from before had come back with a vengeance, and brought with them a little friend called guilt. Another assistant approached to aid the situation swiftly and took the three shaken girls to the infirmary— to patch up any injuries Sunset may have inflicted, the red-head could only assume. Rubbing at her eyes as she wailed, Sunset tensed at the pair of hands that came to rest on her shoulders. “Sunset, sweetie, please take a breath. We need to know what happened. You’re a smart girl, and it’s not like you to lash out. Do you want to sit at the side and talk about it?” The small girl suppressed another wail in her throat as she sniffled, which, in turn, caused her trembling frame to wrack with a series of coughs. The scout leader pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her back gently as she did her best to sooth the shaken child. Once Sunset’s whimpers had died down somewhat she was led over to a bench at the side of the hall, where she stared down at her lap through raw, bleary eyes. “Now, I’m going to ask again…” Ms Peachbottom said in a softer tone than before, “What happened to make you lash out like that? You know fighting and raising your hands is wrong, so tell me what happened. I just want to help, Sunset.” The red-head bit her bottom lip as it quivered once more and she wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. Ms Peachbottom reached into her pocket to pull out a packet of hankies and offered one to her. “I—...” she croaked, “A-Adagio and Sonata hurt my feelings…” The scout leader nodded in understanding, “Mhm, go on.” Sunset coughed. “They called my— my pigtails dumb. And they asked if my… They asked if my mommy—...” Her chest rose as she began to hyperventilate once more. Ms Peachbottom let out a click of her tongue and pulled Sunset in for another tight hug, rubbing the small of her back as Sunset, in turn, wrapped her arms around the older woman’s neck, to bury her face in her shoulder. “Shh, shh, it’s alright,” she cooed, “I understand. I’ll make sure to have a word with them, alright?” Sunset nodded weakly against the fabric of her sash with a whimper. The situation of Sunset’s parents— of lack thereof— was a topic that most, if not all, the scout leaders and assistants had been made aware of by her social worker. They’d been asked to monitor any sort of anti-social behaviour from the young girl, and report back had anything arisen. But it wasn’t long at all before the scout leaders had simply found that she… just lacked proper social skills as a whole. She found it difficult to make friends and join in with group activities or discussions, or even so much as keep up a conversation when the other members of her troop had tried initiating things with her instead. Sunset kept to herself, and the other girls in the troop decided that merely giving up was probably easier for everyone, much to the scout leaders’ dismay. After she had calmed down somewhat, Sunset asked if she could go to the bathroom to splash some water in her face and calm down some more, to which the older woman had agreed. As this was her first real offence, she had told Sunset that it would be their secret, so long as this kind of behaviour was never repeated. Sunset nodded, thankfully, in agreement. She hadn’t meant to hurt Adagio, after all. She only wanted her to shut up and leave her alone. She’d only meant to scare her and the other two girls enough to make them go away so that she wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore. She thought standing up to them was what she was supposed to do. Apparently she hadn’t done it right. Sunset frowned once more as she stared at her tear stained cheeks and red, puffy eyes in the reflection of the dusty old mirror. She’d never felt so alone. “Hey, uh… I hate to be a bother, but.... Can you pass me some toilet paper? I, uh, ran out.” A voice from behind the closed toilet door cut her from her thoughts and caused her to scramble in panic, wiping her eyes furiously once more before she turned swiftly on her heel. Sunset hesitantly paced to the free bathroom stall to take some extra paper, and passed it under the occupied stall’s door. “Oh, thank you! I’ve been in here forever. You’re a real lifesaver!” Sunset wrung her hands and stared at the ground as she leaned against the sink, “Not really… it’s just some paper.” “Hey, are you okay? I didn’t really mean to eavesdrop but I heard you sniffling a bit… Is everything alright?” The small girl stared at the navy door and took in a deep inhale of breath before letting it back out. Normally she hated opening up to people— she didn’t like being vulnerable— but there was a calming sense of safety granted by the anonymity of the stranger behind the closed door. “I… I got in a fight. I hurt another girl in the troop and— and I got into trouble.” “Oh! So you must be the Sunset Shimmer everyone’s been talking about!” Crap. Sunset tensed and cleared her throat, eyeing up the bathroom door as she contemplated making a break for it. But what good would that do? Everyone in her troop had already labelled her as a freak, probably, and this other girl no doubt would laugh at her just the same. She was drawn from her thoughts once more when she heard a flush and the stall creaked open, a taller girl with thick-rimmed glasses— and a furious pair of even thicker eyebrows— stepping out and crossing the room to wash her hands. Sunset side-stepped and stared down at her black shoes before clasping her hands behind her back awkwardly. “I heard you really put Adagio in her place!” The other girl laughed, “Serves her right! All she ever does is tease people anyway. It’s about time someone stood up to her.” There was a pause before Sunset raised her head to meet the other girl’s bright smile and she mumbled out a “Y-you really think so?” “I know so! I got a new book a couple weeks ago from my mom, and Adagio took it and hasn’t given it back yet! I thought she wanted to read it, too, but I bet she doesn’t even know how to read! What a butt-head.” Sunset tilted her head as the other girl pulled some paper towels out of the dispenser to dry her hands and nibbled on her bottom lip hesitantly. “So, uhm. What’s uh… What’s your name?” “Oh-! I’m Moondancer. It’s nice to meet you!” Moondancer smiled once more and dumped her towels into the trash, holding out a free hand to shake Sunset’s. “My friend Twilight and I always see you hanging around the sides a lot by yourself and we’ve always wanted to come say hi, but…” She trailed off, but brightened up as Sunset accepted her hand shake, “we weren't sure if you, y’know, wanted friends. You give me that cool lone-wolf type of vibe. Like Edwin from that new vampire book series!” Sunset narrowed her eyes, “You mean Midnight?” “You know it!?” “Hate it.” “Aw… But you got the reference, right?” Sunset smiled and nodded, “I guess.” The smaller girl followed after Moondancer as she pushed the bathroom door open, listening intently as she gushed about her favorite books. She led Sunset over to another spectacled girl who was curled up with a book on one of the benches at the side. Once Moondancer and Sunset had stepped closer, she peeked over the pages and gave a shy smile and a small wave. “This is Twilight Sparkle,” Moondancer introduced before pointing a thumb at her chest, “we’re kinda the smartest ones in our troop.” “And how’d you figure that?” Sunset piqued a brow. “Because we’re the only ones smart enough to know how cool you are.” Sunset’s chest tightened up and her breathing became laboured once more, a bright smile warming her cheeks. “Well— uhm,” she rubbed at her neck, “would you two want to, maybe— I mean you can say no, but— would you two… want to be a team for when cookie sales roll around?” Twilight and Moondancer shared a look before beaming back at the red-head, both giving enthusiastic nods. “Boy, would we ever!” She hated it all. She hated girl scouts, and she hated the itchy uniform. She hated badges, and Adagio Dazzle. But, she supposed, Sunday’s weren’t so bad, now, after all. The front door burst open at once, and Sunset Shimmer threw herself through the frame as if her life depended on it— before slamming it behind herself promptly, leaning back against the wood as her chest heaved. She could taste blood. Not in the literal sense, but the familiar metallic twang hung in the back of her throat no matter how much she tried to swallow it down. “Holy fucking hell, Sunset!” Moondancer snapped, brows snarling at her as the other girl clutched at her heart. “Were you trying to kill me?! You gave me a fucking heart attack!” Her eyes shot over to stare at her sister. “Starlight tried to kiss me.” She blurted out, not shifting from the door, too terrified to move. Moondancer blinked then shook her head, her face twisting before she tilted her head incredulously. “What?” “Starlight tried to kiss me.” “I don’t understand.” Sunset finally mustered the strength to push herself from the door and paced the space between the armchair and the breakfast counter. “I-I don’t know!” she brought her hands out in front of her to flex her fingers before she wrung them together. “We were just-... we were looking at stars and then we were alone and she just looked really pretty under the lights and she caught me staring, I guess and-” “Well, that’s super gay.” “Moondancer!” The girl in question raised her hands defensively, shifting the bowl of popcorn she had been eating onto the coffee table in front of her. Sunset raked her hands through her hair and groaned. “I didn’t- why would she-? Why did I-?” “Why did you what?” Moondancer turned her ear closer. “I just stood there like an idiot!” Sunset exclaimed, waving her arms out wide before wrapping them around herself. Her lip trembled and she raised a hand to her mouth to bite at the side of her thumb. “I just froze. Like- my brain just couldn’t-... it just couldn’t process that it was actually happening and-... and I just clammed up and before I knew it she was just standing really awkwardly and she tried to laugh it off and-” The more Sunset retold, the more flustered she got, before Moondancer moved over for her to sit down on the couch. She accepted the gesture without hesitation, swiftly moving to wrap her arms around her sister’s neck and bury her face into Moondancer’s shoulder. “I tried to speak but I just couldn’t talk. It was like-... It was like I’d swallowed my own voice and I couldn’t-” “Hey,” Moondancer rubbed at her back. “Just breathe.” Sunset squeezed her sister tight, and closed her eyes even tighter, pressing her lips together to stop them from quivering. “She just looked so embarrassed, Moondancer. She didn’t talk to me the entire way home. She didn’t even let me walk her back to her dorm and I-... I just ran- I’m such a fucking loser!” Moondancer bit the inside of her cheek and pulled back to rest her hands on Sunset’s shoulders, fixing her with a firm stare. “Stop. Stop beating yourself up. You just got scared. You haven’t ever been in that situation before, and it freaked you out. There isn’t anything wrong with that.” She gave the younger girl’s shoulders a squeeze, softening her gaze with a smile. “You’re a control freak, Shim,” she scoffed, “I’m honestly really not surprised. Are you? Realistically?” Sunset stayed quiet and dropped her eyes. “Look,” Moondancer sighed, “sure, you fucked up. But it isn’t the end of the world. Just talk to her. Explain what happened. Starlight knows you, and it’s very obvious that she likes you. I’m sure she knows by now how much of a loser you are— and she’s still willing to try and kiss you!” Sunset stared at her hands in her lap and toyed with her fingers, mulling over her sister’s words. She puckered her cheek and let out a sigh. “But-... what do I say if she tries to kiss me again?” The older girl blinked and arched a brow curiously before raising the other and tilting her head. “Well… do you like her back?” “I don’t-...” Sunset frowned, “I don’t know.” The space between her eyebrows wrinkled as Sunset tried her best to envision Starlight. She tried to focus on the way she felt— the way her chest tightened and her cheeks warmed; how her stomach fluttered; how she knew she’d messed up, big time. “Well,” Moondancer sighed. “You have until the next time you see her to figure that out. The longer you leave things like this, the more awkward and weird it’ll get. For the both of you.” Sunset knew she was right. She would’ve shot the other girl a text right then and there if she knew what to say. If she were being completely honest with herself, she knew exactly how she felt; and she felt like a coward the more she tried to deny it. Everything had been laid bare for her, by Starlight, and still she was so… terrified. She couldn’t even imagine how the other girl must have felt. The way the light faded from her eyes— replaced only by a bitter sense of regret. She hated it. She hated the way Starlight’s hollow laughter sounded in her ears, and the way she’d pulled as far away from Sunset as possible. She hated the way she’d scratched at her cheek and kept her eyes low, mumbling about how late it was and how they should probably head back home. She hated the way Starlight’s smile never met her eyes once after that. But most of all, she hated the warmed skin of her cheek when Starlight had pulled her hand away. She wanted to feel the cold for as long as possible. She wanted and wanted and wanted. She was such an idiot. “But in any case,” Moondancer dropped her eyes and leaned back to get a better look at Sunset’s shirt, “what the hell are you wearing?” “It’s uhm… It’s a really long story.” Sunset frowned and twisted the watch on her wrist. As the two sat in silence for a few moments, the rest of the day came rushing back to her, and how disastrous the entire afternoon had actually been— and still Starlight had tried to kiss her. Who was the bigger idiot, really? Sunset allowed herself to smile, but just a little. She paused once more and narrowed her eyes before she turned back to Moondancer. “Hey, Moon?” “Yeah?” “Do you know a ‘Twilight Sparkle’?” Author's Note As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Finally home.ACT I the fall — ☼ — The morning of Moondancer and Sunset’s high school graduation was one of tight embraces, giddy laughter and warm words that dripped with pride. Or, at least, that was the case for one half of the dynamic pair. While Moondancer excitedly rushed into the backseat of her parent’s jeep, Sunset gave herself one more look over in the mirror. She leaned over the— now cleaned— sink and turned her head from side to side. Tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Untucked it. Combed the top down some more, and, once she was finally pleased with her handiwork, she gave herself a beaming grin, shot herself a pair of finger guns, and hurried back to her bedroom. It was a day of reflection; after this she would be moving to live at the University of her dreams— The University of Everton— with Moondancer as her room mate. Tucking her graduation cap into her backpack, she slung the straps over her navy-hued robes and began making her way downstairs to the front desk, where she was met with a collection of white balloons and a large banner with the word “Congratulations!” emblazoned across it in golden letters. Sunset hadn’t ever been particularly close with any of the support workers at Applewood Gardens Children’s Home— or any of the other kids, for that matter— but she had to admit she would miss the kind faces, the warm toast, and the cups of coffee that she would smuggle from the kitchen, with the help of the eldest carer in the sizely home. Things weren’t so bad, really; especially when she had a best friend who was as understanding and considerate as Moondancer was. They were like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde— as the older girl would put it, before Sunset would roll her eyes and swat her on the arm. As she hopped onto the last bus she would ever take to Applewood Senior High she recounted the warm summer days that had left her parched, and the sweet, sweet, lemonade that Moondancer’s mother would make for them— before Moondancer’s father would interrupt their peaceful afternoon, of course, with a Super Soaker, and leave the three women drenched from head to toe. Times had long since changed from when she would sheepishly hide behind Moondancer whenever she would visit the other girl’s home, refusing any kind of assistance from her parents, no matter how desperately she may have needed it. One of her fondest memories was their homecoming dance of junior year. Sunset had been stood up by her date, and instead of spending the night crying off the make up Moondancer had helped her apply, Moondancer’s parents had taken them out on a drive around town. The four of them had ended up in an old-style milkshake bar, appropriately fitted with a retro jukebox player, and she couldn’t stop the grin that took hold of her features whenever she thought about how Moondancer’s father had— very dramatically— asked her for a dance. She may not have had parents of her own, but she did have a family, and that fact alone warmed her heart. Once the bus had pulled up and she had hopped off, she decided to have one last adventure down the now-empty halls of Applewood Senior High, and stopped to rest her palm against her old locker. It had been home to so many science fair projects over the years. Homework; trash; Moondancer on the odd occasion. The old school smelled of nostalgia and time, and Sunset would’ve given anything to hold onto this moment for as long as she could. But, she had somewhere else to be. Moondancer had sent her a text to let her know that she and her parents would be waiting at the back entrance of the school for her, before they would all head over to the football fields for graduation. Her footsteps echoed down the hallways and she couldn’t hide the skip in her step. This was the beginning of the rest of her life, and she was doing it with her best friend at her side. It didn’t take long for her to spot the familiar black car and the bright-haired bookworm dressed in similar attire to her own. Sunset hurried over, ducking through the crowds of other graduating students and their proud parents. She clasped her hands over Moondancer’s shoulders and leapt onto her back, causing the other girl to stumble forward slightly in surprise. “Sunset— God you scared m— oh my god!?” After Moondancer had whipped around, it took her a moment to process the sight before her. She clasped her hands over her mouth, drawing the attention of the two adults who were busy getting their banners and camera from the trunk of the jeep. “What did you do to your hair!?” A pink blush dusted itself across Sunset’s freckled cheeks and she gave a timid smile, “I cut it. Last night.” Sunset shrugged and twirled a short lock of red that came just shy of her shoulders, around her index finger. “Does it look bad?” “Oh my! Sunset, honey, you look gorgeous!” Chirped Moondancer’s mother as she made her way over to hug the red-head, “you did this yourself? My, I should let you do mine!” The shorter girl chuckled as she returned the hug and shrugged once she had pulled away. “I was just looking for a change, you know? What better time than graduation, right?” “Absolutely right, firecracker!” Moondancers father gave a hearty laugh of his own as he ruffled Sunset’s hair. She swatted his hand away playfully and did her best to fix the messed strands back into place. Moondancer opened her friend’s backpack and pulled out her graduation cap. “Really, Shim? My Chemical Romance? God you’re such an emo.” “Ugh,” Sunset rolled her eyes and took the cap from her, “coming from the girl who put Hatsune Miku on hers? Please. I have to laugh.” “Whatever. You’re just jealous, clearly.” Moondancer’s father had set up a tripod on the grassy area beside the parking lot and led the two girls, as well as his wife, over for a picture. “Family photograph, everyone!” Sunset flashed a smile and moved back to stan behind the camera, readying her hands to snap the shot. “Uhm, Sunnybun? Why aren’t you getting in the picture?” “Wh- huh?” She stuttered, “I just thought-” The man shook his head and led her once again in front of the camera, to stand beside Moondancer. “But- I mean, it’s graduation. It’s a big deal and- y’know. It’s okay, really.” Moondancer’s parents looked between themselves for a moment before setting their gaze upon the red-haired teen who was sheepishly wringing her hands. “We were going to wait until after the ceremony, but…” Sunset glanced towards her best friend who looked equally as elated as her parents before her eyes returned to the older woman who was digging through her handbag. She pulled out a brown, weighty envelope and handed it to Sunset, who paused for a moment, looking over the three of them, before finally opening it up and pulling out the documents inside. No way. “We know it’s been a long time coming…” Moondancer’s mother began. No way. “But the process was so long.” Moondancer’s father continued, looping an arm around his wife’s waist and pulling her closer, “you have no idea how many nights we stayed awake thinking over if this was really the best thing for you.” “No way… A-are these?... Are you- are you serious?” Sunset looked up from the adoption certificate in complete disbelief, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at the family before her. Her family. “Welcome home, sis.” Moondancer wiped at her own eyes before wrapping her best friend in a tight hug. Sunset’s shoulders shook with each ragged breath she took and she buried her face into the crook of her sister’s neck as she returned the embrace. Her new parents stepped forward to join in the group hug, each of them sniffling and wiping their tears on the backs of hands and graduation robes. Their family portrait was filled with beaming smiles, tear wetted eyes, and Sunset holding up the most important sheet of paper she’d ever been handed in her life. She thought today would end like that; although, she had expected that sheet of paper to be her graduation certificate instead. Nevertheless, she was ecstatic. The two teens hurried off to the seats that had been set up on the field, along with the rest of their classmates, but Sunset’s eyes still tracked Moondancer’s— her parents as they found their seats on the bleachers. “I can’t believe this,” Moondancer whispered. “I know… We’re like, actually sisters now.” “No, I mean— you get adopted? Where’s my graduation present, huh?” Sunset punched her arm. The ceremony had gone by in a flash. Sunset, of course, had been crowned valedictorian; for her impeccable attendance, straight A’s in all of her classes across all years from freshman to senior, it was what she had always dreamed. She had never been very popular. She liked to stick with Moondancer; it had always worked out for them, and she was fine with that. She didn’t care that she hadn’t won Prom Queen— the entire thing was a superficial popularity contest, anyway— Moondancer had commented while drawing a moustache on the candidates’ faces. But she had worked for this, and it had all been worth it. To celebrate, they went out for ice cream, before heading over to one of Moondancers friend’s house for “The end of year party to end all parties!” as the host had exclaimed at least fifty times in the first hour. Sunset honestly was just there to supervise the other girl, not being much of a drinker herself, but the night had gone on without a hitch. The rest of summer was spent moving Sunset’s belongings into Moondancer’s room, finding summer jobs to kill time before they were to pack up once more and leave for University. It had been late, but Moondancer had gotten a graduation present, eventually. The family’s trusted old jeep was filled to the brim with boxes and suitcases, all packed with the teens’ entire lives. They’d pulled over at a gas station on their way to Everton and Sunset had indulged herself in the giddiness of the newest chapter of their lives by purchasing a pink flamingo, donning a bright pair of sunglasses, for the dashboard of her sister’s new car. “Oh, you are such a nerd.” “You’re just jealous he looks more stylish than you.” “Put him on the fucking dash.” Their road trip consisted of them screaming along to the lyrics of cheesy songs they had grown up with, their dad’s old CD’s, and chugging back energy drinks to keep the two of them awake as they drove through the night. It didn’t take long for them to settle into their new home and Sunset had packed enough band t-shirts to fill her closet and then some. Freedom for Moondancer was being able to happily relax in a candle lit bubble bath, accompanied by her reading tablet, a glass of red wine, and her phone playing Claude Debussy’s Claire de Lune Suite Bergamasque No. 3. Freedom for Sunset was… Not that much different than life back at Applewood Gardens. She liked it, though. She got to be with Moondancer, after all. She had already matriculated and visited her adviser of study to figure out her class schedule, and it was now just a case of navigating her way around the large campus’ map. Thankfully enough, however, there were many signs directing students towards their designated buildings, as well as a peppering of maps around the campus grounds. Sunset strolled into class and offered a polite wave to her instructor before taking up an empty seat near the middle of the large chemistry lab. “Good morning class; my name is Doctor Zecora.” The elder woman welcomed in a thick accent that Sunset couldn’t quite place, “and I’m sure being out of high school’s societal nightmare must be a euphora. I would like to welcome you all here, now, to Everton. Here’s hoping this semester’s classes will be such fun,” she finished with a gentle smile. Sunset piqued a brow and glanced around the class to gauge reactions, smiling when she caught the attention of a blonde girl who seemed to be just as confused as she was. “I must warn though, please don’t run for cover, but I’d like to take this first lesson to get to know one another. This subject will require a partner project, so down the line this partner, I will select.” The audible groans of the class didn’t falter the instructors smile or her shifting eyes as she scanned over the crowd, looking for her first random victim. She pointed towards a girl whose purple hair was tied back into a high ponytail, “Sorry to point but, you, lass. Please, introduce yourself to the rest of your class.” “Oh, uhm, of course,” she stuttered out with a smile. “Well, uh,” she began and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, and Sunset could only roll her eyes in sympathy for the poor girl. “This is my first time sitting this year. I’m 18, and I moved here from a little town called Sire’s Hollow. It’s really nice to meet you all! My name’s Starlight. Starlight Glimmer.” Author's Note I counter 32 "Moondancer"s in this chapter & honestly I hope that count only goes up. So! It's been a long time coming, but the first chapter is finally up! I'm so happy to finally be sharing this project. Most of the chapters have already been completed so I'll be trying to upload them bi-weekly! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it, these past two years. Thank you to all the friends who have continued to support me and push me to continue writing this story, even when I felt like giving up so, so many times. It really means the world to me. Find the artwork for this chapter here! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Margins.“No, that’s dumb.” Sunset grumbled, furiously erasing the pencil marks in the margin of her notebook. She drummed her fingers against her desk and chewed on the pad of her thumb for a moment before scratching at her hair with the eraser-end of her pencil. “Okay… the total number of events is…” she pinched her brows, “one.” Sunset blinked down at her paper, trying her best to ignore the faint remnants of previously failed calculations. “And it’s a one in two chance of success… so it’s 50%...” She groaned, “that’s not a high enough success rate.” “What was that, Miss Shimmer? Something to say?” Doctor Zecora peeked over her shoulder before stepping away from the whiteboard at the front of the class, “it’s so lovely seeing everyone so engaged today.” Sunset sat rigid in her chair, eyes scanning the board for any indication of what was going on. “Uuuh,” she swallowed thickly, “nothing, Doctor. I was just saying that I think your teaching methods are great!” She flashed a nervous smile, praying to whatever God above that the warmth in her face wasn’t bathing her skin, red. The older woman returned her smile and shot her a wink before returning her attention to the board. “Thank you Miss Shimmer, that is very kind; but do try to take control of your wandering mind.” She scratched the back of her head and gave a small thumbs up, shrinking back into her seat as she felt a room full of stares settle on her, igniting her blush with more gusto. She hadn’t meant to, but her eyes instinctively glanced toward the desk in the centre of the room, where her true subject of study had been this period. Starlight Glimmer grinned as their eyes met, and Sunset could tell she was chuckling. Fuck. An indignant squeak forced itself from her throat as she scrambled to pick up her pencil again, shielding her eyes with one hand as she rested her elbow on the table. She could feel how clammy her palms were. Her heated cheeks and neck weren’t making things any more comfortable, either. Has it always been so hot in this room? It was Monday. 2:32— 33pm. Final class of the day; and Sunset was sweating. She dropped her pencil again to rub her palms together, face contorting with ick at the feeling of slicked skin against slicked skin, before she resolved to wipe the sweat on the fabric of her skirt. Truthfully, she hadn’t been paying attention for the most part of this two-hour lecture, and there was only 27— 26 minutes left. No. Instead of dedicating her time listening to every word that her professor was saying; what she had worked so hard throughout her time at high school for; achieved a scholarship for; moved across the country for; she had spent it watching Starlight Glimmer twirl a lock of hair by the side of her face, doodling in her notebook, and trying to calculate the value of x if x = the likelihood that Starlight would agree to go on a date with her. No, no. Not a date, she shook her head, just an outing to a coffee shop between two, mutual, scientific prodigies. She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and counted to ten in her head, praying to calm the ravaging butterflies in her stomach. One. She was only looking this way because Zecora called on me. It makes sense. Two. She wasn’t the only one, either. Everyone was staring at me. Three. She was laughing though. Did she think I was funny? Four. Unless she was laughing at me, she frowned. Five. Halfway there Sunset. Just calm down. Six. Halfway. Half. 50%. Seven. 50% chance she likes me. Eight. But also 50% chance she doesn’t. Nine. Oh for the love of God. Ten. Sunset let out a deep breath through barley parted teeth and shifted in her seat, glancing down at her notes once again to try and focus on today’s lesson; even if she had missed the majority of it. It didn’t matter. It was fine. She could still pick up from this. She could recover. She was a genius, after all. But even if she couldn’t, she could always ask someone to fill her in on what she had missed. Someone she could invite out for coffee as payment. Someone like Sta— “Starlight Glimmer! It is your time to speak. Will you tell us the answer that we seek?” Sunset’s eyes shot up from her third doodle of stick figures holding hands, to stare at the other girl as she cleared her throat and shuffled around her notes a bit. Wait. Her notes? Starlight was taking notes? Sunset blinked, mouth hanging a jar, only really half-listening to the answer Starlight gave. Something about oxidation and enzymatic browning. She felt like her brain was oxidising, because she couldn’t form a coherent thought. “My, my, that is quite right,” Zecora beamed, marking down Starlight’s answer on the board at the end of the equation. “I’m thrilled that this class is all so bright.” Sunset dug her nails into her palms and tore her eyes away from the purple-haired teen, not wanting to run the risk of being caught staring. Not like it would have been the first time. She, unfortunately, wasn’t exactly subtle. But she couldn’t help it! Starlight was just so pretty. Ba-thump. She clutched the front of her shirt and sat back in her chair, spine pressed against the solid plastic with an uncomfortable shift. She was only thankful that her bench partner had been absent today, lest she have to apologise for being so fidgety. Today was also one of those days when she was grateful that she and Moondancer had decided on different majors. Being caught staring at Starlight was one thing, but she knew her sister wouldn’t let her hear the end of it for spacing out, fantasising about how wonderful it would be to stroke through Starlight’s hair. She cleared her throat. Glanced at the clock. 15 minutes. She didn’t have a crush on Starlight or anything. No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. Sunset wasn’t the kind of person who fell in love with someone just because they kissed you; or, tried to kiss you; or, okay, maybe tried to kiss you— in a closet at a party. No, Sunset wasn’t really the kind to fall in love, at all. It wasn’t scientific. Or, actually, it was. Scientifically speaking, love was a mixture of different chemicals in the brain activating to release hormones throughout the body and thus eliciting reactions that people commonly refer to as butterflies, a pounding heart, lust— She cleared her throat. 10 minutes. Maybe that’s all this was. Hormones. When was the last time she’d had her period? Maybe this was all just mood swings, and she could simply explain it away. If X equals love, and the Sunset equals Y, divided by T which is Timber Spruce, then… Sunset groaned and ran a hand through her bangs, once again furiously erasing her mindless scribblings. She looked up to the clock. 8 minutes. “Ugh… X is undefined.” “Correct! You’re on fire today Miss Shimmer.” Doctor Zecora beamed, snapping Sunset from her day dreaming yet again as she finished writing up the final equation on the board. Sunset pursed her lips and drew her brows together, making sure to keep her eyes front-facing, save she go looking at… anything else. As the older woman capped her marker and began shuffling the papers on her desk, the restless class began packing away their own things; notebooks into backpacks, water bottles in hands; pencils tucked away into cases, and so on. Usually, Sunset would have chosen to stay behind after class to go over her notes and ask for advice from her tutor on anything she may have been struggling with. But today, she filed her notebook away swiftly, tucked her pens into the front pouch of her bag, and bounced her leg impatiently as she waited for the class to be dismissed. “Now remember students, this advice I ask you to heed; if there are any misunderstandings, the online slides I ask that you read. And if there is any panic that one might fail, never be shy to send me an email. Class dismissed.” She allowed a few of her classmates to leave before she moved to follow suit, sparing a glance over in Starlight’s direction first. The other girl was still packing away her own things and talking to the girl who had been sitting beside her, laughing at something she had said. Oxytocin made Sunset’s stomach tighten in a knot. Lips heavy in a pout, Sunset slung her bag over her shoulder and mingled with the exiting crowd, keeping her eyes low as she grumbled under her breath. It wasn’t like she had wanted to talk to Starlight. In fact, the exact opposite. The idea of attempting to hold a conversation with the other girl made Sunset’s head spin. She really was infuriating, if only for a whole new set of reasons than she had been previously. She was distracting, and cheeky, and endearing. She was annoying beyond reasonable comprehension; and despite Sunset’s expansive vocabulary, she couldn’t find any other words to describe her other than, just… pretty. She grumbled again, brows furrowing as her cheeks pinked. She pushed her way through the large, mahogany double doors of the chemistry lab’s main foyer and paced over towards the stairs to leave. She followed the main road that led up towards the campus library and looked past the wall of glass, into the study rooms on the large building’s ground floor. She let out a puff of breath, allowed her shoulders to sag, and went in through the main doors. It didn’t take long for her to find Moondancer, who was sitting at one of the many computers that made up the centre column of the library’s second floor. The other girl had a stack of books, three discarded cups of coffee, and a half-eaten tuna sandwich. “Hey. My class finished early so…” Sunset narrowed her eyes at the screen as Moondancer dragged a cut-out picture of her own head onto the body of an 18th century playwright of sorts. “What the hell are you doing? I thought you had an essay due?” Moondancer giggled, her own eyes narrowly blinking at the collection of tabs on her desktop, all titled with different variants of key smashes and abstract words. “Yeah, I did. I finished it.” “Riiiiiight…” Sunset gingerly pulled out another computer chair and set her bag on the floor before taking a seat beside her sister, leaning in closer to inspect her documents. “Do I even want to know what ‘Sunset.jpeg’ is?” Moondancer’s face split in a wide, shit-eating grin before she hovered her cursor over to the tab and opened it to reveal a picture of, well, Sunset. As a sunset. “Moon… are you, like, okay?” “I’m so fucking tired Sunset.” “I can… see that.” She pursed her lips. She huffed and sat back in her chair, swivelling on it a bit as her sister rubbed at her eyes with her knuckles, even taking off her glasses to readjust her gaze. “Do you want to go home and sleep?” “Mh, I can’t. I’m meeting Sunburst in like, an hour. We need to go over this one book our Professor gave us about—” Moondancer paused to yawn, “gender studies in early Victorian theatre.” “Well that explains…” Sunset motioned toward the computer, “that, I guess.” Moondancer hovered her cursor over the ‘x’ in the top corner before saving it first, flashing a smile in Sunset’s direction as the younger girl rolled her eyes playfully. The older girl took a sip from one of her coffee cups and held it to her lips for a few moments, narrowing her brows with a hum. “Wait. You just got out of Chemistry, yeah? Or was it your calc class?” “No, it was Chem.” Sunset leaned her elbows on the table and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, blowing another from her face. “I had calculus at noon, though.” “Yikes. That sucks. I know how hard it is trying to stay awake during my English Lit class with Ms Harshwinny, and that’s an afternoon period.” Moondancer logged her account off of the computer and grabbed her empty cups of coffee before rolling her chair over to the trash can and throwing them away. She rolled back over to the desk and munched on the remains of her sandwich as Sunset helped pack away her sister’s things. “Any news on thah pohec— ack—” Moondancer coughed, beating at her chest with a fist. “Maybe learn to not speak with your mouthful?” Sunset shook her head and handed the other girl her remaining, near-empty cup. Moondancer gulped it down and wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She chuckled with a roll of her eyes, lifting Moondancer’s satchel up onto the desk with a loud thud. “How many books do you have in there, anyway?” “Like six,” the older girl huffed, tossing the last cup into the trash and rising to stand. “To be fair, two of them are for class, three are for my own little side-projects, and the last one’s for personal reading.” “If you read too much your brain will melt.” Moondancer fixed her with a look, crossing her arms once she’d slipped her bag over her shoulder. “Coming from the girl who asked for a trigonometry textbook for her tenth birthday?” “Bite me.” “Sunset!” She gasped theatrically, pretending to check for eaves-droppers. “We’re sisters…” Sunset groaned and swatted her on the arm. “Shut up!” The red-head’s outburst was met with a symphony of “Shhh!” and people clearing their throats with a glare at the two of them. Sunset muttered out quiet apologies and dragged her sister out of the study room, making sure to shield her reddening face behind her hand. “You’re so annoying. I hate you. You’re a terrible child and you’re killing me. You’re killing your sister, Moondancer. I hope you’re happy.” Moondancer snorted and gave her sister a playful shove, one which she returned, letting out a breathy laugh of her own. “Want to stick around? Sunburst and I are gonna grab a bite to eat before studying?” Sunset hummed, narrowing her eyes at her two options in her head, and stroked her chin. “You know what? Sure. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I’m starved.” The older girl beamed. “Awesome!” Moondancer then paused for a moment, looking past Sunset toward something behind her, and her face lit up once more. But there was something behind her eyes. Something… playful. Something… Moondancer. “Hey Sunburst!” She reached her hand up to wave the boy over and used her other to cup her mouth slightly, as if that would make her voice any louder. Sunset had to scoff. She glanced over her shoulder in the direction that the other girl was waving to and sure enough, she spotted the tall, orange haired boy from the party the other night. However, Sunset’s blood ran cold. Beside him in all her glory, strode Starlight Glimmer, signature ponytail tied tightly against her head. She laughed and hid her mouth behind her hand, crossing the other over her torso to contain herself. Sunset gagged. “Actually,” the red-head’s lips tightened into a line as she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly toward the older girl in front of her, “I think I’m gonna have to rain check. I just remembered that Zecora gave us another essay to complete for next week today, so I think I’ll head back to the dorm and get that started instead.” Moondancer shot her a sceptical raised brow and folded her arms over her chest, leaning all of her weight onto one foot with a frown. Sunset rubbed at her sister’s arms and gave a half-apologetic frown of her own. “We should get lunch tomorrow though!” She glanced over her shoulder again, this time locking eyes with the purple-haired nightmare who was fast-approaching. “Love you soooo much but I’ll see you when you get home!” Moondancer opened her mouth to reply, but Sunset was already off, stomping her way down the side-walk in a desperate attempt to look casual; like she wasn’t totally running away from her problems. She didn’t want that running to become literal, and so she did her best to keep a moderate pace. Speed walking. She was speed walking away from her problems. There was a difference. “You’re a total loser, Sunset!” She heard her sister call after her, but she didn’t dare turn around. She was too scared of what she would see. Starlight, staring after her with a longing gaze; or looking her up and down judgmentally, chuckling behind that oh-so-tender hand of hers. She slapped both of her cheeks with a groan, keeping her head low. “Man you are a loser, Sunset.” Sunset Shimmer stretched out her arms, the tension in her shoulder blades popping as she melted into the curve of her mattresses edge. She blinked her strained eyes and rolled her shoulders as best she could, dangling from the side of a bed. Half-focusing on the game console in her hand, she furrowed her brows and belted out the next line of the song that was currently blasting from the CD player on her desk. Today had been intense and she deserved this; she finally had the dorm to herself; it was perfect. She could just lay back, relax, and play some video games in the comfort of her room. “You are the worst. You know that, right?” Moondancer said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the open door frame. “Can’t hear you. Listening to music.” Moondancer pinched her lips and bobbed her head, the way she always did before making another one of her teasing jabs. She furrowed her brows and clicked her tongue. “So, I see that essay is going really well.” Sunset didn’t reply. “You must really be on top of your work, actually! Since Starlight didn’t know anything about it,” she smirked. “You? Are a loser.” Sunset groaned and rolled her eyes. The groan more so due to the strain her current position was putting on her back than anything else. “Listen, I just--” She paused. “I got nervous, okay? How does that make me a loser?” “Mh, it doesn’t.” She dropped her arms and stepped into the room, “lying about having to write an essay just to get out of talking to someone, though? That makes you a loser, Shim.” Moondancer shook her head and gripped the back of the chair at Sunset’s desk, spinning it on it’s hind legs before plopping herself down. She raised a brow toward her sister before glancing over at the CD player, then back. “Really? Three Days Grace?” Sunset looked side-ward. “They help me relax.” “Yeah, I’m sure ‘I hate everything about you’ is real soothing.” “Whatever,” Sunset grumbled, pausing her game to awkwardly wriggle back up onto her bed properly before rolling over to lie on her stomach. “So…” She puckered her cheeks and blew a curl of hair from her face, “how did it go?” “Well, Starlight says you’re really cute.” The red-head perked up immediately, eyes twinkling in a bright grin. “Seriously?!” Moondancer scoffed, throwing her head back in a cackle. “No! God, your face.” Sunset’s shoulders slumped and her face twisted in a deep frown, cheeks igniting in a blush. “You’re an ass.” “Sorry, sorry,” Moondancer wiped a tear from her eye before leaning forward to cross her elbows against the back of her seat. “She did ask about you though. She said you seemed distracted in class today. Everything okay?” She seemed distracted? So Starlight had been watching her. Starlight was worried about her. Starlight asked about her. Sunset pushed herself into a sitting position and cleared her throat. “Ahem. Yes. Everything’s fine. I was just…” she paused, narrowing her eyes in thought. “Thinking.” “About Starlight?” “No.” “Sure. I’ll play along.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Y’know, Sunset, it’s alright to have a crush on someone. I mean,” the older girl chuckled lightly, “Starlight’s pretty cute. Plus you two seem to have a lot in common.” “Just because we both like chemistry doesn’t mean we’re soul mates, Moondancer.” “Woah there!” She held up her hands in defence, “who said anything about soul mates? I just mean that… well, we’re in University. What would it hurt to give dating a try? And even if you don’t want to date—” “I’m not having a one night stand.” Moondancer pursed her lips and held onto the backrest, allowing the plastic to creak under her grip. “Noted. But like I said, where’s the harm?” “The harm is I don’t have feelings for Starlight.” Moondancer raised a brow and fixed her with a sceptical look. Sunset rolled her eyes again and squirmed, rubbing the back of her neck with a clammy palm. “Okay, fine, sure, she’s pretty, whatever. But I don’t…” she shook her head, “I don’t want to. It’s that simple.” As the thrashing drum solo continued on, Sunset felt her heart beat match it’s pace. Maybe she should have taken up drumming in high school— or some other kind of physically-exerting extra curricular. She’d read in a study that exercise and controlled physical activities was supposed to be really good for your mental health, as well as a great way to vent out stress. There were only so many times she could recite the periodic table as a way to de-stress before she wanted to punch-out whoever decided it was a great idea to name an element 'Nihonium'. Try to say that ten times fast. Nihonium, nihonium, nihonium, nihonium, nihominum— regardless. It wasn’t that she’d preferred to have been a risk-taker, or regretted spending all of her youthful years memorising said table and it’s order— no, of course not. It wasn’t like chemistry was boron. Haha. Sunset smirked to herself with a meek bob of the head. Wait. What were they talking about again? Sunset shook her head and let out a huff of breath before rising from her bed. “In any case, I’m too busy with school. You know how important this all is to me. I don’t want to complicate things by trying to juggle a relationship.” Moondancer followed after her sister as she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen to pour herself some orange juice. “Alright, fine. You made your point,” she sighed, taking a seat at the breakfast counter as Sunset filled up and passed her a glass of her own. “I’ll stop pressing you on it. Still,” she paused to take a sip, “you should at least try to be friends with her. She’s actually super chill.” Sunset raised her cup to her mouth but paused halfway. Sure, a relationship in any kind of romantic capacity may have been off the table, but she hadn’t actually considered just… talking to Starlight. She took in a gulp of orange juice and let the bitter citrus bite at the inside of her cheeks as she swirled it around, mulling the idea over in her head. She swallowed. “I’ll think about it.” Author's Note Sunset continues to be a loser and Moondancer continues to do kick-flips on her Tony-Hawk-signed skateboard
The Sun, Moon & their Stars.“I’m telling you! Romeo and Juliet is grossly over-hyped and Othello is a much more compelling story.” Moondancer rolled her eyes, almost too intensely, accompanying the motion with a loud and exaggerated scoff. “Look. We’ve had this conversation a hundred times. Stories can’t be ‘over-hyped’. They’re popular for a reason, and it just so happens that Romeo and Juliet is a classic because it appeals to a wide audience and tugs at heartstrings. You can’t get anymore romantic than star crossed lovers. Am I right, Sunset?” The girl in question adjusted herself on her stool and flipped through her textbook, taking down notes and pressing the blunt end of her pencil against her lower lip with a hum. “Mmmmh, I’m staying out of this one. Don’t drag me into your arguments.” Sunburst’s scowl widened into a pleased grin. “See! Even your own sister won’t back you up!” He stuck out his tongue and ripped open a sachet of sugar before stirring it into his blackened coffee cup. You know I’m right, right Starlight?” “I’m with Sunset.” Starlight said, “I’m not getting involved.” Both English students shook their heads in disappointment. “Science students,” Moondancer mumbled in fake disappointment, “I thought you guys were supposed to be smart.” “We are,” Sunset snatched her sister’s eraser from the table with a narrowed glare, “that’s exactly why we’re not getting involved.” Moondancer and Sunburst brushed off her dismissal with a wave of their hands before turning back to their debate, Shakespearean literature littering the coffee shop’s tabletop between the small collection of cups and saucers the four teens had accumulated over time. Sunset grunted and pulled back from her notebook to rub at her eyes, blinking away the strain a bit before running a hand through her messy tresses. “You okay there?” Starlight smiled politely from across the table, lifting her shoulders slightly as she clasped her hands. “What’re you studying?” The red-head tensed and fixed her posture once she remembered that she was actually in public, rather than holed up in her room like she usually would have been on a Wednesday afternoon. “Oh, uhm-” she fumbled with her pencil and banged her elbow against the edge of the table, letting out a sharp curse under her breath. Starlight instinctively reached for Sunset’s mug of hot chocolate to save it from spilling all over the other girl’s work space and sucked in a relieved breath of air. “Careful,” she chuckled, “I know it’s starting to get chilly outside but you wouldn’t want to take a bath in that.” “Haha!” The red-head’s laugh was painfully overzealous. She clapped a hand over her mouth as her cheeks warmed. “Sorry, uhm,” Sunset shook her head in an attempt to calm herself down. “Thanks. I’m uh- looking over the theory of dissolution. Like, what minerals dissolve most effectively in which acidic and alkaline solutions.” “That sounds… fun.” Starlight smiled again and leaned forward to get a better look at the textbook before settling back onto her stool. “Do you want a kiss?” Sunset felt her heart leap as her eyes widened, brows straining as they knitted into a twitching line. She could only stare at the other girl in sheer bewilderment as she opened her mouth to speak, however Starlight turned to rifle through her backpack and pulled out a smaller bag of chocolates. “I picked them up from this little candy store in town,” she pulled one out and plopped it down on Sunset’s notebook. “They’re so cute, and they taste really good.” “Oh!” Sunset half-yelled, blinking furiously in relief, letting out a large puff of breath and allowing her brain to cool down. “You meant— right. Right.” “Hm?” Starlight’s brow arched as she took her own chocolate into her mouth, after peeling off the silver wrapping. “What did you think I meant?” Moondancer leaned over and dug into the bag of chocolates, taking a couple and scattering them about the table in front of her. “Aw man, I haven’t had these in years! They sell them here?” The other scientist brightened up again. “Yeah! Canterlot mall has a ton of really cute stores. There’s this little candy shop near the food court that sells them in bulk for pretty cheap.” “That’s awesome,” Moondancer tucked the small treat into her cheek and nudged Sunset’s shoulder. “We have to head into town and pick up some. We haven’t actually been off-campus yet, have we?” “Wait… Seriously?” Sunburst’s face twisted. “I don’t know how you two have survived, living strictly on-campus. It’s been almost two months. Where do you two shop for food? There aren't exactly a lot of good grocery stores around here.” “Uhhhh…” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, eyeing Moondancer with the subtlety of a brick. “We usually just order take out.” “For two months?!” The other two teens almost shrieked, garnering the attention of more-than-a-few other cafe patrons. After a sheepish wave of apology they both exchanged a look and stared down the pair of sister’s with sheer, unwavering conviction. “That’s it,” Sunburst began. “We’re cooking for you two tonight.” Starlight concluded. Sunset put her hands up in defense. “No, no, you both really don’t need to do that. We can just hit up a supermarket or something and—” Moondancer clamped a hand over Sunset’s mouth and held her in a head-lock, to which the red-head struggled against furiously. “That would be great! We’d spot you for the groceries, obviously. What can you guys cook?” “I,” Sunburst smirked as he adjusted his glasses against the bridge of his nose, “can make a real mean casserole.” The purple-haired girl beside him nudged him with a snort. “I can make soup and tacos.” “Oh,” Moondancer grinned, “you like tacos?” Sunset bit down on Moondancer’s hand. The older girl yelped and pulled back immediately. “You both honestly really don’t need to.” The older boy reached across the table to set his hand atop Sunset’s reassuringly, fixing her with a determined stare. “Honey, you have the diet of an Ommatokoita.” “A what—” “So it’s settled!” Moondancer beamed, cutting her off with a satisfied stretch. “We can head back to the dorm and clean up a bit, while you two hit up some stores and pick up stuff for dinner?” “That sounds like fun,” Starlight smiled again, “we could maybe even pick up some dessert and make a whole thing of it. Do you guys have any good movies?” “Uhm,” Sunset mumbled gingerly, “we don’t really—” “I have a laptop and a long, long list of streaming sites in my bookmarks. We can just connect it to the TV and have a field day.” Sunset pursed her lips as the other three excitedly talked amongst themselves about movie nights, food, and other shenanigans they could get up to after a bottle of wine. She wrung her hands beneath the table and wiped off the sweat that clung to her palms against her jeans. The voices muffled as Sunset allowed her thoughts to wander, focusing more on the rhythmic clinking of spoons against porcelain throughout the small cafe. She could count, almost perfectly, the timing between each sound. The whirring of the coffee machine; the dinging of the register as the curly-haired barista politely accepted copper-coined handfuls of loose change. She swallowed and hummed as she shook her head to ground herself, chiming back into the conversation only as Starlight and Sunburst stood up to leave. “We’ll see you two disasters later then,” the much taller boy gave a salute and collected his coat from the free chair beside him. “Text us when you’re on your way?” “Sure thing,” Starlight nodded. She turned to flash Sunset a look and gave a small, polite wave, followed by an even smaller, politer, smile. “See you soon.” “Yeah. Uhm,” Sunset cleared her throat, “see you soon.” Sunset held her crooked smile and kept waving until Starlight and Sunburst were out of her line of sight. Once she was certain they were both far gone from the coffee shop, she swatted Moondancer on the arm with a growl. “Are you insane?!” “Ouch-!” The older girl rubbed her arm, “what the hell was that for?” “Inviting them over for dinner? I was fine with meeting up and having coffee— but dinner and a movie? What the hell are you trying to do here?” Sunset’s glare was unwavering, even as Moondancer began piling empty cups into each other and settling them onto the stack of saucers. “Chill out Shim,” her sister rolled her eyes, “think of it as like…” Moondancer puckered her cheek, searching for the words, “exposure therapy.” The taller girl clicked her fingers and shot Sunset a finger gun and a wink. “The more time you spend around Starlight, the less nervous you’ll be.” “I’m not nervous.” Moondancer shot her a look, “That’s a nice looking bruise on your elbow.” She gathered up her manuscripts and tucked her laptop into her satchel before pulling the strap over her shoulder and adjusting her blouse, “regardless: they’re right. I’m starting to gain weight from eating chinese three nights a week and the dorm reeks of pizza. We’re in University, Sunset. At least try to have some fun.” As much as she wanted to argue, she knew Moondancer was right. She fished for rebuffels in her mind but only came up short as she accepted her now-packed bag from her sister and slid her arms through the straps. Sunset sighed. “Fine. But that’s only because I’m sick of eating leftovers for breakfast.” She paused for a moment and bit her lip, giving her straps a little squeeze as she followed the older girl over to the tip jar. “And I guess you’re also right about having fun. I need to… loosen up, I guess.” Moondancer grinned and tucked her wallet into her skirt pocket before giving Sunset a firm nudge with her own shoulder, the other girl almost toppling over as she stumbled off of the curb outside. “That’s the spirit! I’m sure even Einstein knew how to have fun.” “Yeah, I’m sure when he discovered the theory of relativity he had a piña colada right there, beside his abacus.” “Well, you know what they say,” Moondancer slung an arm around Sunset’s shoulder roughly, “Fun = u and i paired!” Sunset narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her nose. “Please literally never say that again.” “Regretted it the moment it left my mouth.” “Can you— argh!” Sunset yelped, shoving Moondancer’s weight from her torso in order to climb off the sofa. Well, wriggle off the sofa and onto the floor, really. Starlight Glimmer stifled a laugh behind her hand as she watched the red-head furiously fix her mess of hair, face beaming just as bright. “Can you be any more annoying?” Moondancer flashed her a grin and arched her eyebrow, as if in challenge. “Oh, you know I can.” Sunset rolled her eyes with a grumble and fetched the pile of dirty plates from the coffee table as Moondancer adjusted herself across the length of the couch. Sunburst went to work, pushing stray locks of hair from where they had fallen loose from Moondancer’s bun and into her face after practically launching herself onto the couch and, ultimately, he and Sunset. “There you go.” “Keep acting like that and I might just fuck around and fall for you,” the older girl winked. Sunburst snorted and pinched her nose, causing her to exhale from her mouth. “Keep dreaming, sweet cheeks.” “Get a room you two,” Starlight whistled, giggling from where she was tucked up on the recliner. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say I was third wheeling.” Sunset grumbled all the way to the kitchen, dumping the plates into the sink with a resounding clatter. She winced. “You okay in there, Shim?” Moondancer called. “Yeah! Didn’t mean to drop them so hard.” After a few moments of quiet mumbling, Starlight rounded into the kitchen with a gentle smile. “You want some help cleaning up?” Sunset tensed and pulled her lips into a tight line. With her shoulders squared, she resolved to stare into the basin. “No, thanks. I’m, uh,” she pushed up her non-existent sleeves— out of habit— “fine.” She could feel Starlight’s watchful stare as she began to fill up the sink with water. She kept her eyes low. Her jaw clenched. Was it always this hot in here? Starlight let out a breathy chuckle and reached toward the other girl to fix a curled lock that had fallen out of place from her squabble on the couch and Sunset instinctively flinched. Maybe a little too hard. “Oh— sorry. I was just—” Starlight twirled her own hair, “your hair wasn’t sitting right.” Sunset blinked and flattened out her hair again; however, seeing Starlight so antsy, sighed in defeat. “Could you?” “Oh, thank you so much.” The other girl beamed and reached both hands up over Sunset’s shoulders to adjust the back of her hair, her tongue ever-so-slightly poking out from the corner of her lips. Sunset stared between their shoes, determined to keep her cheeks from warming any further. “Much better,” Starlight breathed. Sunset breathed. Starlight smelled of mint, underneath the wafting smell of gravy and stock-pot. There was a moment’s pause before the taller girl scratched the base of her head and stepped back, all too aware of their closeness. “Sorry about that.” “It’s… cool,” Sunset smiled. She turned back to the now-filled basin and reached for the dish soap, squeezing in a few droplets before scrubbing at the first plate with a sponge. Starlight hopped up onto the kitchen counter in one swift motion, kicking her legs slightly as she peered over Sunset’s work. She hummed. “Mmmmh… Lemon scented. You have taste.” Sunset scoffed. “Is there really any point in buying anything other than lemon scented?” “Sunburst buys cherry.” Starlight grimaced. “Sunburst is currently flirting with my sister in our living room. That alone should tell you that he doesn’t have any taste.” Starlight snorted and laughed, heartily, wrapping an arm over her stomach as she tried to stifle it behind her hand. Sunset perked up and let her shoulders relax a bit. She did her best to fight off her own grin. “Why’re you hiding your smile? You have a pretty laugh.” Starlight wiped a tear from her eye and sighed. “Nah,” she said with a shrug, “my laugh’s really goofy.” Sunset felt her chest tighten and she turned back to the sink, ready to rinse off the first plate. “Mh!” Starlight hummed as she hopped down, pulling a dish towel from where it hung over the handle to a kitchen drawer. “I’ll help dry. I feel bad about making a mess and then having you be the one to clean it up.” Sunset leaned closer to the counter as Starlight brushed past to fetch the first plate. “You’re our guests. Plus, you made dinner. I think the least we could do is clean up after ourselves.” The taller girl stuck out her tongue teasingly and turned over the dish in her hand before setting it down on the counter, now freshly dried. A loud cackle from the living room pierced the calm and Sunset rolled her eyes again. “Can you two chill out for like, five minutes?” She let out a frustrated huff, mumbling under her breath as she raised a brow, rolling her jaw and squaring her shoulders. “Although, it sure would be nice if Moondancer were the one in here helping.” Sunburst shimmied round the corner and danced into the kitchen, taking Sunset’s wet wrist to forcefully twirl her around with a light hum. “Where’s your glasses?” He sing-songed, letting her go only to rummage through the cabinets at the opposite end of the kitchen. The red-head bumped into Starlight, both dizzy and slipping on the water that dripped from her hands. She scowled and let out a flustered huff. Once Starlight had helped her find her footing Sunset stomped over to the fridge and pulled open the cabinet to the right of it, before returning to the sink. She didn’t spare a glance as Sunburst rifled, only pressing a damp finger to the centre of her forehead as she heard the glasses clinking and the cabinet closing once more. “You’re a gem, Shim,” the taller boy winked as he danced back to the living room. Moondancer cheered out of sight. Sunset went back to scrubbing the dishes. Starlight teetered on her heels and pursed her lips a bit. “Sorry… about— well, him.” Sunset’s frame was tense once more— agitated. She clenched and unclenched her teeth, digging crescent moons into her palms below the surface of the frothing water, grateful that Starlight couldn’t notice. ‘Hydrogen, lithium, beryllium, sodium, magnesium…’ she recited in her mind, allowing herself to cool down enough to speak. She let out an uneasy breath. “It’s fine,” Sunset sighed with a shrug. “I’m just not much of a people-person. But I mean, you kinda already knew that,” she chuckled sarcastically, raising her brows and shaking her head. She glanced over at the other girl and back as she rinsed the second plate. “Sorry about getting your shirt wet.” Starlight smiled. “Meh, it’s fine. Sorry about getting your floor wet.” Sunset handed her a plate. Starlight rubbed it dry. “Your sister’s kind of a live-wire, huh?” The taller girl chuckled. Sunset groaned and wiped along her brow with the back of her forearm. “That’s putting it nicely. She’s a pain in the ass.” Starlight smirked. “I know how that is. I don’t really know if you’ve noticed, but Sunburst is kind of a drama queen.” “What?” Sunset fake-gasped, sparing a glance in Starlight’s direction for a moment, “I never would have guessed.” Starlight turned a bit to lean against the counter as Sunset handed her the plate, “It’s cute though. How close you guys are, I mean. I haven’t ever seen siblings that like each other enough to be roommates.” Sunset tightened her lips against her teeth and clicked her tongue. “I mean…” she shrugged, “Moondancer’s a pain in the ass, but she’s still my bestfriend. She’s my sister. I know she’s always got my back.” She paused, memories flickering through her mind. A fight; a bathroom stall; and a small girl in horn-rimmed glasses telling her that things were going to be okay. She shook her head. Starlight smiled and set the plate atop the other, peeking around the corner at the other two teens who were currently fighting over which movie they should watch. After coming back down onto the flat of her feet, the taller girl let out a wistful sigh. “Yeah. That must be nice…” “Hm?” “Oh- uhm,” she snapped to attention, dropping the dish towel to adjust her ponytail. Or to find an excuse to avoid Sunset’s stare. Quid pro quo. “Nothing. Just thinking out-loud.” Sunset nodded, not wanting to press further and make the other girl uncomfortable. She always thought herself to be nice in that way. Never digging for other people’s secrets. If people wanted to spend their time making shallow conversation over a couple of glasses of rosé, who was she to dampen their fun. She remembered one angst-stricken night, curled up with one of Moondancer’s books by some Victorian romantic, where she found herself teetering on the idea of her own identity. Maybe one of the real reasons she hadn’t ever been big on parties was because life itself was one big masquerade: people wearing masks and dancing around as if nothing were ever wrong. She never read another one of Moondancer’s books again, after that. “So... “ Starlight mused mused, drying once more, “any reason in particular?” “Huh?” “You know, like… do you just not really get along with people or do you just have anxiety, or something like that?” “Oh.” Sunset paused and let the plate she was washing slide, back into the suds. She shrugged and pulled it back out to start again. “I mean, not really. I mean,” she puckered her cheek a bit and frowned, narrowing her brows in contemplation. “I guess that’s part of it, maybe? I just didn’t have a lot of friends growing up.” Starlight nodded with a blink, listening intently as she set the next plate down on the pile. “I was pretty much alone until Moondancer came along, and after that I just didn’t really see a point in looking for other friends, so.” Starlight blinked again. Then again. She narrowed her eyes. “Wait. I thought Moondancer was the older one— and even then, you two don’t look that far apart in age.” Sunset forced a small chuckle and began draining the sink after handing off the last plate to Starlight. She plucked another towel from one of the other drawers and wrung her hands dry. “We’re the same age. Well, she always holds it over me that she’s a couple of months older, but still.” Sunset smiled, “I’m adopted.” “Oh my g—” Starlight’s eyes widened and she clasped her hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry I— that was out of line—” she fumbled out an apology. Sunset found her smile falter a bit as she gently waved her off. “It’s fine. It doesn’t really come up in conversation so I’m not surprised you didn’t know. We don’t really talk about it.” Starlight set the last dish down and twirled a lock of hair around her finger, folding an arm over her stomach as she dropped her eyes. “I’m… really sorry.” She paused and looked askance before sheepishly peeking up at Sunset through her bangs. “Were you parents… Did they…?” Sunset didn’t let the question hang in the air for very long as she let out a choked laugh. “Die?” Starlight stiffened and pursed her lips. “No, no. At least, I don’t know.” Sunset shrugged. “They gave me up when I was a baby. I didn’t know them at all.” “O-oh…” The taller girl shrunk in on herself a bit and kept her eyes low— in embarrassment or remorse Sunset wasn’t sure. She just knew there was some kind of sadness to it. Her stomach started to churn. She was glad Starlight couldn’t look her in the eye. She didn’t want her pity. She didn’t want to taste venom. The purple haired girl opened her mouth to speak and in a quiet, gentle voice she said “My, uhm… My mom died when I was really young and my dad wasn’t ever really around, so…” The sentence caught Sunset off-guard. She had prepared herself to respond with the same, lame, explanations she’d rehearsed time after time. She’d prepared herself to deflect Starlight’s sympathy; to wave-off her shallow reassurances. What she hadn’t prepared for was for the other girl to share her own pain. She wanted to comfort her; to tell her that things were okay; but she knew that would just be hypocritical; she just couldn’t find the words. Only after a few moments of silence did Starlight raise her eyes and Sunset could see the sadness there, flickering beneath the violet. “It’s not the same but, I know how it can hurt. Not having your parents around, I mean.” Moondancer and Sunburst hollered from the living room, slurred jeers at some movie the two had finally picked out. Sunset bit back the urge to yell at them, to quieten down. Instead, she gave Starlight’s arm a gentle squeeze. It was wordless— the exchange between the two. They each shared a gaze that only a few would ever have the displeasure of understanding. It wasn’t quite pity and it wasn’t quite remorse. It was a sharing of wounds and bandaging them back up. A silent, motionless embrace. Both girls sighed, allowing their mutual pain to seep through until their chests were empty; and they could breathe again. “So… that ice cream you guys brought for dessert?” Starlight brightened. “I’ll get the spoons.” Author's Note WHEW this one was a doozey I really hope you guys are liking the dynamics between the characters! I always like writing little funny interactions to really see how each character banters off one another, so I hope you guys stick around for more! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! 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Who drinks coffee in the forest?“And with that,” Doctor Zecora turned to the class with a bright smile, “class dismissed.” The older woman shuffled papers around her desk as the rest of the room slipped notebooks into bags, scuffing chair legs against vinyl flooring. “Please don’t forget that end of term projects will begin soon! Please find a partner by Monday, at noon!” she called after the teens that had already begun filing out of the classroom. Sunset, of course, was still firmly planted in her seat, determined to copy out the rest of her textbook page before moving onto the extra readings she had requested from Zecora at the start of the lab. “Hey there Red,” Starlight grinned as she approached the other girl’s table, nudging Sunset’s foot under the desk with her own. “Dismissed means we can leave.” Sunset mumbled the next line quietly, not raising her eyes from the text until she had marked it down perfectly. “Yeah, I-... just doing… something…” Starlight glanced toward the doctor, who flashed her a mischievous smirk in response as she collected her own notes and filed them away into her satchel. Doctor Zecora gave a polite wave, which Starlight sheepishly returned, the door clicking behind her as she left the two alone. “Can I sit?” “Huh? Oh-” Sunset finally looked up and scanned the room briefly. “Uh-” she fumbled with her paper as she cleared her throat. “Yeah, uhm,” she tucked a ringlet of hair behind her ear as she dropped her eyes again, nodding in response. Starswirl knew her words would fail her. Starlight smiled at her regardless and moved around the table to pull out the stool beside Sunset, settling into the seat with an unnerving creak of plastic. She spread her hands out flat in front of her with a deep puff of breath and tapped her palms lightly against the table-top. She pulled back and watched as the other girl intently flipped through the pages in her text book, cross referenced them with her notes, and nibbled on the end of her mechanical pencil. “You alright?” “Mh, yeah. I think there’s a problem with this book.” Starlight arched a brow. “You mean… the textbook? The University Officiated Textbook?” Starlight scoffed, leaning over to get a closer look. Sunset nodded and shifted in her seat, sliding the book over to show Starlight the table at the bottom of the page. “So it says here, in this example, that if you calculate the formatic breakdown of this solvent, that you should end up needing 250ml of liquid nitrogen; but,” she paused to wet the tips of her fingers with her tongue before flipping back a few pages to another section in the chapter. “It says here that you would use a different equation. It was either a typo or a human error with the experiment. Either way, the answer’s wrong.” Sunset let out a huff and sat back against her chair, allowing her shoulders to stoop in defeat. “That just makes things more complicated. I’m going to have to rewrite all the notes I just copied out and carry out my own calculation.” She ran frustrated fingers through her hair and sat forward, covering her face with her hands. “My eyes are killing me.” Starlight’s mouth was agape. She flipped between the pages Sunset had shown her and looked down at the other girl’s scribbled writing, then back. “I can’t believe you caught this? Should we tell Doctor Zecora? How many people do you think have failed this section because of this stupid miss-print?” “Mh,” Sunset hummed and dropped her hands to adjust the waistband of her skirt. “I’ll send her an email, but I doubt she’ll get back to me ‘til Monday. It’s just annoying.” Starlight nodded in agreement. The blinds on the far end of the room clattered lightly against the window frame as a gentle breeze wafted into the room. Summer really had come to an end, but both teens were grateful that the sun continued to blaze, well into the later months of the year. Starlight inhaled the crisp smell of warmed gravel and stone. “Wanna get out of here before the sun sets?” she forced her lips into a hard line, trying to hold back a snort. Sunset narrowed her brows for a moment before rolling her eyes. She shoved papers into her bag and slipped out of her seat with a forced, mocking laugh. “Hahaha, before the sun sets, Sunset. You’re soooo original! Never heard that before in my life!” Starlight couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry! I didn’t even realise until I’d already said it, I swear!” The taller girl attempted, trying to defend herself as Sunset tossed her hair over her shoulder. It was getting long again, she noted, I should cut it soon. Starlight giggled and followed her down the empty hallway toward the stairs. “Come on, you can make fun of my name if it’ll make you feel better.” Sunset tried. She really tried to think of something; but she just couldn’t. Her brain was fried. It was because of her studying! She was just burnt out. Sure. Burnt out. “Sorry, I wouldn’t want to stoop to your level, Glimmer.” “Oh pfft- cuh- uh!” Starlight grinned, fixing the other girl with a look before trying her best to subdue her smile. The best she could do was stretching her lips over her teeth, though. “Stoop to my level? Are you sure you’re tall enough to reach?” Sunset gasped and stopped in her tracks, racing after Starlight as she burst from the science building’s large mahogany doors, out onto the campus green. “You didn’t just say that! I’m only shorter than you by, like, two inches!” “Two inches is pretty much a mile, Sunset. That’s just basic math.” The red-head’s face twisted. “At least now we know who did the mathematics for the textbook.” Starlight punched her arm with an offended chortle. “You’re dead to me.” “Is that what you said to the calculator?” “Stooooop!” Starlight droned, letting out another laugh as she attempted to keep up pace with the shorter girl, as they both walked along the cobble-stoned sidewalk. It was nice, Sunset admitted to herself, to have a friend outside of Moondancer. It was nice to have someone who could keep up with her, mentally, about things that didn’t include contrived movie plots or— which anti-hero was the best portrayed in classic literature? It was nice to just… breathe. “So. Is Sunset your real name? Like… when you were dropped off as a baby, did your parents leave a birth certificate and everything?” Ever since movie night at her dorm, Starlight had seemed… fascinated by the concept of being raised in an orphanage. Her questions, originally, had been small. Was she close to anyone; was there a big difference between spending holidays without parents if everyone was like a family; was everyone like a family- and if not, why? And although she was apprehensive at first, Sunset also had to admit that… It felt oddly cathartic to actually talk about her childhood to someone who wasn’t Moondancer, or a therapist. Starlight didn’t look at her with pity— rather, it was sheer curiosity. Sunset loved watching the way the other girl’s eyes would sparkle whenever she listened. The way she let out little gasps whenever the red-head laid out explicit details about the foster system and all of the supports put in place for other people in her situation. “Yeah. It’s my real name, unfortunately.” “Why unfortunately?” “Because it’s dumb,” Sunset gave a half-smile. She held the door open for Starlight as they both entered the small coffee shop and bakery that Moondancer and Sunburst had taken them to before. Appropriately named ‘The Forest’, Sunset had commented with distinct interest, as long, plastic vines spread across the ceiling in criss-cross patterns, overlapping each other like a canopy until they met and tangled around the thick, brown, concrete pillars that dotted around the cafe like tree trunks. Tucked into the corner were singles and couples tables, just before the rows of bookshelves stretched far back into the rest of the large establishment. Her favorite part of all, however, was how the far end of the shop dimmed, illuminated by twinkling fairy lights that found themselves tangled amongst the make-shift foliage of, Sunset could only guess, the forest. It was fairly packed— seeing as it was a Friday, and most classes had just ended for the week— that was to be expected. Their usual spot was occupied. Sunset clicked her tongue with a sigh. “Should we go somewhere else?” She scratched her head and turned to Starlight who had already moved to join the shuffling queue. “We can just grab some to-go cups and head to the library. I-if you want, I mean,” the taller girl smiled and twirled a lock of hair beside her ear. “I know you still have some readings you wanted to do. I thought maybe just grabbing some coffee could help wake you up, since you said your eyes were tired. I could even keep you company.” Sunset blinked, heat rising to her cheeks as she swallowed the tightening lump in her throat. “Oh. Uhm. A-are you sure?” She felt herself mirroring Starlight, toying with a lock of her own hair before rubbing the back of her neck instead. “I mean- you probably have better things to be doing.” Starlight waved her off and stepped closer to the counter as the line moved up. She rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Trust me, grabbing coffee with you and studying beats literally anything else I could be doing today.” She counted off on her fingers, “Study alone. Go listen to Sunburst argue about the importance of art-history in his debate society. Watch my roommate gorge herself out on Froot Loops for the third time this week,” she rolled her eyes with an amused grin, “trust me, that last one isn’t as fun as it sounds.” Sunset’s forehead creased. “Froot Loops?” “Don’t ask,” Starlight said with a sigh. “So… hot chocolate again?” The red-head pondered for a moment, squinting up at the overhead menu boards and tip-toeing over the crowd to get a better look. “Mh… probably. Thought I might try being adventurous today, but I think I’ll play it safe.” The two settled into a comfortable silence amongst the chatter of customers, curiously glancing around the cafe until they both met eyes once more with sheepish smiles, each of them turning away from the other to hide their reddening cheeks. Sunset smoothed down her skirt as Starlight approached the counter once it was her turn and waited patiently to place her own order. Once Starlight had paid, she turned to offer Sunset one of her two cups. “Here you go.” “Wh- you didn’t have to-” Sunset followed her out of the line, the heat from the cup wafting up into her face and spreading warmth over her neck. Starlight waved her off and twisted her face with a small grin. “It’s nothing, don’t mention it. You can get it next time.” Next time. Sunset liked the idea of a next time. She liked the idea of this being a regular thing: grabbing coffee with Starlight. As Starlight led them back out of the cafe, she lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. “Blech-” Sunset’s face scrunched and she stuck out her tongue, as if to banish the foreign taste from her mouth. “This isn’t hot chocolate?” Starlight giggled and bounced in her step, swirling her own cup around a bit to cool it down. “It’s isn’t. It’s a mocha. It’s coffee with hot chocolate. You said you wanted to be adventurous, so I thought it was a good compromise.” Sunset pursed her lips into a small line and hummed, taking another sip. “I suppose.” It wasn’t long before they’d reached the library and, thankfully enough, the computer lab desks were relatively empty, once they’d swiped their student ID’s at the library’s reception. Sunset simply wandered over to the closest vacant table once they were inside and set her bag down on the chair next to her to rifle through her papers. Starlight took up the chair opposite, dropping her own backpack onto the floor and kicking it under the desk, out of the way. “The library’s bigger than I thought it’d be, wow,” the purple-haired teen said in quiet amazement, tilting her head around to get a better look at the large space. The library’s main area was for practical use: computer stations taking up the middle and left sides while desks and tables took up the far right. Along the left-hand wall spanned off three separate study rooms, separated from the main area by large glass windows. From there, the above floors were open-planned, with glass sheets acting as a banister, silver piping topped off as a railing. Starlight let out a small whistle. Sunset eyed her curiously, raising a brow ever-so-slightly at the implication. “You’re saying that as if you’ve never been in here before.” Starlight didn’t reply, sucking in her cheeks and looking askance. Sunset’s eyes widened as she narrowed her brows. “You’re unbelievable.” “What!” Starlight tried desperately, flexing her eyebrows upward in defeat. “I told you I’m no good at studying!” The shorter girl shook her head and pinched at the bridge of her nose. “I know, I know…” she sighed, sorting out her research papers in front of her and flipping her notebook open to the last page she had been working on in class. Sunset scanned over her writing, trying to focus on the words, but something was nibbling at the back of her mind. She drew her lower lip between her teeth and glanced back up at Starlight with narrowed eyes, folding her hands into the crooks of her elbows as she pulled herself closer into the table. “Say… I looked more into the local area and stuff- you know, places to go, restaurants to eat at and stuff, maybe-” Starlight looked up from inspecting her nails, pushing back her cuticles with her thumb nail, and straightened herself to attention once she realised Sunset was talking to her. “Oh- uh, yeah? What’d you find?” Sunset pinched at the skin of her arm. “Well, uh,” she allowed her eyes to drift, as if looking away from the other girl would stop her face from flushing, “it turns out that Canterlot has a Planetarium which hosts science exhibits. I thought it might be fun to check out, but I don’t really think Moondancer would be into it.” Starlight found herself smiling, fingers curling around the edge of her seat as she nodded, inviting the other girl to go on. “Well, uh,” Sunset pressed a hand to the back of her neck, “would you wanna go? Like, I mean, we don’t have to. I just thought it could give us something to do. You know, and still relate to class. I thought you might find it interesting. But, like, obviously if you have other plans or just think it’s lame we don’t-” “I’d love to,” Starlight beamed, and Sunset could swear her eyes were twinkling. “Would you want to go this weekend? I don’t have any plans.” Oh! Sunset tensed. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. She really hadn’t thought this far ahead. “U-uhm, sure!” She sputtered, an awkward grin splitting her face. She held Starlight’s stare for longer than she’d intended and ducked her head to pretend to read over her notes again. Smooth, Shimmer, she screwed her eyes shut. “Awesome,” Starlight sipped at her coffee, never drawing her eyes from the other girl as she watched her with amusement, trying her best to fight off her own grin. “So it’s a date.” Author's Note As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Written in the stars.Ah, Saturday. The best day of the week. For Sunset, it was a day that she allowed herself some time off. A day to rest her brain from study, to relax with some music, and to even enjoy a long, well-deserved lie-in in the morning. She’d spared no expense in creating the most comfortable sleeping arrangement for herself: her bed kitted out with a plethora of pillows, a weighted blanket, and even a fuzzy comforter Moondancer’s— her mom— had gifted her for Christmas the year before. She kept vanilla scented candles beside her bed atop her window frame, along with a dainty wind-chime that hung from her curtail rail; the same one she and Moondancer had made together in middle school. Yes, it was cozy. It was relaxing. What a perfect way to spend a Saturday: curled up in bed, warmed by the faint rays of sun that snuck in past her parted curtains, listening to light chimes and taking in the smell of vanilla. Paradise. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Sunset hissed into her mirror, desperately trying to apply the mascara she’d borrowed from Moondancer with a shaky hand. “Oh come on,” her forehead wrinkled for a moment before she pulled the wand away, leaned in closer to inspect her eyes, and gave up with a huff. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter- this is so stupid.” Sunset stood from her desk chair and used both hands to fan herself, repeating alchemical functions out-loud between deep, calming breaths. Really, she was being dramatic. There was no need for her to be putting this much effort into how she looked— she never had before! This was stupid, she repeated to herself, but widened her eyes to fight back the frustrated tears that threatened to ruin her makeup, anyway. She’d always hated skirts. Especially ones that constricted her movement to any certain degree— like the one Moondancer had helped pick out for her to wear last night— like the one she was now begrudgingly wearing. Again… Why was she going through so much effort to look nice? With a huff, she dropped herself down onto the edge of her bed to pull on the heeled, brown canvas boots she’d dug out from the back of her closet. She’d meant to throw them out honestly; she’d never even really worn them. Originally purchased for some student award night in Sophomore year, she was surprised they even still fit, albeit a bit snug; but they’d do for the day, she supposed. Sunset tied the laces and tucked her hair behind her ear as she rose to her feet, stepping back over to her desk once more to retrieve her knitted cardigan from the back of her chair. She paused, puckering her cheek and eyeing up the small, orange capsule container that sat on her bookshelf. She clenched and unclenched her fists, teetered her weight from foot to foot, and plucked it from the shelf to pop two little, white pills into her mouth. She swallowed them down without water, grimacing as she felt them at the back of her throat. It was nothing serious; just anxiety medication her doctor had prescribed to her after a series of panic attacks in high school. Really, it was nothing big. Just stress— everyone has stress. Everyone gets nervous and panicky. She wasn’t weird for it. It was just medicine. She tucked her phone into her handbag— yet another gift that Moondancer had let her borrow for the day— and adjusted her hair in her mirror once more, before making her way to the living room and out the front door, not so much as giving her sister the satisfaction of teasing her before her date— her hang out with Starlight. Sunset twisted her arm to glance at the watch on the inside of her wrist, nibbling on her lip a bit once she realised she was running late. Starlight had texted her the address of her dorm, and if she was wearing flats she could have made it there in no time, if she walked fast enough. She clicked her teeth and got to walking. It was a nice day, at least. That had to count for something. And seeing as how it was still early morning, Sunset was grateful that the campus was pretty much free from any gathering, smothering crowds. Only herself, the birds, and the occasional jogger who rubbed Sunset’s lack of athleticism in her face. The walk to Starlight’s dorm wasn’t that long, but it did give Sunset enough time to consider a few things. For one, just how big the University’s campus actually was, was a good start. Sure, Everton had always been her dream school in regards to the outstanding facilities and opportunities it granted in the scientific field, it’s reputation only preceded by some of the greatest scholarly successors in recent history. But she hadn’t ever stopped to consider the actual size of the place. It was grand, and admittedly, the architecture was gorgeous. She hopped down off the sidewalk to take the cobblestone pathway that led toward the Campus Green. Even now, fellow students were taking advantage of the large stretch of grass. Sunset had to admit, she never really did see the appeal of playing frisbee. If she was being honest, she didn’t really think that was something people actually did. She’d seen it in countless promotional videos for the different academic facilities that had reached out to her once she’d made the honor roll, sure, but she didn’t think it was actually real. Like how in movies cheerleaders are always dressed in uniform! Or how at every party, teenagers are always drinking from red solo cups! What was with that? She shook her head with a small laugh. Once she had found herself outside of Starlight’s dorm, Sunset fished her phone out from her bag and sent her a text, eyeing the front door for movement as she kept her position at the end of the pathway. She shifted her weight to lean on one leg and tapped her other foot. She squinted as she glanced up and down the street, the sun finally taking its position in the sky. What she noticed most was how quiet the roads were on the weekends. She’d gathered that most traffic to and from the University was due to the amount of faculty, or students that lived closer to the city and had to commute every day for classes; but even still, it was nice to hear the chirping of birds so early on a Saturday. Sunset turned her attention back to the front door of the dorm once she’d heard the handle’s mechanism jostle. After a few more seconds, out stepped Starlight Glimmer, phone pressed to her ear and looking… less than thrilled to be part of whatever conversation was currently going on. Sunset stepped away from the path to allow Starlight to meet her on the sidewalk, and hung around for a moment as the other girl tried to finish off the phone call. “Yes, yes. Okay. Right,” Starlight silently huffed, rolling her eyes deeply. Sunset only eyed her curiously. “Yes. I love you too. Okay. Talk to you later. Bye.” “Uhm?...” “Ugh,” Starlight’s face twisted as she hung up, slipping her phone into the pocket of her denim jacket, “my dad. I told him not to call me because I had plans today, so he called me before he knew I was supposed to be meeting with you just to ‘check up on me’.” She mocked with forced enthusiasm. “Honestly,” Starlight scoffed and adjusted the backpack strap that was slung over one shoulder, “it only makes me wonder why he wasn’t this invested in what I was doing when I was back home.” Sunset frowned as Starlight combed a hand through her bangs with a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to-...” Starlight cut herself off and bit her lip, “let’s just forget it. I want to have a good time today. Let’s go have fun.” Neither of them moved for a short time, a thin layer of tension hanging in the air, although Sunset wouldn’t ever address it, if Starlight didn’t want her to. “Right,” the red-head spoke finally, “let’s get going. We’ve… probably missed our bus, but that’s fine. It just means we need to wait about a half hour till the next one. Is that okay?” Starlight nodded with a grateful smile and rolled her shoulders. “Mhm, that’s fine. Lead the way.” Sunset clenched her fingers against her palms and began leading the way to the bus stop just outside of campus. Starlight kept pace with her but stayed quiet. Sunset stole a few glances in the other girls direction to see how she was doing. Starlight idly looked around herself, as if looking at the place for the first time. Or maybe it was just her consistent sense of wonder that made her look so lost, but not quite unhappy to be so. She just had a gentle face, Sunset allowed herself to smile, but quickly set her lips into a hard line once she realised she’d been staring at the other girl's hand. “So… I never thought I’d see you in boots. Did you really take the short joke yesterday that personal?” There she was again; back to being as charming as ever. “Oh, shut up,” Sunset snorted. It felt like no time at all had passed between them, when their bus finally came to pick them up. The journey had consisted of them teasing each other, pointing out landmarks or interesting looking buildings they passed. Places they vowed to visit before they graduated. Starlight had challenged her to make it their mission to visit every cafe in the area before the end of their senior year. Sunset had respectfully accepted. They stepped off the bus and walked a little ways down the street before they came to a white-bricked bridge that stretched over a gleaming canal. “Sunset, check it out!” Starlight beamed and quickly made her way over to the edge to look down into the water. “I’ve never seen a swan before!” Sunset sided her up and leaned over the side to get a better look at the family of swans that swam atop the rippling current. Starlight pulled out her phone to snap a picture, giggling to herself with glee. “They’re so cute. I’m having a great time already.” The red-head smiled as she watched the other girl, happy enough just to stay like this. But even so, they pressed on. “So you like animals?” Sunset asked as they began crossing over the bridge. Starlight's bright face never faltered as she looked up from her picture with a nod. “Oh, totally. I always wanted a dog growing up, but-” she cut herself off, biting her lip now and dropping her eyes. She laughed a nervous laugh, and Sunset frowned in understanding, tightening the muscles in her jaw. “Mh. Same. We couldn’t have pets at the foster home,” Sunset attempted to lighten the mood. Even if only a little. “That’s lame.” “Tell me about it,” she chuckled, “they couldn’t keep a dog in a home that would just have kids coming and going all the time. It would’ve been too stressful for it. Separation anxiety and all that.” “But it’s okay to have 20 kids running around each other then splitting them up? What about them?” “That’s different.” Starlight raised a brow. “And how’d you figure that?” “Humans can understand stuff like that. Dogs can’t.” “Humans can understand why some people just up and leave their lives?” Sunset swallowed and turned her face away once they’d finally crossed the bridge to look back at the swans again, splashing around together. “Did you know swans mate for life?” Starlight stayed quiet and followed Sunset’s eyes back across the water before looking at the other girl again, frowning at the way Sunset gave a squeeze to the strap of her handbag. “When they’re around 2, they choose a mate to spend the rest of their lives with. How sweet is that?” Starlight took her bottom lip between her teeth and ducked her head guiltily as Sunset began walking again. She wrung her hands for a moment, changing to fiddle with her bracelet, before finally clasping her hands and peeking up at Sunset from behind her bangs. “Sorry. That was really insensitive.” Sunset glanced back at her and gave a small, lopsided smile. She shrugged and looked ahead again. “It’s fine. You’re right, so. You should say it, I guess.” Starlight held onto her forearm and kept her eyes low. Before long, they came to a large concrete plaza. Long, identical pools of water stretched along each side in vertical strips. In the centre of the space sat a grand sculpture of the milky way, with arching water jets spraying water into the pool at the bed of the statue. Sunset had seen pictures of the plaza at night and knew that, if they stick around long enough, they’d be able to see the way the sculpture twinkled at night- the pools each lighting up, shifting in different hues over time. She glanced over at Starlight to gauge her reaction and was pleasantly met with the other girl’s mouth hanging agape, her wide eyes once again gleaming in wonder. “You like it?” “I-... wow. This place is gorgeous.” Starlight was right, it was gorgeous. The mouth of the building itself was carved to hug the plaza on each side, like a large crescent moon. “C’mon,” The purple-haired girl smiled, taking Sunset’s hand to pull her over in front of the sculpture. “Let’s take a picture.” Sunset barely had time to throw up a peace sign by the time she’d registered what the other girl had said, too preoccupied by the sudden feeling of Starlight’s hand in her own, and the sudden wave of heat that overtook her face thereafter. She swallowed sheepishly, straightening out her skirt and watching the other girl inspect their picture with a grin. Starlight giggled. “W-what is it? Did I look weird?” Starlight shook her head and glanced at Sunset for a moment before looking back down at her phone. She tapped the screen a few times and tucked the device into her pocket to hook arms with the red-head. “You looked cute.” Sunset clutched the fabric of her cardigan as Starlight led her inside, pursing her lips into a firm line to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She knew she probably looked like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Or constipated. Maybe both? Probably both. The planetarium was cool on the inside, figuratively and literally. In the foyer hung a large replica of a space rocket, with astronaut suits sitting on either side of a large span of glass which Sunset could only assume contained facts about space travel and how difficult it was. Sunset led Starlight over to the reception desk to wait in the small line and stretched her neck to peer round at the exhibits, to see just how busy the place was. She knew it had good reviews from what she had seen online, but she didn’t expect the place to be so crowded. She was pleasantly surprised. Always good to see people taking an interest in science. “Good morning girls,” the receptionist beamed once they’d strode over. “Two tickets?” Sunset nodded and smiled. “Yes, please.” “Paying separately?” Starlight opened her mouth and slipped her arm from Sunset’s to pull her wallet from the inside of her jacket, only for the red-head to cut her off. “No, no. I’ll pay.” Starlight looked to her with widened eyes, twitching her brows. “Are you sure?” She asked once Sunset handed over the money, grimacing at the price. “I can pay you back-” Sunset offered her a reassuring smile and handed Starlight her wristband for the day. “Mhm, it’s fine. You can buy the coffee.” The two then strolled into the exhibition space, taking in the appropriate space-themed decor: old, dusted helmets lining the wall against the far side of the room, murals of stars and galaxies painted in hues of golds and purple. There were statues of model rockets, the solar system that dangled overhead, all topped off with a narration of time and space that droned on over the sounds system. All in all, it was a planetarium, but it never failed to amaze Sunset just how far science had actually come in such a short amount of time. They’d been to the moon, dammit! How amazing was that? “Woah… check this out,” Starlight said with a sense of curiosity, garnering all of Sunset’s attention as the other girl wandered over to one of the glass cabinets against the wall. Inside was a small replica of a satellite, with an even smaller figma of a person. The information displayed next to the demonstration was an explanation of how radio and deep space signals were transmitted, and how large dish antennas were required to be in order to pick up such frequencies. “I knew they were big, but… woah. Imagine how awesome that would be to see in person. How exciting would that be?” As they moved on to the next display, Sunset gave a nod and walked backwards to better face the other girl. “I think that’s probably my favorite part about learning about space. Realising just how tiny we actually are in the grand scheme of things.” Starlight smirked. “Nothing you don’t know about already, short stuff,” she teased. Sunset gave a pout and opened her mouth to snap back at her, but felt her face flush as she bumped into someone. She immediately stepped away and turned herself around to utter out an apology, clenching her teeth once she met the other girl’s eyes. “Oh, sorry, I-” the bespectacled girl tensed, brows half-wrinkling for a moment as her mouth hung open slightly. “S… Sunset?” “Uh- uhm-” Sunset darted her eyes from side to side, “y-yes?” The smaller girl swallowed and straightened herself out, as if assessing the situation, eyes scanning over Starlight— lingering for a moment before she looked back to Sunset and forced a smile. “What’re you doing here?” Sunset looked toward Starlight who stood at her side now. “I’m, uh. Here with a friend?” She quirked a brow, “Do I know you?” The other girl paused and pursed her lips before exhaling through her nose with a shake of her head, dropping her eyes to the floor. Her shoulders relaxed and she raised her head to give a more genuine smile this time. “I guess not.” She offered her hand to shake, “I’m Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.” The name seemed… Familiar. She couldn’t tell from where, or when, but somehow the name rang a bell. Sunset did her best to remember as she shook the other girl’s hand, but surrendered with a sigh. “Right, uh. Nice to meet you? I think?” Just then, a green haired boy with a beanie wandered over and wrapped an arm around Twilight’s shoulder. “Oh, hey, Sunset! Loving the hair,” he winked and shot a finger gun. “When’d you get that done?” “Uhm-” Sunset opened her mouth, but Twilight turned to the taller boy with a deep frown, with glaring eyes and furrowed brows that begged him to keep his mouth shut. “Sorry for bothering you!” Twilight piped up, pressing her hands against the boy’s chest to push him as she began walking away, “we should get going, right Timber?” It was more a warning than a question. “Oh, uhm,” he looked between the smaller girl pushing him and the red-head, then looked toward Starlight who just watched the entire situation with a curious brow. “Y-yeah! We don’t wanna be late for… the second trip to the moon?” And as quickly as the awkward conversation had begun, it ended, with the other two teens quickly excusing themselves and dipping into the crowd of other space-lovers. Sunset and Starlight shared a look, just as confused as each other. “That was… weird, right?” “Uh,” Starlight blinked, “yeah.” For a moment she scanned the crowd for the other girl’s ponytail, squinting and giving up with a small exhale. She turned back to Sunset and nudged her with her shoulder, “But then again, you’re weird, so it’s normal for you.” Sunset grumbled and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. C’mon, we’re not going to see anything if we’re just standing here.” “Right,” Starlight nodded and hooked her arm with Sunset’s again as they made their way into the rest of the planetarium. Once they’d made their way around the crescent area of the entrance to the curves peak, there was a set of double doors that fed into a darker hallway, fixed with dim lights to highlight paintings and models of planets. As they travelled deeper into the building, the further along the line of the solar system they arrived at. Sunset noted that Starlight seemed to be more interested in the moons of the solar system than she was the planets, and even found herself paying more attention to them the more the day went on. “Did you know that astrobiologists have theorised for decades that liquid water is quintessential for the existence of life on other planets? Isn’t it also super interesting how studies have always found more habitable surfaces and subsurfaces on the moons of other planets, rather than the planets themselves?” Starlight bubbled, bouncing in place once they’d finally reached Neptune. “I always thought it was kinda narcissistic of humans to assume every life form needs to fit the same ‘survival criteria’ as Earth in order to survive.” Sunset mulled, “I mean, yeah. It is kinda silly to assume, right?” “Right!” Starlight beamed, “I mean, fish can live under water and we can’t. What’s to say that, with evolution, organisms couldn’t learn how to live in sub-arctic temperatures? Or not even need to breathe at all! Or-” Sunset chuckled. “You sure seem more interested in space than you do chemistry.” Starlight’s cheeks turned a rosy pink as she held onto her wrist behind her back with a small smile of her own. “Yeah,” she chuckled airily, “I guess you’re right.” “Then why didn’t you study that instead?” Starlight’s face softened as she drew her lips together into a line. She stepped up to one of the plexiglass covered sheets of information, more so to keep her eyes focused on than to actually read. Sunset watched her, her own mouth falling into a tense, crooked frown before she resolved to bite at her bottom lip instead. “When I was little, I really wanted to be an astronaut,” Starlight’s eyes crinkled at the edges as she gave a small shrug. “I remember my mom and dad decorating my room with glow-in-the dark stars. My mom was… kind of a genius,” she spared a glance in Sunset’s direction before she focused back on the black text in front of her again. “She bought a hula hoop from the store and painted it to match my room, then bought netted wiring to turn it into a canopy that she had my dad attach to the ceiling above my bed. She was an artist, and so she painted different constellations on the ceiling, too— all fanning out from the canopy. They both attached little shooting stars and rockets to the netting. When I looked up, there was a glittery moon directly above me whenever I slept. My mom always said she thought the moon was pretty.” Sunset nodded and dropped her head to clench her hands into fists. She looked back up at Starlight and swallowed, taking a moment to find her voice. “So-... your mom, she liked space?” Starlight’s eyes twinkled, wetted with memories as she gave a lopsided smile. “Well, I don’t think she called me Starlight for the irony of it. At least I hope not,” she chuckled. “How did she?...” “She got sick. She passed away right after I started elementary school.” Starlight paced away from the exhibit to hook her arm with Sunset’s again, keeping her head low as she spoke. Sunset could tell she was shaking. That the act was more for the support than anything else. “I realised that being an astronaut wasn’t ever going to help anyone. So, I wanted to go into chemistry to become a doctor.” “Starlight…” She shook her head and offered a pained smile. “I want to help people like the doctors did for my mom. I know they tried their best. And yeah, I know I’ll never invent the cure or- or anything to bring her back, but-...” She clenched her jaw and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. “I just wanna help people. Chemistry is how I know I can do that— medicine. I’m hoping to specialise in medical science.” Silence hung in the air between the cheers and laughter of children, excitedly tugging on their parents hands and hurriedly ushering them from exhibit to exhibit. Sunset’s mouth straightened into a tense line. She followed Starlight’s eyes as she watched families; parents and grandparents; friends and scholars. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Honestly, Sunset dropped her eyes to her boots, it was like she’d been spared a pain she hadn’t been aware of, until that moment. Sure, there was a pain in the dreaming; but there was a mercy in the not knowing. She let out a sigh, deep and shaky. She opened her mouth to speak; to apologise for bringing it up; to apologise for being insensitive about… everything, but she squared her jaw once she felt her stomach lurch, remembering the way she’d chewed Starlight out for not paying attention in class. Who was she to Starlight? Who was she to make a snap-judgement? To take one look at a spaced-out girl and think she had the authority to determine whether Starlight had the right to be there or not? She felt a familiar heat rise to her cheeks and spread throughout her face, burning her skin like a raging flame. Her mouth felt dry; so painfully dry. She felt her hands trembling, and clutched the fabric of her cardigan with the one Starlight left free. Sunset’s eyes stung with liquid guilt, and with every breath she tried to take in she felt her throat constrict, until she felt light in the head. “You hungry?” Came Starlight’s soothing tone, bringing Sunset back down to Earth. She turned to her with a bright smile, and Sunset felt her tension slowly melt away. “I could go for some lunch. Wanna head to the food court?” Sunset raised her eyes and looked in the direction of where Starlight had motioned with her head, and only now took in the scent of burgers and fries that attacked her senses. She swallowed, trying to find her voice, and cleared her throat. “Yeah,” Sunset nodded, “I’m starving.” Cruelty against animals was something Sunset was extremely passionate about: making sure they were kept in humane conditions, petitioning and even so much as organising campaigns against the testing of cosmetic products on animals. It was just something she cared about a lot, for as long as she could remember, and had decided to take up a vegetarian diet for just as long, too. Unfortunately for her, though, the planetarium’s… lavish menu did not contain a lot of vegetarian options, leaving her to dine on a small bag of baby carrots, some grapes, and a side portion of fries. She sighed and slurped at her lemonade dejectedly. Starlight munched on her hot dog with a bright hum, wiping away the sauce that gathered at the corner of her mouth with the pad of her thumb and licking it clean. Sunset narrowed her eyes, face twisting a bit before she stared down at her own meal with another heavy sigh. “I should’ve packed my own lunch.” “Mh?” Starlight arched a brow and swallowed, puckering her cheek as she glanced down at Sunset’s pathetic meal. “That really does suck that they don’t have more options. You’d think with all the attention to detail they put into the place that they’d at least carry a salad, or something.” Sunset frowned and plopped a baby carrot into her mouth. Starlight dangled her feet from her stool, kicking them absentmindedly as she finished off her own food, and swiped a fry from Sunset’s plate. “So, where to next?” “They have a lights show every hour and a half, but I think we missed the timing. We’ll need to wait for the next one if we really wanted to go, but I’m not sure if it’s like… You know, something you’d be interested in.” “Aw, what? C’mon,” The other girl beamed and took a sip of her own drink, “I thought you’d have learned by now. I love space.” Sunset pinched another carrot. “No, I mean- I’m not sure if it’s like, for grade schoolers or not.” “Not a fan of overzealous explanations?” “Not a fan of enclosed spaces filled with kids.” Sunset paused. “Or overzealous explanations.” “Mh,” Starlight nodded. “Okay, you have a point there.” She pursed her lips and rested her cheek in her palm, taking another long slurp of her soda. She kicked her feet again. “Well, I’m fine with whatever you have planned. I always have fun when I’m with you.” Sunset felt her cheeks warm and she dropped her eyes to drink her lemonade, hoping that the ice would help to cool her down. “Me, uhm. Me too.” Starlight beamed, and Sunset couldn’t tell if the other girl’s cheeks were dusted with pink, or if it was just the lighting. Probably just the lighting. “It’s a good thing you’re a vegetarian, because I think we make a pretty good pear,” She flashed a toothy grin, nudging Sunset with a wink, “don’t you?” Sunset rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Is that the best you’ve got? You’re not very good with jokes, are you?” Starlight smirked as Sunset took another long slurp of her drink. “You’re right. I tried to think of a chemistry joke, but all the good ones… Argon.” With that, Sunset snorted, and the liquid that filled her mouth went down the wrong pipe. Lemonade forced itself from her nose and she coughed, horrendously, pelting at her chest to dislodge the drink that cut off her air. Lemonade was everywhere, spraying all over the table and covering Starlight’s shirt in the process. Starlight’s face paled and she did her best to fight off another wide grin, even more desperate not to break out into howling laughter. Sunset Shimmer wanted to die. She let go of her cup to reach for the napkins but knocked it over, spilling the rest of the contents with it. She felt her eyes fill with tears as Starlight swiftly stood out of the way. The taller girl doubled over in laughter. Sunset let out a pathetic whine. “I-I’m so sorry-” Sunset coughed and wheezed, trying desperately to wipe up her mess. Starlight wiped a tear from her eye and blinked, all mirth slowly ebbing away as she began to stare at Sunset with concern. “Sunset- you’re-” She reached for the napkins herself, but Sunset held them out of her reach. “No! No, it’s fine! I’ll clean it up-” Her eyes darted around at the other customers who were all staring at her with mixed degrees of judgement, entertainment, and pity. Sunset’s lip quivered. “No, Sunset, that’s not-” “It’s okay!” She stood and scattered the paper towels all over the table, pausing for a moment only to use the entirety of her forearms against the blanket of napkins to mop up the mess. “Sunset!” Starlight snapped, setting a hand on the other girl’s shoulder to get her to stop. “Your nose is bleeding.” The planetarium gift shop had wonderful novelty t-shirts. Sunset clutched the strap of her handbag tightly with both hands, wringing it, never lifting her eyes for the entirety of Starlight’s transaction with the cashier. She hadn’t spoken the entire time from the food court ‘til now, either. Starlight had ushered her aside with a click of her tongue and a shake of her head as she finished cleaning up her mess. After that, she’d fetched more napkins to help stop Sunset’s nose bleed, brought on by the sheer force of her completely ruining any chance she had to impress Starlight. Oh, sorry, by the force of her life ending. Oh, no, sorry, by how hard she’d managed to squirt lemonade out of her fucking nose. Her white shirt had been stained with blood, Starlight’s cotton shirt had been ruined by her nose-hose. Sorry, her soda. “Okay,” the other girl turned to Sunset with a smile after tucking her wallet back into her jacket. “All better?” Sunset glanced up at her but dropped her eyes just as quickly. “Yeah.” Sunset swallowed thickly, “I-... I’m really sorry-” Starlight chuckled and clasped her hands behind her back. “Don’t be! It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. You had me worried.” “That was just so gross I-” “Shh,” Starlight pressed a finger to Sunset’s lips and then brought it back to press against her own. An indirect kiss. “It’s fine. Besides, we got these awesome new shirts,” she beamed and opened the lapels of her jacket to show off her new purchase. It was a simple pale blue t-shirt, but with bold obnoxious text that read ‘sa-TURN down for what’. Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Oh, what?” Starlight arched a brow and chuckled. “Like yours is any better?” She hummed. “Comet me, bro, is a lot more subtle.” “Oh, yes because you’re so subtle, Miss Shimmer.” Sunset pouted and folded her arms. Starlight moved and held Sunset’s wrists to unfold her arms before she took her hands and gave her a bright smile, ducking her head to force the other girl into meeting her eyes. “C’mon. You mentioned on the bus there was an observatory. Show me?” Sunset felt the warmth creep up her face as Starlight’s fingers held onto her own, and she couldn’t fight off the smile that tugged at her lips any more. She surrendered with a quiet nod and let Starlight lead the way, pulling her along with a tight grip on her hand. It was… weird. Sunset’s hands were always warm and clammy. She always hated the way they felt as she rubbed them off on her thighs or over her face once exhaustion set in during long study sessions. She’d been told before that her hands were rather chubby, and her fingers were like fat little stubs that each extended out from her palms. Granted, she had been twelve and she’d just won a game of kickball, so naturally the only thing for her opponent to do was to make her self conscious. Psyche her out. And it had worked, for a while. She stared at the back of Starlight’s head for a moment, enamoured, as she led Sunset through the crowds of people. She dropped her eyes to look at their joined hands and smiled, giving Starlight’s a gentle squeeze. Starlight’s hands were larger than hers, if only a little bit. But, to Starlight, that was everything. Sunset didn’t mind losing if it meant getting to hold the other girl’s hand. They were cold, and soft, and welcoming, and returned Sunset’s squeeze, with one a little more firm. Sunset smiled again. They both came to a stop as Starlight pondered for a moment, looking at the overhead signs and squinting against them in the dim lighting. Sunset had taken over with directions from there, and they’d only gotten turned around twice before they both resigned to ask someone else for directions. Of course, they’d walked right past it four times. They both shared meek looks and rubbed the back of their necks in embarrassment. Starlight dropped Sunset’s hand as they came through the double doors and into a much wider room. The ceiling was like a dome, covered in twinkling stars that shifted and changed, displaying the different constellations in the solar system and beyond. “Wow…” Starlight whispered, stepping into the centre of the space and gazing around in sheer wonder. “This is…” Sunset smiled. “It’s pretty cool, right?” “Sunset,” Starlight finally pulled her eyes from the fake-sky to look at the other girl with a wide grin. “This place is freaking awesome.” Sunset’s eyes crinkled, squinting as her smile widened. She clasped her hands behind her back and wandered over to the side of the room to read the information about some of the constellations being displayed. “Aquila…” “Oh!” Starlight followed after her, “That’s the eagle. We’re actually in the season for that one. There’s too much light pollution in the city to see it without a telescope, probably, but I’m pretty sure the school has some nice grassy hills you could go stargazing on.” She paused and scratched her cheek, “Uh- if that’s something you’d want to do, I mean.” Sunset contemplated for a moment and kept her eyes set on the wall. “Yeah. That sounds like fun. We could even ask Moondancer and Sunburst if they wanted to come.” “Oh. Uhm,” Starlight seemingly deflated, “yeah. I-I guess we could.” She paused for a moment before pointing to another constellation. “T-this one’s also in season. It’s called Cygnus. It has some pretty cool lore to it, too.” “And what’s that?” Starlight brightened again. “Well, it’s supposed to represent the story of Orpheus, from Greek mythology.” Sunset blanched and twitched her lips. “I must’ve missed that one.” “It’s one of my favorites.” “Tell it to me?” Sunset turned her head to meet Starlight’s eyes. The other girl swallowed with a small nod. “Right, uhm. Right.” Her cheeks reddened in hue. “So, Orpheus was a musician and a poet and he played a lyre. He’d recently gotten married to the woman he was in love with, Eurydice, but on the night of their wedding, she got bitten by a snake and died from the venom.” “Yikes…” Sunset clenched her teeth and looked back to the pictures on the wall. “Right? Well, Orpheus was distraught and so he descended into hell to plead with the Gods of the underworld to bring her back to life. The story says that his eloquence and the love he expressed for his wife melted the hearts of all the denizens of the underworld, and they all fell silent. The Gods agreed to return Eurydice’s mortality, but on one condition. Orpheus was to walk out of hell and not glance back to see his love until she was safely returned to the mortal world. If he failed to do that, then she would descend back into hell. They both began walking, and made it to the Earth’s rim. But, just before they managed to escape, Orpheus was overcome with anxiety and looked back. Eurydice whispered one last farewell before she died once more, finally. There was no disdain- no disappointment in him or his actions; because Eurydice now knew for certain that Orpheus loved her unconditionally.” The space fell into a silence, the lights on the ceiling above them changing to a dark, purple hue. Sunset felt a sadness in the pit of her stomach and a frown settled on her features. She took a moment to process the story before she turned her attention back to Starlight, who stared past her, tracing her fingers over the murals with an expression she couldn’t quite read. “That really… wow. I’ve never heard that story before.” “That’s one of my favorites,” she smiled, and met Sunset’s eyes finally as she straightened out her frame. “I always thought it was so romantic. It’s sad, but-... you can appreciate it for what it is.” Sunset glanced over Starlight’s shoulders to see that they were alone, and her stomach fluttered once she looked back toward the other girl, who was now staring at her intently. “Y-yeah. You’re really- er,” Sunset cleared her throat, “I mean- it’s really pretty.” Starlight’s face softened and she lifted her hand to cup Sunset’s cheek, brushing the hair away from the other girl’s face with her thumb. She began leaning in. Sunset’s breath hitched in her throat. “I think you’re really pretty, too.” Author's Note oh ho ho? what's this? developments? :3c Check out the art for this chapter here! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Perfect Chemistry.For someone with a 4.0 GPA, Sunset Shimmer was incredibly stupid. Yes, she may have been able to do most algebraic fractions without a calculator; recite the periodic table backwards; and find any Waldo based on the probability of positinable variants. But when it came to feelings? To understanding social cues and body language? Sunset Shimmer was an absolute idiot. She stared with blank eyes at the whiteboard behind Doctor Zecora, zoning the older woman out for most of the class. Unable to focus, she’d held her cheek in her palm and resigned herself to merely stare off into space. Better space, than Starlight. Sunset swallowed thickly as the girl’s name flashed in her mind, rose blooming in her cheeks as she pulled back from her desk to clasp her hands in her lap. She bowed her head, pinched her lips, and stole a glance in the other girl’s direction. Starlight sat slumped over her desk, chin resting on her arms as she focused her eyes toward the front of the class. Sunset’s eyes fell in shame. ‘What to say? How to say it? When or where or why?’ She swallowed again. If she were in a movie, the most romantic thing to do would be to stand up now and profess her love, right? The idea of romance is all dependent on how much you can embarrass yourself for the sake of the other person, right? That’s how it worked. Right? Sunset clenched her eyes shut and let out a sigh. The sound of shuffling papers drew Sunset’s attention back to the front of the class, where Zecora stood rummaging about her desk and adjusting her lab coat. “Now, class, before we end, I would like to know your new lab bestfriend,” The older woman smiled as she collected a clipboard from the table and dotted her tongue with the ball point of her pen. “Those of you who have already let me know, enjoy your afternoon; you are free to go.” Shit. The partner project. It had completely slipped her mind. Sunset clenched her jaw as other students began stuffing and filling things away into their bags. Her eyes darted around, searching the faces of her classmates who had actually taken the initiative to get in contact with the professor— something she hadn’t. Something she had been too distracted to do. Her stomach lurched. Zecora drifted her pen down her page, checking off the names of people who had informed her of who they would be partnering up with, and smiled once she came to her first blank. “Ah! Starlight Glimmer,” she beamed, looking up from the clipboard to meet the girl’s eyes, “and who might your partner be?” Sunset snapped her attention toward Starlight, who sat with eyes just as equally wide. Her lips parted for a moment and Sunset felt her breath hitch once the other girl looked her way— catching her stare— and just as quickly, she averted her eyes. Starlight cleared her throat and sat up straight, adjusting the hair from her face as she pursed her lips. “I don’t-” “Me!” Sunset’s hand shot into the air, a little too enthusiastic. She offered apologetic smiles towards her classmates, who had actually flinched. Sunset straightened out her skirt and swallowed the tightness in her throat as she fluttered her eyes toward Starlight, who was now glaring at her from across the room, eyes darting between Sunset and Zecora. “I meant to include it in the email I sent on Friday, but it slipped my mind. Sorry.” Satisfied, the professor smiled and scribbled down a note on her clipboard. “That is quite alright, Sunset. Make sure the deadline is something you don’t forget.” Sunset offered a small nod and, catching Starlight shoving her notebook into her bag, scrambled to gather up her things. Within just a few moments Starlight had already tugged on her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulders, disappearing into the crowd of students as they excused themselves from the class. Sunset tilted her chin upward, to get a better look over the heads of her classmates, as she tucked her chair under her desk, as quickly and quietly as possible. Starlight was fast, she would give her that; but Sunset was determined, and nothing could shake her once she’d set her mind to it. The redhead ducked and pushed her way through the hall, muttering and yelping out apologies as she forced her way between people. Occasionally, she would rise up onto her toes, hoping to catch a flash of— Purple and turquoise. Bingo. Sunset clicked her tongue and, with furrowed brows, turned herself to sidestep through the bustling crowd of teenagers. “Starlight!” She called out after her, grumbling under her breath when the other girl didn’t even stop to look at her. In fact, Sunset was sure she saw the other girl speed up. She rolled her eyes with a huff. Once they were finally out of the science building, Sunset bent over to press her hands to her knees to allow herself to breathe— but only for a moment. No, she couldn’t stop. She had a Starlight to catch. This was just like one of Moondancer’s cheesy old rom-coms, she shook her head, although, in those the guy chased down the girl as she was mounting a train or about to board an airplane— but she wasn’t one to complain. She glanced around the courtyard, heaving and panting the heat from her face, scanning the pathways and shortcuts for the other girl. Starlight was clutching her bag straps and dodging around the groups of teens that always walked far too slow in front of people, and for once, Sunset was grateful they’d held the other girl up— if only momentarily. She took off after her, holding the pouch of her satchel to her hip to stop it from sliding off her shoulder. She couldn’t stop now. She played it through in her mind— if she dropped her bag, she’d leave it; textbooks, laptop and all. They could be replaced. Her relationship with Starlight couldn’t. Sure, her parents would have probably killed her for being so careless but— but this was for love, dammit! “Starlight!” Sunset panted as she finally caught up to the other girl, gripping her wrist tightly to stop her from escaping. When the taller girl finally turned to face her, Starlight’s cheeks were flushed, her lips pinched, and her eyes wide. She was like a deer caught in headlights, and was just as close to breaking out into a run again. She pressed her mouth together into a wry line and did her best to dodge Sunset’s stare. “W-what do you want?” Sunset took a moment to collect herself, holding up a finger as she doubled over and heaved out a heavy breath. “One-... one second. Jeeze— I haven’t run like that since my Junior year.” Starlight adjusted her bag strap with the hand Sunset wasn’t currently holding in a vice grip and awkwardly looked around, puckering her lips and blowing air into her cheeks. Her brows twitched as she tried to keep them furrowed, fighting off the deep frown that threatened to give away just how crummy she was feeling. “Come… come to my dorm.” Starlight blinked. “What?” “Come to my dorm,” Sunset repeated and finally straightened herself out. She glanced down at Starlight’s wrist and quickly drew her hand away to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. “S-sorry. Uhm-” Starlight shook her head and folded her arms. “No. No, Sunset I don’t-... I can’t.” “Please?” “I-I’m busy,” Starlight shook her head and kept her eyes low. “Starlight you’re never busy on Mondays.” “Yeah, well-” the taller girl pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth and rolled her jaw, tapping her foot and drumming her fingers against her bicep. “Well I am today, so.” Sunset’s eyes strained and wrinkled at the ends as she clutched the strap of her bag between both hands. Her stomach felt hollow— like a deep, empty pit— and with every breath her throat felt like it was about to close in on itself. She tried her best to think of what to do— what to say, and all she could do was mumble out incoherent noises. “We can- I need to—… We really need to talk about—” “Hahaha,” Starlight forced an over-enthusiastic fake laugh, a plastic grin spreading across her face as she teetered on her heels. “No, no. No we really don’t need to talk about that. Or anything! I’d prefer if we just pretend Saturday never happened. I think that sounds like a good plan, don’t you agree?” Sunset wanted to shake her head but she didn’t. She wanted to take the other girl’s hand and tell her everything was okay, but she didn’t. She wanted to make Starlight feel better. But she didn’t. She sighed and dropped her eyes. Wrung her bag strap in her hands. Chewed on her lip. “Then… then let’s do that. If that’s what you want. But- we are partners for the project now and—” She paused once she heard the other girl suck in a breath, but continued after a moment, “and we still need to figure out what we’re going to do about that, so…” Sunset swallowed and finally lifted her eyes to meet Starlight’s, twinkling with… Sunset wasn’t sure. “So come to my dorm? Please?” The walk was brisk and was drenched entirely in a heavy silence, neither girl so much as looking in each other’s direction. Sunset was just glad Starlight had agreed to her invitation, and didn’t want to push it by attempting to make small talk on top of that. Plus, she knew she would just be carrying on a one-sided conversation anyway, and knew from experience that she should never be allowed to do that ever again. Starlight fell behind as Sunset opened the door and stepped into the dorm. She waited at the side for the other girl to follow in after her and quietly closed the door behind her, awkwardly dropping her eyes and stretching her lips over her teeth. “You can uhm. Just take a seat on the couch, if you want?” Starlight didn’t even bother a nod in response as she wandered over and plopped her bag down on the floor at her feet, keeping her eyes low as she clasped her fingers over her knees. Sunset hung up her jacket and rounded the recliner to sit down, mirroring the other girl’s posture, running her tongue over her lip as she tried to think of what to say next. After a beat, the door to Moondancer’s room burst open, and she shimmied out into the living room. “Hey, hey, hey! How did things-” Moondancer froze upon seeing Sunset’s heated glare, gesturing towards Starlight with a flicker of her eyes. “Oh, shit! Starlight! Whats- uh. What’s up.” Moondancer immediately recoiled in on herself, wrapping one arm across her torso and stroking at her chin with the other. “I uh-” she cleared her throat, “I was actually going to get something to drink but you know what!” She scoffed and pulled an awkward smile, “I forgot that I uh-” She narrowed her eyes, eyebrows arching upward as her lips shrunk into an awkward line. “I actually have to, uhm- go! Yup! I have to go feed my, uhm. Lamp.” Moondancer mumbled and looked, finally, back over to her sister, who looked so absolutely distraught. She mouthed out a “sorry”, before ducking quietly back into her room. Her departure was punctuated by an almost painful click, before silence settled between the two girls once more. “Do you want to do this in my room?” Sunset asked after a moment, rubbing her palms together before she wrung at her fingers. Starlight sighed and picked up her bag. “Not particularly. Let’s just get this over with.” Sunset collected her own things once Starlight had made her way down the hall and, seeing that she had taken the seat at her desk, she gave the other girl a nod before reserving a place on the floor. As Sunset dug through her bag for her textbooks and notes, Starlight Glimmer cursed inwardly, slipping a pen from her bag to jab the blunt end against her thigh. She turned away from Sunset to bite at her lip and hide the unease that no doubt had made itself home on her face. She knew it was inevitable; that she would have to talk to the other girl sooner or later. She’d just wished it had been later. Much later. Like, a couple of years from now at some party, later. She digressed. Starlight wasn’t sure what she hated more. The almost agonising silence, Sunset’s occasional attempts at conversation, or the unnerving way Sunset’s chair creaked under her weight as she shifted in her seat. No, yup, it was the chair. Definitely the chair. “Uhm, so,” Sunset piped up, curling a lock of hair behind her ear as she lifted up a well-highlighted handout from class. ‘Of course it was well highlighted’, Starlight let out a small scoff and was thankful that the sound had been hidden behind another infernal creak. “We could try testing the strength of acids on specific types of stone?” “Mhh, yeah. No. The last thing you need is to spill acid over yourself.” Sunset pursed her lips and filed the paper into her binder. “I’m not an idiot.” Starlight usually would have made some kind of playful jab, and she opened her mouth to, but the joke died on her tongue as she clenched her fingers around the pen in her hand. “I didn’t mean-... sorry.” If the tension hadn’t been palpable before, it was certainly strangling now. Sunset felt she might choke on it if she kept her mouth open long enough. Instead, she cleared her throat and held up another handout. “Catalysts?” “Isn’t that too easy? I would have thought you’d want to do something a little more out-there.” Sunset shrugged and filed it away again, fingering the edges of her dividers with a sigh. “I’m just trying to spit-ball. You could suggest some, too.” She mumbled. Starlight felt a white heat spread throughout herself and she bit back a retort, determined not to snap at the other girl. Things between them were already whetted to ignite, and she really didn’t want to blow up. She jabbed the pen to her thigh again and clicked the end to stab the ink to her skin. Sunset wasn’t any better. Every word that she spoke, dancing around what really mattered, made her chest heave. She should have taken her medication this morning. She bit her lip. She really should have taken her medication this morning. The redhead slipped another sheet of paper from her binder and pulled her knees to her chest to give it a read-over quickly. Lavender eyes watched as Sunset inspected the document in her lap, and Starlight’s chair creaked once more as she leaned her arms over the backrest, resting her chin on top of them with a tired sigh. As Sunset turned her attention back to the taller girl, their eyes met, and Starlight felt her stomach flutter— the most innocent of pleasures. Her face warmed in a blush. Sunset’s mouth hung open slightly as she paused, initially caught off guard by Starlight’s staring; however, she pursed her lips and cleared her throat in order to continue. “So, uh—” she began, holding the other girl’s gaze, but fumbled over her words and shook her head. This was silly, this little game they were playing. Pretending that nothing had happened. Pretending that they were okay. “Starlight, about what happened on Saturday—” “Mmmh,” Starlight hummed and turned back around to face the desk, “nope. Nope, nope. Nothing happened.” She pretended to scribble down notes in her notebook, “Can we just get back to studying?” Sunset rubbed at her legs to dispel the clamminess in her palms and to distract herself from her shaky breathing. She swallowed, hard, and tried to collect her words. “No. No, we can’t. Starlight we need to talk about—” Starlight swiftly stood from her chair, tossing her pen aside and threw her arms out wide. “Talk about what, Sunset? Hm? Talk about how I embarrassed myself? About how- how I tried to kiss you?” She nodded, forcing a pained smile as she glared down at the small girl, who only worked to make herself smaller. As Starlight began pacing, Sunset dropped her eyes to the floor and began picking at the lint of her carpet. She counted backward in threes, recited her table in her mind, and held her breath— at least that would stop her from hyperventilating. Her skin felt so unbearably hot, and she didn’t dare raise her eyes out of the fear of seeing the way Starlight was looking at her, with anger and disgust. But, that wasn’t the case. Not at all. Starlight cupped her hands over her mouth and breathed a steadying breath into her palms as she raised her head to the ceiling, cursing whatever God above for putting her in this situation in the first place. She stopped her pacing to run a hand through her hair and, only then, did she look down to see Sunset cowering on the floor. The taller girl knelt down to level with her and dropped her eyes guiltily, biting her lip as she watched the way Sunset’s fingers trembled as she picked at the carpet. “Sunset I-...” Starlight swallowed, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have just assumed that-... I’m-...” her mouth hung open, only a small whimper escaping before she caught it behind her teeth. She let out a breath. “I overstepped. I-... I have feelings for you and- and I shouldn’t have assumed that those feelings were reciprocated just because you wanted to spend time with me.” Starlight pursed her lips and adjusted the way she sat. “I just thought- I thought that maybe- maybe you liked me back and-” Sunset’s stomach was clenched in a vice and it took all of her strength to even look up from the ground, just in time to see the other girl wipe at her face with her fingers. “I just- I thought that- that when you’d asked me out, it was more than just… Just to hang out. I thought maybe this whole thing wasn’t one sided and- and that was really inappropriate of me, so- so I’m really sorry, Sunset.” Starlight bit her lip and kept her eyes low, but Sunset could see the way the other girl’s frame tensed as she held back another whimper. “When we were in that closet, at Sunburst’s party, you told me that I made you uncomfortable— and I just didn’t fucking listen,” Starlight caught a cry behind her hand as she clenched her eyes shut. Sunset felt like a prisoner in her own body— unable to move, or speak. She could only watch the way Starlight fell apart in front of her. She fought so desperately against herself— against the weight in her chest and the tar in her lungs. Her own eyes pricked with tears, but Starlight kept her eyes closed. “I know that- that Moondancer forced you to spend time with me. I know that she tried to talk you into hanging out with all of us all the time and I just- I wanted to think you were just shy and— and that was so, so selfish of me.” Starlight whined, trying her best to hang onto whatever composure she still had. “You don’t have to do that anymore. I can leave you alone- I won’t—” She shook her head, “I won’t bother you anymore.” Life is made up of defining moments. Moments that act as a crossroad to possibility. Moments that are so destructive; so monumentally important that it affects the path that we take for the rest of our lives. As Starlight Glimmer moved to stand— to run away— Sunset’s chest burst, and every bit of her bled out. Sunset Shimmer sprang forward and tackled Starlight against the frame of her bed, holding onto her face as their lips crashed together. The taller girl tensed below her, her pained grunt caught against Sunset’s mouth. Starlight’s wide eyes stared back at closed lids, her hands hanging awkwardly in the air. It didn’t take long for the pain to settle into her spine, but that didn’t matter. Starlight slowly wrapped her arms around the small of Sunset’s back to hold her in place. She ran a hand up, rubbing between her shoulder blades to sooth the shaky breath that Sunset let out against her cheeks, through her nose. Starlight smiled at the feeling of Sunset’s lashes as they fluttered, and grinned even more at the way the other girl adjusted her grip, slipping her hands to bury her fingers into the hair at the base of Starlight’s head. The kiss was clumsy. Sunset had bashed their noses together, pinched Starlight’s lip between their teeth, but both girls melted into it regardless. Starlight adjusted herself so that Sunset could settle between her thighs as she pulled back to go in for another kiss. They tilted their heads accordingly, and Sunset parted her lips to allow Starlight’s tongue access into her mouth. The smaller girl let out a noise and Starlight held her closer. Sunset’s thumbs stroked at Starlight’s jaw. They kissed again. Sunset’s heart was pounding. Moondancer’s romance novels may have always described the perfect first kiss, but they had nothing on the real thing. They also hadn’t ever explained how this was all supposed to work. Was she even doing this right? Could Starlight tell she hadn’t done this before? Had Starlight done this before? The impulsiveness of her decision was finally catching up to her as her mind began racing with questions, her breath catching in her throat as Starlight initiated their fourth kiss. Her chest was beginning to tighten, and she needed to breathe. She pulled back with a shuddered breath and Starlight’s half lidded eyes shifted from Sunset’s lips to stare back into her own. They held each other’s gaze before Sunset bit her lip and dropped her eyes, her blush heating the space between them. She ran her tongue over her teeth, trying to remember the way the other girl tasted. Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck and adjusted herself between Starlight’s legs. “Well that was, uhm-” “That was bananas.” Sunset lifted her eyes again and wrinkled her brows. She tried to hold back her laugh. She really tried. But Starlight had a way of making her laugh, even when she didn’t want to. Starlight smiled at the sound, satisfied and finally, finally, allowed herself to relax. “So... Do you wanna get back to studying now, or?” “Please shut up,” Sunset rolled her eyes and pulled Starlight in for another kiss, once more hooking her hands around the back of the other girl’s neck to hold her in place. Starlight shifted her hands from Sunset’s back to hold onto her hips, one hand rubbing along the length of her thigh. “So, are you guys hungry? I have some sna— holy shit!” Moondancer screamed as she stepped into the room, only to throw herself back into the hallway once she had caught sight of the other two girls. Sunset and Starlight shrieked and clambered off of each other to the opposite ends of the room, all three teens blushing furiously. “Moondancer—! What have I told you about knocking!” “You never told me anything about knocking! Plus, the door was wide open! I just came to see if you guys wanted some snacks, but I can clearly see you guys would prefer to eat each other! That’s cool, more Cheetos for me, I guess!” “Oh my god,” Starlight groaned as she covered her burning face with her hands. “I’m going to kill you!” Sunset scrambled out of the room and after her sister, who had already made her way down the hall, slamming her own room door shut as she laughed loudly from the other side. Starlight peeked through her fingers as she pulled her knees up close to her chest, and gazed up at the poster above her new girlfriend’s desk. ‘Think like a Proton. Be positive.’ “Oh, blow me…” Author's Note ugh FINALLY. It was a long road but these bitches finally kissed good for them. good for them. Honestly though, this story is just getting started! So I hope you all stick around for what's coming next :9 As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Culaccino“There is not a more tragic love than one that is star-crossed. Two lovers who cannot be together; not through lack of love, but because time itself has deemed it wrong. How cruel is fate? To tie souls together, only to rip them apart, leaving them reaching; grabbing; searching—” Sunset Shimmer scoffed, flipping onto the next page in the book she’d borrowed from the library shelf. “What happened this time? Did you meet some cute guy at the vending machine and couldn’t get his number because he was walking away before you had the chance to ask?” Moondancer’s face fell into a dead panned stare before she rolled her eyes. Sunburst and Starlight shared a look, giggling to themselves as they each sat beside their respective red-head. Although it was true that the four usually found themselves tangled up in the vines and fairy lights of The Forest, the campus library was fast becoming a secondary hang-out spot for the group. Third, if they counted the Dancer-Shimmer dorm; and they did, but that was mostly for Friday game nights. Despite loving the calming ambience that the clattering cups and hissing of the cafe’s milk steamer brought with them, the relaxing coffee-scented atmosphere was rapidly being overtaken by thirsty students, who were desperate to try the cafe’s seasonal pumpkin spiced lattes. And so, Sunset and Starlight took up position on the bean-bag chairs that were available in the library’s open-discussion section of the second floor, with Moondancer and Sunburst sitting only a ways away at the nearest desk, to look over their selected novels for that week’s class. Starlight had allowed the other girl to rest her head across her lap as she read quietly, and Sunset had let Starlight play with her hair in return. “I was reading aloud,” Moondancer pencilled something into her notebook and let out a sigh. “Ugh, please not Shakespeare again.” Sunburst’s face twisted as he pulled his coffee away from his mouth to shake his head. “I was tired of this conversation the first hundred times, I’m tired of it now.” Moondancer raised her brows and swivelled on her chair, tapping the length of her pencil against the side of her finger. She pressed her tongue against her cheek and brought it across her teeth before giving a shake of her head and a little hum. The Moondancer hum, to be exact; the sound she made before she came down on you with her massive intellect Sunset would have air-quoted. “I’m letting your wrong opinion slide today since I’m in a good mood, but if you bad-mouth my soulmate one more time it will be curtains for you Sunburst.” Sunburst raised his hands in defeat, ever-so-slightly edging his chair away from the red-head. “Yes, Miss Hathoway.” “Why’re you in a good mood?” Starlight looked up from her fingers, buried in Sunset’s hair, to tilt her head at the other girl. Moondancer’s face split in a grin that caused her eyes to crinkle. “Glad you asked, Glimmer.” She waggled her finger at Sunburst, then brought it around to point towards the two teens on the beanbags. “We are going to a party.” Sunset pulled her book down to narrow her eyes at her sister. “It’s Tuesday.” “Not tonight, smartass.” Moondancer clicked her tongue. “There’s a Halloween party at the end of the month and I got us all invites.” It was Starlight’s turn to squint at the other girl. “Invites? What kind of party is this?” “Oh, sweet little Glim Glam. This isn’t just any party. This is a Fizzlepop Berrytwist party.” Sunset slowly pulled herself to sit up and blinked, incredulously, mouth falling open as she tried to come to terms with... whatever her sister had just said. “I’m sorry… say that again?” Sunburst’s eyes twinkled as he bit his lip to stop himself from squeeing— something he wasn’t entirely successful at, as he fanned himself in an attempt to calm down. “You’re kidding! The Big Fizz is having a Halloween party and we’re invited? How the hell did you manage that?!” Moondancer pretended to inspect her nails, “Networking. I was scouting out potential partners for that team-up project we have to do with the theatre classes next semester. I bumped into her and we got to talking, she said I seemed pretty cool and that she’d love it if we came.” “Moondancer…” Sunburst held a hand over his heart and set his other on the girl’s shoulder, “I owe you my life.” “Oh, I know,” she smirked, “remember that.” Sunset and Starlight looked between themselves wordlessly before Sunset cleared her throat and piped up. “That’s really cool and all, glad you’re making new friends but- uh- who the hell is Fizzletwist Berrysnap-” “Fizzlepop Berrytwist is a senior in the theatre program and only, like, the most popular and well respected student at this school.” “I mean, I doubt that,” Starlight scoffed and twirled the hair beside her face, “if that’s true then how come I’ve never heard of her?” Moondancer and Sunburst sucked a breath between their teeth and glanced at each other, as if deliberating which of them should be the one to break the news. Sunburst stepped up to the plate, pulling himself against the desk to bring himself closer to her. “Glim, sweetie… how do I say this nicely… You’re kind of a loser.” Sunset’s jaw dropped as her girlfriend let out an indignant gasp, furrowed brows snarling at the boy. “Wh- no I’m not!” Sunburst hummed and puckered his mouth to the side. “Starlight, I love you, but you’ve only made two new friends this year; and that includes your new girlfriend,” he spared a glance towards Sunset and gave a shrug. “And the only reason you met either of them was because I finally managed to convince you to finally come to a party, instead of being holed up in your room— charting star maps, or, whatever it is you do in there all day.” Starlight stumbled over herself, flustered and red, looking between the two other girls before finally narrowing her brows at her best friend. “Th-that’s because I’m fine with my own company! I don’t-” she scoffed and pushed her bangs aside, finding anything to fidget with before she awkwardly settled on crossing and uncrossing her arms. “I don’t need to have a million friends or- or go to a party every weekend. That doesn’t make me a loser.” Sunset pursed her lips and dropped her eyes when she felt Moondancer look her way, all too familiar with the conversation that was currently transpiring. All too agitated, all the same. “Well, sure. But would it kill you to try and socialise more? Have you even hung out with your roommate yet?” “I-” Starlight paused, mouth hanging open before she brought her lips together to swallow heavily. “Well, she’s always busy with her other friends. I don’t want to intrude.” Sunburst sighed and leaned back against his chair, defeated. “You live with her, Glim. How much more intrusive do you need to be?” Starlight shrunk a bit under Sunburst’s raised brow. “I-... I just don’t want to seem rude,” she mumbled, “I can’t just invite myself along to their plans.” Sunburst turned to Moondancer and motioned with his hands before dropping them into his lap with another heavy sigh. “I rest my case.” If it weren’t for the fact they were still in a library, or that Sunset didn’t want to make Starlight feel any worse, she would have chewed the other boy out. Gave him a piece of her mind. But she didn’t. Instead, she gave Starlight’s hand a squeeze and searched for her eyes, to let her know it was okay. However, the little half-smile and nod that Starlight gave her didn’t stop Sunset from grinding her teeth at the way Moondancer rolled her eyes in Sunset's direction, and laughed along with all the things Sunburst was saying. No, instead, Sunset held Starlight’s hand tighter, tucked her borrowed book back into its place, and tugged on her satchel. “Where are you going?” Moondancer faltered, shifting her eyes between Sunburst and her sister. Sunset hummed and paused in her stride only to offer a bitter narrowing of eyes towards the corner of the room before they settled on the other two teens. “What? You think we’re just going to sit here while you bad-mouth us because we’re not a pair of ‘wild party animals’ like you two?” Sunset said in a mocking tone before scoffing and shaking her head, “call us when you’re done acting like a pair of stuck-up jackasses. C’mon, Starlight.” The other two teens looked at each other guiltily before meeting Starlight’s gaze, which she then quickly dropped to the floor, in favour of keeping up stride with Sunset as the shorter girl led the way towards the library exit. Although the open areas of the library allowed for more ruly chatter and gossip, the air hung silent as Sunset and Starlight made their leave, occupied only by the awkward way Sunburst and Moondancer’s chairs squeaked as they turned back to the desk in front of them. Likewise, Sunset kept quiet as she pushed open the door that led them into the stairwell, and gave another silent squeeze of Starlight’s hand. “Thank you…” Starlight spoke quietly. Sunset looked back at her and shook her head with a shrug, doing her best to curb her temper. “It’s okay. He had no right talking to you like that.” “But, still… Thank you for sticking up for me.” Sunset smiled as she felt Starlight interlink their fingers. “You’re welcome.” It had been a couple of weeks since the two had started dating. 3 weeks and 2 days, to be exact, but Sunset wasn’t counting or anything like that. She was just good with dates. Some dates better than others, she resigned. Still, getting to hold Starlight’s hand was something she felt she wouldn’t ever get used to. Or getting to kiss Starlight whenever she wanted. Or how the other girl would comfortably curl up in her lap whenever she came over to watch a movie. Or- “So, where should we go now?” Starlight asked, flexing the muscles in her jaw and neck rather than tensing up her shoulders. “Forest’s swamped- and no, that wasn’t a pun,” she smirked knowingly at the way Sunset’s hand twitched in her own, “plus we kind of just Cinderella’d the library.” Sunset hummed and traced over her lips with her finger and thumb. She was trying to break the habit of biting at the skin of her mouth and cheeks. She had a girlfriend now! She couldn’t have chapped lips. “Is it too late to head into town? Didn’t you say there was a new smoothie bar opening up?” “I did,” the taller girl nodded and hooked her arm around Sunset’s, snuggling closer to keep warm. “But you know, we could just head back to your dorm.” Sunset scoffed, her cheeks blooming a pretty pink hue. “Yeah, sure, and we can watch another movie,” she chuckled with a shake of her head. “I mean, it sucks to admit that they might be at least kind of right, but… Aren’t you getting bored of doing the same old things?” “Mmmh, well,” Starlight looked to the sky thoughtfully and puckered her mouth to the side before she leaned in to whisper into Sunset’s ear. “We could just make out in your room? That would be pretty fun.” Sunset flinched her ear away as tingles spread across her skin, over her shoulders, lighting her face with new heat. “U-uh-” she stuttered, clamming up a bit once Starlight began to giggle. “I mean, I-I guess that’s an option-” Starlight pulled away— but still held onto Sunset’s hand— to balance along the curb as they came up to the campus green. She offered her flustered girlfriend a reassuring smile, “It’s alright. We can stop at the student bar for something to drink if you want instead?” “Isn’t it a bit early?” Once again, Starlight snorted, and hopped down beside Sunset again to give her a peck on the cheek. “They serve coffee and soda too, Sunset.” “Oh!” She rubbed the back of her head, dropping her eyes and allowing Starlight to guide her inside, “right… I knew that.” The building itself was warm. Warmer than Sunset had first anticipated, and it only worked to highlight just how bitter it had become outside. She and Starlight let go of each other to tug off their coats and slung them over their forearms. Sunset lingered behind just a tad, taking in the decorative interior, before she followed Starlight up the stairs and into the bar itself. Sets of couches lined up against the left wall, with raised stools tucked neatly under the far-end countertops, that stretched the entire length of the room. The walls were littered with promotions: upcoming events, society and club meetings, even special lunch deals that Sunset raised a brow at. She really should spend more time outside of her dorm, that much was becoming more and more apparent the more time she spent with Starlight. Sunset watched as her girlfriend approached the bar, and smiled at the way Starlight’s face lit up as she ordered for them both. It was small and insignificant, sure, but the other girl just… glowed. She did to Sunset, at least. “Here you go,” Starlight turned to her with a glass of lemonade. “Try not to spill it this time.” Sunset pouted and followed Starlight over to a couples booth, where she sat across from her, mumbling and whimpering at the way her feet dangled from the edge of the stool. “This isn’t fair. I’m not that short.” Starlight held her cheek in her palm and pulled the straw from her drink to draw it across her lips, before she set it on the table with a hum. “I still think you’re cute, even if you are short.” The red-head narrowed her eyes. “So. That halloween party,” Starlight sighed and hooked her ankles under the table, lifting her glass to her mouth to take a sip, “do you want to go?” “Mh… not really. I mean, I won’t know anyone there and it’s just going to be loud and obnoxious. Plus,” Sunset swirled her own drink around with her straw and flexed her brows, “if this Fizzle… whatever the hell, is as popular as Moondancer and Sunburst are making her out to be, what’re the chances it's just going to be a bunch of self-righteous assholes going. I don’t really want to be reminded of all the reasons I hated high school.” Starlight watched Sunset take a hearty gulp of her lemonade and sighed as the other girl kept her eyes low. “You don’t really talk about high school all that often. Is it a sore-spot?” Sunset paused and adjusted herself in her seat, sliding herself forward to rest her feet against the bar that connected both legs. “It wasn't bad, but it wasn’t… you know, like…” “Good?” Starlight raised a brow. “Magical, I guess. Like, you know how movies always paint high school as ‘the best years of your life, you’ll miss it once it’s gone!’,” she swayed dramatically before rolling her eyes and swirling the ice in her glass, “I didn’t really feel all that sad when it came to graduation. Like, sure I was going to miss having fun and messing around with Moondancer, but most of the time I was alone.” She drew her lips into a line. “Maybe that was my fault. I didn’t really try to make friends. I was just so focused on studying and getting the highest grade that it didn’t really matter at the time…” Starlight reached out and set her hand atop Sunset’s with a small smile. “But now that it’s over, you can’t help but regret how you spent that time… is that it?” “Mh,” Sunset nodded, “yeah.” The taller girl pulled away to stretch out over the back of her seat, widening her shoulders until the tension popped, and she let her elbows lean against the table again. “I get it. I mean, kinda,” she played with a lock of hair by the side of her face and took another long drink of her lemonade. “Mh? And what were you like in high school, Ms Glimmer?” Sunset raised a teasing brow, grinning once she’d pulled her own straw from her glass. Starlight blew out a breath and gave an awkward laugh. “I… was kinda weird.” “And you aren’t now?” Sunset snorted. Starlight swatted her on the arm. “Hey!” She chuckled, “No. What I mean was we— my friends and I— we were like… literally known as the weird kids at my school.” “What? That’s kinda mean,” Sunset grinned. “Yeah, but they were right. We hung out under the bleachers, a few of us smoked—” “Did you ever smoke?” Sunset eyed her, absolutely fascinated. Starlight paused and puckered her lips, savouring her girlfriend’s twinkling eyes as she prolonged her admission by taking another generous drink of lemonade, finally finishing off her glass. “I did. Once. I coughed up my lungs though. Almost vomited,” she waved her hand with a scowl, “would not recommend it.” Sunset made a small gasp noise and covered her mouth with her hand. “So you were a bad-girl?” Starlight snorted and buried her face into her hands with a long groan. “Pleeeeease shut up. We were just like- we were weirdos, okay! I said that already,” she laughed along with Sunset as the red-head giggled and finished her own glass of soda. “What about you? What were you like?” “Mh, well… I wasn’t like- a stereotypical nerd, if that’s what you mean.” “Aw, no pens in your shirt pocket?” “Har har,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “No. I used to have longer hair, too.” Starlight’s eyes opened a tad as an intrigued smile tugged at her lips. “Uhhh,” Sunset’s fingers splayed against the table before she resolved to draw with the condensation that had dripped from their glasses. “I used to collect sticky notes. I used to leave myself little reminders everywhere; the bathroom mirror, my door, the ceiling— but that often resulted in me waking up covered in paper, so,” she chuckled. “That’s adorable,” Starlight tried to fight off her grin. She shook her head and flattened her hands out against her skirt, “So. Bigger question. When did you realise you were gay?” Sunset blew out a breath and then sucked in another through her teeth. “Uhh…” she half-laughed, “When you smiled at me in class at the start of the semester, I think?” The taller girl swatted her in the arm with a laugh, and only calmed down once she noticed the way Sunset was beginning to fidget. “W-wait… You’re not serious, are you?” “Haha…” Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck sheepishly, shifting her eyes from Starlight’s face to her stick-figure drawing of the girl on the table. “Funny…” Starlight fixed her jaw and swallowed before puckering her lips. “Wait, so… you really didn’t know?” “Uhm, I think maybe I did. I-I mean,” she fidgeted with her fingers a bit, starting to pick at the skin before she clenched them against her palms under the table. “It wasn’t something I ever really thought about. Plus- Moondancer came out as pan when we were sophomores, and her— our— parents were really cool with it, so I knew that if I was gay, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about, so-” “That’s so-” “-lame, I know-” “So you,” Starlight laughed. She wiped a tear from her eye and played with her glass between her palms, “I honestly don’t know why I was expecting anything different. I guess I just wasn’t expecting me to be your gay awakening,” she teased. Sunset rolled her eyes and gave a lopsided smirk. “Yeah, well, whatever. When did you realise you were gay?” “Freshman year. There was this insanely pretty girl in the year above us who was captain of a bunch of the school’s sports teams.” Sunset’s smile faltered as she tensed, a little caught off guard. She tried her best to look attentive though. Starlight sighed, dreamily, dropping her eyes to the table as she let out a small chuckle. “I’ve never spoken to her, and I don’t know what she did after she graduated, but it turns out her best friend is one of the barista’s at The Forest— so my life has really come full circle.” “O-oh. That’s pretty crazy,” Sunset tried to laugh. “So did you date a lot in high school?” Starlight, again, let out a small laugh and toyed with the strand of hair at the side of her face. The girl’s eyes looked as if they were staring at something within the table, rather than the tabletop itself; as if she was watching the past unfold before her. Reminiscing. Sunset’s stomach knotted. “Yeah. Well, I wouldn't consider a lot of it dating, per se. Me and my friends would-” she paused to glance around, lowering her voice, as if she were confessing a crime. “Mess around.” “Mess around?” Sunset asked, pretending like she wanted to know. Starlight rolled her eyes and faked a groan, pretending like she didn’t want to talk about it. “You know- we’d kiss, we’d cuddle, we’d…” she shrugged, “mess around.” “O-oh,” Sunset nodded, “I see.” Starlight leaned over and set her hand atop Sunset’s again, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay that you haven’t had any of that yet, though! Honestly, I wish I’d’ve known better or actually… you know, cared about the people I was doing that stuff with.” Starlight’s lips pursed for a moment before she collected both of their glasses. “I’ll get us some more drinks?” “Oh- uh. Yeah, sure.” Sunset shrunk into her chair as Starlight stood from the table. The other girl paced to exit their booth but lingered for a moment. She turned back to Sunset and offered her a small smile, almost pained in a way. “Sunset, I… You know, it really is okay. You aren’t weird for focusing on school or-... or for just not being interested in that kind of stuff.” She dropped her eyes and shifted her weight before she looked up again, clinking both glasses together in her hands. “I wish I’d saved those experiences for someone special.” Starlight shrugged, hoping that was enough to express what she was trying to imply. After a beat of holding her girlfriend’s stare, she turned again, and left. Sunset wrung her thumbs against her palms and swallowed past the regret in her throat. It had been a nice reassurance, but not enough to silence the voice inside Sunset’s head. The voice that told her that everything she’d done up until now had been pointless; she’d spent all of her time studying, to be the best, to excel further than her peers. But here she was now, second in her class, to someone who had had the social experiences she’d starved herself of. What had it all been for? What was the point in all of this? She wasn’t special. She could never be special. Her spiral was interrupted by the aggressive vibration in her pocket, that resonated through the wood of her chair. She allowed herself a steadying breath, flattened her hands against the table, and counted backwards in threes. Once she had calmed down enough, she plucked her phone from her jacket pocket and unlocked it to check her texts. It was from Moondancer. ‘Look, I’m really sorry about letting Sunburst just go off on Starlight like that. It wasn’t cool. I know how me saying that stuff makes you feel and I’m sorry about that, too. We’re leaving the library now if you guys are still on campus?’ Sunset paused, hovered her thumbs over her keyboard, and typed out a response. “Here you go,” Starlight smiled as she took her seat once again, just as Sunset slipped her phone away. “What’s up?” Sunset accepted her lemonade and kept her eyes low. “Moondancer asked us where we were and said she was sorry. I think Sunburst’s going to apologise to you, too.” “Mhhh,” Starlight hummed around her straw, “did you tell them we were here?” “Yeah. They’re on their way.” “Cool,” Starlight nodded. And that was that. They sat quietly in each other’s company, satisfied. Sunset watched as Starlight drank, pressing her knuckles into her pink cheeks as her eyes looked side-ward. Her face was so gentle, Sunset bit her lip, but how many other people had looked at her like this, too? Author's Note Culaccino; the mark left on a table by a cold glass. SO this took a while to come out, sorry!! I hit a bit of writers block when editing up some later chapters, as well as newer ones I needed to get ready. Thank you for being so patient though!! there's still a LOT more to come, so I hope you all stick around :9 As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Changing tides.Sunset narrowed her eyes and rubbed at her chin with the blunt end of her pencil before scratching at the side of her head with a contemplative hum. “Okay… I think that if we repeat the experiment a few more times, it should give us more reliable results.” “We’ve already repeated the experiment five times, Sunset,” Starlight Glimmer sighed into her palm, “As fun as it is spending time with you, I’d like it if we didn’t spend all of that time formulating hypotheses about the absorbent nature of pastries.” “Cakes,” Sunset corrected her, scribbling away in her notebook, “make sure you don’t write that in the final report.” The class had emptied out a little over twenty minutes ago by now, Starlight noted, glancing at the clock above the door. She had pulled a chair around to the other side of Sunset’s desk to face her as she worked. However, the red-head had spent the majority of their class with her nose stuck in her book, and Starlight could only shake her head inwardly at her expectation for things to be any different, once Zecora had dismissed them. She was Sunset, after all. Once she was focused on something, it was almost impossible to stop her. Almost impossible. Starlight smirked, deviously. “Hey.” “Hm?” “Look at me.” Sunset raised her head, but kept her eyes glued to the text in front of her. Starlight let out a small chuckle and leaned over the table to peck her girlfriend on the lips. Sunset’s cheeks warmed as she flinched, eyes snapping forward now to meet Starlight’s own. “There she is,” the younger girl smiled, “if you keep slouching like that you’re going to end up with a bad back.” “Right,” Sunset scratched at her cheek and sat against the back of her chair, “sorry. Uh- so what were you saying?” “I was asking if you wanted to get out of here. You’re adorable when you’re concentrating, but I’m getting kinda hungry, and we still need to go shopping for our Halloween costumes.” Sunset’s face fell into a weary frown, but she gave in with a small sigh. “Fiiiine…” she groaned, “but only because it’s your turn to pay for coffee.” “I’ll take it,” Starlight beamed. She waited patiently for the other girl to pack away her things and helped her slip on her jacket before she took Sunset’s hand to lead her out into the empty hallway. If she was alone, she probably would have thought it to be eerie; but with Sunset, the smell of dust and oak felt homey, and warm. As they left the science building, Starlight made sure to keep close to the other girl, hooking their arms together and giving her hand a light squeeze. The fall air was sneaking in with a chill, and both girls knew it was only a matter of time before the campus was covered in thick layers of snow and frost. “Maybe we should try different types of liquids and see how the cake absorbs those, too? Maybe pour some honey over them, some cream… You know, just to say we covered all our bases.” Starlight shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Okay. If it’ll help you feel less anxious about the project, fine; we can do a few more experiments.” She paused, “after you come back from your parents’ though.” Sunset let out a whine. “Oh- what? But-” “Ap, ap, ap,” Starlight held up a finger to silence her, “I won’t get to see you on your birthday, so I want to spend as much time with you until you go home. That includes the party, so yes, we’re going.” The smaller girl deflated by Starlight’s side. “Don’t think I didn’t know you were planning on cancelling at the last minute.” “Hmph,” Sunset grumbled, shoving her free hand into her pocket as a pseudo crossing-of-arms. “You know me too well.” “Yes, I do.” Starlight pecked her on the cheek. Buses into Canterlot were more regular during weekdays, and both teens were grateful that their only class for today had been Zecora’s noon tutorial. Unfortunately for Starlight, however, she had slept past her alarm and had to skip breakfast. A mistake that her stomach was now seeking vengeance for, her hunger making itself known in the form of a loud growl. She pursed her lips with a sheepish blush. “Lunch?” “Please.” The ride hadn’t been long. They watched as trees flickered past, turning into stretching fields, before they met the bridge that carried them over the Canterlot River and into downtown. Starlight smiled once they’d passed the planetarium, letting her eyes linger on the building as their bus pulled around a bend. She’d already been here a handful of times with Sunburst, but she’d never get over the way the buildings’ windows twinkled against the sun, even if the buildings themselves worked to block out the light. Canterlot was a lot different from home, she sighed, resting her head against the bus window, content with watching the buildings pass by. The buildings were much taller, sturdier, more industrialised than the old, worn architecture of Sire’s Hollow. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course! But it was a reminder that she was in a new place, far away from home; a welcomed reminder, at that. “You okay?” Sunset rubbed at her thumb, “next stop’s ours.” Starlight shook her head to clear away her thoughts. “Ah- yeah. Sorry, I was daydreaming.” Sunset snorted. “It’s not like you to space out.” “Oh whatever,” Starlight rolled her eyes with a smirk. Sunset waited for her once she’d hopped off the bus and instinctively sought out Starlight’s hand once she’d thanked the driver. “Okay… So, I’ll go to the party. But do we have to match outfits with Moondancer and Sunburst?” Starlight shrugged as she pulled Sunset along. “I mean I don’t really care. I just wanna have fun with you guys before you go home next week; and at least we get to choose the costumes to make up for them being assholes the other day. I say we take advantage of it.” Sunset couldn’t help but grin at the other girl’s mischievous smirk, that was paired with a wink. She rolled her eyes playfully. “Fine, I guess so. So what are your ideas?” The two girls slipped into a cafe off of the main street, Starlight holding the door open for Sunset to follow inside. It was a small establishment— smaller than their usual spot, that was— but Sunset eyed up the couches that warmed the front window. “I’ll be honest, it’s kind of hard thinking of a group costume. Most cartoons and books have groups of three or five… Finding something for four of us has been more difficult than I thought it’d be.” Sunset helped Starlight with her jacket and folded her own over her arm. She hummed in contemplation as she tapped at her puckered cheek. For an instant she brightened and opened her mouth, only to cut herself off with a shake of her head. “No… there’s five of them. Uhh…” While the red-head was deep in thought, Starlight ordered for them both. Sunset needn’t explain her order by now, she trusted Starlight to get her whatever she knew the other girl would like. Sunset kept her gaze on the floor as she followed Starlight over to the couches and took up the one opposite her girlfriend, thanking her quietly before she returned to staring off at the knots in the wood in front of her. “We could do the Wizard of Oz?” Starlight snorted and held her coffee away from her as she laughed, careful not to spill any on her new skirt. “And who would be the scarecrow? Sunburst?” Sunset smiled. “Well he is the dumbest in the group.” “He’s not dumb,” Starlight clicked her tongue, “just tactless.” Sunset shrugged and blew at her own drink. “You’d make a cute Dorothy.” “Stop being cute,” Starlight rolled her eyes and looked away, biting her lip as it stretched into a goofy smile of her own. “It’s a good idea though. I’ll keep it in mind.” “Hmm…” Sunset hummed and tapped a finger against the low table. “What about Heathers?” “And what? Make Sunburst Heather Chandler?” “He’s got the spunk.” Starlight’s eyes widened as she once again, choked on her drink. Sunset’s face ignited a crimson red. She sputtered and slammed her cup down on the table to wave her hands in defence. “T-that’s not! I didn’t mean it like—! You know what I meant!” Starlight couldn’t stop herself from laughing, even as the two of them began drawing the attention of the other customers. That just made Sunset shrink further into her sweater. Thankfully Starlight had calmed down enough to thank the barista once she delivered her bagel to the table, freshly made. Sunset grumbled and sipped at her hot chocolate. “Heh, anyway,” Starlight wiped at her eye, “You do make a point. I guess I haven’t been too open about whether or not the genders of the characters fit. I guess it doesn’t really matter.” “Can we be the ninja turtles? That way I can hide in my shell if I say something stupid again.” Starlight snorted and took a bite of her bagel. “But then how would I get to see your cute little face?” “Stop it.” “What? I’m just telling the truth.” Lunch consisted of Starlight trying her best to make the other girl blush between bites of her food and sips of her drink. Meanwhile, Sunset busied herself with brainstorming costume ideas, as well as eyeing up the counter for ideas on what other liquids to pour over their science project. She made sure to keep that part private though, lest Starlight grumble into her drink about how they were long overdue for a proper date. The other girl was right of course, and no matter how often Sunset reassured herself that they’d spend an afternoon galavanting in the park after their science project was finished, it didn’t make the redhead feel any less guilty. She stirred at her drink with a dejected frown. Starlight eyed her curiously. “What’s up?” Sunset straightened out her shoulders before she slumped back against the couch. “Oh, nothing. Still just coming up with costume ideas.” The other girl nodded. “My roommate and her friends were talking about going as those three vampire characters from that old detective cartoon with the dog?” The red-head pursed her lips, “Wasn’t the dog a really important part of the team though? That’s still a five man costume.” Starlight sighed and leaned into her palm, running a frustrated hand through her bangs. Then, she snorted. Sunset eyed her quizzically. “We could make Moondancer and Sunburst wear one of those two-people horse costumes and you and I could go as cowboys?” Sunset pressed her lips together tightly as she tried to fight off a grin, only to turn her head away when it split across her face. “It sure would be an interesting night.” “Sunburst can be the back end,” Starlight snickered, finishing the rest of her drink. “Because he’s such an ass?” “Oh,” the taller girl smiled, “you so get me.” The Autumn sun cast a calming warmth across everything it touched. Between chilled breezes that snuck out from side alleys and the orange and brown leaves that chittered against the sidewalk, the afternoon glow felt gentle against Sunset’s skin. She hunched her shoulders and drew the lapels of her coat closer, regardless. Starlight on the other hand stretched her arms out wide, balancing along the curb and humming quietly as she waited for the next opportunity to punctuate her step with a satisfying crunch. Sunset’s hands found solace in the depths of her pockets, but she still watched the other girl contently, smiling to herself from the comfort of her sweater’s neckline. “Aaaaand, here!” Starlight hopped back into place beside Sunset with a little twirl. “Nat told me this was a great place for costumes.” Starlight looped her arm around her girlfriend’s and pulled her into the store. Sunset paused, but let the taller girl lead her inside as she narrowed her brows a bit. “Nat?” “My roommate,” Starlight smiled, “it’s a nickname.” “Oh.” Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck with a small nod as Starlight dropped her hand to sift through the racks of sickeningly plastic-scented costumes and masks. “So you guys are talking now?” “Mh, kind of. Her friend’s have been busy with their classes lately so she’s been hanging around the dorm more.” She pulled a bag from one of the racks to hold it against Sunset’s torso. “Nah,” she returned it to its place, “I wouldn’t say we’re friends or anything yet, but it’s nice to finally have an actual conversation with her.” Sunset pretended to look through the costumes herself but kept a close eye on her girlfriend as she ventured further and further into the store. “Right. So, uh. What is she studying?” Maniacal laughter startled Starlight as a skeletal figure, dressed as a clown, popped out from behind a pop-up rack. The taller girl clasped a hand over her heart to calm herself down, and she glared a warning towards her snickering girlfriend— who promptly raised a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. “She’s in the theatre program,” Starlight replied, still leering at her girlfriend, “her friends are, too. She’s studying stage makeup and costume design. I’m not really sure what the other two are doing though.” “Wow, that’s kinda cool!” Starlight nodded as she plucked a foam sword from a shelf and ran her fingers along the edge, but her enthusiasm wasn’t all that convincing. “Oh, yeah, you say that now; but since Halloween’s coming up, Nat’s assignment has been to create a ‘monster makeup look’, so come back and talk to me after you wake up to a zombie sitting in your kitchen.” Sunset snorted and took the sword from the other girl to playfully stab it into Starlight’s back as she slipped past. “Fair enough. Oh, watch out!” Glancing over her shoulder to shoot the red-head a quizzical brow, Starlight allowed herself to crash right into a small child. Or rather, allowed the small child to crash into her. She paled, instantly reaching out to help the girl back onto her feet, uttering out babbled apologies and grimacing back in her girlfriend’s direction. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there—” “S’okay!” she dusted herself off with a polite smile, smoothing strands of pink hair back behind her ears, “I was the one who shoulda been watchin’ where I was goin’.” She accepted Starlight’s help and meekly scratched at her cheek, tucking her other arm behind her back, “I was just real excited an’ was goin’ a li’l too fast to stop myself.” Sunset puckered her cheek and folded her arms with an arched brow. “You should be more careful in the future. You could’ve hurt yourself.” The younger girl craned her neck to glance behind Starlight, who stepped out of the way, holding her forearm and trying her best to make herself smaller. The child narrowed her eyes up at Sunset with a hum, stroking at her chin as she tapped her foot, as if contemplating the red-head’s existence. Sunset swallowed nervously, pinching her lips and glancing over at her girlfriend. “Sorry,” she said finally, “I thought you looked familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it at present. But anyway,” she bowed her head towards Starlight once more, “sorry again for running into you Mrs Lady Ma’am, I’ll be sure to pay more attention in the future.” “Honey!” Called another woman’s voice from the back of the store. “Coming mommy!” The girl cupped her hand by her mouth to yell back. “I gotta go!” The two teens politely waved Honey off politely as she rushed past them, gathered a child-sized dog costume from one of the shelves, and disappeared back to wherever her mother had called her from. Starlight offered a wistful sigh. “Kids are cute.” “Not ‘til we’re married, Glim.” Darkness had long-since settled in once the two girls had finally left the city. Desperate to keep the cold out of her fingertips, Sunset had held her girlfriend’s hand tightly, tucking them both into the pocket of her jacket on the bus ride home. Starlight rested her head against Sunset’s shoulder, and Sunset had giggled at the way the other girl’s hair tickled her neck. Back on campus, the shorter girl still kept hold of Starlight’s hand as she balanced along the edge of the curb. Starlight smiled back at her, her eyes twinkling in the night. Sunset felt her chest tighten. “You’re so pretty.” Starlight giggled and turned her face away to hide her reddening cheeks. “You’re pretty easy on the eyes too.” Sunset bit her lip to subdue her grin, resolving instead to duck her head when that didn’t work out for her. Starlight chuckled and stuck out her tongue as she reached for Sunset’s other hand to twirl them around on the sidewalk. Sunset kept her eyes low as she surrendered herself to the bubbling laughter that forced its way up from her chest. As they slowed, Sunset’s hands found the other girl’s arms until they were slowly dancing— teetering, really— with the red-head trying her best to stop her world from spinning. “Dizzy?” “A little,” Sunset chuckled again. “You’re a dork.” Starlight beamed and lifted her chin in pride, “Maybe. But at least you’re having fun.” She paused and faltered a tad, “you’re having fun, right?” Sunset’s eyes flickered upward as Starlight leaned herself against a small fence and she held the other girl’s gaze for a few seconds, feeling brave. “I always have fun when I’m with you.” Once more, the taller girl grinned, and she leaned forward to peck Sunset on the nose. The red-heads eyes lingered on Starlight’s lips as she pulled back, wetting her own as she swallowed. “C-can I kiss you?” “You don’t need to ask, Sunset,” Starlight smiled gently. “Right. I-I know, but. Uhm. Right. Kissing you now.” Sunset nodded, furrowing her brows in her resolve. She slid her hands from Starlight’s arms up to her shoulders, lifting herself up a bit on her toes to press their lips together. By now their kisses were gentle, and practiced, and Starlight had all but memorised the tender fluttering of Sunset’s lashes against her cheeks as the other girl closed her eyes. Sunset felt Starlight chuckle. “What’s so funny?” She pulled away to frown. Starlight shook her head and reached for one of Sunset’s hands to interlock their fingers. “Nothing. I’m just…” she shrugged, “really happy.” As they began to walk again, Starlight swung their arms with a light hum. Sunset gave a small shiver. “You cold?” “A little bit.” “Mh.” Starlight puckered her cheek and moved a little closer. “Maybe we should stick close together. Y’know, just to be safe. Don’t want you catching a cold right before your birthday.” Sunset nodded and hummed, as if in thought, “Yes, to be safe.” “Of course. To be safe.” Both girls looked at each other for a moment before they broke out into a laugh, the empty streets around them echoing in their warmth. “I can just hear Moondancer in my head right now,” Sunset scoffed, giving a squeeze to her girlfriend’s hand. Starlight nodded, “She’d probably just call us gay or something. She’s pretty much used all of her material on us by now.” “I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit. Moondancer asked for a dictionary for her ninth birthday and a thesaurus for the next.” Starlight snorted and threw her head back in a laugh. “But we’re the nerds?” It wasn’t much longer until they found themselves at the door to Starlight’s dorm, the darkened windows were enough to indicate that Starlight would have the dorm to herself. The purple teen paused for a moment and held Sunset’s hand a little tighter before she raised it to her mouth to kiss her knuckles. “So… Do you wanna come in?” Sunset hesitated, a warm blush dusting her cheeks in a pink hue, “Oh, uh-” she stuttered as Starlight pulled her hands toward her hips and drew her forward. With her own hands now free, Starlight laced her fingers against the back of Sunset’s neck to hold her in place as she brought their lips together softly. Starlight stepped back and pressed herself against the door as Sunset’s tongue gingerly traced across her bottom lip. Her shaky hands awkwardly gripped Starlight’s hips. Sunset pulled away for a calming breath. “I-I’d really love to, Glim, but…” The taller girl rolled her eyes with a lopsided smirk, “You have plans with Moondancer?” Sunset nodded with a guilty frown. “She asked me to look over one of her manuscripts for class.” Starlight pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek. She cupped Sunset’s face in her hands to force the other girl to meet her eyes. “It’s alright, Red. I’m not going anywhere. You can… stay over some other night.” She shrugged with a gentle smile, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Okay?” “Yeah,” Sunset nodded, “okay.” The two stood there for a few minutes, simply holding each other’s hands and giving shy, small laughs before glancing away. Like middle-schoolers with a crush, they teased each other. The purple haired girl entered her silent dorm, alone, once Sunset had given her one last kiss goodbye. A small smile still warming her cheeks, she pulled her sweater closer to her nose and breathed in the other girl’s scent. Apricots and peach, Starlight sighed wistfully. She flicked on a lightswitch and took off her denim jacket to hang it on the coat rack by the door, the other empty pegs only confirming that she was, in fact, alone. Her lips fell into a small frown. Starlight rounded the breakfast bar, into the kitchen to make herself some coffee, perching herself atop the counter as she waited for the water to boil. She twiddled her thumbs, pretending like it was Sunset who was holding her hand. Groaning loudly with a blush, she buried her face in her hands and shook her head. With coffee in one hand and laptop in the other, Starlight finally wandered into her room and closed the door with her foot. She set her mug down on the bedside cabinet before finally dropping herself onto her mattress with a satisfied huff. Starlight didn’t bother tucking herself under the sheets; instead she propped her laptop up against her legs as she lay awkwardly against her pillows. She could practically hear her father’s condescending tone, chastising her on proper posture and how bad slouching was for her back, but quite frankly she didn’t care. The more pain the better, she smirked to herself. She opened up her social media tabs on instinct before she clicked her tongue and switched over to look at the spreadsheet Sunset had sent her for their project. She supposed she should at least get some revision done, as well as make the proper additions to their Chemistry Project plans. It gave Sunset one less thing to worry about. Refusing to sit in silence, however, she opened up her music app and hovered her mouse over her usual playlist for a moment. Narrowing her eyes at the screen and turning her head to breathe in the smell of apricots once more, she tutted to herself, and instead hit play on ‘recommended for you’ before shifting over to her work documents again. Starlight bobbed her head along to the song and tapped away at her keyboard, flashing her eyes to the bottom of the screen to catch a glimpse at the name of the artist. “The Rainbooms? Pfft, that’s kinda cheesy.” Author's Note I want to give a big thank you to my proof readers Sunsetslight and JSA, who also helped me with some edits to this chapter! Really appreciate it. As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Seven Minutes in Heaven.The first month of the semester had breezed by, and Sunset Shimmer absolutely adored her classes. That was, until, she had seen the results of their first practical test, and she had only scored a mesely 90%. Chemistry had been her best subject. Was her best subject. It was what she excelled at. In all of her years in higher education she had strived to be the best at everything she did, and she had always managed to succeed. She didn’t need to be perfect; she allowed herself that much, and so 90% would have been good enough. It should have been good enough. In all her years, Sunset had never once been toppled. That was, until now. “Starlight Glimmer!” She growled as she barged her way through the front door of her dorm, crumpled test results in hand. She threw her backpack against the wall before she began her episode of pacing back and forth. “I cannot believe this. How could she have gotten a perfect score? She doesn’t even pay attention in class! All she does is stare out the window or check her nails! Last week, she didn’t even bother taking a pen out of her bag,” Sunset growled, throwing her hands up in frustration, “I bet she doesn’t even revise the course materials! I don’t even think she owns a textbook, Moondancer. And I swear, if she spends one more period staring at me, I’m going to lose it.” “Sounds a little bit to me like you’re the one doing all the staring,” Moondancer replied, swinging her arm back to let her digital bowling ball make its way down the lane before she hit a spare. “Gotcha. Now, what did she do this time, hm?” She arched a curious brow and took a seat on the couch, entertained just watching Sunset continue her pacing. Sunset ran a hand through her hair and grunted. “We got our results back today for that test last week. You know, the one I spent the entire week studying for?” “It still confuses me why you had a test so early on in the semester but, yes, go on.” “Well. Basically, Professor Zecora made our results public for everyone, so that failing students could ask one’s with higher marks to tutor them if they want help— which in my opinion has both negative and positive aspects to it, but that’s besides the point—” Sunset mumbled. “And the point is?” “The point is, is that I didn’t get the highest grade in the class, Moondancer!” Sunset knit her brows together and threw her hands up once again in exasperation, “I’ve never not gotten the highest result. In anything! But here comes little miss brainiac with her stupid, dumb binder and her stupid ponytail and her stupid perfect grades— god I hate her.” The older girl rolled her eyes and undid the strap that was slung around her wrist before setting the Wii remote down on the coffee table in front of her, clasping her hands together. Elbows resting atop her thighs, she pursed her lips in thought, then brought her hands up to rest against her chin. “So, basically, you just hate this girl because she’s smarter than you?” With another heavy sigh Sunset picked up her bag and set it on the arm chair across from Moondancer. “No. I hate her because she’s getting better grades than me without putting in as much effort. She has to be cheating.” “Mh, think that’s kinda unfair to just assume, Shim. Have you, y’know, actually talked to her?” There was a pause before Sunset averted her eyes downward and mumbled under her breath. “What was that?” “I said no!” Moondancer narrowed her eyes and quirked a brow once more as she motioned for Sunset to continue. “I tried to talk to her but— when I went over to her she kinda smiled at me and I just couldn’t really blow up at her in front of the entire class. I didn’t want to make myself look bad, and I got really nervous about it.” Sunset’s face fell into a frown and she played with the bumps of thread on the back of the old chair absentmindedly. “Like— my chest started getting really tight, and my palms got really sweaty. I could feel my face heating up and— god she just makes me feel so gross. I think I might be allergic.” Moondancer’s mouth fell open in disbelief as she mirrored Sunset’s furrowed brows. “Sunset have you… Ever had like, an actual crush before?” The redhead fixed her sister with a look and blinked, “Uh, yeah. Don’t you remember that guy from summer camp when we were, like, twelve?” The other girl waved her hands in front of her as she rose to her feet. “No, no, no, that doesn’t count. We were kids. Getting butterflies because some kid named Timber Spruce,” she said in a mocking tone, “didn’t throw dirt in your face during camp activities, doesn’t exactly qualify as a crush, Shim.” “I don’t really understand why you’re even asking me this,” Sunset rolled her eyes and walked over to the kitchen area of their small dorm to collect a glass from an overhead cabinet. Taking a carton of orange juice from the fridge, she took a sip once the glass was filled enough. “What has me never having a ‘proper crush’,” she punctuated with air quotes, “got to do with me hating Starlight.” “Oh Sunset… Sunset, Sunset, Sunset.” Moondancer tutted, collecting her Wii remote from the table and lining up her bowling shot once more, “you stupid, stupid bastard.” “Whatever.” Sunset rolled her eyes once more and made her way into the living room again to set her bag on the floor, before sitting down on the arm chair. “Did you even go to class today, or have you just been playing video games the whole time?” “I don’t have class on Fridays, so, yeah. I’ve been trying to beat my high scores on all the Wii Sports games but— I hate to say it— I’m just too good.” “You’re such a geek.” “You have motivational chemistry posters in your room. Don’t think I didn’t see those.” “Hey, uh, you wanna maybe, I don’t know… Shut up?” Moondancer shot her a smirk before swinging her arm forward. Strike. “Bingo.” She sat back down and placed the remote on the table again, “So… I have this kid in my class who put in our group chat that he’s throwing a party tonight. I know you don’t really drink, but… Since your week has been so hard, I feel like it might be a good way for you to unwind?” “Mh… I think I’ll pass.” Sunset’s mouth fell into a crooked frown before she took another gulp of her orange juice, “I wanna go over the materials from class again and University parties are probably going to be a lot more… Intense than High School parties.” Her sister shrugged, “I doubt that. High School kids are immature and dumb. University is for mature adults, such as ourselves.” Sunset snorted, brow raising quizzically, “This is coming from the girl who, not only brought an replica anime sword with her to University, but has it proudly displayed in her bedroom?” “Ap, ap, ap-- enough. You’re coming. You deserve to have a little fun.” “Absolutely not.” Just how Moondancer had finally convinced her to come along to this, Sunset herself couldn’t find the answer. The way she managed to counteract all of her arguments, maybe? Moondancer did know all of her go-to excuses well enough to have her own counter arguments at the ready. She couldn’t stand it, honestly, but… she would just have to deal with it, she supposed. In all actuality the proposition didn’t sound so bad; have some fun and relax; wind down after such a stressful week of classes and sitting across from… Her. The redhead’s newest mortal enemy. The purple haired know-it-all who always managed to, without even trying, find just the right way to grind Sunset’s gears and make her blood boil. The girl who was now the utter bane of Sunset Shimmer’s existence: Starlight Glimmer. But, of course, Sunset knew no mercy when it came to the hands of cruel and ironic fate. No, instead of a classroom, the two were now sat across from each other at a frat party, the only obstacle that stood in Sunset’s way from completely murdering the other girl in cold blood being a spinning glass bottle between them. “I can’t believe you dragged me along to this— no. I can’t believe I let you drag me along to this,” Sunset grumbled to Moondancer, who was sat beside her, casually sipping at her drink. “Whatever. It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. Besides, it’s not like you had anything better to do; you’d just be sitting in your room sulking all night and you know it.” Sunset rolled her eyes and hugged her knees closer to her chest, her gaze now resting in the centre of the circle the party had formed on the floor. She couldn’t recall whose idea it had been, only that it had been stupid, but somehow they’d found themselves in a game of “Seven Minutes in Heaven” and Sunset was absolutely dreading her turn. She only knew two people at this party, and the last place Sunset should be allowed with either of them was a locked closet, alone. On top of that, Sunset was pretty sure she was most likely the only sober one here, and the idea of being in an enclosed space with any of these morons was enough to make her stomach churn. But, of course, her turn would come eventually. “You knew she’d be here, didn’t you.” “Come on, Shim,” Moondancer rolled her eyes with a huff, “how was I supposed to know Sunburst was friends with your girlfriend?” Sunset sent a heated glare in her direction, “She is not my—” A large collection of cheering and whoops cut her off as the bottle finally landed on one of the other girls in the circle, and she rose to her feet along with the boy who had been the spinner this time around. Sunset grumbled under her breath. “You know, she’s actually kinda cute,” Moondancer smirked as she took a sip of her drink, her eyes resting on the purple-haired girl across from them. “I might ask her out if you don’t.” Sunset felt her cheeks warm in a blush and she punched her sister’s arm. “Shut up.” “Awe, jealous?” She straightened out her legs and sent another fist her way, “Absolutely not.” Turquoise eyes flashed across the crowd to sneak a glance at Starlight, who was currently laughing at something the fiery-haired boy beside her had said. She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach and she tried her best to swallow down the thick lump that had stuck itself in her throat. Was that her boyfriend? They weren’t even that far into the semester, how could she have a boyfriend already? Was she just that sociable? Another thing she was better than Sunset at. No, wait. He couldn’t be her boyfriend. No, that’s right. This was the boy from Moondancer’s class. What was his name again? Starburst? No, that wasn’t it… Sunset pinched her lips, wrinkling her nose. Sun… beam. No. Sunburst. Sunburst! She blinked her eyes and nodded. From what Moondancer had told her about him, he wasn’t in any kind of committed relationship. Committed doesn’t mean they can’t fool around, Sunset frowned. “Why don’t you at least have a drink? C'mon, let yourself go every once in a while.” Moondancer nudged her with her shoulder. Sunset shook her head. “No, I…” Why was she even thinking about this? She grumbled inwardly; Moondancer had gotten inside her head. “I’m alright.” The boy and girl from before came back to rejoin the circle and the group of teens cheered at the dishevelled mess that the two had found themselves in. Sunset frowned, as this meant that it was now her turn. “Ew.” “Don’t be an egghead, Sunset.” With a roll of her eyes, Sunset shifted forward to reach for the bottle “Coming from the girl who bathes while reading Sylvia Plath?” She gave it a spin. She sat back again and crossed her legs into a basket. Like every other turn, the intoxicated crowd began cheering and hollering like idiots. How they had so much energy at this time of night, the red-haired girl wouldn’t ever understand. She let out a deep sigh and leaned back on her hands as she watched the bottle spin with mild amusement before it began slowing down in speed. Now came the time for the crowd to do their makeshift “drum roll”, which basically just consisted of everyone rapidly tapping and obnoxiously banging any surface that was readily available to them. When the bottle eventually came to a stop, Sunset’s eyes lazily shifted to follow where the tip was pointing, and— No. Absolutely not. Starlight sat awkwardly, fidgeting under the intense glare of the now enraged girl across from her. “U-uh- y’know, we don’t really-”she wasn’t able to finish her sentence, though, Moondancer cutting her off as she practically leapt across the room in order to tug the purple-haired girl to her feet. Despite her protests, Moondancer pulled her back over to where she had been sitting originally, and did the same to Sunset, who was all but screaming profanities at her best friend. Ex-best friend. Sunset hated this— hated her— and hated just how small this closet actually was. She hugged her knees to her chest just like she had before, and stared point blank at the wall across from her, completely refusing to even spare the other girl so much as a glance in her direction. The tension between them was suffocating, and the fear of drowning kept Sunset from opening her mouth at all. Not that she wanted to, of course; but apparently Starlight was far more brave than she was. “So… Sure is a nice... closet.” Sunset remained silent and tensed up when she felt the other girl shift a bit. “Ah— uhm. Sorry. It’s just kinda cramped.” “It’s fine.” Sunset swallowed and fixed her posture so that she had her back pressed against the wall, to allow Starlight more room to move. “But… Yeah. Sure is a nice… closet.” Starlight flashed her a smile. Sunset felt her chest tighten. “So,” the other girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear sheepishly, “how do you know Sunburst?” “I don’t, really. He’s in my sister’s class. She kinda dragged me along to this.” “Your sister?” Her lips puckered a bit before she beamed. “Oh! Is that the girl you were sitting with? Your sister?” “Yeah.” Starlight nodded. “Right, right.” Sunset drew her lips into a line and felt her brow crease as she did so. “So how do you know Sunburst?” Starlight paused. “He’s a childhood friend. We both just ended up coming here,” she chuckled a bit, but it seemed… a little forced. “I see.” A beat. “So are you guys like, together, or?” Starlight snorted and pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a fit of laughter. “Oh, God no!” She chuckled, more genuinely, “for starters, we’re both gay.” Sunset felt her face burn in a red blush. “O-oh!” She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and looked askance, “sorry for assuming—” “Pfft, it’s okay. Don’t sweat it.” She let out another small giggle before rubbing her hands over her jeaned thighs. “Honestly I assumed you were dating your sister, so, we’re both guilty.” It was Sunset’s turn to laugh. “Ew. No. Moondancer is an egghead.” “You don’t like eggheads?” Starlight teased. “I don’t like my sister,” She raised a brow. The other girl’s face pinched. “Oh- uh. Yeah. That makes sense.” She paused for a few moments, rubbing the back of her neck, “So… you’re Sunset, right? You’re in my Chemical Sciences class with Doctor Zecora?” “The one and only. You’re Starlight.” “The hydrogen and… Uh,” she pursed her lips, cheeks burning, “Sorry, that was… dumb.” “Were you… trying to make a chemistry pun?” “Please don’t make this more than it has to be.” Sunset snorted. Starlight busied her hands for a bit, kneading her palm with a thumb as she contently watched Sunset try to stifle her laughter. “There’s uhm,” she cleared her throat, “something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually.” Sunset tensed. She felt her stomach flip and her brain was foggy. Suddenly, she wished she could switch her major to language studies, because all words were failing her. “U-uhm,” she squeaked, “yes?” “Can I just ask… do you, like... hate me or something?” there was a small pause before she fumbled to continue, “I mean— I don’t think I’ve done anything to you— but if I have I want to apologise. I didn’t mean to do... whatever it was that I have, and— I’m sorry…” Sunset felt her brain crash and in her total system reboot, she could only blink in response. She felt her cheeks warm in a light blush, “I—” Sunset began, trying to find the right words to say. “I don’t hate you.” Sunset cursed to whatever God had forced her into this situation, to face her own words and feelings, “I barely know you, so, that would be kind of a bold statement to make.” The purple-haired girl shrugged, although Sunset couldn’t see it, and frowned awkwardly. “I just always catch you glaring at me in lectures. At first I thought maybe we’d met before, or that you were trying to get my attention or something, but whenever I looked over at you, you just always seem really… angry, I guess.” She rubbed at the back of her neck and mirrored Sunset’s posture, shifting so that her own knees were pressed against her chest. Sunset’s lips pulled into a tight line as she paused. “I guess you just… For lack of a better word... annoy me.” Starlight flinched away from the other girl, curling in on herself a bit. “Oh.” She said, quietly. She knitted her brows, “I— annoy you? What did I—” She pursed her lips, “how’s that?” A pang of guilt took hold of Sunset’s chest as her brows furrowed upward. Moondancer had been right. She only realised now, seeing the other girl wrap her arms around herself in a hug, just how unfair she had been, and she stammered for an excuse to try and de-escalate the situation. “I don’t… I don’t know, actually… you just—” she pursed her lips for a moment before she let out a frustrated huff, “you just make me feel weird.” There was an awkward moment of silence, then, before the tension began to slowly subside. Starlight felt herself able to relax slightly as she waited for Sunset to continue; only, she never did. The purple-haired teen raised a brow in confusion, not that the other girl would see it now, her eyes cast downward. “What do you mean?” “Well, I mean—” Sunset eyes flickered upward and Starlight felt her throat tighten. She looked like a puppy trying to own up to a mistake. Sunset shifted so that she was sitting with her legs in a basket once more, but stared at the floor again as soon as their eyes met. She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down. God, Starlight frustrated her so much. “You always make me feel so nervous. The only reason I glare at you in class is because I can always… feel you staring at me while I’m taking notes. It just… kinda makes me anxious.” “Oh. Sorry about that—” Starlight awkwardly rubbed at the back of her neck, a faint blush of her own dusting her cheeks, “I don’t really mean to, it’s just… You’re really pretty. I can’t really help it.” Sunset’s light blush intensified into a burning red and she let out an exasperated groan— however, it was more directed at herself rather than the girl in front of her. “It’s not just that, though. I’ve always been the top of the class— and sure that might seem super dumb and childish but— I’ve always had to prove that I can accomplish anything and you just come along and—” her fingers were practically buried in her hair the more she went on, her frustration building up as she tried her best to express what was on her mind, “you just— make it look so easy…” Starlight stayed quiet, but slowly shifted towards Sunset, making sure to watch her body language in case it became clear she was overstepping her boundaries. Starlight could see just how difficult this was for the other girl, and it was clear just how upset Sunset was becoming with each word she spoke. Embarrassment; anger; or something else entirely, it didn’t matter. All Starlight wanted to do was comfort her. “I always study like crazy, but no matter what, I just can’t ever seem to keep up with you. I don’t mean to put words in your mouth, but it just never seems like you pay attention in class. At first it was just kinda frustrating— we’re here to study— but after getting our results back and seeing that ‘some airhead who always seems to be staring off into space’ got a higher mark than me? I just— I hate feeling like— like I’m doing something wrong… Like I’m not good enough...” Starlight offered a sympathetic smile and leaned back against the wall, “I know how that feels. at least. Honestly? With Sunburst…” she let out a small sigh, “I just constantly feel like I’m living in his shadow.” Starlight straightened her legs out— as best she could, anyway— and rubbed at them through her jeans. “He’s always been the smarter one. He always gotten higher grades than I have; always had more friends than I do, and he’s never… been afraid to just be who he is, you know?” She pursed her lips. “So I understand. I just want to feel like I’m good enough, too. I didn’t mean to make you feel like that, Sunset. I’m sorry.” The red-head let out a small, dry laugh and leaned her own back against the wall before running a hand through her hair once more, “You know, actually saying it out loud like this, to you, it just sounds so… Silly.” “Hey… It’s not silly.” Starlight shifted awkwardly to sit beside the other girl and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t really know anything about you, but I can tell you’re really dedicated to your work. Honestly, I think I just got lucky with my scores on the last test.” She shrugged. Sunset cast her eyes downward and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “Sorry for being kind of a dick. I’m not really… the best when it comes to social interaction.” “That’s okay,” The other girl chuckled, “I’m not too good at that myself. Sunburst is honestly the only reason I’m even here.” The red haired teen paused, finally finding the strength to look at the other girl’s face. Her bright smile made Sunset’s chest tighten, and she could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. The closet was filled only with silence— but the tension from before had completely melted away as the two girls stared into each other’s eyes. Even in the dark, Sunset could make out the delicate curve of Starlight’s smile and her breath hitched in her throat as the other girl started leaning in closer… “Time’s up you two!” came a loud male voice from the doorway as the closet door swiftly opened, the next two players to enter grinning down at the two girls. Sunset felt like the air itself had been torn from her lungs as her body sprung to life. She scrambled to her feet, Starlight too dazed by her own alerted confusion to even react as Sunset pushed— nay, clawed— past the three teenagers blocking her exit. Starlight watched her back disappear into the rest of the party, staggered and embarrassed. She blinked and Sunset was gone, but the tight knotting in her chest wouldn’t fade. Author's Note :9 Find the art for this chapter here! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Hangover cure. — ✦ — The world was dark and bleary; the only real sense of light in the small room came from the moon outside, bleeding through the curtains, and the horse shaped night-light beside Moondancer's bed. She sat up and wiped her eyes before turning her head to look at her bedside clock, the lambent red numbers indicating that it was only 3 am. Although her vision was blurred, Moondancer could tell that her bedroom door was left open, which was odd, considering it had been closed over when she had fallen asleep. She shifted closer to her bedside table in order to feel around for the protective case of her glasses, which she then proceeded to take out and slide onto her face. The world around her came into focus and with a small hum she narrowed her eyes to try and make out any shapes in the dark hallway outside of her room. “Hey, Sunset? Are you awake?” She whispered, but when no answer came she instead shifted her gaze to where her best friend was sleeping on the floor. Had been sleeping. Instead of the red haired girl she expected to see tucked into her sleeping bag, Moondancer saw Sunset’s blankets scattered in a disarray across the ground. She pulled her own blankets from her body and climbed out of bed to maneuver towards the door, feeling her way through the darkness of her room until she came into the hallway. First she checked the upstairs bathroom, making sure to turn on the light and pull back the shower curtain to see if anyone was hiding there. “Sunset?” she whispered again, furrowing her brows as she switched the lights off once more and returned to the hallway. Moondancer paused and listened intently for any indication of movement throughout the sleeping house, and after coming up short once again she instead made a mental checklist of her friend’s usual hiding places whenever she did this sort of thing. She wasn’t in the bedroom, that was for sure; and the bathroom was empty, too. Her parent’s room was an automatic “red zone” since Sunset felt too sheepish to even go in there with permission. After checking the only closet upstairs and finding it empty, Moondancer quietly crept downstairs to begin her search of the bottom level of the small home. “Sunset?” she beckoned again, squinting her eyes to readjust to the darker lighting of the living room. She then heard her first sign— a hiccup— coming from the kitchen area behind her. She turned on her heel and waited for a moment to make sure it wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her; but after hearing another small whimper she swifty but silently, moved into action. Her living room and kitchen was open plan and so she only had to round the breakfast counter to find her friend sitting huddled in a corner beside one of the kitchen cupboards, wiping at her eyes and shivering quietly. Moondancer let out a light sigh and gave a small smile in relief. At least this time she hadn’t actually left the house in the dead of the night, she noted to herself. That was at least an improvement. She wordlessly plopped herself down beside her best friend and wrapped her arm around Sunset’s trembling shoulders before pulling the smaller girl into herself, offering up gentle coo’s in order to try and calm her down. “Bad dream again?” Sunset gave no answer for a moment, only a small cough before she wrapped her own arms tightly around Moondancer. “I’m sorry—” Her voice was small and broken, and everything inside of the other girl just wanted to protect her friend; to make her feel calm and safe. “It’s okay Sunny, I’ve got you.” Moondancer couldn’t really understand it, and she knew she was lucky that way, but seeing Sunset so fragile like this always broke her heart. She wanted to understand. Wanted to know how to help Sunset understand that she wasn’t alone anymore. “I just— why did they leave me, Moondancer? Why am I not good enough?” Sunset buried her face into the friend’s shoulder as a small sob bubbled up in her chest and forced itself out of her throat. She didn’t want to wake Moondancer’s parents and inconvenience them more than she already believed that she had. “I’m sorry I get like this all the time, usually there’s no one to w-wake up back home,” she stuttered. ‘Back home,’ Moondancer thought to herself, ‘the home, more like.’ For once she was grateful for the dark as it hid the frown that settled on her features and the pained expression of sympathy she felt for the smaller girl in her arms. She knew Sunset hated that the most. The way people looked at her like there was something wrong with her. ‘Was there something wrong with her?’ the red-head would ask between swings at the park. Moondancer could only shake her head profusely and reply with a firm ‘Of course not, dummy,’ but even she was aware of how old that had gotten, and fast. Applewood Gardens Children’s Home always did their best to provide financially for the children in their care and Moondancer was especially grateful for their permission to let Sunset stay with her and her parents occasionally on weekends, should they both have their homework completed. But there was something that always itched in the back of the older girl’s mind. As far as Moondancer was aware, Sunset had simply been left in their care from a young age with no real trauma case in her stead. That was good news, of course, but that didn’t stop the tears; and the shaking; and the ragged, uneasy breaths that tore themselves from Sunset’s small frame whenever parent’s night was a topic of concern. Or when their school would perform a show, and she would be forced to stare out upon the endless sea of faces, with none of her own to search for. No eyes of her own to stare into as they congratulated her on a job well done. No warm arms to welcome her ‘home’. Another hiccup echoed in the quiet house and Moondancer hushed her once more by rubbing small circles at the base of her back. It worked to ease out some of the red haired girl’s tensions as her sobs soon turned into small yawns, and she rode out the rest of her relapse with her face buried into the older girl’s shoulder. “C’mon, Shim. Let’s go back to bed, okay?” The smaller girl gave a nod and pulled back silently to climb back to her feet. Moondancer joined her and cupped her face for a moment, tilting her own head in the darkness to see if there was any remnants of tears staining the usually charismatic girl’s cheeks. She ran her thumbs gently across her damp skin just to be sure before taking her hand and quietly leading her back up the stairs to her bedroom. “You need to stop being so silly, Sunset. I’m not going to make fun of you for crying. I will make fun of you for being a dummy and not telling me when you’re upset, though.” The smaller girl paused as Moondancer dropped her hand and then gave a small, sheepish nod. “Right… Sorry- ow—!” Moondancer cut her off with a flick to the forehead, and Sunset let out another small whimper, “Stop apologising, dummy.” They both stood in silence for a few moments, Sunset awkwardly rubbing her arm, waiting for her friend to say something else. “Sunny?” “Hm?” “Could you sleep with me tonight? I had a bad dream, too.” The room was dark, but Moondancer could see the smile that rose to Sunset’s lips as she gave another small nod and moved closer to Moondancer’s bed, stepping over her own sleeping bag on the floor. The two climbed onto the mattress and under the blankets before huddling closer together, Moondancer wrapping Sunset in a protective embrace against her. “G’night, Princess Sunset.” Sunset chuckled lightly, “Good night, Moondancer.” Sunset groaned and rubbed at her forehead as she struggled into a sitting position in her bed. She squinted against the harsh light of September as it intruded past her curtains, bathing her room in a warm light. She was going to vomit. She tore the restrictive sheets from her legs and made a break for the door, stumbling out and into the bathroom across the hall. She sunk to her knees, slammed the toilet seat against the tank, and released the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Just what had she drank last night? She groaned, resting her forehead on her arm as her body slumped against the side of the bathtub. She knitted her brows, trying her best to piece together memories of last night; beyond the rambunctious crowd, terrible taste in music, and the absolute garish wardrobe of the other girls who had been in attendance. Not that she really had any leg to stand on. She hummed. Who was she there with? Moondancer. Where even was she? Sun… burst. Star… light. Starlight. Starlight Glimmer, in fact. A closet. Starlight’s breath; all too close. Her eyes shot open as her stomach lurched. She leaned over the bowl again to let out another round of vomit, hacking up bile, and wincing as the stench stung at her nose. “Well good morning, Mr Bach. Seems you had a lot of fun last night,” Moondancer arched a brow with a sly smirk as she rounded the door and leaned against its frame. She sipped at her coffee and hooked one ankle over the other. “I think you might have overdone it Arthur.” “Painkillers…” Sunset groaned, “and a glass of water.” “Magic word?” Sunset groaned, louder, “Pleeeease…” Moondancer set her mug down on the bathroom counter and made her way down the hall toward the kitchen. Her mouth felt so unbelievably dry, no matter how much she tried to swallow or wet her lips. Sunset pulled back from the toilet seat, only to accept the chilled glass from Moondancer, and popped the two tablets into her mouth. “Gah…” Sunset’s face twisted as she swallowed down a gulp of water, “I don’t know if my throat burns more from the vomit or the vodka.” Moondancer nodded, collecting her mug before squatting to sit on the bathroom floor with the other girl, leaning her head against the sink cabinet and taking another drink of her coffee. “Yeah. Trying to do vodka shots without any preface will do that to you, babe.” Sunset stuck out her tongue and took a sip of her water. “You’re not a drinker, Shim. What did mom and dad teach you about peer pressure?” The red-head stared down at the ripples in her glass as she swirled it around a bit. She puckered her lips and let out the air from her cheeks. “I just-... I wanted to drink.” Moondancer rolled her eyes. “Then start on lighter stuff. You pretty much passed out thirty minutes after you started because you didn’t pace yourself.” She leaned forward to flick her sister’s forehead, “You’re just lucky I was there to take you home.” The younger girl’s brows squeezed into a frown before she fixed her jaw. “Well, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have been there in the first place.” Moondancer’s face pinched, lips stretching before she gave a lopsided, chagrined smile. “So what? You’re mad I invited you?” “Yeah.” Sunset paused, wrung the glass between her hands, and sighed. “No. Sorry.” She ran a hand through her hair and sipped some more water to cool herself down. “I just-... Starlight and I almost kissed.” “Yeah, no shit. That’s kinda how 7 minutes in heaven works.” She rolled her eyes, adjusting herself against the cold tiles of the floor. “I figured something happened, since you bolted out of that closet, at a speed the likes of which I’ve never seen.” It was Sunset’s turn to roll her eyes. “We were just talking and then she started to lean in. The door opened and I—” “You shit yourself and ran away.” “—I didn’t” “You tore ass, Sunset. Like, really. I haven’t seen you run that fast since they had a special vegetarian chili wrap day at school, and you literally tackled some poor girl on the way to the cafeteria.” Moondancer swallowed down the rest of her coffee, “there’s no denying it, Shim. I was there.” Sunset scowled. “Well, whatever. Point is, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” She shifted to sit back against the tub, rather than awkwardly propping herself up with one arm, legs tucked to the side. She sipped some more water, sloshed it around her mouth, and spat it into the porcelain. “Do about what?” “About Starlight!” Sunset shot the other girl an incredulous glare, “she tried to kiss me! How am I supposed to act next time we talk?” Moondancer clicked her tongue and sat cross-legged, throwing another eye roll in Sunset’s direction. “Yeah, cause you two totally always talked to each other before the party. Totally forgot that you two were bestfriends.” “Moondancer.” “What?” She held her hands up in defence, “I’m being serious. You’re freaking out over nothing. Look, she was drunk, you guys were playing a game, she probably wasn’t even trying to kiss you. She could’ve just been trying to get comfortable. That closet was cramped.” That… made more sense, actually, Sunset frowned. She wasn’t sure why that disappointed her. “Wait… how do you know how cramped it was?” Moondancer smirked, “You might have stopped playing, but I didn’t.” “Damn. So you made out with someone in a closet? Are you, like, thirteen?” Moondancer punched Sunset in the arm, hard. “On a scale from one to ten, yeah.” Sunset scoffed and let out a snort, before both girls erupted into a fit of giggles. “You’re a dork. You know that, right?” “How’s the headache feeling now?” “Mh,” the red-head hummed. “It feels a little better. Still a killer, and I definitely feel like I could throw up again; but, better.” Moondancer nodded and pulled herself to her feet using the bathroom counter, leaning over to ruffle Sunset’s already bed-messed hair. “If you need anything just gimme a call. I’ll pick you up some snacks when I go out later.” “Salted popcorn?” She gave a pleading pout. “Sure thing. If you want anything else though, just text me. Later alligator,” She gave a small salute and a wink as she rounded the door to leave. Sunset shot finger guns in response. “In a while, crocodile.” Once her head had stopped throbbing, and the dorm had settled, Sunset shakily rose to her feet, using the side of the tub for support. She leaned against the counter and the wall, making sure to keep her glass in a steady grip before she could set it down at her bedside. She flopped down with a relieved breath. Her body felt heavy and light all at the same time. Her pounding head was in the clouds, which was unfortunate, because every beam of sunlight caused her to recoil further into her sheets. “I’m never drinking again,” she groaned into her pillows, hugging the plush material tight. Visions of Starlight danced across her mind in a walts between foggy, alcohol-laden memories, and the fuzzies behind her eyelids. Her body rose and fell like a piston, her heavy breath entering and exiting her lungs through her barely parted mouth. Before long she resigned herself to the sweet embrace of sleep, allowing the gentle mistress to hold her tenderly. I wonder what Starlight’s lip’s would have felt like. “Aaaaand I’m vomiting again.” Sunset shovelled a handful of popcorn into her mouth, dismissing the kernels that completely missed altogether and tumbled down to join the small collection in her lap. She didn’t even know what she was watching. If she were being honest, she had tuned out for the first half hour and now was dissassociatively trying to follow the narrative. But even Goldilocks and the Three bears would have proved to be Shakespearean in her current state of mind. After throwing up— what she could only assume to be the lining of her stomach— she had tried to take a shower. Tried. She really tried. All she could recall was sitting in the tub, letting the water wash over her skin. Was that water hot, she couldn’t tell. She just remembered falling asleep and waking up around 40 minutes later, pruned and hungry. “Ugh,” she’d groaned, “this is why I don’t drink.” Currently, she found herself wrapped in one of Moondancer’s fuzzy blankets on the couch, gorging herself on popcorn and fruit juice. It was all she could stomach, if she were being honest. She shovelled another load of popcorn into her mouth. With an almost frustrated harrumph, she pulled at the front of her shirt to inspect the crumbs and salt that coated the fabric. She hesitated with a firm jaw. She plopped the fallen kernels into her mouth, one by one, an animated, cartoonish munching noise punctuating each bite. Sunset had allowed her hair to air-dry, but the dampness that clung to skin sent a shiver through her system as a weak draft breezed past. She snuggled deeper into her sister’s blanket. “Why are you watching…” Moondancer squinted toward the screen as she paced into the room, “is that… Dark Fowl?” Sunset shrugged, snaking her arm out to collect another handful of popcorn. “Mhm. Honestly I have no idea what is even going on.” “Have you gotten to the part where the main chick sleeps with the understudy?” Moondancer sat on the arm of the couch, eyes not leaving the screen. Sunset choked. Through a fit of sputtered coughs, she replied, “The who does what? I thought this movie was about ballet—” “Well, it is,” Moondancer leaned over to steal some of the other girl’s snacks, and held the kernels in her hand, picking at them one at a time. “But it’s also, like, a psychological thriller. It’s super interesting.” “Yeah. I bet. Nothing more psychologically thrilling than sleeping with another woman.” Sunset grumbled, blush faint on her cheeks. She’d blame her shower though. The older girl snorted and fixed Sunset with a look; not that she would have noticed as she kept her eyes forward. “Thrilling for you? Maybe you should call up Starlight and ask her to—” “Shut up!” Sunset swatted her, the heat spreading down her neck. “God you’re so insufferable.” “That’s what sisters are for. You didn’t read it in the fine-print? It was on the adoption forms.” “Ah, didn’t notice it. I knew I should have had a lawyer comb through it and look at the terms and conditions.” Moondancer clicked her tongue and slid down to sit beside her sister on the couch and nudged her playfully with her shoulder. “See. That’s why you gotta read those things.” “You sure got me.” “How are you feeling now?” Sunset let out a wistful puff of air, blowing a curled lock of hair from her face, only for it to fall back into place. “I felt better after having a shower and having something to drink, but you’ve just brought my migraines back. I hope you feel terrible.” “Oh, I do,” Moondancer held a hand over her heart and stole more popcorn with the other. “You’re almost out.” Sunset grabbed her bowl from the table and adjusted in place. “Yeah cause some asshole keeps eating it all.” “Now, Sunset. I know you have low self-esteem but calling yourself an asshole isn’t the way to go.” “You’re so annoying.” “Again, it’s my job.” “Well, you’re fired.” “I own the company, Sunset.” “I hold the majority of the shares.” “Damn…” Moondancer clicked her tongue and shook her head. “You got me there. I know when I’m beat.” “Mh.” Sunset pulled the blanket from around her shoulders and offered a corner to the other girl who then slipped in beside her, rubbing at her arms and thighs a bit as she adjusted to the warmth. “Cozy.” They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the plot flicker by on the screen. Sunset sat quietly as Moondancer made passing comments— sometimes about the narrative; sometimes about the characters; sometimes about the acting. But she always finished off with an airy sigh, “I wish I could write something this enthralling.” “Hey, moon?” “Yeah?” “Thanks.” “For what?” Sunset settled deeper into the couch. “I dunno. “ But Moondancer did. Author's Note Back with a new chapter! Things are about to get real interesting😏 As I said before, these chapters will be uploaded biweekly (but I might be generous and upload the odd chapter weekly instead) & there's still plenty of this story to come! As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! Or, get in touch about a commission! other socials - Twitter Tumblr Discord (DM!)
Partners in crime (and sashes!)She hated this. She hated this stupid, itchy uniform; these stupid, ugly shoes; and she hated this stupid sash that was supposed to showcase how ‘special’ she was. She hated Sunday afternoons and the horrible musty smell of the old community center, as she and her girl scout troop were made to stand in ordered lines and listen to their instructions for the day. She never asked for this. The only reason she was in this mothball-scented mess was because her third grade teacher had recommended to the support staff of her foster— right, children’s home— that Sunset make some new friends and widen her social circle; but all it did was give her one more thing to hate, and one less thing to look forward to. Well, to be specific, three more things. Torment took the form in Sonata Dusk, Ariana Blaze and last but certainly not least, Adagio Dazzle: three other girls in her troop. Sonata was the smallest of the three; her azure hair pulled back into a short ponytail; bright magenta eyes punctuated, almost, by a small darkened freckle beneath the left. As much as she hated to admit it, Sunset found her to be quite cute— if she wasn’t pulling her hair and calling her names, that was. Not that she liked cute things, anyway! Ariana’s bangs fell just short of the thick, black, horn rimmed glasses that sat against the bridge of her nose, with the rest of her hair tied into a neat braid that came over her right shoulder. She’d only ever seen Ariana by herself once, when Adagio and Sonata had been on a long weekend trip away with their mothers; but with the other two at her side, the purple-haired girl’s timid frame filled out— with fake confidence— and she crossed her arms over her chest smugly, taking up the other side of the leader of their small pack: Adagio Dazzle. Adagio was… Perfect. As perfect as any eight year old could be, that was. She was talented, wealthy, and she knew how to present herself well. She was confident, and bold, and all of the things Sunset would never be. She’d already been awarded with twelve badges this season— despite the troop only being formed a couple of months prior. Sunset sighed as the troop dispersed into their friend circles and clenched her hands into tight fists as she watched the three girls approach, just like clock work. “Alone again, Sunset Shimmer?” Adagio teased, causing the other two girls at her side to snicker, “don’t you ever get bored of looking so miserable?” Sunset furrowed her brows and tried her best to stammer out a witty come back. “Oh yeah? Well— you guys look dumb.” To no avail. Ariana narrowed her eyes from behind her spectacles, “We’re all wearing the same uniform, stupid. If we look dumb then so do you.” She jabbed a firm finger into the centre of Sunset’s chest, which then caused her to stumble back with a wince. “Yeah,” giggled Sonata, reaching forward to tug at Sunset’s hair, “and who did your pigtails for you? Your mommy?” Sunset bit her lip and swallowed past the bile that was forcing itself up her throat. Her face twisted into a scowl as her nails dug half moons into her palms, “S-shut up.” Her voice was weak and frail, but she did her best to hide the waver in her tone. But the smirk Adagio Dazzle shot towards her was enough indication that it hadn’t been enough. “Awe, is the wittle baby gonna cry?” Shut up. “Haha, look at her, she’s tearing up!” Shut up. “She’s such a baby!” “Shut up!” Sunset screamed. Her body whirred to life, pouncing onto the ginger girl in front of her and tackling her to the ground. Sonata let out a shriek of terror as Ariana did her best to pull the red-head from her friend. Adagio struggled desperately to fight back, but Sunset’s grip was firm on her wrists. “I’m not a baby!” Adagio kicked her legs frantically as Ariana wrapped her arms tightly around Sunset’s waist and tugged as hard as she could, but Sunset had already begun to dig her nails into Adagio’s skin, and the other girl whimpered out in a cry. Adagio’s resistance faltered for a moment as she recoiled, and with the older girl suddenly defenceless, Sunset pulled back a fist and aimed for her face. Before her clenched knuckles could make contact, a scout leader caught her wrist and firmly yanked her from the wriggling girl below. “Sunset Shimmer! Just what do you think you are doing?” Roared Ms Peachbottom, and Sunset flinched in fear. The older woman’s brows were furrowed sternly as she stared down at the red-head, hands now resting on her hips as she awaited a response. The small girl’s mouth hung open as she stammered for the words to say, her eyes flickering from the scout leader’s face, to the three other girls who were currently sobbing to her right. Sunset wrung her hands, her breath becoming ragged as she watched Adagio rub at her tender wrists, Ariana and Sonata having also sunken to their knees at her sides; the tapping foot of the older woman between all four girls wasn’t doing anything for Sunset’s anxiety, either. So, she cried. The tears that had threatened to spill from before had come back with a vengeance, and brought with them a little friend called guilt. Another assistant approached to aid the situation swiftly and took the three shaken girls to the infirmary— to patch up any injuries Sunset may have inflicted, the red-head could only assume. Rubbing at her eyes as she wailed, Sunset tensed at the pair of hands that came to rest on her shoulders. “Sunset, sweetie, please take a breath. We need to know what happened. You’re a smart girl, and it’s not like you to lash out. Do you want to sit at the side and talk about it?” The small girl suppressed another wail in her throat as she sniffled, which, in turn, caused her trembling frame to wrack with a series of coughs. The scout leader pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her back gently as she did her best to sooth the shaken child. Once Sunset’s whimpers had died down somewhat she was led over to a bench at the side of the hall, where she stared down at her lap through raw, bleary eyes. “Now, I’m going to ask again…” Ms Peachbottom said in a softer tone than before, “What happened to make you lash out like that? You know fighting and raising your hands is wrong, so tell me what happened. I just want to help, Sunset.” The red-head bit her bottom lip as it quivered once more and she wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. Ms Peachbottom reached into her pocket to pull out a packet of hankies and offered one to her. “I—...” she croaked, “A-Adagio and Sonata hurt my feelings…” The scout leader nodded in understanding, “Mhm, go on.” Sunset coughed. “They called my— my pigtails dumb. And they asked if my… They asked if my mommy—...” Her chest rose as she began to hyperventilate once more. Ms Peachbottom let out a click of her tongue and pulled Sunset in for another tight hug, rubbing the small of her back as Sunset, in turn, wrapped her arms around the older woman’s neck, to bury her face in her shoulder. “Shh, shh, it’s alright,” she cooed, “I understand. I’ll make sure to have a word with them, alright?” Sunset nodded weakly against the fabric of her sash with a whimper. The situation of Sunset’s parents— of lack thereof— was a topic that most, if not all, the scout leaders and assistants had been made aware of by her social worker. They’d been asked to monitor any sort of anti-social behaviour from the young girl, and report back had anything arisen. But it wasn’t long at all before the scout leaders had simply found that she… just lacked proper social skills as a whole. She found it difficult to make friends and join in with group activities or discussions, or even so much as keep up a conversation when the other members of her troop had tried initiating things with her instead. Sunset kept to herself, and the other girls in the troop decided that merely giving up was probably easier for everyone, much to the scout leaders’ dismay. After she had calmed down somewhat, Sunset asked if she could go to the bathroom to splash some water in her face and calm down some more, to which the older woman had agreed. As this was her first real offence, she had told Sunset that it would be their secret, so long as this kind of behaviour was never repeated. Sunset nodded, thankfully, in agreement. She hadn’t meant to hurt Adagio, after all. She only wanted her to shut up and leave her alone. She’d only meant to scare her and the other two girls enough to make them go away so that she wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore. She thought standing up to them was what she was supposed to do. Apparently she hadn’t done it right. Sunset frowned once more as she stared at her tear stained cheeks and red, puffy eyes in the reflection of the dusty old mirror. She’d never felt so alone. “Hey, uh… I hate to be a bother, but.... Can you pass me some toilet paper? I, uh, ran out.” A voice from behind the closed toilet door cut her from her thoughts and caused her to scramble in panic, wiping her eyes furiously once more before she turned swiftly on her heel. Sunset hesitantly paced to the free bathroom stall to take some extra paper, and passed it under the occupied stall’s door. “Oh, thank you! I’ve been in here forever. You’re a real lifesaver!” Sunset wrung her hands and stared at the ground as she leaned against the sink, “Not really… it’s just some paper.” “Hey, are you okay? I didn’t really mean to eavesdrop but I heard you sniffling a bit… Is everything alright?” The small girl stared at the navy door and took in a deep inhale of breath before letting it back out. Normally she hated opening up to people— she didn’t like being vulnerable— but there was a calming sense of safety granted by the anonymity of the stranger behind the closed door. “I… I got in a fight. I hurt another girl in the troop and— and I got into trouble.” “Oh! So you must be the Sunset Shimmer everyone’s been talking about!” Crap. Sunset tensed and cleared her throat, eyeing up the bathroom door as she contemplated making a break for it. But what good would that do? Everyone in her troop had already labelled her as a freak, probably, and this other girl no doubt would laugh at her just the same. She was drawn from her thoughts once more when she heard a flush and the stall creaked open, a taller girl with thick-rimmed glasses— and a furious pair of even thicker eyebrows— stepping out and crossing the room to wash her hands. Sunset side-stepped and stared down at her black shoes before clasping her hands behind her back awkwardly. “I heard you really put Adagio in her place!” The other girl laughed, “Serves her right! All she ever does is tease people anyway. It’s about time someone stood up to her.” There was a pause before Sunset raised her head to meet the other girl’s bright smile and she mumbled out a “Y-you really think so?” “I know so! I got a new book a couple weeks ago from my mom, and Adagio took it and hasn’t given it back yet! I thought she wanted to read it, too, but I bet she doesn’t even know how to read! What a butt-head.” Sunset tilted her head as the other girl pulled some paper towels out of the dispenser to dry her hands and nibbled on her bottom lip hesitantly. “So, uhm. What’s uh… What’s your name?” “Oh-! I’m Moondancer. It’s nice to meet you!” Moondancer smiled once more and dumped her towels into the trash, holding out a free hand to shake Sunset’s. “My friend Twilight and I always see you hanging around the sides a lot by yourself and we’ve always wanted to come say hi, but…” She trailed off, but brightened up as Sunset accepted her hand shake, “we weren't sure if you, y’know, wanted friends. You give me that cool lone-wolf type of vibe. Like Edwin from that new vampire book series!” Sunset narrowed her eyes, “You mean Midnight?” “You know it!?” “Hate it.” “Aw… But you got the reference, right?” Sunset smiled and nodded, “I guess.” The smaller girl followed after Moondancer as she pushed the bathroom door open, listening intently as she gushed about her favorite books. She led Sunset over to another spectacled girl who was curled up with a book on one of the benches at the side. Once Moondancer and Sunset had stepped closer, she peeked over the pages and gave a shy smile and a small wave. “This is Twilight Sparkle,” Moondancer introduced before pointing a thumb at her chest, “we’re kinda the smartest ones in our troop.” “And how’d you figure that?” Sunset piqued a brow. “Because we’re the only ones smart enough to know how cool you are.” Sunset’s chest tightened up and her breathing became laboured once more, a bright smile warming her cheeks. “Well— uhm,” she rubbed at her neck, “would you two want to, maybe— I mean you can say no, but— would you two… want to be a team for when cookie sales roll around?” Twilight and Moondancer shared a look before beaming back at the red-head, both giving enthusiastic nods. “Boy, would we ever!” She hated it all. She hated girl scouts, and she hated the itchy uniform. She hated badges, and Adagio Dazzle. But, she supposed, Sunday’s weren’t so bad, now, after all. The front door burst open at once, and Sunset Shimmer threw herself through the frame as if her life depended on it— before slamming it behind herself promptly, leaning back against the wood as her chest heaved. She could taste blood. Not in the literal sense, but the familiar metallic twang hung in the back of her throat no matter how much she tried to swallow it down. “Holy fucking hell, Sunset!” Moondancer snapped, brows snarling at her as the other girl clutched at her heart. “Were you trying to kill me?! You gave me a fucking heart attack!” Her eyes shot over to stare at her sister. “Starlight tried to kiss me.” She blurted out, not shifting from the door, too terrified to move. Moondancer blinked then shook her head, her face twisting before she tilted her head incredulously. “What?” “Starlight tried to kiss me.” “I don’t understand.” Sunset finally mustered the strength to push herself from the door and paced the space between the armchair and the breakfast counter. “I-I don’t know!” she brought her hands out in front of her to flex her fingers before she wrung them together. “We were just-... we were looking at stars and then we were alone and she just looked really pretty under the lights and she caught me staring, I guess and-” “Well, that’s super gay.” “Moondancer!” The girl in question raised her hands defensively, shifting the bowl of popcorn she had been eating onto the coffee table in front of her. Sunset raked her hands through her hair and groaned. “I didn’t- why would she-? Why did I-?” “Why did you what?” Moondancer turned her ear closer. “I just stood there like an idiot!” Sunset exclaimed, waving her arms out wide before wrapping them around herself. Her lip trembled and she raised a hand to her mouth to bite at the side of her thumb. “I just froze. Like- my brain just couldn’t-... it just couldn’t process that it was actually happening and-... and I just clammed up and before I knew it she was just standing really awkwardly and she tried to laugh it off and-” The more Sunset retold, the more flustered she got, before Moondancer moved over for her to sit down on the couch. She accepted the gesture without hesitation, swiftly moving to wrap her arms around her sister’s neck and bury her face into Moondancer’s shoulder. “I tried to speak but I just couldn’t talk. It was like-... It was like I’d swallowed my own voice and I couldn’t-” “Hey,” Moondancer rubbed at her back. “Just breathe.” Sunset squeezed her sister tight, and closed her eyes even tighter, pressing her lips together to stop them from quivering. “She just looked so embarrassed, Moondancer. She didn’t talk to me the entire way home. She didn’t even let me walk her back to her dorm and I-... I just ran- I’m such a fucking loser!” Moondancer bit the inside of her cheek and pulled back to rest her hands on Sunset’s shoulders, fixing her with a firm stare. “Stop. Stop beating yourself up. You just got scared. You haven’t ever been in that situation before, and it freaked you out. There isn’t anything wrong with that.” She gave the younger girl’s shoulders a squeeze, softening her gaze with a smile. “You’re a control freak, Shim,” she scoffed, “I’m honestly really not surprised. Are you? Realistically?” Sunset stayed quiet and dropped her eyes. “Look,” Moondancer sighed, “sure, you fucked up. But it isn’t the end of the world. Just talk to her. Explain what happened. Starlight knows you, and it’s very obvious that she likes you. I’m sure she knows by now how much of a loser you are— and she’s still willing to try and kiss you!” Sunset stared at her hands in her lap and toyed with her fingers, mulling over her sister’s words. She puckered her cheek and let out a sigh. “But-... what do I say if she tries to kiss me again?” The older girl blinked and arched a brow curiously before raising the other and tilting her head. “Well… do you like her back?” “I don’t-...” Sunset frowned, “I don’t know.” The space between her eyebrows wrinkled as Sunset tried her best to envision Starlight. She tried to focus on the way she felt— the way her chest tightened and her cheeks warmed; how her stomach fluttered; how she knew she’d messed up, big time. “Well,” Moondancer sighed. “You have until the next time you see her to figure that out. The longer you leave things like this, the more awkward and weird it’ll get. For the both of you.” Sunset knew she was right. She would’ve shot the other girl a text right then and there if she knew what to say. If she were being completely honest with herself, she knew exactly how she felt; and she felt like a coward the more she tried to deny it. Everything had been laid bare for her, by Starlight, and still she was so… terrified. She couldn’t even imagine how the other girl must have felt. The way the light faded from her eyes— replaced only by a bitter sense of regret. She hated it. She hated the way Starlight’s hollow laughter sounded in her ears, and the way she’d pulled as far away from Sunset as possible. She hated the way she’d scratched at her cheek and kept her eyes low, mumbling about how late it was and how they should probably head back home. She hated the way Starlight’s smile never met her eyes once after that. But most of all, she hated the warmed skin of her cheek when Starlight had pulled her hand away. She wanted to feel the cold for as long as possible. She wanted and wanted and wanted. She was such an idiot. “But in any case,” Moondancer dropped her eyes and leaned back to get a better look at Sunset’s shirt, “what the hell are you wearing?” “It’s uhm… It’s a really long story.” Sunset frowned and twisted the watch on her wrist. As the two sat in silence for a few moments, the rest of the day came rushing back to her, and how disastrous the entire afternoon had actually been— and still Starlight had tried to kiss her. Who was the bigger idiot, really? Sunset allowed herself to smile, but just a little. She paused once more and narrowed her eyes before she turned back to Moondancer. “Hey, Moon?” “Yeah?” “Do you know a ‘Twilight Sparkle’?” Author's Note As always, comments and thumbs up are appreciated! If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider donating to my ko-fi! 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