Twilight Sparkle stared intensely at her half scribbled counter-spell notes. The fluorescent lights of Pinkie Pie’s kitchen made the yellow of the notebook's pages brighter, calling attention to the fact that she really hadn’t written much at all. It strained her eyes too, and she found herself rubbing them and trying to refocus for the third time since she’d snuck out of Pinkie’s room.
“Hey Twilight.”
Her eyes sprung open and passed right over the mostly empty page in front of her. Sunset Shimmer was leaning against the wall in front of her, half shrouded in shadow. Was that lean just typical for her? Twilight had seen it back when she’d first visited Canterlot High, though she had to admit it looked better with the leather studded jacket that Sunset had shed when getting into bed.
Sunset pressed herself off the wall and stepped into the light. “You’re up late.”
“Oh y’know.” Twilight scrambled to cover the pages. She didn’t want Sunset to know she was so far from being done. “Just looking over the counter-spell. We only get one shot at this. It has to be perfect.” She picked up the notebook again and looked at the mess of scratched out lyrics. Nothing even close to perfection yet.
“We really are lucky you're here." Sunset was opening Pinkie Pie’s fridge, but her eyes and smile were on Twilight. She looked so… trusting, so sure. The pit in Twilight's stomach grew. How could she let down this beautiful, wonderful girl?
She sighed and folded the notebook closed. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.” She murmured the words to herself, not really wanting to show the weakness she felt, the stress she was under. Sunset was clearly counting on her. Well… they all were.
Sunset had started digging through the fridge at this point, moving bottles upon bottles of whipped cream out of the way. “Who could possibly need this much whipped cream?”
Twilight smiled. She had to admit, seeing Pinkie Pie was still her weird chaotic self even in this world made her feel a little better. Sunset’s next words brought her right back down though. “Must be nice to have everyone always looking to you for answers to their problems.”
Was it supposed to be? The responsibility, the stress. Twilight thought she made a good leader, here and in her own world, but being a princess came with some serious drawbacks. Her free time was rare, and most choices she made could weigh heavily on so many ponies around her. When she succeeded that was great, but her mess ups and stumbles were so much more dangerous.
Sunset seemed to shrug from within the fridge, and came sliding back out with a bottle of whipped cream in hand, already spraying a line across her outstretched pointer finger. Twilight's eyes tracked that finger as Sunset lifted it to her mouth and stuffed the whole digit inside. “Instead of, y’know, waiting for you to cause a problem.” She said through her full mouth.
She frowned. Sunset clearly wasn’t talking about Twilight anymore. Her friend was probably struggling with her own fears, with the worry she’d slide back into the place she was before she’d found friends, and Twilight had just taken notice. Some Princess of Friendship she was.
She pushed the notebook away and stood. “Just because everyone expects something from you, doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to happen.” The words applied to herself sure, but she thought it might help Sunset to hear them too.
Sunset still had her finger in her mouth, but her eyes widened slightly when heard Twilight’s words. She pulled the glistening digit out. Twilight tried not to focus on it. “But that doesn’t stop them from expecting it.”
Twilight smiled sadly. It certainly doesn’t. She stepped out from behind the island, toward Sunset Shimmer. “Which only makes things harder, because the last thing you want to do is…”
“Let everybody down.” They spoke at the same time.
They were only a foot or so away from each other now and giggled when they came to the same conclusion. "I guess… we both have some things to work on huh princess?"
"I guess so. Maybe…” Twilight held her hands close to her chest, and then slowly extended one “We could work on some of them together?"
Sunset looked at the hand, eyes wide and wordless. Her gaze slowly turned back to Twilight’s face, and after a moment Sunset matched her cautious smile. She extended her own hand, and as they met, their fingers tangled together.
Twilight could feel Sunset’s warmth. Wherever their soft, smooth human skin met it transferred between their bodies easily. This was her second visit, but it was still so strange compared to the fur she was used to. Not unpleasant though. Definitely not unpleasant.
“Together huh?” Sunset’s eyes were still locked onto her, boring into her, looking… satisfied? That was Twilight’s best guess anyway.
She didn’t get to dwell on it long. Sunset had stepped forward, further into her space, then even closer. The harsh fluorescence of the kitchen faded away, as did the notebook on the island, and any worries about what was or wasn’t inside it. No, all Twilight could focus on now was the sudden sound of her rushing heartbeat, and the texture, feel, and warmth of Sunset’s skin.
Twilight nodded slowly. They should work together, help each other, Twilight believed that, but it felt like she was saying yes to a lot more than that. Sunset Shimmer didn’t have any more steps to take, but she got closer still, leaning in, closing her eyes…
“Why is the fridge door open?”
They leapt apart at the sound of a deadpan, apathetic voice. Their tangled fingers snagged and then unwove, and quickly as she could, Sunset stepped out of the way enough of the fridge to slam it closed. “S-Sorry about that Maud. We were. Just getting a late night snack. That’s all.”
Maud shrugged and turned away, reaching into a near-by cabinet. “I just came down here because Boulder was hungry.”
Sunset and Twilight looked at each other, silently asking the other how a pet rock could be hungry. They watched, slightly concerned, as Maud poured crackers around her pet rock, scattering them on the floor everywhere. Maud left a trail as she left the room, taking the whole box of crackers with her.
Sunset, still standing next to Twilight leaned in close again, whispering as they watched Maud finally disappear around the corner. “I still can’t get over the fact that she’s related to Pinkie Pie.”
Twilight pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle. “You and me both.”
They both shared another quiet laugh. The moment broke too soon as Sunset let out a huge yawn. “I guess I should get some sleep.” The spell of their clasped hands and closeness seemed to be broken now. Twilight could tell Sunset seemed more hesitant. All the smug satisfaction in her eyes had disappeared, and she kept glancing back toward Pinkie Pie’s room.
“Probably… yeah.” Twilight glanced back too, staring at the notebook she’d left abandoned. All those worries came crashing down again.
“But hey.” Sunset had backed away into the shadowed hallway, but had lingered at the wall she’d been leaning on before. “Good luck with the counterspell. If you need any help… I’ll… I mean. We’ll be here, okay Twilight?”
“Right. Of course.” Twilight glanced at the book once more, and then turned back to her friend. She raised her voice just a little, calling out with a desperation she didn’t recognize. “Sunset Shimmer?”
Sunset paused just as she was about to turn the corner. Her eyes looked half concerned, half hopeful.
Twilight opened her mouth. “I…” It was just one syllable and it came out as a pathetically high and quiet squeak. Her teeth clacked together as she shut her mouth. Twilight Sparkle almost never ran out of words, but this was an instance where they’d failed her. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t manage one more sound. That was okay though. Friends like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had taught her that in some situations action worked just fine. She rushed forward, wrapping both arms around Sunset as she reached her. Twilight closed her eyes and with the last burst of her bravery, kissed the girl she’d been thinking about, dreaming about for so long. Sunset kissed her back, and her mouth was hot now, searing her, making her whole body spark and pulse in new incredible ways. She could feel the warmth of Sunset’s hands again, but this time they were in her hair, tangling and twisting up her locks, leaving warm spots against her scalp.
They separated only long enough for Twilight to moan, that same impossible desperation laced into the sound. Then Sunset’s tongue was in her mouth, hot again, burning. They pressed closer, chests squishing together, warmth suffusing Twilight from the surface of her skin, to the core of her.
She was so warm… so warm… too warm. Uncomfortably so. And there was something so bright, right in her eyes, the kitchen light?
She blinked, and tried to get a clear image of Sunset in front of her, but when she tried to fully open her eyes, she was blinded again, and had to cover her face with her hoof.
Her hoof? Her… her hoof. Sensation snapped back into focus, the bed underneath her, The weight on top of her that was just her covers. The ceiling above her wasn’t Pinkie’s kitchen. Twilight closed her eyes and sighed heavily, rubbing circles into her forehead as she recognized another one of her recurring dreams.
That wasn’t how that had gone. Sunset hadn’t realized the way she was struggling. Twilight hadn’t told her... not until much later. And they definitely hadn’t kissed. The warmth she had felt was Celestia’s sun bearing down on her through a window. That strange blinding light had been the same thing.
She was back in Ponyville, back in Equestria. With her friends, but without Sunset Shimmer.
