Chapters The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Just cross the street.
It's not that hard.
Cross the street, knock on the door.
Sunset Shimmer stood, still, silent. It wasn't that she couldn't cross the street in question, she could, it was well within her capabilities, but she was just... locked in place. Frightened? Was that it? No, not in that way. Scared, nervous. That was more fitting. Realistically, she had no reason to be, and she knew that, but that didn't change the fact that she was still unable to cross the street, and knock on the black wooden door of Twilight Sparkle's home. It probably didn't help that Twilight had no idea she was there, but Sunset felt like she needed to do something .
Say, something .
What, she didn't know. After all, it has been but two days since that Friday, when she'd been about to...
Not so important right now , she reminded herself.
Twilight hadn't been responding to her messages, and according to the girls, not theirs either. She just needed to know she was alright, that she still cared. Memory- erasing magic wasn't something she'd dealt with before, and she didn't know how it might affect someone. So she needed to check. That she was alright, that they were alright.
If there was one other thing she'd learned from this whole situation, it was how much she was scared of losing Twilight. Nervously, subconsciously, Sunset crushed the paper bus ticket in her pocket, having, for some reason she couldn't explain, elected not to take her motorcycle. She took a deep breath before letting it out, finally summoning the nerve to take that first step out into the street, followed by another, and a third, until, now, she was across, in front of Twilight's door. The dark wood gleamed back at her in the sunlight, as if questioning her commitment to this unavoidably awkward talk. She just hoped it wouldn't be awkward for long. Another deep breath. She knocked.
Lavender eyes met cyan, the former widening in shock while the latter widened in adoration.
"S-Sunset, hey, uh, now's not-"
"Twilight. We need to talk."
Panic flared for a moment in her eyes, and she nodded slowly before widening the gap created by the open door, and for a moment Sunset thought she could see tears threatening to pull away from Twilight's eyes. The purple-themed girl shuffled in and dropped herself to the sofa while Sunset crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her before she took a moment to examine the living room.
Sunset was used to the Sparkle residence being a rather neat and tidy, bright home, but this was in stark contrast to what she now faced. There was only the slightest slivers of golden light sneaking in through closed curtains, and the room itself was shrouded in darkness, but Sunset could make out the tell-tale signs of Sparkle Stress in the forms of a scattered stack of scientific research and further piles of what must have started as what would have been organised towers of all kinds of literature, fantasy, romance, the works. Further, there was the small tissue pile and the two boxes Twilight would randomly take from, as well as the (now diminished) plate of cookies, and finally, the TV was on to some kind of nature documentary she was sure Twilight had already watched at some point in time.
"Twi-"
"I- I understand, why, why you want to b-b-"
Twilight began crying, and Sunset quickly worked her way across to try and hold her, but she shook her head, denying Sunset.
"break up, with, with me, I- I was a terrible girl-"
Sunset had frozen halfway through that sentence, but snapped out of it nearly instantly in order to ignore Twilight's refusal, crossing the room and scooping her into her arms in a hug so tight Sunset wasn't sure where the strength to do so bad come from, eliciting and adorable squeak from the girl.
"Twilight Sparkle, in no world do I want to break up with you."
"But you should! You- you almost-"
"But I didn't. Thanks to you, Twilight, you saved me, again. You always do."
"I forgot you, Sunset! I should have been better!"
"It wasn't your fault, Sparky. It never was."
The girl sniffled, tears falling from her eyes as she buried herself in Sunset's shoulder. She dropped her voice to a whisper, holding her tighter still.
"I love you, Sparky, and no magic, no person, no nothing will ever change that. You are everything to me."
Sunset felt her relax, worries destroyed by Sunset's comforting words.
"I love you too."
Author's Note
[All Authors notes copied across from A03]
So with a lot of these, its quite possible they wont make a lot of sense or have full storylines, or coherent arguments or comfort (mainly because that takes me a while) and i just want these to be quick, light little stories.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
"Cmon Sunset! Open your mouth! I'm not gonna poison you!"
Sunset Shimmer raised her arms out in front of her, holding her hands together before steadily spreading them apart like she was showcasing a title, speaking in a deadpan news speakers voice.
"CHS' Top Student found dead, presumably killed by jealous friend."
"Like Twi ain't already top student."
Sunset shrugged at Applejack.
"Haven't seen grades yet, so until they're out I'm still technically the top student."
Applejack rolled her eyes, standing up to leave, and Twilight Sparkle giggled slightly.
"Okay, but seriously, Sunset. I had Pinkie Pie help me with this over the weekend."
Sunset eyed the food in Twilight's hand suspiciously for a moment before shrugging, admitting defeat as Applejack walked away, leaving just the two of them.
"Okay, fine."
Twilight smiled happily and passed the thing to Sunset, who hesitated before opening her mouth and popping it in. She bit slowly, and was greeted by an explosion of flavour. Twilight giggled again as Sunset's eyes widened.
"Wow, this is- surprisingly good!"
"Okay, you didn't have to add the surprisingly. I'm not that bad."
"Of course not!" Sunset giggled, "But I'd be wrong to not tease an angel."
Twilight blushed, glancing around to make sure they were alone.
"You play a risky game, Sunset."
Sunset's voice dropped, and Twilight felt her heart flutter.
"All the better."
As it was, Twilight suddenly found that her plans for studying that evening were quickly being abandoned.
Author's Note
oh it's bad. I know it's bad. But I literally couldn't think of anything to do with this prompt/ I'm tired/ I'm lazy.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Rainbow Dash smiled to herself as she pushed open the front door, bag in one hand, keys in the other. Stepping in, she whistled lightly to herself before closing the door and locking it, then placing her keys in the small basket that sat on top of the drawers. Rainbow kicked off her shoes, leaving them in their usual space by the stairs, then began making her way towards the kitchen. As she did so, she heard a voice drifting in from the room that was her destination, and Rainbow's smile widened. She'd moved in with Fluttershy about, well, three months earlier, if she had to guess, and it was still amazing every day to her that she got to come home from work to her girlfriend.
The best present, and one I get every day.
Rainbow slowed down as she approached the kitchen, staying quiet, just in case, and-
yep .
Fluttershy's voice, angelic and bright, was singing along to a tune played by the small wooden radio Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle had made for Fluttershy's last birthday. Rainbow put her bag down carefully, making sure none of the groceries she'd brought made any of the multitude of noises they were capable of, before finally standing at the edge of the doorway.
Fluttershy had her eyes closed as she sang, swaying and sashaying across the room with a broom acting as her microphone, Rainbow's tortoise, Tank, and Fluttershy's bunny, Angel, comprising the audience. Rainbow watched in silence for a few moments, then Fluttershy span, eyes opening, and she stopped, letting out a surprised squeak as she saw Rainbow, a blush spreading on her cheeks.
"Rainbow! You're back! I didn't hear you-"
"You didn't need to. I missed you."
Fluttershy giggled.
"You've only been gone a few hours."
Rainbow crossed the room before pulling her girl in for a hug.
"Doesn't mean I didn't miss you."
Fluttershy tucked her head into Rainbow's shoulder, holding her back.
"And your voice is still amazing."
"It's not that good-"
"Flutters. It's amazing. You're the best singer I've ever heard."
The blush grew in force, and Fluttershy smiled.
"You're just saying that."
"Nah, there's no point in lying to you."
Smiles and a kiss were exchanged.
"I love you, Flutters."
"Love you too, Dashie."
Author's Note
short, light, fluffy, good day.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Applejack held the drill in her hand, muttering slightly as she visualised the numbers, the distance, between the cross sketched out on the wooden board and the one she was about to make. Normally, she would advocate for the use of a ruler, or, preferably, a measuring tape, just to make sure, but she'd done this enough times. She knew what she was doing.
Using her free hand, Applejack marked out a loose cross where the next hole needed to be before glancing up, and then hesitating. Rarity lay asleep on the bed tucked into one of the walls, Opalescence, her cat, curled happily on top of her. AJ felt her heart warm at the sight, and, though she didn't noticed her gaze softened, concentration slipping.
This was the last board she needed to drill to finish the studio she'd spent all day putting together for Rarity, but now she was at the end she couldn't quite bring herself to finish it, partly because it would mean having to leave, and partly because the drill would almost certainly wake up Rarity, and she just looked so, so... peaceful. Divine . So perfect.
Part of her, no, most of her, would have been content to sit there and watch her sleep until she awoke, but Applejack brushed off her desires for the fact that it would be a little creepy, even though they were dating.
Gods, they were dating . How was she this lucky? There were so many people, girls and boys, who looked far nicer or were far richer than Applejack ever could, yet Rarity chose her .
Putting down the drill, Applejack chose to indulge her desires for a little while, at least, pulling a chair up next to the bed with a smile and a relieved sigh. If Rarity woke up, she could just pass it off as taking a break, because, well, that's what she was doing. Wasn't a lie.
Though, as AJ sat down, Rarity stirred slightly, and she froze, but, Rarity, still in her sleep, shifted onto her side, somehow without disturbing Opal, and reached out, grasping Applejack's hand. For the second time in a few minutes, AJ felt her heart warm to the point of melting, a rosy fuzz surrounding her mind, a smile and slight blush finding their way to her cheeks. She softly tightened her grip on the offered hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb before loosening the gip again. Rarity let out a happy sigh at the conclusion of the gentle squeeze, and AJ felt like she might just faint at how adorable it all was.
Smiling still, Applejack reached her free hand out to caress a cheek, thumb gliding over soft, smooth and spotless white skin, and though she didn't touch it (Lord knows Rarity would kill her if she did that without permission), she knew her hair was just as silky, just as undeniably perfect. She was perfect. The still asleep Rarity nuzzled into the hand, and Applejack felt a warm glow envelop her entirely at the way Rarity responded positively to her, even while asleep.
And though she hated to ruin the moment, Applejack found herself slowly untangling her hands from Rarity, reaching down to grab a discarded pair of fluffy-covered headphones, but they could double as ear defenders. She was careful, slipping them on over Rarity's head, making sure she didn't disturb any of the precisely styled locks.
Then, objective completed, she stood away, taking one last look at Rarity with soft eyes before walking back to her workstation, picking up the drill and holding it against the cross she'd marked out earlier. She powered it on, noise filling the room. One by one, she drilled through the crosses, and, when she was done, she pulled the sticky-backing off of the hangers, placing them firmly onto the board before finally hanging it on the wall. The last piece of the puzzle.
Her eyes drifted back to Rarity, happy that she was still asleep and that she would wake up to a completed studio in the morning. AJ took off her Stetson, hanging on the newly-installed rack, then made her way back over to the bed. She went to sit down again, but Opal woke up, gave AJ a tired look, and then hopped out of the way, onto the chair, as if to say;
No, you fool. Get in.
Applejack smiled, and followed the cats instructions, climbing in next to Rarity. She let out a breath, and her smile deepened as Rarity turned over, snuggling into AJs chest and slipping off the headphones.
"Shit, sorry, did ah wake ya?"
"Well, yes, Darling, but it's fine."
"Ya sure-?"
Rarity chuckled softly, nuzzling against AJ once more, before planting a soft kiss on her lips that AJ eagerly returned.
"Shut up and let me fall to sleep on you."
Applejack, for one, had no complaints.
Author's Note
gudyhshdjskksbfdnsmdns awwwwwwee my heartttttt
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Pinkie Pie didn't find it funny, and, quite frankly, she wasn't sure how anyone could. Okay, sure, up until recently Sunset Shimmer had been the school bully. Okay, sure, she'd been pretty mean. But did that mean she deserved everything her schoolmates were throwing at her? No, not at all. She could excuse the mean looks in the hallway, the scattered insults and occasional locker shove, simply because that was what Sunset had done. It wasn't right, but she could excuse it.
The fact that it constantly went further is what concerned her, but what concerned her more was the fact the students found it funny . She could see how it tore at Sunset, and, for fucks sake, the girl had said she deserved it. No one who was taking something like this well said they deserved it. She'd broken down in the cafeteria and ran out, and they laughed. They laughed . Couldn't they see what they were doing to her? What concerned Pinkie the most was simply her tone of voice. She finally sounded defeated. Dead, done, finished, finale'd, over, defeated . It was a tone of voice that Pinkie couldn't bare to hear from anyone, and even if she hadn't dealt with it personally, she knew people who had.
One thing always stayed the same, the tone of defeat.
But Pinkie was determined not to let it happen here, and that was why, despite her friends telling her not to, to let Sunset cool down, Pinkie was trying her best to track the girl through the currently almost empty school hallways. Because Pinkie suspected, at least, that if they left her to cool down, it would be her cooling body that was found. It wasn't a risk she wanted to take. Pinkie pushed her way past a small group of students, ignoring their attempted greetings. She just didn't know how anyone could find a student potentially suffering from suicidal thoughts or tendencies funny . Sunset may have done a lot of things, but Pinkie had noticed how she never stayed on one target long enough for it to go that far. But now they were doing it to her.
Why? Because it was funny.
This isn't comedy , she scoffed, comedy is the state of global politics as a result of the United States of America of the readers world.
But no one else would know that. But they should still know that this? This wasn't comedy. This wasn't how you got people to laugh. So it was that when she eventually spied Sunset headed for the entrance, she ran after. Grabbed her wrist, and held, despite the flinch.
"Let me go, Pinkie."
The defeat.
"No."
"Just let me g -"
"NO ! Because, quite frankly, Sunset Shimmer, what they have been putting you through is wrong . And-"
"But it's not , Pinkie. I deserve it, all of I-"
"You don't, Sunset, because you never stooped as low as they have, you never drove someone to the point of skipping school to commit suicide, Sunset !"
Sunset froze, and Pinkie was mildly aware of the small crowd behind her who had frozen as well, muttering starting.
"How did you-"
"Because I recognised the tone of voice, Sunset. I've seen people with that voice only for them to be gone the next week. I've seen people where you are, and I've never seen them again, Sunset. I can't, I won't let it happen to you too."
Sunset snatched her wrist away.
"It doesn't matter, Pinkie. No one cares. Everyone's better off without me-"
"I wouldn't be."
"What?"
"I said I wouldn't be better off without you. And if they took even a fucking second to think about it, they'd find they wouldn't be either."
"You're just saying that-"
"No, Sunset, I'm not, because who was it that got Lyra and Bon-Bon together? Who was it that gave Flash the confidence to start his own band? Who was it who gave me friends a reason to start talking again? Who was it, Sunset? Who was it that, after the formal, started pushing people to be better? Even when they wouldn't let her be better?"
Sunset took a step back, and Pinkie took a step forward as the muttering strengthened behind her.
"Because I know it was you , Sunset. Even when you weren't trying to, you made things better for people. Even when you knocked them down, you gave them the capacity, the ability, the connections to get back up again, better . You got them laughing, Sunset, even when you didn't want them to. Because when they were with the friends they formed, they were happy, and the fact that they can't see that you're trying is just criminal, Sunset."
The girl with fire in her hair just stared at Pinkie, clutching at her wrist, before her head snapped back to the door, and Pinkie's eyes widened as she looked at her own hand to find specks of dried blood.
"You didn't-"
"It doesn't matter, Pinkie ! No one cares! They never will!"
Pinkie felt her heart drop as the girl's voice cracked.
"I couldn't even kill myself properly! So what if I leave and never come back? No one will even notice!"
Sunset tried to back out the door, and Pinkie reached forward again, grabbing her upper arm.
"I'll notice, Sunset, and I'll hate every single day that you don't walk through that door because I couldn't stop you from staying, because I couldn't just tell you."
"Tell me what?"
Her voice was rhetorical, but Pinkie answered anyway.
"That I care, Sunset, I fucking care because I want everyone to smile, I want everyone to laugh, but I want you to the most. Because I- I fucking love you, Sunset. And I couldn't bare the thought that their inability to see what you've done for us, before and after the formal, would cause you to end it."
Silence.
"Is- is this some kind of joke?"
Pinkie shook her head.
"Jokes are funny, Sunset. What they've done, some sort of cruel prank like that? That's not funny, Sunset, that's not a joke. And we all know I'm not a cruel person, so are you going to believe me?"
Pinkie looked up again as her hands slid down to hold Sunset's wrists once more, finally getting a complete view of Sunset's face rather than just the back of her head. Her cyan eyes shimmered behind tears that spilled over her cheeks, self-loathing mixed with hope in a delicate cocktail of wild emotion, each threatening to throw off the fragile balance that held Sunset in place.
"I want you to be happy, Sunset. I want you to laugh because you found something funny, not because you found another reason to hate yourself. I want to give you those reasons to laugh, Sunset. I want to be there for you when you have a bad day, but I need you to be here Sunset, because if you weren't, I couldn't laugh again, because I would have failed you."
"I-"
"You don't have to give me an answer. Not today, not ever, but I need you to kn-"
Pinkie tasted strawberry on her lips, felt the cool amber that was the wrists she held, felt the grip of someone gaining strength on her waist. Watched herself sink into the moment as her eyes fluttered shut, as her hands felt their way to hers, as their bodies pressed together. They pulled apart, and the silence had frozen over for a moment before the muttering returned, both girls blushing furiously as they watched each other.
"Okay."
Author's Note
So yeahhh, two fics with suicidal leanings in two days. Sorry? I just really enjoy writing broken up Sunset for some reason. I might need to speak to a therapist lmfao. Anyway, im hoping day three will get to be more cheery. Oh also! these are going to be based off of the ones I get during the week only, so no daily ticket on the weekend simply because I dont have to look at my ticket. In other news, I might go back on my word and put Dying Rays on hiatus to work on at least a few of it's prequels, most notable 'I Can Make It All Alright', its partner, 'But Will You Forgive Me?' and also the rewrite for the anon a miss work whose name i cant remember wait no, 'Number On A Tally', thats it. Mostly just to put them all in line and keep them together with my ideas (WHICH I ACTUALLY WROTE DOWN, CELEBRATION WOOOOOOOOO)
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
"Hey Apples, where's the whisk?"
Uh oh. Why on earth does Rainbow Dash want the whisk?
"Rainbow, whatcha doing?"
"Uhm... nothing?"
"Ya know ah don't believe that."
"Don't know why, clearly you can trust your wonderful girlfriend and roommate-"
"Yer not helping yer case, Dashie."
A moments silence.
"Where's the whisk?"
Applejack sighed.
"Left drawer."
"I checked there-"
"Left, Dashie. The left drawer."
"Oh."
Applejack sighed again, resting the book she'd been reading onto her legs as she lay on the couch in their living room. The TV had the horse races on, something that managed to actually keep the attention of both Applejack and Rainbow, but AJ was only listening due to her reading. The sun poured in the open window, casting bright pools of heat on the floors and she could hear the late spring birdsongs from outside. A perfect, peaceful day on campus. She'd have to message Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle to see if they wanted to do something, if they weren't already busy with each other. She could hear Rainbow clattering around the kitchen, but honestly? She was too chilled out to care. If she set something on fire, AJ could deal with it. Honestly, Rainbow could deal with it. AJs influence was finally starting to show on the sportster. Maybe that was why she was trying to make something?
"So whatcha makin?"
"It's a surprise."
AJs eye twitched slightly, but she said nothing, instead picking up a long, thin wooden stick that she twirled through her fingers before settling it into her mouth - an alternative for the wheat stalks she used to rest similarly when she was back at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Well, just don't set the kitchen on fire, ya hear me?"
"When would I ever do that?"
"Last week."
They both snickered.
"Fair enough."
Applejack smiled happily to herself, settling back into the book, a recommendation from Twilight that the country girl found herself thoroughly enjoying. So much, in fact, that she barely registered any time had passed before Rainbow's grinning face appeared at the top of her vision.
"Dash."
"Apples."
"What-"
"Here."
Applejack felt her heart flutter as Rainbow reached over and placed a plate onto AJs lap, and she lowered her book to find a small stack of pancakes with whipped cream and apple slices on top, as well as a small vial of maple syrup they'd picked up on a trip to Canada.
"They're apple flavoured, too."
"Dash- ah..."
Rainbow's grin grew even larger.
"What's the occasion?"
A shrug.
"No occasion. Just a thank you for being an awesome girlfriend. I feel like I don't say it enough."
Applejack blinked, fighting off happy tears.
"Cmere, you-"
Rainbow squeaked (rather uncharacteristically) as Applejack moved an arm around her waist and pulled her down so she was lying on AJ.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Seriously. You're awesome, AJ."
Applejack smiled and planted a soft kiss on Rainbow's forehead.
"Yeah, you're pretty damn good yourself, sugarcube."
Author's Note
OMG WOLF CAN WRITE PURE HAPPY FLUFF?
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
"So, Twilight, why are we on a blimp again?"
"Well, Pinkie, you, Sunset, Applejack and Rarity can't fly."
"And why are we going on a tour of Equestria again?"
Sunset Shimmer giggled, walking forward to nudge Pinkie Pie.
"It's Twilight's coronation tour, remember?"
"Ohhhh yeahh! That's why I've been carrying around an end-of-coronation-tour cake!"
Sunset began laughing again as Twilight Sparkle, newly crowned princess of Equestria, and by extension, Guardian of the Moon, just shook her head.
"Don't sell yourself short, Sunset. It's your tour too," put in Rarity.
Sunset, the newest alicorn, princess and now Guardian of the Sun, reached a hoof around to rub the back of her neck self-consciously.
"Yeah, still not sure what I did to deserve it though."
"Well, Sugarcube, ya did save both worlds from fragmentin' inta thousand different pieces."
"Which, by the way, was totally AWESOME!"
Fluttershy and Twilight shared a glance and giggled as Applejack and Rainbow Dash's words made a blush appear on Sunset's face. Rainbow continued as she waved a hoof at Sunset.
"Though, when we finish this, I am soooo teaching you how to fly. I mean, how cool will it be to get to say I taught both princesses of Equestria how to fly?!"
More laughter, and this time Sunset joined in, smile on her face.
"I'm just glad you don't need me here all the time. I was so worried when I accepted the role I wouldn't get to see my friends in the human realm anymore."
"I just hope you can deal with not seeing your girlfriend every other week."
Sunset waved a hoof dismissively.
"Oh, it's never that long. Either I sneak over there, or she sneaks over here for the night now we each have our own portal-"
The others began laughing once more as Twilight turned a stern gaze at Sunset.
"You know you're not supposed to leave here in case we need you at night when you're here!"
"But-"
"Twilight can come over here, but you can't go over there. When you're here, you're here, got it?"
Sunset nodded sadly.
"Fine, I'll tell her."
"Awww sugarcube, it ain't that bad."
"No, I know. I just get to call and talk to my other friends whenever I go over."
Twilight softened at that, before tucking in and landing on the blimp she'd been flying alongside.
"If you want, we can try and figure out how to get your phone to work properly here. Or just, yknow, enchant and give them all journals to talk to you."
Sunset's eyes lit up, but before she could speak, Pinkie Pie appeared once more, dragging Sunset towards the staircase.
"Sunset Sunset Sunset you just HAVE to try this!"
Twilight watched them go with a smile. It had been a rough transition through roles for all of them, Sunset especially, but she was glad it had all turned out fine. She took off again, flying alongside the blimp with a smile on her face. She might be one of the rulers of Equestria now, but she still had her friends.
Author's Note
Okay so sorry this is short in comparison to the other ones, but the word wasn't very good today? that or writers block or something (the sun was in my eyes, im blind, i broke my wrist, it wasnt my fault) and i was a bit busy anyway. I'll probably be busy again tomorrow, but i'll make sure i get one done anyway. Remember, no daily ticket on the weekend! Still writing other stuff, dont worry, so hopefully something else will update soon.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
"I wanna see the lemurs!"
Sunset Shimmer chuckled as Luster Dawn looked up at her with bright, pleading eyes, and she turned to her wife, Twilight Sparkle.
"What do you think, Twi? Can she see the lemurs?"
Twilight gave Sunset a conspiratal smirk as she tapped a finger to the edge of her lips in mock thought.
"I don't know, Sunny..."
"Please! Please I'll do anything!"
The wives giggled again, and Sunset turned to their adopted daughter.
"Okay, but only if you promise to play with Lil Cheese."
Luster's eyes sparkled, as, to her, she'd just been asked to play with a friend to do something she wanted to do, completely unaware of Sunset forming a convenient excuse to see one of her old friends again. At least, one of the few who still spoke to her.
Twilight smiled at Sunset, grabbing at her hand as they followed after their daughter, headed straight for the lemurs. They'd spoken to Fluttershy earlier, having had lunch while Fluttershy took her break, and so she decided she wanted to speak to Pinkie Pie too, the only other from that old group she'd kept in contact with.
It wasn't that she'd wanted to separate from that group; no, not at all. But they'd forced her out, and she'd dealt with it. Besides, it wasn't like-
"oomph -"
Sunset reached up, shaking her head as she recovered from walking straight into someone.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't-"
She paused as her eyes were met by a barrage of Rainbow prismatic hair and pink eyes.
"Rainbow Dash ? What the fuck are you doing here?!"
"Sunset! Language!"
"Sorry Twi."
Rainbow seemed just as surprised as Sunset did, but that didn't last when Applejack walked up behind her, resting a hand on the sportster.
"Oh, uh, heh, hey Sunset. We, uhm, well..."
Applejack rolled her eyes before stepping forward.
"We wanted to apologise."
Sunset narrowed her eyes, and saw Twilight's eyebrows shoot up in realisation, and she held out an arm to hold back her wife, who, now that Sunset looked, seemed positively murderous.
"Luster, honey, come here."
Their daughter looked at them with wide eyes before quickly scurrying to stand behind Sunset, arms wrapping around her leg. Applejack's eyes raised at the girl, and then at Twilight, who was still being held back by Sunset.
"Twilight? What are you doin' here?"
"She's not Princess Twilight."
Applejack nodded her head, and Rainbow took a step back to stand next to AJ.
"I might not be a Princess, but I have every mind to make you go away," Twilight growled.
"She uh-"
"-She knows."
Sunset's eyes narrowed further.
"If you wanted to apologise, why did you wait so fucking long? It's been-"
Sunset quickly counted in her head.
"Ten years. Pinkie and Fluttershy apologised in two."
The pair exchanged glances.
"Look, ah, Sunset, we wanted to. But we didn't know how, and, besides..."
"You were kinda hard to track down. We only found you because Fluttershy mentioned she was seeing you today."
Figures .
"So Fluttershy set this up?"
Rainbow paled.
"No, no! We, uh.."
Rainbow scuffed her feet on the path.
"Look, after the Battle of the Bands, we realised it wasn't you-"
Rainbow blinked in surprise, and AJ stepped in.
"Look, Sunset, you transferred away the day after. We never got the chance to apologise, you'd blocked us on everything."
"With good reason.," Twilight growled.
Sunset wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Look, we know it wasn't you. We were wrong, and we drove you away from us. I'm glad things have turned out well for you," Rainbow gestured at Twilight as she spoke, "But you were one of our best friends then. We want to make it right. Or at least try to."
Sunset noted that Rainbow seemed more nervous than she'd used to be, and held Applejack's hand in her own.
"Well, Fluttershy and Pinkie managed it. You know what they did? They put in effort. They asked around."
For that, they had no response.
"And what about Rarity? She didn't come either, I see."
"Rarity moved abroad, after it all. Associated Canterlot with bad memories. But she wanted us ta say she's sorry for her, too.''
Sunset let out a grunt, and Luster pulled at her skirt, drawing her attention.
"Lemurs?"
Sunset softened, a smile taking shape on her face before she turned back to her old friends.
"Look, I can't say I'll forgive you easily. It took a while for Pinkie and Fluttershy, it'll take a while for you, too. But I am willing to give you a chance-"
"Sunset, you shouldn't."
Sunset raised an eyebrow and turned to her wife.
"They abandoned you, honey. You- you almost-"
They both flinched at that, one of Sunset's worst moments having resulted in a confrontation on the edge of Crystal Prep's roof.
"I gave the other two a chance, Twi. But if they upset me, I'll stop talking to them, happy?"
The smallest of nods.
"Right, well, you heard her. You've got one chance, and I will stick to that, because she's my wife and I listen to her like a friend."
The two flinched.
"But not right now. I'm here," she picked up Luster, resting her on her shoulder as the girl giggled, "to give my daughter a zoo experience, and we're going to see the Lemurs. You can get my number from Fluttershy."
Applejack and Rainbow nodded acceptance.
"If that's all, would you kindly get out of our way?"
"But-"
"Rainbow, it's cool. Let her go."
Applejack tugged Rainbow out of the way with a hand around her waist, and Sunset stepped around them before finding Twilight's hand and pulling her away too, despite the still near murderous look on her face. She paused for a moment before turning around again.
"Oh, congratulations by the way. I always thought you two were perfect for each other."
She ignored their surprised looks, like they thought Sunset hadn't noticed the engagement rings on their fingers.
"Come on Luster. It's time to see the lemurs."
The girl stuck her arms in the air, letting out a cheer and a giggle, and Sunset couldn't help but smile at her wife and her daughter.
"Lemurs!"
She was happy.
Author's Note
so uhm, fluffy but still angry? Balance? In a wolf fic? The world's ending. In other news, still working on both ICMIAA and Dying Rays, but I really do need to just pick one.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Fluttershy was a nervous person on her better days, always slightly paranoid, always slightly guarded. She never truly relaxed in the company of another person, at least not a living one anyway.
Oh, right. She could see ghosts, and talk to animals. People knew the latter, obviously, it wasn't much of a secret. But the former? The former no-one knew. And if she'd had her way, that's how it would have stayed.
Then Anon-A-Miss happened.
The first day, Fluttershy really hadn't believed it could've been Sunset Shimmer. But after the second, the third, and the 'evidence' kept mounting? Fluttershy was a nervous person on her better days, so when her friends started blaming Sunset, pushing her away? She did the same. She regretted it, now. They all did. Especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders - as they'd called themselves.
Those three were hated now, and had landed varying degrees of young offenders sentences. In all honesty, if things hadn't gone as far as they had, they might have ended up with a slap on the wrist, nothing more. But things had gone as far as they had, and Fluttershy could see the proof. See the day, and even now, her friend.
And Fluttershy hated herself for it.
She'd loved Sunset, she really, truthfully, had. She'd just never had the confidence to say it. Maybe it would have saved her, she didn't know. But she could still see that day, that moment.
"Ah just can't believe that Sunset would do somethin like that. Ah really thought she'd changed."
"We all did, Applejack. She fooled all of us."
Rainbow Dash kicked the floor.
"I should've seen it coming."
"Rainbow, darling, you trusted her just as much as the rest of us. None of us could've seen this coming."
Pinkie Pie's usually bright, bouncy pink was deflated and dull as she nodded along in agreement, and Fluttershy could only sink lower in her seat, feeling the guilt churning in her stomach. It wasn't Sunset Shimmer - she was almost certain. But she didn't, couldn't say anything.
A movement at the edge of her vision caught her eye, and she looked up sharply, feeling surprised as she locked eyes with Sunset, and for a moment the familiar butterflies fluttered throughout her before she quashed them.
"S- Sunset? What are you doing here?"
The others all looked at her in surprise.
"Darling, are you quite alright? Sunset isn't here."
"But she is! She's -"
Fluttershy felt the shock course through her, and Sunset winced momentarily before a harsh look came back across her face. Fluttershy's own voice dropped to a whisper.
"No... no, you didn't? Please, please tell me you didn't."
Sunset wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Fluttershy, are you okay?"
"Rain- Rainbow. She- she's-"
"Hey, hey, take your time, what's-"
"She's DEAD, Rainbow!"
"What?"
"I- I can see ghosts, and she's there- she's right-"
Sunset's cyan eyes finally raised once more, meeting her own.
"How?"
For a moment Sunset made no move, then slowly held up a wrist. An angry red cut lay across it, no longer bleeding in death, but the mark there to remind forever. The other wrist held much of the same story. Fluttershy felt the tears in her eyes, but Sunset wasn't finished, now shivering as she mimed taking pills. So many pills.
That was the day her friends had learned Fluttershy could see, could communicate with the dead. Sunset's body had been lying in her bathtub, a note that Fluttershy had since not been able to read on her desk.
It hadn't taken long for the CMCs confession after that, and for the school to find out.
No one was the same again, after that, but it didn't matter.
Fluttershy still saw Sunset, but whenever she tried to speak with her, the girl of flame would simply cry and turn away.
She could talk to ghosts, of course.
But she couldn't make them feel better.
Author's Note
[Note Copied From Archive]
okay so like
I'm gonna be thinking about this all night aren't I
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Day Ten - Pitch [Subbed Word]
Grass beneath her feet, sun in the blue sky, cool breeze in her hair. This is where she belonged, this is where she excelled. Rainbow Dash smiled to herself, stretching out where she lay, face up, in the centre of the pitch. Some may find it strange, but to the Canterlot High Soccer Captain, this was right. This was relaxing, and a great way to relax after a tough game.
A content sigh escaped her lips, and Rainbow closed her eyes even as footsteps approached.
"Hey Dashie."
"Hey, Shy. What's up?"
"Not a lot. Just came to find you."
"Well, ya found me."
"I did."
Rainbow reached up with a hand, waiting silently for the other girl to take it. The light spring breeze whistled it's way through her slightly parted fingers, tickled her arm and pushed at the short-sleeved breathable sports top she wore. Fluttershy took her hand, and Rainbow helped her down so they were just lying there together, peacefully, happily. It wasn't often Rainbow got to slow down, but when she did?
It was everything.
"I hope you don't mind if I take my shirt off."
"Oh! Uhm, as long as you have something on under it?"
Rainbow chuckled, practically feeling the heat from Fluttershy's reddening cheeks.
"Yeah, of course."
Rainbow let out another happy sigh as she peeled the top off her head so she lay in her sports bra and jogging shorts.
"What's the time now, anyway?"
"Uhm, Three thirty. Are you still going for a jog?"
"Nah," Rainbow shook her head, "I don't want to. I'm just happy to chill out."
Silence settled over the duo as the clouds drifted aimlessly across the sky, Rainbow's eyes occasionally switching from open, to closed, and back again, her hand twined through Fluttershy's. A few minutes passed, but it could've been half an hour for all Rainbow cared.
"Hey, Shy?"
"Yes, Rainbow?"
A pause.
"I think I love you."
Fluttershy giggled.
"I hope so, you goof."
Rainbow's smile grew somehow larger still, and she turned her head to press a kiss into Fluttershy's cheek.
Author's Note
[Reminder, notes copied from Archive]
Don't get me wrong, the initial word was good, and I do intend to use it. I just could not think of the idea today, and I knew what to do with this one already. So, simple swap, still out on time.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
Sunset Shimmer sat silently at her desk. It wasn't that she wanted to be this quiet, necessarily, but she had nought else to do. Well, that wasn't technically the truth. She could start playing her guitar, she could sneak out to add to Flanksy's works, she could ask Aunt Luna to do something - after all, the Vice Principal was almost certainly awake - but instead, she sat at her desk, staring at her laptop screen as the screensaver cycled through images.
Some part of her, the self-destructive part she tried her best to ignore, had been shouting about how she deserved this. Another, gradually quieting part begged her to let it take over, make her powerful again. The rest of her resisted as her laptop screen padded on through the reasons why. Her friends . Her family . Fuck, a little over a year and a half ago, Sunset had had neither. She'd been the High School Bully with the mysterious air - who'd been living in a dirt cheap studio apartment. A little over a year ago, she'd been the bullied as she tried the path to redemption who now seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders - who'd been living on the streets unable to afford a meal as she turned over a new leaf.
And exactly one year ago, in the dead middle of winter break, as a blizzard began rolling into town, she'd been thrown out by the same friends who now were on her laptops screen, accused of something she hadn't committed. She'd been left to try and find somewhere that had even a semblance of warmth, and she'd passed out in a park from exhaustion. She'd heard it several times over since then, she was extremely lucky not to die that night. Even luckier that at some point, her friends had put two and two together to realise she'd been telling the truth, and had gone looking for her. Even luckier still that Celestia - Mom, now, had heard and offered to take her in.
It had been a 'temporary' solution at the time. But the two of them had always had a soft spot for each other - Celestia being the only one who had been able to calm Sunset at her worst both before and after the fateful Fall Formal.
The images continued to cycle across the screen, and Sunset buried her head into her hands with a sigh. She missed them, even if it had only been a week and a bit since school had broken up. But while they normally would have met up by now, everyone seemed to be inexplicably busy. Almost suspiciously so, but Sunset kept that thought locked away in the back of her head.
Almost without thinking, she reached out and grabbed a book from her desk, clicking open a pen as she stared at the images.
Dear Prin Hey, Twi.
Are you available just to talk right now?
Everyone's asleep and I just don't really feel like being alone right now.
Again, not necessarily the truth, but when Aunt Luna locked herself away after dinner, she would never be seen the same side of Midday.
Not that Sunset was a lot better, most of the time.
She didn't even know what the time was in Equestria. What if she woke her up? The Princess of Friendship needed her sleep more than Sunset needed her words of comfort or affirmation.
The voices in her head had a rare moment of agreement, echoing with some kind of certainty that this was a bad idea. That she was a bad person for bothering her oh so busy friend about something that, ultimately, she could deal with herself-
Sure, Sunset.
I'll always be here for you. What's on your mind?
Sunset Shimmer smiled softly, sparing one more glance at her laptop screen, the voices having finally relented. She began to write as the screen shifted away from the image, one that Pinkie Pie had taken on Sunset's birthday when Twilight had visited.
It contained just the two of them, facing out over the hillside looking down on Canterlot City, the first signs of the stars and twilight peeking out over the horizon as the sun set in the distance.
Author's Note
Note Copied from Archive
so I don't really know what I was doing with this chapter. I really just let myself ramble on here, and I think it turned out alright, at any rate.
The Daily Ticket - (Can We Stay This Way Forever?)
'Okay, okay, right, I, ugh, fuck. I- I don't know what I'm doing, Twi. Gods, I miss you. I miss all of you, but you're safer this way. Safer without me. So, right, yeah. You're probably wondering where I am. By the time you see this video, I'll be long gone. Please don't try looking for me. I haven't gone back to Equestria, either, so Princess Twilight can't help you. To be frank, I don't know where I am. I don't know if you know why I'm even doing this?'
Twilight Sparkle sat silently in the chair as the video form of Sunset Shimmer barked out a laugh, but it held no humour. The girl's hair was a mess, and the bags under her eyes combined with a few scratches or cuts that still had dried blood around them had almost been enough to make Twilight faint. It had been enough for Rarity, but then she was afraid of blood. Behind her, she could feel Applejack shifting to clutch at Rainbow Dash, who was gripping Twilight's chair with a force that half surprised Twilight hadn't broken the back off of it yet.
'Let me recap for you. Two, no, maybe three nights ago, I don't know how long it's been, someone came to my house in the middle of the night. I don't know who it was. But they threatened you, Twi. Threatened you all. I wanted to believe it was nothing, but, fuck, Twi. Maybe it's on the news as a kidnapping or something by now, and that would be accurate. They-'
Sunset's eyes narrowed and she looked up from the camera with a soft growl. Twilight spared a glance around the room, and Fluttershy looked set to cry while Pinkie Pie's normally vibrant, bouncy pink curls had deflated. Sunset's voice dropped to a whisper through the video.
'They shot me. My leg - I can walk, I can run, but it's not easy. I know you think I should just come back so you can help, but I can't risk you getting hurt. I can't come back until they're gone, be that dead or in prison. This video, I'm seriously hoping you get this, I need you to tell the police, or something. I don't know where I am, but I'm not sure how much longer I can last out here on my own. I need help, but I won't let you come. You need to stay safe.'
Sunset's eyes shot up from the camera again, and she reached out, picking up the device that was recording.
'I seriously hope I can find somewhere to send this to you. Just please, look-'
A crashing sound, and Sunset flinched.
'Look east. I don't know where, but east, near the coast, swampy, fuck-'
Something cracked, and Sunset scrambled to her feet, grabbing the camera and jogging onwards.
'Just, whatever happens, don't come after me.'
The video ended.
Author's Note
hey hey!