It was a simple thing. Just knocking on a door. Sunset had done as much many times in her life. Yet now, knowing whose door it was, she found herself somewhat hesitant. She took a deep breath, then another, and another, before, finally, just balling her hand into a fist and getting on with it. Waiting a few moments after her knock, she began to hear the sound of footsteps on the other side, and within seconds, the door opened. There, on the other side, was Flash, who smiled to her as soon as he laid eyes on her.

"Glad you could make it," he remarked.

Sunset smiled back to him, and noted in this moment that his most notable attire, his jacket, was not on him at present. But that was a small thing. Just something for her to focus on in the face of what was about to happen. As she entered her boyfriend's home, she heard him close the door behind her, and now, standing in the hallway together, the two lovers took a moment to glance to one another.

"You'll be fine, Sunset."

The former unicorn sighed at that.

"I wish I had your confidence."

Flash chuckled.

"Hey, if I can make it through your world, you can make it here."

The sentiment caused her smile to return, and she watched as Flash began to make his way down the hall, prompting her to follow. It took a few moments, but eventually, they made it to what, undoubtedly, was the main living room of the house. Here, Sunset saw immediately the two figures who were here today. One was Scootaloo, who gave a smile and a wave to her as she entered. The other was an older woman, sitting quietly in her chair, but who now stood when she saw her guest. If ever there was a stereotypical image of a Mother, then this woman right here certainly embodied it. A homely look, completely with an apron and her chestnut hair bound in a bun, she smiled warmly as she approached Sunset.

"It really is wonderful to meet you, Miss Shimmer."

Though taken aback by this greeting, Sunset quickly composed herself, returning the smile and offering her hand to the woman.

"It's...it's wonderful to meet you too, Mrs Sentry."

Flash's Mother smiled, taking her hand and giving it a quick shake, before then gesturing to the nearby sofa. Getting the message, Sunset nodded in response, and both she and Flash made their way over, sitting down on the comfortable pillows of the thing. The older woman then got back to her own chair, letting out a sigh before starting the conversation.

"I had hoped to meet you when you two were dating the last time. But, I suppose circumstances always kept that from happening."

A blush crept onto Sunset's cheeks.

"Yes...um...I truly am sorry about that."

But Flash's Mother merely chuckled.

"Think nothing of it, dearie. I'm sure you had a lot on your plate at the time."

A nervous laugh escaped Sunset at that.

"Yeah...you can definitely say that."

Clasping her hands together, Mrs Sentry's smile widened.

"No matter. What's important is that the two of you are back together. If the gossip I've heard about you is true, then you are most definitely an adorable couple!"

The blush on Sunset's face grew more fierce, and the remark had even caused one to appear on Flash's face.

"Mom, I think you're embarrassing her."

The older woman stifled a giggle to that.

"Nonsense, Flashy. I'm sure it's nothing she can't handle."

Her smile grew wider soon afterwards.

"In any case, I really am happy the two of you have each other. I know myself how good it feels to have someone special at such a young age."

She turned away from them, seeming, for a moment, both wistful and nostalgic about something. While Sunset was somewhat unsure of what to make of this, Flash turned his face away from his Mother entirely, doing his best to hide a slightly pained look. But, he looked back to her, putting on a smile as she resumed speaking to them.

"You know, I've been wanting to do this for some time, but...I need to get the camera for this!"

To that, Flash slapped his forehead.

"Mom!"

Mrs Sentry giggled at that moment.

"Oh, Flashy, I'm just kidding! You know I wouldn't obsess like that!"

The boy breathed a sigh of relief over this, giving his Mother a small smile in response. But, he didn't get the chance to say anything further on the matter, as just then, the older woman hoisted herself up form her chair.

"But, you know what? I think our gest could do with a nice cup of tea right now."

Sunset's eyes widened, and she raised her hands in a defensive manner.

"Oh! You don't need to..."

But, she was cut off when Mrs Sentry shook her head.

"Nonsense! What kind of host would I be if I didn't even offer you that much?"

Sunset opened her mouth to respond, but soon realised that arguing at this point wouldn't really accomplish much. Instead, she gave an appreciative smile, watching as Mrs Sentry began to walk towards the kitchen, stopping to look down at her son.

"Flash? Would you mind giving me a hand?"

In spite of the sense of slight embarrassment he'd felt earlier, the boy gave his Mother a smile, getting up off the sofa to join her.

"Sure thing, Mom."

And with that, the two were off, leaving Sunset and Scootaloo in that room together. For a while, the only sound that could be heard was that of the "tick-tock" of a nearby clock, which, naturally, led to a degree of awkwardness for Sunset. She glanced down at Scootaloo for a few moments, who was still sitting on the ground, reading a small book. After a few false starts, the former unicorn eventually broke her silence.

"So...Scootaloo...how have things been going?"

The younger girl looked back to her, giving a smile in response.

"Oh, it's...it's been good."

There was something in the way she'd spoken those words that tipped Sunset off immediately. In her life, she had not only heard, but also performed such sounds several times over. So, she recognised forced happiness when she heard it. Realising that the girl was putting on a show, her expression became more serious.

"Scootaloo? Is...is everything okay?"

Scootaloo looked at her, somewhat embarrassed at being asked such a question, and while she did her best to avoid Sunset's gaze, she could nevertheless feel it on the back of her head. In the end, she let out a deep sigh, putting her book aside and standing up. Sunset watched as she made her way over, sitting beside her on the sofa. There was further silence between them for a time, but it was short-lived, as Scootaloo, in a move that surprised Sunset greatly, looked to her with a concerned expression.

"You...you made my brother sad once."

Sunset looked taken aback by that.

"W...what?"

Scootaloo looked away again, clenching her hands into fists upon her knees as she began to explain.

"He never said it. He never showed it. But when you broke up...the first time...he got home and...I heard him, through his door."

She looked down at the ground.

"He cried...if only for a minute or two. You meant something to him...and breaking up with you...it hurt him."

Here, Sunset looked away, feeling a great deal of guilt washing over her. The memory of the girl she used to be now forefront in her mind, along with the faces of all those she'd wronged in those days, Flash included. But, she stayed quiet, turning to her right yet again as Scootaloo continued.

"I...I never knew my Dad. He...it was just before I was born. So..."

Slowly, she looked back to Sunset.

"I know Flash is my brother, but...he's also the only Father I've ever had. He matters to me, Sunset. And I hate seeing him sad."

Her concern deepened in her eyes.

"If there's a chance that things could go wrong between you again..."

Sunset, at last, now knew what the young girl was getting at, and it was a thought that was soon confirmed when the she looked to her with saddened eyes.

"Just...please be good to him?"

For the longest time, Sunset just sat there, thinking over the confession that had been given to her. Long and hard she thought, until, finally, she looked to Scootaloo with a soft face.

"Scootaloo...I appreciate that you care for him. He's lucky he's got you to watch out for him. And I appreciate that you have his wellbeing in mind."

Taking a deep breath, she continued.

"But I promise you...things aren't like what they used to be. Neither one of us is exactly who we were when we first dated. Things are better now. And I can tell you, with absolute certainty..."

Reaching out, she gently placed her hand upon the girl's shoulder.

"I would never, ever...do anything to hurt him again."

For the longest time, Scootaloo simply stared at the older girl, right into her eyes. And what she saw there was nothing but honesty. It took some time, but, in the end, she closed her eyes, exhaling deeply. When she opened them again, she smiled, giving a short nod to her.

"Okay. I...I believe you."

Relieved, Sunset smiled back.

"Thank you."

But, neither one of them had a chance to say anything further to one another, as it was here when both Flash and his mother now re-entered the room. And sure enough, they each held a pair of tea-cups in their hands, one for each of the people now sitting in this room. Mrs Sentry offered one cup to Scootaloo who happily accepted, while Flash gave his spare to Sunset, who, naturally, gave him an appreciative smile over it. Everyone sat down, taking a few moments of silence to simply enjoy this quiet and calm between them. They took a few sips of the still-hot tea, just listening to the sound of the clock, still ticking away. But, when all of them were about as relaxed as it was possible to be under the circumstances, Sunset finally broke the silence, looking once more to Flash's Mother.

"I have to say, Mrs Sentry...this meeting is going far better than I was expecting."

Giggling slightly, the older woman gave a brief nod.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Sunset. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that you two are crazy about each other. Besides..."

Her smile widened, and she took another sip of her tea before carrying on.

"...if Flash has decided that his special one is going to be a magically-transformed unicorn from another world, who am I to get in the way?"

Here, it was as if time itself stood still. The words that had just been spoken sank into the youths in a shocking and almost unnatural way. Slowly, both Sunset and Flash glanced to each other, seeing the mutual shock and disbelief they both bore. When Flash looked back to his Mother, he stumbled for a bit, before asking the obvious question.

"You...you know?!"

Giggling again, Mrs Sentry answered.

"Oh, my dear, sweet Flash. If there's one thing you need to know about Mothers, it's that, sooner or later..."

A knowing smirk crept onto her face.

"...we always find out."

The older woman took an innocent slurp of her tea, leaving the young couple just staring at her with uncertainty, until, in the end, Sunset looked to her lover with a nervous smile.

"Well...I guess that's good to know...right?"