Dear Diary,

Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer have officially started the 4th grade!

And we’re in the same class together again too! Our new teacher is Dixie Ti, and she seems a bit strict, but she’s kind of funny too. I like her.

Sunset almost mouthed off to her early in the class but I saw it coming and managed to stop her. First impressions are important!

We played together at recess, managed to reclaim our favorite spot on the playground, and afterwards Sunset came over for dinner.

Here’s hoping the 4th grade will be just as fun as the 3rd!

-Twilight Sparkle

Twilight’s heart fell out of her chest.

That couldn’t be real, right? She had just misheard the radio. It was choppy, and hard to understand anyway. She was just jumping to conclusions.

“Twilight,” Shining Armor said. He was pale, but his voice was firm. “I need you to take a deep breath and stay calm.”

So what if it was a motorcycle accident? Those things happened all the time. They were called ‘donorcycles’ for a reason. There were probably hundreds of people who owned motorcycles in Ponyville alone. Any one of them could easily have been involved in an accident, at the same time Sunset was driving home, in an area close to her house.

These were all perfectly reasonable, rational, and logical considerations to be making. There was absolutely no reason to panic or fly off the handle. She needed to approach this situation with a level head and a lack of emotion like the scientist she was.

Phones. Right. Phones were a thing. She dug her phone out of her pocket, the device shaking in her hands. She failed several times before making it to her contacts list. One ring. Two. Three. Four. Five.

“Hi, you’ve reached the voicemail of Sunset Shimmer. If this is anybody but Pinkie Pie, please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Pinkie Pie, if this is you, I can’t handle the voicemails anymore. Please just text me if you want to tell me something. If this is someone who I’ve hurt in the past, I’m sorry, and I’ll be happy to talk with you about it in person. Have a great day!”

Twilight opened her mouth to leave a message, but no words came out as her throat constricted. She hung up instead, trying to stuff the phone back into her pocket.

Shining Armor was already halfway to the door, throwing on his police jacket and strapping on his holster. “Twilight, I’m going to go check things out. I want you to stay here, okay? I’ll call you as soon as I find anything out, I promise.”

“No!” Twilight screamed, lunging forward and latching onto her brother's arm in a death grip. “No no no no no no! I… I have to go. She can’t be…!”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she trembled, but she refused to let go of her brother's arm.

Shining Armor stared down at her, his face twisted into a grimace. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come along.”

Twilight shook her head, grunting softly. “I have to see if she’s alright.” Or if she isn’t. “P-please.”

“...Fine.”

Cadance poked her head into the living room. “What’s going on?”

“It’s…” Shining Armor glanced between the two of them and sighed. He pulled his arm free from Twilight, then dragged Cadance into a corner, muttering something into her ear low enough that Twilight couldn’t hear.

Cadance stiffened, took a deep breath, then nodded, her expression resolute. “I’m coming too.”

Shining Armor gritted his teeth, then shook his head. “You two in the back. Try to calm Twilight down.”

Twilight felt Cadance take her hands, and she allowed herself to be led through the house, barely conscious of the fact she was slipping on her shoes.

Before she even knew it she was buckled into the back seat of the car, her brother barking something into the radio before putting on his auxiliary police siren and peeling off down the road.

Cadance sat next to her, cradling her head in her arms, singing softly. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake…”

Twilight’s mind was elsewhere.

The memories played through her mind with sickening clarity. Sunset’s birthday. Hiking together. Her ingenious plan with the flower. Sunset’s teasing as the ground crumbled beneath her. The weight, dragging Twilight down until she was unable to hold on. The look in Sunset’s eyes as she fell, seared forever into Twilight’s soul.

But that had only been the half of it.

She peered down over that ledge, peered down at the small, broken form on the ground below, screaming, begging for it to respond until her voice gave out. She pulled out her phone and dialed 911. It took her three tries before she managed to explain what happened.

The wait for the rescue chopper stretched into eternity. Because it was dark, she didn’t even dare go down to her. And when the paramedics opted to take her back in the chopper and leave Sunset behind, she kicked and screamed and cried with what little grief and fury she had left.

The worst part, though, was climbing down from that chopper to find her family and Sunset’s father waiting for her.

And now she found herself in that same situation again. Was this to be her fate? To find happiness, only to have it torn away from her again and again by random happenstance?

Sunset had been her best friend, her childhood crush. Sunset was now her friend, her lover. Would she, in her mid-twenties, meet a third version of the flame-haired girl and sing this song and dance once more?

No. She couldn’t accept that. Sunset was hers. She needed her. They belonged together, as sure as any concept of destiny had existed in any system of belief. She was quick to dismiss terms like soulmates as pseudo-scientific nonsense, but it really seemed like the best word. What else but the intervention of fate could have brought them together like this?

“Twilight.”

It couldn’t end like this. Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer were going to go to college together and get married and find a way to have adorable children together. They would grow old and live happily ever after. That was the way things worked in the stories. That was the way things should be. That was the way things had to be. That was the way she wanted things to be.

“Twilight!”

Twilight snapped back to reality with a gasp of air. She blinked, looking around. Cadance was holding her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes with a soft smile. The car had stopped moving, and she could see the flashing lights of other emergency vehicles in her peripheral vision.

Cadance took a deep breath she smiled once more and brushed Twilight’s bangs out of her eyes. “Glad to see you’re back with us. She’s fine, Twilight.”

Twilight’s mind took a moment to process what had been said before she finally sputtered, “What?”

“Sunset’s fine,” Cadance said, pointing behind Twilight.

Twilight spun around fast enough to give herself whiplash and threw herself against the window.

Sunset was there, alive, though looking worse for the wear. She sat on the curb, hands behind her back, looking glum.

Sunset was okay.

Twilight let out a strangled cry. She grasped around for the handle and threw the door open, only to be stopped by her seatbelt. Blinded by tears, she fumbled at the clasp until it finally clicked open, and she tumbled out of the car, her glasses falling off in the process. She struggled to right herself, then scrambled towards Sunset as fast as she could.

Sunset looked up at her, cracking a faint smile. “Hey, Twilight. Sorry, I’m a little—oof!”

“Sunset!” Twilight wailed. She barreled into Sunset and wrapped her in a hug, squeezing as tight as she could. She never wanted to let go again.

“Ow, watch it, that hurts! Jeez, what’s gotten into you, Twilight?”

Twilight sniffed, her tears absorbed by Sunset’s shirt as she buried her face even deeper. "I thought... you... accident."

Sunset blinked, then let out a sigh. "Right. I can see why you'd be worried. I'm sorry. But I'm fine. Well, kind of—I'm a little bruised up and that seriously does hurt please stop."

"Ah... I..." Twilight pulled back, rubbing at her eyes. She didn't let go entirely, but she finally took a moment to actually examine the situation.

"W-what happened? Sunset, you..."

Sunset's left eye was swollen and starting to turn purple, her lip was busted, and her jacket was torn to shreds. Twilight could see painful looking road rash painting her arms in streaks of red.

And Sunset’s hands were handcuffed behind her back.

Sunset grimaced, looking away. “It’s a long story.”

Sunset could read the sign, as plain as day, even through her helmet. No right turns on red between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Judging by the way the SUV behind her was honking and kept revving its engine, she supposed it must have been in their blind spot or something.

She grit her teeth, and started counting slowly, the powerful bike idling beneath her. It wasn’t anything to get worked up over. Just another dumb driver.

The light turned green, and Sunset cranked the throttle, her beast roaring to life beneath her as the back wheel spun gravel behind her. She lunged forward, leaning into the turn as she shot around the corner.

She spared a glance into the rearview mirror, and caught a glimpse of indignant rage painting the face of some housewife. Hah, serves her—

The wheel of her bike hit a pothole. The vehicle lurched, toppling towards the ground.

Instinct took over and Sunset let herself fall from the bike so as not to be crushed. She hit the ground, bouncing and rolling painfully.

There was a squeal of brakes and the sickening crunch of crumpling metal and plastic.

Adrenaline and panic rushed through her veins. Sunset stared at the pavement through the visor on her helmet for a second before the thought that she needed to get out of the street came to her. She shot up straight much to the protest of her body, and got to her feet. Her head spun, but the adrenaline made it all seem a bit distant, like it was happening to someone else.

Blinking, she tore off her helmet. Traffic had stopped, drivers honked, pedestrians stared. More than a few already had their phones out. Sunset’s jacket was in tatters. It was one of her favorites.

And that damned SUV had run over her bike, the crumpled mess now stuck up underneath its wheels.

The woman who had been driving got out of the car, her face puffed up and bright red. She was blonde, maybe mid-thirties, in a pantsuit. She screamed something at Sunset that she couldn’t quite make out.

Something clicked. The world rushed back to Sunset, sound and perception gaining clarity in an instant.

“Just what is wrong with you?!” the woman yipped. “I could have gotten killed! I don’t have time to deal with this right now, there are places I need to be! You’d better hope you have insurance, young lady.”

Sunset grit her teeth and clenched her fists as the lady got close enough for Sunset to feel her spittle on her face. She spared another glance towards her ruined bike. She remembered the day she had first gotten it, remembered how happy she had been to have something in this world that she could call her own.

It only took Sunset a few seconds to scope out the tan line around the woman’s ring finger. The hicky on her collarbone. Perfect.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset drawled, putting as much sarcasm into it as she could manage. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your busy day by getting in an accident and almost dying. I’m standing up, so I must be fine, right? Definitely don’t need any medical attention. I know how important it is for you to get home in time so your husband doesn’t realize you were out cheating on him.”

The flash of panic, followed by rage as the woman raised her arm to strike her, told Sunset she had hit the mark perfectly. All she had to do was take the slap, then she would be free to escalate however she wanted.

The right hook caught her by surprise.

Sunset reeled back from the blow. She planted her feet, lowered her head, and lunged. The top of her head connected with the lady’s nose with a satisfying crunch. Sunset turned the rest of the momentum into a body blow to knock the woman to the ground.

Sunset let out a long sigh. “We… scuffled for a bit more after that, until bystanders pulled us apart. Then the cops and the paramedics arrived, and we were both cuffed, and a lot of questions were asked, then you guys got here.”

Twilight glanced over to where the blonde woman was also cuffed and talking to her brother, shuddered, and wrung her hands into Sunset’s shirt. “Did you really do that to her?”

Sunset bit her lip. “Yeah. I wanted her to hit me, just so I could hit back. I’m sorry, I just… that bike meant a lot to me, and the way she was yelling and the things she was saying… I just kind of lost it. For Celestia’s sake, I’m a joke if this is supposed to be redemption.”

“No,” Twilight muttered, shaking her head. “I don’t care about any of that. I wouldn’t even care if you had hit her first; you’re safe, and that’s all that matters. I can’t… I can’t lose you, Sunset. I just can’t.”

Twilight leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Sunset again, being careful this time to avoid her injuries, and continued to sob softly, mucus spilling from her nose.

“Twilight…” Sunset leaned forward, tucking Twilight’s head under her chin. “Sorry I can’t hug you at the moment. Bear with me here.”

They stayed like that, Twilight holding Sunset tight as the rest of the world passed by in silence.

After a few minutes, Twilight spoke up as she wiped at her eyes. “So, um, what now?”

“Now,” Cadance said, walking over, “you should move over and let me take a look at her.”

“The paramedics already took a look at me,” Sunset said as Twilight untangled herself. “It stings like hell, but nothing’s broken.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow, and knelt down, slipping on a pair of latex gloves. “And they didn’t immediately take you to the hospital? Even if you think you’re fine, you need to get some X-rays done. Stress fractures can happen even in low speed collisions, and they can cause serious problems if not detected immediately.”

Sunset shook her head. “I don’t have health insurance, alright? Besides, I’m made of tougher stuff than you humans. Probably. I’m fine—ah!” Sunset cried out, flinching as Cadance prodded what must have been a particularly tender spot.

Cadance narrowed her eyes. “Tougher stuff, huh? You’re going to the hospital, young lady, whether you like it or not.”

Sunset clenched her teeth, growling under her breath. “You can’t just—”

“Sunset,” Twilight said, her voice soft and her eyes wide. “Please.”

“...Fine.” Sunset jingled her handcuffs. “What about these, though? I’m not sure I really have the freedom to go where I please at this point.”

“I suppose that’s where I come in,” Shining Armor said, walking over and looming over Sunset. He pulled out what appeared to be a set of handcuff keys and stared down at her. “I get it, that woman is insufferable, but what the hell were you thinking?”

“Does it really even matter at this point?” Sunset asked, looking away.

“That depends on how keen you are to spend the night in a jail cell.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “What? No you can’t, Sunset is—”

“Shiny!” Cadance snapped. “She’s already been through enough, this isn’t the time to scare her.”

Shining Armor sighed, shaking his head. “Look, there are witnesses that confirm she struck first, but that you escalated. Our usual procedure for drunken brawls is to just throw both parties in a cell and let them sleep it off, as long as it didn’t get too serious.”

Sunset hung her head, closing her eyes. “Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

Twilight made a small whimpering sound and clung to Sunset tighter.

“Whatever we do,” Cadance said, standing up and brushing her hands off on her skirt. “Sunset still needs to go to a hospital first. Just in case.”

Sunset sucked a sharp breath through her teeth as Cadance cleaned up her scrapes and bruises.

"You're really quite lucky, you know," Cadance said, wrapping a bandage around Sunset's right arm. "I've seen the results of more motorcycle accidents than I'd care to, and it's not pretty. Your X-rays are clean, at least."

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and held on to Sunset’s hand so hard it hurt.

Cadance glanced over at Twilight and shook her head. "Sorry. I guess this was all bad enough without me scaring you further. All things considered, I think we can chalk this one up as a happy ending."

A happy ending? Sunset glanced around the doctor’s office, shivering. Most of her ideas of a happy ending didn't involve laying mostly naked on a table as a nurse drenched her with disinfectant. But, sweet Celestia, she hurt all over. She was going to be sore for weeks. A part of her just wanted to just go back to Equestria and see her old unicorn doctors. There were plenty of spells that would soothe away pain, prevent infection, and aid fast recovery.

“Is it really okay that I’m here? I admit, I don’t know a lot about the intricacies of your healthcare system, but I don’t think I can afford this.”

“Oh hush,” Cadance said, rolling her eyes. “It’s all taken care of; consider it the perks of nepotism and be happy with it. We love you, Sunset, and that means we’ll do what we can for you when you’re in trouble.”

Her heart twinged at those words. She had the romantic love of Twilight, she had the love and friendship of the rest of the gang, and now she had gained a new familial love. Twilight’s family had all been so quick to count her among them. It wasn’t that she disliked it or anything, but it was hard to get used to.

“I don’t suppose the perks of nepotism include a get out of jail free card?” Sunset asked, turning towards the large chair where Shining Armor was seated, facing away to give the girls some privacy.

Shining Armor raised his hand above the top of the chair and gave a wave. “Pretty much. Look, Sunset, we all know you’re a non-entity here. By all technical definitions, you’re an illegal immigrant in this world. If I’m not careful with the paperwork, it could lead to a lot of questions being asked that would be rather uncomfortable. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll take you down to the station, file a basic incident report, lecture you for an hour on the evils of violence, then we’ll call it a day. You’ve been through a lot, I get that, but I have to do my end, too.”

Sunset bit her lip and sighed. “I… don’t really know what to say to that.”

Cadance finished tying a bandage around Sunset’s arm and stood up to gather some other supplies. “Just ‘thank you’ is enough, dear.”

“But… alright. Thank you.”

They sat in silence for several minutes as Cadance worked. Sunset looked down at Twilight, who still held her hand tight. Her girlfriend had been pretty silent the whole time but had stayed as close to her as was reasonable.

Sunset reached her other hand out to brush some of Twilight’s hair out of her eyes. Not that she had any right to talk, but the girl was a mess. “Hey. You doing alright? I’m sorry for scaring you like that.”

Twilight jumped slightly at the sudden touch, then sighed, loosening her grip slightly. “I’m fine. I just need to—no. I’m really not okay, actually.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” Sunset snaked her left arm around Twilight and pulled her close, much to Cadance’s consternation.

“You’re wrong.” Twilight took a deep breath, but leaned into the hug. “You can’t promise that. Nobody can. Death is an inevitability, and it can come at any time with no warning.”

“Hey,” Cadance snapped. “No nihilism allowed in the doctor’s office. Don’t make me have your brother go get the clown from the Children’s Ward.”

Shining Armor perked up. “You mean Porky? I didn’t know he was in today. That guy’s awesome.”

Twilight cracked a faint smile, but shook her head. “It’s not that, it’s just… I thought I was better. That I was getting over all of this. That I had moved on, that we could make a future together. But one scare and I freak out so badly I become a useless, helpless child again. I’m pathetic.”

“Twilight…” Sunset reached down and lifted her chin, raising her eyes to meet her own. “I love you, okay? You’re not pathetic. I’d be pretty terrified if I thought you were hurt too. Maybe I can’t promise immortality, but I can promise to do my best. That’s all any of us really can, right?”

Twilight leaned up and pressed her lips against Sunset’s. “I love you too, Sunset. And I can promise to do my best, but… I guess there’s still just a lot of baggage I need to work through. I hope you can bear with me.”

“No problem. I’m a pony, remember? Four legged creatures are a lot better at carrying extra weight anyway.”

Cadance squealed. “Gods, I love you two so much! Never stop being adorable, you hear me!”

Twilight threw back her head and laughed, her smile genuine this time. When she stopped, she idly traced her finger along the backside of Sunset’s hand. “Still… I want to be with you tonight, if that’s okay.”

Shining Armor coughed. “Heyo!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Er, Twilight, you know I’m down for whatever, but I don’t think I can really do that right now. My everything hurts. A lot.”

“Not—!” Twilight blushed furiously, glaring over at her brother. “I just meant I don’t want to be alone tonight. Come sleep over at my place.”

Cadance nodded, grinning. “It’s for the best anyway. I’ll be able to change your bandages in the morning.”

“Right, sure.” A thought occurred to her, and she added, “Though I want to pick some things up from my place first.”

“And done,” Cadance said, tying off the last bandage. “Now, the one thing I can’t get you is good painkillers, so you’re stuck with ibuprofen. Sorry kiddo.”

Twilight frowned, pulling out her phone. “We should probably tell the others, huh?”

Sunset rubbed at the back of her head. “Ugh, I’m too wiped out to deal with a horde of worried friends right now. See if you can convince them not to come rushing over to see me until tomorrow.”

Twilight woke up with a sudden gasp, her eyes snapping wide open.

Sweat coated her skin, and her heart thundered in her chest. Even as her mind struggled to kick back into gear, a part of her demanded that she curl up into a ball and do her best to hide from reality.

But it had only been a dream. She had come back from the hospital with Cadance, and Shining Armor came back with Sunset after their trip to the station. After dinner they had talked for a bit, then went to sleep. Even with the previous day's scare, everything was still perfectly normal. Sunset was still by her side.

Twilight looked down, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. Sunset really was there, breathing softly, her cute, sleeping face partially hidden underneath her hair.

Smiling, Twilight couldn’t help but reach down to brush it away. She really was lucky to be with such a beautiful and wonderful girl.

Twilight’s doubts, fears, and nightmares seized her heart once more with an iron grip and a jolt of panic.

Turning an involuntary sob into a strangled whimper, Twilight shuddered, turning away. Her legs shook as she stood up and stumbled into her bathroom. She turned on the sink, splashed cold water over her face, then glanced up at the mirror.

Bloodshot eyes, messy hair, and pale skin stared back at her.

She spent several minutes in front of the mirror, practicing breathing techniques she had learned long ago to calm herself down, thanks to her sessions in therapy. Maybe she should have given her old therapist a call. Sunset deserved better than this.

Once she felt she had calmed down enough, she made her way back to the room. Sunset was just as she had left her: still asleep, still adorable. The promise of sleep was right there, warm and inviting, with the companionship of Sunset to boot.

Instead, Twilight made her way to her desk and flicked on her laptop.

Even before she had met Sunset again, she had had a companion to help her deal with stress. The sweet mistress known as Science had helped her through some dark times, and likely would again. She had been letting herself get too distracted as of late, even if her new friends and her relationship were worth every minute.

She still had a lot of work to do, and it was time she focused.

You may now collectively start breathing again.

Merry Christmas!