Ever since the Battle of the Bands, Sunset had been more or less avoiding her friends. Not because of their doing, but because of a rather... personal problem that had popped up in the week following the Battle. Due to this problem she had zero desire to hang out with her friends at their houses, where she might be asked to stay the night.

However, the following Friday, Pinkie had enough. She decided that either Sunset would willingly come to a sleep over, or Pinkie would make her come to a sleep over.

Needless to say Sunset made the safer choice.

She twitched and fiddled nervously in the hours before bed, ever anxious of her friends finding out about her secret. She knew it was a trivial thing, really, and there was no reason for her to fear her friends, but she knew at least some of them would find her predicament... Amusing. Since the Battle she had been building up her 'Bad Girl' reputation again, albeit this time with less black mail and possible seduction... Okay, so she still used seduction but come on, like Rarity could tell her not to!

Her friends were supportive of this, for the most part. As long as it was only an image, and not actual bullying this time. She was grateful that they understood, and that they trusted her. In truth she wasn't doing it to go back to her old ways, or for power, or anything like that. She was doing it because she wanted respect, and because, well, she liked the way she looked in a leather jacket and torn jeans. She was intimidating, despite being the shortest of her friends.

"Chill out, Sunset." Rainbow laughed at her as Sunset chugged the rest of her third soda, "There's enough soda to go around. Besides, I think you've had enough."

"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in, "You're gonna have to pee in the middle of the night, and it's never any fun to have to get up and go to the bathroom!"

"I can manage my own bladder, thanks." Sunset grunted and rolled her eyes. Pinkie should have a 'TMI' warning tattoed to her forehead.

"Ya seem nervous." Applejack commented off-handedly as she looked up from her phone. She had been playing some new game, Trials of Tribes or something, and had said rarely anything all night. Her and Rainbow had become obsessed with the game in the past few weeks, and were constantly attacking each other--both in the game and out of it--over the silliest things. Sunset glanced around uneasily at the comment, which made her other friends take notice in the conversation.

"I've noticed that as well," Rarity looked at Sunset with a worried expression, "Is something bothering you, darling?"

"I'm just tired." Sunset assured her friends as she took a bit of one of the cookies Maud had provided for them. She avoided eye contact with everyone while she ate, though she could feel them staring at her. She knew that, sooner or later, she would have to tell them. All the same, though, she hadn't really... thought about what she was going to say.

"You sure?" Rainbow prodded, "Sound like you got something on your mind. Or someone." She shared a look with Sunset, one that told her she knew full well what she had just brought on. Ever since Sunset had (innocently) brought up the fact that Rainbow and Gilda were an item and, essentially, outed them, Rainbow had been out to get her.

Sunset was willing to admit she deserved a good amount of payback, but bringing up love interests in front of Rarity was going too far.

Faust dammit, Rainbow Dash.

"Oooh, got a special somebody, do we?" Rarity squealed, "It is almost Valentines day, after all! Who is it?"

"No one! I don't have a special someone!" Sunset hissed. She glared at Rarity, hoping she would drop it, then at Rainbow, hoping she would spontaneously combust. Unfortunately, neither happened.

"I think you're ly-ing." Rainbow said in a sing-song voice that made Sunset want to punch her.

"Well I'm not." Sunset huffed and crossed her arms.

"Sounds like something a liar would say..."

"Sounds like you need a high-five in the face with a chair."

"Ohhh, you wanna go?" Rainbow sat up straight with a sneering grin. She had the remains of a cookie left in her mouth, and nearly spit them out as she spoke. Sunset had no doubt that this girl would actually fight her in the middle of all of their friends.

"Maybe I do!" Sunset growled in return. The cookie in her hand crumbled onto the table.

Applejack rolled her eyes at the scene before her. Pinkie Pie looked at her, confused as to why her friends were suddenly so upset. "What are they doing?"

"Fightin' fer lesbian dominance."

"..."

"..."

The silence that came after that was awkward, save for Applejack who grinned smugly. Rarity's face turned an interesting shade of pink, probably at the idea of whatever a 'lesbian fight for dominance' might be. Fluttershy's eyes widened, though she didn't say anything. Perhaps the best part was Pinkie, who simply accepted what Applejack had said and nodded seriously.

Sunset was the first to break the silence. She doubled over onto the table, her head under her arms as she tried to hold in her laughter. Rainbow Dash was less successful and sprayed cookie crumbs out of her mouth as she laughed and tried not to choke. Applejack looked smug at her own little joke, and the others were torn between not understanding and wanting to laugh.

"Dammit, Applejack." Sunset weezed, "We don't need your input!"

"S-S-Sunset!" Rainbow breathed deeply between laughing fits, "I chall-challenge you to a lesbian-off!"

"How about no?" Sunset's face was bright red as she launched into another laughing fit, this time the others joined her.

"You're just afraid you'd lose!"

"We'll just call you the winner, okay?"

Rainbow grinned at her accomplishment. "Aww yeah, cuz I'm-! Wait a minute!" Rainbow's face changed from victorious to shocked within half a second, and it was too much for the other girls to handle. They all (sans Rainbow) began laughing again.

"No fair! I've been tricked!" Rainbow whined, but the others ignored her. For a solid five minutes they all laughed and joked about the situation, before finally landing on the topic of Trials of Tribes.

Topic successfully avoided. Sunset thought to herself. She rubbed her aching sides and chuckled again.

"Come on, Sunset," Applejack said sternly as the others walked up stairs to bed. "No more prolongin' it. Whatever's the matter, ya need ta tell us." The farmer looked at Sunset with a worried expression, which made Sunset sigh.

"Yeah, yeah... Just let me change and I'll be right up, okay?" Sunset ran a hand through her hair nervously. She was thankful when Applejack merely nodded and walked up the stairs with their friends, who were all ready for bed. Sunset herself had been prolonging going to bed because... She didn't want them to find out her secret. Sure, they were her friends, but it wasn't like they could do anything to help her...

She piddled around for a bit longer and took her time getting ready for bed. It was twenty minutes later that she finally found her way up the stairs and into Pinkie's room. She stood in the doorway for a moment and looked into the darkened room. Rainbow was fast asleep and snoring, as was Pinkie. The other girls appeared to be asleep, but she couldn't tell.

She stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and when they did she was met with a horrifying sight.

Rarity stared at her.

"Sunset... Why are you...?" Her voice was loud enough to call the attention of Applejack and Fluttershy, who both opened their eyes and also looked at her strangely.

"Uhh..." Sunset had been hoping they all would have been asleep, and this would never have to happen. Of course, that's not how it went.

"Sunset." Applejack said, "Just what the hell is going on?"

Rainbow's snores stopped, and she grouchily turned over to look at them. "Can you please--"

She, too, stared at Sunset. Then Pinkie woke up, and stared at Sunset.

Because Sunset was glowing. And not like a healthy glow, no, Sunset was glowing like a dim light. Her 'aura' cast an orange glow around the room, looking almost like a night light's glow.

The girls stared at her in silence.

Rainbow assumed that Sunset was on some kind of drug, the only human explanation for her to glow. "Look Sunset, I don't know what you're on, but I could really use some the next time I go to one of Vinyl's parties." Rainbow said with the biggest grin Sunset had ever seen on her face.

"The only recreational drug I'm on is called friendship." Sunset replied dead-pan. She was not feeling up to having this conversation with Rainbow at two in the morning.

"Sure Sunset, and my hair is naturally rainbow colored."

Sunset stared at Rainbow. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out as she tried to process this information. She had no real comeback for that, mainly because her mind refused to accept the information that it had just been given. Rainbow Dash dyed her hair? She dyed it rainbow colored of all things? How? Why?

"Seriously, Sunset, what... What are you on? Is it dangerous?" Rarity was concerned and reached out for her friend, who pulled away. As Sunset became more upset she began to glow a brighter, red-er color.

"I'm not on anything!" Sunset almost whined. She stood up and walked briskly to the light switch and turned the light on. Once the attention was off of her 'aura' she glared at her friends, "I swear! This just started happening after the Battle! I don't know if it's some kind of left over magic, or a curse, or what!"

"Calm down, Sunset, we weren't try'na 'cuse you of anything." Applejack said sternly, "We jus' want ta know what's goin' on."

"Well don't look at me!"

"How can we not look at you?!" Pinkie yelled gleefully, "You're like a glow-stick! And you light up the room! You're-" A look of realization crossed Pinkie's face. Slowly a grin spread across her face, and Sunset slinked back a bit.

"Don't you dare." Sunset threatened, but her intimidation factor wasn't very successful since she leaned back slightly and almost cowered in fear.

"You're..." Pinkie's face nearly split in two as she grinned. She dragged out the word as the sheer brilliance of what she was about to say overwhelmed even her.

"Pinkie...!" Sunset's voice was strained, and she leaned against the wall for support. Her eyes were wide, and a drop of sweat made its way down the side of her face.

"You're..." Pinkie was about to explode with the information, but she couldn't resist holding out the surprise for just a few seconds longer.

"Please!" Sunset almost yelled, but her tone told the girls that she was resigned to her fate. Whatever Pinkie was about to say, Sunset would never recover from.

Finally Pinkie, nor anyone else, could handle it anymore. Sunset closed her eyes tightly.

"You're shimmering! Sunset's SHIMMERING!" Pinkie screamed this realization out loud and jumped up and down on her bed. The accursed sentence became a mantra and the pink girl said it over and over again with every bounce. Rainbow was rolling in her sleeping bag, almost crying from the amount she was laughing. Applejack was in a similar situation, but she was at least trying not to laugh.

Rarity hid her face as she guffawed, something that Sunset otherwise would have found amusing. Fluttershy smiled, but when she made eye contact with Sunset she hid behind her own hair.

Sunset groaned in annoyance.

"You guys are impossible!" She huffed angrily as she crossed her arms and slid slowly down the wall. She was humiliated and cross, not a good combination.

After they had all calmed down a bit, they offered their apologies and condolences. Sunset was still upset, however. She tried to just smile and nod, but the strained look on her face told her friends that she was unhappy.

"So, you say that this happened after the Battle?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah. I went home that night and found out I glow in the dark. Scared the crap outta my cat." Sunset chuckled at the last bit.

"You have a cat?" Fluttershy smiled, already preparing to ask its name, species, medical history, and probably a lot of other things Sunset didn't want to get into.

"Let's stay on topic." Sunset said gently, "I've asked Twilight, but she has no idea what it could be. The best we can guess is I'm somehow leaking magic."

"You're like a magic fountain!" Pinkie giggled.

"As interesting as this is," Rainbow cut in, "Can we finish this conversation later? I'm kinda tired."

"This isn't about you, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said, a bit cross, "This is about Sunset." Sunset gave Rarity a grateful look as Rainbow shut up instantly.

"Twilight thinks I should go back to Equestria for a bit so she can run some tests, but I'm not sure..." Sunset frowned and sighed. She wasn't entirely sure if she would be welcomed back in Equestria, and it scared her to think of returning, even if she had Twilight's promise of safety.

"We understand where yer comin' from." Applejack assured her, "But... Maybe it's time fer ya to go back. Ya can't stay in fear of Princess Celestia ferever, can ya?"

Sunset didn't respond. She would be perfectly fine with never seeing Celestia again but all of her friends, especially Twilight, were always pushing her to settle things. She didn't want to, she shouldn't have to! But she didn't feel like fighting anymore.

"I guess not." She sighed again, "Let's just go to bed. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

They figured out that with a few well-placed blankets, it almost didn't look like she was glowing. After a while everyone had settled down and finally gone to sleep except Sunset, who was thinking. She wanted to know why she had been glowing, and if going to Equestria was the best thing to do... Surely the glowing would go away on its own, though, right?

Her thoughts were interupted by something wet trailing across her cheek. She jumped up with a screech and knocked her head on someone else's.

"Pinkie?! What the hell--" The pink girl had licked Sunset's cheek for unknown reasons.

"I wanded tho thee if ah coud durn mah dongue oranth!" Pinkie's tongue was stuck out, but there was no trace of the glowing magic on it. This seemed to make Pinkie sad. Sunset's shriek had woken up the other girls again, and they all looked unamused at Pinkie's antics.

"Pinkie, stop sexually harassing Sunset so we can all go to sleep." Rainbow growled.

"Awww," Pinkie whimpered, "How disappointing..." Sunset gave her a terrified look, unsure of what she was talking about. The other girls either ignored it or sent her a pitying glance before going back to sleep.

"I feel violated."

"Shhhhh!"

Author's Notes:

It. Is. Finished.