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Fluttershy sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. She still didn’t feel at home, even though she’d lived there for a month. She wondered if she’d ever get used to it.

Shivering in the cold, she stood up and moved around to try and generate a little bit of heat. Walking to a window, she stared outside to see a thick blanket of snow. She should be in bed. It was freezing, and sitting alone in the kitchen wasn’t doing her any favors.

At least the coffee was hot. She took another sip.

‘It was just a dream. I’m okay,’ she repeated to herself the same thing she’d been thinking all night. She glanced towards the bedroom. ‘I should tell her. But what if it wasn’t just a dream? What will she think of me?’

She shook her head and sat back down. She stared at the table and zoned out while listening to the tick-tock of the clock. ‘Only a dream. It was only a dream. Even if it has been six weeks since…’

She jerked her head up suddenly and shook it violently. She grabbed the mug and drank far too quickly, burning her mouth. Still, she drained the last of her cup, letting the heat distract her from her thoughts, setting the empty mug down roughly. It fell over and she dropped her head to the table.

“Why did I drink that so fast?” she grumbled. She stood up and brought the mug to the sink. Although the water came out cold, she washed the cup for the third time that night. After drying off, she went into the living room and sat on the couch. Shivering worse than before, she curled into a ball.

Despite the cold and the caffeine, she dozed off at some point, although she slept restlessly. Eventually, she woke up as she was shaken gently.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing out here? The sun’s not even up yet.”

Fluttershy got up and rubbed her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep.”

She found herself pulled into a hug. “Why didn’t you wake me up? Bad dreams again?”

Fluttershy nodded. ‘Not about what you think though…’

“Everything will be okay, Shy. I’ll never let him near you again. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

Fluttershy nodded. She had to tell her. “I… I’m…” She began crying uncontrollably.

“Shy, it’s okay. Look at me. Everything’s okay.”

Fluttershy looked into the other girl’s smiling face. “Sunset, I…” She wiped her eyes and smiled. “Thank you. I’ll be okay.”

Sunset looked at the clock. “Well, we’ve got about an hour before you have to get ready for school. You want to try to get back to sleep, or just stay up?”

“Oh, well, I had three cups of coffee so I don’t think I’ll get much sleep, actually,” Fluttershy said.

Sunset laughed and stood up. “Why’d you even take morning classes?” She disappeared into her bedroom for a minute before coming out with a blanket. Once they were both covered, she turned on the TV and hit play, letting whatever was already in the DVD player start playing again. By the time the first light began coming through the windows, Sunset had fallen back asleep leaning on Fluttershy’s shoulder, but she didn’t mind. She knew this was right where she wanted to be.

Who We Become is a story that takes place across two worlds. The human story and the pony story happen concurrently and affect each other, but they can also be read as standalone stories.

If this is the first Who We Become story you’re reading and you now want to go back and read the human side of things as well, Looking Glass is the earliest story in the series and what I’d recommend to anyone who wants to see the human side of things.

Playing House is the next main story in this series, taking place in the human world. Reading it isn’t necessary if you’re only interested in the pony story, but is the next recommended fic if you want the full story.

Finding Home is the direct sequel to Inner Strength, and is the next recommended fic if you only want the pony story. It does take place after Playing House and will spoil details of that story, so read that first if you care about the human side of things.