Sunset Shimmer yawned, stretching her arms out above her head. Then, she flipped over her phone on her lap and glanced at the time—not even six o’clock. She groaned, leaning back into the sofa and letting herself sink further into its comfy depths, wondering why she’d even agreed to ride along with Rarity in the first place. Not that walking herself would have been that much better, but at least it’d give her something to do instead of just waiting.

And Sunset hated waiting. She hated doing nothing, being left to stew in her own thoughts; she’d usually rather play some game on her phone, or be texting back and forth with a friend, or just browsing mindlessly through a website. But for some reason, right now, none of that seemed appealing. It all just felt kind of off.

Thankfully, that’s when her phone buzzed on her lap. She flipped it over to see she had a text from Twilight Sparkle, and her lips curved.

>You excited?

Sunset rolled her eyes, and quickly tapped back a response.

I mean yeah but Pinkie throws a party practically every other weekend
Should be fun tho

>I guess you’re right, she just made this one sound like
>Idk
>More of a big deal
>Like it’s not going to be just us girls

Sunset bit her lip. You nervous?

>Maybe a little

I’m sure it’ll be fine
Pinkie wants all her friends to have fun after all

>Yeah I guess
>How are you feeling?

Fine, though I guess I’m tired of waiting
I mean I’m glad Rarity offered me a ride I’m just like
I dunno

>Oh yeah
>I’m mostly just waiting around here before I gotta go too

Sunset smiled. In good company I guess

>Mhm

She didn’t know how to respond, so she simply didn’t; after a minute of staring at the screen, she flipped the phone over once again. She’d see Twilight soon enough—and everyone else, too. It’d be nice to see all of them outside of school, as she hadn’t in some time, yet she was feeling a little apprehensive as well. It’d been a while, to say the least. Not that she didn’t think she’d fall back into it easily once she got in the swing of things, but... that didn’t make her any less nervous.

The phone on her lap buzzed again, and Sunset flipped it over.

>Sorry I’m a bit early but I’m outside
>And please do hurry, I’m not sure I’m allowed to park here

Sunset shook her head and laughed. Be out in a sec. A deep breath, and then she stood. She slid into a leather jacket once she reached the doorway, and once her keys and wallet were securely in her pockets she was out the door.

The evening air was crisp, a gust of wind brushing Sunset’s hair back as the apartment building’s doors opened. She stepped out into the mostly-empty parking lot, and noticed a car waiting beside the sidewalk with its engine on; as she approached, its window unrolled.

“Sunset! It’s been so long!” Rarity called from the driver’s seat.

“What are you talking about?” Sunset said with a smile, leaning down to look at her chauffeur. Rarity was dressed in style as she always did for these sorts of things; her light blue dress, most likely an original creation, complimented her eyes and they both seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. “I talked to you at school today, remember?”

“Yes, yes,” Rarity said, “but it’s been so long since we’ve spent any time together.” She patted the empty passenger seat beside her, beaming. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright.” She opened the unlocked door and slid inside, clicking the seatbelt in place over herself. “How’re you doing tonight?”

“Oh, splendid,” Rarity replied. “Just marvellous.” She was posed oddly, arms outstretched with both wrists over the top of the steering wheel. “Positively smashing.”

“Smashing?” Sunset tilted her head. “Okay, that one’s weird, even for you. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Just excited for this party, that’s all.” She paused, for a moment looking lost in thought. “Really, though, it was nice to hear you could make it to this one. It’s been what, two months and twice as many parties you’ve missed?”

Sunset blinked. “Oh jeez...”

“It’s not that big a deal or anything,” Rarity went on, staring out the front window. “I think poor Pinkie Pie was just starting to worry that you might not like her parties...”

“I-I love her parties!” Sunset protested. “I... I know I haven’t been around a ton lately, and that’s on me. And I’m trying to fix that, starting now. I’ll make sure she knows it, too.”

Rarity looked back to her, a glimmer in her eye and a wry smile on her lips. “Thank you, darling. I don’t mean to make you feel bad—quite the opposite in fact, I’m glad you’re coming along. I just wanted to make sure you understood.”

“Oh, I do,” Sunset assured her, embellishing the statement with a grimace. “That’s what I mean—I’ve only really been thinking about myself lately, and I really want to work to change that.”

“Glad to hear it,” Rarity said, and with that she pulled the vehicle out of park and they started moving down the block. “Say, one more thing.”

“Yeah?” Sunset quirked an eyebrow.

Rarity didn’t even look up from the road. “Are you and Twilight dating?”

A beat. Then: “What?!”

Rarity giggled—or perhaps cackled—as they sped off.

Once they reached Pinkie Pie’s house, Rarity had been forced to park on the street nearly a block away, as both Pinkie’s driveway and the surrounding curbside were all filled with various other cars. Rarity had glanced in the rear view mirror and requested a moment alone so she could touch up her makeup; Sunset thought it looked fine, but she obliged and went on ahead.

The sun was already hanging low in the sky, casting Pinkie’s family home in an almost cinematic light. Sunset had taken a liking to Pinkie’s house from the few times she’d been there; even though the small slate-coloured bungalow seemed like it could barely contain the energy of four sisters, something about that made it all the cosier. As she approached the car-filled driveway, she heard a shrill “SUNSET!” and before she knew quite what was happening the party’s rambunctious pink-haired host had snaked her way through the cars and ran up to gave her a big hug.

“Hey, Pinkie,” Sunset said with a laugh, wrapping her arms around her friend. “How’s the party?”

“Great now that you’re here!” Pinkie gave her a final squeeze before pulling away. “Well, it was great before you got here too, ’cause since when have I ever thrown a not-great party? And everybody seems to be having a super-duper good time, and I’m sure it’ll be even better now that you’re here! Thank you so so so much for coming!” She beamed. “C’mon!”

Without waiting for a reply, Pinkie grabbed Sunset’s hand and whisked her up the drive. Sunset laughed again, forced into a run so she didn’t fall over. They paused at the porch, where two girls in their year—Lyra and Bon Bon—were sitting on the porch swing, leaning into each other with a light blush spread across both their faces.

“Talk to you girls again later, I gotta bring Sunset inside!” Pinkie said cheerily, and without waiting for a reply she pulled Sunset into the foyer and through the entryway, into the small dining room, whose curtains were drawn to let in some of the natural evening light. There was loud thumping music in the other room—the living room—beside them, but Pinkie didn’t pay it any mind; she let go of Sunset’s hand and did a silly twirl, and then stood stock still in front of the table, face screwed up in confusion.

“Oh, hey, where’s Rarity?” Pinkie asked. “Wasn’t she driving you?”

“Heeere!” came Rarity’s reply from over by the door, making Sunset jump a little. “Apologies, darling, I just needed a moment.” The girl stepped up to Sunset, putting a friendly hand on her back. “Didn’t make it that far in, did you?”

“I was just getting there,” Sunset said, glancing wryly over to Rarity. “I don’t know where anyone is yet, though, and Pinkie seemed like she wanted to show me something.”

Pinkie perked up. “Oh, yes! Snacks!” She stepped aside and gestured dramatically to the dining room table before them, on which a variety of bowls were laden with various chips, dips, and carrot sticks, alongside a tray of chocolate chip cookies. At the back, next to a bunch of red plastic cups, was a big glass bowl filled with a pinkish liquid. “And my secret-recipe Pinkie punch!”

“Oh, don’t mind if I do.” Rarity stepped around the table, taking a plastic cup and scooping liquid into it with the ladle in the punch bowl. “I am parched.”

“I could go for something to drink, too,” Sunset said. “But, um, would you happen to have some kind of pop? I’m not all that big on punch.”

Pinkie visibly deflated a little, but she nodded all the same. “Yeah, we’ve got some Dr Pepper in the fridge...”

Sunset bit her lip. “Do you maybe have something... less caffeinated?” She grinned nervously. “I’m really sorry if this is too much trouble, I—”

“Don’t worry about it!” Pinkie said, her smile regaining its lustre. “I’ve got, um, let’s see...” She tapped her chin. “Oh, my mom’s got some bottles of Diet Squirt, is that okay?”

“That’d be wonderful,” Sunset said, watching as Pinkie turned to open the fridge and rummage inside. A moment later and Sunset had a cool bottle in her hand. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“Of course!” Pinkie grinned. “A good party lets everyone have fun, however they wanna!” She reached over to grab a few chips before moseying over to the guac.

“Well, I love the punch, Pinkie,” Rarity said, taking another sip for the show of it. “Do you know where Coco is?”

“I think she’s over in my room with Suri, they said they wanted somewhere quiet to chat.” Pinkie hummed. “You should go check on them! I gotta go back outside, I think a few people might trickle in. Sunset!” She turned to face the redhead, who’d opened the bottle and was taking a refreshing gulp. “Everyone’s in the living room if you wanna say hi! And again, thank you for coming!”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Sunset shot back, smiling. “I’ll go see what’s up with the girls.”

The three parted ways, and Sunset headed over to the short hall leading to the living room. She grinned as she saw Rainbow Dash leaning against the wall there in the far corner, deep in conversation with Applejack about something or other. The athlete's hair was newly cropped short, something that must have happened between the end of school and this evening hour.

"So I see you finally came out," Sunset remarked as she passed the pair.

Rainbow's head flicked immediately towards her, pupils small as pinpricks. "W-What? I-I don't know what you mean!"

Sunset shook her head, laughing. "Sorry, what I meant to say was—nice haircut." She accentuated this with a wink, earning a deep blush from Rainbow and a straight-up guffaw from Applejack. Before she had to bear the consequences, Sunset turned, whistling to herself as she strolled into the living room.

A room which held quite a few more people than Sunset had been expecting. Sure, Pinkie’s recent parties that she’d attended had more than just the girls, but there was a difference between inviting over a few extra friends and... whatever this was, with teenagers filling up the chairs and sofas and huddled on the floor. In the centre of the room were a few people she barely knew playing Rock Band on the TV on the far wall, though most of the people in the room seemed to be barely paying them any notice—glued to their own little groups, their own conversations. Of course, she’d missed more than a few of Pinkie’s little get-togethers, so maybe she was just late to finding out they’d become a bit bigger than before.

Sunset’s eyes scanned the room, looking for a trace of her friends—but strangely enough, she didn’t see any of them. A few people smiled or nodded with recognition at her as she entered, but of course they recognised her, given her... past.

She shuddered, and tried not to think about that. But she wasn’t sure where exactly to go, trapped in a weird limbo of being known but not knowing anyone. She turned, considering just leaving to rejoin Pinkie—but that’s when she spotted a familiar face in the corner of the room, curled up on a dark purple armchair and apparently deep in conversation with another figure standing beside her.

“Twilight!” Sunset said with a step to the side, hopefully loud enough to get the other girl’s attention but not so loud as to interrupt anyone else. Twilight’s head turned, and her eyes lit up at the sight of her friend.

“Hey, Sunset!” the purple girl greeted her, reaching a hand out in Sunset’s direction and wiggling her fingers lazily. Twilight wore her typical Crystal Prep-lite outfit, hair up in a bun as always, and she held a red plastic cup in her other hand. As her fingers met Sunset’s, the latter girl noted that Twilight seemed more relaxed than she’d expected; even she was more at home here than Sunset. As Twilight let go, Sunset looked up at the glasses-clad boy beside her who she’d been talking to, giving him an inquisitive look.

“Hey there,” he said, smiling awkwardly. He adjusted his collar, avoiding her gaze. “The name’s Micro Chips.”

“Sunset Shimmer,” she replied.

“Heh... I know.”

Sunset winced. Of course he did—who wouldn’t? “What’re you kids up to?”

“Puh-lease, Sunny, I’m eighteen years old.” Twilight giggled an uncharacteristic giggle. “Basically an adult already.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Suuure you are.”

“Twilight here was just telling me about a project she did a few years ago with ARM processors,” Micro Chips explained, taking a sip from a cup of his own.

“Ah, yes, arm processing. I had to do a lot of that when I came first through the mirror.” Sunset winked, and Micro Chips raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Twilight just laughed—a really genuine, unrestrained laugh.

“I’m really glad to see you here,” Twilight added, after a clear moment of thought. “You know how worried I was about coming, but... it just feels okay. And Micro Chips is really nice to talk to.” She reached up to take his hand, squeezing it.

“Y-you too,” he said, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Sunset, for her part, snickered.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Sunset said, giving the both of them a cordial smile. “That sort of stuff goes over my head, and I think I need a breath of fresh air, anyway.”

“Okay!” Twilight nodded forcefully. “Talk to you later, Sunny. Actually, speaking of, I should get some more punch...” She stood, making her way over to the hall and disappearing out of sight.

With a friendly nod to Micro Chips, Sunset Shimmer stepped away herself, within a moment already slipping between the Rock Band kids and another group on the sofa. Her sights were on the sliding glass doors on the far wall, leading out to a modest backyard that looked pretty empty, from what she could see. She’d been out there a few times before, with at least one goofy inflatable-pool party to her name, but in that moment it seemed like the perfect refuge.

Once she weaved past her classmates, it was but a moment until she had the sliding glass door open, pulling past its screen to let herself out into the fresh evening air. It wasn’t until she was out there that she realised how stuffy and cramped the living room had felt; here, though, once she got the screen and glass door closed, she could stretch her arms out and really, truly breathe.

And for a moment, she did just that, standing there on the concrete of the porch with her eyes closed and soaking in the light ambiance of her surroundings—when she heard familiar voices to her left, speaking softly. Sunset opened her eyes and turned her head, and she saw twin plumes rising through the air—and two forms beneath them, huddled together and sitting cross-legged on the grass against the side of the house.

Sunset smiled, and she took a loud step on the concrete towards them, hoping they’d notice—and it clearly worked, as they both looked up. The smaller form—Fluttershy—shrank into the larger—Flash Sentry—and let out a meep. Sunset laughed.

“Hey!” Flash said with a grin, waving her over with his free hand. “Was wondering if you’d show up.”

“Who, me?” Sunset pointed at herself as she walked over. “’Course I would, why wouldn’t I?”

Flash gave her a look. “I dunno, been a while since you showed up to a Pinkie party.”

“I had five dollars riding on you missing this one,” Fluttershy mumbled, blushing. She took a reluctant drag of her cigarette, her eyes trained squarely at the ground.

Sunset did a mock gasp. “Even you, Fluttershy? Jeez, okay, I get it. Well, I’m here now, so you guys can stop heckling me.”

“Never,” Flash shot back, grinning even more. He patted the ground next to him. “Why don’t you sit down? I assume you came out here because it’s so dang loud in there? There’s way more people than the last one.”

Sunset nodded. “It’s... a lot more than I was expecting, yeah. Though I’m glad people are having fun.” She crouched, attempting to sit down gracefully next to Flash—but ended up falling backwards into the house with a loud thunk. “Ow...”

“You okay?” Fluttershy asked, peering over with concern.

“Yeeeah, I’ll be fine,” Sunset said with a wince. “So how are you two lovebirds doing?”

Flash snickered; Fluttershy’s blush grew, and she pulled her shoulder away from his. “W-we’re not like that,” she said quickly, eyes wide in horror.

“She’s only teasing.” Flash lightly elbowed Sunset in the side. “Right?”

“You never know.” Sunset winked.

Fluttershy extinguished her cigarette and stood up. “I-I need to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” She sped off, leaving Sunset and Flash there alone in the cool of the evening.

“She’s skittish, that one,” Flash said, a wistful lilt to his voice.

Sunset turned to look at him. “Yeah, it can be hard not to mess with her a little. At least now she knows I’m doing it as a friend instead of trying to make her feel bad.”

“Mm, yeah.” Flash put his cigarette to his mouth, and turned away from Sunset to exhale a cloud of smoke. “I try not to do it too much. She’s still pretty sensitive about it, even when she knows it’s coming from a good place. I guess nobody really likes to be the butt”—he crushed his cigarette against the house foundation—“of a joke.”

“Noted.” Sunset suddenly felt very awkward; it was like the light breeze had suddenly shifted directions. “Is... something wrong?”

Flash looked back at her and shook his head, though the look on his face remained blank. “No, no, I’m fine. A lot going on in my head, a lot I still haven’t quite figured out yet, but... yeah, I’m good.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “What about you? I don’t want to pry, but...”

Sunset felt a pang in her chest; somehow, she knew this was coming. “Twilight told me she talked to you.”

Flash nodded. “Yeah, but she didn’t say very much. Or really anything at all, she just was really curious about smoking, and whether you had, and then we got talking about the few times you got high at band practice...”

Sunset laughed. “Good times.”

“They were, weren’t they?” Flash smiled, and then it faded as quickly as it had appeared. “But some other stuff Twilight said got me really worried, and I just... I don’t know. For real, are you okay?”

Sunset bit her lip. “Well... yeah, I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Sunset...” Flash sighed. “You missed a bunch of these parties, and I heard you missed a bunch of school recently, too, and I know you, I know when you’re hiding something.” In that moment, she could see genuine worry lingering at the corners of his eyes. “Like, you don’t even have to tell me what it is... I just really need to know that you’re okay.”

Sunset took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “Alright,” she said upon opening them. “Yeah, I mean—Twilight wasn’t lying, I definitely was... not in a great place, not being very nice to myself. Not in danger,” she added, “but being pretty stupid all the same. But please, please believe me when I say that right now, I’m totally okay.” She reached up to take his hand between hers, staring him dead in the eye. “I had a good long talk with Twilight, and I’m doing a lot better.”

Flash exhaled and nodded, slowly. “Okay, good. Thank you, Sunset. Again, like... you don’t owe me anything, and I really don’t want to be all up in your business...” He paused, rubbing his cheek. “I just want you to be safe.”

“And I’ll be safe,” Sunset assured him, flashing a half smile. “Safe as I’ve ever been.”

“Now that’s got me scared,” Flash remarked, that knowing look returning to his eyes. “Not for you, but for everyone else.”

“Heh,” she exhaled.

Somewhere around the corner, there was the sound of a door opening and shoes squeaking on the grass. “AJ, I swear, if you don’t stop making fun of me I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Don’t forget I’m the only gal between the two of us who knows how to roll a joint.”

“Dammit, don’t—somebody might hear!”

A chuckle. “Really? Out of everything, this is what you’re embarrassed about? You’re more of a puritan than I thought, Dash.”

“Ughhh, be nice to me!”

“Sit down and I’ll be real nice to you. Hehe.”

Flash looked to Sunset with a glint of amusement in his eye, and the two shared a quiet chuckle. Then, silence fell between them, a silence interrupted only by the intermittent sounds of a lighter clicking.

As she sat there in the fading evening light, Sunset felt an urge somewhere within her to say more, to tell Flash the whole story, everything she’d done with the grisly details and all. It would be so easy, just to let it all pour out, breaking through the dam—and he’d probably just sit there with his arm around her shoulders as she cried, and he’d tell her it was all okay. She really didn’t know why she wasn’t saying more—maybe she was too embarrassed, or felt like it was too much of a burden to put on him, or just didn’t want Fluttershy to come back and hear. But these all seemed like excuses, and Sunset hated making excuses, especially with something like this.

She gulped, and opened her mouth. “Flash, I—”

Suddenly, the side door of the house opened, and a pair of teenagers spilled out onto the porch. Sunset squinted and was able to make out that boy from before—Micro Chips—and he appeared to be doing his best to steady a wobbly-looking girl. “Hey, Sunset!” he called.

“Wait, is that Twilight?” Flash breathed from behind her.

Sunset’s heart skipped a beat. “Okay, hold on, I got this.” She pushed herself up, brushing her jeans off as she walked over. “What’s up?”

“Heyyy Sunset,” Twilight cooed, and as Sunset stepped into the light shining out from inside, she could see the girl was positively flushed. “I feel kinda weird...”

“She’s...” Micro Chips grimaced. “Well, I don’t want to say it, I don’t think—”

“What’m I?” Twilight’s eyes went wide. “What’s up?”

Sunset looked from Micro Chips to Twilight and back again, and she could feel her jaw pulling back with concern. “It was the punch, wasn’t it?”

“Think so, though it definitely wasn’t supposed to be.” Micro Chips sighed. “I’m feeling it a bit too, but not like she is... I dunno, she was kind of getting uncomfortably touchy and I figured I should go find you since you two seem close.”

“...Yeah, thank you for that,” Sunset said. She reached out an arm, taking Twilight’s hand. “How about we go sit down somewhere quiet?”

“Hmm, how come?” Twilight said, her head swooping over to face Sunset. “What are you guys talking about, why won’t you tell me?”

Sunset bit her lip. “Twilight, um...” She squeezed Twilight’s hand, and leaned in close to her ear. “You’re kiiinda tipsy.”

“Well, yeah, I am tipping around a little,” Twilight said loudly, quite matter of fact. “But I don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

Micro Chips facepalmed. “You’re drunk,” he exhaled.

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “I’m what?!”

“I don’t waaanna be drunk,” Twilight Sparkle whined drunkenly. Her back was leaned against the white tile wall in front of the toilet; her glasses were off, on the sink counter, and her hair was frazzled from her fingers which couldn’t or wouldn’t stop anxiously leafing through it.

“Well... I can’t really do anything about that, just gotta give it time,” Sunset replied, bemused. Her finger traced a circle on the floor tile beside her crossed legs. “And some more water. You want me to refill your cup?”

Twilight’s eyes seemed unfocused for a moment, before snapping back as she nodded. “Yes please.”

As Sunset grabbed the cup from Twilight and stood, she thanked her lucky stars that her friend had been able to restrain herself from freaking out too bad once she was informed of her current state; that could have gone a lot worse, all things considered. After Twilight had calmed down a bit, she mentioned she was a bit nauseous, so Sunset had steered her over to a bathroom—the one Pinkie and Limestone shared—just in case. Plus it seemed to be doing Twilight good to get away from the loud and hectic rest of the party.

Once the cup was full, Sunset handed it over and Twilight gulped most of it down in just a few moments. Wiping her mouth, Twilight set the cup on the ground by her leg before looking back up. “I... I feel really... strange.”

“I know,” Sunset said, sitting back down. “It’s a weird woozy feeling, especially your first time. Not really like anything else.”

“No, I mean...” She sighed. “I didn’t ever want to... you know. Drink.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Sunset frowned. “I’m really sorry.”

Twilight quickly shook her head. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault—”

“It might not be my fault,” Sunset cut in, “but it definitely isn’t okay.”

“Okay, yeah,” Twilight agreed. “I mean, it’s not as earth-shattering as I thought it would be, it’s not like my whole life has changed, I just... I dunno. I didn’t want this to happen.”

“Yeah. Believe me, more than anyone... I get it.” Sunset took a deep breath, avoiding Twilight’s gaze. “It’s a weird, shitty, messed up feeling, to be thrown into that when you didn’t want to.”

“Mhmm...” Twilight trailed off. She reached her hand out to Sunset, and after a moment, Sunset took it; they sat there for a moment with their hands locked together, squeezed tight, before Twilight let go. “You’re really good at this. Talking me through this, I mean. I... I wish I’d been better for you.”

“What do you mean?” Sunset asked.

“I dunno, last week, I... I guess I’m worried I wasn’t there for you enough, that I just don’t know enough to be helpful for you.” Twilight looked oddly calm, oddly reflective. “Are... are you okay, Sunset?”

Sunset snorted, nodding slowly. “Yeah, yeah I am. You asked me to text you if I had the urge, and... well, I haven’t. I’ve been okay.”

She sat there uncomfortably a moment as Twilight’s eyes wandered, looking her over. But then the other girl’s expression changed; her lips curved, and her eyes leaned into the smile. “Thank you.” She paused, taking a long, deep breath. “Ugh. I still can’t help but feel like this is my fault.”

“How would it be your fault?” Sunset asked.

“I should’ve paid more attention, I guess.” Twilight gave a nervous laugh. “I mean, it’s a high school party with a bunch of people I don’t really know. What’d I expect?”

“That doesn’t make it any more right,” Sunset pointed out.

“Maybe not.” Twilight took another deep breath. “I dunno. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

“Mhmmm.” Twilight smiled, a goofy not-quite-sober tug upwards on her lips. Which, a moment later, straightened back out. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Sunset blinked. “Uh, yeah? Shoot.”

“Well, actually, nevermind.” Twilight coughed. “I just realised maybe it wasn’t appropriate.”

This made Sunset tilt her head; she really wasn’t sure what it could be. “No, really, go for it. I can’t imagine anything you’d ask that wouldn’t be.”

“Hmm, okay.” Twilight paused for breath. “Is this... is this what it felt like? The drugs you were doing?”

The question blindsided Sunset, and she felt a nervous twitch in her chest as she realised what Twilight was asking. “Um... n-no. Not really. I mean, sort of?” She hummed nervously as she tried to find the words, doing her best to ignore Twilight’s strangely blank look. “It’s... it’s hard to explain.”

“Oh, okay.” Twilight’s expression remained hard to read. “Did it make you feel kinda warm? ’Cause I feel kinda warm.”

Sunset frowned, shaking her head. “No, I... I felt cold. In my bones, it felt like... in the marrow.”

“Hm, okay.” Twilight breathed again. “Sorry if that was weird, I just... I got curious.”

“Oh, no, that’s... it’s fine.” Sunset wasn’t sure what more to say so she didn’t say anything, and a silence fell between them, somewhere between awkward and companionable. Twilight finished the last of her water and then closed her eyes, and Sunset watched as she breathed steadily. They both sat there for a few minutes in relative quiet, with only the distant music from outside lingering in the background.

And then, a couple minutes later, the bathroom door swung open suddenly, and Sunset nearly fell backwards onto the floor. As she steadied herself, she looked up to see the poofy pink hair of their hostess.

“Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed with a gasp. “Are you okay? Flash told me what happened, and I’m just—I’m so sorry!” She practically leaped over Sunset, somehow gracefully sliding into sitting on her knees, and she took Twilight’s hand before the purple girl had time to protest. “I really didn’t want this kinda thing to happen, especially not under my watch...”

Twilight just shook her head and laughed. “Thank you, Pinkie. I know it didn’t have anything to do with you... and after talking to Sunset, I think I’m gonna be okay.”

Pinkie looked back, her head peeking over her back so that her eyes met Sunset’s. “Oh, hey Sunset! How’re you doing?”

“Good, I think,” Sunset replied, her lips curved. “Or, at least, good if Twilight is.”

“I’m surprisingly okay!” Twilight replied emphatically. “At least for now. I dunno. It hasn’t really registered yet. I’m sure I’ll be freaking out more tomorrow.”

Sunset watched as Pinkie took Twilight’s hand. “Well, don’t you worry your silly head about it! I’ll sit with you here if you want—the party’s winding down, and Rarity’s seeing everyone off.” Pinkie grinned, or at least Sunset was pretty sure she did; the squeak she made was unmistakable.

“That... that’d be nice actually,” Twilight managed. “I’d call my dad to come pick me up, but... I don’t really want my parents to see me like this. They’d be really upset if they found out.”

“I getcha,” Pinkie said, nodding. “And that’s totally fine! We can go watch a movie or something until you feel better, and I can get you some soda or something!”

“Heh, maybe just water,” Twilight replied. “But really, Pinkie... thank you, too.” She paused, looking over Pinkie’s shoulder, and her amethyst eyes met Sunset’s. “You wanna stay, too?”

Sunset bit her lip. “I... I actually kinda think I should be getting home, if that’s okay. I was kinda hoping to walk back, and I wanted to go before it gets too dark.” She stretched out her arms and then stood up, stepping back into the open doorway.

Twilight’s smile faltered for a moment, but she recovered quickly with a nod. “Okay! I should be fine here with Pinkie, anyway.”

“Hopefully more than fine!” Pinkie agreed, giggling. She let go of Twilight’s hand and turned, standing up in front of Sunset. “And again, thank you so much for coming! It really was good to have you here!” Grinning, she leaned in for a hug, which Sunset returned with open arms and a smile of her own. “You’ll be at the next one, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Sunset assured her. She held the hug a moment longer before pulling away, and she waved to Twilight once more before stepping out of the bathroom and through Pinkie’s bedroom.

As she walked down the hallway to the foyer, she hummed a simple tune to herself over the sounds of the Rock Band kids still going in the other room. She could hear a trademark Rarity screech at them as she walked out the front door, but she paid it little mind as she slid between the cars on the drive in the faint porchlight and onto the sidewalk, finding herself finally free of it all.

It was dark, with only a sliver of the moon and a few stars overhead, and in this part of town the streetlights were few and far between. Barely any cars passed by, even on this main road, and each one that did sent a shiver down her spine. She kept looking over her shoulder, couldn’t help herself; even though there wasn’t anyone there, maybe someone had been hiding in the shadows, or had turned in from a side street, or anything—rationality couldn’t save her from paranoia. But she went on, because some things are more important.

Once she’d spied the white glow of her destination, she walked even faster, hardly holding back her impulse to break into a run. Then, at the doors, she stopped. They slid open, but her knees locked up and she just stood there, staring inside at the near-empty store and its blinding overhead lights which gave the aisles an unearthly liminal aura.

As she stood there, she remembered something she was told, not long ago. She pulled her phone out from the side pocket of her leather jacket; that she stared at for what felt like even longer, daring herself to turn on the screen and tap out her salvation.

Instead, she stowed the device and walked inside. When she left once more, not ten minutes later, it was with the weight of her sins pulling down at her side.

Author's Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVyE1HxK7Uw